Well it’s official, the crowds have cleared, the snow has settled, and the Sundance Festival has officially closed up shop for the year!  With this year playing host to over 120 films, it may be hard to sift through the rubble to find those hidden gems that we will continue to enjoy over the next year.  This is why I have decided to put together a list of all the wonderful films you should keep an eye out for as 2012 unfolds!  Some you’ll be able to catch at the multiplex, others on DVD or Netflix, and a few… well.. a few you should just avoid like the plague!

TOP 10 FILMS TO LOOK OUT FOR!

#10 – Beasts of the Southern Wild

While some of us were off seeking relief from dysfunctional family dramas, a braver audience was off checking out Beasts of the Southern Wild.  As much as I loved the film I saw instead, I almost wish I had make the journey one theater over to check out this film.  No film this year generated near the amount of buzz from both press and attendees alike, and no other film garnered in such rave reviews.  It also just so happened to grab the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film, as well an Excellence in Cinematography Award.  Not bad for a group of first timers huh?  Word on the street is that Icon Films has picked the film up for distribution, so you can most likely expect to see this film premiere at your local Indie theater in due time!  Don’t make the same mistake I did, see this film!

#09 -Where Do We Go Now?

I was hooked by this film from the first time I heard it described as a Lebanese Musical about religious conflict in Lebanon.  The film actually only has about 4 songs spread throughout it’s 100 minute run time, so it’s hardly a musical by traditional standards.  What the film truly is,  is a hilarious yet heartbreaking comedy reminiscent of films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Often with these 100+ minute films, there tends to be a good 20 minute chunk in which I start to zone out.  This was not an issue during the screening of this film!  If you liked Nadine Lebaki’s last musical Caramel, then you will most certainly find this film to your liking.

#08 -The Pact

Ok, so Nicholas McCarthy’s feature length debut may not blow minds with any crazy horror twists that you haven’t seen, but that doesn’t stop it from being one heck of a thrill ride.  McCarthy is part of the new school of horror that has decided to tone back all the jump-scare tactics, and instead letting the audience psyche themselves out on their own.  Based on the 2011 Sundance Premiere Short, The Pact is an edge of your seat horror film that if nothing else, will keep you entertained for a good 91 minutes.  How can anything starring Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) possibly be bad?

#07 -V/H/S

If you haven’t been paying close attention to the Horror genre as of late, then you likely will have missed quite a few exciting things.  In fact, you may be altogether unfamiliar with a group of guys that some consider to be the next generation of cutting edge genre Directors.  Thankfully V/H/S is here to remedy your ignorance with a heavy dose of 6 shorts, all directed by a group of guys whose names you probably want to start memorizing.  Directors include: Ti West, Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, Glenn McQuaid, David Bruckner, and a group of young fellows known simply as Radio Silence.  The film itself is yet another chapter in the recent string of ‘found footage’ films, but honestly there are some real gems here.  I absolutely hate found footage anything (even YouTube sometimes bridges on annoying), but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of V/H/S.  And for the record, this film makes me want to cast Hannah Fierman in pretty much every film I ever personally make.  Due to the overall 6 short structure of the film, it’s unclear wa full theatrical release, but something tells me you’ll be hearing more from this film in the near future.

#06 – The Surrogate:

The Surrogate was probably one of the most challenging films of the festival, but at the same time, one of the most rewarding.  The story, based on true events, depicts the life of a man confined to an iron lung and his journey to experience the loss of his virginity.  The fact that the film heavily deals with sexuality, and that Helen Hunt remains nude for a good portion of it, all work to make this film a tough sell.  However once people get over the nudity and get over the tough subject matter, they will find a superbly executed, well acted film.  This film at no point ever comes across as obscene, just like it never releases its firm grip on the heart of it’s viewer.  I wish this film all the luck in the world as we move forward into the year (and during award season).

#05 – Bachelorette

Kristen Wiig and company opened up the flood gates so to speak with 2011′s Bridesmaids.  Now it seems we are set to be bombarded by female lead comedies, a trend which while seemingly overdone, is most assuredly overdo.  To some Bachelorette may at first give off the appearance of being just another Bridesmaids ripoff (it is a comedy centered around Bridesmaids after all).  However upon further inspection we find a film that is more polished and indeed funnier than it’s contemporary.  The highlight of the film is undoubtedly in Kirsten Dunst’s patently “bitchy” performance.  Something happens to her when she’s thrown into film’s about over-dramatic characters in the midst of a wedding, and whatever it is, I love it!  Expect this film to get a wide release at some point.

#04 – Searching For Sugar Man:

Oftentimes I tend to steer away from documentary programming due to their tendency to be bleak one-sided affairs.  Every once in awhile though a film like Searching For Sugar Man comes along and completely breaks form.  It starts out as a depressing biographical film about a musician who died before his time, never realized his full potential.  As time passes and the film unfolds, we are instead greeted with a surprisingly uplifting film that actually speaks to the genial nature of man.  The film is also accompanied by a stirring score by it’s subject Jesus Rodriguez which will stick with you long after the credits come to an end.  Sugar Man marks the directorial debut of Malik Bendjelloul, but honestly there is nothing here that makes him seem anything but the most seasoned of vets.

#03 – Compliance

There’s just something about movies that only have 1 or 2 locations that is just so damn interesting (see London or Carnage).  It forces Directors such as Craig Zobel  to abandon their gimmicky airplane and SFX shots (Michael Bay), and requires that they for once exercise that little brain muscle used for narrative storytelling.  The end result is remarkably compelling film that is at times so patently absurd, you almost can’t believe the events truly happened.  Dreama Walker (Gossip Girl, Gran Torino), and Pat Healy (Rescue Dawn, The Innkeepers) put forth some of the best performances of their careers, and Director Craig Zobel goes 2-0.

#02 – Red Lights

It’s X-Files meets The Prestige, and that’s not just because Gillian Anderson co-stars!  The film itself revolves around a pair of University backed skeptics who set out to disprove the purported psychic abilities of the ever mysterious Simon Silver (Robert De Niro).  This film’s twist ending successfully polarized just about every audience member to screen it, making it one of the most talked about films of the whole festival.  Accompanied by Xavi Giménez’s stunning cinematography, Red Lights is definitely a film you do not want to miss.  Expect a US wide release in March

#1 – The Raid

With the original ’3 Dragons’ surely past their prime, there has been a giant gap left in the world of Martial Arts films.  Thankfully Gareth Evans and his rag tag band of Indonesian martial artists have put together a film that will change the landscape of action movies for years to come.  Think of the plot as a really really awesome video game.  Your goal, to fight your way through 15 levels of villains to reach the ultimate final boss at the top of the dungeon.  Oh and hope you’re good with a knife, because you’ve only packed a limited supply of bullets!  What ensues is one of the most dazzling and brutal displays ever to grace the action movie genre.  The Raid will likely spoil the next 10 action movies you watch, as it is most certainly in a league of it’s own

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Imposter: Other press members I met described it as a film that delivers more thrills and suspense than most fictional films.  It’s description that makes me want to catch this one that much more!  Rumor also has it that the cinematography is just breathtaking!

Excision: One of my favorite parts about the Sundance festival comes in the form of it’s midnight horror programming.  Excision was one of only two films I missed out on, but from what I hear, I missed quite a show.  One volunteer I met even went to see it 3 times at the festival!

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Lay The Favorite:

Sometimes we get so jaded by our blind love for the Die Hard films, that we tend to forget Bruce Willis is perfectly capable of starring in some truly horrible features.  Lay The Favorite is one such feature.  It’s not just the poor acting, or the pointlessly muddled plot line that makes this film so painstakingly awful, but in fact it’s everything!  Rebecca Hall’s performance as a pretty but incredibly naive ex-stripper ceases to be cute after the first 20 minutes and Bruce Willis as a Danny Tanner clone just doesn’t work .  The rest of the film only serves as a tortuous reminder that no matter how hard Director Stephen Frears tries, this will never be as good as The Grifters.

Wuthering Heights:

I went into this film expecting it to at least be on the same tier as the recent Jane Eyre remake.  However after about the first 30 minutes or so of extraneous bird and babbling brook shots, I became painfully aware that I had made a grave mistake in attending this film.  Director Andrea Arnold attempts to reinvigorate the story for new a new generation of audiences by updating the obscenities and casting a black actor (James Howson) for the role of Heathcliff, but in the end the film is never able to set itself apart from being just a poor novelty act.  Instead of a moving story about the pain and heartache that comes about from love, the viewer is instead left with a poorly acted tale about two extremely overdramatic teens (Twilight fans rejoice!).  In Arnold’s defense though, that’s kind of the jist of the original source material anyway.

Actor to watch out for: Pat Healy

Healy has been traveling under the radar ever since he first caught a gig playing a Agent Rogers in the not so popular Home Alone 3.  However his last few roles as a awkwardly comedic hotel employee in The Innkeepers, and the malicious orchestrator of the prank call from hell in Compliance, have shown that Healy most certainly has the charisma needed to hold a starring role.  Keep a sharp eye out for this guy!

Most Films at the Fest: Mark Webber

Webber has come a long long way since his role in the ever nostalgia inducing Snow Day.  This year alone he has 3 films slated to be released (The End of Love, Save The Date, For a Good Time Call) and every single one of them had their premiere at this years Sundance festival (talk about a busy guy!).

Coolest Soundtrack: Mike Shinoda (The Raid)

Apparently the powers that be weren’t to keen on the original score for this Indonesian power house film, so in order to spruce things up they brought in Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda.  I’m not sure how different this new soundtrack is from the original but Shinoda has most certainly outdone himself this time!  We’re talking pulse pounding drums layered upon grimy low frequency oscillations that would even make The Notebook seem like a John Woo film.

We got the awesome new Super Bowl TV spot for G.I. Joe: Retaliation a few days early last week, and now we’ve got more brand new footage to tease you with, with a French trailer landing tonight, along with a new image from the film.

Jon M. Chu has helmed the project from a script by Zombieland’s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and we’ll be getting some familiar faces from the first film returning, as well as a host of new talent too.

Channing Tatum, Ray Park, and Lee Byung-hun reprise their roles from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and joining them will be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, Elodie Yung, Ray Stevenson, RZA, D.J. Cotrona, and Walton Goggins.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation will be released on 22nd June this year here in the UK, before setting sail across the Atlantic a week later to hit US theatres on June 29th. The first trailer we caught back in December made everything look pretty awesome, and the Super Bowl TV spot coupled with this new trailer has only furthered the excellent special effects we’ve seen, with a healthy dose of comedy.

With a few more months to go, you can whet your appetites now with some great new footage from the film, followed by a shot of Bruce Willis looking pretty bemused with Dwayne Johnson suitably living up to his character’s name, Roadblock. As usual, click to enlarge.

Source: Collider and ComingSoon.net.

With Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, it’s time to get a little NFL-centric.

The Super Bowl is not just about splendid TV spots for upcoming cinema releases, there is a game to be played too. Many of us on this side of the North Atlantic rather look down our noses at American Football. Some dismiss it as rugby for softies (the “too much padding” argument), others as too stop-start (the “not as fluid as proper football” argument), others as too convoluted (the “I don’t really understand what’s happening here” argument).

For what my opinion is worth (please don’t tell me how little that is, I really am quite delicate) I think American Football is hugely entertaining and easily comprehensible, but more than that, the intricate choreography of its set-piece plays is so much better suited to cinema than either rugby or normal football.

Disagree? Tell me of a convincing and realistic portrayal of football in cinema? Mean Machine? Escape to Victory? You see?

Now of course that doesn’t make American Football a better or more compelling sport, but this is a film blog and so what it does make it is a better theme for a Six Of The Best article, in this case, Six of the Best cinematic portrayals of American Football. The film doesn’t need to be wholly or exclusively about Gridiron, but it must be a legitimate theme rather than a mere background detail. The Waterboy would be eligible, but sadly doesn’t make the list because it is deeply and enduringly terrible.

The excellent and exciting American Football-themed opening to Welcome to the Jungle (or “The Rundown” as it is otherwise known) is probably too peripheral a reference to qualify, more’s the pity. So what’s in? Here’s my list, please feel free to lambast me in the comments section for any glaring omissions, but be gentle. Remember, I’m delicate.

1. Jerry Maguire

Although Cameron Crowe’s 1996 film is not essentially about sport, but rather about a man trying to find his way to being the man he should and wants to be, American Football is threaded through. Very little on-field action is presented to us, save for the nail-biting finale when we wonder whether Rod Tidwell (a never-better Cuba Gooding Jr) will be able to pick himself up from the crunching end zone tackle that leaves him flat on his back, but the world of the NFL is there all the way through, from players getting caught in compromising situations, to the quest for a life-changing multi-year contract, to a splendid cameo from the Cowboys Troy Aikman (“I really liked your memo”).

Ultimately, Jerry Maguire is a great film because of its delicious script, note-perfect performances and deftly handled direction, not because it revolves around the world of the NFL, but revolve it does, commenting on the unpleasant side-effects of exclusive merchandising deals and the impact on the wives and children of professional athletes who continue to put their bodies in danger because they have such a small window within which to make their living. Although these matters are not the principal concern of the film (the condition of Jerry’s heart is), it is a fascinating insight to some of the collateral damage occasioned by American Football.

The Super Bowl hits TVs this weekend and that means it’s time for all the studios to showcase their summer movies as it’s viewed by some ridiculous number of people! Many will tune in to watch the New York Giants vs. The New England Patriots while others will tune in simply to see new TV spots and trailers.

Many studios have been releasing TV spots early and this evening we get a new 30 second trailer for G.I. Joe Retaliation. The sequel to the 2009 movie stars Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson, Walton Goggins, Bruce Willis, Jonathan Pryce and according to the trailer Jay-Z who gets quoted by The Rock as one of his tracks is played over it. Epic!

G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation is directed by Jon M Chu and will be with us 22nd June. Have a watch below:

Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) has a decade-spanning career whose credits have earned him two Oscar nominations to date, so it’s not surprising that his return behind the camera for the indie film, Lay The Favorite, is one of the films I’m most looking forward to this year.

The film stars Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Frank Grillo, and Laura Prepon, and it will be heading to this year’s Sundance Film Festival at the end of the month with one of the independent film festival’s biggest cast lists.

The first clip from the film has gone online over at EW, via Collider, and it shows us Hall as the main character, Beth Raymer, upon whose real-life memoir this film is based, cruising into Las Vegas with Bruce Willis, singing along to The Hollies’ The Air That I Breathe.

“Beth Raymer is a beautiful girl with a big heart who leaves her dancing job at a Florida strip club to become a Las Vegas cocktail waitress. Not exactly an ideal career choice, but her borderline-ditzy personality doesn’t give her many options. In walks Dink, a professional sports bettor who sees through her bubbly exterior and offers her a job placing wagers all over town to gain an advantage over the casinos. Her surprisingly impeccable mind for numbers soon cements her status as Dink’s good-luck charm, until his gorgeous-but-frigid wife, Tulip, starts to get jealous. Faced with no other choice but to fire Beth, Dink’s luck runs out when she heads to New York to work for a smarmy bookie, a turn of events that lands her squarely on the wrong side of the law.”

The comedy sees Frears reunite with his High Fidelity screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis, and that alone should be enough to convince you that this is going to be good. High Fidelity is one of my favourite films of all-time, and it would quite possibly rank in my Top 5 (if you know what I mean).

I thought Hall was so good in Ben Affleck’s The Town back in 2010, and am really looking forward to seeing her again in Lay The Favorite, especially amongst such a great cast. The film hasn’t yet had a release date scheduled, but hopefully it will do well at Sundance and secure a release soon after that. And with a bit of luck, it might be picked for one of the films brought over to London when Sundance comes to our shores in April. For now, here’s the first clip from the film, or click over to EW if you want it in better quality. For some reason, Willis’ role in it really reminds me of his guest appearances as Paul in Friends.

(N.B. I’m of course well aware that we spell it ‘favourite’ in this country, I just can’t remember whether spellings get altered in films’ titles when they’re released abroad. I guess we’ll find out when a UK poster hits later in the year.)

You know that meme about Chuck Norris? The ‘Chuck Norris facts’ meme I think they call it.

The one where there are a load of facts about Chuck Norris and people list them and laugh at them. The facts that make Chuck sound like some sort of malevolent God from the planet awesome. The facts that have been circulating the internet for so long and so loudly that even mentioning them is clichéd beyond credibility.

The ones that go like this:

• Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
• Chuck Norris counted to infinity – twice.
• Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.
• Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that’s why there are no signs of life there.
• Chuck Norris doesn’t have a chin behind his beard. Just another fist.

You know, those facts. The ones that you hate me for recounting. God I’m ashamed of myself…

Well Chuck isn’t just some karate kicking cliché or some occasional brainless sex object there to be ironically lauded to the detriment of everyone who chooses to do so 6 years on from the facts’ inception. He’s a serious man. And will be treated as such thank you very much.

Yep, Chuck has had enough of the vulgarity that surrounds him and has made a stand with his latest appearance in The Expendables 2. Whereas the film is being pitched (as was the first) as a no-holds barred, violent, sweary, adult smash-fest of silly proportions, Chuck Norris in an interview with Polish site Gazeta has claimed that one of his conditions for signing up to the project was that the film clean up its act and cut out the hardcore swearing that Norris doth abhor so much in order to get a PG-13 rating. You know, for the kids:

The ExpendablesPremiere.com transcription of the interview shows Norris’ message as being:

In Expendables 2, there was a lot of vulgar dialogue in the screenplay. Fot this reason, many young people wouldn’t be able to watch this. But I don’t play in movies like this. Due to that I said I won’t be a part of that if the hardcore language is not erased. Producers accepted my conditions and the movie will be classified in the category of PG-13.

Well this all sounds very silly doesn’t it. If The Expendables 2 really was going for a PG-13 rating in the US then surely the language isn’t the only thing that would have to be toned down. Also since Norris surely doesn’t have that much sway in the grand scheme of things his requests will surely amount to nothing.

Even so, as a man of apparently strong moral convictions and with an internet fame that has now surely surpassed his status as a cult film star maybe it’s time that he made a stand against the ravages of two-dimensional fame. Good for you Chuck, although next time maybe don’t make a stand by starring in a film that is fundamentally defined by its R rating. I mean without blood and some fruity language what’s left? The ground breakingly nuanced performances?

Source: /Film

Rian Johnson is no stranger to ambition.

His first feature, Brick, was made for under $500,000 and featured the sort of dialogue you’d expect from a know-it-all trying to ape Dashiell Hammett, and that’s precisely what it was, but it was really quite good. He then followed that up with The Brothers Bloom, an ambitious crime caper that although flawed managed to entertain with its twisting narrative and high-level cast.

This time round he’s gathered together another great ensemble including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano to star in Looper, a film that on paper sounds like a bit of a mind-boggler.

The most detailed synopsis we have currently is a little vague but you can rest assured with Johnson at the helm things will get awfully complicated awfully quickly :

A present-day killer (Gordon-Levitt) works for a mob in the future and kills people who are sent from the future. He recognizes one victim (Willis) as himself and hesitates, resulting in the escape of his older self.

Talking to the Los Angeles Times the writer/director tried to play down the time travelling set-up explaining that, “if you just tell somebody the plot, you’re inevitably telling them the time travel stuff, but the movie actually uses that as a set-up. The best parallel I can draw is to the first ‘Terminator’ movie where time travel is used to set up this impossible situation between these people and then that situation plays itself out.”

In order to get Levitt to resemble a younger Willis throughout the film he will be wearing prosthetics, to quote Johnson: “the biggest thing is Joe’s performance, he’s really doing Bruce in a big and daring way, but he strikes a balance between obviously imitating Bruce and also building this organic performance.” It all sounds like a tough balancing act to pull off but the with the films obvious ambition whatever happens will at least be interesting. Better than that, like Brick, it may be something truly surprising and new.

Source: IndieWire

Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox divided audiences but his latest appears to be just the ticket for those wanting a return to form (i.e. familiar) and you can expect the words ‘quirk’ and ‘charm’ to be used in equal measure until the film sees its release in May of this year.

Leaping over the animated delights of F Mr.F we look back to The Darjeeling Limited and its companion short Hotel Chevalier for our last live-action film from the director and as usual there’s an excellent cast, with the scattering of Anderson regulars, and the trailer is quirky as it is charming. See.

Here’s a cute synopsis,

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.

 

Here’s your trailer, pick an Apple to see a version with clarity,

Rian Johnson, director of upcoming science-fiction thriller Looper, has given fans a New Year’s present of a picture of himself sat inside a pod-like structure, leaving fans speculating what part of the film’s set this mechanism could be.

Looper takes place in the future and follows a killer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who works for the mob, who soon realises that one of his targets is an older version of himself (Bruce Willis).

The photo, which can be seen below, shows Johnson seated in the opening of what appears to be some kind of machine, which could very well be the key to allowing a reality where two different versions of the same person can exist simultaneously. In other words, it might be a time machine. But what do you think?

Looper reunites Gordon-Levitt with Brick director Rian Johnson, and also stars Emily Blunt. It is set to be released on 28th September, and you can visit the film’s Tumblr page for a full-size image, and for more constant updates on the film.

(Source: Image Blend)

Eschewing the accepted convention of teasing a new trailer with the unveiling of a poster a few days beforehand The Expendables 2 is following its recent trailer with this new image of Stallone making his own inimitable impression on a nearby wall.

Those merry veterans of the movie web scene AICN were deigned hard enough to debut the poster and while it won’t win any design awards it’s a pretty fair indication of what to expect.

Sylvester Stallone leads a cast of Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. So there’s something for everyone. As long as all anyone actually wants is a collection musclebound actors killing people.

Here’s the synopsis,

Things go boom.

Here is a fuller synopsis,

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Lee Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time — six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….

Poster time, click to make it big.

`While the world was waiting for a trailer for The Dark Knight Rises to appear the first trailer for Simon West’s The Expendables 2 is thrown into the ring.

Sylvester Stallone returns with a packed cast including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Here’s the synopsis,

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Lee Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time — six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….

On Saturday, we got our first sneak peek of the G.I. Joe: Retaliation trailer which is the sequel to the 2009 movie, G.I. Joe Rise of the Cobra and now the full trailer is here.

This time, veteran hard man Bruce Willis and not so veteran hard man, Dwayne Johnson show up to give the movie extra umph alongside Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson and Walton Goggins. This one won’t be subtle…

 Synopsis: The G.I. Joe team faces off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence.

The movie is set for release on the 22nd of June and you can see all our coverage of the movie here.

Here’s the trailer,

Source: Machinima.com

Most weekends not too much happens when it comes to big movie news but someone didnt get the memo as this evening as well as this amazing new poster for The Dark Knight Rises, we have this first look footage of The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis from the sequel to the 2010 movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

The footage comes from ET as is a preview to the trailer which is set to hit on Monday. The film also stars Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson, Walton Goggins, and is directed by Jon M Chu. It’ll be with us 22nd June.

Source : Thanks for the heads up from BleedingCool

Here it is people! The one you’ve all been waiting for! it’s the first official poster for The Expendables 2 and it packs some serious punch! The movie appears to have the title EX2. I Don’t know yet if that is the official title for the movie but we’ll keep you posted. Joining Sylvester Stallone on the poster are: Jean-Claude Van Damme Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, and Terry Crews. Jet Li, Scott Adkins, Jet Li and Liam Hemsowrth also star in the movie but they didn’t make the cut on the poster!

The film should be with us August 2012.

Click he poster to enlarge.

Source: JoBlo

In case you haven’t already heard, the sequel to last year’s all-star action blockbuster, The Expendables, has been increasing its cast and signing everyone who’s anyone in the martial arts/butt-kicking scene.

Last week, we got a look at Sylvester Stallone, who won’t be directing this time around, hanging out with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of The Expendables 2.

We’ve now got a picture, courtesy of Collider, that shows of a few more cast members, most notably giving us our first look at the one and only Mr. Chuck Norris – the ‘Mr.’ because the man could destroy with his eyes, so it’s a good idea to be polite. Norris is of course renowned for his general awesomeness, and though I confess that I’ve never actually seen him act – don’t hate me – I am naturally a fan of many of the Chuck Norris jokes you hear every now and then. A personal favourite, via TheChuckNorrisFacts, being:

“Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.”

The sequel will be directed by Simon West (Con Air, The General’s Daughter), and along with Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis, we should get to see Jason Statham, Jet Li, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins, and possibly John Travolta and Donnie Yen, who remain rumours at the moment. Essentially, more names than you can reasonably fit into one sentence (but I did it anyway).

Principal photography is clearly underway for The Expendables 2, with a release date currently scheduled for 17th August next year, making it quite possibly/probably 2012’s biggest summer blockbuster in terms of cast recognition. Without further ado, here’s the new photo from the set, with Mr. Norris himself. As usual, click to enlarge.

Schwarzenegger’s appearance alongside Stallone and Willis in the first Expendables film was a glorified cameo and didn’t have nearly as much impact as they all seemed to think it did. Frankly, I felt robbed and it is therefore with some gratitude that I hear that there may be a bit more of him this time around.

Yes, it’s sequel time and along with the rest of the returning cast, we should get a whole host of other action stars as well. So far, we know to expect Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Sly, Scott Adkins, Chuck Norris (who apparently can win Connect 4 in three moves), Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and possibly The Rock, Vin Diesel, John Travolta and Nic Cage. Crikey.

Rumour-mongering aside, we know that Sly, Willis and Arnie are on set, because we have this lovely photo to prove it. So there.

Source: It’s from Arnie’s Twitter feed.

UPDATE: It seems the man can’t get enough of tweeting his movements, today he also found the time to tweet a pic of him ‘wrapping up a big day on The Last Stand with Zach Gilford and our great director, Jee-Woon Kim’.

]]> http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/10/19/schwarzenegger-on-set-for-the-expendables-2/feed/ 0 http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/10/15/a-good-day-to-die-hard-hunt-on-for-john-jr/ http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/10/15/a-good-day-to-die-hard-hunt-on-for-john-jr/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:00:42 +0000 Dave Roper http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/?p=111406

Many remain ambivalent regarding the news of another Die Hard entry being officially greenlit. I have sincerely got nothing but love for the franchise and although I think Die Hard 4.0 / Live Free or Die Hard suffered from being artificially squeezed into a more “friendly” rating/certificate, it was still a welcome and commendable addition to the canon.

Now that A Good Day to Die Hard has a writer and director and release date (John Moore, Skip Woods, 14th February 2013), casting is apparently beginning in earnest for the key role of McClane junior.

Having had Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lucy McClane in the last entry, John’s son is to be a key character this time around. The good news is that it doesn’t need to be a teenager or a younger child, given that the McClane progeny are all grown up now, so we are apparently looking at people like Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, M:I-3), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood) and Ben Foster (Alpha Dog, Hostage, 30 Days of Night). Those names have been plucked from nowhere by the way; there has been no official call list for auditions yet, just hearsay.

As is well-known, Bruce Willis is maintaining a close watch on the development of the film and will be reading with those auditioning for the part, no doubt having a significant say in who the gig finally goes to. Variety intimate that the role may have the potential to develop into a take-over of the franchise a la Jeremy Renner in Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol or Shia TheBeef in Indy 5. Whether that means the search will be on for someone with a certain muscular physicality for the role of John Jr, we will have to see.

Source: I just said it. Variety.

It’s been four years since Bruce Willis last took up the part of John McClane for the fourth time in Die Hard 4.0 / Live Free Or Die Hard, and after taking almost $400m. at the box office, the film showed that there’s clearly still a lot of love for the franchise today, despite the interim of more than a decade between the third and fourth films.

Back in August, we heard that the upcoming fifth film in the series would be going international and taking McClane to Russia, and this was followed last month with the news that the film had found its director in Max Payne’s John Moore.

20th Century Fox have now given the film both a title and a release date, ComingSoon.net report. 14th February, 2013 is now currently scheduled for the release of the latest instalment, which is to be called A Good Day To Die Hard.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty awesome title in my books. The series has a history of some pretty great names for its sequels so far: Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard With A Vengeance, and Live Free Or Die Hard. And though each arguably has a hint of a cheese-factor to it, they undeniably evoke the sense of awesomeness that surrounds Die Hard, and this latest title is more of the same.

The film is now officially described as follows:

“Since the first Die Hard in 1988, John [McClane] has found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the skills and attitude to always be the last man standing, making him enemy #1 for terrorists the world over. Now, [McClane] faces his greatest challenge ever, this time on an international stage, when his estranged son Jack is caught up in the daring prison escape of a rogue Russian leader, and father and son [McClane] must work together to keep each other alive and keep the world safe for democracy.”

We’ve still got a year and a half to wait John McClane’s return, but with Moore behind the camera, a script from Skip Woods (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hitman), and of course Bruce Willis taking the lead, you know it’s going to be good. Valentine’s Day 2013 will most definitely be A Good Day To Die Hard. Mark your calendars.

To mark the release of Setup on DVD, Blu-ray and available on digital download 17th October, Lions Gate Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray.

Hollywood megastar BRUCE WILLIS (The Expendables) stars alongside CURTIS ’50 CENT’ JACKSON (Dead Man Running) and RYAN PHILLIPPE (Cruel Intentions, Crash) in this explosive story of high-risk robbery, friendship and betrayal.  SETUP is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on October 17.

The heist of a lifetime turns deadly for a group of friends when one betrays another by taking off with the goods. Taking matters into his own hands, Sonny (JACKSON) seeks out retribution by teaming up with the most dangerous mob boss in town (WILLIS) to get back what he sees as rightfully his.

Also starring UFC legend Randy Couture (The Expendables) and James Remar (Dexter), and with Willis on top wise-cracking form, SETUP traces the breathtaking sequence of events leading to the point when friends-turned-foe face the consequences of their actions. When it comes to the crunch, Sonny is confronted with the biggest decision of his life…

SETUP  DVD & Blu-ray Details:

• RRP DVD/BD:             £12.99 / £17.99
• Certificate                   15
• Audio                            Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround  / DTS-HD Master Audio Surround 5.1
• Aspect Ratio               Anamorphic 2.40:1 / HD 2.40:1
• Subtitles                      English for the Hearing Impaired

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character of Biggs in the movie Setup?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 17th October at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

To celebrate the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction on Blu-ray 17th October, Lions Gate Home Entertainment & Miramax have given us this brand new clip / featurette which comes as part of the epic six hours of extras on the new Blu-ray. To celebrate the release of Pulp Fiction (and Jackie Brown’, which boasts 3 hours of extras and ‘From Dusk ‘Till Dawn’ – On Blu-ray for the first time in the UK) we will be joining in the celebrations of ‘Tarantober’! You can pre-order your copy of the movie here.

If you’ve never seen Pulp Fiction before then quite frankly, you need to add this one to your collection. It’s a classic in it’s own right with so many quotable lines and comic sequences that when you see it, you’ll feel like you know so much already!

In this great new clip, we get to see the infamous dancing scene with Jack Rabbit Slims with narration from John Travolta who speaks about his memories of how the dance came together and how it completely memorised the production team afterwards.

A pair of low-rent hit men, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), are sent out to collect a stolen briefcase for their mob boss employer, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames).  Having proven himself worthy, Wallace then entrusts Vincent to entertain his wife, Mia (Uma Thurman), while he is out of town.  Meanwhile, Wallace has paid off aging boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) to throw his next fight.  The lives of these wildly entertaining characters intertwine with unexpected and violent consequences.

Quentin Tarantino, hailed as “the most inventive filmmaker alive” (Newsday), will debut his ground-breaking film, re-mastered under the filmmaker’s direct supervision with new high definition lossless audio and 1080P video.  Containing new bonus materials that delve the film’s iconic status, the release will be packed with hours of archival content that includes numerous behind the scenes featurettes, interviews and marketing galleries.  Extras include:

• Stunning New 1080P Transfer Approved by Quentin Tarantino
• NEW 5.1 Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio™
• NEW Interviews with Cast including: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz, Tim Roth and more
• NEW Critics’ Retrospective on the Movie’s Place in Film History
• Behind-the-Scenes Footage
• “Pulp Fiction: The Facts” Featurette
• Production Design Featurette
• Siskel & Ebert “At the Movies” – “The Tarantino Generation”
• Independent Spirit Awards Footage
• Cannes Film Festival Footage
• “The Charlie Rose Show” Tarantino Interview
• Still Galleries
• Trivia Track
• Deleted Scenes