You have to worry when a film’s musical medley finale is far more entertaining than what you’ve just sat through. Another snag for the filmmakers of the equally disappointing Valentine’s Day last year is their biggest star, Robert De Niro, is woefully miscast in the sombre role, when his true comedic talent is apparent in the end sing-song.

You’ve guessed it: it’s nearly ball-dropping time in Times Square, New York City, and a bunch of characters have all sorts of New Year’s resolutions to make and keep, all to do with some form of love: forgiveness, compassion, opening their hearts to a different point of view etc. We follow the 24 hours before the ‘greatest reset button in life’, New Year’s Eve and the big countdown.

Director Garry Marshall and writer Katherine Fugate haven’t learnt their lesson from last time, it seems – or they’re under contract to see this limp franchise through to the bitter end. The problem isn’t attracting an impressive cast – as that’s what the film’s main draw is, what with De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Katherine Heigl and even Jon Bon Jovi on board: One could cynically argue that it’s the easiest money they’ve earned all year, so of course, they’ve signed up. Perhaps it’s their collective love for the Big Apple at this time of year, too?

What is highlighted is too much of a good cast, without proper mini plot development in each scenario just produces a damp squib, with characters we don’t much care for, even if we enjoy seeing the famous faces together in one film. Their characters’ trials and tribulations amount to padding until the countdown, with some great musical numbers from Bon Jovi intermixed for fans. Hence, when the big moment finally comes we should be right there with them all, feeling that renewed hope of a great new year ahead, rather than wishing to reset our own time button to two hours earlier.

We see De Niro wasting away – both in body and mind with such a character; Heigl as the usual ‘bridesmaid and never the bride’ – again; Berry like a worn out extra off ER; Swank running around and mounting her own personal crusade – complete with the ever perfect curl in her hair; and Pfeiffer trying to convince us she’s really plain Jane and uninteresting – well, the latter part is true in this film, even with Efron and his cheeky charms trying to inject some life into her and their scenario of completing her wish list, as though she’s going to snuff it at midnight.

And no film set in New York would be complete without Sarah Jessica Parker running around in killer heels, like she’s doing a small SATC Carrie cameo, and forgotten she’s actually playing a concerned mum to teen Hailey (Abigail Breslin) who just wants to be kissed. Valentine’s Day star Ashton Kutcher plays disinterested New Year’s loather Randy in this, rather than over-enthusiastic flower man Reed in the 2010 film. He’s really only there to set up a singing scene for Glee’s Lea Michele in a knockout red number, and gets to slob it out in PJs, like he’s just got out of bed to make a lacklustre appearance in this.

As a result of too many characters and not enough investment in each, New Year’s Eve also suffers from a frustrating lack of explanation, such as what’s Claire Morgan’s (Swank) deep bond with cop friend Brendan (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), and why is she estranged from her father, Stan (De Niro) – among others. To be honest, should we really care?

Apart from Bon Jovi rocking the house and a great vocal performance from Michele, Sofía Vergara – who’s like an annoying Cheeky Girl at the start – makes things hot and steamy in chef Laura’s (Heigl) kitchen, as well as steals the only comedic moments as man-crazy sous chef Ava from Heigl, rendering the latter’s usual comedy presence void.

There are a number of other actors and situations going on, one or more of which ought to strike a chord with whoever is watching. Although the filmmakers’ intentions are all good, the execution results in contrived, groan-inducing morality and over simplicity in parts that just undermines the candour of the lessons learnt. Let’s hope there’s not another date in the Western calendar that Marshall and Fugate can get/have got their hands on – even if it means they keep a few big names in easy work.

*~~~~ (1/5)

To celebrate the release of New Year’s Eve on December 8th Warner Bros. have given us three sets of the following merchandise to give away.

• Party Kits (Champagne glasses, horns, confetti, masks, bouchon wine stopper)
• Hoodie
• Candle (Champagne scented aromatherapy candle)
• USB
• Beanie
• T-shirt
• Playing Cards
• Glasses
• Shot Glasses

Scroll down for details on how to enter.

Director/producer Garry Marshall is joined by a stellar ensemble cast to ring in the 2011 holiday season with the romantic comedy “New Year’s Eve.”

“New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

The film’s all-star cast includes Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, two-time Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.

Reuniting with Marshall from last year’s hit romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” are screenwriter Katherine Fugate and producers Mike Karz and Wayne Rice.  Serving as executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Samuel J. Brown, Michael Disco, Josie Rosen and Diana Pokorny, with Heather Hall as co-producer.

To be in with a chance of winnig this great prize, simply answer the following question using the form below:

New Year’s Eve is helmed by this veteran director, who helmed Pretty Woman and, more recently, The Princess Diaries films as well as Valentine’s Day. Name the director. 

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 19th December 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!

It’s a night of possibilities with the New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall…

Every year people from all over the world pin their wishes to the ‘Wishing Wall’ in Times Square, New York City.  On New Year’s Eve these wishes form the confetti that rains down on party-goers at midnight!

Now here’s your chance to be a part of one of the biggest celebrations in the world.  Add your wish to the New Year’s Eve Wishing Wall on the official New Year’s Eve Movie UK Facebook page and your wish will be sent to New York and could be seen up in lights as part of the UK digital poster campaign!

 POST YOUR WISH HERE!!  

© 2011 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.

The upcoming ensemble romantic-comedy, New Year’s Eve, has got pretty much every face under the sun surrounding the rom-com genre, and I was a little surprised to find myself enjoying the last trailer we saw for the film.

A new poster has now been sent over to us and it’s pretty much just about showing off all the famous faces that you can look forward to seeing in the film.

It’s not really a creative or well thought-out poster, in my books, and is essentially just a pretty unsubtle way of saying, ‘Just in case you don’t know these people by name, here are their very recognisable faces.’

And those faces include, but are not limited to, HalleBerry, Ashton Kutcher, Jon Bon Jovi, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sofia Veraga, Hilary Swank, Josh Duhamel, Robert De Niro, Lea Michele, and Zac Efron.

Nonetheless, the trailer from a couple of weeks ago was actually pretty feel-good and did have me, somewhat ashamedly, a little intrigued by the project, given that I’m not really its target demographic. Last year’s Valentine’s Day managed to more than quadruple its $50m. budget at the box office, and I wouldn’t be surprised if New Year’s Day has a pretty good run too when it hits cinemas on 9^th December this year. Until then, here’s the new poster to enjoy (or be bemused by on account of the total lack of subtlety). As usual, click to enlarge.

After the success of last year’s ensemble romantic comedy Valentine’s Day, which turned $50m. into more than $200m., director Gerry Marshall is returning this year for another ensemble romantic comedy, New Year’s Eve.

At first, I was a little sceptical of the project, but after a surprisingly good first trailer, I became a lot more enthusiastic about it. We’ve now got a great follow-up trailer and poster for the film.

Just like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day has got a cast full to the brim of well-known stars that all come together for what could be a pretty great holiday film, including (and you’ll have to forgive me for the length of this list) Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, and Sofía Vergara.

The music for the first trailer was excellent, with Pink’s Raise Your Glass, and the tone remains the same this time around, kicking off with The Afters’ Start Over fifty seconds into the video. It’s pretty awesome.

With these kinds of ensemble films, it’s a bit of a worry that with so many stars, each character will only get about five minutes of screen time for us to enjoy. But this new trailer certainly looks promising, with the different characters all having their own little story to look forward to. Robert De Niro’s little moment at the end of the trailer is just brilliant. Without further ado, here’s the great new trailer and the poster for the film beneath it. If you’d like to watch it in beautiful HD, then you can do so over here.

Warner Bros. have released this new ‘Special Content Trailer’ which seems to be a cross between a trailer and a featurette. As well as some new footage, we also get to see some interviews with many of the cast which is all rather extensive and includes Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry​, Jessica Biel, Michelle Pfeiffer​, Sarah Jessica Parker​, Hilary Swank, Zac Efron, Sienna Miller, Lea Michele, Sofia Vergara, Abigail Breslin, Til Schweiger​, Seth Meyers​, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel​, and Carla Gugino.

Garry Marshall comes back to direct this movie which follows on (sort of) from the 2009 movie, Valentine’s Day. It’ll hit UK cinemas 9th December.

“New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories of couples and singles, told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

We had a teaser trailer for the movie last week but now Warner Bros. have released this new batch of images from their new movie, New Year’s Eve which is a follow-up, sequel of sorts to their 2010 movie, Valentine’s Day. Both are directed by Garry Marshall of Pretty Woman fame and he has used his influence to include every single actor and actress on Planet Earth in the movie!

New Year’s Eve stars….. Robert De Niro​, Ashton Kutcher​, Halle Berry​, Jessica Biel​, Michelle Pfeiffer​, Sarah Jessica Parker​, Hilary Swank​, Zac Efron​, Sienna Miller​, Lea Michele​, Sofia Vergara​, Abigail Breslin​, Til Schweiger​, Seth Meyers​, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel​, and Carla Gugino​!

“New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in the intertwining stories of couples and singles, told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

I simply cant wait for 9th December when this hits UK cinemas!

Even though I thought it was rubbish. Warner Bros. didn’t (because they look at the bottom line) and here we have the sort-of sequel to their movie, Valentine’s Day in the form of New Year’s Eve. The cast list is sort of silly as it has a gazillion a-listers in it who will (I assume) only get around 2 minutes of screen-time each!

New Years Eve Stars (get ready and take a deep breath) Robert De Niro, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank, Zac Efron, Sienna Miller, Lea Michele, Sofia Vergara, Abigail Breslin, Til Schweiger, Seth Meyers, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Duhamel, and Carla Gugino!

Garry Marshall comes back to direct and we can expect this little gem 9th December this year.

Having relaunched their brand with Matt Reeves’ Let the Right One In remake, Let Me In, Hammer Films have selected as their sophomore effort The Resident – a home invasion movie starring part-time scream queen Hilary Swank, retired Watchman Jeffrey Dean Morgan and one of those sprawling apartments you only ever see in movies.

Juliet Devereau (Swank), a doctor who is flat-hunting following a messy break-up with her unfaithful ex, Jack (Lee Pace),  lands a great deal in the form of a spacious apartment overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. Renting from Max (Morgan), the owner with whom she soon finds herself getting along famously, Juliet is introduced to her sole neighbour, Max’s grandfather, Christopher Lee. Sensing a presence stalking the halls, and tarnishing her reputation at work with a series of uncharacteristic sleep-ins, Juliet grows increasingly suspicious of her landlord, whose friendly demeanor falters upon the reconciliation of her relationship with Jack.

Without the looming shadow of universally praised source material, Hammer Films are finally free to deliver a film relatively bereft of expectation. While Let Me In was serviceable enough, it ultimately disappointed in comparison to the outstanding Swedish original. Entering the cinema without such preconceptions, The Resident plays like a much straighter horror film in keeping with the studio’s trademark hammy tone and thick atmosphere.

Boasting an accomplished cast and well executed cinematography (is there nothing writer-director Antti Jokinen cannot do?), The Resident builds tension and draws the viewer in with practiced aplomb. While no character is particularly likable, they are suitably believable; a nice change from the cookie-cutter teens populating the Platinum Dunes production line. Morgan is wonderfully menacing as the perverted Max, his understated performance eventually giving way to a gripping threat that carries the film through its final act. Two-time Oscar winner Swank is equally effective as the strong-yet-vulnerable Juliet, her reaction to the revelation that she is being stalked genuinely affective. Surprisingly, the only duff note comes from studio staple Lee, while not necessarily a bad performance, his character is frustratingly superfluous.

That said, there is little that stands out about The Resident. It’s jumpy without ever being scary. Atmospheric without being nail-biting. Well acted without being particularly compelling. Max is unlikely to find himself a place in the pantheon of cult horror villainy, while  Juliet doesn’t have the balls to be a memorable scream queen. Although serviceable enough, and undoubtedly enjoyable, there is little about The Resident – other than the fact that it is free of MICHAEL BAY’s influence – that makes it stand out from the rest.

Hammer Films is back. And while they have re-established themselves as a competent and equipped horror studio, they have yet to live up to their considerable reputation as genre maestros. If there is more to the film that meets the eye, it is unfortunate that the same can’t be said for the DVD extras; be prepared to make do with a rather unnecessary theatrical trailer.

 ***~~ (3/5)

To celebrate the Blu-ray & DVD release of The Resident on Monday July 4^th, Icon Home Entertainment and Hammer films have teamed up with HeyUGuys to offer three people the chance to win a copy of the film on Blu-ray, a poster, and Francis Cottam’s novel adaptation.

Starring two-time academy award winning actress Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy, Watchmen), The Resident is a terrifying psychological thriller, inspired by the fact that every year, countless single women move into apartments for the first time. They do not know who lived in the apartment before them; they do not know their landlords, and they don’t bother to change the locks…

The Resident marks Christopher Lee’s return to the Hammer franchise after a 34 year absence. The film, theatre and television veteran, who was recently honoured with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship award for outstanding contribution to film, has starred in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith. He is best known to millions of horror fans for his famous roles in the film classics Dracula, The Mummy and The Wicker Man.

Click the images below to enlarge.

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

Who directed the movie, The Resident?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 18th July 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!

Following on from remake Let Me In and the recent Hilary Swank chiller, The Resident, Hammer Films’ third latest cinematic offering, Wakewood, hits cinema screens tomorrow.

After the death of their young daughter in the film’s opening scene, Patrick (Aidan Gillen) and Louise (Eva Birthistle) retreat to the countryside and set up shop in the quiet backwater town of Wakewood in an attempt to patch up their disintegrating marriage. One night, during a disagreement where Patrick is driving his wife to the train station, their cars breaks down and they inadvertently stumble upon a kind of pagan-y sacrificial-cum-rebirth ceremony, preceded over by the town’s leader (Timothy Spall, complete with an Irish brogue that come and goes during all his scenes).

Confronted by Tim and his townsfolk back at their home, the couple are informed that if they wish, they will be granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter, whom the residents of Wakewood can bring back to life. After much soul-searching (which roughly equates to around two and a half minutes of screen time) the couple agree to go ahead with the process. After their initial happiness and joy of this seemingly miraculous rebirth, they soon come to realise (surprise, surprise) that their little poppet is not quite the cherub she was in her past life.

After a long absence away from the silver screen, Hammer Films are under new management and back as fully-fledged players in the horror market. Why, oh why, then did they insist on attaching themselves to such an inert film as Wakewood? To make matters worse, the film isn’t even an original Hammer production, and was an acquisition by the studio!

It’s a film which falls flat at pretty much every level. It’s badly shot, badly lit, badly edited, badly acted and worst of all, apart from the grisly effective rebirth scenes, isn’t remotely scary and just ends up being a horrible bore. It never manages to summon up an atmosphere which you could describe as “chilling” and any traditional jumps achieved are via the post-production process, where it’s a case of cranking up a “whoosh” or “thuds” a notch or two on the sound mix. The rest of the film plays like a game of spot the rip-off of other superior films in the genre like Don’t Look Now, Pet Semetery, The Omen, Carrie and of course, The Wicker Man.

Frustratingly, the town whose title the film is derived from, never factors into the story at all. We get no sense whatsoever of the community and why they are fully supportive the black magic used and the supernatural rituals. Unlike other horrors with a similar setting, the location, crucially, never comes to life to become a character in itself.

Aidan Gillen and Eva Birthistle as the grieving couple have nothing in the way of chemistry together and performance wise, are barely phoning it in here. Gillen in particular is incredibly disappointing, and one would imagine the sole reason for doing the film (apart from the obvious monetary one) was that location-wise, it was a car journey away from his home. He does absolutely nothing with the role. In fact, they both deal with the reanimation of their once deceased child with the utmost of ease and act like she’s just been away to a relatives’ house for a couple of weeks and not in the ground for almost a year. They seem to take this supernatural proposal and eventual outcome completely in their stride.

When it’s inevitably revealed that the little girl has gone “bad”, the audience are told this through a kindly old neighbour who seems to have been able to discover this fact by waving what looks like a mini abacus in front of the child. The film really is that weak and unimaginative.

If Hammer is serious about re-establishing themselves as a reputable brand they should avoid anything which even closely resembles Wakewood in the future, in much the same way that audiences should steer clear here.

*~~~~ (1/5)

To celebrate the March 11^th release of Hammer’s latest spinetingler The Resident, starring Hilary Swank, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Sir Christopher Lee, we’re giving you the chance to win one of five copies of the novelisation of the film.

Every year, several million single women in America move into an apartment. They don’t know who lived in the apartment before them, they don’t know their landlords, and they don’t bother to change the locks.

This is the story of one such woman…

After separating from her adulterous husband, the beautiful and young Dr. Juliet Devereau (Swank) moves to Brooklyn, NY and settles into a new life in a stunning and spacious loft apartment that seems too good to be true. Mysterious occurrences lead her to suspect she is not alone in her home and quickly her fears become all too real. In a chilling revelation, she discovers her seemingly charming, young landlord, Max (Morgan), has developed a dangerous obsession with her. Unknown to both of them, Max suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. A terrifying game of cat and mouse ensues as Juliet is forced to fight and free herself from Max’s increasingly sinister intentions.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the book, just answer this question using the form below:

In which district of New York is the Juliet’s new apartment?

• Manhattan
• Queens
• Brooklyn

For more on The Resident, visit www.facebook.com/theresidentmovie

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

* Open to UK residents only
* Only one entry per household will be counted
* The competition will close 16th March 23.59 GMT
* The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

The invites are out and New Year’s Eve is looking to be quite the crowded party. THR is reporting that Carla Gugino (Sin City) has joined New Line’s spiritual sequel to last year’s Valentine’s Day.

An ensemble that already includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Zac Efron, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michelle and Robert De Niro, New Year’s Eve is gathering quite the ensemble.

Next up in Zack Snyder‘s Sucker Punch as Madam Gorski, Gugino will play the part of a doctor, her character’s thread set to interweave with Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers sub-plot.

With Garry Marshall back in the director’s chair, the film is currently shooting in New York.

The cast for follow up Garry Marhsall’s 2009 movie, Valentine’s Day has added yet another to the ever growing list in the form of Transformers star, Josh Duhamel. By our records, that now means the cast includes Jon Bon Jovi, Seth Meyers, Til Schweiger, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Abigail Breslin, Robert De Niro, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer and Hilary Swank!

I have to admit, that’s really rather an impressive cast but let’s hope and pray it’s going to be better than Valentine’s Day!! I went along to the press conference for that and man, it was dull, just like the film!

More as we get it!

Source: The Wrap

Three more names have joined the already impressive ensemble for director Garry Marshall’s New Year’s Eve.

Jon Bon Jovi, Seth Meyers and Inglorious Basterds star Til Schweiger join Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Abigail Breslin, Robert De Niro, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer and Hilary Swank for the tale of a bunch of New Yorkers celebrating and commiserating their lives on (yep, you’re guessed it!) New Year’s Eve.

In a role that will no doubt involve much research and digging deep to find the character, Bon Jovi has been cast as a rock star who stumbles across an old lover (Berry) at a party. Meyer (a US comedian who currently serves as head writer for Saturday Night Live) will play a father who wants his wife (Biel) to deliver the first baby of the year in order to win a $25,000 reward. No doubt hilarious will ensue as he tries to conjure up different ways to get his wife into labour!

Wonder if Bon Jovi will supply a theme tune too? His brand of slushy soft rock would probably serve as the perfect complement with this film.

News courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

It’s hard not to be a tad cynical about this Oscar-paint-by-numbers offering from director Tony Goldwyn and screenwriter Pamela Gray because that’s just what Conviction is: a shamelessly wanton Academy Awards contender with a double-statuette-winning leading lady in Hilary Swank to boot. It is, nevertheless, a watchable one.

Conviction has the melodrama, the struggle, and the real-life story claim, as well as doing its duty in highlighting the worthy cause of the organisation in the story, The Innocence Project, that tries to exonerate wrongly convicted people through DNA. By any standards, it’s Oscar gold.

That said, even with Swank putting her heart and soul into the role of legal eagle Betty Anne Waters, a woman who puts herself through law school to defend her older brother, Kenny (Sam Rockwell), who is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in 1983, the rather bland and play-safe script restricts what could have been a monumentally powerful film with plenty of scope for the audience to reflect on.

Understandably, there are bound to be legal factors that gagged Gray creating something zestier in nature; she makes sure she doesn’t overstep the mark, only going after the might that is the flaws in the US legal system, rather than the intriguing political aspects of the case at the time, namely the involvement of Martha Coakley, Attorney General of Massachusetts. There is also a tenuous film link between Waters getting her law degree and how she overturns her brother’s conviction, even though the film details other, peripheral aspects of the legal process that she must navigate to get accredited.

Sadly, the only controversy that the film managed to stoke is fuelling the wrath of renowned US feminist lawyer Gloria Allred who accuses Swank as executive producer (as well as star) of not involving the victim, Katharina Brow’s family, or showing them respect or compassion. There are so many layers and outcomes to this story that have been compacted to give Swank a showcase for an Academy Award, and the excuse that it’s not a tale of the crime and injustice, but a tale of a sister’s love for her brother doesn’t fully wash; there needs to be a universal hook for all, not just those fortunate enough to know a sibling’s love.

That’s not to say the story is not truly inspirational because it is. It’s an Erin Brockovich tale for the Noughties – without the corporate bite. The performances do not disappoint, considering the TV-style script and cinematography, and it’s fair to say that, in parts, Swank and Rockwell are utterly compelling as the sister and brother being pulled through an emotional wringer. Swank is like an aggressive Rottweiler most of the time that it’s exhausting to watch her crusading to free her brother. Rockwell revels in playing his vibrant character and his unpredictable mood swings, and is a joy to watch.

However, if anyone deserved an Oscar win for Conviction, it’s Juliette Lewis as Kenny’s not too bright and despicable ex, Roseanna Perry, for a repugnant but hilarious portrayal as the lying lush. Plus if there was an Awards category for clinching Best Accent, Minnie Driver ought to be a first contender as Waters’ friend and fellow lawyer Nancy Taylor, a character who also injects some much-needed humour into the intense proceedings.

It’s a word often used, but this film is ‘solid’ in its execution of the reputed real-life tale of struggle and retribution, and with Swank at the helm of a stellar cast, it will do well at the box office. What is disappointing is just how much better and consequential a film it could have been, had – we suspect – the film-makers been more daring in portraying events involving certain influential parties of the time, and got more involved in the legal side of things, rather than repeating the same dramatic encounters between sister and brother to hammer home the injustice.

It’s interesting how the film ends, too, understandably wanting to conclude on a high note, instead of revealing the rest of Kenny’s tragic story. This will leave some divided, but it seems like a cop-out, to be frank, when the real ending may have given the film its final sucker punch of reality at just how much time was (wasted) spent in the name of correcting a miscarriage of justice.

***~~ (3/5)

Icon Film have released the first trailer for Hammer horror film The Resident.

Directed by Antti Jokinen, The Resident stars Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee, Lee Pace and Peggy Miley.

The Resident will be released nationwide on March 11.

When a young doctor (Swank) suspects she may not be alone in her new Brooklyn loft, she learns that her landlord (Lee) has formed a frightening obsession with her.

Check out the trailer embedded below:

Quiet Earth reported this story.

New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay to those of us who knows how to party) is gathering speed over at New Line, with Sarah Jessica Parker joining the already impressive ensemble cast.

New Line, who are also in negotiations with Zac Efron and Halle Berry for roles in the planned follow up to this year’s Valentines Day, are clearly keen to repeat their recent success at the box office.

Parker will join Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Lea Michele and Abigail Breslin as the latter’s mother. No stranger to New York, the Sex and the City star will interweave with the other characters as they each deal with parallel romances and dramas.

Should Efron and Berry also reach deals with the studio, they will round out the cast as a smitten bike messenger and a love-struck caterer respectively. Although it was previously reported that Taylor Swift would be the only member of cast returning for the quasi-sequel, the inclusion of Kutcher and Biel on the cast list suggests otherwise.

Not due to start filming until February, it is unlikely we’ve heard the last from Garry Marshall’s casting department.

Image Entertainment have released the first few images from The Resident, the next film from the legendary Hammer studio.

Directed by Antti Jokinen, the horror-thriller stars Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee, Lee Pace and Michael Massee.

Synopsis: When a young doctor (Swank) suspects she may not be alone in her new Brooklyn loft, she learns that her landlord has formed a frightening obsession with her.

Check out the seven images embedded below, courtesy of RopeofSilicon:

The Resident will be released in Spring 2011.

Following his hit from earlier this year (Valentine’s Day), Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall is planning on picking out another date from the calendar with New Year’s Eve, and a number of big names are already in negotiations to star.

Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer (who appeared in the director’s 1991 feature Frankie and Johnny), Ashton Kutcher and Hilary Swank are all currently in talks to appear in this romantic ensemble drama about the romantic lives of a group of New Yorkers on celebrating the end of the year.

Valentine’s Day made over $100 million at the US box office alone, and if this new project can make the same (or better), expect to see all the other variations on this theme for years to come – love stories set around Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and St Patrick’s Day, etc.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

We brought you the trailer for Conviction a while ago, along with confirmation that Hilary Swank would play a mother who puts herself through law school in order to defend her brother, who she believes to have been wrongly accused. Coming Soon flesh out the synopsis as follows:-

The film is the inspirational true story of a sister’s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters’ (Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice (Minnie Driver), Betty Anne pours through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor (Melissa Leo), meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny’s arrest. Belief in her brother – and her quest for the truth – pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.