When they announced the Len Wiseman-helmed reboot of Total Recall a while back, I wasn’t too excited.

This may have something to do with Wiseman, who, aside from some good solid work on Die Hard 4.0, has spent most of his career directing his wife Kate Beckinsale in latex fetish fest Underworld and its disastrous sequel Underworld: Evolution.

It may have something to do with the cast which seems to be mainly comprised by a rag-tag bunch of Hollywood pretty faces (Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and the obligatory Beckinsale) and the superlative Bryan Cranston who may add a dash of much-needed gravitas to an otherwise underwhelming line-up.

However I think that the main problem here is the distinct smell of unoriginality that hangs around the entire affair. This lack of inspiration is furthered by this week’s release of an extended plot synopsis:

“Total Recall” is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

Whilst the setting may be different, pretty much everything else seems to be the same. Despite reading claims that the film is ‘inspired anew’, I couldn’t quite process the platitude due to the unbearable sound of the execs at Original Film loudly plundering the grave of Paul Verhoeven’s 1992 cult classic.

It’s still astonishing however that Total Recall hasn’t really featured on any of the ‘most anticipated’ lists of 2012. I suppose that the best we can all hope for is that it surprises everyone and the best that the studios can hope for is that it manages to recoup its staggering $200 million budget. Things aren’t looking promising but there is a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I shouldn’t write it off just yet.

Source: GeekTyrant

It may have a terribly off-putting title (and let’s face it, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever standard terrible) but ‘Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes’ backs that up with an even more off-putting premise.

Emanuel is a troubled 17-year-old girl who babysits her new neighbour Linda’s “baby,” which is actually a very life-like doll. She goes along with the delusion while befriending Linda, who happens to be the spitting image of her late mother.

After acting in Francseca Gregorini’s egregiously insufferable previous feature Tanner Hall newly appointed movie star Rooney Mara was slated to play the titular Emanuel before scheduling conflicts got in the way. Now Skins alumni Kaya Scodelario has stepped in and news is that Jessica Biel is in final talks to maniacally inhabit the shoes of the nutty neighbour.

Scodelario’s Emanuel was previously described as “a young, troubled woman who becomes obsessed with her mysterious, new neighbour that looks uncannily like her dead mother.” But from the brief plot synopsis available one could easily substitute the words ‘mysterious’ and ‘new’ for ‘batshit’ and ‘insane’.

It all sounds rather distressing but Biel whilst often considered to be a hollow Hollywood model shaped cypher actually does show potential. Whether or not this seemingly hysterical Freudian nightmare will prove to be the subtle underplayed role she’ll need to get respect is a different matter.

The next time she will be gracing our screens she’ll be riding on top of the cash cow Total Recall as they milk it dry in yet another unwarranted ‘reboot’ – a concept which often makes me want to give certain Hollywood producers a reboot up the backside. However whilst it’s abundantly clear she’s picking them as they come (New Year’s Eve springs immediately to mind), I suppose you can’t blame her for that. It’s your typical blockbuster then overwrought low-budget performance cycle that seems to dominate the life of our top actors and actresses. It is a business after all.

Whether her role in ‘Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes’ is as hysterically unbalanced as it sounds is yet to be seen. How much Emanuel will learn about fish is also unclear. However, one thing’s for sure, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to end well.

Source: Variety

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)

Despite the title being a little bit too obvious a joke for it being a ‘soccer mom’ comedy, Playing The Field certainly sounds like it has a lot of potential to be good. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino, whose credits include the Will Smith-starrers, Seven Pounds and The Pursuit of Happyness, and features an excellent cast including the likes of Gerard Butler, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, and the brilliant Uma Thurman.

The first images from the film have surfaced over at The Playlist, giving us a look at  Butler, Zeta-Jones, and Greer, and though they don’t give us much of an insight into the film, they’re excellent to see all the same.

Playing the Field focuses on,

“Butler, who plays a troubled father and former pro soccer player who tries to make up for lost time by coaching his son’s team. He ends up in trouble when he gets involved with some of the local soccer moms. Biel will play Butler’s ex-wife who is engaged to be married, while Thurman will play a woman on the prowl for Butler. Zeta-Jones plays a hot newscaster, while Greer takes on the role of a lathered-up housewife.”

The film was first to be set around baseball as Butler’s son’s sport of choice, but after taking into consideration the potential to promote the film internationally, the sport was changed to soccer (or, as we crazy folk call it here, football), given its popularity across the globe.

With a UK release date scheduled for 20th April next year, we don’t have all that long to wait until it hits the big screen, and can no doubt look forward to seeing more from the film in the form of a trailer early in the new year. Without further ado, here are the first images to tie you down until then. As usual, click to enlarge.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we got the brilliant news that Jim Carrey and Steve Carell would be working together again, co-leading the magician comedy, Burt Wonderstone.

The two both starred in Bruce Almighty (I can’t believe that came out eight years ago!), albeit with Carell in a smaller role, and then teamed up to lend their voices for Horton Hears A Who! back in 2008.

The short list for the female lead to star alongside Carrey and Carell in Burt Wonderstone has now arisen, Collider report, and it’s got some pretty fantastic names on it. Michelle Monaghan (Source Code, Machine Gun Preacher), Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens), Judy Greer (TV’s Arrested Development and Archer), Sarah Silverman (School of Rock), and Jessica Biel (The Illusionist, The A-Team) are all on the list, which is excellent news.

Clearly, sights are being set pretty high for this film, which will focus on the story of a Las Vegas magician (Carell) who strives to remain relevant when a new, ‘hip’ magician (Carrey) arrives on the scene. Don Scardino, whose credits include the brilliant comedies 30 Rock and Ed, will be directing from a script by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who co-wrote the hilarious Horrible Bosses, with Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) currently doing a re-write.

As for who would be best for the female role, I’m inclined to agree with Collider, and think that Judy Greer is arguably the best on the list. If it were a drama, either Monaghan or Wilde would win hands-down for me, but given its comedic nature, and the fact that Carell and Carrey are already attached, I think Greer would probably work best in the female lead – details of which are not yet known.

She was excellent in Arrested Development, and is brilliant in Archer, bringing both a bit of comedy and crazy to the roles in each, and getting to see her star in what will no doubt be a pretty big comedy when it comes out would be great. She’ll next be seen alongside George Clooney in The Descendants in January, and then alongside Jason Segel in Jeff Who Lives At Home next April, both of which should be fantastic. So personally, my vote lies with her. All of the names (though I’m not particularly keen on Silverman, myself) on the list are excellent though, and they would certainly all do a great job in whatever the role calls for. Whoever the part does finally go to, this is definitely a project that’s shaping up nicely so far.

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.

Opinion seems to be fairly sharply divided over Colin Farrell, with some rating him highly and others dismissing him roundly. I think his excellent work in Tigerland, Minority Report and In Bruges has at times been overshadowed by some of his more incautious choices, so it will be interesting to see his take on the none-more-Arniefied Total Recall.

Shooting is carrying on for this subtly reworked version of Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”, with Mars shelved in favour of nation-state/corporate conglomerate hybrids, but undercover agent and lost/replaced memory issues intact. Courtesy of Comic Book Movie, we now have a series of on-set videos, which are very much a mixed bag.

There are shots of what will no doubt become hovering cars, close-ups of Farrell and his co-star Jessica Biel and some well-executed car flips, apparently filmed around Toronto University campus. It will be a while until we see the finished article and until then, see what you think of the clips below.

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.

While some fims are produced under a Promethian cover of secrecy others bask in the sunlight and are in plain sight of passing film fans. Toronto is currently home to the Len Wiseman remake of the 90s Paul Verhoeven’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s We Can Remember it for you Wholesale, renamed then and now Total Recall.

Colin Farrell leads Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston and Ethan Hawke in this retelling, and it’s not clear how near or far this new film is sticking to either of its forebears but a few happy snappers have given us the chance to see what Wiseman’s world will look like.

First and foremost is the flying police car, looking a touch like the wall skimming Minority Report vehicles, which are all over the set along with the stormtrooper-esque policeman. As you would expect there’s a lot of greenery so the final shots will only have the minimum of what you see here.

So here you are, via AICN and a twitterer called Ian, some sci-fi imaginings in the style of Minority Report and Star Wars – very much looking forward to seeing how this one pans out.

Here are your pics,

Casting news is ramping up for the reworking of the Paul Verhoeven/Arnie exercise in restraint and subtlety that was Total Recall. As you’ll know if you’ve been following our posts to date on the Colin Farrell-starring new version, TR 2.0 will eschew the Martian plot of the original film (and Philip K. Dick’s source novel, “We can remember it for you, wholesale”) and give us a story about a factory worker (Farrell) who believes that he is a spy in the ongoing and escalating disputes between Euromerica and New Shanghai.

As we told you a couple of days ago, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel have joined the cast in advance of the commencement of shooting next week and now we hear that Bill Nighy (Love, Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Shaun of the Dead) is in talks to sign on as Quatto. Those of you familiar with the original will recall that Kuato (as he was then spelled) was the leader of the resistance on Mars and was actually a fairly ordinary guy, just with a mutant wrinkly baby thing growing out of his torso, who encouraged Arnie’s Quaid to open his mind.

It seems that Quatto will be the leader of the resistance this time around too, though quite how you have a resistance with two evenly matched superpowers duking it out is beyond me. No doubt it will all make sense in the end. Nighy is “in negotiations”, as they say. We’ll let you know as soon as we know.

Source: THR.

Jessica Biel (The Illusionist) and Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) have officially signed on to play the female leads, Melina and Lori respectively, in Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall remake.

Biel and Beckinsale will star opposite Colin Farrell (Phonebooth), Bryan Cranston (Little Miss Sunshine) and Ethan Hawke (Before Sunset).

As the nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai vie for supremacy, a factory worker (Farrell) begins to suspect that he’s a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on.

Len Wiseman is attached to direct the remake, which is expected to start filming next Monday in Toronto.

Total Recall is scheduled to be released in the UK on August 22, 2012.

Source: Collider

Another name has been added to the cast list for the remake of famed Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi actioner, Total Recall, and the actor in question represents perhaps a slightly unusual (but very welcome) presence to the film.

Former Generation X heartthrob and Richard Linklater regular Ethan Hawke is down for a small, cameo part which is being kept under wraps for the time being. He’ll join villain Bryan Cranston and either Kate Beckinsale or Jessica Biel for this futuristic yarn about (like you need a reminder!) a factory worker who undergoes a memory implant which reveals he may (or may not) be some kind of secret agent.

Colin Farrell takes over from Arnie in the lead and Len Wiseman is in the director’s chair for this Philip K. Dick adaptation. The actors who have been assembled so far here (Cranston in particular is a delicious casting choice) suggest this retread may have more tricks up its sleeve than what was initially believed.

Concentrating on a storyline which focuses on the heroes’ journey to the intriguingly-sounding integrated nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, instead of getting his “ass to Mars”, also offers an interesting departure to the original. Fingers are firmly crossed here.

Via The Hollywood Reporter

There’s been a fair amount of casting news for the Len Wiseman directed Total Recall, a remake of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven film, with Bryan Cranston recently signing up as the villain of the piece opposite Colin Farrell.

Today there’s another name to be added to the project – Jessica Biel who was recently seen in Joe Carnahan’s remworking of The A-Team and who is said by Variety to be looking to the role of either Lori or Melina. Lori was the lead character Quaid’s wife, played by Sharon Stone twenty one years ago, whereas Melina was the rebel Quaid hooked up with while on Mars. Eva Mendes’s name has been attached to the role of Melina, but as no announcements have been made we’re speculating unless the official word comes through.

Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Terminal) and Judy Greer (The Village) have been added to the cast of football comedy Playing The Field.

Zeta-Jones and Greer will star opposite Gerard Butler (300), Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Jessica Biel (The Illusionist) and Dennis Quaid (Pandorum).

A former professional athlete (Butler) with a weak past tries to redeem himself by coaching his son’s soccer team, only to find himself unable to resist when in scoring position with his players’ restless and gorgeous mums.

Gabriel Muccino (Seven Pounds) is attached to direct from a screenplay by Robbie Fox (So I Married an Axe Murderer) and Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right).

Production is expected to begin later this year.

Source: 24 Frames

Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) and Jessica Biel (The A-Team) have signed on to star in Playing The Field.

Thurman and Biel will star opposite Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen) in the Robbie Fox-scripted sports film.

Playing The Field centers on a troubled father and former semi-pro soccer player (Butler), who tries to make up for lost time by coaching his son’s team.

Thurman has been cast as a woman on the prowl for Butler’s character, while Biel will play Butler’s ex-wife.

Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness) is attached to direct, with filming expected to begin next month.

Source: Variety

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.