Tried and tested on stage from Paris to London to Broadway, New York, Yasmina Reza’s successful play God of Carnage was always going to present a challenge being adapted for film by the playwright herself. However, the key to the story – shortened to Carnage – is the power of the acting talent assigned to play the parents; director Roman Polanski’s excellent casting of Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly as the Longstreets, and Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz as the Cowans is the absolute tour de force of the film.

After the Cowans’ son, Zachary (Polanski’s own son Elvis) ‘disfigures’ the Longstreets’ son, Ethan (Eliot Berger) with a stick in the park, the Longstreets, Penelope (Foster) and Michael (Reilly) invite the Cowans, Nancy (Winslet) and Alan (Waltz) over to their apartment to discuss what course of action should be taken next. However, a civilised, albeit contrived meeting unravels into childish chaos.

Set in New York, but filmed in Paris, Polanski’s Carnage is brilliantly acted, scripted, produced and directed, with all the nitty gritty relationship angst allowed to vent and later explode under one roof and in one location. The latter allows the tension to build from the start with the false pleasantries while Penelope drafts a formal-looking statement for the Cowans about what happened, adding in inflammatory language. The delicious development of the story is in the detail that you and the characters pick up on about each of the four players that suggests possible reasons for the kids’ ‘character flaws’ and the boys’ fight. In suppressing their true feelings, the whole fiasco and attention on pointless irrelevancies becomes a farce of epic proportions, which is where the dark humour lies.

Both sets of parents are complete contradictions that re-draw their allegiances as the story unfolds, down to basic ‘man verses woman’ and even macho traits, such as the hilarious scene involving high-flying lawyer Alan’s mobile phone, as well as the mens’ alpha dominance rearing its head over scotch and a cigar. While Waltz is delightful as the arrogant and blasé Alan, more interested in his business life than his personal one, and taking amusement from toying with his new acquaintances and his wife, it’s Reilly’s salesman character Michael who is the real catalyst in the story, manipulating the situation and encouraging the characters’ prejudices to pour forth.

Foster is a wonderful bag of shredded nerves and morals as liberal humanitarian Penelope who wants the others to see the bigger picture of the origins of violence from a world perspective. Her inverted snobbery matches Nancy’s prosperous, aloof nature, and after an unfortunate cobbler pie incident, their role reversal in the confrontation scenes allows them to see each others’ side of events as they bond over the trials and tribulations of motherhood and marriage. Winslet is a rollicking drunk to behold as she lets her prissy demeanour slip.

Carnage is one of the most accomplished and illuminating comedies of this year that lays bare the true, hidden depth of its characters within a downward spiral of complete folly. Polanski’s theatrical film is a breath of comedic fresh air at the box office, and a highly entertaining must-see.

***** (5/5)

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival last September, Roman Polanski’s latest film, Carnage, is just a couple of weeks away from coming out here in the UK. If you’ve missed our coverage of the film so far, you can catch up on it all right here, most recently including the UK trailer towards the end of last year.

With the release now imminent, Empire have a great new UK quad poster to share with us, featuring the film’s four principals front and centre, twice. So we get to see Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz, each doubled up.

“A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground. Swollen lips, broken teeth… Now the parents of the “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort it out. Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices. None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.”

Co-written by Polanski and Yasmina Reza, based on her original play, Le Dieu du Carnage, the film has received mostly positive reviews, and received two Golden Globe nominations, as well as winning Polanski the Little Golden Lion at Venice last year.

Carnage will be out in UK cinemas on 3^rd February. The film has had its Oscar-qualifying run in the US already, and has been to a number of European countries already as well, and now we’re very close to getting to see it too. Here’s the new UK quad poster to whet your appetites. As usual, click to enlarge.

Here’s the UK trailer for Studiocanal’s new movie, Carnage which stars Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C Reilly. Most of the film takes place in one room and I have a feeling it’s either going to be awesome or dull as dishwater but I am hoping for the former with such a fantastic cast.

Carnage is directed by Roman Polanski which also gives me hope that this could be great but time will tell. It hits UK cinemas 3rd February.

A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground.  Swollen lips, broken teeth…  Now the parents of the  “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out.  Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices.  None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.

Source: MSN

A new poster for Roman Polanski’s Carnage has been released this week, but unfortunately it doesn’t do much in the way of promotion.

Written and directed by Roman Polanski, the film is based on the acclaimed play God of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza and premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival this year.

Whilst the poster doesn’t reflect on the film’s black comedy genre, it does express the film’s plot exceedingly well, showing two sets of parents (Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly) who meet up to talk after their children got into a fight at school.

It might not sound very interesting, or even look that way from the poser, but Carnage has received a number of excellent reviews and the play that it is based on has won three awards, including Best New Play at the 2009 Olivier Awards.

Carnage is set to be released on 3rd February, 2012, and here’s the latest poster, courtesy of IMP:

Mel Gibson’s on-screen reunion with Jodie Foster was with a film which had a seemingly bizarre premise, but reception for The Beaver was generally very positive and that’s due in no small part to the work of writer Kyle Killen.

Killen is also the creator of Lone Star, a show very well-received by critics, which fell victim to the peculiar practises of US Network TV and cancelled after just two shows had aired but The Beaver should propel Killen to greater heights.

I had the chance to put my questions to the man who put a talking beaver puppet on the hand of Mel Gibson (and there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write…), here’s the interview:

The premise is a very bold one, and has to be sold to the audience quickly for the film’s emotional threads to work. Was this a daunting task?

When I started the script I was actually adapting it from what had been a novel I was trying to write, so the first step was really figuring out what to get rid of, what characters and storylines really weren’t ultimately required to tell this story between a father and a son.  Matt Lauer for instance was a big character in the novel, but got the axe in the script.

Did you ever come under any pressure to change any elements of the scripts, or was it the difference what made it exciting for the cast, crew and producers?

Before Jodie came on there was lots of pressure to change certain elements about the end.  It was really her defence of those items that allowed them to exist.  That certainly made her involvement exciting for everyone involved.  That doesn’t mean she didn’t have other things about the script that she wanted to rethink or change, but it meant that on some level we were working with someone who hoped to tell the same type of story the script set out to tell.
Were you on set a lot, and was there anything you changed or cut at the last minute?

I wasn’t on set that much.  I’d sold a TV pilot and was off writing that.  Jodie tended to want to get the script nailed down before she started shooting so most of the changes took place before we got to set. Jodie and Mel are about as close as two people can be and they worked out what they were going to do entirely between the two of them.  I think they had a sort of shorthand that you can only develop with people you’ve known and trusted for a long, long time.

How was working with Jodie Foster as a star and director – was her take on the material different to how you had written it?

Jodie was excellent.  Her take on the material was different than mine, but it came from a very personal and unwavering place.  She knew what kind of movie she wanted to make, and she did just that.  In the end that’s what you ask of a director, to have a vision for the film, and Jodie brought just that.
With the success of the film are you finding the landscape of opportunity an exciting one, and do you have any passion projects which are closer to being made?

It’s been a very exciting time.  The opportunities that have stemmed from it are both incredible and intimidating and there’s an awareness on my part that it could all dry up at any time.  The Beaver really came from a willingness to not worry about what might work and to instead focus on a story I wanted to tell.  I’ve tried to let that guide me since.
Your next project is Scenic Route – can you tell us a little about the film, and how far you are along with it?

Scenic Route is casting to shoot in November.  It’s a very small film that sort of came from the idea that if you were to be trapped in a rapidly deteriorating situation with someone, you’d probably hope for your best friend.  But in this case it turns out the baggage you bring might mean you’d be far better off with a total stranger.

One of the highlights of the London Film Festival this month is the chance for us to see Roman Polanski’s adaptation of the play God of Carnage, retitled Carnage for the big screen, before its UK release date which is expected to be sometime in 2012.

Those cool cats over at Mount Yahoo thought today was the right time to unleash a new trailer for the film which sees John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz as two sets of parents squaring off against each other. With, hopefully, hilarious consequences.

For those who crave the reassuring, concise nature of a synopsis perhaps this will suffice?

A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground. Swollen lips, broken teeth… Now the parents of the “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out. Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices. None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.

Trailer time,

After getting a fantastic new trailer and poster back in August for Roman Polanski’s upcoming film, Carnage, we’ve now got the film’s terrific first clip to share with you, taking a look at the film’s four excellent cast members – Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, and Jodie Foster – sitting down to discuss the problem of their sons fighting each other.

I personally can’t wait to see Polanski’s foray into comedy, and everything we’ve seen so far from the film suggests it’s going to be a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

“A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground.  Swollen lips, broken teeth…  Now the parents of the  “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out.  Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices.  None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.”

This new clip, courtesy of Collider, finds the two couples – Waltz and Winslet, Reilly and Foster – discussing their boys’ troubles. I think Reilly is especially brilliant in this scene, with his enjoyment of the discovery that his song is in a gang really entertaining to watch.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month, and though it’s still got no UK release date, with a 16th December US release scheduled, hopefully we will be seeing it either at the end of this year or the start of next. Without further ado, here’s the great first clip to enjoy. The volume’s a little low on this one, so you may need to turn your speakers up.

To mark the release of The Beaver on DVD 10th October, Icon Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away. Not only that, but you’ll also win a beaver hand puppet! The Beaver is directed by Jodie Foster and stars Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence.

Written by Kyle Killen, The Beaver is an emotionally compelling story about a man who embarks on a journey to re-discover his family, and re-start his life. Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black (Gibson), formerly a successful toy exec and family man, suffers from a severe form of depression. No matter what he does, Walter can’t seem to get himself back on track – until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.

In what will surely go down as one of the performances of his career, Mel Gibson perfectly epitomizes the split personality of Walter Black and The Beaver hand puppet, the gravely cockney voice of the latter is said to be modelled on Gibson’s Edge of Darkness co-star Ray Winstone.

Director and co-star Jodie Foster says of her close-friend’s performance, “Walter Black and the beaver had to be somebody who could fully understand and communicate comedy and tragedy at the same time. I’ve been friends with Mel for over 15 years and we’ve had many, many long discussions about life, it was a natural place to go.”

To be in with a chance of winning this fab movie on DVD, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who Directed the movie, The Beaver?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 10th 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!

This poster was released a week or two ago but what better time to put it up than to coincide with the release of this new brilliant trailer?

Carnage has an all-star cast which includes Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and is directed by the (choose word most applicable to your own opinion) legendary / infamous director, Roman Polanski.

A showdown between two kids: about eleven, in a local playground.  Swollen lips, broken teeth…  Now the parents of the  “victim” have invited the parents of the “bully” to their apartment to sort if out.  Cordial banter gradually develops a razor-sharp edge as all four parents reveal their laughable contradictions and grotesque prejudices.  None of them will escape the ensuing carnage.

No UK release date yet but according to IMDb, it’s out in the US 16th December.

Source: Twitch

It was recently announced that Roman Polanski’s Carnage is to open the New York Film Festival at the end of September following its premiere at Venice, and while we in the UK have no release date the prospect of a Polanski comedy is an intriuging one.

Yasmina Reza’s play Le Dieu du Carnage has played on Broadway and the West End, with Ralph Fiennes and Tamsin Greig among the cast here in the UK and Polanski has once again proved his talent for attracting a decent cast for his films with Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly pairing up and facing off against Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz.

The two pairs play parents who decide to sit down and discuss an incident between their children at school, and chances are that pettiness and competition help the evening devolve from pleasentries to parental pedantries. It’s a great cast in front of Polanski’s camera so big things are expected.

Here are your new pics from the production, which come all the way from Filmspoons.de via First Showing,

Incase it’s escaped your notice, there is a small event called Comic Con happening right now in San Diego where hundreds of thousands of film and comic fans descend on the city to see loads of stuff that no one has seen before! All the studios are there with their stands and each will present a key-note style press conference for all many of their big movies coming up in the next year or so. This is why HeyUGuys has been bombarded with many more posts than usual. Jon, myself and our fabulous team or writers are going to do our best to keep up with it all so hold onto your butts and get ready for a fun ride!

Here’s the beginning of the Elysium viral marketing campaign. Elysium is directed by Neill Blomkamp who helmed the amazingly awesome movie District 9. The cast for this one is rather spectacular and includes Sharlto Copley, Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga and Diego Luna. Elysium is is scheduled for release in the UK 8th March 2013 but that hasn’t stopped Sony getting the virals out early and ComingSoon have snapped this first poster for the for the movie which directs you over to http://www.armadyne.net which has a recruitment video for you to watch.They’re building the future and they need you!

We’ve massive fans of Blomkamp here at HeyUGuys and we cannot wait to see more from this!

Mention Mel Gibson’s new film The Beaver, and the standard retort is, “who wants to see that?” after what the actor’s said in public. Reminiscent to loathing a political party, based on a figurehead’s opinions and actions, fallen star Gibson has a lot of campaigning to do. But putting all the less-than-attractive Gibson character traits aside, and merely looking at The Beaver as a relationship story about coping with mental illness, it does highlight what a great actor Gibson is – a pity, considering his name will put some off considering this as a viable cinema choice.

The Beaver, directed by and co-starring Jodie Foster, is an emotional story about a man called Walter Black (Gibson) with an escalating mental illness who wants to get better and rebuild his family, but initially feels he can only live in the real world through the aid of a discarded puppet called the Beaver. Once a successful toy executive, Black deals with his demons by letting the Beaver speak for him, to the success of his ailing business, but to the detriment of his family life: His wife, Meredith (Foster), feels more and more alienated by his behaviour, although she tries to incorporate it as part of his healing process. Walter’s older teenage son, Porter (Anton Yelchin), who spends his life being the voice of others via the written word, tries blocking out his father’s worst characteristics he feels he’s adopting, making him hate Walter all the more. The only one who gets Walter is his young son, Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart), who relates to the Beaver – and his father – via woodwork crafts. It takes a tragedy to rally the family into take action, before their bonds are damaged beyond repair.

Without a doubt, writer Kyle Killen’s short story about a ‘talking’ beaver has evolved into an immensely thought-provoking, touching and original screenplay about the effects of depression. Indeed, far from patronising those with the illness, stories and characters have helped sufferers and their relatives deal with its effects in the past – take Ellverton’s Taming the Black Dog, for example. Hence The Beaver feels like a cinematic explanation that doesn’t attempt to find a solution in 90 minutes, but tries to paint a picture of one person’s experiences.

All the adult cast inject an emotional wealth and complexity into their characters that make for some gruelling viewing moments, compared to lighter-hearted and hopeful ones. It seems Foster still has the tricks of the trade since Little Man Tate (1991) to get the most poignant, natural and spontaneous reactions out of her stellar cast, particularly the younger actors, and possibly down to her own friendship and connection with Gibson.

Gibson brings the much-needed inner turmoil laced with subtle humour and child-like insolence to the part of Walter as he explores his ‘alter ego’ and the hold it has on it. Walter’s own love-hate relationship with the Beaver takes an abrupt, stomach-churning turn, but one necessary to push the film onto the next phase and the road to salvation. The irony is this film was made long before Gibson’s ‘public escapades’, but with hindsight, you can’t help watching it as a redemption piece for his character and career, especially one scene when the Beaver delivers rough justice on its human mannequin.

On the downside, some of the Black-est moments seem borderline glib, enhanced by a dubious, upbeat soundtrack, and The Beaver has some stagnant, complacent parts to its story that make proceedings drag a little. Although the introduction of Jennifer Lawrence as popular girl Norah is designed to stir the real Porter from his comatose self – and add a touch of ‘glamour’ to the neutral colour palate of the film, it does feel like an odd sub-plot, like the marriage of a teen-angst drama of the Heathers ilk, to a more serious character study, like the Madness of King George. Still, Yelchin does not disappoint, bringing a Charlie Bartlett ‘oddball’ side to Porter – if a less witty one, and does his best opposite Oscar-nominated Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) in character development. Foster furrows her brow and stumbles her words in a role we’ve seen her enacted countless times, but still adequately gets her character’s message of personal hardship across.

Gibson or no Gibson, The Beaver is never going to be an easy sell on subject matter alone. But curiosity over a Gibson screen return may make this a surprise box office climber – and a warm-up act for the greatly anticipated How I Spent My Summer Vacation this year. Maybe Gibson can get The Beaver to do all the talking from now on?

***~~ (3/5)

Two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster directs and co-stars with two-time Academy Award winner Mel Gibson in The Beaver – an emotional story about a man on a journey to rediscover his family and re-start his life. plagued by his own demons, Walter Black was once a Successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression. No matter what he tries, Walter can’t seem to get himself back on track….until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.

I caught up with Jodie Foster in San Francisco this week, were I found out the challenges of directing herself and how she came about hiring Mel Gibson.

The Beaver hits UK cinemas 17th June and also stars Anton Yelchin & Jennifer Lawrence. Check out our review of the movie here.

To celebrate the release of Taxi Driver on Blu-ray NOW, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the classic movie to give away. The movie is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster.

Synopsis: At 26, Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle (De Niro) is slipping slowly into isolation and violence on the streets of New York City. Trying to solve his insomnia by driving a yellow cab on the night shift, he grows increasingly disgusted by the people who hang out at night: ―Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets.‖ His touching attempts to woo Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a Senator’s campaign worker, turn sour when he takes her to a porn movie on their first date. He even fails in his attempt to persuade child prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster) to desert her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel), and return to her parents and school. Driven to the edge by powerlessness, he buys four handguns and sets out to assassinate the Senator, heading for the infamy of a “lone crazed gunman.”

BLU-RAY FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Interactive ―Script to Screen‖ feature, exclusive to Blu-ray. Explore the Taxi Driver script like never before in this interactive experience. The script will automatically scroll as the film plays so you can read along and discover the stage direction notes along with differences from the original script to the finished film. – Exclusive to Blu-ray
• Original 1986 Commentary with Director Martin Scorsese and Writer Paul Schrader recorded by The Criterion Collection – Exclusive to Blu-ray
• Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver‖ featurette
• Producing Taxi Driver,‖ a behind-the-scenes featurette
• Influence and Appreciation‖ – Robert De Niro, Oliver Stone, Roger Corman and others pay tribute to Scorsese and the film in this video homage
• God‘s Lonely Man‖ – a documentary featuring screenwriter Paul Schrader and Professor Robert Kolker discussing the loneliness themes as seen in the film. Schrader also talks about what circumstances lead to writing the screenplay
• Travis‘ New York Locations‖ – a contemporary, video visit to the film‘s famous locations in New York City, comparing them to the same locations used in 1975
• Video bonus: ―Storyboard to Film Comparisons,‖ with a Martin Scorsese Introduction
• Commentaries by writer Paul Schrader and professor Robert Kolker, discussing the film scene-by-scene
• Taxi Driver Stories‖ featurette—taxi tales as told by real life New York city cab drivers
• Making Of Taxi Driver‖ Documentary
• Animated Photo Galleries that include photo montages featuring the film‘s music score, location shots taken during filming and Martin Scorsese at work
• The Taxi Driver 35th anniversary edition also features movieIQ+sync, which gives you the full movieIQ experience on your computer or iPhone by linking to your Blu-ray Disc. Once connected, movieIQ+sync will display all of the great information movieIQ offers on your computer screen or iPhone instead of onscreen, all while staying synchronized to the movie! – Exclusive to Blu-ray
• Trailers

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

What is the name of Jodie Foster’s character in the movie Taxi Driver?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 14th June at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

Mel Gibson surprised everyone by unexpectedly turning up to Cannes for the premiere of his brand new movie, The Beaver. The film is directed by Jodie Foster and as well as starring the pair, also stars Jennifer Lawrence and Anton Yelchin. I got to see it at SXSW a few months ago and it blew me away. I loved everything about it and you can read our five star review here.

Mel Gibson has been extremely quiet for over a year now because of various stupid things that he said to police officers and to his wife. I’ll let you do hunts on the interview if you want to find out more but neither of them were particularly pleasant. This completely messed up the release schedule for The Beaver as it’s star was in the spotlight for completely the wrong reasons.

From what I’ve heard, The Beaver premiere in Cannes was a very special event. It was loved so much by its audience that a 10 minute applause followed the movie which is released in the UK 17th June. It follows a man who has depression and finds that the only way to get through that depression is to use a stuffed hand puppet to work through his problems.

Variety were able to catch up with Gibson in Cannes for the first interview that we’ve seen him do for over a year. For obvious reasons, he didn’t want to talk about his private life but you can watch the interview below.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Mel Gibson – whose next film, The Beaver, is set to open stateside on the 6th of May – has spoken out for the first time since taped portions of his conversation with his ex-girlfriend were leaked online. Sold to Deadline “because editors at other media outlets seemed inclined to use this story to pursue their own agendas”, Allison Hope Weiner sat down with the Braveheart actor in the offices of his Icon production company for a revealing discussion of his recent run of controversies.

While Gibson made it clear that he could quite easily give up acting if he had to, something he found himself repeating throughout the interview as Weiner failed to grasp the apparent size of the matter, he also announced his plans to reunite with Braveheart’s Randy Wallace for a swashbucking adaptation of one of the screenwriter’s own books.

“It’s total bodice-ripping swashbuckling stuff, but it’s funny. It’s funny and yet it’s got really good serious undertones too. Randy writes a decent script. And I responded to it right away. I thought this is hilarious. I’ve got to do this. And I’m not the main guy in the film — which is great. “

He seems totally in tune with what happened, though shows an understandable resistance to letting it dominate his life. Explaining that the edit of the taped conversation which reached the internet was not the full story, and that his drunken rants were unrepresentative of his core beliefs and values, Mel Gibson approached the more controversial topics with disbelief, perfectly acceptable considering how ridiculous some of the questions were. “Do you feel regret over what you said on the tapes?” Er…gee Weiner, you’d better let him think about that one?

“Who anticipates being recorded? Who anticipates that? Who could anticipate such a personal betrayal?”

“I’ve never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality — period. I don’t blame some people for thinking that though, from the garbage they heard on those leaked tapes, which have been edited. You have to put it all in the proper context of being in an irrationally, heated discussion at the height of a breakdown, trying to get out of a really unhealthy relationship. It’s one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.”

It doesn’t take an expert to know that you do things when you’re drunk that are out of character, undignified and that you’d rather forget. I for one do not hold any ill feeling towards Gibson, who was clearly milked for all the tabloid-filler possible. I become exponentially more sympathetic, however, when I see someone being asked questions such as:

“You were going to do a small part in Hangover II. How did you respond to being asked to do that and then having cast members not want you in it? How did it feel to have them allow a convicted rapist [Mike Tyson] in the movie and not you?”

Ouch. Good thing, then, that Gibson approached the questions with humour and humility, showing no ill-feeling to those who reacted negatively to the situation (like the cast of Hangover II), while showing respect and gratitude to those who came to his aid when he needed them most – Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster in particular.

You can find the full interview here, however I can only ask that if you have ever drunk-dialled, fallen out with your nearest and dearest after a few pitchers, or turned to a puppet for support and guidance in your hour of need, that you go see The Beaver. Whatever your opinion of Mel Gibson’s public persona, and as Deadline state from the outset, Gibson’s performance is being hailed as “the best of his career”.

Here’s another new international poster for Mel Gibson’s new movie, The Beaver which, when I saw it, I absolutely fell in love with and can’t wait to see again. It probably won’t be until you’ve seen The Beaver that you’ll understand why! The movie had it’s premiere at SXSW a couple of weeks ago and I was so pleased to be in the audience for the new movie which is both directed and starring Jodie Foster alongside Mel Gibson, Jennifer Lawrence and Anton Yelchin.

Foster introduced the movie stating that it wasn’t a comedy and I can testify to that fact. You’ll start off watching this movie laughing and by the end, you’ll be crying your eyes out. It’s brilliantly acted and excellently directed. You can read Marie’s 5-star review of it here (I concur on the star rating by the way!).

Removed as the request of the Studio

Just watching this new trailer for The Beaver makes me remember how flipping good this movie was. Honestly, you won’t be disappointed. Put aside any dislike, or disdain you have for Mel Gibson’s personal life and go and see this movie when it’s released on 17th June in the UK. You can read my review of it from SXSW right here. In a nutshell, I absolutely loved it!

Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black was once a successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression.  No matter what he tries, Walter can’t seem to get himself back on track…until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.

You’ll realise when you see this trailer that the movie is by no means a comedy but a deep, powerful film about people who go through problems all the time and the sometimes crazy lengths they will go to, to get through them.

Thanks to Blogomatic 3000 for the heads up.

Check it out below.

Sony Pictures Classics have acquired the North American distribution rights to Carnage, formally known as God of Carnage.

Directed by Roman Polanski (The Ghost), Carnage stars Jodie Foster (Panic Room), John C. Reilly (Cyrus), Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds).

Based on Yasmina Reza’s Tony-winning play, Carnage tells the story of two sets of parents who decide to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard brawl.

Carnage will be released later this year.

At SXSW this year everyone expected Mel Gibson’s new movie to be pretty poor but it turned out to be one of the best movies I saw at the conference. The Beaver is directed by Jodie Foster who also stars in the movie alongside Gibson, Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. It tells the story of a depressed man (Gibson) who finds comfort through a stuffed hand puppet, ‘The Beaver’.

If you missed our review of the film you can check it out here.

Icon have just emailed us to let us know that the movie is set for release on 17th June and I urge you to go and see it as it’s one of the best films you’ll see this year.

The beaver will be released in the UK 17th June.

THE BEAVER

Directed by Jodie Foster

Two-time Academy Award^® winner Jodie Foster directs and co-stars with two-time Academy Award^® winner Mel Gibson in The Beaver – an emotional story about a man on a journey to re-discover his family and re-start his life.

Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black was once a successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression.  No matter what he tries, Walter can’t seem to get himself back on track…until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.

Also starring Anton Yelchin, Academy Award^® Nominee Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones

Written by Kyle Killen

Produced by Steve Golin, Keith Redmon, Ann Ruark. Executive Producers Jeff Skoll, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Paul Green, Jonathan King

THE BEAVER will open in cinemas across the UK Friday 17^th June 2011

Certificate & running time TBC