At HeyUGuys we rather enjoyed Goon (our review here). Not only is it a terrific film, but it’s also represents something of a change of pace for leading man Sean William Scott. He might not be playing an entirely straight role, but it’s the closest he’s come to playing a dramatic lead, and he pulls it off rather well.

We recently had the chance to speak to him about his performance in the film, and discuss the public response to the film. We also took the opportunity to ask Sean just why he chose to film Goon rather than Kevin Smith’s Hit Somebody, and whether he’ll be working with Smith again any time soon.

Just a quick warning though, the interview contains a swear word or two so watch with caution if you’re at work! Goon is UK cinemas NOW!

Surprisingly violent and often very funny, Goon is an underdog sporting tale with a difference, and featuring a career best performance from Seann William Scott, it’s well worth getting your skates on and heading out to see it on the big screen.

The man who is still chiefly known as Stifler, the shirt-chasing horndog from the ‘Pie’ series, is monosyllabic simpleton Doug Glatt. Coasting through life as a doorman, what he lacks in brains he clearly makes up for in brawn. Much to the chagrin of his middle-class Canadian family, Glatt finds his calling in life on the ice when his aptitude for teeth smashing and skull cracking wins him a huge following after he lends his dubious talents to the local hockey team.

Soon promoted to a larger, semi-pro team in Halifax, alongside the requisite display of ferocious fisticuffs, he’s tasked with looking after star player Xavier Laflamme (Marc-André Grondin) who has had his cockiness and talent knocked out of him following a particularly vicious clash with hockey rival and Glatt’s potential nemesis, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber).

Coming across as a kind of ice Hulk, Glatt struggles to overcome resentment from Laflamme, who despises being babysat and is angered by his protector’s burgeoning star status (despite his obvious inability as a sportsman). In reality, Glatt’s role helps to strengthen the team, pushing them forward to the finals and yet another opportunity for further (and increasingly bloody) scuffles on the ice.

Scripted by regular Seth Rogan collaborator Evan Goldman and Judd Apatow bit-player Jay Baruchel (who has a small role as Glatt’s obnoxious and foul-mouthed hockey-obsessed best friend), many of the familiar beats associated with sports films are evident here, but rather refreshingly, the focus is shifted from the plight of the wannabe champ who triumphs over adversity, to the thug-like chump who is there the provide the spectators with the gladiatorial-like bloodlust they’ve paid to see. It isn’t much of a spoiler to say the focus during the climatic sequence on the ice revolves around a potential flight breaking out as opposed to Glatt’s team actually winning.

Goon actually shares more of a commonality with those character-based sporting flicks, coming across as a rowdier version of a Ron Shelton film rather than a comedic take on Rocky (even though the old pugilist could almost be a distant cousin to the similarly tough on the outside, soft in the centre Glatt). Helping to make that distinction is Scott who is really fantastic, giving a surprisingly nuanced performance and managing to win over the audience despite his thuggish behavior. Having noticeably beefed up for the role, he plays dumb incredibly well (not an easy thing to do) but there’s always a disturbed glimmer behind his eyes too, which lends an edgy, unpredictable side to his character.

Likewise, Schreiber (showing the same playful sense of menace and villainy which he brought to Wolverine) is a lot of fun here and proves to be more than a worthy adversary on the ice. Actress and potential love interest Alison Pill fares less successfully unfortunately, coming across as a little one-dimensional. It’s through no fault of the performer though, but lumbering her with a transparent script dilemma device of having a boyfriend feels weak compared with the other well-crafted characters on screen.

Goon is one of those films which manages to genuinely take you by surprise, offering a much more satisfying cinematic experience than anticipated, mainly due to strong writing, committed performances and an attempt to bring a little more personality to what could have been a much broader tale, given the material.

****~ (4/5)

We’ve seen some brilliant things from Seann William Scott’s next movie, the upcoming ice hockey comedy Goon, in the past few months, most recently including the film’s first UK trailer and poster as well as an awesome clip from the film just a few days ago.

Along with Scott, the film also stars Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, and Scott’s American Pie co-star, Eugene Levy (who he’ll be returning alongside in that franchise for American Reunion come April next year).

We’ve now got a great new trailer to share with you, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers, via ComingSoon.net, with plenty of awesome new footage from the film and lots of Scott beating the hell out of everybody in sight. It’s a green band trailer this time around, so if you’re still at work, this should lift your spirits a little in the run-up to Christmas.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) has directed what looks to be one of Scott’s best films to date, with a script from Baruchel and the brilliant Evan Goldberg, co-writer of Pineapple Express and Superbad.

Goon hits our screens here in the UKon 6^th January next year, which should make for a great first weekend in the cinema in the new year, full of comedy and fist-fights. Until then, here’s the excellent new trailer to enjoy.

Entertainment One have sent over this brand new and exclusive clip from their new movie, Goon which stars Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, Eugene Levy and Marc-André Grondin. It’s directed by Michael Dowse and is set for release in the UK 6th January. As well as this clip, I can reveal that we’ve seen it and really liked it! Goon comes from the same people that made Pineapple Express and Superbad and if you’re a fan of those movies, you’re going to love this.

Scroll down to watch the clip from the movie and please note, it contains rather a lot of swearing.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

Please note, this clip contains swearing and is NSFW unless of course you have headphones!

Goon hits UK cinemas 6th January and we’re all rather looking forward to it. Adam saw the movie a week or two ago and really enjoy it so keep your eyes peeled for our review. In the meantime, Entertainment One have sent us the new UK trailer for the movie which comes from the same people who made Pineapple Express and Superbad. This time no Seth Rogan though folks but there is Seann William Scott taking the lead as the ‘Goon’!

Goon is directed by Michael Dowse and also stars Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Kim Coates, Eugene Levy and Marc-André Grondin.

This new trailer which can bee seen below the synopsis is called ‘This is Doug’ and you’ll see why! Enjoy.

Goon [goon]

Noun

1.    A hired hoodlum or thug

2.    A stupid, foolish or awkward person

Meet Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott).

He may not be the sharpest blade on the rink, but he’s got a killer right hook.

When his permanently wasted best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) runs into trouble, Doug’s ability to beat the crap out of everyone and everything impresses a sports coach who signs him up to annihilate the opposition and a feisty female fan (Alison Pill) who digs dangerous sports

Sometimes it takes an unlikely hero to unite a team and soon Doug finds himself recruited by the flailing Halifax Highlanders, who desperately need a goon to protect screwed up ex-star player, La Flamme. In between packing punches and breaking bones, the team bond and find their place in the big league.

But when Doug comes fist to face with notoriously violent pro player Rhea (Liev Schreiber) who is hell bent on putting on a show for his retirement fight, the gloves are well and truly off….

From the creators of Superbad and Pineapple Express comes an ice cool comedy that proves that it’s not the winning, it’s the taking apart of the other team that counts.

We’ll be seeing Seann William Scott hitting the big screen quite a few times next year, first off with the upcoming hockey comedy Goon, which is set to be a brilliant kick-start to the new year, coming to our cinemas the first weekend of 2012.

We got our first trailer for the film back in September, followed by another terrific trailer last month, and we’ve now got a fantastic (unofficially red band) new clip to share with you, courtesy of Empire. Nothing red band in terms of visuals, just a healthy dose of F-bombs and the like, so not suitable for work.

“Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.”

Along with Scott, the film also stars Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates, and Scott’s American Pie co-star Eugene Levy. Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight, It’s All Gone Pete Tong) is behind the camera for this, with a script co-written by Baruchel and the brilliant Evan Goldberg (Pineapple Express, Superbad), so expect this to be a lot of fun.

All that we’ve seen so far has been excellent, and this clip is no exception, so I’m really looking forward to seeing it when it comes to our cinemas on 6^th January next year; less than a month to go now. Then exactly three months later, we’ll get to see Scott return to the role that shot him to fame in American Reunion, which is due out on 6^th April. It should be a great year for him.

Michael Dowse’s upcoming hockey comedy, Goon, is definitely one film I’m looking forward to next year. Based on the novel, Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey, the film is co-written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and stars Seann William Scott in the leading role, with Liev Schreiber, Baruchel, Alison Pill, and Scott’s American Pie co-star Eugene Levy rounding out the supporting cast nicely.

We got our first look at the film with some pictures back last year, followed by the first trailer and posters in September, and most recently another trailer just last week. We’ve now got a new poster from the film to share with you, courtesy of IMP Awards, which stars a bloody Seann William Scott looking like he’s ready to go and raring for more.

“Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.”

The film hasn’t got an official release date yet, but Deadline report that Myriad Pictures have just picked up the international distribution rights, including those for the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, Latin America, Turkey, the Middle East, Indonesia, South Africa, and many more markets, so hopefully we’ll be getting word on a release date soon. We’ll next be seeing Scott in American Reunion on 6^th April next year, and with any luck, we won’t have much longer to wait after that until we see Goon. Until then, here’s the great new poster to enjoy with Scott front and centre, “The Nicest Guy You’ll Ever Fight.”

Seann William Scott and Liev Screiber face off in hockey comedy Goon and there’s a lot of face punching on offer in this new trailer for Michael Dowse’s film.

JoBlo had the exclusive on this one and there’s not a lot of subtlety on show here as co-writer Jay Baruchel and Alison Pill, last seen assisting Scott Pilgrim against the world, turn up for the fun. There’s no knowing how well this film will do here in the UK. I guess as well as a comedy based on cricket might do in the States but there’s enough well known faces here to draw in the crowds. Why not see for yourself below?

Before your trailer perhaps you’d care for a little synopsis?

Doug Glatt is a gentle giant who’s lethal with his fists but reluctant to use them. That is, until he goes to a hockey game and flattens a visiting player. The next day, while appearing on a web chat show hosted by his best friend, Doug is scouted by the coach of the local minor-league team. Doug’s job? Beat up anyone who gets near Xavier Laflamme, a hotshot player afraid to touch the puck since a devastating hit from legend­ary enforcer — and Doug’s idol — Ross “The Boss” Rhea.

Here’s your trailer,

If you missed part one of the in-depth analysis series, then you need to click here to have a little watch. The first one focused on The Dark Knight and why much of the editing and camera-work in one of the chase sequences really isn’t actually that great, even though the movie has brought in over $1bn.

In part two of Jim Emerson‘s video series, ‘In the Cut’, we get to look at another chase sequence in the Philip Noyce directed movie, Salt which starred Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and how this sequence is filmed and edited so much better than that of The Dark Knight.

I’ll let the video play here but would love to hear what you think of it. If you’ve missed part one, click here to view and keep your eyes peeled for the third and final part which I’ll post on Friday.

Thanks again for making these videos Jim, they are truly excellent!

Ice hockey is one of those sports that I really love the look of, but living in the UK, and lacking any channels beyond what Freeview has to offer, it becomes hard to ever really watch it.

What little I know of the sport comes mostly from the movies, and this new ice hockey film, Goon, looks like an absolute gem of a sports film. A great mix of sports, action, and comedy.

Obviously, it being an ice hockey film, there’s going to be plenty of action to look forward to, as this first trailer for the film, courtesy of Collider, shows off nicely.

“Goon is the story of Doug Glatt, a down-on-his-luck bouncer, who’s been touched by the fist of God. Upon discovering both his right hook and skates, he joins a hockey team destined for the cellar and inspires them into the playoffs.”

As all the best sports films are, Goon looks to be the story of an underdog, played by Seann William Scott, best known for his role in the American Pie films, and who will be returning to that series for American Reunion, another great film to look forward to. The trailer also shows off Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), the film’s antagonist, who looks to be every bit as up for a fight on the ice as Scott.

The film is directed by Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight), from a script co-written by actor Jay Baruchel (Fanboys), who makes his feature debut as a writer, and Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express). Definitely a writing team with potential, which this first trailer only supports.

Goon also stars Baruchel, Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Scott’s American Pie co-star, Eugene Levy, and THR report that it has just been picked up for distribution after playing well at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is great news. As such, no news yet on a release date, but hopefully we can expect it here early next year. Without further ado, here is the great first trailer for the film, followed by, courtesy of The Playlist, two posters and two images. Enjoy.

Since filming wrapped on Vanishing On 7th Street in September, Brad Anderson has been trying to decide where to go next.  And though the director has several ideas currently in development, one in particular should excite fans of his 2004 work, The Machinist. Anderson plans to film an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s psychological mind-warper, Concrete Island, starring Christian Bale.

Speaking about the project to ShockTillYouDrop, Anderson summarised the project as follows:

The best way to describe it is it’s like an urban Robinson Crusoe story. A guy crashes a car into a highway interchange and is marooned in this weedy lot, injured, and can’t escape. He’s basically trying to survive in the middle of the big urban Metropolis. It’s sort of a crazy, cool Ballard-esque type story, but Christian’s on board to do that – when we can fit it into his schedule, of course.

Colour us intrigued!

Ballard is no less than a legend in the realms of fiction, with his works giving rise to the adjective ‘Ballardian’, defined by the Collins English Dictionary as a sense of “dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments.”

Yet adaptations of the author’s work have proven surprisingly scarce, the most notable being David Cronenberg’s Crash (1997) and Steven Spielberg’s (coincidentally also Bale starring) version of Ballard’s semi-autobiographical Empire of the Sun (1987). Will Concrete Island be the project to change that? We’re hoping so. But if Anderson can’t get that off the ground, what else does he have up his sleeve? Speaking of a project titled Jack, the director confided:

It’s about a serial killer who is in a car accident in the beginning of the movie and has retrograde amnesia. His physical therapist tries to get him back on his feet, and they fall in love, and then of course, midway through the movie he has flashes of who he really is… it’s actually very cool, it’s got a real nice Hitchcock suspense aspect to it. It takes all the conventions of the genre, but it’s a very well-written script and we’re trying to get that one going.

With Liev Schreiber and Samuel L. Jackson reportedly on board, one thing is clear – Ballard or no Ballard, Anderson will be messing with our minds again as soon as he can.

Salt is released on Blu-ray today on DVD and Blu-ray and to celebrate, Sony Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray. Salt stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Phillip Noyce.

Synopsis: Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a trusted and loyal CIA operative who is forced to go on the run when a Russian defector convinces her superiors that she’s a double agent sent to assassinate the President of the United States. As the intense manhunt heats up, Salt uses all of her skills as a covert operative to elude capture as she fights to uncover a secret so explosive it could change the course of world history.

Directed by Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games), SALT was written by Kurt Wimmer. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash produced, with Ric Kidney and Mark Vahradian serving as executive producers.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer the following question using the form below:

What is the name of Liev Schreiber’s character in Salt?

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close on Monday 20th December at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Extras:

DVD Special Features

• The Ultimate Female Action Hero
• Spy Disguises: The Looks of Evelyn Salt
• Radio Interview and Audio Commentary with Director Phillip Noyce

Blu-ray Special Features

• The Ultimate Female Action Hero
• Spy Disguises: The Looks of Evelyn Salt
• Radio Interview and Audio Commentary with Director Phillip Noyce

Top Secret Blu-ray Exclusives

• Salt Declassification – An Undercover Look at the Secrets of Making SALT
• The Real Agents Featurette
• The Modern Master of the Political Thriller: Phillip Noyce
• False Identity: Creating the New Reality
• Spy Cam Picture in Picture Track
• Movie IQ

Shawn Ryan, creator of the critically acclaimed series “The Shield” is to adapt “Without Remorse”, a Tom Clancy bestseller from the early 90′s.

Unlike many of Clancy’s books, Without Remorse does not centre around the character of Jack Ryan (who has already been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, with a rumoured Chris Pine reboot also in the works), following instead CIA-operative John Kelly. John Kelly appears in some of Clancy’s books under the alias John Clark and was played by Willem Defoe in Clear and Present Danger and Liev Schreiber in The Sum of all Fears.

In Without Remorse, Kelly goes up against a Baltimore drug ring who were responsible for the death of his girlfriend and although the novel itself is set in the 1970′s, no decision has been made yet as to whether the film will be set in the present day.

Given that TV’s The Wire has pretty much established the authoritative modern depiction of drug culture in Baltimore, it might be better to make the film more of a period piece, even if it does add to the production cost to have to buy in a load of flared trousers.

There’s no more news as yet on casting or a director, but we will pass on any juicy information as soon as we get to hear it.

Vulture had the story.

Repo Men is a movie that was in the cinema for a very short time and I never managed to get to see it.  It’s based on the novel by Eric Garcia and stars Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, Forest Whitaker, Alice Braga, Carice Van Houten, RZA and is directed by relatively new director, Miguel Sapochnik.

The story is somewhat twisted but that’s sort of what the movie is all about. I’ll let the synopsis do the talking:

Synopsis: In the futuristic action—thriller Repo Men, humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don’t pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property…with no concern for your comfort or survival. Jude Law plays Remy, one of the best organ repo men in the business. When he suffers a cardiac failure on the job, he awakens to find himself fitted with the company’s top—of—the—line heart—replacement…as well as a hefty debt. But a side effect of the procedure is that his heart’s no longer in the job. When he can’t make the payments, The Union sends its toughest enforcer, Remy’s former partner Jake (Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker), to track him down. Now that the hunter has become the hunted, Remy joins Beth (Alice Braga), another debtor who teaches him how to vanish from the system. And as he and Jake embark on a chase across a landscape populated by maniacal friends and foes, one man will become a reluctant champion for thousands on the run.

The Repo Men blu ray gives you two options when it starts. The Theatrical version (the version you’ll have seen at the cinema) and the Unrated version (the one with all the extra bits that were probably a bit too on the edge to get it put through the ratings board). I decided to watch the Unrated version and the movie was everything I expected it to be! Gore, blood, gore and a bit more blood!

When the subject matter is that of reclaiming body parts, you know it’s going to be somewhat gory! The 18 certificate suggested as much as the red-band trailer that was released when the movie came out in the cinema showed us what we might be expecting. We’ve see Forest Whittaker in these sort of dark movies before (Panic Room springs to mind) but this genre of all our action and violence is pretty new to Jude Law who we usually see in romantic movies and yes, I know he was in Sherlock Holmes! It was great to see Law smashing through doors, causing mayhem yet still with his usually suaveness (is that a word?!) and whitty hunmour which works really well.

Forest Whittaker was his usual high calibre self alongside Liev Schreiber who  plays his part of the semi-baddie pretty well. Carice Van Houten is unfortauntely underused in the movie and seems to have hardly any part of the story whatsoever. Alice Braga is the heroine but I think I’d rather have seen their roles switched although I may be biased as I think Van Houten is an awesome actress.

I think what lets this movie down is it’s predicatability. There’s nothing in here that we’ve not seen before in other futuristic sci-fi movies. Robocop, Gattaca and Total Recall all spring to mind which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I was hoping for a little more.

If you like all out action and want to see Jude Law kicking some butt, then you’re going to like this movie, especially the unrated version! Although it wasn’t an original story, it still kept me entertained for the two hours that it ran.

Repo Men is out to buy on DVD and Blu Ray NOW.

Extras:

• Unrated Feature (119:00 min.) + 8 minutes of extra gory footage
• Deleted Scenes (8:24)
• Extended City Shot (1:11)
• Flashback – Poem (1:33)
• Flashback – Tank Video Camera (0:30)
• Jimmy T-Bone Pink Sheet (0:53)
• 90 Days (4:17)
• The Union Commercials (3:14)
• Thanks to the Union (0:60)
• Didn’t have to Happen (0:33)
• Super Dry (0:20)
• Wife to U (0:23)
• Jack Soda Party (0:30)
• Jack Soda Toy (0:10)
• Mattress (0:18)
• VFX Progressions (est. 3:00)
• Feature Commentary with Director Miguel Sapochnik and Writers Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner

This evening, London’s Leicester Square saw the European Premiere of Angelina Jolie’s latest movie, Salt. The lady herself was in town to promote the movie and our friends from Upbeat have just sent us the official premiere report which you can watch below.

The report contains an interview with Jolie where even she doesn’t let us know the answer to the question we’re all asking – ‘Who is Evelyn Salt?’

Salt also stars Gaius Charles, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber, is directed by Phillip Noyce and is released in UK cinemas this Friday, 20th August.

HeyUGuys Live was there in the thick of the action, tweeting in real-time about the nights events, guests and questions. Follow us at @HeyUGuysLive on Twitter.

Trespass, a drama from Millennium Films, starring Cage and directed by Joel Schumacher, was due to start shooting later this month in Louisiana.

Deadline reports that although Schumacher and Millennium Films are still planning to forge ahead, it will be without the services of their intended star.

The word is that although Cage was locked into a $7m deal, he abruptly withdrew late last week and promptly went off on holiday. Cage and Nicole Kidman were originally cast as a married couple who are taken hostage, however a couple of weeks ago Cage asked to switch to the role of the leader of the kidnappers, presumably feeling it to be the juicier role. Liev Schreiber has since been discussed as a possible replacement for the role of the husband, but this has yet to be confirmed.

Slash Film have speculated as to what Cage’s withdrawal might mean for the future of the project, given the box office draw that he represents. Although his output has been a little hit and miss lately (for every Bad Lieutenant there’s a Wicker Man), he is still a big name and would assure at the very least a strong opening weekend for the film.

Deadline have updated the story, quoting an inside source stating that subject to recasting filming would proceed as scheduled. The full impact of Cage’s withdrawal remains to be seen.

This past weekend Salt opened in the US, and is an espionage thriller directed by Phillip Noyce starring Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt.

Salt is a CIA operative who, during an interview with a Russian walk in named Orlav, is accused of being a sleeper Russian spy with plans to assassinate the Russian President.  Liev Schreiber co-stars as Ted Winter, Evelyn’s colleague and friend who at first can’t believe the accusations but finds himself starting to doubt her innocence as the film progresses.  Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Peabody, the agent in charge of apprehending Salt before her alleged mission is carried out.

Salt is the Jason Bourne-esque espionage thriller which originally had Tom Cruise attached to it. Apparently Cruise dropped out to do Knight and Day, and I’m wondering if that turned out to be such a good choice for him.  Salt has a lot of the typical traits of your standard espionage thriller; intrigue, action, chase scenes and nifty gadgets, she’s even a bit of a MacGuyver as well.  She packs light, but efficiently and really, that is something most women have trouble doing.  She can handle herself and her weapons and even displays a bit of parkour with out exerting much more than a light grunt.  She also has the smarts to kick off her heels before she runs and after changing her clothes, goes with sensible shoes.  That’s not something you see very often.

This film served up pretty much what I expected, as director Phillip Noyce who is no stranger to the espionage thriller genre, having done Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games previously (but the major win was Blind Fury with Rutger Hauer – not an espionage thriller but full of awesome none the less).  Noyce keeps the action going and doesn’t let the film get stagnant, there are foot chase scenes, car chase scenes, fist fights, shoot outs, explosions, and alternative uses for fire extinguishers.

The leads, Jolie, Schreiber and Ejiofor all handle their roles as they should, each are fine actors in their own right and it’s no different in this film.  Jolie likes to play those female leads that are tough and can kick your ass, she’s good at it and should continue playing those types of roles. However that being said, my one complaint I have with the film lies with her character.

The problem isn’t how she played it, it’s more of an issue of how the character was written.  We don’t get to find out too much about her.  We know she’s CIA and she’s been through some pretty hairy situations in her time with the agency.  She’s married and her husband is the main reason she goes on the run.  But that’s about it.  There is a tad more info, but for the sake of keeping this spoiler free, I won’t mention it.  The film tells the story of their relationship through flashbacks but you don’t get a real sense of how deep their union runs.  Yeah, you know she loves him, but the reasons she does what she does isn’t so much explained as it is implied.  The character of the husband is quite muted and you don’t feel his presence much in the film at all.

I adore both Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and was very pleased to see them both in this.  For some reason Schrieber gets cast in an agent-type role often.  He’s got THAT look.  He just fits.  The rest of the cast is relatively forgettable as the film is basically centered on the main three.  There is a blink-and-you-miss-him cameo by Andre Braugher, which took me by surprise.

I don’t think it’s any surprise that the studio would like to turn this into a franchise if they could.  The film definitely ended in a way that other stories could be told using the Salt character.  Time will tell however and if the box office doesn’t show it, the studio probably won’t go for it.  If it remained a stand alone film, that would be fine too.  It can really go either way.

While I wasn’t disappointed in the film, I wasn’t overly excited afterwards either.  I can honestly just say, I liked it but I didn’t LOVE it.  It was entertaining and surprisingly complex in parts, but in the end I would have liked a bit more cohesion and motive.  I had tweeted prior to the movie starting that I was getting ready to watch Salt and I hoped it would make me forget that I didn’t have any on my popcorn.  It helped take my mind off the fact, but I still missed it.

Salt opens in the UK on August 20th.

You can find me on Twitter at @baddladd

Four new Salt banners have turned up online. With only a week left until the film is released in the US, Columbia Pictures are presumably pushing the marketing, hoping to cash-in on opening weekend.

The brand new banners are simple, yet strangely effective, creating mystery as to who the title character is, what she stands for, and what she wants.

Salt, starring Angelina Jolie (Mr & Mrs Smith), Liev Schreiber (Taking Woodstock) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (2012), centres on Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer whose loyalty is questioned when she’s accused of being a Russian spy, after which, the only thing left for her to do is run. Every time she attempts to disprove the allegation, it only makes her look more suspicious.

Directed by Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector), the film has already attracted some moderately good reviews in the trades. In the UK we’ll see this one on the 20th of August.

Check out the banners below.

IMP had these.

Reported by Jamie Neish

We’ve teamed up with our friends at MoviePosterShop.com to bring new a new weekly competition which we have decided to call, ‘Movie Poster Monday’! Each week, we’ll be bringing you a competition to win a poster from a movie that is going to open that week.

About Movie Poster Shop: MoviePosterShop.com is an online retailer of movie posters, TV posters, lobby cards and more. They offer over 600,000 items, including many hard to find foreign-version posters. Head over to MoviePosterShop.com and embrace your inner movie fan!

This week, give you the chance to have Angelina Jolie on your wall! You can read Jon’s review of the movie here. Salt is released in US 23rd July and  & in the UK  20th August and stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Yara Shahidi, Gaius Charles and is directed by Phillip Noyce.

We have the chance for three lucky readers to win a poster with the main winner receiving a framed version and the two runners up receiving the poster. MoviePosterShop.com can post to anywhere in the world so feel free to enter, wherever you are! The guys at MoviePosterShop.com have also been kind enough to give all our readers 25% off all posters bought using thecode ‘angelina’ at checkout. This offer expires on 26th July also.

The poster we are giving away can be seen here along with huge batch of other posters from the movie, all available from MoviePosterShop.com. It’s 27″ x 40″  (68.6cm x 101.6cm) and will look great on any wall!

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, you must become a fan of the HeyUGuys FaceBook Page and also the MoviePosterShop.com Facebook page and answer the following question using the form below.

Which movie did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in together?

The small print:

• This competition is open worldwide – you can enter from any country
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday 26th July at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

A brand new clip from Angelina Jolie’s new movie, Salt has been released on Yahoo.com. The clip is called ‘Call Me’

Boxed in an interrogation room, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) attempts to elude a CIA tactical team.

Salt also stars Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher and is directed by Phillip Noyce. It’s set for release in the UK 20th August and I’ve placed the synopsis below for your reading please. Scroll down to view the new clip.

Accused of being a Russian spy, Evelyn Salt goes on the run, using all her skills as a covert operative to stay one step ahead of the CIA.