We’ve seen some great things over the past few months for director Tony Kaye’s upcoming film, Detachment, led by Adrien Brody. A beautiful international poster arrived back in November with Brody looking pensive before a chalk board, followed by a great international trailer just before Christmas.

We’ve now got another terrific new trailer to share with you, courtesy of Apple via The Playlist, ahead of the film’s release on iTunes in the US next month before a limited theatrical release in March.

“Detachment is a chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of a substitute teacher named Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody). Henry’s method of imparting vital knowledge onto his temporary students is interrupted by the arrival of three women in his life.”

Along with Brody, the film has a terrific cast that includes Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol.1), Christina Hendricks (Drive), Bryan Cranston (TV’s Breaking Bad), James Caan (The Godfather), Marcia Gay Harden (Miller’s Crossing), Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), William Peterson (TV’s CSI), Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents), and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (TV’s The Wire). Essentially, a very talented group of people, and as the trailer notes, we’ll be introduced to the acting talents of young Sami Gayle (TV’s Blue Bloods), who makes her feature debut in this.

This new trailer gives an even more intimate look at the film than the one we saw before Christmas, and it definitely looks like something to look forward to. The film has spent the past year touring festivals, taking the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival as well as a host of others elsewhere, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. Kaye is best known for his tremendous debut on American History X, and this looks like it could be the film to revitalise his career, directing from what should be a fantastic debut for screenwriter Carl Lund.

There’s still no word yet on a UK release, but hopefully we can look forward to seeing it arrive on our shores soon, either through a platform like iTunes in the US or a theatrical release (I’m hoping we’ll be treated to the latter too, but sadly I think it’s a bit of wishful thinking), ahead of a physical release hopefully later in the year. Until then, here’s the wonderful new trailer to enjoy.

We got our first look at Adrien Brody’s next film, Detachment, when an international poster surfaced back in November, which instantly conjured up a sort of restrained beauty with a simple photograph of Brody deep in thought before a chalkboard.

A new French trailer for the film has been released online, via The Playlist, and it lives up to the beauty of the poster and a lot more too. Tony Kaye, director of American History X, is behind the camera for this, directing from Carl Lund’s debut script.

“Detachment is a chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of a substitute teacher named Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody). Henry’s method of imparting vital knowledge onto his temporary students is interrupted by the arrival of three women in his life.”

Along with Brody, the film has a terrific cast that includes Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol.1), Christina Hendricks (Drive), Bryan Cranston (TV’s Breaking Bad), James Caan (The Godfather), Marcia Gay Harden (Miller’s Crossing), Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), William Peterson (TV’s CSI), Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents), and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (TV’s The Wire). Essentially, a very talented group of people.

The film has spent the past year touring festivals, taking the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival as well as a host of others elsewhere, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Kaye and Brody have made together. The direction in this new trailer looks very impressive, and it’s not often that we get to see inside the walls of a classroom like this.

Detachment doesn’t yet have a UK release date scheduled, but with a bit of luck, we’ll be seeing it early next year. The US should be seeing the film in the spring with a VoD/theatrical release planned, so hopefully we’ll see it in at least one form (and hopefully on the big screen) sometime in the new year. Until then, here’s the wonderful new French trailer for the film. Enjoy.

Adrien Brody has certainly had a pretty diverse career in his time, choosing roles in films as varied as Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Wes Anderson’s fantastic The Darjeeling Limited, and of course, most notably, Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, for which he won his Best Actor Academy Award, in a year that saw him up against Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Caine, Nicolas Cage, and Jack Nicholson.

He’ll next be taking the lead in Detachment, alongside a terrific supporting cast, and KinoGallery (via IMP Awards) have got a lovely new French poster for the film, which has been getting a great reception at the film festivals it’s been screened at so far.

Courtesy of Wikipedia,

“Detachment is a chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of a substitute teacher named Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody). Henry’s method of imparting vital knowledge onto his temporary students is interrupted by the arrival of three women in his life.”

Starring alongside Brody will be Lucy Liu (Kill Bill: Vol.1), Christina Hendricks (Drive), Bryan Cranston (TV’s Breaking Bad), James Caan (The Godfather), Marcia Gay Harden (Miller’s Crossing), Tim Blake Nelson (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), William Peterson (TV’s CSI), and Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents), which I’m sure you’ll agree sounds like a pretty great cast.

And not only that, but the film is directed by Tony Kaye, who brought us (as the poster proudly tells us) American History X, which earned Edward Norton his second Oscar nomination. Carl Lund has penned the script, with which he makes both his writing and producing debut, and everything points to be it being an absolutely fantastic debut for him.

The film has already taken a number of awards at the festivals it’s been touring, most recently winning the Best Artistic Contribution Award at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, and I’m really looking forward to seeing it. This new poster definitely has an artistic feel to it, supporting its most recent award, with a wonderful photo of Brody deep in thought before a chalk board.

America is due to get this in February next year, but we here in the UK may have a little longer to wait, with no release date currently scheduled. Hopefully it will just be a matter of time though, because Brody is a terrific actor, and this project sounds like it’s going to be a film to really look forward to next year. Without further ado, here’s the beautiful new French poster for the film. As usual, click to enlarge.

It seems to be famine or feast with Spielberg. Having kept himself away from director duties for a few years, he now has a rush on. Tintin and War Horse are both due out by the end of the year, with Spielberg going once again for what served him well in 1993, namely working on a big adventure spectacle movie in parallel with a more serious historical piece. As if that wasn’t enough, he is also moving forward with his Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln and has been talking a little about what everyone can expect.

Lincoln was shot on the evening of 14th April 1865 and died the following day and Spielberg intends to focus on the four months leading up to then. Although that feels like a tiny fraction of so eventful and significant a life, it was a pretty busy few months. During that approximate time-frame, he was re-elected, abolished slavery and the civil war ended. Although it is not going to be a Civil War film per se, there will be battlefield scenes, which seems inevitable given the subject matter. Spielberg wants to emphasize the massive accomplishments of the final months of Lincoln’s life, but will release the film at the tail end of 2012 in order to avoid having it fall during the US presidential elections and becoming a polarising feature of what will doubtless be another fiercely contested election.

Casting for Lincoln is almost absurdly rich, including Daniel Day Lewis (as Lincoln), Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and David Strathairn. We may have a while to wait, but this one has been fermenting with Spielberg for years and should be another richly compelling historical drama.

Source: Playlist.

It has animals in trouble and therefore you know what that means! It means Dave will watch this film and cry like a baby! Here’s the first trailer for Big Miracle which stars Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson, Ted Danson and is directed by Ken Kwapis. Big Miracle tells the true life story of a group of whales which somehow find themselves inland trapped under 5 miles of ice. In a crazy mission by all the local people, they attempt to guide the whales back to the open water.

From the look if it, we’ll get it see it early 2012. This is so my sort of movie but I promise I will cry!

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. Local newsman Adam Carlson (Krasinski) can’t wait to escape the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market. But just when the story of his career breaks, the world comes chasing it, too. With an oil tycoon, heads of state and hungry journalists descending upon the frigid outpost, the one who worries Adam the most is Rachel Kramer (Barrymore). Not only is she an outspoken environmentalist, she’s also his ex-girlfriend. With time running out, Rachel and Adam must rally an unlikely coalition of Inuit natives, oil companies and Russian and American military to set aside their differences and free the whales. As the world’s attention turns to the top of the globe, saving these endangered animals becomes a shared cause for nations entrenched against one another and leads to a momentary thaw in the Cold War.

Source: Apple

IFC Films have released a new clip from their movie, Flypaper which sees Patrick Dempsey try to rob the bank that Ashley Judd works at. If you missed the trailer for the seemingly silly movie, you can watch it here.

Flypaper stars Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Jeffrey Tambor with the movie helmed by director Rob Minkoff. No UK release date as yet but we’ll keep you posted.

Synopsis: Tripp Kennedy (Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Judd), to protect her. The gangs – one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of buffoons named Peanut Butter (Nelson) and Jelly (Pruitt Taylor Vince) – have deadlocked themselves in a Mexican standoff. The bank’s security system starts the end-of-day lockdown and seals everyone into the building. As the night evolves, a hilarious game of cat and mouse ensues as Tripp and Kaitlin try to save the day, escape being killed, and avoid falling in love . . . almost.

No UK release date as yet but we’ll keep you posted.

Source: Apple

A couple of weeks ago we put up the first trailer for new comedy heist movie, Flypaper. Since then, we also posted a rather naff poster but IFC have hit back releasing this one below which I like a lot more!

Flypaper stars Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Jeffrey Tambor with the movie helmed by director Rob Minkoff. No UK release date as yet but we’ll keep you posted.

Synopsis: Tripp Kennedy (Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Judd), to protect her. The gangs – one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of buffoons named Peanut Butter (Nelson) and Jelly (Pruitt Taylor Vince) – have deadlocked themselves in a Mexican standoff. The bank’s security system starts the end-of-day lockdown and seals everyone into the building. As the night evolves, a hilarious game of cat and mouse ensues as Tripp and Kaitlin try to save the day, escape being killed, and avoid falling in love . . . almost.

Hurrah for IMPA

Flypaper is Rob Minkoff’s bank robber comedy with Patrick Dempsey, Tim Blake Nelson and ashley Judd.

Patrick Dempsey is not an angel, though thisnew International poster surrounds him with an angelic glow and showers him with money while two seedy types look at something in the distance.

Seriously they aren’t even trying with this one are they? Dempsey even looks unsure about it – what chance have the Dutch general public got? Although I did just learn that the worringly scientific word BIOSCOOP means cinema.

My advice? Watch the trailer instead.

Here’s the poster. Yeah, seriously.

IMPA passed this on without comment.

This year’s Sundance film festival played host to the premiere of Rob Minkoff’s comedy Flypaper and now there’s a shiny new trailer for us to see what all the fuss is about.

Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd take on leading duties with Tim Blake Nelson , Pruitt Taylor Vince and Jeffrey Tambor in support for this tale of two robbries taking place in the same bank at the same time.

It’s a decent cast and, as the trailer proudly proclaims, it comes from the writers of The Hangover, whose sequel is now the highest earning R-rated comedy of all time. Seriously.

Want a fuller synopsis? Course you do, fact fans.

Tripp Kennedy (Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Judd), to protect her. The gangs – one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of buffoons named Peanut Butter (Nelson) and Jelly (Pruitt Taylor Vince) – have deadlocked themselves in a Mexican standoff. The bank’s security system starts the end-of-day lockdown and seals everyone into the building. As the night evolves, a hilarious game of cat and mouse ensues as Tripp and Kaitlin try to save the day, escape being killed, and avoid falling in love . . . almost.

Here’s the trailer, or if you really, absolutely have to see it in H and D click here to visit Yahoo, for they can meet your demands.

The formidable list of Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Joseph Cross, David Costabile, Byron Jennings, Dakin Matthews, Boris McGiver, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong, and David Warshofsky are in talks to star in Lincoln.

The new additions will star opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field, who will play Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd respectively, in Dreamworks Pictures’ Abraham Lincoln biopic.

Lincoln is based on Doris Kearns’ biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals, and was adapted for the screen by Tony Kushner (Munich).

Steven Spielberg (E.T.) is attached to direct, with production expected to commence in Virginia later this year.

Source: THR

IFC Films has acquired the North American distribution rights to Foresight Unlimited’s robbery comedy Flypaper.

Directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King), Flypaper stars Patrick Dempsey (Enchanted), Ashley Judd (Crossing Over), Jeffrey Tambor (Win Win), Tim Blake Nelson (Leaves of Grass) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Natural Born Killers).

Flypaper premiered earlier this year at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to moderately positive reviews.

Tripp Kennedy (Dempsey) ambles into a bank near closing time, just as two different gangs unwittingly converge to rob it. A shoot-out erupts, and Tripp tackles the smart, pretty teller, Kaitlin (Judd), to protect her. The gangs – one clearly made up of pros and the other a couple of buffoons named Peanut Butter (Nelson) and Jelly (Pruitt Taylor Vince) – have deadlocked themselves in a Mexican standoff. The bank’s security system starts the end-of-day lockdown and seals everyone into the building. As the night evolves, a hilarious game of cat and mouse ensues as Tripp and Kaitlin try to save the day, escape being killed, and avoid falling in love . . . almost.

IFC will release the film in cinemas and on its Video-on-Demand service later this year.

Source: Deadline

Edward Norton does the identical twin routine in Tim Blake Nelson’s comedy about a pair of brothers whose divergent lives reconnect when news of the death of one draws the other back home.

One brother is a pot growing entrepreneur with a crippling lack of smarts and a talent for trouble while the other brother is an Ivy League professor on the verge of a huge promotion and keen to maintain the distance he has travelled from his humble beginnings.

When the learned sibling realises that reports of his brother’s death are not only greatly exaggerated, but are part of a plot to take down a domineering local crime boss, the Slackerdemic double act get to work at rebuilding bridges and sorting their lives out. Which is nowhere near as trite as it sounds. It’s a keenly felt, visually interesting and surprisingly nuanced comedy.

Edward Norton takes on the roles of both brothers while aplomb, though his pot grower from the sticks is at first a little too cornball, but as the film progresses we find both to be layered performances, capable of engaging our emotions and elevating the film. Norton has a habit of allowing the other characters to develop around him, almost fading to the background but this is why he is so magnetic a screen presence.

It’s a fairly standard premise elevated by a great supporting cast with Susan Sarandon’s role as the twins’ mother is soaked in pathos and gin and Richard Dreyfuss’s duplicitous drug baron Pug Rothbaum (a Coenesque name if ever there was one) is a coarse and chilling presence. It’s always great to see Melanie Lynskey on screen and Blake Nelson is virtually unrecognisable in his supporting role and you get the feeling that this film was made as a passion project rather than an attempt to attract a wide audience. Its cast is its greatest asset and its witty script will surprise those expecting a pothead crime caper – it is far deeper, and far more enjoyable than that.

Leaves of Grass is out now on DVD and VOD.

****~ (4/5)

Lions Gate Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us three copies of their new movie, Leaves of Grass to give away to you, our readers. The movie stars Edwards Norton…. Edward Norton (!) Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Keri Russell and Tim Blake Nelson.

Synopsis: Edward Norton stars with… Edward Norton in the comedic thriller, LEAVES OF GRASS, which is out on DVD on 21 February 2011 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Norton plays dual roles in this witty thriller which also boasts an all-star cast including Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Keri Russell and Tim Blake Nelson.

Ivy League professor Bill Kincaid’s (Norton) life takes a downward spiral when he returns home to rural Oklahoma after receiving news of his twin brother’s murder in a pot deal gone bad. Upon arrival, he finds that reports of Brady’s (also played by Norton) death are “greatly exaggerated” and is quickly caught up in one of his brother’s schemes. A scheme in which Brady requires an air-tight alibi.

Despite severe doubts, Bill decides to participate in his brother’s plan, choosing to spend his time as “Brady” in the company of his mother, Daisy (Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon) who has retired from the counter-culture and prematurely chosen to move into a retirement home – and Janet (Keri Russell), an educated woman who has by-passed academia in favour of a quieter life.

Meanwhile, Brady and his best friend/business partner Bolger (writer-director Tim Blake Nelson) use this perfect alibi to confront one of the area’s most notorious drug dealers, Pug Rothbaum (Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss), about some unfinished business. Will Bill be prepared to risk everything to help his brother if things don’t go according to plan?

Leaves of Grass is out on DVD on February 21, courtesy of Lions Gate Home Entertainment.

DVD technical details:

• Number of discs: 1
• RRP: £12.99
• Certificate: 15 (UK and Ireland)
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Running time: 101 Minutes Approx.

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

Who directed the movie, Leaves of Grass?

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 25th February 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Collider have posted an exclusive clip of comedy drama Leaves of Grass, which finds Edward Norton following in the footsteps of both Nicholas Cage and Jeremy Irons by flexing his acting muscles playing twin brothers.

Directed by Tim Blake Nelson (who also has a role in the film) the plot revolves around an Ivy League professor who is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother (a small-time pot grower) has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord.

The film is on a limited cinema release in the US at the moment, before arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on October 12th. A UK cinema date is still to be confirmed but, as always, we’ll keep you updated when we hear anything.

Ted Danson and Vinessa Shaw have been added to the cast of Everybody Loves Whales.

Danson and Shaw join John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell and Tim Blake Nelson in the ensemble animal rescue drama set to commence shooting next month in Alaska.

Everybody Loves Whales centers a small-town news reporter (Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Barrymore) who enlist the help of rival superpowers to save three majestic gray whales trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle.

Ken Kwapis is attached to direct. Expect the film to be released sometime next year.

The Playlist reported this one first.

A great new trailer has just been released for Edward Norton latest movie, Leaves of Grass. It’s directed by Tim Blake Nelson and also stars another Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Keri Russell and Richard Dreyfuss. The movie screened at the Toronto Film Festival and everyone is raving about it with apparently an awesome performance from both sets of Edward Nortons!

It’s scheduled for release in the US 2nd April. Doesn’t look like we have a release date yet but we’ll keep you posted. Check out the trailer embedded below or head over to Apple who debuted the trailer. I’m very much looking forward to this one.

Synopsis: When Ivy League classics professor Bill Kincaid receives news of the murder of his estranged identical twin brother, Brady (both played by two-time Academy Award® nominee Edward Norton), in a pot deal gone bad, he leaves the world of Northeastern academia to travel back to his home state of Oklahoma. Upon arrival, he finds that reports of his brother’s death are greatly exaggerated, and he’s soon caught up in the dangerous and unpredictable world of drug commerce in the backwaters of the Southwest. In the process, he reconnects with his eccentric mother (Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon), meets a wise and educated young woman who has bypassed academia in favor of the gentler rhythms of life (Keri Russell), and unwittingly helps his troubled brother settle a score with a pernicious drug lord (Academy Award® winner Richard Dreyfuss) who uses Tulsa, Oklahoma’s small Jewish community for cover. Leaves of Grass follows a twisting narrative path merging crime drama, drug comedy, classical philosophy and sudden violence in pursuit of answering one of humanity’s oldest questions: What does it truly mean to live a happy and constructive life?

The new poster for Leaves of Grass, a comedy directed by Tim Blake Nelson, gives us a good look at the the film’s selling point – the dual roles of Edward Norton who plays an Ivy League professor and his small town, drug dealing brother.

If you missed this last year, have a look at the trailer here, the chance to see Richard Dreyfuss as a drug lord going up against Norton and Norton, with support from Susan Sarandon, Keri Russell and Melianie Lynskey is too good to miss.

AICN had the exclusive on this, I’ve placed it below for your viewing pleasure. There’s no UK release date but we’re waiting for this one.

Edward Norton is an actor who is always interesting to watch, and his dual role in Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass looks to be another fine prospect.

Not a Walt Whitman ‘Bright Star’ type biopic, Leaves of Grass sees Norton joined by Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss and Melanie Lynskey for this pharmaceutical comedy which sees Norton play twin brothers whose lives took a divergent turn, one who leaves their hometown for the academic heights of the Ivy League and the other who stays behind to deal drugs. The trailer has found its way online and is available below (please note it contains swearing).

Hoisted back to his hometown by some tragic news the brothers reunite to deal with small town drug lords, the fragmentation of the family and a whole lot of green. What seems an Adaptation inspired movie, Leaves of Grass has a great cast and looks to make the most of them.

One to watch.