As we’re constantly bombarded with all sorts of new movies, TV shows and the like it’s sometimes hard to muster enthusiasm for what seems like just another reboot, remake, retread or sequel. We’re worried, of course, that the makers of said project are just in it to cash in and make as much money as possible without really worrying too much about things like characters, story or doing a good job.

Fortunately, there’s a few times where after looking at a trailer for an upcoming reboot, remake or sequel, it seems just the opposite is true and the people involved do care and have made something good. Men In Black 3 seems to be one of those cases.

There was a teaser for the film last December and now the first theatrical trailer for it is out and we have to say it looks pretty darn good. Back in action are Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the eponymous J and K as well as a new twist, Josh Brolin as the 1969 version of Tommy Lee Jones’s character after Smith’s J goes back in time to prevent an alien invasion that could destroy the planet.

Take a look at the trailer after the break and judge for yourself. We think this is going to be big. Look for Men In Black 3 to hit theaters on May 25.

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The casting has not come particularly quick or easy for the Spike Lee directed remake of the Korean thriller Oldboy.

Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Men In Black III) locked in as the lead character quite early in the process but the quest for a villain so far has involved names ranging from Christian Bale to  Clive Owen, with even Colin Firth being in the mix. All have passed for various reasons and the search continues.

Filling the role of Brolin’s love interest, Marie, has been an equally difficult task. Both Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska have been offered and rejected the part of the female lead role. It is now being reported that the role of Marie has been offered to Elizabeth Olsen.

The film follows an average man who is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, he soon finds out that his kidnapper has a greater plan for him and is set onto a path of pain and suffering in an attempt to uncover the motive of his mysterious tormentor.

The lesser known Olsen sister, Elizabeth seemingly sprang out of nowhere at Sundance 2011 to become one of America’s most sought after young actresses thanks to parts in the soon to be released Silent House and the under the radar film Martha Marcy May Marlene. With three other projects listed to start in 2013, she’s not going away anytime soon. She’s also got a sizable gap in her schedule before those projects are due to start, which makes this a very plausible option.

This week’s pick is the adventure-comedy classic The Goonies (1985). Richard Donner (Superman I, II, Lethal Weapon series) and Steven Spielberg craft this cult classic, which has entertained countless fans for over twenty-five years.

The Goonies centers around a group of seven outcast teens from Astoria, Oregon whose homes are about to be demolished due to a real estate venture to expand the ritzy Astoria country club into their neighborhood. Facing their last weekend together, Mike Walsh (Sean Astin) and the rest of his friends rummage around his father’s attic and uncover a map, and a Spanish doubloon.

Mikey begins to tell the story of a Seventeenth Century Pirate known as One-Eyed Willie who stole a large assortment of treasure from the English back in 1632, and it was rumored to have been buried somewhere along their coastline. At first, Mikey’s friends seem reluctant to go on one last Goonie adventure but change their minds when they realize that if they were to find One-Eyed Willie’s treasure, they and their families wouldn’t have to leave Astoria.

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Nine out of ten times, when we hear about a foreign film being remade for American audiences, we here at The Flickcast are the first to agree that it will likely be terrible, and won’t do the original any justice. Then we heard that the remake of Oldboy will be taken on by acclaimed director Spike Lee.

Needless to say, we were intrigued. Now, the story is only getting better, as Jonah Hex himself, Josh Brolin, has been announced to take on the lead of the project. Here’s what Deadline has on the scoop.

It’s official: Brolin will topline the Mandate Pictures redo, which begins production in March. Brolin, who just wrapped Men in Black 3 with Will Smith, next begins work on Warner Bros’ Gangster Squad.

The new Oldboy has script adapted by Mark Protosevich, who will co-produce. Roy Lee and Doug Davison will produce via Vertigo Entertainment with Lee’s 40 Acres & A Mule. Mandate president Nathan Kahane will executive produce.

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By Jarrett Mellenbruch

Just go ahead and give Mattie Ross whatever it is she demands. Trying to bargain with this 14 year old , played by Hailee Steinfeld, will eventually leave you weakened and bewildered. Her relentless pursuit of justice for the murder of her father calls upon her vast reserve of cunning, quick wits, and masterful tongue.

Cast opposite the craggy and weathered drunkard U.S. Marshall  Rooster Cogburn, masterfully played by Jeff Bridges, she holds up her part and then some in this perfect balance between a game innocent and an extremely experienced, blunt yet perceptive hired gun.

Thanks to Hailee Steinfeld, the young actress who plays Mattie, women viewers who venture out to see one western every decade would do well to make True Grit their choice for the Teens. This may be the one movie where a mother/daughter night out to see a shoot-em-up may rival the father/son crowd. That’s not to say the men should stay away, only that there is something for everyone here, including the strong central heroine.

Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, and Josh Brolin nicely round out the cast and offer some extra color and comedic moments. Damon’s LaBoeuf is the cowboy nerd who rides the fine line between charming and annoying, and he rides it well. Pepper plays bad guy Ned Pepper, who probably is the grittiest part of the whole movie. And Josh Brolin is the seemingly simpleminded crook who killed Mattie’s father and kicked off this whole goose chase.

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As if we weren’t excited enough when the first trailer for the Coen Brothers’ upcoming remake of True Grit hit last week, a brand new, full-feature trailer has hit the web, and not only does it have more Jeff Bridges as US Marshall Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, but a killer Johnny Cash tune, and even some kind of man-bear riding a horse.

The film comes from Ethan and Joel Coen, who made their stamp on visually stunning Western-style dramas with No Country For Old Men. The cast is rounded out enough with Bridges leading the charge, filling in the shoes of John Wayne, while Matt Damon and Josh Brolin fill out the supporting cast.

Between this film and his upcoming dual roles in Tron Legacy, it looks like the next year will be pretty big for Jeff Bridges, and could bring him another Oscar for True Grit.

Check out the full trailer for the film after the jump, and catch it in it’s full Western glory in theaters on Christmas Day.

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Way back in February we brought you some casting news about the Coen Brothers remake of the John Wayne classic western True Grit. And now, thanks to the magic of the Interwebs, we can bring you the first teaser trailer for the film.

With a cast that includes Matt Damon as La Beouf, Josh Brolin as killer Tom Chaney and Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn (the role made famous by Wayne) the trailer brings us a bit of the flavor of the film and brings to light the fact that this film is going to be pretty amazing. The original film, based on a 1968 novel by author Charles Portis, starred Wayne in a role so popular it earned him his only Oscar.

In case you’re not familiar with the story, it concerns 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross who sets out to capture her father’s killer. To help, she hires tough yet abrasive U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn, a man with “true grit.” Over Cogburn’s objections, Maddie accompanies him on the quest and they are joined by another Marshall, La Beouf, who wants Chaney for his own reasons.

True Grit hits theaters on December 25th. Check out the trailer after the jump.

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It’s been 23 years since the original Wall Street, and Michael Douglas reprises his role as corporate raider Gordon Gekko, freshly released from prison and ready to ascend right back to the top from which he fell. The role of Gordon’s protégé, played by Charlie Sheen in the first film, is filled by current hot-property Shia LeBeouf, the kid who’s been popping up in every big-budget production from Transformers to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’m not entirely sure why.

Here he plays Jacob Moore, a clean-air advocate and propriety trader for the crashing firm of Keller Zabel, headed by his mentor Lewis Zabel (Frank Langella). The reason Zabel’s headed down the tubes is because of a bogus rumor spread by hedge-fund manager Bretton James (Josh Brolin), who purportedly also had a hand in bringing Gekko down. James offers to buy the dying firm for a pittance, which leads Zabel to commit suicide and sets Jake out for revenge.

Jake’s also engaged to Winnie (Carey Mulligan), owner of a fledgling environmental blog and Gekko’s daughter, whose relationship with her father has been estranged ever since the suicide of her brother Rudy. At a signing for Gekko’s new book, Jake meets up with his soon-to-be father-in-law and two form a pact: Gekko will help Jake bring down James if Jake helps Gekko reconnect with his daughter. And all the while Jake struggles to get his pet project, a clean, fusion (I believe)-based energy company, off the ground.

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Pixar’s Toy Story 3 won the Father’s Day weekend with a total of over $109 Million, making it the highest grossing opening weekend for a Pixar movie thus far. I’ve got to say, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer movie.

Toy Story 3 is a true 4 quadrant film that the studios are always hoping for. It’s the the holy grail of box-office goodness, because it appeals to men and women, young and old.  It’s rated G, which means families can feel at ease bringing the young ones. Critics universally loved the film, and audiences polled by cinemascore raved as well (Entertainment Weekly.)

Toy Story 3 enjoyed a massive opening, as it played on over 4,000 screens.  Roughly half of those were 3D screens, which bolstered the total gross.  Toy Story 3 is the second highest opening for an animated movie, bested only by Shrek the Third’s $121 Million opening back in 2007.

Another family-friendly film took the number two spot.  The Karate Kid dropped around 48%, and tallied up another $29 Million, bringing its 10 day total to an impressive $106 Million.

The A-Team didn’t benefit from word of mouth all that much.  It experienced a 46% drop from last week, earning $13.7. The movie has made about $49 Million in two weekends, but it had a $110 Million budget, so it has a long, steep hill to climb to recoup its budget.  I have yet to talk to anyone who disliked the movie, so I am really puzzled over its performance (or more accurately, lack thereof.)

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If like me, you have survived the onslaught of witty repartee between Iron Man and War Machine, time standing still in Robin Hood, and the hot mess of CGI and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia then you are ready for what awaits you in June. Make no mistake, you may not have the monster in Manolo’s, otherwise known as Carrie Bradshaw, to suffer through but you do have a mêlée of 80’s rehashes that studios happily throw money at.

So, suit up, grab your popcorn, and prepare yourself for the next adventure that await you.

JUNE

June 4th

Ondine

Were you expecting a description of The A Team perhaps? At this point, anyone who is seeing The A Team on Friday already has their tickets, and even my words of wisdom will be unable to stop them. Instead I’ll spotlight a film that deserves attention.

Ondine is an independent film starring Colin Farrell as a fisherman who pulls up a beautiful woman in his nets. His sick, precocious daughter believes she is a Selkie, a Scottish seal who becomes a human wife on land. Time will tell if she is really as she seems.

Geekiness Factor: As a fairytale set in the modern era, it combines Splash and Heroes with a dose of romanticism and second chances. This movie works because it doesn’t use CGI, in fact the only special effects it uses comes from your very own imagination in overdrive. Its sense of wonder on faith, entrances you back to a time when you still believed in Santa Claus.

Screen Steamer: Colin Farrell has served me a heap of B movie bad boy charm in past films like The Recruit, S.W.A.T., not to mention a harmonious turn in Crazy Heart. Here he takes off his shirt only once, but seems well cast as a fisherman down on his luck and striving to be sober. Alicja Bachleda keeps you guessing as Ondine, which means “from the water.” She is alluring with a subtle sensuality in ocean soaked dresses, only coming up for air to coyly flirt with a scruffy Colin.

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With anticipation growing for director Jimmy Hayward’s big screen adaptation of the Jonah Hex comic, you can be sure we’re gong to be seeing more and more stuff from the marketing people as the film gets closer to release. Case in point is this brand new trailer for the film, which first appeared at IGN.

The film, a supernatural western tale of revenge featuring a scarred bounty hunter with magical abilities (Josh Borlin), the prostitute who helps him (Megan Fox) and the bad guy who must be stopped (John Malkovich), looks pretty awesome. In fact, if this trailer is anything like the finished film, I think DC and Warner Bros. just might have a hit on their hands.

Jonah Hex hits theaters on June 18th. Until then, check out the new trailer after the jump.

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With Warner’s Jonah Hex hitting theaters in just over a month, fans have been tapping their collective feet waiting for a trailer of the film starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. So far, we’ve only gotten a few images of Brolin in make up and Fox in tight dresses, but it seems that we’re finally getting the goods with a new trailer.

The film, based on the DC Comic of the same name about a western vigilante who takes down baddies without mercy, has been the subject of lots of controversy since it’s production started a few years back. Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were allegedly pulled off of the film mid-shoot due to “creative differences” with the studio. Jimmy Hayward, lead animator for many Pixar films such as Monster’s Inc. and Finding Nemo took over and has sole directing credit on the film.

After the controversy, and the fact that we hadn’t seen a trailer for the film yet, it was questionable if Warner would get the film out in time for it’s June release date, but with the new trailer hitting online today, we can now rest assured that they’re back on schedule.

Check out the trailer after the jump, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies, and be sure to catch Brolin and his melted face in Jonah Hex when it hits theaters on June 18th.

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