by Nat Almirall, Nov 4 2011 // 9:00 AM
The best performance in Tower Heist comes not from its most bankable stars Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, rather it’s the nervously underplayed schlub Mr. Fitzhugh, an out-of-work stockbroker played by Matthew Broderick, who’s channeling parts of Bob Newhart and parts of Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion. Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) tends toward broad comedy, but the funniest bits by far are Broderick’s subtle squeaks of concern.
There’s a scene early on when he’s being evicted from his apartment. The living room is completely empty save for two tents. Broderick explains to the building manager that he’s sold all the furniture. “I told the kids we’re going green,” he gives a resigned shrug, “my kids aren’t very smart.”
The manager is Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller), who’s been working at the building for years and is the golden boy of its owner Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), a Madoff-inspired Wall Streeter who, we learn, has taken the employees’ pensions and either stolen them or made some really bad investments (the movie never really makes it clear, but since he’s rich, he’s automatically bad, I guess). The Feds, led by the sexy Claire Denham (Tea Leoni) naturally swoop in to cart off Shaw for some SEC violations, leaving little hope for the tower employees to recover their life savings.
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Posted in: Comedy · Movies · Reviews · Universal Pictures
Tagged: Alan Alda, Ben Stiller, Brett Ratner, Casey Affleck, Eddie Murphy, Gabourey Sidibe, Jeff Nathanson, Judd Hirsch, Matthew Broderick, Michael Peña, Tea Leoni, Ted Griffin
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by Matt Raub, May 5 2011 // 7:00 AM
There’s no denying that zombies are hot right now. Of course, with that kind of burning press, you’d expect to see the undead walk in just about every form of mass media. But would you expect to see an entire film about zombies as a 3D animated film?
That’s what Focus Features and Laika is hoping for, as the team that brought us Coraline is getting back together for their newest film, ParaNorman. Here’s the breakdown from a Focus press release.
Currently in production, ParaNorman is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Mr. Butler’s original screenplay. Mr. Fell was director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away. Mr. Butler was storyboard supervisor on Coraline and storyboard artist on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. The voice cast includes Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Jeff Garlin (Toy Story 3), John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.), Bernard Hill (Titanic), Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Leslie Mann (Rio), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (How to Train Your Dragon), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch (30 Rock).
If that star-studded voice cast isn’t enough to whet your appetite, what if we told you it was about a young boy who could speak with the dead? Here’s the synopsis.
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Posted in: 3-D · Animation · Announcements · Horror · Kids · Movies · News · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Anna Kendrick, Bernard Hill, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Coraline, Focus Features, John Goodman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, LAIKA, Leslie Mann, Zombies
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by Matt Raub, Jul 16 2010 // 9:00 AM
Ben Affleck may get a pretty bad rap for his acting, but that was certainly redeemed (mostly) when he stepped behind the camera for the first time to direct Gone Baby Gone. The film was nominated for tons of awards, including Best Actress for Amy Ryan.
Affleck is at it once again with his latest directorial effort The Town. You can tell that he’s got some recurring themes, much like his buddy Kevin Smith, such as a gritty town in Boston and female abduction. This time, Ben himself is stepping in the male leading role, instead of casting his brother Casey.
The movie is based on the Chuck Hogan book Prince of Thieves about a bank robber who becomes infatuated with a witness that his gang is convinced will talk. The movie also stars Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner.
Check out the new trailer after the jump. Catch Ben Affleck’s The Town in theaters on September 10th.
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Posted in: Action · Drama · Filmmaking · Movies · News · Trailers · Video · Warner Bros
Tagged: Amy Ryan, Ben Affleck, Blake Lively, Casey Affleck, Chis Cooper, Chuck Hogan, Gone Baby Gone, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm, Prince of Thieves, The Town, Warner Bros
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by Chris Ullrich, May 25 2010 // 9:00 AM
Previously, we brought you an extended trailer for director Michael Winterbottom’s upcoming film The Killer Inside Me. Sadly, as we found out later, it wasn’t the “official’ release and was subsiquently removed from the Internets. That was unfortunate because the trailer, and the movie, looked quite interesting.
Fortunately, the studio has now seen fit to release the trailer “officially” into the wild and, of course, we’ve got it for you right here. This trailer isn’t all that different from the previous one and still features the film’s stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba doing what they do best. It also has a great look and intriguing premise. However, it doesn’t go quite a far as the last one did and is obviously more for general consumption. I’m sure we’ll see a “Red Band” version of this soon enough.
In case you’ve forgotten what the film is about, its based on the novel by Jim Thompson, who also wrote the novels The Grifters and The Getaway, and features Affleck as Sheriff Lou Ford who, on the surface, is an upstanding citizen and upholds the law. But underneath, Ford hides a dark secret that leads him to places he may not want to go but feels compelled to explore.
The Killer Inside Me also features Bill Pulman, Simon Baker, Ned Beatty and Elias Koteas. It hits theaters and On Demand June 18th. Check out the trailer and a larger version of the poster after the jump.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Books · Drama · IFC Films · Indie · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Bill Pulman, Casey Affleck, Crime, Elias Koteas, film noir, IFC Films, Jessica Alba, Jim Thompson, Kate Hudson, Michael Winterbottom, Movies, Ned Beatty, Posters, Simon Baker, The Getaway, The Grifters, The Killer Inside Me, Trailers
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by Matt Raub, Mar 16 2010 // 9:00 AM
While most of the eyes in film are on either SXSW or ShoWest out on the West Coast, folks out on the East Coast are gearing up for Tribeca Film Festival coming up next month. Last week, the fest announced the first group of films, which included the World Narrative films, the Documentaries, as well as Showcases and Special Events.
Now, the festival is getting a bit more star-heavy, as films starring such actors as Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Casey Affleck, and even Jessica Alba have joined the list of those titles appearing at the fest. All of these films are now coming to the festival this year, as well as the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.
The fest runs from April 21st to May 2nd. Check out the full list of new films after the jump, and be sure to keep it here, as the full list of film shorts will be announced on March 18th.
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Posted in: Announcements · Events · Film Festivals · Movies · News
Tagged: Casey Affleck, Colin Farrell, Film Festivals, Jessica Alba, Movies, Robert Duvall, Shrek Forever After, Tribeca Film Fest
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by Matt Raub, Nov 6 2009 // 2:30 PM
Casey Affleck has been known to take some pretty intense roles as of late. His first being the role of Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James and then his work on his brother’s project, Gone Baby Gone. It looks like Affleck is going to step it up once again as Sheriff Lou Ford in the ultra-violent The Killer Inside Me.
The film is based on the novel by Jim Thompson, who also wrote the novels films such as The Grifters and The Getaway were adapted from. The original 1976 film starred Stacey Keach, who took on the role that Affleck is now running with.
The extended trailer shows off some of the intense moments (hopefully not all) from the film, such as some raunchy aggressive sex with both Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, as well as a violent murder of one of them. This may just be the role that puts Casey Affleck on the map. The film has a lot of visual similarities to No Country for Old Men, which may help it come Academy Awards season.
Director Michael Winterbottom is the visual eye behind the remake. He directed a few other low-budget films such as A Mighty Heart and 24 Hour Party People. The Killer Inside Me also stars Bill Pullman, Simon Baker, Ned Beatty, and Elias Koteas. As of yet, it does not yet have a hard release date.
Check out the full, extended trailer after the jump. Some moments may be NSFW.
Update: Sadly, the video has been removed at the request of the copyright holder.
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Posted in: Action · Drama · Filmmaking · Indie · Movies · News · Thriller · Trailers
Tagged: Bill Pullman, Casey Affleck, Elias Koteas, Jessica Alba, Jim Thompson, Kate Hudson, Michael Winterbottom, Ned Beatty, Simon Baker, The Killer Inside Me
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