As it happens with most successful action franchises, the main star eventually gets tired of making the films, or gets too old, and wants to move on to something else. A prime example of this is, of course, the James Bond series which has had several actors playing the titular hero.

Another example is the Bourne franchise which featured Matt Damon as the title hero Jason Bourne. He wasn’t interested in returning for another movie so producers turned to another actor, Jeremy Renner, to carry on the franchise. The result is the upcoming The Bourne Legacy, which Universal has just released a new trailer for.

In it we see Renner in action as a different member of the Treadstone team and we also get some new faces, including Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, as well as established franchise players like Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn.

Plus, surprise, Matt Damon is also in the trailer as Jason Bourne. Weird. I wonder what that could mean?

Check out the trailer after the break. Look for The Bourne Legagy to arrive in theaters on August 3.

I originally was going to write that Moonrise Kingdom was, at 94 minutes, among Wes Anderson’s shortest films, but after researching the running times of his previous work, it actually is right in the middle–shorter than The Life Aquatic (119 minutes) and The Royal Tenenbaums (109 minutes), but longer than Rushmore (93 minutes) and Bottle Rocket (92).

I think the difference is in the pacing (though all of Anderson’s films seem longer to me when they’re not on the big screen), because it didn’t feel lagging at any point. As good as Bottle Rocket and Rushmore are, I felt both started strong and then quickly slowed down, only to start rolling again in the third act. Moonrise is funny, engaging, and delightful all throughout.

The time is 1965, the place is a secluded New England island where the narrator (Bob Balaban) gives us a quick rundown of its history and the typical way of life–nothing much happens, and the mail is flown in every so often via waterplane. The inhabitants are the Bishops: Walt (Bill Murray), Laura (Frances McDormand), their sons, and their daughter Suzy (Kara Hayward); and the Khaki Scouts, something like the Junior Woodchucks but without the guidebook.

It’s been almost a year since we first brought you news of Jeremy Renner starring in the fourth film in the ‘Bourne’ franchise. All that time we’ve wondered how he would do as the new Bourne and if he would be able to make us forget about Matt Damon who, let’s face it, did a pretty good job.

Well, pretty much all of our questions have been answered now with the first trailer for The Bourne Legacy being released today. In it we see Renner in action as the new ‘Bourne’ (actually, as a character names Aaron Cross, but who’s counting?) and also get a better idea of where his character comes from.

We also get more of an idea who will be accompanying him on his journey. Fortunately, many of our favorite supporting players also make an appearance. All of it serves to make this trailer, and the upcoming film, look pretty darn good.

As to the question of Renner helping us to forget about Matt Damon, the answer to that is “Matt Damon who?” Plus, the movie has Rachel Weisz in it so we’re going no matter what.

Look for The Bourne Legacy, directed by Tony Gilroy and featuring Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Alley and Albert Finney, to hit theaters on August 8. Check out the trailer after the break.

There aren’t that many current directors who have a laser-pointed style that can be seen from a mile away. Thankfully, Wes Anderson is one of those directors. You can spot a film like The Royal Tenenbaums or Life Aquatic from space and know that they came from the retro dreams of Anderson. Now, he’s at it again.

This time, in his film Moonrise Kingdom, he’s adding new names like Ed Norton, Frances McDormand, and Bruce Willis to his regular cast of players that includes Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. Take a look at the fantastically twisted premise below.

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader.

The flick is set to hit theaters on May 25th, and you better believe that Anderson is going to pull out the stops with his indie band connections for what should be a stellar soundtrack. Take a look at the trailer after the jump.

If you’ve been following the marketing for Stone, you are no doubt poised to see a psychological thriller, of sorts. Unfortunately, Stone plays more like a  psychodrama than a psychological thriller.  The movie does a bang-up  job of establishing that something very, very  bad is going to happen.

Through music, imagery and a frightening  flashback we are conditioned to believe that there will be a showdown between good and evil.  I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, but it never does.

A strangely meandering story just sort of sputters out, and the film ends abruptly, prompting a “huh, you mean that was it?” It’s a pity, because there was a lot of potential in the movie.

Robert De Niro stars as Jack Mabry, a parole officer who works in a prison, reviewing cases to determine which inmates are qualified for a parole hearing.  He pores over the minutiae of each case, studies the files and conducts in-depth interviews with the potential parolees.  He is about to retire from his position when he is given one last case to review.

Edward Norton plays Gerald Creeson, who goes by the moniker “Stone.”  He is Jack’s last case. He has served ten years for arson, and he is starting to lose his mind within the confines of prison.  He is desperate to get out.  His sex-kitten wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) is also eager to have him back in her bed, and she is more than willing to use her sexuality to influence Jack’s decision.

By Shannon Hood and Jane Almirall

On day two, we got several screenings in, and an interview.  Here’s how it all went down.

Mother’s Day Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman.  Starring Jaime King, Rebecca De Mornay, and Deborah Ann Woll.

Jane’ thoughts: Mother’s Day is an interesting remake of the 1980 Charles Kaufman feature.    Bousman updates the original by changing the story from a camping trip gone wrong (in which several campers are held hostage and terrorized by a criminally insane family) to a horrifying tale of home invasion – based on actual events – (in which friends at a birthday party are held hostage and terrorized by a criminally insane family).

Mother’s Day maintains a palpable tension throughout it’s running time as the party-goers turned hostages are humiliated, tortured and killed by this extremely dysfunctional family.  There are several nods to it’s roots in Troma – particularly Rebecca De Mornay’s performance, which is peppered with camp – though for the most part the torture and kill scenes play without a wink.  This film went on a little bit long for my tastes, but to it’s credit kept my heart rate up for it’s entirety.

Interview: Edward Norton

Shannon:  I got to attend a round table interview with Edward Norton, who was in Austin to promote Stone, co-starring Robert De Niro and Milla Jovovich.

Edward was charming and intelligent, and gave us some insight into how he prepared for his role as an inmate, why ambiguity is not a bad thing in movies, and gave us some details regarding the creative process that director John Curran worked through to bring the movie to fruition.  Interview is forthcoming.

By Shannon Hood and Jane Almirall

Each day we will provide you with capsule reviews and impressions of the films we see at Fantastic Fest, along with any activities or interviews we attend.  Complete reviews and interviews can be found on the site in upcoming weeks.

Day one of fantastic fest we hit the ground running and went straight from the airport to pick up our press badges.  We managed to cram in three screenings for the day, starting at 4pm.  Not too shabby.

Screening: Stone. Directed by John Curran and starring Edward Norton, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, and Milla Jovovich.  Summary: A convicted arsonist (Norton) looks to manipulate a parole officer (De Niro) into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife (Jovovich)  in the lawman’s path.

Jane’s thoughts:  This was an unusual experience for me.  I was half expecting this to play out like a thriller-but instead I watched a slow (but evenly paced) meditative, existential character study.

The performances were great, but I can’t say I enjoyed the film (to its credit,we discussed it a great deal afterwards.)

The characters in Stone never quite feel like actual people, rather they represent certain characteristics of humanity.  Their stories slowly unfold to reveal that in the end, we are back at the beginning and haven’t moved an inch.

I have to admit, as we get closer to Fantastic Fest I’m getting more and more excited. It’s a great festival full of an incredible mix of films from around the world that can satisfy even the most demanding critic’s taste for something new, unusual and entertaining.

Previously, we brought you news of the fist films selected for the Fest and more. Now, the Fest’s organizers have announced a new wave of films that will be showcased during the event. Some of these films include the Gala premiere of Buried starring Ryan Reynolds (which was announced last week), the US premiere of the Edward Norton starer Stone, the world premiere of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, the US premiere of Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 3, the US premiere of Andrew Lau’s  Legend of the Fist and so much more.

With these new films announced, and even more still to come including, I’m sure, a few surprise screenings, the Fest looks to be even more amazing than last year. If you’re a fan of films and a great time, you don’t have an excuse not to be in Austin from September 23-30. For more on the great lineup of films announced today, check out the full press release after the jump.

This should be interesting. Take two of the best actors working today, Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, put them together in a film where they are forced to be together and their lives and character’s stories are inexorably linked, throw in some action, suspense and gunfire and you will more than likely have a recipe for a hit.

The upcoming film Stone could just be one of those hits. It has the right elements and the story of a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined seems like the perfect way to get De Niro and Norton back together again.

Not convinced? Well, we’ve got a trailer for the film to share with you that may just do the trick. In it we see both De Niro and Norton in action as they battle for supremacy and try to outwit and out-think each other. It makes for some intense scenes for sure.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Stone, which is directed by John Curran, also stars Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy, It hits theaters on October 8th.

Well, that didn’t take very long, did it? No sooner did Ed Norton get the boot off of Marvel Studios’ The Avengers (or left for “creative differences”) we already have a strong contender to take over the role. His name is Mark Ruffalo and you may know him from his many appearances in films such as The Last Castle, Zodiac and the recent Shutter Island.

According to the report, the deal is now in “late-stage discussions” between Marvel and Rufflo’s brand-new agency United Talent for the actor to play this key member of The Avengers. Like Norton, Ruffalo is a very capable actor who brings something extra to each role he plays. But unlike Norton, he isn’t a movie star but more like an accomplished character actor. This may actually serve the film better.

Even though I enjoyed Norton’s work in The Incredible Hulk, his on-set reputation isn’t one of collaboration. Instead, most reports paint him as quite the diva and “difficult” to work with. Not something you want on a big budget ensemble film as important as The Avengers.

Ruffalo, in contrast, is almost universally regarded as a “good guy” and easy to work with. With the actors being relatively equivalent talent-wise, why wouldn’t Marvel want to work with the nice guy? Seems like a solid decision to me.