About halfway through Playing for Keeps, I noticed that I hadn’t laughed yet but so far had found it pretty watchable. Having Uma Thurman parade around in her frillies certainly doesn’t hurt, and added to that are the ever-delightful wiles of Judy Greer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Jessica Biel. The movie treats them as basically eye-candy (as well as Gerard Butler), so why can’t I?

Butler plays George, a former soccer superstar recently relocated to Virginia to reclaim his wife Stacie (Biel) and, on the side, reconnect with his son. He spends his mornings filming demo tapes for a shot as an ESPN sportscaster; his afternoons watching his son’s little-league soccer practices; and, later, his nights bedding the many soccer moms.

One day he decides to take over for the apathetic little-league coach, earning the respect of Stacie and the adoration of his son and the previously mentioned soccer moms. He also makes the acquaintance of Carl (Dennis Quaid), a successful businessman and husband of the lovestruck Patti (Thurman) who has an eerie and obnoxious habit of back-slapping like a yokel who’s just told a joke. Anyway, Carl bribes George to put his son in the goalie spot and get his daughter to screech the national anthem before each game.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that we’re big fans of Alfred Hitchcock around here. His his films are classics of cinema and his storytelling abilities are an inspiration to generations of filmmakers. In short, he was a genius.

A new movie, appropriately titled Hitchcock, is coming out soon seeking to capture the essence of the man and his vision and give us a glimpse behind the curtain of Hollywood. Anthony Hopkins plays Hitch and to help get you ready, Fox Searchlight has released a new featurette from the movie.

In it we get a behind the scenes look at the movie with Director Sacha Gervasi and stars Hopkins and Helen Mirren. “They dissect the eccentric, fascinating love story and creative collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville, the woman that seemingly went unnoticed. Together the pair made some of the most powerful films in history.” Indeed.

Sounds very interesting. Check it out after the break. Look for Hitchcock to hit theaters on November 23rd.

Hitchcock is one of those handful of films that in any other year would be at the top of the heap for the award bait season we are about to head into. You have several high-profile actors in a biopic about one of the greatest directors of all time, and nearly everyone is playing someone else famous.

Yet with the huge number of “prestige” films hitting cinemas in the next four months, flicks like this one can get lost in the shuffle. Hoping to avoid that fate, the studio has released a brand new poster and trailer for Hitchcock and it is worth taking a look at. If only for seeing Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, who seems ridiculously perfect for the role.

On the other end of the spectrum is Anthony Hopkins as the titular director. As a still his look seems jarring and distracting, but it will be Hopkins acting that will be the pivot point for this film. If he is not fantastic in the part, the whole thing will probably fall on its face, but if he can nail it, Hitchcock could be a real contender for one of the best films of the year.

That is probably what makes this film so intriguing, even with the film so close to release it could still land anywhere between best picture or bomb of the year. Keep your eyes peeled to The Flickcast for any new updates on this fast approaching project and check out the trailer and full poster after the jump.

Interesting development in the casting of The Wolverine. We reported that Jessica Biel might be signing on to an important role in the upcoming film, but then it didn’t happen.

Of course this is why we qualify these reports with has ‘might’, but it looks as if Jessica balked. No word on if she went another direction because of the script, the timing or just a general dislike to Hugh Jackman.

The movie chugs forth though, and it looks like Fox has already made gestures to another actress to fill the role of Viper, Twitch is reporting:

Twitch has learned that Fox is currently in talks with Svetlana Khodchenkova for the part and are expected to close the deal quickly. The twenty nine year old Russian actress has done most of her work in Russia to this point but may be familiar to some western audiences thanks to her part in Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

A solid, if untested, actress for what is likely an important role in a tent-pole blockbuster. There is a lot working against this film, but there is hope, because at its core Wolverine and Hugh Jackman are capable of being great.

Keep tuned to The Flickcast for any new updates as this project speeds towards production.

The Wolverine should not exist. The first Wolverine solo movie was so awful that even a dyed-in-the-wool X-Men fan like myself can’t justify it. In addition to that, Fox just reincarnated their main X-Men franchise with First Class which is progressing forward with its own sequel.

So The Wolverine is an oddity, one that is a shining example of Fox’s stubbornness. Good thing for us fans, that stubbornness might actually be paying off.

Twitch is reporting that none other than the excellent Jessica Biel has been offered a major role in the sequel:

Jessica Biel has been offered the role of Viper, a complex character who at one point was a peer of Logan’s as well as an enemy. She was a major player in criminal organization Hydra and, in one story arc, blackmailed Logan / Wolverine into marrying her.

I am now about to enter into the world of ridiculous pontificating, so bear with me. Biel is a bankable star, one that is likely playing a character who is an agent of Hydra and has deep ties to both Wolverine and Nick Fury. We already know Sony was interested in allowing Oscorp to be used in Avengers…

I am calling it now, Jessica Biel’s character will be the first to jump studios and form the first connections between Fox’s X-Universe and Marvel’s movie-verse.

The more we see of the Total Recall reboot the more it’s starting to look pretty decent. And let’s face it, even though the orignal Arnold version was fun and has become somewhat of a cult classic, it isn’t exactly a great movie.

We love it for its campy acting, over-the-top violence and, let’s face it, for the chick with the three boobs. This new one looks to take things a bit more seriously and make it all a bit darker. We don’t have a problem with that.

There’s a new clip from the movie out today featuring star Colin Farrell. We’ve got it for you after the break. Before that, in case you’re not familiar with the new movie’s story, here’s how it goes:

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen, the leader of the free world Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter to find the head of the underground resistance and stop Cohaagen.

Look for Total Recall to hit theaters on August 3rd.

Previously, we brought you a teaser for the reboot of Total Recall, another big movie vying for your hard earned dollar this Summer. Now, the Internets have graced us with the international trailer for the movie and, of course, we’re gonna share.

For those of you new to the “new” Total Recall, here’s the synopsis:

For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid, even though he’s got a beautiful wife who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen, the leader of the free world.

As our own Jonathan Weilbaecher put it previously: “This new version of Total Recall is exactly how you handle a modern remake. You taken the source material, and give your creative team’s the chance to adapted it in their own way, in their own style.”

Let’s hope he’s right. Check out the trailer after the break. Look for Total Recall to hit theaters on August 3.

One of the most intriguing films currently filming is Hitchcock. The movie that tells the tale of the making of Psycho, arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous work. Sir Anthony Hopkins plays the titular director and before now it was hard to really envision the famous actor as the equally famous director.

Then People Magazine released this picture.

Wow, that has to be the penciled in favorite for best make-up at the 2013 Oscars. He looks amazing in one of the most recognizable silhouettes in cinema history. Hitchcock is fast becoming one of the must see films of next year with an all star cast that includes Hopkins, Jessica Biel, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Kurtwood Smith and Michael ‘flipping’ Wincott!

That is a must see cast, and considering they are telling the story of how one of the most iconic and important films ever made came to be, it is easy to get excited. Of course as famous as Hitchcock’s visage is, his voice is also very specific, so it will would still behoove us all to wait on the first trailer before we set our final expectations.

The film is directed by Anvil! The Story of Anvil director Sacha Gervasi, and is set for release some time in 2013.

As good as the movie was, 2003’s Love Actually had no idea what it was starting in the form of romantic comedies featuring a super ensemble cast. It was brought to the (more) public eye last year with Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day and now the ante is only getting upped with New Year’s Eve.

The film’s premise is relatively straightforward, but its the cast that really sells it.

“New Year’s Eve” celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, in intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.

Are you ready for a cast list to be reckoned with? Take a breath, because you’re looking at seeing Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, and Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara join the cast of New Year’s Eve.

How the film isn’t going to be 12 hours long, we have no idea. Instead, you can check out the brand new trailer for the film after the jump. New Year’s Eve is set to hit theaters on December 9th.

Not that we are in any way endorsing the reboot/remake of Total Recall but with two hot actresses now joining the cast, we have to at least mention it. So, here it is. With Colin Farrell already taking over the role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film and Bryan Cranston onboard as the evil nemesis, the next question has always been who would be playing the female leads?

Well, now we know. Kate Beckinsale has officially been cast as Lori, the bitchy wife of Douglas Quaid (Farrell) in the “real” world, while Jessica Biel will play sleazy and demure Melina, the woman he meets in his “other” life as a spy. The roles were played by Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin in the 1990 original.

In addition to the women, Heat Vision says Bill Nighy has landed the part of Quatto, the leader of the resistance movement. So, with Beckensale and Nighy in place that’s quite an Underworld reunion director Len Wiseman’s got going on. Oh well, he is in charge and if my wife was that hot I would probably cast her in my movies too.

I do have a question about Quatto though. Will he be a mutant and will he lead a resistance? According to reports, the new version of the story will not take place on Mars like Philip K. Dick’s original or the 1990 film.