WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN was originally reviewed during the 2011 Stella Artois 20th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival

Imagine yourself as a parent. Now, aside from outliving your own child, imagine the worst thing that could happen. Despite all your best efforts to be a good parent, to raise your child properly, imagine your child does something horrific and unforgivable. Imagine they have done something that turns the entire community against you. Now you are as prepared as you possibly can be for watching WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, from Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, whose previous two feature films are RATCATCHER (1999) and MORVERN CALLAR (2002) and both films are extraordinary. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is the third feature film written and directed by this exciting new cinematic voice. This also happens to be her darkest film, and perhaps her best film to date.

Tilda Swinton plays Eva, a worldly free-spirited woman who suddenly finds herself settled down with her husband Franklin, played by John C. Reilly, and having a child. Eva, despite her best efforts to be the mother she’s expected to be, never wanted a child. Still, Eva tries her very best to raise her son right, but from a very early age, there’s something Eva sees in Kevin that sends chills down her spine, something only she sees, while Franklin is fully submersed in the intoxicating drug of fatherhood, blind to the warning signs.

Ramsay constructs this frighteningly all-too-familiar story with a mastery of non-linear progression. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is really Eva’s story, while her son Kevin is the film’s antagonist. This is mother versus son on a level as close to being a horror movie without being a horror movie. Eva has her flaws, both as a mother and as a human being, but Swinton gives her such authentic emotions, such conflicted motives and desires that we can’t help but fully empathize with her. It’s not just her son she must contend with, nor her community after the tragic event, but Eva’s most debilitating struggle is with herself, coping with the guilt of what has happened on her watch as a mother.

Ezra Miller plays Eva’s son Kevin as a teenager, while his various stages of youth are played by other child actors. Most notably frightening as a child is Rock Duer, who plays Kevin as a toddler. A mostly silent role, Rock will creep you out! If THE OMEN had not already been remade, I would count Rock as a shoe-in to play Damien. However, it’s Ezra Miller’s performance that stands out in defining Kevin as the troubled, enigmatic and dangerous teenager.

John C. Reilly is sort of an odd choice for this film. His character is the right fit for his style, goofy and lovable, but it often struggles to fit the dramatic mold setup in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, contrasting with the intensity of Swinton’s performance, but at the same time somewhat saved by Ezra Miller’s ability to shift his character’s diabolical personality with such smoothly polished seams. Regardless, Franklin is a relatively insignificant character to the story, a tool by which to strengthen the mother-son dynamic more than a central focus.

Ramsay has crafted an incredibly dark, terrifying story of the American family, while also engaging the audience is some rather black humor. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is one of those films that makes you laugh, then immediately feel like you’ve outright sinned for laughing at what’s really a very sad, unfortunate ordeal. The film will likely shock most audiences, hopefully most audiences, but more importantly should bring Lynne Ramsay more to the forefront of American audiences as the next great female filmmaker.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

IMAX and Russian producer Alexander Rodnyansky (JAYNE MANSFIELD’S CAR) today announced that the World War II 3D epic STALINGRAD will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released in IMAX® theatres in Russia and the CIS in October 2013. This marks the first Russian-language film to be released in the IMAX format.

Directed by Fyodor Bondarchukand starring Pyotr Fedorov and Thomas Kretschmann, the movie recounts the Battle of Stalingrad, a turning point in the Second World War in which Soviet troops fought and eventually won control over the South Russian city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), occupied by Nazi troops in February 1943. STALINGRAD is produced by Non-Stop Production (subsidiary of AR Films) and Art Pictures Studio.

As one of IMAX’s fastest-growing international markets, with 22 theatres currently open and 23 more in backlog, Russia and the CIS is home to some of IMAX’s highest-grossing theatres in the world. In 2011, four of the top 20 highest-grossing international IMAX sites were located inRussia and the CIS, with these sites producing a combined weighted per screen average of $2.7 million.

“We are proud that IMAX has chosen our film to be the first Russian production presented in the IMAX 3D format,” said Alexander Rodnyansky, Producer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of A.R. Films. “We believe that by combining the incredible directional style of Fyodor Bondarchuk with IMAX’s amazing technology, we will be able to make the powerful story of Stalingrad the ultimate movie-going experience for Russian audiences.”

“We are pleased to join forces with AR Films, one of the country’s most prominent and successful filmed entertainment companies, to bring this historic film to movie-goers across Russia,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “Russia is one of our key markets with a tremendous IMAX fan base and we hope that Stalingrad will be the first of many Russian local-language films presented in the IMAX format.”

“Producer Alexander Rodnyansky and director Fyodor Bondarchukare responsible for some of Russia’s most successful films and we are honored to be partnering with them on this epic motion picture,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “STALINGRAD brings together these talented filmmakers with a powerful story that — when presented in IMAX — will offer Russian audiences the ‘you-were-there’ experience that IMAX is known for.”

STALINGRAD: An IMAX 3D Experience will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology for presentation in IMAX®3D. The crystal-clear images, coupled withIMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique immersive environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

STALINGRAD is a drama set in 1942, during one of the most important battles of World War II, which stopped the progress of Nazi forces and turned the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Soviet army mounts a counter-attack on the Nazi forces that occupy half of Stalingrad on the other side of the Volga, but the operation to cross the river is unsuccessful. A few soldiers who managed to get to the other side take refuge in a house on the bank of Volga. Here they find a girl who didn’t escape when the Germans came. While the whole might of the German army descends onto them, the heroes of Stalingrad experience love, loss, joy and the sense of ultimate freedom that can only be felt by those about to die.  They defend the house at all costs while the Red Army prepares for another attack.

About AR Films

Alexander Rodnyansky, Russian film/television producer and media executive, is the founder of the Ukrainian TV-channel 1+1 and former CEO of the biggest independent publicly traded media conglomerate in Russia- CTC Media(Nasdaq: CTCM). He has produced over 20 TV-series and more than 30 films including East/West (1999), A Chef in Love (1997), The 9th Company(2005), Heat (2006), The Inhabited Island(2009), Innocent Saturday (2011), and Elena (2011). Two of his films were nominated for Oscars in the “Best Foreign Language Film” category.  In 2011 a film directed by Andrei Zvyagintsevand produced by Alexander Rodnyansky, Elena, received the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard. The first U.S. project produced by Alexander Rodnyansky – Billy Bob Thornton’s Jayne Mansfield’s Car, starring Robert Duval, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Ray Stevenson and Billy Bob Thornton, will premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

AR Films is an international filmed entertainment company. Founded in 2009 by Alexander Rodnyansky, AR Films now has production and distribution capabilities in 22 countries in Eastern andCentral Europe,Russia and the U.S. These include ownership of one of the biggest film licensing and distribution corporations in Central andEastern Europe; A Company; Russian movie production company Non-Stop Production; the leader in the distribution of independent films, Cinema Without Frontiers (Kino Bez Granits); and the most influential film festival in Russia – Kinotavr.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

Academy Award®-winning actress Angelina Jolie will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.

In 1999 Jolie took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Girl, Interrupted,” and she received a nomination in 2008 for her lead performance in “Changeling.” Jolie recently made her writing and directing debut with the film “In the Land of Blood and Honey.” She will be seen next in “Maleficent.” Jolie’s other film credits include “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “The Tourist,” “Salt,” “Wanted,” “A Mighty Heart,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Taking Lives” and “The Bone Collector.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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In theaters August 3rd, watch the new trailer for Universal Pictures’ THE BOURNE LEGACY. The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.

I’m going to go old Hollywood here when I say Renner’s rugged look and delivery reminds me of an early Robert Mitchum – out of his film noir era.

For THE BOURNE LEGACY, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles.

Visit the official site: http://thebournelegacy.net/

“Like” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBourneSeries

Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairmen of Exclusive Media and Simon Oakes, Vice-Chairman of Exclusive Media and President & CEO of Hammer announced today that Hammer’s latest supernatural thriller/horror, The Quiet Ones, will be presented for the first time at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM).

Written and to be directed by John Pogue (Quarantine 2) and produced by James Gay-Rees (Senna, Exit Through The Gift Shop) The Quiet Ones marks Hammer’s follow up to Daniel Radcliffe starrer The Woman in Black, which was released last weekend in the US on 3,000 screens grossing an outstanding $21M.

Inspired by true events, The Quiet Ones tells the story of an unorthodox professor who uses controversial methods and leads his best students off the grid to take part in a dangerous experiment: to create a poltergeist. Based on the theory that paranormal activity is caused by human negative energy, the rogue scientists perform a series of tests on a young patient, pushing her to the edge of sanity. As frightening occurrences begin to take place with shocking and gruesome consequences, the group quickly realizes they have triggered a force more terrifying and evil than they ever could have imagined.

Exclusive Media’s President of Worldwide Production & Acquisitions, Tobin Armbrust, will oversee production alongside Director of Development, Shira Rockowitz. Nancy Nayor has commenced casting on the film which is currently in pre-production and will start shooting in May 2012 inSouth Africa.

Alex Walton, President of International Sales and Distribution, will handle the international sales at EFM.

John Pogue said: “The Quiet Ones will take its audience on a thrilling ride of jumps, scares and eerie tingles which combined with set-pieces of unbearable tension will propel them through the shadowy chambers that imprison the tortured mind.  It’s a dark and claustrophobic picture which will portray how human desire can become trapped in an insidious world of its own creation and how you should always…be careful what you wish for.”

Simon Oakes, President & CEO of Hammer and Vice Chairman of Exclusive Media said: “We can’t wait to showcase The Quiet Ones at EFM. It’s an incredibly chilling and sinister picture that we are proud to be a part of.”

Exclusive Media is a major force in the production and international distribution arena. Other recent production titles include George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH produced by Smokehouse Pictures and co-produced by Exclusive Media with Cross Creek Pictures, the newly announced CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE? starring Scarlett Johansson  and Mark Ruffalo, Ron Howard’s epic RUSH starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl and produced with production partners Cross Creek Pictures, Revolution Films, Imagine and Working Title; END OF WATCH starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera; SO UNDERCOVER starring Miley Cyrus; SNITCH starring Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon in post production; and BONESHAKER to be produced with Cross Creek Pictures.

The Three Stooges Co-Stars Jane Lynch and Kate Upton
Named Grand Marshals for the Daytona 500 

Larry, Moe and Curly to deliver the Green Flag
For the 54^th running of ‘The Great American Race’

As Grand Marshals, co-stars from  the new Three Stooges movie  Jane Lynch and Kate Upton will deliver the four most famous words in motorsports – “Drivers, start your engines.”

Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso — starring as Larry, Moe & Curly – in the all new The Three Stooges movie from Twentieth Century Fox, will start the action by delivering the green flag at the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most prestigious race, on Sunday, February 26^th (FOX, 1 p.m. ET). 

“We look forward to Jane and Kate’s participation in the pre-race ceremonies, adding to the star power of NASCAR’s biggest and richest race of the year,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “Also, the thousands of race fans in attendance and the millions more watching on FOX Sports are eagerly waiting to experience ‘Stoogemania,’ when The Three Stooges deliver the green flag”.

In The Three Stooges, which hits theaters everywhere April 13, 2012, newborns Larry, Moe and Curly are left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns.  The boys grow up finger-poking, nyuk-nyuk-nyuking and woo-woo-wooing their way to uncharted levels of knuckleheaded misadventure.  Out to save their childhood home, only The Three Stooges could become embroiled in an oddball murder plot…while stumbling into starring in a phenomenally successful TV reality show.

Earl Benjamin, President and CEO of C3 Entertainment, Inc. (The Three Stooges brand owner) and Executive Producer of the new movie, said “The Three Stooges as a part of the Daytona 500 gives both comedy and racing fans a truly unique blend of two of America’s most enduring cultural icons – The greatest comedy team of all time and the aptly named The Great American Race. What could be better?”

Jane Lynch is best known for her role as the sarcastic villain on FOX’s hit show Glee, for which she has earned an Emmy and Golden Globe. Kate Upton, who was raised in Melbourne, Fla., is known for her appearance in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she was named Rookie of the Year.

Sean Hayes (Larry) garnered acclaim as the sarcastic and hilarious Jack McFarland on NBC’s long-running sitcom, Will & Grace.  Will Sasso (Curly) starred for five seasons (1997-2002) on FOX-TV’s hit sketch comedy series MADtv, Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) recently portrayed Frank Sinatra in the Emmy-nominated mini-series The Kennedys.

Tickets for Speedweeks 2012 events, including the 54^th annual Daytona 500, are available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. If you are unable to attend in person, be sure to tune in to the Daytona 500 on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and fans can also follow NASCAR (@NASCAR) and hashtags #NASCAR and #DAYTONA500.

Visit www.threestooges.com and Facebook (www.facebook.com/thethreestooges) for all the latest Three Stooges movie news.

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA’S HAMMER PRODUCTION LABEL ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO BLACKLIST SCREENPLAY ‘GASLIGHT’

HAMMER TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE THE HORROR FEATURE FILM

Iconic production company Hammer, an Exclusive Media company, has acquired the rights to GASLIGHT, an original screenplay written by newcomer Ian Fried, it was announced today by Simon Oakes, Vice-Chairman of Exclusive Media and President & CEO of Hammer, and Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairmen of Exclusive Media.  Hammer will develop and produce GASLIGHT for the big screen.

The screenplay landed on Hollywood’s Blacklist of the best unproduced scripts in 2011 and is an atmospheric thriller in the vein of FROM HELL meets THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Secretly imprisoned in a London insane asylum, the infamous Jack the Ripper helps Scotland Yard investigators solve a series of grisly murders whose victims all share the iconic death brand: dual puncture wounds to the neck.

Tobin Armbrust, President of Worldwide Production & Acquisitions of Exclusive Media, Hammer’s parent company, will oversee the project for Hammer.

Armbrust commented, “Ian’s script is an atmospheric thriller that reads like a Gothic SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.  He does a fantastic job of weaving iconic characters into a plausible and entertaining story.”

The project was brought to Exclusive Media, by the company’s Creative Executive, Jennifer Ruper.

Ian Fried is currently writing an original supernatural action project called SPECTRAL for Legendary Pictures. His previous script, THE EVER AFTER MURDERS, featuring fairy tale characters investigating murder scenes, also landed on Hollywood’s Black List in 2010.

Fried is repped by Daniel Cohan and Mike Esola at WME, Prolific Entertainment and attorney Eric Suddleson.

Hammer most recently produced the chilling ghost story THE WOMAN IN BLACK starring Daniel Radcliffe that opened this weekend in the US taking over $21m at the US box office.

Hammer’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic novel, starring Daniel Radcliffe, opened on almost 3000 screens through CBS Films with a per screen average of approximately $7,400, and also took the number one position in the Canadian box office.

This weekend’s three day gross makes The Woman in Black the highest opening ever for a Hammer film in the US and one of the very few British films that has broken the $20m opening weekend threshold.

Directed by James Watkins and adapted by Jane Goldman from the book by Susan Hill, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a Hammer, Alliance Films, The UK Film Council presentation, in association with Cross Creek Pictures. A Talisman production in association with Exclusive Media, producers are Richard Jackson, Simon Oakes and Brian Oliver. Executive Producers are Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Tobin Armbrust, Marc Schipper, Neil Dunn, Xavier Marchand, Roy Lee and Tyler Thompson.

Exclusive Media is a major force in the production and international distribution arena. Other recent production titles include George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH produced by Smokehouse Pictures and co-produced by Exclusive Media with Cross Creek Pictures, the newly announced CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE? starring Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson, Ron Howard’s epic RUSH starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl and produced with production partners Cross Creek Pictures, Revolution Films, Imagine and Working Title; END OF WATCH starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera; SO UNDERCOVER starring Miley Cyrus; SNITCH starring Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon in post production; and BONESHAKER to be produced with Cross Creek Pictures.

Recent titles from Exclusive Media’s documentary film division, Spitfire Pictures, include the Academy Award Nominated UNDEFEATED set for release through The Weinstein Company on February 17^th and Martin Scorsese’s award winning GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD produced by Martin Scorsese, Nigel Sinclair and Olivia Harrison.

ABOUT HAMMER

Originally founded in 1934, legendary British film studio Hammer has delivered a hugely successful run of films over the years including Dracula, Frankenstein Created Woman, One Million Years B.C. and The Vampire Lovers. Since 2008, the company has been part of Exclusive Media which is reinvigorating this beloved global brand through investment across both traditional and new media.

Not in production since the 1980s, Hammer marked their return to features in 2010 with the release of the critically acclaimed Let Me In, an adaptation of the highly praised Swedish film Låt den rätte komma in. The film was written and directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) and stars Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road).

In 2011, Hammer released Antti Jokinen’s The Resident starring two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby), Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hammer legend Sir Christopher Lee, as well as the critically lauded Wake Wood directed by David Keating and starring Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle and Timothy Spall.

February 2012 sees the theatrical release of Hammer’s first ever feature ghost story The Woman in Black, directed by James Watkins, adapted by Jane Goldman from the book by Susan Hill, and starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Hammer recently launched a new publishing imprint through Random House which has already published eight books. In 2012 the imprint publishes its first original titles with “The Greatcoat” by Helen Dunmore, an original novel about the Pendle witches by Jeanette Winterson and “Coldbrook” by Tim Lebbon. Also publishing in 2012 are further new novelisations of classic Hammer films.

Hammer is also broadening its reach, with plans for a Hammer Theatre of Horror and a Hammer visitor attraction, as well as continuing to honour the company’s legacy with re-releases of classic films, official histories, merchandise, screenings and social media engagement.

For further information about Hammer and its parent company Exclusive Media, please visit www.hammerfilms.com and www.exclusivemedia.com

ABOUT EXCLUSIVE MEDIA

Exclusive Media is a vertically integrated global filmed entertainment company, founded in May 2008 with the backing of the strategic investment group Cyrte Investments.  Exclusive Media develops, finances, produces, markets and distributes prestige and talent driven commercial and documentary feature films on a global basis.

Exclusive Media is run by a five member Executive Board with Nigel Sinclair as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Guy East as Co-Chairman, Simon Oakes as Vice Chairman and President of Hammer, Marc Schipper as Chief Operating Officer, and Randy Hermann as Chief Financial Officer.  Supporting the Executive Board in both the operational management and strategic expansion of the business is a strong team of highly skilled professionals who have a broad range of complementary experience.

Exclusive Media’s development and production activities operate through three specialist labels: UK based Hammer for genre titles, Spitfire Pictures for documentary features and the flagship label Exclusive Media for all other feature film production.

Exclusive Media’s international sales & distribution division maintains a strong marketing presence and represents the group’s in-house productions plus its growing library of over 550 titles, as well as actively acquiring third party feature films to further strengthen its international distribution slate.

For further information about the company, our slate of films, library and our experienced management team please visit www.exclusivemedia.com

Disney Channel’s GEEK CHARMING is out on DVD, and to celebrate WAMG is giving away a GEEK CHARMING prizepack.

The lucky winner will receive:

• GEEK CHARMING on DVD
• A GEEK CHARMING poster signed by Sarah Hyland

The 2-Disc DVD (DVD + Digital Copy) of GEEK CHARMING is the ideal Valentine’s Day gift and includes 10 episodes of the Disney Channel smash hit television show “Shake It Up,” plus a special collectible charm set. What are you waiting for? Enter to win!

Bonus features include 10 episodes of the Disney Channel Smash hit, Shake It Up!

Synopsis:  

When Dylan Schoenfield (Sarah Hyland), Woodlands Academy’s top girl, accidentally drops her expensive “it” handbag into the mall fountain, she is surprised that film geek, Josh Rosen (Matt Prokop), retrieves it forher.  In exchange for rescuing her bag, Dylan must agree to be the subject of Josh’s documentary film.  Dylan hopes the film will help her campaign for Blossom Queen – she claims that winning is her only life goal.  Josh plans to make a hard-hitting expose about popularity, but, as he gets to know Dylan, he learns that the real Dylan is much more interesting than the persona she’s created.  At the last minute, Josh decides that his film should introduce this awesome girl to the world, but how will Dylan react when she sees it?

Cast: Sarah Hyland (TV’s “Modern Family”), Matt Prokop (High School Musical 3), Sasha Pieterse (TV’s “Pretty Little Liars”)

Director: Jeffrey Hornaday (Shout)

DVD Bonus: 10 episodes of the Disney Channel smash hit TV series “Shake It Up”

Street Date: February 7, 2012 (Direct Prebook: 12/13/11; Distributor Prebook: 12/27/11)

Rating: TV-G in U.S./G in Canada. Bonus materials not rated.
Feature Run Time: Approximately 98 minutes
Suggested Retail Price: 2-Disc DVD (DVD + Digital Copy) = $26.99 U.S./$29.99 Canada
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Sound: DVD Feature Film – Dolby Digital 2.0
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish

GEEK CHARMING is out now on DVD & Digital Copy

Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox International jointly announced on February 1st that fans the world over had rushed the web – crashing multiple servers in the process – to secure advance tickets for the now sold-out February 14th preview screenings of TITANIC in 3D. Well guess what WAMG readers, we have some of those highly sought after passes for the Valentine’s Day screening here in St. Louis. That’s right, you have the opportunity to be one of the many moviegoers who are lucky enough to secure a seat to be among the first people anywhere to see the newly re-mastered TITANIC in 3D, in advance of the film’s worldwide release on Wednesday, April 4, 2012!

Photocredit: Merie Weismiller Wallace © 2011 Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: What ship recently made the news when it went down, ala the Titanic, with a hole ripped in its hull and what was the name of the captain, who unlike the Titanic, DID NOT go down with the ship?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

Cameron, who also directed the breakthrough 3D epic AVATAR, will bring TITANIC to life as audiences have never seen it before, digitally re-mastered to an unparalleled 4K 3D, harnessing the innovative technology of StereoD. The re-release of TITANIC also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10, 1912. Written, directed and produced by James Cameron, TITANIC is the second highest grossing movie of all time. It is one of only three films to have received a record 11 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director; and launched the careers of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Photocredit: Merie Weismiller Wallace © 2011 Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Called “A spectacular demonstration of what modern technology can contribute to dramatic storytelling” by Variety upon it’s release in 1997, the long in the works 3D conversion was overseen Cameron and his Lightstorm producing partner Jon Landau who produced the hit movie.

TITANIC in 3D will be in theaters Wednesday, April 4, 2012.

Learn more about TITANIC in 3D at http://www.titanicmovie.com/

“Like” it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TitanicMovie

Follow it on Twitter: @TitanicMovie

BAFTA today released the list of nominees and presenters who will attend the Orange British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, February 12, at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.

Hosted by Stephen Fry, the ceremony will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One at 9.00pm and for the fifth year, a special red carpet show will be broadcast on BBC Three at 7.30pm, hosted by Edith Bowman. The recorded show will be played in the US at 8pm est on BBC America.

Nominees confirmed to date include (in alphabetical order): Adam Deacon, Bérénice Bejo, Brad Pitt, Chris Hemsworth, Eddie Redmayne, Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Chastain, Jim Broadbent, Jonah Hill, Dame Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Kristen Wiig, Lynne Ramsay, Meryl Streep, Michael Fassbender, Michel Hazanavicius, Michelle Williams, Octavia Spencer, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swindon, Tom Hiddleston, Tomas Alfredson and Viola Davis.

Martin Scorsese, recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship, and John Hurt, recipient of the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award, will also be in attendance.

Presenters and other attendees confirmed to date include (in alphabetical order): Anil Kapoor, Bérénice Marlohe, Billy Bob Thornton, Chris O’Dowd, Christina Hendricks, Christina Ricci, Colin Firth, Cuba Gooding Jr, Daniel Radcliffe, Gillian Anderson, Hayley Atwell, Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Holliday Grainger, Jeremy Irvine, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jon Hamm, Naomie Harris, Noomi Rapace, Paul Bettany and Penélope Cruz. Presenting an Award together at the ceremony will be Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

Visit: www.bafta.org/film/awards

Twitter: @BAFTA / #BAFTA
Facebook: /BAFTA

Check out the new stills and “Scorpion Beer” commercial from Will Ferrell’s upcoming comedy CASA DE MI PADRE! The Spanish-language film, which pays homage to classic westerns and telenovelas hits theaters March 16th.

Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiancee, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

“Like” the film on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CASAmovie

Pantelion Films is the first major Latino Hollywood studio and the new face of Hispanic entertainment. It is a synergistic partnership between Lionsgate Entertainment and Grupo Televisa. Pantelion provides Hispanic moviegoers with a steady source of exciting and original films, which include top-rated Latino actors, directors and writers. From broad comedies and dramas, to family movies and romantic comedies, Pantelion produces and acquires movies that speak directly to acculturated and Spanish-dominant Hispanics alike. Additionally, the company’s partnership with the largest cinema chains in America ensures that each film is accessible across the country to enjoy. Lionsgate is the leading independent film and television studio responsible for such box office hits as The Expendables, The Last Exorcism, the Tyler Perry franchise, the Saw franchise, Precious, Crash and Monster’s Ball. Televisa is the largest and most powerful Spanish language media company in existence, and has established itself as a leader in serving the entertainment needs of Hispanic audiences around the world.

NALA Films is a financing and production company that focuses on developing and producing commercial stories that empower and uplift audiences. The process at NALA begins at the inception of an idea, through the development of a screenplay and the financing and producing of the film, all the way to its distribution. NALA’s  latest projects include the highly anticipated and groundbreaking Spanish-language comedy, Casa De Mi Padre/House of My Father, starring Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Nick Offerman; and the critically acclaimed coming of age comedy Ceremony, about a young man that falls hard for an older woman starring Uma Thurman, Michael Angarano and Lee Pace directed by Max Winkler, which Magnolia Pictures recently released. Other NALA films include Academy Award-nominated In the Valley of Elah which starred Academy Award-winners Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, and was directed by Academy Award-winner Paul Haggis; The Air I Breathe starring Andy Garcia, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy and the Steve Carell romantic comedy Dan in Real Life.

Amid a flurry of superhero buzz at the worldwide preview yesterday in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, New York City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, and Toyko, here’s the trailer for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN! The untold story begins July 3rd.

One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man™. Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Swing by the official site here: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

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PHOTOS BY: Jaimie Trueblood

COPYRIGHT: © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The folks behind the St. Louis Black Film Festival Presents a Classic Black Film Festival for Black History Month at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in St. Louis’ Loop) each Thursday in February. Last year the St. Louis Black Film Festival presented a series of new films by black filmmakers, but this year are going back into the vaults and digging out some vintage cinema for audiences with an interest in black history to enjoy on the big screen.

This offerings for this Thursday, February 9th are CARMEN JONES at 5pm and CAR WASH at 7pm.

CARMEN JONES (1954) was produced and directed by Otto Preminger from Oscar Hammerstein’s update of the Bizet opera. It stars Dorothy Dandridge as the title character, a free-spirited, free-loving parachute factory worker whose romantic entanglement with conflicted Joe(Harry Belafonte), who’s engaged to sweet Cindy Lou and about to go into pilot training for the Korean War, kicks off one of the most unique movie musicals in history. The music is definitely a highlight of CARMEN JONES, with memorable songs that include Dat’s Love, Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum, Card Song, Stan’ Up and Fight, and Dat’s Our Man. Familiar faces in supporting roles include Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll and Brock Peters. Dandridge received on Oscar nomination as Best Actress – the first time such a nod was given to a black woman in this category.

CAR WASH (1976) is a very funny, lively and engaging comedy that tells of the day in the life of a close-knit group of black employees who work at a Los Angeles car wash, sort of a black AMERICAN GRAFFITI.With Bill Duke as an angry Muslim, Ivan Dixon as a wise, hard-working parolee, Sully Boyar as the harried owner, Franklyn Ajaye as an amiable dreamer, Tracy Reed as a sweet waitress, Antonio Fargas as a flamboyant homosexual, Lorraine Gary as a stuck-up upper class white lady, Jack Kehoe as an affable cowboy, Pepe Serna as a jovial Hispanic, George Carlin as a flaky cab driver, Lauren Jones as a sad hooker, Professor Irwin Corey as a middle-aged guy who’s mistaken for a pot bottle bomber, Garrett Morris as a jivey hipster, Melanie Mayron as the sexy cashier, Tim Thomerson as a handsome hunk, Richard Pryor as slick hustler reverend Daddy Rich, and the Pointer Sisters as Daddy Rich’s gospel singers, CAR WASH has a great ensemble cast, a loose, funky script that left room for improvisation and a memorable (nonstop) pulsating disco/soul soundtrack which makes the film not only a funny and pleasant diversion, but a document of its’ era.

So head to Landmark’s Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in St. Louis’ Loop) this Thursday to take in some black film history during Black History Month. The St. Louis Black Film Festival continues with IMITATION OF LIFE and COOLEY HIGH on Feb. 16; and A RAISIN IN THE SUN and SUPERFLY on Feb. 23. Stay tuned here at We Are Movie Geeks for details on those films.

Actress Milla Jovovich will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 11, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Jovovich will present 10 awards to 30 individual recipients during the evening.

Jovovich is the star of “The Fifth Element” and the “Resident Evil” franchise. She will next be seen in the feature “Resident Evil: Retribution.”

Portions of the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation will be included in the Oscar® ceremony.
Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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Here’s a glimpse inside the Oscar Nominees Luncheon for the 84th Academy Awards which took place in Beverly Hills, California, Monday, February 6, 2012. The 84th Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. On the menu was chopped vegetable salad, roasted Asian barbecued duck, soy-mirin seared Atlantic Salmon and a trio of sorbets in a chocolate cup.

Anne Thompson reported, “Oscarcast co-producer Brian Grazer promised a classy show. Filming of the Billy Crystal intro skit is under way (along with interviews with many of the nominees) — “everyone is in the film,” he said. The Kodak Theatre stage will be dressed like an old-time movie palace to sell the theme of going out to the movies. “Seeing films in that environment is a magnifier of how you feel emotionally,” he said. “You’ll feel like you’re in a movie theater.”

Seated (left to right): Matthew Butler, Julie Anderson, Kira Carstensen Tsunami, Mark Bridges, Demián Bichir, Lon Bender, Michael De Luca, Danfung Dennis, Rebecca Cammisa, Joe Berlinger, BЋrЋnice Bejo, Letty Aronson, Max von Sydow, Kirk Baxter and J.C. Chandor.

2nd row (left to right): Erik Aadahl, Ron Bochar, Deb Adair with guest, Amanda Forbis, Stan Chervin, Glenn Close, Jean Dujardin, George Clooney, Chris Columbus, Marshall Curry, Ludovic Bource, Terry George, Patrick Doyon, Gigi Causey, Erik Nash, Jeff Cronenweth, Viola Davis, Siedah Garrett, Dave Giammarco, Lisy Christl, Nick Dudman, Enrico Casarosa, Sam Cullman, Kenneth Branagh and Scott Benza.

3rd row (left to right): Peter Devlin, Jim Burke, Brandon Oldenburg, William Joyce, Eugene Gearty, Victor Ray Ennis, Dan Lemmon, Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Scott Farrar, John Frazier, Oorlagh George, Sarah Green, Nat Faxon, Brunson Green, Swen Gillberg, Stefan Gieren, Dede Gardner, Robert Gould, Mark Coulier, Robin Fryday, Dante Ferretti, Rick Carter, Laurence Bennett and Michael Barnathan.

4th row (left to right): Daniel Barrett, Emmanuel Lubezki, Daniel Junge, Grant Heslov, Sergio Mendes, Rachael Horovitz, Nick Nolte, Amanda Knight, Alberto Iglesias, Ren Klyce, Thomas Langmann, Michel Hazanavicius, Richard Hymns, Jeffrey Haboush, John Rosengrant, Gary Oldman, Janet McTeer, Matthew Mungle, Dan Lindsay, Lynn Johnston, Peter McDonald, Chris Miller, Alex Henning, Jonah Hill, Bret McKenzie, Ben Grossman and Tom Fleischman.

5th row (left to right): Graham King, Janusz Kaminski, Bill Pohlad, Philip Stockton, Thelma Schoonmaker, Rob Legato, Kennedy, Kathleen, John Logan, Mike Lerner, Stephanie McMillan, Jim Rash, David Parker, Anne Seibel, Christopher Tellefsen, Lisa Tomblin, Guillaume Schiffman, Ethan Van der Ryn, Angus Wall, Ed Novick, Andy Nelson, Annie Mumolo, T.J. Martin, Arianne Phillips, Sandy Powell, Eimear O’Kane, Melissa McCarthy, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Andrew Bowler and Greg Butler.

Back row (left to right): J. Roy Helland, Richard Middlemas, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Rooney Mara, Fernando Trueba, Wendy Tilby, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Max Zähle, Michael Semanick, Kevin Tent, James Spione, Beau Willimon, David Vickery, Gore Verbinski, Michelle Williams, Aaron Sorkin, Stephen Tenenbaum, Octavia Spencer, Peter Straughan, Greg Russell, Dan Taylor, Lucy Walker, Jim Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Hallvar Witzø, R. Christopher White and Steven Zaillian

credit: Greg Harbaugh / A.M.P.A.S.

George Clooney (left) and Brad Pitt (right)

Oscar® nominees George Clooney (left), Jonah Hill (center), and Rooney Mara.

Nominees for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the 84th Academy Awards attended the Oscar Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills Monday, February 6, 2012. Pictured here (left to right):  Gary Oldman, Jean Dujardin, Demian Bichir, Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

Kenneth Branagh (left), Jonah Hill (center), and Brad Pitt (right).

Oscar nominees Martin Scorsese (left) and Max Von Sydow (right)

Octavia Spencer

Oscar nominees Jim Taylor (left), Martin Scorsese (center) and Steven Spielberg (right)

Jean Dujardin

Demian Bichir

Nick Nolte

Oscar nominees (from left to right): Jeffrey Haboush, Gore Verbinski, Christopher Tellefsen, Michelle Williams, John Rosengrant, Aaron Sorkin, Gary Oldman, Janet McTeer, Peter Straghan, Greg P Russell and Matthew W. Mungle.

Oscar nominee Ludovic Bource

Oscar nominees Stan Chervin (left) Glenn Close (left-center), Jean Dujardin (center), George Clooney (right-center) and Christopher Columbus (right)

Oscar nominees Jeff Cronenweth (left), Viola Davis(left-center), Siedah Garrett (center-right and Dave Giammarco (right)

Oscar nominees Gore Verbinski (left) and Michelle Williams (right)

Oscar® nominees Brad Pitt (left), Bill Pohlad (center) and Meryl Streep (right)

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From Sony Pictures Animation, take a look at this early design of Cee-Lo Green’s “Murray the Mummy” in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA – in theaters September 21, 2012.

Welcome to the HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more – to celebrate his daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (TV’s “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Star Wars: Clone Wars”), Miley Cyrus, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Koechner round out the voices for Columbia Pictures’ animated family comedy.

Paramount has released this magical, behind-the-scenes featurette for Martin Scorsese’s HUGO. The video features Scorsese, his cast and filmmaking team. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will present Martin Scorsese with the Academy Fellowship at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony, at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday (February 12).

HUGO leads the 84th Academy Awards with 11 nominations. Wouldn’t it be lovely to see the director at the podium with another Oscar statuette on February 26th? Show of hands!

HUGO is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.

The film stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Visit the film’s official site: www.HugoMovie.com
“Like” it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HugoMovie

Featuring John C. Reilly, Ben Kingsley, Megan Fox, Anna Faris, and General Aladeen (aka Sacha Baron Cohen), watch the new, snorting-while-laughing video for THE DICTATOR.

From director Larry Charles, THE DICTATOR will be in theaters May 11, 2012.

Visit the Republic of Wadiya’s official site: http://www.republicofwadiya.com/

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Follow on Twitter: @RepublicWadiya

The Orange BAFTA red carpet show with Miss Piggy will be available from orange.co.uk/bafta on Monday 13 February

Twentieth Century Fox is declaring “War” on Valentine’s Day with its comedy-action film THIS MEANS WAR, on Tuesday, February 14.

In the film, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy portray the world’s deadliest CIA operatives, as well as inseparable partners and best friends… until they fall for the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). Having once helped bring down entire enemy nations, they are now employing their incomparable skills and an endless array of high-tech gadgetry against their greatest nemesis ever – each other.

WAMG has passes to the advance screening of THIS MEANS WAR – Monday, February 13th at 7pm at Wehrenberg Ronnies 20 Cine.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: After watching the trailer above, you must pick a side – Team Pine or Team Hardy…and tell us why!

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Official Site: http://www.thismeanswarmovie.com

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Follow it on Twitter: @ThisMeansWarMov #ThisMeansWar