From the director who helmed the brilliant IN BRUGES, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, Martin McDonagh, comes the first trailer for Fox Searchlight Pictures’ THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI.
Full disclosure – I’m a huge fan of this McDonagh and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS and IN BRUGES were two of the best films of 2012 and 2008. See both if you missed them in the cinemas!
In the meantime, watch the red-band preview below.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award winning filmmaker McDonagh.
After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson), the town’s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother’s boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing’s law enforcement is only exacerbated.
The movie also features Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Željko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samantha Weaving with John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage.
Focus World has released a fun new trailer and poster for MR. RIGHT starring Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Tim Roth.
Hyperactive at the best of times, Martha (Anna Kendrick; Pitch Perfect) has gone full-on manic since her latest breakup. She babbles, parties like a monster, cooks everything in sight – and is looking to do something terrible when she meets Francis (Sam Rockwell; The Way Way Back). To anyone else, Francis’s approach would come across as creepy, but Martha can’t help but be intrigued. They seem a perfect match: she’s bananas, he’s bananas… except he’s a deadly sort of bananas. He’s a professional assassin.
Francis is a hitman with a cause: he unexpectedly kills the people ordering the hits. Just as Martha begins to realize her new beau wasn’t joking when he said he had to step out for a moment to shoot someone, things start heating up for Francis. His services are solicited by a dubious client who’s being sought by an equally dubious FBI agent (Tim Roth; Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs). As the bodies pile up, Martha needs to decide whether to flee or join in the mayhem.
MR. RIGHT opens in Theaters & On Demand and Digital HD April 8.
Okay film fanatics, when you hear the word archeologist, who do you immediately think of? That’s simple, you picture the rugged Harrison Ford as the dashing, whip-crackin’ Henry Jones, Junior better known as Indiana Jones, first introduced in 1981’s RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (hmm, that itself may be an ancient artifact). First and foremost he’s a dashing action hero, but he’s also a man of ethics and morals, stated in his catchphrase “It belongs in a museum!”, along with his other sayings “Snakes. I hate ’em!” and “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage”. So are all seekers of the past, so noble? Well, the title character of the new film from the makers of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE certainly doesn’t follow in the well-worn boots of ole’ Indy. He’s got few qualms about fudging the facts and digging where he’s not permitted. So forget about Dr. Jones as you meet the down and out DON VERDEAN.
The film begins with old grainy VHS footage of the celebrated exploits of Don (Sam Rockwell) as the breathless narrator tells of his “discovery” of a most dubious item right out of the Old Testament. We flash forward from the decades old promo tape to find Don lecturing at a modest church auditorium to a handful of people. As he concludes, the meager throng is guided toward a table where Don’s prim and proper assistant Carol (Amy Ryan) is selling copies of his latest book. As the two pack up, Don ponders their future (and Carol wonders when she’ll be paid for her work). Luckily she gets a call from the head of a big, bustling “mega-church”, Tony Lazarus (Danny McBride). When Don and Carol meet with the church’s board of directors, Tony explains that the hip, “new-age” type temple down the street, run by the turtleneck wearing Pastor Fontaine (Will Forte), is depleting his flock. He needs an edge, and asks Don to acquire a new bible treasure that they can put on display in order to fill the pews once more. Don calls on some “desert rats” in Israel led by the shady Boaz (Jermaine Clement). The piece is shipped to the states and attracts a big crowd, including Fontaine who casts doubts on its authenticity. Tony insists on more displays so Carol and Don fly out to meet with Boaz. Don “bends the rules” and he returns with Carol and a big “find”. Unfortunately Boaz is part of the deal and the con man dives headlong into US culture (and insists on “dating” Carol). Word of the new artifact attracts the attention of a Japanese billionaire who wants to acquire the greatest treasure from the New Testament (you know that one, Indy fans). Can Don and Boaz pull off this caper or are they part of a bigger con?
Those coming to this film hoping to see the snarky, energetic Rockwell from LAGGIES and THE WAY WAY BACK will be at a bit of a loss. Almost unrecognizable in a frizzy auburn wig and matching bushy beard, sam’s Don V is clumsy and brusk, his brow furrowed almost to the point of constipation. The only time he shifts into high gear is when he must hurriedly double talk his latest “mark”. This makes for a character that’s tough to root for or often care about. It’s difficult to understand the dedication and devotion of Ryan’s Carol. After wonderful turns this past year in GOOSEBUMPS and BRIDGE OF SPIES, she expertly inhabits this buttoned-down lady (complete with severe, unflattering spectacles), but this talented actress has little to do until she must deflect the unwanted advances of Boaz. This clueless schemer is played by Clement as the dimbulb off-spring of Borat and “wild and crazy guys” from SNL, but with little of the charm. His odd, “inverse inflection” accent makes his dialogue a chore to decipher. This is frustrating when you consider his inspired work as the sexiest vamp in the recent WHAT WE DO IN SHADOWS. McBride is doing a toned-down, less “potty-mouthed” riff on his characters from TV’s “Eastbound and Down” and countless movie “lowlifes” (he does have a nice rapport with Leslie Bibb as his ex-hooker wife). Forte makes the rival pastor an offshoot of his many twitchy, self-important boobs from SNL (again!) and his current Fox sitcom.
So, we’ve got a very talented funny cast scrambling to wring laughs from this rambling, inert script by the brothers Hess and the slack direction by Jared. They struck gold with the awkward antics of Napoleon and his pals, but this just seems to be drained of life (and laughs). Like the earlier flick, we get that everybody’s a bit dim, but did they really make the church-goers into such clueless “rubes”? Carol’s given a troubled back story, perhaps to give the plot a touch of pathos, but it’s buried beneath the turgid, tired antics of the annoying, aggravating Boaz. These actors deserved much better material, as does anyone in search of a vibrant comedy caper. This is one script that DON VERDEAN should have left unearthed, deep, deep underground. As you-know-who might say, “Don’t look, Marion!”.
2 Out of 5
DON VERDEAN opens everywhere and screens exclusively in St. Louis at the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas
Bear witness to a hoax of biblical proportions in the funny new trailer from Lionsgate Premiere’s DON VERDEAN.
Hired by an ambitious small-town pastor to find sacred relics in the Holy Land, a self-proclaimed Biblical archaeologist comes up short and his attempt to cover up his failure fuels a comic conspiracy.
Join Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte and Danny McBride in this hilarious satire from the director of Napoleon Dynamite & Nacho Libre (Jared Hess), arriving in theaters and on demand December 11.
Well, the big studios have finally gotten around to another summer cinema staple. Let’s see, for 2015 we’ve had a couple of sequels (AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON and PITCH PERFECT 2), a reboot (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD), and a brassy lady-driven comedy (HOT PURSUIT). So now, it’s time for that other, often dreaded, “R-word”: the remake (usually called a “re-imagining” by sneaky PR types). Oh, and this is another 1980’s classic like January 2014’s ROBOCOP. But we’ll go back a few years before that shoot-em-up satire of 1987. It’s 1982, the summer of Spielberg, when he had his biggest (at that time) box office smash with E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. Now Mr. S wrote and directed that one, but a few weeks before that opened, he produced and wrote another huge hit. Now, yet another prominent blockbuster director, Sam Raimi, is the producer of this new scare-fest. To paraphrase the original’s classic poster/ad tagline, “It’s heeere’!” And it’s comin’ at ya’ in 3D! Brace yourself for new scares with POLTERGEIST!
As this fresh take begins, we’re again in Chicagoland suburbia as the Bowens (not the Freelings) are about to meet their real estate agent at their (hopefully) new home. Those nasty ole’ electrical towers loom over the homes, much to the disgust of eldest daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), who as a clichéd teenager seems to be aghast at everything. Grade-schooler Madison (Kennedi Clements) is eager for new adventures while the skittish middle child, pre-teen Griffin (Kyle Catlett) is, as always, apprehensive. All’s not rosy with the family since dad Eric (Sam Rockwell) was laid off (we’re guessing the previous home was foreclosed) and mom Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) considers jumping back into the workforce. Since the price is right (and it’s the nicest place they’ve seen), they move in. But things are odd right off the bat. Kendra’s cell phone fizzes out. Griffin’s attic room has a squirrel infestation and the creepiest clown doll collection ever. Plus lil’ Maddie is conversing with her invisible friends more than ever before (especially in front of the static buzzing HDTV). One evening the parents decide to attend a neighborhood dinner party (with a bit of job networking) and leave Kendra in charge for the night. This seems to send out a supernatural party invite and an all-out occult assault ensues. When the parents return, the house is in shambles, Kendra and Griffin are hysterical, and Maddie is missing. Amy heads to a local college and enlists the help of paranormal researcher Dr. Powell (Jane Adams) and her two student aides. When the spirits prove too strong, Powell calls in the cavalry, in the form of cable TV ghost-chasing star Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris). But can this flamboyant media showman return the Bowens’ lost little girl?
The very different acting styles of the two adult leads help set this film apart from its predecessor. Rockwell once again exudes laid-back cool as the patriarch under attack. Here, we get the impression that his wise-acre attitude is a mask to hide his anxiety over the future, more to ease the kids than fool himself, but when the “stuff” hits the fan, this papa charges in head first. As does DeWitt, who tries to put a positive spin on their new economic reality. When the unthinkable occurs, she will go to any and all links, including enlisting the college “loons”. Hers is a quiet, formidable strength. These two have an easy-going, flirty chemistry. Sharbino exhibits teen sass and snark, but lets her guard down to reveal the caring eldest sib. Catlett expertly embodies the sensitive middle male child dropped between two sisters, trying to get past a recent trauma (he was separated from mom on a mall trip), and finally finding his courage and embracing his inner hero. Clements is all bright innocence as the audience’s surrogate sweet angel that must be protected and rescued. Adams ably embodies the quirky academic as she balances between easing the Bowens’ fears and her astonishment at the unearthly events. The biggest re-imagining may be Harris talking over the “cleanser” expert role made most memorable by Zelda Rubinstein originally. Burke’s a true “show-boater” (even using a line from 1982 as his TV catchphrase), but is all business when his realizes the very high stakes involved. He’ll stop the dark forces at any cost to himself.
Director Gil Kenan (CITY OF EMBER, THE MONSTER HOUSE) strives to make this a more intimate terror tale than the original. Back then, the major studios wanted to re-establish themselves in the genre after several “indies” had recently dominated (“Hey folks, we gave you THE EXORCIST, ‘member?”). It’s a touch quieter with fewer “epic-style”, big flashy sequences. We get to see much more of the “other dimension” with some twisted, writhing ghouls that seem straight from our nightmares, but there’s not a “let’s top that last scene” feel with multiple false climaxes. Of course, the “child in danger” plot is an easy tension accelerator, but it doesn’t quite veer into seedy exploitation (well, maybe the clown doll stuff is overdone). Marc Streitenfeld’s subtle score riffs on Jerry Goldsmith’s classic music while never overwhelming the film (very few loud “scare’ chords). And, whatta’ you know, the 3D is pretty great, separating the setting into distinct planes and a few terrific “in your face” gags. So, is this another “unnecessary” sequel (since the original is in color and a “talkie”)? Well no, but it’s certainly more entertaining than many recent twice told terror tales (looking at you, EVIL DEAD!) and the new casting is pretty inspired. It won’t erase memories of the 82’ model, but the 2015 POLTERGEIST still delivers a decent a spook show. I’m just grateful they didn’t turn it into another tired “found footage” flick.
British director Gil Kenan proved his atmospheric take on the horror and fantasy genres with his movies Monster House and City of Ember. Now, with legendary filmmaker and producer Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Evil Dead, The Grudge), Kenan directs the remake of the classic 1982 horror movie POLTERGEIST.
POLTERGEIST contemporizes the scary tale about a family – starring Sam Rockwell(Moon, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy) and Rosemarie DeWitt (Cinderella Man, Rachel Getting Married) – whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces.
When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter (Kennedi Clements) captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.
The movie also features Nicholas Braun, Kyle Catlett, Saxon Sharbino, Jane Adams and Jared Harris.
POLTERGEIST opens in theaters May 22.
WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of POLTERGEIST in the St. Louis area.
Thursday, May 21st at 6PM
Answer the following from the original 1982 movie:
What 2 sci-fi film posters were hanging in the children’s bedroom?
What does Carol Anne call the ghosts?
What’s the name of the community where the Freelings live?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWERS AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
3. No purchase necessary.
POLTERGEIST is rated PG 13 for Intense Frightening Sequences, Brief Suggestive Material and Some Language.
“I want you all to clear your minds. They already know what scares you.” It was effective when Tangina (Zelda Rubenstein) said it in 1982. It rattles the nerves again to hear it in the brand new trailer for the supernatural thriller, POLTERGEIST.
This summer, legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (“Spiderman,” “Evil Dead”, “The Grudge”) and director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) contemporize the classic tale about a suburban family’s fight to save their youngest daughter, when she is captured by the evil forces haunting their home.
Also, be sure to check out POLTERGEIST‘s terrifying “Fear Factory”, where fans who post about their own fears using the hashtag #WhatAreYouAfraidOf will be sent personalized content bringing those fears to life. Tell us #WhatAreYouAfraidOf, and see all the customized content on the official POLTERGEIST Twitter account @Poltergeist today.
From FOX 2000 PICTURES and METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES and starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kennedi Clements, Nicholas Braun and Jared Harris, POLTERGEIST opens in 3D in theaters May 22, 2015.
Eric Bowen (Sam Rockwell) and wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) desperately try and hold on to their youngest daughter Madison (Kennedi Clements), who’s been targeted by terrifying apparitions in the first trailer for POLTERGEIST.
The new film is a contemporary take on the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.
“They’re here” sent shivers down the spine of moviegoers in 1982 when the terrifying horror classic, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg, was released. What made the film even more scary was the chilling score by Jerry Goldsmith.
The trailer looks tremendous and it did its job in scaring me, so I’m willing to give it a go (now I remember why I don’t like clowns).
With Jared Harris reinventing the infamous role of Tangina, played by Zelda Rubenstein (those are hard shoes to fill, especially with her final line in the original, “this house is clean”), it may be hard for the purists to get past some of the differences.
From producer Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD), screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (RISE OF THE GUARDIANS) and director Gil Kenan (MONSTER HOUSE), and starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kennedi Clements, Nicholas Braun and Jared Harris, POLTERGEIST opens in 3D in theaters July 24, 2015.
Would it bother you to find out that someone had died in your house? Would that information have impacted your decision to buy? Does your house sit on land with a dark past? Visit: http://www.diedinhouse.com/movie/poltergeist
A frequent staple of recent big-screen comedies has been the “boy-man”, who almost joins Peter Pan in defiantly singing “I won’t grow up” as he stumbles through life. Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell have played variations of this throughout their movie careers, along with other members of the “frat pack” and Judd Apatow’s repertory company. Now it seems that this role is not an exclusive male domain. Kristen Wiig in THE GIRL MOST LIKELY and Jenny Slate in OBVIOUS CHILD could be referred to as “girl-women” as they were supported by their folks and bounced between jobs. Now, from indie film-making queen Lynn Shelton, maker of 2011’s delightful YOUR SISTER’S SISTER, comes another, slightly younger, post-college twenty-something, who’s having a tough time with adulthood. But, she not only drops out as she befriends a girl almost a decade younger, she hides out. This new film’s heroine seems to be lagging behind her peers, hence the appellation and title, LAGGIES.
Clumsy home-video footage of a big high school formal dance provides the film’s opening flashback. Cut to today, as one of the young ladies, now twenty-five year old Megan (Keira Knightley) twirls an arrow sign at the curb in front of her dad’s accounting office. It’s just to help him, Ed (Jeff Garlin), out till she can find a job worthy of her college degree. But Megan’s not too motivated as she lazes about her folks’ house and the apartment she shares with her boyfriend Anthony (Mark Webber). But two traumatic scenes at the wedding reception of her pal Allison (Elle Kemper) cause her to drive away in panic. Just outside a liquor store she’s accosted by Annika (Chloe Grace Moretz) and several of her high school age friends who beg Megan to purchase beer for them. She agrees and spends most of the evening hanging out with the kids at a nearby park. Annika gives Megan a disposable phone (her dad has several) and assures her that she’ll call sometime. Soon, Megan is surprised by a call. Annika needs her to pose as her mom at a school conference (her own mom skipped at on her and dad can’t be reached). This spurs a plan from Megan. She’ll tell her beau, parents, and friends that she’s attending a life-planning guru’s seminar/retreat while she crashes at the home of Annika and her lawyer father Craig (Sam Rockwell). This sends off his inner alarm, but Megan explains that her new home isn’t ready yet. Can Megan keep the multiple fibs going while she tries to get her life back on track?
LAGGIES gives the very talented Ms. Knightley yet another opportunity to display her deft comic skills and perfect her American accent (much better here than in JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT from earlier this year). She gives Megan an endearing, daffy spirit which could have come off as cloying from a lesser talent. We often cringe at some of her questionable decisions (buying booze, impersonating a parent), but we never stop hoping that she’ll get her act together. Megan’s a good person at heart, made clear by her sisterly support of Annika, another complex teen well-played by the always compelling Moretz. She’s assembling quite a screen resume while not yet out of her teens. Moretz also has a wonderful father/daughter rapport with the endlessly entertaining Rockwell who gently adds warmth and intelligence to the laid-back wiseguy attitude he perfected in last year’s THE WAY WAY BACK. His presence in any film is quite a treat. The film also has a great dramatic cameo by the under seen Gretchen Mol, while making good use of superb comic actors Garlin as a gregarious, loving pop (although it’s hard to imagine him siring Knightley), Kemper as the humorless, uptight childhood BFF (the scene at her restaurant is priceless), and Kaitlyn Dever (so good in last year’s SHORT TERM 12) as Annika’s hard-partying pal.
Shelton directs with a deft, light touch letting the actors really explore the impressive first feature film script by Andrea Siegel. The laughs are never hammered home, with the humor flowing from these characters. Megan and her pals feel real, never becoming cartoons set up for a punchline. There are several dramatic turns, but the film never gets mired in the tiresome self-indulgence that bogs down many “entering adulthood” flicks. LAGGIES is a thoughtful, often hilarious slice-of life antidote to many of the overblown big studio joke fests. Here’s to a great new comedy team in Knightley and Moretz. Don’t let time “lag” before you work together again!
Check out Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell in the new trailer and poster from director Lynn Shelton’s upcoming coming-of-age comedy LAGGIES.
Having spent her twenties comfortably inert, 28 year old Megan (Keira Knightley) reaches a crisis when she finds herself squarely in adulthood with no career prospects, no particular motivation to pursue any and no one to relate to, including her high school boyfriend (Mark Webber).
When he proposes, Megan panics and given an opportunity to escape – at least temporarily – she hides out in the home of her new friend, 16-year-old Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Annika’s world-weary single dad (Sam Rockwell).
Shelton’s film, HUMPDAY, won the Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Independence at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and her 2011 comedy, YOUR SISTER’ SISTER, took home the prize for Best Ensemble Cast at the Gotham Awards in 2012. One of the best female filmmakers in recent years, read an interview with the director from 2009 here.
A24 will release the film in select theaters October 24th.
