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Creepy New Poster for ‘Stoker’

By
Rebecca Murray
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Stoker Theatrical Poster

I don’t actually know why this Stoker poster creeps me out so much. I mean, they’re just standing there; it’s not as if there’s anything terribly freaky going on. But is it just me or do you feel like Nicole Kidman’s and Matthew Goode’s eyes are following you when you move around? Maybe it’s just me…

The Plot:

After India’s (Mia Wasikowska) father dies in an auto accident, her Uncle Charlie (Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother Evelyn (Kidman). Soon after his arrival, she comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives, but instead of feeling outrage or horror, this friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Stoker hits theaters on March 1, 2013. The cast also includes Jacki Weaver and Dermot Mulroney.

Movie Review: ‘This is 40’

By
Ian Forbes
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The Cast of This is 40
Charlotte (IRIS APATOW), Sadie (MAUDE APATOW), Pete (PAUL RUDD) and Debbie (LESLIE MANN) in "This Is 40" - Photo Credit: Suzanne Hanover © 2012 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

By now, most people know that the latest movie from Judd Apatow, This is 40, is a quasi-sequel to the 2007 hit Knocked Up. The “quasi” part comes from focusing on two of the supporting characters and leaving the leads from the original out of the picture.

Here we see Pete (Paul Rudd), Debbie (Leslie Mann – Apatow’s real-life wife), and their two kids (Maude & Iris Apatow – yes, Judd & Leslie’s real kids) handling family life. Plot-wise there’s not much more to it. Pete is trying to hide financial difficulties from Debbie, Debbie is trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, they’re both feeling their marriage drift apart, and the kids are acting like … well, kids.

For those who have seen trailers, don’t worry that the funniest moments are necessarily all in there because so much of the stuff you’ve seen so far actually didn’t make the final film and is likely being added to the eventual DVD extras. Also, what worked so well in Knocked Up, and does so again here, is that the comedy derives from the situation and not from a telegraphed punch line. It’s clear there was a lot of ad-libbing, but that’s no surprise when you let Apatow behind the director’s chair, and he casts such a comedian-heavy line-up.

That doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses. While the humor is consistent and germinates naturally, the need to follow a story structure means a very trite and paint-by-numbers conflict/resolution journey. So much of the interplay and dynamic of the family was already well-defined in the previous film, so there’s very little new ground being tread here aside from dealing with kids that are now five years older.

If you keep your expectations in the story department to a bare minimum and find the idea of another visit to Pete & Debbie’s house a good idea, This is 40 will sit just fine with you. Should any of those notions be deal breakers, obviously, this isn’t the film for you. Of course, even if you are eager to check it out, this doesn’t need to be seen on the big screen.

Having it released this holiday weekend does make the best case for why you might, as it’s pretty much the only intentional comedy in theaters right now; However, the lack of giant robots, orcs, and explosions thins the justification for plunking down almost enough cash to buy the DVD eventually so give your choice of viewing location a quick thought before parting with your funds so easily.

GRADE: C

This is 40 hits theaters on December 21, 2012 and is rated R for sexual content, crude humor, pervasive language and some drug material.




Movie Review: ‘Jack Reacher’

By
Ian Forbes
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Tom Cruise, Lee Child and Rosamund Pike in Jack Reacher
Tom Cruise is Reacher, Lee Child is desk sergeant and Rosamund Pike is Helen in JACK REACHER, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.

Most loyal readers know I’m not much for reading books (hello, film critic). Still, there was a time when I poured through the pages of authors like Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and John Grisham … feel free to draw the obvious connection regarding their works making it to the big screen. Well, another author, Lee Child, is having their work brought to life in movie theaters and the result is Jack Reacher.

I’m told the character is written as a big, imposing man – the type who could have played NFL linebacker. Well, with Brian Bosworth’s acting career decades past, the filmmakers went with another huge chunk of man meat: Tom Cruise.

Wait … What?

Well, he does get a prominent producer credit and the screenwriter/director Christopher McQuarrie wrote the script for Valkyrie, so there’s a connection there.

No, wait … I’m still confused.

Oh, that’s right. Tom Cruise is a huge international box office draw. Why worry about authenticity to the source material when there’s money to be made? (You can’t see it right now but I’m shaking my head and sighing heavily.)

Tossing aside that odd casting, we move on to the female lead: Rosamund Pike. She’s playing a defense lawyer tasked with keeping a man everyone believes is guilty of a mass shooting off of death row. After 12 seconds of meeting Reacher, an ex-military investigator with a shadowy past that’s anything but shadowy, she hires him on to take the lead in helping her build their case. Along the way, they’ll share awkward/unrealistic sexual tension and she’ll make stupid decision after stupid decision (because why write a smart female lawyer character when the dumb ones are just so much more fun?).

Oh, and did I mention her acting is more wooden than a forest and that her expressions range from wide-eyed surprise to making googly eyes at Cruise? Well, it’s true, so there you go.

Richard Jenkins and Robert Duvall put in a few days of work on the film too. I’m guessing the catering was too good to pass up. Really, the only interesting casting comes from bringing in acclaimed director Werner Herzog to play the disfigured man pulling the evil strings. His character is largely a cliché but then again, so is everything else in the movie.

There are a couple of halfway decent fight scenes, but there’s a lot of immeasurably heavy-handed foreshadowing, obvious plot twists, and pithy dialogue to suffer through between each one. Getting back to the authors I touched upon earlier, what this movie most closely resembles is what it would be like to film the worst John Grisham novel and make it worse along the way just for good measure.

Now, that’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had. I hadn’t laughed that hard AT a movie since the latest Twilight. But I don’t pay for these things (aside from with bits of time and my soul). The more important question is whether you like spending $64 dollars to go to the movies and giggle at the awful terribleness happening on-screen in front of you? If you prefer that your time and money go to something worthwhile and satisfying, choose something else … almost anything else right now really.

Jack Reacher is the kind of stuff you expect in January when studios are dumping their lost causes and focusing their true attention on marketing their awards contenders and happy to let the dregs of their celluloid shelf get a few showings in before being relegated to the DVD market. Cruise’s involvement is clearly the only reason for such a cushy release date and even putting aside one’s ability to take him quasi-seriously, everything else going on is just so bad it doesn’t matter.

GRADE: D+

Jack Reacher hits theaters on December 21, 2012 and is rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material.




Watch Carrey and Carell in ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’

By
Rebecca Murray
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Why aren’t magicians lead characters in more movies? I don’t know, but Warner Bros Pictures believes audiences will turn out to see a comedy about magicians waging war against each other in Vegas. Directed by Don Scardino and starring Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, and Olivia Wilde, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone hits theaters on March 15, 2013.

The Plot:

Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego. But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other.

Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale. But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act—both onstage and off—if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place.

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 10 Audition Dates

By
Rebecca Murray
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So You Think You Can Dance
Cat Deeley (sixth from L) with resident judges Nigel Lythgoe (C) and Mary Murphy (third from L), as well as guest judges Tyce Diorio (L), Robin Antin (second from L) Lil’ C (fifth from L), Toni Redpath (seventh from L) and Jason Gilkison (R) return for SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Photo by Patrick Ecclesine © 2011 Fox Broadcasting Co)

Auditions for the 10th season of the competitive dance series So You Think You Can Dance will kick off on January 18, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Fox today confirmed it’s bringing the 28-time Emmy-nominated series back for its 10th season, along with announcing the list of audition cities.

Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company made the announcement of the renewal, stating: “I couldn’t be more proud of the amazing work that Nigel and the entire So You Think You Can Dance team has done over the past nine seasons. This show is truly one of the most compelling series on television and I can’t wait to bring it back for Season 10.”

Details on Season #10: In Season 10, producers will travel across the country in search of dancers who represent the best America has to offer. Those who shine during auditions will be given a ticket to Las Vegas for call-backs, where they work with top choreographers to learn and then be judged on multiple styles of dance. The best of the best will then move on to the live competition shows this summer.

So You Think You Can Dance Audition Info:

Austin, TX – Friday, Jan. 18

Detroit, MI – Monday, Feb. 11 at Saint Andrew’s Hall

Boston, MA – Thursday, Feb. 21 at Boston Opera House

Memphis, TN – Thursday, March 14 at Orpheum Theatre

Los Angeles, CA – Friday, March 22 at The Orpheum Theatre

Per Fox, registration will open at 8am. “Auditioners traveling to cities for the open calls should make arrangements to stay for at least two days following their initial audition in the event of a callback.”

In order to compete, you must be a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident of the U.S. or possess a current legal Employment Authorization Card enabling you to seek employment freely in the U.S. (i.e., without restrictions as to employer) by the date specified in the eligibility rules. Dancers must be at least 18 and no older than 30 on the first day they register for auditions.

For more details, visit www.fox.com/dance or Facebook.com/soyouthinkyoucandance.




‘This is the End’ Has a Red-Band Trailer and a Poster

By
Rebecca Murray
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This is the End Poster

And the This is the End trailer’s definitely not safe for work. This end-of-the-world comedy movie trailer kicks off with Seth Rogen and James Franco in Franco’s bunker cussing out the Mayans for bringing the world to an end with their incomplete calendar. They also show off ways to pass the time when the end of the world is near – ways you most likely won’t be copying at home.

In addition to Franco and Rogen, the This is the End cast includes Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, and Jonah Hill.

The End arrives next summer.

The Plot: The comedy This is the End follows six friends trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption.

First Look: ‘Turbo’ Trailer

By
Rebecca Murray
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A snail version of a NASCAR driver? Yes, that’s what Turbo is all about. The animated comedy from DreamWorks Animation features a very determined snail with big dreams of going fast. Of course, ‘fast’ is relative, isn’t it?

The voice cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Dogg, and Samuel L. Jackson.

The Plot:

Turbo is a snail who dreams of being the greatest racer in the world, just like his hero, 5-time Indianapolis 500 champ, Guy Gagne. His obsession with speed and all things fast has made him an oddity and outsider in the slow and cautious snail community, and a constant embarrassment to his careful older brother, Chet. Turbo desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he’s living.

As luck would have it, he gets that chance one fateful day after a freak accident when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed. Turbo embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the impossible: racing against the best that IndyCar has to offer. Turbo is the ultimate underdog who achieves the impossible by refusing to let his limitations get in the way of his dreams.

Casting Call for La Voz Kids Details

By
Rebecca Murray
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TelemundoNBC Universal’s Telemundo Media is looking for kids who can sing. The network’s just announced the start of a nationwide casting search for the singing competition La Voz Kids (The Voice Kids), kicking off on January 5, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The series will air next spring on Telemundo.
 
Wannabe singers must be between 7 and 14 years of age in order to compete. The winner of the competition will receive a scholarship and a recording contract.
 
The Details:
 
“The Voice Kids starts with the thrilling blind auditions followed by the battle rounds and the live shows. The country’s best young vocalists will try to impress three of the country’s soon-to-be-announced top recording artists featured as coaches. La Voz Kids will give Telemundo’s audience the opportunity to witness how the stars of the future are discovered and developed by expert celebrity coaches. The winner of La Voz Kids will receive a recording contract with Universal Music and a scholarship.”
 
Kids interested in competing can apply/register online at www.lavozkids.com.
 
The Audition Cities:
 
Miami, FL: 1/5-6
 
Houston, TX: 1/12-13
 
San Juan, Puerto Rico: 1/12-13
 
Los Angeles, CA: 1/19-20
 
Dallas, TX: 1/19-20
 
Chicago, IL: 1/26-27
 
San Antonio, TX: 1/26-27
 
New York, NY: 2/2-3
 
Phoenix, AZ: 2/2-3
 
Source: NBC Telemundo

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Banshee Premiere Details and January Episode Guide

By
Rebecca Murray
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Banshee Season 1 January EpisodesCinemax will be debuting their new action series Banshee on January 11, 2013. The series is executive produced by Jonathan Tropper, David Schickler, Peter Macdissi, Alan Ball and Greg Yaitanes, and stars Antony Starr, Ivana Milicevic, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Hoon Lee, Matt Servitto, and Rus Blackwell.
 
Season one will consist of 10 hour-long episodes. Tropper and Schickler wrote the scripts with Yaitanes, S.J. Clarkson, Ole Christian Madsen, Dean White, and Miguel Sapochnik directing.
 
The Plot:
 
Lucas Hood (Starr) is an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Pa., where he continues his criminal activities, even as he’s hunted by the shadowy gangsters he betrayed years earlier.
 
Key players include Carrie Hopewell (Milicevic), Hood’s former partner in crime, who now lives in Banshee under an assumed identity with her new family, who know nothing of her past; Kai Proctor (Thomsen), an intimidating, wealthy local businessman who believes he is above the law; Sugar Bates (Faison), a wise, powerful former boxer and ex-con who now owns the local watering hole; Job (Lee), a dangerous transvestite computer hacker who assists Lucas in his criminal enterprises; Gulf War hero Gordon Hopewell (Blackwell), Banshee’s district attorney, who is married to Carrie; and Brock Lotus (Servitto), the longest-serving deputy in the Banshee sheriff department, who is threatened by Hood’s new role as sheriff.

January 2013 Episodes

Episode #1: “Pilot”
Debut date: FRIDAY, JAN. 11 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other CINEMAX playdates: Jan. 11 (11:05 p.m., 12:10 a.m.), 12 (9:00 p.m., 12:10 a.m.), 13 (noon, 11:00 p.m.), 14 (12:15 a.m.), 15 (12:10 a.m.), 16 (8:00 p.m.) and 30 (8:00 p.m.)
In a bizarre twist of fate, a recently paroled master thief (Antony Starr) assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, sheriff-in-waiting of Banshee, Pa., the same town where his former partner and lover (Ivana Milicevic), who changed her name to Carrie, relocated and remarried years ago. Keeping his history a secret as he awaits forged papers from Job (Hoon Lee), an unlikely New York City ally, Lucas befriends boxer-turned-bartender Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison), and settles into his new life as Banshee’s sheriff, overseeing deputies Emmett Yawners (Demetrius Grosse), Siobahn Kelly (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and Brock Lotus (Matt Servitto).
 
Itching for the thrill of thievery and yearning for Carrie, who’s now the wife of attorney Gordon Hopewell (Rus Blackwell) and mother of two, Lucas inadvertently gets tangled up in the rampant corruption of shunned Amish gangster Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen) while keeping a vigilant eye out for Mr. Rabbit (Ben Cross), the New York mob boss who wants revenge against Lucas and Carrie for the jewel heist that landed Lucas in prison. A party thrown by Proctor for the new sheriff is spoiled by a crasher, a member of the redneck Moody clan, who despise the Amish in general and Kai in particular.
 
Episode #2: “The Rave”
Debut date: FRIDAY, JAN. 18 (10:00-10:50 p.m. ET/PT)
Other CINEMAX playdates: Jan. 18 (11:30 p.m.), 19 (9:00 p.m., 12:10 a.m.), 21 (12:30 a.m.), 22 (12:30 a.m.), 23 (8:00 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.)
Hanson (Toby Leonard Moore), a desperate underling of Proctor, holds a rave in an Amish barn, selling homemade E pills stolen from his boss to Banshee youth, including Deva (Ryann Shane), Carrie’s rebellious daughter. Catching wind of the plan, Lucas and his team orchestrate a raid, but the effects of a tainted batch of pills send many revelers into convulsions, with one notable fatality. Though Deva is ferried home safely by Lucas, Hanson isn’t as fortunate when he returns to Kai’s mansion following the debacle.
 
Episode #3: “Meet the New Boss”
Debut date: FRIDAY, JAN. 25 (10:00-10:50 p.m. ET/PT)
Other CINEMAX playdates: Jan. 25 (11:30 p.m.), 26 (9:00 p.m., 12:45 a.m.), 28 (12:30 a.m.), 29 (12:10 a.m.) and 30 (9:50 p.m.)
A mixed martial arts title bout is being planned at the Kinaho Moon Casino, run by tribe leader Benjamin Longshadow (Russell Means) and his son Alex (Anthony Ruivivar). Huge profits are anticipated for Banshee investors, but the enterprise is threatened when the champion (Cedric Stewart) arrives and angers Lucas and especially Siobahn. Will Lucas keep his mouth shut and allow the fight to go on as planned?
 
Source: Cinemax

Alicia Keys Will Perform on the People’s Choice Awards

By
Rebecca Murray
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Alicia Keys Girl on Fire14-time Grammy-winner Alicia Keys has been added to the list of performers set to take the stage on the People’s Choice Awards 2013. The awards show, a popularity contest with winners chosen by fans, is set to air on CBS on January 9, 2013 at 9pm.
 
Keys joins a short list of confirmed performers that includes Jason Aldean and Christina Aguilera.
 
Announcing Keys’ addition to the list of performers, executive producer Mark Burnett said, “The caliber of performances we have planned for this show is beyond compare. Alicia is an undeniable vocal powerhouse, and combined with Christina Aguilera and Jason Aldean, we are going to have one epic show. They are three of music’s biggest talents. I am simply ecstatic to have them all joining us this year.”
 
Source: People’s Choice Awards

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