Colin Hanks in Serial Killer Comedy

Written by: Stoic Taco

The new film starring Colin Hanks, Lucky, tells the story of a mild mannered office worker who wins the lottery and the girl of his dreams. Sounds lovely right? Did I mention that he’s a serial killer too?

Colin Hanks in Lucky

This original story allows Mr Hanks to flex his dramatic and comedic skills in a film which appears to be one of the blackest comedies since Very Bad Things.

Check out the trailer below and make up your own mind.

Impressive right?

The film is directed and co-written by Gil Cates Jr (Deal) and co-stars Ari Graynor, Jeffrey Tambor, Ann-Margret, and Mimi Rogers.

No word yet on a release date, but I hope it’s soon.

‘The Gangster Squad’ Casting News

Written by: Stoic Taco

The news today is that Anthony Mackie has officially joined the cast of The Gangster Squad!

It’s been rumoured for awhile that Mr Mackie would be joining the cast but it’s been officially confirmed by /film!

Anthony Mackie, last seen in The Adjustment Bureau, will be playing Rocky Washington, an ex-cop and first African-American LAPD lieutenant who is recruited to work within the Gangster Squad.

I’ve got to say that Mr Mackie will probably have a leg up on everyone else in this film because he spent the majority of The Adjustment Bureau running around wearing a fedora, so that’s at least one thing he doesn’t have to worry about…

So the official lineup for this film is as follows; Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen, Ryan Gosling as  Sgt Jerry Wooters, Josh Brolin as John O’Mara, Michael Pena as Navidad Ramirez, and now Anthony Mackie as Rocky Washington.

The Gangster Squad is directed by Ruben Fleischer and based on the L.A Times articles of the same name.

Check out our other articles on The Gangster Squad here

Leonardo DiCaprio in Talks for ‘Django Unchained’

Written by: Stoic Taco

The entire cast for Django Unchained in IMDb states “rumoured” next to the names so it’s pretty much fair to say that nothing has been confirmed or set in stone.

Howevever, word round the camp fire according to Deadline is that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to play the villain, Calvin Candie. The owner of Candyland, a plantation in Mississippi where women become sex slaves and men are treated like dogs forced to fight each other for entertainment.

It’s hard to believe that there was a time where Leonardo DiCaprio was treated like a bit of a joke. He had just finished Titanic, become the heart throb of the moment, and could not be taken seriously despite turns in The Man in the Iron Mask and The Beach. There were questions around whether or not this young man’s career had already peaked. However there was nothing to worry about because if you look back at his remarkable role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, you knew that this man had talent. And if you have talent, you can go the distance.

Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies, Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island, and Inception, all speak for themselves.

Can you imagine a Quentin Tarantino film, Django Unchained, starring Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L Jackson?

Talk about a dream team!

‘Horrible Bosses’ Bound for Europe

Written by: Stoic Taco

What’e the one thing that unites us all?

What’s the one thing that binds us together regardless of nationality, race, sex, creed, or colour?

None of us likes to work. In fact, we can all recall at least one horrible boss that we’ve worked for…and it’s that guiding principle that Warner Bros will be pitching to European industry executives at this years 2011 CineEurope trade show.

The Hollywood Reporter states that traditionally American comedies are a hard sell in Europe but given Horrible Bosses universal themes of hating work and the bosses that you report to, will make the film a little more relatable.

I do have one question though about the below poster though…make up or air-brush?

Horrible Bosses is released next month, July 8th 2011

X-Men: First Class Review

Written by: M_L!nkster

More X-men really?? Even after the joke that was X-Men 1.5 and the tragedy that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine… We’ve got More X-men? But in this case not all is lost as we also have Matthew Vaughn the classy director who brought us Kick-Ass.

Summary
Professor X has always seamed to me – to be a cashed up hippie with telepathic powers and Magneto has always appeared to be a selfish dude who can’t let go of the past – but I have always wondered how these two diametrically opposed characters were once friends and this is the question X-Men: First Class attempts to answer.

We open with a scene from the first Brian Singer helmed X-Men movie as we meet Eric Lehnsherr as a boy  in a Jewish concentration camp we then move to an established estate where we meet a very young Charles Xavier.

From here the movie follows the paths of these two young men into their university days – it is also here the movie plays one of its master strokes we are introduced to Mystique a shape shifter whose natural form can only be likened to red-haired reptile with nice boobs. This character will be our insight into the two leads through out the film and her challenges will be mirrored in the thoughts and actions of our two leads.

The movie branches into two streams as we follow Eric Lehnsherr on his mission to track down the Nazi who brought him so much pain as a child in has days in a concentration camp – at this point he mastered the power given to him by his mutation. One the other hand we Charles Xavier graduating as with a PhD in mutation and using his telepathic powers to pick up girls in bars (exactly what I’d do) until the CIA find productive work for him to do

The setting though out all of this is the cold war and nuclear crisis and this is what brings our characters together….until events bring our leads to become Professor X and Magneto…

M_L!nkster’s View
I’ve always liked Matthew Vaughn’s work- this director understands all components of film making:- He directs dialogue well, his use of the camera always adds to the story his characters always follow interesting arc’s and there is an understated subtlety about the Englishman’s work  since he’s emerged from the British Gangster movie scene.

X-Men: First Class is an example of how to make an X-Men movie while other entries have focused too much on giving us mutant after mutant with out the story… here Vaughn understands that seeing mutations is not telling a story – so his movie focuses on a few mutants and their character arch’s and  showing us mutations.

This movie is essentially about a friendship between Charles and Eric and how this friendship was always shaped by the way the two leads were experienced childhood – X-men: First Class also deals with the usual x-men themes of acceptance and rejection around what is ‘normal’  this is where the character of Mystique comes into play and shows us how Charles’s view of the world and how Eric’s view of the world cannot apply to all mutants.  The writing around this piece is simply first class.

The acting in this movie is impeccable I’ve never been a fan of James McAvoy but he makes the play-boy Charles very believable and likable.  Michael Fassbender is perfectly cast as Eric in the beginning when he is playing the Nazi hunter he is both charming and menacing. And as he becomes Magneto is performance looses nothing.

Kevin Bacon is incredible in his opening scene as a Nazi and put’s on an amazing German Accent – later on in the film he makes the most of the villain role without chewing scenery. The supporting cast are all in fine form:- with a special nod to January Jones and Rose Byrne who look stunning!

X-Men: First Class is rated PG 13 but cleaver use of the camera ensure none of the horrors of a concentration camp are lost.

On the down side some of the special effects are not as good as they could be and the movie is a little too long – but minor complaints really

Score

The lack of action and focus on character may disappoint some fans but for me this is a top drawer film and I give it…

4.5/5

Michael Pena Joins ‘The Gangster Squad’

Written by: Stoic Taco

According to THR, The Gangster Squad has enlisted the services of Michael Pena, who will be playing a police officer of Mexican heritage who is eager to prove himself to the squad.

I remember Michael Pena cast as the “everyday dad stuck in an incredible situation and who would do anything for his son” role in Battle: LA. It was a bad role. It was a bad character. He was stuck playing a cliche. At the time though I couldn’t tell if it was Mr Pena’s acting ability or the film that he was in.

My question was answered when I watched the The Lincoln Lawyer where Mr Pena played a relatively small but important role as Jesus Martinez. I thought he was great, played a character who needed intensity, and he delivered. More importantly he managed to play opposite Matthew McConaughey and didn’t fade into the background.

Can Mr Pena keep this upward momentum going by holding his own in The Gangster Squad against Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling?

Only time will tell.

‘The Gangster Squad’ Update

Written by: Stoic Taco

Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter we now have a much better idea about the forthcoming film, The Gangster Squad.

Plot

The film is actually an adaptation of an eight part L.A Times article by Paul Lieberman focusing on the creation of a specific unit called the Gangster Squad whose objective was to keep the city free of the East Coast Mafia

Cast and Characters

Sean Penn is playing Mickey Cohen, a gangster.

How will he stack up against the real life dapper looking Mr Cohen below?

Josh Brolin is playing John O’Mara (centre below), one of the city’s few honest cops

Ryan Gosling will play Sgt Jerry Wooters, a swinging bachelor but a good cop.

I strongly recommend that you head over to the L.A Times website and check out the original Gangster Squad articles and videos posted because it’s no wonder that they’re turning it into a movie, it reads like one!

Stay tuned for more The Gangster Squad updates!

Gangster Squad

Written by: Stoic Taco

I am currently playing L.A Noire and loving the experience.

Who wouldn’t enjoy playing a dectective in LA solving crimes in the 1950’s, driving cool cars, and meeting all kinds of “interesting” people?

Well apparently Ryan Gosling, Sean Peann, and Josh Brolin do because the trio are all rumoured to be starring in Gangster Squad. A new film about the LAPD’s fight to keep the East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles during the 1940’s and 1950’s.

I think it is fair to say that I will be there front row centre when it gets released, although they need to make the film first!

Ryan Gosling is a busy busy man. He’s just completed filming on Crazy, Stupid, Love. and George Clooney’s The Ides of March and will be heading into The Place Beyond The Pines and then after that he’ll then move on to Gangster Squad.

Gangster Squad is set to be directed by Ruben Fleischer (30 Minutes or Less, Zombieland), written by Will Beall, and is scheduled a release in 2013.

It is interesting to note that both of Mr Fleischer’s films have starred Jesse Eisenberg, do you think it’s possible that he might score a cameo?

I suppose that in the meantime while we wait for the film to be made we could just play some L.A Noire…..

Drive – Ryan Gosling Leads an All Star Cast

Written by: Stoic Taco

Have you heard about Drive?

From what I heard and read about this film I think that it could be this year’s sleeper hit. I say that because there’s been a lot of press about Pirates 4, Green Lantern, Captain America, and Cowboys & Aliens that I think that this film might be the one that blows everyone away and has them thinking “where did this come from?”

Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) stars as a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver and discovers that a contract has been placed on him after a job gone wrong.

Mr Gosling is joined by a true all-star cast, have a look at these names;

Carey Mulligan (An Education), Christina Hendricks (TV’s Mad Men), Ron Perlman (TV’s Sons of Anarchy), Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo), Bryan Cranston (Total Recall)

Based on this casting and the basic story pretty much ensures that I will be there opening weekend to watch it. However if you need a little more convincing then I have one more point to share.

There’s a video which has been doing the rounds, incorrectly labelled as the “official trailer” but it appears that it’s a short clip of the film, and it’s unbelievably atmospheric and suspenseful.

Drive premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews and in fact earned the film’s director, Nicolas Winding Refn, the Best Director Award.

I really think that Drive is one to keep your eyes open for, it’s scheduled for a US release in September followed by an Australian release in October 2011.

Craig Brewer Takes on Tarzan

Written by: Stoic Taco

Do we really need another version of Tarzan? Let alone a trilogy?

Craig Brewer, the creative force behind Black Snake Moan and Hustle & Flow, has been given the green light from Warner Bros to develop a new Tarzan film with the aim of turning it into a trilogy.

Mr Brewer has stated that when he first pitched the idea to Warner Bros, he was influenced by the original Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs;

“That’s a fascinating time in Africa’s history. The books and the early films are kind of a result of this idea of the ‘romance of colonialism,’ but there was a darker side that wasn’t always shown. I just saw a story and a tapestry that would really be respectful to the original literature but could, in a sense, reboot the character. It could be a great epic tale of a man who is trying to reconnect to the love of his life, who is Jane, and his home, which is Africa.”

First up, I have to say that I am not a fan of the story of Tarzan at all. The idea of a man raised by apes, swings from vines, and interacts with the civilised people all the while being judged for who he is…it just seems so…meh.

I was amazed to learn from Commercial Appeal that the character of Tarzan ranks next to Sherlock Holmes and Dracula as the most popular film character of all time, with close to 100 films being produced.

Now it may be just me but I can’t really seem to find any part of this reboot as exciting or interesting…but with 100 films being produced in the past, perhaps I am wrong and people will just flock to a reboot of Tarzan of the Apes…only time will tell…