Penélope Cruz Circling Ridley Scott’s The Counselor

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Penélope Cruz (Volver) is circling a role in The Counselor, a dramatic thriller penned by author-turned-screenwriter Cormac McCarthy, THR has revealed.

Cruz, who won an Academy Award for her role in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, will star opposite Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Angelina Jolie in what’s being described as “dialogue-heavy, violent and racy”.

The Counselor centers on an attorney (Fassbender) who finds himself caught up Continue reading “Penélope Cruz Circling Ridley Scott’s The Counselor” →

Review: Breathing (2011)

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Roman (Thomas Schubert), an institutionalised young offender, finds himself on the brink of another parole hearing. Advised to take part in the work-release program to better his chances, Roman takes on employment at a local mortuary. After he happens upon a body bag labelled with his surname, he’s moved to track down his absent mother (Karin Lischka) who helps force him to come to terms with his past actions, his potential freedom and the rocky road to stability.

Rooted in the affliction felt by an adolescent haunted by his past, Austrian actor best known for his role in Stefan Ruzowitzky’s The Counterfeiter Karl Markovics’ Continue reading “Review: Breathing (2011)” →

Review: North Sea Texas (2011)

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Pim (Jelle Florizoone), a courteous dreamer, lives in a quaint Belgian town with his sexually promiscuous mother, Yvette (Eva Van Der Gucht), and her foolish boyfriend, Etienne (Luk Wyns). Feeling contained by his surroundings, Pim starts to fantasise about what life must be like outside his towns limited offerings and about a possible relationship with handsome boy-next-door Gino (Mathias Vergels).

Crafted out of a delicacy and honesty towards emphasising the fragility of an adolescent’s existence and their wide-eyed imagination, North Sea Texas bears Continue reading “Review: North Sea Texas (2011)” →

Review: Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011)

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When conservative fisheries expert Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor) receives an unexpected request from legal representative Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), he finds himself embroiled in a wealthy sheikh’s ludicrous dream of introducing salmon fishing into the Yemen. After the project receives backing from the British government as a way of diverting attention away from their latest blunder in the Middle-East, Fred slowly finds the faith needed to turn a dream into a reality.

Adapted from Paul Torday’s acclaimed novel, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy employs neat tactics to ensure the narrative plays out at a believable, tempered Continue reading “Review: Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011)” →

Magic Mike Poster And Trailer

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Warner Bros. Pictures have released the first official trailer and poster for Magic Mike, an exposé of actor Channing Tatum’s former life as a male stripper.

Directed by soon-to-be-retired Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven), Magic Mike stars Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Joe Manganiello, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Riley Keough.

The film, scripted by relative newcomer Reid Carolin (Earth Made of Glass), Continue reading “Magic Mike Poster And Trailer” →

Debut Trailer And Poster For Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister

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IFC Films have debuted an entrancingly heartwarming US trailer for their new romance-drama Your Sister’s Sister.

Directed by Seattle-based filmmaker and mumblecore advocator Lynn Shelton (Humpday), Your Sister’s Sister stars Mark Duplass (Cyrus), Rosemarie DeWitt (Cinderella Man) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada).

Struggling to overcome the death of his brother, Jack is sent to a remote cabin by Continue reading “Debut Trailer And Poster For Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister” →

Killer Joe To Open The 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival

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Killer Joe will open the 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival, artistic director Chris Fujiwara has announced.

The noir thriller, directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist), centers on a young man whose life spirals out of control when he hires an unexpectedly charming hit man to kill his own mother for her life insurance policy.

In the announcement, Fujiwara said, “We’re delighted to be opening this year’s Continue reading “Killer Joe To Open The 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival” →

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Michael Haneke’s Amour (Love)

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Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American distribution rights to Amour, French filmmaker Michael Haneke’s follow-up to the multi-award winning The White Ribbon, The Playlist have discovered.

Amour, known as Love in English-speaking countries, tells of the struggles felt by a cultivated, retired couple, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), when Anne unexpectedly suffers a life-threatening stroke. Continue reading “Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Michael Haneke’s Amour (Love)” →

Pedro Almodóvar Assembles Excellent Cast For The Brief Lovers

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Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raúl Arévalo, José María Yazpik and Javier Cámara are set to star in The Brief Lovers, an all-out comedy from Spanish filmmaker extraordinaire Pedro Almodóvar.

Roth, Dueñas and Cámara have all worked with Almodóvar before on previous projects (All About My Mother, Volver and Talk To Her, respectively), while Arévalo and Yazpik are newcomers to the writer and directors trademark Continue reading “Pedro Almodóvar Assembles Excellent Cast For The Brief Lovers” →

Antonio Banderas And Gwyneth Paltrow Join Picasso Biopic

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Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man) will star in a biopic of Pablo Picasso, the world renowned painter, The Telegraph is reporting.

Banderas is attached to play Picasso himself, often regarded as one of the world’s most influential artists, while Paltrow will appear as Dora Maar, Picasso’s lover, likely undergoing a radical transformation to accurately convey the troubled Continue reading “Antonio Banderas And Gwyneth Paltrow Join Picasso Biopic” →