Industry News: Foxcatcher & Justice League Details

It feels like I've been waiting an eternity for Bennett Miller's upcoming drama Foxcatcher. Growing up as a wrestler in the tri-state area with direct ties to murderer John du Pont's private training facilities, I've been gearing up for the film's release ever since it bailed out of the crowded 2013 awards season immediately following a leaked trailer all over the internet (and what a glorious sneak peek it was). Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival in France this May, Sony Classics has confirmed that Foxcatcher will begin to reach theatres on November 14th.

In other news regarding the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, it's been reported that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein may drop U.S. distribution rights to the opening night film, Grace of Monaco. Apparently Weinstein is still caught in a long-time feud with director Olivier Dahan over the content of the film. While Dahan claims that his vision is complete, Weinstein would prefer a finished product that puts a larger focus on Grace Kelly's (played by Nicole Kidman) time in Hollywood and more dramatic emphasis on the troubling political fiasco in Monaco. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes from all of this.

And "Justice" For All

News has been circulating out of control regarding DC Comics blockbuster answer to Marvel's The Avengers. The Justice League movie is a full "go" and Man of Steel director, Zack Snyder, is reportedly at the helm. While no cast members have been confirmed yet, it's wildly assumed that Henry Cavill will continue his role as Superman and Ben Affleck as the caped crusader.

On a side note, there are rumblings that Matt Damon is being targeted for the role of Aquaman in the Justice League film. Although this is clearly speculation and nothing has been confirmed by either party, it would be a very enticing draw to re-team Affleck and Damon onscreen.

The Force is Strong With ... Llewyn Davis?

We all know he can sing a song and play a guitar, but is Inside Llewyn Davis star, Oscar Isaac, ready to duke it out in a galaxy far, far away? The rumor mill continues to churn as the ultra-secretive JJ Abrams is going to have to unveil his cast for the upcoming installment to the Star Wars franchise. With a table-read scheduled for today in London, reports are that Oscar Isaac is in line for a major role in the highly anticipated release. Isaac has been over-looked for quite some time and his most recent effort illustrates just how talented the young man truly is. So members of the geek community can sleep easy, because Isaac is a more than capable actor to help carry the new Star Wars film.

Oscar Isaac isn't the only big name being thrown around the ring, supposedly Harrison Ford will return to the franchise with a "major role" in the upcoming release. While it has been known that Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher would reprise their roles, no one knew just how pivotal they'd be to the story. Apparently, Ford will be given a whole lot of face time.

UPDATE: The cast of Star Wars: Episode VII has officially been released today (courtesy of Variety.com)

Boyhood and The Grand Seduction Trailers

Richard Linklater is best known for his critically adored indie romance trilogy that debuted with 1995's Before Sunrise. However, at the Sundance this year the buzz was swirling after Linklater's latest cinematic achievement, Boyhood, became a late entry into the festival. Boyhood was shot intermittently over a 12 year period beginning in 2002 and follows the story of a divorced couple (played by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette) trying to raise a son. There's never been any film quite like Boyhood, and it has some legitimate Oscar potential. Check out the first official trailer for Boyhood below.





Brendan Gleeson has quickly grown into one of my favorite actors. This year he stars alongside Lone Survivor's Taylor Kitsch in the affable comedy The Grand Seduction. The film centers around a small struggling harbor town called Tickle Cove. However, if the townsfolk are able to convince a visiting doctor to stay, then they'll lock down a contract for a factory that will save Tickle Cove from financial ruin. Check out the debut trailer for The Grand Seduction below.

The Other Woman (2014)

Film: The Other Woman

Starring: Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher), Leslie Mann (This is 40) and Kate Upton

Director: Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook)

U.S. Release: April 25th, 2014 (Rated PG-13)

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 109 minutes


While Nick Cassavetes is by no means a legend of Hollywood, the director has made a successful career off of well-received dramas like The Notebook, My Sister's Keeper and John Q. Sentiment has clearly been his "modus operandi". In 2014 Cassavetes returns to the director's chair, but this time he's ditching the dramatics and testing the comedy waters with the female-centered flick The Other Woman.

Cameron Diaz stars as Carly, an independent and attractive lawyer who unexpectedly meets the wife (Leslie Mann) of her latest boyfriend. As the pair of women begin to form an unusual bond, they soon discover yet another mistress (Kate Upton). Therefore, the three deceived ladies plot their revenge and devise a scheme to bring down this habitual adulterer once and for all.

Without question, there are a few discerning flaws in the upcoming "chick-flick" comedy The Other Woman. As a film intended to portray women in a self-sufficient and strong-willed light, director Nick Cassavetes and writer Melissa Stack mold a trio of prototypical onscreen stereotypes. Leslie Mann as the insecure wife and Kate Upton as a brainless sex object, these cartoon-ish characters do nothing but feed into unwarranted generalizations of the modern female, even if they end up victorious by the film's conclusion. Furthermore, Nicki Minaj is given plenty of screen time in her supporting role and, unfortunately, she adds nothing beneficial to the feature. I would suggest sticking to her music career, but even that would be a huge disservice on my part.

For all of its blemishes and miscues, The Other Woman does contain a few redeeming qualities. For example, Diaz, Mann and Upton display a strong sense of camaraderie and chemistry. The trio of ladies work well together and help ease the audience through what could have been a more dreadful hour and 50 minute running time. Instead, a reasonable amount of laugh-out-loud scenes and comedic exchanges propel The Other Woman to a tolerable movie-going experience.

Trying his hand at comedy for the first time, Cassavetes delivers a mediocre effort. There are a few overly-long cuts that arouse an initial chuckle but lose their spark after a couple minutes of the same-old joke. The finale also leaves a little to be desired, but thankfully The Other Woman is by no means an unbearable watch. As a film very much intended for female audiences, speaking to all the men out there, this one could have been a whole lot worse.


Stars: 2 stars out of 4

Grade: C

Industry News: Leo & Danny Boyle to Re-Team?

The rumors have been spreading like wildfire. It seems like just last year we were given a less than impressive biopic concerning the late Steve Jobs (oh wait, cause we were!), but that hasn't stopped Sony from cashing in on their rights to Walter Isaacson's biography of the former Apple mogul. With famed writer Aaron Sorkin penning the screenplay and my personal favorite, Danny Boyle (127 Hours & Slumdog Millionaire) in talks to direct, early reports are Boyle desires Leonardo DiCaprio for the title role. The two previously worked together on the 2000 picture, The Beach. However, this collaboration faces a bit of an obstacle now that Leo has officially confirmed to star in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's revenge thriller, The Revenant, which begins production in September.

Sequels, Sequels Everywhere!

It's hard to believe that the 1993 Robin Williams comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire, grossed north of $400 million worldwide (and I repeat, that was in 1993). Perhaps that plays into the Fox 2000 Pictures' decision to green light a sequel. So far, only Williams has been said to reprise his role while details on this head-scratching and seemingly unnecessary sequel begin to form.

In other sequel news, Richard Donner once again keeps the fire burning by claiming that a follow-up to the beloved 1985 classic, The Goonies, is still in the works. Famed director Steven Spielberg developed the idea for the original film and the supposed sequel actually stems from Spielberg's brain as well. While new information is very difficult to come by, it still appears that "Goonies never say die".

Sequel king Jerry Bruckheimer spoke at WonderCon (courtesy of Collider.com) to shed light on the various statuses regarding a couple of different franchises. Bruckheimer reiterated that the door still hasn't been closed on a Bad Boys 3 installment as well as an expected National Treasure 3 film somewhere down the line. Bruckheimer also reminded us that a 5th Pirates of the Caribbean and a fourth addition to the Beverly Hills Cop franchise both appear to be happening.

The Show Must Go On

After the tragic and unexpected loss of action star Paul Walker in November, James Wan's Fast & Furious 7 was left in a difficult spot. Walker had reportedly filmed most of his dramatic scenes and only needed a minor fill-in to take his place and finish production. In an interesting turn of events and a clever idea by Universal, they've decided to bring in Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody (pictured above with Vin Diesel), to stand in as body doubles. Fast & Furious 7 is slated for an April 10th, 2015 release. 

The Worst Sports Movies Ever

To recognize the lackluster release of Ivan Reitman's Draft Day, I've decided to dedicate April's Movie List of the Month (click here for March's List) to the worst sports movies of all time. I'll be taking a slightly different approach by grouping these cinematic sports blunders into categories rather than ranking them in a sequential order. So here they are, some the worst sports movies ever released:

Animal Instincts

I don't know where this lousy idea originated, but whoever decided to combine animals and sports should be maimed and tortured. Air Bud (and all of its ridiculous sequels) is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to this moronic style of sports movie. Other awful films of this kind include Matt LeBlanc's chimp-inspired baseball flick Ed and a hockey player who likes to "monkey-around" in MVP: Most Valuable Primate. 

Girls Can't Play Ball

Another outrageous theme in sports films is the gender-switch that serves as a backdrop for movies like Juwanna Mann. At least cross-dressing to impersonate the other sex seems a little more plausible than an animal playing a sport, but still there shouldn't be room for films like Amanda Bynes' soccer comedy She's the Man. 

Who's Kid-ding Who?

Okay, I get it! Kids can be cute and fun, but sometimes they can spoil sports movies. I mean come on, how realistic is it to have a teenager manage the Minnesota Twins? Little Big League is the prime example of just how outrageous these types of flicks can get. Angels in the Outfield and The Benchwarmers are other baseball films that focus on child actors to help play a major role, something that should clearly be avoided! 

*note: I'm omitting Rookie of the Year from this list because it's an absolute guilty pleasure of mine.

Oh look! You've Ruined It!

It's become expected nowadays, but there's plenty of sports movie franchises that were milked for all they're worth. Perhaps none is more recognizable than Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise. The biggest downfall was Rocky V and then again the legend was tainted with Rocky Balboa. Other sequels that were unforgivable include D2: The Mighty Ducks, Caddyshack II, Slapshot 2: Breaking the Ice, and Major League: Back to the Minors. All of these installments left a dark cloud over their predecessors.

The Worst of the Rest

There are so many brutal sports films out there, so here's a look at the rest of these terrible titles. First, in The Air Up There Kevin Bacon wears some war-paint as a college coach who travels to Africa to find "the next big thing", literally. Partially centered around football, I was never a huge fan of the over-dramatized and over-acted Radio starring Cuba Gooding Jr. The comedy-spoof The Comebacks achieved the rare feat of failing to accomplish the only thing it was intended to do, make audiences laugh. And finally the kid friendly, but extraordinarily outrageous, cartoon-ish film Space Jam is pretty awful as well. 

* With so many bad sports films out there I'm sure I've missed some, but these were the ones that originally came to mind. 

Jersey Boys and The Rover (NEW) Trailers

Legend of Hollywood Clint Eastwood returns in 2014 as the director of the Broadway hit musical-turned-feature film, Jersey Boys. If you haven't seen the show, it's one of the best out there. Therefore, I'm excited to catch Eastwood's retelling of the story behind singer Frankie Valli and his rise to fame as a member of the pop group The Four Seasons. With a cast of unknowns outside of a tiny role played by Christopher Walken, there's plenty of intrigue surrounding Eastwood's latest work. Check out the debut trailer for the highly aniticipated Summer release of Jersey Boys below.





Australian director David Michod gave the world 2010's diamond in the rough, Animal Kingdom, which lead to Jackie Weaver's first Oscar Nominated performance before her breakout role in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. This year Michod returns with Guy Pearce and a new-look Robert Pattison in the Cannes Film Festival selection, The Rover. Set in the near future, a barren Australia is overrun with anarchy and desperation. A trio of thieves attempt to steal Eric's (Pearce) last remaining possession, his car, but only two of the criminals escape successfully leaving one man (Pattison) behind. Eric uses this straggler to vengefully track down his stolen vehicle. With a June release date set in the U.S., check out the latest trailer for The Rover below.