Could the upcoming Gambit be the most talent-stuffed movie since Inception? Written by the Coen Brothers, starring Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman and Colin Firth and co-starring Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman, it's like the Expendables for the NPR set. Firth stars as an art curator who plans to con England's wealthiest man (Rickman) into buying a fake Monet with the help of Diaz as a Texas rodeo queen. Sounds awesome, so it's a pity the first picture looks like Diaz and Firth are posing for their Senior Superlatives yearbook photo (Most Uncomfortable, perhaps?) Take a look!
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It was a super second weekend for Thor as it held on to the top spot and declined a relatively slim -47% (contrast that with the -62% tumble that Fast Five took on its second weekend). But the good news wasn't confined to first, as the poopin' dames of Bridesmaids notched a strong debut at second place. But pity the clergy as Priest could only muster a fourth place bow. Your weekend receipts are here.
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There are a few unassailable essential guidelines to film: the villain is always bad, the girl is always pretty, and you should never EVER see the Muppets' feet when they walk. But in the new poster for Jason Segel's The Muppets we're treated to the unearthly spectacle of the Muppet gang perambulating on their own. Segel has sworn up and down his movie would have traditional, CGI-free puppetry, but this makes them look like they're hanging out with the crappy CGI singer from Jabba's palace. Click ahead to gawk at the horrific spectacle.
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Don't worry, Snow, someday your prince will come...in the form of strapping God of Thunder it turns out. The long-rumored frontrunner Chris Hemsworth has indeed finally been officially cast as the Huntsman (not to be confused with the Republican candidate for president or an heir to the Manwich fortune) in the Kristin Stewart-led Snow White and the Huntsman, one of the roughly 137 different "edgy" Snow White adaptations being bandied about. [Deadline]
It was another happy Friday in the halls as Asgard (especially for Frigg) as Thor stayed at number one with a (relatively) slim decline from its blockbuster first weekend. The fartin' ladies of Bridesmaids notched a strong debut at second place while the vamps of Priest could only scare up a fourth place start. Your Friday box office is here.
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Husbands, wives... Parents, kids... As we saw this week at Movieline, no one was safe from relationship issues. At least we have each other, right, Dear Reader? Uh, right? OK, whew. Anyway, our Week in Review feature has everything you need to know wrapped in one convenient spot. Just maybe don't read it all at once, and either way drop back by this weekend for more Cannes Film Festival coverage and the soothing editorial strains of Dixon Gaines. Have a great one!
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While Ryan Gosling promotes his stuntman action film Drive in Cannes this week, news has just broken that the Oscar-nominated actor will make his directorial debut with...a remake of the PG-rated musical drama The Idolmaker. That's what you were expecting, right?
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Director Rob Marshall, whose Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will open in glorious, cinematic, completely enjoyable 3-D, explained at Cannes how he learned the art of 3-D. "I did a little class over at Sony. I needed to distill it down to something simple for myself. It's complicated, but I grasped the basic elements and, of course, you learn as you go." Does that sound less than confident for someone helming a trillion-dollar Disney coloring book movie? Because I took a little class to be a good babysitter once. I did not succeed. [THR]
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Osama bin Laden isn't the only reviled public enemy getting the movie treatment; HBO has purchased the rights to The Wizard Of Lies: Bernie Madoff And The Death Of Trust, the new book about the smug Ponzi schemer and his duplicitous ways. And just who does the network want to have star as Madoff in this surefire future Emmy favorite? Try Robert De Niro.
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Take a deep breath, folks, and prepare for the nearly three minutes of tense exchanges and brutal violence (five words: boiling oil in the face) that comprise the first trailer for Rod Lurie's Straw Dogs remake. The setting has been moved to the Deep South, but the character relationships and abject horrors look to be faithfully evocative of Sam Peckinpah's original film, which taught audiences why you should never push a mild-mannered husband to the brink of desperation.
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With Bridesmaids out now and Bad Teacher set to premiere later this summer, the conventional wisdom goes like this: We're living in a time when comic actresses are finally appreciated, honed, and challenged. They're not resigned to wifely roles or pally Judy Greer-types; they're hilarious as full-fledged protagonists who deservedly wield top-billing. This is why conventional wisdom is often a problem.
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It looks like that production hiatus on The Dark Tower is going to last a little bit longer. Deadline reports that Universal has officially put the breaks on the Ron Howard-directed Stephen King adaptation, and pushed the planned start date for the project into February. Universal will work with Howard and Akiva Goldsman on reducing the budget, but they have to make a decision on greenlighting Tower by July; that's when the rights revert back to King. [Deadline]
In this weekend's Everything Must Go, Will Ferrell takes on the role of Nick Halsey, an alcoholic who is stripped of his job and then his dignity when his wife evicts him from their home (and deposits his life's belongings on the front lawn). How did Ferrell transform himself from a USC grad who mimed a cat for his Saturday Night Live audition to one of the most bankable comedy stars and, at age 43, an newfound indie darling?
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Because when you think of Rob Lowe, you think of Butterfinger candy bars, horror-comedy spoofs and platform releases on Facebook, here comes Butterfinger the 13th. The Emmy-nominated actor has put his name on the "first-ever film produced not by a major studio or filmmaker, but by one of America's iconic candy brands." Sweet idea?
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DreamWorks has released the first trailer for their remake of the '80s horror comedy classic Fright Night, which either qualifies as heresy or amazeballs, depending on which side of the remake debate you're on. After the jump, watch smart-ass teenager Anton Yelchin do battle with his dreamy vampire neighbor, Colin Farrell, for moviegoers who were but a distant twinkle in their parents' eyes when the first movie came out.
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