Ok, so exactly how excited are you to see Marvel’s THE AVENGERS? We are literally jumping up and down in our seats right now in anticipation. The closer we get to release date, the more our anticipation grows, as do the studio approved photo leaks.  One such leak has two new photos to show y’all.

The first (above) is of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) walking somewhere – all with a case of the “serious action face.” The second (below) is of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) checking out something on a computer screen back at headquarters. Is it footage of death and destruction? Is it CCTV? Is there a 50% off sale on Criterion blu-rays again? We won’t know what they are seeing until Marvel’s AVENGERS opens on May 4^th.

At least once a year, a film comes along that look so adorably precious, we just can’t help but surrender to it’s magic. This looks to be the case with the new film SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN which stars two of our favorites, Ewan McGregor (BEGINNERS) and Emily Blunt (THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU). Our guess is they find more than just fish in that river. We think they find… love. Cue the swooning!

From the director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning® screenwriter of Slumdog Millionairecomes the inspirational comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. When Britain’s leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt) to help realize a sheikh’s (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a “good will” story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is directed by Lasse Hallstrom and written by Simon Beaufoy based on Paul Torday’s novel of the same name. Check out the trailer below and the film when it opens on March 9.

Considered to be an esteemed, intelligent, and revered voice of a generation, Writer-Director Whit Stillman hasn’t made a film in the last 14 years. With that in mind, you’d expect his “comeback” vehicle would have to be pretty spectacular to drag him out of this hiatus of sorts. That’s where you’d be correct! Sweater sets and verbal tête-à-têtes clash on screen in the hilariously charming and incredibly witty (“whitty?”), DAMSELS IN DISTRESS.

DAMSELS is both written & directed by Stillman (THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, METROPOLITAN) and stars Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Analeigh Tipton, Carrie MacLemore, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Hugo Becker, Ryan Metcalf, Billy Magnussen & Caitlin Fitzgerald.

Don’t be a doofus. Take a look at the film’s synopsis and trailer below. DAMSELS IN DISTRESS opens in theaters on April 6.

Seven Oaks is an East Coast college with beautiful Greek Revival architecture and a boorish male student population. Decades after coeducation’s arrival the male atmosphere still prevails. A dynamic trio of girls — group leader Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), principled Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore) — decide to change all that, setting out to rescue their fellow students from depression, grunge and low standards of every kind.

At New Student Orientation the trio spots lost-looking Lily (Analeigh Tipton) and takes her under wing. Meanwhile the girls become romantically entangled with a series of men — including slick Charlie (Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Becker) and the mad frat pack of Frank (Metcalf) and Thor (Magnussen) — who threaten their friendship and sanity.

Looks like J. Hoberman has a new job! Huzzah for film critics! Vulture reports that the critic who was recently let go from the Village Voice, has found a new home as chief film critic for Blouin ARTNFO. (Don’t worry, I haven’t heard of it either.)  He told Indiewire that this won’t be as full-time as his post at the Voice was, but that he will continue to do freelance work and continue on his blog. He also says, “To be honest, I’m not at all sorry, after 30 years, to break out of weekly film reviewing. At this point mainly interested in writing about stuff that interests me in a way that I find interesting. When I have something to say, I’ll figure out a way to say it.” We wish him a long and continually prosperous career as the great critic we know him as, regardless of where he’s writing and whom for. Maybe notorious film troll Armond White will be next! But, then again, that’s wishful thinking.

Not soon after we heard that BULLY had been given a ridiculous ‘R’ rating by a bunch of lunkhead bullies the MPAA, did the trailer for the incredibly poignant and moving documentary – formerly known as THE BULLY PROJECT – debuted online. Distributor The Weinstein Company is prepared to do battle in court over this rating as it alienates exactly the crowd who should be viewing this film – teens and pre-teens!

The documentary from director Lee Hirsch centers on the bullying problem today’s youth face and the epidemic levels it has reached in this country. Producer extraordinaire Harvey Weinstein will meet with MPAA on Thursday and help bolster his cause, he’s bringing along Alex Libby, one of the kids bullied in the film.

We saw the movie back in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival and have been singing its praises since.  Take a look at the trailer below and see if you think this stirring call to action deserves to hit and beat down with an ‘R.’ BULLY opens on March 30th.

Bully – Trailer No. 1

We’ve been hearing about the new film ACT OF VALOR for a few months now and we’ve been intrigued by its concept ever since. Active Duty Navy SEALs re-enacting real life inspired missions?! Sign us up! The film combines spectacular combat sequences, currently utilized battlefield technology, and all the excitement and emotion you’d expect to make for the ultimate action adventure film.

Take a look at the featurette below and tell us your thoughts. Are you excited to see the film? ACT OF VALOR opens Friday, February 24.

When a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all.

Bear with me folks as I reminisce for a few minutes. Being a teen in the late 80’s (like I was) basically meant that fans could get access to seeing their favorite teen pop idols at a local mall. Tiffany, the cast of TV’s original 90210, and perhaps my personal favorite, THE NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB band, The Party all took their acts on the road and visited with fans, some ending in stampedes.  In a move harkening back to those glorious days of yore, the cast of THE HUNGER GAMES is planning on mall tour!

Cast members including Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson will be participating in local festivities on the eight-city tour, sponsored by the Microsoft Store, China Glaze, and h2O Spring Water. Fans in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Phoenix, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, and Minneapolis can participate in Q&As and enter giveaways to win Hunger Games Gear.

This news comes right before tickets for the highly anticipated film go on pre-sale tomorrow.

Here is the list, tributes:

Saturday, March 3rd – LOS ANGELES
Fan event at the Westfield Century City
Talent: Gary Ross, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

Tuesday, March 6th -  ATLANTA
Fan event at JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead
Talent: Liam Hemsworth, Leven Rambin, Dayo Okeniyi, Amandla Stenberg and Jack Quaid

Wednesday, March 7th PHOENIX AND CHICAGO
PHOENIX
Fan event at the Scottsdale Fashion Square
Talent: Liam Hemsworth, Leven Rambin, Dayo Okeniyi and Jack Quaid

CHICAGO
Fan event at the Westfield Fox Valley
Talent: Josh Hutcherson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Jacqueline Emerson

Thursday, March 8th MIAMI AND DALLAS
MIAMI
Fan event at the Westfield Broward
Talent: Jennifer Lawrence, Alexander Ludwig and Amandla Stenberg

DALLAS
Fan event at Galleria Dallas
Talent: Josh Hutcherson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Jacqueline Emerson

Friday, March 9th- MINNEAPOLIS
Fan event at the Mall Of America
Talent:  Jennifer Lawrence, Alexander Ludwig, Amandla Stenberg, Josh Hutcherson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Jacqueline Emerson

Saturday, March 10th- SEATTLE
Fan event at the University Village
Talent:  Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson

THE HUNGER GAMES opens on March 23.

In director Hallvar Witzø’s Oscar nominated short film, TUBA ATLANTIC, Oskar (Edvard Hægstad) learns that he has only 6 days left to live and – with help from Ingar (Ingrid Viken), the angelic caregiver sent to look after the old curmudgeon – decides to use his remaining days killing seagulls and accomplishing a childhood dream he had with his now estranged brother, who resides on the other side of the ocean in New Jersey. Not a moment wasted, the film is hilariously witty, incredibly poignant and deeply moving which, as you can imagine, are a lot of emotions to establish in the short 26 minute running time. These days most of our Hollywood pictures can’t even achieve such a task as successfully and effortlessly as Witzø does here.

I was fortunate enough to speak with the talented Norwegian director a few days ago about his short that has taken on an impressive life of its own since having been completed over a year ago.

VeryAware: How did the idea for the film first come to you?

“It was something that I remember my grandfather told me. He had a brother in New Jersey when I was little. He took my hand and we walked down to the shore. He pointed across the ocean and it was pounding – always big waves, like Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. He said, ‘There is my brother across that ocean. There’s America, and a place called New Jersey, and that’s where my brother is.’ So the distance and the fact I have an older brother. I remember the first time I saw David Lynch’s THE STRAIGHT STORY. It’s been a lot of years since I saw it and it always comes back to me – the long distance between two brothers and how long it can be before you reconcile. In my story, it’s stupid things that tore them apart. It started with something little as it often does in family feuds, especially when relatives die and when you inherit a house or a lot of money. Especially in Norway, when people inherit. It often leads to fights – it’s so common and it’s so stupid. It’s something you didn’t have before and now you’re getting it and it isn’t enough.”

VeryAware: How did you think of the Tuba as your dramatic device to have these two brothers call out to each other? What inspired that?

“It was actually a drawing. I draw a lot. I’m not an artist but I have a sketchbook with me all the time – when I have idea or picture pops in my head. I remember I drew a half of a globe – the curve of the globe and I painted Norway on one side and the US on the other. If I’m going to reach someone, I’m going to send an email or talk on the phone. But it’s impossible for the main character to have that option, so he has to do it physically. That’s what started me thinking, ‘What if it could be a sound?’ Well, what other sound could it be than a gigantic tuba?”

VeryAware: It’s great because it resonates with the brother and then literally resonates with the viewer too. Let’s talk about the creative ways Oskar comes up with to kill seagulls. I thought it was very Monty Python-esque. Where exactly did this come from?

“You know it’s not the first time, especially Californians ask me this. In Norway, no one asks! Here they are not the beautiful creature that’s in California. I live in the Santa Monica Beach area and I see seagulls but they are not like Norwegian seagulls. Norwegian seagulls are ten times bigger, ten times meaner, greedy, are like flying rats. If pigeons are the flying rats of Rome, seagulls are the flying rats of Norway. I don’t hate seagulls, I’d miss them if they were gone but they are like a plague.”

VeryAware: How did you find your leading man Edvard Hægstad? Was he somebody you’d already known was going to be the guy to carry this film?

“I had a big casting. I was scouting people. I think I had for him and the girl I was in four or five cities with hundreds of people. Then I got a tip from another director who told me, ‘There’s this one guys who’s always lived in the shadow of this bigger actor from mid-Norway. You should meet him!’ I invited him [Hægstad] to come to the audition and he was so fantastic. He was in the character right away. He was just so fantastic, I cancelled all the others. I didn’t want to see any more – this is the guy! He’s a potato farmer – acting is a hobby. Right now he is working backstage for a Chippendales show! He’s building props or something. He just loves the theater. He had never done anything in front of the camera before.”

VeryAware: That’s astonishing! He seems like such a seasoned veteran. He’s so comfortable in front of it.

“It actually annoys me. So many bad actors, why hasn’t anyone found him before. Now he’s 73 and I’m going to use him all the time. He’s not pretentious, which some of the actors in Norway who are his age can be – especially professionals. The more professional they are, the less interesting they are. People like him, I like to cast and put on screen.”

 
VeryAware: How long was the shoot and what was your budget?

“We shot for nine days and had a budget from the school which was $380,000 Norwegian – like $60,000 US. That’s what the school gives every production. Every two years, there’s six productions from the Norwegian film school. Everybody gets $60,000. It was such an expensive production for us. We were going far from the film school, cross the country, and were out there in really rough nature. We needed safety stuff and the tuba was big. So we raised $30,000 extra.”

VeryAware: Was this something you knew early on you’d be submitting for consideration the shorts category? Or how did that exactly work out?

“Since we won the student academy award – the Gold Medal – that made us eligible for submitting it to the Academy Awards. If we hadn’t won, we had to win another major film festival or be screened at theaters in the United States for a couple weeks for admission. The shortcut was winning the Gold Medal.”

VeryAware: Who are some of the filmmakers that you admired when you were growing up or perhaps those you’ve learned your style of filmmaking from? Whose work inspires you?

“Growing up, I saw a lot of Spielberg films. He’s not that famous but his name is Hal Needham. He made CANNONBALL RUN and SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. I’ve watched CANNONBALL RUN like a thousand times on VHS – CANNONBALL RUN and CANNONBALL RUN 2. I think more than Spielberg films, CANNONBALL RUN was one of those films that really took me into how great working with films are. During the end credits, it seems like the best time ever making this film. In the end credits, everybody’s laughing, making mistakes, and it’s so funny. Every job I knew of in Norway was boring. Working with movies, was the funniest, best job. Because I was a funny creative kid, I knew this was something I’d fit into. Now I like filmmakers like Brad Bird and Mike Leigh. I also have a lot of respect for Ridley Scott – he’s still making great movies.

My favorite film is APOCALYPSE NOW. Even though it’s not my style of what I would do, it’s still the best, most extreme movie experience I’ve ever had. I’ve seen the film only on DVD. Although a couple years ago, I had a chance to see it on 35mm. The projectionist had made a mistake and halfway through the film, when they arrive at the French place, the projectionist had flipped the rolls so it started with the credits. The music was backwards. Everybody left the theater but I ran over to the projectionist because I wanted to see it. I stood on my hands, standing upside down for the next half an hour with my feet in the air.”

VeryAware: Wow! That’s total dedication. You’ve got to really love a film to do that. What has this Oscar nomination experience been like for you? I can imagine a bit surreal.

“It’s hard to find your voice as a director. When you find it, you can stick with it. TUBA ATLANTIC is so 100% of who I am as a director. It is the detailed style I want to tell stories with pictures. It is very me. The success has been very personal and such a ride. We won the world’s biggest short film festival in France – just to be an official selection there was an honor. We won a prize there. The film was screened in Beijing and we won a prize there. And it’s a big hit in Bogotá, Columbia. It’s been all over the world! This is maybe the end of the ride, but it’s a very, very good finish. Now the film is about one and half years old. With a short film that’s that old, it gets old so I think this is one of the last things with this film.”

VeryAware: What a great way to cap off the adventure of that movie. You are ending on such a strong note. What will it mean to you  – let’s say -  “when” you win the Oscar? We aren’t going to say “if,” we are saying “when.”

“I need to find something made with wood to knock on it. It’s hard to imagine I would win. Not because I think my chances are less than the other films. It’s really hard to imagine myself standing there, holding that golden dude. I guess, what would happen if I’m lucky, is that people will be more interested in me as a director and also the entire crew who made the film – from the cinematographer to the writer, everybody. That they also get attention from it. I work with commercials when I’m not doing features. So I hope I’ll be able to do more commercials and films in my style. But also that I can continue developing features and making films forever. This is the only thing I want to do. For me, there’s no way back. It was the same with film school. I was not going to have a plan B, and I got in. It was really difficult to get in but I was lucky. It’s important to be focused. I hope that if I win – but also with just the nomination – that I can just still make good films.”

VeryAware: At the Academy Awards luncheon, you were able to mingle with some of your idols like Scorsese and Spielberg. Did they have any sage words of wisdom or advice for you?

“I talked with Spielberg the entire time we were standing there. If somebody asked me a year ago how it would be talking to Spielberg, I would probably be kinda nervous. During the nominees luncheon, it was just so relaxed. It felt like I was talking to a guy who just happens to be Steven Spielberg. He told me he started out making shorts and I asked him about his latest film. I told both Scorsese and Spielberg I grew up with their films. They were curious about TUBA ATLANTIC and Norway – we were just chatting. I have such a respect for those two guys. They made some of the films that are a part of me: RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, E.T. That was a part of my childhood. I remember JURASSIC PARK coming to Norway. My dad was a projectionist and I was his assistant. So I carried the 35mm rolls up the stairs in winter. It was so cold. The cinema where I grew up only screened on Sundays. So it was packed seeing JURASSIC PARK and they had to put extra chairs six feet close to the canvas. The closest people had shadows of their heads on canvas. I was one of the last people in, sitting close to the canvas. You can imagine a 10 meter canvas and the eye of the T-Rex looking at you. It’s memorable.”

VeryAware: It would seem like it would jump right out of the screen on to you.

“Yes! And everybody was screaming. It was the best movie experience I’ve ever had and may never experience anything like that ever again. Being a child, I was 9 years old, we were not allowed to see it. But since I was working there, I got a free pass. So I saw it and told all the guys at school I saw JURASSIC PARK!”

VeryAware: We touched on it a little earlier but what’s up next for you?

“I do commercials when I don’t have a feature going. Features are the main occupation. Now I’m working on a couple of features. One is very close to production. The artist who inspired me the most on TUBA ATLANTIC, I’m going to make a story on his life as an eight year old. His life is strange and RUGRATS-ish. He was exploding things, the same as I did and it’s a really funny story. It’s set to 1928, in distant valley of Norway. That’s a really cool production and I’m looking forward to that. Other than that, I’m developing stories to be made in the United States as well. I’m a single guy who wants to travel around the world. I don’t have a cat, wife, or children. I really want to do films abroad so that’s my plan. I set as a goal – and I don’t think it’s a healthy goal but just set it for myself –  that I hope to make two feature films before I’m thirty.”

VeryAware: Given your track record, when you set your mind to things, it sounds like you’ll be very successful achieving this. I really enjoy seeing your style of filmmaking and storytelling.

“I hope to come back with other features – perhaps in the features category. My ambitions have no boundaries!”

VeryAware: Perhaps the most important question I haven’t asked yet, Who is your Oscar date?

“My Oscar date will be Edvard, of course! Oh yeah, I’m taking Oskar to the Oscars. The producers and writers will be in guest seats further back but they’ll be in the Kodak.”

VeryAware: It will be such a fun experience, going to the parties and walking the red carpet. Now you are part of Hollywood history! That’s pretty great.

“In Norway they are so proud. I almost get embarrassed, they are so proud. There is so much attention on this film. The ministry of foreign affairs are paying for a big party for eighty Norwegians to come to Los Angeles just to support the film on Oscar night.”

VeryAware: I will be rooting for the film on Oscar night and sending positive thoughts your way because I just loved it so much and want people to discover this little gem.

“That’s so great. We are just trying to spread the word about TUBA ATLANTIC. I mean, it’s inexpensive. You can see five good films. I think its an honor to be nominated among them. People can see them in the theaters.”

VeryAware: …and on iTunes starting on the 21^st, so people at home can download it and watch it.

“I think that’s the future of short films! I love it. I think it’s great there’s a market for short films. We are really happy there is a big distributor Shorts International as our distributor because they have so much muscle.”

TUBA ATLANTIC is now playing in Los Angeles at The Nuart and is available today on iTunes. For a list of where to find it playing near you, click here.

Tuba Atlantic Trailer from Hallvar Witzø on Vimeo.

D’aaaaaaaaawwwwwww, look at that little guy. He’s so adorable and undead. Pwecious widdle Frankenweenie.

The poster above is obviously the first one-sheet for Tim Buton’s remake of FRANKENWEENIE, based on the live-action short film from 1984. This time around, Burton’s tale will be stop-motion like THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and CORPSE BRIDE. We hope it’s more like the former and less like the latter.

It’s interesting that Burton himself is directing the feature because he directed the original. You’d think he’d hand over the helm to a different film maker. But this is Burton, the guy isn’t keen on doing anything original anymore. That being said, this is his first film in ages that I’m actually curious to see, mostly because I thought the original was cute and I like dogs, dead or alive.

The poster debuted over at the film’s Facebook page. FRANKENWEENIE opens October 5th.

THE SON OF NO ONE
Rating: Rated R for violence, pervasive language and brief disturbing sexual content
Studio: Anchor Bay
MSRP: $29.99, but Amazon has it for $16.99.
Running Time: 90 minutes

What’s Going On?

When a young cop is assigned to the precinct in the area he grew up in, someone is trudging up memories of an old unsolved murder that could threaten and destroy many of the lives of those involved.

Who’s In It:

It’s a cop drama so of course it stars Ray Liotta. It also stars Channing Tatum, rocking a killer porn ‘stache, Al Pacino, who is not aging well. Tracy Jordan, who isn’t funny in this role, and Katie Holmes.

If You Like…:

Gritty cop dramas, but only if you really like them, and even then this is so full of cliches that you’ve basically seen this film before already.

Special Features:

There are a few extended scenes and a fairly lame commentary. Nothing too worthwhile to spend time with unfortunately.

The Technical Gist

Visually and audibly, the film looks and sounds great. It’s got a gritty look to it, but it still seems sharp and really creates a great environment for viewing. Blu-ray technophiles would get a lot of use out of this film for testing lots of blacks and neutral colored skin tones.

It’s presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track.

The Verdict

Cop dramas are a lot of the time cut from the same cloth. Sometimes a great film can be made despite all of the cliches, but this isn’t one of those cases. It’s a really interesting idea, and the film is shot beautifully, but it feels like any other generic cop drama. Ray Liotta draws from one of the many cop performances he’s got under his belt here and if you didn’t know any better you’d think you were watching one of those films. SKIP IT.