Jesse Eisenberg & Jeremy Irons Cast in SUPERMAN-BATMAN

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According to Deadline.com, two more key roles for the Superman-Batman movie have been cast! Jesse Eisenberg (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) will taken on the role of Lex Luthor, Superman’s most famous archenemy. Jeremy Irons (“The Borgias”) will play Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler/mentor. Check out what Zack Snyder had to say about the casting decisions:

“Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940,” Snyder said in Warner Bros’ announcement of the castings today. “What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.” As for Irons: “As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure. He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman,” Snyder said. “It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”

Source: Deadline.com

REVIEW: THAT AWKWARD MOMENT Falls Short

imageAs one of the most disappointing films I’ve screened this year (which it’s only January, so take that comment with a grain of salt), THAT AWKWARD MOMENT does little to entertain its audience. How can a 90-minute film seem long? Well, it’s one looooooong AWKWARD MOMENT that can accomplish just that! Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller star in this comedic, male-perspective love story loosely based off the Shakespearean play, Love’s Labour’s Lost. The film centers around these three mid-early twenty-somethings as they discover love in a handful of painstakingly embarrassing moments. The female counterparts fall just as flat, if not flatter, with the exception of the Hollywood rising star, Mackenzie Davis. She, most notably, brings life, comedy, and realism to her character. Her delivery is superb, and I must admit, her chemistry with Miles Teller is absolutely adorable (and believable!); the only saving grace to THAT AWKWARD MOMENT.

I went into THAT AWKWARD MOMENT thinking that I would come out of the theater, light-hearted and sore from laughing so hard. Unfortunately, the film made me more sour than sore. The funniest scenes are revealed in the film’s trailer, so if you can laugh as hard as you did when you watched the red band trailer, than you are golden. If you are like me and find it hard to laugh at something that ridiculous twice, then, I hate to say this, don’t waste your money on a $15 movie ticket. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, not all the funny (and memorable) scenes are in the trailers. There are a few scenes that are new and definitely worth watching. With that being said, the most upsetting part of THAT AWKWARD MOMENT is the way the film ends. If you hate reading spoilers, jump to the next paragraph now! What bothers me the most is how Ellie (Imogen Poots) takes back Jason (Zac Efron), forgiving him for not attending her father’s funeral. Now, let’s put this into reality. If your significant other didn’t show up to your parent’s funeral, would you really be able to forgive them and take them back? Oh, HELL NO! I’d maybe forgive them, but would I take them back? No! This, to me, reveals the male ignorance of the screenwriting, completely unsympathetic.

The music, played throughout the movie, is a bit cheesy. Not sure if the music supervisor was trying to be hip by supplying the film with 80’s synth pop. It seemed completely out of place and unnecessary. I would have rather liked to hear something more current and playful, given the theme of the film in the first place.

Upon my second viewing of the film, the audience laughed way more than during my first viewing. I have hope that this film will serve its purpose. My word of advice: Don’t watch any of the clips or trailers. Keep it a mystery and don’t expect any Oscar-winning performances. It’s a dirty, grimy boy’s movie, marketed to the female population; it’s our glimpse into an unknown species — men.

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT hits theaters nationwide TODAY!

WATCH: Robert Pattinson Stars in THE ROVER, Teaser Trailer

And here it is, my friends … what we’ve all been waiting for … Rob with a Texas accent, all dirty and grimey! Haha! Here’s the official first look at The Rover, set to hit theaters Summer 2014!

[youtube http://youtu.be/P7C95zhu7yA]

Also, here is a still and poster from the film.

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WATCH: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS First Trailer

OMG! It’s finally here! After leaking briefly on the Internet two days ago, The Fault In Our Stars makes its first trailer debut! Now, if this trailer doesn’t bring you to tears, then you are one strong son of a b!tch! (Excuse my french .. ha!)

[youtube http://youtu.be/9ItBvH5J6ss]

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS opens in theaters nationwide on June 6th!

Jimmy Fallon Hands ‘Late Night’ Pickle Over to Seth Meyers

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Continuing a tradition started by David Letterman, Jimmy hands over the coveted Late Night pickle that resided in Jimmy’s office the last 5 years.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXwqWqfRu0I&feature=share&list=UU8-Th83bH_thdKZDJCrn88g&index=1]
Meyers will be taking over as host of Late Night on February 24 – after Fallon moves to take over The Tonight Show.

Sundance Review: SONG ONE Starring Anne Hathaway & Johnny Flynn

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A romantic drama with a soundtrack that will melt your heart, SONG ONE is Kate Barker-Froyland first film that you won’t want to miss. Franny (Anne Hathaway), an anthropologist living in Morocco, receives a phone call from her mother (Mary Steenburgen) that changes her life. Her younger brother, Henry, who had been living in Brooklyn trying to make it as a musician, was hit by a cab on his walk home. Now in a coma, doctors aren’t sure he’ll ever wake up.

Franny, we come to find, is harboring a lot of guilt from the last time she spoke to her brother. Six months prior, a fight had broken out between them, over his decision to drop out of college and pursue his musical passion full time. On returning home, a discovery is made which throws the film into motion: her brother Henry’s journal tucked into his guitar case. As she starts to read the pages, Franny finds herself opening up pieces of his life she hadn’t known about previously.Along with his journal, Franny uncovers tickets to see her brother’s favorite musician, James Forester (Johnny Flynn). She makes the decision to go to the show, since he cannot.

In meeting with James after his show, Franny passes along a CD of her brother singing for James to listen to. She leaves with a heavy heart, but hopes he’ll take a listen anyways. When he stops by the hospital where her brother is being held not long after their meeting, to see how he is doing and to see about playing a song for him, you can see the walls that Franny has put up start to fall away. Where you might feel hesitant to this scene, as the cliche of it begins to nag at the back of your mind, it flows so effortlessly that you are able to forget this hesitance within moments. Anne’s sensitive nature and ability to express her character’s pure sorrow effortlessly coats each scene with an authentic ambiance.

At one time, Franny had fought with her brother over his decision to make music his full time career; now, she’s clawing to get a taste of the musical experience any way that she can.  She attends concerts with James, and even some alone. She sings silly songs to James, trying to inspire him during his writing lull. She’s obsessively listening to her brother’s recorded songs and searching out instruments he always wanted. She has gone from one extreme to another, as she explores this new world that her brother loves so dearly, and has begun to blossom into a softer side of herself as a result.

The relationship between James and Franny grows deeper, emotionally and sexually, as the two of them begin to spend more time together. From going to different concerts, recording sounds for her to play for Henry, opening his fan mail, to sitting and enjoying the city skyline, the two of them forge a bond.

Desperately trying to hold herself together, and to rebuild what she fears may have been lost, she visits her brother every day, playing the sounds she has recorded for him, hoping that the familiarity will help him recover. It is during these desperate times of extreme hope that she shares with her brother that the weakness of Franny’s relationship with her mother is unearthed. When she left to pursue her dreams around the world she left everything behind and didn’t look back. Where this may have been therapeutic for her, you can see the pain it has caused her mother.

Johnny Flynn plays the elusive singer/songwriter, James Forester. Mostly an unknown actor, especially when pitted against the likes of Anne Hathaway and Mary Steenburgen, Flynn will leave you lovestruck, with him and his messy hair. While many may watch and wonder why he consistently stays in that shy, awkward place, I found it massively endearing and realistic for his character. There have always been those in the spotlight that aren’t the most extroverted, gregarious people. It’s refreshing to see someone not attempt to portray a successful musician character fully “Hollywood-ized”, the stereotypical confident and full-of-smooth responses leading man, especially when that’s not always the case. Flynn’s nervous nature, which to me appeared whole-heartedly real, even added a few laughs in places where Franny and her mother were in arguments or overtly dramatic moments.

Musically, Flynn nails it. When he takes the stage, singing and playing, it seemed the audience, including myself, was completely memorized. I found myself praying that we’d get to hear the entire song each time he took the stage, and not be left craving more like you are in films that only want to give you a taste of the music. Luckily we get to hear him sing and play a few times, which makes me think that the director and his team were aware that the music should take the front seat in this film from the very start. I’m not ashamed to say when I got out of the screening I went right to download his music. (Also, I must say it doesn’t hurt that he’s British. That accent? Killer.)

Though the story line is addicting, like so many romantic dramas that have come before it, it’s the soundtrack and score of SONG ONE that will win your heart here. From the musical masterminds, Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice, comes a score that makes you feel that music is whats meant to be at this films’ core. Without it, this film would fall flat and seem as commonplace as other romantic dramas.

One thing I wished we could have seen more of in this film was the character Henry (Ben Rosenfield). His first and only true scene at the start of the film, where he’s singing in the subway station, had the entire theater locked on him. Sitting amongst all those people, I could feel a collective breath when he finished singing, as if we were so enthralled with him we hadn’t thought it possible that he could stop.  A talent worth noting, Rosenfeld’s part, in my eyes, could have certainly been expanded in a way that would have only benefited the film.
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