I'm a huge fan of David Fincher's work, and it's always exciting for me to see what he ends up doing next. He's currently developing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo for Disney, which would be absolutely amazing! I want that movie to happen so badly, but there's a chance that it could fall through. If it does, Fincher is making sure he has another project to fall back on, and that project is an adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl. The story centers on a woman who disappears on the day of her fifth anniversary and all evidence points to her husband as the killer.

As you can see this definitely sounds like a Fincher style production. He has also been rumored for the Star Wars directing job, and he's slowly but surely developing the sequel to The Girl With the Drgon Tattoo. If he does end up making Gone Girl, I have know doubt it will turn out to be another great and intense Fincher film. What do you think about his possible new directing gig? Here's the full description of the book, 

Marriage can be a real killer. 

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Source: Deadline (http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/david-fincher-eyeing-publishing-sensation-gone-girl-at-fox/)

Free Reyes, Joey Paur, Ben Pearson, and Elijah Reyes review Upstream Color. Special thanks to Conrad Paur for manning the cammera.

After the premiere of 'Upstream Color' Director, Writer, and Actor Shane Carruth answers questions from the audience.

Written & Directed:
Shane Carruth

Starring:
Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, and Andrew Sensenig

Synopsis:

A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

A lot of fans have been wondering if we will see Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, and it looks like we'll see her. That's right... her. According to IMDB, Jimmy Olsen has been changed to Jenny Olsen, and Rebecca Buller is the actress playing her. There's no mention of Jimmy on IMDB, which leads us to believe that this rumor could end up being true.

The character can actually be seen in the trailer for the film (pictured above) running alongside Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. She's got a little smile on her face even though she's in the middle of complete chaos. We know that Snyder is shaking things up in the Superman universe, so I'm not really surprised by any changes like this. I don't think it's going to hurt the film even though it's pretty big change, but I'll admit... Jimmy will be missed. I wonder if this new female character will have the same kind of personality, or if she'll be a completely different character. 

What do you think about Jimmy being turned into Jenny? Is this a change you can get behind if it ends up being true? 

Source: io9 (http://io9.com/5977847/supermans-pal-jimmy-olsen-could-look-a-lot-different-in-man-of-steel)

Here's a fun vintage 30 year old Variety ad featuring a Star Wars and E.T. mashup of sorts. George Lucas posted the ad congratulating his friend Steven Spielberg for his classic sci-fi film E.T. stealing the number one spot from Star Wars in film rentals. I guess that was a big deal 30 years ago. 

Source: Star Wars (https://twitter.com/starwars/status/292794403150512128/photo/1/large)

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman

Director: Fredrick Bond

Screenwriter: Matt Drake

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint

Official Synopsis: Obeying the last wish of his deceased mother, young American Charlie travels to Eastern Europe with no plans. He lands in a truly unknown place—wilder, weirder, and more foreign than he could have ever imagined. Committed to spontaneous, explosive, and instinctive acts, Charlie now finds himself pursuing an equally lost soul named Gabi, a mysterious Romanian woman unable to shake her dark, violent past.

Performances

As a fan of Shia LaBeouf, I'm glad to see him continuing to operate in more independent territory and avoiding major studio projects. After his solid work in Lawless and his strong work here, it seems the indie scene has revitalized him creatively, and with a movie with Lars Von Trier on the way, the future continues to provide interesting opportunities for the former Disney Channel actor. Evan Rachel Wood is alluring as the object of his affection, pulling off a convincing Romanian accent while her mysterious personality works some magic on LaBeouf's character. Rupert Grint shows up in a small comedic role, and let's just say his female Harry Potter fans will probably find his brief screentime amusing. But the true standouts were the movie's villains, memorably played by Mads Mikkelsen and Til Schweiger. These guys seem to really relish playing these ruthless gangsters, and they were perfectly cast as dudes who don't think twice about killing innocent people or using crazy glue as a bonding agent to hold two prisoners together.

Story and Direction

The film is an extremely impressive debut for Fredrick Bond, who gives us a stylish and immersive trip across the world and an interesting and unconventional love story. While the movie unfortunately has some pacing issues (it slows way down while building the budding romance), its action sequences are fantastic. There's a particularly inspired chase sequence in the middle of the movie, complete with slow motion segments, that had our audience applauding mid-film, and aside from a few weird bits here and there (some supernatural elements, the standard "ecstacy in a club" scene), Bond does a great job of pulling things together in a cohesive and compelling way.

This love story starts out very slowly as it sets up Charlie's visit to Bucharest and his eventual relationship with Gabi, but it packs a serious punch when he encounters the gangsters who have Gabi snared in their web. A quasi-cheesy MacGuffin is introduced about halfway through, but if you're hooked by that point, you're aware of what kind of movie you're in for, and it's easy to go along and enjoy the rest of the ride.

Similar To

Think a less nerdy Scott Pilgrim against the worst Evil Ex of all time, and instead of pop-infused computer graphics, you get contemplative drama and brutal, bone-crunching violence.

Chances You'll See It In Theaters

This one should actually hit theaters later in 2013, so if you're a LaBeouf fan (or would like to see him get his ass absolutely handed to him multiple times), check this one out.

Here are a couple of amazingly radical illustrations featuring Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles fighting Gru from Despicable Me. The image above is called "Despicably Incredible," and the one below is called "There Goes the Neighborhood." They were both wonderfully created by Kizer Stone. I hope you enjoy then as much as I do. 

Make sure to read Ben's written review.

Ben Pearson and Free Reyes review Before Midnight.

Director: Richard Linklater

Writers: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Official Synopsis: We meet Celine and Jesse nine years after their last rendezvous. Almost two decades have passed since their first encounter on a train bound for Vienna, and we now find them in their early forties in Greece. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story.

Hot Toys has released a set of new photos teasing their new cool Iron Man 3 collectible action figure set. As you can see in the image above, they've replicated the first official image released for the film of Tony Stark in his hall of armor. 

One of the most anticipating blockbusters of the year - Iron Man 3 is coming soon in end April! A series of collectibles from this exciting movie will be launched very soon which you can match with our Hall of Armor Collectible Set including the Tony Stark Collectible Figure in his workshop, so that you can easily create the scene when he is putting on his armor in the trailer.

This is going to be a great playset that will never be taken out of the box to be played with!

Source: Hot Toys (http://www.facebook.com/hottoys)

Director/Screenwriter: Randy Moore

Cast: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Jack Dalton, Annet Mahendru, Danielle Safady, Alison Lees-Taylor

Synopsis: Jim White is an average American family man, mostly content to exist within his humdrum reality. At the tail end of a theme park vacation with his loving wife and two beautiful children, he is awakened by an unsettling phone call from his boss, who tells him that he has lost his job. Unwilling to disturb their sabbatical, Jim holds off on breaking the news to his family so they can enjoy their last day at the idyllic and beloved tourist destination. In desperate need of a distraction, he finds one amidst the long lines at the park—two attractive and fun-loving teenage girls. In his fractured state, Jim falls obsessively in love, making any excuse he can to follow them everywhere. Along the way, his paranoid psyche spirals even further downward, and the fine line between fantasy and reality becomes blurred. 

Story and Direction

What grabbed our attention and got us to watch this film, and what will likely prevent you from being able to, was the fact that this was shot on location at Walt Disney Theme Parks - without permission or consent from Disney! While watching some of the more elaborate scenes you're often left wondering, "How many takes did they need to get that?" The answer: around 3-4, sometimes… 1. The film was shot entirely in black and white to hide some of the inconsistencies in lighting. There were also a handful of scenes that had to be shot with green screen, most aren't too distracting. Either way, it's truly awe-inspiring how first time feature director Randy Moore was able to properly plan, rehearse, and film this cute and twisted comedy. 

I absolutely loved the satirical humor in the first 2/3 of the movie. There were so many well-written scenes that really feel authentic to what a "not-so-magical" day at the "Happiest Place on Earth" is like. The film's final act is what will polarize audiences. You'll either love or hate the bizarre turn this takes. Even though this "line between fantasy and reality" is set up throughout the movie, it turns into something I personally found hard to enjoy. Not only could I not make heads or tails of the ending, it just stopped being funny and resorted to gross-out humor. 

Escape From Tomorrow may offer a world of laughter and fun, but it would have benefitted from staying grounded in a smaller world.

Performances

Yet another testament to how amazing the production was, is how they were able to get great performances from their young leads. We've all heard how difficult it is to get kids to act. And we have probably all experienced or at least witnessed how hard it is get children to focus or behave at a theme park. The performances they managed to get out of Katelynn Rodriguez and Jack Dalton are really amazing considering the hectic guerrilla techniques which were used to capture their performances.

In the role of Jim is Roy Abramsohn. The character is a bit unsympathetic at times, but he brings a really fun energy to the role that could have easily been fumbled or overacted. Abramsohn is like a less-intense, more subtle Rob Riggle. He has that everyman look that you can really accept, and even when he's not being the greatest dad or his kids are being straight up creepy, you still get a solid sense of how much he cares for his children.

Similar To

I don't think there has really been anything like this before. It's study of a familiar setting not really tackled before, and the fact that it is presented in black & white, could garner some comparisons to Kevin Smith's Clerks. Although this has a lot better acting and goes way weirder places… seriously. 

Chances You'll See It in Theaters

Disney will no doubt put the kibosh on this thing. Exactly how much legal action will be taken is yet to be seen, but Disney representatives were sent out to screen the film. Do not fear, this could have a lot of life within the festival circuit. Ultimately, the only way to get this out to the masses without getting locked up in the Disney Vault would be to release this online for free.

Iron Man 3 will arrive in IMAX theaters internationally April 25 and domestically May 3. Here is the official press release from Deadline:

LOS ANGELES – January 22, 2013 – IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), and Marvel Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that Marvel’s Iron Man 3ä, the latest installment of the film franchise that has grossed more than $1.2 billion at the global box office, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released to IMAX® theatres internationally starting April 25 and domestically on May 3.

Official Synopsis:

Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale withJon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of Tales of Suspense (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man (#1) in May of 1968.

Be sure to check out the trailer for Iron Man 3 if you have not already!

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Source: Deadline (http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/iron-man-3-imax-3d-release-announcement/)

The Way, Way Back

Writer/Directors: Jim Rash and Nat Faxon

Cast: Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Liam James, AnnaSophia Robb, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon

Official Synopsis: The Way, Way Back tells the story of 14-year-old Duncan’s awkward, funny, and sometimes painful summer vacation with his mother, Pam, her overbearing boyfriend, Trent, and his daughter, Steph. Although Duncan has a tough time fitting in and finding his place, he does find an unlikely ally and mentor in Owen, a carefree employee at the local waterpark where Duncan gets a job. Over the course of the summer, as his mother drifts further away, Duncan—with encouragement from Owen—begins to open up and come into his own.

Performances

Steve Carell may get higher billing, but Sam Rockwell absolutely steals the entire movie with his hilarious performance as the fast-talking slacker manager of the water park. This kind of character has been played many times before, but Rockwell delivers Rash and Faxon's lines to absolute perfection and gives one of my favorite comedic performances in recent years. Carell is also fun to watch in this movie because he's doing something completely different, playing a sleazy asshat instead of his stereotypical nice guy role. Toni Collette, an actress I normally don't like, was very good as a mom trapped in a relationship with a douchebag boyfriend, and Allison Janney is marvelous as a drunken whirlwind of a mom, bringing a wild energy that could have been annoying but ends up being pretty damn funny. Amanda Peet and Rob Corddry show up in small supporting roles on the beach house side of the story, while Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash all do solid work as the rest of the adults who work at the water park. The younger cast members also shine, including Liam James as the protagonist and AnnaSophia Robb as his love interest/neighbor.

Story and Direction

This could end up being one of the funniest movies of the year, and that's thanks in large part to Rash and Faxon's excellent script. We've seen a lot of films with the same themes as this one, but every element comes together very well and coalesces into a really special coming of age story. There are a lot of moving parts and a bunch of characters to attend to (the adults have their own drama going on that spills over into the protagonist's life), but the script allows them all to have some great moments. The Way, Way Back is a strong, confident, dramatic, and laugh-out-loud funny directorial debut for the Oscar-winning writing duo, and hopefully this film's ultimate success - which I'm confident it will attain - will encourage them to get back behind the camera and direct their own material more often.

Similar To

It's a much, much funnier version of Adventureland, but with twice the heart.

Chances You'll See It In Theaters

100%. This one has breakout hit written all over it.

Here's another TV Spot for Sam Raimi's OZ The Great and Powerful that they called "Which Witch is Which?" I think we already know the answer to that question, but if you want to play along with the Disney marketing machine then watch the new spot, which also includes some more new footage for you to check out! The movie is set to be released on March 8th. Are you looking forward to it? 

"Oz The Great and Powerful" imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will appear in the fifth installment in the Terminator franchise, according to BleedingCool. Shwarzenegger shared the news while doing press for The Last Stand. He listed the film as being on his list of upcoming projects, along with Triplets and the next Conan movie.

Source: BleedingCool (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/01/22/arnold-schwarzenegger-to-appear-in-terminator-5/)

Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Director: David Lowery

Screenwriter: David Lowery

Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, and Keith Carradine.

Official Synopsis: Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie, an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from prison and sets out to find Ruth and their daughter, born during his incarceration.

The beautiful, irreconcilable dilemma of the story is that Ruth—compelled by the responsibilities of motherhood and her evolving relationship with the deputy she shot—remains haunted by her intense feelings for Bob. Each of them longs for some form of peace. Ironically, it’s Bob, the unrepentant criminal trapped in the romantic image of a bygone past, who is driven by an almost righteous sense of clarity.

Performances: 

The main reason I wanted to see the movie was because of the cast. I've always said that Casey Affleck is a better actor than his older brother Ben, and he once again proves how good of an actor he is. Then there's Rooney Mara. This is her first film since The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and she gives a tremendous performance. Then there's Ben Foster who's always great in the film's he's in. It was the fantastic acting in the film that actually helped hold my interest in the film; they anchor the film. 

Story and Direction:

This was a solidly well-made film, but it's one that not everyone is will enjoy. It's a very slow moving poetic kind of love story that follows the story of an outlaw couple, Bob and Ruth. The movie starts off with the end of the criminals' run, and the beginning of living life apart with hopes of one day reuniting with each other. Of course, since Bob is a criminal on the run things don't go as smoothly as he would have hoped. The movie was interesting enough for me to keep watching it through the end. It’s a heartbreaking portrayal of a family split apart. As many of you already know I'm a big fan of westerns, and that's basically what this movie is. It's just not set in the old west.

I don't really have any complaints about the film, The direction of the actors was great, and the cinematography is beautiful. I just know that not everyone is going to like this kind of movie. It's a great piece of movie art, but it's not going to be a huge hit. 

Similar To:

The movie has similarities with other film such as Badlands and Bonnie and Clyde, only it's not as fun or entertaining as those. I know I'm not really selling you on seeing the film here, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into when you see it.

Chances That You'll See It in Theaters:

This will most likely get a very limited release, but it doesn't matter. It's a film that you don't need to see on the big screen. This is one of those movies you can watch on a lazy day on Netflix.

Director Spotlight:

Here's another promo trailer that AMC has cut together for the second half of the third season of The Walking Dead. It includes some new footage some of which features Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Merle (Michael Rooker) fighting in that damn arena. All I know is they better not kill off Daryl, because that would piss me off! The series is set to return on February 10th, and I have no doubt that the story is going to get crazy, and the season will finish strong. Do you think we will see the death of another major character? 

Director: Ben Lewis

Cinematographer: Frank Lehmann

Editor: Simon Barker

Official Synopsis: The story of the most ambitious project ever conceived on the Internet, and the people who tried to stop it. In 1937 HG Wells predicted the creation of the “World Brain”, a giant global library that contained all human knowledge which would lead to a new form of higher intelligence. Seventy year later the realization of that dream was underway, as Google scanned millions and millions of books for its Google Books website. But over half those books were still in copyright, and authors across the world launched a campaign to stop them, climaxing in a New York courtroom in 2011. A film about the dreams, dilemmas and dangers of the Internet, set in spectacular locations in China, USA, Europe and Latin America.

Story and Direction:

The battle between freedom of  information, copyright, commerce, and privacy is the big debate in tech currently. If you didn't keep up with Google Books controversy that happened over the last 8 or so years, this documentary will bring you up to speed. Odds are Google fanboys not going to find anything new here, and the movie feels very skewed against Google.

There are some great motion graphics and beautiful cinematography by Frank Lehmann. The editing does a great job of interweaving the interviews and creating some very cool connections. Because it covers several years and lots of technical information, the movie uses an insane amount of title cards, so many that is slows things down because of all the required reading. Which becomes even more reading because of all the subtitles for many of the non-English interviews. I think they should have narrated the information and shown us more motion graphics. Because I almost fell asleep 12 times while watching it.  

Chances That You'll See It in Theaters:

You're likely going to see this on TV or Netflix Instant. It's worth watching even if it's crazy dense with information. 

Now here's an extremely funny Honest Trailer that I can get behind 100%, because like many of you I couldn't stand Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Once again, Screen Junkies manages to entertain with their hilarious movie commentary. They do a great job with this one.

Get Ready for George Lucas to ruin another legendary franchise as we join Indiana Jones on his quest to find aliens. Yeah, you read that right, aliens. #HonestTrailers

Enjoy!

Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.

We've got some more crazy cool casting rumors for Marvel's upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy! According to our friends at Latino Review director James Gunn and the studio are looking at a couple of big name comedic actors to join the production! Apparently they want to bring Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler into the Marvel movie universe action to possibly provide some comic relief! The site speculates that they might be up for the roles of Rocket Racoon or Groot, both of which make sense for the actors. I could easily see them providing the voice of either of these characters in the film. I actually think it would be cool if it happened regardless of how crappy their careers are right now.

They also reports that a few more names have been added on to the list of actors who could possibly play Peter Quill aka Star-Lord. Those actors incude Wes Bentley (American Beauty), Chris Lowell (The Help), and Cam Gigandet (Twilight). Other actors previously up for the part included Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), JimSturgess (Cloud Atlas), Lee Pace (Lincoln and The Hobbit), EddieRedmayne (Les Miserables), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), JamesMarsden (X-Men), Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) and Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom).

What do you think of the possibility of Sandler or Carrey joing this epic Marvel sci-fi space adventure?

Emmy Rossum (Shameless) stars in this seductive clip from Beautiful Creatures. The film arrives in theaters on February 14. Directed by Richard LaGravenese, the film also stars Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Thomas Mann, and Emma Thompson.

Synopsis:

A supernatural love story set in the South, Beautiful Creatures tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.

I personally think this should come out during Halloween, but it arrives next month for some reason. Check out the clip thanks to Yahoo below and share your thoughts in the rant back section.

Follow Jim on Twitter and Tumblr