Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins plays legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in Hitchcock, and as the "master of suspense," Hopkins is scarily good. The film follows the director for only a handful of months, while he's overcoming opposition to make iconic horror film Psycho. It's a fascinating subject — the studio feared it would be a tasteless slasher film, and the criticism only seemed to fuel Hitchcock's resolve. However, while Hopkins's performance is admirable and the movie is energetic, Hitchcock isn't nearly as memorable as the films the director was known for.

While Psycho's development gives Hitchcock its time frame, "Hitch"'s relationship with his wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), is also used to illustrate his life. At the time the film takes place, the couple is verging on a rough patch due to a host of things, including finances and extramarital temptations. While the marital discord makes you think of them as an average couple and Mirren is predictably fantastic, it's less interesting than the story of Psycho. Find out what else I thought after the jump.

The trailer for Hitchcock looks like it's going to prove that some of the most fascinating movies are the ones about the movie business. Anthony Hopkins plays legendary director Alfred Hitchcock in this drama, which focuses on the time in his life when he was making the film Psycho, as well as his relationship with his wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). As a Hitchcock fan, it's exciting to watch the iconic horror film going through production (which includes a wigged-up Scarlett Johansson as starlet Janet Leigh), though I had no idea that the director had encountered such opposition when he was making Psycho. It's fun watching the drama unfold — and witnessing the sometimes funny dynamic between Hitchcock and his wife.

Hopkins does an impressive rendering of Hitchcock in this preview, but really, everything presented here looks fantastic. There's a great cast (Toni Collette and Jessica Biel also star), a bit of Psycho's signature creepiness (poor Johansson looks like she's genuinely being tortured in the infamous shower scene), and a taste of the tense score by Danny Elfman. Hitchcock comes out Nov. 23, and you can watch the trailer after the jump.

It may not be Summer quite yet, but the arrival of Thor hammers it in: blockbuster season has arrived. Chris Hemsworth plays the title character, the good-looking, gloriously built God of thunder who's in line for the throne in the mythical realm of Asgard. On the night that he's supposed to be inducted as king by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), an invasion from the enemy Frost Giants derails the festivities. Thor secretly organizes a retaliation, and when Odin has to rescue his sons and friends from the unsuccessful mission, he angrily punishes Thor by banishing him from his home.

Exiled to Earth, the disoriented God is hit by the van of scientists led by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Jane and her colleagues (Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) bring Thor to the nearest town, where he has to assimilate with the mortals. Needless to say, his huge ego and fish-out-of-water behavior draws attention to him and produces lots of laughs. It's Thor's ability to succeed on different levels — action and comedy, specifically — in a sleek, energetic package that makes it a supremely entertaining movie. To find out why I enjoyed it so much, just read more

There's a new trailer for Thor, and unlike the first one, this one is going for laughs and more Natalie Portman (whose Oscar nominee status probably has something to do with this newly cut preview). Kat Dennings also gets some more love, helping illustrate that comedy can be found in the story of a God adjusting to modern life on Earth. But it's not all funny bits about Facebook and coffee; watch the new trailer and let me know if you're more excited now when you read more

Anthony Hopkins has played some pretty dark characters ("Hello, Clarice . . ."), but for his latest role, he's going to play the man who mastered darkness. Hopkins is in talks to play Alfred Hitchcock in a biopic about the legendary director's life.

The film is an adaptation of the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, which focuses on the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife while he was developing the iconic thriller Psycho. Sacha Gervasi (director of Anvil! The Story of Anvil) is in negotiations to direct.

The trailer for Thor received its unveiling over the Summer at Comic-Con, but the full preview is now here for the rest of the world to ogle! The basics: Chris Hemsworth plays the beefy Thunder God Thor, who gets booted from his homeland Asgard by his father (Anthony Hopkins). After plummeting to Earth, he bumps into Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her friend Darcy (Kat Dennings). Foster naturally assumes he's just a hot homeless guy, but once he discovers his magical hammer, Thor becomes a fighting machine and a threat to his villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

The stars of the film already shared their excitement over the project at Comic-Con, but between these scenery shots of Asgard and Hemsworth's long, flowing locks as he charges at opponents, I'm officially sold on the movie, too — well, at least the trailer. But my favorite part: Iron Man 2's Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) makes another appearance, which proves that we're getting closer to the epic crossover that will be The Avengers movie. He even references Tony Stark! Give it a look, and share your thoughts when you read more

Boys will be boys, and as Woody Allen's latest You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger proves, they're suckers when it comes to matters of the heart — or well, libido.

As a rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" plays in the background, we meet Roy (Josh Brolin) and Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). Roy is a one-hit-wonder author who is unhappily married to Alfie's daughter, Sally (Naomi Watts), an art gallery assistant with babies on the brain. When the film begins, Alfie leaves his wife Helena (Gemma Jones) when his approaching mortality brings on the desire to reclaim his youth. He satisfies the urge with gym time and by trying to date women half his age. Delusional? Absolutely. But then again, so is every character in this wry comedy. They feed into the notion that the grass is greener on the other side, and this sense of entitlement makes them mostly unlikable (even though at times they are funny to watch). For more on what I mean, just keep reading.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger looks like all of Woody Allen's signature ingredients: neuroses, dry humor, and a delightfully tangled plot. Naomi Watts stars as the wife of Josh Brolin; she's eyeing Antonio Banderas, while her husband is flirting with Freida Pinto. Anthony Hopkins plays Watts's father, and the hilarious Lucy Punch is his younger bride-to-be — much to the chagrin of his ex-wife, Gemma Jones (you know her as Bridget Jones's mom). Follow all of that?

The film already opened at Cannes to average reviews — many saying it's not the director's best, but not his worst, either. I'm still intrigued. How will Brolin fare in the comedic, Allen archetype? Will Banderas and Watts have romantic heat? Plus, Freida Pinto in her first role after Slumdog Millionaire! I have plenty of reasons to watch, but tell me your take. The film hits theaters Sept. 22. Check out the trailer (just ignore the subtitles) when you read more

Since werewolves are so hot right now, I wanted Benicio Del Toro's The Wolfman to be the sophisticated, gothic horror entry into the creature-centric movies. It's promising at first — Del Toro's Lawrence is brooding, dark, and a little sexy, and the atmosphere is rich and spooky.

The film begins with Lawrence returning to Blackmoor, England, to his childhood home and the father who'd sent him away as a boy. Tragedy has struck: Lawrence's brother Ben has been brutally, mysteriously murdered and Lawrence is determined to find out what happened. He hopes to comfort his disapproving father, played by Anthony Hopkins, and Ben's grieving love, Gwen (Emily Blunt).

The secrets of the Talbot home rattle Lawrence and the viewer, but by the time the first werewolf attacks Lawrence, the movie devolves into slasher-flick gore, a paper-thin plot, and dialogue so bad you don't know whether to grimace or laugh.

For more of an explanation, just read more