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Movie Preview: James McAvoy in Robert Redford's The Conspirator

Lauren Bradshaw — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:18:53 PST

Bust out your stovepipe hat, because we're about to journey back to the time of Abraham Lincoln. Robert Redford's The Conspirator centers around the trials following the assassination of our 16th president, and in particular, the lone woman charged with taking part in his murder: Mary Surratt. Robin Wright plays the accused, while James McAvoy steps into the role of her lawyer. But perhaps Surratt was actually innocent? The film's trailer suggests that she was covering up for her guilty son in the ultimate act of motherly love.

Historical dramas often get a bum rap for being boring, but I'm already intrigued by this one. It looks like part courtroom drama, part thriller, with a stellar cast. Redford has pulled together a supporting ensemble featuring everyone under the sun, including Alexis Bledel, Evan Rachel Wood, Justin Long, Tom Wilkinson, and Kevin Kline. My only concern: Long's mustache. I'm sorry, but it's just ridiculous. Give it and the rest of the film a look after the jump.

Burke and Hare Trailer: Simon Pegg Schemes, Isla Fisher Flirts

Lauren Bradshaw — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Fart jokes, coy sexual innuendo, slapstick - it's just another day in the 1800s! In Burke and Hare, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis star as real-life murderers Burke and Hare who collected bodies to sell to science. It sounds like a gruesome period tale (and it actually exists in the history books!), but leave it to the two British goofballs to put their off-the-wall comedic spin on the story. Somewhere, the real Burke and Hare must be turning over in their graves.

Isla Fisher joins the morbid fun as a "physical" actress and Burke love interest, which means she's basically the sassy female eye candy. Tom Wilkinson and Tim Curry costar as doctors who stock up on Burke and Hare's supply. Even though the trailer is almost too ridiculous for my taste, I'm in love with every member of this ensemble. The film bows in the UK this month, after which we'll have to wait for it to come stateside. Till then, peek at the preview when you

The Debt Trailer: Sam Worthington Shows His Dramatic Side

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:40:02 PDT

Sam Worthington's name is synonymous with Avatar, and after having recently done another action flick (Clash of the Titans), he hasn't really proved himself as a dramatic actor. That could all change with his film The Debt, a thriller half set in present day and half in flashback. Worthington plays David, one of three Israeli Mossad agents in the flashback period who have been sent to hunt a Nazi war criminal. The real evidence that Worthington is amping up his acting resume is the support here: his costars are Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson, and the director is John Madden, of Shakespeare in Love.

The subject matter is understandably intense, and the trailer offers equal parts heart-pounding sequences and emotional heft. I can't wait to see if Worthington can hold his own - or if he's drowned out by the rest of the cast. Watch the preview and form your own opinion when you

Isla Fisher to Dig Up Bodies (and Laughs) in Burke and Hare

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:30:29 PST

Isla Fisher better get working on her horror scream. The actress has signed on for Burke and Hare, based on the true story of two of Edinburgh's earliest serial killers/gravediggers who sold victims' bodies to a medical school (for a nice profit, naturally).

Oh, and did I mention it's a comedy?

Simon Pegg is playing Burke to Andy Serkis's Hare, and Tom Wilkinson has also recently joined as a school lecturer in need of fresh corpses. Fisher will reportedly serve as Pegg's actress-girlfriend - and no doubt steal a few scenes like she always does.

Fisher and Pegg as an onscreen couple seems like a genius matchup to me. Best of all, the whole thing is being helmed by John Landis. The man obviously knows a thing or two about decaying bodies from serving as the director of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," so I can't wait to see what he does this time around.

Sounds like wicked good time, don't you agree?

Duplicity: Stylish Spy Caper That's a Touch Too Calculating

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:00:55 PDT

It's hard to go wrong with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in a movie together. The two starred in Closer as a couple in a toxic marriage. This time around they play two corporate spies who are intoxicated with each other. The sexy part comes from the way they look (Owen is tan, Roberts is back with that big ol' movie star smile) and the fact that the characters' day jobs make it hard for them to trust each other, despite the longing between them.

I was expecting Duplicity to be the kind of movie at which I could kick back and enjoy the chemistry between the two stars. You know, the kind of movie in which double-crossing is just a spy's way of flirting, and covert operation lingo is laced with innuendo. I'm sad to report that's not the movie I viewed at all. I'll tell you why if you

I've been intrigued by the idea of Tony Gilroy (the man responsible for the 2007 drama Michael Clayton and writer of the suspenseful Bourne movies) delivering a fun and sexy spy romp starring two of the world's most gorgeous people. I knew to expect a grown-up movie that respects my intelligence, though I was skeptical about how much lightheartedness Gilroy could bring to the screen.

Turns out my skepticism was valid, as I found that the romantic and comedic elements take a backseat to a complex storyline about the corporate spy organizations within pharmaceutical companies. It's all made even more tiresome by a complicated timeline (there are a lot of flashbacks). Instead of asking you to invest in the sexy leads, Gilroy asks the audience to just hang in there through every twist and turn of nonsense in return for a big reveal that will piece it all together for us in the end. Well, by the time I saw the big reveal, I was just glad the movie was over rather than blown away by the cleverness.

On the plus side, the movie looks gorgeous and is delightfully sophisticated. The opening slow-motion sequence on a tarmac is funny and stylized in a way that reminded me of the Oceans 11 movies. Julia and Clive are delightful in Rome and there's a particular moment in which he kisses her neck that satisfied the kind of airy seductiveness I was looking for. There's also a great little sequence with the hilarious Carrie Preston (of True Blood) that is truly alive with comedic timing and wit. But unfortunately, the fun stuff is weighed down by the overly serious corporate saga unfolding. I think the drama is supposed to give us some food for thought on top of the fun, but it's actually just a drag, and it's utterly useless as a parable.

Then there's the matter of Julia Roberts. It's amazing to see this famous siren of the screen back in action. She's all curves with decolletage proudly on display. She's glamorously dressed in European weekend-wear and expensive-looking heels and trench coats. She's middle-aged and it's such a blessing to see a real woman sexily strut her stuff up there on the big screen. But Roberts' performance is distractingly uneven. One moment her eyes are alive with intelligence and wit and the next it looks as though no one is home. When she laughs it's electric, but then other times she just looks drained of energy. It's a strange "comeback" to be sure, but hey, maybe it's just a warm up.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Clive and Julia Are on Duplicity Duty in London

PopSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:00:00 PDT

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen joined up in London last night for the premiere of their film Duplicity. Clive and his wife Sarah-Jane walked the red carpet together, but Julia was rolling without her husband Danny. She recently opened up about all the fun she had working with Clive, and her affection for him was on display as they posed for photos. He saved the real loving for his wife, giving her a big kiss in front of the cameras. We'll be seeing more of Clive and Julia as they gear up for their movie's March 20 release stateside.

To see more from the evening, just

View 20 Photos ›

Images include: Tony Gilroy, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson

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Valkyrie: Shallow and Underwhelming

BuzzSugar — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:30:18 PST

While there are a zillion World War II movies out there already, I kept an open mind going into the Tom Cruise star vehicle Valkyrie. Sure, this is a movie that has been dogged by bad press from start to finish (even due, in part, to the fact that Cruise is a Scientologist) but I can see that there is a fascinating movie to be made out of a German resistance movement involving Nazi officers in Adolf Hitler's inner circle.

High-ranking, aristocratic officers attempting to assassinate Hitler? There's so much to explore here! Were these men heroes? Or was it a desperate and calculated power grab when it was clear the Germans were losing the war? What did these men know about the mass murders of Jews that had taken place and when did they know it? Did any of them, including Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) who led one of the most daring plots to kill Hitler, have a genuine crisis of conscience? And if so, what does that kind of moral awakening look like?

In a war that is often depicted very starkly as good vs. evil, within the German rank and file there were shades of gray and this makes for interesting psychological thriller fodder for sure. So why did Cruise and director Bryan Singer forego that kind of film in favor of a totally reductive, shallow, glossy, big-budget flick that will leave you feeling underwhelmed and a little icky because you just spent over an hour rooting for Nazis? I really don't know, but let's talk about it. Just

First of all, I'm a little baffled at how little characterization exists in this movie. We are asked to very simply and easily accept these men as heroes and root for them when they are Nazis, for Pete's sake. Just trying to kill Hitler and place yourself and your pals into power isn't quite enough to make us care. And at times it's hard to root for people you know are going to fail because - spoiler alert? - Hitler survives the assassination attempt and World War II continues on.

The whole experience is confusing to say the least. For example, in the opening scene we see Cruise on the ground in Africa fighting on behalf of Hitler's Germany when the "enemy" (that would be the Allied forces fighting to stop Hitler from totally destroying Europe) airplanes zoom in to launch an air strike and bodies go flying everywhere. Instinctively my sympathy went toward the soldiers on the ground, but then. . . aren't these Nazis? Who am I rooting for here? And why?

My fundamental issues with the filmmakers' approach aside, the real question is: Is it entertaining popcorn cinema? And in my opinion the answer is no, not really. It's not the laugh-riot some thought it might be (Cruise, Nazis, eye-patch, ya know) thanks in part to a solid cast that props the movie up, including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Eddie Izzard. It's not a very satisfying experience that fails to keep viewers on the edges of their seats, save the moment when Cruise's character attempts to plant a bomb quite literally under Hitler's feet. There's also a nicely executed political coup late in the movie that is captivating to watch - an example of the potential this movie had.

Finally, at the center of this wannabe-blockbuster is one of the most self-conscious performances of Cruise's career in which he takes all that burning intensity he so often brings to the silver screen and buries it away. I've read that part of Stauffenberg's heroism was his ability to recruit others to his cause based on sheer charisma and charm. Never would have guessed that from this portrayal.

Photos courtesy of MGM

Movie Preview: Clive and Julia in Duplicity

BuzzSugar — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:30:40 PST

The next project from Tony Gilroy, writer and director of Michael Clayton, is Duplicity, a spy thriller with a sexy couple at the heart of it. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts play two corporate spies with a romantic past who "hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses." Paul Giamatti and the awe-inspiring Tom Wilkinson also star.

I watched the trailer a few times because I'm easily distracted by how good-looking Clive Owen is, but in the end I think it looks like an intriguing enough film. There's not a lot of chemistry going on with the main duo, but the premise seems fun. And I think the song used in the second part of the trailer is that Bitter:Sweet tune used as the theme song for Lipstick Jungle (it drove me a little crazy at first trying to figure that out). Duplicity opens March 20. To check out the trailer,

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RocknRolla: Slow to Build With a Rockin' Finish

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:30:32 PST

RocknRolla is extremely similar in tone and format to director Guy Ritchie's other films, and I must say I'm starting to think that his movies are only as good as the actors in them. Snatch is a good ensemble piece overall, but the most memorable parts are due to standout performances by actors like Brad Pitt and Alan Ford. Though not as good a film as Snatch, RocknRolla similarly benefits from some fine performers, in this case Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, and Toby Kebbell, among other members of the extensive cast in this convoluted story.

And by convoluted I mean I'm not sure I can even get into the plot here without writing another six paragraphs or so. Suffice to say there are a couple high-level criminal guys (played by Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong and others), a resourceful accountant (Thandie Newton), a few bumbling low-level thugs (Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy), and a druggie rock star, Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell) all chasing around large amounts of money and/or a beloved painting. There are a lot of men behaving badly because they had cruel fathers. There's a good amount of violence (often paired with great music) and torture mixed with dry, dark humor. It's funny and exciting - but not consistently so. For more on what I mean,

The beginning is slow to build, with tons of details to take in at once, and sometimes the story is downright uninteresting. But the ending is exciting enough to make you forget the entire hour or so that came before it. Maybe that's Ritchie's shtick: Saving the best, most memorable parts for last so you're left with the impression that it was a great movie.

So, is it worth it? That depends. If you haven't liked any of Ritchie's stuff in the past, this movie will definitely not change your opinion. If you've never seen his movies, start with Snatch and make RocknRolla last on the list. And for any fan of his, RocknRolla is worth it for the helluva good ride we get to take in the last third or so of the movie.

Oh, also: We get a brief glimpse of Gerard Butler's bare backside. So. There's that.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Movie Preview: Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:31:47 PDT

The title of this movie doesn't have an exclamation point at the end - I added that to the headline on account of my extreme enthusiasm for the RocknRolla trailer! As a huge fan of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, I am positively giddy to see a trailer for another movie in that same vein. Plus, the cast rocks. There's Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, and, well, Ludacris. There's also Hottie McManly himself, Gerard Butler.

The trailer shows a supernatural aspect to this movie, along with the same old violence and that kind of wry, dark humor that permeates Snatch and Barrels. The plot description states: "London's criminal underworld takes notice of a Russian mobster's shady land deal, a scam that puts millions of dollars up for grabs."

If you are already a fan of director Guy Ritchie's style (we can ignore that he ever had anything to do with Swept Away for now), you might swoon at this trailer just as much as I am. The movie opens in the UK September 12, and then we'll get it October 31. Until the video becomes embeddable, you'll have to check out the trailer over on Empire where it premiered. Enjoy! And let me know what you think.

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