Director Tony Kaye‘s debut was 1998′s stunning tour de force, American History X. The film stars Edward Norton as a recovering skinhead trying to set things right in the present while remembering his misdeeds of the past, and if you haven’t seen it I can’t recommend enough that you stop reading and seek it out immediately. It’s an incredibly affecting film anchored by a tremendous performance from Norton. Sadly, Edward Furlong also stars.

Kaye and Norton had a very public falling out during the film’s post-production, and the director seemingly vanished into thin air in the decade-plus since. Except he’s actually been making films at a steady pace. You just most likely haven’t seen them.

Now thirteen years after reportedly trying to remove his name from American History X (and replace it with Humpty Dumpty) Kaye’s latest film looks to return him to the limelight. The critically acclaimed indie Detachment stars Adrien Brody as a man who chooses to avoid personal connections as the ones he was born with begin slipping away. A dead mother, a father falling into dementia…he avoids intimacy to avoid the pain, until his latest teaching assignment finds him forming an unexpected bond.

Check out the clip below, and head over to the film’s official site for more info.

Unseen in the clip is the rest of the film’s amazing cast including Bryan Cranston, William Peterson, Tim Blake Nelson, Lucy Liu, James Caan, and more.

The official synopsis is below.

In Director Tony Kaye’s Detachment, Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody stars as Henry Barthes, an educator with a true talent to connect with his students. Yet Henry has chosen to bury his gift. By spending his days as a substitute teacher, he conveniently avoids any emotional connections by never staying anywhere long enough to form an attachment to either students or colleagues. When a new assignment places him at a public school where a frustrated, burned-out administration has created an apathetic student body, Henry quickly becomes a role model as a teacher who actually cares about the well-being of these students.  In finding an emotional connection to the students but also fellow teachers and a runaway teen, he finds that he’s not alone in a  life and death struggle to find beauty in a seemingly vicious and loveless world.”

Detachment hits Movies On Demand from Tribeca Film starting Feb 24th and will receive a limited theatrical run in March.

Not long ago, the team here at FSR took a look at the wild world of product placement in movies over a series of Culture Warrior articles, sponsored by Doritos. One great point that our own Cole Abaius made in his essay, A Word About Product Placement in Movies (Brought to You Buy Doritos) is that product placement impacts moviegoers in different ways. Some of us are more acutely aware of when we’re being sold to. Others simply don’t mind. What we can all agree on, however, is that product placement is alive and well and very much in existence. As explained by this cool new infographic from the folks at Online MBA Advice, the history of product placement is rich, the future is bright and most of us don’t seem to mind.

Check the infographic out for yourself below:

Infographic courtesy of: Online MBA Advice

The horror…the horror…

The best part about this poster for New Year’s Eve is either that it features all of the names and pictures of the actors, but not in the same order, or that the catchphrase “Let The Countdown Begin” lets us know that it’s a Doomsday Movie.

Garry Marshall, who should be ashamed of himself for directing Valentine’s Day, proves once and for all that he owes some serious men down at the race track by stepping up to direct this sequel which seeks to squeeze even less screen time out for even more famous faces.

Also, Homeless Hector Elizondo is kind of cruel considering they made everyone else look halfway decent (except for Ashton Kutcher who clearly didn’t show up for a photo shoot and forced the marketing department to find a paparazzi shot of him smiling). Enough with the words! Check it out for yourself, and feel free to largify it by clicking (if you dare):

Alternate uses for this poster include Bingo and as a medical aid to induce vomiting.

Hrp.

The first trailer for the film will be released tomorrow, but to whet your appetite until then Universal has unveiled the first poster. With a cast like this it’s almost a guarantee it’ll be filled with familiar faces and names right? Think again partner. Aside from continuing to inexplicably promote Nintendo’s Power Glove the poster makes a bid for anachronistic teasing over selling itself with celebrity. It’s a shrewd move even if the final result does hew a bit too close to the poster for Jonah Hex (sans CGI sidekick Megan Fox of course).

The official synopsis is below.

1873.  Arizona Territory.  A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution.  The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist.  What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford).  It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky.  Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation.  As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force.  With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation.  United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.”

Cowboys & Aliens opens July 29th, 2011.

David Tennant (Dr. Who) stars as a popular Las Vegas magician called upon by some uppity teens to face off against pure evil in the form of Jerry the vampire (Colin Farrell).

The role is an updated version of the TV horror host played by Roddy McDowell in the original film. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse play the aforementioned uppity youngsters.

The image below is of a three-story banner hanging in the lobby of a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where the Fright Night magic show takes the stage. Behold the mystical stylings of Peter Vincent, Mindfreak!

[Click on the image to largify]

What do you think of Russell Brand as David Tennant as Jack Sparrow as Criss Angel as Peter Vincent?

]]> http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/peter-vincent-mindfreak-first-image-of-david-tennant-in-fright-night.php/feed 8 http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/the-first-five-minutes-of-the-disappearance-of-alice-creed.php http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/the-first-five-minutes-of-the-disappearance-of-alice-creed.php#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:33:36 +0000 Rob Hunter http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/?p=82654 Trailers are so 2009. Welcome to the future of film marketing as Anchor Bay releases the first five minutes of The Disappearance of Alice Creed onto the interwebs! Yeah, I know it's not the first film to market itself this way (hell, Wolverine upped the ante by releasing the entire film in advance), but it's still an interesting move. Doubly so in this case as the lead actress is nowhere to be seen...]]>

Trailers are so 2009. Welcome to the future of film marketing as Anchor Bay releases the first five minutes of The Disappearance of Alice Creed onto the interwebs! Yeah, I know it’s not the first film to market itself this way (hell, Wolverine upped the ante by releasing the entire film in advance), but it’s still an interesting move. Doubly so in this case as the lead actress is nowhere to be seen…

Now, aside from providing a damn good detailing of how to prepare for an abduction should you be so inclined, the film looks pretty interesting. Eddie Marsan is always gold and while I’m not really a fan of Gemma Arterton, I can put up with her in the confines of a well-made thriller. The focus appears to be on Alice’s attempts to escape and possibly manipulate her captors but I’m expecting some kind of twist from the outside world. I’ve only seen the video above, but I still suspect something along the lines of The Betrayed with Melissa George. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The official synopsis is below:

Two men – one in his twenties, the other nearer forty, both intensely focused on the task at hand – line the inside of a transit van with plastic. Shopping, they buy a drill, a mattress and other supplies. In a small flat they assemble a bed for the mattress and staple foam insulation and board to the walls and windows of a bedroom. Then, their meticulous preparations complete, they kidnap a young woman. They drag her from the street into the back of the van and, with a bag over her head and ball gag in her mouth, take her back to the flat, tying her to the bed in the room they have converted into a prison cell.

The kidnappers are Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan), two ex-cons planning to make a mint on the ransom for the young woman.  The younger, nervier of the two, Danny defers to the more experienced Vic, who acts with a steely conviction.  Their hostage is Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton), daughter of a rich businessman, chosen by Vic and Danny as their passport to a better life. Terrified and immobile at first, it soon becomes clear that Alice isn’t about to let her captors use her as capital without a fight. As determined to escape as Vic and Danny are to succeed, Alice enters into a battle of wills which strains the already fractious relationship between the two men. As the deadline for the exchange draws nearer, all three are brought close to breaking point, with Vic and Danny’s foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival.”

The Disappearance of Alice Creed opens in limited release on August 6th and premieres on VOD the same day.

What do you think of the opening five minutes? Are you interested in seeing Gemma Arterton tied to a bed? Pervert.

Two new posters were dropped into my inbox this afternoon minutes apart from one another, but they are each pefect examples of two totally different styles.

The first is for the Sundance favorite The Kids Are All Right. It’s a standard poster for a not-so-standard story of two women who meet the sperm donor who made it possible for them to get pregnant. Red states will probably love it.

Click the poster to largify:

The second is for the also-Sundance favorite Buried which features Ryan Reynolds in a coffin for the entire run-time. The concept is a gimmick of course, but it’s a gimmick can has the possibility of rising above the fray and becoming a true tool for the story telling.

As you can see, the marketing team really took the gimmick and applied it right to the poster for an effect that I believe will have people staring at it or at least getting closer to figure out what company is responsible for the black ink shortage.

Also, click to largify:

Who says that minimalism in marketing is dead? Reminds me of the first major ad revolution of the 1960s when all the noise and copy was tossed out in favor for a tiny VW bug and the words “Think Small” plainly written at the bottom of a giant page of nothing. I’m not calling this poster revolutionary, but it’s a damned fine example of clever marketing to get people curious about what that man is doing in the box.

What’s in the box?! What’s in the box!

You win, nerds. We placed Tron Legacy on our Most Anticipated of 2010 List and as if in direct response, they’ve released an exclusive image right into the hands of MTV. Just like we planned.

I would love to shout from the rooftops about how epic this is, but it just looks a lot like the blue version. But yellow.

Be your own judge:

I suddenly really want the same designers to work on an adaptation of ExciteBike.

MTV is also promising some new details emerging soonishly from an interview they did with director Joseph Kosinksi, so scan their site for that on the horizon.

What do you think? There’s another full year almost until this damned thing comes out.

Paramount Pictures has started up a pretty cool new website in support of the release of Up in the Air, Jason Reitman’s spectacular film about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who lives his life on the road. It’s a film that just this week earned a glowing review from our Robert Levin and the Best Picture nod from the National Board of Review. It has also earned the adoration of yours truly — I’m almost certain that it will end up in my top ten for the year. Clooney is phenomenal, delivering Bingham with a classic wit and sharpness that is unmatched by any other on-screen performance this year.

The new marketing ploy launched this week is Ryan’s Rules, a site dedicated to the travel tips from the film’s main character. Early in the film, we learn some of Ryan’s rules of life on the road, including why he stereotypes as he goes through airport security (because it’s faster, of course). Now you have a chance (via Twitter) to list your own special travel rules in addition to Ryan’s ten below. Just head over to RyansRulesofTravel.com and log in with your Twitter account. My own first addition to the list: “Wear slip-on shoes. There’s no time for anything more complicated.”

1. Never get in the TSA line behind people with infants. I’ve never seen a stroller collapse in under 20 min.
2. Never get in the TSA line behind the elderly. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal.
3. Don’t spend a nickel of per diem unless it somehow profits your mileage account.
4. Never check a bag. It adds thirty minutes to your flight.
5. When packing. Roll your shirts. Tuck socks in shoes. Fold your suits inside out.
6. Aisle seats are for those in control of their own destiny.
7. If you’re paying to upgrade, then you’re doing something wrong.
8. Why do you have liquids? The hotel provides those gratis.
9. Wrist watches don’t set off the metal detector. Stop fumbling with yours.
10. The red carpet is for those with status. Here’s a brochure. Please step aside.

What are your rules for efficient travel?

I’ve already heard too much about Antichrist. Whether it be from critics twatting all over twitter about it or from random people talking about what scissors are used for, I’ve sadly overheard things that I’d rather not know before heading into a darkened theater.

So I plan on saving you all from that fate. Luckily, knowing nothing about the movie as you hopefully do, this poster is still incredibly creepy.

[Clicking Makes it bigger!]

Your guess is as good as mine as to what that string-esque entity under the scissors is. Shoelace? Skinny stain? Mini-umbilical cord?

I know what I’m crossing my fingers for? Thank goodness the Aussies can handle a little abstract marketing.

What do you think?

Source: ShockTilYouDrop

Everything that comes out about this movie looks absolutely breathtaking. So kudos to the marketing department. Soon, it’ll be time to see if Where The Wild Things Are lives up to the expectations that it’s been building for itself.

Adding to that expectation pile is a series of new character posters that look fantastic:

[Clicking on the images makes them slightly larger]

I cannot wait for October 16th.

And is it just me or does Judith look a little bit like a horned Falcor from The NeverEnding Story?

Just me? Thought so.

The new poster for the Gerard Butler/Jamie Foxx thriller Law Abiding Citizen has appeared over at Cinematical. The poster depicts Foxx against a mottled gray to white background and Butler against blood red. Both actors look out from the poster, intense, focused and clearly on opposite sides in this story about murder, justice denied and revenge.

Are these just arresting images or visual metaphors or both? Butler against the blood red backdrop is obvious. His character is a man whose wife and child are brutalized and murdered in front of him. Left with what he sees as no choice he turns to violence to exact his revenge on the system and the people in it.

Foxx is trapped in a no man’s land of black, white and gray. He’s the cool rational cog in a legal system that doesn’t always serve up justice, but often settles for the expedient deal.

This looks like an interesting film filled with explosions not only from special effects, but from the two actors who go head to head.  It’s a game of cat and mouse gone ballistic.

Law Abiding Citizen opens on October 16.

What do you think of the poster? Are you looking forward to the film?

Earlier in the year Neil and I raved about a movie that hit SxSW like a blonde bombshell and threatened to disrupt civilization as we know it. Then a little while later, I rejoiced that it was getting distribution because I predict more than a few people will really dig just how crazy and wonderful Women in Trouble truly is.

Now, with this teaser advert FSR has managed to procure, I’m reminded yet again that the movie is coming to a theater near you (and me) with all of its foul-mouthed, over-the-top ridiculousness and a whole slew of beautiful women who get into a lot of trouble.

The picture of Carla Gugino in the ad also seems to be staring into my very soul and begging me to propose marriage to her. Or just to go see her movie. Clicking on the image makes it much, much bigger:

Not too shabby. Kind of a cool little advertisement that definitely relies heavily on the beauty of the star to draw you to it. I think a few creative directors will shudder at the thought of three different fonts on a single ad, but I always love seeing the “Freaks and Geeks” font used for other projects.

Hopefully we’ll be hearing more and more about the flick as we get closer to November. A full scale trailer wouldn’t be out of the question, and so far I’ve had trouble putting into words the absurdity and cleavage-levels present in this thing so hopefully we’ll get some moving pictures to tell a few thousand words. But in the mean time, I’ll let Carla Gugino (as Elektra Luxx) explain why hers is the best-selling celebrity vagina on the market:

Written and directed by Sebastian Guiterrez, Women in Trouble features the incredible talent of Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Adrianne Palicki, Marley Shelton, Cameron Richardson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and there are even a few men involved (like Josh Brolin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt). It hits theaters in November.

What do you think?

The video below really doesn’t need much in the way of setup.  Just know that it’s viral marketing for Dead Snow, the upcoming Nazi zombie flick from Norway.  Got it?  Zombies.  Nazis.  Viral marketing.   Okay… proceed.

Makes you want to rush out and eat some Norwegian ass doesn’t it?  (Cause the movie is about flesh-eating zombies see…)

So how long did you last?  Did you make it to the 1:11 mark when the actual marketing appeared?  Or the 2:06 mark with the glitter and nipples?  Thanks to Twitch for the heads up on the video, and for doing the research necessary for me to tell you the ass above belongs to model/reality-show-alumni Linni Meister.  I did try doing a Google search for her, but it seemed stuck on the Pictures setting so all I found were pics from her sex tape.

Did the video convince you to go see the movie?

Not too long ago — mere minutes, I know — I wrote about a brand new photo from Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming actioner The Expendables. I also included a few small shots of some promo art that has shown up in Cannes this week for that large, world-renowned film festival that is happening. Moments later I got a tip from a little birdy that Twitter-holic Lauren Benz Philips has been posting images in her Tweet-stream, images that are much bigger and much more badass. And as I feel obligated to share anything in the realm of badass, I have rounded up said photos for you below.

The Expendables is currently shooting in various locations in South America. It hits theaters April 23, 2010.

Our friend and neighbor Alex Billington over at First Showing has made the long trek out to the south of France this week to attend the Cannes Film Festival. And to start up his coverage, he’s taken some pictures of the banners that line the walkway of the Croisette. Included in his snaps are new banners for a few very highly anticipated upcoming films: Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. You can see these banners in the image below as well as a few others over at First Showing by giving the image a click.

The best Sherlock Holmes movie ever made remains Murder By Decree which stars Christopher Plummer and James Mason as the famed duo in search of Jack the Ripper.  It’s a fantastic and creepy mystery from the director of A Christmas Story and Porky’s.  The Michael Caine/Ben Kingsley comedy Without A Clue is a close second, but there’s a good chance that ranking may change this December when Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes hits theaters.  USA Today has posted an early look at the upcoming possible blockbuster including new photos, a screen description, and news about the film’s first trailer… which is scheduled to premiere in front of Terminator Salvation on May 21st.

Robert Downey Jr. stars as the master detective with Jude Law portraying his dapper sidekick, Dr. John Watson.  The film also stars Rachel McAdams as a wily lass and Mark Strong as the villain.  This adventure is seen by many as a re-imagining due to Holmes’ bare-knuckle boxing and general rowdiness, but much of the story actually takes it’s lead from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original tales and inferences.  It also looks to be a male bonding/buddy movie similar to the new Star Trek film from JJ Abrams.  No, really… go with me here.

What people fell into the trap of doing in the past is thinking that by making Watson dumb, they made Homes smart,” Law says in refernce to the duo’s yin-yang relationship.  “I mean, Holmes is a genius.  He has this autistic savant quality and eccentricity that doesn’t need highlighting.  And what I love in Guy’s concept, and what we developed, is the idea that they are each one-half of a whole.  Watson is the one who keeps him on track.  Watson is very sensible, always checking whether they’ve got their pistols and they’re loaded.  He keeps what could be a very wayward individual straight.  They are very dependent on each other.”

See?  Very Kirk and Spock-like don’t you think?  And that can only be a good thing as Star Trek is about to launch a new franchise in a very big way.  Head on over to USA Today for more quotes and scene descriptions, and check out the new photos below.  (Thanks to IESB.net for the heads up.)

WHY?

I feel like I displayed a certain amount of eloquence with my above statement and see no reason to go into further detail. We just got these promo images in the old email box, and they have me asking questions about my life. How I got here. What I’m doing with it.

More importantly, it has me wondering how these particular images will be used as promo images. Is this it? Are these bare images promoting the movie or will they someday feature awkward text that tells people what movie they are shilling?

My questions remain unanswered.

What do you think? Stop thinking that!

Yahoo Movies has debuted a brand new poster for Spike Jonze‘s highly anticipated film Where the Wild Things Are, adapted from the children’s book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. The film follows the story of Max (Max Records), a young boy who escapes his own harsh reality by dreaming up a land of mysterious creatures known as “wild things.” These wild things will be voiced by James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose and Catherine O’Hara.

Where the Wild Things Are hits theaters on October 16, 2009.

The marketing blitz for Star Trek, the J.J. Abrams directed reboot of the beloved franchise, has been well under way for the past few weeks. And seeing as the film hits theaters on May 8th, I would assume that we haven’t seen the last bit of flashy marketing for this decidedly flashy movie. But as far as I’m told, this will be the final theatrical poster. Why? Because it’s in hyper-drive. Seriously, check it out below:

Also new today is a TV spot posted by the folks over at The Movie Box. It shows a bit more footage, including a little dialogue from Zoe Saldana as Uhura. She’s wondering if Chris Pine knows what he’s doing as Captain Kirk — as are we. Though, we’ve got confidence that he can pull it off. Also, there is another shot of Simon Pegg’s one line in the movie (that’s not confirmed, but we’re pretty sure). Check out the new spot below: