Me and Orson Welles: Upcoming 11.25.2009

"Me and Orson Welles" is the next film by Academy Award nominated director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused", "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset", and "School of Rock"). The film stars Claire Danes ("The Rainmaker" and "Stardust"), Zac Efron ("High School Musical"), and unknown English actor Christian McKay. The film is set in 1937 New York and follows seventeen-year-old Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) an aspiring actor, who then meets theatre director Orson Welles (Christian McKay) and convinces him to give him the role of Lucillus in Broadway's first Shakespearean production, Julius Caesar. Welles, who is having an extramarital affair with the leading actress while his wife is pregnant, couples Richard with production assistant Sonja Jones (Christian McKay) to rehearse. Welles decides the entire production crew would benefit from a coupling game, so Richard cheats to ensure he is paired with Sonja. "Me and Orson Welles" is due out in theaters on November 25, 2009. The film is considered a romantic coming-of-age tale. View Trailer Here

NEW!!: Invictus Movie Trailer: Upcoming 12.11.2009

The first trailer for Clint Eastwood's film "Invictus" has just recently been released. The movie stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. The film follows the rise of Nelson Mandela (Freeman) and how the 1995 Rugby World Cup propelled South Africa to become unified as a country. Matt Damon will play Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South Africa team, who led them to their improbable championship over heavily favored New Zealand. The film will show the end of apartheid, Mandela's release from prison, and him becoming president. The film is based upon the book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation" by John Carlin and was adapted by Anthony Peckham, who also wrote the upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" movie that will star Robert Downey, Jr. This is Matt Damon's first go around with Clint Eastwood and it is the third go around for Morgan Freeman, Eastwood previously directed Freeman in "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby". Clint Eastwood will not be acting in the film. "Invictus" will be in theaters on December 11, 2009 and is considered to be a "front-runner" for several Academy Awards. View Trailer Here

The Last Station: Upcoming 12.23.2009

"The Last Station" is an upcoming biopic about acclaimed Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy wrote the classic novels "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina", as well as the nonfiction work, "The Kingdom of God Is Within You". The movie focuses on the author's final year of his life. The film stars Canadian actor Christopher Plummer ("The Sound of Music" and "The Insider") as Tolstoy and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren ("The Queen") as Tolstoy's estranged wife, Sofia. The movie also stars Paul Giamatti ("Sideways") as Vladimir Chertkov, a trusted follower of Tolstoy and James McAvoy ("Atonement") as Valentin Bulgakov, a naive private secretary sent to work for Tolstoy. "The Last Station" was written and directed by Michael Hoffman, who directed such films as 1996's "One Fine Day", 1999's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and 2002's "The Emperor's Club". "The Last Station" will be based on 1990 novel, "The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year" written by Jay Parini. The film is due in limited theaters on December 23, 2009 and will have a wider release in early 2010.

Agora: Upcoming 12.18.2009

"Agora" is an upcoming film about the ancient Greek astronomer and philosopher Hypathia of Alexandria. The movie stars Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz as Hypathia and was co-written and directed by Academy Award winning director Alejandro Amenabar ("The Others" and "The Sea Inside"). The film focuses on how one woman changed the world. It also tells the story of love between Hypathia and her young slave Davus. Davus becomes torn between his love for Hypathia and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity. The film takes place near the fall of the Roman Empire. "Agora" is going to be released on December 18, 2009. View Trailer Here

The Lovely Bones: Upcoming 12.11.2009

"The Lovely Bones" is the next film from Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong"). The movie stars Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg ("The Departed"), Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz ("The Constant Gardner"), Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon ("Dead Man Walking"), Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos"), Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement"), and Stanley Tucci ("The Devil Wears Prada"). "The Lovely Bones" takes place in 1973 and follows the story of Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) a young girl who gets brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci), a serial killer of young women. Susie then finds herself in a heaven like place observing her family as they grieve over her death. She is also able to watch her killer completely cover his tracks for her murder and his preparations for a future murder. Susie struggles to balance her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz play Susie's parents, while Susan Sarandon plays her grandmother. The film is based on the award winning 2002 novel of the same name written by Alice Sebold. "The Lovely Bones" is due out in theaters on December 11, 2009. View Trailer Here

Brothers: Upcoming 12.4.2009

"Brothers" is an upcoming war drama directed by Academy Award nominated Irish director Jim Sheridan, Sheridan is best known for directing films, "My Left Foot", "In the Name of the Father", and "The Boxer". "Brothers" stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman. "Brothers" tells the story of two very different brothers, Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), a decorated marine and his younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), a charismatic drifter. Sam is about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, just when Tommy is released from prison. While fighting in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is then presumed dead. Dealing with the death of his brother, Tommy tries to fill the void for Sam's wife, Grace (Natalie Portman) and their two daughters. As Tommy helps the family, he gets close to his nieces and even closer with Grace. The thing is that Sam is not dead and suddenly re-enters their lives, but Sam is not the same person who left. "Brothers" was written by "Troy" and "The Kite Runner" writer David Benioff. "Brothers" is coming out in theaters on December 4, 2009. View Trailer Here

Edge of Darkness: Upcoming 1.29.2010

The first trailer for the film "Edge of Darkness" was just recently released. The movie is an adaptation of the 1985 BBC series of the same name. The film was written by Academy Award-winning writer of "The Departed", William Monahan and directed by the original director of the series, Martin Campbell ("The Mask of Zorro" and "Casino Royale"). The movie stars Academy Award winner Mel Gibson as Thomas Craven, a Boston homicide detective whose is investigating the murder of his activist daughter. In the process he unravels a political conspiracy. Ray Winstone will portray CIA agent, Matt Jedburgh who set up the conspiracy; Winestone is best known for his roles as Mr. French from "The Departed", the title character from 2007's "Beowulf", and as Mac from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Academy Award winner Robert De Niro was originally casted as CIA agent Jedburgh, but had to drop out due to creative differences. Other cast members include Bojana Novakovic ("Drag Me to Hell"), Gbenga Akinnagbe ("The Wire"), and Danny Huston ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). This film will be Mel Gibson's first starring role since M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs", that was released in 2002. "Edge of Darkness" is due out in theaters on January 29, 2010. View Trailer Here

The Invention of Lying: In Theaters 10.2.2009

"The Invention of Lying" is the first film written and directed by acclaimed English comedian Ricky Gervais. Gervais is best known for creating and starring in British TV shows "The Office" and "Extras". "The Invention of Lying" takes place in an alternate reality where no one in the world is able to tell a lie. Not only don't they lie, but also they say anything thought that pops into their heads. Ricky Gervais stars as Mark Bellison, a unsuccessful screenwriter, who is down on his luck when he discovers the ability to lie. The dialogue in the film never gets annoying, like some people feared. Gervais was excellent in the film and is becoming a comedy star. The film's cast could be the best in a comedy I've ever seen. The cast includes Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Martin Starr, Jeffrey Tambor, and Christopher Guest. The film had cameo performances from Academy Award winning Philip Seymour Hoffman, Academy Award nominee Edward Norton, and the hilarious Jason Bateman. I enjoyed the film, it did make me laugh, some scenes were funnier than others, but overall it was a pretty good movie. "The Invention of Lying" receives a good 3 1/2 wheelchairs out of 5. View Trailer Here