As we all know, last week was pretty uneventful in terms of new movie releases, thankfully, that all changes today. December 11th marks Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation with The Princess and the Frog, which looks gorgeous. Ever since we saw a few clips of it back at Comic-Con all signs point to Disney magic.  Peter Jackson’s new movie, The Lovely Bones, has received mixed reviews, but is beautifully shot and hey, it’s Peter Jackson! Fashion designer, Tom Ford‘s new film, A Single Man, starring Colin Firth will be in limited release this wee, but is sure to grow with Oscar buzz. Finally we have Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman‘s latest movie, Invictus, about the relationship between Nelson Mandela and the South African Rugby player, Francois Pienaar, after Mandela was elected President. Enjoy!

Check out the movies coming out this week…

• The Princess and the Frog | ScreenCrave Review | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
• The Lovely Bones | ScreenCrave Review | ScreenCrave Interview | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
• Invictus | ScreenCrave Review | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
• A Single Man [Limited] | Tom Ford Interview | Colin Firth Interview | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes
• A Slammin’ Salmon | Reviews | Tickets and Showtimes

Check out the trailers…

Princess and the Frog

A Single Man

The Lovely Bones

Invictus

A Slammin’ Salmon

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Peter Jackson took on more than he might have bargained for with the film adaptation of The Lovely Bones. The film is constantly walking the line between disturbing and beautiful, and overall it is a success, just not the full success that it had the potential to be. There is no debating that this is one of beautiful films that you’ll see all year, with phenomenal performances across the board. It is filled to the brim with many wonderful qualities that carry you along throughout the film, and it’s great to see Jackson taking a risk on such a tricky novel. Sadly, as much as I wanted to love the film, I didn’t, at least not as much as I hoped I would.

Lets take a look at what what right and what went not so right…

The Players:

• The Director: Peter Jackson
• The Actors: Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli, Rose McIver
• Writers: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson

The Plot:

The Lovely Bones is based on the best selling book by Alice Sebold, and is told from the perspective of Susan Salmon, a 14-year-old suburban girl who is raped and murdered by her neighbor on her way home from school. After her murder, she lives in the “in between” and watches her family adjust to her being gone and tries to help them find her killer.

The Good:

• Saoirse Ronan: Man can that girl act. She’s open, honest, and takes an extremely difficult role and tackles it head on.
• Stanley Tucci: A film is only as strong as its villain. For someone so sweet and charming, he can switch from the guy next door to your worst nightmare in the blink of an eye without any obvious changes.
• The Use of Colors: The use of lighting and colors added a tremendous amount to the depth of the film. From the darkness of reality to the beautiful colors during the dream-like sequences while she’s in the “in between”, the film feels like a painting come to life.

The Bad:

• The Sign-Posting: Everything is pointed out to you and you’re not left to discover anything on your own. As an audience, we get that certain things in the start of the movie might come into play later, we don’t need to hang on to every tiny little thing for an extra 3 seconds with some eerie music to MAKE SURE that we see exactly what’s coming.
• Special Effects: Although they were good, it felt like they forced in a few too many because, hey, they could! The simple effects, such as the flickering light or shifts in color were often far more effective then the big budget extravaganzas.
• Run-time: Yet again, it was far too long for its own good. Keep it simple.
• Redemption: (Spoiler Alert) The film involves the rape and murder of a child, by a man who seems to be evil for no good reason, as a audience we need some redemption. We need to know that things aren’t that fucked up. In a different movie you could get away with it, but in this film, with this rating, the ending needed to come together in a more satisfying way.
• “Huh?” Moments: There are a few moments that character-wise the plot just doesn’t make sense. Yes, these are extraordinary circumstances, but the heart of this film lies in the humanity of it, and therefore the characters have to act like real people. Through no fault of the actors certain events played out in completely unrealistic ways which took away from the dark reality that the film was trying to hit you with. Without the “realness” you’re taken out of the dream and can no longer sit in awe of the beauty that is in front of you.

Summary:

Overall, this is an interesting film and it is beautiful to watch, but something about it made me feel like it wasn’t fully realized or pushed to its greatest potential. If you are going to see it, see it in theaters because that’s where you can take in the full wonder of it, don’t want for the DVD.

Rating: 6/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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The Lovely Bones is scheduled to hit theaters this week in limited release, so we’re not surprised that a new poster has just dropped. The folks over at Empire have revealed the latest international one sheet for the film that features an angelic Saoirse Ronan. Out of the previous posters we’ve seen, this latest version looks like the best of the bunch.

The film stars Ronan as a teenage girl who is brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci). In the wake of her death she watches her family from heaven as they deal with their loss. Her parents will be played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother by Susan Sarandon. The film is adapted from the Alice Sebold book of the same name.

This new poster may be an attempt to gain more supporters, since the early reviews of the film haven’t been that great. There have been some reservations about Wahlberg’s performance, and whether or not he was the right choice to play the father. Ryan Gosling was originally cast in the part, but left due to creative differences with director, Peter Jackson.

Even amongst the negativity, Stanely Tucci seems to be the stand out star of the film, with his calculated portrayal of a child killer. Hopefully the criticisms of the film won’t effect his chances this awards season, because he honestly deserves some recognition.

The Lovely Bones opens in wide release on January 15, 2010.

What do you think of the international poster for The Lovely Bones?

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A final poster has been released for Peter Jackson’s upcoming drama, The Lovely Bones and its a lot creepier than the previous one. It features the primary character as played by Saoirse Ronan and a very uneasy looking Stanley Tucci. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on December 11th so this is their last effort for some good promotion.

Check out the poster and two clips from the film below…

The Lovely Bones is based off the novel of the same name by Alice Sebold, and features (Ronan) as a teenage girl who is brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Tucci). In the wake of her death she watches her family from heaven as they deal with their loss. Her parents are played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother by Susan Sarandon.

The following poster highlights all the signs of a murdering pedophile, but for some off reason Ronan’s character didn’t get the hint. When you think about it, this is one of the few times it would be OK to turn around and step into the light. That’s the one major thing that sticks out in this poster besides Tucci’s predatory gaze.

Now, check out the following clips from the movie:

What do you think of the poster and the video?

Source: Myspace

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A poster has been released for Peter Jackson‘s upcoming drama, The Lovely Bones. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as parents grieving over the death of their young teenage daughter. The cast also includes several Oscar winners and nominees such as Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan.

Take a look at the poster’s debut…

The Lovely Bones will also co-star Stanley Tucci as the murdering neighbor, who is behind the death of Ronan’s character. The film is based off the novel by Alice Sebold, and has been in the making for a few years. Originally there were rumors that Ryan Gosling was set to star in the role of the mourning father, but due to creative differences he left the project. I’m happy he made that decision, because I would not buy him as the parent of a teenager.

The film hits theaters in limited release on December 11th, and nationwide on January 15, 2010.

What do you think of the poster for Jackson’s The Lovely Bones?

Source: Empire

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Over at MTV they’ve posted an extensive gallery of photos promoting some of this fall’s most anticipated film releases. You get a sneak peek at images from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Amelia, Nine, Ninja Assassin, Sherlock Holmes and more. From the looks of it we can expect some pretty entertaining movies to debut in the upcoming months. Everything from cheap comedies to Oscar contenders pop up during the later part of the year. Take a look at these revealing photos below.

These are just some of the films that I’m interested in, but there’s more to see over at MTV. They’ve got about two dozen photos for your viewing pleasure. Some of my top picks are Nine, Gentleman Broncos, and Whip It. I’m really interested in seeing what they’ll bring to the table. They’re very different from each other, but each have something interesting to offer in terms of story.

Not to be dismissive of George Clooney‘s new film Up in the Air. I’m sure it will reflect a humorous, and insightful look into the life of a jet setting businessman who’s looking for love. As the summer closes there are so many films to choose from!

What movies are you looking forward to seeing this fall?

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A new behind the scenes featurette has been released for Peter Jackson‘s upcoming film, The Lovely Bones. Last week the first trailer debuted and now we get to see all the hard work that went into making the adaptation. During the video, Jackson gives an interview describing his interest in the original book, and his desire to transfer it onscreen. You also hear from actors Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz on their roles as heartbroken parents, while co-stars Michael Imperioli and Stanley Tucci also speak about thier involvement in the film.

Check out the video after the jump.

This really looks like it’s going to be a beautiful film. Not just visually, but narratively I think it will blow audiences away.

What do you think of the behind the scenes look at The Lovely Bones?

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An exclusive trailer has finally been released for Peter Jackson‘s adaptation of the popular novel, The Lovely Bones. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as a teenage girl who is brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci). In the wake of her death she watches her family from heaven as they deal with their loss. Her parents will be played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother by Susan Sarandon. The film is adapted from the Alice Sebold book of the same name.

Check out the trailer after the jump!

What do you think of the first trailer for The Lovely Bones?

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Today, Entertainment Tonight will be debuting an exclusive look at Peter Jackson‘s much anticipated film, The Lovely Bones. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as a young teenage girl who is brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci). In the wake of her death she watches her family from heaven as they deal with their loss. Her parents will be played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother by Susan Sarandon. The film is adapted from the Alice Sebold book of the same name.

Check out the footage after the jump!

What do you think of your first glimpse of The Lovely Bones?

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Five posters from some of the most anticipated films of this year and beyond have just popped up online. The images featured are for Iron Man 2, The Last Airbender, Shutter Island, The Lovely Bones, and Up in the Air. All the films promoted are Paramount releases and star some pretty big names, such as George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert Downey, Jr. Some of these aren’t that amazing, but I do love the one sheet for Shutter Island. If you think think the cropped photo above is intense, check out the full sized one after the jump.

Images courtesy of  Film1.

The Iron Man 2 poster looks kind of plain, but I’m thinking it’s more of a teaser than anything. Later in the year we’ll probably get our first character photos from the film. Up in the Air is a very creative, yet quirky look for a promo poster. It’s not exactly easy on the eyes, but it stars George Clooney and I’m sure he will be (zing!).

What do you think of the promo posters for these five films? Which one do you like best?

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Empire just released  the first official photo from the Peter Jackson drama, The Lovely Bones. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as a young teenage girl who is brutally raped and murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci). In the wake of her death she watches her family from heaven as they deal with their loss. Her parents will be played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, and her grandmother by Susan Sarandon. The film is adapted from the Alice Sebold book of the same name.

The screenplay for the film was adapted by Jackson and his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The Lovely Bones has been in development for a couple of years with the earliest references dating back to 2007.  The role of the father was originally supposed to be played by Ryan Gosling who dropped out of the project due to creative differences with Jackson. Even though Gosling is a capable actor I don’t know if I would have bought him as the dad of a 14 year old girl.

What do you think of the film’s first photo?

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