_{"C'mon shake yer body baby, do the Conga-you know you can't control yourself any longer…"}

Okay, so as promised, I'm back with your Gerard Butler Cannes Junket Wrap-Up. We've got some video and we've got a ton of pics from the various events that we haven't posted before. Of course my favorites are the bromantic ones with Adrien Brody but there are also pics with Ewan McGregor (Oh if only I could have heard their conversation! I'll bet their brogues got heavier the more they talked with each other.) and Robert DeNiro. Gah! Movies with Gary Oldman, pics with Robert DeNiro, manhandled by Sean Penn…what's next? Brunch with Tom Cruise? 

From the Haiti Carnival event on Fri. 5/18. G comes in at about 1:11 -

Here's a video bit from the interviews he was giving when he was "messing around on boats". Funny that it's from AP, the same source from which that quote came.

This video is from the Millennium bash for White House Taken (which by the way, imdb still lists as Olympus Has Fallen and G claims is "untitled". G is also listed as a producer. He who shall not be named lest the 3 Billy Goats Gruff come after me, is not.):

I hope you've enjoyed this virtual vicarious tour of Butler's Cannes adventure. If by some chance he's still in the south of France (and not in Manchester training) and more pics surface, you can be sure I'll bring them to you.

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source for featured pic

This is a clip from the Lawless red carpet at the Cannes premiere- Watch this instead just looking at the pics and you see how utterly artificial those photo ops are. (No wonder actors all profess to hate them.) Most of the time, the actors involved haven’t seen each other since the film in question wrapped, which is why there is always hugging going on. It’s a good opportunity to see who truly gets along with whom and if there is any animosity.

I say all of that in order to say that I don’t see any between Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy. Watching the clip after looking at a particular photograph the other day, It just proves that a photograph is an instant in frozen time and very often what you may spend hours endlessly poring over and assigning deep meaning to, in reality means absolutely nothing. All of the speculation about “oh he’s mad", "she’s sad", etc etc is just that, speculation. I don’t mean to sound like a scold, that’s not my intention and trust me, when I see a pic of someone or something I like I am capable of projecting onto it what I want it to contain. When I saw the picture of Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy the other day, it LOOKED like they were mortal enemies and I wanted to know what was going on. Taken in context however, there is no evidence to support it. The camera caught them with somber expressions. For all we know they were deciding what to have for dinner.

This clip would seem to confirm my conclusion – Shia on Tom:

Okay now back to the good stuff. Here are two brand new clips from Lawless. Both feature Hardy quite prominently. The first also features Guy Pearce as Special Agent Raikes, who apparently has a death wish. Now THESE two are mortal enemies from the jump: Lawless clip #1:

This clip features Hardy and LaBeouf (as well as the strong silent Howard played by Jason Clarke). Hardy’s Forest (who is the middle brother but the de facto head of the family) is having a "fatherly" but oh-so-serious discussion with youngest brother Jack. Lawless clip #2

“We control the fear, you understand? Without the fear, we are all good as dead.” *shiver*

Lawless (which director Hillcoat has described as "Goodfellas in the woods") starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska and Dane DeHaan opens in the US on August 31.

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Lots of good stuff this week! I’m gonna start with my personal pick for reasons that I’m sure you can guess.

This Means War, of course, is the one with Tom Hardy and Chris Pine as CIA operatives and best friends who go to ‘war’ over the woman (Reese Witherspoon) who comes between them. We talked extensively about this one before it was released theatrically. You don’t need me to rehash it now.  Just remember it’s the one with Tom Hardy using his natural accent and being adorable.  Fox has provided this nice little dvd teaser in any case:

The film also stars Chelsea Handler, Til Schweiger and Abigail Spencer.

Special Features:

Blu-ray Combo Pack

- Alternate Endings w/ Optional Commentary by Director McG
- Warehouse Alternate Ending
- Alternate Ending #1
- Alternate Ending #2

-Bachelorette Party

-Uncensored Gag Reel  (I’ll be buying for this alone)

-Deleted Scenes w/ Optional Commentary by Director McG
- Trish & Lauren Chat / Shooting Range
- Jonas’ Funeral
- Post Pizza
- Ex-Girlfriends
- Visiting Joe
- Lauren Freaking Out

-Alternative Opening Concept (Previz w/ Optional Commentary by Director McG)

-Audio Commentary by Director McG (standard and extended versions)

-Theatrical Trailer

Newlyweds is the latest from writer/director Edward “Ed” Burns. A lot of people only know him as an actor, but I first came upon him with his debut as writer/director, 1995’s The Brothers McMullen.  I followed him to She’s the One (with Cameron Diaz (when she was still acting and doing little indies) and Jennifer Aniston (who only had 2 seasons of “Friends” under her belt at that point) the next year. I could go on. All of his films are lovely little slices of life; gems made with a limited budget usually starring his friends and very, very personal. Newlyweds is no exception. I follow Ed Burns on Twitter so I followed along with the production as Burns shot the thing on the thinnest of shoestrings (seriously-$9000) and even enlisted his twitter followers for help with such things as choosing the poster and the naming of characters.

The official synopsis:

Buzzy (Edward Burns) and Katie (Caitlin Fitzgerald) are a newly married couple living a seemingly conflict-free life. But when Buzzy’s damaged and impulsive half-sister Linda (Kerry Bishe who starred in Burns’ last film, Nice Guy Johnny) arrives at their doorstep expecting to stay for an indefinite period in their Tribeca loft, her antics threaten to disrupt the couple’s commitment to an “easy” marriage. Meanwhile, with Katie’s sister Marsha projecting suspicions of her own husband’s infidelity onto Buzzy, will the couple’s formerly trusting and insulated life be able to withstand the dysfunctions of their respective siblings?

Special Features:

-deleted scenes

-two interviews with Burns covering the inspiration behind the movie as well as his ties to indie filmmaking.

BBC’s “Sherlock” with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson is back in three new stories.  They just aired here in the US, but have already been on dvd in the UK for some months. Now, we get a chance to own it here as well. In “A Scandal in Belgravia”, Sherlock gets embroiled in the complex plans of the dangerous and desirable Irene Adler, and finds himself employing every one of his remarkable skills to survive as the unlikely duo square off in a battle of wits…and perhaps emotions? “The Hounds of Baskerville” whisks the detective and Watson to the wilds of Dartmoor, and face to face with the supernatural lurking in the eerie landscape. Meanwhile, Moriarty is still out there in the shadows, and is determined to bring Sherlock down-at whatever the cost-in “The Reichenbach Fall”.

Special Features:

Audio Commentaries: "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Hounds of Baskerville" are both accompanied by commentary tracks.

-The commentary for "A Scandal in Belgravia" features producer Sue Vertue, writers/producers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, and actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Lara Pulver. The commentary begins by addressing the eighteen month gap between seasons as well as how the characters and their dynamics

evolved in that time. From there, the conversation covers everything from a femme fatale coif to hydraulic-powered mirror sorcery to the crew of Sherlock themselves fleeing from the police. If you're curious how much of the violin Cumberbatch can actually play or if you're desperate to hear everything humanly conceivable about Holmes' coat, you'll no doubt find this commentary to be a rewarding listen.

-Gatiss, Moffat, and Pulver return for the second commentary, joined on "The Hounds of Baskerville" by guest star Russell Tovey. This is by far the meatier of the two audio commentaries, delving into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's body of work, taking a certain cue from Jaws about how to deal with one production hiccup, and noting how the BBC originally was eyeing a set of six hour-long episodes rather than three feature-length installments. If you were keeping your fingers crossed for Moffat to namedrop Doctor Who, you'll have something to look forward to here, along with tales of Richard Nixon in the aftermath of seeing an alien corpse and the revelation that fluorescent rabbits truly are a thing.

-Sherlock Uncovered (19 min.; HD): making-of featurette

The Secret World Of Arrietty (US version) features the voices of Disney Channel's Bridgit Mendler and David Henrie with Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett. It’s based on the award-winning novel “The Borrowers”.

In a secret world hidden beneath the floorboards, little people called Borrowers live quietly among us. But when tenacious and tiny Arrietty is discovered by Shawn, a human boy, their secret and forbidden friendship blossoms into an extraordinary adventure.

Special Features:

-Original Japanese Storyboards

-Original Japanese Trailers & TV Spots

-Cecile Corbel "Arrietty's Song" Music Video

-Bridgit Mendler "Summertime" Music Video

-The Making of "Summertime"

Red Tails is another take on the story of the 'Tuskeegee Airmen', 322nd Fighter Group, who were the first African Americans to complete training to become fighter pilots (training took place in Tuskeegee, Alabama, hence the nickname) during WWII. Racism denied them the chance to put their skills to the test until the need proved to be so desperate that they could no longer be overlooked.

It stars Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Cuba Gooding, Jr, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Gerald McRainey and Josh Dallas.

The Red Tails blu-ray is loaded with special features including the documentary Double Victory along with profiles of the filmmakers and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

The Woman in Black stars Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer who is ordered to travel to a remote village and sort out a recently deceased client’s papers. As he works alone in the client’s isolated house, he begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true intent.

Written by Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class), The Woman in Black also stars Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and Roger Allam.

Special Features:

-Audio commentary: Director James Watkins and Screenwriter Jane Goldman speak on the process of translating script to screen, the picture's score, the picture's physical appearance and dramatic and thematic structures, the combination of horror and emotion, working with Daniel Radcliffe, the work of the remainder of the cast, plot specifics and the process of telling the story through hints and subtleties rather than bluntness, and much more. This is a quality, informative, sometimes even entertaining supplement. Fans will want to give it a listen. With optional English subtitles.

-Inside the Perfect Thriller: Making The Woman in Black (1080p, 9:31): "Perfect" may be more than a little self-aggrandizing, but this overview piece features cast and crew discussing the plot, the process of transitioning the story to the screen, the quality of the cast, shooting locales, the film's scares, and more. Intermixed are clips from the film and behind-the-scenes footage.

-No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps (1080p, 4:04): A closer look at Radcliffe's character's arc, the qualities he brought to the film, his dedication to his craft, the film's themes, the work of his godson in the film, and more.

-Previews: Additional Sony titles.

-UV Digital Copy.

Perfect Sense is a love story set at the beginning of a world-wide epidemic. (My first thought was "Love in the Time of Cholera", but that title was taken and the disease is not cholera.) I don't know if the whole film will be like this, but the trailer was indeed lovely. Ewan McGregor (who starred in the director  David McKenzie’s Young Adam back in 2003) plays Michael, a chef and Eva Green, plays Susan, a scientist, who fall in love while the madness and chaos of the pandemic takes place around them. After all, in any time of crisis, people do live, laugh, love, just bloody get on with it. "Life goes on." Perfect Sense seems to aspire to do what Contagion could not and that's make the outbreak of a deadly disease personal and emotional.

Perfect Sense costars Ewan Bremner (who appeared with McGregor in Trainspotting), Stephen Dillane, Connie Nielsen and Alistair Mackenzie.

Special Features:

-interview snippet with McGregor at the film’s Edinburgh premiere

- ‘making of’ featurette with Ewan Bremner and the Director’s brother Alister Mackenzie who appears in the movie.

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We have some pics of Daniel Craig for your Tuesday morning muffin as he makes his way through Ataturk International Airport on his way out of Istanbul. It looks like filming for Skyfall has finally wrapped in that city. Wonder where they’re off to next. (I know we waited forever, but doesn’t it seem like they’ve been filming forever now? This movie comes out in five months in the UK.) We also have a few pics from that train stunt shoot with Craig and his stunt double, Ben Cooke (who also doubled for Jason Statham in Killer Elite).  That’s a particular favorite up top.

In still more James Bond news, after yesterday’s reveal of that awesomely moody first trailer (oh and by the way, after several more viewings, the end isn't a question, it's a statement: "We're going to kill them first". How silly of me.), Sony has created what it’s calling a ‘super-trailer’ combining the trailer for Skyfall and a trailer for its tie-in video game for Xbox 360 and PS3, “007 Legends”.  I’m not a gamer, but I’ll probably watch this version of the trailer over and over for one reason: the iconic Bond theme in the background of the game s that is noticeably asent from the film’s trailer.

The game combines six Bond films that span several eras, starting with Moonraker, the foundation for the first ‘mission.’ The end of the trailer hints that we’ll get trailers for the other five levels over the coming months.

“007 Legends” lands in stores October 16th. Skyfall lands 26^th October in the UK and Novemer 9 in the US.  Enjoy the pics and the video!

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Holy Schnikey I’m three events behind on Cannes Gerard Butler Party Watch!

Let’s start with last night, Sunday May 20. First there was the Art of Elysium’s Paradis Party at the Chateau de La Napoule. The Art of Elysium is a charitable organization that encourages working actors, artists and musicians to dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. G’s been a supporter for a long time.

Following that event, it was on to the  CAA Cannes Party in association with Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka at Le Baron  (Both of those events are blue suit/blue tie.) G is of course represented by CAA. Had to make nice.

And finally, tonight, Monday May 21 was the IWC and Finch's Quarterly Review Annual Filmmakers Dinner at Hotel Du Cap-Eden Roc.  The after party with music by Aloe Blacc, reportedly went to the “wee hours”. Not sure what that means since it’s about 2:30am in Cannes as I type this.  The attire for this evening was another killer grey suit and grey tie. (I want to know who made that suit. Perfection!) This is a very prestigious event. All the mucky-mucks were there.

Among others, G is pictured with Brett Ratner (he of the 2012 Oscar debacle) who directed G in his segment of Red Band (formerly known as Movie 43). Who knows we may even get to see it someday. Also the actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Elite) as well as Karolina Kurkova and her fiance, actor/producer Archie Drury. (Archie and G are old friends.)

I’ll be back tomorrow with Gerard Butler Cannes wrap-up with all of the random pics that I’ve stumbled upon.

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 "Be yourself and you can be anything."

Hey cats and kittens, have you seen this? There’s a brand new cotton candy-colored poster for Katy Perry’s concert movie, Katy Perry: Part of Me., Did you know it's in 3D.  Yes, that’s right, it’s in 3D. Perry herself has promised spectacular special effects. “The word 'cheap' was not in the vocabulary. Hello — it's 3D. You're going to get hit with a lot of sh–."

Judging from the trailer, which you can view below, you’ll also get some long looks at her early fundamentalist Christian upbringing as well as her relationship with (or at least the subsequent divorce from) Russell Brand in between the singer’s greatest hits. I’ve got that damn Baby You’re a Firework song stuck in my head again now.

I suspect the real Katy Perry (real name Katy Hudson) is pretty shy and guarded and trying to find her place in the world. (The title is after all, "Part" of Me) The costumes and brightly colored hair are disguises to hide behind. (Not exactly a new concept). The tagline “Be yourself and you can be anything”, however,  is not a bad message to be sharing with her legions of teen and tween-age fans.  She’s smart and hard-working, also not traits we should be afraid to show the kids. Who cares what color her hair is?

Katy Perry: Part of Me opens in the US and the UK on July 3 (opposite The Amazing Spider-Man. Now that’s some balls.)

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Okay, this made MY Monday, I don’t know about yours. There is a new poster out for Nick Love’s The Sweeney with one of my favorite geezers, Ray Winstone, to go with the trailer we got last month.  We’ve been telling you about this new Brit crime thriller right along so my excitement  probably comes as no surprise. Even though it’s based on a 70’s tv show, lest anyone think this is a period piece and will be set in the 70’s, the poster should dispel that notion since “The Gherkin” is very prominent in the London Skyline.

 “Based on the original ITV cult classic TV show, THE SWEENEY will be a modernization of the London Flying Squad, directed by Nick Love (THE FOOTBALL FACTORY, THE FIRM) and co-written by Bafta Winner John Hodge (TRAINSPOTTING).

Set in present day England, THE SWEENEY will be packed full of fast cars, action and wise cracks as it follows Flying Squad detectives Jack Regan, (originally played John Thaw,) George Carter (original played by Dennis Waterman) and their team, as they work to keep the bad guys down!”

Ray Winstone’s costar Ben Drew aka Plan B, has been at Cannes this past weekend promoting his directorial debut, Ill Manors. (You can find out more on that at the film’s official site.)  The Sweeney  also stars the great Damian Lewis, Hayley Atwell, Steven McIntosh, Steven Waddington and Alan Ford. It opens in the UK n 12th September. Still no word on US release (but we’ll probably at least get VOD at some point.) Meanwhile, Ray will be seen in Snow White and the Huntsman beginning June 1.

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…way to stay classy.

We have your first look at Anchorman2: The Legend Continues. Actually, there’s a teaser poster and a teaser trailer for a film that hasn’t been made yet. Apparently there was a something of a huge internet clamoring for a sequel to 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The original did, after all have an easily remembered, and sufficiently generic enough to apply to everyday life, catchphrase. That may be all that’s required (that and turning at least a modest profit. Having a star that studios seem to want to allow to do whatever he wants doesn’t hurt either.) I don’t get it, but it’s possible I’m not the target demographic since I am not now, nor ever have been a 20-something male. Judging from the “quotes” page on imdb, there are a lot of people out there who know the movie verbatim.

The teaser appeared in theaters attached to The Dictator this past weekend and now it’s online for your viewing pleasure (via TheFilmstage):

By the time the sequel is released, it will be at least nine years after the original. I guess they’re going to keep teasing for the next year and a half to make sure your interest stays up. The good thing is that it looks like the original cast: Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, David Koechner as Champ Kind, Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana and Steve Carell as hapless Brick Tamland will all be returning. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has a script and is scheduled to hit theaters some time in 2013

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