We’ve been talking about Oren Moverman’s corrupt-cop drama Rampart since last fall when it bowed at TIFF. It’s finally getting a wide (ish) release here in the US and is set to open on 24^th February in the UK. Rampart Moverman with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster from his debut film, The Messengers, which earned Harrelson an Academy Award nomination. (Foster deserved one as well.)

Rampart is Harrelson’s movie all the way, in a role as a corrupt LA cop that has been described as the best performance of his career. (Anyone who watched the Golden Globes nomination announcement knows he thinks so too.)

“Los Angeles, 1999. Officer Dave Brown is a Vietnam vet and a Rampart Precinct cop, dedicated to doing “the people’s dirty work” and asserting his own code of justice, often blurring the lines between right and wrong to maintain his action-hero state of mind. When he gets caught on tape beating a suspect, he finds himself in a personal and emotional downward spiral as the consequences of his past sins and his refusal to change his ways in light of a department-wide corruption scandal seal his fate. Brown internalizes his fear, anguish and paranoia as his world, complete with two ex-wives who are sisters, two daughters, an aging mentor dispensing bad advice, investigators galore, and a series of seemingly random women, starts making less and less sense. In the end, what is left is a human being stripped of all his pretense, machismo, chauvinism, arrogance, sexism, homophobia, racism, aggression, misanthropy; but is it enough to redeem him as a man?”

Rampart’s script was cowritten by the director as well as (one of my favorite writers) James Ellroy. The supporting cast includes Robin Wright, Brie Larson, Ned Beatty, Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Cynthia Nixon, Ice Cube and Steve Buscemi.

Thanks to Yahoo we have the first five minutes of the film in which Harrelson is breaking in his new partner. Under the beard and the hat, the guy in the wheelchair with the dog is Ben Foster. Enjoy!

Stay connected with us! Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, grab our RSS feed, or subscribe to us via a News Reader. We would love to hear from you.

Baltasar Kormákur's action adventure thriller Contraband starring Mark Walhberg and Kate Beckinsale is getting  a big push. I’ve seen more tv spots for this film so far than I have for some of the big holiday releases. Frankly, despite its January (US) release date, this looks like a solid action thriller. It's a remake of an Icelandic film called Reykjavik-Rotterdam. While I didn't see the original, the trailer for this one makes it look like it kicks all kinds of ass.  

The synopsis: A security guard with financial troubles considers a return to his smuggling ways when an associate offers a potentially lucrative opportunity. 

We know that that's not even half the story though.  It's another one of those tales where like Michael Corleone said in Godfather 3, "just when I think I'm out…they PULL me back in", only this time it's family man Mark Wahlberg who gets sucked back into 'the life' thanks to his ne'er do well brother. Kate and the kids are in all sorts of danger. Ooooo.

In the clip below, the excellent Giovanni Ribisi, is doing his slimeball best to intimidate our Marky Mark, after first appearing to kiss his ass. “You’re a tourist. This ain’t your world anymore man! You’re a tourist…you can’t trade on status you don’t have!”

Contraband also stars the equally excellent Ben Foster, J. K. Simmons, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and Marky Mark's older brother, Robert Walhberg. Contraband opens January 13 in the US and 16 March in the UK.

source

Oren Moverman's Rampart  stars Woody Harrelson, who earned an Oscar nomination in Moverman's last film, The Messenger. Harrelson plays arguably the worst, most corrupt cop you’ve ever seen on screen. Certainly the worst since Denzel Washington earned an Oscar for playing Alonzo Harris in Training Day. Harrelson is being mentioned in the same breath as Oscar for his role as Dave Brown. The script is co-written by Moverman and one of my all-time favorite writers, James Ellroy (the novels "LA Confidential", "The Blue Dahlia"-but don't hold the movie against him- among many others). Joining Harrelson and Moverman is Ben Foster, who should have been nominated for The Messenger.

Official synopsis: Based on a true LAPD scandal from the 1990's, Rampart is the genre-bending police drama/family story of Dave Brown, a a cop long ago unleashed from the rules of the LAPD, whose past is catching up with him. Roving the streets, he governs and punishes at will. His home life is a riddle. He has fathered children with two sisters (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon). Somehow he still lives casually with them both, slipping in and out of a family life thats as tangled as his long career on the force. {This reminds me of The General with Brendan Gleeson-also based on a true story} Years ago, Brown may have killed a rapist and gotten away with it. The shadow of the incident still haunts him, so when his Rampart division gets caught up in a corruption scandal, Brown makes an easy target. As the controversy seeps through the department and into city hall, this hardened, reckless officer finds himself at the center of a sordid L.A. story with a D.A. and an investigator on his trail, a lover who may or may not be on his side and fighting for his sanity and survival.

The cast is impressive. In addition to Harrelson, Foster, Heche and Nixon, Rampart stars Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Ned Beatty, Ice Cube, Jon Foster and Jon Bernthal.  Following a successful tour on the festival circuit, Rampart has been picked up for release by Millennium Entertainment. It will open in NY and LA for awards qualification, then go wide January 27.

Like an official with a starter’s pistol, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences kicked off the awards season in earnest last night by holding the Academy’s 3^rd Annual Governor’s Award Dinner in the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center.  Admittedly it's a rather slow start as the event is generally for *ahem* "old school" Hollywood and those hoping to make an impression with Oscar voters. Potential nominees Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson, Gary Oldman, Tilda Swinton, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were all there. Academy President Tom Sherak took the podium in a Darth Vader costume (in tribute to Jones) and opened with “How was your week?” 

And the first Oscar goes to…James Earl Jones.

Jones received an honorary Oscar from Sir Ben Kingsley for his long career in film. He accepted his Oscar via satellite because he’s in London starring in “Driving Miss Daisy” opposite Vanessa Redgrave at London’s Wyndham Theatre. Sir Ben Kingsley presented him the award for which Jones said he was “deeply honored” and “mighty grateful”.

In LA Oprah Winfrey and famed makeup man Dick Smith were given awards at the dinner; Smith for his long career spanning sixty five films including Little Big Man, The Godfather & The Godfather II, The Exorcist and Amadeus. Oprah was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. (Despite the fact that she earned three standing 'O's to close the night, I'm pretty sure she'll still make a speech during February's three plus hour long telecast). Apparently there were a lot of heartfelt speeches for all of the recipients, attendees calling this year's gala the most emotional yet.

Part two of the event will be held tonight in London as Meryl Streep, Ralph Fiennes and James Earl Jones are scheduled to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tribute to Jones’ costar Vanessa Redgrave’s 50-year career. (I hope they don’t think this is in place of giving her a nomination for Fiennes’ Coriolanus! She’s been nominated six times, but has only won once: Best Supporting Actress for Julia in 1978) 

Enjoy the pics of the arrivals at last night’s event! (Is it me or did John Travolta look more vampire-y than Edward?) They're just starting to roll in so I may be back with more goodies!!

Poor Marky Mark. Just when he thinks he’s out, they pull him back in a la Michael Corleone in Godfather 3.  Contraband is another one of those tales wherein a family man, this time it’s Wahlberg, who gets sucked back into 'the life' thanks to his ne'er do well brother. Last week we showed you the new poster for Contraband that showcased a bit more of the cast and (unfortunately) less of Mark Wahlberg’s torso. We've shown you the US trailer, which kicked all kinds of ass and now we have the UK version and of course, it goes even further. Thank God for the internet so that we always know what we’re missing!

The synopsis: A security guard with financial troubles considers a return to his smuggling ways when an associate offers a potentially lucrative opportunity. 

We know that's not even half the story though. Kate Beckinsale plays Wahlberg’s devoted wife and it appears Kate and the kids are in all sorts of danger.

Contraband is a remake of an Icelandic film called Reykjavik-Rotterdam. The cast of this one  includes the excellent Giovanni Ribisi, the equally excellent Ben Foster and David O'Hara, J. K. Simmons, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and Marky Mark's older brother, Robert Walhberg. Contraband opens January 13 in the US and 16 March in the UK.

Check the freaky, comic-booky new poster for The Darkest Hour. Filmed on location in Russia, the film follows five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack.  

I really liked the trailer and it did leave me with the impression this could be a lot of fun. As I said before, it may or may not have anything to offer the ever expanding 'alien-invasion genre', other than "the classic beauty of Moscow", but that might just be enough.

The Darkest Hour stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachel Taylor and Joel Kinnaman (who is breaking in the US in a big way) and many Russians. It's scheduled for a December 23 release in the US and 13 January in the UK.

The focus of the new Rampart poster is clearly on Woody Harrelson and from what I’ve heard, that’s as it should be. His Dave Brown is completely psychotic and over the top and Harrelson gives a bold, brash performance and owns the movie. Based on a true LAPD scandal from the 1990's, Rampart is a genre-bending police drama/family story. Brown is a cop long ago unleashed from the rules of the LAPD, whose past is catching up with him. Roving the streets like his personal fiefdom, he governs and punishes at will. He has children with two sisters (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon) and somehow still lives casually with them both, slipping in and out of a family life that’s as tangled as his long career. {This reminds me of The General with Brendan Gleeson-also based on a true story} Years ago, Brown may have killed a rapist and gotten away with it. The shadow of the incident still haunts him, so when his Rampart division gets caught up in a corruption scandal, Brown makes an easy target. As the controversy seeps through the department and into city hall, this hardened, reckless officer finds himself at the center of a sordid L.A. story with a D.A. and an investigator on his trail, a lover who may or may not be on his side and fighting for his sanity and survival.

The rest of the cast is impressive: Ben Foster, Heche, Nixon, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver,  Steve Buscemi, Ned Beatty, Ice Cube, Jon Foster and Jon Bernthal all star.  After TIFF, Rampart was picked up by Millennium Entertainment. Faith in Harrelson’s performance is so strong that they’re doing a limited release November 23 in NY/LA before opening wide January 27.

Another poster for Contraband, this one showcasing a bit more of the cast and less of Mark Wahlberg’s torso.  Contraband is a remake of an Icelandic film called Reykjavik-Rotterdam. While I didn't see the original, the trailer for this one looks like it kicks all kinds of ass.

The synopsis: A security guard with financial troubles considers a return to his smuggling ways when an associate offers a potentially lucrative opportunity.  That's not even half the story though. It's another one of those tales where like Michael Corleone said in Godfather 3, "just when I think I'm out…they PULL me back in", only this time it's family man Mark Wahlberg who gets sucked back into 'the life' thanks to his ne'er do well brother. Kate and the kids are in all sorts of danger. Ooooo.

The cast of Contraband includes the excellent Giovanni Ribisi, the equally excellent Ben Foster (again), J. K. Simmons, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and Marky Mark's older brother, Robert Walhberg. Contraband opens January 13 in the US and 16 March in the UK.

Last but definitely not least, we have another new poster for David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I’m about to cry ‘uncle’ on this one. Enough with the teasing and the trailers and spooky websites and viral videos. You win Fincher! I’ll see your remake. Give me the damn movie already! I need my Daniel Craig fix! *shakes fist*

Sigh… I’m sure there will be more “surprises” before we’re finally allowed to see the thing.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo FINALLY opens in theaters December 21 in the US and Canada and 26 December in the UK. (The date on the bottom is the German and Turkish release date although the poster is in English. Curious)