New Year, new movie: Focus Features has given us the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s eagerly anticipated Moonrise Kingdom.

Right off the bat, I have to say that if you’re a fan of Anderson’s previous fun, lyrical, non-linear films, including Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Darjeeling Limited and the Fantastic Mr. Fox, then I think you’re going to like this trailer, and ultimately, the movie as well. (If you need a crash course, this AMEX ad will pretty much tell you everything you need to know.)

The official synopsis:

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds(Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward)  who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. 

The only way to align that simple paragraph with what we see in the trailer is to filter it through Wes Anderson’s skewed, quirky, Crayola-colored vision of the world.

The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel and Jason Schwartzman.

Murray and Schwartzman are two of the usual players from Anderson’s repertory company. They’ve been with him since Rushmore. I love that Frances McDormand is finally in something else with Edward Norton (after Primal Fear, his first film) and I’ll see this just to find out if they have a meaty scene together. By the way, Bruce Willis has SEVEN films set for release in 2012. (I couldn’t believe it either.) As for Swinton, I can’t believe it took Anderson this long to cast her. They seem made for each other. The only thing that could make this cast better would be the inclusion of Adrien Brody, but you can’t have everything.

Moonrise Kingdom, written by Anderson and Roman Coppola (co-writer, with Anderson and Schwartzman, of Darjeeling Limited), gets a limited May 25 release. I can't wait for more! Enjoy the trailer!

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

Here’s the first official image of Bill Murray as the 32nd President of the United States . Murray appears as President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson, which  chronicles a weekend in 1939 when King George VI  became the first British Monarch to formally visit the U.S.  (King George VI was featured last year in The King's Speech, but here he's played not by Colin Firth, but by Samuel West (Howard’s End, Persuasion, Van Helsing).  The main plot, however, revolves around FDR’s relationship with his cousin.

Synopsis: The story of the love affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley (Laura Linney), centered around the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of the United Kingdom visited upstate New York.

Roger Michell directed one of my very favorite movies, Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds, so I’m always curious about his films. He directed the very popular (but pedestrian) Notting Hill  as well as the underrated Changing Lanes with Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson and the equally underestimated Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford.  The rest of the cast here includes Olivia Williams as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Olivia Coleman (Hot Fuzz, Tyrannosaur) as Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum). Hyde Park on Hudson is scheduled for a 2012 UK release. More on that later.

Yeah!  Talk about not holding back!  It’s big news courtesy of PopEater!  Bill Murray has finally hopped back on board as Dr. Peter Venkman for the next two installments of the Ghostbuster franchise.

Director Ivan Reitman will be manning the ship as Murray teams up with Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis.  They are talking about 2012 and 2013 Christmas releases.

“Bill loves these characters as much as we all do, and it was simply a matter of nailing the timing,” Reitman explained.

Well, it’s been too long.  But we will take it.  Yes, it’s a ways off.  But these new movies will definitely be something to look forward to.

Are you pumped?  Who ya gonna call?

The truly gorgeous Megan Fox brought along husband Brian Austin Green to the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival to premiere her movie Passion Play that also stars Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray and Kelly Lynch who also attended the premiere.  Rhys Ifans is also in this thriller but was not at the TIFF.

It’s nice to see Mickey Rourke looking like himself again. He came solo to the event. I wonder if he is still with his girlfriend or not.  I’m surprised he didn’t bring one of his adorable dogs as a date.

IMDB describes Passion Play as:

An angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck.

Here’s a clip that ET had on their site [via:  Worst Previews]:

Is this a movie you would go see?

Pictures after the break

(more…)

George Clooney takes his lovely new lady Elisabetta Canalis to The Times BFI London Film Festival: Fantastic Mr Fox opening gala at the Odeon Leicester Square.  And perhaps he is ready to settle down with having some kids:

“I am planning to adopt. I am going to adopt some of Brad Pitt’s kids. I owe him.”

Even one kid running around my villa makes me nervous, so I’m definitely not a candidate for father of the year. If I need to surround myself with children and feel like I have this big extended family, I can always call Brad and Angelina and ask them to stay with me, just to remind myself why I’m so happy.”

At least he’s honest?  Also attending the premiere:

• Jason Schwartzman
• Jonathan Ross
• Sir Ben Kingsley
• Bill Murray
• Jennifer Tilley
• Cindy Crawford
• Thandie Newton
• Sophie Dahl
•  Jamie Cullen
• John Hurt
• David Morrissey

Pictures after the break

(more…)

George Clooney along with Jarvis Cocker and Bill Murray attend The Times BFI London Film Festival for the Fantastic Mr Fox press conference and photocall held at the Dorcester hotel in London, England.

George is also seen outside his hotel making one lady probably die and go to heaven when she gets a hug and a kiss from him.  Damn.  That man is fine.

Pictures after the break

(more…)