Sony Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for Men in Black III with Will Smith. I have to admit to having no feelings one way or the other about this movie, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the trailer. In Men in Black III, which is the continuation of the studio’s second highest-grossing franchise (next to Spider-Man, which is also getting a brand new installment next summer), Agent J (Will Smith) must go back in time, to 1969 and the Age of Aquarius specifically, to meet a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K. J must undo the death of his best friend and partner.

Josh Brolin as K as a younger man…how perfect is that casting? The expression on his face in that brief glimpse captures Jones to a ‘T’.   (How bizarre is it that if it were Smith’s younger self we were supposed to meet, they wouldn’t even need to hire another actor? He looks exactly the same as he did in the 1997. That ain't right.)

Back for more is director by Barry Sonenfield, who helmed the first two films. Men in Black III (in 3D of course) also stars Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, Rip Torn, Bill Hader, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jemaine Clement. It was written by Ethan Coen (as well as David Koepp, Michael Soccio and Jeff Nathanson) while Danny Elfman once again provides the score. It was executive produced by Steven Spielberg. That’s some pedigree.  The film opens the summer 2012 movie season on May 25 in the US, Canada and the UK.

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.

I thought filming had wrapped on The Gangster Squad since I knew that Ryan Gosling had moved on to Terrence Malick’s new project, tentatively title Lawless with Rooney Mara (not to mention jaunts to Paris). Taken last night on the mean streets of LA, these, I do believe are the best from the set of The Gangster Squad yet. Hey, there’s even one of Baby Goose with a smile!

The Gangster Squad is based on a seven-part 'LA Times' series by Paul Lieberman, and revolves around the LAPD’s fight to keep the East Coast Mob out of 1940's-50's era LA, and the creation of an elite unit called the “Gangster Squad”. Gosling stars along with Josh Brolin as his partner, John O’Mara. Together they are trying to take down notorious gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). Emma Stone stars as Cohen’s current moll and Wooters’ love interest, Grace Faraday.

Robert Patrick plays Off. Max Kennard (who replaced Bryan Cranston), Giovanni Ribisi plays Conway Keeler, the squad's tech geek (before there was such a thing), Michael Peña plays rookie Navidad Ramirez and Anthony Mackie plays Rocky Washington, a former LAPD Lieutenant.

Warner Bros.  recently announced that the release date has been moved up from the vague '2013' and The Gangster Squad is now set for October 19, 2012 (prime awards season positioning, me thinks). Woot! Enjoy the pics *which also include some shots of Emma Stone in a vintage house dress).

Vavavavoom! Emma Stone, looking like Jessica Rabbit come to life, chats with co-star Sean Penn on the set of  Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad with costar Sean Penn. We’ve seen Emma as Grace Faraday before, but this is our first look at Penn as gangster Mickey Cohen. Grace is Mickey’s ‘moll’ as well as the object of Sgt. Jerry Wooters’ affection. Wooters is played by Ryan Gosling.

Gangster Squad is filming in LA using a lot of the actual locations mentioned in LA Times staff writer Paul Lieberman's series of articles "Tales of the Gangster Squad". Here's the Warner Brothers synopsis: "Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and – if he has his way – every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with not only his own paid goons, but also the protection of the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgts. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart."

The movie also stars Robert Patrick (Off. Max Kennard), Michael Pena (Navidad Ramirez, Kennard's partner), Giovanni Ribisi (whose death in Saving Private Ryan still reduces me to tears. He plays electronics expert Conway Keeler) and Anthony Mackie (Off. Coleman Harris). The release dates for Gangster Squad have been moved up from 2013 to October 19, 2012 in the US and 9 November in the UK. Woot! 

Last week we showed you a few pics of Ryan Gosling in period garb for the new crime drama The Gangster Squad currently filming in Los Angeles. Today we have a few of Gosling with costar Emma Stone (and an adorable bulldog) as well as Josh Brolin looking all studly in his gabardine suit and fedora. And look…he has a gun!

The Gangster Squad is  based on the novel "Tales of the Gangster Squad" by Paul Lieberman and is being directed by Ruben Fleischer of Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less fame. It's a chronicle of the LAPD's fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.  it sounds right up my alley, especially since it sounds like something one of my favorite crime writers James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential) would have written.

In addtion to Gosling, Stone and Brolin, the film boasts Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi, Mireille Enos, Michael Pena, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo (who is getting a lot of post-Warrior action), Robert Patrick and Holt McCallany. That's quite a cast. I'm really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, it's not due out until 2013 (?!). I'm sure we'll have much more to come.

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.

Interesting hand placement, Gerard

Gerard Butler has that tousled hair look going on and I don’t know if it’s my imagination but is his hair lighter than usual? Either way he looks like a mischievous boy, yes?

He was in Los Angeles last night attending the Bvlgari Private Event Honoring Simon Fuller And Paul Haggis To Benefit Save The Children And Artists For Peace And Justice held at Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate.

A back-to-blond Julianne Hough attended with her brother Derek Hough. The new season of Dancing With The Stars can’t get here soon enough.

Josh Brolin got rid of the facial hair and I don’t think I like it. I prefer him with facial hair. What do you think?

Lots of other stars attending this star-studded and very worthy event. Pictures are after the break.

(more…)

Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones attended last night’s New York premiere of Wall Street 2:  Money Never Sleeps despite the actor battling stage IV throat cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.  That’s quite remarkable, isn’t it?

His co-star Shia LaBeouf talked about how working with the acting legend was surreal:

“He’s got a nice way of easing everybody’s tensions,”  ”When you walk onto a set like this, where it’s sacred ground, there’s a legacy at stake. But your mascot puts you at ease.”

And despite what Michael is going through, Shia learned about strength the most from him:

“He is a wolf, and he is a strong man,” he said. “And I know of his vulnerabilities. When he came to set … he was dealing with a lot, but never was it, ‘Woe is me.’ Ever.”

[Douglas has] “a face they’re going to paint on walls,” “They’re going to remember him forever. You can’t say that about a lot of people. He’s an American institution. It’s intimidating and incredible and exhilarating and rewarding.”

Michael didn’t speak with any reporters at the premiere but his other costar Josh Brolin (dear lord isn’t he incredibly gorgeous?) said Michael was:

“doing as well as can be expected. I think the fact that the guy’s coming out here in the first place is a testament to who he is, to his character … He’s not hiding, and I think that’s great.”

Pictures of the celebrities at the premiere after the break.

(more…)