Atlantic City, 1920. When alcohol was outlawed, outlaws became kings

My DVR is working in hyperdrive on Sunday nights these days. Sad to say, I'm glad that Boardwalk Empire (not to mention Homeland) has already had its Season 2 finale so that's one less thing I have to worry about catching. (I realize this is one of the "better" problems one could have), what with Downton Abbey, Hell on Wheels, House of Lies and The Firm, it still takes a lot of strategic planning and the organizational skills of an air-traffic controller to get everything recorded. ("Let's see, I can record two, then I can go into the other room and watch a third, maybe if I record the second showing of this one…") In any case, all of this is another reason that I'm glad that Boardwalk Empire's first season will now be available on dvd and blu-ray, beginning tomorrow, January 10 so that I can watch at my leisure and to my heart's content. It's also a good reason for those who've missed this amazing HBO series, to catch up.

HBO's Boardwalk Empire begins in 1920 in Atlantic City New Jersey, when that city was just beginning its reign as the Eastern Seaboard's premiere tourist destination, and just as Prohibition has been enacted, changing the face of AC forever. The ban on booze leads to the creation of a new breed of criminal, the bootlegger. It also made a lot of people rich and gave rise to organized crime and its kingpins who engaged in bloody turf wars that continued well into the latter part of the 20th century, even after Prohibition was repealed, eventually giving way to drugs and drug dealers.  The show was created by Terence Winter (of The Sopranos) and coproduced by director Martin Scorsese (who actually directed the amazing pilot episode) and Mark Wahlberg. It revolves around Atlantic City treasurer Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi who has found the role of a lifetime and is brilliant in it, deserving of every bit of the praise he's received), who has his fingers in just about every pie in the county. When the 19th Amendment is passed, he publicly decries the evils of drink but is of course getting rich by smuggling and bootlegging "demon rum" etc.  Jimmy (Michael Pitt), a war veteran, acts as his right-hand man, while zealous, perhaps even mad, Government Agent Van Alden (a scene-stealing Michael Shannon) and refined mobster Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg) represent significant threats to his enterprise. Nucky's aided in his endeavors by his brother Eli (Shea Whigham), the sheriff and distributor Chalky (Michael K. Williams). Nucky has little regard for law and order, his soft side emerges in his dealings with an Irish immigrant and widow, Margaret (the luminous Kelly Macdonald). As Nucky puts it, "I try to be good. I really do."

We're never really sure just what the nature of Nucky's relationship to Jimmy is: mentor, father-figure, employer, or to Jimmy's (very young) mother Gillian (Gretchen Moll who is only six years older than Michael Pitt). When Nucky sends Jimmy away, he ends up in Chicago where he joins forces with a not-yet-top-guy Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and disfigured vet Richard Harrow (Jack Huston), abandoning his son, common-law wife Angela (Aleksa Palladino).

Inspired by Nelson Johnson's book, Boardwalk Empire combines both real and fictional characters (Think Deadwood) and there are liberties taken with historical facts, but it doesn't claim to be gospel. It also stars Paz de la Huerta and Dabney Coleman as 'The Commodore'.

Special Features

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.

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Have I mentioned how fond I am of alliteration? Anyway, another sign of the big movie season is all of the filmmakers out making the rounds on press junkets, promoting their wares. In New York, in just the past two days, we had Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, as well as director Tomas Alfredson, from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield from Hugo and Mark Wahlburg from Contraband, all sitting for the press conferences and having their pictures taken. Yay for us!

I’m a little disappointed Mark Strong didn’t make it to New York for the press conference, but he is expected to participate in the Variety Screening Q & A for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on December 7. I am thankful (on this the appropriate day for such things) that Colin Firth made the trip. I don’t need an excuse to look at pics of Mr. Firth. Is it my imagination or is Gary Oldman, the older he gets, losing the creepy and becoming oddly sexy?

I saw Hugo today and am completely in love with it, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to post pics of its three stars as well as director Martin Scorsese and mention it again. It’s a pure delight. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Marky Mark is already working hard to promote his new crime drama, Contraband. We’ve shown you a couple of trailers and some pics from thefilm which stars Wahlburg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Foster. The film opens in January.  Enjoy the pics!

We’ve got some more pics from the set of Broken City which is currently filming in Brooklyn with Mark Wahlberg and Catherine Zeta Jones. It’s about an ex-cop (Wahlberg) who’s trailing the wife of New York City's mayor and finds himself immersed in a larger scandal. Cops and Wahlberg seem to go together. Russell Crowe also stars, although we’ve not seen him on set yet. Can’t wait to find out where he fits in to this.

Filming just got underway and they’ll be in Brooklyn for a few weeks before moving the production down to New Orleans. I have no idea if that’s because the story calls for it or because they want to keep filming during the winter and that city can double for New York.  Catherine Zeta Jones, who will next be seen in Playing the Field due out in March with Gerard Butler, had taken a hiatus when husband Michael Douglas was ill. Now that he’s in remission, she’s been very busy of late. In addition to Broken City, she’s got Rock of Ages with Tom Cruise and Lay the Favorite with Bruce Willis and Vince Vaughn, both due out in 2012.

The rest of the cast includes Barry Pepper, Alona Tal and Natalie Martinez. Directed by Allen Hughes (One half of The Hughes Brothers responsible for The Book of Eli, From Hell, Dead Presidents), Broken City is the first feature for screen writer Brian Tucker and already has a release date of January 13, 2013.

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.

Broken City is currently filming in Brooklyn with Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe. It’s about an ex-cop who’s trailing the wife of New York City's mayor and finds himself immersed in a larger scandal. Cops and Wahlberg seem to go together. Can’t wait to find out where Crowe fits in to the picture. Also pictured is costar Barry Pepper.

Filming just got underway and they’ll be in Brooklyn for a few weeks before moving the production down to New Orleans. I have no idea if that’s because the story calls for it or because they want to keep filming during the winter and that city can double for New York.

The rest of the cast includes Alona Tal, Natalie Martinez (Death Race, “Detroit 1-8-7”) and Catherine Zeta Jones (who is racking up the credits now that hubby’s on the mend). I’m assuming she’s the mayor’s wife. Directed by Allen Hughes (One half of The Hughes Brothers responsible for The Book of Eli, From Hell, Dead Presidents), Broken City already has a release date of January 13, 2013.