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engaged in bloody turf wars that continued well into the latter part of the 20th century, even after Prohibition was repealed, eventually giving way to drugs and drug dealers.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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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.

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)