Deadline reports that Yvonne Strahovski, star of NBC’s Chuck, has been cast in I, Frankenstein. The movie is being directed by Stuart Beattie, who is best known as a writer of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, as well as Collateral and G.I. Joe. Aaron Eckhart (Battle Los Angeles) and Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings) are also set to star.

The film is based on Kevin Grevioux’s graphic novel, and follows Dr. Frankenstein’s monster (Eckhart), who has survived to modern times and goes by the name Adam. Adam travels to a gothic metropolis, where he is caught up in a battle between two immortal clans. Strahovski will play his love interest, a scientist working on reanimating the dead.

I, Frankenstein is being filmed in Australia, and is due to be released on February 22, 2013.

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Many A-list actors adopt a “one for them, one for me” mentality: they make one big movie for a studio so they can make a smaller passion project for themselves. Considering Depp’s relationship with Hunter S. Thompson (the infamous novelist/journalist whose novel provides the basis for this film), it’s clear The Rum Diary falls into the latter category. It’s just too bad that the “one for him” wasn’t a better movie.

Written for the screen and directed by Bruce Robinson, The Rum Diary follows the story of Paul Kemp (Depp), a washed out novelist who goes to Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper. Soon, he’s intoxicated not only by the alcohol he’s constantly swilling, but also by a beautiful girl named Chenault (Amber Heard). She’s with Sanderson (Eckhart), a wealthy playboy with a ton influence working on an illegal land development scheme. Sanderson invites Kemp to be a part of the project and, after a ton of stumbling and drunken debauchery, Kemp and the rest of the guys at the paper take it upon themselves to bring down “the bastards” by blowing the whistle on their operation.

There are a lot of elements that I liked about this movie. It’s hard to knock gorgeous locales, solid acting, and an intriguing plot – especially when you consider I have a bias in favor of stories involving journalism. But at a certain point, the movie itself begins to take on characteristics of its main character: it seems to drag for an interminable amount of time, bouncing from point to point with a “hey, look over there!” attitude and waiting far too late to attempt to wrap things up in a neat little package in the third act. It’s not as “out there” as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - the other Hunter S. Thompson project in which Depp has starred – but it kind of tries to have it both ways with trippy drugged-out sequences tossed into the middle of a narrative that is, admittedly, a lot more cohesive than Fear and Loathing‘s. The main problem with The Rum Diary is the structure: by having the first two thirds of the film as this breezy, stumbling, quasi-romantic discovery piece, it feels forced and unnatural when the final act arrives and story elements have to be quickly wrapped up.

Depp has made himself a superstar by playing these types of roles, so it’s not much of a departure from his past work. Even if you removed Fear and Loathing from the equation, simply mix his lead character in Rango with Captain Jack Sparrow and you’ve got Paul Kemp. I was much more interested in Bob Salas, the sidekick character more inhabited than played by former “Sopranos” actor Michael Rispoli. He was gruff but lovable, and seemed like the kind of guy you’d want to hang out with in an unpredictable island environment. Aaron Eckhart was great as the guy you love to hate, but this also wasn’t that big of a change (or challenge) for him. Giovanni Ribisi really went for it with his portrayal of Moberg, a guy who drinks 400 proof alcohol and listens to Adolph Hitler speeches on vinyl. Richard Jenkins was really entertaining as the editor of the San Juan Star, playing “the man” as it were, forcing Kemp to curtail his writing to fit in with an idealized version of the American Dream.

Though the novel was written back in the 1960s, much of this film is especially relevant today with the Occupy Wall Street movement going on and this movie essentially railing against corporate greed. Our buddy Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk liked it far more than I did, and even with all of the meandering in the middle of the movie, it’s easy to see how The Rum Diary would have a special charm to fans of Thompson’s work. That said, I don’t think I’d ever watch this movie again – and if you’ve read this far, that probably tells you all you need to know. Until next time…

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FilmDistrict has released the first trailer for The Rum Diary, which comes from writer/director Bruce Robinson. Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary tells the unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp played by Johnny Depp and also stars Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi and Marshall Bell.

Watch below:

Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, “The Rum Diary” tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp). Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins).

Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen’s financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down.

The Rum Diary has a release date set for October 28th, 2011.

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Battle: Los Angeles claimed the #1 spot at the weekend, taking $36 million in the US. With a production budget of around $70 million and international numbers still rolling in the movie looks set to make a profit for Columbia, which can only mean one thing.

In a recent interview Aaron Eckhart was questioned on whether he’d be interested in returning for a sequel, and it turns out not only is the actor ready, he’s already thinking of potential locations.

From Hero Complex:

“I very much enjoyed wearing the uniform of Staff Sgt. Nantz and I’m very proud of this film,” Eckhart told me this morning when he called from Paris. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing to do, that’s for sure. I’m ready to wear the uniform again. Filming this movie was a great experience and I’d be happy to see that experience continue.”

“To me this movie, I put my heart and soul into it. It was the hardest movie I ever made in my life, by far. It was hard not only physically but mentally, psychologically, and it was all real blood, sweat and tears on the screen. It’s not makeup and it’s not made up.”

And what of that sequel? Should we expect ”Battle: Fresno” or ”Battle: Poughkeepsie“? Eckhart laughed. “No, no I’m thinking something more like ‘Battle: St Croix.’ Or maybe ‘Battle: Paris,’ I’ve been looking around while I’m here. It’s funny you have to make it real but you do hate to destroy a nice town. But Paris would be good.”

The spin-off potential from this movie is quite huge. I imagine if Battle: Los Angeles makes a tidy sum the bigwigs at Columbia will be scanning Google Maps for the next possible location.

I haven’t had the chance to see the movie yet so I can’t comment on whether it deserves a sequel. Is anyone who saw Battle: LA this weekend interested in seeing more? If so, which city should be invaded next?

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Roger Ebert just gave Battle: Los Angeles a 0.5 out of 4 star review. I happened to enjoy the movie a considerable amount more than the old curmudgeon, especially when you take my low expectations into account. This is not a movie for the intellectual crowd: the dialogue is atrocious, most of the characters are under-developed, and the motivations behind the alien invasion are murky at best. But if you’re looking for some solid action and passable special effects, Battle: LA fits the bill.

This is one of the best summer movies that didn’t actually come out during the summer. It’s a broadly painted action flick, complete with the requisite explosions and action one would come to expect from summer fare. That may carry a negative connotation to some (depending on your tastes, of course), but I thought the film was actually pretty well executed. There isn’t much of a story – aliens invade, no one really knows why – but we’re given just enough of a basic outline to start pulling for the characters by the end. My roommate says it’s Independence Day meets Cloverfield, and I think that’s a really apt description.

It’s hard to tell whether the concept for this movie is lazy or brilliant. By not providing any legitimate exploration of the alien culture and concentrating on a small group of soldiers in the wake of a global event, it positions the film as the first of a franchise; the interesting part is not the straight sequels that will surely follow, but the potential of stories told at the same point on the timeline as this one. There was talk of a Cloverfield sequel in which the monster attack on New York City is told from the perspective of different characters, a similar idea that ended up not coming to fruition. The odds are no better for this happening with this franchise, but it’s not far-fetched to assume that we could see a Battle: Miami (or its equivalent) in the next few years.

Director Jonathan Liebesman has been making the rounds in the trades over the past year, at one point in contention for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Superman film (a job which ultimately went to Zack Snyder) and actually securing the director’s chair for the sequel to Clash of the Titans. His tactic here was to attempt to replicate the dramatic documentary style used to such great success in the 10-part HBO masterpiece Band of Brothers: the handheld, snap-zoom happy, shaky cam feel most widely associated with Paul Greengrass and the Bourne films. To some degree, Liebesman succeeds; the style works best when we’re pulled into the action with the squad and following them through the charred streets of L.A. in search of a way out. But this style of camerawork really isn’t needed in the post-title sequence of the movie in which we’re introduced to all the characters. Snap-zooms and bouncing framing aren’t needed when two characters are having a conversation in a florist shop. Aside from this minor quibble, I like the look of the movie and think the cinematography has an immersive quality to it.

The first act of the film has a strong horror vibe. We don’t get a good look at the aliens until later, so we’re left wondering what they look like and when our heroes go searching through a dangerous zone on the way to rescue some civilians, we jump as they turn every hazy corner, waiting for something to jump out at us. There’s some legitimate suspense here, and it works well for the most part. When we finally get a look at the aliens, I wished we hadn’t. They’re terribly designed and awfully rendered, a jerky CG army that seems cobbled together by ideas from other films: biologically controlled guns (ahem, District 9), snaky tentacles (Independence Day, Predator), and the upright posture of your typical movie extraterrestrial.

The special effects need to be really special to kick a movie like this to the next level, but the same derivative design work we see with the aliens is replicated with their ships (smaller ones resembling Serenity and larger ones straight out of District 9). There are a lot of visual effects in this movie – especially in the final act – but if you’re looking for a stunning presentation, I imagine you’ll be disappointed. I thought the film’s biggest accomplishment was its depiction of the city of Los Angeles, since it was shot on location in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (The Santa Monica scenes were particularly evocative of their true-to-life locales.)

The dialogue is terse and bland, not allowing any character to step out of the shadow of his or her stereotype. Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Pena give supporting performances exactly in line with your expectations, but hip-hop star Ne-Yo rose far above the eye-rolling I’m sure you did when you read his name in the cast list. Aaron Eckhart carries the film, not because of his character (or the cheesy speeches he’s prone to give), but because of the actor’s charisma and screen presence. Eckhart commands the screen every second he’s on it and his defined jaw seems tailor made for action hero roles. To be clear, he’s way better than this film would indicate and if you’re unfamiliar with his work, check him out in Thank You For Smoking. (I also happen to think he’s one of the best parts of The Dark Knight.)

I’ve highlighted a lot of the things that I didn’t particularly care for here, but Battle: Los Angeles knows how to entertain an audience. The action (lacking in effects as it may be) is intense enough to make it worth a watch, and the sound design is effective and very well done. Though this movie takes cues from other films and doesn’t manage to equal any of them, this is passable entertainment and a good precursor to Summer 2011. Until next time…

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Here’s the Super Bowl TV spot for Battle: Los Angeles. The movie stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña, and in this spot we get whole bunch of money shots.

Watch bellow:

For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.

Battle: Los Angeles hits on March 11th 2011.

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Columbia has released a second trailer for Battle: Los Angeles which is just as good, if not better, than the first. The movie stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña, and in this trailer we get a better look at the alien invaders, but not enough to work out what they actually are.

Watch bellow:

For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.

Warner Bros. offered director Jonathan Liebesman the Clash of the Titans sequel after seeing parts of this movie, so well have to see what impressed them for ourselves when Battle: Los Angeles is released in March. We’ve seen plenty of alien invasion movies in the past, but this one looks to bring yet another take on the genre.

Do you plan on seeing the movie?

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Having an accomplished cast is always a good idea if one plans on following the typical storytelling pattern seen in others depicting similar themes. Rabbit Hole is just that. The 91 minute feature follows a married couple who is struggling to cope with tragedy. So although the flick mimics others, it still has a legit shot in standing out if the performances can enhance script.

Becca (Nicole Kidman) and her husband Howie (Aaron Eckhart) seemingly had the perfect life. Promising careers, a gorgeous house in a wealthy suburban neighborhood, great family and friends surrounding them; All in all, what more could they ask for these days. They even had a four-year-old son. Had, being the keyword. The above mentioned tragedy stems from the loss of their son. A random event prematurely ends the young boy’s life. Nearly a year has passed and despite all the group therapy, Becca and Howie are still very much lost on how to move forward as a couple and individually.

Howie forms a bond with fellow group member Gaby (Sandra Oh). Meanwhile, Becca can’t stand being at group anymore and takes a random interest in high school senior Jason (Miles Teller). Becca also keeps a running dialogue with her mother (Dianne West) and her newly pregnant sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard). Both Howie and Becca realize that getting back to the norm is just not happening. They constantly disagree on what direction to take in coping with the memory of their lost child.

To avoid spoilers, that is all the plot points that can be revealed. A few subtle surprises will hit the audience as the Becca and Howie characters open up to others. Stated above, was the relation between having a solid cast in a formulaic story. One of the storylines will keep the viewer guessing while the other is fairly predictable. That said, the bold performances of Kidman and Eckhart casually bring in enough power to keep one engrossed for a good portion of this flick. However, eventually this ends up losing momentum about two-thirds of the way through and you will be looking around for something a bit more interesting.

Some may point out that Kidman and Eckhart lack the chemistry in many of their scenes. Newsflash people, that’s the point. They’re supposed to be jaded and awkward. These moments, whether it is both of them or Kidman having a breakdown in public, is what keeps this emotional for the viewer. Placing yourself in the characters position is one of two main reasons this should be sought out. The other is the interaction between Kidman and Miles Teller. Chances are you will not want their conversations to ever stop.

The supporting players try to provide another layer and/or an alternate view of the story. In the end though, they’re placement in the story just doesn’t add much at all. Well acted, but fail to provide anymore substance on what is a straight-forward story. One prop that spoke volumes though is the final page of the comic book introduced toward the end. That picture, working in concert with the main theme, really sums up the purpose of this flick nicely.

Overall, Rabbit Hole is brought to life by the performers. An introduction to a few subplots keeps the viewer involved. The realistic approach is welcomed, but eventually drags and really doesn’t lead to anywhere. It is what it is.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Since the release of The Dark Knight Aaron Eckhart, who played Harvey Dent/Two-Face, has been questioned/harassed about his potential involvement in the next film. Last year the actor said ““I think Harvey — if he’s not dead — is in a serious coma”, and now Eckhart has confirmed that he won’t be making an appearance in The Dark Knight Rises.

From MTV:

“Chris and I had a meeting, on the beach, just the two of us,” Eckhart said. “I said, ‘Chris, a lot of people are asking me if I’m in the next ‘Batman.’ And Chris said, ‘Yes?’ I said, ‘Am I?’ He looked at me and he said, ‘No.’” He added that he wasn’t joking about the beach part and said that they “found ourselves alone on the beach together on a stormy day and he delivered the news to me. I was heartbroken. But Chris has his reasons and my life must go on… Honestly, it was Heath’s movie to go on. We had a great movie. I’m so honored to be a part of that movie.”

Still no word on who will play the villain in the next movie, but there is a chance Tom Hardy will be playing him (or it?). Filming will begin next May though, so we should know soon enough.

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Columbia Pictures has debuted the teaser trailer for director Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles, which stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña.

For a teaser it contains quite a lot of footage, but the footage itself is impressive. They don’t give us a clear look at the aliens (yes, it’s another alien invasion movie), although we do see lots of carnage, fighting and money shots in general.

Watch the teaser below:

For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.

Warner Bros. offered director Jonathan Liebesman the Clash of the Titans sequel after seeing parts of this movie, so well have to see what impressed them for ourselves when Battle: Los Angeles is released next March.

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