So was this Steven Soderbergh’s final project for film school?  The question is posed for it seems that the stylish director (Ocean’s flicks, Traffic, Contagion, etc.) couldn’t afford a talented lead for Haywire. Plus, the sound edit, uh, sounds as if a micro-budgeted indie filmmaker made this on his Macbook. Actually, one could probably get better sound out of that computer.

Obviously, this isn’t Soderbergh’s senior project and there was some coin behind it ($25 million) as you can surmise from the talented cast that chimed in on this 93 minute flick.  And although the action, which is to say hand-to-hand combat sequences, had some intensity to them, the script suffers immensely from the storytelling execution via the femme fatale, Gina Carano.

Her dialogue delivery is bloody awful to the point that you feel sorry for her as you watch this.  Now even though the story wasn’t all that riveting to begin with, having the majority of it told through the more-or-less rookie actress was clearly too much to ask here.  She is surrounded by an accomplished supporting cast and she does have the ability to carry them in the above mention decently choreographed fight sequences.  But once those come and go, the mediocre level this flick attains drops faster than a man between Carano’s leg scissors.  And speaking of those legs, the one thing Carano did accomplish is the dethroning of Famke Janssen (Goldeneye 1995); as she can now proudly wear the title of having the sexiest choke-hold in cinematic history.

While Carano just isn’t ready to enhance this spy-betrayed-by-the-system saga outside of using her apt MMA skills – and perhaps Soderbergh realized this during filming, as there are prolonged shots of her just running around and scaling rooftops (one of the better shot sequences though), it all falls on Soderbergh and the story to keep us wired in.  Watching Soderbergh’s camera placement is always intriguing.  If he’s shooting on a rooftop, he’ll find a crevice between a fireplace and a pipe and guide the lens through as it follows the character.  When screenplay is active, he’s at his best.  And much like his Ocean’s flicks, the luring musical score has the ability to set the tone.

Most of everything stated above is realized within the first thirty minutes.  And while the direction of this piece doesn’t quite come fully together, one is hopeful the plot will eventually catch you.  Unfortunately, it just isn’t happening here.  The atmosphere is subdued despite it being a spy-thriller.  It’s not wordy or bland like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The American, but it doesn’t have an adrenaline rush commonly found in a Bourne movie or even Salt for that matter.  As far as originality goes, there is none.  Well, except for the fact that Carano actually looks like she can kick some ass as opposed to a 95lbs. Angelina Jolie. So basically, this is just Soderbergh’s take on a spy-thriller…that isn’t all that thrilling and has a few mechanical issues.

Overall, Haywire can never really get going.  At certain turns, you wonder if this would even make the cut to be shown in a local film festival based on the production and acting levels of Gina Carano. The pacing is fairly good when considering the short running time, yet the product as a whole feels like a rush job that people just wanted to unload.  In other words: Why bother even making this?

RATING: 2 out of 5

Read similar posts to Review: Haywire at Filmonic

Thanks to The Playlist, we now know who Steven Soderbergh has in mind for his next film, The Side Effects – and the director didn’t have to look very far to find his cast. The film, written by Soderbergh mainstay Scott Z. Burns (The Informant!, Contagion), has attracted some talent the director has worked with before. Hit the jump to find out who, and to see what this project is all about.

Formerly known as The Bitter Pill, The Side Effects, according to writer Burns, centers around “people and their moods. It’s about how we as a society can’t tolerate sadness and what that makes us vulnerable to.” Sounds very atmospheric, and The Playlist says the script is akin to something along the lines of Fatal Attraction. Blake Lively (Green Lantern) has locked down the lead role of a woman taking prescription pills to deal with her husband’s upcoming release from prison, and Channing Tatum is playing her husband. Jude Law will play Lively’s psychiatrist.

Tatum worked with Soderbergh on both Haywire (out in theaters this month) and the upcoming stripper drama Magic Mike, and Law collaborated with the director on Contagion last year. Lively is the wild card, and after a solid performance in Ben Affleck’s The Town, it will be interesting to see how she handles such a high profile leading role.

Soderbergh decided to take on this project after The Man From U.N.C.L.E. fell through at Warner Bros., and financing and distribution for The Bitter Pill is still up in the air at this point. Summit was supposed to be involved, but now that they’re being sold to Lionsgate, they’ve dropped out. But it’s a Soderbergh film, so I don’t imagine it’ll languish for long. We’ll keep you updated on further developments.

Read similar posts to Steven Soderbergh sets cast for newest film, The Side Effects at Filmonic

We got a brief glimpse earlier but now Paramount has released the first full length trailer for G.I Joe: Retaliation. The trailer is introduced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and looks to be a big improvement on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Johnson appears to be the new lead (Channing Tatum is barely seen or heard in the trailer), and Paramount leave the introduction of Bruce Willis right till the end.

Watch the trailer below:

As well as Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, and Channing Tatum the cast includes Adrianne Palicki, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, RZA, Joseph Mazzello, Elodie Yung, and Walton Goggins. In the film the G.I. Joe team faces off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation, directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up 3D) and written by Ryan Wernick and Rhett Reese (Zombieland ), opens June 29, 2012.

Read similar posts to G.I. Joe: Retaliation trailer at Filmonic

If the casting of Dwayne Johnson in G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation last month wasn’t enough, Paramount are now in talks with another action star to join the film.

According to Heat Vision, if the deal works out, Bruce Willis will play General Joe Colton, the man who in the 1980s comic books starts the G.I. Joe strike team, called the ultimate freedom fighting force, and got the handle G.I. Joe.

Willis will join a cast that already includes Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Stevenson (villain Firefly), Adrianne Palicki, Lee Byung-hun, D.J. Cotrona, and Ray Park.

Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the script for the sequel, and Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Step Up 3D) will be in the directors chair when filming begins later this month. Paramount have set the release date for June 29, 2012, a slot previously held by Star Trek 2 until it became clear it wouldn’t make that date.

Read similar posts to Bruce Willis in talks to join G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation at Filmonic

The first trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire has appeared online. The movie stars Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas and Bill Paxton, however they are all in supporting roles. The lead belongs to Gina Carano, a mixed martial arts fighter who, by the looks of things, can also act.

Watch below:

Beautiful freelance covert operative Mallory Kane is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can’t authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her

It’s quite refreshing to see a female-driven action film that doesn’t involve Angelina Jolie. Hiring a relative unknown was a risk (Soderbergh discovered Carano on a random Saturday when watching an MMA fight), so surrounding her with strong (and well known) supporting actors was a good move.

Haywire will be released by Relativity Media on January 20, 2012.

Read similar posts to Trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire at Filmonic

Following the success of Fast Five a few months ago Dwayne Johnson’s career as an action star is very much back on track, and according to Deadline Paramount is in discussions with the actor to join G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. The site says Johnson would play a character called Roadblock opposite Channing Tatum, who is most likely returning as Captain Duke Hauser.

Wikipedia states Roadblock’s “primary function in G.I. Joe is as a heavy machine gunner and a secondary function as a cook.” The character is also the cousin of Heavy Duty, who was played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the script for the sequel, and Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Step Up 3D) will be in the directors chair when filming begins later this year. Paramount have set the release date for August 10th, 2012, however Deadline speculates that with Star Trek 2 unlikely to meets it’s June 2012 release the studio may give G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes that slot instead.

Read similar posts to Dwayne Johnson circling G.I. Joe 2 at Filmonic

Coming Soon have heard from an unnamed source that Johnny Depp will definitely be taking part in the big screen version of the TV show that made him a star, 21 Jump Street. He has in the past said that he would be willing, so it’s not much of a surprise to hear that he has finally been confirmed.

The original TV show was centred on the credibility stretching premise of a group of babyfaced cops going undercover in high school to tackle crime and was serious in tone. Depp starred for four ripped denim seasons between 1987 -1990 as officer Tom Hanson. The updated version, which also stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as his partner, is wisely steering more towards the action-comedy route and is tagged as similar in tone to Bad Boys.

The cast also includes Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim), Ice Cube, Rob Riggle (Step Brothers), Dave Franco (brother of James), Jake M. Johnson (No Strings Attached) and the recently confirmed Johnny Simmons (Scott Pilgrim).

The film, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs) is currently lensing for a March 16, 2012 release.

Read similar posts to Johnny Depp will cameo in 21 Jump Street at Filmonic

Due to the billion dollar success of Alice in Wonderland last year studios are now throwing money at any re-imagining/reboot/remake of classic literature that comes their way. We have 3 Snow White movies in development, Sam Raimi’s Oz, The Great and Powerful, Tim Burton’s Maleficent, and now we can add another to that list. Peter Pan.

Last week Heat Vision reported that Channing Tatum and his production company came up with the idea for a dark re-imagining of Peter Pan, so they took it to Alice in Wonderland producer Joe Roth. He liked it, and together with The Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray they developed the idea and pitched it to studios.

Now according to Deadline “Sony Pictures is in negotiations to acquire Pan, which will be scripted as a starring vehicle for Channing Tatum.” While I admire Tatum’s skills for spotting a trend in the market and making an opportunity for himself, I doubt many would have him as their first choice to play Peter Pan (if that is who he intends to play. I doubt it’s Captain Hook).

Enforcement of Tatum as Peter Pan aside, a “dark re-imagining of Peter Pan” does sound quite cool, although we’ll have to see who they bring on-board to direct before making too many assumptions. According to Heat Vision the movie envisions “Pan and Captain Hook as brothers.”

Producer Joe Roth is responsible for all of these updated classics as he producing Oz: The Great and Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman, and now Peter Pan, so if you have an idea for a dark and gritty Bambi reboot you want to get made he’s your guy to call.

Read similar posts to Sony threatening to make a Peter Pan movie with Channing Tatum at Filmonic

Following news that only Lee Byung-hun (Storm Shadow), Ray Park (Snake Eyes) and Channing Tatum (Captain Duke Hauser) would be returning for the G.I Joe sequel Paramount has set the release date for August 10th, 2012.

This date gives G.I Joe 2 no direct competition, although it will be released a week after The Bourne Legacy and Len Wisemen’s Total Recall reboot.

Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the script, and Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Step Up 3D) will be in the directors chair when filming begins later this year.

Read similar posts to Paramount sets release date for G.I Joe 2 at Filmonic

With Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never) recently signing on to direct G.I Joe 2 it was only a matter of time before the cast got the call regarding their involvement. Most, if not all, were under contract to appear in more films, but it looks like Paramount will only be needing a few of them.

(Hint – The two characters which sell the most toys, and the lead guy).

Rachel Nichols, who played Shana Scarlett’ O’Hara in the first film, sent out a tweet informing everyone which characters will be returning.

GI JOE 2 News Flash: The only characters to return in the JON CHU directed sequel will be SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW, and DUKE…

So that’s Lee Byung-hun (Storm Shadow), Ray Park (Snake Eyes) and Channing Tatum (Captain Duke Hauser), and we say farewell to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid and Rachel Nichols. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said last year that while all the cast were great, “it’s hard to manage as many characters as we tried” and that “it would make life a little easier to have a few less”, so we were expecting a few casualties.

Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who wrote the script will have no doubt included new characters, so we should be hearing about new casting additions soon.

Read similar posts to Only three characters returning for G.I Joe 2 at Filmonic