Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow isn’t done with the action/war genre quite yet: she’s following up her Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker with a story about Navy SEAL Team 6′s killing of Osama bin Laden. She’s already locked down some fantastic actors in lead roles, and now Deadline reports that the Point Break director is on the hunt for a few more to round out her new cast.

While Jason Clarke (“The Chicago Code,” Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming The Great Gatsby), Chris Pratt (“Parks and Recreation,” Moneyball), and Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Thing) have already been confirmed, there are some new names in the mix: Jessica Chastain, Edgar Ramirez, and Mark Strong are all in talks to join the film in unknown roles. Honestly? It doesn’t matter what roles they play – these are all fantastic actors that would be a great asset to any film. Chastain burst onto the scene in 2011, releasing seven films in one year (including the fantastic Michael Shannon paranoia flick Take Shelter, one of my favorites of the year). Mark Strong always elevates any material he’s in – yes, even Green Lantern – and Edgar Ramirez received rave reviews for his work on 2010′s Carlos after appearing in The Bourne Ultimatum.

Bigelow is re-teaming with Hurt Locker writer Mark Boal on the film (once called Kill Bin Laden but now officially untitled), which will hit theaters on December 19th, 2012.

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When people ask me how my reviews go from my head to the page, a criteria about how you have to back up something you claim the movie does, or doesn’t, always is addressed on my end.  For instance, you can’t just say, “this movie is as painful as an enema;” you have to be able to explain why it is annoying as a tube going up your ass.

This is one of the rare times where yours truly just wants to say the following: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is extremely boring.  It just is.  Its 127 minutes of absolutely nothing happening for the most part.  By the time this plodding script gets to something quasi-stimulating, it already lost you nearly an hour ago.

Spy conspiracies usually have some kick to them.  Even the ones that are quiet and take their time will almost always have a jolt or two in them while they’re building toward the climax.  Well, unless you’re last year’s The American that is.  The only element about this flick is how it can give Nyquil a run for its money.  Better yet, one will fall asleep faster watching this than getting put under by a dentist.

The plot isn’t all that unique from what we’ll call “administrative spy mysteries” (ones with seldom action and a lot of old-man conversations).  A group of senior British intelligence agents (played by Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, David Denick and John Hurt) run the “Circus” during the Cold War Era.  After an operation in Hungary involving agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) goes wrong, a former agent in George Smiley (Gary Oldman) comes out of retirement almost a year later to investigate why this occurred.  His light research leads him to the conclusion that one of the senior agents is a possible mole for the Russians.  As he speaks with other agents involved (played by Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kathy Burke) with that particular mission, he inches closer to who or whom may be leaking information to the Soviets.

Had the makings to be riveting and intense, but sadly, this flick never comes close to that.  As the screenplay begins jumping back-n-forth depicting the time when the Hungary operation went south, to his present investigation, it becomes a chore to keep up with where we’re at regarding the story and characters.  The goal is to portray a realistic account and avoid using all the gimmicks and flash found in the majority of spy-thrillers.  And while that could make for an engrossing story – on paper – this is almost too thorough and intelligent for the cinematic screen.

This is essentially Gary Oldman walking around in a trench coat having chats with all the players above; some of which who get a minor backstory, while others are just used as place-holders.  And while it is an admirable effort by Oldman leading this accomplished cast, only Tom Hardy provides a glimmer of life in the dialogue department.

The funny or ironic thing; a movie that fires off only a couple rounds is in fact an effective killer…in the entertainment department.

Overall, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy reveals nothing interesting or compelling to encourage anyone to seek this out.  Unless you’re sleep deprived.

RATING: 2 out of 5

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There has been a huge amount of interest in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ever since Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and other equally talented actors joined the film last year, and the teaser trailer gave the indication we had a quality film on our hands.

Today Studio Canal and Working Title released a great new international trailer for the film, and it has the kick-ass ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ track from X-Men: First Class as the backdrop.

Watch below:

Based on John Le Carre‘s Cold War novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy follows a retired MI6 agent (Oldman) who is called back to ferret out a Soviet mole hiding among the highest ranks of the MI6. The cast also includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, Svetlana Khodchenko, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke.

Tomas Alfredson, the Swedish director behind Let the Right One, is directing a script by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be released September 16 in the U.K., and an awards-friendly November 18 in the U.S.

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There has been a considerable amount of interest in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ever since Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and other equally talented actors joined the film last year.

Tomas Alfredson, the Swedish director behind Let the Right One, is directing a script by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), and today interest reached a new high with the release of the first trailer.

Watch below:

Based on John Le Carre‘s Cold War novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy follows a retired MI6 agent (Oldman) who is called back to ferret out a Soviet mole hiding among the highest ranks of the MI6. The cast also includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, Svetlana Khodchenko, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be released September 16 in the U.K., and an awards-friendly November 18 in the U.S.

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Warner Bros. has today revealed a brand new trailer for Green Lantern, and it’s probably the best one yet. Around 40% is new footage which looks almost complete (although there’s still some unfinished CGI) and we finally get to see and hear more from the other characters. Up until today Peter Sarsgaard’s forehead had received more trailer time than Blake Lively, but now she finally gets a line (or two).

Watch the trailer below:

The Green Lantern Corps are a brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

As well as Ryan Reynolds, the movie stars Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Mark Strong as Sinestro, Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond, Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond and Angela Bassett as Dr. Amanda Waller, and will hit screen on June 17th, 2011.

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The Eagle. Period piece. Set in the time of the Roman Empire. Legions march. Swords cling-n-clang. And a friendship is formed. 114 minutes later…The end.

It’s really that simple folks. Usually this sentence is saved for the end of my reviews, but overall, this is mildly interesting, but the poor direction can never break this piece through the average barrier. This is why…

Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) is a commander in the Roman army. His reputation precedes him, for he is the son of a great commander, who directed the infamous Ninth Legionnaires. Their fame stems from tragedy. Marcus’ father was leading the legion far north into unexplored territory. On his person, was the golden eagle – the symbol of Rome. After many months have passed, the five-thousand men that made up the ninth legion were never heard from again. The emperor ordered a great wall be built to keep out whatever forces bested the mighty legion. All of Rome was to consider this wall the “end of the world.”

Based on these tales, Marcus has always dealt with other soldiers showing him a lack of respect, despite his position and heroism. In the midst of a surprise attack, Marcus successfully defends his outpost and single-handily defeats the fierce savages from Briton. However, his efforts were not without consequence. An injury forced him into retirement. During this time, his Uncle (Donald Sutherland) takes him into is wealthy compound. As distinguished guests pass through, continuous banter and rumors about Marcus’ father’s fate motivates him to cross into no man’s land and find out what happened to the ninth and the golden eagle. He feels that by uncovering the truth and possibly finding the eagle statue, his family’s honor will be restored in Rome.

He is not going alone though. His personal slave – and Briton countrymen – Esca (Jamie Bell) is required to come along on what everyone considers to be a journey to certain death.

Let’s see, what were the positives? Acting was decent. Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell formed sufficient chemistry, even though their dialogue only reaches anything resembling a level of substance during the climatic sequences. Supporting players were game too. Mark Strong has a role that is slightly above cameo criteria. Denis O’Hare – who looks anything but an elite Roman solider – makes the most of his early moments. Rest of the cast were limited to piece-meal scenes. The majority of this flick follows our two main characters riding on horseback through the lands of Scotland. Which is about the only time the cinematography is worth it.

Because the rest of the camera work blew it in all the limited fight scenes. To make matters worse, this is rated PG-13, and they never pushed the envelope in the gore and/or action department. If this was a Disney production, this approach would be understandable. However, the execution feels dated. Pretty sure 1981’s Dragonslayer and/or the recent Narnia flicks had better fight choreography. As alluded to earlier, the action is very light in this flick. Less action would be tolerable if the script could inject life into the other sequences. Subtle attempts at innovation are noticed in a few moments such as the poor man’s gladiator fight (more like beating) and interacting with the barbarians of the north. Then again, these said moments eventually led to nowhere gripping or pertinent.

Mechanically speaking, the continuity of the characters’ actions is a bloody nightmare. From having a fatal injury one minute, and then being able to fight off numerous savages; To seeing men on horseback with a head start getting caught by starving warriors after days of running in the mountains, is beyond ridiculous. A lot of the third act felt like they took the cutting room floor shots from Last of the Mohicans, polished them up and then had a four year old paste it together. It’s a shame too, because the cast was really trying here.

In the end, this review will close out and compare The Eagle similar to how the Roman society voted on whether a fallen gladiator should live or die. Thumbs up or thumbs down (hopefully Ebert will not file in court). My thumb is definitely down. As the flick went on though, it did improve slightly. So picture yours truly with my thumb down at stomach level for the first half of this flick. At the completion, my thumb is still down, but my hand now resides at my chest level.

Hey, it makes sense to me.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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Focus Features has released the first trailer for The Eagle, a Roman epic lead by Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. The movie comes from director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) and follows a young Roman centurion who attempts to uncover the truth about the disappearance of his father’s legion.

Watch the trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diY-ccvdcUk

It has similarities to Centurion which was also shot in Scotland and also revolves around the disappearance of Rome’s 9th Legion. The Eagle doesn’t look as violent though, so it may not be restricted by a harsh rating.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In 140 AD, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell and is directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald. 20 years earlier, Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius’ son Marcus (Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle. Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

The Eagle will be released on February 25th in the US.

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Filming on Disney’s John Carter of Mars has been under-way since the beginning of the year, and now they have finally set a June 8, 2012 release date for their sci-fi epic.

John Carter of Mars will be director Andrew Stanton’s first big live-action movie after working on Finding Nemo and Wall-E. The cast includes Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins (Gambit and Kayla from X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Thomas Haden Church who played Sandman in Spider-Man 3, Mark Strong, Dominic West, James Purefoy and Samantha Morton. Willem Dafoe will also be playing a 10-foot alien with four arms called Tars Tarkas.

Here is the synopsis:

Carter is an American Civil War veteran who goes to sleep in a cave after being chased by Apache Indians and wakes up on Mars, here called Barsoom. Formerly an Earthlike world, it became less hospitable to life due to its advanced age: as the oceans evaporated, and the atmosphere thinned, the planet devolved into partial barbarism with the inhabitants hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive. Barsoomians distribute scarce water supplies via a worldwide system of canals, controlled by quarreling city-states. The Martian atmosphere is maintained by a power plant. Carter rescues a humanoid Red Martian princess, Dejah Thoris, from the belligerent four-armed Green Martians, whose respect he gains for his superior strength and fighting ability. He enlists the Green Martians’ assistance in winning a civil war, and saves Mars from destruction when its atmosphere plant malfunctions.

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Warner Bros. has released 4 new character posters for Green Lantern which give us our first official look at Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Mark Strong as Sinestro, Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, and Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond.

Click the images for a close look:

You will notice the posters each contain a section of the Green Lantern oath, which Ryan Reynolds recited for the first time at Comic-Con to a young Lantern fan:

Green Lantern also stars Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond and Angela Bassett as Dr. Amanda Waller. We got our first look at them earlier this month, which you can check out by clicking here!

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The Kick-Ass DVD and Blu-ray release date has been set for August 3rd, and the discs will contain quite a few behind the scenes clips and features.

Amazon has made Kick-Ass available to pre-order. Click here for the DVD, and here to pre-order the Blu-ray.

Check out the DVD art, a feature on Hit-Girl, and DVD/Blu-ray specs below:

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIAL FEATURES
DISC ONE
• Ass-Kicking Bonus View Mode (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive) – Synchronous with the feature film, this innovative multi-media presentation incorporates video and audio commentary, behind-the-scenes clips and illustrative graphics with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Matthew Vaughn, plus cast and crew providing an all-access perspective on Kick-Ass
• “A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass “ documentary (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive)
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive
• BD Touch and Metamenu Remote
• Lionsgate Live™ enabled, featuring extra content for Internet-connected players
• Enhanced for D-Box™ Motion Control Systems

DISC TWO
• Standard Definition DVD Copy of the feature film

DISC THREE
• Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass” featurette
• “The Art of Kick-Ass” gallery
• Marketing Archive

Kick-Ass, which was made for $28 million, took just over $90 million during its box office run. An extra $15 – $30 million from DVD and Blu-ray sales should make Lionsgate and Vaughn happy, and Kick-Ass can be considered a ‘success’.

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