The Monica Edwards Weblog

See Josh Brolin as George W. Bush

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Drama, Political, Casting, Upcoming Releases

As we have reported, director Oliver Stone is currently filming his third piece about a U.S. Commander-in-Chief.  This movie, though, will be his first about a living president, and his first about one still in office.

In this week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly, we get our first glimpses of W‘s George and Laura Bush: Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) and Elizabeth Banks (The 40-Year-Old Virgin).

Although Stone denies he is any way trying to influence the upcoming election, many believe the timing of the film’s release is quite suspect.  (It could be released sometime this fall.) You can read more of the magazine’s interview here and judge for yourself.

Read More | Entertainment Weekly

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

In Theaters This Weekend (5/9)

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: 20th Century Fox, Magnolia, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Noir, Political, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Speed Racer (PG): starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman (directed by Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski)
• What Happens in Vegas (PG-13): starring Ashton Kutcher, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry (directed by Tom Vaughan)

• America the Beautiful* (R): starring Gerren Taylor, Ted Casablanca, Eve Ensler (directed by Darryl Roberts)
• Before the Rains* (PG-13): starring Linus Roache, Nandita Das, Rahul Bose (directed by Santosh Sivan)
• Bloodline* (NR): (directed by Bruce Burgess)
• The Fall* (R): starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell (directed by Tarsem Singh)

  Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (5/9)

  
  
  • Tools:
  • Permalink
  • Comments (0)
  • Digg This
  • Share on Facebook
  • Email this story

In Theaters This Weekend (5/2)

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Sony, Action, Adventure, Foreign, Political, Romance, Comedy, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Iron Man (PG-13): starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow (directed by Jon Favreau)
• Made of Honor (PG-13): starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Sydney Pollack (directed by Paul Weiland)

• Fugitive Pieces* (R): starring Rosamund Pike, Stephen Dillane, Rade Serbedzija (directed by Jeremy Podeswa)
• Mister Lonely* (NR): starring Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Werner Herzog (directed by Harmony Korine)

  Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (5/2)

  
  
  • Tools:
  • Permalink
  • Comments (1)
  • Digg This
  • Share on Facebook
  • Email this story

In Theaters This Weekend (4/18)

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: Magnolia, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Period, Political, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• 88 Minutes (R): starring Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski (directed by Jon Avnet)
• The Forbidden Kingdom (PG-13): starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Yifei Liu (directed by Rob Minkoff)
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R): starring Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis (directed by Nicholas Stoller)

  Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (4/18)

  
  
  • Tools:
  • Permalink
  • Comments (0)
  • Digg This
  • Share on Facebook
  • Email this story

Tom Cruise’s Strangely Missing Accent

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: MGM, Action, Drama, Period, Political, Celebrity Gossip, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

After viewing a teaser trailer for Valkyrie, I now see why Tom Cruise’s film may be in need of a few delays.

In this WWII movie, the actor plays Col. Claus von Stauffenberg - a German officer who plots to take down Adolf Hitler.  Granted, I haven’t seen the film yet, but I highly doubt the character ever took voice lessons by watching videos of Mission Impossible.

You can listen to his laughable performance after the jump.

Click to continue reading Tom Cruise’s Strangely Missing Accent

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Another Delay for Tom Cruise and Valkyrie

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: MGM, Action, Drama, Period, Political, Upcoming Releases

Right now, Tom Cruise is somewhere hoping the third time really is a charm.

After initially receiving a June 27 release date, the actor’s next film is now scheduled to open next year.  That’s after Valkyrie had already been pushed back to the fall for production reasons.

Although an October premiere might have been given the film Oscar consideration, the studio claims the new Feb. 13th slot will be in the best interest of the WWII drama.  That decision will allow Cruise to take advantage of the President’s Day weekend.

Two films once slated for that same 2009 date have since made other plans (The Pink Panther 2, The Wolfman).  While these departures may have allowed Valkyrie to slip right in, that Friday will still have stiff competition.  Confessions of a Shopaholic (starring Isla Fisher) and the latest version of Friday the 13th will also be fighting for audience dollars.

Directed by Bryan Singer, Valkyrie also stars Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Wilkinson.

Read More | Variety

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Oliver Stone to Put W in George W. Bush

Posted by K.C. Morgan
Categories: Drama, Political, Casting, Filmmaking, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

As reported back in January, director Oliver Stone is going to take on the subject that has created strife, laughs, tears and terror - the presidency of a man named George W. Bush.

At that time (January), Stone said he was going to create “a fair, true portrait” of the man we all call Dubya. It’s now April, and the film is making ready for its start date (the 21st). The script has already been given to Bush biographers. Okay, I haven’t read it. However, according to some reports the script is said to depict Bush as “foul-mouthed,” “obsessed,” and shows a complicated relationship between himself and Bush, Sr. 

Click to continue reading Oliver Stone to Put W in George W. Bush

Read More | Yahoo! News

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

See a Sultrier Side to Hilary Duff

Posted by K.C. Morgan
Categories: Drama, Political, Casting, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

The Lizzie McGuire star isn’t Disney’s property anymore. Hilary Duff will soon be steaming it up on the big screen, in a role which could propel her out of the lighthearted teen parts of her past.

Duff plays a pop star in War, Inc, but there’s nothing bubble-gum about her performance - at least, not in the clip that’s making the rounds on the Internet. In the film, John Cusack plays a hit man who is using Duff as a cover story. Marisa Tomei and Ben Kingsley co-star. The movie will hit theaters May 23, but the clip of Duff’s scorpion scene is available right now.

Read More | AOL News

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

Warner Bros. Uses Viral Marketing Strategy for Dark Knight

Posted by Kathleen Kane
Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Mystery, Political, Sequels, Thrillers, Distribution, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Acting upon the success of Cloverfield‘s online viral marketing, Warner Bros. has recently implemented their own take on the strategy for this summer’s The Dark Knight.

It all started as a simple jack-o-lantern and appropriately turned into a game on WhySoSerious.com.  Now the company has also released IBelieveInHarveyDent.com and RorysDeathKiss.com. The former being a simple campaign site for Harvey Dent that invites you to submit your e-mail and phone number (try it!) and the latter being a Joker-driven site where fans are able to upload images of themselves as, well, Jokers.

There is also IBelieveInHarveyDentToo.com, which used to portray the image of Harvey Dent with Joker makeup smeared upon his face. (The site has changed and now appears to have an error; however, if you highlight the page, you’ll find something interesting.)

As cool as this may be, I honestly don’t see why Warner Bros. is wasting their time on these sites—everyone and their grandmother is going to see this movie, and if they’re not, they ought to be slapped until they’re right in the head. Either way, words cannot describe how excited I am to see this movie, especially with such an outstanding performance by Heath Ledger.

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (1)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

In Theaters this Leap Year Weekend (2/29)

Posted by Veronica Santiago
Categories: IFC Films, Miramax, New Line, Sony, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13): starring Eric Bana, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson (directed by Justin Chadwick)
• Penelope (PG): starring Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon, Catherine O’Hara (directed by Mark Palansky)
• Semi-Pro (R): starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin (directed by Kent Alterman)

• Bonneville* (NR): starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen (directed by Christopher N. Rowley)
• Chicago 10* (R): starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte (directed by Brett Morgen)
• City of Men* (R): starring Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Jonathan Haagensen (directed by Paulo Morelli)
• The Unforeseen* (NR): starring Wendell Berry, Gary Bradley, William Greider (directed by Laura Dunn)

*limited and/or gradual release

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story