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Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed

Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.
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Selena GomezSelena Gomez will star in and produce in new movie The Sky Is Everywhere. The Wizards of Waverly Place actress has optioned the novel of the same name by Jandy Nelson through her production company July Moon and will take on the lead role of Lennie Walker, a shy girl whose life is turned upside down when her beloved older sister dies.

According to the synopsis of the book, "Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs - without Bailey."

Click to continue reading Selena Gomez to Star in ‘The Sky Is Everywhere’


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Madonna at the Golden Globe AwardsMadonna wrote a film because she was lonely. The 53-year-old star's fascination with Wallis Simpson - the subject of her new movie W.E. - stemmed from her interest in English history, which she began to research when she first moved to London with former husband Guy Ritchie.

"When I moved to England after I got married, I really didn't have any friends. I didn't know anybody. I found myself in a strange world and I decided that I was going to find out about the history and culture. So I started studying English history and reading about the monarchy. When I got to Edward VIII, I was transfixed by the idea that a man would give up such a powerful position for love. I started reading books about Wallis Simpson, and I found a lot of them to be really negative and one-dimensional. When women have some kind of power, and we don't understand them, we diminish them."

Madonna related to Wallis a lot and thinks that made her the right person to direct the film: "I think I had an insight into her character that possibly other directors wouldn't have, because I know what it's like to be reduced to a sound bite."


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Kristen WiigKristen Wiig is in talks to star in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

The Bridesmaids actress looks set to appear opposite Ben Stiller in the movie - a fantasy-comedy remake of the 1947 Danny Kaye film based on James Thurber's short story - that he is also in line to direct.

The 38-year-old beauty - who has recently filmed two independent projects, Imogene and Revenge of the Jolly! - is being lined up to star as the dream girl of a magazine photo manager (Ben) and his co-worker, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Secret life of Walter Mitty will feature Ben's alter-ego dreaming of exciting adventures before finding himself involved in one of his own. If Kristen signs up for the movie - which is expected to start filming in April - it will be her first major project since writing and starring in Bridesmaids.


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Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol

Despite the major competition over the holiday weekend, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took number 1 at the box office for the second week in a row with $29.6 million.

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows kept its number 2 spot with $21 million, while the family film Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked moved up one spot to number 3 with $16.4 million. The highly-anticipated David Fincher film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was bumped down to number 4 with $14.8 million, and Steven Spielberg's War Horse rounded out the Top 5 at $14.4 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: M:I-4 Continues to Outrun Competition

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In the Land of Blood and HoneyAngelina Jolie hopes her directorial debut is more than just a "history lesson."

The Oscar-winning actress helmed and wrote Bosnian war-set love story In the Land of Blood and Honey, and she hopes the audience think of it as more than just a factual running of events: "I hope for the audience watching that it isn't just a history lesson, it isn't just a political film, it isn't just Bosnia. We tried to tell a dramatic story, we tried to make a good film with great actors, we tried to just to give traditional dramatic storytelling, and somehow in that, we also layered all these other things and it's a part of that."

Despite being pleased with the outcome of the film, she is unsure if she will ever get back in the director's chair again. "Oh I don't know. I'm still very shy about that. I still can't believe I'm even here and we did it."


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Madonna on the set of W.E.Madonna asked ex-husband Guy Ritchie for "technical advice about cameras" while shooting W.E..

The singer-turned-director was married to filmmaker Guy Ritchie for just short of eight years, and she admits she was keen to talk to him and pick his brain to make sure her directorial debut was as good as it possibly could be: "I gave the screenplay to Guy and shared the concepts and the stories and the ideas with him because he was interested in it from a historical point of view. Guy would give me technical advice about cameras or using digital versus film or one cinematographer being better than another - just technical things."

Despite the film not yet being released, Madonna - who is currently dating a dancer more than half her age - claims she has already begun considering ideas for future movies. "I'm thinking about possible subjects, but I am a hopeless romantic, so I'm sure that romance and love will be a part of the story."


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Angelina Jolie directing

Angelina Jolie "wasn't afraid" to take advice from her cast and crew on her directorial debut. The Oscar-winning actress' movie In The Land of Blood and Honey tells the tale of a romance between a Serbian soldier and Bosnian Muslim woman set in the Yugoslav wars and ensured it was as authentic as possible by quizzing the local actors and behind-the-scenes staff she hired for the project.

"I wasn't afraid to ask the DP [director of photography]. And I listened to my cast, most of whom lived through the war. I listened to their stories and tried to incorporate it into the work. [I] read a lot of books about the war. I talked to a lot of people, I watched, I listened. I just wanted to tell the real story. I wanted to be respectful of people. [If I did not know something,] I asked."

Click to continue reading Angelina Jolie Relied on Cast For Advice


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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

With no new major releases this past weekend, the Twi-hards were again able to secure the coveted box office top spot for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. At $16.9 million, the penultimate Twilight film has earned more than its predecessors in the third week.

The Muppets held on to its #2 spot at $11.2 million while Martin Scorcese's Hugo jumped from #5 to the #3 spot this week at $7.6 million after having been screened at an additional 500+ theaters. Holiday animated film Arthur Christmas maintained its #4 position with $7.3 million, and Happy Feet Two fell from #3 to #5 with $6 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Breaking Dawn Still Sparkling

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Michelle TrachtenbergBuffy the Vampire Slayer alum Michelle Trachtenberg recently revealed that she could have portrayed Bella Swan in Twilight, had it not been for scheduling conflicts.

Trachtenberg, known for her roles in the vampire series as well as Gossip Girl, opened up about the opportunity: "There was definitely interest here and there because there's only so few pale girls in Hollywood... I guess schedules never worked out."

She was, however, quick to point out that she doesn't have any regrets about turning down the role, which later went to Kristen Stewart: "I already have Buffy. I've already done the vampire thing."

When asked about how her life and career would be different if she had taken the part, she would rather not think about it altogether: "You're not living in the moment and you're looking negatively at what you're doing now."

Read More | US Magazine

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Neither the classic Jim Henson characters of The Muppets nor the Black Friday events were enough to sway the effect that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 has on audiences everywhere! The vampire love story took the top spot at the box office for the second week in a row, pulling in $41.6 million for the long Thanksgiving weekend -- bringing its box office total to $220.8 million.

Amy Adams and Jason Segel claimed the #2 spot at $29.2 million with The Muppets in its first week, bumping Happy Feet Two down to #3 with $13.4 million in its second week. The animated holiday film Arthur Christmas and Martin Scorcese's latest film Hugo took fourth and fifth with $12 million and $11.3 million, respectively.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Breaking Dawn Sinks Teeth Into Competition

Read More | Box Office Mojo

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