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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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Mission: Impossible 4 - Ghost ProtocolMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the most successful film in the movie series' franchise. The Brad Bird-directed film - which sees Tom Cruise return as operative Ethan Hunt, alongside Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg - has made $571 million worldwide since its release late last year, and studio Paramount has admitted it is delighted with the success.

"Brad Bird, Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and the entire team who worked on M:I4 created an incredibly entertaining film, one that fans worldwide embraced in record numbers," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount. Mission: Impossible II is the next most successful film in the franchise, earning $546 million worldwide.

Brad has previously joked he was terrified about being the director who killed off Tom when he made him hang off the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai for the fourth installment of the movie: "I think every director that has worked with him in these kinds of films probably has that feeling where your eyes snap open at three in the morning and you go, 'My god, what am I doing?' Definitely."


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Rooney MaraRooney Mara has replaced Blake Lively in Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects.

The 26-year-old actress - who recently won an Oscar-nomination for her performance in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - will now play the leading role of Emily Hawkins in the movie about a woman with a prescription drug addiction, Deadline.com reports. Her problems increase when she is forced to come to terms with her husband being released from prison after three years, and she begins an affair with her doctor.

Jude Law, Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones are also set to star in the movie, which has been written by Scott Z. Burns. Greg Jacobs and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing the film, and shooting begins in April.

The role will be Rooney's first major signing since appearing in the English language version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo alongside Daniel Craig.


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Gerard Butler and Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus

Ralph Fiennes felt a lot of pressure making Coriolanus. The 49-year-old actor makes his directorial debut with the Shakespearean adaptation and admits it was hard to juggle helming the project and also acting in it.

"There were days when I thought, 'I haven't got the right performance that I should be giving, but I haven't got time, and I have to move on.' And then, the pressure on the head - Got to move on! And even if you think, 'f**k, f**k, f**k' you can't afford to show it."

Click to continue reading Ralph Fiennes’ Filmmaking Pressure


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Paul BettanyPaul Bettany believes that making a good movie is about guess work.

The British actor - who has starred in films including A Beautiful Mind, The Secret Lives of Bees and Iron Man - believes there is no guaranteed way to make a successful film, and he admits many people were surprised at the success of his latest work Margin Call.

"I've never seen more shocked faces. Because nobody could quite believe it had come together so well. I thought it was bright and well-written, which is rare, and it was 17 days of filming so I just thought, 'This is a good punt.' It's just proof that you never know. People are always trying to work out the formula for making a movie that is well-regarded, but it's like looking at f**king tea leaves."

Paul stars alongside Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto and Kevin Spacey in the movie, and he admits it "changed" him because it showed him how professional a set could be: "This movie changed me in that it reminded me of all the reasons why I first became an actor. I can't make movies that I don't care about any more."


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Kate Beckinsale in Underworld Awakening

Vampire films are still proving to be winning box office material, as Underworld Awakening raked in $25.3 million this past weekend, bumping Kate Beckinsale's other film, Contraband, from its number 1 spot.

Not too far behind was the Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard WWII film, Red Tails, which debuted at number 2 for $18.7 million. Last week's top film, Contraband, was bumped down to number 3 with $12 million while Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close jumped from 36th last week to the number 4 spot -- thanks to the addition of more than 2,000 screens. Lastly, the 3D version of Beauty and the Beast, which came in second last week, secured the number 5 spot with $8.8 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Underworld Takes Over Box Office

Read More | Box Office Mojo

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Andrew Garfield as Spider-ManAndrew Garfield had "near death experiences" every day on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man.

The British actor takes over playing the role from Tobey Maguire in the forthcoming prequel - also starring Emma Stone - and he reveals he regularly had to undertake death-defying stunts during the shoot:

"As you can see, a lot of the stunts are practical and grounded in reality. I would exhaust myself every day and get into near-death experiences every hour on the hour. I collaborated with the stunt team not only on the big stunt set-pieces but also on what happens to Peter's body when he gets bitten. What happens to his DNA and how that effects the way he moves."

Emma - who plays Gwen Stacy in the film, and has since gone on to become Andrew's real life girlfriend - has also revealed she enjoyed the kiss they shared on the film. She told a press conference in Japan, "You want to watch the movie and find out. You've got to decide if it's iconic or not. We liked it."

The Amazing Spider-Man is to be released later this year.


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Daniel Craig filming SkyfallJames Bond movie Skyfall is to shoot almost entirely in the UK.

The forthcoming 23rd installment of the franchise - starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Dame Judi Dench - was expected to shoot in locations across the globe including Bali and China, but budget cuts means Turkey is now the only other country the movie will go to.

"Six different countries were selected but after several technical and financial problems, it was decided to scale back and just use Turkey as the sole foreign location," a source said.

British beaches will be used - including Bognor Regis on the south coast - in addition to Pinewood Studios. "As well as Pinewood's incredible facilities, the UK has some stunning beaches, particularly along the south coast near Bognor and parts of Wales," the source added.

Skyfall has already begun shooting on location in London including Canary Wharf and Charing Cross, and the film - being directed by Sam Mendes - is due for release in November.


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Sam Worthington in Clash of the TitansSam Worthington found Clash of the Titans "disappointing."

The actor played the lead role of Perseus in the 2010 remake of the 1981 movie and while he was unhappy with a lot of the criticism the film received, he knows it wasn't as good as it could have been: "It was disappointing to me. You've got to get it right. I don't really care what critics say. They're going to have their beef. They get a free ticket and they still come and criticize. I was disappointed. It wasn't the movie that I would've liked it to be. In truth, there are a lot of people that I met who enjoyed it. But you hate those criticisms."

Sam - who reprises the role in forthcoming sequel Wrath of the Titans - admitted he was even unhappy with his own performance in the film and is hoping to do better in the new movie. "I think in the first one, there were mistakes I wanted to rectify. I wasn't happy with what I delivered, personally. And in adding things, like a kid, it gives more emotional stakes to the character, to the story. And basically we just wanted to make something a bit bigger and bolder, and hopefully better."


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Idris Elba in ThorIdris Elba will be returning to the Thor series.

The British actor - who played the role of guardian Heimdall in the first instalment of the action movie starring Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hilddleston - has confirmed he will be back for the second feature, which is due to begin filming this year.

Asked if he had any Marvel projects in the future, he said, "Thor 2, for sure. We're going at it again." However, he admits he has yet to meet the film's director Alan Taylor, who took over after Patty Jenkins dropped out due to differences of opinion.

Natalie Portman - who played Jane Foster in the 2011 film - is also widely expected to return, although she was said to have been annoyed at Patty being sidelined in the project. The first Thor, which told the tale of the leader of the Norse Gods, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, banishing his son to earth, made $448.5 million at the box office worldwide.


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Daniel Craig as James BondThe first official synopsis has been released for forthcoming James Bond movie Skyfall.

The eagerly anticipated movie - which will see Daniel Craig return in the role as the British spy - will place the relationship between the leading man and character M, played by Dame Judi Dench, under pressure.

"Daniel Craig is back as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In Skyfall, Bond's loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost."

The movie - which stars newcomers to the series Ben Whishaw and Javier Bardem - is currently shooting in London and is due to be released in November 2012.

Click to continue reading Skyfall Synopsis Revealed


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