Heating Oil Mixed With Trouble

By A. O. Scott



A Most Violent Year (R)



Opening December 31, 2014



from NYT Critics' Pick http://movies.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/movies/a-most-violent-year-with-oscar-isaac-and-jessica-chastain.html

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Exclusive New Still From Pixar's Inside Out

Pete Docter in the house

A quick look at next year's release schedule finds a new Pixar film nestled in the middle like a jewel in a particularly spectacular crown. Inside Out is that film. It forms an integral part of Empire’s big preview of 2015 in the upcoming February issue, with an exclusive new still that we’re excited to share with you below.{Exclusive New Still From Pixar's Inside Out}

What you’re glimpsing here is the colourful consciousness of an 11 year-old called Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) as seen by the five emotions that govern her life and decisions. The five are Fear (Bill Hader), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and the little fury flame-ball that is Anger (Lewis Black). Between them, the five emotional entities squabble, vie for supremacy and occasionally co-operate in such a way that will hopefully help their young heroine adjust to the sheer newness of life in a big city and all the growing pains that come with being little. But, well… they probably won’t. They may have some growing up to do of their own. {Inside Out Character Posters} Pete Docter – who talked to Empire about his creation in the new issue – has Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley’s bickering parents, a kind of Mr. and Mrs. Incredible only with messy life problems instead of troublesome superpowers.



is, as the writer/director has explained, one of the most challenging films he’s put together, thanks largely to having two stories running concurrently. It’s the kind of Sigmund-Freud-on-a-massive-sugar-high premise that only Pixar can come with and truly pull off. July 24 is the date to mark in your diary to see if they’ve managed it.



The new issue of Empire, meanwhile, is out on all fine newsstands on December 31.

from Empire News

New Releases on Netflix - The Equalizer

In this action-thriller based on the hit 1980s TV series, former intelligence operative Robert McCall comes out of retirement to help a young prostitute, only to end up in the Russian Mafia's crosshairs.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Jingle All the Way 2

The Harrison Bear is sold out and Noel's new stepfather aims to keep it that way; so he can be the one to fulfill her holiday wish. When Larry learns all Noel wants for Christmas is the bear, he'll stop at nothing to make his little girl happy.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Last Weekend

When well-heeled, fastidious Celia Green rounds up her two grown sons and husband for a holiday weekend retreat at their beloved vacation home, perfection is her goal. Unfortunately for Celia, discord and dysfunction intervene.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Reach Me

Led by a stellar ensemble cast, the inspirational dramedy REACH ME tells interwoven stories from a diverse group of people who are united by one thing, a powerful book from an anonymous and reclusive author (Tom Berenger). When the book's positive message goes viral, a journalist (Kevin Connolly) and his editor (Sylvester Stallone), a former inmate (Kyra Sedgwick), a hip-hop mogul (Nelly), an actor (Cary Elwes) and an undercover cop (Thomas Jane) are inspired to change their lives by facing their fears. REACH ME also stars Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Cohan, Ryan Kwanten and Tom Sizemore.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - The Hundred-Foot Journey

Relocating from India to a quiet village in the south of France, chef Hassan Kadam and his family open a restaurant called Maison Mumbai. But when their business starts to thrive, a competing restaurateur launches a war between the eateries.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - As Above, So Below

Descending into the dark and bone-strewn caverns beneath the Paris streets, a party of explorers hoping to find a treasure trove instead encounter a nightmare. When a cave-in blocks the only exit, all hell breaks loose -- literally.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Stephen King's A Good Marriage

With a serial killer on the loose and a disheveled stranger stalking her, devoted wife Darcy Anderson has further cause for alarm after she unwittingly uncovers an ominous secret about her husband that threatens their happy marriage -- and her life.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Tusk

When podcaster Wallace Bryton goes missing in the backwoods of Manitoba while interviewing a mysterious seafarer named Howard Howe, his best friend Teddy and girlfriend Allison team with an ex-cop to look for him.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

A decade after their escape, Caesar and his fellow super-intelligent apes strike a tenuous peace with human survivors of the simian virus. But all-out war is on the horizon, a conflict that will determine which species will dominate the planet.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - UFC 177/178

TJ Dillashaw takes on Joe "One Bad Mofo" Soto in the five-round championship that headlines UFC 177. At UFC 178, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson has not cleaned out the 125-pound weight class yet, and dynamic striker Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso is prepared to prove that fact to the champion.



from New Releases This Week

The Quest for Storybook Endings in a Scary but Magical World

By Stephen Holden



Into the Woods (PG)



Opening December 25, 2014



from NYT Critics' Pick http://ift.tt/1B4GPGa

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A 50-Mile March, Nearly 50 Years Later

By A. O. Scott



Selma (PG-13)



Opening December 25, 2014



from NYT Critics' Pick http://ift.tt/1xf5IhK

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Sony comedy The Interview opens

The Sony Films comedy The Interview opens in some US cinemas and online, after a major cyber-attack and row over its release.



from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts

What’s More Important: My Job or Your Bonus?

By A. O. Scott



Two Days, One Night (PG-13)



Opening December 24, 2014



from NYT Critics' Pick http://ift.tt/1zx3hdR

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Obama hails The Interview screenings

The US president welcomes a decision by Sony to screen a comedy about North Korea - which had been pulled following a cyber-attack and threats - in some US cinemas.



from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts

US cinemas 'to screen' The Interview

A number of cinemas in the US have said they will screen Sony film The Interview on Christmas Day.



from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts

New In The Heart Of The Sea Trailer Lands Online

Massive flail whale

If there's one thing Old Man Empire taught us, it's never to meddle with a sociopathic whale. And he was gnarly seafarer with kippers for hands and a pipe permanently clenched between the two remaining gnashers he hadn't had prised from his face by a kraken off the Cape of Good Hope. Sadly the crew of The Essex, a similarly salty bunch, never met the kipper-fingered seafarer or had the chance to heed his sage advice. This new trailer for Ron Howard's In The Heart Of The Sea lays bare the terrible consequences.

Adapted from Nathaniel Philbrick’s Moby Dick origin story of the same name, Howard’s sea movie relays the misadventures of a whaling expedition led by Captain George Pollard, Jr. (Benjamin Walker) and first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) after it comes out second best in an encounter with an angry sperm whale mid-ocean.

Being adrift in small boats in the Pacific is something of a cinematic trend at the moment – Unbroken and Kon-Tiki also capture that “oh shit” moment when the wind drops and you’re suddenly 4000 miles from land with only a flying fish to gnaw on – but this one takes us to new and terrifying places. The South American landmass is still some distance when the food starts to run out...



Howard’s strong cast also boasts Michelle Fairley, Charlotte Riley, Jordi Molla, Tom Holland, Sam Keeley and Cillian Murphy among those who either set sail or must deal with the aftermath. In The Heart Of The Sea drops anchor on March 13.

from Empire News

Richard Linklater On The Future Of Boyhood

'You never know, you never know...'

With the franchise-hungry Hollywood machine demanding more sequels, the '2' key is one of the most well-worn on studio execs' keyboards. Occasionally, though, comes a film that lends itself so naturally to a second instalment that we almost want to wish it into existence. Considering the unique demands it placed on its cast and creator, Boyhood may well not turn out to be that film, but when Empire met Richard Linklater recently, he definitely didn't rule it out.



"There is kind of this parallel world we’ve created through these fictional characters," he reflected on the potential for a Boyhood 2 (Manhood, perhaps?). "So you never know, you never know. The twenties are interesting though. There are lots of unrepresented areas of development you go through. If you think about cinema representation, you know usually it’s like maybe college, you get a degree, and then it’s always like you’re right into marriage, kids — and the twenties can be this netherworld of still figuring out who the hell you are. So maybe there’s something there. But I don’t know. Way too soon. Way too soon!"



Of course, with a cast partly made up of non-professional actors, including Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater, and Linklater himself wrapped up with college comedy That’s What I’m Talking About and a myriad of Oscar functions, the very notion of another multi-year commitment seems far-fetched. But... but... if life teaches one thing - apart from the thing about not giving us bumpers - it's that you don't rule anything out. "No, you don’t," agrees Linklater, "because [Boyhood] is so close to life".

He applies to the same answers to the idea of a fourth instalment of the Before story. "You know, if I’ve learned anything from the Before trilogy, it’s that you never know. And b), it’s too soon. I mean, those films, I go five years, Ethan (Hawke), Julie (Delpy) and I go five years just recovering from the last one, what it takes to do those, before we realise that Jesse and Celine are at a new phase of life. And I don’t know, it could be the same with these family members, you know? It’s hard to say."

Boyhood is out on DVD and Blu-ray on January 19.

from Empire News

Empire's Mad Max: Fury Road Cover Arrives

Tom Hardy hits the road

This magazine was but a twinkle in the Papa Empire's eye when George Miller first introduced Mel Gibson's 'Mad' Max Rockatansky onto the big screen and injected the term 'road warrior' into the cinematic lexicon. Thirty five years on and we're proud to carry a new Mad Max on the cover - this time played by Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road - as the cult sci-fi hero is reprised for a new generation. Click on the images below for a closer look at Max in subscriber and newsstand form. Go on, he's a handsome devil. Have a click.



The February issue's cover story is a journey through Mad Max lore, with Miller himself acting as your escort across a two-decade-long Mad Max: Fury Road making-of that took in triumphs, disasters and even an invasion of rogue amphibians. The writer/director opens up about everything from Mel Gibson's early involvement to Heath Ledger's possible casting and finally Hardy's take on Rockatansky. For fans of the character - and of singular sci-fi visions that have lasted the years - it's unmissable. {Mad Max: Fury Road} Of course it's not just about Hardy on screen. Charlize Theron steps into a bleached dustbowl as the bionic-armed Furiosa and Nicholas Hoult appears as a pale-skinned, tattoed rebel called Nux. Max and Furiosa will be travelling together across the wasteland and getting into the kind of auto-scraps that made the film's recent trailer such an alloyed joy.

Pick up the new issue of Empire on newsstands from December 31. Mad Max: Fury Road hits UK cinemas on May 15.

from Empire News

New Images From Marvel's Daredevil

Not one but two! It's almost like it's Christmas...

In preparation for the masked vigilante’s 2015 Netflix debut, Father Christmas has delivered two new images of Daredevil to tide you over until the new year. Coming courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, the images see Charlie Cox’s Man Without Fear in and out of costume: first in his civilian guise as legal eagle Matt Murdoch, then cleaning up the streets as his crime-fighting alter ego.{New Daredevil TV Show Stills}

If you’re wondering why the latter outfit is a little more ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ than Daredevil fans are used to, this is the prototype costume Murdoch dons in his early days (and indeed the Frank Miller Man Without Fear run), before busting out the more iconic burgundy leather devil suit.

In addition to the stills, Marvel’s Jeph Loeb dropped a couple of further hints about the show. “There aren’t going to be people flying through the sky; there are no magic hammers,” he said. “We’ve always approached this as a crime drama first, superhero show second.” Excited yet? Excellent.

Marvel’s Daredevil will debut on Netflix in the new year.

from Empire News

Taken 3 Becomes A 12A

Bryan Mills adds 'killing with kindness' to his skills...

Liam Neeson does not look happy. Admittedly, Bryan Mills often looks peeved or displeased, but that’s the nature of his life, where anyone from his family can be kidnapped at any time and he has to go and rescue them while taking out the bad guys. But in Taken 3, it appears – for UK audiences, at least – he’ll have to do so with a little less violence. 20th Century Fox has decided to edit the movie to receive a 12A.

The lower certification is in line with the studio’s release of recent films such as A Good Day To Die Hard, and is aimed at boosting the box-office potential. But it also runs the risk of alienating action fans that want Mills to be at his neck-snapping, head-crunching, bullet-firing best. Especially following the release of this 12 Skills Of Christmas promo.

UK classification board the BBFC announced the new rating, adding an explanation for the change. “During post-production, the distributor sought and was given advice on how to secure the desired classification. Following this advice, certain changes were made prior to submission,” runs the statement. “This film was originally seen for advice in an incomplete form. The BBFC advised the company that the film was likely to receive a 15, but that their requested 12A could be achieved by making reductions in scenes of violence. When the finished version was submitted for formal classification, those changes had been made and the film was classified 12A.”

So while we don’t expect Bryan to start offing villains using a feather duster for full-on tickle death (especially since the plot of the third film finds him framed for his ex-wife’s death and on a crusade to clear his name while protecting his daughter), you may have to wait for DVD to see the movie as director Olivier Megaton and producer Luc Besson intended. Taken 3 will gently arrive on our screens on January 8.

from Empire News

New Releases on Netflix - The November Man

Living peacefully in Switzerland after leaving the CIA, Peter Deveraux is none to pleased to be reeled in for a critical covert assignment. Soon, the resurrected spy finds himself caught in a high-stakes struggle between the United States and Russia.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Dolphin Tale 2

This aquatic drama continues the heartwarming story of Winter the dolphin, who survived a tragic injury by being fitted with a prosthetic tail. In the sequel, Winter bonds with an orphaned baby dolphin after her beloved pool mate passes away.



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - The Trip to Italy

Following in the footsteps of the great romantic poets, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon traverse the Italian countryside musing about life and love. Work enters the conversation as well in this largely improvised sequel to the roadtrip comedy "The Trip."



from New Releases This Week

New Releases on Netflix - Pride

In an unlikely alliance, striking British mineworkers draw support from a coalition of gay and lesbian activists who solicit donations to help tide over the miners' families during the 1984 standoff with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government.



from New Releases This Week

Robert Rodriguez Officially Set For Fire And Ice

Sony has bought the project

It’s four years since Robert Rodriguez announced he was looking to mount a live-action remake of ‘80s animated adventure Fire And Ice. He’s been busy on other things since then, but has now signed a deal to direct the film for Sony.

Fire And Ice, which will draw from Frank Frazetta’s artwork in a similar – though perhaps not as direct – way to Sin City and Frank Miller, adapts the story from the Ralph Bakshi animation. It’s all launched when evil type Nekron sends glaciers out that destroy most of the surrounding strongholds. Humanity retreats to Fire Keep, ruled by the benevolent King Jarol. But when his daughter is kidnapped, a young warrior must venture out to save her.

“I’m a lifelong Frazetta fan who was inspired by his work, like so many people,” Rodriguez tells Deadline. “It was my dream to work with him, and the first thing I did when I got to Hollywood was call him. I got him to do a From Dusk Till Dawn poster for me, and I got to work with him and know him over the years. When I’d visit him at his museum and see his artwork, I tried to figure what would the ultimate Frazetta movie be. I remembered the movie he did, Fire And Ice, back when I was a kid. I thought, ‘I wish they could have made it look more like the paintings, but I guess they’d have had to paint each frame.’ Now, you could do that. You could make it look like you were in his imagination. He didn’t use models, he didn’t use swipes. He painted purely from his imagination, and the characters and the colours made you feel like you were in a dream, and a fully realized and completely imagined world. It was so visual and arresting.”

While he was developing the project independently with Bold Films, Rodriguez decided it would work better on a bigger scale with studio backing, and Michael De Luca hatched the Sony deal. They’re both hoping this turns into a fantasy franchise for the studio.

from Empire News