FILM NEWS: Efron & Rogen, Ferrell & Wahlberg, and Bateman & Vaughn Team Up, and more

• Emma Watson may star in Guillermo del Toro's reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. I think all of those frightened expressions she's done in the Harry Potter series are about to pay off.

• Zac Efron is going to try his hand at playing a douchebag opposite Seth Rogen in an untitled comedy. He'll play an obnoxious and disruptive frat dude "whose raucous behavior wreaks havoc" on Rogen's family life. I feel like it was only yesterday that Ryan Gosling would've been perfect for that role. He's come a long way.

• For those of you who thought it was odd that someone would agree to marry Seth Rogen, allow me to disspell rumors that she's just after his pot money. Lauren Miller (left) is actually a writer/producer/actress...with a dirty mind. She'll be starring alongside her fiancee and the hilarious Ari Graynor (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Whip It) in her feature film screenwriting debut, For a Good Time, Call..., about two girls who start a phone sex line. I know what you're thinking: A woman who dreams up a reality where girls voluntarily talk dirty to men? Seth's hit the jackpot!

• Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are re-teaming even though their last film, The Other Guys, barely cleared the budget, grossing $170 mil with a $100 mil budget. This time they'll play football-obsessed rivals who hold an annual tackle football game for bragging and trash-talking rights in the comedy Three Mississippi. According to Dark Horizons, "the grandiose games will be filled with various cameos, akin to the rival broadcaster gang fights in Anchorman," and Alec Baldwin will play Wahlberg's dad. That's...embarrassing, but I'm glad these two will have another shot at bouncing jokes off of each other after their memorable verbal sparring in The Departed.

• Jonah Hill is starting to form a pattern of being the sidekick to a dashing leading man. His next project is the action comedy Good Time Gang opposite Mark Wahlberg. "The pair play two party-happy mercenaries who decide to take on a more serious case involving a terrorist, only to find their mission complicated when they discover one of them is related to the target."

• Colin Firth and Emily Blunt are teaming up for a dark comedy where they play "two damaged souls fleeing their pasts, who meet and break into empty homes to assume the identities of the absent owners. Over the course of their misadventures the pair fall in love." There's a bit of an age chasmgap, since he's 20 years her senior, but Blunt was so damn good in Wild Target with the prehistoric Bill Nighy that I can't wait to see her play another con artist in a comedy.

 • I feel like Jason Bateman is signing up to do a comedy with every single comedian in Hollywood. Next up is Vince Vaughn for The Insane Laws, where they'll play best friends who have to deal with the aftermath of their kids falling for each other at college and the fact that one got the other pregnant.

• Rumored to be foregoing a return to FOX's "American Idol," Jennifer Lopez has smartly settled for supporting roles in two upcoming films. The first is as Jason Statham's love interest in the adaptation of the Donald Westlake mystery thriller Parker, and the second is as a supporting role in the ensemble comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting. Joining her are Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Elizabeth Banks, Rodrigo Santoro (Che and Love Actually), Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It), Matthew Morrison ("Glee"), and Chace Crawford ("Gossip Girl").

• Kristen Wiig has signed on for the indie Imogene, where she'll play "a moderately successful New York playwright who stages a fake suicide attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend, only to end up forced into the custody of her gambling-addict mother (Annette Bening)." Wow! Wiig never fails to score points for originality.

• There's a script circulating for the dark comedy adaptation of Deadly Lovely, which is about two "best friends who go on a trip to the Scottish Highlands to mend their friendship, but a dose of magic mushrooms and some suppressed hostility send things spiraling out of control." I'd like to see Wiig and Drew Barrymore in this. 

• I don't know why no one's ever thought of it before, but now that they mention it, Wiig would be perfect for a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. Unfortunately, she lost out to Ana Faris for the starring role alongside the Borat-creator in his upcoming project The Dictator. He'll play "a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. Cohen plays both a goat herder and a deposed foreign ruler who gets lost in the U.S." However, there are still more roles to be cast. Cohen is looking for actors with strong improvisational skills. For some reason Thomas Lennon popped into my head. But I think that's just because whenever I think of someone voluntarily humiliating themselves, I think of Lennon peacocking in 17 Again and being jealous of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel's bromance in I Love You Man. Megan Fox has already shot a bit role—no comment—and Ben Kingsley has a more prominent one.

• There's going to be a film based on Emily Post's etiquette rules. It was described as a reverse-gender My Fair Lady. In it, "a prissy manners coach attempts to turn a guy’s guy into a refined gentleman." My vote for casting is Gerard Butler and Jennifer Garner. You can't get more oafish or prissy than those too.

• Joining the upcoming 21 Jump Street adaptation are the funny men Dave Franco, as a psycho drug dealer, and Jake M. Johnson (No Strings Attached and Paper Heart) as the principal.

• Looks like Kirsten Dunst is taking a break from being "deep" in indie dramas to tickle our funny bone in the indie comedy tentatively titled Bachelorette. In it, she'll play one of three best friends who have been asked to be bridesmaids for a girl they used to call Pigface (Casey Wilson from "Happy Endings"). Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation") also stars as one of the bridesmaid's (Lizzy Caplan from "Party Down") high school crush, who arrives at the reception with a hotter and younger date. It sounds like the studio is capitalizing off of the success of Bridesmaids, but this film is actually based on an off-Broadway play from last summer. And instead of Apatow backing it, Will Ferrell and his partner Adam McKay are footing the bill.

• Even though Arthur tanked both critically and financially, it doesn't seem to have tainted Greta Gerwig's debut as a leading lady, since she's turning into the new indie queen. Currently, she's filming the indie romantic comedy Lola Versus with Orlando Bloom. It's about a woman "who is dumped just weeks before her wedding by her college sweetheart. She embarks on a series of encounters in an attempt to discover her place in the world as a single woman before she turns thirty."

• I was wondering how they were planning on adapting Steve Harvey's advice/self-help book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, and so far it looks feasible. "The story follows the relationship between a dreamer with culinary talents (Michael Ealy) and a high-powered ad executive (Taraji P. Henson)." Kevin Hart will act as Harvey, playing a soon-to-be-divorced, self-professed relationship expert who doles out advice to the couple.

• Justin Long's latest project Lumpy is like a weird mix of The Hangover and Death at a Funeral. In it, a couple discover their best man dead on their wedding day. They forgo their honeymoon to plan his funeral, and along the way discover all of his deepest darkest secrets. Jess Weixler (Teeth), Tyler Labine ("Mad Love" and "Reaper"), and Addison Timlin ("Californication" and Derailed) also star.

• Chace Crawford has his first starring role opposite Katie Holmes in the rom-com Responsible Adult. "The story follows a 30-year-old med student (Holmes) who meets and falls for a younger man (Crawford) only to realize she was his babysitter 15 years beforehand." So...it's kind of like Uma Thurman's Prime without the major shame emanating from Meryl Streep. Somebody should probably tell these two that they're not funny.

• There are plans for an Australian version of Paris, je t'aime and New York, I Love You called Sydney, I Love You. I hope the anthology of love stories will star all the Aussie actors who've flooded Hollywood in the last ten years, from the newbies, like the Hemsworth brothers, to the vets, like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.

• Joel Courtney (Super 8) and Jake T. Austin ("Wizards of Waverly Place") have signed on to play the key roles in the (billionth) adaptation of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn.

FILM NEWS: Aronofsky's Next Project, Damon's Directorial Debut, Bourne Villains, Saoirse Becomes "The Host," and more

• Michael Shannon has been cast as General Zod in the upcoming Superman reboot. He's been doing an incredible job of creeping us the hell out in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," so I'm positive he'll due the alien tyrant justice. German actress Antje Traue has also been cast as  Faora, "a Kryptonian serial killer who targeted only men and was sentenced to the Phantom Zone for three centuries where she survived the destruction of Krypton. She knows a special martial art that made her an extremely dangerous foe for Superman to face in hand-to-hand combat."

• I'm excited to report that the young actor who played one of the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, but wasn't visible due to the digital doubling of Armie Hammer's face, is finally getting his official big break. Josh Pence will play a young Ra's Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises. During a flashback, we'll see as the League of Shadows fail to bring down Gotham City. And I'm even more excited to report that Daniel Sunjata ("Grey's Anatomy" and "Rescue Me") has an unknown role in the film. Why? Because he's mega hot! Speaking of mega hot, Diego Klattenhoff ("Mercy" and "Men in Trees" ) has also been cast as a rookie cop. In disappointing news, previously reported rumors that Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon Levitt would play villains have been replaced with lackluster news that she'll play a board member helping Bruce with his philanthropic work and he'll play a beat cop. Of course...those could both be covers.

• Darren Aronofsky's (Black Swan) next film is the adaptation of the 1996 spec script Human Nature. George Clooney will star as "a man who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up years later to a world in which humans have become pets of another species." Sounds almost like Planet of the Apes.

• The X-Men sequels will reportedly take place during different decades/periods. The current film is set in the early 60s, so producer Bryan Singer is interested in exploring what happens to the mutants in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. But Director Matthew Vaughn believes that they're not done with the 60s yet. The early 60s were still very much set in the '50's ideals, which "Mad Men" viewers are aware of. Vaughn would like the next film to explore the late 60s, when America was fueled on flower power and every movement was scored by The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

• The villain in the upcoming Wolverine sequel has been revealed as Silver Samurai,"a Japanese mutant with the power to charge almost anything with a tachyon field. This enables his katana blade to slice through any known substance, with the exception of adamantium (which covers Wolvie's skeleton and claws)." They should get that kid Rain from Ninja Assassin. He was so damn awesome!

• Matt Damon is looking to make his directorial debut with the crime drama Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses, where he'll play a man who goes on a cross-country crime spree with his daughter. Moretz! Paging Chloe Moretz! Dakota Fanning, please stand by.

• They've tapped Edward Norton and Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch) to play villains in the next Bourne film, and Rachel Weisz will play lead Jeremy Renner's love interest. Hmm, I know he's no spring chicken, but she seems kind of mature for him. Either way, psyched to see more of Isaac.

• Sam Worthington is set to star in the sci-fi, crime thriller, comic adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime. In it, "America responds to a second major terrorism attack by developing technology that eliminates the impulse to commit crimes of any kind. [He] plays the leader of a heist team that plans to pull off a final job five days before the signal rubs out the criminal instinct." Sounds like it'll be a nail-biter. I'm secretly wishing Jason Statham will join, especially since Italian Job director F. Gary Gray is directing.

•  I know most ladies find Bradley Cooper smolderingly sexy, but every time I look at him I see a douchebag, which is why news of him playing Lucifer in the reimagining of the Paradise Lost poem adaptation sounds like Grade-A casting to me. In John Milton's poem, Lucifer falls from grace, he tempts Adam and Eve, and then they get banished from the Garden of Eden. This version will be a  modernized action film that might be filmed in 3D. Naturally.

• Another one of Stephenie Meyer's sagas, The Host, will soon be adapted and producers have finally found their leading lady: Saoirse Ronan (Hanna). I haven't read the novels, but considering that it's about alien love, I think Ronan is the perfect choice. Not only is she an amazing actress, but she looks ethereal enough to pass for an alien.

 • It's very possible that Paul Walker could be looking at a career revival if Justin Lin's reboot of the Terminator franchise with Walker as the new Kyle Reese does as well as Fast Five did.

• In yet another fairytale reimagining, Peter Pan, Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) will play Captain Hook, a tormented former detective on the trail of a childlike kidnapper. AnnaSophia Robb (The Bridge to Terabithia) will play Wendy, the lone survivor who leaves an asylum to help in the hunt. And Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) will play Smee, a chief detective and Hook’s only ally on the force. I think the most shocking part of this reimagining is that Hook is supposed to be the good guy.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides may not be the best film of the summer, but it did act as a solid springboard for British actor Sam Claflin, who played the brave minister and anchored the romantic mermaid love story. Because of it, he's been cast as the Prince in the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman, opposite Kristen Stewart (Twilight) and Charlize Theron.

• In other Pirates news, Johnny Depp is rumored to want Russell Brand to star in the next film. Let me guess: as his illegitimate son? 

• In other, more star-studded Snow White news, Tarsem Singh's (The Cell) less sinister fairytale adventure, The Brothers Grimm: Snow White,  "Lily Collins (The Blind Side) plays the exiled princess who battles Julia Roberts' evil queen for control of their kingdom and the love of Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer from The Social Network), who has come to the land in disguise looking for someone to love him for himself."

 • It seems like the new way to inject a saga with new life is to add a dose of The Rock. The producers of G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes have tapped the wrestler-turned-actor to play Roadblock opposite Channing Tatum, who is the only actor reprising his role in the sequel. Meanwhile, Elodie Yung, the fierce fighter from District B13 Ultimatum, is being considered for the role of ninja and finance clerk Jinx, Adrianne Palicki (Legion and "Friday Night Lights") is playing the female lead Lady Jaye, and Ray Stevenson is playing the villain Firefly, "a member of the villainous Cobra Organization that is known as a saboteur, ninja master and explosives expert."

• I like Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four) best when he's being mischievous, so I'm glad to hear he's teaming up with Matthew Goode (Leap Year and Watchmen) for the action thriller Overdrive, where a pair of adventurous brothers and high-profile car thieves come across a tough local crime boss in the South of France.

• I really liked the main character and the love interest in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, even though the movie itself and all other extraneous characters were kind of lame. So I'm glad that they're going ahead with the sequel subtitled The Sea of Monsters, where Perseus will search for The Golden Fleece and free a captured friend.

• Ben Barnes is set to star in a Sorcerer's Apprentice-like fantasy adaptation of The Wardstone Chronicles book series, The Seventh Son, where he'll play "a young man named Tom in training to be the apprentice of a 'Spook' (Jeff Bridges), a fighter against evil magic, in the 1700's. Trouble begins when his friend Alice (Alicia Vikander) tricked into releasing the most sinister witch in the world (Julianne Moore)." I really do think Barnes should stop doing adaptations aimed at children. It never gets him anywhere.

• I like the plot of this sci-fi thriller The Passage. It's an adaptation of a Justin Cronin novel about a group of terminally ill cancer patients who are cured by an experiment with South American bat bites, but then they begin to mutate into indestructible, telepathic vampires and start to infect the others. It's interesting because mankind will go to great lengths to find cures for some of our most debilitating ailments, from cancer to AIDs, so it's completely plausible that in testing treatments they might create something worse. I'd read that book.

• There have been so many vampire films (*cough*read above*cough) that they've run out of angles, but the graphic novel Last Blood has an interesting take. In it, vampires must battle to protect the last surviving humans to keep alive the necessary blood supply after a zombie apocalypse. That's almost like humans curing mad cow disease so they can have a decent burger. Totally get their motivation. Still creepy.

FILM NEWS: DiCaprio Enslaves in "Django Unchained," the Travolta's become the Gottis's, and more

• Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained as the owner of a plantation where he sexually tortures female slaves while forcing the male ones to engage in death matches. Samuel L. Jackson is expected to play the house slave and secondary villain. This isn't the first time Tarantino's wanted DiCaprio to trade his halo for some horns. He originally wanted him to play Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, but ultimately cast Christoph Waltz. Thank god!...or whoever one thanks for Nazi casting.

• Wow! This upcoming Gotti biopic just turned into some weird family activity for the Travolta's. John will play John Gotti Sr., his wife Kelly Preston will play Victoria, and their daughter Ella will play their daughter Angel Gotti. Portraying a mob family is certainly a unique way to bond. 

• I think MAYBE Mark Wahlberg got encouragement from Matthew McConaughey's performance in Lincoln Lawyer, since he fancies himself a good enough actor to convincingly play an attorney. I would laugh at the thought of it, but considering the plot of the crime drama adaptation When Corruption Was King is that the Chicago mob's most trusted attorney turns state witness and takes down the organization, I think he's the perfect man for the job. Looks tough enough to roll with the mob, but earnest enough to not be corrupted by it.

• Apparently, Jesse Eisenberg did so well testifying in The Social Network that Scott Rudin wants him for the true life story The Terrorist Search Engine, about a "controversial counterterrorism expert witness Evan Kohlmann, a 20-something man who made testifying at terrorism trials his principal source of income. He helped convict 23 defendants in federal courts and Guantánamo Bay tribunals with his expert witness testimony. An FBI agent nicknamed him 'the Doogie Howser of Terrorism.'"

• On some distant planet, Emile Hirsch can pass for Penelope Cruz's son. But on this planet, they'll star in Sergio Castellitto's dramatic adaptation of Venuto Al Mondo's novel Twice Born, which is "the story of a woman who returns to Sarajevo with her son in tow and revisits the tumultuous past she shared with his late father." I hope whoever plays her husband isn't one of those cardboard robotic emoters. I vote for up-and-coming Mexican actor Demián Bichir ("Weeds" and A Better Life) or Edgar Ramirez (Che), unless of course her husband is American. Then maybe Matt Damon.

• Marion Cotillard has signed on for the period drama Low Life, where she'll play an Ellis Island-bound immigrant who is coerced into becoming a prostitute by a charming sleazebag (Joaquin Phoenix) to pay for her sister's medication. Jeremy Renner might play the sleazebag's cousin, "a magician who sweeps the young woman off her feet and is her best chance to escape the nightmarish life." It sounds slightly Oscar-worthy. Of course, nutbag Phoenix is in it so I'll wait for the trailer before deciding.

• In Clive Owen's next thriller Cities, the film will "interweave stories of a New York hedge fund manager, a young London couple looking to buy their first home, and a Mumbai cop fighting corruption. The action is set against the Dow Jones all-time stock market high." It's like the financial version of Crash.

• Matthew McConaughey is continuing his career remodel by signing on for the drama The Dallas Buyers Club, the true story of "a Texas electrician who lives an extra 6 years after smuggling illegal AIDS drugs into the country after his doctors gave him six months to live." Hilary Swank is also starring.

•  OMG! Demi Moore's getting back into the strip club...but as a customer this time. She'll play a temptress alongside Alex Pettyfer and Channing Tatum in Magic Mike, the fictionalized biography of Tatum's pre-Hollywood exotic dancer past. 

• Nanette Burstein will direct the romantic drama conversation-starter Unforgiving World. It's a remake of a French film about "a newlywed couple working at the same architectural film who end up vying for the same life-changing position. Then it takes a Sliding Doors approach, showing the outcomes of who gets the job in parallel storylines." After seeing Alex's girlfriend take the job he gave up for her on "Grey's Anatomy," and learning that Luke's ex-partner and ex-fiance took the job he gave up for her on "Rookie Blue," I've started to wonder if falling in love in the work place is such a great idea, so this film peaks my interest. Plus, I love when plot lines split.

TV NEWS: "Bones" Spin-off Casting Change, Goldie Hawn's HBO Viagra series, Denis Leary's New USA Series, and more

• Mercedes Masohn ("Chuck" and "Three Rivers") will replace Saffron Burrows as the female lead in the "Bones" spinoff "The Finder" as a Deputy US Marshall.

• 65-year-old actress Goldie Hawn hasn't done a film in almost a decade, but she's making a comeback with the HBO half-hour comedy "The Viagra Diaries," which is based on Barbara Rose Brooker's book. It centers on a woman who, after her husband has a "mid-life crisis" at 65 and leaves her, struggles with being single for the first time in 35 years.

• FX is getting into the superhero genre, greenlighting "Powers," a new cop series where the detectives hunt for superpowered criminals in a world where that sort of thing is commonplace. Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) and Jason Patric (Lost Boys) are set to star.

• Post-"Rescue Me" Denis Leary has signed on to develop and co-write a half-hour paramedics comedy for the USA Network that will "chronicle the humorous antics and dramatic conflicts of a team of paramedics."

• Chris Vance ("Prison Break" and "Burn Notice") is set to star in Cinemax's upcoming series "The Transporter," which will capitalize off of Jason Statham's franchise and repurpose his debonair character for the small screen.

TRAILER: Juno Temple's "Dirty Girl"

Plot: It's 1987 and Danielle, the high school 'Dirty Girl', is running away. With her is chubby, gay Clarke, a bag of flour called Joan and a Walkman full of glorious 80's tunes.
Cast: Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier, Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen (The Proposal), Tim McGraw, Nicholas D'Agosto (From Prada to Nada)
Verdict: The packaging of this film is all off. The script, I bet, read like an R-rated coming-of-age indie, but whoever is distributing it packaged it like a Disney movie complete with a Hannah Montana soundtrack. I'll see it because in an alternate universe Juno Temple and Emma Stone are practically interchangeable, and I'm always game for a female-led comedy.

Release Date: August 5

TRAILER: Jason Sudeikis's "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy"

Plot: A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.
Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Lindsay Sloane (She's Out of My League), Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher), Leslie Bibb (Zookeeper), Martin Starr (Adventureland), Tyler Labine ("Mad Love"), Lake Bell (No Strings Attached), Michelle Borth ("Combat Hospital")
Verdict: I can't even...*sigh* On what planet would this be a good idea? This being the concept, not the movie. How will they even be able to look at each other at the end? I can't process. That aside, looks like a funny cast. Wish I wasn't too grossed out to watch it.

Release Date: September 2 (limited)

TRAILER: Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Plot: IMDb and Wikipedia didn't feel the need to provide a plot since this is a remake and we already know what happens. But in the event you were born after 2007 (and you read blogs), it's the origin story of a spider-enhanced superhero.
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire)
Verdict: I don't really understand what all the secrecy is about with his parents, but I am sufficiently intrigued. Was he always meant to be a Spider-Man or is something else going on? The mystery is enticing, but the real reason I'm excited to see more of the film is because of the perspective shots. Sam Raimi did an amazing job of showing us Spider-Man swinging through the city skies, but I don't think he ever gave us videogame-like perspective shots. If you watch the last few seconds of the trailer, it's almost like you're Spider-Man. My friend said it was a little dizzying, but I thought it was awesome. In the past, we've seen what it was like to become Spider-Man but I think this time we'll learn what it's like to be him. And I think with the addition of Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) as the new director, the love story will be more bearable and fleshed out. My only qualm is with the fact that there are so many cooks in the kitchen screenwriting-wise. That never bodes well.

Release Date: July 3, 2012

TRAILER: Ryan Gosling's "Drive"

Plot: A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan (Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men"), Ron Perlman ("Sons of Anarchy" and Hellboy), Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch), Albert Brooks
Verdict: I love the new cool-and-debonair character kick Gosling is on lately. It suits him well. But this just seems like a high-brow Transporter and I don't get the hype. Some bloggers are saying that this is Gosling at his sexiest, but I just find it hard to be attracted to a guy who goes from making out with a girl one minute to violently assaulting a guy the next. I have no doubt that it'll all look cool. I just haven't decided if I'll be basking in all that coolness in theaters or from the comfort of my own couch.

Release Date: September 16

TRAILER: Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire"

Plot: A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.
Cast: Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton ("Big Love"), Michael Angarano (The Forbidden Kingdom)
Verdict: Steven Soderbergh plus such amazing heavyweight actors as Douglas, Banderas, and Fassbender all seem like a desperate attempt at making an uninteresting character appealing. Honestly, I really wanted to like this film for so many reasons. If not for the stellar cast or my love for indie poster-boy Angarano, then for the fact that I was intrigued by the idea of hiring a real MMA fighter to be the lead of this film—and for that fighter to be a woman. All signs pointed to a winner, but then I saw the trailer and it was anti-climactic. The action looked really well-orchestrated and the collection of big names certainly peaked my interest, but in the end she's not very charismatic. Unfortunately, actresses have to "romance" the audience whether they're in a romantic comedy or in an action film. They have to make us care, especially if they're newcomers and they don't already have that built-in audience.

Release Date: January 20, 2012

TRAILER: Robert Pattinson's "Bel Ami"

Plot: A chronicle of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's most influential and wealthy women.
Cast: Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Natalia Tena (Tonks in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2).
Verdict: Pattinson perceived as a sex object? *gasp* Never! Despite the amount of girls who fall at his feet, Pattinson has yet to garner any true recognition for his work as an actor. I think the reason is because many critics mock the melodramatic acting that the Twilight saga requires, caked in longing and desire. This film reverberates those elements as well on a more mature level. And I think it's because of its older audience (and the fact that it's not a fantasy love story about vampires) that his character expresses his emotions more intensely. Critics won't find a robotic, non-emotive Pattinson in this film. But I think by the end of it, we'll all be wondering whether or not we prefer the other version.

Release Date: October 19

TRAILER: Taylor Kitsch's "John Carter"

Plot: Civil War vet John Carter (Kitsch) is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris (Collins), Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.
Cast: Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights"), Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Ciaran Hinds, James Purefoy ("Rome")
Verdict: It's a little weird that they're going from the Victorian era to a future with an alien nation, but I think that's also what's interesting most about it. Not to mention, Kitsch has always been an entrancing actor, who can hold your gaze with his penetrating eyes. He seems born to play a hero, but I won't know for sure if that hero wears a loincloth and battles extraterrestrials until I see the film. All I know for sure is that I'm rooting for him—and those spaceships look awesome!

Release Date: March 9, 2012

TRAILER: Matt Damon's "Contagion"

Plot: An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.
Cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Sanaa Lathan (Love & Basketball), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad")
Verdict: I'm impressed with the star-studded cast and Damon's performance looks like it'll be critic-approved, especially during that wife-is-dead-denial scene. But it seems too slow and not intense enough for an apocalyptic film.

Release Date: September 9

TRAILER: Sherlock Holmes: A Games of Shadows

Plot: Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris ("Mad Men"), Noomi Rapace (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Rachel McAdams
Verdict: I love the character of Sherlock Holmes. And I thought RDJ did a great job of bringing him to life with an air of authenticity as well as a healthy dose of humor. But in this recent trailer, he seems to be laying it on a little thick. That aside, I'm excited to see Harris as a villain, and to finally see whether Rapace will live up to the hype.

Release Date: December 16

CRUSHWORTHY: Matthew Lewis

Where you've seen him: In the Harry Potter series as dorky-but-brave Neville Longbottom
Why he's Crushworthy: Wow! Um, have you seen him lately? It's like he brewed Polyjuice Potion using Clive Owen's DNA and then (fortunately) got stuck that way. The 22-year-old actor from Leeds, England has definitely dropped the baby fat and grown into his looks. If you watch him in interviews these days, the adorably befuddled Neville Longbottom dissipates in the wake of his charming accent, endearing modesty, and eloquent speech.






Watch these clips for more about the up-and-coming thespian and his role in the last Harry Potter film:
• On how they make him look goofier than he actually is (1:17)
• Watch him recreate the dance sequence from Goblet of Fire
• On why Neville becomes a badass in Deathly Hallows Part 2
• About his showdown with Ralph Fiennes
• On whether or not he can take Harry in a fight
• How he almost killed someone on set and which artifact he wish he could've stolen
• Fondest memories of filming, future plans, and the item he stole
• On the genre he's most interested in working on in the future (1:43)

MUSIC: My 2011 VMA Picks

I've always had trouble with the nominees and winners of the Video Music Awards. In my opinion, if an award title says "video," the criteria for why the artist should win should be based on their video and not just the song or its popularity. For that reason, I've listed my picks below in pink and based my choices on what the award title suggests and not what made it on my, and everyone else's, iPod this year:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

• Adele -"Rolling In The Deep"
It's a little difficult to be affected by a video when the star of it is barely moving.
• Tyler, The Creator - "Yonkers"
While I understand that Odd Future is one of the breakout rap groups of the year, that doesn't mean I understand nor appreciate their contribution to the music industry. And I definitely don't get Tyler. He's straight up playing with a cockroach, throwing up, undressing, and then committing suicide in this video. And they say Gaga has issues.
• Katy Perry - "Firework"
This video told inspiring stories of overcoming insecurities and coming out of your shell, and it included an insane amount of fans. Definite runner-up for me.
• Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
I like the surprise, albeit overly dramatic, ending, but not much else goes on in the video.

• Beastie Boys - "Make Some Noise"

Stellar cast + legendary rhymers = epic video!

BEST FEMALE VIDEO

• Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
• Beyonce - "Run The World (Girls)"
The video saved the song from obscurity and returned B to form.

• Katy Perry - "Firework"
• Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass"
I didn't really have any expectations for this video even though I loved the song the first time I heard it, but I wish she would've been a little more innovative to make it a viral sensation, instead of just being the black Gaga. I would've put Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez in the video, since they already knew all the words. That certainly would've made it a Twitter-topic within the hour, and worth consideration.
• Lady Gaga - "Born This Way"
It was certainly creative because of the kaleidoscope effect, but I would've nominated "Judas" over this one.

BEST MALE VIDEO

• Cee Lo Green - "F*** You"
It sure has become a runaway hit, but I hope it doesn't win solely because of the "Glee" connection.
• Eminem feat. Rihanna - "Love The Way You Lie"
I've always thought this video was kind of controversial because Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan play lovers who wail on each other, and Rihanna, a recent victim of domestic violence, is singing the chorus. But it was shot beautifully and the song was depicted properly.

• Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
• Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi - "All of the Lights"
All of the Youtube-style lyrics displaying across the screen were a little wack for such a high-caliber artist, but I did like the black+white intro and the interspersed color-tinted scenes.
• Justin Bieber - "U Smile"
I like that, unlike most teen videos, it's in black and white, and that he showcases his piano skills, but that's not enough to merit an award.

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO

• Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz - "6’7’"
Aside from the clever-but-kinda-late Inception-intro, the video is really literal with imagery, showing a flower for nature and an old man for Father Time. The song is sick though!
• Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi - "All Of The Lights"
• Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes - "Look At Me Now"
I like that it's a throwback to Busta's 90s videos with the fish-eye lens, but it doesn't really do much to enhance the lyrics.
• Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass"

• Lupe Fiasco - "The Show Goes On"

There have been many attempts at making the from-backstage-to-the-stage video and they've usually been pretty basic, akin to behind-the-scenes DVD footage. But Lupe really played with the backgrounds, sets, and even had a kid play the younger version of him, which made it seem a lot less half-assed than those videos usually are. That said, I wish his other video for "Words I Never Said" was nominated instead. It covers political conspiracies in a clever way, complete with gas masks and brainwashing.

BEST NEW ARTIST

• Foster The People
• Wiz Khalifa
Dear Wiz, I would like to never hear the words "Black and Yellow" in succession ever again. Thank you, Adults.

• Big Sean
• Tyler, The Creator
I think he'll win if only so we can see what he'll say, or even do.
• KreayShawn
This girl cracks me up and I love her chola-like style.
Missing Nominee: It's totally unfair that Mac Miller didn't get nominated. He had great videos and his rhymes were above-par for a newbie white boy.

BEST POP VIDEO

• Katy Perry - "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"
This video showed some serious 80s love and allowed the voluptuous popstar to show her more goofy side, while still being sexy.

• Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
• Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
• Pitbull feat. NE-YO, Nayer & Afrojack - "Give Me Everything"
This is basically a club video.
• Britney Spears - "Till The World Ends"
They'll probably give it to Spears just to get her reaction, but this video was just a bad attempt at proving she can still dance.

BEST ROCK VIDEO

• The Black Keys - "Howlin For You"
I am so confused. That was a music video? It was a trailer. And the song was in the background. And that counts? I mean, I love the band, but this seems like a bit of a stretch.
• Foo Fighters - "Walk"
This was actually a really funny video. Dave Grohl got to get his funny on.

• Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks"
It's your average on-the-road tour video.
• Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"
They're a fan favorite lately, but they're kind of just riding around on mopeds a la Larry Crowne.
• Cage The Elephant - "Shake Me Down"
This is like a trippy trip down memory lane. 

BEST COLLABORATION

• Pitbull feat. NE-YO, Nayer & Afrojack - "Give Me Everything"
• Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes - "Look At Me Now"
This was one of the best songs of the year. It marked the official return of Busta Rhymes, and was later amplified by a surprising Youtube duet.

• Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi - "All Of The Lights"
• Katy Perry feat. Kanye West- "E.T."
This was the wackest contribution Kanye's ever given. It was obviously just a publicity stunt to win back Taylor Swift fans, since Katy is her close friend. Sorry 'Ye, co-sign disregarded.
• Nicki Minaj feat. Drake - "Moment 4 Life"
Drake has that Midas touch and Nicki's like his female equivalent. Barring any controversies or scandals, they should make it very far in this business—Hova & Beyonce far.

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Adele -"Rolling In The Deep"
• Katy Perry feat. Kanye West - "E.T."
The aliens in this video look pretty cool, but the lyrics don't really merit this level of dramaticism.
• Lady Gaga - "Judas"
Depicting religious elements using a biker gang is definitely unique, but it also seemed like more of a stunt than a statement.
• Kanye West - "Power"
If they're basing it on concept, then I think Kanye's should win because of the attention to detail in the recreation of the art.

• Death Cab For Cutie - "You Are A Tourist"
It had a very DIY-feel to it—in a good way. Choreography, lasers, and projections were all a solid effort.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
• Beyonce - "Run The World (Girls)"
Hands down the best performer in the game.
• Britney Spears - "Till The World Ends"
You've got to be kidding me. If "Slave For You"-Britney saw this video, she would laugh until she peed herself.
• Lady Gaga - "Judas"
Let's be honest: Gaga can't dance.
• Bruno Mars - "The Lazy Song"
He did an adorable job of trying to do a viral dance video.
• LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock - "Party Rock Anthem"
I love this dance song but it just has one dance: shuffling. lol

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
• Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
• Beyonce - "Run The World (Girls)"

• Eminem feat. Rihanna - "Love The Way You Lie"

I usually judge this category based on which video has movie-quality cinematography and Em accomplished that with this video, and even managed an actual storyline, unlike the others, in the process.
• Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream"
Just another let's-drive-to-the-beach video.
• Thirty Seconds To Mars - "Hurricane"
This video just seems rather pointless. Elaborate? Yes. Provocative? Yes. But still pointless.

BEST DIRECTION

• Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
• Eminem feat. Rihanna - "Love The Way You Lie"
• Katy Perry feat. Kayne West - "E.T."
• Thirty Seconds To Mars - "Hurricane"

• Beastie Boys - "Make Some Noise"

I think it's rather impressive how the director incorporated so many cameos seamlessly and with so many well choreographed long-takes.

BEST EDITING

• Adele - "Rolling In The Deep"
• Katy Perry feat. Kayne West - "E.T."
• Thirty Seconds To Mars - "Hurricane"
• Kanye West feat. Rihanna & Kid Cudi - "All Of The Lights"

• Manchester Orchestra - "Simple Math"

You've probably never seen this video or even heard of this band, but trust me, it should win. You know a video is good when even without star power it still resonates. A crash that incorporates flashbacks has been done, but for the director to melt the past and present together and cause a sort of Inception-like sequence is pretty impressive.

BEST SFX (SPECIAL EFFECTS)

• Manchester Orchestra - "Simple Math"
• Katy Perry feat. Kanye West - "E.T."
• Kanye West - "Power"

• Linkin Park - "Waiting For The End"

The band members outlined in 3D constellations is by far the most intricate effect among these videos.

• Chromeo - "Don’t Turn The Lights On
This was more creepy than cool. lol

Tune in August 28th at 9pm to find out the winners!

FILM REVIEW: Friends with Benefits

There is a widely accepted and proven theory that men and women can not be friends. Nature and hormones and loads of other psychological reasons prevent it from happening. The obvious solution to that problem is to introduce sex into the friendship so that it's not always floating through their minds. Genius right? Negatory. One or both parties are bound to "catch feelings" and the relationship becomes a ticking emo-bomb. Nonetheless, generation after generation has attempted this form of limited commitment, and this film is a romanticized account of how it goes down.

The premise, however, is not the main attraction. No, Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman already ran that into the ground this January in No Strings Attached. This film's allure is its cast. Unlike Kutcher & Portman, Timberlake & Kunis actually have chemistry and impressive comic timing. They're quick-witted and charming. They have things in common. They compliment each other perfectly. You not only root for them, you wish you were them. You wish that you could find a fuckbuddy who turns out to be your soulmate. Someone who gets that you have abandonment issues because of your flaky parents, has patience with your Alzheimer's-afflicted dad and boundaries-challenged hippie mom, and is as fun to hang with as they are fun to sleep with.

Now go, hopeless romantic viewer. Consider each eligible friend for the position. And remember to use a condom. It's all fun and games until your illegitimate child has explosive diarrhea.

FILM REVIEW: Horrible Bosses

Three frustrated dudes decide to take a page out of Alfred Hitchcock's murder handbook and take out each other's bosses. Justification? Nick's (Jason Bateman) boss Dave (Kevin Spacey) overworks him and steals his promotion. Kurt (Jason Sudeikis from Going the Distance) has to endure the authority of his belated boss's son Bobby (Colin Farrell), who does coke and discriminates against everyone, even the handicapped. And Dale (Charlie Day from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") is sexually harassed and blackmailed by his insatiable and often naked boss Julia (Jennifer Aniston).

As you can imagine, stupidity ensues given that they're not professional murderers and they can't even successfully hire an assassin consultant. Day shines the most, but mainly because at this point audiences are accustomed to Bateman and SNL alum Sudeikis cracking them up. His frantic squirrel routine with a voice that sounds like a cross between Bobcat Goldthwait and Al Pacino make for a pretty hilarious spectacle. He'll usurp Zach Galifianakis as the go-to sidekick this year.

Ultimately, if you loved the male bonding hi-jinks of The Hangover and the workplace bashing of Office Space, you'll love this.

FILM REVIEW: Larry Crowne

In this rom-com, Tom Hanks plays the title character, a Navy veteran turned big-box store employee, who gets downsized for not having a college degree. He logically enrolls into college, determined to get his job back. Along the way, he meets a cast of characters that becomes the family, you get the sense, he never had. He then proceeds to regress, not only academically, but romantically.

He takes two classes: Speech and Economics. In Economics, he meets Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw from "Undercovers"), a spontaneous and mischievous girl who inspires him to save money on gas with a moped, dress more modern with clothes from her clothing storage, and have more confidence in himself. These are things he needs for Speech class, which is taught by the depressed, alcoholic, and unenthusiastic Professor Mercedes Tainot whose marriage is on its last legs. That doesn't exactly describe anyone's dream girl, but slap Julia Robert's name on all that baggage and suddenly she's The One. Slowly but surely she not only teaches him and his classmates how to address an audience, but he teaches her how to love her job again.

There's nothing wrong with this cast: Oscar nominees, promising newcomers, and acting veterans. There's believable, tangible chemistry amidst this unorthodox family. The romantic leads are even easy to root for. But the fact is this story doesn't quite have the urgency or the energy required to make it an exciting, must-see, love story.

FILM REVIEW: Monte Carlo

In this teen rom-com, Grace (Selena Gomez from "Wizards of Waverly Place"), a high school graduate, take her dream trip to Paris with her best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy from "Gossip Girl" and "Melrose Place") and her estranged step sister Meg (Leighton Meester from "Gossip Girl"). She expects it to be the kind of adventure she's seen in movies and magazines, but once they get left behind by their rushed low-budget tour group and she's mistaken for Cordelia Winthrop Scott, a British heiress, she gets more than she's bargained for. Eager to salvage what's left of her trip with the luxuries her mistaken identity has provided her with—from a fully loaded suite to a glamorous wardrobe—she has to pretend to be interested in Theo (Pierre Boulanger), an equally rich guy, who finds her doppelganger to be vapid, selfish, and unbearable. Gomez achieves what Hilary Duff attempted in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, delivering a pretty believable British accent and bitchy demeanor.

But Grace is not the only one who's having her very own Eat Pray Love experience. Emma, a failed model-turned-waitress, is tired of her boyfriend Owen (Cory Monteith from "Glee") trying to plan her future for her. And Meg, who's avoided enjoying any part of college (or life) ever since her mother died, is enjoying her freedom from responsibilities, rules, and schedules, and becomes enamored with Riley (Luke Bracey from "Home and Away"), a nomadic Aussie surfer.

The film becomes as much of a search for love as it is a search for one's self. And if that sounds too heavy for you, you can rest assured there are plenty of evasive hi-jinks, embarrassing moments, and goofy declarations of love.