Mon, May 21, 2012 First thing from the Warner Brothers marketing department I'm shaking my head at for The Dark Knight Rises. Last two one-sheets were great. This, via its official Facebook, is a character-themed one-sheet focusing on Bats himself.
Hope the inevitable Catwoman, Bane, Alfred, Lucius and "John Blake" ones are better. Can't bat a thousand, I guess.
Mon, May 21, 2012 Perhaps fitting Joaquin Phoenix is hard to recognize in this teaser clip to Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. Not full-fledged "That's Joaquin Phoenix?!?!" or anything. It just takes you a second. Something feels off looking at him here, which I suppose is the point.
Phoenix plays a young drifter-turned-right hand man to a charismatic intellectual (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) starting his own faith-based organization in the 1950s. For those lucky enough to attend Cannes will have the opportunity to see footage tonight.
For the rest of us, see below:
This writer/director, this cast (including Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons and Kevin J. O'Connor), this subject (Not too subtle look at L. Ron Hubbard and the beginning of Scientology), The Master was already on my top five most anticipated films for 2012. This footage just confirms why I can't wait to see it.
Mon, May 21, 2012 The hook to seeing The Dictator this weekend was the promise of the Anchorman: The Legend Continues teaser. Few-to-none took that bait judging by its poor $25 million 5-day results.
Knowing those results stood a good chance of happening, Funny or Die! has said teaser up for your viewing pleasure:
Mon, May 21, 2012 A singing Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in German?
Those who already know The Amazing Spider-Man will right "Raimi's fuck-ups" (Strange since I didn't know said fans were clairvoyants) will accept this totally wasn't planned. The rest of us (Read: living in reality) will see it as it is. A desperate way of saying, "Please see our movie!"
Pass.
Mon, May 21, 2012 The Skyfall teaser trailer sets itself apart from other Bond first-looks. Oh, there are glimpses of action, exotic locations and beautiful women. What really makes it different this time out?
The mood. Thanks to the production design and cinematography. Also the first trailer, to my recollection, not to use the 007 theme. Pretty ballsy when you think about it. But for the moment, I like what I see. A lot.
Sun, May 20, 2012 
Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. The Avengers - $55 million
2. Battleship - $25.4 million
3. The Dictator - $17.4 million
4. Dark Shadows - $12.7 million
5. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $10.5 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $3.2 million
7. The Hunger Games - $3 million
8. Think Like a Man - $2.7 million
9. The Lucky One - $1.7 million
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $1.4 million
I'll skip past the lame "sunk your Battleship" jokes and just go straight to what was expected this weekend at the box office: The Avengers easily took first place for the third weekend in a row with an estimated $55 million. Its domestic total now stands at $457 million - besting The Dark Knight's record by passing the $450 million mark in just 17 days (Batman took 27 days to reach that milestone in 2008) - and has also passed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest to become Disney's highest-grossing film. Worldwide, it's earned $1.1 billion and is now the fifth-highest grossing film of all time.
But that was the only movie that had something to smile about this weekend. Battleship tanked with just $25.3 million - even less than John Carter opened with earlier this year. That's got to be even worse for Taylor Kitsch, who starred in both films. The film opened last month overseas and earned a much better $226 million, so that helps. A little.
To no one's surprise (how long ago was Borat?), Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator also underwhelmed, earning just $24 million since opening on Wednesday. What to Expect When You're Expecting went virtually unnoticed this weekend with only $10.5 million, while Dark Shadows dropped an ugly 57% to earn just $12.7 million. Still doing extemely well in limited release is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which earned $3.2 million in only 178 theaters.
For the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, we have the first (possibly?) serious challenger for The Avengers, as Men in Black 3 opens in theaters. We also have the releases of the horror film Chernobyl Diaries and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom.
Sun, May 20, 2012 
With the summer movie season heating up, four popular Disney•Pixar movies are returning exclusively to AMC Theatres for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. From May 25 through May 28, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Up and WALL•E will be featured at AMC locations around the country. Each film will be accompanied by a classic Pixar short film and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming movie, Brave.
"There are some great films coming out Memorial Day weekend but nothing specifically for families and young children," said Sun Dee Larson, vice president of Film Marketing at AMC. "We're excited to provide our guests with an opportunity to take the whole family out to the theatre to enjoy some of the most treasured movies of all time, plus give our guests the chance to see a behind-the-scenes look at 'Brave.'"
Priced at $6 per movie (pricing may vary), each movie will play once every day on a rotating schedule. Participating locations, showtime information and advance tickets are available now at AMCTheatres.com/Pixar.
Sun, May 20, 2012 In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Murray) and his wife Eleanor (Williams) host the King and Queen of England (West, Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson, in upstate New York – the first-ever visit of a reigning English monarch to America. With Britain facing imminent war with Germany, the Royals are desperately looking to FDR for support. But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of FDR's domestic establishment, as wife, mother, and mistresses all conspire to make the royal weekend an unforgettable one. Seen through the eyes of Daisy (Laura Linney), Franklin's distant cousin, neighbor, and intimate, the weekend will produce not only a special relationship between two great nations, but, for Daisy – and through her, for us all – a deeper understanding of the mysteries of love and friendship.
Sun, May 20, 2012 Trends International has unveiled some promo posters for the upcoming Nolan flick The Dark Knight Rises. These aren't marketing the actual film but film related product most likely. Action figures and hopefully Catwoman suits. Imagine females prancing around in those suits this upcoming Halloween? Tell me that is not a good idea.
Sat, May 19, 2012 
Strategic Film Partners has acquired international sales rights to the feature film Crooked Arrows starring Brandon Routh (Superman Returns). The film, which depicts the story of an underdog American lacrosse team, was directed by Steve Rash (The Buddy Holly Story, Bring It On 3 & 4) and opens in limited engagements in the U.S. on May 18th, expanding with a wider national and Canadian release on June 1st. The timing of the release is significant as global interest in the sport is at an all time high due to the upcoming 2012 World Championships of the Federation of International Lacrosse in July in Finland.
Crooked Arrowsis the first mainstream lacrosse movie. It pays homage to the fast growing sport’s history by featuring a Native American high school team as the heroic underdogs, who rediscover their spirit when paired with a reluctant coach (Routh). Routh plays the mixed blood son of the nation’s chairman who has returned to his reservation to expand the community’s fledgling casino, but his traditionalist father and the tribal council insist that he must first re-examine his spirit before he can undertake his enterprise. Together with his skeptical team, he leads them on an unlikely journey to the New York prep league championship game.
In addition to Routh, the movie stars Gil Birmingham (Twilight), Crystal Allen, Chelsea Ricketts, Dennis Ambriz, and Tom Kemp. The lacrosse players are actual lacrosse players from around the country. The Native high school team was cast by Sports Studio’s Mark Ellis (Invincible, Miracle, Game Plan) in a visit to Syracuse last spring with all of the team’s players originating from the Six Nations Confederacy in upstate New York, with most being Onondaga, Tuscarora, or Mohawk.
The movie, which was shot in Massachusetts last August, has attracted substantial attention from the international lacrosse world, which is booming in several markets under the Federation of International Lacrosse. Leagues and teams from the UK, Spain, France, Germany Netherlands, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Japan and Australia have all made multiple inquiries about the film’s international plans.
“This is a fun family-oriented movie that should play very well overseas,” said Strategic Film Partners’ CEO Alex Barder. “It’s much more than a typical sports picture, with several positive messages about finding one’s family and spirit and a father and son reconnecting. I think people will laugh and cry and be thrilled by the action, whether they know lacrosse or not.”From its first stages of development, the picture organically attracted widespread support in the both the lacrosse and Native American worlds. Sponsors include Reebok, US Lacrosse, and the Onondaga Nation, which also made a substantial investment in the $10M movie. The film has also gained endorsements from Inside Lacrosse Magazine, Major League Lacrosse, National Lacrosse League, and dozens of the sport’s top players, including Paul Rabil.
Producers J. Todd Harris (Bottle Shock, The Kids Are All Right) and Mitchell Peck (Priest) led the charge to put the production and P&A financing together, along with former All-American Jeff McCormick, a Boston-based venture capitalist who led his 1983 Syracuse lacrosse team to the NCAA championship. Over fifty investors, most of them lacrosse enthusiasts, participated in the film’s financing.
Branded Pictures Entertainment is releasing the film in conjunction with Freestyle Releasing and Pandemic Marketing. May 18th will see a release on 55 screens in 17 cities and June 1st should see an expansion to over 400 screens in over 75 cities.