Shot in Istanbul, Turkey and directed by Olivier Megaton , “Taken 2” reunites Liam Neeson with his co-stars Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace in this rocket-paced action sequel that rivals some of the greatest gun-handlers in cinema history.

Neeson reprises the role of Bryan Mills, a father and an estranged husband who would do anything for his family in the movie.  Mills’ daughter having been kidnapped the first time. But he faces a different kind of conflict in “Taken 2.”  Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent with a particular set of skills who stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim from Albanian kidnappers.  When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge, and takes Bryan and his wife hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to help them escape, and uses the same advanced level of special forces tactics to get his family to safety and then systematically take out the kidnappers one by one.

“In the first movie he’s really a guy with nothing to lose. He’s divorced, he’s lost his daughter, and you see his reaction when she’s kidnapped,” explains Megaton. “In this movie, he’s got that relationship back and he’s even flirting with his ex-wife. It’s almost cheesy, but that makes him all the more human at the beginning of the movie, because he’s not thinking about his training, he’s thinking about his family.”

But being kidnapped once is unfortunate; twice is just careless. Rest assured, then, that things play out differently in this sequel. “The powers-that-be–namely our gracious leader Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen—have come up with a much better plot than that,” assures Grace. “Someone has the notion of attempting to abduct Bryan. It’s a personal vendetta; someone bent on extracting recompense from a man with a particular set of skills, as ill-advised as that might be. So it’s not a random second abduction of my character, Kim, which I think would be everyone’s first concern.”

“Taken 2” opens October in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis join the political fray in Warner Bros.’ new comedy “The Campaign” from director Jay Roach (“Meet the Fockers”).

Catch the movie’s new trailer here which has just been premiered by Warner – http://youtu.be/VucUaJnWYG4

Synopsis: When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district.  Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center.

At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.

As election day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level.  Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there’s room to dig a whole lot deeper.

“The Campaign” stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Katherine LaNasa, with John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Brian Cox. Directed by Jay Roach and written by Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell, from a story by Adam McKay & Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell, it is produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jay Roach and Zach Galifianakis. Amy Sayres, Jon Poll and Chris Henchy serve as executive producers.

Opening across the Philippines this August, “The Campaign” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Warner Bros. has just released the main one-sheet art of its upcoming blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer.

In helming the film, Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release beginning July 19, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. have just shared the new “Anyway You Want It” music video from the feature film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical “Rock of Ages.” Watch the heart-pounding video in this link: http://youtu.be/lD0Aidygn2s.

Directed by “Hairspray’s” Adam Shankman, “Rock of Ages” tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and more.

The movie musical stars Julianne Hough (“Burlesque”), with actor/singer Diego Boneta in his feature film debut, Russell Brand (“Arthur”), Oscar® nominee Paul Giamatti (“Cinderella Man”), Academy Award® winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”), Malin Akerman (“The Proposal”) and R&B queen Mary J. Blige, with Oscar® nominees Alec Baldwin (“The Cooler”) and Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx.

Shankman directs “Rock of Ages” from a screenplay by Justin Theroux and Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb, based on D’Arienzo’s musical of the same name.

Opening across the Philippines in June 14, 2012, “Rock of Ages” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

BURBANK, CA, May 15, 2012—On the heels of its strong overseas opening of Dark Shadows and the momentum of its first quarter releases, Warner Bros. Pictures has surpassed the $1 billion threshold in overseas box office in less than five months, surpassing its 2010 Studio record by ten days. This marks the twelfth consecutive year the Division has grossed over $1 billion overseas, beginning in 2001. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Studio hits this high water mark as it gears up for a full slate of highly anticipated titles later in the year, including Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Ben Affleck’s Argo, and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The Division enjoyed a strong start early in the year with the continued overseas success of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which grossed $257 million in 2012 ($357 million total international box office). This was followed by impressive grosses on the 2D and 3D releases of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($222 million) and Wrath of the Titans ($218.3 million). Released in some territories day-and-date with the U.S., Dark Shadows has already grossed $37.3 million, with many markets yet to open. Earnings from 3D venues reached $324 million, representing nearly a third of the Division’s cumulative gross for 2012.

“Our success thus far this year would not be possible without the ingenuity of our filmmakers, and the hard work and dedication of our teams around the world,” Kwan Vandenberg said. “These remarkable results demonstrate the continued strength of the international business, particularly in rapidly expanding overseas markets and in 3D.”

Warner Bros Pictures International has been the market leader in six of the previous 11 years. The Studio has surpassed $1 billion at the international box office a total of 15 times, with four of those years exceeding $2 billion, including 2011. The studio earned $2.87 billion internationally last year, and was the number one studio in Europe.

]]> http://studiocut.net/2012/05/17/warner-bros-rises-to-1-b-at-intl-box-office-in-record-time/feed/ 0 http://studiocut.net/2012/05/14/noomi-rapace-in-a-tug-between-science-and-beliefs-in-prometheus-3d/ http://studiocut.net/2012/05/14/noomi-rapace-in-a-tug-between-science-and-beliefs-in-prometheus-3d/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 02:23:10 +0000 kankan http://studiocut.net/?p=7347

Noomi Rapace won rave reviews and came to worldwide attention for her performance as Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish language Millennium films – “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played With Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest.” After working for a decade in her native Sweden she is now in huge demand for Hollywoodmovies including Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi in the suspenseful futuristic mythology “Prometheus” in 3D.

The role was playing Elizabeth Shaw, a key character in Sir Ridley Scott’s eagerly awaited Prometheus. Shaw is an archaeologist who joins the crew of a spaceship – The Prometheus – bound for a distant planet that may provide the answer to the biggest question of all, the origins of mankind.

Rapace joins a stellar ensemble cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and newcomer Logan Marshall-Green.

The chance to work with Scott, a filmmaker she has admired since she was a child, was too good to miss and the experience has been everything, and more, that she hoped for.

Rapace, 32, was born in Hudiksvall, Sweden and studied drama in Stockholm.  She made her TV debut in the drama Tre Kronor in 1998 and has worked extensively in Swedish theatre. Her films include “Daisy Diamond,” the Millennium trilogy, “Beyond,” “Babycall” (a performance that earned her the Best Actress Award at the Rome Film Festival in 2011) and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Q:        There’s been a lot of speculation about the film’s relationship to Alien. So is your character, Elizabeth, like a Ripley character in a way? Is she cut from the same cloth?

A:         I think Shaw is more feminine in a way. She’s a scientist. She’s an archaeologist. I think that Ripley was, in a way, harder from the start and from the beginning and she was a loner. Shaw starts this journey to be with Holloway and she loves him. They’re a team and they’re doing this together. I think she goes from being quite innocent and full of hope and belief, to getting into something that is a bit darker, but she’s still a believer. She’s has an angel watching over her all the time in a way that she believes in. But I think she’s related to Ripley in a way. I think that all Ridley’s women are quite tough or they can stand up for themselves and they’re quite good at fighting back.

Q:        Your character drives the movie in a way, it’s your quest that they’re setting out on, isn’t it?

A:         Yes. In a way, I think she is the heart in the movie and as well, the one you read things through. So she’s probably the engine in a way and also the one who starts everything. She approaches Mr. Wayland.  She convinces him to actually put all his money in this mission and it is probably his last journey because he’s quite old.

Q:        Do you have some background for your character?

A:         Shaw lost her father when she was quite young. He was a Christian missionary. I think if something dramatic happens in an early age, it’s like you have two options in a way. But she chooses the other way because she was a loved child and her father gave her the gift of faith and belief, and she’s held onto that.  She believes there’s a purpose to everything. At the end of the day it’s about what she chooses to believe, who she is, and what she makes out of things instead of seeing herself as a victim.

Q:        Isn’t the mission a direct challenge to her Christian beliefs?

A:         It is, but also I think that the engineers she meets are, from my point of view, almost like angels.  Who created them? So she’s tracking down where it all started.

Q:        It’s an ensemble cast. How does that interaction with the rest of the cast work for you and how does it work for the character you play?

A:         Elizabeth is very much a team player and she’s very professional. Ridley  found a fantastic mix of people for this project and it was pure joy to work with them because they are amazing actors. I certainly don’t see myself as the lead, you know. It wasn’t like that. It was very much what we all created together. I feel very lucky because I’m surrounded by people who are just amazing, incredible actors. And Ridley was the perfect leader because he gave everybody something and then we all brought it together.

Q:        Did you train long and hard for this part?

A:         After I finished Sherlock, I started training for Prometheus. I did a lot of running because I didn’t want to build up too much, I didn’t want to be big but I wanted to be able to cope with the physical demands of the shoot. In Prometheus, the crew had to be ready for whatever is coming because they don’t know what they are going to meet. So yes, I did a lot of running, like five days a week.

Q:        Prometheus is a big studio film. Does that represent a different challenge from making smaller independent films?

A:         Not really. It’s all about connecting with the script and the character and I don’t care if it’s a big studio movie or if it’s a small independent movie. At the end of the day, it’s the same thing. It’s the script and the director and the actors and you have to find a way of making it yours.

“Prometheus” 3D lands very soon in theatres on June 7 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Based on true events, “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis—the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades.

Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck (“The Town,” “Good Will Hunting”) directs and stars in the film, which is being produced by Academy Award® winner George Clooney (“Syriana”), Oscar® nominee Grant Heslov (“Good Night, and Good Luck.”) and Affleck.

On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

“Argo” also stars Oscar® winner Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Bryan Cranston (TV’s “Breaking Bad”) and John Goodman (“You Don’t Know Jack”). The main cast also includes Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Victor Garber, Zeljko Ivanek, Richard Kind, Scoot McNairy, Chris Messina, Michael Parks, and Taylor Schilling.

Affleck is directing the film from a screenplay by Chris Terrio, based on a selection from Master in Disguise by Antonio Mendez. David Klawans, Chris Brigham, Graham King, Tim Headington, Chay Carter and Nina Wolarsky are serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar®-nominated director of photography Rodrigo Prieto (“Brokeback Mountain”), production designer Sharon Seymour (“The Town”); Oscar®-nominated editor William Goldenberg (“Seabiscuit,” “The Insider”); and Oscar®-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (“The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”).

Filming on “Argo” is being accomplished in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Istanbul.

Slated for release in the Philippines in October 2012, “Argo” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Under the direction of Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”), New Line Cinema’s feature film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical “Rock of Ages” comes to the big screen.

“Rock of Ages” tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.  Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake, and more.

The movie musical stars Julianne Hough (“Burlesque”), with actor/singer Diego Boneta in his feature film debut, Russell Brand, Oscar® nominee Paul Giamatti, Academy Award® winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, R&B queen Mary J. Blige and multiple Emmy®-winner Bryan Cranston, with Oscar® nominees Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise.

Shankman directs “Rock of Ages” from a screenplay by Justin Theroux and Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb, based on D’Arienzo’s musical of the same name.  The film is being produced by Matthew Weaver, Scott Prisand, Carl Levin, Tobey Maguire, Garrett Grant and Jennifer Gibgot, with Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Michael Disco, Samuel J. Brown,  Hillary Butorac Weaver, Janet Billig Rich, Shankman and D’Arienzo serving as executive producers.

Rounding out the “Rock of Ages” creative team are director of photography Bojan Bazelli (“Hairspray”), production designer Jon Hutman (“It’s Complicated”), editor Emma E. Hickox (“A Walk To Remember”), Oscar®-nominated costume designer Rita Ryack (“Hairspray”), Grammy-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Dreamgirls,” “Nine”), executive and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance”).  The original score is by Adam Anders and Peer Astrom (TV’s “Glee”).

Opening across the Philippines in June 2012, “Rock of Ages” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.