The Seven Sees

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection

Gerrad Hall — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:14:16 +0000

Starring: Tyler Perry, Eugene Levy, Denise Richards, Romeo Miller, Doris Roberts

Writer/Director: Tyler Perry

In theaters: June 29, 2012

Synopsis: Tyler Perry returns as America’s favorite brash, no-holds-barred grandma in Lionsgate’s TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION, an outrageous culture clash comedy that also stars Eugene Levy, Denise Richards and Doris Roberts.

For years, George Needleman (Levy), the gentle CFO of a Wall Street investment bank, has been living with his head in the clouds. His frustrated second wife, Kate (Richards), has reached her limit taking care of his senile mother, Barbara (Roberts). His teenage daughter, Cindy (Danielle Campbell), is spoiled beyond hope and his seven-year-old son, Howie (Devan Leos), wishes his father were around more. But George is finally forced to wake up when he learns that his firm, Lockwise Industries, has been operating a mob-backed Ponzi scheme – and that he’s been set up as the fall guy.

Facing criminal charges and death threats from the mob, George and his entire family are put under witness protection in the safest place that Brian (Perry), a federal prosecutor from Atlanta, can think of…

His Aunt Madea’s house down South.

As a result, Madea and her live-in brother, Uncle Joe (Perry), find themselves managing a completely dysfunctional family from Connecticut. But as George tries to solve the mystery behind Lockwise’s finances, Madea whips the Needlemans into shape using her hilarious brand of tough love. And together, they realize they just might have what it takes to unite George’s family, outsmart the mob and change everyone’s lives for the better.

Featuring Perry’s trademark blend of raucous comedy and emotional uplift, TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION is written and directed by Perry, and produced by Perry, Ozzie Areu and Paul Hall. The film also stars Romeo Miller, Tom Arnold, John Amos and Marla Gibbs.

The Words

Gerrad Hall — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:51:46 +0000

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Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Ben Barnes

Writers/Directors: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal

In theaters: September 21, 2012

Synopsis: Starring Bradley Cooper, Oscar®-winner Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoë Saldana, the layered romantic drama The Words follows young writer Rory Jansen who finally achieves long sought after literary success after publishing the next great American novel. There’s only one catch – he didn’t write it. As the past comes back to haunt him and his literary star continues to rise, Jansen is forced to confront the steep price that must be paid for stealing another man’s work, and for placing ambition and success above life’s most fundamental three words.

To Rome with Love

Gerrad Hall — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:43:34 +0000

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Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page

Writer/Director: Woody Allen

In theaters: Opens L.A. Film Festival June 14, 2012; select theaters June 22, 2012

Synopsis: To Rome With Love is a story about a number of people in Italy, some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors, and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into.

The Good Doctor

Gerrad Hall — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:35:59 +0000

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow, Troy Garity, J.K. Simmons, Michael Peña

Director: Lance Daly

In theaters: August 31, 2012; premieres on VOD July 27

Synopsis: Martin Blake (Orlando Bloom) is an ambitious but anxious young doctor, eager to impress his superiors and colleagues: Chief Resident Waylans (Rob Morrow), self-assured fellow intern Dan (Troy Garity) and no-nonsense nurse Theresa (Taraji P. Henson). But things are not going Martin’s way and he can’t seem to shake off his insecurities. When 18-year-old patient Diane (Riley Keough) is admitted for a kidney infection, Martin steps in, getting the much-needed boost of self-esteem he craves. But things take a dark turn as his enthusiasm begins to become an obsession.

30 Beats

Gerrad Hall — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:17:10 +0000

Starring: Paz De La Huerta, Lee Pace, Justin Kirk, Thomas Sadoski, Jennifer Tilly, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Jason Day, Vahina Giocante, Ben Levin, and Condola Rashad

Writer/Director: Alexis Lloyd

Rated: R (sexual content, nudity and language)

In theaters: July 20, 2012

Synopsis: Paz de la Huerta, Justin Kirk, Lee Pace, Thomas Sadoski, and Jennifer Tilly headline an ensemble of New Yorkers whose lives interconnect via a string of life-changing sexual encounters during a summer heat wave. The international cast also includes Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Peruvian Jason Day, French actress Vahina Giocante, Ben Levin and Condola Rashad. 30 BEATS follows ten characters drawn into a ring of love and desire, each one caught beyond his or her control in a chain reaction of seduction, impulses and self-discovery. The screenplay was freely inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s play LA RONDE. The film was produced by Molly Conners, Carl Ford and Lloyd and executive produced by Susan Batson, Ronald Guttman and Pierre Lagrange.

Virginia

Gerrad Hall — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:13:12 +0000

Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Harrison Gilbertson, Ed Harris, Emma Roberts, Amy Madigan, Yeardley Smith, Toby Jones

Writer/Director: Dustin Lance Black

In theaters: May 18, 2012

Synopsis: Written and directed by Dustin Lance Black (MILK), VIRGINIA stars Jennifer Connelly in the title role as a beautiful yet unhinged single mother who struggles to raise her son Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson) while dreaming of escaping her small Southern boardwalk town. Her long time affair with the very married, Mormon Sheriff Richard Tipton (Ed Harris) is thrown into question when he decides to run for public office. Things are further complicated when Emmett begins a romantic relationship with Tipton’s daughter (Emma Roberts). Virginia and the town—populated by Amy Madigan, Toby Jones, Yeardley Smith—are full of secrets and everyone knows Virginia can only keep things together for so long. VIRGINIA is a funny, touching drama that looks at the American Dream and what it takes to keep it together.

GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF “THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN”

Jonathan Ratliff — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:42:56 +0000

More and more footage is hitting the web for The Amazing Spider-Man, and now Sony has released a Sony Make.Believe segment with director Marc Webb that gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming reboot of the Spidey franchise. Along with some inspiring words from Webb (convenient name for directing this movie), we also get to see stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as they shot the movie.

The Amazing Spider-Man will be in theaters July 3 and also stars Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Denis Leary, and a guaranteed cameo from Stan Lee.

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WILLIAM FRIEDKIN IS GUEST DIRECTOR FOR 2012 LA FILM FESTIVAL

Jonathan Ratliff — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:15:19 +0000

The Los Angeles Film Festival is drawing near and that means more details are beginning to surface. The festival’s schedule, which can be found here at the LA Film Fest website has already been announced. Now, Film Independent, which operates the fest, has revealed Oscar® winning filmmaker William Friedkin (The Exorcist) as Guest Director for this years event, along with other special guests and featured conversations & screenings. The full announcement is below:

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FILM INDEPENDENT ANNOUNCES WILLIAM FRIEDKIN AS GUEST DIRECTOR FOR 2012 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

- Danny Elfman, Michael Voltaggio & Raphael Saadiq to Serve as Artists in Residence -

- Conversations & Screenings Added -

LOS ANGELES (May 15, 2012) – Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced Academy Award®-winning director William Friedkin as Guest Director for the 2012 Festival. Legendary musician and composer Danny Elfman, award-winning Los Angeles chef Michael Voltaggio and Grammy Award®-winning singer, songwriter and record producer Raphael Saadiq will be the Artists in Residence. Intimate conversations will be held with filmmakers and talent from AMC’s acclaimed Breaking Bad, HBO’s long anticipated series The Newsroom, which includes a screening of the premiere episode, and a series of panels on Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation. Additional films screening at the Festival include a Film Independent members-only screening of The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, the North American Premiere of The King of Pigs in the Beyond section, Easy Money in the International Showcase section and Question Bridge: Black Males in the Free Community Screenings section. There will also be an Exclusive Sneak Preview held on June 17, so follow us @LAFilmFest on Twitter for clues and additional details. The LA Film Festival Keynote Speaker, Coffee Talks, Poolside Rant and additional panels will be announced later this month.

“Los Angeles is the center of entertainment, so it!s befitting that the LA Film Fest is hosting a broad spectrum of talent across all disciplines. We look forward to sharing screenings, conversations, music events and surprises with everyone this summer!” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.

In his role as Guest Director, Friedkin will be screening his latest film Killer Joe at LACMA’s Bing Theater on Friday, June 15 at 7:30 pm, preceded by an onstage interview. The film follows 22- year-old Chris (Emile Hirsch) in debt to a drug lord and he must hire a hit man to dispatch his mother, whose $50,000 life insurance policy benefits his sister Dottie (Juno Temple). Chris finds Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a creepy, crazy Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer. When Chris can’t pay Joe upfront, Joe sets his sight on Dottie as collateral for the job. An iconoclastic filmmaker with a fiercely independent spirit, William Friedkin has bravely forged his own path through the American cinema of the past forty years. Hollywood is still reeling from Friedkin’s one-two punch of The French Connection and The Exorcist, two films that heralded a new era of filmmaking. Raw and visceral, with an authenticity that cannot be denied, Friedkin’s movies—including The Boys in the Band, Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A., and Cruising—are bold, exciting works that have frequently courted controversy, only to go on to become contemporary classics. LD Entertainment will release Killer Joe on July 27.

As an Artist in Residence, Danny Elfman will present hand-picked film clips featuring his favorite scores on Saturday, June 16 at 8:00 pm. He’ll discuss how the medium’s music has shaped him into one of today’s most celebrated film composers. The award-winning composer has always had a particular affinity for connecting with directors with distinctive points of view, such as Sam Raimi, Caroline Thompson, Gus Van Sant, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee and, of course, Tim Burton, starting with the director’s feature debut, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and extending to his latest, Dark Shadows. The evening is sponsored by Regal Entertainment Group.

Michael Voltaggio will present a screening of Bob Giraldi’s Dinner Rush (2000) on June 20 at 7:50 pm, followed by a conversation. After his award-winning tenure as Chef de Cuisine for The Bazaar by José Andrés, Chef Michael Voltaggio went on to become a household name after winning the sixth season of Bravo’s reality cooking show Top Chef. From there, Voltaggio opened his immensely popular and highly praised restaurant ink. in West Hollywood, which was named “best new restaurant in America” by GQ Magazine this year.

Raphael Saadiq will present a screening of his choice on Friday, June 15 at 7:30 pm. followed by a conversation with KCRW’s Chris Douridas. Recently lauded as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine, the Grammy Award®-winning Saadiq is one of today’s most highly regarded recording artists. Since his early days with the groundbreaking soul trios Tony! Toni! Toné! and Lucy Pearl, he has carried the torch for old school-futuristic R&B.

Currently gearing up for its final 16 episodes, AMC’s Breaking Bad has boldly and relentlessly tested the boundaries of television, developing an antihero never before seen. In his portrayal of anxiety-ridden, recession-burdened provider Walter White, Emmy Award®-winning actor Bryan Cranston skillfully evokes a man’s riveting, complex descent from good to bad. Join Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn with series creator Vince Gilligan on Saturday, June 16 at 5:30 pm as they discuss how a show about a high school chem teacher with a mobile meth lab in the New Mexico desert has evolved into what many consider the best hour on television.

On the eve of Aaron Sorkin’s long-anticipated HBO series The Newsroom, join the Festival on Friday, June 22 at 8:00 pm for an exclusive screening of the series premiere episode and a dialogue with Sorkin, executive producer Alan Poul and director Greg Mottola. The three men will discuss what it took to develop the show, assemble the amazing cast, which includes Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterson, and bring their behind-the-scenes look at the intricacies of the fast-paced 24-hour cable news world to air.

This year, the Los Angeles Film Festival shines the spotlight on the contributions of women to the world of animation. At Women of Wonder – A Celebration of Women in Animation, join us on Sunday, June 17 from 2:30-5:00 pm for an afternoon celebrating women’s accomplishments in this field, examine the broader challenges for women in the industry and explore the models that better cultivate and draw on the talents of women as film artists, producers executives. Panelists include Kristine Belson (Executive Producer of Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon), Karen Rupert Toliver (Twentieth Century Fox Animation’s VP of Production), Katharine Sarafian (Producer of Pixar’s Brave), Michelle Murdocca (Producer of Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania) and more to be announced. The event is sponsored by the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television and includes a luncheon hosted by FOX Audience Strategy.

Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.A. LIVE for a third year, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday, June 24. Now in its eighteenth year, the Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema, and is produced by Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards.

Passes are currently on sale to Film Independent members and the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the Filmmaker Lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Ticket Office for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com.

For the seventh year, the Los Angeles Times will serve as the Festival’s Presenting Media Sponsor and will once again produce the Official Film Guide, the comprehensive source for all movie info, screenings, locations and related special events. The Film Guide will top the paper on Sunday, June 10 in Los Angeles and Orange County, and will be made available throughout downtown Los Angeles during the ten-day event.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Gerrad Hall — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:44:33 +0000

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Starring: Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Dianne Wiest, CJ Adams, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston, M. Emmet Walsh, Odeya Rush, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lois Smith, David Morse, Common

Director: Peter Hedges

In theaters: August 15, 2012

Synopsis: Academy Award®–nominated director/writer Peter Hedges (“Dan in Real Life,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”) brings enchantment to the screen with “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” an inspiring, magical story about a happily married couple, Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton), who can’t wait to start a family but can only dream about what their child would be like. When young Timothy (CJ Adams) shows up on their doorstep one stormy night, Cindy and Jim—and their small town of Stanleyville—learn that sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts.

The Tortured

Gerrad Hall — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:29:05 +0000

Starring: Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe

Director: Rob Lieberman

In theaters: June 15, 2012

Available Nationwide on IFC Midnight Cable VOD and Digital Outlets (SundanceNOW, iTunes, Amazon Streaming, XBOX Zune, Playstation Unlimited) on Friday, May 11, 2012

Synopsis: Craig (Metcalfe) and Elise (Christensen) had all the ingredients for an ideal life: a great marriage, a wonderful five-year-old son, a charming home and a bright future.

Then, on one sunny day, their perfect world is irrevocably shattered . Leaving their five year old son, Ben, alone for only a moment, Craig is horrified to see him being abducted from their own front yard. Sadly, the desperate police search for the kidnapper proves to be in vain when the child is found dead. Craig is wracked with guilt and Elise cannot forgive him. Their relationship crumbles under the strain and Elise moves out – leaving each of them alone in their private hell.

Months later, a chance tip leads police to the suspect’s door, catching him red-handed with another victim. Although Ben’s murderer is soon brought to trial, the grieving parents are stunned when his sentence is considerably reduced by a plea bargain. Utterly shocked and reunited by their outrage, Craig and Elise agree that they cannot live another day until they rectify this miscarriage of justice. Together they decide to seek their own retribution, hatching a plot to kidnap the man and subject him to the same monstrous acts he perpetrated against their helpless son.