20th Century Fox recently released the first teaser poster for the upcoming summer film "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes". The film is the sequel to the 2011 film "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". The film is set to star Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman and Keri Russell. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on 7/11/2014.

For more information on this film, you can goto: http://www.dawnofapes.com/

Plot Synopsis:

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

“Lawless” is based on a non-fiction book “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant. The story takes place in prohibition era, where alcohol was illegal. The Bondurant Boys (Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke) and a mysterious woman (Jessica Chastain) run one of the most well known bootlegging businesses in Franklin County, Virgina. Their reputation is threaten when a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pierce) want a piece of their sales and is willing get it anyway he can. The Bondurant boys must find a way to stop the corrupt deputy, before he ruins their business.

Film Review:

Going into this film, I was expecting the film to have more action sequences. It wasn’t the case, as I didn’t realize until later that this film was based on a true story. I was surprised that I enjoyed this film as much I did given my expectations.

One of the reasons this film worked for me so well was John Hillcoat’s direction. I liked how, he was able to capture everything on the screen. From the time period to the way that he approaches each scene, Hillcoat does a very good job getting everything to work from a direction standpoint. It’s those things that helps make this film very entertaining. The other thing that I liked about his direction was that he’s able to get very good performances out of his main cast. I thought Shia Lebouf , Tom Hardy , Guy Pierce, Gary Oldman and Jessica Chastian worked very well together. Hillcoat does a very good job making their performances gel together. He does that, by making the sure the characters have personality. From the way the lines were delivered to the way the actors approached their characters, Hillcoat does a very good job making the characters and the story interesting.

The major difference between this film and Hillcoat’s last film “The Road” was the fact that rocker Nick Cave handles the screenplay duties like he did in Hillcoat’s 2005 film “The Proposition”. Cave does a very good job with the source material that he’s given. One of the things that I liked about his screenplay, he does a very good job making the characters interesting. Whether it’s giving the characters personality or developing them, Cave does a very good job bring them to life. It helped me enjoy this film a lot, considering I had different expectations. The other thing that the screenplay does well, it builds tension to the initial climax. The reason that it works, Cave does a very good job making you care about the characters. It made the scenes interesting and grabs your attention from a story standpoint.

The only that I didn’t like about this film was the fact that Gary Oldman didn’t have a bigger role, as he was very good as the mobster Floyd Banner. But still, I really enjoyed this film for the performances and John Hillcoat’s direction.

Blu-Ray Extras:

First on the Blu-Ray is the film’s audio commentary track, which features director John Hillcoat and Matt Bondurant, author of “The Wettest County in the World”. This was a very good commentary track. I liked how both of them go into the production of film and talk about how much of the film is based on the book. It gives you insight into both the film and what was done differently from the book. Overall, a very good commentary track.

After the audio commentary track, you have the film’s behind the scenes featurette “The True Story of the Wettest County in the World”. The featurette goes into the back-story of the film and features interviews from the cast and crew talking about the production of the film. This was good, as you get both some historical information about the subjects of the film and you get hear the cast talk about the film. It was an interesting featurette on both levels.

The next two featurette focuses on the historical information that this film is based on. Both of the featurettes do a very good job going to the history behind the film. The first featurette is “Franklin County, VA: Then and Now”. The featurette goes into the history of that time period in that area. It talks about the bootlegging of alcohol that took place in the town during the prohibition era and how the county is surviving today. The other historical featurette is “The Story of the Bondurant Family”. This goes in-depth into the Bondurant brothers, which is told by the book’s author Mark Bondurant. It gives a lot of information on the each of the brothers and relationships between them. It also features images of the Bondurant family, as they were during that time period.

After those featurettes, the disc wraps up with Willie Nelson’s “Midnight Run” music video and deleted scenes.

Final Summary:

“Lawless” is one of the best films that I’ve seen this year. With great direction from John Hillcoat and excellent performances from the cast, “Lawless” is one of those films that may end up on my top 10 list.

Review Rating: Five Stars

Blu-Ray Extras: Four Stars

Anchor Bay Films and The Weinstein Company announced recently that John Hillcoat's latest film "Lawless" will be hitting DVD and Blu-Ray on November 27th. The film was nominated for an illustrious Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes International Film Festival and stars Shia LaBeouf (Transformers franchise, Disturbia), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), Academy Award® nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Dark Knight Rises), Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre), Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus, The Help) and Emmy® winner Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce, The King’s Speech

DVD and Blu-Ray special features include an audio commentary with Director John Hillcoat and Author Matt Bondurant; two featurettes: “The True Story of the Wettest County In The World” and “Franklin County, VA: Then and Now”; Willie Nelson’s “Midnight Run” music video; and deleted scenes.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://lawless-film.com/

Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company announced today the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD release of the critically acclaimed film, LAWLESS, from director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition). Written by musician, composer and screenwriter, Nick Cave (The Proposition), inspired by the 2008 biographical novel The Wettest County In The World, LAWLESS follows the bootlegging Bondurant Brothers on their quest for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Shia LaBeouf (Transformers franchise, Disturbia), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), Academy Award® nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Dark Knight Rises), Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre), Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus, The Help) and Emmy® winner Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce, The King’s Speech), LAWLESS heads to retail on November 27, 2012 for an SRP of $39.99 for the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and $29.98 for the DVD.

LAWLESS, which was nominated for an illustrious Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes International Film Festival, also stars Jason Clarke (Texas Killing Fields, the upcoming The Great Gatsby) and Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Place Beyond the Pines).

The Hollywood Reporter called LAWLESS “A gritty and suspenseful bootlegger tale.” Added film critic, Richard Roeper, in his Reelz Channel review, LAWLESS is “A hell of an entertaining movie, I give it an ‘A’!” Wrote Paste magazine film critic, Tyler Chase, “Lawless blends stylish originality with genre standards into a mixture as potent and explosive as Virginia moonshine.”

They were brothers who became outlaws, and outlaws who became heroes... The three Bondurant boys (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke), along with their sultry new hire (Jessica Chastain), command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in Franklin County, Virginia. The locals consider them “indestructible.” But the law — in the form of a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pearce) — wants a cut of their action, at any cost. When youngest brother Jack (LaBeouf) gets a taste of power with a deadly gangster (Gary Oldman), the whole business blows sky high. Based on the astonishing true story, the Bondurant brotherhood is the stuff of legend.

The LAWLESS Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD special features include an audio commentary with Director John Hillcoat and Author Matt Bondurant; two featurettes: “The True Story of the Wettest County In The World” and “Franklin County, VA: Then and Now”; Willie Nelson’s “Midnight Run” music video; and deleted scenes. Note: Special features are subject to change.

Learn more about LAWLESS at: http://lawless-film.com/

The Weinstein Company recently released character poster for their upcoming film "Lawless", which recently premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The film boasts an all star cast that includes Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Gary Oldman, and Guy Pearce. "Lawless" is slated to hit theaters on August 31st.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://lawless-film.com

Plot Synopsis

LAWLESS is the true story of the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant's family in his novel "The Wettest County in the World", the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation's most notorious crime wave.

Relativity Media announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to market and distribute IM Global’s currently-titled Paranoia, directed by Robert Luketic (21) and starring Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Oscar®-nominee Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Oscar®-nominee Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) and Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class). Production is targeted to begin this summer and the film will release in theatres on September 27, 2013. IM Global will handle international distribution.

In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a charming, blue collar guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at Wyatt Telecom. But after one costly and illegal mistake, Adam is confronted by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt. He won’t turn Adam in under one condition: Adam must agree to infiltrate the competition as a corporate spy. Adam soon finds himself packaged for success, surrounded by glamorous boardrooms, expensive cars, and a life he only dreamed of. But behind the scenes, Wyatt is pulling the strings - stopping at nothing, even murder, to win a multi-billion dollar advantage. Realizing he's nothing more than a pawn in his boss's ruthless game, Adam's only way out - is to go in deeper.

The screenplay was written by Jason Dean Hall (Spread) from a previous draft by Barry Levy (Vantage Point), based on the novel Paranoia by Joseph Finder.

Paranoia will be produced by Alexandra Milchan of Emjag Productions, Scott Lambert of Film 360, a division of Management 360, and Deepak Nayar. IM Global CEO Stuart Ford, Douglas Urbanski and Gaumont’s Christophe Riandee will executive produce.

"Paranoia is a gripping story and we're excited to add the project to our growing slate bolstered by this stellar cast. We look forward to working with our partners IM Global on bringing this film to audiences everywhere,” said Relativity’s President, Tucker Tooley.

IM Global is currently selling international rights to the film in Cannes with successful deals closing for France (Gaumont), the U.K. (Momentum), Spain (Aurum), Canada (Alliance) and Latin America (Sun).

Looking ahead, the studio will release the edge-of-your seat thriller House at the End of the Street (in theatres September 21, 2012) and the hilarious comedy 21 and Over (in theatres November 2, 2012). Relativity is currently in production on Scott Cooper’s gritty dramatic thriller currently-titled Out of the Furnace and is in pre-production on the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling Safe Haven (in theatres February 8, 2013).

“Track 29” is one of the strangest movies I’ve seen in a long time, but that’s probably because I am not all that familiar with the work of director Nicolas Roeg. This is only the second movie of his I have seen, the last being “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” and it helps to understand his filmmaking method before watching his work. Roeg’s movies are known for their kaleidoscope of images which are typically presented out of chronological order, and it’s left up to the viewer to make sense out of all the craziness they have just witnessed. Learning this helped me understand “Track 29” better as it is one of those WTF movies that are all over the place.

This movie came out in 1988, and its DVD release coincides with Gary Oldman’s first ever Oscar nomination for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Here he stars as a British orphan named Martin who has arrived in America to look for his mother. Upon meeting bored housewife Linda Henry (Roeg’s then-wife Theresa Russell), Martin is convinced it is her and tries to form the bond he has forever longed to have. But as the story continues on, we wonder if Martin is real or if he’s really just a figment of Linda’s imagination as his arrival coincides with her remembering the child she gave up for adoption years before.

The real pleasure of watching “Track 29” today is to witness Oldman at his manic best as he is a firecracker always on the verge of going off. The actor did this movie not long after he received critical raves for “Sid & Nancy” and “Prick Up Your Ears,” and watching all three movies together makes one wonder where he gets all this crazy energy from. Putting this in comparison to the more subdued work he does today as George Smiley or Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movies makes one realize how amazingly far his range as an actor goes. This makes you appreciate his work all the more.

Theresa Russell, who remains one of cinema’s most underrated actresses, is equally good as Linda even as she looks to be going over the top from scene to scene. Throughout “Track 29,” Russell gives her role a strong conviction as she comes to grips with a traumatic moment in her life and her passionless marriage which has gotten to where she knows exactly what will come out of her husband’s mouth before he says it. Actors can look utterly ridiculous when they fall into the trap of playing the clichéd drunk or just running the gamut of emotions, but Russell holds your focus from beginning to end even as she appears on the verge of self-parody. She has always been one to take risks with each role she takes on, and this one is no exception.

Among the other actors to be found in “Track 29” is Christopher Lloyd who plays a role I never thought I’d see him in: the boring husband. From his roles in “Back To The Future” and “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock” among things, I’ve come to see Lloyd as anything but boring. But here he is appropriately bland as he takes more interest in his toy train set which collectors of such things will be slobbering over once they see what he’s put together than he does in his wife’s problems. Whether his character of Dr. Henry Henry (a rather unfortunate name) is having an affair with Nurse Stein (Sandra Bernhard) or making a passionate speech to thee obsessive train car collectors of North Carolina, Lloyd inhabits this character fully and reminds you of how great an actor he can be.

Other excellent performances to be found in “Track 29” come from Colleen Camp as Linda’s friend Arlanda who reacts to her problems with utter bafflement, Sandra Bernhard who gets to indulge gleefully in her character’s brand of S&M, and the great Seymour Cassel as Henry’s boss Dr. Bernard Fairmont who reacts to his colleague’s bizarre behaviors with disdain and utter hilarity.

Roeg gives this movie many unforgettable images which come to illustrate the missing passion and meaning in these characters’ lives as well as the sheer violence that hides just below the surface. Watching it reminded me of “Revolutionary Road” and how Kate Winslet’s character was ever so desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of suburbia, but this story is given a more surrealistic quality as Oldman’s character descends into the mindset of a child who when let loose destroys things without a care in the world. Everything seems to act as an allusion Linda’s unconscious desire to destroy the world she inhabits as it becomes the only way in which she can escape it.

Image Entertainment released this DVD version of “Track 29” recently, and this is the best it has probably ever looked. As for extras and special features, this disc is frustratingly scant in those departments. It would have been nice to have a commentary track or at least some interviews with the director and cast to see how they went about making this bizarre motion picture and what their reactions were to it. The only real extras to speak of are a couple of trailers which precede the movie, and they are for the cult classic “Withnail & I,” Neil Jordan’s “Mona Lisa,” and “The Long Good Friday” starring Bob Hoskins. Coincidentally, these are three movies that I should have seen already.

Despite the lack of special features however, “Track 29” is definitely worth a rental for fans of Oldman and to see him at his most emotionally unhinged in a role. It’s not a great movie that reaches the heights of Roeg’s other works like “Walkabout,” but it’s definitely for those who love films that defy conventional film narration. Lord knows we need movies like that once in a while as things can’t stay the same forever.

* * * out of * * * *