I haven’t had the good fortune of seeing this just yet, but Baghead premiered at SXSW and had a lot of buzz floating around it. The only thing I know about it is that it focuses on two brothers who are struggling actors. With bags over their heads. Check out the cool poster below.

Source Facebook

Considering the concept of this film, this might be an incredibly smart move for Mike Myers & co. The Saturday Night Live alumni’s new creation, The Love Guru, has gone online markeing crazy. Head over to their newly launched site HERE where you can check out Youtube videos, become a fan on facebook, befriend him on MySpace, upload photos to get “love gurued”, and get love advice from the love guru himself, Pitka (Mike Myers). Have funnnn. The Love Guru hits theaters June 20th.

Source Paramount

Virgina Madsen has just signed on to join the cast of upcoming biograhpy film about Amelia Earhart. Landing a role in Amelia appears to be a very good move for Ms. Madsen, especially since she has done very little since starring the pulpy and dumb Number 23 .

Madsen will be playing Dorothy Binney, who was the first wife of Amelia Earhart’s promoter and husband, George Putnam (Richard Gere). Hillary Swank is playing the title character, and given her talent and success at the Academy Awards it would not be suprising if she gets some serious Oscar consideration when the film is released in 2009.

Virgina Madsen can be next seen in the comedy Diminshed Capacity, which also starts Matthew Broderick, and will be released in July of this year.

Source VARIETY

Besides the Sin City kick ass look, we’re not given much yet. For the ones that have been living with Wilson and Tom Hanks, The Spirit is the Will Eisner comic book adaptation directed by the ultra badass Frank Miller (Sin City, 300). It’s plot centers on a rookie cop who returns from the dead who is determined on kicked baddies asses. Samuel L. plays the villain. Yeah!

Source MTV

Sort of. In Luke’s new film, Henry Poole Is Here, he moves into a small town and everyone’s nosey factor inflates when the face of Jesus appears on a wall in his backyard. Oh, and George Lopez plays a priest so expect some form of innuendo, but not too much because it’s rated PG.

Henry Poole Is Here Trailer

Source MySpace

When 88 minutes feels like an eternity, not even the great Al Pacino can do anything to remedy the problems or put it out of its misery. It doesn’t help that writer Gary Scott Thompson (Hollow Man) throws everything (including the kitchen sink) into one mess of a screenplay.

Pacino, who honestly hasn’t done anything worth mentioning since 2002’s Insomnia plays Dr. Jack Gramm, a forensic psychiatric whose sketchy testimony during the trial of a serial killer becomes grounds for revenge.

Shot in real time (the movie is only 88 minutes long once Dr. Gramm picks up the phone and the voice on the other end tells him he has exactly that much time to live), 88 Minutes is preposterous telephone drama comparable to films like Cellular

Rating: 5.5/10

Director: Rob Minkoff
Writer: John Fusco
Cast: Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano
Studio: Lionsgate

After viewing this movie, I was desperately trying to figure out what this reminded me of when a colleague of mine blurped it out: THE NEVER ENDING STORY. But this is a modern (set in Ancient times, how ironic) day retelling of THE NEVER ENDING STORY.

The film starts off with Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) a big fan of the older Kung Fu films and has vague dreams (literally) of his future that is about to unfold for him. He shops in a vintage store to buy his Kung Fu movies (NEVERENDING takes place in a book store) and enter the bullies that chase him and somehow he ends up in his own kung fu fantasy (In NEVER ENDING, main kid locks himself in a school basement and begins the famous book). (more…)

Jason Segel has shown through various TV and film roles to be more than competent as a humorous sidekick or secondary character. After viewing the new semi-romantic and very funny comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was written by and stars Jason Segel, a few things are clear. First, multiple full frontal nude scenes show that Jason is definitely very comfortable with his body. More importantly, Forgetting Sarah Marshall proves that Mr. Segel is capable of being a successful leading man and penning an above average comedy script.

In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter Bretter (played by Jason) has the life that every goofy and unmotivated teenage boy must dream about. Peter’s job is writing music for a CSI inspired TV show, which gives Peter plenty of time to do nothing but just lie around his home in his favorite pair of sweatpants and eat pounds of cereal. Peter is even dating the star of the show, the beautiful blonde bombshell Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). However, Peter is soon surprised by Sarah as he is getting out of the shower and is told that she will no longer be needing his boyfriend services. Peter does not take the news well as his slacker paradise has been destroyed. Now, even an old episode of Project Runway brings him to tears. Peter’s stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader) does his best to console him, but continuously fails in his attempts to cheer Peter up. Bill and Jason have solid chemistry; both men are able to equally work their scenes for laughs, and neither funny guy outshines the other. Eventually, Brian tells Peter to take a vacation to get away from Sarah’s memories, and Peter desperate to move on with his life agrees.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Peter’s vacation went smoothly and gave him the proper venue to heal his emotional wounds quietly? Yes, it would be nice but not funny, and fortunately for the audience that is not what happens. Soon, Peter discovers that Sarah is staying at the same hotel, but she is not alone, she is with her new boyfriend the British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). What could be worse than a “sexy” rockstar dating your very recent ex-girlfriend? The correct answer would be sleeping in the same building as them, causing you to constantly run into and one occasion even have dinner with the new couple. There is must be nothing like having dinner with your ex and the guy that is currently violating your once sacred forest of love. Peter’s pain is the audience’s joy, as these incredibly awkward situations generate many laughs.

Don’t worry though, Peter’s resort just happens to be employed by the seemingly sweet and incredibly desirable, Rachel (Mila Kunis). However, Rachel is surprisingly not the same stereotypical girl you have seen in so many romantic comedies. When Rachel sees her ex-boyfriend she shouts profanities and gets in his face, she even has a topless picture of her in a bathroom at a local bar. Rachel is actually a real woman, with a painful past and a temper, not some bland movie girl that has waited her whole life to fix the damaged leading man. This character is incredibly refreshing, which is something you don’t get to say a lot when it comes to romantic comedies. Of course, Rachel does help Peter get over Sarah before something predictably comes in the way of the very new relationship, but don’t worry romantic comedies are known for their happy endings, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall is no exception. As you can see, the film does have a few standard plot devices, but this is definitely not a fatal flaw.

All the actors regardless of the size of their part turn in great performances in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jack McBrayer as a newlywed who is having bedroom troubles with his new wife is hysterical in the most clueless way. Mr. McBrayer even has one of the film’s most quotable lines in “God put our mouths on our heads for a reason”. Apatow regular Jonah Hill proves he has not lost his comedic sensibility as a restaurant host who is obsessed with Aldous Snow.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of those great examples of a film that is funny from start to finish. From Peter’s dark times at the start of the film, to the reuniting of Peter and Rachel at the end, there are not many dull moments, just scenes that range from fairly to very humorous.

At 112 minutes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is about 20 minutes longer than most of the other films found in its genre. However, due to a consistently funny script and the talent of the film’s actors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall never really feels like a chore, as it keeps you laughing all the way to the somewhat predictable conclusion.

Rating: 9/10

Director, Writer: Thomas McCarthy
Cast: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira
Studio: Anchor Bay

There’s one thing in my life I’ve never tried, and that’s playing an instrument. Often at times I wonder if I should take up lessons, and at other I just tell myself, “It’s too late now.” THE VISITOR begs the question, “When is too late to pursue your dreams?” If your like the rest of the world, you want the answer to be “Never.” THE VISITOR answers that in one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking ways you’ll ever see.

THE VISITOR stars Richard Jenkins in his first major/leading role. He’s now 61-years-old, but that does not mean he’s new to the acting game. You have seen him in over a dozen films, you have seen him in the Coen Bros. stuff, and you have seen him as the father who died in “Six Feet Under” giving him no choice but to boost his career as a ghost.

In THE VISITOR, Richard plays Walter Vale, a burned out college professor who gets summoned to attend a conference in New York City to speak about a paper that he didn’t write. Richard arrives in New York only to discover that a young couple is living in his long time abandoned apartment. Instead of bloodshed and police arriving on the scene, Richard tells them to stay until they find another place to live. He soon bonds with the male half of the couple, Tarek, played marvelously by Haaz Sleiman.

Walter and Tarek’s relationship builds quick when Walter stumbles on Tarek playing the a solo drum. Early in the film, Walter tries to take up learning the piano, but isn’t successful, but when Tarek begins to show him the rhythm, Walter’s luck changes rapidly. After a small gig Walter and Tarek share together in a local park, Tarek gets picked up by undercover police when they are crossing through the subway system. That’s when we learn Tarek and his girlfriend are illegal immigrants and that’s when politics and the ugly side of America come into play.

I will stop the story there because this is a film you must see and not only to find out the rest of the story, but to see how wonderful the scenes come together and how inspiring the ending of the film is. Walter Vale gives us hope that we’re never too old to pick up the pieces and start something new.

Pathology

Directed by: Marc Schoelermann
Written by: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Lauren Lee Smith, Johnny Whitworth, Alyssa Milano, Keir O’Donnell, Dan Callahan, Michael Weston, Mei Melancon
Synopsis: PATHOLOGY is about a group of med students who hatch a scheme to see who can commit the perfect crime — one that even a fellow pathologist couldn’t unravel.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Written by: Jason Segel, Judd Apatow
Cast: Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd
Synopsis:Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Sege) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), are sharing his hotel. But as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah’s new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a beautiful resort employee whose laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world. He also finds relief in several hundred embarrassing, fruity cocktails.

88 Minutes

Directed by: Jon Avnet
Written by: Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Deborah Kara Unger, Amy Brenneman, Neal McDonough
Synopsis: In 88 Minutes, Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover, and a serial killer who is already on death row, before his time runs out.

Also coming out…
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Fox has confirmed the new name for the next X Files film. They are calling it The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the original purpose of the series was to make you believe? I never followed the show (castrate me now) and I never saw the first film (which grossed $198MIL worldwide), so I’m probably way off, but I remember that slogan “The Truth is Out There.” Maybe I should get with it and watch me some X Files.

Also, the shows creater Chris Carter, isn’t budging when it comes to plot details, but he did say in a media interview that it won’t be focusing on alien stuff, but more of the struggling with faith and mythology.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe opens July 25, a decade after the first film was released.

Source Variety

The recently fit Iron Man director Jon Favreau has decided to give a tour of Tony Stark/Iron Man’s home. The video orginally appeared on Yahoo, and is an in-depth look at one of the coolest sets for the upcoming comic book film. If you are curious how a billionare who doubles as a robotic superhero lives, check out the video below.

Source YAHOO

Iron Man will be released on May 2nd, but the GATW advanced screening is on April 29th. See you there!

Those of you who saw the brutal and bloody 2005 horror film Wolf Creek should be happy to know that director Greg Mclean’s next film, Rogue, will be released on April 25th. Rogue stars Rahda Mitchell, who no doubt made fan boys everywhere swoon with her performance in Silent Hill, and former Alias regular, Michael Vartan. The film is about a giant crocodile terrorizing people in Australia. Check out the very to the point poster below.

Source IMPAWARDS

We got hooked up with some free screening passes to Iron Man set for April 29th. While we cannot give you the location of the screening (it says on the pass), we can tell you to fill out the form below, and some passes will be sent to you. Each one is good for two people and I can send a maximum of two passes. Let me know if you need one pass or two. The last day that we can take pass requests for this is Tuesday, April 22nd. I want to make sure I get them to you on time.

PS that’s the French Iron Man poster. Sweet!

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Make sure you bring a donut when you see the new Indiana Jones flick because its final clock in time is around two hours and twenty-something minutes. While you’re trying to catch your breath, I’ll remind you that Raiders of the Lost Ark comes in at 115 minutes, Temple of Doom gives us 118 minutes, and Last Crusade makes us sit 127 minutes. In epic movies like this, no one can should complain because we have been waiting years and years for this, and it’s INDIAN JONES. He does what he wants. I successfully sat through Grindhouse with minimal movies, so this should not be a problem for me. Just don’t forget that little donut cushion just in case.

Source Hollywood Elswhere