Tag: Russell Crowe

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Russell Crowe And Liam Hemsworth Teaming Up For Action-Thriller ‘Land of Bad’

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No one creates tension quite like Russell Crowe. The dude looks like he eats, sleeps and breathes stress. He always looks like he’s about to explode.

And it looks like you’ll be able to watch that ball of stress in the upcoming action-thriller, Land of Bad, alongside Liam Hemsworth.

Crowe will play Reaper, an Air Force drone pilot supporting a Delta Force special ops mission in the Philippines.

After the mission goes terribly wrong, he has 48 hours to remedy what has devolved into a wild rescue operation. Hemsworth will play the green air controller who is thrust into the middle of a high-stakes extraction which involves no weapons and no communication other than the drone above.

The movie is entering the Cannes market. Highland Film Group will be handling sales. The action flick was co-written/directed by Will Eubank, who previously directed Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin.

And don’t you worry, Crowe is already working on his next film. He just entered post-production on his second directorial film, Poker Face. It’s described as a crime-thriller, and get this, Hemsworth also stars in that movie, so apparently they connected on the ‘Land of Bad’ set.

A friendship has blossomed!

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Two New Movies Were Released Inside Theaters This Past Weekend, Find Out How They Did

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Theaters across the world have been closed for several months now, due to the ongoing pandemic. Slowly though, they’re starting to reopen this month.

In most of the United States, theaters are still closed, but just up to the north in Canada, some theaters are slowly starting to reopen and two new movies hit theaters this past weekend.

First, you had the new Spongebob movie, Sponge on the Run. It premiered inside 300 theaters across Canada and made around $900,000, which isn’t terrible for just 300 theaters.

The second film released was Russell Crowe’s road rage thriller, Unhinged, which made a little under $600,000.

Mark Gill, the president and CEO of Solstice Studios, said opening weekend numbers for ‘Unhinged’ represented a ‘good, solid start.’ He’s aware that releasing a new movie amid massive uncertainty presents a bold risk. But he’s confident that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ during a pandemic, and feels strongly that it will continue to draw audiences as it expands to the U.S. next weekend.

He then went on to talk about how road rage is more of an American thing and Canadians might be too nice to fully understand the appeal.

But clearly he’s never seen this video…

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Russell Crowe Thriller ‘Unhinged’ Vows To Be First Studio Release Back In Theaters

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While most studios are moving their films back several months, independent movie company Solstice Studios is moving their first release up by a few months.

The studio has decided to release the Russell Crowe thriller ‘Unhinged‘ on July 1. That’s two weeks before Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet‘ film is set to hit theaters.

It’s a bold, albeit risky bet by Solstice, given that the coronavirus has led to widespread theater closures. Some states are beginning to lift restrictions and allow more businesses to open, and theaters are starting to welcome customers in places like Texas, but it’s still unclear if major markets such as Los Angeles and New York City will be back in business by July.

They are clearly hoping to take advantage of the open schedule. If theaters are open July 1, it’s likely this Unhinged film will be the only new release, which will result in success at the box office.

But if the majority of theaters aren’t open by July 1, the studio is going to look very silly.

CEO of the studio, Mark Gill, said the decision to move up the date came after a lengthy discussion with the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Solstice also commissioned a poll of 1,000 that showed more than 80 percent of Americans want to go to the movies in July.

There is also the fact that the original release date (September 4) is now packed with new releases, like, A Quiet Place Part II.

So yeah, they don’t want competition. It’s a risky move, but it might just work.

Check out the trailer for Unhinged below…

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Potential Oscar Nominee? Watch The Emotional Trailer For ‘Boy Erased’ Starring Lucas Hedges

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If you’re a movie fan, you probably already know the name Lucas Hedges. The 21-year-old actor has shown off his acting skills recently with great performances in Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

He’s been at the Oscars the past two years, and he might be going back a third time for his work in the upcoming film, Boy Erased.

The film, directed by Joel Edgerton, is based on Garrard Conley’s memoir about his experience being sent to conversion therapy. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman play the disapproving parents in the movie.

Some people might take one look at this film and think, ‘Well, this is just Oscar bait,” but it’s much more than that. It’s an important story that needs to be told, and we’re happy to see the cast & crew treated it with respect.

Boy Erased will hit select theaters November 2, 2018. You’ll want to watch this one, folks.

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Report Claims Matt Damon And Russell Crowe Helped Stop Harvey Weinstein Allegations From Breaking Back In 2004

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This Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal is getting all kinds of strange. Sharon Waxman, the creator of TheWrap, worked as a reporter for the New York Times, and she claims she tried to uncover Weinstein’s disgusting history of abuse/harassment back in 2004.

She allegedly had proof of this abuse, but the story was dropped after “intense pressure from Weinstein, which included having Matt Damon and Russell Crowe call me directly…and unknown discussions well above my head at the Times.”

As you all know, the New York Times was the publication that ended up publishing the damaging report last week, which means they were sitting on these allegations for over 10 years. And if you’re wondering why they waited so long to hit that publish button, it’s most likely because they were collecting evidence. I’m sure Weinstein’s cronies were threatening to sue, so the Times wanted to make sure they had enough meat in the story to cover their a**.

Neither Damon nor Crowe have responded to Waxman’s claims, but George Clooney (who worked with Weinstein on several projects) has opened up about just how much he knew.

“A lot of people are doing the ‘you had to know’ thing right now, and yes, if you’re asking if I knew that someone who was very powerful had a tendency to hit on young, beautiful women, sure. But I had no idea that it had gone to the level of having to pay off eight women for their silence, and that these women were threatened and victimized. I’ve been talking with a lot of people about this, and I don’t know many people who knew of that.”

As we reported yesterday, Weinstein was forced out of his company.

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What Movie Should You Watch This Weekend? ‘The Nice Guys’ Is Looking Like Your Best Choice

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You know a movie is going to be hilarious when the press tour is funnier than your average comedy film. We shared with you the hilarious therapy sessions between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe last month. But that’s just a little piece of the package.

Nearly every interview featuring Ryan and Russell has been incredible. You can click this link to watch their funny bit on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. And you can watch the video at the top of this page. It’s one of the latest promos and it features producer Joel Silver insulting both actors and accusing them of not doing enough to promote the project.

But okay, just because the cast is funny during interviews and skits, doesn’t guarantee they’re going to be funny for almost two hours on the big screen.

You want to know what the critics are saying, right? The critics are loving the movie, and some of them are already calling for a sequel. The Nice Guys has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nick Spake from flickreel.com believes it might be the best buddy cop movie since Lethal Weapon, which makes sense considering writer/director Shane Black is responsible for both films.

“Almost thirty years ago, Shane Black wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon, one of the greatest buddy cop movies ever made. The Nice Guys, which Black directed and co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi, is quite possibly the best buddy cop movie since the original Lethal Weapon.”

Sadly, the film is going up against Neighbors 2 and Angry Birds this weekend, so it’s probably not going to take home the top spot at the box office.

But it’s the movie I’ll be watching this weekend, and you should join me.

 

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Ryan Gosling And Russell Crowe Go Viral In Hilarious Therapy Sessions For Upcoming Film ‘The Nice Guys’

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Do you need a little more Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in your life? Of course you do. The two movie stars will take over theaters next month when their buddy action comedy The Nice Guys hits theaters. The trailers for this film have already sold me. I am 99% sure it’s going to be hilarious, but some people might need to see a little more before buying a ticket.

Warner Bros. has got you covered. They have released a series of viral spots featuring Ryan and Russell attending couples counseling. Both stars play their characters extremely well in the clips found at the bottom of this page, which should get you excited for the movie. I would gladly watch two hours of this. It doesn’t even need the action.

Sadly, I might be one of the only people picking The Nice Guys come May 20th. It’s going up against Neighbors 2 and The Angry Birds Movie. It’ll likely come in a distant third, but hopefully these viral videos will help boost the numbers at the box office.

 

 

 

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Movie Review: The Water Diviner – An Unforgettable Movie Made with Skill and Focus.

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I was kind of dreading the second period drama of the week, The Water Diviner, as the first left a bad taste in my mouth. Add in the fact that I just don’t like Russel Crowe and I expected to be miserable. But really, this was actually pretty well done.

The Water Diviner stars Russel Crowe as Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer with a special skill. He’s great at being able to find water deep underground, using only a stick and his instincts. He’s living a lonely life, as his three sons went off to war in Turkey and never came home. So Connor decides to use his gift for finding things to see if he can find the remains of his sons and bring them home.

Crowe is breaking into directing with this movie and I have to say, he has a gift for it. This is a complicated movie, with multiple venues and several underlying plotlines. But Crowe has a natural gift for pacing and manages to make it all work together to tell a seamless story.

Particularly impressive is that this was filmed on a limited budget, but still manages to look epic and big budget. That might have been due to getting gifted cinematographer Andrew Lesnue, who shot “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” on board for the filming. He managed to catch the endless blue skies of Australia, all the way to the claustrophobic battle scenes of Gallipoli, with the unique ability to capture all the moving parts while presenting a full picture at the same time.

Crowe was buyable as an Australian Farmer, on a quest that defies reason. He’s particularly poignant in his scenes with Turkish Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan), a Major from the opposite side who’s been tasked with identifying countless remains. The dynamic between the two of them is incredible. They are one part adversaries and one part compatriots at the same time. Both of them play their parts as multifaceted, fully realized individuals and you can hate nor like neither one. They both have their reason for behaving the ways they do.

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This is an unforgettable movie made with skill and focus. While the storyline is simple, the complexity of the scenery, direction and characters themselves make it a cut above most of the movies out there right now.

The only problem I see with this film is getting it to appeal to a wider audience. It’s a fantastic film that has been crippled with limited release. What Crowe was able to do on a limited budget is amazing, but I only wish he’d put a little money aside for marketing. This is a gem that could easily be missed because of the lack of distribution.

There’s very little I can say was poorly done in this movie. Even Crowe’s sometimes stagnant stoicism seems to work. The minor characters are all fleshed out and the war is viewed from realistic point of view, rather than as simple hell, or over the top patriotism. It’s a film that strikes the right balance and is easily worth the watch.

Official Movie Trailer and Movie Poster Below.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!
four and a half stars

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The Water Diviner Film Poster - 06MAY2015

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Movie Review: Noah (2014)

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NOAH-Movie-PosterGladiator Gets Religion

3.5 stars

Everyone’s favorite bible story is back again. This new installment stars the even-tempered Russell Crow are the movie’s headliner.

Noah is the story of an animal hoarder (Russell Crowe) who builds a giant boat to store all his animals. Ok, well it’s a bit more complex than that. The film pretty much follows the bible story. Noah needs to build a boat for the flood. Everyone around him, including wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly, Crowe’s “A Beautiful Mind” co-star) is skeptical. But they help anyway, because it was wacky bible times.

I’m not a particularly religious person, so I hate it when a film feels like it has the agenda to convert me. This one doesn’t do that. Instead, it follows Noah for the story that it is. While believers might find their opinions validated, those who don’t won’t feel like they’re getting the door-to-door hard sell.

Maybe that’s because the movie stars Russell Crowe. The same Russell Crow who gets into bar fights like they are a hobby and has a passionate opinion on circumcision. I just find it very hard to take a religious agenda from that guy seriously. Crowes natural ability to seem a little grey and depressed plays well into the part of Noah. He reminded me a lot of the part he played in Gladiator.

Come to think of it, every movie he’s in reminds me of the part he played in Gladiator.

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I will say that the movie dragged a bit. There were some seriously terrifying moments at the beginning of the flood, but not much after except for water sloshing and everyone looking wet and miserable. Weirdly, I missed a lot of this movie because I had to get up and go to the bathroom 75 times.

The special effects varied. In some cases, like the flood, they were pretty good. In others, i.e. the Garden of Eden snake, they were nearly laughable. Also, rock monsters? Were there rock monsters in the bible story? If so, there shouldn’t have been because those were just plain stupid. One minute, you feel like you’re watching an action packed mass disaster movie. The next, you feel like you’re in an episode of Xena Warrior Princess.

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However, when the movie stays away from strict fantasy and focuses on action packed scenes, it shines. If it had been filmed for pure action, Noah would be an absolute winner.

As a side note, this movie fails to answer the age old question “does god like fish better?” Think about it. He chose to flood the planet, effectively eliminating every species that didn’t have gills. Are fish God’s angels?

Sorry, off topic, but it needed to be said.

Anyway, when not in CGI, Noah is a good movie to watch. The story is interesting, though it could have moved a little faster. The action scenes were tense and exciting. Russell Crowe is his usual surly self. This movie has commercial success written all over it and is currently performing at number 1 in the box office.

Watch the Official Trailer for the movie below:

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Movie Review: Winter’s Tale (2014)

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MV5BNTMyNjI1NTM4N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjcwMzc1MDE@__V1_SX640_SY720_Just like Winter, I wanted this to be over
2.5 Stars

With the Valentine rush of romantic movies was one that got little metnion.   This week I watched the minimally advertised “Winter’s Tale”.

Winter’s Tale ties in so many different plot lines, it feels as though half a library was placed in a blender. Our main protagonist Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) is a modern day Moses who washed up on the shores of Ellis Island in a basket. Then, it flashes forward to him running from Pearly Soames (Russell Crow) and his gang of hooligans. But it’s ok, because he is saved by a magic angel horse Athansor. Pearly is pissed, and his face morphs into a Demon shape when he’s mad. He goes for a meet with the Devil (Will Smith) where they talk about some chick that is dying that Peter is in love with. On, and then for some reason we flash forward in time about 100 years. And then some other stuff happens as well.

You ever have a four year old child tell you a story? Most four years olds aren’t great story tellers of course, so you generally wind up with a disjointed mess that doesn’t go anywhere and gets more and more preposterous as it goes on.

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That’s what happened here. I spent the majority of the movie in the complete friggen dark as to what was going on. When I did understand it, it was either so ridiculous that I laughed out loud or it was just plain stupid.

I can’t believe that Akiva Goldsman was responsible for this. I really can’t. This is the screenplay writer who brought us “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Davinci Code”. Winter’s Tale, while clever, was never really a novel that was suited to the big screen.

And the dialog. Just as a sample “If you don’t make love to me now, no one ever will.” Honestly, if the heroine goes around saying that a lot, I can see why no one ever has. It’s kind of a downer.

The effects and direction were equally clumsy and lacked the pace needed to make a movie as convoluted as this one flow. There is a horse chase scene in the film that most directors would view with pure embarrassment as the cuts are so choppy and desperate, most would have scrapped the scene rather than show it.A WINTER"S TALE

The leads do nothing with the movie and it’s clear that everyone, with the exception of Crowe, is there to collect a paycheck and move on. Crowe does a good job of making his character come alive, but the character itself is so over the top that it wouldn’t be hard.

It’s a shame that this movie came out so poorly, because I am usually a huge fan of Goldsman’s work. However, this novel was difficult enough to adapt to the big screen, without getting lazy on effects and camera work as well. This was a disappointing effort and not a recommended watch to anyone who is a fan of Goldsman’s regular body of work.

You can watch the trailer below.

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