Movie News

On this very special edition of The Golden Briefcase, Tim and Jeremy are joined by none other than their moms - Barb and Terri - for a wonderfully fun Mother's Day episode! The guys arranged a little movie related questionnaire (similar to the regular show's Grill the Guest segment) and have asked their mom's to answer it on the podcast. They then match up their answers with their mom's and see how well they actually know their movie tastes! We hope you and all the moms out there have a wonderful Mother's Day from all of us here at FirstShowing.net! Listen in to this short but sweet Mother's Day 2013 bonus TGB episode below. ›››

Continue reading TGB Mother's Day 2013 Special (Guests: Mrs. Kirk and Mrs. Buel)

Fear - the ultimate weapon. Today's indie trailer is from Well Go USA for the US release of Andrew Lau's The Guillotines, a martial arts action-adventure out of China about a secret brotherhood of elite assassins known as The Guillotines. When I first heard that title I wasn't expecting to see anything that great, but I'm impressed. It plays on the concept of old school swords vs. new school firearms in a stylish way, and looks like it will have some incredible fights. The cast includes Shawn Yue, Xiaoming Huang, Zhang Wen and Yuchun Li. The circular flying swords are a little gimmicky, but I'm curious to check this out. Enjoy! ›››

Continue reading Indie Trailer Sunday: Andrew Lau's 'The Guillotines' Action Movie

Well, maybe not the Rhino yet, but at least in character as the guy who becomes The Rhino. One of director Marc Webb's latest set photo tweets (@marcw) gives us a first look at actor Paul Giamatti playing Aleksei Sytsevich in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The shot shows Giamatti screaming while driving some truck, with some funky tattoos on his arms and head. The tweet's original message was written in Russian, but Webb has reposted it in English: "Say hello to Aleksei Sytsevich." Yep, that's definitely him, he becomes The Rhino. Two big comic book villains in the next Spidey already? Things are heating up for the webhead. ›››

Continue reading First Look: Paul Giamatti as The Rhino from 'Amazing Spider-Man 2'

"They'll always be your biggest fan." It's Mother's Day this weekend in the US, and of course Disney/Pixar is celebrating it with a fun promo video for their animated summer movie - Monsters University. The video features a few clips of the amusing monster mother character, Ms. Squibbles, who is Squishy's mom from the fraternity that Mike and Sully join. We've seen Disney make plenty of these kind of promos for all sorts of different holidays, but this is a fitting one from Pixar since Ms. Squibbles is an important part of the cast and story in Monsters University. Check it out below. To all the mom's out there - Happy Mother's Day! ›››

Continue reading Watch: Pixar's Charming 'Monsters University' Mother's Day Video

Don't read too much into this, but there's a great quote from producer Kathleen Kennedy about their UK shooting plans that's worth a quick glance. The official Star Wars website posted a press release confirming that production on Star Wars: Episode VII, likely to begin early 2014, would take place in the United Kingdom. There's no new information or details revealed, but Kennedy does briefly mention the "origins of Star Wars" most likely as a reference to the original trilogy being shot at various UK studios like Elstree and Shepperton. We're still anxious for some actual details, but at least production plans are coming together. ›››

Continue reading Abrams' 'Episode VII' to Shoot in UK, Inspired by 'Star Wars' Origins

"On my world it means hope." Only 35 days to go. We've been throwing up endless marketing material for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, since Warner Bros is in the last 5 weeks of promotion and they're going all out. While we've seen some excellent promo banners and other sales art, this final poster comes direct from the Man of Steel twitter and is the big pay off, with the Superman S symbol up front and center. Pretty much as big as they can get it without it being too big. It's combined with that supersonic flying image to finish what is an impressive poster. I like the look of it, epic, fitting for this grand return of the Big Blue Boyscout. ›››

Continue reading The 'S' Gets Big - Two More Fantastic 'Man of Steel' Posters Arrive

"What about you daddy?" The Weinstein Company has unveiled the first trailer for Fruitvale Station, the award-winning, highly acclaimed indie sensation from Ryan Coogler, a USC graduate making his feature debut. Starring Michael B. Jordan in a career-defining role, the true story is about a young man named Oscar and one tragic night on New Years Eve in 2008 at the BART Fruitvale Station. We fell head over heels for the film at Sundance, so did everyone at the festival (it won the Audience Award for Drama), and it's one of those must-see indie breakouts of 2013. It's such a powerful, moving film and this trailer captures that feeling in it perfectly. The supporting cast includes Melonie Diaz, Kevin Durand and Octavia Spencer. ›››

Continue reading Must Watch: Ryan Coogler's Moving 'Fruitvale Station' First Trailer

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? F. Scott Fitzgerald. The roaring '20s. Daisy, Nick and Jay Gatsby. It's a story every knows, and has been adapted before, but can Baz Luhrmann revamp it with a little bit of gloss and glamour? Or maybe a lot of gloss and glamour, but exactly the kind this needs. Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby adaptation is now playing in theaters, starring Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joel Edgerton & Elizabeth Debicki. But is it any good? How are the performances? The music? If you've seen it, post a comment with your thoughts on Baz's The Great Gatsby. ›››

Continue reading Sound Off: Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' - Your Thoughts?

"The most powerful force is hope." Who is Captain Harlock? Unless you're from Japan or otherwise familiar with Leiji Matsumoto's manga, this is likely a character many have never heard of (at least I haven't). But if you're a fan of Appleseed or Final Fantasy, you'll want to take a look. Captain Harlock: Space Pirate is a CG animated space epic that seems to involve some gnarly space pirate ships, apparitions with pointy ears and lots of long-haired characters. The animation in this looks incredible, all the fine details in the hair and environments around them. I'm interested in seeing this admittedly more for the visuals than anything else. ›››

Continue reading Watch: Impressive Animated 'Captain Harlock: Space Pirate' Trailer

The cast of the next directorial effort from Seth MacFarlane was already impressive enough with the likes of Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi involved. But now the western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West has one more name to throw into the mix, and it's a good one. A press release from Universal Pictures (which also announces a co-financing partnership with Media Rights Capital) has revealed that "How I Met Your Mother" star and Broadway sensation Neil Patrick Harris will have some sort of role in the film, but no character details are known. More below! ›››

Continue reading Neil Patrick Harris in 'Million Ways to Die in the West' for May 2014

Shane Black's Iron Man 3 pays homage to the grittier Iron Man found in comic books by forcing him to use all of his talents in order to save the day. Instead of solely relying on pure power and awesomeness, Black's Iron Man focuses on a multi-dimensional Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) inside the suit — one who can draw on his mechanical genius, super-powered technology, and detective skills to defeat the enemy. But the film plagues him with several human problems such as regret, anxiety, and relationship issues. These help the film present the fullest Iron Man yet - which couldn't make this Marvel nut any happier. More below! ›››

Continue reading Editorial: Marvel's 'Iron Man 3' is Shane Black's 'Skyfall' for Tony Stark

With the action of Iron Man 3 in our past, the next blockbuster coming from the page of comic books arrives in June with Man of Steel. Each new TV spot shows  just a little more of this epic superhero reboot, and it keeps looking better and better. Unfortunately, a new TV spot from the UK is a little bit tricky and uses a Yahoo Movies pull quote, seemingly from a positive review, when it's really from a summer preview article. Meanwhile, another strange spot is an ad made in conjunction with the National Guard, using the moniker "Soldier of Steel" to recruit interested parties. At the very least, there's some cool new footage. Watch now! ›››

Continue reading Watch: New 'Man of Steel' Promos with More High-Flying Action

They have horses! While yesterday everyone was flipping out over the news of the logo being revealed (seen above), today we actually have the first photo from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to feature. Director Matt Reeves, who is shooting the film now, tweeted out this first photo of their shoot in a forest. His tag for the photo only states "A New Dawn..." and it shows actor Jason Clarke talking with Andy Serkis in his Caesar mocap outfit riding on a horse. As our very first look at this, it's pretty damn cool, and I hope we see Reeves tweet out more as filming continues. There's no CGI in it yet, but it's worth checking out below. ›››

Continue reading First Look: Reeves Tweets 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Set Photo

We already know director Antoine Fuqua is reteaming with his Training Day star Denzel Washington for The Equalizer, an adaptation of the 80s television show of the same name, featuring a solitary former special ops member who helps people in need. Now the film has just acquired a fantastic female lead in the form of Chloe Moretz. Deadline says a reading between Washington and the Kick-Ass and Let Me In star yielded some impressive results, so much that she's playing a prostitute that was written for someone about 20-years-old. Moretz just turned 16 this past February, but on the big screen, she's very mature for her age. ›››

Continue reading Chloe Moretz Joining Denzel Washington in Fuqua's 'The Equalizer'

Even though production of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is underway in New York City right now with Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, and Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, with Megan Fox playing their trusty reporter friend April O'Neil, there's still roles to be cast. Will Arnett landed an unknown role, but set photos have since revealed that he's playing O'Neil's cameraman Vernon Fenwick. Now Deadline reports William Fichtner (Armageddon, The Dark Knight, The Lone Ranger) has landed a role that is said to have "iconic stature" in the TMNT mythology. Read on! ›››

Continue reading William Fichtner Taking 'Iconic' Role in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'

Following news that director Gus Van Sant was making quite an effort to land Universal and Focus Features' joint production of the adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, it appears the studios have decided to go in another direction. THR has word that Anna Karenina and Atonement director Joe Wright has emerged as the frontrunner for the erotic romance about an impending college graduate named Anastasia Steele, who strikes up an S&M romance with successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey, the physical and emotional dominant to her submissive personality. It would certainly bring class to the saucy adaptation. More below! ›››

Continue reading Joe Wright Now the Top Contender to Direct 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?

On paper, Baz Luhrmann seems the perfect fit for bringing F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' to modern life. The man who put Romeo + Juliet in a gritty LA and burned Paris bright with neon in Moulin Rouge would have an edge up on the gaudy, glitzy gatherings of Mr. Jay Gatsby. To an extent, what's on paper works. Luhrmann's version of The Great Gatsby is often too literal for its own good, choosing narration and Fitzgerald's text as exposition over something subtler. Luhrmann isn't a subtle man, and where his film suffers in adapting the story, it tries desperately to make up for in glamorous execution. ›››

Continue reading Review: 'The Great Gatsby' Just Burns Too Bright for Its Own Good

"In my day, family stayed together." The Weinstein Company has debuted the trailer for one of their next Oscar bait movies, an adaptation of the play August: Osage County by Tracy Letts. The frontrunner once again is Meryl Streep, who plays Violet Weston, the dysfunctional mother of a family of women who come together in their hometown again to deal with a family crisis. The cast includes Julia Roberts, as well as Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney and Chris Cooper. It kind of has the feel of Little Miss Sunshine meets The Help, but not enough good humor. ›››

Continue reading Watch: First Trailer for Ensemble Adaptation 'August: Osage County'

The cast for Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's book Inherent Vice, which marks the first comedy of sorts for the director of The Master and There Will be Blood, is starting to fill out around star Joaquin Phoenix. Earlier this week, Benicio del Toro entered negotiations to take a small role, and now The Wrap has learned that Owen Wilson is in talks to take a role in the film which is set in LA in 1969 and follows a stoner detective named Larry "Doc" Sportello (Phoenix) trying to solve the case of a kidnapped girl he used to date. However, at this time, it's not clear what role Wilson would be playing in the film. Read on! ›››

Continue reading Owen Wilson Joins Joaquin Phoenix in P.T. Anderson's 'Inherent Vice'

Briefly: Updates on 2014 release dates for two movies from Warner Bros. First, since it was originally scheduled for release coming up this summer, 300: Rise of an Empire has been delayed until next year. The sequel to Zack Snyder's 300 has been pushed back from its initial August 2nd, 2013 release (up against 2 Guns) to March 7th, 2014. That actually follows the 300 release pattern, which came out March 9th, 2007 (remember that opening?). In addition, they've moved the Tom Cruise time loop sci-fi All You Need Is Kill, directed by Doug Liman, from March to June 6th, 2014 - a good spot in the early summer. ›››

Continue reading '300' Sequel Delayed to March, 'All You Need Is Kill' Goes to June 2014