The Hitlist Movies Blog

The George Lucas-Produced 'Red Tails' Gets a Trailer

Directed by Anthony Hemingway; starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr.

By William Goss Jul 29, 2011 10:42AM

For decades, George Lucas has had his heart set on bringing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen to the big screen. Why the project was never made it a priority before his "Star Wars" prequels is anyone's guess, but now, his labor of love is on the horizon. Produced by Lucas and directed by TV vet Anthony Hemingway ("Treme," "Community"), "Red Tails" takes its inspiration from the real-life squadron of black fighter pilots enlisted to escort WWII bombers when no other squadron would or could manage it.

Yahoo! has premiered the trailer for the film. I was going to say that the scenes contending with racism don't seem the most subtle, but -- and this is going to sound corny as hell -- racism at the time was rarely subtle itself. What really stands out are the flying sequences; if anything, I suspect that Lucas was waiting for technology to catch up to his ideal vision of aerial combat.

Starring Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo (!), Method Man (!!) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (!!!), "Red Tails" is due out on January 20, 2012.

Rob Cohen to Direct Biggest Korean Movie Ever

'1950' budgeted at $100 million, which is a lot in any country

By Corwin Neuse Jul 29, 2011 10:18AM

With such critically-lauded and popular films as "The Fast and the Furious," "xXx," "Stealth," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" on his resume, it's somewhat surprising that director Rob Cohen has resorted to making films overseas. That said, it seems only natural and fitting that today's news, courtesy of Deadline, finds him signing on to direct "1950," the biggest budgeted movie in the Korean film industry's history.

"1950" will follow the story of legendary New York Herald Tribune correspondent Marguerite Higgins. Despite acquitting herself well as a wartime journalist in World War II—and memorably covering the liberation of Nazi concentration camps—Higgins had to persistently lobby General Douglas MacArthur for the right to report on the then-burgeoning Korean War from the front lines. The film will presumably detail those efforts, and depict her harrowing first tour across the Korean peninsula embedded with a platoon of Marines.

While the story seems appropriately grand and inspiring, especially for such a proficient action director as Cohen, the real question seems to be why this film isn't being made by America. A compelling, imminently respectable war story starring an intelligent, iron-willed female lead? What's the problem, Hollywood? Not enough opportunities for product placement? The lack of attractive ancillary revenue streams like t-shirts and video games? For shame, Hollywood. For shame.

Antoine Fuqua to Direct 'Storming Las Vegas'

Will show Brett Ratner just how a heist movie is done

By Corwin Neuse Jul 29, 2011 9:29AM

Deadline is reporting that Antoine Fuqua ("Shooter," "Training Day") has signed on to direct an adaptation of John Huddy's ponderously titled non-fiction book "Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down The Strip to the Tune of Five World Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and Millions of Dollars."

Although book adaptations can run the gamut from doggedly faithful to not so much, it seems a safe bet that this film will at least involve a Cuban-born, Soviet-trained commando taking down the Las Vegas strip, robbing five world class hotels and three armored cars to the tune of millions of dollars. However, with the always-unpredictable Fuqua calling the shots, anything is possible. Could the decidedly un-Cuban Ethan Hawke (Fuqua's "Training Day" and "Brooklyn's Finest") play the film's protagonist? Could its premise and milieu be updated, so it becomes about an Iranian-born, Taliban-trained freedom fighter instead? Only time or a well-informed publicist will tell.

In the meantime, at least one change from the book seems certain: the title has been smartly shortened to simply "Storming Las Vegas."

‘The Smurfs’ Can’t Get No Respect

The little blue guys are swarming theatres nationwide

By DannyMiller Jul 29, 2011 7:53AM

Bringing the Smurfs to the big screen must have seemed like a fantastic idea to producer Jordan Kerner. Why else would the man behind the new live action/CG film have fought so hard for nearly a decade to get “The Smurfs” made? Kerner’s credits include a bunch of films aimed at the lucrative family market such as “The Mighty Ducks,” “George of the Jungle,” and “Inspector Gadget” (and all of their attendant sequels) and he hopes to create a trilogy of Smurf films if his blue creatures hit big.

And why wouldn’t Kerner be optimistic? The Hanna-Barbera cartoon series ruled the animation world in the 1980s, winning multiple Emmy Awards and even a prestigious Humanitas Prize. The voices on that show included animation legends Don Messick (the voice of Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, and Yogi Bear’s sidekick, Boo Boo), June Foray (who voiced both Rocky and Natasha in the fabulous “Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons), Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson, Josie and the Pussycats, and Penelope Pitstop), and an insane number of talented actors from Jonathan Winters and Paul Winchell to Brenda Vaccaro and Ruth Buzzi.

What happens when you ask all your friends to, you know, get down?

By Kate Erbland Jul 28, 2011 9:31PM

"A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" is about, well, what it claims to be - but there's more here than just poorly thought-out decisions of the physical variety. The film revolves around a group of friends who pass their summers at one of their pal's parents' house by throwing huge parties, drinking too much, and generally behaving like they're all still teenagers. But when the house gets put up on the market, the close-knit crew decides they need to send out the best years of their lives in the only way they know how - basically, with a party and drinking and terrible life choices. But their de facto leader, played by Jason Sudeikis, gets a truly kinky idea in his head. The last bash will be an orgy - you know, a good, old-fashioned orgy.

But how do you throw an orgy with all your closest friends? Well, according to the trailer, you work out a bunch, say inappropriate things, and still try to start up a relationship with a nice gal. That all aside, "Orgy" looks like it could be strangely sweet, at least in terms of depicting the different elements, dramas, and desires at play within a group of close friends trying to grow the heck up.

The film is packed with a bunch of up-and-coming comedic talent, including Sudeikis, Lucy Punch, Lindsay Sloane, Tyler Labine, Martin Starr, Will Forte, Leslie Bibb, Nick Kroll, and Lake Bell so it will likely be, at the very least, funny. Who will go through with the orgy? Who will bow out at the last minute? And who will really, really hurt themselves in the process?

The film will be in limited release on September 2. Check out the trailer for "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy," thanks to Vulture, after the break.

Director asks fans to pick film's first poster

By Kate Erbland Jul 28, 2011 8:57PM

During the Comic-Con panel for his upcoming film, "Twixt," director Francis Ford Coppola surprised everyone by announcing his very unique vision and plan for releasing the film, one of the few Comic-Con reveals that had not even been previously hinted at by any other pre-release materials. Coppola plans on taking 'Twixt" on the road for a month, and each screening of the film will feature live elements - like live music and Coppola editing the film on the fly via iPad, with an eye towards tailoring the film to each screening's audience and their reactions. It's certainly a new way to present a film, and it's interesting that Coppola, such a cherished veteran filmmaker, is the one to put this new school idea into practice. "Twixt," which also feature sequences in 3D, will also reportedly be available in wider, more traditional release.

"Twixt" stars Val Kilmer, Ben Chaplin, and Elle Fanning, and is billed as a Gothic horror film. Kilmer portrays a washed up writer who ends up in a small town on his book tour - a small town in the midst an unraveling mystery revolving around the murder of a young girl (Fanning).

And Coppola is already putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to audience participation, albeit in a small way. On the film's Facebook page, fans of the project can now vote on the film's first poster. All four of the choices place a heavy emphasis on Fanning's character, and all four make no bones about the film's horror skew. But there also seem to be a number of nods to hands and time. I wonder what that all means... We'll get a (possible) idea why, when "Twixt" shows at this year's Toronto International Film Festival in advance of its release.

Thanks to Bloody-Disgusting for first writing about this cool little bit. Head over to the official Facebook page for "Twixt" to vote. Which one did you vote for?

Harrison Ford Saddles Up for 'Cowboys and Aliens'

'It was nice to get back on a horse ...'

By James Rocchi Jul 28, 2011 4:44PM

Playing brooding, brutish anti-hero Dolarhyde in "Cowboys and Aliens," Harrison Ford puts some brusque backbone into the film. Much like Tom Hanks's work in "Catch Me if You Can," it's also a chance to see a performer we know as a movie star be liberated from the burden of carrying a film and instead get to actually act and play a part in a supporting role. Relaxed and playful -- and perhaps, considering he defined masculinity on the big screen for two decades, a little unconsciously intimidating -- Ford spoke with us in Montana.

You've said about this character that it's nice to play a part where you don't have to make people like you. How liberating is it to play an anti-hero?

Ford: It was fun to play this one. They have created a story for him that I thought was really interesting and seems worth doing. It was wonderfully written, and I was just glad, literally, to be part of it. When I first read it, “Cowboys and Aliens” sounded jokey. Tone is not something you can get off the page -- and the trick of this (film was) mastering control of the tone, not letting it become jokey. It depends on an emotional reality that is created by belief in the lives these people are living. The Western frontier is a tough place: People behaved in a way that was not necessarily attractive. I had the opportunity to represent that reality.

Then get your sick self to Halloween Horror Nights

By William Goss Jul 28, 2011 4:07PM

When one lives in Orlando, Florida (as I used to), it's hard to ignore the attractions. The shine of going to any of these amusement parks all the time does admittedly wear off after a while, but the convenience ratio usually outweighs the irritation of tourists bumbling around as they support our local economy.

As such, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios becomes something of a tradition, even if it's almost always hot and crowded with drunken college kids. Franchise staples were trotted out -- the Universal classics of Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, the Mummy and the Wolfman, eventually followed by Freddy, Chucky and Leatherface -- and given their own haunted houses within which to terrify skittish girls and boisterous frat boys.

This year, Universal appears to be upping the ante with a "Hostel"-themed attraction at their Hollywood event, a gore-laden maze that should take you exactly where you'd rather not be. That's not to mention that, according to Variety, "The Thing" is getting its own haunted-house reboot at both Hollywood and Florida to go with the big-budget prequel; an attraction based on John Carpenter's classic film already appeared back in 2007 and was among that year's most effective and immersive efforts. The 2011 house should be totally different, in that it's based on the 2011 film, which actually doesn't look all that different from the original film and thus might not end up all that different from the original house after all.

But hey! Nothing succeeds like success, so you can look forward to getting your first second shot at the "Thing" house and your first first shot at the "Hostel" house starting September 23rd.

(That is, unless you happen to live anywhere that's not Orange County, California or Orange County, Florida.)