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Billy Bob Thornton Joins Dwayne Johnson in Faster

28 October 2009 5:58 PM, PDT | movies.about.com | See recent movies.about.com news »

Dwayne Johnson and Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) have signed on to star in Faster, an action thriller to be directed by George Tillman, Jr (Soul Food, Notorious). CBS Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group are teaming up on the film, with production projected to start early next year.

Faster follows an an ex-con (Johnson) out to avenge his brother's murder. Thornton will play a cop trying to stop him before he gets his revenge. Joe and Tony Gayton (Salton Sea, Murder By Numbers) wrote the script, with Tony producing and Joe executive producing.

Ex-wrestler-turned-actor Johnson will next be seen in the comedy The Tooth Fairy and will be heard in the animated alien invasion pic, Planet 51. Johnson's current filming The Other Guys, an action comedy also starring Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell and Samuel L Jackson.

(Photo &copy Richard Chavez)

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'Twilight' Star Justin Chon To Write, Surf For His Next Movie

26 October 2009 8:30 AM, PDT | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »

From Hollywood Crush: It worked out pretty well for those Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Billy Bob Thornton guys. Now, could “Twilight” series star Justin Chon follow in their star-making footsteps and write himself a classic movie role?

Back in the mid-90s, the three stars were struggling actors who’d appeared in a decent number of feature films, but felt like they weren’t being offered the right kinds of roles by Hollywood. Mix in Matt and Ben’s screenplay for “Good Will Hunting,” an Oscar for Best Screenwriting, and the rest is history. Billy Bob Thornton followed a similar path with “Sling Blade.”

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- Larry Carroll

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Imho "True Blood" (2.11): Frenzy

31 August 2009 10:11 AM, PDT | AfterElton.com | See recent AfterElton.com news »

It was another chaotic episode of True Blood last night, but we had some great scenes with the Vampire Queen, who revealed more about Maryann's intentions, and Lafayette and Sookie trying to rescue Tara ... again.

Look below for the top ten reasons why this episode earns an up arrow (and also for the little bone I have to pick with Alan Ball.)

10.: Jason just keeps getting funnier and hotter. He and Andy (who's sounding more and more like Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade ... I keep expecting him to break out with "I like them french fried potaters") decide to arm themselves against the marauding townsfolk, which leads to a trip to the Sheriff station for guns & ammo, and Jason trying to resist the advances of a horny girl.

9.: When Andy laments how easy it is for Jason to get women, he responds "You think it's easy? I »

- snicks

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Sling Blade – Blu-Ray

24 August 2009 9:08 AM, PDT | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

Blu-Ray Review

Sling Blade

Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton

Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black

Running Time: 2 hr 15 mins

Rating: R

Plot: A man (Thornton) is released from a mental institution in Arkansas and makes friends with a boy he meets at a laundromat (Black).

Who’s It For? Those who like to keep track of classic acting performances, or even the people who want to own every film that ever won an Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay.” Regardless, Sling Blade is a 1990’s classic, and checking it out for the first time through High Definition isn’t a bad idea.

Movie:

Billy Bob Thornton’s first directed film is filmed and acted with subtlety, with a desperation to be as intelligent and arthouse as possible (long wide shots and a score by Daniel Lanois that seems ahead of its time doesn’t »

- Nick Allen

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Inglourious Basterds

22 August 2009 5:18 PM, PDT | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

Inglourious Basterds

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent

Running Time: 2 hrs 35 mins

Rating: R

Release Date: August 21, 2009

Complete coverage of Inglourious Basterds Scorecard Review by Nick Allen – 9/10

Scorecard Review by Jeff Bayer – 10/10 (His first 10 of the year)

Top 7 Characters created by Quentin Tarantino

Interviews with Laurent, Roth, and Kruger

Interviews with Tarantino, Myers, Waltz, and Novak

Bayer’s Kptv Reel Review of Inglourious Basterds

Plot: A group of Jewish-American soldiers (led by Pitt) are dropped into Nazi-occupied France with orders to intimidate the Germans with their brutal methods. At the same time, a woman (Laurent) who lost her family to an SS raid plots her own revenge against the Nazis.

Who’s It For? The mainstream audience that have hooked onto Tarantino’s movies before should know what to expect – moments of excessive violence, lots of dialogue, a boat ton of movie references, and »

- Nick Allen

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Sling Blade on Blu-Ray

18 August 2009 10:38 AM, PDT | www.canmag.com | See recent CanMag news »

I was wondering how Sling Blade would look on Blu Ray, being an older indie film, probably not shot or preserved on the best stock. It holds up well. At least it looks like the best version of the movie, if not some mind blowing restoration.

On Blu-Ray: Sling Blade

The picture is sharp, presenting the filmic aesthetic of the south, if tightened up from the version I saw at a local arthouse in 1997 (after the nominations). I wouldn.t say it looks like you.re there, and there may be a few shots that fuzz up, but most of it is totally sharp. »

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Starting Small: Ten Notable Shorts That Became Features

14 August 2009 11:43 AM, PDT | ifc.com | See recent IFC news »

While some filmmakers spend their entire careers maximizing the succinct pleasures of the short film, others start out by making shorts that they hope will maximize their chances of becoming a feature film director. This week alone will see the feature debuts of two directors who have turned their short films into full-length one -- Neill Blomkamp, whose 2005 socially conscious alien invasion tale "Alive in Joburg" has been turned into the Peter Jackson-produced "District 9," and Paul Solet, whose 2006 horror short "Grace," about a mother who refuses to give up on her miscarriage has morphed into a feature of the same name starring Jordan Ladd. Here's a look at ten other notable shorts that got the full feature treatment.

"Bottle Rocket" (1992)

Directed by Wes Anderson

What's another $4,000 after paying private school tuition? That was probably the pitch made by Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson to their fathers, a year »

- Stephen Saito

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Blu-Ray Round Up, Aug. 12, 2009: ‘The Last Starfighter,’ ‘Sling Blade,’ ‘The Waterboy’

12 August 2009 2:31 PM, PDT | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – You won’t find the kind of diversity that exists in HollywoodChicago.com’s Blu-Ray Round-Up too many places online. Where else can modern sci-fi mingle with quarter-century-old genre product and hang out with Oscar winners and slapstick comedies? Nowhere.

The Round-Up is our regular informational column about titles that may have slipped under your radar just because they haven’t been on the cover of Entertainment Weekly or in the point-of-purchase slot at your local Blu-Ray store. Today’s edition of the Round-Up is particularly impressive with a massive comedy hit from Adam Sandler, a sci-fi cult classic, a great new TV show, and the film that made Billy Bob Thornton a star.

“Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead” was released on July 28th, 2009.

“Sling Blade,” and “The Waterboy” were released on August 4th, 2009.

“The Last Starfighter” will be released on August 18th, 2009.

“Doctor Who »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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Sling Blade - Blu-ray Review

10 August 2009 8:14 AM, PDT | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »

Sling Blade is a slice of Southern gothic in the vein of Boo Radley or from the pen of Tennessee Williams. Billy Bob Thornton made his directorial debut with this dark slice of rhubarb pie and it continues to haunt. The roster of special features is familiar, but impressive. Just don.t look for the original short or the director.s cut. Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is a mentally disabled man who has been in a mental hospital (or nervous hospital as he calls it) since he was twelve. He killed his mother and her lover and has been locked up for over twenty years. Karl now finds himself released into the real world and gets a job »

- Jeff Swindoll

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DVD Playhouse--August 2009

10 August 2009 2:25 AM, PDT | The Hollywood Interview | See recent The Hollywood Interview news »

DVD Playhouse—August 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Watchmen—Director’S Cut (Warner Bros.) Director Zack Snyder’s film of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ landmark graphic novel is as worthy an adaptation of a great book that has ever been filmed. In an alternative version of the year 1985, Richard Nixon is serving his third term as President and super heroes have been outlawed by a congressional act, in spite of the fact that two of the most high-profile “masks,” Dr. Manhattan (Billy Cruddup) and The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) helped the U.S. win the Vietnam War. When The Comedian is found murdered, many former heroes become concerned that a conspiracy is afoot to assassinate retired costumed crime fighters. Former masks Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) and still-operating Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley, in an Oscar-worthy turn) launch an investigation of their own, all while the Pentagon’s “Doomsday »

- The Hollywood Interview.com

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New On DVD This Week

4 August 2009 10:15 AM, PDT | The Flickcast | See recent The Flickcast news »

Here’s a list of some of the new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week we’re particularly interested in. Plus, some old favorites (and not so favorites) coming out this week for the first time on Blu-ray.

Movies

Race to Witch Mountain ~ Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, and Alexander  Ludwig (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Soloist ~ Robert Downey, Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, and Stephen Root (DVD and Blu-ray)

Obsessed ~ Beyoncé Knowles, Idris Elba, Ali Larter, and Jerry O’Connell (DVD and Blu-ray)

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 ~ Tommy Lee Jones, Brian Dowling, Vic Gatto, and Frank Champi (DVD and Blu-ray)

My Cousin Vinny ~ Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio and Marisa Tomei (Blu-ray)

Mutant Chronicles ~ Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, and John Malkovich (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Tigger Movie ~ John Hurt, Ken Sansom, Kath Soucie, and John Fiedler (DVD and Blu-ray)

Ulysses ~ Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Franco Interlenghi, and Daniel Ivernel (DVD)

Fragments ~ Marshall Allman, »

- Joe Gillis

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This Week on DVD: Race to Witch Mountain, The Soloist, Flight of the Conchords: Season 2

4 August 2009 9:08 AM, PDT | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »

Kind of a forgettable week for DVD shopping, with the exception of a couple of cool TV and Blu-ray releases. Big name titles hitting store shelves include Disney's Race to Witch Mountain starring The Rock, catfight thriller Obsessed starring Ali Larter and Beyonce Knowles, plus The Soloist starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. There's also the indie Michael Chabon adaptation The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and low budget action/sci-fi flick Mutant Chronicles, plus the Lindsay Lohan direct-to-dvd comedy Labor Pains. Uhh... yeah. Save your money for the dry Kiwi comedy of Flight of the Conchords: Season 2 or the trippy outrageousness of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Season 3, plus Big Trouble in Little China on Blu-ray. Race to Witch Mountain [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2]) Obsessed [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4]) The Soloist [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6]) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8]) Mutant Chronicles [9] (DVD, Blu-ray [10]) Delgo [11] Labor Pains [12] (DVD, Blu-ray [13]) Fragments [14] The Chaos Experiment [15] You Must Remember This »

- Sean

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This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: August 4, 2009

4 August 2009 12:30 AM, PDT | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed Unfortunately it's a very bad week for DVD and Blu-ray releases, but let's rundown the list anyway as maybe some of you are looking forward to at least renting one or two of these. The Soloist The best new film of the bunch has to be The Soloist, but even it isn't a stand-out masterpiece by any stretch. It does have a couple of good performances and is certainly worth a once over, but as far as being a purchase I would definitely recommend against it. Mutant Chronicles This action-sci-fi feature starring Thomas Jane, John Malkovich and Ron Perlman is probably the title I am most interested in renting and a little upset I forgot to request a review copy, but Netflix will take care of that. Race to Witch Mountain Ugh, just a bad, bad movie. Kids may »

- Brad Brevet

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[DVD Review] Sling Blade

3 August 2009 10:46 PM, PDT | JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news »

With Billy Bob Thornton’s recent trend of starring in piss-poor comedies where he’s nothing but an arrogant and abusive asshole, it’s easy to forget that the man can be an acting giant when he wants to be. Every now and then we get a glimpse of his talent with films like Monster Ball, but one of his most interesting films is by far the 1996 drama Sling Blade. In Sling Blade, Thornton not only proved his acting chops beyond any doubt, but he established himself as an Oscar-worthy screenwriter. If those two things aren’t enough to make you take a second long look at Billy Bob’s career then nothing will. However, for every two steps forward he takes with his writing and acting, his direction of the film suffers from spreading himself too thin.

Sling Blade takes a timely look at the issue of imprisoning the »

- Lex Walker

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Blu-ray Dates

6 July 2009 10:00 AM, PDT | SmellsLikeScreenSpirit | See recent SmellsLikeScreenSpirit news »

July 07, 2009 * The Deep (Sony) * Grumpy Old Men (Warner) * Knowing (Summit) * Push (Summit) * Torchwood: The Complete Second Season (BBC) * The Unborn (Universal) * The Universe: The Complete Season Two (A&E) July 14, 2009 * The Black Crowes: Warpaint Live (Eagle Rock) * Cheap Trick: Every Trick in the Book (Music Inc.) * Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, House of Flying Daggers Trilogy (Box Set) (Sony) * The Edge of Love (Image) * Explicit Ills (Phase 4 Films) * For All Mankind (Criterion Collection) * The Haunting in Connecticut: Unrated Special Edition (Lionsgate) * I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony) * Mad Men: Season Two (Lionsgate) * NBA Champions 2008-2009 (Warner) * Night Train (National Ent Media) * Shark Week: Great Bites Collection (Discovery Channel) * This is Spinal Tap (MGM) * The Towering Inferno (20th Century Fox) * Wild Pacific (BBC) July 21, 2009 * 300: The Complete Experience (Warner) * Coraline (Universal) * Echelon Conspiracy (Paramount) * Google Me (Cinevolve) * The Great Buck Howard (Magnolia »

- Dave Campbell

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Spacey to play 'Casino Jack'

13 May 2009 3:47 PM, PDT | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »

Kevin Spacey.s next role will be as disgraced Washington power broker Jack Abramoff.According to Variety, Spacey will star in the true story-based thriller "Casino Jack," directed by George Hickenlooper from an original screenplay by Norman Snider. Hickenlooper is best known as the documentary filmmaker who co-directed along with Fax Bahr the award-winning 1991 documentary .Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker.s Apocalypse. which details the many problems that plagued the shooting of Francis Ford Coppola.s Apocalypse Now. Hickenlooper also directed the short film version of Billy Bob Thornton.s Sling Blade in 1994 when it was known as .Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade...Casino Jack. follows the downward spiral of the once high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian »

- Adnan Tezer

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Video: Billy Bob Thornton 'Astounded' by Interview Fallout

22 April 2009 1:20 PM, PDT | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »

Jimmy Kimmel did the same thing a Canadian radio host did - dared to call Billy Bob Thornton a movie actor - only this time the reaction was much less caustic. During an interview earlier this month involving Thornton's band, The Boxmasters, Thornton mumbled answers to host Jian Ghomeshi and insulted Canadian audiences, comparing them to "mashed potatoes without gravy." The band got boos and catcalls when it appeared in Toronto as the opening act for Willie Nelson. During Tuesday's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host asked: "Billy, is it Ok I mention that you're an actor? I don't »

- Howard Breuer

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Week in Review: LoHarmony, 'Hannah' Pirated, 'Terminator' Gets PG-13

17 April 2009 5:00 AM, PDT | GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news »

Congratulations to Billy Bob Thornton, who did not shove his foot in his mouth this week during an interview. Enjoy the gravy, there, Sling Blade. But we did have a few stories taht stood out more than others over the past few days.

I don't want to play favorites, but these are my favorite headlines of the week. Take one down, pass it around.

Self-Deprecation of the Week: Lindsay Lohan

Ron Howard passed on directing Batman and Spider-Man

Star Trek now opening one night earlier

Did Fox really cancel The Sarah Connor Chronicles?

Author wants Robert Downey, Jr. back for Less Than Zero sequel

Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon writing Pixar's John Carter of Mars

Creepy 32-year-old Hannah Montana pirate arrested

Terminator Salvation officially PG-13

What's the best movie you've never seen? »

- Colin Boyd

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Four More Clips from Crank 2: High Voltage

14 April 2009 12:03 AM, PDT | Beyond Hollywood | See recent Beyond Hollywood news »

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s sequel to “Crank” opens this Friday, and you know what that means — clips, clips, clips! Here are four more clips from the movie, including a short scene where Amy Smart throws a mullet-sporting Corey Haim around like a bitch. Let’s face it, if the entire movie is this kinetic (and we have no doubt that it probably is), then “Crank 2: High Voltage” is one crazy time at the theaters. Check them out, check them outers. In this high-octane sequel, hitman Chev Chelios (Statham) launches himself on an electrifying chase through Los Angeles in pursuit of the Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart. Crank: High Voltage is written and directed by Neveldine/Taylor, the duo behind the 2006 hit film Crank, and the upcoming Game starring Gerard Butler. Jason Statham (The Transporter, The Bank Job) returns to star as hitman Chev Chelios. »

- Nix

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Fango Musick Exclusive: Talking with The Last Dance

10 April 2009 6:10 AM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »

I recently posted my review of The Last Dance documentary Almost Beautiful (read it here), a lovely work exploring the inside of the Gothic Rock scene from the ground-up with one of the scenes better known recent acts. This week, I caught up with Rick, Jeff, and Peter for a Fangoria Musick exclusive, to get their take on the Goth Scene and to talk a little horror, including their appearance on The Search For The Next Elvira.

Doctor Raven (Fangoria): As a veteran of the Gothic Rock scene, can you please share your insights as to what makes up the key elements of Traditional Gothic Rock?

Jeff Diehm (Vocals): I’ve been doing this for about 20 years and I still don’t know how to answer that question. It’s a very non-exclusive scene, so you’ll meet all kinds of people. There’s practically no limit to »

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2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2003 | 2002 | 1998 | 1997

1-20 of 37 articles from 2009   « Prev | Next »

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