Rebecca Hall – Page 3 – We Are Movie Geeks

Own THE GIFT On October 27 – Stars Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall And Joel Edgerton

Revenge comes in an artfully wrapped package in THE GIFT, a chilling psychological thriller available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD and on Demand October 27, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

From STX Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions (Whiplash, The Purge) The Gift is a suspenseful and thrilling morality tale that earned a “Certified Fresh” seal on Rotten Tomatoes with a remarkable score of 93%.

The Blu-ray and DVD are packed with chilling bonus features including a riveting alternate ending, deleted scenes, feature commentary with writer and director Joel Edgerton, and more.

The Gift asks the question, “Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone?” Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon’s high-school acquaintance sends their world into a narrowing tailspin. At first Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton), but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she is forced to contemplate: how well we really know those closest to us, and are bygones ever really bygones?

Read our review here.

Order here: http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Blu-ray-DVD-DIGITAL-Ultraviolet/dp/B013C6OW1Q/ref=sr_1_1_twi_blu_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1444840444&sr=1-1&keywords=the+gift

BLU-RAY^TM AND DVD BONUS FEATURES:

Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Karma for Bullies
The Darker Side of Jason Bateman
Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Joel Edgerton

The film will be available on Blu-ray^™ with DIGITAL HD and UltraViolet^™ and DVD.

Blu-ray^™unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet^™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

FILMMAKERS

Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton
Directed By: Joel Edgerton
Written By: Joel Edgerton
Produced By: Jason Blum, Rebecca Yeldham, Joel Edgerton
Executive Produced By: Jeanette Volturno-Brill, Couper Samuelson , Luc Etienne, Robert Simonds, Adam Fogelson, Oren Aviv, Donald Tang, Dennis Wang, James Wang
Director of Photography: Eduard Grau
Production Designer: Richard Sherman
Edited By: Luke Dulan
Casting By: Terri Taylor, CSA
Costume Design By: Terry Anderson
Music By: Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans

http://uni.pictures/TheGift

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY^™:

Street Date: October 27, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 64173126
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1
Rating: R for language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:

Street Date: October 27, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 64173127
Layers: Dual
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Rating: R for language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0
Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

THE GIFT – The Review

THE GIFT is a sharp, nasty little thriller that takes a familiar stalker situation and transcends expectations. It tells a story which, in other hands, could have simply been another bunny-boiler, but Joel Edgerton, who directed it and costars, delivers some surprises, most of all by never pushing the material over the top. Ignore the misleading trailer, which makes it look cheap and predictable. THE GIFT delivers much more than you may expect.

Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall star as Simon and Robyn, a childless couple recently moved from Chicago to Los Angeles for Simon’s new high-paying gig at a digital security firm. While shopping for furniture, they bump into an awkward High School acquaintance of Simon named Gordo (Edgerton). Simon at first fails to even recognize the friendly man, but soon recalls that he was known in the day, for reasons to be revealed, as ‘Gordo the Weirdo’. Gordo seems harmless enough and the next day the couple discovers a bottle of expensive wine on their front steps, a house warming present from Mr. Weirdo. Though concerned he found their address, Robyn convinces Simon they should ask Gordo for dinner to say thanks. Simon hesitantly agrees and so begins a dangerous cat and mouse game between the overly congenial stranger and the couple who have more than a few secrets of their own.

What makes THE GIFT a cut above the rest is a psychological complexity that makes it fresh and realistic. As the plot develops, the characters become more complicated and the audience’s sympathies shift. As a director, Edgerton is not above a couple of cheap jump scares, but he does an outstanding job tightening the noose, creating a toxic tension between Simon and Gordo as social pleasantries melt away to reveal contempt and shame and long-held grudges. The question of who exactly deserves comeuppance is milked to satisfaction by the screenplay, which serves up all types of public and private humiliations for the three leads. The movie is a thriller with all the usual trappings of a thriller, but the performances go for realism, the settings are slice-of-life, and even psycho Gordo seems somewhere within the realm of possibility.

Jason Bateman has the largest role and gives a strong performance, but you’re never rooting for him. Bateman has been an outstanding comedic straight man for a decade now, and has only tackled a couple of serious dramatic roles. These bring out a naturally unlikeable quality in the actor, which serves his character well here as his darker shades are exposed. Usually a reliably intelligent presence, Rebecca Hall is miscast – she’s all-victim-all-the-time here, especially in an uncomfortable late plot development that would make Bill Cosby proud. Edgerton shines as creepy Gordo, who’s off-screen for much of the film’s mid-section, giving Bateman and Hall room to develop. Pasty Gordo, with his coarse red goatee and artless wardrobe, is an oddball creep to be sure, but Edgerton wisely avoids descent into sinister caricature that would have made this story less believable. Best of all, THE GIFT builds to a satisfying and clever climax instead of simply ending with a protracted, violent confrontation. Well-crafted, intelligent, and chilling, THE GIFT is highly recommended.

4 of 5 Stars

Check Out The New Trailer For Joel Edgerton’s THE GIFT

STX Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions’ THE GIFT is a heart-stopping, thought-provoking psychological thriller from producers Jason Blum and Rebecca Yeldham and actor, writer, producer and first-time director Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior), that asks the question: What if someone you wronged long ago reemerged in your life through a chance encounter and what if they can’t get over the past?

Watch the creepy second trailer below.

Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton) at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years.

As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to question: how well do we really know the people closest to us, and are past bygones ever really bygones?

THE GIFT opens in theaters August 7th.

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TWITTER: http://bit.ly/STX_TG_Twitter

Disney Announces It Will Co-Produce and Co-Finance Steven Spielberg’s THE BFG

As production gets underway in Vancouver, The Walt Disney Studios announced it will co-produce and co-finance Steven Spielberg’s THE BFG. This marks the three-time Academy Award winner’s first time directing a Disney-branded movie.

THE BFG is the exciting tale of a young London girl and the mysterious Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.

Previously announced cast include three-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance who will play the titular “Big Friendly Giant” and newcomer Ruby Barnhill as Sophie. They are now joined by Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Michael David Adamthwaite, Daniel Bacon, Chris Gibbs, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes, Paul Moniz de Sa and Olafur Olaffson, all cast as giants. Buckingham Palace has also found its residents with Penelope Wilton being cast as The Queen and Rebecca Hall as Mary, the Queen’s maid.

The Disney/Amblin/Reliance production in association with Walden Media will open in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016, the year that coincides with the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s birth.

“In more than 40 years of making movies, I have been on the producing end of a number of films for The Walt Disney Company, but never as a director,” said Steven Spielberg. “It is a special joy to be in the director’s chair as we start ‘The BFG,’ alongside my long-time friends and film collaborators Kathy Kennedy, who introduced me to this project, Frank Marshall and Melissa Mathison. Together with them and Disney, there are many reasons why I am so excited about this joint venture.”

“With Steven Spielberg at the helm, ‘The BFG’ will undoubtedly capture the minds of children and adults alike – as Roald Dahl’s original stories and many of Steven’s own films have done for decades,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “The team at Disney has tremendous respect for the filmmakers, and we’re thrilled to join with them to make what will be a spectacular picture.”

“This partnership speaks to the spirit of storytelling and the kinds of movies that we make here,” said Michael Wright, CEO of DreamWorks Studios. “Over the years, we have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration, and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with Disney in this expanded capacity on THE BFG.”

Based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) was published in 1982 and has been enchanting readers of all ages ever since. Dahl’s books, which also include “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” are currently available in 58 languages and have sold over 200 million copies worldwide.

Steven Spielberg will direct the film adaptation based on a script by Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg on “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer will produce while Kathleen Kennedy, John Madden, Michael Siegel and Kristie Macosko Krieger are on board as executive producers. Adam Somner is a co-producer.

The Walt Disney Studios is distributing the film in the U.S. and several international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment will oversee distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Reliance will distribute the film in India.

Disney and Walden Media previously produced “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” and “Bridge to Terabithia” together.

Watch The Nightmarish Trailer For Blumhouse’s THE GIFT Starring Jason Bateman And Joel Edgerton

Here’s your first look at the unnerving new trailer for THE GIFT.

In March, STX Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions announced the title to their Joel Edgerton-helmed film.

Set to debut on July 31, 2015, this chilling, contemporary psychological thriller marks the writing and directorial debut of acclaimed actor Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior), and stars Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Edgerton. The film is produced by Rebecca Yeldham (On the Road, The Kite Runner) and Jason Blum (Whiplash, The Purge).

Watch the creepy trailer now.

Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone? Even if you are unaware of how, or when, and even who you may have wronged…chances are there is someone out there who won’t ever forget it…or you.

Blumhouse produced the highly-profitable PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, THE PURGE, INSIDIOUS, and SINISTER franchises which have grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide as well as the Academy Award winning WHIPLASH.

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Actor/Director Joel Edgerton’s New Movie Officially Titled THE GIFT

Motion picture and television studio STX Entertainment and Blumhouse Productions have officially titled their Joel Edgerton-helmed film THE GIFT, it was announced today by Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STX Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group.

Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon’s high school sends their world into a harrowing tailspin. Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton) at first, but after a seemingly coincidental series of encounters proves troubling, a horrifying secret from their past is uncovered after nearly 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she starts to question: how well do we really know the people closest to us, and are past bygones ever really bygones?

In addition to THE GIFT, STX Entertainment recently announced its release dates for its first films. SECRET IN THEIR EYES will be released on October 23, 2015. The thriller is written and directed by Billy Ray and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.

On January 22, 2016, STX will release THE BOY, a horror film from director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside), written by Stacy Menear and starring Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”).

Finally, March 11, 2016 brings the release of the epic action-drama THE FREE STATE OF JONES, starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali, from writer-director and 4-time Academy Award nominee Gary Ross.

TRANSCENDENCE – The Review

A couple of good ideas can go a long way. Other times they could be just that – ideas without a proper framework to support them. Wally Pfister’s directorial debut TRANSCENDENCE seems to struggle to find a purpose for the “high-concept” thoughts that seem to expand its own head rather than the audiences. In fact, some audiences might struggle to stay awake during this uncompelling and preachy bore.

After a minor flash-forward that unceremoniously lets you know what will eventually happen, the film opens with Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) as he’s about to give a speech at a science conference. At his side is his loyal wife Evelyn played with heart and emotion by Rebecca Hall. Upon leaving the hall Will is confronted with a shooter who attempts to kill the scientist. This is only one action in what is soon revealed as a series of acts of violence committed by an anti-tech terrorist group; I thought for a second about how they might get in touch with new recruits and communicate with one another but quickly dismissed this logical thought. Even though Will survives the bullet, he cannot stop the poison that the bullet that hit him is laced with. A last ditch effort to save his mind is performed by Evelyn and fellow scientist Max (Paul Bettany) by placing all of Will’s thoughts and memories on several hardrives. This action allows Will and Evelyn to continue their research and to make technological leaps including building a huge underground laboratory where the duo begins to play God by combining the DNA of humans with Will’s computer code. As you can expect, negative repercussions ensue.

Like so many films that came before it, TRANSCENDENCE explores the idea of man’s connection with technology and his abuse of to science in order to play God. At times I began to feel that the film would fit nicely into the filmography of David Cronenberg. In the 80’s and into the 90’s the iconic director bridged the gap between the arthouse and the slaughterhouse with his bloody “body horror” explorations that also tapped into philosophical discussions about the relation between man and machine. He most famously did this in THE FLY and VIDEODROME and then a little bit later with the often overlooked gem EXISTENZ. All three films follow a protagonist who feels empowered by a new leap in technological advancement. TRANSCENDENCE continues this theme nicely, even though I’d argue it might be about ten years too late to the conversation. There’s not any new parts in this machine which makes all the gear spinning all the more tedious when there’s not more energy pushing them. Pfister obviously knows how to present a striking image – which he frequently does here as he previously did working with Christopher Nolan – but his images alone can’t elevate this vacant film. If only Cronenberg guided the film with his twisted mind than it might have had some more life to it.

There are moments where I could see what Jack Paglen was attempting to do with this limp story. What makes us human and whether or not the new “computer Will” really, truly is the human Will are questions that triggered enough of a curiosity in me that I didn’t fall asleep during the film. But I must admit that I was looking at my watch quite a few times. I never felt like I watching a character driven techno-thriller nor did I feel I was being forced to sit through a long-winded science lecture.

TRANSCENDENCE just feels stagnant. It exists and that’s barely an appropriate description of it. Even the actors on-screen acted as if they are there to just collect a paycheck. My iPhone’s Siri shows me more of a range of emotion than Johnny Depp. Morgan Freeman fills space in the handful of scenes he’s in occasionally mumbling some useless non-sense. The only actor that seems to care is Rebecca Hall, and in contrast with everyone else she seems like she’s auditioning for a Spanish soap-opera.

TRANSCENDENCE sets up a basic premise and doesn’t go anywhere with it; unless you count some lackluster CGI sequences that show what I can assume is computer code floating up into our atmosphere. At this point I didn’t even care enough to analyze the science behind it all, not because I’m particularly gifted in the subject (which I’m not), but because the film didn’t give me anything to care about. I felt nothing, and I don’t think “computerized Will” needs to do a full body scan to figure out how I feel about this one.

1.5 out of 5

New Photos From Wally Pfister’s TRANSCENDENCE – Stars Johnny Depp

Set in a not-too-distant future, TRANSCENDENCE explores the very real possibility that humans—in our attempts to create a better, more efficient, more self-sustaining world through technology—can go too far. For emotions are not always positive: doesn’t a machine that has the capacity for kindness also have the capacity for menace?

Wally Pfister, a renowned cinematographer making his feature directorial debut on the film, states, “I was struck by the power and the weight of the ideas in this story, which I think are very much on people’s minds right now.”

“Transcendence” proposes that we can achieve what’s been called singularity. Pfister comments, “As we define it for the film, singularity is basically the uploading of the human brain into a super computer: the duplication of every synapse, every neuron…every bit of activity in the brain goes into a machine, which then becomes sentient.”

The film seeks to exemplify the coercive nature of the machines we create and how they control us as a culture. It is a path one could argue we are already on, and the film endeavors to project where we could be in 10 or 20 years as revolutionary, exciting…and equally troubling.

Johnny Depp stars as the scientist who not only provides the breakthroughs to make singularity—transcendence—possible, but whose brain becomes its first test subject.

“What I really found intriguing about this story was the idea that one man with a brilliant mind, a simple guy who adores his wife and does the crossword puzzle every morning, is able to take his expertise to the point where ego, power and passion could ultimately evolve him into something of a mechanical god.”

“Imagine your brain suddenly being able to connect to the Internet, to have access to every bit of information there—financial, medical, political…” Pfister posits. “What would you do with that kind of knowledge, that kind of ultimate power? Would you use it for the greater good, or your own gain, or something else entirely? This film gives moviegoers a chance to see the possibilities and wonder if it’s a choice they’ll ever have to face.”

The filmmakers and cast reflect that the movie poses some profound questions within its sci-fi storyline, and raises some thought-provoking scenarios about the effects that advancing, evolving technologies might have on our culture and on us as individuals.

“People have been fighting wars over ‘my god is better than your god’ for thousands of years,” Depp says. “In the 21st century, I think it’s appropriate to look at the way human beings worship technology and what that could mean for our future. Whether you’re on the side of technology or ecology, a pacifist or an extremist, most people have very definite opinions, and the question of how far we should allow our dependence on computers to go is a question that needs to be asked.”

Pfister summarizes, “According to the experts, artificial intelligence of the sort we present in ‘Transcendence’ is coming, like it or not. What I wanted to do with the film is give people a peek into one direction our world could take in the coming decades, and engage them in an emotional, moral and intellectual debate about this very timely topic in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining.”

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.

However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should.

Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

TRANSCENDENCE stars Oscar nominee Johnny Depp (“Finding Neverland,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films), Rebecca Hall (“The Town,” “The Prestige”), Paul Bettany (“The Da Vinci Code,” “A Beautiful Mind”), Cillian Murphy (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises”), Kate Mara (“House of Cards,” “Shooter”), Cole Hauser (“Olympus Has Fallen”), Clifton Collins, Jr. (“Star Trek,” “Pacific Rim”) and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby,” the “Dark Knight” movies).

TRANSCENDENCE opens in theaters April 18

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Johnny Depp Evolves Into A New Intelligence In 2nd TRANSCENDENCE Trailer

Opening nationwide in theaters on April 18, here’s the brand new trailer for TRANSCENDENCE starring Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman.

His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.

TRANSCENDENCE marks the feature film directorial debut of Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (“Inception,” the “Dark Knight” movies). Pfister directed the movie from a screenplay by Jack Paglen.

http://www.transcendencemovie.com/

New TRANSCENDENCE Photos Of Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman And Cillian Murphy

Johnny Depp stars as Will Caster in two new photos from Alcon Entertainment’s sci-fi thriller TRANSCENDENCE.

In theaters April 18, 2014, Depp plays Dr. Will Caster – the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions.

His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.

However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should.

(L-r) MORGAN FREEMAN as Joseph Tagger, CILLIAN MURPHY as Agent Anderson, JOHNNY DEPP as Will Caster (on monitors), and REBECCA HALL as Evelyn Caster

Alcon Entertainment presents TRANSCENDENCE, starring Oscar® nominee Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Finding Neverland,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films), Paul Bettany (“The Da Vinci Code,” “A Beautiful Mind”), Rebecca Hall (“The Town,” “The Prestige”), Kate Mara (“House of Cards,” “Shooter”), Cillian Murphy (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises”), Clifton Collins, Jr. (“Star Trek,” “Pacific Rim”) and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby,” the “Dark Knight” movies).

TRANSCENDENCE marks the feature film directorial debut of Oscar®-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (“Inception,” the “Dark Knight” movies). Pfister directed the movie from a screenplay by Jack Paglen.

Oscar® nominees Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson (“The Blind Side”) are producing the film with Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino, Annie Marter, David Valdes, and Aaron Ryder.

Pfister’s behind-the-scenes collaborators include director of photography Jess Hall (“Brideshead Revisited”), production designer Chris Seagers (“X-Men: First Class”), Oscar-nominated editor David Rosenbloom (“The Insider”), costume designer George L. Little (“Zero Dark Thirty”), and Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor Nathan McGuinness (“Master and Commander”). The music is composed by Mychael Danna, who won an Oscar® for his score for “Life of Pi.”

http://www.transcendencemovie.com/

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TRANSCENDENCE opens in theaters April 18

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