Liam Neeson's "Unknown" Poster

Here's the IMDB to Liam Neeson's Unknown. The poster looks awesome. And even though it was released a few weeks ago, I really wanted to share it.

Daniel Day Lews Replacing Liam Neeson in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" Film

The title pretty much sums it up doesn't it? Like a bad trailer, I gave away the whole story. Well, let's re-hash, shall we? Steven Spielberg has been working on this Abraham Lincoln movie for about two years now. Liam Neeson was cast about a year ago to play the United States' 16th President. After months of delays, talks of canceling the project all together, and a bad script rumor, Neeson walked.

Fast forward a few months and the project picks up some steam. Apparently, the script was worked on and touched up. And now this, an AMAZING actor to play the role of an amazing man. Daniel Day Lewis is an AtD favorite. His work in There Will Be Blood was sheer genius. It was the kind of performance that was second to none. Probably the most obvious Oscar race in the last decade.

Day Lewis is a method actor and takes every role, very seriously. He only does a movie every few years because of the time and dedication he gives to every role. I've read online that he takes a few months after a movie shoot to come out of his character's role. Maybe a crazy Hollywood myth, or the workings of a brilliant actor. Either way, we LOVE this casting. See you at the Oscar podium in a year or so Mr. Lewis.

"Unknown" Trailer

Yahoo has the new trailer for Unknown, (previously Unknown White Male), starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger and Frank Langella.

The script is based on the novel Out of My Head by Didier Van Cauwelaert.

Here's their overview:

"Dr. Martin Harris awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife suddenly doesn’t recognize him and another man has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally, Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he’s willing to go to uncover the truth."

Liam Neeson Cast in "Battleship"

To add some seriousness to crazy idea/film, Liam Neeson has been cast in Battleship. The movie is being directed by Peter Berg (Hancock) and stars the likes of Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker and Rihanna. So casting Neeson is a nice change of pace from the much younger cast.

The movie is about, what else, a battleship vs. aliens. It's going to have battles on land, in the air and of course, by sea. Can't wait to see ANOTHER board game made into a feature film! (Sarcasm by the way). I have faith in Berg, but I'm not going to hold my breath on this one.

Funny thing is, I just saw Taken again today, and LOVE Liam Neeson's resume. He's such an amazing, versatile actor who can do it all. I think he's a class act who can act!

"The Next Three Days" Trailer

You may not remember, but about a year ago, I made a post telling you about the new Paul Haggis film The Next Three Days.

The director of Crash has been up to quite a bit since then, especially this film, which is a remake of the 2008 French film, Pour Elle. The story will revolve around a man that goes to great lengths to get his wife out of a 20-year jail term after she is arrested out of nowhere for a murder she says she didn't commit.

What do you think?

The A-Team review

I complain A LOT bout Hollywood's lack of original material.  A sequel here, a prequel there and every kind of reboot you could imagine.  The A-Team was no different to me.  Hollywood took an 80's TV show and decided they could make money on it.  How?  Reboot of course!

Well, it's 2010 and we have to work with what we've got.  Let me tell you something, this is the most fun I've had at the movies since the FIRST Iron Man, I'm not kidding!  The movie is a ton of fun, and I can't wait to talk about it with FattMatt.

Let me refresh everyone on our reviews, opinion, not plot.  I go over my "likes" and "dislikes", let's dive in!

What I liked about the movie:
The Casting
Wow, the chemistry amongst the four primary actors is awesome!  Hannibal, played by Liam Neeson.  Face played by Bradley Cooper.  B.A. Baracus played by Quiton Jackson.  And last, but certainly not least, Murdock played by Sharlto Copley.  I have never, EVER given a casting director a shout out... but here goes the first!  Deborah Aquila, thank you!


Neeson is just bad ass as the leader of the group.  I knew he had the action chops after Taken, this movie further proved the obvious.  Cooper played the arrogant, good looking guy perfectly.  Just the right mix of charm, humor and attitude so we loved him, not hated him.  I have to say, when I first heard about Jackson being cast in the movie, I was not OK with it.  But I stand corrected.  Jackson brings the physical presence needed for the role; plus there's an emotional side that was very well written for the Baracus character.

The man who steals the show.... drum roll please... Sharlto Copley as Murdock.  I can't explain enough how good Copley is in this movie.  After District 9 everyone knew Copley could play a corky type of character, but this is beyond that.  Murdock is a brilliant pilot that is literally insane... literally, he's in a mental hospital.  The comedy Copley brought to the role is awesome.  He alone is reason enough to see the movie.

The Action
Unbelievable, memorable, stunts!  Usually action movies have 3 separate action sequences.  One is usually in the beginning, the next is the middle and the third is the climax of the film.  The A-Team has 5 lengthy action sequences, FIVE!  All of which are creative, inventive ways to show action we haven't seen before.  The beginning of the movie jumps right in with a great escape scene.  There are planes, cars, helicopters, boats and motorcycles that develop into an awesome spectacle.  Thumbs up to Joe Carnahan, director of the film for the action.

The Director
Carnahan can do it all in my opinion.  Narc was a suspense thriller that was a critical success and had a decent sized following.  He directed Smokin' Aces which was also a fun ride.  He knows how to do action, he can direct big name actors, The A-Team was no different.  The pacing, the tone, the comedic timing and the score, all of them worked.  People criticize his editing choices, but I love it.  It's fast, and it's representative of the action.
Side-Note: watch the Narc DVD special features for an explanation from Carnahan about his editing.

What I didn't like about the movie:
Simple
I think Hollywood takes us fans as really simple people.  I touched on this a little bit in my 'Prince of Persia' review; the plots to movies these days are so simple.  Don't misunderstand me, I liked the plot to The A-Team, it's just so simple.  It's also a story I've read or saw in film a dozen times; as recently as this Summer's The Losers.  It's OK studio executives, we can handle a complex story!  I know the studios play it safe with simple stories like these, but come on, give us more!


Miss Jessica Claire Biel
I'm sorry to all of our male, testosterone driven readers, miss Biel just doesn't do it for me.  And I'm speaking from both a physical and acting level.   I will say this though, the character is essential to the story, I'm just not a fan of Biel.  She has to play this really tough Captain in the military, yet she's got a ton of make up on.  Not saying attractive women wouldn't be in a position of power in the military; I just don't see them caring more for their hair products than they do for the safety of the country.


The things I didn't like are really quite minor in comparison to the positives in the movie.  It was so much fun, I actually laughed and clapped at a movie!  Other than Toy Story 3, this is the only other highlight to an otherwise abysmal Summer at the movies.  I haven't seen The Karate Kid yet; but I'm going to say this will easily end up in my top 3 movies of the Summer this year.

The A-Team did the TV series justice and improved on it in my opinion.  The characters felt a bit more real than the TV show.  The acting and directing were top notch as well.  Go see it and tell everyone about it!  There's no reason this film shouldn't be doing better numbers at the box office.  And hopefully, HOPEFULLY they make a sequel to this awesome action flick!

Quickie: A-TEAM Cast Picture!

From left to right:
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) as Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck
Rampage Jackson (UFC) as Sgt. B.A. "Bad Attitude" Baracus"
Sharlto Copley (District 9) as Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
Liam Neeson as (Taken) as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith

Are you excited?
"I love it when a plan comes together."

UFC's Rampage Jackson set to play A-Team’s B.A. Baracus

Hello all, this is a bit of bitter/sweet news. The sweet news is, rapper The Game, WONT BE playing B.A. Baracus in the new A-Team movie adaptation. A few months ago we told you about The Game's possible casting in the role, those rumors turned out to be untrue. So if that's the sweet, what's the bitter? We still didn't get a good actor to play the role, we instead got a UFC fighter... Quinton Rampage Jackson. He's a former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion who is one of the stars of the industry.

My personal opinion is there are better ACTORS who could play the role. But really, can anyone match Mr. T's charisma and charm (kidding of course). Mr. T was the iconic actor of the A-Team TV series, replacing him was never going to be easy. I think casting Jackson was a better move than The Game though. We'll have to see the end result of course. Other notable castings include: Liam Neeson as John Smith (Hannibal) and Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton Pack (Faceman).

The Game (rapper) in talks to play B.A. Baracus in The A-Team? Seriously?!

Blackfilm is reporting that rapper, The Game, is in talks to play B.A. Baracus in the A-Team movie coming up. B.A. Baracus was played by Mr. T in the 1970's TV show. When John Singleton was in control almost two years ago, he was looking at Ice Cube. But now the movie has changed hands to Joe Carnahan, director of Narc and Smokin' Aces. Why do I have a problem with this? Because Baracus and the A-Team are such an important part of Pop Culture. This isn't a newly created story with actors playing unknown characters.

And my opinion isn't even based on rappers switching over to acting. Tupac was an amazing actor, Ice Cube has become a comedic staple in movies, and Snoop Dogg as well. The Game had a small part in a terrible movie (Waist Deep) and a cameo in another (Street Kings). There's nothing on his resume to play such an important character.

The movie already has Liam Neeson as John Smith (Hannibal) and Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton Pack (Faceman). We'll have to wait for confirmation on this one.