Cast: Rachel Weisz, Monica Belluci, Vanessa Redgrave

Synopsis: A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.

Release Date: August 5, 2011

Now comes Dream House, a psychological thriller starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz that far too closely resembles Shutter Island. A man moves into a home with his wife and kids only to discover that the previous residents were murdered there. Instead of first bitching out the real estate agent for not utilizing full disclosure, he delves head first into a tangled mystery that brings his sanity into question. If you need other questions answered, just watch the trailer. It pretty much gives away everything.

A word from Rachel: “People find out I’m an actress and I see that ‘whore’ look flicker across their eyes.”

Is that a real thing because I SWEAR I’ve seen that look in so many eyes and I thought I was just crazy! Damn this sixth sense is such a burden.

In the film, Weisz plays a total narco who runs afoul of private contractors in post-war Bosnia. Much like in Letha Weapon 2, the bad guys hide behind their diplomatic immunity while doing all manner of illegal activity. Will Weisz live long enough to go all Murtaugh on their asses? She’d better. She’s getting too old for this shit.

“Braff will play the role of Frank, the loyal but under-appreciated assistant to Oz (James Franco), a charismatic circus magician who is treated as a powerful wizard after his balloon blows off course into Oz and the townsfolk want him to eradicate a Wicked Witch and bring peace.”

Multiple James Francos Converge On 'General Hospital'

Boom. Not only do you now know the character Braff is playing, but you also know what the movie is about, and that James Franco is in it. Boom.  More infobombs: Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz are all in it too. Can you handle all this information? (Deadline)

No longer. She’s not only attached herself to a Wizard of Oz project, which is just about the least indie thing there is, but is also negotiating to star in The Bourne Legacy, which will probably be very cool, but let’s face it: not very indie. She’s like the female Jeremy Renner, which is fitting.

Weisz is reportedly in “deep” talks to star in Bourne opposite Renner, though no specifics on her role have surfaced. The big question here is whether or not she can make it work with her other big-budget film Oz: The Great and Powerful. Oz begins shooting this summer, whereas Bourne is scheduled in September, so it could work, but it’s by no means a sure thing.

Even though Weisz is now all “big time,” we’ll still go see her movies. She’s lucky she’s insanely hot. (Deadline)

Sam Raimi is directing the studio’s Wizard of Oz prequel, because if there’s one story that needs constant re-imagining, it’s the story of the story that led us to The Wizard of Oz. The omnipresent James Franco stars as Oz, a “snake oil salesman” and hot air ballon crash victim who ends up in the well-known land of real-life witches. Meanwhile, evil witch Evanora (Weisz) tries to get her sister Theadora (Mila Kunis) to join the dark side of the witch force. In movies, people always try to get the heroes to join “the dark side,” but I only got asked once in high school and I was too much of a pussy to say “yes.” Damn it. Opportunity missed. (Hollywood Reporter)

The rest of the cast is made up of names known and unknown. That’s because the film travels around the world, tackling scenes in English, German, French, Austrian, Russian, Moroccan, Algerian and Brazilian. The actors previously attached are Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Wiesz, Ben Foster, Jarnel Debouze, Juliano Cazarre, Maria flor, and Karl Markovic.

That means that Jude Law‘s saliva will indirectly end up in Anthony Hopkins‘ mouth which, let’s face it, has probably already happened by now anyway. (via The Playlist)

The 1980′s were clearly the heyday of mind-body transfer movies. Fred Savage and Judge Reinhold switched it up in Vice Versa, Kirk Cameron and Dudley Moore did it with Like Father, Like Son, then there was 18 Again! starring George Burns and some other dude. I never saw that one. The 90′s offered a death rattle in the way of a Freaky Friday remake, but it seemed clear that the concept was destined to die off. But Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds said “not on our watch,” and came to our rescue with The Change-Up (via Playlist), in which an uptight guy and his slacker friend switch bodies. Shocked? Ryan Reynolds sure is:

Then we’ve got Dream House starring Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig, in which a family moves into a new home, only to find that the previous inhabitants were murdered, possibly at the hands of the husband/father. They discover that they are doomed to repeat the fate of the family before them, which makes Mr. Craig register an expression that can best be described as “concern.” (Playlist)

Finally, we’ve got Ceremony which follows a young man (Michael Angarano) who crashes the wedding of a character played by Uma Thurman. This act makes the boy very relatable, as most anyone could develop an infatuation with the Thurmanator. In an interesting wrinkle that could only occur during our technological renaissance, Ceremony is hitting VOD on March 4th and theaters April 8th. (Playlist)

Foster has proven himself to be a versatile talent as of late, taking on popcorn films like the third X-Men film as well as thoughtful indies like Oren Moverman’s The Messanger. It’s not every day that an actor goes from shooting everyone in the face with Jason Statham to making dramas with Oscar winning pedigree. That hasn’t happened since Amy Smart went straight from Crank 2: High Voltage to her starring role in Precious. (Deadline)

Christopher Nolan is getting actresses lined up in a pretty little row for The Dark Knight Rises casting. Doesn’t sound like Charlize and Vera are in the mix anymore, unless this is some kind of elaborate rouse, and if that’s the case, Nolan **shakes angry fist** The director will meet for two female lead roles, one a love interest for Bruce Wayne, the other a villain (who will hopefully wear a tight leather outfit). The actresses looking to impress Nolan are Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, and Anne Hathaway. Pssst! Ladies. I hear he likes Vegemite sandwiches. And cleavage. Bring both just in case. (Deadline)

Darren Aronofsky and his affianced are hellbent on giving America the frownies.

The hot spec script Jackie, about the immediate days following President Kennedy’s assassination, is getting the big screen treatment with Academy-Award winning actress Rachel Weisz attached to play the late first lady. Weisz’s fiancee, director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), will direct and produce, along with his producing partner Scott Franklin and their Protozoa Pictures film company. 

Jackie catalogs the four days between JFK’s assassination and his burial, showing the beloved Jackie at both her most vulnerable and her most graceful. 

No deal is in place yet but it’s expected to be soon. I can hear the manipulative music swelling and see the interspersment of actual funeral footage now. But I will not cry dammit. I will not. I just plan on thinking about something else.

Thanks, Jackee. (EW)

Rachel Weisz starred in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. She’s also won an Academy Award. Two facts that have nothing to do with one another. Thank God.

A word from Rachel: “People find out I’m an actress and I see that ‘whore’ look flicker across their eyes.”

Is that a real thing because I SWEAR I’ve seen that look in so many eyes and I thought I was just crazy! Damn this sixth sense is such a burden.

See if Rachel’s eyes flicker in the pics after the jump.

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon

Synopsis: Centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

I loved Rian Johnson’s first film, Brick* – the neo-hard boiled detective story set amongs high school social circles.  It was the one with a bespectacled Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the anachronistic dialogue and the fantastic score by Johnson’s brother.  I saw it three times in the theaters.  Even bought it on DVD.  But as I sat down for my screening of Rian Johnson’s followup, Th Brothers Bloom, a wave of doubt washed over me.  No way he can do it again, I thought.  Besides, the trailers made it seem like a hodgepodge of styles culled from Johnson’s contemporaries.  It was Hudson Hawk through the off-kilter lens of Wes Anderson.  Not necessarily a bad thing (I’m one of the few with fond memories of Hawk), but it wasn’t promising to be a revelation like Brick…

Well, turns out The Brothers Bloom wasn’t Brick.  It was totally different, but in a nonetheless welcome way.  Rian Johnson’s sophomore effort unabashedly demonstrates the filmmaker’s respect and passion for the magic of storytelling, which is ultimately what the movie is about.  It’s joyous, masterful, cinematic sleight-of-hand, and worth viewing multiple times just to try and see the artifice behind the trick. 

Essentially, it’s the story of two brothers, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrian Brody), who’ve been successful con artists since childhood, always two steps ahead of everyone else.  (The opening sequence, narrated by P.T. Anderson and David Mamet mainstay Ricky Jay, features the young brothers, one of whom is played by Max Records, who stars in the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are.)  They’ve always worked the same way, with Stephen creating the cons – essentially telling the stories – and Bloom befriending the mark – essentially playing the lead part in the Brothers’ plays, which wind up costing their audience members a pretty penny, usually a savings account. 

Flash forward to, presumably, present day – the film smartly lacks certain trappings that obviously assign it a time period, like cell phones – and the Brothers have added another to their ranks – the virtually dialogue-less Bang Bang, a demolitions expert played with impeccable comic timing by Babel’s mute Japanese girl, the oh-so-hip Rinko Kikuchi.  But a malaise has set upon the the younger romantic Bloom, who’s ready to leave the conniving life. Stephen convinces him to go after one last mark, however, the eccentric heiress Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who lives all by her lonesome, collects hobbies, and has a penchant for crashing Lamborghinis.  I should mention here that if you’re a Rachel Weisz fan, just stop reading the review and go see the movie.  It’s one of her best performances, and… well… Darren Aronofsky is one lucky dude.

Without giving too much away, Stephen’s scheme to rob Penelope blind involves Bloom getting close to her, and he of course gets way too close.  But perhaps older brother Stephen expected this very thing to happen… What follows is a fast-paced, lighthearted second act in which the plot thickens, as the Brothers – who’ve now "recruited" Penelope into their cadre of gentlemen thieves under false pretenses – travel across Europe and attempt to steal away with a rare book that’s ultimately just bait.  They also have a run-in with a shady man from their past, Diamond Dog (Maximilian Schell), whom the Brothers refer to as their "Fagan."  (For all you young’uns out there, that’s a reference to the bad dude from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.  Rent the movie.)  His couple of scenes on-screen belie his great importance in the film’s climax. 

At face value, The Brothers Bloom is a flat-out fun flick about funny con artists.  But all the little Easter Eggs to be found throughout make it much more.  And the ending – a testament to the love and selflessness among brothers – was surprisingly emotionally satisfying.

Admittedly, that’s something not even the great Hudson Hawk provided. 

The Brothers Bloom opens today in New York & Los Angeles, then starts a limited run in other cities on May 22nd. 

* For all you Brick lovers watching Brothers Bloom, look for a dialogue-less cameo by Joseph Gordon-Levitt; and a slightly less microscopic part for Nora Zehetner, who played femme fatale Laura in Brick. 

P.S. Check out this piece Rian Johnson wrote on Con Man films for the Huffington Post

Brothers Bloom – Card Trick Scene – Watch more Funny Videos

If you liked that, check out our Brothers Bloom image gallery after the jump.  The film opens in NY and LA on May 15, then wide on May 29.