While the trailer offers that the film is “inspired by real events,” that mirrors Lehma Brothers‘ collapse, it could have easily been modeled after a half-dozen other firms. The trailer sells the film as a serious, taught drama, but the repercussions of the principals actions isn’t known. Something tells me that they won’t live happily ever after.

Margin Call hits theaters on October 21.

Captain America hits theaters July 22. Check out the poster below.

“Snow is the autocratic ruler of Panem who uses the violent Hunger Games as a way to maintain control”

4 photosLet’s Have A Look At January Jones’ Boobs And Some Other ‘X-Men: First Class’ Stuff

Best known for his roles in W., The Mist, and Infamous, Jones looks like he’ll be breaking through big in the next few years. Fanboys everywhere will see him this summer as the villian Armin Zola in Captain America: The First Avenger (seriously, can this guy go anywhere without Stanley Tucci?), and to have a role in The Hunger Games will raise his profile significantly. This is great news as Jones is a terrific actor, but sad news for Clint Howard. Looks like Hollywood has a new “Whoa, Is That That Guy’s Face???” Guy. (Deadline)

“Firth plays British art curator Harry Deane, who devises a finely-crafted scheme to con England‘s richest man and avid art collector, Lionel Shabandar, (Rickman) into purchasing a fake Monet painting. In order to bait his buyer, he recruits a Texas rodeo queen (Diaz) to cross the pond and pose as a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of WWII.”

Between that synopsis and the Coens’ involvement, this looks like it will be twisty fun. Below you can see the first photo from the movie, featuring Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth – and I promise you, this is 100% authentic, and in no way a fake. Just trust me.

First up out of the corral is Dennis Quaid, who’s joining Jeremy Irons and Bradley Cooper in The Words. Quaid will play “Clay Hammond, a celebrated writer, in the tale in which Cooper’s character, another writer, discovers the price he must pay for stealing the work of another man, played by Irons.” Sounds like a rootin’-tootin’ good time, and also a meditation on creativity and plagiarism. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Next up under the branding iron are cowpokes Orlando Bloom and Nick Nolte, who’ve been cast in “coming-of-age road-trip comedy” Idea in America along with Stanley Tucci and Cristiana Capotondi. (The Hollywood Reporter)

The no. 3 spot on this rodeo is held by Helen Hunt, who’s a-gonna direct and star in romantic comedy Ride. A romantic comedy starring and directed by Helen Hunt? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!

Finally, we got England‘s Number 1 Wrangler Colin Firth, who will play the lead role in an untitled comedy to be directed by Dante Ariola from a script written by Becky Johnston. Here’s a plot synopsis, which rolls through your field of vision like a tumblin’ tumbleweed: “Firth plays a man who hates his job and is hated by his ex-wife and son. Feeling he missed his one shot at living the dream, he fakes his death and buys a new identity.” (Deadline)

Tucci’s role will be a pivotal one, as he interviews all 24 of the tributes from all 12 districts (I speak of this like I know what the hell it means). Since he’s playing a TV personality, there is a good chance that we will be getting “sleazy Tucci,” rather than “overburdened cerebral Tucci,” which is good, because “sleazy Tucci” is way more fun.

Until tomorrow, when I am certain we will be reporting casting news about a tribute or a trident or a newbie or some weird thing from this movie.  (Deadline)

According to new rumors, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and Stanley Tucci have been OK’d for Hunger Gaming. In keeping with the tradition of naming everyone funny, Harrelson’s character would be Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker. He’d be like the Milton-Bradley of games where people die. Actually, that job sounds pretty badass. We don’t know yet who the other actors would portray.

Directed by Gary Ross, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. (Vulture)

Let’s start with Rock of Ages. The cliche karaoke soundtrack turned Broadway musical turned feature film directed by Adam Shankman hits theaters June 1, 2012. Phew. For a moment there, I stopped believin’. Rock of Ages stars Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Julianne “I’m From ‘Dancing With The Stars’ ” Hough and Alec Baldwin.

Meanwhile, Jack The Giant Killer, the Bryan Singer helmed fairy tale adaptation, shimmies down the beanstalk on June 15, 2012. It’s just got to steal a bunch of giant treasure first. Jack The Giant Killer stars Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane. McAwesome cast. (TheWrap)

McShane plays a disapproving dad king, which I imagine will be exactly like his role in Hot Rod, only kinglier. As King Brahmwell, he will hate-on farm boy Jack (Nicholas Hoult), who’s trying to get into the royal panties of his princess daughter (Eleanor Tomlinson). Hopefully, McShane’s scepter doubles as a shotgun.

The kickass cast also includes Ewan McGregor, John Kassir, Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci as the villainous royal advisor. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tomlinson beat out a number of hopefuls, including Lily Collins (The Blind Side), Adelaide Kane (Power Rangers RPM – more like FTW) and Juno Temple (Greenberg). Having sent those other ladies home with not so much as a sack of beans, Tomlinson gets to star alongside Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor and Nicolas Hoult (X-Men: First Class). She’ll play Isabella the Princess, so curtsy next time you see her.

This giant of a movie is looking to drop down into theaters sometime in 2012. (The Playlist)

While a group sneaks into a kingdom of super-scary giants, it turns out that Tucci’s character, an adviser to the human king, has designs on sabotaging the king and taking over the throne himself. Zounds!

The real Stanley Tucci would never do anything like that. Probably just because he’s too damn busy. With roles in both Margin Call and Captain America coming up, Tucci could hardly find the time to advise a king, let alone usurp a throne.

Tucci joins a cast featuring Bill Nighy and John Kassir who will play two heads of the leader of the giants, Fallon. Ok. Now I’m almost positive this isn’t based on a true story. The protagonist, the aforementioned farmer, hasn’t yet been cast, but sources say that Nicholas Hoult, the boy from About a Boy, is a frontrunner. Maybe he’ll teach Stanley Tucci’s character something about not putting yourself first all the time. Or kill him. Whatever. (THR)

Margin Call explains how the economic crisis happened. Basically, one company messed up their formula, so they sold all their asset knowing the value would quickly decline and the buyers would be left with worthless investments. That’s why I always say don’t invest. You don’t actually get to keep the money, you just have to buy something else until it’s over.

In the beginning, a bunch of suits come int the office of an unnamed company and start firing people. That includes Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), who’s the risk management analyst for the company. Yeah, you don’t need that guy. On his way out, he gives a report he’s working on to young hotshot Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto).

Sullivan finishes the report and realizes their whole program is going to lose more than the entire value of their company. He brings it to his boss Will Emerson (Paul Bettany), up to Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey) and ultimately to Sarah Robertson (Demi Moore) and Jared Cohen (Simon Baker). Then head honcho John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) comes in and says, “That’s it. Just dump it all.”

Each step explains a little more of the program so the audience can follow in baby steps. Both Sam and Jared ask for explanations in plain English, because they can’t understand financial talk. That’s convenient for us, but it also leads to more eloquent dialogue. There are terms like layered investments and leveraging mortgages, but Tuld’s music metaphor brings it home.

It’s not really a detailing of the factors in the economic crisis. It’s more of a drama about the people dealing with it. Sam’s dog has a tumor, so we feel for him. Sullivan has the skills to confirm Dale’s report because he is a former rocket scientist. He says it’s still numbers, just more money.

Once they decide what to do, they all deal with it differently. Tuld is relaxed and full of smiles. Even when he throws Sarah under the bus, he’s calm in that Jeremy Irons way. He advises her not to bring up the fact that she warned him earlier, and he’d just appreciate it if she didn’t fight. Young newbies worry about their prospects and the veterans cover their asses.

First time director J.C. Chandor keeps the visuals interesting. When in the office, you’ll see Sullivan writing on paper or bring in plates of eggs when it approaches the morning. They’ll take break on the roof, and send some underlings off to try to find Dale again.

I think Emerson expresses the real problem. He touts those clichés about how people want to live in houses they can’t afford, so basically he just feeds it. I say let’s rise up against these corrupt tycoons. Let’s minimize so they won’t have the power to play with our money anymore.

I knew the story of Burlesque before I even saw it. Stop me if you’ve heard this. Ali (Christina Aguilera) starts out in a farm town dump called Dwight’s bar, but she leaves for L.A. dreams. After she can’t get work as a professional dancer, she stumbles into Clu Burlesque, where she sees an extraordinary show put on by Tess (Cher) and her girls.

Tess isn’t interested in another wannabe, but Ali proves herself. On her rise up to the top of the burlesque game, Ali displays a secret talent that could save Club Burlesque from foreclosure. However, success also attracts temptations for Ali. She feuds with the other dancers and that flirtation with the model hot bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet) may or may not turn into more than friendship.

You know the story. It’s Funny Girl in lingerie. Burlesque has good music and dancing, so that’s all it needs. It’s no Step Up 3D but they put on a good show. They’re not as awesome as the “Hellcats” but their kicks are still impressive. It’s a high energy party full of fun camaraderie.

I really like this version of the archetypal story. They always have the doe eyed dreamers imagine they’re the stars. At least when Ali pretend sings to herself, it’s Christina Aguilera belting it out and doing real choreography, not some America’s Sweetheart lip syncing into a hair brush.

Ali absorbs the choreography like she’s downloading it from the Matrix. They’ve got montages where she practices her moves on the street. She’s Full Montying it. When they have to have a plot, the dialogue is witty with puns and inside jokes. How else do you want them to get through this plot? That nickname line is classic. They get catty too, and there’s high melodrama. Tess’s mentorship is honest and present. She’s not sure about her feelings, she’s just sharing them. That’s the difference between A-list writing and clichés. The A-listers give it a little life. Tess’s number two Sean (Stanley Tucci) gets some great moments of wisdom with a little more life than the usual wise old gay comic relief.

The film is definitely loaded towards Aguilera. Sorry, Cher fans, but at least Tess randomly comes in late one night to do a solo. They should throw that in more. That’s what movies are for, just have characters be awesome just to be awesome. Now it seems like that’s just how Tess rolls. She comes in to sing demos for the Oscar reel. Somehow they forgot to do a duet though.

I don’t understand the level of some critical hate though. Do they just hate evergreen stories every time they come back around? Okay, but do they hate fun too? A movie ticket price is a bargain for this level of A-list stage spectacle, and they point the camera at all the good parts so you don’t miss anything. You’ll be singing the songs all the way home. At least I did.

ScreenJunkies caught up with Stanley Tucci at the press junket for Easy A. When not answering questions about the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne or how good Emma Stone smells, the Tooch talked a bit about his role as Dr. Erskine in Marvel’s Captain America.

Yeah, I don’t look like that character as drawn originally. The character as drawn originally is a very big, sort of square-headed, square-shouldered guy with a big white moustache and a huge thing of hair. I don’t look like that. We chose to, I have a scruffy beard that we grayed even more than mine is gray, and like white hair here [above the ears], sort of longish and then glasses and a German accent.

In other words, something like this:

If you listen closely, you can hear Christopher Lloyd firing his agent off in the distance.

_{Stanley Tucci gets handsey with the new "star."}

So…the trailer for Burlesque is here? If you haven’t seen one of those "Midwestern girl comes to Los Angeles to make it big but ends up getting more than she bargained for" movies than you’re in a for a treat. If you have, than I hope you like Christina Aguilera in whore makeup. She’s had it on since the Lady Marmalade music video from Moulin Rouge.

Stanley Tucci delivers the sass like a pro (why is he so good at being sassy?), and Cam Gigandet plays second fiddle to his bowler cap. The standout part of the trailer though is the flawless CGI work. Cher is as realistic and expressive as ever. Kudos Andy Serkis, for donning the motion capture suit once again and bringing another memorable character to life.

Check out the trailer after the jump…

Burlesque Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

Director: Steve Antin

Cast: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming, Cam Gigandet

Synopsis: A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.

Release Date: November 24th, 2010

^{"Not now, ScreenJunkies."}

News broke today that Stanley Tucci will break out the ol’ mustache and wear an Albert Einstein costume and appear in Captain America: The First Avenger. In the film he will play Dr. Abraham Erskine, Captain America‘s dad. Well, not his biological dad but the scientist who creates him. Like Pinnochio’s Geppetto or Megaman’s Dr. Light or Johnny Five’s Steve Guttenberg.

He’ll be joining the previously-cast Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan and Neal McDonough. (THR)

I love Stanley Tucci, in a completely plutonic way. Would I gently rub his bald head? Of course, but just so I could write the headline "Screen Junkies Rubbed Stanley Tucci’s Head!" not because I would gain any sexual pleasure from the act. His performance as Mr. Harvey absolutely MAKES The Lovely Bones worth seeing. I was not a fan of the film overall, as it lacked in story depth and fleshed out character arcs, but I would recommend seeing it solely based on Tucci’s chilling performance as Susie Salmon’s murderer and griller. He puts a little lemon juice on her, some cracked pepper, she’s delicious. Because she’s salmon. Get it. Yo, whateva.

Check out the featurette after the jump of Tucci discussing the difficulty of emboding the role of a monster such as Mr. Harvey. Oddly enough, he didn’t like to think like a child murderer/rapist, but boy oh boy does it come through those blue eye contacts of his.