Secretariat follows a specific formula, but in the process creates a surprisingly good film. It is simple to predict what will happen, especially considering the real-life origin of the story, but keeps your interest through great acting and direction.

Secretariat is the story of, you guessed it, Secretariat, arguably the greatest racehorse in history. and how the persistence of one Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) and the passion of an eccentric trainer (John Malkovich) enabled a down-and-out horse farm to raise a Triple Crown-winner.

Secretariat contains all the typical elements of a Disney-produced biopic: a traditional hero, a family drama, an underdog, and a feel-good conclusion. And although there has been fervent backlash against “formula films” like this one, there’s a reason they work. For some reason, we respond very well to a three-act structure with an established hero and easy-to-grasp conflict and although many avant-garde filmmakers may experiment with different narrative techniques, all with varying degrees of success, this traditional story-telling device will always connect with audience if done right.

And Secretariat is definitely done right. The film is a great mix of drama, sports action, as well as some good humor running throughout. The script establishes characters that we care for very quickly and efficiently, setting up the story in a way that prevents it from ever losing our interest.

The movie is supported by fantastic performances all-around, especially from the two leads. Diane Lane provides a fantastic heroine that we can not only cheer for but also feel for her struggles. It is always nice to see a truly powerful female lead who doesn’t feel the need to act like a man to show her authority. Mrs. Chenery takes control of the situation and champions the underdog horse when no one else will. As always, John Malkovich is great in a slightly off-kilter role.

Secretariat is well-directed, especially during the race sequences. You can really feel the speed and power of these majestic animals as the director opts for a noticeably cheaper camera in exchange for getting much closer to the action. The cameras zoom right alongside the horses as they jostle for position in the track. Horse-racing is an exciting sport that loses its excitement on TV most of the time but the movie avoids that by showing those key scenes in a great style.

So although Secretariat is at its core a simple Disney film, it was definitely not rushed. The production value is very high, the direction is good, and the acting extremely solid, which is necessary for such a drama. And although the script is predictable, that never hurts the emotional impact of the movie because we really care about the outcome.

Secretariat becomes much better than the idea behind it would suggest, thanks primarily to its excellent performances. Secretariat is a rare, good sports film that gives you the chance to root for the little guy, which I know we all love to do.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

This is going to be a great little film. One I have been looking forward to since it’s inception. Below we have included a ton of clips from the film, including trailers, teasers, TV Spots and more.

Enjoy it. This will become a sleeper hit, I am sure of it!

This is the trailer for the movie I’ll be seeing October 15, 2010 (US theatrical release date) because HOLY MOLY it looks good. Red is based on Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner’s comic book limited series written in 2003 of the same name. This film adaptation was directed by Robert Schwentke (Time Traveler’s Wife, Flightplan) and stars Bruce Willis (Lucky Number Slevin), Morgan Freeman (Lucky Number Slevin), Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich). Also appearing in the film are Mary-Louis Parker (Weeds), Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Brian Cox (Rushmore), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) and Ernest Borgnine (The Dirty Dozen). If that cast isn’t reason enough for you to be chomping at the bit to see this comedic comic book adaptation then the trailer will certainly do the job, enjoy-

I did not read Red, did you? Are you excited about a big screen adaptation? Do you like the cast? Share your thoughts with us!

Earlier this week, Jonah showed up on the scene, albeit a bit late to the party, in a sneak peak courtesy of  SyFy. Then an ugly mug shot of Jonah showed up online. Now we have the full on trailer, and I must say, I am very pleasantly surprised!

A little synopsis of the movie for you all left behind under a rock:

Jonah Hex (Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone… and anything. Having survived death, Jonah’s violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own.

But Jonah’s past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah’s oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead.

Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett and Michael Shannon and is slated to hit theaters June 18.

Enjoy the trailer and do let us know what you think!

Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) and Ed Helms (The Office) are joining the Duplass Brothers’ stoner comedy Jeff Who Lives At Home. Helms most recently made the successful jump from the small screen to the big screen in last Summer’s hit comedy The Hangover while Segel starred in I Love You, Man as well as the Judd Apatow comedies Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The Duplass Brothers’ directed the indie thriller Baghead and  soon to be released Cyrus starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei. Jeff Who Lives At Home is being produced byJohn Malkovich’s company Mr. Mudd and Jason Reitman’s Right of Way Films. I believe in jinxes but I also believe this movie can’t miss. Since we’re talking about the Duplass Brothers and television actors I have to say that The League on FX starring Mark Duplass is in my opinion one of the great new sitcoms joining the likes of Modern Family, Glee and Community.

What say you?

Academy Award® winners Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine joined Bruce Willis (Sin City), Mary-Louis Parker (“Weeds”), Brian Cox (Rushmore) and Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich in Toronto as they began production of the big-screen adaptation Red based on the graphic novel of the same name by Warren Ellis. Its hard to hear about a graphic novel adaptation starring Willis along side a lot of A list actors and not think of Frank Miller’s Sin City — alas, the City casts a large shadow. Rumors of a City sequel make this an especially interesting project for Willis to take on. I hope that Red finds a unique onscreen style and feel to stand out in whats become a rather big graphic novel crowd. Production moves to New Orleans before wrapping in late March. Look for Red in theaters October 22, 2010 and watch Willis and Freeman in Lucky Number Slevin on DVD today!

Here is the press release for those of you out there that care:

Joining previously announced stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker and Academy Award^®-winners Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman, are two-time Academy Award^®-nominee John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Academy Award^®-winners Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine, Julian McMahon, James Remar and Rebecca Pidgeon.

“Red” is the story of Frank Moses (Willis), a former black-ops CIA agent, who is now living a quiet life.  That is, until the day a hi-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.  With his identity compromised and the life of the woman he cares for, Sarah (Parker), endangered, Frank reassembles his old team (Freeman, Malkovich and Mirren) in a last ditch effort to survive.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Flightplan”) from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (“Whiteout”), the film is produced by di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian (“Salt,” “Transformers,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”).  Executive producers are Jake Myers (“Shanghai,” “Hollywoodland”) and Gregory Noveck (“Jonah Hex”).  Di Bonaventura Pictures’ production executive David Ready serves as co-producer.

“Red” reunites director Schwentke with director of photography Florian Ballhaus (“Marley & Me,” “The Devil Wears Prada”) and Oscar-winning film editor Thom Noble (“Witness,” “Thelma & Louise”) who collaborated with Schwentke on “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “Flightplan.”  Additionally, “Red” production designer Alec Hammond (“Donnie Darko”) and costume designer Susan Lyall (“Rachel Getting Married”) lent their talents to Schwentke’s “Flightplan” as well.

“I’m so excited at the phenomenal cast that Robert and our script have attracted,” said di Boneventura.  “I think audiences are going to have a great time.”

Summit’s President of Production Erik Feig said, “RED is that classic project with a little bit of something for everyone.  We are thrilled to see it come to vivid life with an outstanding cast, incredibly talented director, and top notch producing team.  It’s gonna be a good one!””

“Red” will film in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal photography.  The film is scheduled for worldwide release on October 22, 2010.

Cutting to the chase: If you like the Coen Brothers previous works of No Country for Old Men, or even O Brother Where Art Thou? than you will find this to be a along the same lines. If you don’t it may make you laugh as it did me. But it also will surprise you as it is not at all what the trailers have shown it to be.

The story revolves around a disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent that ends up in the hands of two everyday gym employees who attempt to sell it. One would think this could have some very funny twists and turns but the humor in this one was very dry and almost awkward at times.

The Coen’s have brought complex characters to the screen in the least warming way possible. If it weren’t for Brad Pitt’s crazy chararcter the film would be very drab and lacking in many places. The way in which the chararcters are introduced was very abrupt and not well thought out.

Brad Pitt plays Chad, a gym trainer at a Har Bodies chain. The way in which he goes throughout the movie is something to watch. He made the movie if you ask me.

Harry (George Clooney), an OCD womanizer, is a character you begin to route for towards the end of the film. Even though it seems he sleeps with anyone he can get his hands on, he grows on you. Creator of story after story, and lie after lie, you begin to like this guy.

Osborne Cox, played by the ever talented John Malkovich, has to be the most screwed up chararcter on screen, and in this movie that is saying a lot! Cox recently quit his post at the CIA after his boss wanted to reassign him due to having a drinking problem.

While the film had its funny parts, I must of missed the point of the film throughout. Pitt was the savior of the movie in my eyes. While each actor put in a great performance, the film was subpar as a comedy and on par as a dramedy. With that said I would also watch out for the very random violent parts of the film. In Coen style, the blood, is over the top everytime its called for.

The soundtrack on this movie was great if you ask me. It is not something that is something that I notice in a film. Over all I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Coen Brothers films. Beside that I would probably call this a rental.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆