Rachel loves Dex. Dex loves Rachel. But Dex is marrying Rachel’s best friend, Darcy. How things got so messed up, and how things right themselves, is Something Borrowed.

What’s to love about this movie about love? Lots. The casting of the leads is perfect; Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love, He’s Just Not That Into You) as Rachel is the perfect mix of intelligence, drive and insecurity. Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Bride Wars) cranks it up to 11 as Darcy, Rachel’s self-absorbed, narcissistic friend. But Kate adds a bubbly exuberance and genuine caring to the character that makes it easy to understand why straight-laced Rachel maintained such a close relationship with her over the years. Colin Egglesfield as Dex, the object of both girls’ obsession, is a perfect gorgeous guy blank-canvas that Rachel and Darcy adore. But it’s John Krasinski (The Office, Away We Go) as Ethan, Rachel’s guy BFF, that really stands out. Sure, this is a romantic comedy, but Krasinski’s Ethan flexes some serious acting chops. And he turns the thankless “best friend that harbors a crush” into a character I found myself rooting for. Not because Colin Egglesfield’s Dex is so one-note (though he is), but because Ethan is a fully fleshed character played by an actor who not only knows his craft, but enjoys it. Props also to Steve Howey (Shameless, Reba) for smarm-king Marcus, a role I would have never thought he could pull off after years playing Mr. Nice Guy on Reba. Here’s hoping he gets more recognition; hopefully that’s already on the way for Shameless.

But Something Borrowed is more than just well-written characters being put through their paces by actors almost tailor-made to play them; the writing keeps the story lively. Nice trick for a movie that could have been bogged down by the “love comes after cheating” premise. Like Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the TV series, not the movie), these characters say exactly what you wish you could say at the moment it needs to be said. Smart comebacks? You got ‘em. Well thought-out expressions of love and friendship? In spades. The dialogue is so whip-smart I found myself jotting notes, just so I could remember them if ever I had need. Like I’d be as on the ball as these characters. Hope springs eternal.

The camera work is seamless, from gorgeous overhead and wide shots of New York City that makes Manhattan come alive like the latest 3D wishes it could, to close-ups that feel intimate rather than invasive. Each scene is staged well, and the actors look like they’re actually enjoying themselves. Check out this clip of Darcy and Rachel “pushing it”. Cute, right?

Then why am I not 100% in love with this movie? Okay, can we for one second drop the idea that the ending of Something Borrowed is a surprise? Of course true love wins in the end. But this movie, unlike any other “modern love story”, could have spun the traditions of the genre and come up with something truly fresh and entertaining. Instead, they rely on the same old romance clichés we’ve seen over & over. The True Love, the Snag, the Big Reveal, the Big Problem, and the Perfect Solution. Very cute, but only because the dialogue is so believable and the actors are so engaging. That makes the point of the story – just accept the person you love even if that person let you down big time – a whole lot easier to swallow. But after the initial joy of watching Something Borrowed began to dim a bit, that unsettling point stuck with me. Not because of the cheating/best-friend bashing that occurs, but because Dex, the man-candy everybody wants, never seems to never quite make a decision for himself. He sways, he sticks around, he seems kinda into it…but there’s never the big reveal of a One True Love that makes all the cheating and covering up come out okay. Instead, when they walk off into the sunset, I felt creeped out instead of satisfied. No, scratch that; I wanted her to be running to Ethan instead. Probably not the ending Something Borrowed wanted me to think about, but it was there all the same.

At the end of Something Borrowed, as the credits roll, there’s the now-typical “surprise scene” after what has usually been the end of the movie. This scene hints at a possible sequel, something that is altogether possible since Something Borrowed is part of a series of novels by Emily Giffin. I hope that if another movie gets made, that they’ll have the same cast…but a more modern spin on the classic fairy tale.

Atomic Popcorn has yet another screening for all of you out there in Bmore land. Matt Damon and Clint Eastwood are back and bringing us yet another solid film. Hereafter is Warner Brother’s latest offering and one that is going to please a lot of people. Hereafter is In Theaters Friday, October 22, but we have a sneak peek screening for you all on October 19th!

Make sure to watch the trailer, it’s a great one!

Synopsis:

Oscar® winner Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting,” “Invictus”) stars in “Hereafter,” directed by Academy Award® winner Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” ”Unforgiven”) from a screenplay by two time Oscar® nominee Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Queen”).

“Hereafter” tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might–or must–exist in the hereafter.

The film also stars award-winning French actress Cecile de France (“A Secret”) as Marie, and twins Frankie and George McLaren. The international cast also includes Jay Mohr (“Street Kings,” TV’s “Gary Unmarried”), Bryce Dallas Howard (“Eclipse,” “Spider-Man 3″), Marthe Keller, Thierry Neuvic and Derek Jacobi.

“Hereafter” is produced by Eastwood, multiple Oscar®-nominated producer Kathleen Kennedy (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Munich,” ”E.T.”) and two-time Oscar® nominee Robert Lorenz (“Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Mystic River”). Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Peter Morgan and Tim Moore served as executive producers.

Behind the scenes, Eastwood reunited with his longtime collaborators, including director of photography Tom Stern, production designer James J. Murakami, editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach, and costume designer Deborah Hopper.

“Hereafter” was filmed entirely on location in Paris, London, Hawaii and San Francisco.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Kennedy/Marshall Production, a Malpaso Production, ”Hereafter.”  Slated for limited release on October 15, 2010 and opening wide October 22, 2010, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language.

Trailer:

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR PASS:

Secret Code:

ATOMICJRM8

Make sure you check out our other free screenings in the Baltimore Area.

Photo © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Weed Road and Imagine Entertainment are seeking the rights to Stephen King’s seven-book series The Dark Tower.

An intermingling of spaghetti westerns and fantasies like Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower is set in an alternate world which resembles the Old West, but adds magic into the mix. The series focuses on a “gunslinger,” the last of his kind, a member of an ancient order. He is on a quest to find a tower which is a nexus to other universes. The series was published between 1982 and 2004.

Universal Pictures (who owns Imagine Entertainment) and Warner Brothers (who owns Weed Road) are currently competing for the project.  Plans are to begin with a film trilogy and lead into a television series. Right now, both are in the process of development. However, no deals have been made just yet.

Original plans for the film trilogy include the same group of people who adapted Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons from novel to screen. Akiva Goldsman is set to write the script and Brian Grazer to produce, with Ron Howard sitting in the director’s chair.

The Dark Tower has also been published as a five-part series of graphic novels from Marvel Comics. Released from December 2009 through April 2010, there are plans to publish all five parts as a hardcover compilation sometime this year.

King is also involved in the creation of a pilot for the SyFy channel called “Haven.” Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes) is set to direct. They are currently under production in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, which is being used to represent the fictional town of Haven, Maine. Cast members include Emily Rose (of ER fame) who plays an FBI agent trying to solve the murder of a local Maine ex-convict. Lucas Bryant, Eric Balrouf, Richard Donat, and John Dunsworth are also set to appear.

Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are actually moving ahead with the sequel to mixed-reviewed Clash of the Titans, which could be expected as early as spring 2012.

Louis Leterrie will not direct this time, instead sitting in the Executive Producer’s chair. Most critics blamed Leterrie for the problems in the first film (there’s a reason it’s only scored a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes), so this seems to be for the best. Greg Berlanti (creator of tv series Everwood and Eli Stone) is working on the story line, and studio execs are looking for writers and directors to hone the project.

Sam Worthington is slated to return, as is every character who happened to still be alive at the end of the first film. Plans are to start filming before Worthington is busy with Avatar 2.

The plot for the sequel remains unknown.

Today at ShoWest, Alan Horn, president and COO of Warner Brothers, announced that all tentpole releases from the studio will now be 3D.

This is a huge leap for the format. No other studio has made such a general claim, and this really shows just how big this 3D thing has gotten after Avatar.

Now, this is the same company that rushed Clash of the Titans through 3D conversion, with less-than spectacular results. Although audiences may not be able to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, the conversion process is already leaving a bad taste is some people’s mouth.

Horn was very clear that this also means that any upcoming comic book films from the studio (including the next Batman movie and the Superman reboot) will also be 3D.

The question becomes whether or not WB will be filming in 3D or converting to it after the fact. Although the digital conversion process is not nearly as effective, the company held firm, saying that, in their opinion, the conversion process does not detract from the experience.

I’d like to hear what James Cameron has to say about all this. I’m sure he’s happy about the embracing the format he’s championed so much recently, but he openly criticized WB’s conversion of Clash of the Titans after the fact, saying, “It’s typical of Hollywood getting it wrong… We do a film that is natively authored in 3D, shot in 3D, and so they assume from the success of that they can just turn movies into 3D in 8 weeks… throw a switch and that’s gonna work somehow.”

I do not agree with the decision at all. I admit, the immersive nature of 3D enhances immersive films like Avatar, but not all movies would benefit from the format. It should be left up to the filmmaker to decide whether they want 3D or not. By announcing 3D for all their films, Warner Bros. is blatantly saying that all they don’t care about the art of filmmaking. They know people will pay for it, and it’s all about the money, isn’t it? This is disappointing, especially coming from the studio that won my admiration by steadfastly backing Chris Nolan.

In any case, this move is a groundbreaking decision, and I’m curious to see if other studios go the same route or whether they decide, film by film, which format to shoot in.

What do you think? Does this mean that 3D is no longer a fad?

A few months ago, Bryan Singer, the man responsible for dragging the comic-book story of a group of superpowered mutants in a prejudiced world, known as The X-Men, kicking and screaming onto the big screen announced that he would be returning to the franchise after two disappointing sequels (X3 and last year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.) Singer and producer Lauren Shuler Donner sat down with Hero Complex to discuss the future of the series, which will begin when Singer steps up to the director’s chair for the prequel X-Men: First Class.

First Class will focus on the friendship between a younger Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) as they strive to bring equality to the mutant population, and as Xavier gathers what will become the first team of X-Men.

The premise has compelling elements to it, Singer said. “Just doing younger mutants is not enough. The story needs to be more than that. I love the relationship between Magneto and Xavier, these two men who have diametrically opposite points of view but still manage to be friends — to a point. They are the ultimate ‘frienemies’.”

So why did Singer find himself drawn back into the franchise after leaving Fox for Warner Brothers to helm Superman Returns?

“I genuinely like the people, and my personality meshes more with this universe than it does with other universes, I think; I see that now at this point,” Singer said. “I feel a connection to the X-Men characters and also the ensemble nature of the films. If you look at ‘Usual Suspects” or my last film, ‘Valkyrie,’ I feel especially comfortable with ensemble juggling. In the space between all the characters you can disguise a central thought that’s hidden in all the discourse. I missed that with the singular relationship story of Superman. And, well, it always gives you something to cut to…”

Now that he has returned to the series that effectively helped kick off the current superhero film trend, it seems that some people involved are looking way ahead at establishing a long future for the X-Men.

Shuler Donner also has pitched Singer on doing a fourth installment of the previously established “X-Men” franchise and Jackman had that lunch with Singer to coax him into a project as well, which may or may not be a “Wolverine” film, which Jackman has said will be set in Japan and released in 2011. “I wish I could be four people,” the director said with a moan. “I could make everybody happy.”

Singer turned to Shuler Donner and said of “X-Men 4″: “Hold that one off for just a little, I’m fixated on the other one right now.” She nodded and answered, “I will, I will … I’m holding it open with high hopes. It’s totally different [from 'First Class'] and it will be so interesting for you.”

How do you feel about Singer returning? Do you think the story should be carried on from X3? How do you think the writers can redeem the mistakes of X3 and Wolverine?

Famed 13th Century world-traveler Marco Polo could be exploring a theater new you sometime soon.

Reports are coming in that Warner Brothers has picked up a script that spins Polo’s already fantastic life into a fantasy adventure story that follows his travels through the Orient. The script was penned by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, the writers of college comedy Accepted.

Cooper recently told Variety: “We see this as something that takes place in the Orient of our imagination amid the cultural clash of the East and the West.”

It’s beginning to look like the order of the day in Hollywood is the stylized historical epic, almost definitely relating to the runaway success of Zach Snyder’s green-screen-fest 300, and Cooper and Collage are jumping into the game headfirst. They have already sold screenplays for CG-filled adventure epics based on the stories of Moses and Moby Dick.

Obviously, casting news is still pretty far off, but you can bet that Warner Brothers will use this opportunity to create a new, young action franchise. Most likely in the same “sexy” vein as the new Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers.

Hit the comments section and give us your opinion on who could portray the explorer and what kind of fantasy mischief you’d like to see him get up to.

The new comic book adaptation action film, The Losers has been moved from its April 9th release date to a much more daring June 4th.

The film, based on the rip-roaring comic series from writer Andy Diggle, will follow a group of CIA operatives who have been betrayed by their own superiors.

Originally slated for release during the pre-summer ramp-up usually reserved for this kind of explosive studio action fare, the movie, from director Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard) was moved up into the blockbusting fray of summer. The move is most likely due to the intense hype being generated by internet buzz, comic fan word-of-mouth, and the sudden star power of leads Zoe Saldana (Avatar) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen.)

Warner Brothers is banking that The Losers will be able to stand its ground against the other, much more anticipated summer pictures being released in June, such as The Karate Kid, Toy Story 3, and fellow DC Comics adaptation Jonah Hex. However, the film’s biggest competition will come in the form of The A-Team, a more recognizable franchise with a very similar plot.

The Losers will start kicking box-offices and taking names on June 4th.