When two people walk away from a high-speed car crash with nary a scratch on them, you know you're watching an action movie. When an innocent, ordinary citizen is suddenly thrust into the middle of a national security crisis, you know you're watching a paranoid conspiracy thriller. When both these conditions have been met, nothing makes much sense, and things go "boom!" every 8-10 minutes, you know you're watching Eagle Eye.
Re-teaming star Shia LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso from last year's immensely popular, faux-Hitchcockian Disturbia, Eagle Eye, which had a special screening at Fantastic Fest with Caruso in attendance, might welcome comparisons to The Man Who Knew Too Much or The Wrong Man but is actually closer in spirit to The Net, Irwin Winkler's 1995 attempt to wrestle with identity theft and other perils of the information age. Like that movie, Eagle Eye exploits the all too common fear of technology, but shoves the premise way past common sense, positing a world in which an anonymous voice on a cell phone holds the power of life and death over complete strangers.
With this role, LaBeouf ascends definitively into the Hollywood firmament of stars. While this may be good news for his legion of young fans and his accountant, it's bad news for the moral possibilities of the character he plays. Looking like Seth Rogen's younger brother with a scruffy beard and threadbare clothes, Jerry Shaw is a prodigal son living on the cheap in Chicago. He's devastated when he learns that his twin brother has been killed in an accident, but reconciliation with his stern father (William Sadler) is impossible.
Embedded above is the trailer for New York, I Love You, an anthology of shorts from the producers of the similar Paris, Je T'aime, and going off this taste alone, I'd be willing to say that this might turn out to be just as winsome as that film was.
Several directors -- among them: Mira Nair, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and, um, Brett Ratner -- and even more actors -- including Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Ethan Hawke, Orlando Bloom, Shia LaBeouf, Kevin Bacon, Maggie Q, and again, Portman -- come together with tales of love and life in the various neighborhoods of NYC.
The film is scheduled to make its world premiere at the fast approaching Toronto International Film Festival next month, and if IMDb is to be believed, it'll open in the States next February and eventually be followed by the likes of Shanghai...
Above: At the request of director Michael Bay, Transformers 2 star Megan Fox turns her B into a C.
Lord knows what Megan Fox is doing in the above photo (exercising her breasts for an action scene?), though it may have something to do with Michael Bay's main directorial note (mentioned in this earlier post), which is to "just look hot." Regardless of Fox's boob shuffle, her and co-star Shia LaBeouf are back to work on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and, yes, it certainly looks like they've worked Shia's bandaged hand into the script (based on the photos below). They even added a bunch of badass blood to it! Seeing as folks who get injured in movies never wear any bandages, it should be rather interesting to see how they work this in (ahem, too many nights up late "thinking" about Megan Fox???). Check out a few photos from the set (and Shia's bloody, bandaged hand) in the gallery below, then scope out the rest over at Spoiler TV.
Update: Thanks to Cinematical reader Erik for pointing out the fact that Fox is wearing a ring on a certain finger. Does it mean something? Here, take a closer look at this photo to the right (and click to enlarge). You tell us ...
Less than three months ago, Eugene told us George Lucas was hinting that his Indiana Jones franchise might continue on with Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) as the main character and that Indy (Harrison Ford) would be more of a secondary figure. But MTV Movies Blog now reports that Lucas has had a change of mind and instead plans to make a fifth installment with our beloved hero still in the lead. During promotions for the new Star Wars: Clone Wars movie, he apparently stated that, "Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones. If it was Mutt Williams it would be 'Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis' or something."
Could it be, as MTV suggests, that due to fans' dissatisfaction with Mutt and/or due to LaBeouf's problems with the law that Lucas no longer sees the character as a viable investment? Or did he merely come to his senses about how much more money the movie would make with Ford starring? Lucas says that "Indy 5" is still only an idea but that people are researching possible artifacts to base the movie around. Personally, I don't care what kind of MacGuffin is used, so long as the Nazis are the villains again. The commies in Kingdom of the Crystal Skulljust didn't do it for me. I know the temporal setting can't be WWII anymore, but Indy could always head back into South America and battle the Nazis who escaped to Argentina and Brazil and elsewhere.
In a new interview with Access Hollywood, it would appear director Michael Bay is in complete control of the whole "Shia kinda f**ked up the sequel" situation. Not only does Bay insist that Shia LaBeouf wasn't drunk when he wrecked his car, but he also alluded to re-writing the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen script so that Shia can work with a damaged hand. On whether LaBeouf was drunk at the time of the accident, Bay says, "You're gonna see - that's gonna go away. That's fresh news... He was not drunk. He was drinking hours and hours before." Wait ... did he mean "he was drinking FOR hours and hours before?" Heh.
But the most interesting part for us film fanatics comes when Bay says, "I spoke to him yesterday in the hospital. His two fingers are pretty mashed, but we're figuring out a way to shoot around it, kind of write it in the story." Early reports claimed LaBeouf would have to miss about a month of shooting, which, depending on who you talk to, either does or does not put a major strain on the production. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Bay was in LaBeouf's hospital room right now with a giant freakin' robot and a camera shooting away, while screaming, "Just get everything ... we'll figure it all out in post!"
In case you're interested Mr. Bay, we here at Cinematical have a few ideas on how you can work Shia's injured hand into the script. And you can start by reading this post over on Spout ...
The only reason I'm posting this is to show you exactly how far the human race has come.
It would appear some person (or persons) are currently attempting to sell debris from the Shia LaBeouf car wreck on eBay. Oh yes, as you can see in the photo to the right, said debris consists of broken glass and other weird-looking objects. There was one listing up a few hours ago that had something like 27 bids and was at a whopping $28, but now this new listing is claiming the old listing was a fake ... and now the starting bid is $200. Yup, two hundred bills for a bunch of broken glass! (Hang on -- I have a couple old mirrors I'd love to cash in!)
The ad reads (in part): "Like the moronic driving-challenged Hollywood geniuses of the past... Paris, Nicole, Britney, Brandy, Lindsay, Mischa, Kiefer... now comes the one with the dumbest name of them all... Shia! Own a piece of his shame." His shame? Dude, you're the one selling f**king broken glass for two hundred bucks! Really? Those interested (and please tell me you're not seriously considering this purchase) can find all the details over here. And if that link doesn't work, just search for 'Shia Debris'. And if that doesn't work, just give up -- because you'd be spending way too much time searching for what has to be one of the most ridiculous auction items I've ever seen.
I'm sorry, but this one just cracked me up. The folks over at BustedTees have gone and created an "Enough LaBeouf" t-shirt, which shows a photo of Shia LaBeouf's head in a circle with a cross through it. Are people really that sick and tired of this guy? Because I hate to break it to ya: He ain't going anywhere anytime soon. Or maybe we've just seen too much of him lately. Personally, I find him to be a genuine, charismatic dude who loves what he does and puts a lot of energy into whatever role he's given. That said, I'd love to see a little more range from him. Give him the part as a psycho stalker boyfriend ... or something with a little more juice, ya know?
Anyway, the t-shirt comes in a whole slew of different sizes for both men and women. It costs $18.99. How many of these do you think we'll see at Comic Con?
Even though the inevitable backlash against Shia LaBeouf has already begun, you have to respect a guy who made his start in flicks like Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and made his way to the coveted spot of Spielberg's go-to leading man. Plus, he has a way of making me enjoy films that I normally wouldn't plunk down my hard-earned dollars for. Trust me when I say that it took a lot of restraint not to throw things at the screen during Transformers, so, I really hand it to the guy. Hopefully some of that magic will rub off on the Dreamworks action thriller, Eagle Eye. JoBlo now has the first look at the poster and Mr. LaBeouf seems to really be working the 'intense look' this time around.
LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker who returns home after the mysterious death of his successful twin brother -- gee, do you think there will be a case of mistaken identities? Along with a single mother played by Michelle Monaghan, the two are framed as terrorists, and are threatened into becoming members of a cell plotting to assassinate a politician. Joining in on the fun are Rosario Dawson, and Billy Bob Thornton as the two government agents that are a step behind.
Eye reunites LaBeouf with Disturbia director, D.J. Caruso, in an action thriller that was originally on Spielberg's to-do list. Now that we got a better look at the film, the longer trailer helped ease some of my concerns that instead of Rear Window, Caruso and company were looking to rip-off North by Northwest this time around.
Right now, there are people spending every minute of every day stalking the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen production, searching for the next photo of a blurry Shia LaBeouf standing around or what have you. Every day, we here at Cinematical receive tons of Transformers nonsense -- but instead of throwing it at you left and right, we figured why not collect it and dish it all at one time? Anyway, Transformers Live has nabbed a photo of what appears to be Beetlejuice from The Howard Stern Show hanging in the background on set. No word if the little weird guy actually has a part in the film (or if Bay is keeping him around to torture for his own amusement), though I'm sure your anticipation meter just went up significantly.
In addition to the Beetlejuice news, two videos have also surfaced online. One shows them shooting a scene with Frenzy on top of a car, clawing at the front window, with Sam (LaBeouf) and friends inside. The other shows folks like LaBeouf and Megan Fox stretching from afar. Hot! And it comes with this ridiculous song about stretching. Even hotter! (Both videos included after the jump ... but beware of total hotness!) Production on the sequel has officially moved to Princeton University, where Transformers Live also has photos and more videos of filming. Nothing too life-altering, but if you're itching to see and learn more about the film, I guess that's the place to start. Finally, IESB tells us actress-comedian Kym Whitley has nabbed a small role in the film.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on June 26, 2009.
When we last saw a (teaser) trailer for Eagle Eye - the forthcoming thriller that reunites star Shia LaBeouf with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and Transformers executive producer Steven Spielberg - I commented with something along the lines of, after "reading the synopsis, I've always thought that Caruso and company were following their Rear Window re-do with North by Northwest 2.0."
...which I then followed up with "Whether that's the case or not, I'm a sucker for a chase movie, and more so for [co-star Michelle] Monaghan. Count me in." Well, judging from the new trailer up at Yahoo! Movies, I'll be having a modest amount of crow for lunch later today, as there now seems to be enough distinct differences between that Hitchcock classic and this paranoid techno-thriller that it'll likely excite on its own merits (fingers crossed).
Sure, we seem to have another one of those incredibly elaborate plans on behalf of the baddies that already appears to have too many variables for its own good, but you know what? So long as the thing moves, I'm not above setting aside brains in favor of brawn.
With a cast that also includes Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis, Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.
A whole crop of new images have hit the net as of late, including nine brand new stills from the upcoming thriller Eagle Eye, starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson. The film, directed by D.J. Caruso, follows a young slacker (LaBeouf) and a single mom (Monaghan) who somehow get tangled up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination. Check out our brand new Eagle Eye gallery below, and keep an eye out for the film when it hits theaters on September 26.
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In addition to Eagle Eye, a few more images from the The Pineapple Express were released (see updated gallery below). I'm not sure how to classify Pineapple -- is it a straight-up comedy, a stoner comedy, an action/comedy or an action/stoner comedy with dramatic elements? Either way, I keep hearing excellent things about the flick (which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco) -- and so like Superbad did last August, I'm sure Pineapple (due out August 8) will swoop in and leave us smiling as we hit summer's final stretch.
She's been voted the number one sexiest girl in the history of the universe times twelve by every single magazine that ever existed ... but what people really want to know is: How do you direct someone that hot? Well, thank heavens for dudes like Michael Bay, who's just made the difficult task a whole lot easier for future directors (aspiring or working). While speaking to MTV aboutTransformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Megan Fox said this of Bay's slick directorial skillz: "His main note to me is just to look hot; so I try my best." Nice. What would we do without directors like Bay who really cherish the female character and what she means to the overall finished product? Bravo! Give this man an award.
In other Transformers 2 news, Fox also told MTV that they're "on locations in some really exotic places" and "it's just going to be a badass movie." Perhaps her most interesting quotes, however, had to do with the on set re-writes of the script. She says, "You know, we've been having script meetings, and we've been reworking the script, because they wrote it fast because of the writer's strike. And, we've just been going through and trying to do some character stuff for Shia and myself in the middle of this crazy world that they're in."
Fear not, a lot of filmmakers work on the script while they're shooting, so I'm sure everything will turn out just fine in the end. And hey, as long as Megan Fox looks hot, right?
Okay, maybe we're exaggerating just a tiny bit with that number. Actually, word has it there could be up to 20 more robots in the sequel; this based on a throwaway line written by Roberto Orci on Don Murphy's message board. He says, "I'd love and think we could almost barely manage ten on each side, with some front and center and others as more supporting." Really? 20 robots? I had a hard enough time differentiating between three robots in the first flick -- now they're gonna go ahead and shove 20 at us. 20! How will Shia LaBeouf (poor kid) find a way to "shack up" with Megan Fox when he's got 20 robots to deal with?
JoBlo spoke to Michael Bay at the MTV Movie Awards last night where the director said that "this really feels like a cool sequel ... and it's not one of those bullsh*t sequels. This one stands on its own; the script. And the first one set up a bunch, so you're allowed to have more fun with this one. More robots. More personality from the robots." Transformers 2 begins production today in Pennsylvania.
What do you think about all these robots? Is 20 too much or too little? And should I even be complaining about a Transformers movie with too many robots?
After weeks of rumors, centering mostly on Jonah Hill, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the cast of Transformers 2. Joining the just-announced Rainn Wilson, and the already confirmed LaBeouf, will be Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.
Of course, director Michael Bay is returning to helm it, as well as the original writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who are joined by Ehren Kruger.
No word on story details yet, but filming has already begun in Los Angeles. It will move to Pennsylvania, and then overseas. Photos have been cropping up on the Internet already, though largely of scaffolding and trucks at this point.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! While I've been spending most of the weekend out at my imaginary mansion in The Hamptons, the rest of you were busy reserving just over two hours of your time for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We've already asked you what you thought of the film (and we'll be asking again later to catch up with those who saw it at the end of the weekend), so now it's time to jump ahead and ask ourselves whether we want this franchise to continue.
Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have said they'll continue making Indiana Jones films if the fans want them. Since Harrison Ford is getting up there in age, one imagines a fifth film would involve handing the franchise over to Shia LaBeouf, though we don't know that for sure. What say you? Is it time to retire Indy once and for all? Did this latest installment prove there's not much gas left in this tank? Or, did you absolutely love the film, wonder why it took so long for a fourth one to hit screens and immediately ponder a wonderful future with lots more Indiana Jones-related films?
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Okay, maybe we're exaggerating just a tiny bit with that number. Actually, word has it there could be up to 20 more robots in the sequel; this based on a throwaway line written by Roberto Orci on 
After weeks of rumors, centering mostly on Jonah Hill, 
