What if the entire film Jack Reacher was just a two-shot of Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall crouching in a ditch describing insane action sequences happening off camera. I would absolutely see that movie.

Unfortunately, it's most likely to be a legitimate film with characters and locations and plot lines, even though this new still image does get my hopes up a bit.

Cruise plays former Military Police officer Jack Reacher. When a sniper accused of murdering five random victims insists he's innocent and requests Reacher be put on the case, what once seemed like a simple investigation becomes much more complicated.

Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, and Rosamund Pike (Wrath of the Titans) also star.

Jack Reacher will hit theaters December 21. Watch the Jack Reacher trailer for a full preview.

Check out the fun gag reel from The Avengers Blu-ray, and see how much goofing around you're allowed to do on camera when a film is shot in digital, with no locations or fading sunlight.

 

The Avengers Gag Reel

Joss Whedon has gained a massive fan following, and from the looks of it, he's a pretty good director to work for as well. Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and the rest of the giant cast seem to be having their share of fun. Luckily for everyone, it was recently announced that Whedon will write and direct The Avengers 2.

While fans wait for Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, and Thor: The Dark World, they can own The Avengers on Blu-ray and DVD beginning September 25.

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Director Justin Lin have a bit of a laugh in this set photo from Fast Six. Take a look:

The film once again stars Diesel, Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez (Resident Evil: Retribution), and Dwayne Johnson (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Luke Evans joins on as the film's main villain.

Fast Six will be Lin's fourth time directing a film in the series, having begun with 2006's Tokyo Drift. Chris Morgan wrote the screenplay in his third script in the series.

Fans can catch Fast Six in theaters May 24, 2013.

Jim Carrey is reportedly in talks with Universal Pictures to join the cast of Kick-Ass 2. Carrey would play the founder of the superhero team Justice Forever, Colonel Stars.

With the Kick-Ass 2 release date recently announced for June 28, 2013, the final pieces of the production should be falling into place very soon. Carrey would join Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, John Leguizamo, Donald Faison, and Aaron Johnson in the action comedy.

Carrey got his start in goofy comedic roles as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber and the eponymous pet detective in the Ace Ventura movies. Check out some Ace Ventura quotes for a look at his early work.

Now Carrey splits his time between all out goofy characters and subtler, more nuanced roles.

Kick-Ass 2 will be directed by Jeff Wadlow, with the screenplay by the first film's director, Matthew Vaughn.

Last week we brought you an exclusive Hit & Run TV Spot. Now, in honor of tomorrow's Hit & Run premiere, Movie Fanatic is offering one Grand Prize Winner and one Runner Up an exclusive Hit & Run prize pack!

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a Hit & Run poster signed by Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard and Tom Arnold, a t-shirt, a beach ball, a dread wig, and a water gun. The Runner Up will receive a t-shirt, a beach ball, a dread wig, and a water gun.

Find out how to win below!

Co-stars and real-life fiancees Bell and Shephard told us in this Hit & Run interview that they modeled their on-screen couple after Sally Field and Burt Reynolds. Who is your favorite real life couple to share the big screen?

All you have to do to win is...

1. FOLLOW @TheMovieFanatic on Twitter.

2. RETWEET this tweet along with the names of your favorite real life couple to star in a film together. Make sure you include "@themoviefanatic" and a link to this post in your tweet, so we can see it.

Make sure you follow us so we can contact you if you're the lucky winner. One Grand Prize winner and one Runner Up will be selected at random on Tuesday, August 28. Good luck!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has had to get in shape for roles before, but not like he did for Premium Rush. The Dark Knight Rises star plays the fastest New York City bike messenger who is drawn into a corruption case that could cost him his life when he accepts an envelope for delivery, as showcased in the Premium Rush trailer.

Movie Fanatic caught up with Gordon-Levitt at the W Hotel in Hollywood as he tells us how the community of bike messengers changed his life and exclusively reflects on the blockbuster four-movie year he’s enjoying.

“Yeah, man… things have gone really well,” Gordon-Levitt said of his 2012 that has or will see him in The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush, Looper and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. “I’m super lucky and I’m very grateful. I'm so very proud of each and every single film.”

When it comes to Premium Rush, the actor could have walked away from the bike and never wanted to see it again after the grueling training period and shooting. Instead, the filming of the movie changed his life as he became a bicycle enthusiast.

“I have a love for it now. I enjoy doing it whenever I get a chance. I also like checking out people’s bikes. I’m like, 'Yeah!' Everyone expresses themselves differently with how they decorate their bike, how they ride on it and how they choose to set it up with their handlebars… whatever,” Gordon-Levitt said.

He even admitted that another form of transportation that usually garners men’s attention produces more of a “whatever” response as opposed to a nice cycle.

“It’s funny, I got into a conversation once with someone who has an old Mustang and is really proud of the car. Cars aren’t my thing. We were driving in his car and I was like, 'Check out that bike!' He said, 'A bike, really?' Premium Rush is such a positive thing in that way. It’s great for you. It’s healthy. It’s good for the planet. They are an all-around good thing. I’m proud to be in a movie that glorifies it.”

To prepare for the role, Gordon-Levitt spent time with the real people doing the work that often can land them in the hospital… or worse. “It’s a community. It’s not just a bunch of disparate people,” he said. “It really does bring them together with a commonality, which is nice to see. I now ride wherever I can.”

Another marvel of the Premium Rush experience was having a front row seat for the villainy show that is produced by co-star Michael Shannon (Man of Steel).

“He’s one of the best alive,” Gordon-Levitt said and smiled.

“Oftentimes he’s so heavy and dark, and this movie he’s villainous, but it’s fun. The whole thing has such a tone of just a good time and he was clearly having a ball doing it. It’s clearly an homage to the classic Hollywood heavies. I love him in this movie.”

When it came to the training, the star had a compatriot, his onscreen love interest Dania Ramirez -- who plays a fellow messenger. “It’s not every actress who would necessarily put herself in a situation where she will be in pain, out of breath, riding up a hill for weeks on end. That goes to show she’s into it and she’s game,” he said. “She’s keen and going to do what it takes.”

Gordon-Levitt’s character in the film famously rides through traffic without brakes. The actor, ever game for nailing a role, shot the first sequences without the means to stop other than his feet. “Then I hurt myself. I got 31 stitches. The character is better on a bike than I am,” he said and laughed.

“Then, we put brakes on the bike!”

One of his stunt doubles on Premium Rush proved to be an invaluable asset. “Austin Horse, he is arguably the fastest bike messenger in New York, maybe the world. He rides without brakes. I rode around town a lot with him and I never felt he was unsafe or out of control,” Gordon-Levitt said.

“I wouldn’t recommend it, people. If you’re not Austin Horse, don’t do it.”

This week's DVDs include one of the year's biggest films, and one of the summer's biggest comedies. While The Hunger Games saw a special release last Friday, The Dictator, Chimpanzee, and Bernie all came out today.

The Dictator: Sacha Baron Cohen stars as General Aladeen, a displaced dictator who tries to regain his rightful role as dictator of Wadiya in this comedy from earlier in the summer. Anna Faris, Jason Mantzoukas, and Ben Kingsley also star. Check out some hilarious Dictator quotes, and a new deleted scene from the film below:

 

The Dictator Deleted Scene

Chimpanzee: This documentary from DisneyNature takes viewers deep into the Africa, where a young chimp named Oscar along with his family and fellow chimps explore the complex forest.

 

Chimpanzee Trailer

Bernie: Richard Linklater brings this true story to the big screen, based on a magazine article about the murder of Marjorie Nugent by her young companion Bernie Tiede. Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike) star in this dark comedy.

 

Bernie Trailer

The Hunger Games: The DVD for the smash-hit film based on the popular teen novel came out August 18. Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson star.

 

The Hunger Games DVD Preview

James Franco has proven he can do just about anything. He can smile nice, he can act good, and he can both learn and teach (though he can't host the Oscars).

Now the man who keeps himself incredibly busy will direct his first big film: an adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

Franco has directed a few shorts and full-length indies in the past, but this will be his first "passion project." Franco's Pineapple Express and Your Highness co-star Danny McBride will star, along with Tim Blake Nelson, Logan Marshall Green (Prometheus), Jim Parrack, and Ahna O’Reilly. Franco himself will make a cameo appearance.

The book tells the story, from 15 different narrators, of a Mississippi family trying to bury the matriarch as per her will.

Franco hopes to begin shooting this October. In addition to launching his directorial career, Franco will star next year in Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful. Check out the Oz: The Great and Powerful trailer for a look.

The remake of the 1974 horror classic Carrie began filming at the end of June. Now, the first still of Chloe Moretz all covered in blood on prom night has been released, courtesy of EW.com, along with one of Julianne Moore (Crazy, Stupid, Love). Check them out:

The film is meant as a straight adaptation of the original novel by Stephen King, and not a faithful remake of the original film. Moretz plays Carrie, a girl whose newly-discovered psychic abilities help her to exact revenge on some classmates who terrorize her.

Moore plays Margaret, Carrie's mom. Gabriella Wilde, Judy Greer, Alex Russell, and Portia Doubleday also star.

Production on Carrie is likely finished, as Moretz is currently filming Kick-Ass 2, the sequel to 2010's superhero comedy. Carrie is set to come out March 15, 2013.

Trouble with the Curve has been airing some new TV spots, and we've got two of them for you. The first one explores the history of Amy Adams and Clint Eastwood, and the second one exposes Eastwood as a crotchety old man (shock!). Check them out:

 

Trouble with the Curve Cheap Seats TV Spot

 

Trouble with the Curve TV Spot

Eastwood plays Gus, an aging baseball scout who brings his daughter (Adams) along for one last job. Along the way, they run into a fellow scout, played by Justin Timberlake, who was scouted by Gus back when he was a player.

John Goodman (ParaNorman), Matthew Lillard, Joe Massingill, and Scott Eastwood also star.

Adams is set to star next year as Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman film Man of Steel. In the meantime, Trouble with the Curve will hit theaters September 21.

Dania Ramirez is having quite a year. She first appeared in the hit comedy that gave us great American Reunion quotes, now stars in Premium Rush alongside one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in Joseph Gordon-Levitt and then is off to film a TV show from one of the genre’s most successful producers. “I’m so excited to start filming Devious Maids with Marc Cherry,” Ramirez said. “It’s a great role on a great show from a great mind.”

Ramirez had to suffer through blood, sweat and tears to make Premium Rush, but it was all worth it -- simply to spend time with one of her generation's most talented actors. “I have tremendous respect for him. I saw how hard he trained for the movie, but also how committed he was to bringing the character to life,” Ramirez said of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. “We also had a lot of fun together!”

Although she may seem partial to heaping affection on her Premium Rush bike-riding co-star, Ramirez also marveled at the sereneness of her director, David Koepp (who also co-wrote the script). “For me the greatest thing about David was his composure,” Ramirez admitted.

“The set always felt like he had complete control. He was super confident and focused. He was aware and knowing what he wanted from you. Things could have gotten crazy in the city filming a movie like this, but not with David.”

In our exclusive interview with Gordon-Levitt, he extolled the virtues of the actor portraying the film’s villain, Michael Shannon. Ramirez too basked in his glory.

“It’s just a pleasure to be in his presence. He was having a lot of fun. The whole movie shows that you really can’t take yourself too seriously when you’re riding a bike around New York City. That fun aspect of it is all over,” she said. “He was able to come in as a villain and show the fun side of himself.”

Evidence of that levity, merged with bone-chilling suspense, is in the Premium Rush "envelope" trailer.

In order to put the final touches on her character, Ramirez spent time with real New York City bike messengers. “For the tone of the entire movie, it was really helpful. You have an idea of where they come from,” she said.

Although not looking to make a city cyclist expose, Ramirez was clearly taken by the people who perform this dangerous job. “It’s not a documentary on bike messengers, but you have a responsibility as an actor when you portray a community.”

One thing, above all else, that she took away from that community is that they become one with their two-wheeled friend.

“A bike is an extension of who you are. I wasn’t into cycling at all before. I had a kind of bike phobia. I got into riding while training and I really found an appreciation for it. Then I got to go to New York City and really get to meet these bike messengers, who live on bikes all the time, and not only did I find a connection through my character, but now as myself,” Ramirez said. “I love it.”

Proof that it won her over is evident with Ramirez’s news of her upcoming feat. “I’m training the bike portion of the Malibu Triathlon! It's been a real challenge, but after making this movie... I just felt compelled to do it,” she proudly stated. “Hopefully this film also inspires people to pick up bikes.”

Passion stars Noomi Rapace as Isabelle, a woman who greatly admires her boss Christine, played by Rachel McAdams, a powerful businesswomen who gets off on being revered. Check out the Passion trailer:

 

Passion Trailer

As you can see from the trailer, things get a little steamy as Christine seduces and manipulates Isabelle into submitting herself to Christine. Paul Anderson, Karoline Herfurth, and Rainer Bock also star.

McAdams has a history of playing both charming and sweet love interests, as in 2005's Wedding Crashers, as well as malicious brats, as in Mean Girls. It seems only natural for her to combine the two into one seductive villain.

Passion comes from director Brian DePalma, and will premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 7. As of now, there is no domestic release date set.

Competitive butter sculpting. It's a real thing that happens in the world (Well, mostly in the Iowa part of the world). And now there's a movie about it. Check out the trailer for the quirky comedy Butter, starring Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green):

 

Butter Trailer

Garner plays an Iowa wife who takes the reins from her husband (Ty Burrell), the 15-year butter carving champion, after he decides to retire. Her bid is threatened when her husband's mistress (Olivia Wilde) and a young foster child (Yara Shahidi).

Alice Silverstone (Clueless), Rob Cordry, Hugh Jackman, and Kristen Schaal also star. Jim Field Smith direct the script by Jason Micallef.

Butter premiered at last year's Telluride Film Festival. It will open in theaters October 5.

Movie Fanatic is excited to announce an exclusive giveaway for DisneyNature's documentary film Chimpanzee. One lucky Grand Prize Winner will receive a copy of the Chimpanzee Blu-ray, which came out yesterday, as well as a copy of the hardcover book Chimpanzee: The Making of the Film by Christophe Boesch and Sanjida O'Connell. One Runner Up will receive a Blu-ray DVD.

Scroll down to find out how you could win.

Narated by Tim Allen, Chimpanzee takes viewers deep into the forests of Africa to follow a young chimp dubbed Oscar and his tribe of apes. What is your favorite movie of all time to include a primate (not including humans, of course) as a character?

All you have to do to win is...

1. FOLLOW @TheMovieFanatic on Twitter.

2. RETWEET this tweet along with the title of your favorite movie about a primate. Make sure you include "@themoviefanatic" and a link to this post in your tweet, so we can see it.

Be sure to follow us so we can contact you if you're the lucky winner. One Grand Prize winner and one Runner Up will be selected at random on Wednesday, August 29. Good luck!

Jamie Chung is the star of a new still released today by Universal Picture for the upcoming film The Man with the Iron Fists. Take a look:

Chung, who made an appearance in The Hangover Part II, will also be starring Premium Rush, which comes out tomorrow. She joins writer/director RZA, Russell Crowe (who will play Jor El in Man of Steel), Lucy Liu, Cung Le, and Byron Mann in The Man with the Iron Fists cast.

The film tells the story of a weapons-maker in 19th-century China who joins forces with the town's warriors to protect the community from a traitor.

Catch the film in theaters November 2. For more, check out The Man with the Iron Fists red band trailer.

Killing them Softly has a brand new, super-simple but pretty cool poster, featuring a shotgun-wielding Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds). Have a look:

Pitt stars as Jackie Cogan, an "enforcer" who is investigating a holdup of a Mafia poker game. Also starring are Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins (Hall Pass), James Gandolfini, Vincent Curatola, Max Casella and Sam Shepard.

The film, written and directed by Andrew Dominik, is based on the book Cogan's Trade, by George V. Higgins. Check out the Killing Them Softly trailer, and see the film in theaters October 19.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will produce the 85th Annual Oscars ceremony early next year.

Zadan and Meron have produced numerous film versions of Broadway musicals, including 2002's Chicago and 2007's Hairspray. They also executive produce the TV show Smash.

The news comes shortly after rumors about Jimmy Fallon hosting a Lorne Michaels-produced Oscars were refuted.

The 85th Awards Show will air on February 24, 2013. Do you think any of this year's best summer movies will be in the running for Best Picture? Let us know what you think is the most Oscar-worthy film so far this year by posting in the comments section below!

The Apparition writer-director Todd Lincoln was inspired to create his film on two fronts. One, he sought to redefine the horror genre by pushing the terror deep into the audience's mental space to achieve his shock and awe without the use of blood-spattering fears that usually dominate horror flicks.

Secondly, Lincoln wanted to shake up the haunted house subgenre and raise a question: What if the house is not haunted, but the people are?

Lincoln visited with Movie Fanatic for an exclusive chat and let us in on where and how the story of The Apparition was inspired. “A few years back I was on these paranormal-supernatural websites that I go to for fun -- what I do for fun at my place in Burbank,” Lincoln said and laughed.

“I came across this true story about the Phillip Experiment from the early 1970s. These paranormal researchers believed that paranormal events only happen because we believe they’ll happen.”

The group set out to test that theory by creating a fictional person named Phillip. They talked about how Phillip lived, loved and died. These folks even did a rough sketch of him.

“At first, nothing happened for weeks. A couple of months later there was a thump in the corner. More weeks would pass and the table would move a little bit. Things got more aggressive, like the table would flip on its side and move across the room. They became so terrified that they stopped and all went their separate ways.”

Upon further research, Lincoln discovered that others had tried to replicate the Phillip Experiment and he believed he might be onto something in terms of writing a script. “I thought, 'Wow this is so interesting, this experiment to create a ghost.' I hadn’t seen that before. It’s a fresh way into a horror movie or ghost movie or haunted house. With The Apparition, it’s more the idea that there is no such thing as haunted places, there’s haunted people -- especially if you’re the people doing this experiment.”

He sought to get away from the typical Gothic haunted house that sat on an ancient burial ground that wreaked havoc on the people who lived there stories. But, what if you participated in this experience that produced a full-bodied apparition and it followed you until your own demise?

“I thought it was cool to come at this type of movie from more of a sci-fi way. In some ways, there are traces of a Flatliners movie or John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness in it,” Lincoln said.

Once his plot outline was in place, he wanted to ramp up the scare factor while limiting, if not completely removing the gore. “I sought to go to some unexpected places. I wanted to touch on other aspects -- the paranormal events of outer body experiences, Doppelgangers and the residue that apparitions leave behind,” Lincoln admitted.

“What if they gain strength and take physical form? I think it’s a powerful thing, the connection between belief and fear. The more you believe and the more you fear, the more this thing gains strength. This is the rarest of things in the paranormal field that scares the hell out of the ghost investigators -- coming across a full-body apparition.”

When crafting a horror movie, Movie Fanatic wondered if the scary tent poles within the film are created because they terrify the filmmaker or are aspects created to scare the audience. “In the end it’s both. But it starts with what scares me. You draw from your own experience and fears,” Lincoln said.

The director reported that some of the scare factor is established once he actually has camera in hand and is set to film his stars, Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan and Tom Felton.

“It’s been interesting, this is my first studio feature and once you get in there and you’re seeing these scenes play out -- you’ve watched all the great horror films -- and there you are and you need to shoot some scene where there’s a dark hallway… all these ideas come through,” Lincoln said.

“As you’re executing all these camera angles and getting fancy with what you’ve thought of prior to getting on set… these things just melt away and you think, ‘What’s right for right now?’”

He wishes that The Apparition makes people think more about the world(s) around them. “I hope that people believe that there’s more going on than driving past more Taco Bells and Best Buys. It’s more interesting to believe that there’s more out there,” Lincoln said.

“The mysteries of life’s bigger questions drive people. Horror movies are also an escape of the mundane and everyday. There’s a promising hopeful aspect of it. It’s also just that classic fear of the unknown.”

Screenwriters Lauren Anne Miller and Katie Anne Naylon borrow from a female-friendly genre for their girlfriend-centered For a Good Time, Call. They have taken the structure of a romantic comedy and applied it to a film about two female friends.

Why not? When romantic comedies work, they are efficient means of telling a story.

In For a Good Time, Call, all the elements of the genre that gave us timeless When Harry Met Sally quotes, for example, introduce their two leads in the same manner. They bond over something unexpected. They have conflict that drives them apart and then they find a way to get back together and profess love -- albeit platonic -- for one another.

In Miller and Naylon’s film, directed by Jamie Travis, our two main characters are college enemies that because of economic happenstance, are forced to become roommates 10 years after graduation in New York City. Miller is Lauren, a talented professional in the making. Only thing, our current economic climate is making it difficult for her to get a job.

Ari Graynor is Katie. She is not having trouble finding a job. Simply, Katie cannot find one that pays well enough, so she has several part-time jobs. One of which, Lauren discovers, is working as a phone sex operator. The two bond when the stuffy Lauren feels she has no choice but to put her brains to work with Katie’s vocal talents and create a phone sex business of their own.

Thus, we have the bonding portion of our romantic comedy. We won’t spoil the conflict or the resolution elements, but what is so special about For a Good Time, Call is that it utilizes those rom-com means of storytelling and ropes its audience into caring for these two to achieve best friendship by the closing credits.

The supporting cast is led by Justin Long, brilliant in this For a Good Time, Call clip. He portrays a gay best friend to the two and is surprisingly effective. Lauren’s parents are little used, but still refreshing to see Mimi Rogers and Don McManus -- especially when they drop by at the most inopportune times. And Nia Vardalos is sharp as a knife as Katie’s potential “professional career” boss.

The film reminds us of those 1980s movies that starred Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Which is a good thing, but like those flicks, they don’t have the greatest staying power. Our For a Good Time, Call review found the film solid, fun, original… but lacking anything that will plant it in audiences’ heads for years to come.

Liam Neeson expounds on his character Bryan Mills in this new featurette for Taken 2:

 

Taken 2 Featurette

Mills is back on the hunt in the sequel to the 2008 action thriller, when he takes his daughter (Maggie Grace) and ex-wife (Famke Janssen) on a trip to Istanbul. There, his ex-wife is kidnapped by the father of the man he killed in the first film.

Neeson is fresh off his brief cameo as Ra's al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises. Grace, meanwhile, will reprise her role as Irina in Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Taken 2 hits theaters October 5. Until then, revisit the first film with our Taken quotes page.