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Arnold Schwarzenegger Talks Gun Violence in Movies & Society

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Arnold Schwarzenegger met Movie Fanatic over the weekend to talk about his latest film -- teased in The Last Stand trailer -- and towards the end, the conversation turned to the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The former governor of California was eloquent and made some interesting points about the larger issues involved and how we progress here in Hollywood as a town that makes violent movies, and also as a nation and the broader culture as a whole.

Arnold Schwarzenegger The Last Stand
The star of his fair share of action flicks stressed that it is important to not connect the two issues of gun violence in society and violent movies coming out of Tinseltown. "It's two different issues -- always keep it separate," Schwarzenegger said. "This is entertainment, and the other thing is a tragedy beyond belief and it's serious and the real deal."

The superstar believes that it is of the utmost importance that the public needs to put a mirror up to itself when horrors happen as they did in Newtown. "I think whenever you have a tragedy like that, you will be foolish not to look into all ways of what can we do as a society to improve the situation and to reduce the risk of those kind of issues happening again," Schwarzenegger said. 

Hollywood has a part in the discussion, but in the end it comes down to our gun laws in America and he stressed that it is not a crime to discuss how to better ensure our collective safety and we should not shy away from making it harder for people to get guns.

"Will it go away? No, it will never go away, but we always have to make a 100-percent effort to use those moments and to figure out ways of, how can we do better? How can we do better with gun laws? If there is any loophole, if there is a problem there, let's analyze it," Schwarzenegger said. "Let's not jump to conclusions, let's analyze."

The shooters in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting and the one recently at the elementary school in Connecticut both share the trait of being mentally unstable. The former public servant thinks we also need to take a hard look at how we treat mental issues in the U.S., instead of being quick to blame the violent movies that have made up a large part of Schwarzenegger's career.

"Also, let's find out if we are really dealing with the mental problems the right way as a society. Do we have a mechanism in place that if we see someone that is unstable, what do we do with that person? Remember, we are not in China or some country where you make people disappear," he said.

"In America you can't just arrest someone because they act strange. So you have that problem and we have to deal with that. What do we do with that, when we see someone that is unstable? And so we have to analyze how do we deal with mental illnesses, how do we deal with the gun laws, how do we deal with parenting? Does a mother need to collect those guns and take her little kids shooting?"

When it comes to a violent tragedy where innocent lives have been lost, the man has the unique position of being a star of violent movies and a policy maker who ran one of the country's biggest states. He wants all options to be on the table as we head forward in our efforts to minimize these tragedies from occurring in the first place.

"Everything has to be analyzed, no stone unturned," Schwarzenegger said. "And I think that's what we owe to our people. I think that's what they ought to do, rather than make it political."

Be sure to stay with Movie Fanatic for our entire Schwarzenegger interview debuting January 14 as he talks what it's like to be back in Hollywood making movies again.


Star Wars Episode VII Director News: Guillermo Del Toro Said No

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We still don't know who will be directing Star Wars Episode VII, but we do know some people who won't be taking the job. On a long list that includes myself and former All-Star first baseman Wally Joyner, we can now add actual film director Guillermo Del Toro.

In an interview withThe Playlist, Del Toro revealed that his agent got a phone call asking if the director would be interested, but that he had to turn it down due to numerous projects in development. "It was just a phone call, it didn’t go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I’m busy enough.”

Guillermo del Toro Pic

Del Toro was on our 10 Star Wars Episode VII directors to consider list, and he would surely be an excellent choice. The well-regarded director of dark fantasy films like Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth was originally slated to direct The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but eventually ceded the job to Peter Jackson due to timing issues.

The moral of this story is that Del Toro is so busy, that he has turned down two of the biggest franchises in movie history. His new film, Pacific Rim, comes out July 12.

Who do you think should direct Star Wars Episode VII? Let us know in the comments section below!

Visual Effects Society Awards Nominations: The Hobbit Cleans Up

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Last week, the PGA award nominations and WGA award nominations were announced for outstanding producing and writing in feature films. While the nature of those guilds only allows for a few categories each, the Visual Effects Society has released their nominations, which features tons of very specific groupings for things many people probably never even realized existed (Virtual Cinematography? Simulation Animation?).

Check out the film-specific nominations below, which features a whole lot of The Hobbit.

Richard Armitage in The Hobbit

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Joe Letteri
Eileen Moran
Eric Saindon
Kevin L. Sherwood

Prometheus
Paul Butterworth
Charley Henley
Allen Maris
Richard Stammers

Life of Pi
Thomas Fisher
Susan Macleod
Guillaume Rocheron
Bill Westenhofer

The Avengers
Susan Pickett
Janek Sirrs
Jeff White
Guy Williams

Battleship
Grady Cofer
Pablo Helman
Jeanie King
Glen Mcintosh

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture

Rust and Bones
Béatrice Bauwens
Cédric Fayolle
Nicolas Rey
Stéphane Thibert

The Impossible
Felix Bergés
Sandra Hermida
Pau Costa Moeller

Argo
Matt Dessero
Leslie Hough
Gregory Mcmurry
Tom Smith

Flight
Kevin Baillie
Michael Lantieri
Chris Stoski
Ryan Tudhope

Zero Dark Thirty
Geoff Anderson
Chris Harvey
Jeremy Hattingh

Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave
Mark Andrews
Steve May
Katherine Sarafian
Bill Wise

ParaNorman
Chris Butler
Sam Fell
Travis Knight
Brad Schiff

Rise of the Guardians
Nancy Bernstein
David Prescott
Peter Ramsey
Christina Steinberg

Wreck-It Ralph
Sean Jenkins
Scott Kersavage
Rich Moore
Clark Spencer

Hotel Transylvania
Lydia Bottegoni
James Crossley
Mike Ford
Daniel Kramer

Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: Goblin King
Jung Min Chan
James Jacobs
David Clayton
Guillaume Francois

The Hobbit:Gollum
Gino Acevedo
Alessandro Bonora
Jeff Capogreco
Kevin Estey

The Avengers: The Hulk
Marc Chu
John Doublestein
Cyrus Jam
Jason Smith

Life of Pi: Richard Parker
Erik De Boer
Sean Comer
Betsy Asher Hall
Kai-Hua Lan

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave: Argument
Travis Hathaway
Olivier Soares
Peter Sumanaseni
Brian Tindall

Hotel Transylvania: Dracula
Bill Haller
Tim Pixton
Jorge Vigara

Wreck-It Ralph: Vanellope
John Kahwaty
Suzan Kim
Michelle Robinson
Tony Smeed

The Pirates: Band of Misfits
Will Becher
Jay Grace
Loyd Price

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: Goblin Caverns
Ryan Arcus
Simon Jung
Alastair Maher
Anthony M. Patti

Prometheus: LV-233
Julien Bolbach
Marco Genovesi
Martin Riedel
Marco Rolandi

The Avengers: Midtown Manhattan
Richard Bluff
Giles Hancock
David Meny
Andy Proctor

Life of Pi: Open Ocean
Jason Bayever
Sho Hasegawa
Jimmy Jewell
Walt Jones

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave: The Forest
Tim Best
Steve Pilcher
Inigo Quilez
Andy Whittock

ParaNorman: Graveyard
Phil Brotherton
Robert Desue
Oliver Jones
Nick Mariana

ParaNorman: Main Street
Alice Bird
Matt Delue
Caitlin Pashalek

Rise of the Guardians: The North Pole
Eric Bouffard
Sonja Burchard
Andy Harbeck
Peter Maynez

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Matt Aitken
Victor Huang
Christian Rivers
R. Christopher White

The Avengers: Downtown Manhattan
Colin Benoit
Jeremy Goldman
Tory Mercer
Anthony Rispoli

Total Recall: Hover Car Chase
Daniel Baldwin
Mattias Forsstrom
Sam Schwier
Joshua Wassung

The Amazing Spider-Man
Rob Engle
David Schaub
Cosku Turhan
Max Tyrie

Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture

The Avengers: Helicarrier
Rene Garcia
Bruce Holcomb
Polly Ing
Aaron Wilson

The Impossible: Orchid Hotel
Markus Donhauser
Patrick Lehn
Angel Martinez
Juergen Pirman

Men in Black 3: Cape Canaveral/ Apollo Launch
Craig Feifarek
Hee-Chel Nam
Erik Neill
Taehyun Park

The Dark Knight Rises: Airplane Heist
Scott Beverly
Alan Faucher
Ian Hunter
Steve Newburn

Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Brave
Chris Chapman
Dave Hale
Michael K. O'Brien
Bill Watral

ParaNorman: Practical Volumetrics
Aidan Fraser
Joe Gorski
Eric Kuehne
Andrew Nawrot

ParaNorman: Angry Aggie Ink-Blot Electricity
Michael Cordova
Grant Laker
Susanna Luck
Peter Vickery

Rise of the Guardians: Last Stand
Andy Hayes
Carl Hooper
Andrew Wheeler
Stephen Wood

Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Areito Echevarria
Chet Leavai
Garry Runke
Francois Sugny

Life of Pi: Storm of God
Harry Mukhopadhyay
David Stopford
Mark Williams
Derek Wolfe

Battleship
Florent Andorra
Willi Geiger
Rick Hankins
Florian Witzel

Life of Pi: Ocean
Jason Bayever
David Horsley
Scott Townsend
Miles Vignol

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Jean-Luc Azzis
Steven Mcgillen
Christoph Salzmann
Charles Tait

Life of Pi : Storm of God
Ryan Clarke
Jose Fernandez
Sean Oharas
Hamish Schumacher

The Avengers: Hulk Punch
Chris Balog
Peter Demarest
Nelson Sepulveda
Alan Travis

Prometheus: Engineers & the Orrery
Xavier Bourque
Sam Cole
Simone Riginelli
Denis Scolan

Zero Dark Thirty: Jessica Chastain Pays Tribute to Real Heroes

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Jessica Chastain has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz for her role in Kathryn Bigelow's latest triumph. As teased in the Zero Dark Thirty trailer, this film rivets. Our recent Oscar Watch column that predicted the nominees even anointed her the favorite to win Best Actress!

It surprised her what most resonated about the story that follows the decade-long effort to bring justice to those who perished on 9/11. "There was a woman at the center," Chastain said. "I was shocked by that. Then I became disappointed in myself that I was shocked by that!"

As the film opens in wide release January 11, Movie Fanatic sat down with the actress who portrays that CIA Agent at the center of the effort to find Osama bin Laden. In an exclusive video interview, she let us in on the magic of director Bigelow and what means the most to her about this film getting made.

"It's acknowledging the people who worked behind the scenes," Chastain said of Zero Dark Thirty. "This is the greatest manhunt in history. It's the story about the thousands of people involved. It's really inspiring."

After witnessing over 250 films in 2012, Zero Dark Thirty landed atop our Top 10 Movies of 2012 and will likely result in a back-to-back Academy Award victory for Bigelow after her Best Picture and Best Director wins for The Hurt Locker.

Chastain told us what it is that is so masterful about the woman who is breaking down bigger barriers with each successive film. "I love, love, love Point Break," she said emphatically about one of Bigelow's first films. "I always put myself in situations where I'm going to learn a lot. And she's such a great captain."

Oz: The Great and Powerful Sees Four New Stills

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Four new stills have been released for Oz: The Great and Powerful. Take a look (click thumbnails to enlarge):

James Franco Mila Kunis Oz: The Great and Powerful

Michelle Williams in Oz the Great and PowerfulOz: The Great and Powerful MunchkinsMila Kunis James Franco Oz: The Great and Powerful

James Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, a circus performer who finds himself magically transported to the land of Oz, where he is presumed to be the legendary Wizard. After initially duping the residents of Oz, Diggs eventually learns the meaning of his great responsibility, and transforms into the Wizard.

Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and Rachel Weisz star as the witches. Zach Braff (Garden State), Joey King, Abigail Spencer, and Bruce Campbell also star.

Sam Raimi directs the film, which premieres March 8. Until then, check out this Oz: The Great and Powerful Wicked Witch character poster.

The Big Wedding Image: Robin Williams Marries Susan Sarandon and Robert De Niro

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We've got a new still from The Big Wedding, featuring Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), and Robert De Niro. Check it out:

Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, and Robert De Niro The Big Wedding

De Niro and Diane Keaton star as a long-divorced couple who must pretend to still be together at their adopted son's wedding. Throughout the day, the deception spins out of control.

Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables), Topher Grace, Ben Barnes, and Christine Ebersole also star.

Justin Zackham wrote and directed the film, which hits theaters April 26. Watch The Big Wedding trailer for a preview.

Movie Fanatic Round Table: Must-See Movies of 2013

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We’ve convened the Movie Fanatic Round Table for our inaugural 2013 edition featuring the opinions of some of the best and brightest who are writing about movies and asked them their top three must-sees of 2013.

Movie Fanatic Round Table Pic

So, for those of us that see hundreds of films a year... what are we most excited to see in the next 12 months?

Ned Ehrbar, Metro World News

Star Trek: Into Darkness
J.J. Abrams has been keeping us waiting four years for the follow-up to his fantastic reboot of the sci-fi juggernaut with Star Trek Into Darkness. But if it's anything like the first film, the wait will have been well worth it. And with Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch coming onboard in a highly speculated-upon villain role, odds are it will impress.

The World's End
Speaking of long waits, Edgar Wright is going to finally -- finally! -- release the last entry in his Cornetto Trilogy, after Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The film follows pals played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as they relive a pub crawl that may or may not coincide with the apocalypse. While it might seem more appropriate for a late-2012 release, we're willing to wait.

Ender's Game
Science-fiction fans have been waiting a long, long time for a film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's tale of kids training to battle aliens in the near future, but the wait is (almost) over. The cast is stacked with the likes of Harrison Ford, Sir Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis, plus high-brow younger talent like Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Asa Butterfield (Hugo) as Ender.

Joel D. Amos, MovieFanatic.com

As published in our Top 13 Movie Moments of 2013, my top three are:

Man of Steel
Although I am one who thoroughly enjoyed Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, but was not a fan of the story or direction, the idea that we Superman fans would get another chance at an origins story with Man of Steel is pure bliss. At first we wondered about the casting of Cavill in the lead role, but after meeting him in person, Movie Fanatic was sold. And don't get us started on the cast that includes Kevin Costner as Clark Kent's father, Russell Crowe as Superman's supernatural father, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as Zod -- we could not be more excited.

Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel

Iron Man 3
Tony Stark is back and it appears that as iffy as Iron Man 2 was, Iron Man 3 will put the heavy metal superhero back into the forefront of awesomeness. After stealing scenes left and right in The Avengers, Robert Downey Jr. is once again ready for action and with Ben Kingsley as Mandarin... we finally have an evil force to match Downey's talent for the fierce.

Elysium
I'm a huge fan of District 9 and after witnessing that sci-fi stunner, anything from director Neill Blomkamp immediately shoots to the top of our expectation list. The helmer has joined forces with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster for a story of the future that might not be too far from what really could happen.

Runners-Up:The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Star Trek Into Darkness

Don Kaye, MSN Parallel Universe

Man of Steel
The last Superman movie, 2006's Superman Returns, left such a bad taste in my mouth that I was convinced we'd never see a good Superman movie again. When Man of Steel was announced, I wasn't keen on revisiting the character's origin story and I wasn't completely convinced that Zack Snyder was the guy to direct it. But having seen the trailer (and a little extra footage at last summer's Comic-Con) and getting a feel for how they're approaching this, I'm now totally excited to see the picture.

I think we're finally going to get the epic battles and majestic tone that we want from a Superman movie and the question that Superman (Henry Cavill) poses in voice-over at the end of the trailer always gives me goose bumps. Producer Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer delivered the best Batman movies ever, so I think they can help Snyder shepherd a terrific Superman movie to the screen as well. 

Gravity
I'm also looking forward to Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron has not made nearly enough movies, but everything he makes is beautifully filmed, elegantly written and almost always intense on both a visceral and emotional level. His last film, 2006's Children of Men, was quite possibly the best film of that year and one of the best of the decade -- and it's science fiction as well. So seeing Cuaron return to the genre with Gravity, and hearing about the incredible visuals that the movie reportedly has, my anticipation for this has been off the chart.

I must admit I was concerned when it was bumped out of a 2012 release, and there have been reports from one or two super-secret test screenings of mixed audience reactions, but I am hoping that this filmmaker blows my mind and breaks my heart once again.

Bruce Greenwood Chris Pine Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness
Third on my list is Star Trek Into Darkness -- but my anticipation for it comes from a weird place. I did like J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot of the franchise very much, with all its flaws, and I'm incredibly curious about what he and his writing team (Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman -- none of whom are such great scribes, by the way) plan to offer this time. Will they recapture the magic of the 2009 film while also retaining the flavor and chemistry of the original series?

Will their villain (Benedict Cumberbatch) just be a lazy retread of Khan or will they come up with something original? The signals are very mixed on this one, and I have my doubts about what they're doing -- but all that has escalated my interest to sky-high levels. I'm going to go in with an open mind and hope that Abrams has made a terrific Trek movie -- but I'm prepared for anything.

Runners-Up: Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Elysium, Pacific Rim, Before Midnight, Ender's Game, No, Monuments Men, Catching Fire, Saving Mr. Banks, The Conjuring, Oblivion, The Wolverine, Inside Llewllyn Davis, The World's End and many more...

Ryan Downey, MTV Movies

Star Trek Into Darkness
Like many fans, I'm excited to see what happens with the Star Trek sequel, as the quality of the reboot was something of a welcome surprise to me.

The Wolverine
As someone with supporting characters from the Wolverine comics tattooed on me, as well as Dark Phoenix, I'm hopeful about The Wolverine. Growing up, I loved both the four issue mini-series and the lesser remembered six-issue mini-series, Kitty Pryde & Wolverine, which were both set in Japan, so hopefully this is more on the mark than Origins.

I know Jackman loves and understands the character deeply, even if he is too tall. (Couldn't they do some forced perspective, like on Star Trek TNG's bridge or in Lord of the Rings? Haha).

A Good Day to Die Hard
Die Hard
is my favorite Christmas movie and my favorite action movie, so I'm always down for a new entry there, even if I didn't love the last one (I did LIKE it, at least).

Runner-Up: The Monsters Inc prequel should be fun (just re-watched the original in the theater).

Debbie Lynn Elias, www.MovieSharkdeblore.com

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald and the opulence, beauty and decadence of the Roaring 20's and the Art Deco era meet Baz Luhrmann. Based on Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, the lush story of Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan as seen through the eyes of midwestern transplant Nick Carraway has always proven a fascination for filmmakers. As early as 1926, Fitzgerald’s tale has been a favorite adaptation for filmmakers with the most notable version to date being that in 1974 with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

Yet, something has always been missing as each prior filmmaker has softened the story and the look with a rose-colored glasses sensibility. With Luhrmann at the helm and production designer/costumer wunderkind Catherine Martin by his side, I expect The Great Gatsby 2013 to be a mesmerizing and immersive sensory experience that, as with Moulin Rouge, extends into the cinematography, editing and music. And did I mention that cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire?

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby
Pacific Rim

Alien monsters rising from a crevice in the Pacific Ocean, human powered robots and Guillermo del Toro, what is not to like? A master at illusion and capturing the negative space in the mind’s eye and bringing it to the screen, del Toro’s work always has a mysterious and beautiful lyricism to it.

With a cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Clifton Collins, Jr., among other notables, the testosterone level should prove epic and be an interesting complement to the anticipated beauty and power of man, machine, monsters and the mighty sea. Shot on the Red Epic, VFX is being handled by ILM, practical effects are from Legacy and Iron Man suit creator Shane Mahan is on board as Effects Supervisor which should guarantee some eye-popping visual spectacles.

Jack Ryan
Long a fan of Kenneth Branagh, both in front of and behind the camera, and uber fan of Tom Clancy’s novels and particularly the Jack Ryan series, my curiosity is piqued with this latest entry into the film franchise. While the seminal Jack Ryan is, and always will be, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck did a more than admirable job assuming the role in 2002's The Sum of All Fears and I suspect that Chris Pine will more than hold his own this go round -- if he can break free of his Star Trek James Kirk persona.

With a story pitting a young Ryan against a Russian terrorist and a plot to crash the U.S. economy (again), the spy thriller concept updated for the 21st Century global world is once again ripe for the picking. And with Branagh himself as the Russian villain, there’s already a delicious insidious evil to look forward to.

Runner-Up:Black Rock

A Haunted House Exclusive Giveaway: Win a Poster Signed by Marlon Wayans!

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Movie Fanatic is excited to announce an exclusive giveaway for A Haunted House! The horror spoof was written by Marlon Wayans, who stars along with Essence Watkins, Cedric the Entertainer, Nick Swardson, and David Koechner (Anchorman).

Three lucky winners will receive a poster signed by Wayans and Watkins. Watch the A Haunted House trailer, then scroll down to see how to enter for your chance to win!

A Haunted House Poster

The Wayans family has a deep history with spoof films, having made Scary Movie together in 2000, and launching a whole new era of genre parody films. What's your favorite spoof movie of all time?

All you have to do to win is...

1. FOLLOW@MovieFanatic on Twitter.

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

Also be sure to follow us so we can contact you if you're one of the lucky winners. Three winners will be selected at random on Monday, January 14. Good luck!


Mama Gets New Clips Starring Jessica Chastain: What's Under the Bed?

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Two creepy new clips have hit the net for the horror movie Mama. Watch them below:

Mama follows Annie and Lucas, a young couple played by Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, whose young presumed-dead nieces are found in the forest. After taking them in, Annie and Lucas discover they are haunted by a presence the girls believe is their mother.

Daniel Kash, Megan Carpentier, Jane Moffat, Isabelle Nelisse, and Julia Chantrey also star. Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro executive produced the film, which is directed by Andres Muschietti.

Mama will be released January 18. Check out this Jessica Chastain Mama still for more.

Mama: Guillermo del Toro Talks Terrifying Audiences

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We’re sure it’s so hard to tell, but filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has an affinity for ghost stories. He serves as producer for his latest, Mama, after serving the same capacity with the 2010 scarefest Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. Movie Fanatic caught up with del Toro where he let us in on the secrets of creating the scary ghoul that is Mama, what he saw in director Andy Muschietti and what it is about ghost stories that have so compelled him over the years.

Mama Photo

Mama follows the story of two young girls who wind up stranded in an abandoned cabin where they somehow manage to survive for five years until they are found. When they are reunited with family, the two don’t come home alone… along for the ride is the ghostly presence who “mothered” them for five years… Mama!

When it came to creating the ghostly presence, del Toro was taken with director Muschietti's knack for only spooning out a little Mama at a time, all to increase the fear factor. "It is a great construction of a character. It’s not just a ghost. We did three stages with Mama," del Toro said.

"We did one where the girls talk about her and before you see her. When they say, 'Mama is back,' that implies a will and a personality on the ghost before you show it."

Then, filmmakers have auxiliary characters begin to fill out her presence. "The second stage is the speech by the old lady saying a ghost is a twisted emotion like a corpse in the sun," del Toro added. 

As shown in the Mama trailer, things can then get utterly twisted in the most terrifically horrific ways as the entity is more fully revealed. "Then, you do it through the process of action where you show a shadow. You hear a noise, a closet door opens and then the doctor makes the investigation that she was a mother. By the time you reveal Mama, you already have so many emotions and ideas about her, it is personified in that scarecrow of a figure -- it is super scary. You’re not dealing with just a scary figure. You’re dealing with a full-blown character!"

The horror master believes that that means of scary character reveal packs much more of a punch. "That is much more satisfactory. Andy had the wisdom to show just enough... myself, I would have probably shown more," he said and laughed. "I think he made the right choice."

Del Toro is a longtime fan of the ghost story. Just ask him about the books in his home that have been read repeatedly. "The only library in my house that I can guarantee that I’ve ready every book is the horror room. I have read most every horror and ghost story from the last ten years," he said. 

Guillermo del Toro Picture

As a storyteller, he can appreciate that the ghost story can manifest itself in any number of tales. "I can say within that world, you can find a subtle ghost story, a brutal scary ghost story or an antiquarian story feeling. There are so many flavors. Ghosts are a metaphor. They can be interpreted in so many ways. There’s no ending to what you can do. It can be fun, deeply disturbing. You can have The Shining and The Haunting and The Innocent, and those are three different tonalities."

After the giant robots versus aliens sci-fi treat -- that is teased in the Pacific Rim trailer -- hits theaters, the producer-director's next directing project is ghost story based, Crimson Peak.

He cautions it is unlike anything you have seen from him prior. "Crimson Peak is very irrelevant and classic," del Toro said.

His newest producing effort, Mama, is a movie that envelops a completely different feel. "It is very different from what I do. Mama has an incredibility strong base of reality, and emotional reality," del Toro said. "Crimson Peak is a complete confection. It’s a gothic romance. It’s like a piece of cake."

Mama Still

How the filmmaker decides which film to direct, versus produce, he likens to a certain scene from an iconic movie. "To direct, it is harder. People think it’s like the Godfather with people waiting to come in to see you. '[In his best Brando] You bring me a product today.' It’s not like that. You’re hustling. You’re panicked. You’re horrified. The movie you think you’re going to do next, you don’t do. The movie that you think you’re never going to do, you make," del Toro said and laughed. 

"A career is what happens when you are making other plans! As a producer, you know it’s not an affair, it’s a marriage. So you only marry after you date carefully. You know if it’s working with the first week of dailies. I only produce things that have so much in common with what I like. I want to understand what I’m doing. At the same time I only produce movies that have something different so I can learn from the experience of producing."

The Host Gets Two New Character Posters: Melanie and Jared

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The Host has two new character posters, one courtesy of Just Jared. Take a look:

  • The Host Saoirse Ronan Poster
  • The Host Max Irons Poster

When a group of aliens called "Souls" attack Earth, they begin to possess the minds of humans. Saoirse Ronan stars as Melanie, a girl whose mind is taken over by a Soul named Wanderer. But when Melanie's own mind fights back, the two entities journey together to find Melanie's loved ones.

Max Irons, Jake Abel, Chandler Canterbury, Diane Kruger, William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk), and Scott Lawrence also star.

The Host is based on the book by Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyers, and will hit theaters March 29. Look at some The Host stills for more.

Django Unchained Sparks Brawl Between Spike Lee and Luther Campbell

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Just before the film came out, filmmaker Spike Lee said he refused to see Django Unchained. On Twitter, Lee stated, "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them,"

Now, rapper Luther Campbell, of 2 Live Crew, has slammed Lee for his take on the film, which recently earned five Oscar Nominations.

Jamie Foxx Django Unchained Image

"Screw Spike Lee," Campbell said in a column in the Miami New Times. "Django Unchained is a brilliant flick that more accurately depicts the African-American experience than any of the 15 movies about black culture Lee's directed in his lifetime...Django Unchained [is a metaphor] for the unfair racial inequality African-Americans still experience today."

What's worse, Campbell went on to refer to Lee as an "Uncle Tom," and compared him to Samuel L. Jackson's character in the film.

The film has been somewhat divisive among audiences for its questionable historical accuracy, use of the N-word, revenge mentality, and excessive violence, though Django fans and Tarantino himself have stressed that it is a genre film that presents an stylized depiction of slavery.

Do you think Spike Lee has a point? Or is Campbell correct in calling Django a "brilliant flick?" Let us know in the comments section below, and head to our Django Unchained quotes page to revisit the film.

The Last Stand: Arnold Schwarzenegger on Returning to Action

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Movie Fanatic caught up with Arnold Schwarzenegger for The Last Stand, his first big return to film since becoming Governator of California. Shown off in The Last Stand trailer, the movie finds him playing an Arizona sheriff on the verge of retirement who gets pulled into a federal-local law enforcement effort to stop a notorious drug lord from crossing the border into Mexico.

The Last Stand Arnold Schwarzenegger

"It's great to be back. When I got into the governorship in 2003, I said I only would go and run the state for the seven years that were remaining, then I would be back in the movie business. I was a public servant for seven years, worked for the state of California and now I'm back again," Schwarzenegger said. 

"The only thing is that when you have left the movie business for seven years, it's kind of like a scary thing to come back because you don't know if you're accepted or not."

The action star was humble, eloquent and effervescent when it comes to talking about his place in film history, what he seeks to do on celluloid for the next decade, as well as giving us an insight into the mind of the man who rose through Hollywood ranks to become a movie star, and then governor of one of the U.S.'s biggest states. His return to screen dominance was so brilliantly announced in that first The Last Stand quad poster -- with a classic Arnold gaze, we knew he was truly back.

Movie Fanatic: What is going through your mind as you ready to do battle at the box office where once was a ballot box?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Things change very quickly in our business. But I was very pleasantly surprised when I was doing the cameo in Expendables that there was such a positive reaction that Sly asked me then to do The Expendables2 and there was even a bigger reaction to that. So this is now my first starring role, and I'm very happy that I chose a movie to work with really talented people. It's really great to be back and see the reaction of the people. It's kind of like riding a bike or skiing, that you click right back into it again.

Movie Fanatic: Did you miss the movie business while being California's highest elected official?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: I think that I really didn't miss anything. It's such a huge responsibility to run a state. California is the number one state in the union and this is the number one country, so you really have a huge responsibility, and especially when you have legislators that are somewhat out of control. And to bring Democrats and Republicans together is always a miracle. Because you're so into it and passionate about it and serving your state, you really don't have time to miss things in the movie business.

Movie Fanatic: One of the best things about The Last Stand is how it makes light of your age on occasion...

Arnold Schwarzenegger: I think it was appropriate. It takes the curse off then. You can make fun of yourself. I think Clint did that very well, and others I've seen do that very well when you get to a certain age, and we felt we'd use it too.

The Last Stand Mondo Poster

Movie Fanatic: At your young age, is it difficult to do stunts, knowing there was a time where it didn't hurt so much?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Well, I cannot tell you about aging because it sucks [laughs]. I'm no different than you. We all look in the mirror and say, 'What happened?' I once had muscles and slowly they are deteriorating! But the great thing is if you do work out every day, you stay in shape and you feel good. This movie required a lot of stunts, action and a lot of physical work. The director, Kim Jee-woon, was a fanatic about seeing as much as possible done by me. When you could risk getting injured heavily or killed, the stunt guys would take over.

Movie Fanatic: I suppose it's choreographed around what works well for the film and for the actor...

Arnold Schwarzenegger: That was the rule! And so we all practiced. We all rehearsed. We all did over and over. But when you're 65 it's different from when you're 35 [laughs]. The great thing in the movie is that we're trying to not play me as the 35-year-old action hero, but as the guy who is about to retire -- and all of a sudden this challenge comes up where he really needs to get his act together. That's what the movie's about, the underdog. He has the 20 most dangerous mercenaries descending on his town.

Movie Fanatic: Most memorable moment of making The Last Stand?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: For me it was the car chase through the cornfield, because how many times do we have a chance to do a car chase through a cornfield [laughs]? I mean, we all can imagine what it's like to drive fast on the road because we all have driven fast on the road, but to go through a cornfield not knowing where you're going or if there's a ditch coming up. It was so much fun to get into the car and to start going and to hear the stunt coordinator screaming at you, 'Faster, faster, faster! Now bang into the car next to you! Faster!'

Arnold Schwarzenegger Johnny Knoxville The Last Stand

Movie Fanatic: What is coming next? Will we see a new Conan and what about Triplets with Eddie Murphy, the sequel to Twins?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Let me just say that a lot of it has to do with timing. That's what show business and politics have in common. I think that I would've chosen to do Conan already if it would've been ready. But Universal bought the rights to Conan. They have an executive over there that happens to be a big believer in bringing back that character. They want to do it high quality like the first one where John Milius directed and Dino DeLaurentis produced. That will be ready by sometime this year, and the same is also true with Triplets, a sequel to Twins. I have been trying to get Universal Studios to do that for 10 years, and the studio executives that were there up until recently did not see the value. But, now the new leadership sees the value and says, 'This is a brilliant idea. Why haven't they done it?' [Laughs] So, we're doing it!

Movie Fanatic's Top 100 Films of All Time: 30-21

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As we inch closer and closer to #1, we continue our countdown of Movie Fanatic's Top 100 Films of All Time! Last week we brought you a lot of Alec Guinness movies, and this week features three from Robert De Niro!

Catch up on our first 70 picks with #100-91, #90-81, #80-71, #70-61, #60-51, #50-41, and #40-31, then scroll down to see our picks for the 30th to 21st best movies of all time! Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Top 100 Films of All Time

30. Psycho
As chronicled so well in Hitchcock, the making of Psycho was all the talent, effort and money of Alfred Hitchcock. After the success of North by Northwest, the studio wanted him to do something more in the espionage arena. They wanted him to go nowhere near the true story of a serial killer who was answering to murder orders from his dead mother. When Hitchcock financed it himself, he knew he was on to something. What he crafted defines not only the horror genre, but filmmaking itself. As shown in Psycho, sometimes with only the simplest of hints, our deepest fears are fanned by a fire all crafted by imagination. Utterly terrifying on so many levels, Psycho still strikes fear in an audience in horror films that ultimately show us everything. Read through some Psycho quotes to find out why.

29.The Deer Hunter
One of the most gritting war films of all time, The Deer Hunter follows a group of small-town friends who ship off to the Vietnam War. The now-famous “Russian Roulette” scene and Oscar-nominated performances by Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep brought a level of wartime realism that became popular during the conflict in Vietnam. The film earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Check out our The Deer Hunter quotes page.

28. It Happened One Night
One of the definitive Screwball Comedies, Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night uses the amazing on-screen chemistry between Clark Cable (whose performance is rumored to have influenced the Bugs Bunny character) and Claudette Colbert to its distinct advantage. The hilarious, touching, and fun-filled rom-com follows a young heiress on the run from her life, and the reporter who follows her to get a story, only to end up falling in love. It also  It Happened One Night was the first film to win all of the big five Oscar categories. Take a look at some It Happened One Night quotes for more.

27. Goodfellas
The true story of Henry Hill and his rise and fall in a New York mafia racket is as powerful today as when it premiered in 1990. The way Nicholas Pileggi took his book and brought it to the screen with his screenplay is nothing short of a miracle. Even though it is a genre film, many screenwriters should take a lesson in his page to screen brilliance. Ray Liotta was Henry Hill, and managed to capture a character over a long period of time as he rose to the top and fell to the depths of hell… all through his own doing. Martin Scorsese gave audiences an unprecedented look at the inner-workings of the business of the Mafia. To this day, it should have beat Dances with Wolves for Best Picture. Check out our Goodfellas quotes page to revisit some of the film's most memorable moments.

Goodfellas Poster

26. Rushmore
One of the funniest movies ever made, and Wes Anderson’s most out-and-out comedy, Rushmore introduced the world to a young, rambunctious Jason Schwartzman, and the subtler side of Bill Murray. The characters Anderson created in his weird little world are some of the most vibrant and memorable in recent history, and Rushmore quotes are some of the most repeatable of all time. Underneath the outlandishness of Rushmore is a sincerity and sentimentality that few modern filmmakers can rival.

25. Bonnie and Clyde
Often imitated but never replicated, Bonnie and Clyde was based on a true story, but it was the chemistry between Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway that catapulted this film to legendary status. The crime couple movie is a delightful means to tell a violent yarn, like Natural Born Killers and True Romance, but they never possessed that indefinable spark that arrived in 1967 in the form of the story of the Depression-era couple who robbed banks and became heroes to millions. Read through some Bonnie and Clyde quotes for more.

24. The Shining
Although author Stephen King states that The Shining is one of his least favorite film versions of his books, film fans would argue otherwise. Stanley Kubrick crafted a masterpiece of familial terror that simultaneously manages to be very King-ish as much as it is Kubrickesque. Jack Nicholson scored just one of his career-defining roles and those The Shining quotes gave us some seriously iconic moments: Here’s Johnny, indeed! Check out some more The Shining quotes here.

The Shining Poster

23. The Godfather Part II
Rare is the sequel that matches the original, but Francis Ford Coppola achieved that feat when The Godfather Part II matched the first film’s box office, critical and award success. The continuing saga of the Corleone family achieved something no other film in history had -- it won Best Picture, just as the original did. Read some The Godfather Part II quotes for more.

22. Days of Heaven
The film that introduced the world to the “Magic Hour” (the two times of day when the sun is below the horizon but still emitting light) is undoubtedly one of the most aesthetically awe-inspiring creations ever committed to film. The story of a Chicago steel worker, Bill, and his girlfriend Abby, who move to a farm, where they pretend to be brother and sister while Abby cons the wealthy farm owner into marriage, Days of Heaven stars Richard Gere in his first major role. Head to our Days of Heaven quotes page!

21. The Last Picture Show
The quintessential coming-of-age story follows a group of teens in small-town Texas as they struggle with their ascent into adulthood after graduating high school. A beautifully shot and acted drama, The Last Picture Show presents a stark and devastating image of the slow economic and cultural decline of small-town America. A young Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, and Cybill Shepherd round out an amazing cast in this 1970’s classic that garnered eight Oscar Nominations. Check out some The Last Picture Show quotes.

The Internship Poster: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson Together Again

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Few actors have as dynamic a comedic chemistry as Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson had in Wedding Crashers, as evidenced by these unforgettable Wedding Crashers quotes. Now, the duo is back for The Internship. Check out the first poster for the movie:

The Internship Poster

Vaughn and Wilson star as two out-of-work salesmen who fight for a highly-coveted role as intern at a major tech company. Vaughn co-wrote the film with Jared Stern, with Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy directing.

Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids), Max Minghella, John Goodman, Will Ferrell (Anchorman), and Dylan O'Brien also star. The Internship is set to premiere June 7.


Mud Trailer Drops: It's a Hell of a Thing

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Mud is a new film from Jeff Nichols that premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival. Check out the new trailer for the movie below:

Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike) stars as a drifter who befriends two boys and solicits their help to evade his bounty hunters and reunite him with his lost love. Reese Witherspoon (This Means War), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel), Sarah Paulson, and Sam Shepard also star.

Mud  is set to show at this year's Sundance Film Festival, which begins tomorrow. It will hit theaters April 26.

Broken City: Allen Hughes on Going at it Alone

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For the first time in his career, director Allen Hughes is helming a movie, Broken City, by himself, without twin brother Albert by his side. We met Hughes and he told Movie Fanatic that he believes this particular film was perfect because Broken City is more conducive to a single helmer.

Mark Wahlberg Allen Hughes Broken City

“This is a one woman, one man gig directing. That’s the way it’s always been and there’s exceptions whether it was the Zuckers, the Wachowskis -- there’s obvious exceptions. And the Cohen brothers who get different credits, but they really direct together,” Hughes said.

The brothers burst onto the scene 20 years ago with Menace II Society and have garnered legions of fans since with their work on The Book of Eli, Dead Presidents and From Hell.

He also said he’s found that there is still a hierarchy on the set with filmmaking siblings, based on age. “There’s always a bigger brother and a little brother and those roles have been established like, ‘Yo, do this little brother!’ Twins, everything is like communism,” he said, laughing.

The Hughes brothers' sharing of responsibility harks back to their childhood.

“From the day we were five years old, when my mother poured Kool-Aid for us, she had to make sure it was equal. And we were so nuts, ‘No! He got a drop more!’ So my mom gave us the same amount of cookies, same amount of whatever -- so we grew up where it was always even. That’s where it’s kind of cool I guess, but it gets to be challenging,” he said.

Even from the first Broken City trailer, it was clear that this Hughes brother was ready to step out on his own in the telling of the tale of a former cop (Mark Wahlberg) who is hired to do some dirty work for the Mayor of New York City (Russell Crowe).

“I felt great directing by myself,” he said. “It’s a natural thing, because when you look at like the NBA, you gotta have one coach. You can’t have the team looking over and seeing two different guys.”

Don’t get Hughes wrong, he will be reuniting with Albert soon as the two plan on making movies together for the foreseeable future. Heck, from the sounds of pitch meetings, it’s great to have your twin get your back. “Everyone in those meetings tries to tell you how the movie should be creatively,” Hughes said.

“When the Hughes brothers are together, it actually becomes a different entity. It’s yin and yang, and it’s just like we can have fifty people in one room and we’re going to lay every one of them down -- just by sheer whatever that thing is twins have.“

In our Mark Wahlberg interview, the Broken City star said he met the filmmaker two decades ago at a Menace II Society screening and said he wanted to work with him. What took so long?

“Quite frankly, Mark is an interesting dude because he’s constantly been evolving just to overcome some of the ‘bad boy’ stuff in his past. Not to mention the career in music he had and the perception of that -- the perception of the Calvin Klein thing -- so there’s all of this morphing going on with him,” Hughes admitted. “But he is so focused and so good at this business.”

Hughes shared that it wasn’t just the meeting at Menace II Society -- Wahlberg would greet him with the hugest embrace whenever he saw him many times over the last two decades. “He would come up and embrace me. It was like five times throughout the last 20 years! There’s a conversation being had, but not with words. So I was always struck by him,” Hughes said.

So when Hughes was first reading the Broken City script, one face kept dominating his mind. “Mark Wahlberg’s face kept popping off the page – 20 pages, 30 pages – I’m like, ‘What the (expletive)? I don’t understand this!’ I just wouldn’t let go of it. By the time I got to the end, I said, ‘This is perfect for Mark.’”

Russell Crowe Allen Hughes Broken City

The film plays to Wahlberg’s strengths, some of which remind Hughes of a silver screen star of yesterday. “There’s a Steve McQueen quality to him. There’s a salt to earth, real man. He’s coming into that everyman/Steve McQueen zone,” Hughes admitted.

“So I went after him -- didn’t know if I was going to get him but because of that love over the years, I was banking on that! Cut to a week later, he’s right there in the room and still had that love.”

For a filmmaker that has only made five movies since his debut with his brother two decades ago, Hughes stresses that he and his brother have to have a story speak to them. But, look for the two to work more in the future than ever before.

“My brother and I are going to work consistently like we haven’t before. The gift and curse of success at an early age is you haven’t lived life and you get spoiled. It never went to our heads because we’re twins,” Hughes said.

“I know we can do action movies, or sci-fi movies, or rom-com movies and horror. I go, ‘This is good, but I don’t want to do this (expletive).’ It’s not even a matter of I don’t want to do it, I know what I do well. I do crime and character well. I don’t know why.”

Spring Breakers First Trailer is Here: This is the American Dream, Y'all!

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The first trailer for Spring Breakers is here! Check it out:

Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine star as four college girls who rob a restaurant to fund their trip to Spring Break in Florida. While there, they end up in jail for a drug offense, only to be bailed out by a drug dealer who wants their help.

James Franco (Oz: The Great and Powerful) stars as the drug dealer, with Heather Morris and Gucci Mane also appearing.

Harmony Korine directs the film, which premieres March 22. Scroll through these Spring Breakers stills for more.

The Last Stand Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Back!

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The Last Stand marks the true triumphant return of one of our favorite action heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps it was going in with little to no expectations, but this film is one heck of a joyous, action-filled joy ride... literally!

Forest Whitaker Arnold Schwarzenegger The Last Stand

Sure, he technically returned to film after his stint as California governor with The Expendables and The Expendables 2. But, as told to us in our Arnold Schwarzenegger interview, the man is quite proud of The Last Stand marking his first starring vehicle since he resided in Sacramento. The film could not have been a better choice for the action star seeking to satisfy his fans and earn a few that may have missed the potential of Arnold awesomeness while he was governor.

The film is about a small border-town Arizona sheriff (Schwarzenegger) who was once an elite LAPD officer. When a drug raid he was on resulted in many police deaths, he walked away from the force and moved to south Arizona to become the town's lead law enforcement officer. Compared to Los Angeles, his town is quite quiet, and that is exactly how Schwarzenegger's Ray Owens likes it.

Unfortunately, his quiet little community is about to be shaken up by one of the world's most violent and notorious drug lords, Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega). He has broken free of an FBI prisoner transport led by Forest Whitaker's John Bannister and is heading south at breakneck speed in a new Corvette.

As the escaped convict makes his way through the southwest, we quickly learn that our only hope for stopping the drug lord from returning to Mexico is Sheriff Owens and his rag-tag group of deputies. Schwarzenegger is joined by Jaimie Alexander (Thor), Luis Guzman (who had the best Boogie Nights quotes!) and Johnny Knoxville -- the latter is deputized when it is clear that the big guy needs help.

What works so well, and it is teased in The Last Stand trailer, is how director Jee-woon Kim and screenwriters manage to have fun with the action hero's advanced age. Every action scene is believable that a 65-year-old sheriff on the verge of retirement would be able to execute them and have a chance to come out on top. Without overdoing it, they manage to interject some age humor at Sheriff Owens' expense without ever resorting to the "I'm too old for this (expletive)" standby.

Genesis Rodriguez The Last Stand

Schwarzenegger was born to play many of the roles that he's inhabited over the years -- that history has proven. But, our The Last Stand review can state that Sheriff Owens can easily join that legion. He brings a subtlety meets savage intensity that stands next to the Terminator, his Commando character and even Conan the Barbarian.

The Last Stand is a popcorn movie that never takes the audience for granted. There are no gaping holes that force the viewer to question the progression of the action onscreen. Instead, the Korean director -- who is making his Hollywood debut -- effortlessly weaves a web of intrigue, action, humor and heart that should warm audiences that come in from the January cold. 

Mama Review: Del Toro Tries to Terrify

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Just watch the Mama trailer, and it is obvious this is a different kind of family drama. It's the type that is meant to have you treasure the matriarch of your family while knowing that wronging another could result in a haunting the likes of which you have never seen.

Jessica Chastain Stars in Mama

Based on a 2008 short film by Andres Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, the same duo bring it to the big screen in a full-length version of their story produced by the man with the golden touch, Guillermo del Toro. The director of the upcoming Pacific Rim has had quite a nice run of producing ghost stories after the success of 2010's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.

Mama follows Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse), two children who wind up abandoned in a remote cabin for five years. When they are discovered, they are freakishly disturbed, but somehow alive. Their uncle, who has been tirelessly searching for them, is thrilled to be reunited, yet it will clearly be one trying task to bring them into normality. What their uncle doesn't know is that his nieces did not come back alone. The ghost, Mama, that minded them for five years -- has come along to wreak havoc.

The little girls' uncle has a live-in girlfriend, Annabel (the very busy and recent member of the 2013 Golden Globe winners club, Jessica Chastain). This is a wildly different role for Chastain. She looks more like Lisbeth from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo than anything she's ever played prior. And it is because of her presence that our Mama review can state that it is elevated above the usual dredge of ghost stories that have hit the screen of late.

Annabel plays bass in a band, is covered in tattoos and the last thing she wants to do is be a surrogate mother to these two small girls.

But when the ghost, which had only previously been teased in the film, makes her presence felt with an accident -- the girls' uncle "falls" down the stairs -- suddenly she is thrust into that role. And considering this haunting has taken a very dangerous turn, filmmakers have set up a showdown between a mother by circumstance and the ghost named Mama who simply wants to continue raising these girls.

Jessica Chastain Mama Still

There's a whole story angle that follows a psychologist who is assigned to help the girls adjust to their new (normal) lives. It doesn't work as well in the scope of the entire film as we would have hoped, but does play a large role in how the film resolves the terror.

Del Toro's fingerprints are all over this movie and that is a very good thing. His vision and Chastain's performance keep it from becoming a run-of-the-mill ghost story. In our Guillermo del Toro interview, he talked about his passion for ghost stories and how they serve as a metaphor for the musings of life. That sentiment is all over Mama and it is better for it.

The film may not set the world on fire, but when it comes to a creep-fest that is unique in the horror genre, one must always reward efforts of true creativity. The feel of Mama will linger with you, much like a ghost.

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