Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds took their thriller Safe House to box office success last weekend. The duo’s flick earned over $39 million leading to a record-setting box office. The film follows Washington’s Tobin Frost, a rogue CIA agent who comes in from the cold after a decade selling U.S. secrets to our enemies. Reynolds’ Matt Weston runs a CIA Safe House in Johannesburg, South Africa that has not seen a single soul in almost 12 months. When Frost arrives at Weston’s “office,” the action thriller kicks into high gear.

The film is a jaw-dropping roller coaster ride and has also provided us with a stellar list of Safe House quotes.

Matt Weston: How am I supposed to get more experience by staring at four walls all day? | permalink

Tobin Frost: Remember rule number one: you are responsible for your house guest. I'm your house guest. | permalink

Matt Weston: I'm taking you in!
(Frost knocks him down)
Tobin Frost: I want you to take me in. | permalink

Tobin Frost: Never shoot an innocent person. | permalink

Tobin Frost: I think you need to consider how your safe house was attacked in the first place. That house was a secure location. Whoever crashed it, they were invited. Someone told them, someone you know… | permalink

Tobin Frost: I'm not your only enemy tonight. | permalink

Matt Weston: Protocol? There is no protocol for this? | permalink

Tobin Frost: Time's a-wasting. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock... | permalink

Tobin Frost: Do I make you nervous?
Matt Weston: You’re not gonna get in my head.
Tobin Frost: I’m already in your head. | permalink

Tobin Frost: You know who you are and I know what you're not. | permalink

Hugo would appear to be, in any other given year, the favorite to sweep this year’s Academy Awards. The Martin Scorsese-directed film leads all films with 11 nominations, including Best Picture. In our daily look inside the biggest night in movies, today Oscar Watch goes inside the magic of Hugo.

Scorsese’s first foray in 3D filmmaking is a complete and utter triumph. As we stated in our Hugo review, "It is Martin Scorsese's latest and greatest." The Academy clearly agreed, as it was showered with major nomination adulation. Hugo is the type of film that Oscar voters are pre-programmed to adore and rightfully so. It is a movie that celebrates the art of filmmaking, specifically when the medium was in its infancy.

Inside a Paris train station in the early 1930s, the orphaned Hugo lives inside a clock tower and thanklessly takes care of all the facility’s time-keeping devices. He is kept company by a “robot” that his father rescued, that somehow holds the key to a vast mystery. That mystery may also involve a man, the expertly cast Ben Kingsley, who works in the train station as a shopkeeper.

Not only is Hugo one of the best uses of 3D technology that we’ve ever seen, it also never loses itself in the format by sacrificing story. The tale is a powerful one and not one that will be easily, or ever, forgotten.

When we spoke to one of the film's stars, Sacha Baron Cohen, he described the experience of working on the film as a career highlight. "Scorsese is an artist, a true artist and he makes the movie that he wants to see," Cohen said. "Part of his power and part of the reason why his films are that successful and that enduring is the fact that he’s ready to collaborate fully with all his actors."

If Hugo is one of those Oscar-nominated films that has escaped your eyes, run, don’t walk to the cinema to see its majesty on the big screen. It is a spectacle that is worthy of some serious Oscar love. Of all the films nominated, this one is our “should win,” although we still think The Artist actually will win.

Director Peter Berg is just slightly honored by his Battleship story. Evidence of that fact lies in a new behind-the-scenes feature released by Universal. The helmer worked closely with the U.S. military to capture a fighting force that accurately reflects what brave men and women do in the midst of a battle.

Battleship: Behind the Scenes

Battleship is based on the iconic game and features an all-star cast including Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in her first truly big film role. Check out the film’s Super Bowl trailer to get even more presence on the Battleship.

The Amazing Spider-Man dazzled us last week with its first trailer. Today, we have a few more scenes to chew on as the film's international teaser has premiered. Andrew Garfield suits up as Spidey and Emma Stone is Gwen Stacy. July 3 cannot get here soon enough for this writer who was skeptical of a new Spider-Man so soon after the last trilogy closed. But the film's first trailer and the eight minutes of footage we saw leads us to believe that this is one superhero movie that is on the must-see list.

The Amazing Spider-Man International Trailer

The shelled crime fighters that are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are returning to the big screen and news has broken that the franchise has signed a director.

Battle: Los Angeles helmer Jonathan Liebesman has signed on to bring the live-action incarnation of the pop culture legends into the 21st century. What can we expect from this new version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not much is known, but as it is produced by Michael Bay, we can count on the fact that it will be bigger in scope than any of the previous screen versions.

Liebesman will next have Wrath of the Titans hitting screens, then look for him to get green with the Turtles.

Just after Michael Bay announced plans for Transformers 4, we have learned that some of its cast that starred in the first three films will not be in the fourth. Josh Duhamel has let it be known that his military man will not be seen in the next film in the franchise.


We already know that Shia LaBoeuf bowed out of the series after Transformers Dark of the Moon, and now Duhamel has joined him going out the exit door. "I don't think anybody's doing it. I know Shia's not doing it. I don't think Tyrese or Rosie [Huntington-Whiteley] or anybody else is doing it,” Duhamel told E!. “Whenever these movies make that much money they're going to make as many as they can. But I haven't heard anything about it. They haven't called me."

Well then, I guess we have the scoop. Are we to believe that no humans from the previous films will appear in the fourth? That appears to be the case. Stay tuned…

Producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Bridesmaids) must find it hard to release a film without including the red band trailer. Apatow is notorious for pushing the envelope with his comedy and it appears Wanderlust is no different. The film stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd and its red band trailer has premiered.

Wanderlust Red Band Trailer

Rudd and Aniston play George and Linda, a couple who have found themselves in quite a rut. They are tired of the rat race and decide to take off on an adventure to free their minds and souls. Where they wind up may change everything. The pair land up at Elysium, a commune of sorts. And yes, hilarity does ensue… big time.

We recently convened our first Movie Fanatic Round Table and discussed the amazing trailers that have debuted in the last 10 days. A new one to add to that list of tantalizing teasers would be the international trailer for Ridley Scott’s return to space, Prometheus.

Prometheus International Trailer

It is the rare trailer that we watch multiple times in a row and this latest one for Scott’s space saga has us still hitting “replay.”

The film not only looks amazing and has a legend in a helmer, but also features an all-star cast including Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and Noomi Rapace.

Look for Prometheus in theaters June 8.

Filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is no stranger to creating onscreen images that haunt long after the credits roll. The director of 28 Weeks Later is back and this time out he his exploring the Intruders. The film stars Clive Owen and it’s first trailer has premiered to shake you to your soul.

Intruders Trailer

The world between the imaginary and the real blurs immensely in the film. Owen is a father to a young teenage girl and the film begins with them assaulted in their home. It appears to be the work of Hollow Face, a being who lives in the shadows, only to come out to terrify its victims. No matter what Owen does to protect his daughter, it does not seem to be enough to keep the villain away.

Look for the attack of the Intruders when the film hits theaters March 30.

When friends play friends onscreen, oftentimes the chemistry makes the movie. Such is the case with Chelsea Handler and Reese Witherspoon in This Means War. The two are sitting at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills to bask in their friendship glow and talk about their new action-thriller-romantic comedy.

The pair have known each other for years, but really bonded over the film. “We met at breakfast and she asked if I wanted to do this. And of course I did because Reese always makes really good decisions with movies,” Handler said. Witherspoon has appeared frequently on the comedienne’s show and spin-off series. “I figured if I was going to do one it would be my best bet to do it with her.”

Witherspoon (What's your favorite Reese movie?) reported when she first met Handler at a party, she was frightened at the notoriously raucous comic. “I was terrified of her but I thought she was brilliant,” the actress said. It was Handler’s skewering of celebrities that fueled Witherspoon’s trepidations about first meeting her future friend. “I saw her show in an airport once and I was literally mesmerized. I was like, ‘She’s just brilliant and works so off the top of her head -- a comedic genius.' But, at the same time, being a person in the public eye, I was terrified."

So when it came time to cast the part of Witherspoon's onscreen BFF Trish in This Means War, the Oscar winner knew where to turn. “Of course… Chelsea Handler! She’s brilliant,” Witherspoon added.

This Means War Trailer

Handler appreciated the time working alongside a friend, but most importantly she felt she grew as a performer. “I’ve learned a lot by working with her. We actually had great chemistry immediately and so it was so much fun because she’s a professional and I’m completely unprofessional,” Handler said and laughed. “Working together and bouncing off each other, in that regard, was really fun. We worked a lot and we improvised a lot. And we’re good friends because of that.”

This Means War Director McG, for one, appreciated Handler’s candid comedy that drove the funny bone of the film. “The reason why Chelsea gets away with everything is she has a giant heart. Chelsea’s a good person and that’s why you have Reese attracted to that and letting her in. That’s where the chemistry lies,” McG said. “They felt comfortable and we just tried to create an environment where they could do what they wanted to do.”

“I think what really endears you to Chelsea’s character is that she is so sweet and tender in the film,” Witherspoon added. “That’s how she is -- she’s just a very loyal friend.”

What also appealed to Handler and Witherspoon about playing onscreen friends is that their characters were the polar opposites of their real-life personas. “In real life she has children. She’s a mother. She’s married and I’m single. So it was fun playing different roles,” Handler said. 

Stories have been written about how McG had to cut some of Handler’s improv jokes, as it pushed the film to an “R” rating. “I’m a troublemaker, everybody knows it, so it was bound to happen. And he (McG) egged me on,” Handler said. “He had me saying some very dirty things that I even thought were dirty. So I wasn’t surprised they were taken out.”

Oscar Watch takes a look at the Best Actor category at this year’s Academy Awards today and initially, it was thought to be a coronation for George Clooney and his work on The Descendants. Here in Hollywood, you can feel the momentum slightly change as it is now essentially a two-man race with a third wild card looming to take the trophy if the top two split the votes. Jean Dujardin of The Artist won the top actor prize at Cannes and now he seems to be slipping past Clooney in the role of favorite. Meanwhile, Tinseltown is becoming mesmerized by the performance given by A Better Life’s Demian Bichir.

As the momentum increases towards The Artist winning Best Picture, voters appear to be looking at Dujardin once again. The Academy also adores giving top acting prizes to foreign actors -- remember Life is Beautiful’s Robert Benigni and his victory?

Meanwhile Clooney is still right up there with his astounding work on Alexander Payne’s The Descendants. It is the best performance of the actor’s career, but voters keenly know that the man already has an Oscar and perhaps they will give the prize to someone new.

Not to be counted out, Brad Pitt nailed it as Billy Beane in Moneyball and the film would not even come close to being as resonant without Pitt in the role. We don’t think this is his year, but anything is possible given the fight between Dujardin and Clooney for the golden statue.

Gary Oldman (check out our exclusive interview) finally got his first Oscar nomination for his commanding performance in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The film was largely ignored for Oscar prizes, and as such, Oldman should see his nod as a salute to his stellar work and a great film.

Then, there’s Bichir. The Mexican actor marveled in the little seen film A Better Life. But, the more people who witness the magic of that fantastic film walk away thinking that the actor did in fact give the performance of the year. Could he steal it? It is entirely possible.

Our poll is still open and we want to know: Who do you think will win Best Actor?

Bridgit Mendler had no reservations about playing the titular character in Disney’s The Secret World of Arrietty. The actress tells us in our exclusive video interview that the honor was all hers for the opportunity to have her name on a movie poster for a Disney animated movie. In the film, she plays one of the Borrowers, a pint-size species of human-like creatures who live in the cracks and crevices of people’s homes. Of particular joy to Mendler, who was previously seen in Wizards of Waverly Place, was having Will Arnett and Amy Poehler play her parents in the animated gem. Working alongside legend Carol Burnett wasn’t so shabby either!

Secret World of Arrietty: Bridgit Mendler Exclusive Interview

Reese Witherspoon has a tough choice in This Means War. After a period where she had a lack of good dates, she now has two handsome suitors, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. She can't decide between them and their exploits are not helping her find truthful true love. You see, the two men are CIA agents and the best of friends.

Pine and Hardy decide to let the best man win. Only thing is they use their spy agency resources to tilt the love game in their favor. Although it takes a little while to get there, once the sparks fly, This Means War becomes electric and fantastical.

The key ingredient to this cinematic stew of action, thrills, romance and comedy is the chemistry between two of the film's leads. We're talking about Hardy and Pine. The actors have a field day with the folly. Although the film does not warrant a sequel, we would love to see these two on screen dishing out their bodacious banter in another film.

Director McG uses his resources well. He’s got three talented leads and a totally game supporting player in Chelsea Handler as Witherspoon’s BFF (check out our interview with the two). He manages to effectively and efficiently walk a tightrope of movie mash-ups that includes romantic comedies, action films, thrillers, secret agent tales and that all-out-fun film that reminds us why we go to the movies.

Some scoffed at the casting of Witherspoon. Pundits seemed to have been under the impression that a “younger” actress should have been cast. The actress silents her haters by turning in a performance that is playful, coy and all woman who is head over heels in love with two men -- and both yearn for her heart. She nails it in terms of emitting a presence of a female player who thinks she holds all the cards. In fact, the deck is stacked by two suitors who know her deepest wants, desires and secrets.

This Means War Clip: Acquire Intel

Moving at a rapid pace is something the film does well. It hits every beat with just the right amount of flair that infuses a serious fun factor throughout. Is This Means War one of the best romantic thrillers we’ve seen in years? Maybe not, but the film resonates. The love triangle, an oft failed at cinematic endeavor, is explosive in this film. Toss in one of the most delightful supporting debuts in a while with Handler and the McG film stew of genres simmers.

The Secret World of Arrietty is an international sensation. Disney has taken the anime movie and kept everything intact on screen, but taken a set of American voice talents who provide the dialogue where once was the Japanese language. Movie Fanatic saw the film on the Disney lot with a vocal cast that brought their A-game.

Bridgit Mendler is the title character, who is a member of a tiny species of people called the Borrowers. Those who read the iconic book series know all too well how compelling their stories can be. Will Arnett steals the movie with his take on Arrietty’s dad, Pod. He is commanding, fatherly and hits the right notes of the concerned father of a teenage girl. Regardless of his half-foot size, Arnett’s Pod is the perfect larger-than-life animated film father figure.

The Borrowers get their name from the fact that they “borrow” items from larger humans’ homes that they will not miss. Items such as a small sugar cube can last them months. The film hints at the fact that Arrietty’s family believes that they are amongst the final of their kind. Whether that is true or not is revealed before the credits roll and leads us to want more Arrietty.

The supporting cast includes Arnett’s real-life wife Amy Poehler as Pod’s wife and mother to Arrietty. Carol Burnett steals scenes as Hara, a house helper who is determined to expose the little people that walk inside the walls of the house where an older couple lives and takes care of their sick, teenage relative Shawn. Once Shawn sees Arrietty, Arnett and Poehler decide they must move as they have been discovered. What they don’t realize is that in Shawn they may have their greatest ally.

The Secret World of Arrietty Trailer

The history of the film begins and ends with director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. In the same vein of his Ponyo and Spirited Away, Arrietty’s adventures are always vast in scope -- regardless of the cast dynamic or storyline. There is a unifying thread that binds all his films together: The power of animation meets tales that think tall.

Disney has struck a brilliant stroke with the English version of an animated instant classic that treats its canvas as Monet did with vibrant colorful landscapes that are irresistible. When you couple that with a storyline that draws in the viewer from the get-go, The Secret World of Arrietty is another Disney dynamo.

A varied threesome is the menu at the movies this weekend. Nicolas Cage returns to the motorcycle, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy fight over Reese Witherspoon and a Japanese anime adventure unfolds.

This Means War: Best-friend CIA agents fall for the same girl and the whole thing is directed by Terminator Salvation helmer McG. It works on many levels and its biggest surprise is its hilarity. Witherspoon, Pine and Hardy cause a collective spark in a film that moves at a seriously rapid pace. Check out our This Means War review for more.

This Means War Trailer

The Secret World of Arrietty: Disney delivers a Japanese classic to American audiences with a killer cast including Carol Burnett. Beautifully drawn, expertly executed… it is a terrific world. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler play onscreen husband and wife who are barely six inches tall. They are known as the Borrowers, and this film is inspired by the book series. Families will love it and you can learn more in our The Secret World of Arrietty review.

The Secret World of Arrietty Trailer

Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: Cage’s return to the bike is a dramatic one. He can get out of his curse that makes him the burning hellcat Ghost Rider by saving a little boy from becoming the anti-Christ. Is Cage’s character ready to go up against his boss?

Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance TV Clip 5

The Oscar watchers are all but calling this year’s Academy Award for Best Actress for Meryl Streep. Her work in The Iron Lady was nothing short of miraculous. But, Movie Fanatic’s daily Oscar Watch believes that The Help star Viola Davis should and will win Best Actress. Here’s why in five reasons:

1. She deserves it. Plain and simple, there was much more meat -- believe it or not -- in Davis’ requirement of her in the role within the larger scope of the film The Help.

2. It’s not Streep’s fault, but her brilliance is hurt by a film that has trouble finding its storytelling modus operandi.

3. The twin towers factor: We believe having a moment on TV and in the photo room later to preserve for posterity is too hard to resist. Imagine the glow of Octavia Spencer standing proudly with Davis, both from the same socially important movie, both clutching their Oscars -- it's too big to resist.

4. Davis has that Oscar momentum from the SAG Award for Best Cast.

5. There’s a mistaken perception that Streep has won more than she has and, therefore, is set for a while longer. Again, not Streep's fault. It's just The Help's year.

The number one and two movies from last week’s box office switched places as Safe House took the prize over the President’s Day holiday weekend. Last week’s top film, The Vow, came in second with $23.6 million while the Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds thriller barely took first with $24 million.

Nicolas Cage’s return to his dark superhero franchise won the week in terms of new films at the Cineplex. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance came in third with $22 million, giving it the edge over new films This Means War and The Secret World of Arrietty.

Neither of those two new films earned the fourth spot, as the family adventure film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island earned another $20.1 million in its second week of release.

This Means War, starring Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler, debuted to $17.6 million. The Phantom Menace's return to screens in 3D nabbed sixth place, adding another $7.9 million to its haul. The number one film from two weeks ago, the found-footage, superhero origins story Chronicle took seventh with $7.5 million.

Disney’s The Secret World of Arrietty, the third new film on screens this weekend, had to settle for ninth place with its $6.4 million debut.

Box office top 10:

1. Safe House, $24 million
2. The Vow, $23.6 million
3. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, $22 million
4. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, $20.1 million
5. This Means War, $17.6 million
6. Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace in 3-D, $7.9 million
7. Chronicle, $7.5 million
8. The Woman in Black, $6.6 million
9. The Secret World of Arrietty, $6.4 million
10. The Grey, $3 million

Marvel Studios' The Avengers has one more new photo of the superhero conglomerate for us to chew on, thanks to Empire Magazine. The UK publication has featured a still of Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Chris Evans’ Captain America and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow out for a little stroll.

The film hits theaters May 4 and the excitement for its release is palpable. Don’t miss the latest The Avengers trailer that features all of the film’s stars in action including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo finally making his appearance as the Hulk and Chris Hemsworth doing the god of thunder thing as Thor.

The masked man that leaves a swashbuckling Z everywhere he goes is returning to the big screen. Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal has signed on to play Zorro in the upcoming film that is tentatively titled Zorro Reborn. Bernal is taking up the sword that was once held by Antonio Banderas, Douglas Fairbanks and Guy Williams.

The Johnston McCulley-created character first appeared on paper in 1919 and is in good hands with Bernal, most recently seen in Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries and will soon appear opposite Will Ferrell in Casa de mi Padre.

The international trailer has premiered for Battleship and it starts with the promise of an engagement. Taylor Kitsch stars alongside Brooklyn Decker and as we learn from the first moments of the teaser, he plans on asking her father for her hand in marriage. Only thing is… her father is Liam Neeson and he is as tough of a Navy man as they come.

Battleship International Trailer

Battleship lands in theaters May 18 and is the second of two big budget films for Kitsch in three months after John Carter hits theaters March 9.