"...is the perfect cautionary tale needed for anyone who thinks they can take the house."

- - -

- - -

Las Vegas. There really is nowhere else like it. Having been there many times, people often ask me about the appeal of Vegas and I always say the same thing – it is something you have to experience for yourself. Assuming you can behave relatively responsibly, it is some of the most fun you can have over a weekend. It’s a place where the only rule is that there aren’t any – or at least not in the ‘real world’ sense. A place where your vices may be legal and activities otherwise frowned upon are tolerated with a blind eye. The unrestricted availability of just about anything you’ve ever dreamed of earned Las Vegas the name Sin City, and that makes it the perfect setting for many movies and TV shows. To mark the release of the movie 21, as well as my upcoming trip next week, I present

tMF Top Five – Best Las Vegas Movies
By Jeremy Welsch

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abby Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Release Date: March 28, 2008
Running Time: 113 min
MPAA Rating: R
Distributor: Paramount Pictures

- - -

Review by David DiMichele

- - -

Isn’t it ironic to see a decorated soldier, recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart and just back from his tour of duty in Iraq - on the run? He goes on the run in his own hometown in Texas, until eventually they're searching for him all the way from Texas to New York. Most of this time he tries to keep a low profile. He’s wearing his U.S. Army shirt and pants while being pursued by the country he just served. He finds out that he’s just one of many soldiers trying to flee and fight at the same time, all of them subject to a law that was passed by the president himself and labeled as “stop-loss.” This law translates meaning a soldier who has to go back to war, involuntarily, because there’s a shortage of American soldiers on the battle front.

Driven and ambitious. Two words that best describe young actor and filmmaker Luke Eberl. At the age of seven, Luke was already a part of the film industry, having had his first role on stage in Colorado. Since then Luke continued to do movies and at the same time, he began to observe and take note of what was happening behind the scenes.

- - -

- - -

Born March 29, 1986, Luke is certainly not someone who is satisfied with just playing roles. While a lot of his contemporaries remained involved in other trivial pursuits, Luke had already begun his transition from actor to filmmaker.

In this interview, we put a series of questions to Luke about his latest film Choose Connor as well as some other serious and fun questions.

Definitely one of the most exciting and talented actors we have today is British-born Jim Sturgess. The 26-year old actor has been hogging the news with such movies as The Other Boleyn Girl and the upcoming 21.

- - -

- - -

Of course, you'll remember Jim very well if you've watched last year's Across the Universe. If not, this film may be a good introduction to this amazing actor.

There's an awesome Jim Sturgess article by Melanie Pimentel that has just recently been launched at ABC News Now.

"I think she's a wonderful actress and I really admired the work that she did in the first Batman, but I don't think it would have worked if I tried to imitate her. I think the only way to do it is to do it like myself," says Maggie Gyllenhaal.

- - -

- - -

Maggie recently did an interview with Superherohype.com and she talked about her role in The Dark Knight. Her opinion about fellow actress Katie Holmes was one of the first questions asked of her.

While I don't think she's quite aware of the way some bloggers misquoted her as she spoke about her role as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, still it remains an issue for me that of all the movie sites out there it's cinematical who tried to create controversy out of an innocent remark she made a few months back. Here's the post by cinematical blogger Patrick Walsh:

"While recently discussing her role in next year's Bat-sequel The Dark Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal dunked Katie Holmes into a Dawson's Creek of verbal abuse. Gyllenhaal is taking over the role of Rachel Dawes, which Holmes originated in 2005's Batman Begins. Check out this quote from Gyllenhaal, but you might want to put a jacket on first: "I'm not thinking of it as a role that anyone's played before. I'm not walking into Katie Holmes' performance. I'm thinking of it as an opportunity to play somebody who's alive and smart. Chris (Nolan) asked me to do this because he wanted me, not because he wants some generic lady in a dress." Daaaaaamn! No she didn't!

The last part containing "some generic lady in a dress" seems to be the point of contention. But Maggie only refers to how she'll portray the character and it has nothing to do with Katie Holmes or her peformance.

From one of France's most original and stylish filmmakers, Christophe Honoré comes Love Songs. A modern-day musical told through unforgettable songs sung entirely by the cast and scored by Alex Beaupain, the film has overjoyed audiences at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals.

- - -

- - -

More about the Movie: In the hope of sparking their stalled relationship, Ismael (Louis Garrel of Dans Paris and The Dreamers) and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier of Swimming Pool) enter a playful yet emotionally laced threesome with Alice (Clotilde Hesme of Regular Lovers.) When tragedy strikes, these young Parisians are forced to deal with the fragility of life and love. For Ismael, this means negotiating through the advances of Julie's sister (Chara Mastroianni of Persepolis) and a young college student (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet of Strayed); one of which may offer him redemption.

Starring: Owen Wilson, Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, Alex Frost
Director: Steven Brill
Release Date: March 21, 2008
Running Time: 102 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributor: Paramount Pictures

- - -

Review by Jeremy Welsch

- - -

This movie is a classic example of two ideas playing against the middle.

The story was based on an original idea from John Hughes.

Hmmm…

The synopsis? Three freshmen get singled out the first day of high school by a bully. They place an internet ad and end up hiring a bodyguard, Drillbit Taylor, to protect them.

Meh.

The movie is rated PG-13 (ugh)…

… for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references, and partial nudity.

Based on that description, if I was a teenager watching HBO late at night and that flashed up on the screen, I would have thought I had died and gone to ‘Movies I Shouldn’t Be Watching’ heaven.

Stepping Into The Spotlight
tMF profiles one of the best actors we have today: James McAvoy!
By Deana Martin

James McAvoy rocketed to stardom this year with his much talked-about performance in Atonement, one of the 2007 Academy Award Best Picture nominees. While he didn't win a Best Actor nomination, he certainly made a big impression on movie-goers.

- - -

- - -

James' turn as Robbie Turner in the British war/romance epic was heartbreaking and allowed McAvoy to show us the depths of his talent. The role demanded McAvoy to portray a near-perfect man, whose lack of flaws made the film all the more tragic. He proved with this performance that he may well be one of the best actors of his generation and has many new fans eagerly awaiting his next role.

"In the December 2005 edition of Empire Magazine, he was dubbed "...the most unlucky man in Hollywood"

- - -

- - -

That's quite depressing, especially if you're Henry Cavill. Apparently Empire refers to the run of 'bad luck' that the young British actor had during his auditions for three high-profile roles.

Cavill auditioned for the lead role in Batman Begins but lost out to Christian Bale. In 2005, he became a young contender for the role of James Bond, and performed in a final screen test. The producers and director were torn between Cavill, Daniel Craig, and Sam Worthington. Apparently the director favoured Henry Cavill as a younger version of James Bond, roving about the parlors in Casino Royale. However, the producers believed Cavill was too young for the role, which then went to Daniel Craig.He also auditioned for the role of Superman in Superman Returns, and was reportedly under heavy consideration before the October 2004 casting of Brandon Routh.

It seems it's not enough to described Henry Cavill as 'an unknown actor from England' then.

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Martin McDonagh
Release Date: January 17, 2008
Running Time: 107 min
MPAA Rating: R
Distributor: Focus Features

- - -

Review by David DiMichele

- - -

Where or what exactly is Bruges (pronounced "broozh") you ask? Well, technically it’s a town in Belgium that occupies "fairytale" like surroundings. It presents the audience with a previously unseen world consisting of an array of medieval buildings, pubs and streets lined with outdoor bistros. Bruges is a town that’s not only an undiscovered tourist attraction but it’s close to perfect. But more importantly, Bruges plays host to an unforgettable movie, with characters that are more than unique and dialogue that’s sharp, remorseless and funny.

Don’t make the mistake of labelling this movie just another "hit-man" film or a poor man’s Tarantino. In Bruges towers over all recent gun-happy movies and has the most confidence and creativity of any movie in this genre since Pulp Fiction. The creative juice is abundant. It’s brought to In Bruges by writer/director Martin McDonagh (in his first feature-length film). It starts with him and slowly reverberates throughout the entire cast.

"Boyd Holbrook had an auspicious beginning to his career, landing the Christian Dior exclusive campaign. It was a thrill to see him start off with such a bang!"

- - -

- - -

We were trying to come up with ten, but many of those we considered for the list are already popular and have been featured by lots of blogs and sites (Channing Tatum, Ian Somerhalder for example), so what the heck! We're featuring not necessarily the most talented nor the most amazing of the young actors who were previously working as male models, but those who really rocked the modeling world and who have many fans who wanted to see them on the big screen. Some of these guys wanted to become actors in the first place and only turned to modeling as an afterthought.

They guys have had some of the biggest modeling gigs the fashion industry has to offer, and they definitely have unique and amazing looks, making them some of the highest paid in the industry.

tMF Top Five – Coolest Models-Turned-Actors
By Jed Medina

It is with a mixture of shock and sadness that tMF post this news about the death of award-winning director, Anthony Minghella. tMF recently launched a profile of the acclaimed filmmaker, entitled: Choosing the stories you want to tell: the cinematic world of Anthony Minghella:

From his exploration of love, grief and loss in Truly, Madly, Deeply, through the mysterious and tragic love story of The English Patient into the darkly disturbed mind of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Minghella tells us stories that vibrate with love, mystery and the shifting rhythms of life. [ read more ]

More about his death from Variety:

Director suffers fatal hemorrhage  [ By ADAM DAWTREY, ALI JAAFAR ]

LONDON — Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director and writer of “The English Patient,” died Tuesday. He was 54.

A spokesman said he suffered a fatal hemorrhage at 5 a.m. GMT Tuesday at Charing Cross Hospital in London, where he had undergone an operation last week on a growth in his neck.

Minghella most recently directed the BBC/WeinsteinCo./HBO telepic “No 1 Ladies Detective Agency,” based on Alexander McCall Smith’s novel set in Botswana, which is due to premiere March 23 on BBC1. He co-wrote and co-exec produced the adaptation with Richard Curtis.

His last movie was “Breaking and Entering” in 2006, also for the Weinstein Co. His other movie credits include “Cold Mountain,” “The Talented Mr Ripley,” “Mr Wonderful” and “Truly Madly Deeply.”

He recently stepped down as chairman of the British Film Institute after serving four years in the role. He was a partner with Sydney Pollack in Mirage Enterprises, and served as producer on Mirage pics, including “The Interpreter,” “Catch a Fire” and “The Reader.”

He is survived by his wife Carolyn Choa, a producer, and his two children — Hannah, who was named last week as president of production at Sony Pictures Animations, and Max, an actor who is currently filming “Agora” with Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar.

Joe Levitt creates trailer for his new movie, Stop Loss:

- - -

- - -

Source: HitRECord.org  [ Note above youtube video was uploaded via tMF. As noted by Joe himself, Paramount Pictures reserves the right to the movie.]

An excerpt from Joe Levitt's website in his own words:

"I’m in a movie called Stop-Loss that’s coming out in a little while. (March 28th, to be exact) It’s about a squad of American soldiers coming home from Iraq. Working on this job, I got to know a bunch of real soldiers (as opposed to the pretend ones like me and my colleagues) who had really been through it. The friendships we formed allowed me to think of the current situation over there in ways I’d never even considered before.

In the past, my thoughts concerning Iraq revolved around governments, economies, politics, money, oil, etc--the kind of stuff you can read in the paper or see on the news. While these were, and still are issues well worth considering, I was missing something. I was failing to consider the personal point of view of an individual soldier, his or her life, all day every day, both overseas and back home. What’s it look like? What’s it sound like? What’s it feel like? To stop caring about headlines, talking points, policies, Republicans, Democrats, and to care only about making sure my buddies and I get home safe. [ read more ]

Check out the trailer here: Chan & Joe's Stop-Loss Trailer

Although Lars Von Triel makes movies about America, it is well-known that the Danish film director makes his films without even touching US soil. It has been said that his “USA - Land of Opportunities” trilogy is Von Triel's reaction to some Americans who criticized his earlier work, and in these films he is sending out ‘a series of sermons on America’s sins and hypocrisy’

- - -

- - -

Another filmmaker who has a reputation for a disturbing, often shocking style is Austrian director Michael Haneke, who wanted to prove he can conquer American audiences, and even shock them. In fact, he wanted to teach them a lesson. Von Triel created films that depict the so-called 'fictional America', but Haneke just wants American moviegoers to watch his latest film, a remake actually, called Funny Games, although there is nothing either funny or amusing about ‘Funny Games’. There is only one way to describe it: this movie celebrates the triumph of violence and vulgarity over decency.