imogen poots

Review: In Riley Stearns’ THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE, Life Imitates Art Through Violent Catharsis

While not purely outstanding, Nima Nourizadeh’s entertaining out-of-the-blue Jesse Eisenberg action romp, American Ultra, was a definitive change of pace for the actor best known for quieter, more subtle roles emulating innocuous “beta male” types. Such is what you’ll find at the top of Faults helmer Riley Stearns’ The Art Of Self-Defense before the rest of the narrative unfolds from its cautionary exploration of male toxicity with a touch of nudity and gender disparity. In Stearns’ The Art Of Self-Defense, Casey Davies (Eisenberg) is often fragile – best remembered as that guy everyone likes to belittle at the office while in the way of no one despite his best, albeit mediocre attemps to socialize. He’s an accountant, lives alone with a Dachshund, and is learning French as a means of fulfilling his own minimal wanderlust. One evening he leaves out to restock on dog food only to find himself the […]

THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE: Jesse Eisenberg Throws Down In The New Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Just in time for the Cobra Kai hype, Jesse Eisenberg is following up his SXSW outing in writer/director Riley Stearns’ latest, The Art Of Self-Defense with a progressive theatircal rollout this July. The offiical trailer is now up and running… that is, unlike Eisenberg’s character, a bookeeper who is apparently done with running from thugs. Instead, now he’s throat punching people in mid-dialogue and taking on his low key maniacal karate teacher, played by actor Alessandro Nivola. After he’s attacked on the street at night by a roving motorcycle gang, timid bookkeeper Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) joins a neighborhood karate studio to learn how to protect himself. Under the watchful eye of a charismatic instructor, Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), and hardcore brown belt Anna (Imogen Poots), Casey gains a newfound sense of confidence for the first time in his life. But when he attends Sensei’s mysterious night classes, he discovers a sinister […]

Sono Sion’s PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND Haunts With Imogen Poots Joining Nicolas Cage

Lee B. Golden III

Alex Ritman’s newest exclusive at The Hollywood Reporter is continuing the stimulus from last year’s news with Nicolas Cage addition to Sono Sion’s American debut, Prisoners Of The Ghostland. Set to begin production in the Spring, Cage will be joined by Green Room actress Imogen Poots who now joins the film which is currently being shopped in Berlin from XYZ Films. When a notorious criminal, Hero (Cage), is sent to rescue an abducted girl (Poots) who has disappeared into a dark supernatural universe, they must break the evil curse that binds them and escape the mysterious revenants that rule the Ghostland. The news comes after Cage sliced and buzzsawed his way into 2019 with Panos Cosmatos’s bloody, psychedelic action horror opus, Mandy, whose SpectreVision has since also boarded the actor’s recently-announced H.P. Lovecraft nod, Color Out Of Space, also on XYZ’s Berlin slate. Cage took to the 3rd International Film […]

I KILL GIANTS: Watch The Trailer For Anders Walter’s Fantasy Directorial Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Debut director Anders Walter earned his way up late last year with the festival crowd in Toronto for his first feature film, I Kill Giants. RLJE Films’s own acquisition of the award-winning shortfilm helmer’s new feature fantasy adventure followed in December and with a limited theatrical and on-Demand release now primed for March 23, Yahoo! Movies unveiled an official trailer that serves up a fantastic intro into the embattled world of a young heroine in the making. Barbara Thorson is your new hero. A quick-witted, sharp-tongued middle-schooler who isn’t afraid of anything. As the only girl in school carrying an ancient Norse warhammer in her purse and killing giants for a living, why wouldn’t she be? I Kill Giants is the sweeping, bittersweet story of a young girl struggling to conquer monsters both real and imagined as her world crumbles at the feet of giants bigger than any one child […]

Bleecker Street Nabs Dark Karate Comedy, THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE, Which Starts Production This Week

Lee B. Golden III

Production is underway in Kentucky for writer and director Riley Stearns’s new dark comedy, The Art Of Self Defense. Actor Jesse Eisenberg leads the cast with actress Imogen Poots and actor Alessandro Nivola also starring. The film centers on Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity, violence and hypermasculinity and a woman (Imogen Poots) fighting for her place in it. Casey undertakes a journey, both frightening and darkly funny, that will place him squarely in the sights of his enigmatic new mentor. The Art Of Self-Defense is produced by The End Cue’s Andrew Kortschak, Cody Ryder, Stephanie Whonsetler and Walter Kortschak. Worldwide distribution rights have been acquired by Bleecker Street whose Andrew Karpen […]

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TIFF 2016: Bernthal Boards Dagg's Hitman Thriller, SWEET VIRGINIA This Weekend

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a good year for Snitch and AMC’s The Walking Dead co-star, actor Jon Bernthal, after having turned out an unbeatable performance in Netflix’s treatment of Marvel character, Punisher for Netflix series, Daredevil. It’s one of the best things you’ll see and, indeed, more will undoubtedly come for that character while Bernthal awaits other appearances in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver next year and the October 14 release of mathematical crime thriller, The Accountant starring Ben Affleck. In the meantime, the 41st Toronto International Film Festival is just a little over two weeks away from kicking off, and with executive producer and sales agent XYZ Films readying its package, news from Deadline has confirmed the latest on the upcoming production, Sweet Virginia. Cameras start rolling this Saturday with a Black List script by Ben and Paul China, featuring Bernthal in the role of a motel owner with a dark past, […]

The Bailey Review: NEED FOR SPEED (2014)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins. REVIEW: What’s one way to save a movie filled with terrible dialogue, poor acting, and a clichéd revenge plot with a less-than-intersting love story? Get Scott Waugh to direct the best stunt racing film ever. Need for Speed is an adaptation of the classic EA Games car racing franchise. In this film, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) runs a garage in New York with his uninteresting and slightly annoying buddies, where they build and tune sexy performance cars. The garage was inherited from his father, who dies before the events of the film, but we don’t really care about that relationship anyway. The garage is financially going under, and if they […]

The New Superbowl Spot For NEED FOR SPEED Goes 'Vroom-Vroom'!

Lee B. Golden III

Gamers may have to wait a little longer as dvelopment on a new unannounced Need For Speed game has been put on hold while its developers try to deal with a recent sweep of layoffs over at Electronic Arts’ Ghost Games in the UK. However, fans of the franchise will still get their shot at seeing all the live action thrills when it hits the big screen in just a little over a month from now. And on that note, two new spots arrived on Sunday for director Scott Waugh‘s upcoming street racing action revenge thriller, including a new Superbowl spot and an extended look which you can check out below. Need For Speed stars Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malek, Harrison Gilbertson, Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi, Michael Keaton and Dakota Johnson, and will release on March 14, 2014, courtesy of Dreamworks. SYNOPSIS: Based on the most […]