Moon’s Duncan Jones at the Tribeca Film Festival

The film "Moon" is out in limited release this week, but has been on the film festival circuit since January. Just the title alone wouldn’t make me go see this movie, but after reading more about it and watching clips, I’m definitely interested. If I don’t see it beforehand, maybe it’ll play at the Traverse City Film Festival in August.

It’s directed and written by Duncan Jones, son of the legendary David Bowie, and follows an astronaut (Sam Rockwell) who pursues his own departure from a futuristic lunar mining base. "Moon" is rated R for language, and also stars Kevin Spacey (who voices a robot), Matt Berry, and Robin Chalk. 

Tribeca caught up with Jones recently at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sydney Film Festival - Toni Collette, Miranda Otto at the Beautiful Kate premiere

The Sydney Film Festival took place last week, and below are a few images from the premiere of "Beautiful Kate."

Directed by Rachel Ward (yes, the same one who was in "Against All Odds" way back when), the film follows writer Ned Kendall (Ben Mendelsohn), who’s asked to return to the family home by his sister Sally (Rachel Griffiths, so great in these dramatic roles) to say goodbye to his dying father. Memories of his beautiful twin sister Kate (Sophie Lowe) bring back long-buried memories from their past. 

Miranda Otto:

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New in Theaters: Pelham 123, Imagine That

New in theaters this weekend are a couple of very different movies, featuring John Travolta as a bad guy and Eddie Murphy as a clueless dad:

The Taking of Pelham 123 (R). It’s a little sad watching John Travolta play a bad guy and thinking about all the grief he’s had this year after losing his son. Still, this movie has couple of great character studies, with Travolta and also Denzel Washington as a subway navigator who’s forced into a take charge position. [Film Gecko Preview & Trailer] [World Premiere Pics] [Official Site]

Imagine That (PG). It’s a familiar story of a distant dad (Eddie Murphy) bonding with his little girl (Yara Shahidi), but the two share some sweet moments. And Thomas Haden Church plays a goofy Native American character – well, sort of! [Film Gecko Preview & Trailer] [Official Site]

In limited release: "Call of the Wild 3D"; "Food, Inc."; and "Moon." "Away We Go" expands this weekend, as well.

Image Credit: © 2009 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

New Movie Friday! Land of the Lost, The Hangover

New in theaters today is a bunch of funny, wacky, romantic, scary, and heartbreaking movies. In short, something for everyone! Take a look and see what’s new:

Land of the Lost (PG-13). Has-been scientist Will Ferrell gets "lost" in a land full of dinosaurs and other fun creatures. [35 Images] [Clips and Trailer] [Official Site]

Away We Go (R, limited release). John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are expectant parents in search of a place to raise their child. [Film Gecko Preview] [Contest Giveaway] [Official Site]

The Hangover (R). What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? We’ll find out in this buddy movie starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis. [Official Site]

My Life in Ruins (PG-13). Nia Vardalos is a Greek American tour guide leading an assorted group of misfits around Greece. [Official Site]

Downloading Nancy (not rated, limited release). A missing wife and a nasty cyber-relationship are on tap here. Stars Maria Bello, Jason Patric and Rufus Sewell. [Film Gecko Preview] [Official Site]

Tennessee (R, limited release).  Adam Rothenberg, Ethan Peck and Mariah Carey star in this movie about three people in search of their dreams. [Official Site]

Images: © Universal Studios

New Pics of Angelina Jolie on the set of Salt

I’ve got some new pics of Angelina Jolie on the set of her upcoming movie “Salt.” She plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who (maybe) doubles as a Russian sleeper spy and has people after her believing she’s out to assassinate the President.

The film also stars Liev Schreiber as Winter, Evelyn’s ally in the Russian office of the CIA, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peabody, a counterintelligence agent who wants to bring her down.

It’s directed by Phillip Noyce, who knows what he’s doing with this genre. His other movies include “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Saint,” and “Patriot Games.” “Salt” is scheduled for a July 23, 2010 release.

Image: Pacific Coast News

Museum Takes Box Office – May 22-25, 2009

Tops at the box office this weekend was "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." I wasn’t that crazy about the movie (read my review here), but it’s the only new family flick out right now, which is why I think it scored high. It wasn’t bad; just wasn’t as good as the first movie. Take a peek at the numbers from Box Office Mojo:

• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $70M
• Terminator Salvation, $53.82M
• Star Trek, $29.40M
• Angels & Demons, $27.70M
• Dance Flick, $13.10M
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine, $10.10M
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, $4.83M
• Obsessed, $2.50M
• Monsters vs. Aliens, $1.90M
• 17 Again, $1.28M

Images: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Review

Movie: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian * Preview * Official Site	In Theaters: May 22, 2009
Runtime: 105 minutes	Directed by: Shawn Levy
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and brief language	Gecko Rating:

I’ll say right off the bat that my kids liked "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" better than I did. I LOVED the first "Night at the Museum," and this sequel seems like a throw-away to capitalize on the first movie and showcase all the stuff in the Smithsonian. That said, there are a few things I like about it; namely, Amy Adams as the plucky Amelia Earhart.

Ben Stiller returns as Larry Daley, only instead of working as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, he’s running a big corporation now and doing infomercials for all his products, like a glow-in-the-dark flashlight.

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Land of the Lost Clips and Trailer – Will Ferrell gets a python around his neck!

"Land of the Lost" didn’t look that funny to me when I first heard about it. But after seeing a few clips and reading more, it’s growing on me, and now I’m looking forward to it. 

It stars Will Ferrell as a washed-up scientist who goes back to the stone age via time machine, along with his research assistant (Anna Friel) and a survivalist (Danny McBride). Of course they get chased by T-Rex’s and other fantastic creatures. 

It’s directed by Brad Silberling and rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference. Arrives in theaters June 5, 2009. Read my interview with Michael Papajohn, who plays an astronaut in the movie.

Thanks to MTV for the clips below. Are you looking forward to this movie?

The stars get a biology lesson:   

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Away We Go – Preview, Trailer & Images

"Away We Go" sounds like one of those dramatic, funny, quirky (drafirky?) movies along the lines of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." They’re both from Focus Features, so there’s a good chance they might have the same feeling to them.

Directed by Sam Mendes (coming off his "Revolutionary Road" success), "Away We Go" stars John Krasinski ("The Office") and Maya Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live") as Burt and Verona. The couple plan to raise their soon-to-be-born child next door to Burt’s parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara), who have something else in mind. Lke moving to Belgium.

So Burt and Verona hit the road in search of the perfect home for their growing family, visiting friends and relatives along the way.

"Away We Go" is rated R for language and some sexual content. It hits theaters in limited release June 5, 2009.

After the jump, more pics and the trailer for "Away We Go"…

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Christian Bale, Sam Worthington at the L.A. Premiere of Terminator Salvation

"Terminator Salvation" hits theaters next Friday, May 21, 2009, but the stars came out in full force at the red carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday. Hollyscoop.com caught up with Christian Bale, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dan Lin, Sam Worthington, and Tyrese Gibson.

Also check out these Film Gecko links: Interview with Michael Papajohn, 53 images, 4-minute trailer, 3rd official trailer.