Via www.gmanetwork.com

CANNES, France - Brad Pitt's latest movie paints a bleak picture of the broken American dream, blending a violent but comic gangster story with overt criticism of politicians' failure to address the economic crisis.

"Killing Them Softly" takes place in an unspecified U.S. city which has borne the brunt of the financial collapse -- houses are abandoned, shops are shuttered and petty criminals and mobsters alike are struggling to get by.

The movie, co-produced by Pitt, is in the main competition at the Cannes film festival this year, and has its red carpet world premiere on Tuesday.

 Pitt plays ruthless hitman Jackie Cogan, brought in by a syndicate of mafia bosses to eliminate a group of thieves who raid a high-stakes poker game.

The title derives from his insistence on avoiding unnecessary pain and suffering when he carries out his killings.

 It features gangster movie mainstays Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini, and reunites Pitt with New Zealand-born director Andrew Dominik after the two collaborated on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford".

Via mb.com.ph
By Neil Ramos

Not a few Pinoys are eager to rub shoulders with Hollywood stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz. This is evident in the numerous footage shown in the news with more than a handful kibitzers crashing the set of “Bourne Legacy” in Malate the past couple of days.

But when most were allowed only a glimpse of the celluloid heroes at work, there are a lucky few who were able to actually share a conversation with the duo, this, including, model-TV host Phoemela Barranda and actress Iza Calzado.

Barranda revealed that she was among those invited to have dinner with both Renner and Weisz, which came courtesy of good friend, Cristalle Belo – product development and marketing head of Belo Essentials.

According to Baranda, the dinner was held at Filipino resto, Abe, in consideration to the stars supposedly preferring to taste more of the local cuisine.

Baranda was surprised that both aren’t cutting on their diet, just digging into their rice with gusto. And both, she said, enjoyed most of the food served including “binukadkad na tilapia, adobo and gising-gising.”

Among other things, Renner and Weisz were enthusiastic to know about places that they could visit while they’re in the country, said Barranda.

“Hanggang Feb pa sila rito so gusto nila malaman kung ano pa ang magandang puntahan sa Pilipinas,” Barranda said. “Si Jeremy came from Boracay na and si Rachel naman gusto ding mag-Boracay.”

Both Hollywood stars are enjoying their stay here, added Barranda.

In a separate report on GMA News, Calzado said she was “starstruck” upon meeting Renner and Weisz.

“I was honored to be in their presence. I was just in awe,” she recalled.

Meanwhile, shooting for the international film continues today in Remedios Circle, Malate. The place was cordoned off near dawn with several officers of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed to control anticipated traffic in the area as early as 5 a. m.

Nearby Bocobo Street will be closed to traffic until tomorrow as well, says a GMA report.

Read more @mb.com.ph
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Via www.yahoo.com
by: Associated Press

imdb.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The fright film "The Devil Inside" scared up a monstrous $34.5 million opening weekend to help Hollywood exorcise its recent box-office demons, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The surprise hit from Paramount Pictures debuted well above industry expectations as horror fans crowded theaters for the low-budget tale about exorcists trying to free a woman possessed by evil spirits.

Between "The Devil Inside" and solid results for holdover films, Hollywood's business soared over the first full weekend of 2012 after a sluggish holiday season that ended a ho-hum year at the box office.
Overall domestic revenues totaled $144 million, up 29 percent from the same weekend last year, when "True Grit" led with $14.6 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
Paramount already is well into profit with "The Devil Inside," an independently produced movie that the studio bought for $1 million. It's the latest such low-budgeted horror acquisition for the studio, which bought "Paranormal Activity" cheaply and turned it into a $100 million sensation that was followed by two hit sequels.

Like "Paranormal Activity" and another Paramount hit released in January, "Cloverfield," ''The Devil Inside" is a fictional tale shot in a mock documentary style.
According to Paramount, 59 percent of viewers for "The Devil Inside" were under 25 and 85 percent were under 35, prime viewers for Hollywood who had not turned up in their usual numbers for much of last year.

With a sales campaign that bypassed traditional newspaper and TV advertising in favor of online teasers and cryptic marketing, Paramount managed to intrigue young adults who have not been all that interested in the rush of family films and Academy Awards contenders that crowded into theaters over the holidays.
"The Devil Inside" was the only new wide release of the weekend after the holiday crush, historically a good time for something different to sneak in and become an unexpected hit, said Don Harris, head of distribution for Paramount.
"For that under-25, under-35 audience that's looking for something else, that first weekend in January has always been a great weekend to release a movie," Harris said. "When we saw that weekend open, we took it."

"The Devil Inside" bumped another Paramount hit, Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol," out of the top spot after two weekends at No. 1. "Ghost Protocol" slipped to No. 2 with $20.5 million, raising its domestic total to $170.2 million.
Just a day before "The Devil Inside" opened Friday, industry analysts had expected "Ghost Protocol" would remain No. 1 this weekend. The most optimistic forecasters figured "The Devil Inside" might manage $15 million, less than half the business it actually did.

"This one caught everyone looking, but the devil got his due," Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. "It's just very difficult to track the horror fan base, no question about it."
"The Devil Inside" is following the pattern of many horror movies, which pack in crowds on opening day then tumble quickly after that. With $16.85 million on Friday, "The Devil Inside" did nearly half of its business in the first day, with revenues falling to $11.75 million Saturday and an estimated $5.9 million Sunday.