Not much has been released or even said about Enemy, the second work by Denis Villeneuve starring Jake Gyllenhaal since Prisoners, the powerful drama that premiered at TIFF on September 20th, 2013. No US release date has been set, but from the poster and the just-over-a-minute teaser trailer, replete with ennui from the content to the wandering and sorrowful music, we can expect the same moody introspection and desolate spaciousness that characterized Prisoners. Screened as a special presentation at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the trailer asks more questions then answers, providing just enough information to set the scene without revealing any of the plot.

The teaser is full of disjointed and interconnected beats of Gyllenhaal, giving a lecture at a University where he teaches about dictators and control in some moments, interspersed with Gyllenhaal’s seemingly despondent relationship with his girlfriend, coitus and walk-out included. Gyllenhaal seems disheveled, preoccupied and uninterested; his world is beige, poorly furnished and bleak. That, coupled with the vaguely insidious soundtrack, is all we have to go on so far, and it is definitely enough to get the wheels turning about the emotional undertow of the plot. In text it’s apparent that Gyllenhaal gets double-billing for playing his doppelgänger, but only time and more released information will tell what will come of this meeting outside of scattered hints that the results will be grim.

An adaptation of Nobel-Prize-winning author José Saramago’s novel “The Double”, this work proposes to solidify the brooding, expansive aesthetic that Villeneuve gave glimpses of in Prisoners.  The film’s cast also features Mélanie Laurent, Isabella Rosselllini, Sara Gadon, Stephen R. Hart and Jane Moffat and has recently been picked up by A24 for US distribution. Set to release in Spain on December 13th, 2013, it’ll be interesting to see how this film compares and measures up to Prisoners for Thrills, aesthetic, and overall artistic merit.

Enemy is directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Jack Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Isabella Rosselllini, Sara Gadon, Stephen R. Hart and Jane Moffat. There’s no official release date yet set.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter

The second trailer for Out of the Furnace, the Scott Cooper film staring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson, pounds its pulse a little more wildly then the first trailer, but overall still conveys the sense of despair and futility associated with poverty that the first one did. The film, also starring Casey Affleck as Bale’s disillusioned brother, home from the army and in incredible danger, along with Zoe Saldana and Willem Dafoe, is set to release in theaters on December 6, 2013.

 While the first trailer focuses more on painting a picture of the rust belt, complete with character portraits and the sprawling industrial landscapes, the second trailer is far more visceral. This one, drawing more from fight/crimes movies and the impoverished alienation capitalized and other Appalachian desperation films, gives you more of an idea of the “whole ‘nother world up in there” which Affleck has gotten himself entangled in. Bale, who’s character Russell has just gotten out of jail, has to decide whether to take his freedom and run or put it all on the line, guns blazing, as he treks into the lawless backwoods of Appalachia to get his brother back from the villain, played by Woody Harrelson.

Taken in aggregate, these trailers shine most in their immaculately crafted interiors, their character designs, and their wide shots of beautiful yet filthy industrial landscapes that sustain and oppress the cast of characters.  Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” is covered sorrowfully in the second trailer to emotional impact, and along meticulousness shown in both trailers to the environment and to the performances, the general vibe evokes Winter’s Bone and other horror stories of American poverty. If Scott Cooper pulls performances out of his cast anywhere near as good as the one he got out of Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, this film will not be one to miss.

Out of the Furnace is directed by Scott Cooper and stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Sam Shepard. It hits theaters on December 6, 2013.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter

The second trailer for Out of the Furnace, the Scott Cooper film staring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson, pounds its pulse a little more wildly then the first trailer, but overall still conveys the sense of despair and futility associated with poverty that the first one did. The film, also starring Casey Affleck as Bale’s disillusioned brother, home from the army and in incredible danger, along with Zoe Saldana and Willem Dafoe, is set to release in theaters on December 6, 2013.

While the first trailer focuses more on painting a picture of the rust belt, complete with character portraits and the sprawling industrial landscapes, the second trailer is far more visceral. This one, drawing more from fight/crimes movies and the impoverished alienation capitalized and other Appalachian desperation films, gives you more of an idea of the “whole ‘nother world up in there” which Affleck has gotten himself entangled in. Bale, who’s character Russell has just gotten out of jail, has to decide whether to take his freedom and run or put it all on the line, guns blazing, as he treks into the lawless backwoods of Appalachia to get his brother back from the villain, played by Woody Harrelson.

Taken in aggregate, these trailers shine most in their immaculately crafted interiors, their character designs, and their wide shots of beautiful yet filthy industrial landscapes that sustain and oppress the cast of characters.  Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” is covered sorrowfully in the second trailer to emotional impact, and along meticulousness shown in both trailers to the environment and to the performances, the general vibe evokes Winter’s Bone and other horror stories of American poverty. If Scott Cooper pulls performances out of his cast anywhere near as good as the one he got out of Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, this film will not be one to miss.

Out of the Furnace is directed by Scott Cooper and stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Sam Shepard. It hits theaters on December 6, 2013.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter

Aaron Eckhart has taken a bit of a fall from grace of late. Since The Dark Knight, he’s been wrapped up in such clunkers as The Rum Diary, Olympus Has Fallen, Erased and Battle: Los Angeles. From the production team behind the Underworld series, I, Frankenstein looks exactly like the CGI-clutter you would expect. Apparently aimed towards a younger crowd, considering the PG-13 rating, I, Frankenstein has high hopes of being the low point of Eckhart’s faltering career.

“Frankenstein’s creature finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans,” reads the IMDB description. I don’t know about you but this hardly seems like the movie that’s going to re-invest the mass public in the Frankenstein saga. The true shame is that Eckhart and co-star Bill Nighy are wasting their time on this oblivious clunker. Shame. 

Take a peek at the trailer and see if there’s any chance you’ll be purchasing a ticket come January.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxOSPfUw3qw#t=123

I, Frankenstein is directed by Stuart Beattie and stars Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Miranda Otto and Kevin Grevioux. It hits theaters on January 24, 2013.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s release of the first poster poster for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Paramount has issued the first trailer for the newest iteration of the weathered character. With Tom Clancy passing away yesterday, it certainly seems like Paramount has found a golden spot to market their film, however sketchy that may be.

As I noted yesterday, the Jack Ryan character has already been performed by Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck and, most famously, Harrison Ford. Chris Pine (Star Trek) is the latest to step into the Jack Ryan shoes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4Azjn9lfI

Directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also plays the villain in the film), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will also feature Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Nonso Anozie, and David Paymer. For now, the film is slated for a Christmas release but, considering the many turning tides of films lately, it’s been rumored to be moving back into January territory. The fact that we’ve yet to see a trailer lends credence to that rumor.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, Nonso Anozie, and David Paymer. It’s currently set up for a Christmas, 2013 release.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter

Another one of the many film to come out of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews is Stephen Frears’ (The Queen, High Fidelity) Philomena. In Philomena, “a world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman’s search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.”

Judi Dench stars as the titular Philomena Lee searching for long lost son Martin Sixsmith, played by Steve Coogan (who also helped write the story). Lots has been said about Dench’s performance, making it an almost guaranteed Oscar lock and putting her in strong contention with current frontrunner Cate Blanchett. While the film itself isn’t too likely to grab any of the big Oscar categories, it has a chance in the screenplay department and Dench is all but a guarantee.

Take a look and see if this small British drama is the one for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvIytgxq8QI

Philomena is directed by Stephen Frier and stars Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Michelle Fairley, Mare Winningham, Simone Lahbib, and Charles Edwards. It hits theaters in limited release on January 10, 2014.

I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I didn’t love the last Hobbit film. Certainly that had something to do with seeing it in the incredibly disorienting 48 frames per second format but my biggest issue was with the story itself. Following in the footsteps of the epic – in all senses of the word – Lord of the Rings, this just felt so minor and far too “walk-y”. It might as well have been called The Hobbit: Goes for a Stroll.

At least this second installment in the three part saga, entitled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, promises a dragon… voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Having read the J.R. Tolkien novel many times, I’m still worried that events will be stretched too far in this book. Smaug certainly has a significant role in the story, but I wonder if that’s a tale that director Peter Jackson hopes to spread out into the next film, making this one just another placeholder in the Hobbit franchise.

Anyone who has watched BBC’s Sherlock will definitely get a kick out of the fact that Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Sherlock and Watson respectively on the show, will be playing witty enemies. One is a dragon and one is a hobbit but they are both willing to joust intellectually for a bunch of gold.

Take a look at the trailer and see if this looks better than the first one.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchette, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Artmitage, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, and Stephen Fry. It hits theaters over this holiday season on December 13.

Follow Silver Screen Riot on Facebook
Follow Silver Screen Riot on Twitter