Warner Bros has released the first theatrical trailer for Gangster Squad, and if the ensemble wasn't on your "Movies I'm Damn Well Seeing As Soon As I Can" list, then it will be shortly.

The story kicks of 1949, as Brooklyn-born gangster Mickey Cohen brings an East Coast-style organization to crime in the sunny City of Angels and corrodes the police through corruption and intimidation.  Sergeant John O'Mara and Detective Jerry Wooters are tasked with forming a covert group of incorruptible cops to dismantle Cohen's empire by any means necessary.

One thing that makes Jill Hennessy such a joy to watch is the way she speaks her lines. The flow of her words are rich with texture, and deep with a clean timbre. She has spoken those lines through a myriad of characters in film and on television. From Law & Order (1993-1996), Las Vegas (2004-2006), and Crossing Jordan (2001-2007), to characters in feature-length films of various genres, Hennessy has acquired enough solid acting credits to out-talk anyone … or out-sing them. Her performing experience extends beyond the screen. In 2009, Hennessy released an album titled “Ghost In My Head”, which she wrote and recorded herself. Hennessy has been a singer/songwriter for many years, performing shows in between her many acting gigs, and was even invited to perform at the 2010 revival of the illustrious Lilith Fair.

That’s why Roadie, opening in theatres on January 6th, is such a delicate surprise of a film. While it’s about middle-aged, ex-roadie Jimmy Testagross (Ron Eldard), who suddenly finds himself forced to go back to his hometown and deal with his arrested development all in the scope of twenty-four hours, it is often Jill Hennessy who steals the spotlight as Jimmy’s high school sweetheart and small-town amateur singer/songwriter, Nikki Stevens. When Nikki picks up her guitar and her voice transitions into a controlled Natalie Merchant-esque wail, the story picks up on the movie’s theme of music as sanctuary, music as a time capsule of emotion. Indeed, the characters in the movie are propelled by the idea that music is bigger than the sum of its parts, and that music can save them or help save them from themselves.

I recently had a chance to speak with Jill Hennessy about her role as Nikki Stevens in Roadie. Refreshingly laidback and thoughtful, she relayed her feelings about working with Ron Eldard (Super 8), how she got director Michael Cuesta to incorporate one of her songs in the film, and her excitement over her role in HBO’s new series, Luck.

Because one seemingly interminable night of bloviating and self-congratulatory pomp just isn't enough, the awards season must span the three months leading up to the Oscar Ceremony in late February.  During those three months, many a critical organization drops their own list of honorees from cinema of the last year, and all of these awards contribute to the narrative of "buzz" for a film or performance film leading up to the Academy Awards.  One such set of honors are the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and today, the nominees for the 18th annual awards were announced, with the winners set to revealed on Sunday, January 29, 2012.

Warner Bros has released the first official still from Gangster Squad, giving a good look at Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen and Josh Brolin as John O'Mara, the cop determined to take him down.  Despite what the title might make you think, Gangster Squad isn't about a squad of gangsters so much as it's about a team of police officers who form a secret task force to root out corruption and the rise of East Coast-style organized criminality in early 1950's Los Angeles.  We've previously seen plenty of set photos with Brolin, Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone, but this is the first image sanctioned by the Brothers Warner, and to accompany it, director Ruben Fleischer shared some new details on the story and characters.

He did some skull-crushing in Drive, Ryan Gosling and no doubt still retains his crown as the undisputed "Hey Girl" King of Cuddles, but new photos from the set of the currently-filming period crime saga Gangster Squad demonstrate a keen ability to wield an automatic weapon, as well.  Based on his attire in these and previous peeks at the set, it seems possible that Gosling signed on to this film based entirely on the wardrobe.  It also could've been the presence of actors like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Nick Nolte.  Nah, definitely the snappy, 1940's style costumes.

Warner Bros has shown a lot of confidence in Gangster Squad since it was a recently completed screenplay by former LAPD cop Will Beall still referred to as Tales From the Gangster Squad.  The film tells the true life story of a cover cop squad formed in 1949 to combat the corruptive influence of Brooklyn-born mafia boss Mickey Cohen as he spread his influence across sunny Los Angeles. 

As the project acquired a director and a pretty damned stunning cast, the studio's confidence must have increased correspondingly, and now Warner Bros has given Gangster Squad a release date that demonstrates what could be Oscar hopes.

Q: Who or what could possibly upstage Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in a contest of raw adorability?  A: An English Bulldog, obviously.  New unofficial photos from the Los Angeles set of Gangster Squad reveal our first look at Stone in costume for the period crime saga, along with Gosling rocking a nice hat and a setting-appropriate cigarette.  Both of these examples of human beauty, last seen together in Crazy, Stupid, Love. are overshadowed by the presence of a bulldog who I suspect is having a great day.

Gangster Squad began filming on location in L.A. about two weeks ago, and set photos from last week showed Gosling and his fellow lead Josh Brolin dressed up as the leaders of the eponymous group, a secret band of dedicated cops looking to send Brooklyn-born crime boss Mickey Cohen to the slammer, or at least back to the East Coast. 

Opening in theaters on September 9th is the new film from Miracle director Gavin O'Connor called Warrior, which takes place in the world of mix martial arts. The film stars Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, The Thing), Jennifer Morrison (House, Star Trek), Frank Grillo (Prison Break, Edge of Darkness), Noah Emmerich (Frequency, Super 8), Kevin Dunn (Transformers, Unstoppable), and Nick Nolte (48 Hours, Cape Fear). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had an opportunity to sit down with Warrior director Gavin O'Connor, as well as several members of the cast including Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison, and Frank Grillo. They had a chance to discuss the new film; its themes of brotherhood and family, the complex characters, MMA fighting, Jennifer Morrison's audition, and Gavin O'Connor's dedication to detail. 

In the upcoming sports drama Warrior, British upstart Tom Hardy and Australian up-and-comer Joel Edgerton play estranged brothers, both involved in Mixed Martial Arts for very different reasons but both headed for an inevitable showdown in a no-holds barred throwdown.  The theatrical one-sheet for Warrior features the two leads shirtless and showing off abs that, if combined, would form a twelve-pack.  Today, and only for a few more hours, you have the opportunity to bid on the poster signed by both Hardy and Edgerton.  If you win the autographed poster, you not only get a thoroughly manly one-sheet, but you'll also be supporting a wholly worthwhile charity. So act fast!

In the sports-drama Warrior, Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy play brothers who are involved in Mixed Martial Arts for wholly different reasons.  The former is a teacher and family man attempting to support his family, while the latter is an ex-Marine, recently returned home and exorcising his demons by beating the shot out of competitors.  Of course, by the end of the film, the siblings will be forced to face off in a figurative cage match.  A new poster for Warrior compares and contrasts Edgerton and Hardy, allowing us to see that no matter how different they are, they both have well-defined abs.