After the French actioner District B-13 showed how cool parkour can look onscreen, the crazy athletic practice started showing up in big American movies like Casino Royale, Live Free or Die Hard, and The Bourne Ultimatum.  Now, years after the cinematic fad would seem to have passed, comes Tracers, an action project centered around parkour and titled for the name applied to practitioners therof  The film will star none other than Taylor Lautner as a bike messenger who becomes enthralled by free-running, a skill that presumably helps him get out of his trouble with organized crime.

Opening in theaters on January 27th is the new action-packed, wilderness-survival thriller from director Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) called The Grey. The movie features an exceptional cast of veteran actors including Liam Neeson (Taken), Dermot Mulroney (Abduction), Frank Grillo (Warrior), James Badge Dale (Shame), Dallas Roberts (3:10 to Yuma), Joe Anderson (The Crazies), and Nonso Anozie (Conan the Barbarian).

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had an opportunity to sit down with actors Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, James Badge Dale, and Dallas Roberts to discuss their work on The Grey. The exceptional group of actors talked about the new film, their characters' arcs, working with director Joe Carnahan, the movie's physically taxing demands, and why Frank Grillo actually got himself arrested to research his role.

What with the big happenings like interspecies marriage and vampire baby-making, so far the marketing for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 has been focused squarely on Bella Swan/Cullen and Edward Cullen, the newlyweds played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.  Yesterday, for example, the first official clip from the film teased their honeymoon, with their pre-coital arrival at a South American love nest.  Today, though, Summit Entertainment has dropped a promotional spot that puts the focus on werewolf also-ran Jacob Black, played once again by erstwhile Sharkboy Taylor Lautner. 

Mostly, Jacob is making like a downtrodden Charlie Brown in this spot.  Understandable, given that his lady love is gets a) hitched and b) knocked up by a filthy vampire with inferior abdominal muscles.  Towards the end, though, he starts getting his righteous werewolf on, going toe to toe with some other murderous werewolves.

You know what everybody loves?  Dolphins.  You know what else everybody loves?  Heartwarming tales of individuals overcoming seemingly unconquerable afflictions.  Put those together, add a helping of 3D, a dollop of cute child actor, a pinch of Morgan Freeman, along with a side of Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd, and you've got yourself an unexpected hit movie.  Dolphin Tale debuted in third place last weekend, but good word of mouth and an agreeably four-quadrant story allowed the film to jump to first place in its second weekend, a rare feat accomplished not too long ago by bona-fide hit The Help.

It was a bit of a surprise last weekend when The Lion King managed to lead the box office, but that it managed to hold on to the top spot for a second consecutive weekend despite the presence of four heavily promoted new releases proves that you can't argue with beloved, well-made cinematic comfort food.  Seventeen years after its initial theatrical run, The Lion King's 3D re-release grossed an estimated $22.1 million over the weekend, placing it ahead of Moneyball starring Brad Pitt, family-friendly 3D story Dolphin Tale, and the actioners Abduction and Killer Elite, both of which contain an almost excessive amount of punching.

Opening in theaters on September 23rd is the new action thriller from Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton called Abduction. The film features actor Taylor Lautner (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) in his first post-Twilight starring role, along with Lily Collins (Priest), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Maria Bello (A History of Violence), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Freema Agyerman (Doctor Who), Michael Nyqvist (The Girl Who Played with Fire), and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down and speak with editor H. Dwight Raymond IV (Marmaduke) about his work on Abduction. Raymond discussed the film, collaborating with director John Singleton, the movie's action filled sequences, Taylor Lautner's performance, and keeping the actor's shirt on.

The first trailer for Abduction did the conceptual heavy lifting, showing how Taylor Lautner's perfect high school movie existence turns into a perfect action movie existence upon his discovery of his picture on a missing persons website.  In short order, his parents are mowed down, he's pursued by government spy-types, and he beats up many, many people.  A second Abduction trailer puts John Singleton's action direction front and center, focusing mainly on the running and the Bourne-style beatings.  It also includes at least two instance of piss-poor marksmanship from highly-trained operatives with giant sniper rifles.

Two months ago, Lionsgate released the first poster for the action-thriller Abduction, and that simple black-and-white one sheet informed curious audiences of just two crucial pieces of primary information: first, that Taylor Lautner is in the film, and second, that the film is called Abduction.  A brand new poster for the film includes those two essential facts, while also introducing some spatial confusion, as Lautner, gun in hand, slides down the sheer face of a building that exists at an angle not quite compatible with the physical universe surrounding it.

If simplicity is perfection, then the new poster for Abduction will be the highlight of your week.  This one-sheet, unveiled at JustJared, aims to tell you one thing and one thing only: Taylor Lautner is in this movie.  So if you were wondering whether or not Taylor Lautner is in Abduction, then this poster will answer that question and do very little else.  Check it out.

News came late this evening that Relativity Media had inked a deal with actress Lily Collins (The Blind Side) to play the title character in their upcoming, yet untitled, Snow White feature film. The movie will be based on the famous fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and helmed by visionary director Tarsem Singh (Immortals, The Cell). Collins joins an already stellar cast that includes actor Armie Hammer (The Social Network), who was announced earlier this week and will play the role of Prince Andrew Alcott, and Oscar winner Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) who is set to play the Queen. Pre-production is already in progress and the movie will begin shooting sometime in May.