Over a year ago, well before Hugo racked up eleven Oscar nominations and marked the director's successful foray into family entertainment, Martin Scorsese was said to be reteaming with his frequent leading man Leonardo DiCaprio on The Wolf of Wall Street.  It seemed like just the sort of material into which Scorsese could sink his teeth, but he unexpectedly left the project back in May.  Now, just as unexpectedly, the director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and Goodfellas is back on board to direct DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Opening in theaters on March 2nd is the new film from director Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy, Little Fockers) called Being Flynn, which is based on the popular book "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City" by author Nick Flynn. The film stars two-time Oscar winner and living legend Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino) as Jonathan, a homeless man who re-connects with his estranged son after becoming a resident at the shelter where he now works. In addition to De Niro, the excellent cast includes four-time Oscar nominee Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, The Kids Are All Right), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, Cowboys & Aliens), Olivia Thirlby (Juno, Solitary Man, No Strings Attached), and Lili Taylor (Short Cuts, I Shot Andy Warhol, Public Enemies). 

IAR's very own Dana Feldman recently had a chance to sit down and speak with the film's director Paul Weitz, as well as actors Paul Dano, and Olivia Thirlby about their work on Being Flynn. The director and his actors discussed the new film, Weitz's seven-year process to bring Flynn's popular memoir to the big screen, Dano's extensive research for his role, Thirlby's own volunteer work; her character's arc, and what it was like for all of them to work with the iconic Robert De Niro. 

Crime movies are a captivating genre because they are the perfect holdall; a crime thriller can be altogether suspenseful and grotesque and profound, a reflection of our dual humanity. It is in this spirit that Ami Canaan Mann (Morning, Friday Night Lights) helmed Texas Killing Fields, which is available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning January 31st, and is the director's follow-up feature film after more than a decade of writing and directing for TV.

The seedling for the script is found in Texas City, the outskirts of which harbor a massive, haunting field with a macabre history. Over sixty murders were dumped within this region, known by locals as the Killing Fields and it was from this that director/producer Michael Mann (Thief, Heat) was inspired to commission a script. Like a lot of movies in Hollywood, it took years for all the right particles to come together and greenlight a story into creation but when it finally did, the story succeeded in its director’s aim to do three important things: do right by the families of the real victims, put a face to the victims of sexual assault murders, and to evoke the horror of the story in a sophisticated, non-procedural manner.

To achieve all that, Texas Killing Fields makes use of the genre’s elasticity. On the one hand, you have the high-stakes plot: the story focuses on two detectives, committed to finding the culprit of a murder that had been dumped in the field, who end up having to race the clock in order to save the life of another potential Killing Field victim, played by Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass). Sam Worthington (Avatar) plays Detective Mike Souder, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) plays his partner, Brian Heigh, and Jessica Chastain (The Help) plays the former-Mrs.-Souder, Detective Pam Stall.

Opening in theaters on November 4th is the new Rock 'n' Roll comedy Killing Bono, based on Neil McCormick's 2003 memoir "Killing Bono: I was Bono's Doppelganger." The film is directed by Nick Hamm (Godsend) and stars an excellent cast of actors including Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), Robert Sheehan (Season of the Witch), Krysten Ritter (She's Out of My League), Martin McCann (My Boy Jack), and the late Pete Postlethwaite (The Usual Suspects) in his final film performance.

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with the film's director Nick Hamm, and star Ben Barnes, to discuss Killing Bono. The director and actor spoke freely about the new film, the true life story it is based on, the traps of celebrity, and U2's reaction to the film.

Opening in theaters on October 14th is a new crime thriller from first time director Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of director Michael Mann (Heat), called Texas Killing Fields. The film reunites The Debt co-stars Sam Worthington (Avatar) and Jessica Chastain (The Help), as well as featuring a cast of exceptional actors including Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen), Jason Clarke (TV's The Chicago Code), Annabeth Gish (The X-Files), Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me), Stephen Graham (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), and Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass). 

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down and speak with actor Sam Worthington, as well as director Ami Canaan Mann about Texas Killing Fields. Worthington, and Mann spoke honestly about the new film, the true story that it is based on, Mann's approach to the material, Worthington's research into his role; why he wanted to re-team with his The Debt co-star Jessica Chastain, and the "good cop/bad cop" routine. 

Opening in Los Angeles on September 2nd is a new film from veteran director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) called 5 Days of War. The movie is based on the true story of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war and stars an impressive cast of actors including Academy Award nominee Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III, Ocean's Eleven), Val Kilmer (The Doors, Batman Forever), Rupert Friend (Pride and Prejudice), Emmanuelle Chriqui (HBO's Entourage), Richard Coyle (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), Antje Traue (Man of Steel), Dean Cain (TV's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Johnathon Schaech (Takers), and Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, The Hangover).

IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down with Renny Harlin to discuss 5 Days of War. The seasoned director spoke candidly with us about his new movie, the real-life events that it is based on, the difficulty of recreating a war, and why the president of Georgia wanted Andy Garcia to portray him in the film.