A trio of new posters for three films we're anticipating for totally different reasons. First up, we have the debut directorial effort of Jennifer Westfeldt with "Friends With Kids" which boasts the all-star cast of Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns.
We had fairly high hopes for the pic which follows two friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who hear the biological clock ticking and decide to have a kid, but also actively avoid getting into a relationship, to avoid the pitfalls their married friends have become ensnared by. Our TIFF review unfortunately noted that the film ultimately "falls back to a familiar movie-ness that belies the intelligence, wit and charm found in its better moments." That said, it's leagues beyond "Valentine's Day" or "New Year's Eve"-style ensemble rom-coms and is definitely worth your time. The film hits theaters on March 9th. [IMPAwards]
Next up is Peter Berg's boardgame adaptation "Battleship." While this writer holds Berg's directorial debut "Friday Night Lights" with considerable regard, this picture — which stars Alexander Skarsgaard, Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker and sees the inclusion of an alien invasion plotline — is transparently aimed at the "Transformers" crowd. We guess that might actually bode well for Berg, who's hoping to create a franchise out of it. The film gets wet on May 18th. [ComingSoon]
And finally, last but not least, we have So Yong-Kim's Sundance drama "For Ellen" featuring the ecletic young cast of Paul Dano, Jena Malone, Jon Heder, Margartia Levieva and Dakota Johnson. The story follows a struggling musician (Dano) who battles his wife for custody of his daughter in a small upstate New York bordertown, with Malone playing his wife and Heder as a small town lawyer who Dano brings in to help. Sounds like a perfect Sundance film, doesn't it? The film has been in post-production for what seems like forever but is finally due to premiere at Park City this Saturday. [IONCinema]
