REEL DEAL: Happy Songs In "THE VOICES"

In the thrilling horror psycho dark comedy “The Voices,” director Marjane Satrapi and scribe Michael Perry have created a great symphony of a movie with a perfect ensemble of actors in Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick and Gemma Arterton as lead stars about a very likeable serial killer trying to be accepted within society’s norms. 

Reynolds takes on the role of Jerry Hickfang, a schizophrenic trying blend in with normal folks in a town called Milton while simultaneously lending his voice to Bosco, his dog and to Mr. Whiskers, his cat in the movie.       

REEL DEAL: Director Marjane Satrapi Elevates "THE VOICES" With Highest of Notes

Acclaimed graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi directs Ryan Reynolds in what critics are saying to be the best performance yet of his career in “The Voices” that also stars Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick. 

The story opens on Jerry’s (Reynolds) early days at his new job. Mesmerized by the ballet-like trajectory of pink forklifts amongst the bustling computer-controlled assembly lines at Milton Fixture and Faucet’s modern factory, he wears pink overalls and heavy gloves, and is proud of his work.  At home, he is not the brightly clad guy as he is perceived to be and talks to his pets – a dog and a cat that Jerry believes are talking back to him. 

REEL DEAL: Ryan Reynolds Tries To Fit In Despite Being A Misfit In “THE VOICES”

Injecting new twist on the serial killer movie genre, acclaimed graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi helms “The Voices” with a perfectly pitched cast led by Ryan Reynolds along with Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick in a story so unique about a misfit who walks on a very thin line between being the protagonist and antagonist.    

In “The Voices,” Reynolds stars as Jerry Hickfang who works at a bathtub factory and attempts to walk the straight-and-narrow, in spite of his talking pet dog and cat trying to influence him. When he accidentally kills an attractive woman from accounting (Arterton), he hastily tries to cover his tracks. But Jerry is beyond the reach of his well-meaning psychiatrist Dr. Warren (Jacki Weaver) and Lisa (Anna Kendrick), the only woman he ever truly loved, and spirals into a world of violence where he ultimately finds salvation.

REEL DEAL: Director Neil Jordan on Byzantium and Vampire Movies

Neil Jordan’s body of work is an odd, fascinating beast. On one level, the Irish director’s fablelike films — with their often mystical elements, their vivid photography, and their tormented, passionate characters — are remarkably consistent in tone, style, and themes. On another level, though, the films are a diverse lot, ranging from moody dramas like Mona Lisa and The End of the Affair, to thrillers like The Crying Game and The Good Thief, to big-budget, star-studded epics like Interview With a Vampire and Michael Collins, to fairy tales like The Company of Wolves. He’s even made a couple of exuberant comedies along the way (including High Spirits, which is better than you remember). Now, with his latest, Byzantium, a tale of mother-and-daughter vampires (played by Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan) hiding out in a British seaside town, Jordan has returned to the vampire genre, and the result is one of his strongest, most ambitious and romantic works in years. Jordan talked to us about his new movie, fairy tales, and vampires.

REEL DEAL: Gemma Arterton's Dangerous Game in "Runner Runner"

Gemma Arterton stars alongside Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake in “Runner Runner” wherein her role as Rebecca Shafran is entangled in the cutthroat world of online gambling.

“Runner Runner” explores the multi-billion dollar industry of online gambling where all players are supposed to have their share, in any which way possible. Affleck takes on the role of gambling kingpin Ivan Block while Timberlake is Richie Furst, a brilliant Princeton grad student on his way to finishing his masters. Furst, in order to further finance his studies takes commissions from online gambling operators and risks playing online too for additional money. When Richie betted all of his savings and lost it to Block’s operations, he soon finds out that he’s been tricked. Determined to recollect his tuition money, he heads to Costa Rica to confront Block about his malicious online practices. Soon thereafter, Richie falls for Block’s associate –sophisticated COO Rebecca Shafran (Gemma Arterton) – and he embraces a world that sees all of his fantasies come to life. But Richie soon learns that Block is wanted for racketeering, extortion and bribery, and that FBI Special Agent Shavers (Anthony Mackie) is obsessed with bringing Block and his associates to justice.

REEL DEAL: Hansel and Gretel – Witch Hunters SPOTLIGHT

A rollicking action-horror adventure 

by Emy Abuan

A legendary fairy tale transforms -- taking a dark, twisting turn down a new path into fun, fast-paced action and sly, sinister modern thrills -- in the rollicking action-horror adventure Hansel and; Gretel: Witch Hunters.   

The story picks up 15 years after siblings Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) hatched their escape from a child-snatching witch, who changed their lives forever . . . and gave them a taste for blood. Now they have come of age as fierce, formidably skilled bounty hunters 100% dedicated to tracking and terminating witches in every dark forest -- hell-bent on retribution.  But as the notorious Blood Moon approaches and a familiar wooded town faces a nightmare for its innocent children, Hansel & Gretel encounter an evil beyond any witch they’ve ever hunted – an evil that could hold the secret to their frightening past.