The Best Ensembles Of 2012

It's hard enough for a movie to introduce one character that the audience cares about. Putting forward an entire cast that will engage the viewer is another thing entirely.

This year, a number of the biggest films relied on the effectiveness of their entire ensemble to make their impact. While some fell flat, others rose to the challenge and succeeded because of it.

But which ensemble is your favorite? Voice your opinion, and vote in the poll below.

"The Hunger Games"
One of the year's biggest movies also managed to have one of the biggest casts. Jennifer Lawrence lead a highly qualified group of actors to the fictional world of Panem for the 74th annual Hunger Games. When an overly made-up Elizabeth Banks and a drunken Woody Harrelson are just two of your characters, you know it's something special.

"Zero Dark Thirty"
Containing over one hundred speaking roles and one hell of a performance from guaranteed Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, Kathryn Bigelow's account of the search for Osama bin Lama features support acting all around from actors as varied as Joel Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, and Chris Pratt.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2"
How often do you get to see a group of your favorite actors get their heads ripped off? Well, it happened during a trippy Alice vision in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," and it was delightful. It takes real acting ability to make you care so much when someone's head gets torn from their shoulders, and cared we did!

"The Avengers"
There was no other cast that defined film in 2012 like the finally-assembled Avengers. We waited years and years for the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe to united and take down some bad guys together, and against all odds, they did not disappoint.

"The Dark Knight Rises"
Starting with "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan turned the "superhero flick" into an "ensemble film." The tradition continued with the finale to his Batman trilogy, adding many of his "Inception" players into the mix.

"Skyfall"
A James Bond film typically centers on 007 with most of the peripheral characters taking on minor roles to either hinder or assist him in his adventure. For the latest entry, however, each character became essential to the overall architecture, and the finished product was absolutely fantastic.

Tags Best of 2012, Skyfall, the avengers, the dark knight rises, The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn part 2, zero dark thirty

First Look At 'Ender's Game': Asa Butterfield And Harrison Ford Face Off

One of next year's most highly anticipated films, "Ender's Game," has been "highly anticipated" by the fans of Orson Scott Card's 1985 novel for nearly thirty years, but the long-awaited adaptation is finally coming into view.

Entertainment Weekly got an exclusive first look at Asa Butterfield, formerly of Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," and Harrison Ford facing off at the Battle School.

Click past the jump for the full picture and excerpts from an interview with director Gavin Hood.

To create a believable sense of tension between Butterfield's Ender and Ford's Colonel Graff, it was important to strike the right balance on set. "The relationship between [Harrison] and Asa was very close," Hood said, "but he didn't overly befriend him off the set. He helped Asa by allowing that slight sense of intimidation to be there."

As always when working with children on a movie, production has to revolve around their limited schedules. "The kids have to attend school for at least three hours of class every day, plus do homework, so you can only shoot with someone like Asa for five hours of your day," Hood said. "There was no time for fooling about or not knowing your lines or being unprepared."

"Ender's Game" opens in theaters on November 1.

Tags Asa Butterfield, Ender's Game, Gavin Hood, harrison ford

Japanese 'Jack Reacher' Trailer Takes Aim

"Jack Reacher" has been floating somewhat out in the ether of action movies. None of the trailers have really fleshed out the plot, which comes from Lee Child's ninth book about the military police officer turned super tough vigilante. Instead, they've mostly focused on how Tom Cruise, his plaid shirts, and his car.

Now a Japanese trailer of all things has finally enlightened us to the full scope of the story and the Werner Herzog at the center of it.

Check out the new "Jack Reacher" trailer after the jump!

(via /Film)

First Official Look At Ashton Kutcher As 'jOBS'

So yesterday, Sundance essentially dropped a bomb of indie film wealth when they announced their premiere line-up, a slate that includes the long-awaited "Before Midnight," the new film from Brit Marling, and "jOBS," the much discussed biopic about the Apple founder, played by Ashton Kutcher.

With the announce came a flurry of new images from the films, including our first official look at Kutcher in his full Jobs garb. Along with the first official plot synopsis, the story of the man who would be iPod king has finally come into fuller view.

Click past the just to see the full image and read the synopsis.

Seth MacFarlane Plans Western Comedy As 'Ted' Follow-Up

By Hannah Soo Park

It's been a pretty good year for Seth MacFarlane. On top of keeping his hit TV series, he's managed to make box office magic out of a talking teddy bear film and nab the illustrious Oscars hosting gig. While the TV mastermind could take a moment to bask in all the success, it looks like he's not resting anytime soon'the newly-minted film writer and director is now looking to lend his signature absurd humor to a Western comedy flick.

The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reports that MacFarlane's follow-up to "Ted will be "A Million Ways to Die In The West," which he scripted with "Ted" co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. Plot details are few to none right now, but the project has been described as a "'Blazing Saddles'-style" movie" with a humorous take on "just how dangerous and painful life really was in the late 1800s." And what's "Blazing Saddles" without a seductress? We've also been told that the script calls for a romantic female lead.

Sources say that on top of co-writing and directing, MacFarlane also plans to star in the film. Assuming that he'll make an appearance in human form, this would be MacFarlane's first live-action appearance. The mastermind of voices has had past movie roles in the form of animated creatures (a stuffed teddy bear in "Ted" and Johann Krauss in Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"). You know, not that we'd mind if he'd take on an animated snarky buffalo.

This isn't the only film project MacFarlane will be adding to his resume. Along with making a "Ted" sequel, he's also reportedly working on bringing "Family Guy" to the big screen.

"A Million Ways to Die in the West" is scheduled for a summer 2013 opening.

Tags A Million Ways to Die in the West, seth macfarlane

Ahead Of 'Jack Reacher,' Enjoy 'An Evening With Tom Cruise'

Tom Cruise plans to smash your face in with "Jack Reacher" at the end of the month. But before you punch his fist with your face, how about hearing what the man has to say for himself first?

You'll have your chance during An Evening With Tom Cruise, an upcoming conversation with the actor hosted by The Film Society of Lincoln Center on Monday (December 17), just days before "Jack Reacher" opens nationwide. The evening will consist of a moderated conversation with Cruise, followed by an advance screening of "Reacher."

'Tom's body of work is defined by the bold characters he plays so brilliantly and his collaborations with filmmaking's most venerable directors. Tom consistently chooses smart and exciting projects and we are pleased to present audiences with a first look at his newest role, Jack Reacher,' said FSLC Executive Director Rose Kuo in a press release. 'We are honored to host this exciting evening and to support our 50th anniversary fund to benefit education and emerging artists.'

An Evening With Tom Cruise kicks off a weeklong retrospective called All The Right Moves: The Films of Tom Cruise, running from December 18 through 20, and featuring a seven-film tribute to the Oscar-nominated actor, including the likes of "Top Gun," "Jerry Maguire," and "Mission: Impossible."

Tickets for An Evening With Tom Cruise go on sale on December 10. For more details, head over to Filmlinc.com.

Tags Jack Reacher, tom cruise

'Star Trek Into Darkness' Poster Evokes 'Dark Knight Rises' Imagery

J.J. Abrams and co. are finally, finally initiating their plan to reveal "Star Trek Into Darkness" to the world. After years of speculating when the crew of the Starship Enterprise will return and who they will face when they do, we are now just days away from not only the first trailer for the sci-fi sequel, but also a 9-minute prologue in front of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

Today, however, the first poster for "Into Darkness" debuted, giving us our first official look at the mysterious villain, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, whose role was teased in the official plot synopsis last week. From the looks of the poster, he definitely seems like "an unstoppable force of terror."

Check out the full poster after the jump!

Well, they're definitely going of "Nolan-esque" on this one. While the poster clearly borrows concepts from both the "Inception" and "Dark Knight Rises" one-sheet, this isn't the first evocation of the fanboy-beloved director's work. Early talk about the sequel pegged "The Dark Knight" as the ideal which all big genre movie sequels should aim for, and it looks like "Star Trek Into Darkness" is already taking that advice pretty literally.

Official synopsis:

In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" opens on May 17, 2013.

Tags Posters, Star Trek Into Darkness

'Les Misérables' Clips: Sing-Talking Their Way To Oscar Gold

By Hannah Soo Park

The early (stellar) reviews and Oscar buzz surrounding "Les Misérables" have most of us wondering if we're eagerly counting down the days to Christmas'or the movie's December 25 premiere. And as if we weren't already super pumped to see the star-studded flick, Working Title Films has just rolled out not one, but FIVE new clips from the musical spectacular.

Here, we've got a glimpse of key character interactions and iconic songs from the film, which devoted "Les Mis" fans will surely recognize.

Watch all five clips after the jump!

Clip #1: "Javert Releases Prisoner 24601 On Parole"
In this scene, Jean Valjean is released from prison, only to be given some more bad news'Inspector Javert won't be resting his watchful eyes anytime soon. But there is some good news. We get to see an intense, manly sing-off between Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman.

'Breaking Dawn' Narrowly Takes Box Office From 'Skyfall'

FROM MTV NEWS

It was a hard-fought battle for box office supremacy, but at the end of the day, it's still very hard to kill a vampire.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" once again claimed the top spot at theaters for the third week in a row, barely beating out Britain's finest, James Bond in "Skyfall." The holdovers dominated in a soft weekend for new releases.

The finale of Stephenie Meyers' vampire series took in an additional $17.4 million, bringing its worldwide total past the $700 million mark, while "Skyfall" came up just short with $17 million.

"Killing Them Softly," the latest from Brad Pitt and director Andrew Dominik, provided journalists with generous fodder for bad headline puns, debuting in seventh place with $7 million.

Head over to MTV News for your full box office report.

Tags killing them softly, Skyfall, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn part 2

Seth MacFarlane Wants YOU At The Oscars

FROM MTV NEWS

Getting one's foot in the door in Hollywood can result in an immeasurable advantage when pursuing a film career, and what could be a better first step than appearing on-stage during the Academy Awards?

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane has teamed with MTVu for "The Oscar Experience College Search," a contest to find tomorrow's voices today and give them a step up in the industry.

"Part of the goal with this year's Oscars is to broaden the audience and get viewers young and old and the like," MacFarlane told MTV News. "This is part of the effort to bring in a younger crowd, get them invested, get them engaged in the culturally important event that is the Academy Awards."

All you'll have to do to enter is to head over to the contest Facebook page and upload a video answering this question: How will you contribute to the future of movies?

"If you're into comedy, get some laughs. If you're a dramatic filmmaker, try to say something profound or make somebody feel something," he said. "It depends on what your particular field of expertise is."

Entries are due January 19, 2013.

Tags Oscars, seth macfarlane

'Star Wars 7': David Fincher Possibly In The Running

According to a new report from Deadline, David Fincher is being considered for the "Star Wars: Episode VII" job. Let us just check our list. One second. Yep. That's everyone. It's official. Everyone is being considered for the "Star Wars: Episode VII" directing job.

Also, take a trip to the Bates Motel in today's Dailies!

» Listen to the entire "Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" soundtrack. [Rolling Stone]

» These "Bates Motel" teasers are deliciously creepy. [/Film]

'Monsters University' Posters Promote Higher Learning, Scaring

Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan have got plenty of school spirit when it comes to the University of Fear.

A new poster for "Monsters University" shows the two monsters wearing letter jackets and hanging out with big smiles on their faces. Just like old "Monsters, Inc." times, except we already know that this movie tells the story of how Mike and Sully became friends. Kudos to Disney for having Mike stand on fantastically titled University of Fear text books like "Scareomics" and "I'm Scary, You're Scary."

It's nice that the style of this poster does hearken back to the "Monsters, Inc." days, since it's serving as a prequel to that film. "Monsters University" seems like it's shaping up to be a relatively different movie, but as long as its core remains the same as its predecessor we'll be happy.