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Eric Bana to Step Into Elvis's Blue Suede Shoes

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:41:12 PDT

Eric Bana may hail from Australia, but he's about to play an American icon. Bana will play Elvis Presley in Elvis & Nixon, alongside Danny Huston as President Nixon. The film marks the directorial debut of Cary Elwes (perhaps best known as Westley from The Princess Bride) and will focus on a meeting between Presley and Nixon that took place at the White House in December of 1970. The meeting was apparently Presley's idea and was proposed via a six-page letter that made note of the fact that Presley wanted to be Nixon's "federal agent-at-large" in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. (Which is pretty depressing in light of what happened to Presley just seven years later.) The film sounds a bit like My Week With Marilyn in the sense that it's not a straight biopic but more of a cross-sectioned look at the life of a legend. Can you see Bana as the king of rock 'n' roll?

Hanna: A Little Off the Mark

Lauren Bradshaw — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:00:00 PDT

Too often in movies, we're presented with strong female characters that can throw punches and scale walls with ease, but they're so done up that it's hard to take them seriously as heroines. But Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is the real deal. At only sixteen, she avoids those femme fatale stereotypes and solely focuses on one thing: kicking ass.

In Hanna, Ronan reteams with her Atonement director Joe Wright for the dark story of a girl raised as an assassin by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana). They've lived in hiding together so he can protect his daughter from an enemy from his past, intelligence agent Marissa Weigler (Cate Blanchett). But when Hanna very proactively reveals their location, Marissa launches into pursuit to track Hanna in a large-scale chase across Europe.

To get the full rundown of the film's pros and cons,

Even though Hanna is an expert at killing, she lacks basic social skills. The entirety of her knowledge of the outside comes from an encyclopedia in her father's cabin, so she often speaks by spouting off statistics. When she enters the unknown world and goes on the run, she's seeing most things for the first time. Even girls her own age are an oddity, as she befriends a particularly girly, boy-obsessed British teen and her family. But the moments where Hanna can dabble in normal adolescent behavior are fleeting, as there's always someone on her trail.

This is a departure for Wright who's been previously known for Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, and his foray into action is hit or miss. While the fight scenes are exciting, the combination of his camera shots and thumping European electro music (courtesy of The Chemical Brothers) can make you feel like you're inside a strobe light. Wright also tries to play up the fairytale-like qualities in the film, from the premise of a girl living in the woods to the evil-to-the-core villain. It enhances the movie's creepy factor; however, in the case of Marissa, it also makes the characters one-dimensional.

Hanna, however, is far from being stereotypical. She's incredibly unusual, and as played by Ronan, fascinating to watch. Ronan easily transitions between the childlike innocence and cold-blooded killer mentality needed for the role. But Hanna is often disconnected from others; even when she's upset, she still seems stoic. That lack of emotion is what makes her tick, but it also prevented me from getting more wrapped up in the movie. While Hanna may be an ace at hand-to-hand combat, I wish the film packed a little more emotional punch.

Hanna Trailer: Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana Are Assassins

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:45:19 PST

The trailer for Hanna has hit, and Saoirse Ronan stars as the title character, a preteen raised by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana) to be a deadly assassin. Life seems intense enough in the wintry woods, where Hanna is being trained to be a killing machine (ostensibly to "prepare her" for something, but what?). Then, when she gets transported into the real world and has no choice but to exact her skills on those in her way, things really get crazy.

Cate Blanchett plays a CIA agent who's dead-set on keeping Hanna under control - no matter what. "Sometimes children are bad people, too," Blanchett's character opines. Indeed, with Ronan snapping necks and taking names, I'd certainly run from her. The movie actually looks pretty thrilling, but it also doesn't seem to be exploiting the young hitgirl just for shock value; Hanna appears to be conflicted and even vulnerable (even as she's killing).

To watch the trailer, just

'focus' Hanna - Trailer 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Link Time - Jim Carrey Will Host SNL in January

BuzzSugar — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:30:55 PST

Jim Carrey will be the first Saturday Night Live host of the new year - The Wrap
In honor of Tron: Legacy, a brief history of computers in the movies - Rotten Tomatoes
Hot: a mashup of Robert Pattinson's most smoldering looks - MTV Movies Blog
Jeff Bridges's 10 best roles; bet you know what number one is - Moviefone
Watch Anne Hathaway invite the students of P.S. 22 to perform at the Oscars - PopWatch
Eric Bana, Olivia Wilde, and Charlie Hunnam sign on for thriller Kin - Coming Soon
John Corbett is joining Parenthood - Deadline
Rosario Dawson and Lynn Collins cast in Ten Year - The Playlist
See the most adorable marriage proposal using the Muppets - TrèsSugar

Colin Farrell and Eric Bana to Play Friends and Enemies

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:00 PDT

Get ready to feed your fetish for gorgeous men with sexy accents: Eric Bana and Colin Farrell are both in talks for the indie drama By Virtue Fall, a story of two men as their relationship goes from friendship to betrayal.

The movie will be the directorial debut of Sheldon Turner, whose name you might recognize from this year's Oscars - he was nominated for best screenplay for Up in the Air with Jason Reitman.

As for stars Bana and Farrell, they've continued to prove themselves as serious dramatic actors, but let's face it: this is going to be one very good-looking movie.

Johnny Depp and More Stars on the Set!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:30:00 PDT

Abbie Cornish and Johnny Depp were back at work on their respective sets while other stars started filming new projects. Eric Bana got right into an action scene on the Hanna set in Berlin and Will Arnett prepped for his new pilot in Canada. Click through to see all the stars on set this week!

Knightley, Bana, and Gere Becoming Baumbach's Children

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:30:11 PDT

Count me in for this one: Keira Knightley, Eric Bana, and Richard Gere have all signed on to star in The Emperor's Children, based on Claire Messud's novel.

Taking place before and after 9/11, the dramedy centers on three Brown University grads as they approach their 30s and deal with the pressures of responsibility and expectations. Relatable, yes, but I often worry when films try to use 9/11 as a reference point, because sometimes it can feel like a manipulative way to conjure up tears; however, the good news here is Noah Baumbach (most recently of Greenberg) is taking on the directing duties, which could make it a really poignant, introspective movie. He is also adapting the screenplay.

Gere is reportedly playing a more supporting character role, and since Bana is 41, I'm guessing Knightley is the only one of the three portraying one of the Brown alumni. Hey, at least she'll get a break from those laced-up corsets she usually wears.

Jon & Kate's Blowout, The Time Traveler's Wife in Theaters, & Mad Men Returns

PopSugarTV — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:20:54 PDT

Kate Gosselin calls 911 over a fight with Jon, Brad Pitt's production hits theaters, and Woodstock celebrates a big anniversary this weekend.

The Time Traveler's Wife: Doesn't Fulfill Its Destiny

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:30:26 PDT

What makes the book The Time Traveler's Wife so magical is how well it marries two genres: romance and sci-fi. But the big-screen adaptation leans more toward old-fashioned Hollywood love story, with the attendant schmaltz and a touch of slapstick.

Fans of the cherished book - myself included - had many hopes and fears about the film. Although the movie didn't make me swoon, it is satisfying to see the story on screen, and the movie is very sweet in parts. Still, what should be an epic tale and a first-rate tearjerker sadly let me down.

Rachel, Brad, and Eric Look Heavenly at Time Traveler's Wife

Molly — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana got a special visit from their executive producer, Brad Pitt, at the premiere of The Time Traveler's Wife in NYC last night. The actress showed off some skin in her dress and was without a date amid rumors things are over with Josh Lucas. Rachel recently compared life as an actor to the film saying, "Actors are gypsies and we're constantly going in and out of our lives and jumping into others. As a person who travels a lot, I hope that the person I am with would be patient with me, because that's the nature of my life." Fresh off traveling cross-country, Brad was also decked out in white - the opposite of his and Angelina's black-on-black at Monday night's big premiere of Inglourious Basterds in LA. Only Eric had his partner by his side, wife Rebecca Gleeson, at the screening and afterparty.

To see more from the premiere, including Ron Livingston and others, just

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