REVIEW: "YOUNG ADULT"

Still from Young Adult

Divorced, depressed and possibly alcoholic Teen-Fiction Ghostwriter Mavis (Charlize Theron) decides to return to her Hometown of Mercury after failing to find inspiration for her latest Book. After receiving an E-mail announcing the birth of her Ex-boyfriend Buddy's (Patrick Wilson) Daughter, she tries rekindling a Romance with him knowing fully that he is married to his Wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser). Mavis however, is convinced that he is miserable and feels she would be liberating him. Along the way, she crosses paths with a crippled Matt (Patton Oswalt), whom she paid little mind to in High School where she was a popular Mean Girl. Together they form an unlikely friendship, bonding over Alcohol as Mavis continues her mission to sabotage Buddy's marriage.

Writer Diablo Cody and Director Jason Reitman who both brought us 2007's superb Juno, reunite once again for Young Adult.  Although the results aren't quite as compelling as the first time around, this still is an interesting Character Study which is three-parts darkly humorous and one-part heartfelt.

Admittedly it is challenging to root for someone as negative, narcissistic and cruel as Mavis, but Theron sells us on her completely.  She takes us on a learning experience where even though we don't see her grow necessarily, we still do see her discover herself after seeing some buried regrets in her life  unraveled.  This definitely is the Oscar Winner's best work in quite some time, helping us forget some of her more recent misfires.  Oswalt also finally gets his coveted Plum Role here and is a delight to watch as a damaged soul who never quite got-over his High School traumas. 

Paramount Pictures' Young Adult is now in-theatres and although might not be for all, it is a good kind of strange. 

FIRST TRAILER: "PROMETHEUS"

Still from Prometheus

The first official Trailer for Sir Ridley Scott's Prometheus finally has surfaced after a series of three Teasers released over the past week. The Film, which has Scott doing Sci-fi for the first time since Blade Runner (1982) and Alien (1979), the latter for which this is a Prequel. Although there originally was talk of this filming partly at Toronto's newly-upgraded Pinewood Studios, alas that amounted only to a rumour as per the Studio itself.

After a team of Explorers work to trace the origins of Mankind, they wind-up getting involved in a fight for the survival Human Race. Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Idris Elba and Patrick Wilson all are a part of this great-looking Cast. 20th Century Fox releases on June 8, 2012.

Without giving much away, the minute-long Trailer is pulsating with a terrifying sense of Catastrophe.

Watch the Trailer in full below:

"SAW" CREATORS JAMES WAN & LEIGH WHANNELL IN TORONTO FOR "INSIDIOUS" | SIGNED PHOTO GIVEAWAY

James Wan & Leigh Whannell at Toronto Premiere of Insidious - March 2011

Creators of  the wildly successful Saw Franchise, James Wan and Leigh Whannell, flew in from Vancouver today to do the last leg of their Promotional Tour in Toronto. The Duo are here to promote their new Horror, Insidious, which won raves last September at TIFF.  It subsequently was picked-up by Sony Pictures in the U.S. and Alliance Films in Canada.  Wan directs, while Whannell acts in and writes the Film.

Although made for a pittance of $1 million, Insidious is by no means short on the screams, showcasing a less gory brand of Horror than what we have seen from the two in the past.  Its story follows a Couple  Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) who move into a new home with their three Children, only to be terrorized by supernatural forces soon after.  Their Son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) then falls into a Coma and they realize for their own safety that they must leave. They soon realize the problem doesn't so much lie in their House, so much as their Son, Dalton.

Wan tells the audience at tonight's Toronto Premiere of Insidious that this project could be considered more of a "passion job".  It is a film which both he and Whannell have been wanting to make for quite some time, allowing them to go back to their original Film School roots -where the two had met first in their native Australia.  Since getting picked up for distribution last Fall, some additional fine tuning was done to Insidious, focusing primarily on establishing moods via longer frames of dimly-lit hallways, for example.  He explains that elements in the Original Cut of Insidious have been removed, reducing among other things, the number of Jump Scares (abrupt moments of shock) in this Theatrical Version.

Whannell admits that when it comes to Horror Films, he is most annoyed by False Scares (moments which elude to danger but not fulfilled). He notes, "Often we'll see a a shot in a car where a lot of room is left in the frame. Just when you expect a Killer to show up, it winds up being someone's Sister. I hate that!".  He then jokingly suggests, "They might as well smash the window and slash their heads off instead!".