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TIFF '11 Review: 'Machine Gun Preacher' Is Essentially A Botched 'Rambo'

By Gabe Toro
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September 12, 2011 5:15 AM
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15 Comments

In 2008’s blitzkrieg actioner “Rambo,” writer-director Sylvester Stallone recognized the real-life struggles of the people of Myanmar, dramatizing the struggle in a blood-drenched exploitation film that, despite its inelegance, emboldened the people of that region while lionizing a fictional hero of guerilla warfare. The problem with “Machine Gun Preacher,” Marc Forster’s third world drama about a real-life would-be savior who ventured into the Sudan and attempted to build an orphanage with sheer will and a smidgen of gunpower, is that it’s afraid to be “Rambo.”

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Marc Forster Talks The Perils Of The "White Man Saves Africa" Story With 'Machine Gun Preacher'

By Todd Gilchrist
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September 10, 2011 3:00 AM
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1 Comment

Judging by his filmography since his 2001 breakthrough “Monster’s Ball,” director Marc Forster seems unwilling, if not incapable, of repeating himself. That film’s soul-baring drama offered no hints at the delicate beauty of his follow-up, “Finding Neverland,” and neither film suggested he was capable of the melancholy whimsy of “Stranger Than Fiction,” or later, the visceral intensity of “Quantum of Solace.” In his latest film, “Machine Gun Preacher,” Forster tackles the life of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a former ne’er-do-well who finds God but who falls back into his violent ways after taking on the responsibility of protecting orphaned children in Sudan.

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Gerard Butler, Lena Headey Returning For '300: Battle Of Artemisia'?

By Gabe Toro
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September 9, 2011 1:53 AM
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0 Comments

Even though many can't fathom this, the massive blockbuster success of "300" was not something anyone could have predicted. One of the reasons the film was something of a risk was its then-unknown cast: a lot rested on the shoulders of an unproven Gerard Butler, then known as the star of a series of terrible mid-level films, as opposed to being the current face of about a dozen truly awful big studio movies. Now that he's something of a familiar face, the producers of "300: Battle Of Artemisia" aren't letting a good thing go to waste.

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New Clips From TIFF-Bound Duo Of Derick Martini's 'Hick' & Marc Forster's 'Machine Gun Preacher'

By Simon Dang
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September 7, 2011 2:22 AM
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2 Comments

On the eve of the Toronto International Film Festival, clips have now been unveiled for two of the premiering films hoping to make an impact: Derick Martini's adaptation of Andrea Portes’ coming-of-age novel "Hick" and Marc Forster's take on the real-life story of a criminal-turned-do-gooder "Machine Gun Preacher."

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Gerard Butler Yells At A Banker & Learns Death Comes At Night In Clips From 'Machine Gun Preacher'

By Sam Price
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September 1, 2011 2:08 AM
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40 Comments

Although it’s been hard to come to terms with, since Zack Snyder got him to strip down to his underpants and (doubtless) demanded he slather himself in goose fat for “300,” for whatever reason Gerard Butler is a movie star. The guy seems to enjoy scampering through sexist rom-coms (“The Bounty Hunter,” “The Ugly Truth”) with all the boundless gaiety of a Renaissance Man and otherwise crops up in hysterically misjudged vigilante pictures (“Law Abiding Citizen”) where he claims he’s going to “kill everyone,” perhaps in some deluded effort to test his "range" (more’s the pity, Gerry, you don’t catch Christian Bale pulling shit like this). Unfortunately for audiences, when it comes to giving nuanced screen performances, he’s about as versatile as Kangaroo Jack, though we’ll concede few can match the actor for sheer bovine intensity.

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Newcomer Jonny Weston To Surf The Waves For Curtis Hanson's 'Mavericks'

By Gabe Toro
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August 13, 2011 11:39 AM
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0 Comments

"Live like Jay," said the many followers and fans of Jay Moriarty, the young surfer who rode the fierce Mavericks. The North Californian patch of water was known for devouring surfer blood (the material, not the band), but surviving the trip was Moriarty, the central figure in Curtis Hanson's new film "Mavericks." 22-year-old Jonny Weston, currently working on the James Franco-led porn drama "Cherry," has been cast in the central role and will play Moriarty at 16, when he began training with Rick "Frosty" Hesson (the already attached Gerard Butler) to navigate the harsh waves.

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Gerard Butler Joins The FBI For Thriller 'The Bricklayer'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 9, 2011 1:01 AM
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1 Comment

It's always good to see an actor who's been coasting along decide they want to get stuck in and actually act again: witness Matthew McConaughey's recent choice of roles, picking up gigs with people like William Friedkin and Richard Linklater. We hope that Gerald Butler is heading along a similar career path, after a few years alternating between shouty thrillers and tone-deaf comedies: he picked up good notices for a Shakespearean turn in Ralph Fiennes' "Coriolanus," and is being positioned as a potential Best Actor candidate for his performance in Marc Forster's "Machine Gun Preacher," which opens next month.

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First Look At Gerard Butler In Marc Forster's 'Machine Gun Preacher'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 25, 2011 2:04 AM
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1 Comment

Is that what an Oscar nominated role played by Gerard Butler looks like? For the filmmakers involved, they certainly hope so.

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Relativity Buys 'Machine Gun Preacher' From Lionsgate In Hopes Of Getting Gerard Butler An Oscar Nom

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 15, 2011 1:19 AM
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7 Comments

Considering his run of recent performances... actually, let's strike that and start again. Considering almost every performance he's ever given, ever, perhaps bar a decent vocal turn in "How To Train Your Dragon," the idea of Gerard Butler as a potential Oscar nominee is a bizarre one: this is, after all, the man who, in films like "Law Abiding Citizen," "The Ugly Truth" and "The Bounty Hunter" has give some of the most wretched bits of acting in recent memory, and whose signature role is still King Shouty in "300." But before the just-starting-to-gear-up awards season kicks off, it's something that we could possibly end up seeing.

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TWC Picks Up 'The Iron Lady' While FilmDistrict Nabs 'Playing The Field' And 'Arabian Nights'

By Gabe Toro
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May 14, 2011 5:24 AM
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0 Comments

The Weinstein Company may have another Oscar darling on their hands. A year after grabbing $400 million worldwide and scads of major awards for “The King’s Speech,” The Brothers W paid $7 million for the domestic rights (via Deadline) to another film about British aristocracy, nabbing “The Iron Lady” starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. Producers only showed five minutes of the film before the bidding started between the Weinsteins, Summit and Relativity, though all someone had to say was “Streep as Thatcher” to ensure this would be a major purchase and, as planned by TWC, a high profile late ‘11 release. Expect it to be a big dog in the awards race.

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TIFF '11 Review: 'Machine Gun Preacher' Is Essentially A Botched 'Rambo'

Marc Forster Talks The Perils Of The "White Man Saves Africa" Story With 'Machine Gun Preacher'

Gerard Butler, Lena Headey Returning For '300: Battle Of Artemisia'?

New Clips From TIFF-Bound Duo Of Derick Martini's 'Hick' & Marc Forster's 'Machine Gun Preacher'

Gerard Butler Yells At A Banker & Learns Death Comes At Night In Clips From 'Machine Gun Preacher'

Newcomer Jonny Weston To Surf The Waves For Curtis Hanson's 'Mavericks'

Gerard Butler Joins The FBI For Thriller 'The Bricklayer'

First Look At Gerard Butler In Marc Forster's 'Machine Gun Preacher'

Relativity Buys 'Machine Gun Preacher' From Lionsgate In Hopes Of Getting Gerard Butler An Oscar Nom

TWC Picks Up 'The Iron Lady' While FilmDistrict Nabs 'Playing The Field' And 'Arabian Nights'

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