With Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere and Tarsem’s Immortals, it looked like Stephen Dorff was starting to work his way back into the spotlight after years of bit parts and roles in direct-to-video productions. That being said, he is still continuing to take on roles in some low brow genre stuff that seems like it could go either way. Case in point: Brake, a low budget thriller that doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s a direct rip-off of the Ryan Reynolds trapped-in-a-coffin movie Buried.

Stephen Dorff plays a Secret Service Agent who wakes up in the back of a trunk with a digital clock slowly counting down. It soon becomes clear that he is being held by a group of terrorists who are trying to extract information from him. The movie is directed by Gabe Torres and written by Timothy Mannion, both of whom come from a TV background with few recognizable credits. It looks pretty mediocre if you ask me, but who knows… perhaps it will contain an interesting twist or two. IFC will release Brake via video on demand on Feb. 17th and in select theatres on March 23rd; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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With Joe Carnahan’s The Grey hitting theatres this weekend, it’s time to reflect on the return of a genre that we don’t see in theatres often enough: the wilderness survival thriller. I’m not sure that there is a common consensus on what exactly constitutes a survival thriller, but usually it is a movie where the main characters are battling nature in some way (although they could also be battling each other as well). Often they are based on true stories, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. There is also the question of whether or not the characters actually have to survive in order to qualify (personally, I would say no). With that in mind, I put together a poll with some noteworthy movies that could potentially be considered survival thrillers, although I’m sure I missed more than a few. Which one is your favourite? Cast your vote in this week’s poll and then sound off in the comments below!

I can remember hearing rumors about a sequel to the classic John Hughes film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off since the late ’90s. Back in 2007, Sean reported that there was actually a script called Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off penned by Rick Rapier with the hope of Hughes to direct. Matthew Broderick denied a sequel in an interview with Variety back in ‘07. “Ferris Bueller is about the week before you leave school, it’s about the end of school. It doesn’t have a sequel,” Broderick said. “It’s a little moment and it’s a lightning flash in your life.”

Now, five years later, with John Hughes gone and Broderick grey-haired and bloated (he turns 50 this year), we get the following teaser (mysteriously posted on YouTube this morning as “Coming Soon” with little description) that most are saying is an ad for… another ad. A Super Bowl ad. That would be a first, as far as I know, but it is almost more believable than a sequel at this point. There are no clues on the IMDb Pro pages for either Broderick or Rapier. Still, I have hope. Maybe Alan Ruck finally sat Broderick down for an intervention after Tower Heist because rumors about a film based on Rapier’s script began circulating again last year.

The teaser features Broderick recreating a piece of the opening scene from the esteemed original film, by pulling open his curtains and delivering into the camera, “How can I handle work on a day like today?” (a twist on the original line “How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?”). Check out the video after the jump.

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A Dangerous Method
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Written by: Christopher Hampton (screenplay) and John Kerr (book)
Starring: Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel

David Cronenberg has always been drawn to psychologically challenging material, especially when it has to do with breaking societal taboos. Flip through his filmography (Videodrome, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash) and you’ll see some seriously depraved stuff. He has mellowed substantially in recent years (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises), but thankfully, he still has an appetite for the kinky stuff. A Dangerous Method tells the somewhat sordid tale of the birth of psychoanalysis, but it’s fairly restrained for a Cronenberg film. No envelope pushing here, just a fascinating look at a trio of psychiatrists who laid the framework for the modern practice of psychiatry.

Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) is delivered by carriage to the doorstep of Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) in 1904. She’s batshit crazy, cackling and wailing like a banshee. She also has a severe vocal tic that renders her almost incapable of communication. Jung patiently tries out the controversial method of “talking therapy” on the patient, and damned if it isn’t determined that she’s a masochist at heart. Repression and shame have caused her behavioral problems, and once she becomes aware of this, she miraculously changes into a remarkably brilliant woman (who likes to indulge in the occasional spanking, like you do). Jung develops an unethical sexual relationship with the patient, all the while acting as her mentor, as the cured Sabina is now studying psychiatry.

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It’s been a few months since we’ve heard anything regarding Charlie Kaufman’s upcoming film Frank or Francis, but today news broke that both Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener will join the already impressive cast that includes Jack Black, Steve Carell, Nicolas Cage, and Kevin Kline. There’s no word on which parts they will play as of yet, though if Kaufman’s previous directorial effort Synecdoche, New York is any indication, there will be a multitude of possibilities. Each actress has worked on Kaufman-scripted films before (Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Keener in Being John Malkovich) and earned Academy Award nominations for their efforts. It’s no surprise that such prestigious performers want to collaborate with Kaufman again since he brings such a unique voice to filmmaking, writing the kind of parts most people would never dream of.

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This weekend at the multiplex, Liam Neeson takes on a pack of wolves and Sam Worthington contemplates taking the plunge as Joe Carnahan’s The Grey faces off against Man on a Ledge in a battle for box office supremacy. They’ll still have to contend with the reigning champ, Underworld Awakening, plus the Katherine Heigl romantic comedy One for the Money which also hits theatres today. In limited release, we have the Oscar-nominated drama Albert Nobbs (snicker snicker) starring Glenn Close, French drama Declaration of War, and The Wicker Tree, Robin Hardy’s long-awaited follow-up to The Wicker Man. What will you be watching this weekend?

• The Grey
• Man on a Ledge
• One for the Money
• The Descendants (expanding)
• We Need to Talk About Kevin (expanding)
• Albert Nobbs (limited)
• Declaration of War (limited)
• In Darkness (limited)
• The Wicker Tree (limited)

As Mel Gibson will tell you, moviegoers seem to love it when you mix the Bible with some good old fashioned violence, and if Warner Brothers has their way, Steven Spielberg could soon be directing a gritty biblical epic of his own. They’ve been trying to set up a movie with the working title of Gods And Kings that tells the story of Moses from a somewhat new perspective. Sure, we all know that he freed the Jews from slavery and received The Ten Commandments from God himself, but according to some interpretations he was also a fierce warrior and may have been a commander in the Egyptian army that once led them to victory against the Ethiopians. It’s not entirely clear what version of events will be portrayed in the film, but this is intended to be a “Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story” and they are hoping that Spielberg can “direct it with the gritty reality of Saving Private Ryan.” Sounds like a guaranteed blockbuster if you ask me.

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It could be one of the closest yet at the same time most lopsided polls ever conducted on Film Junk. Last week we asked you what the best action movie with a female protagonist was, and although it came right down to the wire, Kill Bill, Vol. 1 managed to just barely hang on to its lead over Aliens. To be honest, I thought Aliens was going to wipe the floor quite easily, but I guess you shouldn’t underestimate the power of Quentin Tarantino. Unfortunately almost every other option was completely ignored, which isn’t a huge surprise, but I certainly thought La Femme Nikita and Chocolate would get a few more votes. As many people had mentioned, the addition of Hanna could have potentially made the poll a little more interesting as well, but I kinda forgot about that one… oops. I also wonder if Lara Croft: Tomb Raider would have received more votes than Salt. Do you agree with these results?

1. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 — 41.7%
2. Aliens — 41.3%
3. La Femme Nikita — 4%
4. Underworld — 2.8%
5. Chocolate — 2.4%
6. Resident Evil — 2.2%
7. Sucker Punch — 1.8%
7. Salt — 1.8%
7. Coffy — 1.8%
10. Charlie’s Angels — 0.4%

Nazis in space… what’s not to like? We’ve been hearing about Iron Sky for years, and in that time the filmmakers managed to produce it through financial support from fans online, who were also given some say in the creative direction of the film. Now this labour of love is finally about to hit theatres, starting with a premiere at the Berlin Film Festival next month. To go along with this triumphant announcement, they’re released a final trailer for the film.

Coming from the director of Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, Iron Sky imagines a world where the Nazis built spaceships and traveled to the dark side of the moon where they built a secret base and awaited the perfect time to return to Earth and take over. That time is in the year 2018. The movie stars Udo Kier and Christopher Kirby, and although I wish it was played a little more straight, it still looks like a lot of fun. Iron Sky will make its world premiere in Berlin on Feb. 11th before getting a theatrical release on April 4th. Check out the new trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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I have to admit, I haven’t really been watching much of The Office this season; although there are still plenty of funny people working on the show, it just hasn’t been the same without Michael Scott. I’m not sure what the ratings have been like, but if you ask me, this next bit of news seems like a surefire sign that it is the beginning of the end for the show. According to Deadline, NBC is officially developing a spin-off series from The Office that it is planning for 2013. The show would be headlined by Rainn Wilson and would focus on the Schrute Family beet farm and Bed & Breakfast. The plan would be for Wilson to do one more season of The Office before transitioning to the new series. Although NBC claims that they have no plans to end The Office, John Krasinksi is also talking about leaving to focus on movies, and I’m wondering how much longer it can continue with so many key players leaving.

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It was almost exactly a year ago that Kevin Smith announced at Sundance that he would self-distribute Red State by personally taking it on tour across the U.S. It’s clear that, thus far, the move hasn’t torn down the Hollywood system or really changed how anyone else does business, but it did allow him to make a profit with Red State and got him plenty of attention for a movie that arguably didn’t really deserve it. Now he is announcing what appears to be the next stage in his master plan to eventually retire from filmmaking: he will begin to release other people’s movies through his “Kevin Smith and SModcast Pictures Presents” label with the help of Canadian distributor Phase 4. They will distribute up to twelve films per year via traditional and digital methods, with four of them being given the live tour treatment accompanied by Smith himself. Here is what Smith had to say about the deal:

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From Fede Alvarez’ Panic Attack! to Patrick Jean’s Pixels, YouTube continues to be great way for Hollywood hopefuls to land production deals. Every now and then, a short film that is posted online manages to attract the attention of everyone on the internet, which in turn attracts the attention of studio execs. While a lot of these filmmakers are still unproven, it’s hard to deny the level of talent and creativity they bring to the table.

This time around it is veteran art director and special effects designer Aaron Sims who has set the blogosphere on fire with his short film Archetype. The plot involves a combat robot who malfunctions and begins to believe that he is partially human. Sims is hoping to turn the idea into a feature-length film, and although I haven’t heard anything about any studio offers as of yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds funding for it. There’s certainly an audience out there for this kind of pulpy science-fiction goodness. What do you think, could this lead to the next District 9? Check out the full 5-minute short after the jump.

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