Simon Kinberg Movies
Many married couples have secrets, but one pair of lovebirds discover they've both been living dangerous secret lives in this action thriller laced with comedy. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and play Jane Smith and John Smith, a suburban couple whose marriage has started to go a bit stale after five or six years. Both wish for more excitement in their relationship, but as it happens, each of them is finding plenty of thrills elsewhere. Both Jane and John are world-class assassins who will take on perilous missions for the right price, but neither is aware of the other's secret life - Jane thinks her husband runs a successful construction company, and John believes his wife works on Wall Street. However, when John and Jane are both assigned to take out the same target, one Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody), they become aware of each other's secret lives, and suddenly both their careers and their marriage go through some dramatic and potentially deadly changes. Mr. and Mrs. Smith also stars Vince Vaughn as an assassin with John's company who still lives with his mother and Kerry Washington as one of Jane's associates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, (more)
A new renegade fighter rises to defend the United States from an internal threat in this action thriller. Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) of the National Security Agency has successfully dealt with a number of threats to America's safety, but he faces a whole new challenge when he discovers a potent terrorist cell that has ties to the upper levels of the American military. Gibbons learns that George Deckert (Willem Dafoe), the secretary of defense, has been training a secret military faction to stage a coup against the United States by kidnapping and assassinating the president of the United States (Peter Strauss). Convinced there's no one he can trust within his circle of operatives, Gibbons turns to Darius Stone (Ice Cube), currently serving time in a maximum security penitentiary. Stone once served with Gibbons in the Army, and also took part in a mutiny against Deckert; despite his reckless side, Gibbons is certain Stone's fearless nature and peerless fighting skills make him the one man who can take on Deckert and his troops. XXX: State of the Union is the sequel to the 2002 hit XXX, though neither star Vin Diesel nor his character, Xander Cage, appear in this picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Willem Dafoe, (more)
The explosive X-Men motion picture trilogy officially draws to a close with this release that finds Rush Hour director Brett Ratner stepping in for Bryan Singer to tell the tale of a newly discovered mutant "cure," and the polarizing effect it has on mutant/man relations. With the pressure on mutants to give up their powers and pledge alliance with the human race reaching a critical turning point, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) urges tolerance and understanding as his nemesis Magneto (Ian McKellen) gathers a powerful resistance in preparation for the ultimate war against humankind. Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and James Marsden return to reprise the roles they played in the previous two X-Men films, with Kelsey Grammer and Vinnie Jones joining the cast as Beast and Juggernaut respectively. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, (more)
- 2008
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Something of a neophyte writer in Hollywood at the time of this film's production, Simon Kinberg first "broke through" to the mainstream with his script for XXX: State of the Union (2005). He then turned one of his own college projects into a Tinseltown blockbuster by authoring Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and evinced a deft hand for bringing comics to the big screen with his script for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Now, in the release The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters - Simon Kinberg, Kinberg speaks to aspiring scriptwriters about his insights gleaned from several years in the industry, including what provides him with deep inspiration for his scripts and the most valuable lessons that he never picked up in film school. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Simon Kinberg
Following up his blockbuster action hit Mr. and Mrs. Smith, director Doug Liman turns to an entirely new genre -- sci-fi -- for this tale of an underground world of teleporters. Based on the novel by Steven Gould, Jumper concerns David (Hayden Christensen), a young man who quite literally wills himself away from his grim family life by teleporting to another place with the power of his mind. Years later, David is using his powers to raid bank vaults, seduce girls in London, lunch on the pyramids, and surf in Fiji. But he soon discovers that he is not the only one bestowed with this unique gift, and all is not well in the world of jumpers. There are people out there, such as Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), who view jumpers as a threat to all humankind, and have made it their mission in life to eliminate them. After jumping back to Michigan to get reacquainted with his long lost love, Millie (Rachel Bilson), David makes the acquaintance of experienced jumper Griffin (Jamie Bell). Informed by Griffin of a secret between jumpers and a shadowy group that seeks to destroy them, the pair soon finds themselves facing off against a legion of murderous opponents who won't stop fighting until every last jumper has been eliminated. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, (more)
- 2009
Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise star as two amateur detectives who, after solving countless mysteries in their youth, have since grown up and made an unamiable split. When a perplexing crime is committed, the estranged pair reluctantly reunites to take on one last case. A Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy helms a myster produced by star Stiller in collaboration with Stuart Cornfeld and Robert Kosberg. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG13
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, gets an update with this adaptation of Lionel Wigram's comic book series by writer/director Guy Ritchie (RocknRolla) starring Robert Downey Jr. as the titular detective, with Jude Law stepping into the shoes of his sidekick, Dr. Watson. Heading up the rest of the cast are RocknRolla's Mark Strong as the film's villain, Blackwood, and Rachel McAdams portraying the love interest, Irene Adler. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, (more)
- 2009
Simon Kinberg (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) provides the script for this action adventure starring Nicole Kidman as a globe-trotting archeologist in this 20th Century Fox production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Kidman
- 2010
The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman takes the helm for this sci-fi action film concerning a private expedition to the moon and the subsequent race to construct a lunar colony. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the film conceived by Liman, writing partner John Hamburg, and Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down), with screenplay credit going to Dan Mazeau. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- 2011
The young ranks of the X-Men mutant supergroup are mined in this youth-minded installment, scripted by Gossip Girl's Josh Schwartz. Taking its title from the 2006 comic, the feature will focus on some of the students of the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Lauren Shuler-Donner and Simon Kinberg handle producing duties on the 20th Century Fox production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
