Is it really fair to judge a movie by its trailer? Maybe not, but I've been a moviegoer long enough to know to trust my instincts. So after watching the trailer for the Mischa Barton thriller, Walled In, I am going to have to go with my gut and stay far away from this one.

Barton stars in the adaptation of the French novel Les Emmeures by Serge Broselot about a young demolition expert who is hired to raze a building that has one heck of a gruesome past. Unfortunately, the trailer makes the decision to give away most of the surprises (so if you are one of the 10 people who will see this movie I'm warning you now) and all the suspense thriller clichés are front and centre. Joining Barton for the spookiness are Deborah Kara Unger as the property's new owner, and Cameron Bright as Barton's friend who probably comes to a nasty end.

This just might be me, but it always seems like a desperate move on the part of a studio when they show an audience big chunks of a movie in hopes of drumming up some interest. One thing is for sure, Barton is never going to have that feature film career she always talked about if she keeps making movies like this.

Walled In is scheduled to arrive in theaters later this year.

[via The Movie Blog]

When Mischa Barton was unceremoniously killed off the teen soap, The OC; I think most of us thought this was her chance to transform her teen stardom into a successful movie career. So far that hasn't happened, and I personally doubt her latest role is going to do anything to change that. Variety reports Barton has signed to star in the psychological thriller Walled In. The story centers on "a demolition company rep who supervises the razing of a mysterious building and discovers horrifying secrets and past inhabitants entombed within its walls by a vicious murderer". Based on the French novel Les Emmeures by Serge Broselot, Barton will play the demolition company rep -- and is it just me, but when you think commercial demolition and construction, someone who looks like Barton doesn't exactly come to mind?

Joining Barton are Deborah Kara Unger (Silent Hill) and Cameron Bright (Juno -- you can catch Scott's TIFF review of that film here) and set to direct is French helmer Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Gomez and Tavare). This will be the first English-language feature for Brenner, who also helped adapt the novel for the screen. Barton has been piling on the projects lately, having signed for the caper film St. Trinian's back in May and she also just finished the drama Finding t.A.T.u. Barton is still hard at work on the high school comedy Assassination of a High School President with Bruce Willis. Walled In is a French-Canadian co-production and is scheduled to start shooting on October 22nd, in the most glamorous of all Canadian locations: Saskatchewan (believe me, it's funnier if you are a Canadian).

Carrie-Anne Moss has never made even the slightest impact on me in a film. She's a competent enough actress, but I can't point to a single performance she's given that I remember a thing about. She's an attractive enough woman, but I don't think I'd give her a second look on the street. She keeps getting good parts, though, and it sounds like she's just snagged another. She'll be joining Kevin Zegers, Callum Keith Rennie and Cameron Bright for Normal, a drama about the aftermath of a deadly car accident. I know what you're saying, "Who, who, and who?" Zegers played Felicity Huffman's son in Transamerica, Cameron Bright is the spooky kid who did great work in Birth, and Rennie plays Leoben Conoy on Battlestar Galactica.

In Normal, Moss will play "a mother filled with rage and unable to recover from the death of her teenage son in a car crash." Bright plays her twelve year-old son. Rennie plays "a literature professor trying to overcome his guilt from the accidental killing." Zegers plays "a young thief involved in a taboo love affair with his stepmother whose life becomes intertwined with the other characters." Normal is written by Travis McDonald and Carl Bessai, and directed by Bessai. If you're eager to be underwhelmed by Moss, she can be seen on the big screen right now in Disturbia -- reviewed by Scott here, this summer in the buzzed about zombie comedy Fido - reviewed by Kim here, and some time soon in Guy Ritchie's ABC crime series Suspect, which Monika told you about here.

New Line has put the first six minutes of the upcoming Paul Walker flick, Running Scared, online for your viewing pleasure before the film hits February 24th. Because of the violence, nudity and foul language, the footage is restricted and so you first must register your email, birth-date and password before moving forward, meaning those of you under the age of consent are out of luck here.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the opening sequence. With its creative editing and gritty look, this one appears to have some legs on it. Written and directed by Wayne Kramer (The Cooler), Paul Walker plays a low level mob guy in charge of disposing of the "hot"weapons after a hit. However, when his son and friend stumble upon one of the weapons used in a cop shooting, the friend takes it and uses it to kill his abusive stepfather. From there it falls on Walker to correct the entire situation or else he won't live to see the next day.

If you're on the fence with this one, I'd suggest checking out the footage before making a decision. Well, unless you're one of those people who like to go in cold. Running Scared also stars Chazz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga and up-and-comer Cameron Bright.