When Joaquin Phoenix announced last year he was giving up acting and trying to become a rap star, most people thought he’d gone mental. However when it was revealed his brother-in-law Casey Affleck was going to follow him round with a documentary camera during this period, many wondered whether the whole thing was a giant hoax. Those suspicions have never died away, but at least now we get our first look at the film with this trailer. It’s still difficult to tell whether it’s real or not, or if Affleck and Phoenix are trying to make some sort of statement about the world’s interest in imploding celebs (and to be honest, if Affleck just followed his brother-in-law around with a camera while he basically had a breakdown, he’s a bit of an ass). No UK release date is yet set, but it’ll be in US cinemas later this year.

Crash director Paul Haggis returns with a new thriller, based on the French movie, Anything For Her. Russell Crowe plays a husband and father whose life is turned upside-down when he wife is arrested and imprisoned for murder. Convinced she’s innocent and losing hope she’ll ever be released, he launches a daring mission to break her out of jail. The film, which also star Elizabeth Banks and Liam Neeson, is currently due out in the UK on January 7th, 2011, but click below for the first trailer.

It’ll be interesting to see what Love and Other Drugs is actually like, as this first trailer sells it as a simple rom-com, with little to make it stand out from the crowd. However, the book it’s based on, Jamie Reidy’s memoir, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, is as much about how meeting a girl with Parkinson’s changed his view of what big drug companies were doing, as it is about love and romance. There’s little evidence of that here, although as it’s directed by Ed Zwick (Blood Diamond), I’d imagine that’s because the Fox marketing department decided a rom-com was an easier sell than something a little more serious, rather than because it’s been scrubbed out. It all look pretty pleasant anyway. The film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway is scheduled for UK release on December 29th, but click below for the trailer.

Here’s a documentary worth keeping your eyes peeled for. Drew: The Man Behind The Poster highlights the career of poster artist Drew Struzan, who’s most popular works include the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Star Wars movie posters. Telling the tale through exclusive interviews with George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg and many other filmmakers, artists and critics, the journey spans Drew’s early career in commercial and album cover art through his recent retirement as one of the most recognisable and influential movie poster artists of all time. Click below for the new trailer.

If you’ve ever read Freakonomics, you’ll now it’s full of ideas and case studies where you can’t help thinking, ‘I wish I could see that in action’. Well Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner thought the same thing as they’ve now turned the book into a documentary, which look at human behaviour, coming up with suprising conclusions about causality and how the world actually works (or could work better), contrary to how we normally think of it. The movie includes segments by notable documentarians including Oscar winner Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Seth Gordon (King Of Kong) Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp) and more, making it a real meeting of mind. Take a look at the trailer below, for what looks like it could be a fascinating film.

James L. Brooks may occasionally have an off day (such as Spanglish), but usually he’s a safe bet, having made the likes of Terms Of Endearment, Broadcast News and As Good As It Gets, in a directorial career that’s only reached six films in 27 years. Now he’s got a new one coming, How Do You Know, which centres on a love triangle between professional softball player Lisa Jorgenson (Reese Witherspoon), a possibly being indicted corporate executive (Paul Rudd) and a professional baseball player (Owen Wilson). With Jack Nicholson also along for the ride, hopefully it’ll manage to be one of those relatively simple that Brooks specialises in, which reach a higher level due to his interest in character. The film’s due out at the end of the year, but click below for the trailer.