Executive Producer Julie Plec Talks THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, Season 3 Finale, and More

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 10th, 2012 at 11:15 am

On the last episode of The CW drama series The Vampire Diaries, called “Dangerous Liaisons,” viewers learned that the mother of the Original vampires is not quite as loving of her children as she appears. With her nefarious plan set in motion, thanks in part to Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and the blood of the doppleganger, things are sure to get more intense, leading up to the Season 3 finale.

During a recent interview to hint at what’s to come, executive producer/writer Julie Plec talked about the Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) love triangle that Elena is stuck in, exploring Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) humanity, whether or not any of the Originals will survive what’s been set in motion, where the Klaus and Caroline (Candice Accola) relationship could be headed and where that leaves Tyler (Michael Trevino), the unique position that Matt (Zach Roerig) is in as one of the only humans left in Mystic Falls,  what’s in store for Bonnie (Kat Graham) and her mother, how Alaric’s (Matthew Davis) ring failing is going to be causing some problems, that Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) will return before the end of the season, and that viewers cannot be certain about the fate of anyone. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Woody Harrelson Talks RAMPART, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, HUNGER GAMES, and Whether or Not He Can Still Dunk a Basketball

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 7:50 pm

Opening tomorrow, in limited release, is director Oren Moverman‘s (The Messenger) fantastic new movie, Rampart.  Led by a brillaint Woody Harrelson, Rampart is about a corrupt cop whose past is finally catching up with him in the wake of a department-wide corruption scandal.  The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, Cynthia Nixon, Ben Foster, Anne Heche, Ice Cube, and Ned Beatty.

Recently, I got to speak with Harrelson. We talked about how he got involved in the project, what is was like to try and stick to the script while also finding the truth in the moment, what did he think of the film when he first saw it, filming on location in Los Angeles during the day, karaoke (he sings some Queen), and whether or not he can still dunk a basketball.  In addition, Harrelson talked about The Hunger Games and Martin McDonagh‘s Seven Psychopaths.  Hit the jump to watch.

Gary Oldman Thrills NY Crowd With Stories of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, His Paralyzing Fear Of TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and How CALL OF DUTY Made Him A Very Cool Dad

by Ron Messer    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 7:16 pm

Gary Oldman wrapped up his 3-day, 7-film retrospective at New York’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema with a fun, extended Q&A after Wednesday night’s screening of his Oscar-nominated performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The first time Academy Award nominee fielded questions from a theater filled with hundreds of his fans with nearly an hour.  Oldman also hung around for autographs, pictures and additional questions.  Hit the jump for stories from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, his paralyzing doubt on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and what he thought while watching Heath Ledger as The Joker.

STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D Interview with Joel Aron (CG Supervisor THE CLONE WARS)

by Steven Shaw    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 6:33 pm

With the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D this weekend, Twentieth Century Fox recently hosted a press junket at Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm.  In an effort to promote the experience for the next generation, my seven year-old daughter, Cyan, interviewed four people who helped bring George Lucas’ vision to life.  Her final interview was with Joel Aron, CG Supervisor for Star Wars: The Clone Wars the animated series.  They discussed how Darth Maul could come back if he’d been cut in half, the most rewarding part of working on Star Wars, who his favorite character is, his Sith name, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Taylor Kitsch JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

If you ever watched TV’s Friday Night Lights, then you’re probably already a Taylor Kitsch fan.  You know he’s got the charm and acting chops to carry a film, and he’s carrying two blockbusters this year.  First up is Andrew Stanton‘s John Carter, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ novel A Princess of Mars.  Kitsch plays John Carter, a Civil War veteran who finds him transported to the surface of Mars and thrown into a new civil war, but this it’s between nine-foot-tall green aliens and princesses who literally bleed blue.  While on the film’s set, we talked to Kitsch about finding the balance between everyman and action hero, being the audience surrogate, working with director and co-writer Stanton, acting in physical environment as opposed to a green-screen soundstage, and more.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens March 9th.

Director and Co-Writer Andrew Stanton JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

Making the move from directing animation to live-action was the big question facing Andrew Stanton when I visited the set of John Carter in April 2010.  Stanton had already delivered two amazing Pixar movies with Finding Nemo and WALL-E, but he headed to Mars with John Carter and Mars was a mix of live-action and CG.  Stanton was refreshingly honest about the transition and how the two mediums compare.  He also talked about his frustrations with the live-action process, how the film isn’t in post-production but “Principal Digital Photography”, the process of adapting the book, trying to flesh out the main characters, where they’re at with the planned sequels, and more.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church JOHN CARTER Set Visit Intervew

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

Tharks, the green-skinned, six-limbed creatures living on Mars in John Carter are about nine feet tall.  Great actors though they are, Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church, are not nine feet tall.  Even though they’re wearing the standard motion-capture grey leotards and tracking dots, there’s no accounting for height…unless you add stilts.  Watching Dafoe and Church march around on stilts is one of the high-lights of any set visit I’ve gone to.

With a sandstorm whipping into our faces and into our microphones, my fellow movie journalists and I spoke to Dafoe and Church on the set of John Carter.  In addition to talking about the stilts, we spoke about the scene they were currently filming, their characters, how doing motion-capture on set helped their performances, and more.  Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Lynn Collins JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:05 am

Andrew Stanton‘s John Carter is based off the novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Lynn Collins plays the novel’s eponymous princess, Dejah Thoris.  But rather than a damsel in distress waiting for the Earthman John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) to come to her rescue, she can hold her own and kick some ass. When I went to the set of John Carter with some of my fellow movie bloggers, Collins spoke to us about her martial arts training, Dejah’s fighting style training, the three hours it takes to cover her body in intricate tattoos, what the tattoos mean, and more.  “John Carter” may be the title of the movie, but don’t be surprised if we’re paying just as much attention to the Princess of Mars.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Samantha Morton JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:05 am

Like most of her John Carter co-stars, Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton (In America) has been in blockbuster films, but she’s never had to do motion capture up until this movie.  Also, since she plays a Thark, she also never had to walk on stilts until John Carter.  Morton plays Sola, a pariah of the war-loving Thark society due to her caring and nurturing attitude, and she’s given the task of helping John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) acclimate to life among the Tharks.

Morton was a bit reluctant to talk about her character since she’s used to talking more about the film after it’s finished rather than during production.  It’s a position I absolutely respect, and I’m glad she was at least willing to comment on how working with director Andrew Stanton compared to working with Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) and Steven Spielberg (Minority Report), adapting a classic piece of literature (John Carter is based off Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars), and a bit more.  Hit the jump for the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D Interview with Supervising Sound Editor Matthew Wood

by Steven Shaw    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm

With the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D this weekend, Twentieth Century Fox recently hosted a press junket at Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm.  In an effort to promote the experience for the next generation, my seven year-old daughter, Cyan, interviewed four people who helped bring George Lucas’ vision to life.  Her third interview was with Matthew Wood, a supervising sound editor with Skywalker Sound who worked to secure Academy Award nominations for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing for The Phantom Menace.  In Episode I, he is the voice of all the droids and in Episode III and The Clone Wars animated series he is the voice of General Grievous.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Linda Cardellini RETURN Interview

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 1:20 pm

The indie drama Return (opening in theaters on February 10^th) tells the story of Kelli (Linda Cardellini), a woman back from a military tour of duty, who’s looking forward to rejoining her old life with her husband (Michael Shannon) and children. Even though she wanted nothing more than to experience the feelings of everyday life again, she slowly realizes that her world has become unfamiliar. Her friends and family just don’t understand what she’s been through, and she doesn’t know how to overcome that to move forward.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Linda Cardellini talked about what attracted her to this role, finding ways to identify with this woman even though she never chose to make the same sacrifice, talking to people with similar experiences to hear their stories and how they dealt with returning home after war, working with two amazing co-stars like Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) and John Slattery (Mad Men), and the challenges of being on screen for almost every single minute of the film. She also talked about last year’s Freaks and Geeks reunion at PaleyFest and what it was like to see not just her co-stars but their families again, how she got interested in writing and developing her own projects, and what she’s looking for now in acting roles. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum Talk THE VOW, Memorable First Dates, and More

by Heather Warburton    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 10:14 am

Poised for Valentine’s Day, the Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum love story The Vow opens this weekend. The pair play young newlyweds who are fiercely in love until a car accident leaves McAdams’ character with such severe memory loss that she cannot remember her husband. While her husband tries to make her fall in love with him all over again, she must decide if she wants her old life back.  Based off a true story, the film is absorbing and hits deeply on a variety of emotions. With an excellent supporting cast—Scott Speedman, Sam Neill, and in particular Jessica Lange, the film is an engaging and satisfying love story, and also one that deals with the intricacies of family dynamics. Also, McAdams has a way of injecting believability into all her roles, and she was great in this.

At the film’s press junket, I sat down with the charming duo where we discussed how they got involved in the project, if they met the real life couple, and their favorite dating stories. Hit the jump to watch.

STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D Interview with Stunt Coordinator ObiShawn; Plus Lightsaber Training

by Steven Shaw    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 6:07 pm

With the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D this weekend, Twentieth Century Fox recently hosted a press junket at Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm.  In an effort to promote the experience for the next generation, my seven year-old daughter, Cyan, interviewed four people who helped bring George Lucas’ vision to life.  Her second interview was with ObiShawn, a lightsaber stunt coordinater with Lucasfilm.  After a lightsaber battle, they talked about what martial arts he studied, which fight sequence was the most difficult, and what other training a Jedi would need.  Hit the jump to watch.

Director Colin Trevorrow and Screenwriter Derek Connolly Talk SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED at Sundance

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 6:05 pm

One of the many films that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Colin Trevorrow‘s Safety Not Guaranteed.  Written by Derek Connolly, the film’s about a trio of magazine employees investigate a classified ad that seeks a partner for time travel. One employee develops feelings for the paranoid but compelling loner and tries to discover what he’s really up to.  It’s based on a real ad that was passed around the internet in 2005 and the movie stars Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson and Karan Soni.  Shortly after premiering, FilmDistrict bought the film, so you can look forward to seeing it at some point in the future.  For more on the film, you can read Matt’s review.

After seeing the movie, I got to sit down with Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly for an extended interview. We talked about premiering at Sundance, how they first met, casting, how they secured financing, filming multiple endings, using the brand new Sony F3 to shoot the film, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Writer-Director Andrea Arnold Talks WUTHERING HEIGHTS at Sundance

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 3:30 pm

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, I was able to sit down with writer-director Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, Red Road) for an extended interview about her adaptation of Wuthering Heights that stars James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Steve Evets, and Nichola Burley.  Here’s the short synopsis:

“What would you do if you were denied your soulmate? The passionate tale of Heathclith and Cathy, two teenagers whose elemental love for each other creates a storm of vengeance. From Andrea Arnold, comes a new take on the classic, a startling vision of desire and obsession.”

Like her previous films, Arnold has added a realistic take to the material, and it was one of my favorite films at Sundance.   During the interview, Arnold talked about being at Sundance, how she got involved in the project, her writing process, having the film vary its aesthetic depending on the characters age,  what she learned from showing the movie to friends, film vs. digital, what she has coming up, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview.

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