One of the most anticipated films of the summer is Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Debicki.  The film is an adaptation of the classic American novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald that has become English 101 in high schools the country wide.  The story of the enigmatic Gatsby and his quest to win over his one true love Daisy Buchanan comes to life in 3D this May with grandiose party scenes even Fitzgerald would have enjoyed.

At the recent press day for the film in New York, Collider was present as the director and stars DiCaprio, Maguire, Mulligan and Fisher, along with producers Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick and Catherine Mann (also the production designer and Luhrmann’s wife) held a press conference to speak about the film.  They revealed the literary influences behind many of the lines of dialogue, the surprising choice of a Jay-Z heavy soundtrack (he’s also an EP of the film) and the chemistry between the actors and director that led to the performances in the film.  Hit the jump to read our coverage of the press conference.

In the new film directed by and starring Robert Redford, The Company You Keep, lawyer and single father Jim Grant (Redford) is living a quiet life in the suburbs when a housewife (Susan Sarandon) is arrested and revealed as part of a 1970’s radical gang, known as the Weather Underground.  Young and thirsty reporter Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf) digs into her history and uncovers Grant’s secret- that he is in fact another member of the gang in hiding. Grant goes on the run across the country- closely followed by the FBI and a truth-hungry Shepard- to try and clear his name and win back his daughter.  Along the way, both men discover things they can’t outrun about the past and about themselves.  The film also stars Julie Christie, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Terrence Howard, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brit Marling, Sam Elliot, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Root and Jacqueline Evancho.

Collider was on hand at a press conference given by Redford, and co-stars Tucci, Marling and Evancho.  Redford had a lot to say about his costars (upon all of whom he lavished extreme praise), the material upon which the screenplay is based and drawing from the story of Les Miserables when creating his character.  Redford was not shy to open up about his political beliefs regarding the radical movement, nor to buck talk of Academy Awards, claiming he is “not in that business,” but he did speak about his Sundance Institute, which is actually where he met Marling as she got her start in the industry.  The other actors also had nothing but admiration and praise for their leader and the rest of the all-star cast.  Click here to read more.

Director Paul Weitz’s new film Admission turns an inside eye on a subject near and not-so-dear to many of us- the college admissions process.  At the heart of it is Portia Nathan (played by a more serious Tina Fey than we are used to seeing), a Princeton admissions officer whose world is suddenly thrown for a loop when a routine visit to an alternative school forces her to cross paths with a teacher (Paul Rudd) who thinks he may have found the son Portia gave up for adoption in college.  Portia finds herself bending the rules, both official college rules and rules she has imposed upon herself to help this boy (Nat Wolff) get into Princeton, while falling into an oddly sweet relationship with his teacher.  The film also stars a hilarious Lily Tomlin as Fey’s feminist, fire-breathing mother.

Recently I landed an exclusive interview with director Paul Weitz.  He talked about the process of turning this book into a script, working with stars Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin, deleted scenes and Lily Tomlin’s outrageous tattoo ideas, working with his brother Chris Weitz and writing for Woody Allen in Antz.  Click after the jump to continue reading.

Paul Weitz’s new film Admission turns an inside eye on a subject near and not-so-dear to many of us—the college admissions process.  At the heart of it is Portia Nathan (played by a more serious Tina Fey than we are used to seeing), a Princeton admissions officer whose world is suddenly thrown for a loop when a routine visit to an alternative school forces her to cross paths with a teacher (Paul Rudd) who thinks he may have found the son Portia gave up for adoption in college.  Portia finds herself bending the rules, both official college rules and rules she has imposed upon herself to help this boy (Nat Wolff) get into Princeton, while falling into an oddly sweet relationship with his teacher.  The film also stars a hilarious Lily Tomlin as Fey’s feminist, fire-breathing mother.

At the press day for the film, Nat Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band) spoke to a small group of reporters about the film and the experience of making it.  He talked about working with Fey and Rudd, his “ghetto” audition tape, and preparing for the role.  He also gave the scoop on the other projects he’s worked on in the past year, which include Behaving Badly with Selena Gomez, and Palo Alto with James Franco, based on Franco’s short stories and in which Wolff says he plays a version of a young Franco.  Wolff also told us of a childhood acting lesson with his idol Dustin Hoffman and the advice the film vet gave to the aspiring actor.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Paul Weitz’s new film Admission turns an inside eye on a subject near and not-so-dear to many of us- the college admissions process.  At the heart of it is Portia Nathan (played by a more serious Tina Fey than we are used to seeing), a Princeton admissions officer whose world is suddenly thrown for a loop when a routine visit to an alternative school forces her to cross paths with a teacher (Paul Rudd) who thinks he may have found the son Portia gave up for adoption in college.  Portia finds herself bending the rules, both official college rules and rules she has imposed upon herself to help this boy (Nat Wolff) get into Princeton, while falling into an oddly sweet relationship with his teacher.  The film also stars a hilarious Lily Tomlin as Fey’s feminist, fire-breathing mother.

At the press day for the film Admission, Collider was present as stars Tina Fey and Paul Rudd spoke to a small group of reporters about the film and their experiences making it.  The two discussed meeting each other for the first time, working with director Paul Weitz and the atmosphere on set.  They also spoke about how improv influenced their acting, the comedy community, if it’s too soon for a 30 Rock reunion, and discussed a shared experience doing a live reenactment of Sixteen Candles that sounds too good to be true.

Opening this weekend is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (played by Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal—he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He soon finds himself caught up in a massive undercover mission helmed by agent Barry Pepper that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord—but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Jon Bernthal, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams.

At the New York press day for the film, I was able to speak to Barry Pepper about his involvement in the film.  He talked about preparing for the role, then filled me in about his upcoming role in The Lone Ranger and working with Johnny Depp.  He also told me about an upcoming project focusing on the Civil War era, and his surprising alter ego as a blacksmith.

Opening this weekend is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal- he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He convinces a worker, ex-con Jon Bernthal, to make an introduction, and soon the two find themselves caught up in a massive undercover mission that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord- but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams.

At the film’s press day in New York, I was able to sit down with Jon Bernthal. He told me about how he got involved in the project, about the intense action scenes in the film and about some deleted scenes that didn’t make the final cut. He also filled me in on working with Martin Scorsese on the upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street, and collaborating with Frank Darabont (creator of The Walking Dead) again on the new pilot Lost Angels.

Opening this week is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (played by Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal—he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He soon finds himself caught up in a massive undercover mission that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord—but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Jon Bernthal, Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams.

Recently I was able to speak to Mr. Johnson about the film Snitch in an exclusive interview.  As it turns out, he’s a big Collider fan, with a sweet spot for Steve!  He also told me about signing on to do the film and connecting with his character as a father who would also do anything for his kids.  I also got some details about Fast and Furious 6, and the scoop on upcoming films Pain and Gain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and his passion project Hercules.  Click after the jump to see the whole interview.

Opening this week is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal: he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He convinces one of his workers, an ex-con played by Jon Bernthal, to make an introduction and the two get caught up in a massive undercover mission that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord, but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams as a frightening local drug dealer.

Recently, I was able to sit down for an exclusive interview with director Ric Roman Waugh.  Waugh told talked about working with Dwayne Johnson and the rest of his dream team ensemble, his days undercover as a parole officer to do research for his previous film Felon, why they chose Shreveport, Louisiana as the home for this film and how his background as a professional stuntman came into play.  He also gave me an inside scoop on his upcoming projects: a documentary about a Delta Force operator and the film Currency, which will take inspiration from the documentary and Waugh’s own experiences to tell the story of military vets coming home to an unwelcoming future. 

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman is director Fredrik Bond’s first feature film.  Premiering at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, it stars Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood as a couple who meet under strange circumstances and have an impossibly strong mutual attraction.  As LaBeouf’s character Charlie falls for the beautiful and grieving Gabi, he gets caught in the sights of her dangerous husband (Mads Mikkelsen) and his life comes into immediate and grave danger.  The film feels like a modern fairy tale story of love and pain colliding set in the gritty world of Bucharest, Romania. It also stars Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Vincent D’Onofrio and Melissa Leo.

Shortly after the premiere of the film, I was able to sit down with director Fredrik Bond to discuss the film.  We were then pleasantly surprised to be joined by star James Buckley (The Inbetweeners) for the remainder of our 30 minute interview.  They discussed filming in Budapest, the unique look of the film, the closeness of the cast and gave me hints at what’s coming up next.  Click after the jump to read the whole interview.

One of the many films that premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival was director Lynn Shelton’s Touchy Feely.  The film centers on a massage therapist played by Rosemarie Dewitt who suddenly develops an aversion to touching skin, and her dentist brother (Josh Pais) who begins to get a reputation as a healer and is unprepared for his immediate success.  As the family members (including Ellen Page as Pais’ daughter) deal with their newfound afflictions and admirations, they also discover themselves.  The film also stars Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney and Ron Livingston.

Shortly after the film’s premiere at Sundance, I was able to get an exclusive phone interview with writer/director Lynn Shelton.  During the conversation, she told me all about her process of crafting the characters and the script, how Allison Janney’s role was almost played by Catherine Keener, why she felt compelled to edit the film herself and about her next project, Laggies which will star Rebecca Hall.  Click after the jump to read the whole interview.

Among the many great films premiering this week at Sundance Film Festival is Ryan Coogler’s drama Fruitvale.  The writer/director brings us his representation of the final day in the life of Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old Bay Area resident who was shot by a police officer in the Fruitvale BART station on New Year’s Eve, 2008.  Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Redtails) plays the man who was a father, a fiancé, a son and a friend whose life was tragically ended that fateful day.  The film also stars Melonie Diaz as Grant’s fiancé and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Smashed) as his mother.

After the film’s premiere, I was able to speak to director Ryan Coogler about the film.  He told me about his connection to this story and how he originally got involved with it, the sense of responsibility he felt to Grant’s family, and what he hopes people take away with them after seeing the film.  A previous Sundance Lab participant, Coogler discussed how it feels to be back at Sundance with his finished film, as well as his future plans.  Click after the jump to read the full interview.

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman is director Fredrik Bond’s first feature film.  Premiering at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, it stars Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood as a couple who meet under strange circumstances and have an impossibly strong mutual attraction.  As LaBeouf’s character Charlie falls for the beautiful and grieving Gabi, he gets caught in the sights of her dangerous husband (Mads Mikkelsen) and his life comes into immediate and grave danger.  The film feels like a modern fairy tale story of love and pain colliding set in the gritty world of Bucharest, Romania. It also stars Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Vincent D’Onofrio and Melissa Leo.

At the press conference at Sundance the morning after the premiere, Collider was present as Bond, LaBeouf, Wood and James Buckley (The Inbetweeners) spoke about the film.  They discussed the making of the film, the chemistry on set and what they learned from previous works and relationships.  Hit the jump to read some highlights from the press conference.

Among the films that are premiering at Sundance Film Festival is the documentary Sound City.  Directed by Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters), the film is about the legendary Sound City Recording Studios and the equally legendary Neve mixing console it housed.  The film looks at the role of the studio in the stories of many, many current musicians who have helped define the age of rock including Nirvana, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Rick Rubin, Fleetwood Mac and countless others.  The film also features an original soundtrack and performances by many of the artists.

At a press conference Q & A session moderated by Elliot Scheiner (7-time Grammy Award winning music producer/engineer), Grohl spoke about how the film turned from a conceptualized 12 minute short into the full length documentary film.  He also discussed how he feels about the current evolution of music and why the lack of live performance shows and the corresponding wealth of singing contest shows are dangerous for our cultural valuation of music.  According to Grohl, the film will be released in February on the website soundcitymovie.com where patrons can potentially access it for free, because he believes it’s the most important thing he’s ever done.  To read more highlights from the Q & A session, click after the jump.

Among the many great films premiering this week at Sundance Film Festival is Ryan Coogler’s drama Fruitvale.  The writer/director brings us his representation of the final day in the life of Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old Bay Area resident who was shot by a police officer in the Fruitvale BART station on New Year’s Eve, 2008.  Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Redtails) plays the man who was a father, a fiancé, a son and a friend whose life was tragically ended that fateful day.  The film also stars Melonie Diaz as Grant’s fiancé and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Smashed) as his mother.

Shortly after the film’s premiere, I was able to chat with star Michael B. Jordan about his portrayal of main character and real-life person Oscar Grant.  Jordan told me how he prepared to tackle this role, including research and time spent with Grant’s real family and friends.  He told me all about the pressure he felt to do the character justice and what he hopes people will take away from the film. Finally, I got the scoop on his upcoming projects (Are We Officially Dating? with Miles Teller and Zac Efron) and his plans to branch out in the industry.  Click after the jump to read the whole interview.