All Articles by Steve Weintraub

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

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.

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

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

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.

Rosemarie Dewitt Talks NOBODY WALKS, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN, and More at Sundance

Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 8:50 pm

Nobody Walks, directed by Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me), was one of the many films that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  Written by Lena Dunham and Russo-Young, the ensemble drama stars John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Rosemarie DeWitt, India Ennenga and Justin Kirk.  In the film, “Krasinski plays Peter, a Hollywood sound designer who’s agreed to help Martine (Thirlby) with her experimental art film as a favor to his wife (DeWitt). Martine, a beautiful and driven 23-year-old artist, comes to stay in the family’s pool house at their posh Silver Lake home, and her arrival ignites raw emotions and desires throughout the entire family.” Ennenga plays the daughter.  Since premiering, Magnolia picked up the film for domestic distribution, so you’ll be able to see it at some point down the road.

During my interview with Rosemarie Dewitt we talked about being at Sundance, who she plays in Nobody Walks and what it’s about, how the story changed along the way, karaoke and more.  In addition, since Dewitt just finished shooting Neighborhood Watch (which stars Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade), she talked about who she plays and what it’s about.  We also talked about Your Sister’s Sister and The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Hit the jump to watch.

Directors Jake Schreier and Screenwriter Christopher D. Ford Talk ROBOT AND FRANK at Sundance

Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 6:30 pm

One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Jake Schreier‘s Robot and Frank.  The film is set in the near future and centers on an elderly ex-jewel thief (Frank Langella) whose kids (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) give him a caretaker robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), sparking an unlikely friendship. Susan Sarandon plays a librarian who serves as Langella’s only friend.  Since premiering at the festival, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up the film for distribution, so you can expect to see it for yourself later this year.  For more on the film, you can read Matt’s review.

Right after seeing the film I got to sit down with Jake Schreier and screenwriter Christopher D. Ford.   During the interview we talked about the origin of the movie, how the script changed along the way, how they got financing, the design of the robot, the quick shooting schedule, what they learned during friends and family screenings, premiering at Sundance, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

Mark Duplass Talks SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, Alex Kurtzman’s WELCOME TO PEOPLE, THE SKELETON TWINS, THE DO-DECA PENTATHLON at Sundance

Posted: February 4th, 2012 at 10:56 am

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 Mark Duplass for an extended interview. We talked about being at Sundance, how he got involved in Safety Not Guaranteed and what it’s about, what it was like to watch the film for the first time with a big crowd at Sundance, and how the film changed during production.  In addition, since Duplass is involved in a number of other projects, we talked about the directorial debut of Alex Kurtzman (Welcome to People), The Skeleton Twins (Bill Hader and Anna Faris as twins), Jeff Who Lives at Home, The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, The League, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

John Hawkes Talks THE SURROGATE, LINCOLN, Working with Daniel Day-Lewis, and More at Sundance

Posted: February 4th, 2012 at 10:23 am

Led by a truly remarkable performance by John Hawkes, writer-director Ben Lewin‘s The Surrogate blew me away at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The film’s based on the true story of Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist with an iron lung, who decides that he no longer wants to be a virgin.  With the help of his priest (William H. Macy) and a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt), we follow his amazing journey.  Trust me, The Surrogates is great on so many levels (which explains why there was a bidding war; Fox Searchlight won), and it’s definitely going to be a contender at the 2013 Academy Awards.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review.

Shortly after seeing the film, I sat down with John Hawkes for an extended interview.  We talked about being at Sundance, how he prepared for The Surrogate, the responsibility of playing a real person, his preference between a few takes or a lot, and so much more.  In addition, since Hawkes just worked with Steven Spielberg on Lincoln, he talked about how Tony Kushner‘s screenplay drew him to the project and what it was like to work with Daniel Day-Lewis.  Hit the jump to watch.

William H. Macy Talks THE SURROGATE and SHAMELESS Season 2 at Sundance 2012

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 at 9:50 am

Led by a truly remarkable performance by John Hawkes, writer-director Ben Lewin‘s The Surrogate blew me away at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The film’s based on the true story of Mark O’Brien, a 36-year-old poet and journalist with an iron lung, who decides that he no longer wants to be a virgin.  With the help of his priest (William H. Macy) and a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt), we follow on his amazing journey.  Trust me, The Surrogates is great on so many levels (which explains why there was a bidding war; Fox Searchlight won), and it’s definitely going to be a contender at the 2013 Academy Awards.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s review.

Shortly after seeing the film, I sat down with William H. Macy for an extended interview.  We talked about being at Sundance, his reaction to seeing the film with an audience for the first time, how he prepared for The Surrogate, his philosophy as an actor, karaoke, and a lot more.  In addition, with Macy currently starring on the hit Showtime series Shameless, we talked about what’s coming up on the second season, how he wrote the sixth episode, the writers room, how the second season is completely different than the BBC version, and what do people always want to talk to him about when they meet him.  Hit the jump to watch.

Bradley Cooper and Co-Director Brian Klugman Talk THE WORDS, TRON: LEGACY, PARADISE LOST, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, and More at Sundance

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 at 8:53 am

One of the best films I saw at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was writer-director Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal‘s first feature, The Words. The film stars Bradley Cooper as a writer who, after discovering an extraordinary lost manuscript, passes the work off as his own and receives overwhelming critical acclaim.  Jeremy Irons plays the man who originally wrote the manuscript, and the film weaves multiple narratives to tell the story.  The Words also stars Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Ben Barnes, and JK Simmons.  CBS Films bought the film after its first screening and they plan to release it later this year.  It’s definitely a film you should be excited to see.  For more on The Words, here’s Matt’s review.

Shortly after seeing the film, I did an extended interview with Bradley Cooper and co-writer-director Brian Klugman.  We talked about being at Sundance, how the project came together and how it changed along the way, deleted scenes, how the two of them became friends (they’ve known each other for decades), karaoke, film versus digital, and a lot more.  In addition, Klugman talked about his early draft of Tron: Legacy, and Cooper talked about what it was like to work on director Derek Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines, and the status of Paradise Lost (it’s hopefully filming this June).  Hit the jump to watch.

Aubrey Plaza Talks SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, THE TO-DO LIST (THE HAND JOB), PARKS AND REC, and More at Sundance 2012

Posted: February 3rd, 2012 at 8:25 am

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 Aubrey Plaza for an extended interview. We talked about being at Sundance, karaoke, what’s the last video game she’s played (Batman: Arkham City and Braid), 3D gaming, how she got involved in Safety Not Guaranteed and what it’s about, and what it was like to watch the film for the first time with a big crowd at Sundance.  In addition, she talked about Parks and Recreation, working with Bill Murray on director Roman Coppola‘s A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, and director Maggie Carey‘s The To-Do List (aka The Hand Job), in which she plays a recent high school graduate intent on losing her virginity before going off to college.  She said filming some of it bordered on pornography.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Frank Langella Talks ROBOT AND FRANK, His First Book DROPPED NAMES, and More at Sundance 2012

Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 4:22 pm

One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Jake Schreier‘s Robot and Frank.  The film is set in the near future and centers on an elderly ex-jewel thief (Frank Langella) whose kids (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) give him a caretaker robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), sparking an unlikely friendship. Susan Sarandon plays a librarian who serves as Langella’s only friend.  Since premiering at the Festival, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up the film for distribution, so you can expect to see it for yourself later this year.  For more on the film, you can read Matt’s review.

Right after seeing the film I got to sit down with Frank Langella for an exclusive interview.  During our extended conversation we talked about how he got involved in the project, how the script changed along the way, the design of the robot, the quick shooting schedule, filming on location, premiering it at Sundance, and a lot more.  In addition, Langella talked about writing his first book.  He told me, “It is called Dropped Names and it is about famous men and woman as I knew them from the age of 15 up to now, and I am dropping their names because they have dropped dead.  It is about famous people who are dead.”  Hit the jump for more.

Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese Talk About Doing the Music for THE RAID at Sundance; Plus a Linkin Park Update

Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 3:30 pm

Let me be very clear: director Gareth Evans’ The Raid, an Indonesian martial arts epic that tracks a SWAT team sweeping through a highrise infested with drug dealers, is a phenomenal action movie that demands to be seen.  Thankfully, Sony Pictures Classics will be releasing it on March 23, so everyone needs to circle their calendars right now.  Trust me, once you see this, you’ll understand why every critic at TIFF and last week’s Sundance Film Festival was raving.  It also explains why Screen Gems acquired the remake rights.  It’s really that good.

While at Sundance I was able to speak with with composers Mike Shinoda of “Linkin Park” and Joe Trapanese, collaborator with Daft Punk and M83, about the soundtrack. They talked about how they got involved in the project, the origin of their collaboration, Sundance, working with Gareth Evans, the programs they used (Pro Tools, Logic and Maschine), how they used “vintage toys” and external hardware for a more organic sound, and a lot more.  In addition, for fans of Linkin Park, I asked Shinoda what’s up with the band.  Hit the jump to watch.

Collider is Looking for a TWILIGHT Superfan to Review THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1 on Blu-ray

Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 2:53 pm

While we have a lot of great writers on Collider, I’ve decided to locate a Twilight super fan to review our copy of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 on Blu-ray.  I’m not looking for someone who thinks it’s the greatest movie ever made, and I’m not looking for someone who hates it either. I’m trying to find someone who loves the books and the films and can do an objective review while also writing about all the special features, commentaries, and the extra things on the Blu-ray.  If you think you’ve got what it takes, hit the jump:

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND Giveaway

Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 9:48 am

With director Brad Peyton’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island opening February 10, we’ve been provided with some Journey 2 movie swag to giveaway to some of our readers.   As the synopsis says, “in this follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit Journey to the Center of the Earth, the new 3D family adventure Journey 2: The Mysterious Island begins when 17-year-old Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It’s a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.”  Hit the jump for what you can win and how to enter.

Paul Dano Talks FOR ELLEN, LOOPER, BEING FLYNN, HE LOVES ME, NIGHT MOVES, and More at Sundance 2012

Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 5:50 pm

One of the many films to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was writer-director So Young Kim‘s (In Between Days) For Ellen.  Led by a fantastic performance by Paul Dano, the film’s about a struggling musician trying to keep custody of his very young daughter even though he’s never been around.  The film also stars Jon Heder, Jena Malone, Margarita Levieva, and Shay Mandigo.

Shortly after seeing the film I got to sit down with Dano for an extended interview.  We talked about being at Sundance, how he got involved in For Ellen, what it’s about, who he plays, how much fun he had playing a “narcissistic prick,” what it’s like to be in almost every frame of the movie,  and if more people want to talk to him about The Girl Next Door, Little Miss Sunshine, or There Will Be Blood?  In addition, with Dano involved in so many other projects, we also talked about Rian Johnson‘s Looper, Being Flynn with Robert De Niro, director Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris‘ He Loves Me, and how he’s hoping to do a film called Night Moves with Meek’s Cutoff director Kelly Reichardt.  Hit the jump to watch.

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