среда, 1 июня 2011 г.

Movies

Movies


EXCLUSIVE: Super 8 Cast Interviews

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:47 AM PDT

Sasha Perl-Raver sits down with the young cast of director J.J. Abrams' sci-fi ode to the early works of Steven Spielberg, Super 8. Stars Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Joel Courtney take you behind-the-scenes of this mysterious thriller about the aftermath of a trainwreck in a small town. What dangers lie at the heart of Super 8? Find out with these shocking cast secrets in our exclusive video interviews below.

Click to watch Exclusive: Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Riley Griffiths and Zach Mills Interview!

Click to watch Exclusive: Elle Fanning Interview!

Click to watch Exclusive: Kyle Chandler Interview!

Super 8 comes to theaters June 10th, 2011 and stars Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Amanda Michalka, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Gabriel Basso, Joel Courtney, Katie Lowes. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams.

10th Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Poster

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:42 AM PDT

Warner Bros. has released the 10th poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which brings the Hogwarts franchise to a close in theaters nationwide on July 15. Take a look at the latest one-sheet below, which features Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix LeStrange.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Bellatrix Poster

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 comes to theaters July 15th, 2011 and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Bonnie Wright, Michael Gambon. The film is directed by David Yates.

Evel Knievel Biopic Gets Director Ric Roman Waugh

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:53 AM PDT

Former stunt man Ric Roman Waugh will write and direct an Evel Knievel biopic

Filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh, who was a stunt performer for over 20 years before becoming a director, is in talks to write and direct an untitled biopic about famed stuntman/daredevil Evel Knievel for Exclusive Media Group.

The project will be adapted from the Leigh Montville book The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend, which was just published in April. The book will not only cover all of his legendary stunts, such as Snake River Canyon, Caesar's Palace, and Kings Island, but will delve into his equally painful private life. Here's what writer-director Ric Roman Waugh had to say about this project.

"This is my Walk the Line. Instead of concerts and songs, you're doing a daredevil guy. But it's less about the stunts and more about an exploration of a man who let nothing stand in the way of his quest for fame and glory - including his own mortality. What I love about Evel Knievel is I get to do an homage to the action world that I come from, but it's more about the relevancy of the price of fame and the life that this guy led. His family suffered for it, he suffered for it physically, and yet he became that iconic person that we all admired. What nobody has ever really captured - and maybe it takes an ex-stuntman to understand this - is the sacrifices he made, and the pain. Everybody's fearless until they get seriously hurt."

Ric Roman Waugh made his directorial debut with Felon in 2008, but before that he served as a stunt man specializing in car and motorcycle stunts for nearly 20 years. The filmmaker also has a personal relationship with the men who set up Evel Knievel's stunts, which he plans to use for his untitled project.

The writer-director also said he is looking at actors such as Tom Hardy, Chris Hemsworth, and Joel Edgerton to portray Evel Knievel. It isn't known when this project will begin production, although Ric Roman Waugh's next directorial project will be Snitch, which stars Dwayne Johnson.

Untitled Jackie Robinson Project Moves Forward at Legendary Pictures

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:19 AM PDT

Brian Helgeland will write and direct a biopic on Jackie Robinson

Legendary Pictures announced today that it will develop and produce a new film based on history's most celebrated baseball figure, Jackie Robinson. The movie will pay tribute to the legacy and impact Robinson made when he became the first African American Major League Baseball player.

Legendary will collaborate with Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson, to ensure the authenticity of the famed player's story. Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential / Mystic River) will write and direct, with Legendary's Chairman and CEO, Thomas Tull, producing, and Legendary's Chief Creative Officer, Jon Jashni, serving as executive producer. Dick Cook, former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, will also serve as an executive producer. The project will fall under Legendary's overall agreement with Warner Bros.

"We are deeply honored and grateful to be able to bring the Jackie Robinson story to audiences around the world," said Tull. "The legacy he left on history, society and the sport of baseball is one that will never be forgotten, and we are pleased to tell this amazing story of a true American hero."

"My family and I are thrilled to have this important film on Jack produced by Legendary Pictures. We are proud of his lasting impact on our society, and we know that the legacy he left is inspiring and worth preserving," said Rachel Robinson.

"There are few opportunities that come along as a filmmaker that allow the opportunity to share a true story with your audience, let alone one as powerful and inspiring as that of Jackie Robinson's," stated Helgeland. "I believe that with the support of Rachel Robinson we have a unique opportunity to bring one of the most famed stories in American culture and baseball to the screen."

Untitled Jackie Robinson Project comes to theaters in 2012. The film is directed by Brian Helgeland.

Amon Tobin Debuts 'Drug-Induced' 'ISAM' Live Show at MUTEK in Montreal

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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Amon TobinNathan Seabrook

It's hard to believe but this year marks Amon Tobin's debut at Montreal's MUTEK Festival, now in its 12th year. Even so, Tobin is no stranger to the Canadian city, having lived there while producing several of his albums for the celebrated electronic label Ninja Tune. It's only fitting then that the renowned Brazilian-born DJ and producer would select his former stomping ground for the world premiere of his new live show.

The larger-than-life live show promises to highlight his latest album, 'ISAM,' with a full array of visuals displayed on a large multi-dimensional 3-D art installation surrounding Tobin, enveloping both him and the audience in a "beyond 3-D" experience.

"With 'ISAM' there are very few tracks you could play on a dance floor and get away with it," Tobin tells Spinner. "They're all synthesized or multi-sampled instruments [on the album] that have been adapted to make something that is imagined. I even transformed my own voice to make different characters, I've got a younger girl for one track and an older lady for another.

Ryan Phillippe and Amanda Seyfried Part Ways

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:56 AM PDT

Actors Ryan Phillippe and Amanda Seyfried have ended their seven-month relationship, according to UsWeekly.com.
phillippe-seyfried.jpg
"It was mutual," a source told Us. "There's no bad blood. They're cool. They were just never fully committed." The two split in February but reunited in March when Seyfried, 25, stuck by Phillippe, 36, after reports surfaced he had fathered a child with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp. The "Lincoln Lawyer" actor's past relationships include ex-wife (and mother to his kids, Ava and Deacon) Reese Witherspoon and "Sucker Punch" actress Abbie Cornish. "Red Riding Hood" star Seyfried split with British beau Dominic Cooper about a year ago, following a three-year relationship.

'Super 8' Movie Review

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:44 AM PDT

Super 8 lands in theaters June 10
There has not been a film more shrouded in mystery this summer season than Super 8 and rightfully so -- to know too much about it would ruin the majesty that is this truly fantastic picture. From e...

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New Transformers: Dark Of The Moon TV Spot

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:03 AM PDT

The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009's Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There's new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime "Transformers" character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth. By TwitterButtons.com

Details of DC Comics Relaunched Titles!

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 03:29 AM PDT

Thanks to Comic Book Resources: Included in the 52 series will be: - A new title starring Superman written by Grant Morrison. - Birds of Prey #1: This new ongoing series will not feature the work of longtime "BoP" writer Gail Simone. In fact, many tried and true approaches to books will be getting a second look at DC in September. - Teen Titans #1: The new start for the teen team will be written by "Red Robin" scribe Fabian Nicieza. - Justice Society of America #1: - Only one of a number of current titles that will welcome a creative team shift, the future of the original superhero team will apparently not involve current writer Marc Guggenheim. - Wonder Woman #1: Don't expect the recent changes from writer J. Michael Straczynski to stick when the Amazing Amazon sees another new #1 hit. - Green Lantern #1: Even with a new #1, Green Lantern remains in Johns' hands,

DC Comics and the Nonsensical Reboot

Posted: 31 May 2011 11:29 PM PDT

This summer, DC Comics launched "Flashpoint," a massive event that would reshape the DC Universe, but we didn't know how. It was speculated that some things would change in the ongoing continuity, and that some things from the altered reality presented in "Flashpoint" would carry over. Well, today, DC Comics announced their plans for the future of the heroes and villains we know. "The rumors of a massive DC Universe reboothave been confirmed. In September, comic fans will be the recipients of 52 #1 issues as the entire line of DC Universe titles gets a relaunch. Everyone from Superman to Booster Gold will be getting a revamp, which includes redesigns and a "younger" continuity," states the press release that hit the web earlier today. That's right. They're cancelling almost every book that they have and starting fresh, which sounds great to the "prospective new readers" they are always talking about, but

SET VISIT: The Change-Up - Part 2

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:37 AM PDT

We speak with stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds along with director David Dobkin on the Atlanta set of this Universal Pictures comedy

When I last left off in Part 1 of our set visit for The Change-Up, I was describing a hilarious scene with Ryan Reynolds and young actress Sydney Rouviere, which involved multiple alternate lines, all of which were hilarious. When that scene wrapped up, and they were setting up the next shot, we had a chance to speak with the stars of The Change-Up, Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. Even with most of this shoot behind them, both actors were still in incredibly high spirits and they both seemed genuinely pleased to be there. Here's what both of these top-notch comedy actors had to say about their experiences thus far on The Change-Up.

Actors Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds:

We haven't actually seen you guys changing yet. Are you "doing" each other when you change?

Jason Bateman: It's not that. I told (diretor) (David) Dobkin early that my talents and skill set does not include doing impersonations, I'm just not that talented. If your plan for this film is to do basically, Ryan's going to do his version of a ne'er do well, I'm going to do my version of a conservative guy, and vice versa.

Ryan Reynolds: It's also the most fun that way. We get to have the most fun, be the most free that way. There are certain elements that we definitely carry over from before, dialogue and physicality, but we're not doing spot-on impressions of each other. We don't want the audience to start to go, 'He didn't do the perfect slow burn with the patented signature Bateman eyebrow raise!' Which is a very tough move to pull off.

Did you study each other beforehand?

Ryan Reynolds: We've known each other for a long time. But we didn't do too much of that.

Jason Bateman: We've been mutually complimentary for a bunch of years. I initially fell in love with Ryan...

Ryan Reynolds:... This is our E Harmony ad.

Jason Bateman:... at the Van Wilder premiere. And watched his stuff ever since.

Ryan Reynolds: We've been trying to do something together for a long time. We've come real close on a couple of things, close to working together, and I'm glad those didn't work out because we might not be sitting here right now.

Can I upload this to It Gets Better?

Jason Bateman: Is that another date site?

Ryan Reynolds: Basically it's an ad campaign done targeting young gay youth who are subjected to bullying.

Jason Bateman: You guys have a good scoop here today.

Can you talk about the level of humor in the film? We've heard it is a very hard R.

Ryan Reynolds: I hope it's R. I'm thinking maybe NC-17 at this point.

Jason Bateman: There's stuff there that we could probably push it. I don't know if it was (screenwriters) (Jon) Lucas and (Scott) Moore's intention, but there has been a few PG and PG-13 versions of the body-swapping movie. We've all seen them and they've been great. They've done a fresh version of that by making it R. It's a great, simple, easily relatable concept made fresh by throwing the whole fish out of water conceit into deeper and rougher waters.

Ryan Reynolds: I don't think there's any point in making it any other way. The R rating is the reason that I'm here. You do all the things you wish you could have seen in those other movies. Also seeing these two guys, in their own way, take advantage of the situation. It's a hall pass. You get a day pass here, and what would you do with it? There's a lot of things that happen both nefarious and fun, and they're both kind of the same actually, that you couldn't do in a PG-13.

Jason Bateman: And they're really doing a great job by putting us in as risqu&#233 and gratuitous situations as possible, but having the characters be charmingly underwater. Most of the time they're not driving these unseemly situations, they're a victim of them. It becomes a bit more palatable and doesn't seem like we're really pandering for, 'Oh, it's a hard, edgy R laugh there!' If that happened to you, you'd say 'Fuck!' as opposed to 'Darnit.' And 'fuck' is going to get you an R and 'darnit' doesn't. We're not forcing it.

We hear that about a third of the way through the movie, you get on the fuck train, you go crazy.

Jason Bateman: That's a possible title.

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, fuck train. That's the Bulgarian release.

Just in time for Christmas. Was that part of the appeal? When you started reading the script, it seems like you're supposed to be a straight shooter, and then it flips.

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman Star in The Change-Up

Jason Bateman: Yeah, I think for both of us, it's an actor's dream. It's Jekyll and Hyde, you get to play both sides of it. We both spent time playing this guy, but when you play this guy and switch back and do the other guy and vice versa, it kind of allows you to spread out your bookends a little bit more, the borders, the goalposts. It's a great challenge comedically.

Ryan Reynolds: And when we first started talking about the film, we both put our hands up into the air as to which role we wanted to play. I was easy either way, you were easy either way. 'I don't know, I'll play Dave for the bulk of the movie I guess. I'll play Mitch. Ok, great!'

Jason Bateman: And during rehearsal we swapped quite a bit.

Ryan Reynolds: Just to see what it would sound like.

Jason Bateman: A research thing, you know.

Ryan Reynolds: And as a way to shame me.

We saw you guys shooting a bunch of different alternate takes and different ways. Do you do that a lot with the script?

Ryan Reynolds: We spent a few weeks throwing a football around in a big hall out here, before shooting-- quite literally-- just coming up with alts and making each other laugh. We wrote them all down, and some of them happen, we put them in the script-- it actually says "alt"--just so we'll remember it. And others happen when they're here. You see that look of innocence in that little girl's eyes and you say, 'I need to push her into the stairs. I need to quiet that innocence.'

Jason Bateman: You actually warrant a bit of a writing credit. You should get at least a cast bump.

Ryan Reynolds: I don't think the Writer's Guild works that way. Jason and I both, I wish he could be up by the monitor when he's not working. The thing that he and I both love doing is throwing out alts and jokes while sitting behind the monitor.

Jason Bateman: I owe you a dozen.

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, I owe you. You actually do owe me, because you always come up with them after I've finished the fucking scene.

And your characters are best friends for how long in the movie?

Ryan Reynolds: We've been friends since I was in school. In this scene we're about to do we talk about how we had the same social studies teacher in school. But we're friends that have drifted apart too. There's quite a polarization at work. I've never grown up, really, or achieved anything remotely resembling responsibility. And he's missed out on a lot of his life. Our logline is about integration. These two guys, if you could just combine them they'd be one great person But that's the idea, that they've been friends forever but sort of drifted apart. They're too different now to really spend a lot of time together. I'm trying to reconnect with him at the beginning of the movie.

What's the experience been like shooting in Atlanta, shooting in various places around the city?

Ryan Reynolds: We're using Atlanta for Atlanta. I hope it comes out to be a bit of a postcard to the city, because they've really made great use of the sights and sounds of the city, really captured it.

Jason Bateman: A lot of movies have been filming here.

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, but a lot of them don't set their movies here. They're just using this great city.

Jason Bateman: It's been fun. People have been really nice to us, and the locations have been really beautiful. Selfishly, the restaurants have been great. The sports have been fantastic. I think i've got the grand slam going. I've been to a football game, baseball game, basketball, hockey. It's been a really, really, short three months for me so far.

How do you do R-rated humor when there are kids on the set? Obviously the kids are part of it.

Ryan Reynolds: Well the child abuse has already started. It's showbiz. All I'm really doing is helping I think at this point. No matter what I do, they're going to leave better people.

So the little girl won't be scarred for life by what you're saying to her?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, probably. She's not listening to me. She's waiting for her cue line, which keeps changing. Poor little girl. I really threw my back out tossing her around.

Yeah, you threw her really high.

Ryan Reynolds: That's the idea. They actually had wires here today to assist in that, but we didn't end up using them. That's why the stunt guys are here. They were going to wire her so I could throw her dangerously high in the air, spin her around and catch her in weird ways. But I just thought that was a great way for me to break my nose.

Jason Bateman: It's a stretch, but it's almost a good example of the R vs. PG version. In the PG version he'd throw her up, turn to Leslie and say three lines, and then the kid would come back down. The R joke is actually having the frame wide enough that you actually see how fucking scary it is.

Ryan Reynolds: And the idea is to plant in the minds of the viewers that this person should never be left alone with this child, which of course happens later. Way too much exposure to Mitch.

I get the sense that there are no real effects in the movie. It's entirely up to you guys to sell the switch.

Jason Bateman: Yeah, yeah yeah. There's no PG me looking like him or him looking like me.

Or the voice or anything?

Ryan Reynolds: No, it's old-fashioned in that sense. It's a real 80s premise, it's just executed in a different way than we've ever seen it before. We're not doing anything new in terms of that stuff. You go along with the conceit at the beginning, that's the hope.

Jason Bateman: We're assuming, we're hoping, based on the material and the concept they're going to go, 'These guys are going to switch bodies.' So let's have them just piss in a magic fountain and we'll be done with it. Who cares? It's what happens after that that we have to earn, and Lucas and Moore did a great job with it.

So it's not a quest to get back, like Big? The quest to find the magical thing?

Ryan Reynolds: Well it's a wish-fulfillment thing, it just turns out to be the worst wish ever. There is a question of that for sure. These guys are exposed to things they're not comfortable with. It's not a joyride. That's the whole point.

Was there any part of the script you were uncomfortable with initially?

Ryan Reynolds: I don't have that button. I don't have that thing. I don't possess it.

Jason Bateman: That's a good question. Was there anything?

Ryan Reynolds: There were a few things that we both really had to talk about, in a healthy way.

Jason Bateman: Yeah, execution-wise. Like we were talking about earlier, there are some graphic, raunchy fucking things in this movie, and if it's not executed in a tasteful, semi-sophisticated way, it just becomes poor taste. And hopefully we're on the side of that. And that's a combination of multiple departments-- the camera, the writing, the music, the editing. There's a thousand ways to shoot every joke, and a bunch of ways to perform them. It has to be a proper cocktail. I don't mean to make this sound like highbrow science, but it takes a conversation between all the creatives.

Was there a specific instance where you thought, execution is everything here?

Ryan Reynolds: A lot of the set pieces in the film are kind of that.

Jason Bateman: There's more than one. It's a bit of a minefield in this sense.

Ryan Reynolds: The big comedy pieces have to be played with utter reality, because otherwise you're watching Airplane!

You talked about the real emphasis, where married guys think about being single, and single guys think of being married.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds with director David Dobkin on the set

Jason Bateman: You talk to David, and he says this much more eloquently but I'm paraphrasing what he said. He loves scripts that have big broad, relatable set pieces but they're executed in a sophisticated manner. That's possibly a great formula for the kind of comedy I like.

How far are you going with the sex and nudity? In The Proposal you took it about as far as you can go in a PG-13.

Jason Bateman:Sandy had to abort that baby, didn't she?

Ryan Reynolds: Yes, yes. We got very very close.

Jason Bateman: It's on the DVD extra.

Ryan Reynolds: It's like that Three Men and a Baby thing with the ghost in the background. You've got to really want it to happen.

Obviously there are fewer limitations this time. How far does it go this time?

Ryan Reynolds: It goes all out. We don't pull a single punch in that regard. But it's not there for the sake of being there. It's there because there are all very real and scary things. If you were married for 16 years, and you got to be your buddy who's this wild, single guy, it sounds very appealing until you're in the lion's den. And then it's very scary. Suddenly this is very real, and yes it's not my body, and yes it's not technically me doing this, but I'm here and that's what's happening. The moments where there's nudity, it really just becomes a lamb and a lion together.

Jason Bateman: And conversely, when that guy gets put inside this shell and is turned loose inside a domestic haven, with a wife and three kids...

Ryan Reynolds: Equally scary.

Jason Bateman: Yeah, talk about fox in the henhouse. That presents a problem.

How many scenes do you get to perform together? I get the sense there's a chunk of the film where you're each on your own path.

Ryan Reynolds: It's a bit of both.

Jason Bateman: It's an interesting construction they did, because you'd think that, but somehow they manage us to pretty much check in with one another. There are some phone calls. But we do organically end up in the same place a lot.

Ryan Reynolds: And we're the only ones who know what's happening. Otherwise it would be very episodic, each go off and this happens, then this happens. It's the two of them really trying to control the other's situations. I need you to do this properly, or I'm screwed when we switch back. And it works both ways. Most of it is motivated by something.

Does the R rating make it even harder to know the limits of the abroad comedy?

Ryan Reynolds: We do versions. You can do everything, as long as you're not making big faces and trying to be funny all the time. With the little girl, I just try alts with it, but they're all things that this guy would be feeling. Do I want to go to a dance recital? Absolutely not, unless it's an exotic dance recital. I'll bring some singles and we'll have a picnic. But he's that guy. And vice versa, I think. It's just a matter of tagging what the idea at the beginning of it, the reality at the beginning of it.

Jason Bateman: Sometimes the R is represented in the tone of the comedy, the amount of cynicism of sarcasm. When she says "Will you come to my thing?" in a PG film he can't say no. He'd have to sort of awkwardly fumble for, how do I... he can just straight up say "No."

Or push her on the stairs.

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah. Hitting kids is always funny.

Like in True Grit.

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, when he pushes them off. Or in Due Date, where Downey punches the kid.

Jason Bateman: In The Hangover, where the door hits the little baby?

Ryan, how much of your character's background do we know? Has he ever had a long-term relationship?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, we establish that early on that the guy has just kind of always floating around. He's living the life of Reilly in his eyes. And in my eyes, he's kind of got it all. He's got a beautiful house and food and people that give a shit about him. There's a bit of a pull on both sides. We learn the backstory quite quickly on both of these guys.

Jason Bateman: It's the grass is greener.

There seems to be an inappropriately friendly relationship with Dave's wife too?

Ryan Reynolds: I think it's pretty clear early on that Mitch thinks she's a hot little number.

Jason Bateman: He doesn't have an edit button.

Ryan Reynolds: I don't do it when he's not around. I'm sexing her up while he's in the kitchen, and they're just shaking their heads at me.

Jason Bateman: We all have one of those in our lives.

Ryan Reynolds: We all have a guy like that. I have a Mitch...

How does Olivia Wilde fit in? She's a coworker of yours?

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds

Jason Bateman: Yes, we are colleagues at a law firm. She's somebody who is distracting to my character in a fairly pure way. But when he's put in a different skin, there's almost an OK there. He's not sure, and then when this guy gets in his ear it's like "Dude, don't be an idiot."

Ryan Reynolds: Use my body!

Jason Bateman: That's just one of the conflicts.

With the kinds of movies you've been doing before this, is this a fun break to do a hard R film. Why did you choose this particular film?

Ryan Reynolds: Well I wanted to work with Jason. And the script I read when I was shooting another film that was very difficult to shoot. I remember reading it and sitting in bed and crying laughing.

Jason Bateman: You read this during Buried?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah, and crying laughing. 'I've got to do this somehow, or just get it on a loop in my house if someone else does it?' I really, really was attracted to it. And it came through on all levels. You get scared if you're working on a movie that you have a really good time on, because you think how can this be good if I'm having so much fun. It's been that from day one. Since our first day of rehearsals throwing the football around in that hall, it's just the greatest job for me that I've done in a long time. It's just what I needed. It's like a vacation, but creative.

Jason Bateman: It really is the combination of a lot of great elements, both on the page and on the set.

Did you guys both come on to the project at the same time?

Ryan Reynolds: Nobody's ever really doing a movie until you break for lunch the first day, and then it's iffy.

Jason Bateman: The elements were floating around for a long time, and people smarter and richer than us have to decide when it all can come together. There's somebody stirring that big pot. There's a friendship that's been there, and there was certainly a mutual desire to want to commingle. We're lucky, really lucky that we got to do, like you said, this particular film together. I think the first time i saw you, when it kind of became pretty clear, was it the Oscars?

Ryan Reynolds: Yeah.

Jason Bateman: That thing, you see an old friend across the room. Are we going to do this? It's been that great since.

You have about three weeks left. Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to shooting?

Jason Bateman: I discover something in my carriage region that will be interesting to shoot. It's just after a shower--

Ryan Reynolds: It's not an STD.

Jason Bateman: That's about it. My only remaining minefield.

After that wonderful chat with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, they were still setting up the next scene so we were shown around some of the sets. We saw the very spacious and posh home of Jason Bateman's Dave, and, in a wonderful contrast, the bachelor pad loft of Ryan Reynolds' Mitch. While Dave's home is immaculate, with not a thing out of place, Mitch's loft is incredibly cluttered, with a slew of pop culture references peppered throughout the pad.

We headed back to the main set where they were shooting the next continuation of the first two scenes we watched. This scene takes place in their enormous kitchen, where we see a bit of the Mitch's flirtatious nature with Leslie Mann's character, Jamie, until Dave enters with both his twin toddlers in each arm. Right after this scene is where they head out for the night, which is when the big "Change-Up" occurs. After watching numerous takes of this scene, they broke for lunch, when we conducted our last interview of the day with director David Dobkin.

After making his feature directorial debut with the 1998 comedy Clay Pigeons, David Dobkin went on to direct the sequel Shanghai Knights, the enormously-successful R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers, and the holiday-themed tale Fred Claus. Despite a four-year break between movies, David Dobkin appears to be in top form, based on everything I saw on the set. Take a look at what he had to say below.

Director David Dobkin:

You did Wedding Crashers awhile ago and did a PG movie after that. What made you come back to R-rated material like this?

Ryan Reynolds as Mitch and Jason Bateman as Dave in The Change-Up

David Dobkin: It's really about the material. This script was fantastic and I immediately lit up from it. For me, the reason to go back into this arena was it because it was something that was going to be worthwhile. In comedy, in general, in my opinion, there are just not that many good scripts. They are few and far between. There are maybe some good ideas and then maybe some cast members get attracted to the ideas and you get in there and it's a lot of work putting it all together. This script came very fully formed.

Had The Hangover already came out when you got it?

David Dobkin: I think The Hangover had already come out when I got this script, when they sent it to me.

There were some great, visual shots in Wedding Crashers, some great visual gags. Do you have a chance to play with that in this one as well?

David Dobkin: Yeah. This is very visual and, yeah, there is the opportunity to do that. I tend to not be able to resist a little bit of that. I like the R-rating to be really out there and to push things, but I think the language of the camera is a broader sensibility. It makes you feel a little more safe sometimes, sometimes a little less safe, but I can't help myself. If someone is going to sit on someone's face, you have to be there at the right place to make it funny.

Can talk about treading the line between high-brow and low-brow humor? From a directional standpoint, how do you find yourself trying to get there?

David Dobkin: I think I always look for ideas that are really far out there, but I'm always trying to tell the stories of these characters. In Wedding Crashers, for example, there are two stories that are happening in that movie. One story is about a friendship that is splintered because one of them is growing out of something that the other one hasn't yet, and the other is the love story that Owen has with Rachel. He's kind of growing up and he's a little bit ahead of his friend, but you're very much following his wants and desires to get close and know more about this girl, and what that's all about. I think when you're following the characters closely in every scene, it really informs the comedy and the drama and everything else. I think that's where the tone comes from. You put them in some absurd situations, but they're always challenging them on some sort of character level. You always want them to be challenged to take a step forward or two steps back, out of any situation.

So far, what we've seen from Ryan's character, he's kind of a live wire, kind of an asshole and selfish. What's the thing that's grounded about him?

David Dobkin: Well he's sweet, but he's not grown up. The thing that makes him so forgivable, everything that he does, is he doesn't know any better. This movie is actually very much a coming-of-age story for him. His side of the movie is that he's a child who is thrown into a domestic situation. Imagine that guy getting inside your body and running your life. That's the fun of it. He completely doesn't understand children, or relationships, or how to have a daughter. That inherently becomes his journey.

Wedding Crashers and The Hangover set the mark for R-rated comedies because they made so much money. Do you have ambitions to push things even further?

David Dobkin: That's a very good question. Let me answer it in two parts. One part is, I think there's a conversation out there among the people who do this kind of comedy, and the fun of it, to me, and I'm a kid who loved Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, is the stuff that seems to be pushing boundaries, on the edge of what's acceptable and not acceptable, I don't think that going in and doing R-rated comedies, especially since so many are succeeding at such a high level with it, if you're not trying things and pushing things, I don't think you're in a position where people are going to laugh, or you're legitimately in the conversation. I think that's part of the dialogue among the filmmakers and the actors and the writers who do this kind of thing. As far as the studios go, it depends from studio to studio. Obviously, this studio is really letting us run with it and they're very supportive of it. I'm always surprised that, no matter how it works, it's always looked at as a fluke. It's just something within the system where they just don't fucking believe it. As you get close to production, most of the time, they will start to question or backpedal and you feel like you're in the 1950s. It gets a little bit mind-numbing at times and it's a bit of a drag. Fortunately, it's a bit of a good sign, if you're doing anything that you hope is worth doing, that you hope it will make some people uncomfortable.

Do you think the R-rated nature of this helps sell this as a comeback of sorts for the body-switching movies?

David Dobkin: I can't tell yet. I mean, it's a PG concept, it really is. When I first heard the idea, a single guy and a married guy switch bodies, I thought it was really kind of clever. I definitely haven't seen it. It was one way to address men, and how fucking weird men are about stuff. I thought it was kind of cool, and it's treating it in a very R-rated point of view. It's got a punk rock thing to it that I really dig but, as far as selling it, we'll see. You guys know. You saw a scene today. Until you see it, who knows. I'll show you a couple of scenes where you start to see what it is when it happens, but I can't tell, man. It's a premise that's so familiar in a PG world, that I'm not sure if people will be resistant to see it in an R-rated movie. I don't know.

Ryan is so quick with his lines. Is that something that you're consciously going for, or is that something that just comes out of his delivery and his style?

David Dobkin: It's his style and his character. I like to up-pace my movies. Leslie can do it, and Jason. You kind of put together the people you're fans of. I can't be a bigger Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson fan. I remember watching Freaky Friday, the remake that Mark Waters did, and loving that movie, and Mean Girls as well. Those movies kind of excited me. I know they're kind of in the back of people's minds now, but there was really aggressive pacing which was interesting and energetic. This screenplay had it too. I just moved through this screenplay so quickly, and you laughed out loud so much, it was a little bit shocking. Once you got in, the actors had to ground it, as far as making it look believable. You realized how much sleight-of-hand these guys needed to feed it at. It was like, how much are we going to get away with when we shoot it, and how much are we going to have to fill in the blanks and justify it. The script was so fast on its feet, there were things that were happening before you could realize that they could kind of put it together. It's quite a tightrope and it's been really interesting.

Is that pace reflective of what's going on in comedy now? People are really ingesting comedy on the internet and thing, in short bursts.

David Dobkin: It's interesting. I watch comedy on TV and I think it's too cutty for me. I get a little jarred. I look at certain things, and it's not like I would make terribly different cuts, but some of these move to fast for me.

When did it actually come together for both Jason and Ryan to make it work?

Ryan Reynolds as Mitch and Olivia Wilde as Sabrina in The Change-Up

David Dobkin: There is always a plan with a movie to keep the budget in bounds and not make the movie bigger in scale than it felt like the material was. I'm always looking, when I cast people, to do something with them I feel they haven't done before. I felt like, what Ryan is doing here, I haven't seen him do, and same for Jason Bateman, by the way. It's really kind of awesome. We treated the whole thing with an R-rated handle. They are not imitating each other in the movie. We're not interested. They pissed in a fountain. How seriously do you think we're taking the body-switching? They are the same characters, but it's really interesting. With casting, there was a very short list that the studio had, and Universal understood it, and got the rating. There was a very short list and a budget number, and it was like, if you can get someone off this list, and hit that budget, you have a green light. We were in a very strong position, and Jason and Ryan were both on that original list, and they both said yes. It took a little while to get the movie together. I met with Ryan in February of last year, and he was in doing Green Lantern until October, so we were shooting for October. We had to wait seven or eight months for Ryan to be freed up, but Jason was on board.

Can you talk about casting Olivia Wilde? She's one of the only people here who hasn't done much comedy.

David Dobkin: She does have some funny moments. It wasn't a necessity for her character, but she found it anyway. She's really interesting. She's done so much and she's so young, and this was something very different for her. It wasn't necessary for her to have moments where you're going to laugh, but she found stuff for her character and she really played it through. She's the center of a lot of things that happen in the movie. She's certainly the dream girl in the film, you know.

Can you talk about their friendship and how it changed?

David Dobkin: I think we all, in life, as you get older, you have friends you are really tight with. It's very specific to this situation. Some friends get married, some friends stay single, and the dynamic shifts. The deeper you get into marriage and kids, it's not that you don't hang, but if they're out chasing tail, it gets weird and you start to drift apart. You do reach these crossroads moments where you don't see each other much anymore and you say, 'Am I holding onto a chapter that has ended? Can we go out and drink? Is there something new to talk about?' I think that's a very real moment for people. I mean, I'm 41 and these characters are in their late 30s and they start to realize that they're not in the same station in life. This movie is about them re-finding each other and they learn through that journey about each other. A lot of these movies right now are about men who still haven't grown up, they're good dudes who are still behaving badly and still need to be taught a lesson. For some reason, it's very funny.

After our chat, the director took us back to the video village where we watched two scenes that they had already cut together, to give us a better glimpse of the movie. The first scene is shortly after the body switch, where Jason Bateman as Dave (with Ryan Reynolds' Mitch inside him) is experiencing a family dinner for the first time with Leslie Mann and the kids. He doesn't quite know how to react in such an environment and finds himself cursing a lot, much to the chagrin of his wife. It is rather hilarious, especially seeing Jason Bateman with a dirty mouth, something we have rarely seen before. The second scene is also after the switch, and both Dave and Mitch are meeting up at a bar to talk about their first day in each other's lives. We also discover another side to Mitch's "acting" career. Both scenes were completely hilarious, filled to the brim with naughty language, and incredibly fun to watch.

We saw writer Jon Lucas just before leaving the set, and told him how much we all loved the scenes. I could be wrong, but he seemed noticeably relieved when we told him that. Although, I would probably be nervous about releasing a movie like this too, because, despite a fantastic cast, writers, and director, it's taking a bold, potty-mouthed step into a PG genre, a move which isn't made every day in Hollywood. It is a big risk, but from everything I saw on the Atlanta set back in January, it looks like a risk which should (and hopefully does) pay off big time.

That's about all I have from the Atlanta, Georgia set of the Universal Pictures comedy The Change-Up, which arrives in theaters across the country on August 5. Be sure to stay tuned for any and all coverage regarding The Change-Up as we near closer to its release.

The Change-Up comes to theaters August 5th, 2011 and stars Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann. The film is directed by David Dobkin.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Becomes a Quadrilogy

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:11 AM PDT

The Hunger Games becomes a Quadrilogy

It worked for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 and Part 2 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2. Now, Lionsgate has confirmed that the studio will wrangle an extra big screen outing from Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy The Hunger Games, making it a four film quadrilogy.

Well, Lionsgate will if the first movie is as big of a success as they are hoping for. Other Young Adult literature adaptations with high hopes and trilogy plans, such as The Seeker: The Dark is Rising and City of Ember, failed to get past their debut entries. Lionsgate is hoping for a Twilight-sized phenomenon when it comes to The Hunger Games, though. It is the highest selling film they have ever brought to the Cannes marketplace, and it is expected to be a behemoth hit overseas.

It is unclear at this time how director Gary Ross, who is expected to stay with this new franchise through all four films, will be splitting the narrative. It is possible that he could split the second book in the series, Catching Fire, or make two sequels out of the finale, Mocking Jay. Both books are the same length as The Hunger Games, which has fans fearing that they may be stretching the narrative of the final two movies a little thin. It is also possible that the third movie may serve as a bridge between the second and forth films, utilizing story elements from both Catching Fire and Mocking Jay.

The Hunger Games is currently shooting in North Carolina.

The Hunger Games comes to theaters March 23rd, 2012 and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, John C. Reilly, Wes Bentley, Leven Rambin, Willow Shields. The film is directed by Gary Ross.

Catching Fire comes to theaters in 2013 and stars Jennifer Lawrence. The film is directed by Gary Ross.

Mocking Jay comes to theaters in 2014 and stars Jennifer Lawrence. The film is directed by Gary Ross.

Blake Lively and Leonardo DiCaprio: The Romance Gossip

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:44 AM PDT

In the scenic French Riviera, following weeks of star-studded parties at Cannes, it seems "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively and Leonardo DiCaprio have found romance. The two were photographed holding hands on a dreamy moonlit stroll through Monte Carlo on Friday, reports Us Weekly.

lively-dicaprio-usweeklycover.jpg

During their whirlwind overseas courtship, Leo wooed the leggy blonde with expensive dinners, helicopter rides, pricey yacht trips and high-profile parties. An onlooker remarked that the Oscar-nominated actor "looked very much in love."

A source added, "He had introduced Blake as his girlfriend. I would say they're totally smitten!"

leo-blake.jpg

(Leo and Blake hug in Cannes, back in May)

DiCaprio recently split with longtime supermodel girlfriend, Bar Refaeli, who seemed well adjusted to the break -- she recently tweeted a sensational bikini photo of herself vacationing on a yacht in Cannes.

Bar's Bikini Tweet

Leo and Blake first connected at a NYC business meeting last November, and shared a kiss at a Hollywood party in January.

Blake Threatens to Sue Over Fake Nude Photos!

An insider close to DiCaprio admitted, "I've never seen him like this with a girl."

Variegated rhododendrons: A 'wow' factor in the landscape

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 06:59 AM PDT

Landscape design: Variegated rhododendrons are impressive, but what you plant with them can also help light up the garden. Here's a designer's advice.

Movies Where the non-lead character steals the show

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:52 AM PDT

Want to hear what you guys think.

My vote:

Nicholson in A Few Good Men

submitted by kukukele
[link] [27 comments]

YouTube - Catalina Wine Mixer

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:08 AM PDT

Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pirates 4 did better business in 2D than in 3D. About freakin' time.

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:15 AM PDT

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Visual Development Artwork

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:57 AM PDT

Looking for disturbing and frightening movie suggestions.

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:48 AM PDT

So here are the movies we're watching: Jacob's ladder (very disturbing) suicide club (a little goreporn, but otherwise unsettling) audition (unsettling atmosphere, extremely disturbing scenes) and finally, inland empire (David Lynch; immensely disturbing movie).

We're looking for some more genuinely disturbing movies to add to our little marathon to freak ourselves out. They don't have to be creepy, but they need to be disturbing to qualify. Any suggestions?

submitted by qwer777
[link] [5 comments]

David Fincher Options Novel 'Panic Attack' To Possibly Direct

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:29 AM PDT

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