Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- Daniel Radcliffe Asks, 'What Would Michael Fassbender Do?'
- Brace Yourselves, There's Going to Be a Peeps Movie
- Bryan Singer Breaks Silence, Pulls Out of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Press Tour
- 'Friday the 13th' Is Being Reimagined as a TV Series
- The 'Jem and the Holograms' Movie Cast Is Shaping Up Nicely
- Weekend Movies & TV: 'The Other Woman,' 'The Quiet Ones,' 'This Week Tonight,' & More (VIDEO)
- 'The Quiet Ones' Review: 10 Things You Should Know About the Spooky Shocker
- This Is What 'Forrest Gump' Would Look Like If Wes Anderson Directed It (VIDEO)
- Lupita Nyong'o & Scarlett Johansson Lend Their Voices to 'The Jungle Book'
- The Third 'Hobbit' Movie Has a New Subtitle: 'The Battle of the Five Armies'
- Jared Harris on 'The Quiet Ones,' His 'Mad Men' Death, and Replacing Daniel Day-Lewis
- Romantic Movie Mistakes: 7 Blunders That Will Break Your Heart (PHOTOS)
- Hot Docs 2014: 'Harmontown' Review
- 80 Reasons Shirley MacLaine Is One-of-a-Kind, in Honor of Her 80th Birthday
| Daniel Radcliffe Asks, 'What Would Michael Fassbender Do?' Posted:  They both have a penchant for shedding their clothes for roles, and now Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that when he needs some career advice, he turns to fellow British actor Michael Fassbender for inspiration. Speaking with Vulture, Radcliffe said that the question "What would Michael Fassbender do?" has become a bit of a mantra for him, explaining that it's Fassbender's smart choices that have put him on such a high pedestal for the former "Harry Potter" star. "I should just get a little bracelet made with that on it," Radcliffe told the site. "Michael Fassbender is one of a group of actors that I really, really admire, and I think everything he does in his career is brilliant." That admiration came about in 2012, while Radcliffe was shooting the horror flick "The Woman in Black" with director James Watkins. And lo, a movie star man crush was born. Now if only we could get these two on the big screen together -- preferably with as little clothing as possible. After all, it seems like something Michael Fassbender would do. Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Brace Yourselves, There's Going to Be a Peeps Movie Posted:  Coming soon to a theater near you: Stale Easter candy. In Hollywood's latest example of proving that they're just getting lazy with this whole "original ideas" thing, the brand behind Peeps -- the sugar-coated, marshmallow candy shaped like chicks and bunnies -- wants to transform the small confections into big screen stars. Per Deadline, Just Born, the Pennsylvania-based manufacturers of Peeps, has "sprung for a full-length animation feature pitch from [filmmaker Adam] Rifkin ... to adapt Peeps into a "Lego Movie"-esque family epic set the night before a Peeps diorama contest, when a wayward Peep gets misplaced and must adventure through the fantasy lands of different-themed dioramas before the contest's judging begins." Deadline writes that Rifkin, who directed "Detroit Rock City" and wrote family-friendly flicks including "Mouse Hunt" and 2007's "Underdog," was inspired by "watching his niece and nephew construct their own Peeps diorama for a school project. That led him to discover the elaborate annual contests hosted by the likes of the Washington Post, whose winning entry this year was a black and white diorama of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s iconic 'I Have A Dream' speech -- fashioned, of course, entirely out of the sugar-dusted marshmallows." While the Peeps diorama contests are actually pretty funny and clever, we're not so sure about constructing an entire feature film around them. Then again, "The Lego Movie" sounded pretty flimsy plot-wise, too, and that flick wound up being both a commercial and critical smash. So who knows. But considering Just Born rakes in $2 billion annually from the sale of Peeps and Peeps-branded products (Peeps-flavored lip balm, anyone?), we can't blame them for trying to squeeze some more money out of their marshmallows. And let's face it: You'd probably pony up some cash to watch a movie about Reese's peanut butter cups, right? (Or is that just us?) [via: Deadline, h/t Uproxx] Photo by AP Photo/Matt Rourke This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Bryan Singer Breaks Silence, Pulls Out of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Press Tour Posted:  Following allegations of sexual assault and abuse, director Bryan Singer has decided to sit out of the upcoming press tour for "X-Men: Days of Future Past." In a statement released Thursday, Singer said that while he was innocent and the claims against him were false, he did not want to bring negative attention to the film, or become a distraction during its promotion. Therefore, the director said, he was bowing out of all media appearances in support of the production. Singer's full statement reads: Last week, Michael Egan filed suit against Singer, accusing the director of plying him with alcohol and drugs and sexually assaulting him in 1999, when he was just 17. Egan later filed suit against three more Hollywood executives, accusing them of operating a sex ring targeting underage males. Through his representatives, Singer has maintained his innocence since the suit was filed. Thursday's remarks were his first public statement on the subject. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is set to open on May 23. [via TheWrap] Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Friday the 13th' Is Being Reimagined as a TV Series Posted:  Looking to prove that some horror franchises are truly timeless, a group of producers is planning to turn "Friday the 13th" into a TV series, starring a Jason Voorhees who travels through different eras.Deadline reports that Sean S. Cunningham, the director of the 1980 original "13th" flick, is among the group working on an hour-long dramatic series that "re-imagines Jason in multiple time periods," revolving around different characters that wander into Crystal Lake, the setting of the franchise's 12 films. "Jason Voorhees is synonymous with the genre and we plan to build on this legacy with a provocative and compelling take that expands upon the storylines that have already thrilled millions worldwide," Cunningham told Deadline. Robert Barsamian, who produced the original movies, added, "Expect the show to take viewers in some exciting new directions that we're confident will not only excite existing fans of 'Friday The 13th' but also attract new audiences to the situations and characters that inhabit the small town of Crystal Lake." The concept was dreamed up in a collaboration between EFO Films execs Randall Emmett and George Furla and Cunningham, Barsamian, and others involved with the horror franchise. Bill Basso ("Terminator") and Jordu Schell ("Avatar") are writing the script. We'll see if any networks bite on this "time-traveling Jason" concept. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The 'Jem and the Holograms' Movie Cast Is Shaping Up Nicely Posted:  The live action film version of classic '80s cartoon "Jem and the Holograms" has revealed its lineup, with "Nashville" star set to star as the leader of the colorful band.Peeples, who's already shown off her impressive pipes on the ABC country music series, is playing Jerrica Benton, a.k.a. Jem, the leader of the all-girl Holograms band. The group is rounded out by Stefanie Scott (Disney Channel's "A.N.T. Farm"), who's playing Jem's sister, Kimber; Aurora Perrineau ("Pretty Little Liars"), who's playing Shana; and Hayley Kiyoko ("The Fosters," Disney Channel movie "Lemonade Mouth"), who's playing Aja. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this interpretation of "Jem" will tap into today's teenagers' online obsessions, with a slightly altered storyline "for a whole new generation with themes of being true to who you are in a multitasking, hyperlinked social media age." THR added that the film's storyline "centers on an orphaned teenage girl who becomes an online recording sensation. She and her sisters embark on a music-driven scavenger hunt -- one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father." Director Jon M. Chu shared the first image of Peeples, Scott, Perrineau, and Kiyoko as their alter egos on the film's website, which shows that no matter how much the story may differ from the series, at least the actresses all look appropriately glammed up for the gig. "Jem" is already shooting, and while no release date has been revealed so far, the fast-tracked nature of the project indicates that it could be hitting theaters relatively soon. We'll be eager to see if the movie will honor the series as much as its this promo photo indicates. [via The Hollywood Reporter, h/t Slash Film] Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted:  This weekend, Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton team up for revenge in comedy "The Other Woman" (for which we did a hilarious episode of "Unscripted"), also a professor and his students conduct a terrifying experiment in "The Quiet Ones," Season 2 of Sundance's "Writer's Room" tackles "Smallville" and "The Walking Dead," and comedian John Oliver's new talk show "Last Week Tonight" premieres on HBO this Sunday.Also in theaters this weekend:
Also on TV this weekend:
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| 'The Quiet Ones' Review: 10 Things You Should Know About the Spooky Shocker Posted:  The weather might be warming up (finally), but that doesn't mean you can't still get shivers running down your spine courtesy of "The Quiet Ones," a very spooky new horror movie about a professor (played by Jared Harris) who tries to scientifically prove that the supernatural is merely a psychological manifestation and nothing more, utilizing the help of some very plucky, very trusting graduate students from Oxford. You can imagine how well that goes. Of course, with the mega-blockbusters of the summer movie season just around the corner (or have they already began? Should we ask Captain America?), do people want a mostly quiet horror movie, with nary a gimmick in sight? Considering how "Oculus" fared a few weeks ago, this is a very viable question. Read on to find out! 1. The Hammer Logo Is Still the Best Ever "The Quiet Ones" is a new movie by fabled studio Hammer, which produced some of the more memorable horror movies in the history of British cinema. They've been coming back lately, first with the "Let the Right One In" remake "Let Me In," then the sleeper Daniel Radcliffe hit "The Woman in Black" (plus a couple of marginal titles that came out direct-to-video in the United States, including one where two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank just gets creeped on for two hours). The one thing that has remained uniformly excellent about their recent output, though, is the excellence of the Hammer logo, which is like the Marvel logo except with way more fangs. 2. It's Another Period Horror Movie Since the success of last summer's "The Conjuring," there seems to be a greater emphasis placed on period horror movies. Most of "Oculus" was set in the past, and a number of high-profile horror movies in production have an old timey feel. This works for a number of reasons -- mostly the lack of technology makes it harder to figure out what is going on with the supernatural phenomena manifesting before you, and because period movies have a unique look and feel that are quite different than modern day horror movies. It's nice too to see a movie set in the '70, the heyday of scary movies. You can easily imagine Harris rubbing elbows with David Warner from "The Omen" or Donald Sutherland from "Don't Look Now." They were probably all wearing argyle socks. 3. The Sick Girl From 'Bates Motel' Is in It Olivia Cooke, the hot, sick girl from A&E's "Bates Motel," plays a young girl in "The Quiet Ones" who is seemingly possessed with otherworldly spirits. She has the power to move things with her mind, can command fire, and looks pale and gross all the time but also somehow alluring (maybe the most significant superpower of all). It's the first time I had ever heard Cooke with her native accent and she really is a powerhouse in the movie, adorable and eerie all at the same time. (She also might be a scream queen in the making, thanks to her upcoming roles in horror films "The Signal" and "Ouija.") 4. The Particulars of the Experiment Are Never Fully Explained So, Jared Harris is a professor looking to prove that supernatural phenomena doesn't actually exist. Later, he says that this type of mental illness is like a virus. "Cure one subject, cure the world," he says, sounding not unlike a really erudite cult leader. But how this is supposed to happen is never really made clear. Not only would knowing this be edifying in a general sense but it would help you understand the fundamentals of what the characters are trying to do. It would just be helpful for a lot of reasons. 5. Jared Harris's Beard Is Out of Control Seriously, it's angular and amazing. I even talked to him about it when we chatted recently. It's hard to take your eyes off of it. It's a magnificent display of manly facial hair done right. 6. It Is Way Too PG-13 Another thing that "The Conjuring" should have proven is that R-rated horror movies can still make money. They don't all have to be toothless PG-13 affairs. But no, "The Quiet Ones" is very much a PG-13-rated movie. And you can tell that it was not shot as such. There's a moment when young Olivia Cooke pops out of the bathtub and they cut right before you actually see her breast. Because. God forbid. Elsewhere, two characters are violently murdered, entirely off screen, and for a movie set in the '70s, there's not a joint or LSD tablet in sight. This doesn't just make for drabber filmmaking, it flies in the face of Hammer's history. They were always sexier, funnier, and more colorful than their American counterparts. 7. There's Some Cool Found Footage Aspects to the Movie... One of the main characters in "The Quiet Ones" is played by Sam Claflin, who is one of the costars of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and that "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie with the mermaids, and his character is not a student but a local kid who works with the AV club to photograph various experiments. So a lot of the movie is through his lens, where we watch what is unfolding through herky-jerky old film (they never say the stock or size, although at one point he has to "buy cheaper stock," although that sadly doesn't manifest itself visually). There are cool moments where there will be a splice or something and the images won't align properly, and it makes for an altogether more uneasy experience... 8. Although, the Aspect Ratio Might Have Been Wrong ... Although I'm pretty sure that the aspect ratio isn't correct. The image does shift, slightly, with an effect known as "pictureboxing" going on around the edges of the frame. But this isn't the historically accurate representation of what this film would have looked like. It would have been boxier and squarer. Just wait until kids watching this movie at multiplexes and in malls riot in outrage over the improper aspect ratio. 9. Harris's Character Is Able to Explain Away A LOT At one point, Olivia Cooke's character unleashes what can only be described as a tentacle of goo, that exits her mouth and swirls around in a menacing, bloody tie-dye swoosh. And yet Jared Harris's character remains a skeptic. He describes the phenomenon as "teleplasm," which I'm pretty sure is something from "Ghostbusters 2," and continues the experiment undeterred. Nothing impresses that guy. 10. It's About as 'Based on a True Story' as Batman The movie claims to be based on a true story, but with a narrative that involves self-immolation, devil-worshiping cults, and a little kid with a demonic imaginary friend, it's about as reality-based as "The Dark Knight Rises." Just keep that in mind. Especially when the teleplasm starts to fly. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This Is What 'Forrest Gump' Would Look Like If Wes Anderson Directed It (VIDEO) Posted:  Although we (and I mean "we" as in "humanity") are reaching the saturation point when it comes to things being done "in the style of Wes Anderson," a newly created title sequence for "Forrest Gump," done (wait for it) in the style of Wes Anderson, is actually pretty unstoppable in its brilliance and hilarity. There isn't much to say about the sequence (via Film Drunk), since you can kind of imagine what kind of shenanigans are in store for you (perfectly laid out items, symmetrical photography, Futura font), although what's kind of interesting is that the mock sequence recreates different sequences from the film in their entirety. It's nifty and cool in all the right ways. But still: enough with the things done in the style of Wes Anderson already! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Lupita Nyong'o & Scarlett Johansson Lend Their Voices to 'The Jungle Book' Posted:  Well, it was only a matter of time before Lupita Nyong'o, recent Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for "12 Years a Slave," landed her first big post-Oscar Hollywood gig (and no, "Non-Stop" doesn't count). Well, that gig has just been landed, although it's probably not what you were expecting. It seems that Nyong'o will voice Rakcha, a mother wolf, in Disney's big-screen retelling of "The Jungle Book," at least according to the Hollywood Reporter.But that's not all. The same report indicates that Scarlett Johansson, currently making waves with her provocative role in Jonathan Glazer's deeply brilliant and bizarre "Under the Skin" (not to mention storming the box office in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"), has also been cast in the new film, as the villainous python Kaa. (In the original 1967 Disney animated classic, Kaa was very much a dude, essayed by legendary Disney voice actor Sterling Holloway.) Last year, Johansson got a lot of praise (and considerable Oscar buzz) for her vocal performance as a sentient computer program in Spike Jonze's "Her." But voicing Kaa will be a different beast altogether (pun very much intended). The two comely actresses join Idris Elba, who has already agreed to take on the role of Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger, in the live action/CGI hybrid being directed by Jon Favreau. Justin Marks has written the script for the project, which is scheduled for release on October 9, 2015. Warner Bros. has a competing "Jungle Book" project to be directed by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The Third 'Hobbit' Movie Has a New Subtitle: 'The Battle of the Five Armies' Posted:  For the longest time, the third film in the trilogy of "Hobbit" movies was called "The Hobbit: There and Back Again." But as one lowly hobbit goes from being a Shire-dwelling nobody to a heroic leader (and possessor of a mystical ring), so too does the subtitle change for a fabled franchise. And today director Peter Jackson announced that the third "Hobbit" movie will no longer be known as "The Hobbit: There And Back Again," but will have an altogether different (and far more menacing title). Say hello to "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."What does this mean? I have no idea. And I'm fundamentally opposed to movies that have two definite articles in their title. So why don't we just let Peter Jackson explain it (via his Facebook page). Inside Information... Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo's own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we've gone along. "There and Back Again" felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo's arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced-after all, Bilbo has already arrived "there" in the "Desolation of Smaug". When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title. We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewing the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels completely appropriate. And so: "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" it is. As Professor Tolkien intended, "There and Back Again" encompasses Bilbo's entire adventure, so don't be surprised if you see it used on a future box-set of all three movies. Before then however, we have a film to finish, and much to share with you. It's been a nice quiet time for us-Jabez and I happily editing away in a dark cave in Wellington-but those halcyon days are quickly coming to an end. It will soon be time to step into the light. Expect to see and hear much about The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in the coming months. And there's also The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Cut, which we're in the process of finishing, with over 25 mins of new scenes, all scored with original music composed by Howard Shore. It'll be a fun year! There you have it, everyone! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Jared Harris on 'The Quiet Ones,' His 'Mad Men' Death, and Replacing Daniel Day-Lewis Posted:  Maybe it's his frequent appearance in period films, or his stint on "Mad Men," but Jared Harris feels a little bit like he's from another time. When I met up with him in New York, he was wearing a vintage tie that he'd gotten from a Toronto thrift store recommended to him by "Mad Men" costar Christina Hendricks. He looked dapper and from a bygone era, which is pretty fitting considering we were chatting about his new movie, "The Quiet Ones," a Hammer-produced horror thriller set in '70s England in which Harris's university professor tries to dispel the notions of the supernatural by taking part in a scientific exorcism of a young girl. Among the topics we discussed: what his relationship with horror movies is like, what scares him, and what his roles in the upcoming "Poltergeist" reboot, Guy Ritchie's "The Man from UNCLE," and Laika's newest animated film, "The Boxtrolls," are all about. Moviefone: What did Hammer mean to you? And were you excited to be a part of that legacy? Jared Harris: I'd seen lots of Hammer movies as a kid growing up. We would rent them and play them on an old 16 mm projector. We loved them. We loved horror movies and action movies and Westerns, because my father [actor Richard Harris] loved Westerns. But, yes, I loved Hammer. What were some of your favorites? I remember "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde." Some of those Peter Cushing Frankenstein ones. There was a Jack the Ripper one, I remember. "Hands of the Ripper"? Was that the one with the daughter? Yes. That's the one. Did you model your performance on any of those movies? No. I didn't think about that specifically. Really, stylistically, in terms of costume, we looked at Serge Gainsbourg. That's what all the smoking is about. I thought the guy, who is rooted in the '40s or '50s, saw himself as being a revolutionary, who was bucking the world from the '60s. That's where his fervor had come from, in terms of changing the world. Then there was a little bit of Lenin in there, with the shape of the beard. I was going to ask you about the beard! Yeah, the tapered thing and the jutting forward thing. We looked at pictures of Lenin and honed in on that. Because he really saw himself as a revolutionary, even though that field of science at the time was perfectly legitimate, it was still on the fringe. There was a sense of being outside the norm, and changing the rules and changing the status quo of things. There's a revolutionary zeal to the guy. What are your thoughts on the supernatural? I haven't experienced anything. I'd like to. I feel left out. My uncle did. My father did. My elder brother has. My mother has. I'm feeling left out. You've been in a few of these scary movies. What's the appeal for you? You know right away if they're working or not. People leap out of their seat and grab each other. And, in a sense, they're similar to comedies. If people laugh, the joke landed. And if people leap out of their seats, then the scares are working. They're really fun to do because you're in a situation that you hope you'll never be in in real life, and you can run around screaming and yelling and it's good fun. There's no such thing as too much in a horror movie. You're in the new "Poltergeist" movie, too. Who do you play in that? I'm a ghost hunter who has come to help them solve the problem. Are you the Zelda Rubinstein character? Well, her character doesn't appear in the movie, but I am serving that function. How was that? It was great. I love the original. It's fantastic, it's the high bar for that kind of thing. You're also in "Man from UNCLE." What can you tell us about that? I play a CIA agent. They're keeping it under wraps, but it's "Man from UNCLE." It's set in the '60s. And it's got Guy Ritchie's signature mix of really good action, comedy, very clever plotting and wild visual cinematic effects. And it was great fun to do. It's a very relaxed atmosphere in his sets. Are you a bad guy? I'm not going to say anything. [Harris looks around the corner as if expecting Ritchie to bust him for spilling the beans.] He's not here! They actually did say that, because they know that we're going to get these questions, they want to wait until they're doing their thing before information is released. But that much I can say. The last time you worked with Guy Ritchie was on "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." The story was that you were wearing all of Daniel Day-Lewis' clothes because Ritchie had been so convinced that he would score him for Moriarity. Is that true? I don't know if it's true because we had to do a costume fitting anyway. One of the things I decided that I wanted to do was to have the audience's first experience of the character be him as Professor Moriarity instead of the guy with the stovepipe house. And we hadn't seen that. His cover is that he has a legitimate job as a professor at university. But all of the designs of the costumes, they all looked striking like Daniel. I teased them about that. I have no idea if that's true or not. There are all sorts of rumors that fly around and nobody will actually tell you. What can you tell us about "Boxtrolls"? Wow. I went up to their studio in Seattle and it's incredible. They have an entire studio but everything is in miniature -- so they have costumes and prop departments and set departments and it's all in miniature. When I got there, they were just finishing up "ParaNorman," so the main street where the witches come down, they had just done that. So I got down on all fours and crawled down main street. It's so exciting and evokes that childlike wonder. And the precision and the work that goes into it... It's just fantastic. I was completely taken. I'm the mayor of Cheesebridge. One of your more memorable roles was in "Mad Men." What was it like shooting that? Because it was so traumatic to watch. There was an enormous focus on secrecy because Matt is famous for not wanting anything to get out and wanting the audience to experience it the first time when they watch it. So they covered my head in a brown paper bag as I walked from the make-up trailer to the set. Because photographers do hang around there, but they're trying to catch January or Christina and they would have accidentally gotten me and said, "What the f--- is happening with this guy?" So there was a lot of focus on that. And it was sad. There was obviously a sense of finality about it. I really loved the character, and it got to the point where I knew what he smelled like, I knew what kind of aftershave he used. I had a visceral connection to him. It was sad to say goodbye. Unlike "Fringe," where your character was brought back to life nine times. Well, that was "Fringe," where anything can happen. Multiple universes, man. What was that like? Because he was really a mad scientist character. Well, the first season was so paranoid. I had started watching it before they called me up. I was three episodes in before they called me and asked me if I was interested in. I was hooked. Because it was full of paranoia and conspiracy theories, which I absolutely love. So I was a big fan of the show already. And it's science fiction, which I love. Then when they described what the idea was, they did it in vague enough terms, and I was on board. You didn't know whose side he was on. And then, for Season 4, it was all about Leonard Nimoy. Because when the first season ended, I was like, "God dammit Leonard Nimoy is on the show and I didn't get to meet him?" They said, "Well, if we work it out that he was on it, would you come back?" I said "Absolutely!" So that was it for me -- coming back was all about Leonard Nimoy. How was he? It was such a trip. He was such a nice man as well. My wife is such a huge "Star Trek" fan, such a huge Leonard Nimoy fan. We were filming, and I said, "Could we call her up?" And he said, "Yes, of course." So he called and she couldn't answer so it goes to voice mail. So he left a message on her voice mail. Afterwards, I told her what happened and her head exploded and she said, "I can't believe I didn't answer the phone." I said, "Yeah, but you've got his voice on your voicemail for the rest of your life." You've been in your fair share of scary movies and, in the case of "Fringe," TV shows. What really scares you? Unemployment. "The Quiet Ones" opens everywhere Friday, April 25. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Romantic Movie Mistakes: 7 Blunders That Will Break Your Heart (PHOTOS) Posted:  Romantic movies can make you fall in love (and break your heart) -- all in a mere two hours or less. The ups and downs are enough to make you cry, but the emotional roller coaster can't always hide the movie's notable goofs. So, when you don't have a face full of tissues, you may notice a few glaring errors in some of your very favorite romantic films, like "The Notebook" or "10 Things I Hate About You." Per usual, all photos are courtesy of MovieMistakes.com. Main article photo courtesy of Everett This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Hot Docs 2014: 'Harmontown' Review Posted:
Within seconds after sitting down to watch "Harmontown," you will notice that the doc is brought to you by "Starburns Industries." For those in the know, the production company is paying homage to one of the bit characters played by Dino Stamatopoulos on the TV show "Community." Those who watch the show will get a lot out of "Harmontown," and there may just be something for everyone else. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 80 Reasons Shirley MacLaine Is One-of-a-Kind, in Honor of Her 80th Birthday Posted:  Happy 80th birthday, Shirley MacLaine! The legendary, award-winning actress, who was born April 24, 1934 in Richmond, VA, started out as a dancer and got her big break on Broadway. She made her first film with Alfred Hitchcock, became a Rat Pack regular, flirted briefly with politics but has never stopped acting as she enters her 7th decade in Hollywood. She started off as a lovably kooky ingenue, but is known today for her cantankerous matriarch roles in "Downton Abbey," "Bernie," "Steel Magnolias," "Guarding Tess," and, of course, her Oscar-winning role as Aurora Greenway in "Terms of Endearment." Her next gig is a singing and dancing role on "Glee," of course. Happy Birthday to one of the most talented, most colorful character actresses of all time. 1. She was named after Shirley Temple. 2. She's been performing since age 3, when she began doing ballet. 3. As a girl, she pretended she was Rita Hayworth, since they were both dancers with red hair. 4. She's OK with her kooky New Age reputation and can even laugh at it, as she told the NY Times. "Well, I'm not your run-of-the-mill lady from the Valley, am I? 'Come on, I've got lots of reasons to be viewed eccentrically.'" 5. As kids, she and brother Warren Beatty would act out Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin routines at home: She later made her second film, "Artists and Models," with the comedy duo. 6. In her first big ballet role as the fairy godmother in "Cinderella," she broke her ankle but still went on, calling for an ambulance after the final curtain. 7. She got her big break on Broadway when lead Carol Haney sprained her ankle during a production of "The Pajama Game." As her stand-in, MacLaine went on in her place and captured the interest of movie producer Hal Wallis and Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in her first film, "The Trouble With Harry." 8. She showed up to film her first movie, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry," with the entire script memorized, not realizing that wasn't necessary. 9. She's has been nominated for six Academy Awards. 10. When she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1983 for "Terms of Endearment," she became the first actor to say, "I deserve this," during their acceptance speech. 11. One of the reasons she felt she deserved the Oscar: Her "Terms" co-star Debra Winger, reportedly broke wind in her face during filming and got under the sheets to lick MacLaine's leg during her bedroom scenes with Jack Nicholson. 12. Filming was so chaotic during "Terms" that she threatened to walk off the set, saying, "Let them get Bette Davis or Joan Crawford or somebody who can handle this. I can't." She eventually got an apology from the director for his "warped sense of humor" but mostly stayed on so she wouldn't be sued for $10 million. 13. Before she delivered her "I deserve this" acceptance speech, MacLaine says she whispered to her co-star (and Oscar rival) Debra Winger, "Half of this belongs to you." 14. She turned down the role that went to JoBeth Williams in "Poltergeist" to star in "Terms of Endearment." (No, they didn't ask her to play the psychic!) 15. MacLaine revealed to the NY Times last year, "I don't know anything about acting. Never have." 16. She was the only full-fledged female member of the Rat Pack and says they regarded her as a "loyal pet." 17. She once pointed a water pistol at one of Frank Sinatra's pals, feared mob boss Sam Giancana. 18. When Sinatra dealt with "Some Came Running" being two weeks behind schedule, he simply tore out several pages of the script. Realizing he had taken out one of MacLaine's big scenes, he suggested that the end be rewritten so that her character is killed, saying that she might "get a nomination out of it." Sure enough, she received her first Oscar nomination for the film, which co-starred Dean Martin. 19. During filming of "Some Came Running," she chewed gum before every take, then stuck it behind Sinatra's ear before the camera rolled. 20. For her cameos in Rat Pack movies, like the original "Ocean's Eleven," she says she usually received a car as her salary. 21. MacLaine was initially cast as Bonnie Parker in "Bonnie and Clyde," until her brother, Warren Beatty, was cast as Clyde. She then dropped out, leaving the iconic role to Faye Dunaway. 22. She has written 13 books and made more than 50 feature films. 23. She's starred alongside an impressive list of leading men, including Paul Newman, Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, Peter Sellers, Robert Mitchum, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, and Nicolas Cage. 24. She had an open marriage with husband Steve Parker, and has admitted to affairs with Robert Mitchum, Yves Montand, and ... Danny Kaye (?!). 25. She developed a huge crush on happily married Dean Martin during filming of 1961's "All in a Day's Work" but never acted on it. 26. She felt insecure working with the stylish Audrey Hepburn on "The Children's Hour." They made a deal: Hepburn would teach her how to dress if Shirley would teach her how to cuss. 27. She lost patience while working with Richard Harris on "Wrestling Ernest Hemingway" when he wouldn't come to the set. At three a.m., she finally yelled, "Richard, get your butt in here so we can get this mutha and go home." 28. She says she loved Clint Eastwood, even though their politics couldn't be more different. 29. She became an activist after a personal call from Marlon Brando, whom she'd never met before. 30. She met with Fidel Castro in the '70s, who personally gave her a box of cigars to hand to Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's National Security Advisor, who was sure it was a bomb when MacLaine presented it to him. (It wasn't.) Castro also gave her one of his uniforms. 31. She was a cheerleader in high school. 32. As a young ballerina, MacLaine always played the boys' roles because of the lack of male dancers and because she was taller than the other girls. 33. In her book "Sage-ing While Age-ing," she says she had alien encounters in Washington DC in the '50s and several more years later at her New Mexico ranch. 34. She says she doesn't "become" her characters like Meryl Streep. "I don't do the Meryl Streep thing. I can't give up my own identity. I need to be in cognizant awareness, maybe not total control, but awareness of who I am and whether there's a fly on my arm." 35. She admitted she had fun playing her meaner than mean character, Marjorie, in "Bernie." "Maybe with Marjorie I touched some of the behavior patterns that I would like to indulge in myself." 36. She's not a morning person: "I hate getting up early. I'm truly on Vegas time." 37. While doing a show at a hotel in Florida, she complained to Frank Sinatra that strike workers kept interrupting her show with lights and mics that went on and off. He told her, "I'll take care of it, baby." "I don't know what he did, but I had no more troubles," she wrote in "My Lucky Stars." 38. When a friend told her there was a rumor that the Mob was going to kidnap her daughter to teach her respect, MacLaine's reaction was to tell them to "go f***k themselves." She never figured out if the threat was real, but sent her daughter to live in Japan with her husband just in case. 39. She delivered one of the greatest closing lines in movie history in "The Apartment." After Jack Lemmon tells her he loves her as they're playing cards, she replies. "Shut up and deal." 40. She successfully sued producer Hal Wallis, whom she says sexually harassed her, for illegally extending her contract. The lawsuit helped end the studio system. 41. She once joked, "I've made so many movies playing a hooker that they don't pay me in the regular way anymore. They leave it on the dresser." She played a prostitute in "Irma La Douce," "Sweet Charity," and (spoiler!) "Two Mules for Sister Sara." 42. When co-star Laurence Harvey insulted her on the set of "Two Loves," she retaliated by chewing a clove of raw garlic before a love scene with him. 43. She agreed to be on "Downton Abbey" mostly because she had a crush on Mr. Bates. As she told the NY Times, "I think I wanted to meet Bates [played by Brendan Coyle], basically. And of course [series creator] Julian [Fellowes], being so wily, arranged a lunch at which nobody else was there but Bates. I guess he was seeing if he was cougar-able. Or something." 44. "Downton Abbey" castmate Penelope Wilton claims that MacLaine actually fell for another actor on set: "She fell in love with Carson -- Jim Carter, who plays Carson the butler. She thought he was heaven. How could you not?" 45. Wilton said that MacLaine even sang on the "Downton Abbey" set, including her signature song from "Sweet Charity." "It was such a thrill to work with her," Wilton told the Huffington Post. We got her to do 'If They Could See Me Now' for us. Such good fun." 46. For going toe-to-toe with the formidable Dowager Countess (played by the Emmy-winning Maggie Smith), MacLaine chose an unusual approach: "I thought the best course of action ... would be a sense of American expressive feeling. What does she do with that? I told her I was going to sing It." 47. During downtime on the "Downton Abbey" set, she and Smith gossiped about old lovers (not naming any names of course), as MacLaine told the NY Times. 48. She joked during a press conference, when asked if she had known Maggie Smith before "Downton Abbey," "Oh, yes, we were lovers in another life." 49. Psychics advised her to list her Santa Fe, NM ranch for $30 million, but she listed it for only $19 million for mystical, not monetary reasons: "Nine is the number of completion. To me, it's not about money, it's about completion." 50. She recently told Oprah, she only needs three things to be happy: "All you really need in life is some fresh water, a good hat, and a really good pair of shoes." 51. When Oprah told her that wasn't the answer she expected to hear, MacLaine admitted, "I don't have any answers. Honest to goodness, I don't." 52. Her philosophy: "I haven't planned a damn thing ever in my life. Guess what? It worked out great. I wouldn't even know how to plan. I wouldn't have a clue. I know that you can basically live in the moment, which is what I do." 53. She told an interviewer she doesn't need a man in her life: "I think the hill one has to trudge in order to understand a man's baggage is more of a trek than I'd like to take right now." 54. She directed her first movie, the comedy "Bruno," (aka "The Dress Code") in 2000. 55. She's frugal: MacLaine still has the first dollar she ever earned. 56. She says, "Possessions have never meant that much to me... I've never erected a lifestyle that would put possessions in a position of controlling me." 57. She was tempted to give away all her possessions but says, "I never had the guts." 58. She actually lost all of her possessions several times while working as a young dancer on Broadway. She didn't realize her apartment on West 116th street was "one of the most notorious dope sections of Manhattan." She simply refurnished the apartment over and over. 59. In her book, "My Lucky Stars," she wrote: "Hollywood is good for the soul. You learn to appreciate it and protect it more than anywhere else on Earth." 60. She got her signature short hairstyle on Broadway when a stage manager complained that her long ponytail was getting in the way and simply lopped it off. "I didn't object really," she says. "I've had the same haircut every since." 61. She's appearing on the April 29 episode of "Glee" as a rich socialite who takes a fancy to Blaine (Darren Criss). 62. Yes, she's on Twitter. 63. She tweeted out this "Glee" rehearsal photo. 64. She's also on Facebook. In fact, she has two pages, since she reached her friend limit. 65. She was disappointed that Nicolas Cage regarded her too respectfully while making "Guarding Tess." He finally lightened up and began teasing her: "You really have a crush on me, don't you?" "I think he eventually saw me as somewhat more playful and less mature than his 18-year-old girlfriend," she wrote in "My Lucky Stars." 66. She's worked with such prestigious directors as Billy Wilder, William Wyman, Robert Wise Vincente Minnelli, and Mike Nichols. 67. She suggested that Bob Fosse, whose musical "Pajama Game" gave her her first big break, direct her movie "Sweet Charity." He went on to win a Best Director Oscar for "Cabaret." 68. She said she never wanted to be famous or a star, she just wanted to "be good at my work." 69. She went on tour with Sinatra in 1992 and says the two never rehearsed their show but made it up on the spot every night. 70. She would purposely stand in front of the TV monitors during her tour with Sinatra so he couldn't see the lyrics. 71. She once joked, "I had a video made of my recent knee operation. The doctor said it was the best movie I ever starred in." 72. She's been nominated for six Emmys, winning one for her 1976 TV special "Gypsy in My Soul." 73. She's been nominated for 19 Golden Globes, winning four competitive Globes, as well as "Most Promising Newcomer" in 1955, "Most Versatile Actress" in 1959, and the Cecil B. DeMille award in 1998. 74. She and Barbra Streisand, who share a birthday, celebrate it together every year. 75. She's been friends with Liza Minnelli since working wither her father, Vincente Minnelli, in "Some Came Running." 76. "The Exorcist" author William Peter Blatty based the role of Chris O'Neil, the actress played in the film by Ellen Burstyn, on MacLaine, who was a friend of his. 77. She regrets turning down the lead in 1974's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which won Ellen Burstyn an Oscar. As MacLaine admitted to the NY Times in 2005, she had no idea who Martin Scorsese was at the time. 78. MacLaine was told by songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen that she was the inspiration for the song "The Second Time Around." "I was sure I was not the only woman to have been on the receiving end of that dedication," she wrote in "My Lucky Stars." 79. Her attitude on getting older: "I don't care what birthday you're on. It's all about how you feel. There are days when I feel like 30. The oldest I go is 50 in my mind. The number doesn't matter. But I do have a sense that I have some wisdom now. It's good to be wise. It sure beats being young and clueless." 80. When asked how she wants to celebrate her 80th birthday, she posted this note to Facebook: "Through my website I'm receiving many emails asking what I want for my 80th birthday next week. I guess world peace is too much to ask but it would be nice. If you feel a need to do something material, please donate to one of my two favorite charities: American Humane or ASPCA. They can always use our help to care for our fur friends and, in the case of American Humane Assoc., children too." Post by Shirley MacLaine. Article photo courtesy of Getty This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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