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Friday, January 23, 2015

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Mr. Moviefone and Charlie Mortdecai's Most Gentlemanly Twitter Spat

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mortdecaiWhen two dapper gentlemen disagree, the next logical step is to duke it out... on Twitter.

Aristocratic art dealer Charlie Mortdecai and debonair entertainment enthusiast Mr. Moviefone have been tussling on Twitter for the past few days, and things have gotten heated -- well, as heated as they can get between two gentleman of a dignified nature.

On day one, the pair engaged in verbal fisticuffs over a certain "Gentleman's Guide." The next day, they were at it again. Harassment was the instigator, and a cryptic exchange was the result. And, finally, the dueling duo ended their syntactic sparring with an ado adieu. "Mortdecai" is in theaters now.

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The 10 Weirdest Non-'Star Wars' George Lucas Projects

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This week, the George Lucas-produced animated film "Strange Magic" hits theaters nationwide and, really, it cannot be overstated just how weird it is. This is an animated movie set in a kind of fairy tale kingdom of fairies and goblins and other mystical beings. It's also a jukebox musical, featuring pop songs from the last forty years (everything from the titular ELO track to Kelly Clarkson to everything in between). And it's been rendered, by the talented people at Industrial Light & Magic (and their Singapore off-shoot) with a kind of hyper-real texture that is both incredibly realistic and undeniably trippy.

And it could have been even weirder. In a recent press conference that I attended, Lucas said that he originally wanted to push things even further. "At first I wanted it to be an opera, all music, with no talking. When we got to that phase, everybody beat on me real hard and said that's not going to work," the "Star Wars" creator confided. So, yes, "Strange Magic" could have been even stranger.

It got us thinking about how odd Lucas's non-"Star Wars" projects really are, so we decided to rundown the 10 weirdest non-"Star Wars"-related George Lucas projects, which unfortunately meant that we couldn't do a deep dive into the infamous "Star Wars Christmas Special" or the pair of Ewok-centered feature-length movies. But don't worry, there's plenty of left-field material here, each one conjuring its own undeniably strange magic.george lucas movies

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A 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Musical Is Coming

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During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, composer Alan Menken, who is probably most famous for working on Disney animated classics "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," and "Beauty and the Beast" (in addition to "Little Shop of Horrors," "Enchanted" and the recent, weirdly overlooked television series "Galavant"), admitted that he is turning "Mrs. Doubtfire" into a Broadway musical.

While Menken will be composing the score, David Zippel, who worked with Menken on Disney's "Hercules," will be writing the lyrics and Harvey Fierstein, who was in the movie and is something of a Broadway legend (having written books for "Kinky Boots" and "Newsies," among many others), will be writing the book. Otherwise, Menken was pretty cagey. "It's going very well, it's in its early stages, and that's probably all I can say," Menken told Entertainment Weekly. "We're really enjoying working on it."

The original "Mrs. Doubtfire," released in 1993 by 20th Century Fox, starred Robin Williams and Sally Field. Williams played a man who, in order to reconnect with his children during his divorce, disguises himself as a Scottish (female) nanny. Before Williams' suicide last year, there was some serious talk about doing a sequel to the film. This new musical will be the first product from a venture between Fox and Broadway producer Kevin McCollum. We're personally looking forward to the show-stopping musical numbers "Helloooooooo" and "It Was a Drive-By Fruiting."

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Sansa Stark Is the Latest Addition to 'X-Men: Apocalypse'

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Well, there are going to be some new mutants on the block when "X-Men: Apocalypse" opens next summer. And by new mutants we mean new version of old mutants (this is getting confusing). Last night on Twitter, "X-Men: Apocalypse" director Bryan Singer announced that Alexandra Shipp will be playing Storm, Sophie Turner will be Jean Grey, and Tye Sheridan will be Cyclops. The movie will open on May 27th, 2016.

All three actors are up-and-coming stars, with Shipp having recently starred in the Lifetime "Aaliyah" movie (and since "X-Men: Apocalypse" is set in the '80s, we hope that she rocks that awesome mohawk), while Sheridan has starred in "The Tree of Life," "Mud," "Joe," and has a role in the upcoming "Scouts vs. Zombies." Turner, of course, stars as Sansa Stark on "Game of Thrones" and has a number of buzz-worthy projects opening in the next year, including the action thriller "Barely Lethal," with Samuel L. Jackson and Hailee Steinfeld.

These new actors will join previously established mutants Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Evan Peters (Quicksilver) and newcomer Oscar Isaac, who will play the titular baddie. Filming begins this spring. Hopefully your mutant power is patience.

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15 'Boy Meets World' Moments That Make Us Miss 'TGIF'

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TGIF just doesn't mean what it used to. If you're of a certain age, you probably remember the good old days when you would curl up on the couch at at 8 p.m. on a Friday evening and watch programming for 2 hours straight that seemed perfectly designed to fit your entertainment needs. One of those programs was the beloved "Boy Meets World." The coming-of-age comedy has since been spun off into "Girl Meets World" on the Disney Channel, but we'll never forget the original and all the joy it brought us throughout its 7 season run. Let's revisit some moments from the show and make our Fridays that much more fun. TGIF, indeed.

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13 Reasons Why the SAG Awards Should Be Your Favorite Awards Show

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20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Show
The Screen Actors Guild Awards, airing this Sunday, January 25, aren't as high-profile as some of the other awards shows clamoring for your attention throughout January and February. Indeed, awards fatigue from the People's Choice, Critic's Choice, and Golden Globes may keep you from watching, or maybe you're just saving up your red-carpet energy for next month's Grammys and Oscars.

Still, for sheer entertainment value, it's hard to beat the SAGs. Like the Globes, they honor celebrities from both TV and film while plying the winners and losers with liquor. Like the Oscars, they're voted on by actual movie professionals. And like the MTV Movie Awards, they're often irreverent, mercifully brief, and scheduled to air more than once in case you don't catch them live. For viewers at home, they offer the best elements of all awards shows and none of the worst. If you watch the SAGs this Sunday, here's why you may find it superior to this season's other star-studded self-congratulatory celebrations.

1. The SAGs have been around for 21 years. That's long enough to be taken seriously but not so long as to have become stodgy and formulaic.

2. The SAGs are given only to actors. No sitting through awards for people you don't care about, like costume designers, animators, directors, or writers.

3. Each year, the ceremony begins with a handful of actors, from rising ingenues to beloved veterans, revealing how they got into the business. Which is sort of fascinating, occasionally funny, and often touching.

4. The SAGs are surprisingly irreverent, even the annual lifetime achievement awards. Recall Betty White's salty acceptance speech a few years ago, or Rita Moreno's lively turn last year. This year's winner is Debbie Reynolds, who'll be introduced by her daughter, Carrie Fisher. So it should be an especially witty, funny, risqué occasion.

5. It's probably the only awards show this season where you'll see "Boyhood" kid Ellar Coltrane, "Grand Budapest Hotel" lobby boy Tony Revolori, "Orange Is the New Black" breakout Laverne Cox, Kravitz, and Rashida Jones as presenters.

6. The awards are voted on by members of the Screen Actors Guild, so it's actors voting for their peers. That means the voters are people who are actually experts in the field; it's not classical musicians voting for rappers, or cinematographers voting for sound effects editors, or faux part-time journalists voting for actual industry professionals.

7. There are 165,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild, which makes for a large and broad voting sample. So statistically speaking, the awards are more valid than the Emmys (about 15,000 voters), the Oscars (6,124 voters), the Tonys (868 voters), the Critic's Choice Awards (250 voters), or the Golden Globes (90 voters).*

8. No musical numbers.

9. Unlike the Golden Globes, the SAGs still pay tribute to beloved actors who've died in the last 12 months by compiling an "In Memoriam" montage. And because they're actors, they're all people you've probably heard of.

10. They honor stuntmen and stuntwomen. How cool is that? Alas, they don't give out those prizes during the televised ceremony, but you can catch them during the online pre-show, which is being simulcast at sagawards.tntdrama.com, sagawards.org, and people.com.

11. They're on both TNT and TBS. You know, in case you can't find 'em.

12. The awards don't run a minute over two hours. They can't, since TNT and TBS rerun them immediately.

13. Speaking of, if you miss 'em live at 8 p.m. ET, they're on again at 10 p.m.

*The SAGs probably have more voters than the Grammys, too, but Moviefone couldn't confirm the number of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences members who vote for the Grammys. We placed an inquiry to NARAS, which failed to respond by press time.

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'Strange Magic' Director Gary Rydstrom Talks About His Failed Pixar Movie

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You might not know who Gary Rydstrom is, but you've certainly heard him before. This is a man whose pioneering sound work has won him seven (!) Academy Awards and brought to life groundbreaking technological advancements like the first film presented in DTS sound ("Jurassic Park") and re-crafting sound mixes in 5.1 surround (after his breakthrough work on "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," he and James Cameron created a new multi-channel mix for the original "Terminator"). He's also directed a pair of Pixar short films ("Lifted" and "Hawaiian Vacation") and overseen the English language dubs of four Studio Ghibli movies ("Tales from Earthsea," "From Up on Poppy Hill," "Arrietty," and last year's Oscar-nominated masterpiece "The Wind Rises"). In short: he's kind of the coolest dude around.

And this weekend he adds another accomplishment to his already unfathomably long list, when his debut feature film "Strange Magic" debuts in theaters nationwide. This bizarre, George Lucas-produced animated fairy tale, centered around mythical creatures in a land divided by dark and light, is also a full-on jukebox musical, featuring tunes from everyone ranging from The Four Tops to Kelly Clarkson. It's crazy. And if you make the leap, you'll certainly be rewarded. It feels very much like an old school animated film from the '70s and '80s, one that wasn't afraid to get dark and, well, strange.

We got a chance to sit down with Rydstrom (who couldn't officially confirm that he was busy working on a mix for a film that takes place in a galaxy far, far away) and talked to him about his failed Pixar feature "Newt," what he drew on from Pixar and Studio Ghibli for "Strange Magic," what his influences were, and what he'd like to direct next.

Moviefone: You were at one point going to direct "Newt" for Pixar. What was that going to be like?

Gary Rydstrom: It was going to be a romantic comedy about the last two of a species that are forced together. What's nice about "Strange Magic" is that I got to do a love story. I realized that love stories are hard to tell. That's what I was working on with "Newt" -- trying to do a good, old-fashioned romantic comedy. There were a lot of ideas there... Again how many times can a story be told about two unlikely characters getting together... But "Strange Magic," which was George's idea, not mine... But it's too unlikely characters getting together and I could get the feeling that I enjoyed with "Newt," I could get from doing "Strange Magic."

How did you come aboard? You came on in the last couple of years but before that "Brave" director Brenda Chapman was involved, right?

Well, Brenda Chapman came on because she's a great story person and she really shaped the story for the final stretch of the movie and she brought in the storyboard artist team. A lot of what's in the movie came from those storyboard artists. Brenda brought in some amazing people who came up with a lot of ideas that are in the movie now. So she was hugely influential in terms of getting the movie on track and shaping it into the story she became. She had to go off and do her own projects.

And you came over from Pixar?

I was at Pixar and I had just come back to Skywalker Sound, not to do this movie but to work on "War Horse." I have a longstanding relationship with Steven Spielberg so I was doing sound for "War Horse" and the opportunity to direct this film came up. And like every other opportunity in my career, I couldn't say no. So I jumped on it.

In addition to working for Pixar, you also oversaw the American dubs of several Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghilbi movies. What did you take from those two experiences when making "Strange Magic"?

I got into the Studio Ghibli English language directing because of Pixar, because of John Lasseter. Because he has a love of Miyazaki, which is great because what Pixar did to revolutionize computer-generated animation is so different, stylistically, than what Studio Ghibli did. But every animator loves Studio Ghibli. So for me it was a perfect opportunity for me. To me it's like the art student who goes to the Louvre and copies a great painting. I get to go do that to "The Wind Rises," which is an amazing movie, and you get to learn it and soak it up. That's your job -- to learn what Miyazaki was trying to do and then do that with your own cast. On top of that, all of the ones I've done, they attract the best actors. So if we want someone to do something for Studio Ghibli, they come do it. They're not saying yes to me. They're saying yes to this great project. So I get the experience of working with great actors, something that I continued to do with this one. I know that it helped me with great actors like Alan Cumming or Evan Rachel Wood because I've had so much fun times working on the Studio Ghibli films.

This movie has music pretty much nonstop. Was that something that was appealing to you, as a sound designer?

Well, I joked with Marius [de Vries, composer] when I took on the film that it felt like revenge from the universe, because as a sound effects guy, I would always fight with the composers -- in mixes you're always trying to get your stuff heard. Music and sound effects were always considered enemies in a lot of the mixes. I love my composer friends but that was always a struggle. So that was a weird karmic thing that the first feature I get to direct is an out-and-out musical... not just a little musical, it is a musical! But I loved doing a musical, just the energy of it. When the music is great, and the music really is great, then you get even more energy. So much of moviemaking is trying to get a drive to a film but with musicals, they're fun. Plus working with actors I like, but working with actors who can sing... Then I'm not directing or working, I'm just enjoying a concert I'm paid to attend.

You mentioned "Labyrinth" as one influence on "Strange Magic." What were some of the other films you looked to?

The other movie that George talked about, going back to Lucasfilm movies, was "American Graffiti," just in terms of songs being super strong and driving the story, was a big influence. And then "The Princess Bride," one of my favorite movies, was a big influence. It's a fairy tale that was magical and funny, so tonally it was nice. "Labyrinth" was nice because it was a Lucasfilm production, but it was weird. Thematically we wanted things that were weird but that you loved later. So weird is important.

Was there ever any fear of the movie getting lost after Disney bought Lucasfilm?

Well, it was an odd thing -- I had already started on this movie when Disney bought Lucasfilm. So they had this movie too, and they had to buy into it, which, to their credit, they did. We showed what we had and pitched the idea to them and they essentially re-green-lit it, and they did. Alan Horn, who is the head of Disney Studios, was wonderful both advocate for the movie and note-giver. He was a nice guide. Disney turned out to be a wonderful resource. They gave us great ideas and great notes.

What did Lasseter think?

I only showed it to John once it was done. He's helpful because he's within Disney and he helped with what Disney could do with marketing. I like the fact that it's a Lucasfilm animated film. There's only been two, really -- this and "Rango." So it has a feel all its own and I like that it's not Pixar and it's not Disney, it's its own thing.

You'll presumably be busy for the next few years on "Star Wars"-related projects, but is directing another animated feature something you'd like to do?

I don't need to direct just for the sake of it but I want to make movies. So for the right idea, the right project, sure. I also don't think that what I do has to be animated. Animation is great and I love it but there's so many ways to make movies, from a technical standpoint, that are animation-like or hybrids and digital and virtual and Lucasfilm is on the forefront of a lot of that thinking. I don't know what that future project might be but if it's animation, I'd love it.

Do you have fluidity within the company to go here and there? Is there a chance you could go back to Pixar or Disney Animation Studios?

Oh, for sure. That's what I like about the company. I have fluidity. I am liquid.

"Strange Magic" is in theaters nationwide.

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New 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Footage Pops Up in Ellie Goulding Soundtrack Cut (VIDEO)

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British pop star Ellie Goulding hasn't had a proper album released since 2012, but since then the artist has appeared on the soundtracks to "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," "The Host," "About Time," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," "Divergent," and, perhaps most memorably, over the closing credits to stone cold masterpiece "Spring Breakers." Her latest contribution to her ever-growing soundtrack compendium is a new track for the hotly anticipated "Fifty Shades of Grey," opening on February 13th.

The track, an unbelievably catchy number called "Love Me Like You Do," has an accompanying music video and said music video features ballroom dancing, Goulding walking around in a black leather jacket, and, oh yeah, brand new footage from the movie (starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan). Don't worry, it's totally safe for work. The soundtrack, which also features cuts from The Weeknd, Annie Lennox, and Sia, will be out on February 10th.


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Sink Your Teeth Into a Delicious New Trailer for 'Hannibal' Season 3

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If it's one thing we love, more than dear family members and this great United States of America, it's NBC's "Hannibal." The operatic horror series, based on the Thomas Harris novels that also inspired "Silence of the Lambs," "Manhunter," and, yes, "Hannibal" (sorry if this is getting confusing), is one of the most visually striking, emotionally riveting and just-plain-scary television series to ever hit the small screen. All of this makes the wait in between seasons downright torturous, especially since it was recently announced that the show wouldn't return until summer. And thanks to a new trailer for the third season that NBC has just unleashed, well, that wait is going to be even harder.

The show, of course, follows the adventures of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), a murderous shrink who is involved in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with an FBI profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). For those of you who haven't seen season 2 yet, we'll tread lightly on spoilers, but it does appear that Will has survived a particularly ghoulish season finale and that Hannibal is somewhere in Europe.

In fact, by the looks of it, this new season (overseen, as always, by the brilliant Bryan Fuller) will combine a number of Harris novels, borrowing from "Hannibal Rising" (with the Lady Murasaki character being introduced), "Red Dragon" (Richard Armitage from "The Hobbit" was recently cast as the Tooth Fairy himself, Francis Dollarhyde) and "Hannibal" (yes, Mason Verger and his flesh-eating pigs will be back). In other words, this season is going to be wild.

For a while Fuller spoke about how the production didn't have the rights to some characters and scenarios from "Silence of the Lambs," partially because another network was working on a show completely centered around the Clarice Starling character (essayed by Jodie Foster in "Silence of the Lambs" and Julianne Moore in "Hannibal"), but that clearly never went anywhere. My out-of-left-field prediction for the conclusion of season 3 is that Will is out and a new female profiler is introduced... One we might already be familiar with...



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Ryan Guzman Facts: 11 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the 'Boy Next Door' Star

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Ryan Guzman has stepped into his role as the boy next door.

After getting his start modeling in Northern California, the young star moved south to take on Hollywood. Between becoming the face of the "Step Up" franchise and landing a recurring role on "Pretty Little Liars," you could say he's done alright. This month, the actor stars opposite Jennifer Lopez in the steamy thriller "The Boy Next Door."

Here's 11 things you (probably) don't know about Ryan Guzman.
Ryan Guzman Facts[Sources: The Wrap, IMDb]

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Best of Late Night TV: Blake Shelton's Whisper Challenge and Felicity Jones's Oscar Reaction (VIDEO)

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If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

Country crooner Blake Shelton is known for his melodious voice, so naturally Jimmy Fallon made him play Whisper Challenge on "The Tonight Show," a game which basically involved Blake complaining and having no idea who Benedict Cumberbatch is. Quote: "I've never even heard of that."


We're in the midst of Deflate Gate (The Patriots are being accused of deflating some footballs, sigh), and Edward Norton visited Jimmy Kimmel to sound off on this extremely important topic. In other words, enjoy lots of "ball play" jokes.

"The Theory of Everything's" Felicity Jones stopped by "Late Night" to talk about how she found out about her Oscar nomination. Turns out she woke up at 4 a.m. and anxiously sat around in her pajamas for an hour and a half waiting to hear her name called. Hey, at least she's honest!



Finally, Ron Howard swung by Conan to talk about...wait for it...how he almost had a career as a porn director. This clip speaks for itself.

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