Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- George Lucas 'Is a Consultant' on 'Star Wars: Episode VII,' Says Disney Chief
- Actor Daniel Franzese Writes Amazing, 'Mean Girls'-Themed Coming Out Letter
- Tina Fey & Amy Poehler's 'The Nest' Has Some Stiff Competition
- There's Still Love for Quentin Tarantino's 'Hateful Eight'
- The 'Gone Girl' Movie Will Stick Pretty Close to Book, New Ending Aside
- 'Seven Samurai': Why Your Favorite Movies Owe a Huge Debt to the Japanese Classic
- Jimmy Kimmel Asks a Very Important Question About 4/20
- Latest 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Tidbit Teases Imminent Cast Reveal
- 'Harry Potter' Fandom: 6 Ways It's Like the Mafia
- A Ghost Inspired the James Bond Theme Song, According to Richard Harris
- William Friedkin on 'Sorcerer,' Legal Battles, and How 'Star Wars' Changed Everything
- Did Patrick Stewart Just Spill the 'X-Men' Beans?
- New DVD Blu-ray: 'Sorcerer,' 'Get Carter'
- 'American Horror Story: Freak Show': 5 Things We Really Want to See in Season 4
- 2014 Hot Docs Movies: Our Top 10 Picks for the Documentary Film Festival
- 'The Walking Dead' Could Run for 10 Seasons or More
- We Can All Thank Steven Spielberg for the 'Goonies' Sequel
| George Lucas 'Is a Consultant' on 'Star Wars: Episode VII,' Says Disney Chief Posted:  Disney CEO Alan Horn has been hinting at bits and pieces of information about "Star Wars: Episode VII" for months, and while fans still don't have much to cling to -- including cast and plot details -- Horn promises that there will be some revelations soon. One of the few things that Horn would say about "Episode VII" is that there will be some casting announcements soon. Speaking with Bloomberg News, Horn said that casting is "almost complete," and would be made public "very shortly." Of course, for diehard "Wars" fans, "soon" and "shortly" have probably lost all meaning, since they've been waiting for news about the project since it was first announced way back in October 2012. Horn also briefly discussed the beginning of photography on the picture, which is currently taking place at Pinewood Studios in London and in Abu Dhabi, though he cautioned that what was being filmed was not principal photography and mostly just scene-setting shots to establish what he called the film's "'Star Wars'-ian look." But the biggest bit of info that Horn dropped centered around "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who is serving as a consultant on the series. The exact role that Lucas is playing in the creation of the new trilogy has been ambiguous since its inception -- and indeed, Lucas's son has talked about how his father has had trouble letting go of the series since selling Lucasfilm to Disney -- and Horn didn't do much to clear up the situation with his remarks to Bloomberg. "George is a consultant," Horn told the news outlet. "The understanding is when he sold the company -- and he did sell the company to the Walt Disney Company -- so he's very aware of that. So we now are the primary drivers behind this property. But he is a very valued person. He's the father of all this. Kathy interacts with him, back and forth I think." So, once again, the implication is Lucas is not too intimately involved, but involved enough to be comparing notes with producer Kathleen Kennedy. The "back and forth" that Horn describes certainly sounds like Kennedy is seeking Lucas's approval for certain "Episode VII" plot points. But is that really the case? After all, director J.J. Abrams took on a lot of control of the project when he and consultant (and original "Wars" trilogy scribe) Lawrence Kasdan assumed screenwriting duties from Michael Arndt late last year. It seems like we may never know the real story. But expectations are already sky-high for "Episode VII." At this point, it's the story that fans ultimately see on the big screen that matters the most. "Star Wars: Episode VII" hits theaters on December 18, 2015. [via Bloomberg News, h/t Cinema Blend] Photo by AP Photo/Wong Maye-E This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Actor Daniel Franzese Writes Amazing, 'Mean Girls'-Themed Coming Out Letter Posted:  Actor Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in 2004 teen comedy hit "Mean Girls," has come out as gay. In an open letter addressed to Damian and published on Indie Wire, Franzese wrote that he decided to come out publicly at age 35 to help other closeted actors feel comfortable with being themselves, and help mitigate some of the fears of being gay in Hollywood. Franzese admitted that he denied being gay numerous times before and after playing Damian because he feared being stereotyped and typecast because of it -- and found that he was anyway, often being denied the chance to even audition for certain roles because he was deemed not "masculine" enough. "You were proud of who you were; I was an insecure actor," Franzese wrote to Damian. "You became an iconic character that people looked up to; I wished I'd had you as a role model when I was younger. I might've been easier to be gay growing up." Franzese said that he had no idea how popular "Mean Girls" would become, or how much of an impact it would have on teens, especially gay teens. ("To paraphrase Gretchen Wieners, 'we can't help it that we're so popular,'" he wrote.) But that popularity came at a price, the actor admitted, and he had a hard time reconciling his public image with his private life, asking his reps to lie about his sexuality and scrubbing his online trail. But with the 10th anniversary of "Mean Girls" approaching, Franzese said he re-examined the role that put him on the map, and took inspiration from the fearless character he played to hopefully inspire others to be equally fearless. "[L]ooking back, it took YOU [Damian] to teach me how to be proud of myself again. ... I have always been different and that's rad," Franzese wrote. " ... My friends and family all knew the truth but now it's time everyone does. Perhaps this will help someone else. I had to remind myself that my parents named me Daniel because it means "God is my judge" So, I'm not afraid anymore. Of Hollywood, the closet or mean girls. Thank you for that, Damian. (And Tina.)" The entire, inspiring letter -- which is riddled with wonderful references to iconic "Mean Girls" quotes -- is worth the time to read. [via Indie Wire, h/t HuffPost Entertainment] Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Tina Fey & Amy Poehler's 'The Nest' Has Some Stiff Competition Posted:  The latest big screen collaboration from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler has a release date -- and it's facing some pretty stiff competition."The Nest," which stars Fey and Poehler as sisters whose parents are selling their childhood home, is set to open on December 18, 2015. If that date sounds familiar, it's because you've most likely heard it a bunch of times before; it's the same date as "Star Wars: Episode VII" is hitting theaters. Studio Universal is probably banking on "The Nest" as enticing counter-programming for non-"Star Wars" fans, though if Fey's own affection for "Wars" is any indication, the two groups may have more overlap than Universal realizes. Still, this is the first time Fey and Poehler are appearing in a movie together since 2008's "Baby Mama," and the duo have legions of loyal followers, so "The Nest" is sure to gain a lot of attention no matter how many Jedis it's facing. "The Nest" will focus on Fey and Poehler, who have drifted apart over the years, as they return to their parents' house to collect childhood belongings and reminisce. They decide to throw one huge, final party with their friends and former classmates to send off the home in style. "Pitch Perfect" helmer Jason Moore will direct, while SNL vet Paula Pell is penning the screenplay. Both Fey and Poehler are also expected to produce the project. [via The Playlist] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| There's Still Love for Quentin Tarantino's 'Hateful Eight' Posted:  No matter the medium, Quentin Tarantino knows how to pack a house.Last weekend in Los Angeles, a whole cadre of the director's cohorts gathered for a three and a half-hour live reading of "The Hateful Eight," which you might remember hearing about after the first draft of the script was leaked in January. Although the future of the project is still in limbo, it's clear that Tarantino fans are eager to see it however they can -- even if it means shelling out up to $200 bucks for a bare bones stage reading. In fact, this reading was of that infamously leaked first draft, making the event a one time only deal. "I'm working on a second draft and I will do a third draft, but we're reading from the first draft... The Chapter 5 here will not be the Chapter 5 later, so this will be the only time it is seen ever," Tarantino announced. QT was pretty hands-on with his cast, giving direction on the fly to Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Zoe Bell, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Walton "Cloggin'" Goggins. They portrayed your typical Tarantino rogue's gallery of Wild West characters, with Jackson and Russell as bounty hunters, Madsen as a cowboy, Dern as a Southern general, and Goggins as a nasty Confederate soldier. After their stagecoach gets stranded in Wyoming, they seek refuge in Minnie's Haberdashery; unfortunately for all involved, there's a whole lot more bloodshed than haberdashering. We'll never know the true glory of this live read since everyone was forced to check their smart phones at the door. Given the reception, we have hope that "The Hateful Eight" will make its way to the big screen sooner rather than later. Especially since Tarantino's old pals the Weinsteins were spotted in the audience. [via Deadline] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The 'Gone Girl' Movie Will Stick Pretty Close to Book, New Ending Aside Posted:  While rumors have swirled that the ending to the big screen adaptation of "Gone Girl" will differ immensely from the source material, author Gillian Flynn insists that the movie will still closely resemble its literary counterpart.Flynn, who's adapting her own book for director David Fincher's film, wrote in a recent Reddit AMA that fans of the novel shouldn't worry about news of changes to the story. "[T]hose reports have been greatly exaggerated!" she said. "Of course, the script has to be different from the book in some ways-you have to find a way to externalize all those internal thoughts and you have to do more with less room and you just don't have room for everything. But the mood, tone and spirit of the book are very much intact." The author also noted that since she was the one scripting her own work, she was afforded a very hands-on approach to the movie, and added that her collaboration with Fincher in particular helped her learn the screenwriting craft, which requires a specific set of decision-making skills. "I've been very involved in the film and loved it," Flynn wrote. "Working with David Fincher is pretty much the best place to start for a screenwriter. Screenwriting definitely works different parts of your brain than writing a novel. I do love that with novels, you can really sprawl out-it feels quite decadent. With screenwriting, you have to justify every choice. It's a nice discipline, but definitely not decadent." "Gone Girl," starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Emily Ratajkowski, and Patrick Fugit opens October 3. [via Reddit, h/t Vulture] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Seven Samurai': Why Your Favorite Movies Owe a Huge Debt to the Japanese Classic Posted:  Why is "Seven Samurai" considered one of the greatest films ever made? I'd answer that by telling you to go watch it right now, but you probably don't have 3 hours and 27 minutes free at the moment. (It goes by super fast, though, which is one of the reasons the movie is great.) One reason is simply the movie's vast influence. Released 60 years ago this week in Japan (on April 26, 1954), Akira Kurosawa's epic has had an incalculable impact on adventure filmmaking for six decades. Some of your favorite movies owe a huge debt to "Seven Samurai," and you may not even realize it. The movie's plot has proved simple but durable: The residents of a farming village are beset by roving bandits until they hire a septet of ronin to defend them. Despite the lengthy running time, that's pretty much it, plus a lot of character development so that you actually care about the individual townsfolk and the warriors who agree to help them. We could examine the film for that richness of character, or for its exploration of multiple themes (class, honor, duty, loyalty, teamwork), or for Kurosawa's brilliance at composition and his fluid staging of action (a tremendous influence on such directors as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and therefore, on pretty much all mainstream action filmmaking today). But let's just stick to plot. That plot is basic yet indestructible. It works so well that it's been copied countless times, in several different genres. Everyone knows about "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), an explicit Hollywood remake of "Seven Samurai" set in the old West. Indeed, there have been a number of Western variations on the plot, such as "The Wild Bunch" (where the heroes are outlaws, and the suicidal nature of their mission is much more apparent) or "High Plains Drifter" (where, instead of hiring a whole team, the town just recruits Clint Eastwood). Or there's "The Road Warrior," essentially a post-apocalyptic Western, with Mel Gibson instead of Clint Eastwood (or a team of mercenaries). The desperate townsfolk and the ruthless bandits, however, remain much the same as in Kurosawa's original story. But there have also been "Samurai"-influenced World War II movies, from "The Guns of Navarone" to "The Dirty Dozen" to Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." Indeed, any movie where a team of unlikely heroes is assembled to attempt a seemingly impossible mission can be said to echo "Seven Samurai." You could say the recent "Avengers" film borrows the "Seven Samurai" plot, and you wouldn't be wrong. The mission doesn't even have to be an honorable one. Look at "Ocean's Eleven," both the 1960 original with the Rat Pack and the 2001 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. In the original, they're all war veterans, but they're assembled for a heist. So it is with the remake and its sequels, which are a lot more interested than the Frank Sinatra original was in exploring character, as Kurosawa was. Starting in the mid-1980s, we saw a comic variation on the "Seven Samurai" plot, with several movies where the hired guns were merely entertainers who thought they'd been hired to put on a show and didn't realize that their adversaries were real and lethal. The first of these was "Three Amigos," with spangled silent-film Western stars Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short brought to a Mexican town to fight real bandits. A decade later, in Pixar's animated feature "A Bug's Life" (1998), the comic premise played out with ants hiring a motley group of insects from a flea circus to defend their colony from rapacious grasshoppers. A year later, in the sci-fi spoof "Galaxy Quest," meek aliens recruit the actors from a "Star Trek"-like TV series to defend them against a genocidal extraterrestrial foe. As in "Three Amigos," the circus bugs and the TV actors are called upon to display for real the heroism they've only pretended at before, confronting the bad guys with little more than bravado and showbiz razzle-dazzle. The most recent example of the comic showbiz variation on the "Seven Samurai" plot came in last year's "Oz the Great and Powerful," in which harmless Munchkins and other defenseless Oz creatures enlist a carnival magician to save them from a pair of wicked witches. While he does develop a willingness to put others' needs ahead of his own for the first time in his life, he saves the day largely through his talents for stage fakery, misdirection, and deception. In other words, he saves the kingdom primarily through his lack of character. Of course, once we're playing out the scenario in a fantasy world populated by porcelain children and flying monkeys, we're an awfully long way from feudal Japan. So, that's how far the influence of "Seven Samurai" extends, and why all the imitations should lead you back to the original 1954 epic. Which you should watch right now. Go ahead, we'll wait. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Jimmy Kimmel Asks a Very Important Question About 4/20 Posted:  The coincidence of Easter falling on April 20th last weekend was a gift to comedians and would-be Twitter comedians everywhere. It's, like, the holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with candy and bunnies... and the most magical day of the year for stoners! But what about potheads who are also church-going folks? Well, Jimmy Kimmel took to the streets to poll people how they celebrated: "God, pot, or both?" (What, no "Pesach or pothead"?) The audience got to weigh in on the #PedestrianQuestion as well, which meant guessing whether or not the person on the street would cop to hitting up the house of God or hanging out with Mary Jane. The responses were mixed, with one woman responding that her watch has been stuck on 4/20 since she bought it. It's an interesting sociological experiment to see who Kimmel's team chose to ask and how the audience guessed. The people polled on the street all "looked" like stoners and/or "colorful" (read: tattooed, pierced, non-white, identifying as transgender), which inevitably led the audience to guess that each person probably celebrated 4/20 instead of Easter. The lesson here might be not to judge a book by its cover, or to just not be a jerk to strangers. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Latest 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Tidbit Teases Imminent Cast Reveal Posted:  Things are getting really meta around here with the teasing of teasing of details for the next installment of "Star Wars." We know J.J. Abrams is all about the secrecy, but can't he give us a break? We're dying over he-ah! The dribbles of information about a movie that's supposedly already filming aren't slaking our thirst for all things "Star Wars." Once again, Disney chairman Alan Horn is the one tormenting us with details. Horn divulged in early April that filming had already begun on "Star Wars: Episode VII," although it sounded like the script wasn't quite rock solid just yet. Last weekend during a talk at the Tribeca Film Festival, he told Bloomberg's Jon Erlichman, "We did some second-unit work in Abu Dhabi and other places because we have all these locations we have to film, and we have to give it that 'Star Wars'-ian, if I can use that as an adjective, look." Hey, Kubrickian is a thing - why not "Star Wars"-ian, right? Of course, principal photography hasn't technically begun, which is good because casting still isn't complete. Like, it probably is, but Abrams has all the principal actors locked in a closet somewhere until they can be smuggled to Pinewood Studios under the cover of night. At least we know Chewie is coming back. That's a little nugget of hope to cling to this long dark teatime of the soul. [via The Wrap] Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Harry Potter' Fandom: 6 Ways It's Like the Mafia Posted: Potterheads can try to leave, but you kind of can't, not really, not when there's Diagon Alley to visit, Ron and Hermione to defend, stamps to collect, and a new prequel to look forward to on the West End. Here are six reasons it's "Harry Potter Forever" in the minds of many fans. PHOTOS: This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A Ghost Inspired the James Bond Theme Song, According to Richard Harris Posted:  So last week I sat down and talked with Jared Harris about his upcoming supernatural thriller "The Quiet Ones." As is the case when you're talking about a movie involving ghosts, I asked Harris if he had encountered any spooky unexplained phenomenon. He said he hadn't. But his dad, the celebrated actor Richard Harris, had. And what follows is one of Richard Harris's favorite ghost stories, as retold by his son. Try not to get too scared! "Well, my father had some pretty outrageous ones," Harris began. "One was that there was a ghost of a little boy -- he had this house called Tower House, which is really ornate. And he had this old harpsichord piano in there. And he would say this ghost of this little boy would go down there and play this piano at nighttime. He was convinced that John Barry was staying in his house when the little boy was playing the piano, and that's where he got the James Bond theme." So there you have it: according to Richard Harris, Oscar-winning composer John Barry was staying in his house, overheard the ghostly piano melody of a long-dead little boy, and used it for the James Bond theme. Mystery solved. Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision/AP This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| William Friedkin on 'Sorcerer,' Legal Battles, and How 'Star Wars' Changed Everything Posted:  Thirty-seven years ago, director William Friedkin knew who was responsible for the critical and commercial failure of his "Exorcist" follow-up, 1977's allegorical action-adventure "Sorcerer": Darth Vader."Sorcerer" opened about a month after "Star Wars," replacing it at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre, for instance, only to be pulled a week later (after slow sales) and replaced by "Star Wars." To Friedkin, George Lucas's blockbuster had displaced not just "Sorcerer" but the entire movement of American director-driven cinema that had flourished in the early 1970s, to be supplanted ever-after by assembly-line franchise and action films designed more to make money than to create art. These days, the 78-year-old Friedkin is more philosophical about "Sorcerer," acknowledging in his 2013 memoir "The Friedkin Connection" the role his own creative decisions played in the film's negative reception. For one thing, his hubris in remaking a classic (Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 adventure "The Wages of Fear") earned him the ire of critics who'd previously embraced him. Second, the title was misleading, suggesting a supernatural thriller like his last movie, not a jungle adventure about desperate men driving a volatile cargo of nitroglycerin through hellish terrain. ("Sorcerer" is a nickname painted on one of the trucks.) Also, Friedkin had wanted to cast Steve McQueen but lost him when he balked at providing a make-work job for McQueen's new bride, Ali MacGraw, so that they wouldn't be separated during the long overseas shoot; eventual lead Roy Scheider gave a fine performance, but he wasn't the box-office draw that McQueen was. Shot in the Dominican Republic, "Sorcerer" was a notoriously difficult production -- it went millions over budget, performers were nearly killed while filming harrowing stunts, and everyone got sick, including Friedkin, who contracted malaria. Today, however, "Sorcerer" is finally getting some vindication. Many critics regard "Sorcerer" as the director's overlooked masterpiece, and a newly-restored print is getting a brief theatrical re-release in various countries, and is out on Blu-ray as of April 22. Speaking to Moviefone from his Hollywood office, Friedkin discussed "Sorcerer"'s journey from reviled to revered, the film's legendary production difficulties, and the its ultimately hopeful spiritual message. In Part II of the interview, which you can read here on Friday, April 25, he talks about the differences between filmmaking then and now, the supposed "Exorcist" curse, and his upcoming HBO movie about Mae West. Moviefone: Why did it take so long for "Sorcerer" to catch on? William Friedkin: Each of the studios that financed "Sorcerer," Universal and Paramount, were both sold three times since I made "Sorcerer." Every time that happens, all the legal documents from films they no longer consider current go underground. But in Los Angeles, there's this group called Cinefamily, with about 25,000 subscribers, and they had been playing the film regularly for many years, at least once a year. In 2011, they e-mailed me and told me that they had tried to book the film and were told by Paramount that they didn't own the film, and they didn't know who did. So I sent them to Universal, and the same answer came in. So I had to sue both companies to determine who owned the picture. I sued not for money but for discovery. That showed that the rights had been vested in a company called Vivendi, which had once owned both Universal and Paramount's foreign film operations. Universal had only a 25-year lease on the film, and that had expired, but Paramount had to produce all this discovery. At that same time, Warner Bros. came along and said they would like to take over the whole thing and have it for Blu-ray and streaming. They wound up making a deal where Paramount has all the theatrical rights around the world, but Warner Bros. has all the home video and streaming. Warner financed the whole project, Paramount paid them half, and now Paramount is actively seeking theatrical distribution around the world, and the Blu-ray is coming out April 22. And yet, even while the film was in legal limbo, some people still remembered it fondly and championed it. Somehow, through all the years that it virtually wasn't shown at all, there were still film critics and historians who had seen it, on bad VHS copies or truncated prints, and the film continued to live in their minds. So there was a great drumbeat by historians, critics, and fans. What revelations will fans find in the restoration? It's the same film I made in 1977, only it looks as I had originally intended. The color and the densities are perfect, and the sound is considerably better. But I didn't add a frame. It's the same picture. Everything I ever intended visually is in the new print, and it never was in 35MM. You're very insistent on presenting your films with the lighting, color, and sound the way you initially envisioned them. We ran the film at the Chinese Theatre [in Hollywood] on Saturday night. That's probably the most famous theater in America. And I was in there for several hours on Saturday, starting at eight in the morning, with a team from Dolby Sound and Boston Sound, and we retuned the entire sound system at the Chinese Theatre for this screening. And I boosted the light on the screen by one stop. I can't control every screening anymore, but what I insist on -- the studio can screen it on a sheet in a barn in Utah if they want, but not if I'm going to be there. If I'm going to be there and do an introduction or a Q&A, it has to be the film I made. Two years ago, before the Chinese changed their screen, I refused to let them run a print of "The Exorcist." It was beyond salvation because that IMAX screen they had was not compatible with a 2D print. Do you think the film would have been a bigger hit if you'd been able to hire your first-choice star, Steve McQueen, instead of your "French Connection" co-star Roy Scheider? Steve was a great actor, and I was disappointed when he didn't do it. Having recently seen Scheider in it, I think he's great. Would there have been more box office? Probably. Steve was among the biggest stars at that time. Would it have been a better picture? I'm not sure Steve would have been able to bring as much to it as Scheider did as an actor. Scheider was much more intense. McQueen would crest in intensity. When he was cast right, in something like "Bullitt" or "The Thomas Crown Affair," he was fantastic. If he had to show real emotion or pain, he would have been at a loss. And Roy did that brilliantly. It seems like making a film in the jungle and having a "Heart of Darkness" experience, where the chaos of the production is echoed in the story told on screen, was a common career-halting experience for the great directors of the 1970s -- besides you and "Sorcerer," it also happened to Francis Ford Coppola with "Apocalypse Now" and Werner Herzog with "Fitzcarraldo." It didn't happen to everybody. The examples you cited may be it. I don't know what happened there. The films you mentioned are varying degrees of quality. I think "Apocalypse Now" is a great film, and that's all I think about it. I know Francis, he's a very good friend. He did have difficulty. Rightly or wrongly, we all tried to jump the highest part of the fence then, not the lowest part. If you go for the highest part of the fence, you're often going to stumble and fall. And sometimes you'll set a new record by jumping higher than anyone else did. I know that people like Francis and myself were interested in going for, not just the best we could do, but better than we could do. And we were supported by the studios in that, to a certain extent. That would be much less palatable today, since "Star Wars." Were the studios looking for an excuse to end the era of creative carte blanche and make safer and more formulaic movies, and did these overly ambitious projects give them that excuse? That was the result of it, certainly. Whether they set out to do that, I don't know. If "Star Wars" had failed, and you never know, the climate of American films would be totally different today. There wouldn't be all these films about vampires and werewolves and witches and superheroes, all made with CGI. It would have even held back the development of CGI. But "Star Wars" was a massive success, and everything that's followed it has been an offshoot. Clouzot's original "Wages of Fear" was seen as an existential statement about man's place in an unforgiving universe. "Sorcerer," however, seems to be more about politics -- the need for international cooperation to prevent a devastating conflagration -- or about spirituality, with the four damned men slogging through Hell and striving for redemption. I always felt that "Sorcerer" dealt with matters like purgatory on Earth and, in a sense, the mystery of faith. We all end up the same way, and one's life is not something we have any control over. That's certainly one of the major themes of "Sorcerer." The fact that these guys all are criminals -- what would they be doing in a town like that if they weren't criminals? The interesting thing to me, the most mysterious part of any journey, is how the travelers came to the starting line in the first place. I wanted to explore that, how these people ended up in a kind of living purgatory. And then, the journey itself is purgatory. The journey itself is savage. They're all seeking a kind of retribution, a kind of atonement for their sins. As I see it recently, all over the world now, in screenings like the one we had Saturday night at the Chinese, but everywhere else I've seen it, and everywhere else it's played, in England and Toronto and Istanbul, it seems to play the same way, and people are now getting that idea, that it's about purgatory and the reclamation of one's soul and the mystery of faith. To a great extent, that's a metaphor for all of our lives. We each have a cross to bear. We're each aware of the good and evil that exists in all of us. So I don't really judge the characters that interest me. They're not superheroes, that's for sure. With a superhero, you pretty much know what the outcome is going to be. That, to me, is a kind of pornography. It's a false picture. It is not a mirror held up to life. There are no superheroes. There are people who do very good and very evil things as well. Sometimes our better angels fail to thrive. There are some clearly evil people in this world, guys like Hitler and Manson, but for most of us, we contain equal parts of good and evil. How did John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" influence "Sorcerer"? For me, that's one of the top five American films ever made. I was very influenced by "Treasure" in almost everything I've done. I think it's a masterpiece, and that's a word I don't throw around. There are a handful of masterpieces, and that's one of them. So it was also about characters who are neither all good nor all evil, but whose mettle is tested by extreme situations in an inhospitable foreign land. I believe those characters, all of them. They all represent facets of human nature. And yet the story is a great ride. Is that how it works for you, with you trying to balance a great ride, as in "The French Connection," for instance, with a philosophical underpinning? It has to have a philosophical underpinning of some kind. I won't just do some mindless horror film or adventure film or whatever. That's why the last couple of films I did ["Bug" and "Killer Joe"] were written by Tracy Letts, who's one of the best playwrights in America. Those films don't come along often for me, or anybody else, either. I've been directing films for about 50 years, and I've made 17 films, but I've been working all the time on something. I haven't done all the films that I've started to work on because I couldn't fulfill my vision. I've abandoned many more scripts than I've made. Check back Friday, April 25, for Part II of Moviefone's interview with William Friedkin. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Did Patrick Stewart Just Spill the 'X-Men' Beans? Posted:  Despite popular opinion, Sir Patrick Stewart isn't actually perfect. He's human just like us. And sometimes, just sometimes, he says the wrong thing. Was that the case during an interview with MTV?Stewart was chatting with MTV's Josh Horowitz about "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and how excited he was that Magneto would have a part in the time-traveling blockbuster when he used a phrase that has the spoiler police on high alert. When Horowitz asked if he would return for "X-Men: Apocalypse," Stewart replied, "I don't see why not. "That is one of the blessings about fantasy and science fiction: you're never really dead," he said with a laugh. "So I would love to come back and do some more. And there might be something else. A little bird has whispered that there might be something else... 'X-Men' related." Of course, word isn't bond when it comes to interviews, and we could all be rightfully accused of over-scrutinizing every little tidbit we hear, but maybe this means Magneto is going to meet his maker in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Or maybe not! We don't know. Comic books are full of magic. In any case, there's not going to be your typical press blitz for this upcoming "X-Men" given the significant legal troubles facing director Bryan Singer and other Hollywood insiders. Singer is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager, as are several other Hollywood execs. You can read more about the charges here, but the graphic descriptions can be triggering for some readers. Producer-screenwriter Simon Kinberg took over WonderCon press duties last weekend in place of Singer, after the lawsuit was filed last week. Possible plot leaks are certainly the least of everyone's concerns at this time. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" opens May 23. [via The Hollywood Reporter] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New DVD Blu-ray: 'Sorcerer,' 'Get Carter' Posted: "Sorcerer" What's It About? Roy Scheider co-stars in this thriller about four men from disparate backgrounds who, for various reasons, are forced to hide in a small village in South America. When a nearby oil well explodes, four of them must transport nitroglycerin through dangerous terrain in the hopes of extinguishing the fire. Why We're IN: William Friedkin's film met all sorts of bad luck upon release, from its box office competition (a little film called "Star Wars") to misleading marketing that confused audiences expecting a second helping of "The Exorcist." Although the Blu-ray doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, the quality of the transfer will sate all cinephiles who've been dying to add this cult favorite to their collection. New on DVD & Blu-ray"Barefoot" What's It About? Evan Rachel Wood and Scott Speedman co-star in this weird romcom about a rich eccentric who falls for a charming mentally ill gal with a history of abuse. But his family loves her! IN or OUT: So far out, man. This from the director of "The Craft"?! "The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series" What's It About? It's about Spider-Man, duh. The animated TV show about Spidey's origins is finally out in one complete collection. IN or OUT: Sling those webs elsewhere unless you're a diehard fan. New on Blu-ray "Conspiracy Theory" What's It About? Mel Gibson plays a conspiracy theory nut named Jerry who's stalking a government lawyer. The lawyer (Julia Roberts) doesn't mind, and even gets involved once it seems that Jerry might be onto something. IN or OUT: Goonies never say die, but they do recommend skipping this Donner flick. "Get Carter" (1971 & 2000) What's It About? A gangster returns home after his brother is killed in a most mysterious way. Michael Caine stars in the 1971 version, which is set in the UK, and Sylvester Stallone stars in remake. Thankfully, Stallone's version takes place in the Unites States, so we're spared any attempts at a British accent. IN or OUT: The first is fab, and the remake is a dud. Why buy both? "Riot in Cell Block 11" (Criterion) What's It About? Criterion continues rocking these film noir issues with this drama filmed in Folsom State Prison, with actual inmates and guards as extras. Director Don Siegel is also credited with "Escape From Alcatraz," "Dirty Harry," And "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Sam Peckinpah worked on the film as an assistant casting director. IN or OUT: If you're a fan of prison dramas, and you're interested in the roots of Sam Peckinpah, you'll definitely want to snag this Criterion. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'American Horror Story: Freak Show': 5 Things We Really Want to See in Season 4 Posted:  This past year, "American Horror Story" went from being the really, really great show that a small but dedicated (and, of course, deeply perverse) fan base watched to becoming a genuine, zeitgeist-capturing cultural phenomenon. (Fun fact: people love witches!) That means that all eyes are on the forthcoming new installment, "American Horror Story: Freak Show," which, should it stick to the show's broadcast schedule, should debut sometime before Halloween.It's going to be a long, long few months until creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and their band of merry deviants return to reap more bloody mayhem. (Especially if you've already watched the similarly brilliant, stand-alone "True Detective.") So what to do until then? Well, wildly speculate on what we want from the upcoming season of "American Horror Story," of course. So here are five things that we really, really, ridiculously want to see from season 4 of "American Horror Story" (and considering this is supposedly Jessica Lange's final season with the show, there's a lot riding on it). Should the following aspects be included in the forthcoming season and we'll be freakishly excited for "American Horror Story: Freak Show." For more historical background on what the season could entail, please check out this news piece. Zounds! 1. Professional Freaks One of the things that made Todd Browning's 1932 horror movie "Freaks" such an unforgettable, profoundly disturbing classic was the fact that actual sideshow performers had starring roles in the film. There wasn't any movie magic or make-up trickery; these guys were all true freaks. (And "freaks" is an empowering term, here, one that the performers own, not a derogatory term meant to belittle.) Considering how many classic horror movies have served as inspiration for "American Horror Story" thus far (remember all those Hitchcock music cues from the first season?), you'd better believe that it will liberally reference Browning's film, even if it was released 20 years before the events of "American Horror Story: Freak Show." Similarly, the "X-Files" episode "Humbug," which, like "American Horror Story: Freak Show," is set primarily in Florida, featured more modern-day freaks, but they were still real freaks. And that episode is one of the very best of the entire series. So it would be a shame if "American Horror Story: Freak Show" didn't up its street cred (and its psychological depth) by including real-life, honest-to-god freaks in the mix. 2. The Ladies, All Together There is no question that "American Horror Story: Coven" was a tremendous achievement, but it was almost something of an embarrassment of riches, at least in terms of its bountifully talented actresses. The same problem will befall "American Horror Story: Freak Show," undoubtedly, considering that Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Frances Conroy, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, and Jamie Brewer will all be back for this new season. Of course, it's hard to tell what the deals are for each individual actress, but sometimes last season felt too diffuse, with the actresses spending too much time apart. Towards the second half of the season, with all of the witches (and voodoo high priestesses) under one roof, the season really soared. It would be nice, for this new season, to have a game plan that keeps the women, especially the holy trinity of Lange, Bates, and Bassett, in the same place, at the same time, for most of the season. Because, while any one of these actresses is amazing on their own, together it's something close to miraculous. Earlier reports that Lange will be involved "in a reduced capacity" have us worried... But hopefully everything will be figured out and the women can be together... even if they're playing a freakish cluster instead of a coven of witches. 3. Flashbacks to the Heyday of Freak Shows Structurally, "American Horror Story" has always been ambitious. The second season, "American Horror Story: Asylum," featured a number of timelines, including one set in the present day (that ended up paying off more than expected), and "Coven" had flashbacks set in the deep past, which added oomph because so many of the characters were immortal and present in both narrative threads. It's already been stated that this season would be set in the 1950s, in the waning days of the freak show circuit, so it would be nice to get flashbacks to the heyday of freak shows. (Again: look for more references to "Freaks.") For a while, Murphy has teased a wild west component to the show, with one of the potential shooting locations for season 4 being New Mexico (we can imagine him getting into some Tony Hillerman-style business), so setting this new season partially during the freak show heyday would also serve to scratch that particular itch. 4. Animals When you think of freak shows and carnivals, images undoubtedly pop up of animals -- fearsome, exotic beasts housed in grungy cages. This needs to be a part of "American Horror Story: Freak Show." Not only does it add some variety to the show's visuals, it adds a sense of danger, since poisonous, fanged, and clawed creatures can rip through human flesh like so much tissue paper. Also, the thought of Lange trying to out-purr a caged tiger positively makes us vibrate with anticipation. Yes please. 5. Actors From Season 1 "American Horror Story: Coven" had a handful of actors and actresses from the first season (most notably: Lily Rabe, Evan Peters, and Taissa Farmiga, along with Lange), but it would be nice, with the new season, to get some of the band back together. We would love to see Dylan McDermott, who returned for a brief but memorable role in Season 2 but sat out Season 3 entirely, come back, along with Connie Britton (who has been missing since the first season). There are some minor characters who it would be nice to see return, like Christine Estabrook, who played the hilarious realtor; Matt Ross, who was a deranged doctor; and Rosa Salazar, who played a murdered nurse. While none of these actors are make-or-break, it would still be nice to see them come back for one more round in Murphy and Falchuk's spook house. "American Horror Story: Freak Show" premieres in October on FX. Photo by Frank Micelotta/Invision for FX/AP Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 2014 Hot Docs Movies: Our Top 10 Picks for the Documentary Film Festival Posted: The 21st annual Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival runs from April 24 - May 4, and this year's slate features 197 titles from 43 countries in 12 screening programs. We're going to have our daily Hot Doc a Day feature (starting on April 23), where Moviefone Canada picks a documentary for you to watch every day at the Fest, but for now, here are some documentaries we highly recommend for your viewing pleasure. Tickets and a full schedule are available at the Hot Docs website. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'The Walking Dead' Could Run for 10 Seasons or More Posted:  While "The Walking Dead" has been a massive hit for AMC after four seasons (and a fifth on the way), the zombie drama has to end sometime, right? Maybe, maybe not. In an interview with Larry King, showrunner Scott M. Gimple said that he thinks the series, which was inspired by graphic novels, could last for many more years -- possibly 10 seasons, and beyond. "As a comic book, I don't know if it will end. As a TV show -- all TV shows end. But I will say, I think it's possible that it could go on and on and on," Gimple said. "I think if it went 10 years, if it was longer than that, it's possible that the cast -- considering the amount of deaths on this cast, and everything else -- after 10, 11, 12 years it could shift into a whole new cast." That's a pretty ballsy prediction from Gimple, though with "The Walking Dead"'s continued ratings dominance, it may seem like a smart move for AMC to keep it in its lineup, especially since the network just lost hit drama "Breaking Bad" in 2013, and critical darling "Mad Men" is set to leave the air next year. Meanwhile, looking ahead to the short term, Gimple teased a few plot details from season five, while (naturally) not giving too much away. The season four cliffhanger ending should get some resolution, he said, while viewers will also learn the fate of yet-to-reappear Beth. Check out the entire interview, and just try to temper your excitement for season five. "The Walking Dead" returns to the air on October 12. [via Screen Crush] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| We Can All Thank Steven Spielberg for the 'Goonies' Sequel Posted:  Rumors of a "Goonies" sequel have been around for almost as long as the beloved 1985 children's flick itself, though director Richard Donner fanned the flames recently by saying publicly that he was committed to making "Goonies 2" happen. While most fans will probably wait to see it to believe it, Donner added one more log to the fire this weekend when he told TMZ that there's already a story for the follow-up in mind -- and it was concocted by none other than Steven Spielberg.Donner dropped that astonishing bomb while speaking with TMZ cameras in Beverly Hills not too long ago. Though he initially stopped short of saying anything definitive about the sequel -- and in fact remarked, "You have to ask Steven," when pressed for information on the project's prospects -- Donner told the site that Spielberg already had the perfect concept in mind. "Hopefully we're going to get this done, period," Donner said. "Steven came up with the idea of doing a sequel after 30 years. ... You don't do it without him. We've been trying for a long [time], and he came up with another storyline and he's right on." So, no details yet, but at least fans can take comfort in the knowledge that Spielberg -- who executive produced the first film -- is at least involved in "Goonies 2." (According to Donner, anyway; Spielberg has yet to chime in himself on the news, and fans know from experience that a sequel isn't at all guaranteed.) Stay tuned. [via: TMZ, h/t Slash Film] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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