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Friday, January 9, 2015

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Can Melissa McCarthy Fit 'Ghostbusters' Into Her Packed Schedule?

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The 41st Annual People's Choice Awards - Red Carpet
Melissa McCarthy is an obvious choice for a major role in the "Ghostbusters" reboot, but it's not yet clear if the leading lady has time in between her TV show and upcoming film projects to fight the supernatural.

There are so many reasons why we're desperate for her to rock one of those fancy proton packs! She's funny as heck. She does physical comedy with aplomb. She and "Ghostbusters" director Paul Feig ("The Heat," "Bridesmaids," the upcoming "Spy") work together really well. Plus, she's just awesome.

That very awesomeness means McCarthy's a busy lady, despite what nay-sayers nay-said about the less-than-stellar response to "Tammy." In between "Mike & Molly," she's also slated to star in another movie with "Tammy" collaborator (and husband) Ben Falcone called "Michelle Darnell." Can she rearrange her dance card to accommodate some ghost bustin'? There aren't any offers in place yet, but here's hoping.

[Via Vulture]

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'Taken 3' Review: Only Liam Neeson Die-Hards Need Apply

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liam neeson in taken 3When "Taken" was first released, nobody thought that it would lead to anything, much less an insanely lucrative franchise. It was a modestly budgeted thriller ($25 million) that was first released overseas, in France, where its core creative team was from and where the film was mostly set. It starred Liam Neeson, who at the time was not much of a box office draw, and had a grippingly simplistic story, the kind of stuff compulsively readable paperbacks novels are made of. But then it came out and connected with people in a big way, making more then $225 million and leading to a sequel that made even more. In an era when studios are trying to artificially manufacture franchises and entire universes, "Taken" came out of nowhere and lasted much longer than anyone could have guessed.

But just because something is a franchise, doesn't mean that it necessarily should be one. This weekend's "Taken 3" makes this lesson explicitly clear.

In "Taken 3" nobody is taken (this was a stipulation Neeson made); instead the genre is refashioned as a "wrong man" thriller, with Neeson's Bryan Mills on the run from both the police (led by a goateed Forest Whitaker) and assorted Eastern European thugs (they have bad accents, worse haircuts, and prison tattoos), after his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) turns up murdered. Those "particular set of skills" that Neeson famously remarked upon in the first movie are this time utilized to get him out of a number of sticky situations, all while trying to clear his name and bring down the actual killers.

And honestly, as a premise, especially for a franchise as threadbare as "Taken," this could have been pretty fun. These kinds of movies, whether their Alfred Hitchcock classics or something like Harrison Ford's "The Fugitive," offer a very specific thrill, since as a law abiding citizen it's uncomfortably easy to place yourself in the shoes of someone who was accused of something they had nothing to do with. The catharsis, of course, comes from the accused overcoming the odds and actually finding a certain level of justice and understanding.

The problem is that the movie is limply directed, once again by "Taken 2" auteur Olivier Megaton, so nothing seems to matter. You would think that the stakes couldn't be higher, although everything is photographed with the wistful negligence and technical expertise of a daytime soap opera or a commercial for laundry detergent. The propulsive drive of this kind of story simply isn't there; everything feels slack and lazy.

Most of this isn't the fault of the performers. Neeson is, yet again, the epitome of composed cool and fierce determination; he's a hulking physical presence but never brutish, his eyes glitter with fiery intelligence and every movement suggests tightly coiled, barely contained rage. When a police officer mutters that, "This is going to end badly for you," Neeson blinks and says (in that beautifully gravelly delivery), "Don't be such a pessimist." Yes Liam Neeson yes.

It's just that the script, co-written by series overseer Luc Besson and his writing partner Robert Mark Kamen, gives Neeson (and Whitaker and sweaty series newcomer Dougray Scott, who delivers every line in a weirdly timed, Christopher Walken-esque cadence) precious little to do. Frantic action sequences pop up every once in a while, but Megaton shoots them with little regard for spatial relationships or more generalized geography. So people run into other people and cars crash into other cars, but you can't tell exactly who is running or crashing into who.. The actors try desperately to add some weight to these sequences, but they're so joyless and confusing that they barely register as complete scenes. Instead they're just a series of images that flit by without narrative importance or emotional resonance. (The less said about a clumsy, out-of-left-field subplot involving the unplanned pregnancy of Neeson's college-aged daughter, played by 31-year-old actress Maggie Grace, the better.)

Honestly, it didn't have to be this way. Besson is certainly capable of turning trashy material into world-class entertainment (as with last year's wonderful "Lucy") and Neeson continues to be one of the most compelling action heroes we've seen on screen in years, particularly in his team-ups with filmmakers like Joe Carnahan and Jaume Collet-Serra. But any chance of a celebratory send-off to the "Taken" series (if this is, indeed, that, since the conclusion certainly leaves room for a fourth film down the line) is dashed by "Taken 3's" utterly lackluster execution.

"Taken" was never envisioned as a franchise and this third film makes it very apparent why. Even a cracking good story, repeated too many times, robs it of its power, even if that story is growled at you by Liam Neeson.

Bottom line: Only Neeson die-hards need apply. This doesn't do a satisfactory job of wrapping up the franchise or providing much entertainment value at all. Instead, download Neeson's recent, brilliant, wholly overlooked detective movie "A Walk Among the Tombstones."

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Liam Neeson Prank Called Maggie Grace's Ex

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Liam Neeson has been working the protective father angle for several years now, which makes this story Maggie Grace told Conan O'Brien all the better. Grace has been playing his imperiled daughter since "Taken" came out in 2008, and through the years, they've developed a nice father-daughter bond. Naturally, when she confessed she was a touch heartbroken over an ex-boyfriend (or, as she describes it, "kind of a hot mess") he sprung into action.

"[Liam] said, like, 'This can't be. We have to set this kid straight. What should we do?' So we called him at his office." Sure enough, they have the audio file ready to go, and boy howdy, it's not the type of call we'd like to receive.

"Your first mistake was dating out of your league," Neeson growls, later adding, "You see, I have a particular set of skills. And I don't want to waste them on you."

Whether the ex-boyfriend was really pranked or we're the ones being pranked, you'll want to check this out.



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Sarah Wayne Callies Loves These 5 Movies Based on True Stories

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Former "The Walking Dead" star Sarah Wayne Callies has been busy since her days on cable's biggest show -- particularly on the big screen. Besides starring in last summer's "Into the Storm" and the upcoming horror flick "The Other Side of the Door," the actress can be seen in the dramatic thriller "Black November," out today.

Inspired by real events, "Black November" tells the story of an oil-rich Nigerian community that wages war against an oil corporation to protect their land from destruction. Written and directed by Jeta Amata, the gripping film features Callies opposite stars Kim Basinger, Anne Heche, Wyclef Jean, and Mickey Rourke.

In anticipation for her new movie, the actress told Moviefone her 5 favorite movies based on true stories -- complete with commentary from Callies herself!

"Black November" arrives in theaters and is available on VOD & iTunes today.

Sarah Wayne Callies 5WorthWatching Moviefone

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'Grand Budapest Hotel,' 'Birdman' Top BAFTA Noms

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced its nominees for this year's awards, and the list is loaded with noms for "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Wes Anderson's dizzying confection received 11 nominations, including best actor for Ralph Fiennes, best film, and best original screenplay. "Birdman" and "The Theory of Everything" got 10 noms each, with "The Imitation Game" was hot on their heels with nine. Whew!

Weirdly enough, "Selma" and "Unbroken" are both missing. The critically acclaimed "Selma" opens nationwide today.

Here's the full list of nominees:

Leading Actress:
Amy Adams, "Big Eyes"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Leading Actor:
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

British Film:
"'71"
"The Imitation Game"
"Paddington"
"Pride"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Under the Skin"

Best Film:
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"The Theory of Everything"

Animated Film:
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"The Lego Movie"

Documentary:
"20 Feet from Stardom"
"20,000 Days on Earth"
"Citizenfour"
"Finding Vivian Maier"
"Virunga"

Director:
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Richard Linklater
Wes Anderson
James Marsh
Damien Chazelle

Original Screenplay:
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Nightcrawler"
"Whiplash"

Adapted Screenplay:
"American Sniper"
"Gone Girl"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Paddington"
"The Imitation Game"

Supporting Actor:
Edward Norton
Ethan Hawke
J.K. Simmons
Mark Ruffalo
Steve Carell

Supporting Actress:
Emma Stone
Imelda Staunton
Keira Knightley
Rene Russo
Patricia Arquette

[Via Deadline]

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Get Ready: 'Further Adventures in Babysitting' Is Finally Coming

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Chris Columbus' "Adventures in Babysitting" is one of those Disney movies that is really quite good but gets glossed over a lot of the time because it wasn't a big hit when it was released and the studio has never really gotten behind it since (although, somewhat surprisingly, a high definition 25th anniversary edition was released on Blu-ray). While a sequel or remake or something has been floated around over the past decade, with both Raven Symone and Miley Cyrus having been linked to the project, it looks like things are finally getting underway on a proper follow-up (according to AdWeek). That's right folks, coming soon to the Disney Channel is.... "Further Adventures in Babysitting."

Set to debut in 2016, almost 30 years after the original film was released (shortly after Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg came to Disney and injected fresh blood and a new sensibility), "Further Adventures in Babysitting" will star Sabrina Carpenter (who stars in Disney Channel's hit series "Girl Meets World") and Sofa Carson (of upcoming Disney Channel project "Descendants"), it's unknown as to whether or not Elisabeth Shue will make an appearance, although considering how rarely you see her, it's probably not out of the question. This new film will be written by Tiffany Paulsen and directed by John Schultz ("Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer"); the original was directed by "Gremlins" writer and future "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" filmmaker Columbus and produced by John Carpenter confederate Debra Hill.

Considering the first film was set in Chicago but largely photographed in Toronto, you can probably expect the same level of obvious cheapness for this new, direct-to-cable production. Hopefully it will have the heart and strangeness of the original, too. Another interesting thing to think about: in the first film there's a character who is obsessed with the comic book titan Thor (and a character the babysitter and the kids meet up with resembles the hero) and now Disney owns Marvel who owns the character. Chris Hemsworth cameo, anyone?



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Watchers on the Wall: 'Game of Thrones' and the Crumbling Barrier Between TV and Movies

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There's surely no better place than an IMAX screen to watch a story about a 700-foot-high wall.

But the announcement this week that the two most recent "Game of Thrones" episodes (the epic ice battle episode "The Watchers on the Wall" and the shocking Season 4 finale "The Children") and a Season 5 trailer are coming to IMAX screens on Jan. 23 brings to mind another wall under assault -- the increasingly academic wall between movies and TV.

Granted, it makes sense for HBO to give theatergoers a healthy helping of its popular swords-and-skin fantasy series. After all, as large as George R.R. Martin's saga looms in pop culture chatter, there's still a majority of Americans who don't subscribe to the premium cable channel and haven't seen the show. The IMAX event is a good way to mobilize both newbies and longtime fans and to get both groups primed for this spring's new season. Plus, what longtime "GoT" fan wouldn't want to see two of the series most cinematic episodes on the biggest possible screen?

And yet, the the booking seems a surprising decision, at least for the theater owners. Aren't these the same people who've been trying for years to get us off our living room couches by promising us an experience we can't get from our increasingly theatrical-quality home entertainment systems? They're trying to pry us away from our TVs by offering us.... TV?

Still, let's face it, the movies have been becoming more TV-like all the time. Hollywood's big movie franchises, especially the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, are essentially long episodes in an over-arching, continuous narrative. The endless parade of movie trailers and ads for local and national merchants you have to sit through before the show seems more and more like watching commercials that you can't fast-forward or click away from. You can think of the seat-side meal service that many theaters now offer evening patrons as TV dinners writ large. Some theaters house regular pay-per-view events, like boxing matches, opera productions, and concerts. As theaters with digital projectors grow to rely more on satellite transmission of content and less on portable disk drives containing prints of feature films, they'll essentially become broadcast receivers, showing what is essentially satellite TV on very large flat-screens. So the "Game of Thrones" booking is just one more step toward the increasing TV-ification of cinema.

Conversely, what you watch at home is becoming more and more cinematic. Or at least how we used to think of cinema -- larger-than-life storytelling about people with big personalities coping with extreme situations. Besides "Game of Thrones," think "The Walking Dead," "How to Get Away With Murder," "American Horror Story," "Homeland," "Hannibal" (inspired, of course, by a popular movie series), and many others. Truly ambitious TV writers are crafting series with short seasons and closed-ended narratives like "True Detective" and "Fargo" (also inspired by a popular film) that play like complete films in bite-size chunks, complete with actual movie stars aboard (Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman). TV programmers have been boasting for years now that they've picked up the mantle that the film industry has all but abandoned and made TV a home for adventurous, complex, grown-up storytelling.

Lately, however, it seems that TV is becoming more like what the movies are now: desperate attempts to latch on to old brand names in the hope of generating hits from the familiar and comfortable and slowing the attrition of a youthful demographic increasingly uninterested in what the medium has to offer. Two weeks ago, Time magazine noted that the TV channels (network, basic cable, and premium alike) have an aggregate of at least 20 series currently in development based on old movies. Some are beloved hit films like "Big," "Hitch," "Minority Report," "Scream," "Rush Hour," "Marley & Me," "The Odd Couple" (already adapted to TV at least twice) and "Shutter Island" (the series will be a prequel called "Ashecliffe"). Others are cult favorites ("Bachelor Party," "Devil's Advocate," "Limitless," "Real Genius," "The Illusionist," "School of Rock," "Shooter," and SyFy's soon-to-debut "12 Monkeys"). But some are movies that no one really liked the first time around but that still have familiar names ("Monster-in-Law," "In Good Company"), which is apparently all you need to guarantee that there's a built-in audience, no matter how small. One adaptation, "Uncle Buck," was already tried as a series 25 years ago, and even though it didn't work then, someone thinks it can work now. And most meta of all is a TV version of "The Truman Show." For all the talk of a current TV golden age, this sort of programming suggests the kind of creative bankruptcy that we've come to complain about in Hollywood filmmaking.

Further complicating things are streaming services like Netflix, making no real distinction between movies and TV and in fact making them seem more alike. Either way, you're watching at your own convenience, not according to the schedule of the movie theater or the TV network, and you're probably watching on a handheld screen that's not really optimal for either TV or movies. And while you could watch individual episodes of TV shows, you're encouraged to binge-watch, turning each season of a TV series into a very long movie.

If you're an older viewer, these paradoxes may make your head hurt. But there's a younger generation of viewers who must take these paradoxes in stride. To them, the distinctions among all forms of on-screen entertainment have become increasingly meaningless. Whether you watch your story on a giant IMAX screen or your three-inch smartphone, it's all TV eventually.

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Watch: New 'Chappie' Trailer Shows A Darker Side to the Robot Tale (VIDEO)

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The first trailer for "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp's robo-fable "Chappie" made it seem like a sweet, humorous riff on the same kind of existential conundrums that have defined science fiction stories that center around artificial intelligence. (Also: it looked kind of like "Short Circuit 2.") With the new trailer for the March 6th release gives you a deeper sense of the world and emphasizes the story's darker elements, which is odd since we've heard that it's easily the filmmaker's funniest movie to date.

In the world of "Chappie," set in the near future, robotic police officers have been deployed in war-torn South Africa. On one side of the debate is a corrupt law enforcer (Hugh Jackman) and on the other, a deeply feeling scientist (Dev Patel). The titular robot (Sharlto Copley) is "the new step in evolution," and one that is kidnapped and partially raised by two thugs (played by South African rap group Die Antwoord). It looks violent and weird and very, very heavily indebted to "Robocop" (none of that is a bad thing).

The marketing department behind "Chappie" still hasn't given a great representation of what the film will be, tonally, but that's always a problem with Blomkamp's films. Hopefully this will be a lot livelier than his last film, the bloated studio movie "Elysium." And despite some mild hesitation (and the fact that our girlfriend is very confused by all things "Chappie"), this film looks like it could be really, really special.



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'Inherent Vice' Review: A Strange Trip Worth Taking

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INHERENT VICE 2014 Warner Bros film with Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix"Inherent Vice" ends in the way it begins, waves in the distance crashing on the beach. The image looks like an old photograph, not as slick or glossy as "The Master" Kodachrome sheen, but a grainer, mustier look. Over top the image of that hill sliding into the ocean, we hear the soothing voice of Joanna Newsom telling us about Doc (Joaquin Phoenix). We soon meet him -- frumpy hat, army-green jacket, mutton chop beard and dazed look in faraway-staring eyes.

There's a mystery of sorts, a case for Doc to solve. He has an ex-girlfriend, you see, this lady named Shasta (Katherine Waterston) who's all suntan and wet eyes, someone who needs some help to find out what's what. She's turned to the one guy that didn't let her down. From there we learn about the vagaries of maritime law, how getting pancakes is a form of respect, why the keyboard player from Spotted Dick is relevant, and, most importantly, how improving a sax solo vs. simply repeating the second and third chorus can be revelatory for a practitioner of surf sax.

Are you OK? You don't seem OK.
Yeah, man I'm cool. And "Inherent Vice" is pretty cool, too. It's dense, sure, but it's also very much sets itself along a groove. So, yeah, by any formal aesthetic or definition, Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film is "groovy."

I see what you did there.
Right on, man.

So, Joaquin Phoenix again, huh?
Let's be clear, the guy's a hell of a performer, and here he's almost as intoxicating while acting intoxicated as he was in the previous Anderson outing. All things "Vice" stem from the Thomas Pynchon novel, and while I can't claim to have read the book, there's a delightful literary bent to the piece that Phoenix manages to bring forth.

He's joined by a slew of fantastic performers, topped by a square-topped, Fred Flinstone-looking cop played by Josh Brolin. The yang to Doc's yin, this symbiotic character is very much at the heart (or the tooth) of what passes for plot in this wild and crazy ride.

Michael Kenneth Williams makes a brief appearance, as does Hong Chau (who was terrific on "Treme") and Eric Roberts. Yet the interplay between Doc and Shasta, played flawlessly by Katherine Waterston, provides the film some of its most electric and eclectic moments.

So, wait, this is a mystery? I still don't get it, you're just babbling.
Like waves in the ocean, you have to let this stuff flow over you, man. The film is fuzzy. It's not going to give all it can give on first watch, and for many that will be annoying as hell. This is a perfect example of a film you shouldn't try to get ahead of, since we're following a protagonist who himself must struggle with the cobwebs that cloud his comprehension.

It's anathema to those who'll be annoyed the first time, but this really is a film that needs a couple viewings to really get into its vibe. This is not to say that its density is making a deeper profundity. This is no "Big Lebowski" -- that Coen masterpiece is superficially silly and stupid, but deeply, intensely profound. "Vice" is superficially dense but on repeated viewing actually quite elegant and concise, far more a character study than a deep insight into the human condition.

Many will not have the patience for trying to find out just what's up with Doc, and that will be a shame. For "Inherent Vice" is, at its core, a lot of fun.

So I have to see this thing twice to get it?
Well, at least. I'm not saying the first time around isn't highly enjoyable, but we humans have a tendency to want to set things in order, and disorder becomes discomforting. "Vice" revels in the disorder, and this unsettling due to unsettlement is greatly ameliorated when you just don't really care about "plot" and can sit back and worry about "character." That's what a multiple viewing does in this elliptical film.

But you're not even making me want to see it once, let alone twice.
Well, here's a pro tip: go in, and let things simply unfold. If you find yourself confused or anxious because it all seems like a scattered mess, calm yourself. There's method here for sure, but, really, much of this is about going along with what's going on. Enjoy the tunes -- a couple from Neil Young and Kraut/prog band Can, as well as a deliciously epic use of Minnie Ripperton's "Les Fleurs." Minnie's daughter (and wife of Anderson) is in the film too, and when Maya Rudolph sits there and treats Doc's patients with patience, it's a beautiful thing.

I'm not convinced.
Many won't be. Yet Anderson's latest is a total gem, with wonderful dialogue ripped from the pages of its source, and assured direction that really does make more sense than at first appears. There's a scene down by the docks where Doc is trapped in fog, the most clear visual metaphor for the film. There are shapes there in the distance you can make out, and when you get a bit closer, you see that really this is a film about helping a guy get back to his kid, while righting some wrongs that happened to the partner of a colleague. Along the way, we meet Nazis and socialites and baseball bat-wielding goons, and eat an astonishing number of pizzas.

Having seen this thing three times (and counting) I can humbly proclaim that "Inherent Vice" is one of the best films of the year. Sure, that's cheating as we're only a few weeks in, but it also made my best-of list for 2014 since it came out in time for Oscar eligibility. So that means it might be one of the best films of this year and last year.

Far out, huh?

"Inherent Vice" is now playing in theatres.



'Inherent Vice': Maybe You Shouldn't Be Driving Then - Clip

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Liam Neeson Facts: 30 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Action Star

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Liam Neeson FactsFrom humble Irish beginnings to full-fledged Hollywood stardom, Liam Neeson has had a whirlwind career.

Heck, he even reinvented the action hero.

Coming up in the '80s, Neeson enjoyed moderate success on stage and screen. It was his star turn in a 1992 production of "Anna Christie," however, that inadvertently catapulted him to fame. After seeing a performance of the Broadway play, Steven Spielberg cast Neeson in his now acclaimed "Schindler's List" (1993) and made the Irishman a Hollywood leading man. This winter, Neeson is back as another noble ass-kicker in the action movie "Taken 3."

From his early influences to his own fighting prowess, here are 30 things you probably don't know about Liam Neeson.

1. Liam John Neeson was born June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

2. His mother was a cook, while his father was a caretaker at a local primary school.

3. Neeson was one of four children, and the only boy.

4. He and his siblings were raised Roman Catholic. Believe it or not, he was even named after the local priest!

5. When he was only 9 years old, Neeson began taking boxing lessons. He eventually became a boxing champion in his province.

6. He had his last fight at 17.

7. Neeson took to the stage at an early age, too. At 11 years old, Neeson accepted his teacher's offer to be the lead in a school play.

8. Turns out, he only said yes because he had a crush on one of his co-stars.

9. Neeson's interest in acting was largely influenced by a local minister. "He had a magnificent presence and it was incredible to watch this six foot-plus man just bible-thumping away."

10. Before deciding to pursue acting professionally, Neeson enrolled in Queen's University Belfast and studied physics and computer science.

11. After a stint at University, he took up a variety of odd jobs. He even worked at Guinness Brewery for a time as a fork-lift operator.

12. In 1978, Neeson moved to Dublin to focus on acting professionally. The young actor found success on the stage and worked with the Project Arts Centre and the Abbey Theatre (the National Theatre of Ireland).

13. Around the same time, Neeson made his film debut in the religious film "Pilgrim's Progress" (1978).

14. The Irish actor worked consistently throughout the 1980s, starring in both theater and screen productions. His most notable performances were in "The Bounty" (1984) opposite Mel Gibson and in "The Mission" (1986) opposite Robert De Niro.

15. He even guest-starred in a 1986 episode of the hit series "Miami Vice."

16. In 1992, Neeson's career changed forever. After Steven Spielberg saw the actor in "Anna Christie" on Broadway, he cast him in the Holocaust docudrama "Schindler's List" (1993).

17. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture and also earned Neeson a nomination for Best Actor.

18. To date, Neeson has been nominated for three Golden Globes and one Oscar. He has yet to take home a statue.

19. He was also earned a Tony award nomination for his starring role in "Anna Christie."

20. One of the most in-demand actors of the '90s, Neeson was cast in the highly-anticipated "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999).

21. Today, the actor has launched a new chapter in his career as an action star with hits such as "Taken" (2008) and "The Grey" (2011).

22. At one point, Neeson was set to play the title role in "Lincoln" and, therefore, reunite with Spielberg. With several production delays, the actor considered himself too old for the part and Daniel Day-Lewis took over.

23. Previously, Day-Lewis and Neeson starred (and fought) opposite one another in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002).

24. As for his personal life, Neeson lived with actress Helen Mirren in the early 1980s.

25. They met while filming "Excalibur" (1981).

26. Neeson was later married to actress Natasha Richardson from 1994 to 2009.

27. The two met while co-starring in the 1993 Broadway production of "Anna Christie."

28. The couple raised two boys together, Micheál (b. 1995) and Daniel (b. 1996).

29. Tragically, Richardson died following a skiing accident in 2009.

30. Bonus Fact: Neeson is the son-in-law of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson.

[Sources: IMDb, Wikipedia]

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Will Arnett Promises 'Lego Batman Movie' Is 'Mind-Boggling' (VIDEO)

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Last year's "The Lego Movie" wasn't just a total masterpiece and a box office smash - it was also the inadvertent beginning to an entire building blocks-based franchise. There's the "Ninjago" movie opening in the fall of 2016 and, at some point, a proper sequel to "The Lego Movie." But maybe the most exciting film in this crop is "The Lego Batman Movie," starring everyone's favorite moody Dark Knight (a breakout character from "The Lego Movie") that already has a prime May 26th, 2017 release date. MTV News caught up with "Lego Movie" directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord and Batman voice actor Will Arnett at the National Board of Review gala, and asked where, exactly, the film was.

When MTV reporter (and "Top Five" co-star) Josh Horowitz asked the team if different eras of Batman would be incorporated into the new film, Lord shot back after hesitating briefly. "No spoilers... But I will say I think the movie is really exciting because it's about 'Can Batman be happy?'"

Both filmmakers and Arnett also chimed in that the action set pieces are genuinely dazzling. "The first bit that I've seen was mind-boggling," Arnett interjected. (For the record, Lord and Miller are only producing, with "Lego Movie" animation supervisor Chris McKay directing from a script by "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" writer Seth Grahame-Smith.) Watch the video below and prepare to get really, really excited.

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Watch: New Trailer Shows That Liam Neeson Will 'Run All Night' (VIDEO)

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This weekend, moviegoers around the country will undoubtedly line up for Liam Neeson in the third (and supposedly final) "Taken" film - and while those moviegoers wait for "Taken 3" will be given an extra jolt of Neeson-related ass-kickery in the form of the new trailer for "Run All Night." And it's really, really cool.

In "Run All Night," Neeson plays a former hit man (his nickname was "The Gravedigger," so you know he was good) who intervenes when a killer is sent to murder his son (Joel Kinnaman from the "Robocop" reboot). That puts him in the crosshairs not only of his gangland former employer (Ed Harris), as well as a squadron of crooked cops (led by Vincent D'Onofrio). So that's the incredibly catchy synopsis: one night, Neeson and his estranged son against killers, thugs, and crooked cops. It's going to be awesome.

"Run All Night" marks the third collaboration between Neeson and his "Unknown" and "Non-Stop" director Jaume Collet-Serra. Their collaborations have always been top-tier entertainment and "Run All Night," with its delicious premise and hard R-rating, looks like it could be their finest hour yet. Watch the trailer and tell us if you're ready to "Run All Night."



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'After the Ball' Trailer: Portia Doubleday Pulls 'Double' Duty in Fashion Fairy Tale (VIDEO)

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'After The Ball' Trailer


The things we do for fashion!

"After the Ball" is a modern-day fairy tale set in the world of fashion, starring Portia Doubleday ("Youth in Revolt," "Her") Marc-André Grondin ("Goon"), Chris Noth ("Sex and the City"), Lauren Holly ("Dumb & Dumber), Mimi Kuzyk, and Carlo Rota. The light-hearted movie is directed by Sean Garrity ("My Awkward Sexual Adventure").

"After the Ball," which features elements of "Cinderella" and "Twelfth Night," takes place in the contemporary fashion industry. Kate's (Doubleday) dream is to design for couturier houses. Although she's a bright new talent, she can't get a job. No one trusts the daughter of Lee Kassell (Noth), a retail guru who markets clothes "inspired" by the very designers Kate wants to work for. Who wants a spy among the sequins and stilettos?

Reluctantly, Kate joins the family business where she must navigate around her duplicitous stepmother (Holly) and two "wicked" stepsisters. With the help of a prince of a guy in the shoe department (Grodin), her godmother's vintage clothes and a shocking switch of identities, Kate exposes the evil trio, saves her father's company -- and proves that everyone can wear a fabulous dress.

"After the Ball" opens in theatres across Canada on February 27.

after the ball


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Best of Late Night TV: Matt LeBlanc Brings Back Dr. Drake Ramoray and Lena Dunham Plays Pictionary (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.

Lena Dunham is making the late night rounds to promote the upcoming season of "Girls," and you better believe she stopped by "The Tonight Show" for some real talk and a game of Pictionary. Hilarious, adorable and worth watching for Jimmy's completely horrifying drawing of a foot long hot dog.


Lena also chatted to Jimmy about (what else?) feminism, and revealed that Howard Stern of all people turns out to be an outspoken feminist. But before you start thinking Howard and Lena are BFF, keep in mind that Lena once told him that he looked like a "cartoon of a female Jewish horse."

We have a new reason to wake up in the morning, because "Friends" was just added to the Netflix roster. You can only imagine how excited the cast is (uhm, kinda), and Matt LeBlanc appeared on "Late Night" to chat about the show that made him famous. Joey forever!

Speaking of Joey, Matt also reprised his "Friends" role-within-a-role as Dr. Drake Ramoray, a leader in neuroscience. Bless you, Dr. Drake.


Over on "Jimmy Kimmel," Joaquin Phoenix decided to hijack his interview to muse on how he has a huge crush on Amy Poehler, and is nervous to see her during the Golden Globes. Unfortunately Amy has a boyfriend -- but watch your back Nick Kroll. Joaquin is coming for you.

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