tagged w/ Woody Harrelson
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Turns out director Joe Johnston wasn't satisfied with the same ol' same ol' to explain why Benicio Del Toro is waxing all hairy and toothy in The Wolfman. Nope, no simple stroll-on-the-moors, random-wolf-bite, go-wild-at-moonrise for Toro's Lawrence Talbot. Instead, a family curse has been thrown into the mix, all the better to generate a piquant sense of doom even before Larry manifests an irrepressible urge to howl.
The curse that trips its way through the branches of a family tree is a great means to get to an audience's gut. We are, after all, consigned to what we're handed by our forebears, and whether such inheritances stem from genetics or upbringing, most of us have a vested interest in seeing if a protagonist can escape his/her own destiny. Pushing into the background our own concerns over those pentagram-shaped birthmarks on our hips, we started checking out all the ways that filmmakers have managed to bequeath their characters the gifts that keep on giving (and that rank as a bit more dire than thinning hairlines or thickening bellies).
Here, then, we offer up Family Be Damned: Top 10 Cursed Movie Characters. Warning: You might want to consider DNA screening afterward:
http://www.reelzchannel.com/article/997/family-be-damned-top-10-cursed-movie-charactersTurns out director Joe Johnston wasn't satisfied with the same ol' same... more
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For over a decade, Newsweek has gathered selected Oscar nominees for a roundtable interview. This year, the magazine features Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson and newcomers Gabourey Sidibe & Carey Mulligan discussing love, marriage, foot fetishes, being famous, 'Avatar' and more.
http://www.examiner.com/x-1486-LA-Personalities-Examiner~y2010m2d9-Oscars-acting-class-of-2010-gathers-for-Newsweeks-annual-roundtable-interviewFor over a decade, Newsweek has gathered selected Oscar nominees for a roundtable... more
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Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox take a peek at what's coming up this weekend including From Paris with Love, Dear John, & Frozen. Also, new on DVD, is The House of the Devil, Amelia, & Zombieland.
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: http://rottentomatoesshow.com
For more about movies from Current: http://current.com/movieBrett Erlich and Ellen Fox take a peek at what's coming up this weekend including... more
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Jimmy Kimmel Live - The first part of Jimmy's interview with Woody Harrelson, who talks about getting married, and being a vegan,Jimmy Kimmel Live - The first part of Jimmy's interview with Woody Harrelson, who... more
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Part of what allowed Moverman to interact so easily with his actors is that they respected his military experiences. He was born in Israel. He attended high school in the States when his banker-father was transferred here. But he returned to Israel to fulfill his military commitment, serving as a paratrooper for five years, from the age of 18 to 22, in Lebanon and the occupied territories.
That experience “informed me in terms of what I believed was an understanding of the military and an understanding of the emotional landscape of soldiers’ existence. I have direct experience with the subject emotionally and the mindset of the soldier coming home.”
Last week of two DVD giveaway contests. Enter @ filmsoundoff.comPart of what allowed Moverman to interact so easily with his actors is that they... more
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writa
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added this
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3 years ago
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http://www.thefilmtalk.com/2009/11/15/ben-foster-interview-podcast-the-box-the-messenger/
Actor Ben Foster, (X-Men 3 / 3:10 to Yuma / 6 Feet Under) is interviewed in this podcast about his experience of making the extraordinary new film 'The Messenger’ why he wants listeners to write a romantic comedy for him, and the quality of Woody Harrelson’s grass.
Click the link above to listen.http://www.thefilmtalk.com/2009/11/15/ben-foster-interview-podcast-the-box-the-messenge... more
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Surely you must have known watching Say Anything -- 20 years ago now -- that John Cusack would be our guy to save humanity from the brink of extinction. I think the Mayans may have predicted it as well. Almost certainly the Hopis did. And clearly his sister Joan had no doubts.
All the necessary skills are there -- slacker tendencies, but the ability to step up in the clutch; shaggy exterior, but cleans up nicely; right on cue with a wisecrack regardless of how dire the circumstances. Forget Neo, J.C.’s The One.
Your comments are welcome on filmsoundoff.comSurely you must have known watching Say Anything -- 20 years ago now -- that John... more
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writa
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added this
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3 years ago
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Zombieland was supposed to be a TV show on CBS. But when the network ditched the series — the fools! — Zombieland was made into a movie. Leaving tons of material for sequels. Which the writers revealed to us.
We spoke with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick all about the long journey this zombie epic made from television to film. We learned what changed, and how many more zombie movies these two guys have in their brains.
How much did the film change over the years?
Rhett Reese: It's surprisingly similar, interestingly. It underwent multiple devolopment experiences. We wrote it as a TV pilot and sold it to CBS, and they had a lot of notes, which we addressed. And then when they decided to not make the pilot we unaddressed a lot of them. We went back to what we had, because we liked it more. In most cases. In a few cases we kept what they added because they did have some good notes.
Paul Wernick: Interestingly the last bit of the movie is essentially episode two of the TV show.
Rhett Reese: When we decided to expand into a feature we took what we thought supposed to be episode two and we plugged it in. And the big change that we made when it became a movie was that Ruben [Fleischer] our director wanted to set the third act at an amusement park. Originally it was set as a big huge fight at a gas station. But it's awfully similar strangely.
Paul Wernick: Strangely and wonderfully.
Is there a Zombieland 2 in the works?
Rhett Reese: We don't know it all depends on how the first one does. So grab your friends, and make them cast their vote for Zombieland 2 by buying a ticket to Zombieland 1.
Paul Wernick: We've got some really fun ideas. And interestingly the last day of the movie, Woody told us that, "I generally never go back to a world, I don't love sequels, but this is one I would be honored to do." So pending the movie doing well and everyone being excited and loving it. As we hope they will, we'd love to do it.
Rhett Reese: And we'll take what we intended to be episode three of the television show and start movie number two.
Paul Wernick: We got a 23 episode season in our head. So divided by two that's about 12 movies in our head swimming around.
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I don't know about 12 movies, but I could definitely go back at least one or two more times to see some more Zombieland action. I just hope the quality wouldn't drop off.
What do you think? Was one enough, or would you see more?Zombieland was supposed to be a TV show on CBS. But when the network ditched the... more
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Jorge Carreon has your passport into "Zombieland" for Examiner.com. With audiences eating up the outrageous zom-com movie hit of the season, this special edition of Personalities Interviews offers the second part of a lively insider’s tour of with the stars and filmmakers.Jorge Carreon has your passport into "Zombieland" for Examiner.com. With... more
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A spirited discussion/argument between the hosts about Zombieland and Capitalism - films worth seeing or dull and bland movies to avoid?A spirited discussion/argument between the hosts about Zombieland and Capitalism -... more
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"For a moment there, it seemed as if first time filmmaker Ruben Fleischer was showing Quentin Tarantino that he's not the only person who can copy Sergio Leone westerns. But then just as quickly, Zombieland abandons the modern Western in an undead world motif (seen: John Carpenter's Vampires, From Dusk till Dawn), and becomes its own thing, which actually turns out pretty good.
Horror comedy is a tricky genre as it is. Wringing laughs from horror and murder and death and gore is not a popular thing among the people, and is hard to do, especially for an extended period of time. It helps to add another element to help stretch things out (like the romantic comedy element of Shaun of the Dead), and while the filmmakers threatened to make this added element spaghetti western, it actually became more of a coming of age type of deal."
read the rest at the link = http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7322-Orlando-Movie-Examiner~y2009m10d3-Review-Zombieland"For a moment there, it seemed as if first time filmmaker Ruben Fleischer was... more
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Zombieland offers no poignant allegories on mankind’s disruption of the natural order of things, nor any indictment of the military-industrial complex. It gleefully revels in the full, unfettered joy of reeling back and teeing off on a zombie’s head with the business end of a banjo.Zombieland offers no poignant allegories on mankind’s disruption of the natural... more
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writa
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3 years ago
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Emma Stone (Superbad, The Rocker) and Jesse Eisenberg (Squid & the Whale, Adventureland) take over Current for a half hour of Zombieland-goodness, zombie history & trivia, quizzes, interviews with each other AND the answers to the questions you posted on Current.com.Emma Stone (Superbad, The Rocker) and Jesse Eisenberg (Squid & the Whale,... more
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Were they to exist, zombies would be hard to ignore. Scripts about these flesh-eating creatures are real, though, and it seems they're easier to push aside. Especially if you're an actor who does his best to ignore such movies.
"The one genre I don't watch is horror," says Woody Harrelson. "I get nightmares. For some reason, it really scares me."
Just to get the Oscar-nominated actor to read the script to "Zombieland," the title of which could lead any star to believe humans were secondary, was a chore for his agent. "I was like, 'Zombies, dude? Really?' " Harrelson says. "Then, finally, I read it and thought it was just phenomenal. [They're] more of a backdrop that brings all these characters together."
Opening Friday, the post-apocalyptic "Zombieland" has its share of splatter-rich mayhem and raving paragons of anatomical decay filmed in loving slow-motion. But at its heart, it's a personality-driven action comedy in which Harrelson's daring, quick-trigger character, Tallahassee -- a tough guy whose sense of loss drives him to daredevil zombie-destroying -- reluctantly teams up with a nervous young man known as Columbus ("Adventureland" star Jesse Eisenberg), who staves off fear (and survives) by adhering to his personal set of undead-avoidance rules.
Like Harrelson, Eisenberg -- normally drawn to such movies as "The Squid and the Whale," where emotions, as opposed to cannibalistic renderings, induce squirms -- had to be prodded into reading Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick's screenplay. He then discovered something more shocking than the de rigueur violence. "I realized this was better than most independent dramas I had at the time," says Eisenberg, "and had more authentic and well-rounded characters than many movies that focus only on characters. The movie can sustain itself without having to scare people."
First-time director Ruben Fleischer took pains to assure his cast -- which also includes Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a pair of survival-shrewd sisters -- that crunchy gore, terror, laughs and human beings could commingle effectively.
"Because you invest in the characters, that's why we're able to go in all these directions," says Fleischer, who believes "Zombieland," which follows its protagonists as they make their way across the country to a West Coast amusement park, is closer in tone and spirit to strangers-on-a-road-trip movies such as "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" and "Midnight Run" than sustained-mood chillers like the original zombie masterpiece, George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." "The buddy-comedy aspect is what excited me about it. It's the classic odd couple, the brains and the brawn..."Were they to exist, zombies would be hard to ignore. Scripts about these flesh-eating... more
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Jorge Carreon blogs that somewhere between “Dawn of the Dead” and “Shaun of the Dead,” film audiences will find the road show of the season known as “Zombieland.” Special Personalities correspondent Adrienne Gruben provides a lively look into life with the undead with the film's screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.Jorge Carreon blogs that somewhere between “Dawn of the Dead” and... more
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Woody Harrelson and some "zombies" paraded through Times Square to promote Harrelson's upcoming film "Zombieland."Woody Harrelson and some "zombies" paraded through Times Square to promote... more
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The Zombieland stars are gracing us with their presence and Zombie killing skills on Wednesday. Got a question for Emma or Jesse or both? Post it below. EXTRA points for video questions.
Don't forget to leave your name, age and where you're from!
(P.S. I saw Zombieland already and am freaking out a little about how good it is and how much fun we had watching it)
(P.P.S. You don't just have to ask about Zombies!)
Thanks for all of your questions, guys! We just shot the Takeover with Jesse and Emma, they answered a bunch of your questions and were hilarious.
The show premieres next Thursday at 11:30EST/8:30 PST.The Zombieland stars are gracing us with their presence and Zombie killing skills on... more
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The first trailer for Defendor was released this week and it is hilarious. Starring Woody Harrelson this is not your typical run-of-the-mill superhero movie.The first trailer for Defendor was released this week and it is hilarious. Starring... more
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