Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The 'Game of Thrones' Iron Throne Has a New Occupant ... Sort of

Premiere Of HBO's "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 - ArrivalsMove aside, Cersei Lannister.

The Iron Throne has been occupied by many a character over six seasons of the HBO hit drama "Game of Thrones," and a member of House Tyrell has just claimed it. Well, kind of. Finn Jones, the actor who portrayed the ill-fated Ser Loras Tyrell, recently took his turn atop the iconic chair at the Chicago "Game of Thrones" Behind the Scenes event.

The official "Game of Thrones" Twitter account tweeted a picture of Loras's short yet glorious stint in the much-coveted seat. The event took place in Chicago on Nov. 26 and 27 and gave die-hard fans the chance to try out "battle training" at Castle Black with virtual reality technology, revisit key Season 6 moments, view props and costumes, and learn more about visual effects. Oh, the FOMO.

We'll see the battle for the Iron Throne resume when Season 7 premieres next summer. TV gods, grant us patience.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fSQvlr
via IFTTT

Watch 'Assassin's Creed' Stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard Explain the Animus

If you have no idea what the Animus is, "Assassin's Creed" stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard have got you covered.

In a new featurette released Wednesday by 20th Century Fox, the actors explain the plot of their video-game-inspired film to the uninitiated, including answering the question of what exactly the Animus is.

Put simply, it is "a machine that allows somebody to revisit the lives of their ancestors," according to Fassbender. Cotillard builds on that description, explaining that the Animus allows subjects to "take the place of one of their ancestors" in the past. Basically, it's what she calls "genetic time travel."

The featurette shows just how powerful the technology is. We get to see Fassbender's character, Callum Lynch, enter the Animus, and it brings him back to Spanish inquisition. There, he takes over for his ancestor, an Assassin, and becomes a pawn in a centuries-old conflict between the Assassins and the Templar Order.

"It's just a fantastic concept," says Fassbender.

It definitely sounds and looks like it. Check out the featurette below to see for yourself.
"Assassin's Creed" hits theaters on Dec. 21.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fSOmGx
via IFTTT

Watch the New 'Sherlock' Season 4 Teaser: 'It's Not A Game Anymore'

A new case will be open soon, and "it's not a game anymore."

That cryptic message is the main takeaway from and the title of a new "Sherlock" Season 4 teaser trailer. The BBC dropped the short preview Wednesday in preparation for the show's January return. Before you get your hopes up too high, though, know that the teaser keeps a tight lid on any plot points to come. As always, any hints are ridiculously hard to figure out.

At least we get a look at our favorite crime-solving duo. The teaser shows Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) taking a moment to sit down together. Whether they're resting or working is anyone's guess, but it's still nice to get a peak.
The teaser doesn't offer much, but it will have to tide us over until the next time the BBC decides to drop us some breadcrumbs.

"Sherlock" Season 4 premieres Jan. 1 on PBS Masterpiece with the episode "The Six Thatchers."

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fMSUek
via IFTTT

Leah Remini and Scientology Score Big Ratings for A&E

The 2014 UNICEF Ball Presented By Baccarat - ArrivalsControversial though it may be, never let it be said that Scientology has zero appeal.

A&E saw big ratings with its new docuseries "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath." In fact, the show earned the network its highest-rated series launch since "Big Smo" in June 2014, according to Deadline. Tuesday's premiere episode brought in 2.1 million viewers, including 1.1 million in the 25 to 54 demographic. Clearly, there's interest in the religion -- even when it's just morbid fascination.

The eight-episode docuseries follows actress and ex-Scientologist Leah Remini as she investigates the experience of leaving the church. Not only does she have her own departure to draw on, she looks at what others have gone through, from regular members to former high-ranking officials. The stories they share aren't very pretty, but as the ratings indicate, they're compelling.

Remini serves as executive producer of the series through No Seriously Productions, working alongside Intellectual Property Corporation's Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman. Alex Weresow also executive produces, plus serves as showrunner.

We'll see if interest in "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" holds when the show continues on Tuesdays at 10/9c.

[via: Deadline]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gmbQUS
via IFTTT

Best Holiday Movies, Star Wars Hot Takes: CAN'T WAIT! Podcast Ep. 6

CAN'T WAIT! Podcast Ep. 6 - Best Holiday Movies, Star Wars Hot TakesThis week on "CAN'T WAIT!", Tim Hayne, Tony Maccio, Rachel Horner, and Phil Pirrello chat a bit about Netflix's new offline-viewing capability (pay us, Netflix!) and nerd out over the "Alien: Covenant" post and release date change. Tony makes the mistake of mentioning "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which sends Phil and Rachel into a hot take-fueled tailspin. As a result, Tim feels left out and uncomfortable, while Tony sits alone in his regret.

After an awkward segue, the conversation turns to holiday movies. Yay! We discuss our all-time favorite holiday flicks -- some traditional and some not-so-traditional -- with a few controversial picks in the mix. In the end, Tim reveals his Hallmark movie-loving inner 80-year-old, Rachel re-commits to "Grinch"-mas, Phil makes a startling Peanuts-related confession, and Tony just wants everyone to have a "White Christmas."

At the end of the podcast, Tim, Phil, Rachel, and Tony play Secret Santa, with each picking a name out of a hat. The Secret Santas then will gift (more like assign) a holiday movie to the giftee, who will watch it in preparation for the next episode. Be sure to tune in next time, when those picks -- and more hot takes -- will be revealed.

CAN'T WAIT! A Movie Lover's Podcast Episode 6

Here's the rundown:

  • Intro: 0:00 - 0:27
  • News: 0:27 - 11:16
  • Best holiday movies: 11:16 - 35:40
  • Announcements, housekeeping, and Secret Santa: 35:40 - 38:11

Total runtime: 38:11

Subscribe to the CAN'T WAIT! podcast:

Have thoughts/feelings/feedback about the podcast? Hit us up on Facebook and Twitter.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fSnPJl
via IFTTT

CBS Sets Midseason Premiere Dates For 'Training Day,' 'Survivor'

Training Day
CBS released its schedule for new and returning midseason shows, including the TV adaptation of "Training Day" and the next seasons of "Survivor" and "Amazing Race."

"Training Day" is set 15 years after the film, and stars Bill Paxton as the veteran police officer in the mold of Denzel Washington's character. Newcomer Justin Cornwell takes on the rookie role played by Ethan Hawke.

CBS is also attempting to revive Saturday night programming with "Ransom," a drama about a hostage negotiator. The other high-profile drama debuting in midseason is the legal drama "Doubt," starring Katherine Heigl.

Here are the midseason premiere dates:

Wednesday, Dec. 21
8 p.m. "Undercover Boss" season 8

Sunday, Jan. 1
After football doubleheader - "Ransom"

Saturday, Jan. 7
8 p.m. "Ransom" (Time Period Premiere)

Sunday, Jan. 22
10 p.m. "Hunted"

Wednesday, Jan. 25
8 p.m. "Hunted" (Time Period Premiere)
10 p.m. "Code Black"

Wednesday, Feb. 1
9 p.m. "Criinal Minds"

Thursday, Effective Feb. 2
10 p.m. "Training Day"

Wednesday, Effective Feb. 15
10 p.m. "Doubt"

Wednesday, March 8
8 p.m. "Survivor"

Friday, April 21
8 p.m. "The Amazing Race"

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gLUDkI
via IFTTT

Dolores Walks By Her Own Grave in New 'Westworld' Finale Photos

Westworld
Will Dolores find the center of the maze in the season finale of "Westworld"?

The first season of the sci-fi Western drama concludes on Sunday night, and there are so, so many questions left to be answered. The official synopsis of "The Bicameral Mind" doesn't reveal much: "Ford (Anthony Hopkins) unveils his bold new narrative; Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) embraces her identity; Maeve (Thandie Newton) sets her plan in motion."

HBO released four images from the 90-minute finale to tease fans on what's to come. The first is the one above, of Dolores looking angry, fierce, and determined, standing near a train at a railroad station. Whether it's the one in Sweetwater is unclear.

The next one shows Dolores and the Man in Black (Ed Harris) walking through the cemetery, presumably outside the church at Escalanate, right past her grave, which reads "Dolores Abernathy."
Westworld

The third photo shows Maeve, Hector (Rodrigo Santoro), Felix (Leonardo Nam), and Armistice (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) within the corporate facility. Note that Hector is dressed as a staff member, while Maeve is wearing a very modern outfit — as if she's an employee or guest:
Westworld
In the final photo, Teddy (James Marsden) looks shocked as he stands amid carnage of dead hosts in Sweetwater:
Westworld
And if you want to glean more, here's HBO's teaser for the finale:

"Westworld" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gH6jZG
via IFTTT

New 'Nashville' Showrunners Confirm Juliette Survives For 'Surprising' New Direction

Nashville
Juliette Barnes is alive, but will she be well in Season 5 of "Nashville"?

The country music drama's new showrunners, "thirtysomething" creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, revealed in an Entertainment Weekly interview that the songstress (played by Hayden Panettiere) survives the plane crash teased in a cliffhanger at the end of Season 4. When Season 5 premieres in January, after the show's move from ABC to CMT, Herskovitz said, "We can tell you she's alive."

The real question is, how will Juliette react to her near-death experience and how will it affect her relationships, particularly with her ex-husband Avery (Jonathan Jackson).

"I think the direction we take will be surprising," Zwick teased.

Herskovitz added, "She finds her life very different now from what it ever was before. That cliffhanger affects other people in the story -- when something like that happens, it's a big event for everybody. There are ripples that go out from this event that affect other people in the show. It's a pretty great story."

The duo also explained they plan to focus again on music industry storylines, as well as on the relationship between Rayna (Connie Britton) and Deacon (Charles Esten).

"The idea of what it means to be married has always been interesting to us -- what are the dynamics, their individual triggers, how do they resolve conflict?" Herskovitz said. "It's endlessly fascinating to talk about two adults trying to be in a relationship to each other, so that's been really fun for us and for the actors to go deeper in that way. It's been rejuvenating."

"Nashville" Season 5 premieres Thursday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. on CMT.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2glGxcR
via IFTTT

'Masters of Sex' Canceled by Showtime After 4 Seasons

Masters of Sex
"Masters of Sex" has been canceled by Showtime, just weeks after the conclusion of its fourth season.

Deadline reports that the network declined to order a fifth season of the drama about pioneering sex researchers Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan). "Masters of Sex" was developed by Michelle Ashford and based on Thomas Maier's biography of the same title.

Season 4 began in 1968 and followed the couple during the "swinging '70s" as they explored other relationships, both personal and professional. The season finale, however, brought Masters and Johnson back together as they got married.

As a "prestige drama," the show received modest ratings (an average of 800,000 viewers per episode), but more critical acclaim and awards nominations. Though "Masters of Sex" was never nominated in the Best Drama category at the Emmys, Allison Janney did win an Emmy for best guest actress.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gGOg61
via IFTTT

Sophie Turner: Sansa's on a 'Power Trip' in 'Game of Thrones' Season 7

It's about dang time Sansa Stark took charge on "Game of Thrones," but maybe we should worry that she's riding down Mad Queen Cersei Road.

"Game of Thrones" Season 7 is now filming, and HBO just shared three brief shots from the new season, including one of Sansa. Actress Sophie Turner talked to Entertainment Weekly about her character's future, and it sounds slightly worrisome. Sansa finally took down Ramsay Bolton in Season 6, but apparently her newfound power is going to her head:

"She's seemingly in control for the first time – and it really suits her. She's kind of having a bit of a power trip. But she's also becoming more insecure, because there are threats to the power that she holds."

Power trip? Insecure? Ugh. Not what we wanted to hear. By the way, what power? Jon was declared King in the North at the end of Season 6, even though he doesn't even seem to want any power. Does he give Sansa control of Winterfell? Does she fight Jon for a larger slice of the Northern pie? Can we officially start calling her Queen in the North, or just stick with Beyoncé in the North?

Turner said what excites her about Season 7 is that "main characters are coming together and it feels like things are ramping up. It's really exciting and all feels like it's coming to a big conclusion."

Sadly, that big conclusion will be here before we know it. Seasons are traditionally 10 episodes, but Season 7 will only have seven, and the final Season 8 is expected to have even fewer. But it is exciting to think of the characters all coming together in Westeros and building to some kind of massive end game. Let's just hope Sansa's power trip doesn't get in her own way before the series finale.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gIZhkL
via IFTTT

'Walking Dead' Star Slays Trolls for Mocking Her Post-Baby Weight

Emma Watson Had Harry Potter Cast Predict Where They'd Be in 10 Years

Filming for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" began in September 2000, and the final two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" finished filming in 2010. For the young cast, it was like being in elementary school, junior high, and high school together, with Emma Watson going full Hermione as yearbook editor.

We're not too far away from the 10-year anniversary of the end of filming; at that point, Watson should check the list she had her co-stars make on set, to see if they really ended up where they expected.

Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood, was the latest Harry Potter cast member featured on Entertainment Weekly's Binge podcast; she talked about the 10-year predictions when discussing her experience making the films, and her awe for Emma Watson.

EW said Lynch was known to be the biggest Harry Potter fan on set, so they asked who would be considered the second biggest fan. Lynch said she had been surprised by the lack of fandom, in terms of the other actors, but she ultimately chose Watson as the runner-up Potter-phile. "She so appreciated it and she was a total book nerd," Lynch said. "She's someone who would really go away and think about her character on deep levels."


EW asked Lynch if she and Watson got a lot of hangout time during filming. "For a while, I was in so much awe of Emma that I couldn't be her friend," Lynch admitted. "She was always so kind to me, in the same way that Hermione tries to be kind to Luna. ... Emma definitely went out on a limb to make me feel at home, and that was nice." She said it's hard for a megastar like Emma Watson to go anywhere like a normal person. "She's amazing to deal with what she does. You can't really walk around with Emma."

Lynch said Watson gathered the Potter family together at a little party at the end of filming. "She got people to write down memories and stuff, it was really cute. She predicted where we would all be, we all had to predict where we would all be in 10 years." EW noted that we're close to that 10-year mark, and Lynch said, "That's terrifying! I don't even want to think about that."

She didn't reveal where she predicted herself to be, or what the other stars said, but maybe that will come out during 10-year anniversary celebrations.

Listen to Lynch's full podcast for details on her new blog, and her theory that magic is real and J.K. Rowling is part of an elaborate ruse to trick us Muggles.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fR2DUa
via IFTTT

Netflix Will Now Let You Download Titles to Watch Offline

You can now Netflix and chill even without the Internet. Sorry, Internet!

The latest version of Netflix's mobile apps for iOS and Android now come with a "download" option so fans can still watch titles offline.

Eddy Wu, Netflix's director of product innovation, announced the new feature (via Variety): "While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we've often heard they also want to continue their 'Stranger Things' binge while on airplanes and other places where internet is expensive or limited."


The option comes free with membership. As CNN noted, Netflix previously considered the feature unnecessary, calling it a "short term fix for a bigger problem," with the problem being Internet connectivity. But Amazon Prime has had offline downloads for more than a year, and now Netflix has done the same.

Not all titles on the Netflix streaming service are available to watch offline. According to Variety, original series including "Orange Is the New Black," "Narcos," "House of Cards," "Stranger Things," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Master of None," and "The Crown" are available for download starting today (Wednesday, Nov. 30). Other offline titles available include "Supernatural," "The Office," "The Flash," "The 100," "Minions," and "Home."

This is a big season for Netflix Originals -- from "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" to next week's "Fuller House" Season 2 -- so this may prompt more people to try Netflix. Or even give it as a gift for the holidays?

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gK4w2h
via IFTTT

Watch Natalie Portman & J.J. Abrams Use the Force to Win 'Password'

These aren't the clues you're looking for, Jimmy Fallon. Move along!

Tuesday night, the Jedi mind tricks of Natalie Portman and J.J. Abrams worked like an operational Death Star against "The Tonight Show" host and, um, Neil Diamond. The foursome played the game Password, and even if Diamond weren't inexplicably obsessed with the word "salad," he and Fallon would never have had a shot against the Star Wars duo.

Portman played Padme Amidala in the prequels, with Abrams directing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and apparently the Force was still strong with them, allowing them to pick up on each other's mind cues with little prompting.

Watch the game:
In his separate interview with Fallon, Abrams recalled an embarrassing improv show he did many years ago. It was so bad that Will Ferrell remembered it years later, when they first met. In her interview, Portman talked about expecting her second baby and celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas:
Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gIFqSC
via IFTTT

Writer-Director Nicholas Meyer Looks Back on 'Time After Time' and Forward to 'Star Trek: Discovery'

Malcolm McDowell in TIME AFTER TIME, the USS Discovery in STAR TREK: DISCOVERYWriter-director Nicholas Meyer's career is still going strong after more than 40 years in the business, and it's already proven to have a timeless quality.

Meyer first burst upon the entertainment scene with his bestselling 1974 novel "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's enduring fictional icon Sherlock Holmes encountering the real-life father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Meyer sold the novel to Universal Studios on the condition that he be allowed to write the film's screenplay.

The film's subsequent critical and commercial success and his Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay allowed him to make a similar bargain on his next film, "Time After Time": He'd adapt Karl Alexander's novel -- featuring real-life pioneering science-fiction author and futurist H.G. Wells (played against type by Malcolm McDowell) actually traveling through time to the present day in pursuit of legendary serial killer Jack the Ripper (David Warner) -- if he could direct it himself. "Time After Time" became one of the most popular films of 1979, later gathering a devoted cult following over the passage of decades that most recently resulted in a new Blu-ray release from Warner Archives.

In the interim, Meyer would become closely associated with another enduring staple of popular culture. He was the writer-director behind "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," widely considered the best of the "Star Trek" films; he co-wrote "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," the warmest, funniest, and most commercially successful of the franchise; and he wrote and directed the final big-screen adventure of the original Enterprise crew, "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

And just to show that -- perhaps especially in Hollywood -- time has a way of coming around again, Meyer is returning to the Starfleet fold as a writer-producer on the forthcoming streaming series "Star Trek: Discovery" for CBS All Access, even as "Time After Time" is being adapted by Kevin Williamson ("Scream") into a weekly TV series for ABC; both series premiere in 2017.

Now considered not just a classicist but a maker of classics himself, Meyer joined Moviefone to gaze backward through the years at his debut film, and to look to the 23rd century horizon for his next project.

Moviefone: It was a pleasure to revisit "Time After Time," as I do frequently. When you think about this film -- your first directorial effort -- what is the feeling that bubbles up to the surface when you look back on it?

Nicholas Meyer: The first feeling is what enormous fun it was to make a movie, and how easy I thought it was -- you learn all the wrong lessons. I had such a wonderful time. I was surrounded by so many very, very able people keeping me from making worse mistakes than I did. I remember plunging into a real depression when the shooting was over because I was having such a great time.

The second thing that I remember, almost concurrently, is all the mistakes I made, all the things I did wrong, all the things I didn't understand and know how to do. I look at it -- it's obviously a very good movie; people have always loved it from the very beginning, but to me, it's a good movie despite all my mistakes. I can't help thinking it would have been an even better movie without them.

One of the things that strikes me is that there were certainly time-travel movies and television shows prior to this, but this movie really takes pleasure in the complications of time travel, things that are a little heady, and that we hadn't seen that often in these kinds of stories told on screen before you made it. Tell me about approaching that kind of challenge -- to make this story make sense to the uninitiated, as far as time travel goes.

I have to preface my remarks by saying that artists are not the best judges of their own work, any more arguably than people are of their own characters. The Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote, "I would that God the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." It's tough. It's tough. So what I'm saying is sort of speculation that it should be treated as just another opinion. Because it is the filmmaker's doesn't make it definitive, and definitive is not a word in my opinion that belongs in any discussion of art.

Anyway, having said all that, it seems to me that the virtue of the movie is that, ultimately, it's less about time travel than it is about ... it's a sort of sociological investigation into societies of over 100 years ago, and now, and what has and what has not changed. In other words, it's the time travel movie that has meat on the bones.

Which is not to say that Wells's novel doesn't have them, because that novel supposes that in the distant future, the human race will have broken down into two subsets, the ineffectual and beautiful Elois, and the dangerous and primitive Morlocks. That may or may not happen. But "Time After Time" deals with more familiar contrasts. The contrasts between 1893 and 1979, and finds some mordant and distasteful irony in the fact that it's the Ripper who feels at home, and Wells, whose failed predictions of a utopia is lost. I think it's a movie with some mental meat on the bones.

Throughout your career, you've demonstrated an affinity for these iconic figures in the popular consciousness, whether they're fictional, like Sherlock Holmes or "Star Trek," or real-life but legendary and mythologized characters like H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper. Why do you think you have a knack for getting to the meat of those figures, but also putting a fresh twist on them for the audience?

I really don't know, and again, taking what I say with a grain of salt as just one opinion, it seems to me that the difference between my novel, say "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," and the movie "Time after Time," is that "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" is a story of contrasting characters, individuals -- Freud and Holmes -- whereas the movie of "Time After Time" is really concerned, in a way, with archetypes: Wells standing in for civilization and a civilized, progressive, humane, forward-looking man. And The Ripper standing in for mindless, malevolent destruction.

They seem to me, at any rate, in "Time After Time," to be archetypes in that sense, more than they are individuals. This is just my opinion. As to why I have an affinity for this stuff, I wish I could tell you. I wish I could tell myself, but I don't know!

You've had to stand up for all of your casting choice for leading man, Malcolm McDowell. Tell me why that was important to you, at a time when Hollywood saw him primarily as a villainous type.

I think it's very interesting. I love actors, and I love acting, and I love watching them become different people. It is true that actors, not only in Hollywood but on the stage, are easily typecast. Eugene O'Neill's father was typecast all his life as the Count of Monte Cristo. He was Edmond Dantès. He couldn't escape it. But I think that is arguably wasting talent and wasting an actor, and it's sometimes fun to see an actor that you associate as one kind of character, jump into something completely different.

Having seen Malcolm McDowell as Alex the bad boy in "A Clockwork Orange," and then turning around and see him as Wells, this sort of civilized and gentlemanly guy, it's charming, it's a nice contrast. By the same token, we think of Alan Arkin as this comedic sort of person, but you look at him in "Wait Until Dark," and he could scare the sh*t out of you. He was one scary dude.

It's exciting to give him a chance, and to give us a chance to see those contrasts. It makes him a more interesting personality to watch while, arguably, it's certainly true that it's easier for Hollywood to shorthand these people. Same thing with Ricardo Montalbán with "Fantasy Island," and whatever, but we forget some of his other roles, and of course as Khan, as the supremely malevolent villain.

On the subject of "Star Trek," you're hard at work on your contribution to the upcoming series, "Discovery." What philosophical approach are you bringing to the material? I know that you became a student of "Star Trek" while you were working on the movies and refining your understanding of it. What did you take away from that time with the franchise that you're hoping to layer into what's happening now?

I don't know that it's very radical, but I would say that I'm a very Earth-bound person. So "Star Trek" has always worked best for me when it felt most real. So whether it's the stories or the costumes, and I'm just a cog in the wheel on this particular show -- it's not my show; I'm just working on it, but I'm trying to make things believable, and satisfy myself that they are genuine, as opposed to so fantastic that I kind of lose my bearings and don't know exactly where I am.

I think the best of science fiction always reflects what's going on with human beings. I keep trying to keep it, no pun intended, grounded.

You quickly connected the dots between "Star Trek" and C.S. Forrester's naval hero Horatio Hornblower and found the literary connection that helped you with the material -- something that you later discovered "Trek's" creator Gene Roddenberry also had in mind. Have you found something similar in your new work on "Star Trek," or are you continuing to mine the Hornblower aspect?

To me, the Hornblower aspect is ground zero for it. To me, once you use that as a template, everything else sort of, and I hate to say stems from, but fits in or grows from that conceit.

Having said that, there are other ramifications, I think. If you look at "Star Trek VI," that was very much inspired by the headlines of 1989, 1990, the wall coming down, and in particular the coup d'état that took place in the Soviet Union, which, by the way, the movie predicted. We shot it before it happened. When Gorbachev disappeared, we were already in the cutting room. We didn't know whether that poor man was alive or dead.

But that headline, as I said a little earlier, what happens during the course of life on Earth is a lot to do with what science fiction reflects, or recounts, or allegorizes, if that's a verb, but it's always about the human condition, no matter what planet they say they're on.

You directed a pretty landmark piece of television with "The Day After," and here we are in this bold new era of TV. What's got you excited about the possibilities for you in the new models of television that you're working in with "Star Trek"?

There is no question, as far as I can tell, that most Hollywood movies are not as interesting as the work that's being done on television. Now, my standard is not the eye candy standard. It's not about CGI, and motion capture creatures, and fantasy. A little of that goes a long way with me, and I get tired of it. It is much more interesting for me to watch people trying to figure out sh*t, and how to be alive, and solve human problems.

So I've done two Philip Roth movies. I did "The Day After." These are about what one would like to think of as grown-up stuff, and I guess what is generically described as, "Oh, drama -- you like drama." The answer is, "Yeah, I do." Whether it's drama, per se, or comedy for that matter. I can only look at the exploding car so many times, and all the escapism that Hollywood movies in particular seem so enthralled with. It seems like the worse trouble planet Earth gets into, the more we make these escapist, costume sci-fi things.

But in a way, I'm much more involved or engaged by movies like "Moonlight," or "Equity," or "Manchester by the Sea." They're just more interesting to me. Television is where you are likely to find a lot more opportunity to do that sort of stuff, whether you're talking about "Transparent," or "The Crown," or "Orange Is the New Black," or "Breaking Bad." For a writer, that's much more interesting.

Your movies have been loved for decades now, and you're still hard at work. Tell me about that experience, keeping it fresh and creatively exciting on your side of the equation.

I think you have to be very vigilant, so as not to either believe your own press or lose sight of your own standards, in a way, which is hard. It's very hard because you can start to coast on things that you know how to do, or think that you do well, or other people think you do well, and you have to fight for a certain level of objectivity, which is not always easy to attain, and I'm not sure that there's a royal road that leads to attaining it.

But you're always having to look over your shoulder and say, "Is this first class? Is this really something that you can be comfortable putting your name on?" Or are you just, as they say, "phoning it in," and plowing furrows that have already been plowed by either you or somebody else? I always say, when I'm teaching a class, I say to these young or younger filmmakers, I say, look, as artists, the only thing you have to offer is yourself. If you're just going to do it like the next guy, then move over and let the next guy do it, because it's going to be boring.

I have to be sure that what I'm trying to come up with is something that I really feel and that excites me. The French director Robert Bresson once said, "My job is not to find out what the public wants and give it to them. My job is to make the public want what I want." And the trick is to figure out: What do you want? What do you want? Not what you think other people will want. What do the fans want? To hell with that. The fans don't know what they want until they get it. If it was up to the fans, Spock wouldn't have died.

You've always shown such a fondness and respect for classic material. That's a word that's been now applied to your own work, and people quote lines that you wrote back to each other. What is that feeling like, at this stage in your career, to know that you're considered an author of classics, in a sense?

It feels really good. I like it. It feels great! It's nice. It feels like that the work has meaning, that it was in some way built to last. Who knows what the word "last" means. When Henry Kissinger went to China in 1973, and he got into a conversation, presumably with the help of an interpreter, with Zhou Enlai, and he said to Zhou Enlai, "What do you think of the French Revolution?" And Zhou said, "Too early to tell."

A lot of times I think that when we talk about things, and we're very lavish, we're quick, especially reviewers, to praise things. We say, "Oh, this is a masterpiece." I once remember getting into a conversation with my father who had introduced me to the play of "Cyrano de Bergerac," and I said, "Wow, this is a great play." He said, "Do you think so?" I said, "Yeah, definitely. Great." He said, "Well, let's talk in a hundred years, see if you still think so."

I just hope that in 100 years, if any of us are still here, or our descendants, or we haven't blown ourselves to smithereens, that somebody would be quoting a line or two of mine, even if they don't know it was written by me.

Let's close on the topic of genre. You've made two movies, with "Time After Time" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," that land routinely on people's all-time great time-travel films. What do you think is so appealing, eternally, to you and to the mass audience about the time travel story?

It's such an intriguing notion that it's the only kind of travel that hasn't happened, apparently. We've gone to the moon. We've gone to Mars. We haven't walked around it yet, but we've trolled around it. We go under water. We've found the Titanic. The only kind of travel we haven't done is maybe travel that's either much faster, or travel that takes us into another dimension. There's something intriguing about that possibility, I think.

Movies, for example, are such an inherently visual medium that the contrasts that two different eras presented with arguably the same characters wandering through totally different worlds. I know that Fox keeps trying to do another kind of travel movie. They want to do a remake of "Fantastic Voyage," which is another kind of travel -- travel inside the body -- and I'll certainly be eager to see that one.

We like being taken by movies to places that we normally can't go, whether it's Antarctica, or the place where "Game of Thrones" takes place [Westeros]. Movies can take us places. Taking us through time is maybe the ultimate place where they can take us.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gVe3HV
via IFTTT

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Sorry, But Negan Was Just Confirmed for 'The Walking Dead' Season 8

Sick of Negan yet? Too bad. He's sticking around through "The Walking Dead" Season 7 into the 2017-2018 Season 8. And probably beyond.

The news isn't shocking to comic book readers, but the AMC show doesn't always stick to the page, and it's possible non-comic-followers were hoping our group would dispatch Negan at some point in Season 7's 16 episodes. Nope.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) was just on Howard Stern's show, and he was asked if The Powers That Be even told him how long he'd be around. "Well, I know that I'll be around for Season 8," he said. He also mentioned that they finished filming the whole of Season 7 the previous week, in late November. So Lucille any last hope that Negan dies in the Season 7 finale.

As viewers, we're still only up to Season 7, Episode 7, airing this Sunday, December 4, and then there's just the Episode 8 midseason finale on December 11 before the winter break. "The next two [episodes], I'm really big in," JDM told Stern. "I'm f*cking heavy in those."


Negan wasn't featured in Episode 5, "Go Getters" (which focused on Hilltop) or Episode 6, "Swear" (which followed Tara and Heath). But apparently he'll have a big role in Episode 7, "Sing Me a Song" (which sounds like it's getting its title from a Negan/Carl moment in the comic), and Episode 8, "Hearts Still Beating." Then TWD will be on hiatus until February 2017. What JDM and the cast just finished last week we won't see until early spring.

Read or listen to more of his interview for his thoughts on spoilers and the weird fan mail he gets from women, plus his praise for his old "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Katherine Heigl.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2g3Mfgq
via IFTTT

Matthew McConaughey Just Drove Some Lucky College Students Home in a Golf Cart

"Free State of Jones" Photo CallMove over, Uber -- and Ooober -- 'cause Matthew McConaughey is here to make sure college students get home alright, alright, alright.

The Oscar-winning actor recently participated in his alma mater's SURE Walk program, giving rides to students heading home after a late night. According to Entertainment Weekly, it happened after the University of Texas at Austin lost its last football game of the season. McC stayed to hang out on campus -- like his "Dazed and Confused" character -- then hopped behind the wheel of a cart to drive some students home.

You know, that's actually a great way to promote safety/discourage drunk driving -- tease the idea that McConaughey might be the one to drive you home. (And don't go thinking the girl in the back is missing out; she was apparently keeping track of who ordered rides. She got her own solo photo with McConaughey.)

McConaughey attended the University of Texas at Austin from 1989-1993, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. His first film credit was the 1993 film "Dazed and Confused," which filmed in Austin. So you could say he owes the place.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gGQQ9y
via IFTTT

Michelle Williams: Raising Daughter Without Heath Ledger 'Won't Ever Be Right'

OSCAR LUNCHEONWe're coming up on nine years since Heath Ledger died in January 2008. Can you believe it? The actor left behind a daughter, Matilda Rose, born in October 2005 while he and his "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Michelle Williams were still together. They had broken up before his death, but Williams always expected him to be there to co-parent Matilda.

Now Matilda Ledger is 11 years old, and Williams -- who co-stars in the Oscar favorite "Manchester by the Sea" -- told Porter magazine she's never going to be able to accept that her daughter is growing up without her father.

"You know, that's just something that doesn't ... I mean, it just won't ever be right. In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I'm a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you've been. In pretty much all senses but one. I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not having her dad."

It really is such a shame. Williams talked about knowing a handful of other women in the same position -- "It's a sh*tty club and we don't want any new members" -- and she's grateful that she has their support. She's pretty candid in the interview, admitting she "certainly did not expect to still be dating at 36 with an 11-year-old."

LA Premiere of "Manchester by the Sea" - ArrivalsThe actress called herself a "very domestic creature" like a cat, in that she just wants to stay home and take care of people. "But I'm also happy with myself and just because I might have a desire to be with someone ... that won't lead me to marry the wrong person."

Williams has yet to marry, after dating Ledger from 2004 to 2007, then Spike Jonze, Jason Segel, Jonathan Safran Foer, and whoever else she wants, since it's her life. Read her full Porter interview on newsstands this Friday.

[via: Page Six]

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gTmHHe
via IFTTT

Ryan Reynolds Recalls His 'Failed' Audition for the Coen Brothers

2016 Governors Awards - ArrivalsNot even Deadpool scores every time.

Ryan Reynolds is doing all right for himself these days, but he's no stranger to rejection. Reynolds and "Hidden Figures" star Taraji P. Henson compared audition horror stories for Variety's new season of "Actors on Actors," which premieres January on PBS SoCal.

Henson asked Reynolds about his "worst" audition, and he said "most of them" were his worst, but there was one that stood out:

"I was never a great auditioner. I had one where I had to sing, and that was -- I'm a nervous singer. [...]. It's one of those auditions that was so bad that I look back and I think, 'What if that tape surfaces at some point?' And it just comes out, and that will be the death of me."

When asked about his "last" audition, Reynolds said:

"I auditioned and failed for the Coen Brothers. [...] It was terrible. It was OK, it just wasn't the right fit, mostly because they're very high class. In the room, they were just quietly shaking their heads, like, 'What are you doing here? Do you have a SAG card or do you have the Canadian version? How did you get here?'"

Henson asked which movie that was for, and he initially said, "Hail, Caesar!" (2016) but then added, "Was it? No, the one before that." If not for "Hail, Caesar!" maybe it was "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013). In both cases, he may have had to sing, so his last audition may have also been been his worst audition.

Watch both Reynolds and Henson (who co-starred in "Smokin' Aces") share their stories when "Actors on Actors" Season 5 premieres January 3 on PBS SoCal, or see the interview here. (They start sharing bad audition stories around the 16-minute mark.)

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gGPFWq
via IFTTT

New 'Star Wars' Rumor Hints to Big Future for Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Force will be with Obi-Wan Kenobi -- always -- but it may be especially strong in the next few years, at least according to new rumors roaming the Star Wars galaxy.

Ewan McGregor has said he's ready to return as Obi-Wan, the role he played in the prequels, with Alec Guinness as the Jedi Master in the original trilogy. "Rogue One" is about to come out as the first "standalone" movie in the Star Wars world, with Han Solo's movie to follow. What about Obi-Wan?

Anthony Breznican of Entertainment Weekly is pretty plugged-in to the Star Wars world, and on a recent Rebel Force Radio podcast, he hinted to why Obi-Wan has yet to have his own official solo film, and when that may change:

"I have heard rumors that the one reason they haven't moved sooner on Obi-Wan is that they're not done with Obi-Wan quite yet in the Saga films. So I wouldn't be surprised to see an Obi-Wan [solo film] happen beyond Episode IX."

Technically, Obi-Wan had a cameo in Episode VII, "The Force Awakens," but it's exciting and intriguing to think his story could continue somehow in the next two films. Episode VIII is scheduled for December 15, 2017, with Episode IX scheduled for May 23, 2019.

There's no official word on how an Obi-Wan standalone would play out, but Ewan McGregor said he's ready to go. As he recently put it (via Geek Tyrant):

"I've always thought there was a story to tell between my last one and Alec Guinness' first one. It would be fun to film that story now I'm older. I'd be the right age. I'm forty-five, Alec Guinness was what, sixty? I could do two of them (laughs)!"

What do you think? Is it good news to think Obi-Wan could return for the next two Saga films, then possibly have his own standalone story?

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fOeqlW
via IFTTT

'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3' Is in the Works, According to Alexis Bledel

Actress got fans excited this summer when she hinted that a third installment of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series could happen some day, and now, another one of the titular stars of the film says plans to revive the franchise are indeed in the works.

revealed the news during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" this week, telling host Jimmy Fallon that "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3" is a very real possibility.

"We would all love to do it," Bledel said, adding that Lively, , and were all on board, too. "I think it would be so much fun, and we talk about it. ... I think we should absolutely do it. We're working on it. So we'll see if it happens."

"You're working on it?" a hopeful Fallon interjected.

"Yeah, we're working on it," Bledel confirmed. "It would be so fun!"

We certainly agree with that assessment. And considering a chunk of the action in the last film, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," took place in Greece, we think the actresses would be more than willing to sign up for more.

Lively said back in June that all four of the stars wanted to make sure that the story made sense before moving forward. We'll keep our fingers crossed that there are additional developments on the threequel's progress soon.

Photo credit:

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fOh7Uz
via IFTTT

'Nashville' Season 5 Trailer Teases Juliette's Plane Crash

The first teaser trailer for the upcoming fifth season of resurrected series "Nashville" is full of drama, with the cliffhanger plane crash that put Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) in peril front and center.

At the end of season four (which was thought to be the series finale, before the cancelled ABC series was rescued by cable net CMT), Avery (Jonathan Jackson) and Cadence were waiting for Juliette at the airport when they were informed that her personal jet was missing. The trailer takes us inside the plane, showing some intense turbulence as a terrified Juliette is shaken in her seat, lighting crashing outside the window.
We then see Rayna (Connie Britton), Deacon (Charles Esten), Maddie (Lennon Stella), and Daphne (Maisy Stella) watching a news report confirming Juliette's plane has indeed crashed. That crash -- and Juliette's subsequent recovery -- will play a crucial role in season five.

Other notable scenes from the teaser include a discussion between Scarlett (Clare Bowen) and Gunnar (Sam Palladino) about the state of their relationship, a tearful heart-to-heart between Deacon and Maddie (probably about the emancipation she pursued in season four), and Will getting close with a mystery man who is not his boyfriend. New showrunners Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick have promised that the unnecessary drama will be kept to a minimum in season five -- with a renewed focus on the show's music -- so here's hoping the above storylines don't get too salacious.

"Nashville" makes its season five debut on CMT on January 5, 2017.

[via: Nashville/Twitter]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gT5e1n
via IFTTT

Andrew Garfield Admits Playing Spider-Man Made Him 'Heartbroken'

Actor Andrew Garfield arrives for the prBig-budget comic book movies aren't exactly known for their devotion to character development and creative storytelling, and actor Andrew Garfield learned that firsthand while donning spandex to play the titular role in the "Amazing Spider-Man" series. Now, Garfield is reflecting on that experience, which he admits left him a bit disillusioned about the filmmaking process.

In an interview with actress Amy Adams for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Garfield chatted with his fellow superhero star about the highs and the lows of working on those types of films. While the actor -- who's discussed his displeasure with "Amazing Spider-Man 2" in the past -- said that he enjoyed the experience overall, especially working with his director and the rest of the cast, other aspects of the superhero system were a bit disheartening.

"There's something about being that young in that kind of machinery that I think is really dangerous," Garfield explained. "I wasn't a teenager, but I was still young enough to struggle with the value system, I suppose, of corporate America."

Adams admitted that while she enjoys playing Lois Lane in the DC filmverse, she's very much aware that her character is "in service of the story instead of the story serving a character." Garfield related to that idea when it came to playing Spidey.

"There's something that happened with that experience for me where story and character were not actually top of the priority list, ultimately," he told Adams. "And I found that really, really tricky. I signed up to serve the story and to serve this incredible character I'd been dressing as since I was 3. And then it gets compromised, and it breaks my heart. I got heartbroken a little bit."

It's certainly refreshing to hear an actor speak so earnestly about his disappointment with a once-in-a-lifetime experience like headlining a tentpole superhero flick. Here's hoping he doesn't get to Sally Field-levels of disillusionment anytime soon, though.

[via: Variety]

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gGwPyP
via IFTTT

National Board of Review Names 'Manchester by the Sea' Best Film of 2016

manchester by the sea, national board of review, casey affleck, lucas hedgesThe National Board of Review has revealed its top choice for best film of 2016, with "Manchester by the Sea" nabbing the high-profile honor.

"Manchester" centers around a man (played by Casey Affleck) who must care for his nephew (played by Lucas Hedges) after the boy's father dies. Both Affleck and Hedges were given awards from NBR for their roles (Affleck cited for best actor, Hedges cited for best male breakthrough performance), and writer-director Kenneth Lonergan was honored with the Best Original Screenplay award.

Other notable highlights from NBR's 2016 awards include Best Animated Feature winner "Kubo and the Two Strings" (which beat out more high-profile fare like "Zootopia" and "Moana") and Best Actress winner Amy Adams (edging out Oscar favorites Natalie Portman and Emma Stone). Also surprising was the lack of honors for "Fences," the adaptation of the Tony-winning play, starring Denzel Washington (who also directed) and Viola Davis (considered a lock for an Academy Award nomination).

The full list of winners is below. The awards will be given out at a National Board of Review gala in New York City on January 4, 2017.

Best Film: "Manchester by the Sea"
Best Director: Barry Jenkins, "Moonlight"
Best Actor: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea"
Best Actress: Amy Adams, "Arrival"
Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"
Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, "Moonlight"
Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese, "Silence"
Best Animated Feature: "Kubo and the Two Strings"
Breakthrough Performance (Male): Lucas Hedges, "Manchester by the Sea"
Breakthrough Performance (Female): Royalty Hightower, "The Fits"
Best Directorial Debut: Trey Edward Shults, "Krisha"
Best Foreign Language Film: "The Salesman"
Best Documentary: "O.J.: Made in America"
Best Ensemble: "Hidden Figures"
Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "Cameraperson"

TOP FILMS
"Arrival"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"Hail, Caesar!"
"Hell or High Water"
"Hidden Figures"
"La La Land"
"Moonlight"
"Patriot's Day"
"Silence"
"Sully"

TOP FIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS
"Elle"
"The Handmaiden"
"Julieta"
"Land of Mine"
"Neruda"
TOP FIVE DOCUMENTARIES
"De Palma"
"The Eagle Huntress"
"Gleason"
"Life, Animated"
"Miss Sharon Jones!"

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT FILMS
"20th Century Women"
"Captain Fantastic"
"Creative Control"
"Eye in the Sky"
"The Fits"
"Green Room"
"Hello, My Name is Doris"
"Keisha"
"Morris from America"
"Sing Street"

[via: The Playlist]

Photo credit: Amazon Studios

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gGdS0w
via IFTTT

Alexis Bledel Knows How to Hold a Coffee Cup, Thank You Very Much

gilmore girls, a year in the life, coffee cup, alexis bledelWe're still absorbing everything that happened in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," and one of the main takeaways from the "Gilmore Girls" revival series is that Rory Gilmore is a bit of a mess. Some "Gilmore" fans also had similar thoughts about actress Alexis Bledel before the revival even started, but according to Bledel, that assessment has been blown a bit out of proportion.

The trouble all started back when Netflix first released some promotional posters for "A Year in the Life," featuring Rory and Lorelai (Lauren Graham) holding coffee mugs, and posing for seasonal-themed posters that tied into each of the revival's "Winter," "Spring," "Summer," and "Fall" installments. As Bledel discussed with host Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" this week, some fans thought that Bledel's handling of the props used in those photos was pretty odd, and wondered if she didn't know how to hold ordinary objects.

"Do you understand that that's not normal?" Fallon asked the actress, pointing to the coffee image. "No one holds a coffee mug [like that]."

But Bledel had a good excuse for the awkward imagery, and defended herself by pointing out the over-sized nature of the cup itself led to her adopting such an odd grip.

"That coffee mug is almost as big as my face," she told Fallon. "So I feel like I was set up to fail there."

The actress then proceeded to pick up a normal-sized mug sitting on the table beside her, demonstrating that she does, in fact, know how to hold a coffee cup. That doesn't exactly explain why her clutching those flowers on the "Spring" poster looks so odd, but at least Bledel has a good sense of humor about it.

You can scrutinize her holding skills in "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life," which is streaming on Netflix now.

Photo credit: Netflix

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fNMX44
via IFTTT

'Saturday Night Live' Mystery Solved: What's the 'S' in David S. Pumpkins?

Saturday Night LiveThere are a lot of mysteries surrounding David S. Pumpkins, the deeply confusing "Saturday Night Live" character played by Tom Hanks -- like who he is, why he's in that haunted house, and what the "S" in his name stands for?

That last mystery has been solved by "SNL" star Bobby Moynihan, who co-wrote the Halloween sketch with fellow performer Mikey Day and writer Streeter Seidell. And here's the answer:

"We said Simon," Moynihan told The Huffington Post. "David Simon Pumpkins." Aha!

And how did the trio come up with such a weird character who went on to become a huge viral sensation? As Moynihan explainsed, "Me and Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell were trying to write something together. We like working together. Me and Mikey just wanted to do some weird dancing thing, and it was a lot of weird ideas, and around 5 o'clock in the morning, Mikey just went, 'What if he was David Pumpkins?' And then I said, 'What if it was David S. Pumpkins?'"

And "SNL" history was made.Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.



from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gCGbzd
via IFTTT

Why Bryce Dallas Howard Isn't Afraid to Go 'Weird' & 'Extreme'

Bryce Dallas Howard Portrait SessionBryce Dallas Howard's star rating just keeps going up.

After an increasingly high-profile movie career that includes standouts like M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and "Lady in the Water," "Spider-Man 3," the "Twilight," saga and "The Help," in 2015 Howard appeared in "Jurassic World," which became the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time and solidified her status as a full-fledged movie star.

This year, the actress demonstrated her continuing appeal, first headlining Disney's "Pete's Dragon," the engaging, critically praised reimagining of its '70s-era live-action/animation hybrid (the new film debuts on Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 29), as the kind-hearted small town sheriff confronted with an orphaned child apparently raised in the wilderness alongside a not-so-imaginary friend in the form of a dragon.

Howard then followed it up with a downright bravura performance in the not-too-far-futuristic "Black Mirror" episode "Nosedive," playing a woman whose increasingly consuming obsession with her own popularity rating on her society's dominant -- and sometimes domineering -- social media platform threatens to take it -- and her -- on a precipitous plunge.

The actress joined Moviefone to reflect on her recent string of successes, consider the evolution of her career, and even look back on what it's meant to her to see performances by her acting dynasty family -- including her father, actor and filmmaker Ron Howard -- captured on film and video forever.

Moviefone: You've had an unabashed love of the source material, Disney's 1977 film "Pete's Dragon," since you were little. It must have been especially cool to reinvent it so dramatically and have people fall in love with this version.

Bryce Dallas Howard: Yeah. Whenever you do anything where there is a source material like an original film or a novel, or it's a sequel of something, there's always that element of pressure. But even more so, when it's something that meant something to you personally as a child, I don't know why I keep putting myself in these situations. I'm very lucky too, honestly.

But yeah, what I loved about it when I read the script -- and I'm so happy that people have seemed to have similar reactions to this -- is that it didn't step on the toes of the original movie. We're not doing the same music.

It's taking the central idea of that first film and keeping that intact, that it's a story of a boy and his best friend who's a dragon. And it's a live-action film with an animated character, and it's a Disney film. But other than that, there were so many different things, new storylines. I was nervous about that, but I appreciate that as well. So I'm glad that folks seem to appreciate that.

I met you when you were first starting out doing this, and I was first starting out in my field. Now you have this amazing body of work that you've been able to build. When we met, you were, I'm sure, an actress that was just excited to have opportunities.

Exactly, yeah!

Now, you've got these great collection of films that you've made, films that people love and have embraced. Tell me what that aspect of your professional life means to you.

Thank you. It's really amazing. I think because I'm a third-generation actor, I really knew to not expect success at all. I knew the statistics. I knew how difficult it is. When I was a teenager, my grandparents -- my dad's parents -- brought me to Vegas when I was 16 years old, because I could walk the floor, and my grandmother loved to play the nickel slot machine. And she knew I was doing high school plays, I was going to apply to NYU. They knew that I was definitely going to pursue it in some capacity.

And my grandmother said to me, "Do you know what the rate of the average working actor in SAG is, in terms of how many auditions it takes for them to get a job?" The average working actor, which means they're making a living as an actor. I thought maybe one in 10. It was one in every 64 auditions.

So, going into my career that way, knowing the very real odds, having seen the ups and downs with my family, and also knowing that theirs was actually a success story, I hedged my bets like crazy. I was always working side jobs and saving as much as I could. When I first started working in theater, but in particular when I got my first break in film with M. Night Shyamalan, and that being my first movie, I was like, "Oh my goodness -- this is crazy!"

Then getting to continue to work -- while also I've had times away, during pregnancies and after giving birth, and all of that -- and the fact that I've been able to continue to work is really a serious privilege, and exciting, and moving to me. It's incredible. It's really, really incredible.

Yeah, to get to be in a movie like a Disney film, that I know that my kids enjoy and that they'll grow up with, and providing those memories for my kids -- as well as the same experience that I had growing up on film sets, that they're able to do that, it's really something that I don't think I'll ever take for granted.

Potentially your work is, like so much of your dad's work, immortal. It's with us for generations now.

When it works, when it's working, it's a euphoric experience in so many different levels. Because, like you said, there is that thing. That's not the goal for any of us: immortality. But I know what it means having been a child and being able to watch my dad as a kid in "The Andy Griffith Show." I know what that meant to me. I know what it means to me getting to see my dad at different ages of his life, and what his work was like, and what he sounded like.

So, for me, all of my family who have worked in creative fields, I have that forever, and that's something that's priceless. So to think that that's something that my kids could, when I'm long gone, that my relatives -- even relatives that I don't meet down the road -- could maybe see that, that's wild and surreal! I actually have never thought about that specifically until you just mentioned that. That my great grandkids and stuff ... Oh, I've got to stay on my game!

You are most certainly on your game in your episode of "Black Mirror," "Nosedive." Let's talk about the response to that. People are just going nuts for that, and deservedly so.

Thank you. Oh man -- that job was amazing. I said yes to that without there even being a script. It was just Joe Wright, "Black Mirror"? "Yes, please!"

It was just one of those really freeing, collaborative, sort of idyllic working experiences. It was great because it was also weird, and we were allowed to be weird -- and I gained 30 pounds for it. I felt that the nature of the piece, and the subject matter of the piece, it was an extreme circumstance. Therefore, I felt like I had permission to go to extreme places.

That isn't always the case. I feel like sometimes with films, you not only want to look smaller, you feel like you need to act smaller, you feel like you need to not step on certain things within the scene. Whereas, that story was this person. It was like bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And to get to be that was really awesome.

That concept -- once I got what was happening in this episode, I realized it's something that you, as an actress, have lived in -- "How big is your following? What do you bring to a movie as far as audience numbers?" But now we're all doing it with our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.

Absolutely.

Tell me about your thoughts on just seeing that culture go from your occupation specifically to include everyone, around the world?

That's another thing that I only kind of recently realized. I think it was just in talking about "Black Mirror." When I first started doing social media, which was only not even a year ago, I was like, "What should my line be? Who am I? What kinds of photos do I post?" People are like, "Just be yourself." I'm like, there's folks who are going to be seeing this. I need to keep that in mind.

And I think that there's a certain amount of awareness of self that as someone who has any kind of a public life, you fight it a little bit, you accept it a little bit, you don't want to be aware of it, but then you are aware of it, and you don't want to be weird about it. That is something that I think has been very specific to folks in a public life, and that now everyone experiences.

Everybody now is like, there's that filter for everyone. Or there's no filter, but there's consequences, in a way that there wasn't consequences before. So in a way, in talking about social media, I feel like everyone can relate a little bit to that experience of being like, "Whoops, I said something." And it's not just a one-on-one thing now, or just in your work place, or in your family. It's global. Your words, your images, for everybody, are global.

And, as of right now, even more relevant than ever.

Absolutely. Absolutely. We're seeing how technology is rapidly affecting our lives. "Black Mirror" in a way, each episode is a cautionary tale. We're definitely seeing how fast our world is changing and what can result from that.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fIxH4Q
via IFTTT

Lifetime's 'Beaches' Remake Trailer Will Make You Ugly Cry

BeachesGet out a tissue — no, the whole box — because the trailer for Lifetime's "Beaches" remake is here, and it will bring out all the tears.

The remake of the 1988 movie stars Idina Menzel as CC (originally played by Bette Midler) and Nia Long as Hillary (originally Barbara Hershey), lifelong friends who first meet as kids on the boardwalk. "Beaches" follows the friends through their lives, as CC becomes a famous and successful singer and actress while Hillary has a daughter. And then, as fans of the original movie know, tragedy strikes when Hillary falls ill.

The remake includes Menzel singing the Grammy-winning tune "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "The Glory of Love." Midler highly approves, since she tweeted in August, "Can't wait to see Idina Menzel as CC in Lifetime's "Beaches!" DON'T TELL ME THE ENDING!"

"Beaches" premieres January 21 on Lifetime.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gCqyro
via IFTTT

'Rogue One' Featurette Introduces Your New 'Star Wars' Crush Diego Luna

Rogue OneThe hype for "Rogue One: A Star Wars" story is in full, well, hyperdrive. While the first standalone "Star Wars" movie won't open with the ginormous box office take of "The Force Awakens," it is tracking to haul in over $130 million in its first weekend.

As part of the marketing blitz, Lucasfilm rolled out a featurette focusing on Diego Luna's character, Captain Cassian Andor. Most of the previous trailers and teasers have revolved around lead Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso, but Andor looks to be a key figure. And he's got that dashing swagger to put him alongside Harrison Ford's Han Solo and Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron.

In the video, Luna talks about the amazing experience of filming a "Star Wars" movie. "It's challenging because one day you're doing a very emotional scene, but the next day you're beating some stormtroopers," he says. "It's fun."

"Rogue One" opens in theaters December 17.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fy0EW9
via IFTTT

'Moonlight' Wins Top Honor at Gotham Awards

Moonlight
The coming-of-age drama "Moonlight" continues to garner acclaim and position itself at the front of the Oscar race, winning the top prize at last night's Gotham Independent Film Awards.

The movie, directed by Barry Jenkins, tells the story of a poor, black, gay boy growing up in Miami through three distinct time periods. It won Best Feature, the Special Gotham Jury Award, and Best Screenplay.

Casey Affleck took home the Best Actor prize, cementing his status as a frontrunner to win an Oscar. "Elle" star Isabelle Hupper was named Best Actress.

Here's the full list of winners:

BEST FEATURE
"Moonlight"

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea"

BEST ACTRESS
Isabelle Huppert, "Elle"

SPECIAL GOTHAM JURY AWARD
Cast of "Moonlight"

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"O.J.: Made in America"

BINGHAM RAY BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD
Trey Edward Shults, "Krisha"

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
Anya Taylor-Joy, "The Witch"

BEST SCREENPLAY
"Moonlight," story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; screenplay by Barry Jenkins

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – LONGFORM
"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – SHORTFORM
"Her Story"

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fMDaed
via IFTTT

Monday, November 28, 2016

Adrien Brody Stars in a Wes Anderson-Directed ... H&M Commercial?

Academy Award winners Adrien Brody and Wes Anderson should be able to take on whatever projects they want at this point in their careers, and apparently what they want includes an H&M commercial.

The two collaborated on "Come Together," a new short from H&M helmed by Anderson and starring Brody as a train conductor. In the film, he is forced to tell the passengers of the H&M Lines Winter Express that their Christmas Day voyage will be late -- by 11-and-a-half hours. As a consolation, he invites them all to gather for a special brunch and manages to throw together a surprisingly cheery celebration at the last minute. He's joined by a number of passengers, clad in the H&M Christmas 2016 collection, of course.

Needless to say, the video is an unexpected follow-up to Brody and Anderson's most recent collaboration, 2014's "The Grand Budapest Hotel," but it makes for a heart-warming ad nonetheless.
[via: H&M/YouTube]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gAggbd
via IFTTT

Watch the Spot-on 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' LEGO Trailer

The "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" sneak peek has gotten a fun, new twist.

With almost five months to go till the Marvel flick drops, die-hard fans have already gotten all they can out of the sneak peek released on Oct. 19. Fortunately, YouTube user Huxley Berg Studios has changed things up, giving the footage a LEGO remake. Created with help from Sullymanproductions, the video impressively recreates the original sneak peek, complete with the awkward hug between Drax (Dave Bautista) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt).
The video, which closely matches the original (below), turned out so well that even "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" director James Gunn couldn't resist tweeting it out to the Twitterverse. That's all the proof you should need that the LEGO version does the sneak peek justice, from the adorable Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) to the action sequences.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" hits theaters on May 5, 2017.

[via: Huxley Berg Studios/YouTube]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fKnoR3
via IFTTT

When Does 'Big Little Lies' Premiere? HBO Sets the Date

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - January 16, 2016HBO has finally announced when its latest star-studded series is due to premiere.

On Feb. 19, "Big Little Lies" will arrive on the premium network, bringing a host of big-name actors along with it. The seven-episode limited series, created by David E. Kelley, stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley as three mothers of young children who become friends. Each woman has her own problems, and as secrets come out, their lives begin to unravel. Events begin to spiral out of control, to the point of murder. Oh, my.

In addition to its trio of acclaimed female leads, the show boasts a host of other impressive actors. The cast also includes Alexander Skarsgard, Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoe Kravitz, James Tupper, and Jeffrey Nordling. The dark comedy-drama is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée ("Dallas Buyers Club") from scripts penned by Kelley. "Big Little Lies" is based on Liane Moriarty's 2014 novel of the same name.

HBO recently struck a chord with its sci-fi drama "Westworld," so we'll see if the network manages the same feat with "Big Little Lies." With its compelling plot and talented cast, it wouldn't be a surprise at all.

[via: Deadline]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2gcEc3O
via IFTTT

'Fuller House' Season 2: Jodie Sweetin Talks Stephanie's Love Life and Music

Teen Choice Awards 2016 - ArrivalsWe don't have to wait for "Fuller House" Season 2 to hit Netflix to learn all of its secrets -- Jodie Sweetin recently spilled some key information. How not rude.

The actress will be back as Stephanie Tanner (aka the other D.J. Tanner) in the second season of the "Full House" sequel series, and it sounds like there's a lot in store for the free-spirited sister. In fact, Sweetin promised "some really crazy storylines" during an interview with Parade.

First, Stephanie will be getting a little more love in her life. This won't come as a shock if you've seen the Season 2 trailer -- it showed her cozying up with a surprising, yet hilariously fitting new man.

"She gets a love interest," Sweetin told Parade. "I think the fans are really going to love who it winds up being."

Based on the trailer, her bet seems like a safe one. The guy in question is -- wait for it -- a Gibbler. Yes, as in related to Kimmy (Andrea Barber), the longtime target of Stephanie's snarky comments and now housemate. And he's no distant cousin, either. Stephanie's love interest, Jimmy (Adam Hagenbuch), is Kimmy's similarly quirky brother.

On top of the developments in her love life in the upcoming season, Stephanie will have her music career to keep her busy, too. Sweetin teased that her character will do "a lot of fun stuff with that." She revealed that she has been exercising her creativity, and she even worked on a song with Juan Pablo Di Pace, who plays Fernando.


Clearly, there's a lot to look forward to when the "Fuller House" shenanigans continue. Season 2 hits Netflix on Dec. 9.

[via: Parade]

from Moviefone News RSS Feed - Moviefone.com http://ift.tt/2fKaBOQ
via IFTTT