Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) is back in the director’s seat with Trainwreck written by and starring Amy Schumer. The first trailers have arrived – both the okay for most audiences and the restricted not-safe-for-work versions – along with a new poster for the 2015 comedy.
The cast also includes Bill Hader, Brie Larson, John Cena, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James. Yes, that LeBron James. Trainwreck opens in theaters on July 17, 2015.
The Plot:
Since she was a little girl, it’s been drilled into Amy’s (Schumer) head by her rascal of a dad (Colin Quinn) that monogamy isn’t realistic. Now a magazine writer, Amy lives by that credo—enjoying what she feels is an uninhibited life free from stifling, boring romantic commitment—but in actuality, she’s kind of in a rut. When she finds herself starting to fall for the subject of the new article she’s writing, a charming and successful sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), Amy starts to wonder if other grown-ups, including this guy who really seems to like her, might be on to something.
Antony Starr in ‘Banshee’ season 3 episode 1 (Photo by Gregory Shummon / Courtesy of Cinemax)
Cinemax has given a fourth season order to the action series Banshee from executive producers Alan Ball, Greg Yaitanes, Jonathan Tropper, Peter Macdissi, Adam Targum, and Ole Christian Madsen. The fourth season will air in 2016 and will consist of eight new episodes.
In announcing the renewal, Cinemax didn’t confirm which cast members will be returning for the fourth season.
Details on the Series, Courtesy of Cinemax:
Banshee stars Antony Starr as Lucas Hood, an ex-con and master thief who assumes the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Pa., where he continues his criminal pursuits while enforcing his own code of justice. Ivana Milicevic plays as Carrie Hopewell, a notorious jewel thief who lives in Banshee under an assumed identity with her family, which has recently learned of her criminal past; Ulrich Thomsen is Kai Proctor, an intimidating, wealthy businessman who believes he is above the law; Frankie Faison plays Sugar Bates, a powerful and wise former boxer and ex-con who is now the owner of the local watering hole; and Hoon Lee is Job, a dangerous transvestite computer hacker who assists Lucas and Carrie in their criminal enterprises.
Blake Lively and Michiel Huisman star in ‘The Age of Adaline’ (Photo Courtesy of Lakeshore Entertainment)
The new trailer for the romantic drama The Age of Adaline is gorgeous and features new clips of Blake Lively playing a woman who remains young and beautiful while those around her age and die. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger, the cast also features Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Harrison Ford, and Ellen Burstyn.
The Age of Adaline arrives in theaters on April 24, 2015.
The Plot:
After miraculously remaining 29 years old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Nickelodeon has tapped Nick Jonas to be the host of the 2015 Kids’ Choice Awards airing live on March 28th at 8pm ET (taped delayed on the West Coast). This year’s event will be held at the LA Forum and will – for the 28th year – celebrate celebrities from the worlds of music, sports, film, and television as chosen by kids.
And, of course, there will be slime. Lots and lots of slime.
Once voting opens, kids across the globe will be able to vote on localized voting sites, according to Nickelodeon. Kids will also be able to vote via Twitter this year using the #KCA hashtag.
Jonas’ first solo album was released on November 11, 2014 and has already scored a #1 spot on US radio charts along with a #7 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the single, “Jealous.” He’s set to take off on tour with Iggy Azalea this April and is also keeping busy acting, with a starring role in the TV series Kingdom and Scream Queens.
Thank you screenwriter Kelly Marcel and director Sam Taylor-Johnson for not including a single line of dialogue containing the words “inner goddess” in Fifty Shades of Grey the movie. And thank you Marcel and Taylor-Johnson for taking a book that had pretty much nothing to it and giving it a little depth. The movie is actually better than the source material (something that rarely happens) and a better adaptation than the source material deserved.
However, Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t the movie fans of the book series might be expecting given the source material and the sexy trailers and clips. If you’ve bought your tickets because you’re hoping to see Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey minus his expensive wardrobe you’ll be sorely disappointed. Yes, there are a smattering of scenes with Dornan’s shirt off and, yes, there are a few shots of his naked butt. But for the most part this Fifty Shades is all about female nudity. And let’s face it, the majority of the readers of E.L. James’ books appreciated her story of the handsome but twisted billionaire and the virginal Anastasia Grey while picturing Christian naked as a jaybird and not because they were fantasizing over Anastasia’s nude body.
It seems unfair that this R-rated film is being promoted as being a movie women will get hot and bothered over when A) the nudity scale tips solidity in favor of the woman being the one without clothes, B) there’s only a handful of sex scenes (all very carefully choreographed to not show any lower frontal nudity), and C) music videos are actually more erotic that what’s on screen in this adaptation.
The film sticks with the book in that it has Christian meeting Anastasia when she covers for her sick roommate and interviews the billionaire at this office. The two immediately make a connection and it’s not long before Christian is asking her to sign a contract and be his submissive. Ana won’t be able to touch him or sleep in his bed, but she’ll have the pleasure of his company as long as she puts up with his unusual behavior, obeys the rules, and accepts that she is his to do with as he wishes in his special Red Room that’s equipped with all sorts of whips, handcuffs, ropes, and other S&M material.
Now, if you haven’t read the books and are just checking out the film because of the hype, then Christian’s behavior comes across as psycho-stalker-ish. Even if you have read the books, his behavior appears that way – but at least book readers know there’s a backstory. A little about his troubled past is included in the film version, but not enough that at the end you won’t be left wondering what the hell Ana was thinking.
As for the casting of the leads, Dakota Johnson is a real surprise as Anastasia. She’s got the lip-biting, teary eyes down pat, and she did a great job of portraying vulnerability. What doesn’t work is her near immediate acceptance and reaction to all the strange and wonderful gifts Christian bestows on her as he’s attempting to get her to sign the agreement and be his 16th submissive. Anastasia’s behavior would make sense only if she was an alien plopped down on Earth to discover what human relationships are about and somehow wandered into Christian’s presence without ever having encountered another male. Since Ana’s not from a galaxy far, far away, it’s hard to understand why she doesn’t question everything about Christian, including his gifts.
Still, that’s the way E.L. James wrote the books, and writer Marcel and director Taylor-Johnson had to bend to James’ wishes as she had an incredible amount of control over the film adaptation, and Ana’s behavior (and lack of reactions to events) may have been a choice made by the author and not the writer or director. Dakota Johnson does the best she can with what she’s been given and she has such expressive eyes that she’s able to sort of clue the audience in on why she’s just going with the flow in a situation most women would be turning tail and running from.
Jamie Dornan doesn’t fit the physical description of Christian Grey from the books, but he is a terrific actor who nails the smoldering yet standoff-ish look and attitude. If you want to see what Dornan can do when he’s given material in which he utters more than 10 words at a time, check him out in The Fall (it’s on Netflix). As Christian, Dornan’s saddled with playing a closed-off character who emotes little and says even less.
Considering this is a film adaptation of a book series referred to as “mommy porn,” there are surprisingly few sex scenes. What this movie does have that was lacking in the books is a solid sense of humor, and not merely unintentional humor (the piano scene is especially cheesy and laugh-inducing, but, again, it’s in the books).
Fifty Shades of Grey is going to draw in an audience no matter what anyone says so it doesn’t matter what grade I give this review. Still, as someone who made it through two and a half out of three Fifty Shades books, I feel compelled to warn book fans to go in with their expectations lowered a bit. I overheard two ladies seated behind me at the advance screening saying they didn’t understand what happened. They said they went into the screening expecting to feel all hot and bothered but came away feeling cold, an indication the film missed its mark.
Fifty Shades isn’t a horrible movie, just one that feels reined in considering its themes of domination and submission. In fact, had the movie not been saddled with being a faithful adaptation of the books, Fifty Shades would have been a compelling relationship drama. The budding relationship between Christian and Ana (and not their bedroom antics) is what drives the movie, and because the Red Room is tamed down in the film version those scenes actually felt out of place.
Just as there was a power struggle behind the scenes in making the film, there’s a power struggle on screen over what Fifty Shades the movie wants to be. It needed to take the plunge, strengthen the sexual moments, and submit to the book’s “mommy porn” reputation. Instead, it played it too safe.
GRADE: C+
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language
One of the last movies I saw at Sundance became my favorite, the ‘80s John Hughes inspired Seoul Searching. Starring an all-Korean cast, the film is based on a real camp that existed in the ‘80s where the children of Korean emigrates were sent to get back in touch with their roots. With all those teenagers away from home, you can imagine the crazy hijinks that ensued, as well as some genuine coming of age.
Now that I’m back from Sundance I got to interview some of the Seoul Searching cast by phone. Jessika Van plays Grace Park, a preacher’s daughter who dresses in all black and loves Madonna. Van will also be seen this spring on The CW’s new show The Messengers. Keep a lookout for Seoul Searching. We’re hoping it gets picked up so you can see it in theaters everywhere.
Many of the cast were new actors, but this was not your first movie. How did writer/director Benson Lee find you?
Jessika Van: “He actually found me through Albert [Kong]. What happened was I actually had heard about this for a while because I had had a lot of friends participate in the open call on Facebook, but because my reps at the time were already keeping me very busy with television stuff, I didn’t jump into that. It kind of just went past, and quite a bit of time later, like months later, I had met Albert once because a film of mine had been one of the three films nominated for USC’s First Look short film award.
So he had had a film playing with one of mine and I’d gone up to him because I thought he was a great actor and complimented him. We’d become Facebook friends and that was it, didn’t talk to him after that. And I got a Facebook message from him one day that said, ‘Hey, you know, I think there’s a part. Let me know, maybe I could give the director your info.’ I’m like, ‘Sure.’ So Benson got in contact with me and just sent me three pages. It ended up being that project.
At that point they I think had cast pretty much everyone else. Benson was in a huge rush at the time. He was like, ‘I’ve really got to cast you right now. You’ve got to come in in the next couple days.’ So I rushed in and read with Albert, had a great time talking with Benson, loved the character. Then he ended up having to push the film another six months. It ended up taking him a lot longer to actually go to Korea.”
I’m glad you stuck with it.
Jessika Van: “Oh yeah, I was excited. I wanted to do it from the start. I was thinking, ‘Really? This is great. I’ve never been to Korea. When can I get on the plane and how do I make this happen?'”
Benson was very clear that he was inspired by the John Hughes films. Did you start out with a type like “the jock,” “the slut,” “the bitch” like the Hughes movies, that of course became deeper as the movie went on?
Jessika Van: “For me, it’s actually funny. I kind of went at it through more of a dramatic, deeper right first, archetype-wise. When he first told me about the character, I hadn’t read the script. So all he told me was these three pages and it’s a pastor’s daughter. I had played this really heavy, heavy, heavy short film that had won a couple awards. That one was a pastor’s daughter, but think the opposite of Seoul Searching. She’s got some really dark family secrets. She’s on the brink of maybe suicide attempts. It was the opposite end of that. So I started from there, having him tell me that that was the character and that she loved Madonna. Then I went to find the lighter, younger teenage side of it from that.”
How did you like those fabulous Madonna outfits?
Jessika Van: “I love Madonna anyway and I started geeking out as soon as he told me that the character loved Madonna. I was looking at all her old pictures. I was watching all her old music videos and she just made such amazing, stylish choices. They’re so outside the box and I love lace and everything. It was really fun, but toward the end, I have to say, I wore that one outfit in the black with plastic bangles that go all the way up my arm.
Those are pretty tight because I have small wrists, but a hand that has to get through those bangles before you can get to my wrist and arm. They were like, ‘Do you want to keep these bangles?’ I’m like, ‘No.’ It was so painful to get them on for every day for so long, that I was over it by the end for sure.”
Did they ruin the sound because they’d clank around?
Jessika Van: “No, they were plastic which was genius because they wouldn’t clank. So those wouldn’t clank but my necklaces, I have a barrage of necklaces on. Those actually cut me more than once. The craziest was this one late night when Justin and I were filming the scene when he comes to pick me up and take me into the room with the girls. One of the necklaces is a cross and it’s metal.
Somehow I think when he picked me up or was pushing around, it must’ve gotten pushed into my shoulder. So we looked at my shoulder after and there’s a cross, not burned in, but basically imprinted into my shoulder. We were all like, ‘Uh, okay.’ Pretty creepy.”
When you shot the scene where you all arrive at the airport, did everyone get a different setup like it is in the movie?
Jessika Van: “I think he did have the music play while we were doing that. Benson was really great about having a lot of the music involved early on so we could feel the feeling that he wanted to give.”
Of course we’re hoping for big things for Seoul Searching, but what is next for you?
Jessika Van: “There’s actually quite a few things. I really hope we get to release on the big screen because I think it’s a film that needs the energy of a theater. But I just feel so blessed. There are a lot of things cooking right now so I don’t really know what to say, but I know that I have a TV show that I filmed. I went straight from Asia right after Korea. I didn’t get a chance to go back to the U.S.
I was rushing to film this TV show called The Messengers, and then I spent three months in Albuquerque. So my skin kind of had a heart attack but that show will premiere on April 10 on The CW. At the moment I’m working on another indie film and I’ve got another couple indies lined up that I really hope great things for because one of the films, the script was on the Black List and was a Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist. So fingers crossed.”
Which was the film on the Black List?
Jessika Van: “It hasn’t begun production yet but it’s called currently April Flowers. They’re trying to round up their financing. I think they’ve gotten about half, but it’s tough with indie films. I’m sure you’re well aware.”
Jessika Van: “Yes, they filmed the pilot before I got involved but once I join in, I’m around for good. I can’t say too much about the character other than she’s a grifter who shows up to join the rest of them because her money’s been stolen. She’s from Hong Kong. She’s a poker playing con artist. She’s a con artist. She gets around by trying to figure out how to get what she wants and she’s made some money at it, but then she kind of has a choice to see what she believes in, whether she’s going to continue on her path or change it completely.”
The classic TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has made the leap to the big screen with Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) as Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Illya Kuryakin. The 1960s TV series, which had Robert Vaughn and David McCallum playing the lead roles, was about two agents from the United Network Command for Law Enforcement fighting the villains who were part of THRUSH (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity). The new film is said to be a “fresh take” on the ’60s series with Guy Ritchie directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Lionel Wigram.
In addition to Cavill and Hammer, the cast features Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant.
The Plot:
Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. hits theaters on August 14, 2015.
Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Howard Stern, and Mel B (Photo by: Justin Stephens / NBC)
NBC says Howie Mandel, Mel B and Heidi Klum will be joining Howard Stern on the judging panel for season 10 of America’s Got Talent. Mel B and Klum will be handling their third seasons as judges, Stern is back for the fourth season while Mandel returns for his sixth season of judging the competitors. Nick Cannon will be back as host for the show’s 10th anniversary season.
“This opinionated and talented quartet of judges provides fearless and thoughtful analysis and an infectious energy that keeps the audience wondering what will happen next,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming. “We can’t wait for them to come back for another great season.”
“I’m delighted that Howard, Howie, Heidi and Mel B are back to celebrate a decade of talent on AGT,” said Trish Kinane, Executive Producer and President of Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America. “They are dedicated to finding the best and most eccentric performers to put before viewers in a true celebration of the American Spirit.”
Season 10 will air this summer with live telecasts originating from Radio City Music Hall.
Two new steamy videos from Outlander‘s upcoming second half of season one have arrived online. The first video features our favorite couple, Jamie and Claire, in an intimate scene in which Jamie (Sam Heughan) declares his feelings for Claire (Caitriona Balfe) are so intense that they scare him.
The second video is a teaser for the new trailer for the Outlander‘s second half which will run in front of screenings of Fifty Shades of Grey. Outlander returns on April 4, 2015.
The Plot: Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
The cast of ‘White Water’ (Photo Courtesy of TV One)
This weekend TV One aired the movie White Water, a story of the segregated South in 1963 as seen from a child’s perspective. Michael (played by twins Amir and Amari O’Neill) wants to taste water from the Whites Only water fountains because he thinks it will taste better. His single mother (Sharon Leal) has her hands full because Michael’s father, Terrance (Larenz Tate), is busy fooling around with other women.
When TV One brought White Water to the Television Critics Association, I got to speak with Tate about his role in the film.
You’ve done period piece films in the ‘70s and Vietnam Era. Have you ever done one in 1963 during segregation?
Larenz Tate: “You know, dealing with Civil Rights specifically, no. This is my first one. I’ve read them. The scripts come across my desk but this was so cool because when you think about Alabama, you think about 1963, you think about Selma, you think about all the things that happened, bombings of churches, Montgomery, crazy things. This one deals with the subject matter but not as harsh. Because you have a child who is going through a journey and asking questions, as simple as what’s the difference between white water and colored people water? What’s the difference? Water being the most neutral thing you can find, the absurdity of it all is just kind of interesting, and a child brings a charm to it. So I had never done anything like this.
Because I have three little boys myself, I thought this would be an interesting way to talk about subject matters of segregation and discrimination as it relates today. We still discriminate against people by race or creed or sexual preference. We do that a lot and it’s absurd. We’re different and we can cohabitate in this world without having the senselessness of separate water fountains.”
Is the process of doing a period piece the same from The Inkwell and Dead Presidents to White Water?
Larenz Tate: “It was a little different because, again, dealing with a time when you’re told, ‘Don’t go to this side of town because you can be in great danger if you do just by being there. The color of your skin can get you beat up or hurt or more, or killed, just for being in the wrong area.’ At least that’s what you were told and it had been seen many times. Dealing with that subject matter is just like wow, that’s a little different. What’s also cool about this particular take on it, even though those things are looming in the background of the story, no one gets lynched. You don’t see anyone get beaten or hosed down with fire hoses. It’s not that we stayed away from it for any other reason than it was just a different story.”
Was it interesting to play a character who was a real ladies man and player?
Larenz Tate: “Yeah, of course. I like that. [Laughing] Terrance is a bit of a ladies man. More than being a ladies man, he has commitment issues. That was his whole thing. Sharon Leal’s character, Annie, is the ideal person for him but he has commitment issues. But he loves his son and he wants to be the best father he could be, and he doesn’t walk around with the idea that he’s a black man. He’s just a man enjoying his life, trying to do the right thing.”
Was it an unusual experience to work with twins who played the same character, where they would switch back and forth?
Larenz Tate: “It was a little unusual but it made sense, because one was stronger as an actor in one aspect than the other. So it made a lot of sense but because they were always around at the same time, it was kind of a joy to get two different little performances.”
Have you shot any other movies that will come out after White Water?
Larenz Tate: “Yeah, I shot a movie that I produced called Beta Test where it’s an action thriller where I play a video gamer. It’s a really cool movie we shot in Seattle. We’re still editing.”
Are you the lead?
Larenz Tate: “One of the leads, yeah. Manu Bennett who is in all of the Hobbit films is costarring opposite myself.”
What gets these video gamers into an action scenario?
Larenz Tate: “With this particular guy, he’s a tester for all the video gaming companies. There’s this one specific game that becomes reality, so it was a cool story, cool concept. We put it together and produced it.”
What are the movies of yours that fans want to talk to you about the most when they see you?
Larenz Tate: “Dead Presidents, Love Jones, Menace II Society and Crash.”
