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Sandra Bullock and Director Alfonso Cuaron Discuss ‘Gravity’ and Science Fiction

By
Rebecca Murray
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Sandra Bullock and Alfonso Cuaron Interview
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star in 'Gravity' (Photo © 2013 Warner Bros. Pictures)

Oscar winner Sandra Bullock and Oscar winner George Clooney teamed up with three-time Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuaron (two for Children of Men, one for Y Tu Mama Tambien) for what’s become one of the most buzzed-about sci-fi films of the year: Gravity. Set in space, the film finds Bullock and Clooney alone and adrift in space after their shuttle is destroyed.

Together with director Cuaron at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con where footage screened wowed attendees fortunate enough to get into the Q&A session, Bullock discussed her first major sci-fi film, talking to real astronauts, and working with George Clooney.

Sandra Bullock and Alfonso Cuaron Gravity Press Conference

Alfonso, are the challenges of hard sci-fi easier than maybe fantastical science fiction. And Sandra, did the fact that it was supposed to be in a very realistic universe make it easier for you to tap into dealing with your first science fiction project?

Alfonso Cuaron: “Well, the challenge was that we didn’t want to create a new world. The goal was for the film to feel like one of the those IMAX documentaries, like a Discovery Channel documentary that just went absolutely wrong. So, we used current technology. We didn’t invent anything. If anything, the only thing that we…we didn’t invent it…but we were ahead of time and we have the Chinese space station. […] Not only that, we want to be current.

We had the space shuttle and we decided to keep the NASA astronaut suits, the current one because now there’s a new generation that’s going to come very soon. But the thing is that if we go to the next generation, it was going to look like fantasy science fiction because it’s stuff that is not in the consciousness of people here. So that’s why we decided to go a little retro there, and so we went through pains to try to honor reality as much as we could.

Definitely with the concept of Zero G and No Resistance. That was something that we went through pains to try to make it accurate. Now, in terms of the design of what you see is pretty much what’s up there. We have to take – obviously, it’s a film. It is a work of fiction, so we don’t pretend to say that everything is perfect. It’s a work of fiction, and so in the frame of that fiction, we try to be as accurate as possible to reality.”

Sandra Bullock: “That’s very well said. I agree. Because I wasn’t at all in control or had no idea the extent of technology that was involved, to me it was all sort of fantastical, futuristic which made it exciting and magical and frightening all at the same breath. But I had to be very true to what someone was dealing with who would be in my position, or the character’s position, which is factual today. And I wanted to be really accurate, so we had a lot of incredible specialists who did just that. There was always people on call. There were several times I was able to call up to space and ask them questions, and they’d answer.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “She got on the phone with the space station. That was very weird.”

Sandra Bullock: “They were very helpful. So just for what I had to do, I had to be very human in this technologically advanced space that felt very futuristic to me because, A, it had never been done before on film. So I had the benefit of both.”

George Clooney is known for his pranks. Were there any on-set pranks?

Sandra Bullock: “No. There was a truce…”

Alfonso Cuaron: “…between the two of them.”

Sandra Bullock: “There was a truce. But this film was so hard. Pranks had no place. There was never down time. How are you going to prank someone who’s hanging from a scaffolding with 12 wires, are rigged up all day? And so we had a truce at the very get-go because that just wasn’t the appropriate place to prank someone.”

You were actually calling astronauts?

Sandra Bullock: “Yeah.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “And by the way, they decided not to prank each other.”

Sandra Bullock: “We didn’t prank you. We just made fun of you.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “Exactly, they just made fun of me all day long.”

Sandra Bullock: “There’s a difference between that.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “So that was how they would entertain themselves.

You have a great history of making science fiction kind of very realistic, very gritty. Did you shoot with 3D cameras?

Alfonso Cuaron: “No, we didn’t. It didn’t make any sense because of the technology that we used, it was practically impossible. We wanted to shoot in 3D with the cameras, and we did the test. And first of all, it was impossible because of the technology. We used these robots, the robots that are used for car manufacturing, we adopted some of those robots for instance. Instead of like having a motion control, the weight of the cameras was not possible in those robots, first of all.

And secondly, because of the second part of the technology where in one instance Sandra was on a rig inside a cube that is 9 by 9, that the camera had just a limited view of Sandra. Enough to photograph Sandra. I had to go through holes in that cube, so if it’s a wide shot, it would start wide and then go very close in. It was impossible because, as you know, with 3D cameras, you need two cameras, so you need more space.

And then the other set that we had is the Soyuz. The Soyuz is the Russian space pod, and is pretty much the size of these three chairs smashed up together. So, it was impossible.

But beyond that, not only was it impossible because of the constraint of space, what didn’t make any sense was because it is such a combination of real action and CG that the amount of real footage was so minimal that what we end up doing is doing a conversion. Pretty much we start converting to 3D, I can tell you three and a half years ago, to go through pains to make sure that it was the closest thing to 3D.”

Did you consult with James Cameron on that?

Alfonso Cuaron: “I did. Yeah, and actually, I was with Jim this week, and he said, ‘Look, this is a perfect example how a film can be converted.’ And now he’s talking about the way that technology goes, it’s not about taking your choice if I’m going native or I’m going to convert. But it’s like any other tool, you choose your moments.”

Sandra, which astronauts did you speak to?

Sandra Bullock: “I will let the astronauts, if they ever want to reveal who I was chatting with, say it because I respect their privacy. But they were incredibly helpful. I mean, literally, you could call and they were like, ‘I’m going to call you back.’ They email. And you’re like, ‘My email reached here,’ and they’re like, ‘Of course it did because all our emails go to space and then come back here.’

But they were so excited about the vantage point that this film was taking which was the same that they have which is a great love for the program, because of what they get to see and admire about our planet and the universe around them. It’s such an organic love that they have. It’s not just adventure, it’s going up in pods and they love the technology. They have a deep, deep love and appreciation for our planet and civilization and what we’re wasting. And so those were the nice conversations to have, so that gave it a real emotional gravity.”

What kind of reaction are you hoping for from audiences?

Sandra Bullock: “You want so much for this. I mean, I haven’t even seen the completed film, but I hope people come out of this feeling having been taken completely out of their bodies. And by the time the end of the film happens, wanting to go out and do something amazing with their life if they’re not already doing it. What have you wasted up to this point? What have you not experienced? What have you not savored? Stop holding your breath and worrying about everything.

There’s so many beautiful storylines in this film, but you come out of it feeling hopefully that you’re given one more chance to sort of be born again to do exactly what it is you’re supposed to do in this lifetime. And that having been at the end of it horrific, beautiful, frightening experience that Alfonso gives you on the way there.”

What was George Clooney like for you professionally to work off of?

Sandra Bullock: “I’ve known George for…we’ve known each other long before either one of us had a career. We’re part of a close group of friends. So I’ve known George before the world knew ‘handsome George.’ And the same person he was then is the exact same person he is now, a man who loves film, a man who loves being part of a group and working and supporting. He’s the ultimate team worker. You just never know if you’re dealing with someone who’s had the level of success that he has because all he cares about is being at the table at the beginning of a film, reading the script. What lines are great? How can I help?

He’s just the same person I knew all those years ago when our hair was dark and curly, and it’s just more of the same. He just is that same guy that I’ve known. You’re always grateful when you’re working with George because he wants everyone else to look better. He always wants everyone else to have their moment. It’s never the narcissistic actor/director/writer/producer who’s like, ‘I need to make myself look as good as possible.’ He’s always looking out for everyone.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “That is true. And part of his concern here is there was a point in which there were so many scenes with Sandra alone, he was so concerned making sure that – I mean, he could have just gone, done his job and leave, and George noticed that Sandy and I were struggling with a couple of scenes because we were all the time discussing these scenes and doing rewrites in terms of the dialogue and how to best convey the emotions that we wanted to convey. Suddenly, out of the blue, he offered to help and actually, one of the scenes, one of my favorite scenes, he rewrote. And it was just out of the blue. He said, ‘Hey. I heard that you were working on that. For what it’s worth, here’s this. Delete it or use it.’ And it was great.”

What was your first impression of the script and why did you decide to get involved?

Sandra Bullock: “It’s the great unknown. You read this script and you always read into it your experience in life. And it was really profound, but it was still the great unknown. How do you do this? But the fact that it came from Alfonso who is someone that for many, many, many years, the joke always with me was that no matter what film I was doing, I always said, ‘Let’s ask Alfonso Cuaron to direct,’ even though I knew that was never going to happen. But to admire someone so much and then have this sort of project which you couldn’t explain, had never been done before, had this possible outcome of this beautiful message intertwined with extreme thrills and action and the technology that’s never been done before, it’s just like life.

Sometimes I don’t know what this is, but the person who is helming is a person just worthy of blindly stepping into this vortex with, and that’s what it was. I had such faith in what he had already done, and then meeting him as a person, and us having sort of similar views and paths we were on in life, and going, you know, whatever we don’t know how to answer right now, I felt like, as a team, we would be able to have a thoughtful conversation to figure it out because I felt like we were trying to figure out so many things in our own lives. And it just worked out that way. There’s always a conversation that was okay to have. So that’s what made me want to step in was that the human being and the artist combined in him.”

How close to your dream of becoming an astronaut did your film bring you?

Alfonso Cuaron: “It was the closest. It’s so weird because it was not until recently that the whole thing – because for some reason it was the internet that [said] I wanted to be an astronaut. Yes, as a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut – you’re old enough like me. I remember my own passion was I wanted to be a film director and I realized that being an astronaut was not going to be an option. I said, ‘Well, I’m going to be a director and do films of space.’ I thought about films in space.

But I completely forgot about that until recently, and I’m talking a couple of weeks ago. Then, yeah, I met with Danny Boyle in the airport once. He said, ‘Hey, you’re going Gravity?’ ‘Yes, yes. It’s a space film.’ He said, ‘Yes, I did my space film and once you go to space, you don’t go back. You don’t want to go back.’ And my dream is I really want to go to space. I really, really want to go to space, so if over there one of those guys that are sponsoring in the new kind of expedition in space, they want to sponsor me, I’m very happy to take the trip. I would never do another film in space.”

It’s rare to have a female lead in a sci-fi film. Do you think this may help open up doors and do you think of it in those terms at all?

Sandra Bullock: “Yes, to both questions. Absolutely, the elephant in the room is that the roles for women haven’t been as vast and as many as the men have had, but I do feel that a shift has happened. I never thought of myself as a woman in the business until about six years ago when I was involved in a project and I went, ‘Oh my God. The walls I’m running into are because I’m female.’ And I wasn’t raised that way. I was appalled and I was depressed because I never felt like I wasn’t given the opportunities because I would find them.

But for lead roles in films, the roles haven’t been as many as we like, but making this character female, I think, was hugely brave. But also it gives you so many different levels of angst and worry. There’s situations that you can build around that, that I don’t think an audience has experienced just yet. It’s not like you’re going, ‘Oh, here’s a woman in space. It’s just a person.’ But the situations, I think, will feel fresh and in a way that you haven’t experienced them before.

I do think that the times are changing, big time because, in the end, it’s about making money. And if a studio sees that a female can bring in audiences, they’re going to make movies with that person, and I’m just glad that I got to be a part of it. It’s nice. Hopefully, that will not be a trend. And that will become the norm and we won’t be wondering when we get the same meaty roles any more.”

Alfonso Cuaron: “I agree in terms of times are changing, but I have to say, there were voices. When I finished the script, there were voices. They were saying, ‘Well, you should change it to a male lead.’ And obviously, they were not powerful enough voices obviously because we got away with it. But the sad thing is there is still that tendency that have to do with the walls that you’re talking about that you faced.”

Sandra Bullock: “But also, I can be incredibly masculine, so often people forget I’m female. So I kind of can play both sides.”

Alfonso, talk about the visual design incorporating the long take and using time and space to create anxiety and fear?

Alfonso Cuaron: “Well, that came from conception when we were writing the screenplay. I wrote it with Jonas Cuaron, who’s my son. […]Part of the concept from the get-go was this idea of that he should feel like an IMAX documentary or a Discovery Channel documentary that goes wrong. And in those, you see the beautiful footage of IMAX. Well, it is not that pure cutting around characters. You’re just flowing with the sense of real time, and that’s part of why those footages are so beautiful. And that was very organic for me because I did have the tendency for the last few films of doing continuous takes. So, it was just something that married perfectly well.

The script from the get-go, the original title when we presented for the first time it said Gravity: A Space Suspense in 3D so we wanted to get 3D, but the thing is, that we started this process four and a half years ago. And at that time, 3D was still [popular], and there have been so much backlash ever since. I love 3D. I think it’s not necessarily – that’s the conversation I was having with Cameron a week ago – it’s been over-produced. Sometimes you see films you don’t understand why this films are in 3D. You see that it’s just a cynical thing to just convert films just because there’s a market. But the films that are actually designed for 3D, I think it’s amazing.

3D was invented two years after film was invented. The first 3D film was in 1896. So it’s in many ways, when film was invented – and they just didn’t keep on doing it because it was complicated – the idea, the notion is that you were going to watch something with your two eyes. I love the sense of depth that 3D can give you. And this thing that we use, wide angles, not that many cuts, continuous takes, that we have our involvement with our astronaut and we have that beautiful background that is the Earth, it just lended perfectly to do something that is very immersing. The idea is that you see it in the theater and you feel that you’re up there in space.”




Colin O’Donoghue and Michael Raymond-James ‘Once Upon a Time’ Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Colin O'Donoghue Once Upon a Time Interview
Colin O'Donoghue - Photo © Richard Chavez

Is Emma (Jennifer Morrison) destined to live happily ever after with Neal/Baelfire or will she fall under the spell of a sexy pirate? And what’s going to happen to our favorite heroes and villains now that they’ve headed off to rescue Henry (Jared Gilmore) in Neverland on ABC’s fairy tale fantasy series Once Upon a Time? Neither of these questions were answered in my interview with Colin O’Donoghue (‘Hook’) and Michael Raymond-James, but they did discuss guyliner and playing rivals for Emma’s affection.

Michael Raymond-James and Colin O’Donoghue Interview:

How many times have you had to talk about guyliner today?

Colin O’Donoghue: “What? Not once!”

Michael Raymond-James: [Laughing] “Yeah, not once.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Not once.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Certainly not enough because I could talk about it all day.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “We were saying on set the other day, I think it was Ginny who said we should bring out a Once Upon a Time guyliner thing and then we can do an ad where I sort of walk down the street.”

Michael Raymond-James: “I’d buy that guyliner.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Yeah?”

Michael Raymond-James: “Absolutely.”

They should just start incorporating it into all the characters.

Michael Raymond-James: [Laughing] “Yeah.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “We can listen to The Cure and Depeche Mode and all that stuff.”

Next season’s going to be really interesting because you’re going to be in a different land. Can you give us any type of tease?

Colin O’Donoghue: “Yeah. I mean we pretty much pick up straight where we left off and Neal goes to the Enchanted Forest and the rest of us go to Neverland, and it’s nearly exactly from the point that we stopped. You get to see Neverland but you get to see a different type of Neverland than you would have expected or read about before. Eddie [Kitsis] and Adam [Horowitz] do it with a twist and put a slant of things. You’ll see all the characters, I think, that you would expect to see in Neverland, but slightly askew.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Sideways versions of them.”

Michael, your character has the most complex backstory of any character on the show. How aware were you of Baelfire’s backstory when you got the part?

Michael Raymond-James: “When I got the offer and agreed to do it, I was very aware. I went into their offices, and they pitched me what they had in mind and the complexity of all of it. First of all, no character on the show has a simple, straightforward background. You know what I mean? It’s intense, it’s crazy. I was totally aware and that’s one of the things that drew me to it. There was a lot of different avenues you can go down, in terms of trying to figure out why you make a particular move or not.”

Are you aware then of where the character is headed?

Michael Raymond-James: “See, that’s the thing I don’t know. I was aware of the arc that I [had] for season two but where we’re at now, I really don’t [know]. Neither one of us is in the second episode so… What’s interesting about this show is as a viewer it’s important to keep in mind the future will further define the meaning of the present. In other words, if something’s going to come up and you’re like, ‘Wow, what?!’ And maybe three episodes later, 10 episodes later there’s clarity on that moment that you were confused about before. It’s the same thing for us at this point. There’s things that come up and like, ‘That’s what was going on.'”

Colin O’Donoghue: “By the way, that was philosophically brilliant, what you said. [Laughing] I’m a bit stunned by that. Yes, whatever he said, yes.”

In your opinion, I know you don’t know this for sure, but in your opinion, whose character is going to end up with Emma?

Michael Raymond-James: “Oh man, that’s not for us to decide.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “No.”

Who do you think she should end up with?

Michael Raymond-James: “What?”

Colin O’Donoghue: “I’m not going to say Neal and he’s not going to say Hook so I guess…”

Michael Raymond-James: “We’ll call a draw.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Yeah, we’ll call it a draw. It’s interesting because I think that both characters sort of feel like they deserve love.”

Michael Raymond-James Once Upon a Time Interview
Michael Raymond-James - Photo © Richard Chavez

Michael Raymond-James: “Right.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “We don’t know if Hook and Emma, if that’s a thing. They have a connection but we don’t know if that is a thing. We know that Neal and Emma is a thing.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Was a thing.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Was a thing.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Maybe could be a thing again. Maybe, I don’t know.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “I don’t know. Yeah, it will be interesting to see.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Exactly.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “It will be interesting because of the relationship between Baelfire and Hook.”

Michael Raymond-James: “Right, which is most likely not as acrimonious as…we don’t know.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Yeah, we just don’t know.”

Michael Raymond-James: “God, it’s going to be f**king amazing! [Laughing] We should watch it.”

Colin, when you’re playing a character so entrenched in literature with so many different variations, do you revisit those things to gain a better handle of Hook or do you try to dismiss those?

Colin O’Donoghue: “I think the most important thing is to go back to the source material which is the books and the play, I guess. So I wanted to bring an element of that which is slightly different than the Hook that we would know anyway. He’s described as being a very dark character in J. M. Barrie’s book. I was conscious that there was no way I was going to be able to do Captain Hook the way Dustin Hoffman did it or Jason Isaacs. There’s no way that I could ever pull that off.”

Michael Raymond-James: “It’s weird because I heard that Dustin Hoffman he saw what you were doing and he wants to go back and re-do that movie.”

Colin O’Donoghue: [Laughing] “I heard that too, but you snooze you lose.”

Michael Raymond-James: [Laughing] “That’s it. You had your crack.”

Colin O’Donoghue: “Yeah, you had your crack, Dustin. Because it’s important to try and put your own slant on things. I think for Eddie and Adam that’s what they wanted as well. They wanted to make him a very different Hook than people would know before because I could have the big hat and the big frilly clothes and stuff like that, but I’m glad I don’t.”




Paul Wesley Discusses ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and Becoming Silas

By
Rebecca Murray
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Paul Wesley as Stefan in The Vampire Diaries Interview
Paul Wesley as Stefan in 'The Vampire Diaries' - Photo Courtesy of The CW

When Paul Wesley sat down at our table to do an interview for season five of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, he was munching on a granola bar and just “enjoying the whirlwind of insanity” that is the San Diego Comic-Con. Wesley, along with his The Vampire Diaries co-stars Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Kat Graham, and Candice Accola, once again made the trek to San Diego to promote the series which this season finds Wesley playing Silas playing Stefan. Confused? Don’t be, just read the interview.

So now that you’re playing Silas, how is that going this season?

Paul Wesley: “I love it. I love the challenge and I love that Stefan is in the bottom of a lake. [Laughing] I love him, but at the same time I feel like I needed a little space from Stefan right now.”

What is Stefan thinking about down there in that water?

Paul Wesley: “He’s actually having hallucinations. I’m not kidding.”

Really?

Paul Wesley: “No. You’ll see.”

Are we going to visit Stefan in the box?

Paul Wesley: “Maybe, with a really small camera.”

You’ve played Stefan as Ripper, which allowed you to go darker with the character and now with Silas, will that also allow you to get evil and maybe a little crazy?

Paul Wesley: “I hope so. I think it’s different. I don’t think he shows his colors as much. I think he has a lot more fun. I’m going to approach him in a very light way. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Silas.”

Has Nina Dobrev been giving you any tips?

Paul Wesley: “Everyone’s been asking me that, but I haven’t done it yet. But when I do do it, I’ll ask her.”

Are you looking forward to that moment?

Paul Wesley: “I’m not looking forward to the extra hours and coming to work all day, but, yeah, I am. It’s certainly a challenge. I’ve never done anything like it before.”

What do you think Stefan will do when he gets out?

Paul Wesley: [Laughing] Get a beer. Smoke a cigarette…not that I endorse any of that. I don’t know. I am curious as to how they’re going to write that. What sort of place he will be in psychologically. It’s going to be pretty [interesting]. What if he just gets out and he’s like, ‘Hey. Hey, guys. What’s going on? No, it’s all good. Yeah, I’ve been dying for a year, over and over.'”

It’ll be interesting to see the relationship between Silas/Stefan and Caroline.

Paul Wesley: “Candace [Accola] is just fantastic and we have great chemistry. I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen there. I really don’t. I truly don’t know anything, but I hope Stefan gets some action. I hope Silas gets some action, actually, come to think of it. It would be great.”

No one knows Stefan is Silas now, right?

Paul Wesley: “Right now.”

So you’re going to be playing Silas as Stefan?

Paul Wesley: “Yeah, impersonating Stefan.”

Are you playing Stefan as a whole new character then or the same as before?

Paul Wesley: “I think that initially, he’s impersonating Stefan, so it’s similar. But I think, eventually, it’s going to be sort of obvious. [It’ll be] very apparent who’s who.”

But everyone will find out Stefan is Silas at some point?

Paul Wesley: “I mean, eventually. For sure. It has to.”

What are your hopes for The Vampire Diaries this season?

Paul Wesley: “I want to see Vampire Diaries reset itself and go back to its old-school roots. I want it to unwind and not be so complicated. I want the storylines to be simplified.”

What’s been a stand-out moment for Stefan thus far?

Paul Wesley: “I thought the 1920s flashback when he was so sinister and evil, and so dark was really, to me, very powerful. I felt like it was incredible that we had been following this character for three years and we loved everything he did, he’s so noble, and then we see the truth behind why he is so noble. I thought that was so powerful. It was like the roots of how dark could turn into light and reverse itself.”

We miss Lexi.

Paul Wesley: “I know. I love Lexi. She brings out the lighter side in Stefan. Yeah. I miss her, too. I know. Maybe she’ll come back.”

* * * * * * *

The Vampire Diaries returns for season five on October 10, 2013.




Ian Somerhalder Discusses ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and Stefan’s Relationship with Elena

By
Rebecca Murray
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Ian Somerhalder in The Vampire Diaries
Ian Somerhalder as Damon in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ (Photo Courtesy of The CW)

Listening to Ian Somerhalder discuss season five of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries while at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, it sounds as though the series will have a change in tone from seasons three and four. But given this is a series that isn’t afraid to either kill off fan favorites or rip apart on-screen relationships, The Vampire Diaries fans shouldn’t expect all the major characters to suddenly find happiness or lasting relationships.

Damon and Elena are finally together. How is that going to play out?

Ian Somerhalder: “I think you always have to be cognizant of the fact that it’s The Vampire Diaries and you can’t remain happy for too long in any one given scenario, because then there’s no conflict. But I think it is cute to see them in their interactions together. I think anyone, whether it would be Nina [Dobrev] or Paul [Wesley] or myself, it’s typically going to be a lot more fun to play the bad guy or the bad boy or the bad girl because it’s just more dynamic. They’re more fun to play.

It is cute to see Damon and Elena and their interaction. Damon’s just smitten. He’s in love and it’s cute. Not to say he wouldn’t rip her throat out… You know what I mean? It’s the guy who would have the same smirk on his face if he was saving a kitten out of a tree or ripping someone’s head off. You’ve got to preface this by this is the type of man you’re dealing with.”

How does this newfound relationship with Elena affect his relationship with his brother, and now his doppelgänger?

Ian Somerhalder: “Stefan’s gone, so there is no relationship with Stefan.”

So he doesn’t make it out of the watery grave?

Ian Somerhalder: “Not, meaning ‘until further notice’. One thing that’s quite interesting about it actually is that the dynamic now has changed by virtue of the fact that Stefan’s gone, and that this Silas guy is here now. It really does change the dynamic of the whole show, and we like that. I think, just to preface it again as we’re going into season five of the show, usually these storylines have already been played out.

We’re very fortunate right now because we have a new, rejuvenated sense of coming into the show in season five. The dynamics of the characters have changed quite a bit. We’re also going back, from a production standpoint, we’re extremely dialed in the way we may have been in season one. We were flying by the seat of our pants, we’re shooting the story that were like little movies every week. We’re going back to that, even photographically. Dialing it down. Color, way down.

Remember when it was so dark sometimes we had to squint at the television to see the reaction of the character? But the movies that we love seeing are like that. Not everything is bright and poppy and sunny. We got away from that in season three and four of the show, so we’re excited to go back to that. And bring it back down to instead of condensing an A, B, C, D, E, F, G storyline all in one 46 minute episode of television with things are exploding, we’re going back to this really human interaction…well, not necessarily human…but the interaction between characters is really what it elicits in the audience. We’re digging it.”

Is Jeremy really moving into that boarding house?

Ian Somerhalder: “Jeremy? It’s not really a boarding house. [Laughing] That was like the beginning of season one when it really looked like a boarding house. It’s just a mansion. Yeah, he is living there. Getting him ready for school, cutting the crust off his P, B and J’s for him. I said to Julie [Plec, executive producer], I think the funny thing would be like Elena comes back to the Salvatore mansion and there’s game rooms and rooms with stripper poles in them. It’s the boys! He’s 18; Damon’s 172. You know what I mean? There’s a good mix of demographics there.”

The Vampire Diaries returns for season five on October 10, 2013.




‘The Wolverine’ Film Review

By
Kevin Finnerty
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Hugh Jackman stars in 'The Wolverine'
Hugh Jackman stars in 'The Wolverine' - Photo © 20th Century Fox

“It’s an honor to meet the Wolverine,” says Yukio (Rila Fukushima). “That’s not who I am anymore,” replies Logan (Hugh Jackman) as he’s on his way back to Japan to say goodbye to an old friend on his deathbed in the action/adventure film The Wolverine.

It’s been a little over a year since the big battle between the mutants and since Logan had to kill the Phoenix – an evil reincarnation of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) that still haunts him. Living alone in the wilderness, Logan is approached by Yukio, who works for an old WWII acquaintance of his, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi). He’s dying and wants to thank Logan in person for saving his life so many years ago.

Upon arriving in Japan, Logan begins to realize things are much more complicated than he was first led to believe. Mariko (Tao Okamoto), Yashida’s granddaughter, will receive her grandfather’s inheritance and take over his billion-dollar company after he dies. This makes her father extremely bitter and angry toward her. It also makes her a target for the Japanese mafia, who it seems did business with her grandfather back in the day.

Logan, still feeling a bond towards Yashida, is compelled to look out for Mariko and try to keep her from harm not knowing if there is anyone in Japan she or he can trust.

But that’s not all Logan’s dealing with. It seems Yashida has kept tabs on The Wolverine’s life and struggles and has been researching a way to make Logan human again for years. The dying man tells Logan he just might have found a way to do it, offering him an end to his never-ending existence.

The Wolverine is a loud, slow, and predictable spin-off of The X-Men franchise which takes the hero out of his element and puts him into a world of deception and betrayal, and up against a brand new enemy. The absolute best thing about the film is Hugh Jackman as Logan. He knows exactly how to play this role and really owns it. Jackman is to The Wolverine what Harrison Ford was to Indiana Jones. It’s almost impossible to imagine another actor playing the role. He captures the brooding, grieving loner wonderfully and is more than capable of handling himself in the action scenes.

And speaking of action scenes, there are two stand-out ones in the film. The first is in the opening showing an Allied bombing of Japan during WWII and how Logan saves Yashida, a Japanese soldier at the prison camp Logan is imprisoned in. It’s an extraordinarily suspenseful and well-shot sequence. The second is a fight on board and up on top of a bullet train in Japan. Both should have the audience’s eyes glued to the screen.

Unfortunately, those are the only highlights in the film. The rest is an uneven and, at times, repetitive bore. There are way too many dream scenes with Logan being visited by Jean which represent the awful guilt he’s carrying, knowing he had to kill the woman he loved. It goes from having an emotional and jolting experience the first time to being redundant and uninteresting.

The Wolverine also has two of the worst performances this year on film. Newcomer Svetlana Khodchenkova as the chemist with a dark and lethal secret is awful as one of the villains. She reads her lines not just poorly but with one and only one expression during the entire film. Tao Okmato is miscast as Mariko, the quiet but determined granddaughter who’s up against more enemies than she could ever know. She has zero chemistry with Jackman and delivers a stiff and rigid performance.

The big climatic battle near the end of the film is nothing more than a chaotic, loud, and unimpressive mess with too much CGI and half of the fight scenes being a quick blur. Also, the big surprise reveal of who is the real mastermind of the bad guys is so obvious in the first 30 minutes of the film, the audience will see it coming a mile away.

Not as bad as X-Men Origins: Wolverine but still nowhere near as good as the first two X-Men films, The Wolverine is overall a plodding and disappointing addition to the mutant franchise.

GRADE: C-

The Wolverine is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, some sexuality and language.




Starz Wants More of Black Sails

By
Rebecca Murray
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Black Sails 2014 Poster
'Black Sails' Poster - Photo Credit: Black Sails © 2014 Starz Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.
How certain is Starz that audiences want to watch a pirate adventure series? So certain that the network has already given a second season order to Black Sails from executive producer Michael Bay. Black Sails‘ season one will debut its eight episode run in January 2014. Season two will consist of 10 episodes which will begin shooting this November.
 
Announcing the early renewal, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said, “Michael Bay, Jon Steinberg and their teams delivered a spectacular first season of Black Sails, and we are incredibly proud of everyone’s work. Based on the strong fan response to the preview screening at last week’s Comic Con, we felt an early order for a second season would allow the writers, cast and crew enough time and space to continue crafting such unique and epic storytelling.”
 
“We are thrilled to be receiving such an exciting vote of confidence from everyone at Starz and for the opportunity to carry the Black Sails adventure into Season Two without missing a beat,” added creator/executive producer Jon Steinberg. “We couldn’t ask for better partners in bringing our pirate world to life.”
 
And Michael Bay said, “We’ve had a fantastic experience working with Chris Albrecht and Jon Steinberg. Brad, Andrew and I look forward to continuing our partnership with Starz on future episodes for this extraordinary show.”
 
The Plot:
 
Flint (Toby Stephens), the most brilliant and most feared pirate captain of his day, takes on a fast-talking young addition to his crew who goes by the name John Silver (Luke Arnold). Threatened with extinction on all sides, they fight for the survival of New Providence Island, the most notorious criminal haven of its day – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers, a place defined by both its enlightened ideals and its stunning brutality.
 
The cast also includes Zach McGowan as rival Captain Charles Vane; Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham, Vane’s right hand; Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, a determined young woman who runs the smuggling operation on New Providence; Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott, Eleanor’s retainer and right hand, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max, a tortured young prostitute who sees the dark side of New Providence; Mark Ryan as Gates, Captain Flint’s Quartermaster and most senior member of his crew, Clara Paget as the beautiful but cold-blooded Anne Bonny, and Tom Hopper as Billy Bones, boatswain of Flint’s ship.
 
Source: Starz
 

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David Giuntoli Interview: ‘Grimm,’ Zombies, and Season 3

By
Rebecca Murray
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David Giuntoli and Bitsie Tulloch in Grimm
David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt and Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Silverton in ‘Grimm’ (Photo by: Michael Muller/NBC)

David Giuntoli and the cast of NBC’s Grimm are no strangers to the twisted world of bizarre and scary creatures having dealt with so many on the popular series. So making the trek once again to San Diego for the annual gathering of geekness called Comic-Con must not seem out of the ordinary at all to the Grimm cast. And in fact, Giuntoli appeared right at home talking about the show during the NBC panel in Hall H and when answering questions in the slightly less intimidating press room following the show’s Q&A with fans.

David Giuntoli Grimm Interview:

Your character started off with no one really knowing about this secret life he’s leading, but now more and more ‘humans’ are finding out. Do you see the show becoming more like The Grimm Adventures?

David Giuntoli: “I hope so. [Laughing] The Grimm Adventures. Yeah, it certainly has been a process of collecting more and more people on my side and creating my own family. Yeah, Nick was born into this place where everybody was always on the move, avoiding people. Aunt Marie and Nick moved a million times and lived in a trailer often. So, the Grimm life was a solitary life, but it is the new age where we all can be happy together. I now have some cool Wesen friends, and my partner gets it. My girlfriend kind of gets a little bit now, so I’m like, ‘All right, I’m out of the closet, and people seem to be accepting me.’ So, I think that it can move toward a kind of group thing.”

Once you get out of the coffin? [last season ended with Nick infected by zombie slime and seemingly dead in a coffin]

David Giuntoli: “Out of the coffin, yeah. When do I get out of the coffin? Who knows?”

You tell us.

David Giuntoli: “Who knows?”

It seems like you’re going to have a big change this next season. Are you looking forward to that?

David Giuntoli: “Yeah. I mean, I think it’s fun to take Grimm anywhere. I can’t tell you where we eventually end up, if anywhere, but it would be cool to take it to Europe. That’s all I’ll say.”

Do you think he’s in a happier place now, emotionally?

David Giuntoli: “He’s in a happier place. I think he’s in a more solid place. I don’t think he’s happy because, I mean, honestly, like I always see the Grimm thing, like the Grimmstincts people kind of write about. It’s like you have this rare blood and you have this rare sole responsibility to kind of squash this certain type of evil that is inherent in my blood. So every time something wrong happens to anybody, I always view it as like it happened to my little sister. Like, you get over the top of it. So, I don’t think he’s happy, but he’s in a far more solid place, you know?”

How much input do you actually have?

David Giuntoli: “None as far as storyline, but everything as far as character choice.”

Do you think that you and Juliet will have a “happily ever after?”

David Giuntoli: “No!”

No way?

David Giuntoli: “No way! This is Grimm. She’s going to like behead me or something in season five. I think we might have a good run here for a little while, but who knows who’s good and who knows who’s bad. There are people who are bad that we don’t know, yet. You know, we don’t know that they’re bad yet, I should say.”

We’ve already heard so much about the Wesen world. They have this whole hierarchy but we don’t know as much about the Grimm history. Will we learn more about the history?

David Giuntoli: “We do. We actually, I think we meet another Grimm during this season at some point for an extended period of time.”

That was the rumor that we heard.

David Giuntoli: “That’s what you heard? Yeah, that’s going to be cool. It’s going to be an unlikely person.”

Can you picture where they’re going to take the show in later seasons?

David Giuntoli: “I mean, I think the power gets greater every season, and his confidence gets greater every season. I never know where the show’s going to end up. It’s like I’m a zombie today. It’s crazy. It’s like I’m guest-starring on another show. But who knows? That’s the joy of it.”





Kat Graham on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and Playing ‘Bonnie’

By
Rebecca Murray
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Kat Graham Interview for 'The Vampire Diaries'
Kat Graham in 'The Vampire Diaries' - Photo Courtesy of The CW

Season four of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries came to an end with Bonnie dying but not letting her friends in on the secret. However, given the dead supernatural creatures who show up on the popular series, death doesn’t mark the end of Kat Graham’s time on the show. Although she couldn’t say much about the fifth season of the series, Graham did drop a few hints as to what’s in store in the future during our interview at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con.

Kat Graham The Vampire Diaries Interview

How has your Comic-Con experience been so far?

Kat Graham: “This is my first moment at Comic-Con. I haven’t experienced anything thus far. I’m waiting to see the crazy kids in the costumes, because as far as I can see right now, I’m the craziest dressed person here. [Laughing] It wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to see people in crazier outfits than me. It’s cool. It reminds me of a festival. I’ve never been here before, but it’s cool. I’m ready to see some nerds.”

Last season you passed on with your Gram, so how will you help your friends from the other side now?

Kat Graham: “You know, that’s still yet to be determined. We just started filming the first episode back, just wrapping it up now, so there’s a lot of room to kind of discover where this character is going to go throughout the season. I know that the fans are really interested in seeing what happens to Bonnie who is now a ghost on the other side, and the only person that can see her and communicate with her is Jeremy. It’s going to be really cool to see how it all plays out.”

How much have they actually told you about what’s going to happen?

Kat Graham: “You know what? I’m somebody who…I befriend the reporters and stuff like that, so for me I purposefully choose not to know. It makes sense for the character to not know and it makes sense for me unless it affects my choice as an actor where I need to know specific things. I’m somebody that always wants to have somebody to have a story or whatever, so I’d just rather completely be a bit in the dark about it, so you guys don’t get me in trouble.”

Where do you see Bonnie and Jeremy going?

Kat Graham: “I really am happy that they developed this intimate relationship and more so on the friendship level than like even more so than a romantic level. They love each other so genuinely and so innocently. We’ll see. I mean, they’re best friends at this point and I love that. I had a best friend like that growing up that I loved so much. I know a lot of girls have, where it’s that young, innocent love. You know, we’ll see. I don’t know. Bonnie is somebody who I feel like can explore so many different sides. You haven’t really seen her romantically obsessive about anyone or anything yet. We’ll see.”

How much input do you get to have in what’s happening with her?

Kat Graham: “I’m pretty laid back in the process. I’ll communicate with Julie [Plec] and I’ll communicate with Caroline Dries if there is something that I notice or I’ve picked up on or ear to the streets. But they let me do my work as an actor and they let me have my space. It’s a respect thing, and vice versa. I really like to give them their space and let them create. I always believe in the idea of creating things because you’re inspired to, not because the pressures of the world or the public wants you to create something because it’s to whatever their personal opinion is of what you should be. I’ve always mentioned that you know what, just write what you’re inspired to and go with your gut and I’ll just fall in line.”

Bonnie chose not to tell her friends that she had died because she wanted them to have a good summer, so do you know how they’re kind of affected by that? How they’re going to react?

Kat Graham: “You will see. It has yet to be discussed or determined, but you will see…”

* * * * * * *

The Vampire Diaries season five premieres on October 10, 2013.

Ron Perlman on ‘Sons of Anarchy’ and ‘Hellboy III’

By
Rebecca Murray
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Ron Perlman as Clarence 'Clay' Morrow in 'Sons of Anarchy'
Ron Perlman as Clarence 'Clay' Morrow in 'Sons of Anarchy' - Photo Credit: Prashant Gupta/FX

Love the actor, wish the character would die a thousand painful deaths for all his evil deeds. That’s how many Sons of Anarchy fans feel about Ron Perlman and his SoA character Clay Morrow. And in speaking to Perlman at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, he said we pick up Clay in season six at a place in his life where he’s both alive and dead, which is Clay’s “biggest nightmare.”

Ron Perlman Sons of Anarchy Interview

The end of last season wasn’t a good deal for Clay. What’s happening to him next season that you can tease us with?

Ron Perlman: “As long as he had life, he had choices. The end of season five when Gemma [played by Katey Sagal] does what she does, even he couldn’t have foreseen that. Even he couldn’t process it, and that was the one final thing he was ready to stand for and fight for and rebuild everything around and it was no longer on the table. And then of course he’s being shuffled off to a place where there is a $5 million bounty on his head and a whole bunch of dangerous dudes who don’t give a shit about Clay Morrow. They want the money. He knows that every moment, every breath could be his last. His trajectory in season six is a man who is looking completely in the rearview mirror.”

Is this going to be the most interesting season for you to play because of that shift?

Ron Perlman: “I don’t know. I’m not there yet.”

Is he in survivalist mode or is he going back to strategizing about it?

Ron Perlman: “You have to watch because that’s what the whole season is going to be about. If you’re interested at all in watching the show to see what happens to Clay, that’s what it is. Is he fighting at all or is he done?”

What would you like it to be?

Ron Perlman: “I always played him as a guy who’s never done until he is done. This thing of being alive and yet being dead at the same time is his biggest nightmare.”

Is the break between him and Juice going to be irreparable?

Ron Perlman: “Don’t know yet. We haven’t gotten to that.”

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Cronos. What are your thoughts on that and your career, along with working with Guillermo del Toro?

Ron Perlman: “Well, I met him 22 years ago when we were making Cronos and I’ve said this a million times before, but he’s had the biggest impact on the second half of my life as any human being on the planet. Cronos was a truly independent movie, as far away from studios and executives and Hollywood as you could possibly get. In San Angel, Mexico City, surrounded by nothing but his closest friends, put together a little budget for him and protected him so he could make his movie. I just went, ‘Holy Shit! This is the way it’s supposed to be.’

So from that moment on, not only have I done close to 50 low-budget independent films looking for the next del Toro, but I’ve become obsessed with launching my own independent film company. It really changed my entire point of view. Then of course he kept coming to me with these gifts, Blade II, two Hellboy movies and now Pacific Rim, so he really has affected my standing in the community, how I’m viewed as an actor, my bankability. He revealed if you have me in a movie, this is what it looks like. He’s changed my entire life. Of course, his wife and my wife are best friends. He is the godfather of my kids and I’m like the godfather of his. It’s very deep and it’s very beautiful.”

And Hellboy III?

Ron Perlman: “I’m fighting for it. I might be the only one.”

Doug Jones is too.

Ron Perlman: “Well, then it’s a done deal.”

* * * * * * *

Season six of Sons of Anarchy premieres on FX on September 10, 2013.




Movie Review: ‘Fruitvale Station’

By
Ian Forbes
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MICHAEL B. JORDAN stars in FRUITVALE STATION
MICHAEL B. JORDAN stars in FRUITVALE STATION - Photo Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Those who pay attention to news stories undoubtedly know of the incident that occurred at the Fruitvale transit station on New Year’s Day of 2009. It was at that place and on that day when 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer in front of dozens of witnesses with cell phones and cameras. This isn’t a spoiler, it’s derived from very well-publicized events which sparked protests (both peaceful and not) in the Bay Area of California and the movie opens with actual footage of what happened, caught by a bystander on the platform.

With the narrative portions of the film Fruitvale Station, writer/director Ryan Coogler attempts to paint a more detailed picture of who Grant was and who he had become within the year before the shooting. We learn about his girlfriend, daughter, mother, and troubled past, and in watching his relationship evolve with each of them, the attempt is to connect audiences to him.

Attempting to delve into this story is a weighty thing to do. It’s recent enough that many of the wounds felt in the community and worldwide likely have not fully healed, and coming out so close to the Zimmerman verdict, audiences will have that much more floating around in their heads prior to watching this film. What I will give Coogler credit for is showing the flaws within Grant and those around him. Like any real-life situation, there are shades of gray, and while the taking of a life is never to be taken lightly, providing a modicum of personal accountability is something the 5-second news byte cycle can lose sight of depending on the viewpoint of the particular network.

Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion that one can have about race, justifiable use of force by police, and so many other hot-button social issues. That’s what makes something like Fruitvale Station worth watching merely on the merits of creating a dialogue one might avoid otherwise because of its unpleasantness. That’s not to say, though, that the film is some paragon of objectivity.

There are plenty of examples of some textbook emotional manipulation done by Coogler, most evident in the last fifteen or twenty minutes and centered on Grant’s little girl. Such obvious attempts to tug on people’s heartstrings rather than letting the actual drama of the events play out hurts my overall assessment. Some of the interactions between whites and blacks in the film end up feeling like required script elements more than organic or factual events, but considering just how thin a tightrope Coogler is walking, many of these reservations I had during and after the movie are less important than the overriding attempt to create awareness.

Also, to the film’s credit, the performances from its actors are all quite good. Michael B. Jordan delivers a sincere take on Grant, buoyed by Octavia Spencer as his mother and Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend, Sophina. Young Ariana Neal plays Grant and Sophina’s daughter, Tatiana, and is the ultimate magnet for the audience’s sympathy as it continues to sink in that this little girl no longer has a father.

Of course, that all being said, I’m not entirely certain making a narrative adaptation of events, no matter how accurate they may or may not be, is the right way to go. This is the kind of material best presented via the documentary, which would also allow for an examination of the after-effects of the shooting. There’s some archival footage of people peacefully protesting in the credits and some text thrown onto the screen prior to that which elaborate on what happened to the involved parties, but it doesn’t allow for the kind of examination and analysis those already familiar with the shooting may prefer.

Fruitvale Station has gotten a lot of buzz, starting with its success at Cannes and Sundance, but I don’t see it standing somewhere in the 2013 Top 10 once all is said and done. While I applaud the guts and ambition of Coogler to bring such a highly charged story to screen, it’s just too hard to avoid shading a narrative film with the writer/director’s perspective. If you had been interested in seeing the movie, by all means, go right ahead. If you only go to the movies to escape such tragic news as this in the first place, I suggest moving on down the line at the multiplex.

GRADE: B-

MPAA Rating: R for some violence, language throughout and some drug use.

Release Date: July 26, 2013

Running Time: 85 minutes




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