Today marks the North American launch ofLittle Big Planet 3 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 systems. The title continues the adventures of burlap mascot Sackboy, and gamers can expect more arresting visuals and a deeper, detailed depth of field with its PS4 release.
“A series long renowned for defining the genre of community-based game design, Little Big Planet 3 continues to build upon its innovative design tools to give gamers something they never had before: the freedom to make any kind of game imaginable” said Asad Qizilbash, Senior Director, First Party Games Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. “Supported by a community of creators millions strong, Little Big Planet 3 will continue to promote the values that have made the franchise a favorite over the past 6 years and make a great addition to the PS4 lineup this holiday.”
Little Big Planet 3 – Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC (SCEA)
A new playable storyline featuring Sackboy and playable characters (OddSock, Toggle, Swoop) attempting to restore balance to the unpredictable and imaginative paradise of Bunkum. For more information on Little Big Planet 3, which retails at $59.99, please go to http://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/littlebigplanet-3-ps4/.
All things come to an end, and for Hilary Swank that realization was a bittersweet pill to swallow during the production of The Homesman. Directed and co-written by Tommy Lee Jones, the harsh, unforgiving Western centers on Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), a woman who risks life and limb to transport three women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter) to Iowa.
Helping Mary Bee Cuddy in her journey through the Nebraska territories is George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), and they make unlikely allies on a mission of survival.
“As an independent woman myself, as a woman who – for all intents and purposes – people will probably call ‘bossy.’ I have a real clear idea of how I see the world and how I want to live (in the) world – and I want to see my dreams realized – I want to continue down my path. So finding a man to walk shoulder to shoulder with me – it could be challenging. Women today have that challenge. So (there’s) a lot of reasons why I love (Mary Bee Cuddy) and the vulnerability of her and her strengths.”
The Homesman – Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank (Roadside Attractions, Dawn Jones)
Click on the media bar below to hear Hilary Swank explain why she didn’t want her experience on The Homesman to end:
Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigro Prieto (The Wolf of Wall Street, Argo, Amores Perros), The Homesman is now playing in select theaters.
On Friday November 14, a New York City press conference was held for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Actors Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, as well as director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson were among the participants.
During the press conference, Jennifer Lawrence talked about the “complicated” feelings she had in wrapping up The Hunger Games franchise with her co-stars (and close friends) Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth:
It was complicated because it was a long shoot. We were there for 10 months and it was hard and exhausting so there was a part of smelling the barn and wanting to wrap just to give our bodies a break. But realizing that when it was over we weren’t going to . . . we always (had) that and then we go and we do other stuff and then we come back and we have each other again. (And) realizing that was going to be gone was such a complicated mix of feelings.
– New York, NY – 11/15/14-New York Press Conference For The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 1 .The Film will open November 21. PICTURED: Jennifer Lawrence PHOTO by: Dave Allocca/Starpix
To hear the audio version of Jennifer Lawrence’s answer, click on the Soundcloud bar below:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I opens Friday, November 21.
The FOX series Brooklyn Nine-Nine is blessed with solid writing and an engaging cast of characters, which includes The State alum Joe Lo Truglio. One of the squad’s more eccentric and amiable members, Detective Charles Boyle (The State veteran Joe LoTruglio), partookin a clandestine coupling with colleague Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti), much to Jake’s (Andy Samberg) horror. Now that their casual relationship is out in the open, one wonders if Charles and Gina will return to the scene of their love crimes or permanently part ways.
Along with his work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Lo Truglio also co-wrote (with The State compadre Michael Ian Black) and stars in the downright funny digital series Beef, which is a cross between Judge Judy and the most gregarious butcher shop you’re bound to visit (Christopher Meloni is the judge and butcher shop owner in Beef).
I talked to Mr. Truglio about both projects during our brief talk.
I’m hooked on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and one of the many things I love about the show is that each of the cast members get their moment to shine. These are really well written characters.
I agree. That’s a big strength of the show – the ensemble cast. And specifically the characters that Daniel J. Goor and Michael Schur created. We were very lucky that in the first season, because we have terrific creators, to have characters that were very well defined from the get-go and were able to be kind of put up against each other and – they just work really well together. You can very easily see and get an idea of what these people stand for. And that goes a long way in creating all the crazy scenarios we end up getting stuck in.
It’s pretty cool that Stephen Root plays Charles Boyle’s dad and Sandra Bernhard is Gina’s mom.
Stephen Root is one of my favorite character actors of all time. And so the entire cast was over the moon when he signed on and Sandra Bernhard who – The King of Comedy is one of my favorite movies of all time!
And so we’ve just been really, really lucky with the caliber of guest talent that has taken interest and agreed to do the show with us. Yeah – Stephen is incredible.
There’s also a ton of chemistry among the cast members on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Did that come out of the great writing or did it basically grow from the actors really getting to know each other?
It’s a combination of both. You’re starting off with talented people, many of whom had experience working in the industry and working with other actors.
When you take the fact that everyone’s down to earth – (they’re) cool people that appreciate having a job and (understand) how rare it is to have one. As an actor you start to relax a little bit and enjoy the moment and what you’re doing – and then from there you have these great words that the writers are giving you.
So it’s a combination of appreciating the spot that you’re in, the experience you’ve had up until that point, and the writing.
Yeah, that particular series I co-wrote with my comedy brethren Michael Ian Black. I was on The State a long time ago and that was really the beginnings of understanding how important it was to collaborate for comedy and how much comedy benefits from that (collaboration).
With Beef, the writing consisted of Mike and I taking the leap from what other State members had set the bar with Reno 911. We just took the scenario of a case and wrote it in paragraph form. When our amazing improv actors and comedians came in, (we) had them read the paragraph.
We threw in a few jokes for them so they weren’t left high and dry but in terms of the writing we wrote about 15 different scenarios, in addition to the character histories of Lou (Christopher Meloni) and his family.
But the cases themselves were paragraphs we gave the actors and they jumped right into it. They really made the series what it is. It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world of comedy with the amount of amazing talent we have on Beef.
Beefis currently available for download on iTunes and Amazon.
On tonight’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX, 8:30 pm et/pt), the precinct is in lockdown mode during Thanksgiving night, with Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) in charge of minding the store. The always organized Detective Amy Santiago (organized, that is, unless she’s late due to a bank mishap) is less than confident about Jake’s managerial abilities, and of course chaos ensues in the department.
One of my favorite shows this season is the NBC show Constantine, as Matt Ryan is more than up to the task as the titular demon hunter.
In last week’s episode Constantine (Ryan) described Zed (Angélica Celaya) as a “psychic smorgasbord” (she’s also a more than capable pickpocket) and their uneasy (and effective) pairing are one of the many reasons I’m hooked on the show.
Thankfully, many of the diehard Hellblazer fans (the comic series that Constantine’s based on) are also giving the thumbs up to the show, and Celaya is more than happy with the feedback.
“It’s surreal,” said Celaya. “Going down to Comic-con in San Diego and then up in New York it’s surreal. I’m humbled doing this role and trying to do my best for the lovers out there of Hellblazer and for the new fans that are coming on board.”
CONSTANTINE — “A Feast of Friends” — Pictured: Anjelica Celaya as Zed — (Photo by: Tina Rowden/NBC)
Angélica Celaya elaborates on the reaction she’s received from fans via social media:
Every week they tell me what they see with my character or the storylines – and they get excited for it. These are people who have been hardcore fans. They live and breathe Constantine and they like my work – they like what we’re doing and they like the whole team. That, to me, is humbling because it’s a little scary and tough to do these kind of roles that have already been written out for years. It’s really, really cool honestly to see the fans’ reactions. That’s what keeps us going.
Constantine, co-starring Charles Halford and Harold Perrineau, airs tonight on NBC (10 pm et/pt).
Debuting in select theaters today (as well as on VOD & other digital platforms), Always Woodstockis Rita Merson‘s feature directing debut. The narrative centers on Catherine Brown (Allison Miller), a neurotic (yet lovable) New Yorker who hates her job at a big time music record label and is going through the motions with her long time fiance (Jason Ritter).
When her life does a complete turnaround, Catherine moves back to her family home in Woodstock, where a spark of romance is ignited with the town doctor (James Wolk, charming as always). Katey Sagal is Lee Ann, a semi-retired musician who helps Catherine rediscover her creative compass.
Though the movie has contains the romantic comedy tropes that we’ve all come to know and hopefully love, Always Woodstock is punctuated with engaging performances from the ensemble(Brittany Snow does an amusing turn as one of the record label’s most popular, and narcissistic stars), as well as original music from Sagal and Miller.
Rita Merson also acquits herself well as a first time director, as the picture, even amidst its comedic and dramatic beats, carries a distinct, personal touch. The chemistry between Miller and Wolk, as well as Sagal’s mentorship connection with Miller, is palpable.
I chatted with Merson, who is currently developing a TV series, about Always Woodstock and how she found her voice as a filmmaker and writer. It was an engaging talk, and the good feeling I carry for Always Woodstock continued long after the conversation.
Allison Miller does a great job as the lead. What was the decision behind her casting?
It really was a feeling she gave all of us when she auditioned. She’s a really intelligent and gentle person. She came in with a really beautiful performance, but also with an inner kind of power – even though she was probably the least experienced on film of all the girls that auditioned. But there was something about her that we all felt that she could carry the movie.
And she’s very watchable. She had all the elements of Catherine and she has all the elements of a movie star.
Casting James Wolk as a co-star was also a great choice. Their chemistry is amazing, especially when their characters are at odds with each other. Did Wolk and Miller work on that aspect of their performances?
It was interesting because they’re both really talented. James Wolk is one of the most incredible actors and he is an amazing person and a really generous actor. Everyone that’s worked with him has said the same thing about him – he’s smart, he’s talented and great to work with. So I had two wonderful people.
I think they worked on it. They had to develop the chemistry fast because we only had 20 days to shoot. We took time for them to connect on camera and (work) those moments outm but ultimately they make everyone that watches the movie want to fall in love, which is the feeling that we were after.
Having Katey Sagal, who’s an experienced musician and singer, must have been a gratifying experience as well. It also brought an extra layer to your narrative.
It’s exactly how you said it. It felt very layered. Also when I immigrated to this country I was four years old and my family moved to Bensonhurst (Brooklyn) and we lived in this tiny apartment. The train was right behind our apartment. My whole (childhood) I grew up in this small, apartment and we used to watch Married with Children.
I remember telling Katey on set that it felt that the American Dream (came) full circle. I was a child learning English from the television and I’d watch her. And now she singing beautiful music that she wrote in a film that I was directing. It felt very, very special. I am grateful not only for her performance, but for her heart on set. She was incredibly supporting and loving. I felt like I had a collaborator on set. In many ways it was layered, and it was just a beautiful part of the experience.
The cliché is a writer will pen his or her story. I’m wondering if Catherine’s journey has a deep resonance for you?
It’s a constant battle between who you are and who you think you should be and what you want to do and what other people want from you. What someone else is doing and what is authentic to your own voice. For me, that’s the constant battle as a creative person.
I was never a writer and I never had aspirations to write, and then it becomes your career. And then suddenly there are expectations. In that sense, I do connect to Catherine and her journey. That’s such a part of our human experience. You want to find out who you really are and what you want to be. It’s hard with the millions and millions of distractions at your fingertips. So absolutely, that’s a long answer (laughs).
What tangible lessons have you learned from Always Woodstock that you will carry onto your next project?
I’ve learned so much. Certain creative things – I (don’t want to be) boxed into the rom-com genre. My next project is kind of naughty and darker. I want to make sure that I’m growing as an artist. (Always Woodstock) is the beginning of my career and not the definition of it.
I’m learning to take risks but mostly what I’ve learned from the movie is that no matter what you’re up against in the process of creating your film, there is going to be so much opposition. There will be people pulling you in different directions no matter how big or small your project is.
I found that the closer I was to my original intention and the closer I was to chasing those feelings that I wanted to create for people and being true to myself and my instincts, the better the results.
In the moment, it feels scary to trust yourself – but it’s so right and it always pays off. Also to trust the process – everything has its perfect time and all roads lead to Rome. Eventually we all get our moment. There are a lot of distractions that I could have avoided and I try to avoid right now by letting things evolve as they should.
Catherine makes her share of bad decisions and is a pretty flawed character. Can you talk about not creating a stereotypical, cutesy, rom-com character for your movie?
Everyone’s quirky in their own way and to me those are the characters I relate to. I didn’t try to make her different from every rom-com heroine but I love Woody Allen and I love Diane Keaton – and I love characters who are flawed but they’re also embracing their flaws.
Catherine isn’t beating herself up by all the ways that she’s messing up but hopefully in some ways we’ll all find that relatable. We’re weirdos – we’re all weirdos find other weirdos who will look at us and say that it’s okay.
As far as advice on getting to make your first film. Is it all about who you know or simply penning a great script?
It’s both. It’s who you know. And it’s also who you beg (laughs). In our case, we were lucky that a number of people had connected to the script. I had never written one before and it was a little of “ignorance of bliss.”
I didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t write it to make it. I wrote it to make myself feel better. I came from a place of sharing something I made so I never sent it to anyone to be in it or finance it. But people started liking it and give it great feedback.
That’s another lesson. It wasn’t desperate. That’s another part of casting – when you get a group together, it’s like the power of numbers. When there’s enough energy and people coming in support of something, there tends to be a critical mass that happens. When it all came together, the perfect people came into place.
But again, it happened organically step by step. My agent helped a lot and certainly my producers (helped with) the financing and the movie was a “go.”
Also – speaking with actors, they just liked that it was a kind story. It was simple and it was just a happy movie.
Now venturing into TV, do you see the creative advantages of working in that creative space?
Totally. You can go further. You can take more risks, and also you’re working more. There’s a slower build and it’s an exciting, amazing platform to be able to create. I love film, but this right now has been just an incredible experience to have 10 episodes to think about. It’s really exciting.
Always Woodstock – James Wolk & Allison Miller – Gravitas Ventures
I'm in a sweet movie called "there's always Woodstock"
Opens today!
Or get it on iTunes.
Apple iTunes US
http://t.co/hn4egspNhj
Xok
Julianne Moore will be honored with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress at that 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Moore accepts the award Saturday, January 3rd, 2015 at the fest’s annual Awards Gala. Hosted by Mary Hart and presented by Cartier, the event takes place at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
“Throughout her career, Julianne Moore has delivered a wide range of extraordinary performances, from such diverse Oscar-nominated films as Boogie Nights and Far from Heaven to this year’s Cannes win for Best Actress in the riveting Maps to the Stars,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her latest film Still Alice, she faces one of her most demanding and challenging roles as Alice, a woman diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Moore delivers another career defining performance that is sure to captivate audiences and bring attention to this devastating disease. It is our honor to present the 2015 Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, to Julianne Moore.”
Previous recipients include Sandra Bullock, Marion Cotillard, Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, and Michelle Williams.
Moore, a four time Oscar nominee, received an Emmy in 2012 for her portrayal of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change.
In the clip below, Julianne Moore explains why her greatest pleasure in acting has been “the actual work”:
With Starry Eyes, Alex Essoedelivers one of this year’s most horrifying (and inspired) performances as Sarah Walker, a struggling actress who will do anything to land a sizable movie role.
Working at a dead-end, Hooters style restaurant, Sarah dreams of making it big in Hollywood, and when she gets a callback from a once prestigious production company, she may have landed a big break. Unfortunately, getting the job will require a total physical and emotional transformation for Sarah, and sometimes the bright lights of showbiz will blind the brightest of dreamers. Pat Healy (The Inkeepers) and Amanda Fuller (TV’s Last Man Standing) also star.
Alex Essoe, Starry Eyes (MPI Media Group)
“(Sarah) doesn’t love herself enough to create boundaries,” said Essoe during our interview. “She’s looking for the industry to define her instead of already knowing who she is and telling the industry who she is.
In the video clip below Alex Essoe talks about the challenge of building her Starry Eyes character and why judging Sarah would have been a disservice to the narrative.
Starry Eyes, directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, opens in theaters, OnDemand, and iTunes on November 14.
DaNica Shireytook a several year break from the music business after her father’s passing, but now the powerhouse singer has returned to her passion thanks to her successful run onThe Voice. Whether it’s her Battle Rounds performance of “Halo” or taking on Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You” during the Knockouts, Shirey has performed with a ton of confidence and inspiration (not to mention talent).
During our interview, Shirey talked about her feelings going into the Live Playoffs (she’s being coached by Pharrell), elaborated on her love for R&B/soul music, and explained why Bob Marley’s uplifting “Three Little Birds” is high on her personal music rotation.
Why “Saving All My Love For You” during Knockouts? Tacking Whitney Houston is a mighty order!
I really have been highly influenced by Whitney. It’s been one of those kind of things for me. I was little when I had my very first karaoke machine. My dad got it for me when I was 8.
I ended up having some instrumental, mixed CDs and I first learned a Whitney Houston song when I was 10. I sang it at the Apollo Theatre when I was 15. So she’s always been a big part of my life and she is kind of one of those untouchables and people don’t like (singers) doing her (songs). So I guess that kind of makes me want to do it (laughs).
I don’t feel like I could have been the same singer without her. I wanted to represent a little where I come from, you know (laughs)?
With Live Playoffs upon us, how much work goes into the process?
Knowing that we’re going into Lives, I’m super nervous and I’ve never done live TV before so I’m a little scared. I’m really excited. It’s not just up to my coach to save me – this is up to America now. So it’s kind of scary. I don’t know what America is going to want, and I may not be that person that they want to hear. But I can’t wait – and I’m finally getting recognized!
I walked down the street with Luke Wade and there was a lady who walked up and said, “Hi, I think you’re great!” And Luke says, “She’s on The Voice too.” And she said “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are (laughs).”
I’ve noticed now with Battles and Knockouts airing, more people have recognized who I am and are coming up and saying hi to me. It’s really cool.
Luke was talking about how soul and R&B was a great way for him to directly connect with the audience. Do you feel the same way.
Yes, absolutely. For some reason, there’s just something different when I sing R&B music and soul. I feel it so much more. Everything that I sing – I feel it in my heart and I feel the emotions of the song. If I’m having an emotional day or I just don’t want to think about stuff, that would be my go-to music. I totally get why he said that. So true – it’s very true.
Do you have go-to singers or music that keeps you grounded and inspired time and time again?
I listen to a lot of Bob Marley too. He always makes me feel better. It’s just kind of the feel good music for me. That song “Three Little Birds” is a huge go-to. One of my girlfriends passed away in a car accident when I was 19 and I listened to that song every single day over and over again. My (friend) ended up buying me a sweatshirt with Bob Marley on it with the lyrics to that song because I listen to it so much.
Is it hard balancing your family life along with The Voice’s hectic schedule?
It’s hard. I do have to be away from my daughter, my fiance and my family. But at the end of the day, I just try and go with the flow as everything’s happening. I try not to think ahead because I might freak myself out a little bit. If I thought about the fact I would be out here for how long without seeing her, I would stress out.
But the cool thing is they provide travel to bring out your family and friends for each round that you do. She’s been able to come out and see me for the shows (but) she missed Knockouts because she was starting pre-school. She’ll be coming out for Lives.
I don’t find it that hard. I’m a stay at home mom. I think if I had work on top of this that would probably be a lot harder. For me, I’m very luck in the sense that I stay at home with her and I’m pretty good with my time (management) and juggling the two.
How does it feel to return to music with The Voice?
This has been my breakout moment again, because for a while there I hadn’t (done music). This has only encouraged me to keep chasing my dream. I know, coming out here, that this is not going to be just it for me. I definitely see my career going further and it’s all thanks to this opportunity. Obviously it’s going to give me more opportunities but just the experience and everything I’ve been learning so far from Pharrell song-wise that I didn’t know I could do before. I want to be able to continue to share that even after the competition.
I know I’m not going to stop and I’m not going to give up and I’ll use everything I’ve learned and put it into songwriting and all that good stuff (laughs)!
Thanks again for your time and good luck with the Live Playoffs.
Thank you so much!
THE VOICE — Season: 7 — Pictured: DaNica Shirey — (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC)
Warner Archive Collection is a treasure trove for classic movie buffs and cinephiles, and the recent Blu-ray release of the Joan Crawford classic Possessed is another gem worth grabbing.
Crawford earned an Oscar nomination as Louise Howell Graham, a wealthy woman blessed with a devoted husband (Raymond Massey) and a kindhearted stepdaughter (Geraldine Brooks). But money and privilege doesn’t always buy happiness, as Louise wanders the streets of downtown Los Angeles asking a trolley car conductor for a man named “David.”
It’s dawn in the City of Angels, and a disheveled, disoriented Louise is taken to the local hospital for treatment. While she lies in a mainly catatonic state, we delve into the events leading up to her inevitable tragedy.
Louise is madly in love with David (Van Heflin), a construction engineer whose womanizing tendencies doesn’t fit well with any kind of commitment. When Louise pushes David for a deeper kind of union, he breaks it off, leaving her in a permanent form of distress and bitterness.
She initially spends her days a caretaker and nurse to Dean Graham’s (Raymond Massey) sick wife, but after the woman drowns herself, Dean rebounds from his wife’s death and ask Louise’s hand in marriage.
Still not over her break-up with David, Louise’s stress level reaches new heights after he lands a job working for her husband and gets romantically involved with her stepdaughter (Geraldine Brooks).
With a running time of 108 minutes, there’s a ton of narrative to cover with Possessed, and the movie’s bread and butter lies in the solid performances from Crawford and Van Heflin. Louise and David’s incessant verbal warfare gives this film noir its proper edge. Though David’s devil may care attitude has kept him young and vital in his thirties, he has no idea Louise is a schizophrenic, and their final encounter leads to one of film noir’s most memorable (and gorgeously cinematic) moments.
Credit also goes to Curtis Bernhardt (he also directed the stellar flicks Conflict and The High Wall) and cinematographer Joseph Valentine for infusing this suburbia gone wrong drama with a haunting and compellingly atmospheric tone.
For fans who are in love with camera placement and visual design, there’s several, virtuosic point of view shots that places us in the mind and motivations of Louise’s character. Franz Waxman, whose composing work includes A Place in the Sun and Sunset Boulevard, delivers the appropriately spellbinding score.
It’s a stunningly photographed and beautifully acted piece, and if you’re a film noir enthusiast or initiate, I’d also recommend checking out the Blu-ray’s special features:
Featurette Possessed: The Quintessential Film Noir – Running over nine minutes, this segment contains interviews with film noir experts/authors/historians Dr. Drew Casper, Eddie Muller, JamesUrsini, and Glenn Erickson. The featurette gives viewers a primer on the noir genre as seen through the eyes and impact of Possessed.
Commentary by Film Historian Drew Casper – Although both the commentary and featurette were made back in 2005 for a Bette Davis/Joan Crawford DVD collection, both special features contain evergreen material. The Possessed commentary gives viewers a Film 101 lesson on film noir’s influence and history, and an enthusiastic Casper (who’s also a USC professor) is an absolute expert in the field, as he delves into Possessed’s cinematography and themes. He also details how German Expressionism served as an invaluable element of film noir’s fabric.
Director: Curtis Bernhardt Producer: Jerry Wald
Screenplay: Sylvia Richards & Ranald MacDougall – based on the novelette One Man’s Secret by Rita Weiman Actors: Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks Running Time: 108 minutes
Released: Warner Brothers, May 29, 1947
