Opening Friday in select theaters and On Demand, The Last Five Years is a musical which centers on the rocky five year relationship between a talented novelist (Jeremy Jordan) and actress (Anna Kendrick). Richard LaGravenese,  who previously helmed Beautiful Creatures and P.S. I Love You, directs.
The music was created by Tony Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown, and although Kendrick is a huge fan of Brown’s material, she came to The Last Five Years with relatively fresh eyes:
“I saw Parade when I was 13 and it was and remains my favorite musical. But miraculously. . . I didn’t know this music which I think is fantastic because I didn’t have the burden of trying to unlearn someone else’s performance which, if I were to do Parade, would be a massive undertaking. That worked out really beautifully for me.”
During The Last Five Years press conference, Anna Kendrick humorously recalls a horrific audition that still leaves her in “cold sweats.”
Melissa George received her share of praise as Rosie, a strong willed mother who’s faced with a huge dilemma, in The Slap. The U.S. version of The Slap (the narrative’s backdrop is now Brooklyn) may have different filmmaker (Olive Kitteridge’sLisa Cholodenko) and cast members, but George is back to reprise her role.
THE SLAP – Dylan Schombing as Hugo, Melissa George as Rosie — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
The good news is that the new version doesn’t aim to ape the original. Both narratives of The Slap take their creative inspiration from Christos Tsiolkas‘ 2010 novel of the same name.
Life for the actress has changed since her initial run at Rosie, and in the video below George, who’s the mother of a 1-year-old son, talks about fully understanding Rosie’s “mama bear” instincts:
Also starring Thomas Sadoski (I’m posting video of Sadoski talking  about The Newsroom in the next few days), Peter Sarsgaard and Thandie Newton, the eight episode miniseries centers on the repercussions of an adult’s quick triggered slap on a child, as each person takes their respective sides on the incident. As the journey unfolds, secrets are inevitably unearthed, leading to a new series of conflicts.
THE SLAP — Premiere Party — Pictured: (l-r) Dylan Schombing as Hugo, Melissa George as Rosie — (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)
With the second episode of Allegiance airing Thursday, February 11 (NBC, 10 pm et/pt), we know a couple of interesting aspects about Alex O’Connor’s (Gavin Stenhouse) life. Along with his highly advanced intellectual prowess (he has a photographic memory), O’Connor also has a ton of intestinal fortitude – any CIA agent who threatens to throw their Russian sleeper cell parents in jail without hesitation deserves a bit of credit.
ALLEGIANCE — Season:1 — Pictured: Gavin Stenhouse as Alex O’Connor — (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)
Stenhouse also has his share of surprising interests. For one, he’s a huge fan of Django Reinhardt, and in the video below he talks about his love for Gypsy jazz and “Minor Swing,” one Reinhardt’s most popular compositions.
Elizabeth Hurley, last seen on TV as a manipulative editor-in-chief on Gossip Girl, traverses a more stately and dignified path with E!’s new series The Royals. But royalty does have its price, as Queen Helena’s (Hurley) grip on her children (which includes Alexandra Park as Princess Eleanor and William Moseley as Prince Liam) is tenuous at best.
While promoting “The Royals,” Elizabeth Hurley talked about her own challenges of being a celebrity.
“Now I have a son, and that’s when things really changed for me. . . I could accept that people could well be standing outside my house, photographing me getting into my car to drive to the supermarket (but) I find it very unacceptable when they follow kids all the time. It’s very difficult to ever really come to terms with that.
To hear Elizabeth Hurley’s full answer on the challenges of having a “lack of privacy,” click on the video below:
THE ROYALS — Season 1 — Pictured: Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena — (Photo by Frank W. Ockenfels 3/E! Entertainment)
Hurley is also helping co-star Alexandra Park navigate her way through the entertainment industry, and Park is rightfully thankful for Hurley’s guidance throughout their newfound friendship:
Check out The Royals on E! starting March 15, 2015.
THE ROYALS — Season: 1 — Pictured: Alexandra Park as Princess Eleanor — (Photo by Frank W. Ockenfels 3/E! Entertainment)
Unless your tastes reside in a contrarian based universe, you’ll never confuse Supernova with such sci-fi staples as 2001: A Space Odyssey or Blade Runner. Its backstory, however, reaches nearly epic proportions as the aforementioned films, mainly thanks to the involvement of directors Walter Hill (Wild Bill) and Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now)
Shout! Factory takes forgotten (and often underrated) movies and puts cinematic tender love and care into the mix, blessing most of their releases with informative and engaging special features. But before we touch the extras, we must delve into Supernova’s narrative:
Supernova – Shout! Factory
A medical vessel named the Nightingale travels through outer space helping spacecrafts and crews in need of assistance. With world weary leader A.J. Marley (Robert Forster) and no-nonsense Dr. Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett) at the helm, along with new co-pilot Nick Vanzant (James Spader), the Nightingale should be in safe hands.
A shuttlecraft’s distress signal leads to the discovery of Troy (Peter Facinelli in full bad guy mode) the son of Kaela’s ex-lover and, more importantly, an alien artifact which immediately captivates crew member Yerzy (Lou Diamond Phillips). Robin Tunney also stars (in an undercooked role) as Danika, Yerzy’s lover who immediately lusts for Troy (Facinelli).
Even at a short 91 minutes, “Supernova” is an outright misfire, a spacecraft that just doesn’t know where it wants to go. If you’re a fan of you’re a fan of Walter Hill’s tough guy driven oeuvre (“The Driver,” “The Long Riders,” “The Warriors”), you may appreciate Nick Van Zant’s testosterone driven heroics – while also realizing the story’s one-dimensional approach to its inhabitants.
Jack Sholder, a filmmaker who was hired to do reshoots on the film, said of Walter Hill’s approach: “Everyone was so tough – you never saw through the toughness.”
Most of my fascination surrounding Supernova originates from tying to figure out why two stellar filmmakers (after Hill, Francis Ford Coppola tried to shape the film with his own version of an edit) and a solid cast failed to deliver the goods.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
I was lukewarm after watching “Supernova,” but my appreciation for the film grew after checking out the extras:
The Making of Supernova (25:02) – Although Walter Hill or Francis Ford Coppola are nowhere to be found, actors Robert Forster and Lou Diamond Phillips (the “script was in constant flux” says Phillips) share their candid thoughts on the making of the film. Producer Daniel Chuba also adds that the film started out as a gritty, $5 million budgeted sci-fi  that turned into a $25 million studio flick once Hill came on board and eventually rewrote Supernova.Â
Lou Diamond Phillips, although he noted the scenes were “being rewritten every single day,” has high praise for Walter Hill who would later take his name off the film (Supernova’s director is the Alan Smithee-esque moniker “Thomas Lee”).
Supernova – Lou Diamond Phillips (Shout! Factory)
Deleted Scenes (14:41) – Along with an entertaining “making of” featurette, Supernova comes with deleted scenes that completely changes the structure of the film.
**A.J. Marley (Forster)Â espouses his life’s philosophy while looking out into the stars, saying that “even the lack of a pattern has a pattern” while Vanzant offers up a slightly different viewpoint. Several of the deleted scenes point to the complex connection between the pilots, a dynamic that’s completely erased from the final cut.
**There’s also twist that’s revealed in a much more effective fashion during Nick Vanzant’s time away from the craft, and that deleted scene sets in motion the final moments of the action driven third act.
*Another sequences has Dr. Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett) performing an autopsy on a fellow crew member. It’s not a scene of significant import, but considering Bassett takes a back seat to Spader and Facinelli’s characters, it’s definitely worth a look.
Is Supernova a good movie? Far from it, but Shout! Factory has lovingly put together another stellar release, this time showing viewers what went wrong with a sci-fi film that could have been operatic in scope, but ended up a jumbled mess of sheer confusion.Â
As a Walter Hill enthusiast (“Last Man Standing” is one of my favorite Bruce Willis efforts), I was more than game for Supernova. Considering the deleted scenes showed potential for a more cerebral take on the story, Supernova is a failed film that, once you put all the Blu-ray extras together, has its merits.
Angela Bassett in “Supernova” – Shout! Factory
Supernova is now available on Blu-ray. And remember, “if you can’t stand the heat – get out of the universe!” (see trailer below)
Spending my Monday mornings on debbie lynn elias’ show Behind The Lens continues to be a great learning experience, as she’s my main go-to person these days for all things film related. A trusted colleague and friend, elias’ program airs Monday mornings at 11 a.m. pt on AdrenalineRadio.com.
The show streams live on Adrenaline Radio and is up several hours later on elias’ official website, moviesharkdeblore.com.
Check out the video below, as elias and I interview Edward James Olmos (narrator of the documentary Energizing Our World) and discuss in detail our love for another awesome doc, Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of.Â
On Monday’s show, debbie lynn elias interviews directors Jane Clark(“Crazy Bitches”) and Jonathon Narducci (“Love Me”). Â I’ll be back for the February 16th installment – but for now if you want to hear past episodes of Behind The Lens, go to moviesharkdeblore.com.
One of Spoon’smost intriguing aspects is that close to twenty years into the music business, their sound continues to evolve. Last year’s They Want My Soul was a sublime seduction of pop melodies that aimed straight for the gut, and it’ll be great to see the reinvigorated band (previous to last year’s album, they hadn’t recorded since 2010’s Transference), bring their new tunes on tour.
Along with their stops through U.S. and Canadian cities, Spoon is also teaming up with The Decemberists for a Red Rocks amphitheater performance on May 27.
Tour dates below:
05/09/15 – Dallas, TX – Homegrown Festival
05/15-17/15 – Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Music Festival 05/17/15 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom 05/18/15 – Kansas City, MO – Midland 05/19/15 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Theatre 05/21/15 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma Theater 05/22/15 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheater +
05/22-25/15 – Quincy, WA – Sasquatch Festival 05/24/15 –Vancouver, BC – Malkin Bowl ^ 05/25/15 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory 05/27/15 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks * 05/29/15 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater 05/30/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater 06/01/15 – San Diego, CA – North Park Theatre 06/12/15 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall 06/13/15 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater
06/11-14/15 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo 06/16/15 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre 06/18/15 – Boston, MA – House of Blues 06/19/15 – Portland, ME – State Theater
06/18-21/15 – Dover, DE – Firefly
^ co-headline with Future Islands
* co-headline with The Decemberists, Courtney Barnett supporting
+ co-headline with The Decemberists, The Districts supporting
Here’s my favorite track from “They Want My Soul” – it’s a little ditty called “Inside Out.”
Singer Art Garfunkel is embarking on a worldwide tour, starting with a February 14 stop in S. Korea (Jamsil Indoor Gym) and winding down with a September 24 date in Scotland (Usher Hall).
Garfunkel’s two-man show (he teams up with guitarist Tab Lavern) contains tunes from Simon and Garfunkel, as well as covers of some of his favorite songwriters (A.C. Jobim, Jimmy Webb, and Randy Newman). “My work centers around a 90-minute show,” said Garfunkel in a Forbes.com interview. “I sing 18 songs and serve up 10 readings, my prose poems. I’m into it. I wrote about my life in show business, my woman, crossing the U.S. and Europe on foot, they mystery of it all. I feel, from sentence to sentence, I’m holding them.”
 His tour dates are as follows:
Korea
February 2  –  Seoul, S. Korea   Jamsil Indoor Gym
Europe
March 10 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
March 12 – Haarlem, Holland – Philharmonie
March 14 – Hasselt, Belgium – Cultural Centre
March 15 – Paris, France – La Cigale
March 17 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
March 19 – Hamburg, Germany – Laeiszhalle
March 20 – Copenhagen, Denmark – DR Koncerthuset
September 16 – Liverpool, ENG – Philharmonic September 17 – Cardiff, WAL – St. David’s Hall September 19 – Oxford, ENG – New Theatre September 21 – London, ENG – Royal Albert Hall September 23 – Gateshead, ENG – The Sage September 24 – Edinburgh, Scot – Usher Hall
U.S.Â
February 27 – Aventura, FL – Broward Community Center
March 29-31 Â – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap April 17-18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Library April 24-25 – Niagara Falls, NY – Falls Casino
Premiering tonight, Allegiance centers on Alex (Gavin Stenhouse), a whip smart CIA analyst whose parents (Hope Davis, Scott Cohen) and sister (Margarita Levieva) are members of a Russian sleeper cell that have just been activated.
ALLEGIANCE – Pictured: (l-r) Scott Cohen as Mark O’Connor, Hope Davis as Katya O’Connor — (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
The pilot, which is filled with its share of twists and turns, delivers the goods, as Alex’s own intellectual prowess serves as an even match for his family’s clandestine skills. Will Alex, once he discovers his family’s involvement with the SVR, turn everyone in, or will he become a double agent and commit treason against his country? These are a few of the questions in play for the freshman series, which was created by The Adjustment Bureau filmmaker George Nolfi.
ALLEGIANCE — Season:1 — Pictured (l-r): Scott Cohen as Mark O’Connor, Alex Peters as Sarah O’Connor, Kenneth Choi as Sam Luttrell, Hope Davis as Katya O’Connor, Gavin Stenhouse as Alex O’Connor, Margarita Levieva as Natalie O’Connor, Morgan Spector as Victor Dobrynin — (Photo by: Joe Pugliese/NBC)
http://youtu.be/KMfFFPAIOU8
In the video below, Stenhouse talks about the challenges of learning Russian for Allegiance (the Brit also had to cultivate an American accent for the part – so he’s pulling double duty). For Levieva, Russian is her first language, and she, along with a dialect coach, helped Stenhouse and other co-stars with the language.
Based on Cecelia Ahern’s beloved novel Where Rainbows End, Love, Rosie centers on Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin), lifelong best friends who harbor romantic feelings for each other.
But time and circumstance has a way of changing a couple’s seemingly fated destiny, and Rosie and Alex eventually follow their own relationship and career paths. Since it’s a romantic comedy, the outcome of Love, Rosie is understandably set in stone, but Collins and Claflin have tons of chemistry to spare. Both actors are fully engaged in their respective stories, making Love, Rosie an entirely diverting and oftentimes moving experience.
For Collins, getting the green light from Love, Rosie’s author was a huge priority:
“Cecelia Ahern gave her blessing, so that was the most important thing. But there’s also a lot of differences, and when you take a book and make it into a movie, you have to – there are compromises to be made, but the essence of the characters stay the same. It’s a more condensed version of the story and instead of it being all about letter writing we used modern technology. But it’s still about professing how you feel with the written word.”
LILY COLLINS & SAM CLAFLIN – LOVE, ROSIE
In the audio clip below, Lily Collins and Sam Claflin talk about their innate chemistry in Love, Rosie, which originated from an intense sit down session orchestrated by director Christian Ditter.
Love, Rosie opens February 6 in theaters and On Demand.
