One of the many takeaways from The Giver, aside from it being yet another solidly crafted film from director Philip Noyce (The Quiet American, Salt, Patriot Games, to name a few), is its seamless mixture of top level talent (Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep) with promising young actors (Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush).
Jeff Bridges & Brenton Thwaites in The Giver (Weinstein Films)
As the titular character, Bridges gives profound life advice to an initiate named Jonas (Thwaites) who discovers that his society isn’t as perfect as it seems. Although humanity begets violence, envy, and inevitable tragedy, there are a multitude of emotions and experiences that are gone from Jonas and The Giver’s world. It’s Jonas’ mission to bring back humanity’s memories into his emotionally sterile universe – no matter what the cost.
Bridges, who brings a relaxed yet yeoman like work ethic to acting, received valuable life and work advice from his late father, actor Lloyd Bridges. ” “You kind of relax when you’re feeling joyful and then all of the good stuff gets to come through,” said Bridges, who worked with his dad in Tucker and Blown Away. Click on the media bar to hear Bridges talk about the importance of bringing a sense of “joy” into his work:
Michael Keaton’s run as the caped crusader still holds up after all these years, and starting November 11 you’ll get to revisit his work with the Batman 25th Anniversary Two-Disc Edition Blu-ray. The picture proved to be a turning point in both Keaton and Tim Burton’s careers, enabling them to carve out successful careers in showbiz (Keaton’s manic energy, coupled with his experience of playing a superhero, are all in play for the highly anticipated feature Birdman). Burton’s next feature Big Eyes comes out later this year.
The two-disc set comes with what Warner Brothers Home Entertainment describes as “distinctive new sleek Diamond Luxe collector-style packaging.” A new special feature, Batman: The Birth of the Modern Blockbuster, takes a look at how Batman blazed the trail for 25 years worth of Caped Crusader success.
On our sister site Hollywood Outbreak, Michael Keaton explained why he envisioned the longevity of the Batman franchise and why he felt Batman Returns would even be better than Batman. Check out the story at this following link.
Life After Beth has been part of director Jeff Baena’s creative world for well over a decade. He penned the script back in 2003, and with a bit of luck and determination, the film is finally a reality with what the filmmaker describes as his “dream cast.”
The ensemble includes Aubrey Plaza playing Beth, a young lady who’s killed by a zombie during a hike, leaving her family (Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly) and neurotic boyfriend (Dane DeHaan) distraught beyond belief. When Beth comes back into their world as a card carrying member of the undead, they surprisingly welcome her with open arms.
Dane DeHaan & Aubrey Plaza in Life After Beth (A24 Films)
Plaza was the first actor on board Life After Beth, and DeHaan’s casting literally originated from a friendly card game.
“I met Dane at my house playing poker one night,” said Baena, who co-wrote the screenplay for I Heart Huckabees. “I’d knew, in addition to his unbelievable dramatic work, that he’s kind of a silly guy and has a really good sense of humor, and he hasn’t really had an opportunity to show that. Even though he’s the straight man in the movie, he has such a sensitivity to that humor and is such an amazing actor, his reactions are real and they’re also funny at the same time.”
Baena and cinematographer Jay Hunter shot Life After Beth with Arri Alexa cameras, but to give the movie a more dreamlike feel, Kodak gray cards and film elements were also mixed in. I’m not a tech or photography guy, so to fully understand the process, listen to Baena’s explanation below:
Now available on DirecTV, Life After Beth opens in New York and Los Angeles on August 15.
Pastor Jay Haizlip has gained his share of fame for his participation in the docu-series Preachers of L.A., and one would expect that momentum to continue with the August 20 premiere of the show’s second season.
Balancing his life as a family man and as the lead pastor of The Sanctuary in Orange County (Ca.), Haizlip has his share of responsibilities. Still, his life’s mission originates from a spiritual place. “Having God changed my life,” said Haizlip, who’s a former professional skateboarder. “I struggled with addiction and just a lot of setbacks in my life and God radically changed me.”
Even though Haizlip spends his days spreading the word of Jesus Christ, life is not a one sided conversation. I asked Haizlip to talk about colleagues he seeks for advice and comfort, and click on the audio clip below to hear his answer (Pastor Wayne Chaney can also be heard in the background):
Season two of Preachers of L.A., which also features Chaney, Bishop Ron Gibson, and Minister Deitrick Haddon, premieres August 20.
Remember life is a journey and we don’t arrive while we are still alive. So don’t ever run out of VISION FOR YOUR FUTURE. #IcanSeeIT
Chloë Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley star in If I Stay, a film based on Gayle Forman’s bestselling young adult novel about the relationship between a talented cellist (Moretz) and a fellow musician (Jamie Blackley). Their love for each other is palpable, but when fate hands them a devastating blow, will their union persevere through this tragedy?
Whether it’s going toe to toe with Julianne Moore in Carrie or dabbling in Martin Scorsese’s universe with Hugo, Chloë Grace Moretz has approached her movie roles with a steady and passionate keep it simple approach.
“I’ve always followed my heart,” says Moretz, whose other credits include scene stealing work in the Kick-Ass films and (500) Days of Summer. “And with every project I’ve ever chosen, it’s been something that I feel I couldn’t live without.”
At 17, Moretz is already an actress who’s carrying her own films, but even though she’s in a rarefied (and hard earned) place in her profession, she also knows the acting journey will have its highs and lows. Click on the audio bar below to hear Chloë Grace Moretz talk about her acting journey which started at the tender age of five.
Since the advent of cinema, indie filmmaking has always been a labor of love, and director Pieter Gaspersz’s debut feature After snugly fits into that category. Set in 2002, the drama centers on a middle class family in upstate New York who are trying to keep a tragic secret from their matriarch (Kathleen Quinlan).
With a bare bones budget and a 20-day production schedule, Gaspersz’s biggest creative coup was landing a grade-A ensemble to anchor the narrative. John Doman (The Wire, Damages) brings a heartbreaking gravitas as the seemingly strong as an ox patriarch, while Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the NewBlack) and Adam Scarimbolo also do fine work as the dad’s diametrically opposed sons. From top to bottom, each member of the ensemble (which also includes Diane Neal and Tracy Howe), are up to the task.
During the interview, Gaspersz talked about working with Quinlan. “You’ve prepared your shot, you’ve protected your actor,” said the director. “Kathleen and I were side by side – any time there was an intense moment, no one was allowed to talk. It was her and I on set and ready to go. You get into it, and her performance – her magic takes over. The director side disappears . . . and you’re just grateful to be there with the camera capturing it.”
Quinlan’s distinguished acting career started in the 1970s, and several of her most recognizable films include I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, Apollo 13, and The Doors (If you’re a fan of nuanced, coming-of-age dramas, check out Quinlan, Sam Rockwell, and Mischa Barton in Lawn Dogs).
“I was attracted to After because there was an actual story,” said Quinlan. “And there was an actual character and something to play which gets more and more difficult to find. Certainly, it’s always the writing first and Sabrina’s a fabulous writer. Each character is not just talking – they are speaking as a character.”
For Sabrina Gennarino, crafting After’s script began with painful self-reflection. “It was a healing process for myself,” said Gennarino, who also stars in the feature. “We lived the event – three blocks away. The whole works. It’s my take on how my family would have reacted if that was me . . . It is from mine and Pieter’s personal experience on where this story comes from. So I wrote what I knew.”
In the following audio clip, Kathleen Quinlan talks about the difference between fame and actually doing the work as an actor:
After is now available On Demand, iTunes, and Amazon Instant. For more info, check out the film’s official site.
Paolo Nutini’s new album Caustic Love, his first studio release since 2009’s Sunny Side Up, hits the U.S. starting September 16 (it debuted at the #1 spot on the UK Album chart and has placed in the top 10 the past 15 weeks). In support of his new work, Nutini starts up a U.S. tour next month, and fans who haven’t heard his latest music can check out the new short film that’s inspired by his song “Iron Sky.”
The track is one of Nutini’s most compelling lyrical pieces, and part of the song’s inspiration comes from Charlie Chaplin’s famous speech from The Great Dictator (Nutini employs a section of Chaplin’s stirring monologue in his song).
As much as I love Nutini’s previous material, there is an added maturity and universal dimension to “Iron Sky,” and it’s a track that attempts to reach the sonic and emotional depths of Marvin Gaye’s seminal album What’s Going On.
Director Daniel Wolfe’s short film for Iron Sky seamlessly blends with the song’s yearning for individuality in an high tech and industrial age. “I was sent the track with no explanation from Paolo,” said Wolfe. “As a child I stared at the planet Jupiter and had a vivid hallucinatory experience. A feeling of abject terror, in bondage to an omnipotent machine. When I heard the Chaplin quote (from the song) I remembered this clearly. So the video became a dystopian vision of the future as imagined by a child in the 80’s.”
After a September 15 stop in Toronto (Sound Academy), Nutini heads to the U.S. for select engagements. The dates are below:
9/17    Lincoln Theatre                      Washington DC
9/19    House of Blues                        Boston, MA
9/20    The Trocadero Theatre      Philadelphia, PA
9/22Â Â Â Â Terminal 5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â New York, NY
9/23    Apollo Theater                        New York, NY
9/25    Roseland Theater                 Portland, OR
9/26    Fox Theater                               Oakland, CA
9/29    House of Blues                        San Diego, CA
10/2   Granada Theater                     Dallas, TX
10/4   Warehouse Live Ballroom  Houston, TX
Fritz Lang, a master of German expressionism (M, Metropolis) and a craftsman of the Western and film noir genres, is receiving a fitting spotlight from Cohen Film Collection with the September 9 release of Hangmen Also Die. The movie, which is coming out on Blu-ray and DVD, follows Lang’s lifelong themes of paranoia and societal corruption.
Shot by cinematographer James Wong Howe (Seconds), Hangmen Also Die centers on a surgeon/Czech patriot (Kiss of Death’s Brian Donlevy) who is on the run from the Gestapo after assassinating a high ranking Nazi. The patriot may have to eventually turn himself in, as the Nazis claim they will execute scores of innocent citizens until the assassin is caught.
The Cohen Film Collection, in collaboration with Pinewood Studios and the British Film Institute, were responsible for the restoration of Hangmen Also Die. The latest cut contains a one minute scene that was cut from the original release. As writer Tom Gunning attests in his book The Films of Fritz Lang, the director’s anti-Nazi films Hangmen Also Die, Ministry of Fear, and Man Hunt “allowed Lang to return to his strengths within genre filmmaking and refine his creation of an everyday terrain of paranoia in which ordinary events reveal themselves in an instant as sinister and deadly.”
Special Features on the disc include audio commentary from former New York Film Festival program director Richard Peña, a featurette and an essay on the film and Fritz Lang, and a before and after comparison between the two Hangmen Also Die prints.
As Taylor Swift continues to flourish and branch out as a musician, writer, and singer, she’s also branching out in the acting field. She explored her comedic chops in the 2010 comedy Valentine’s Day, and with The Giver she ventures into the dramatic arena.
Based on Lois Lowry’s evocative and prescient novel, The Giver has Jeff Bridges playing the titular character, a man who holds the memories of humanity before his environment turned into a safe yet emotionally empty society. Swift plays Rosemary, a youth who attempted to learn life’s valuable lessons and experiences from The Giver, but their bond leads to tragic results.
“I hope she continues (with) the acting,” said Bridges about his co-star. “She’s very talented, as well as being a great songwriter/performer. She was just wonderful.”
The Giver, which co-stars Brenton Thwaites (he’s The Giver’s latest pupil) and Meryl Streep, opens Friday.
Summers come and go, as all things do, but Dirty Heads are ready to move things forward with a fall/winter extension of their tour, staring with a series of dates on October 10.
Almost 40 shows have been confirmed, with the band making their way through Europe with stops in the UK (November 20 in Manchester), France (November 22 in Paris), Switzerland (November 23 in Zurich), and Germany (November 25 in Berlin). The group’s longtime collaborator and producer Rome (he co-wrote “Lay Me Down” with the band) will also support them on a majority of their dates. Rome’s latest single “If The World” was released in June.
Dirty Heads are currently on the road with Pepper and Aer supporting their fourth studio album Sound of Change, which debuted at the #8 spot on the Billboard 200. The group, whose past collaborations include work with Del the Funky Homosapien and Matisyahu, worked with Cypress Hill’s B-Real (“Franco Eyed”) and Tech N9ne (“Burn Slow) on this album.
Their single “My Sweet Summer” offers a sample of the various styles which inhabit their work in a surprisingly seamless (and catchy) fashion. The video’s below:
