- Twilight's First Official Photo and Why I'm Passing
- Rumor: Matthew McConaughey Possibly Captain America - Blasphemy!
- Sound Off: Iron Man - What Did You Think?
- Must Watch: Second Full Trailer for The Dark Knight!
- Pirates' Gore Verbinski to Direct BioShock Movie! (May 9, 2008)
- Frank Miller Bringing Buck Rogers Back? (May 9, 2008)
- Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse Shut Down! (May 8, 2008)
- John Waters is Back - Directing Fruitcake with Johnny Knoxville! (May 8, 2008)
| Speed Racer | 8/10 |
| Iron Man | 10/10 |
| Iron Man | 9/10 |
| Baby Mama | 7.5/10 |
Interview: Ben Stiller on Making Tropic Thunder
After being shown the new trailer and footage from the upcoming summer comedy Tropic Thunder last week at ShoWest in Las Vegas, we had the opportunity to interview the movie's director and star - Ben Stiller. Many know and love Stiller as one of the kings of cinematic comedy, and it was a true honor to talk with Stiller about all things Tropic Thunder. It's one of my own highly anticipated summer flicks and Stiller was more than willing to divulge plenty of details. Also participating in the interview were Ed from ComingSoon, George from Latino Review, Mike from JoBlo, and Steve from Collider, so not all of the questions are my own. This is a great pre-summer interview to get you in the mood for what is to come later on this August and to prepare you for the trailer due out on Monday.
Exclusive: Interview with Get Smart's Director Peter Segal
One of the big summer comedies I'm looking forward to almost more than every other comedy this year is Get Smart (watch the trailer here). Based off of the 1970's TV show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart is a spy movie that is best described as a funny Bourne Identity. At ShoWest this week I had the exclusive chance to interview the film's director - Peter Segal (middle in the photo above). Although the film doesn't arrive until the summer, we talked about casting Steve Carell, improvisation on set, staying true to the original show, Judd Apatow, and even DC's Shazam. Pete even mentioned at the end that he was a reader of our site and it is with great honor that I present our interview with him.
Sundance: Interview with The Wackness Writer/Director Jonathan Levine
When it comes to the next generation of filmmakers, Jonathan Levine is one of the few who is leading the way. His film from Sundance this year, The Wackness, was a huge hit that played well with audiences of all ages, eventually winning the coveted Audience Award. Thankfully we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with this up-and-coming filmmaker and talk about everything from memories of 1994 to Biggie to marijuana to Kubrick and even There Will Be Blood. I'm very glad I had this chance to talk with Levine, because not only is his film The Wackness one of the best this year, but he had a lot to say. If you're curious to know more about The Wackness or just want to hear what goes on in a filmmaker's mind, then this interview is a must read.
Sundance: Interview with Hell Ride's Writer/Director Larry Bishop
There is probably no one more badass both in person and on-screen than Larry Bishop. This guy has been riding motorcycles and making biker films for over 40 years. Although, most may know him as the "asshole on the elbow" club owner from Kill Bill Vol. 2. A couple years back, before even Kill Bill was being filmed, Quentin Tarantino discovered Bishop and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime. Now Larry Bishop is here as the writer, director, and lead actor, in Hell Ride, a awesomely fun exploitation grindhouse-like biker flick that's a throwback to Bishop's motorcycle films from the 60's. Luckily I had the opportunity to chat with Bishop while at Sundance about everything from Quentin Tarantino, to motorcycles, to Marlon Brando.
Sundance Interview with Teeth Director Mitchell Lichtenstein
One of the films everyone was raving about at last year's Sundance Film Festival was the indie horror comedy Teeth. If you really need to be reminded about what the film involves, then why not: vagina dentata! A young girl in high school discovers she's got teeth "down there" and learns to use this to her advantage (guys and girls take note). A year ago at Sundance I caught up with the film's director, Mitchell Lichtenstein, and talked about all things Teeth and his inspirations, among many other things. Now a full year later just as the film is finally being released into movie theaters (on Friday, January 18th) and right before this year's Sundance kicks off, I present to you my interview with Mitchell Lichtenstein. Curious to know more about Teeth? I'm sure you are!
Discussing Persepolis with Writer and Director Marjane Satrapi
Back in early December I was given the opportunity to meet Persepolis' Iranian writer and director Marjane Satrapi and quickly jumped at the opportunity. Not only had a heard great things about the indie animated film, but I knew it would be a unique opportunity unlike anything else. Leading up to the interview I finally got the chance to watch Persepolis and loved it. To be honest, I really hope it goes on to win the animation Oscar, because it truly deserves it. Not only is it a very powerful political film, but it's funny and animated incredibly. In my interview, Marjane and I discuss everything from politics to abortion to the culture of underground comics to her obsession with art and perfection, and it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in cinematic art.
Interview with Juno's Director Jason Reitman
Ever since I saw Juno at the Toronto Film Festival in September and attended a roundtable with Jason Reitman, he's been one of those filmmakers that I've always wanted to spend a few minutes chatting filmmaking with. He's such down-to-earth and cool guy who loves movies as much as you and I and takes that to heart when directing. Now that he has both Juno and Thank You For Smoking (his debut feature film) under his belt, it's obvious that anything Reitman makes is bound to be fantastic. Thankfully I had the chance to talk with Jason on the phone as he was boarding a plane to transfer cities on his press tour for Juno and talk about all things movies, making Juno, Diablo Cody, and his own personal favorite five films.
Will Smith on I Am Legend's Genre Concepts, Technology, and More
I don't think there's a single person in the world who doesn't know who Will Smith is or hasn't seen him in some movie at some point in their life. He's been in everything, from romance to comedies and especially action movies. Despite being the huge celebrity he is and being married to the nearly-as-popular Jada Pinkett Smith, he's one of the few celebs that is still down-to-earth, which is exceptionally rare. Starring almost entirely solo in I Am Legend, Will Smith delivers his latest performance since The Pursuit of Happyness last year, and damn does he do a good job. I attended the press conference for I Am Legend a few weeks back and it was a fresh relief to hear an actor talk about the adaptation in such depth.
Exclusive Interview: I Am Legend Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman
Even with the writers strike underway, it's still rare that writers get any time in the spotlight. Thankfully last week I had the opportunity to chat with the talented Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, and now I Am Legend. He's adapted the works of John Grisham, Isaac Asimov, Richard Matheson, and Dan Brown, and is a smart and experienced screenwriter. Akiva participated in a press conference alongside of Francis Lawrence and Alice Braga for I Am Legend, and after hearing brief bits of what he had to say, I wanted to get the full scoop and thus I interviewed him in person. I wanted Akiva to explain, in his words, how this adaptation isn't directly from Matheson's novel, but rather a mesh of ideas and how he was able to craft all of this into a great screenplay.
Interview with Enchanted's Amy Adams
She's that charming red head you've seen in everything from Drop Dead Gorgeous to Catch Me If You Can to Junebug to Talladega Nights and now Enchanted. In Disney's Enchanted, Amy Adams plays a princess named Giselle who accidentally ends up in the real world, and her comical ignorance and her character's warmth are what make the performance one of the best of year. Amy Adams' career has really blown up recently, being nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Junebug and onto this big mainstream role. She's certainly capable of carrying a movie on her own, as is obvious in Enchanted, and she's also just as charming in person as she is on screen! If you've seen Enchanted by now and are curious to learn more, then you'll want to read our interview with Amy Adams on everything from singing to the white wedding dress to James Marsden and more.
Beowulf's Ray Winstone Interviewed
He's starred in countless movies since his first on-screen debut in Scum from 1979 and now he plays a rather tall and efficient warrior in Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf. He's Englishman Ray Winstone and in Beowulf he dons a leotard and acts for motion capture to be later altered into Beowulf - an 8-pack totin' CGI killing machine. You may recognize him as Mr. French in The Departed or as Bors in King Arthur or as Gary 'Gal' Dove in the indie hit Sexy Beast, but you won't recognize him in Beowulf, thanks to the wonderful world of CGI. We recently attended a roundtable interview with Ray Winstone, who discussed everything from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to his boxing career as a kid, and want to share with you everything he had to say.
Exclusive: AstroBoy Concept Art and Director Interview
The beloved Japanese manga series AstroBoy is getting a big screen adaptation courtesy of the CGI gurus at Imagi Animation, the same studio that made the CGI movie TMNT earlier this year. Although the film is quite far from completion, aiming for a 2009 release, FS.net exclusively interviewed director Colin Brady and was given the very first concept art photo which can only be seen here. Die hard AstroBoy fans and newcomers alike will definitely be excited at what ILM and Pixar animation supervisor and Toy Story 2 co-director Colin Brady has to say about helming his first feature film and what we can expect in a full featured AstroBoy CGI movie.
American Gangster Interview: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe
These two fine actors are two of the most well-known in the world. Not only are they recognizable but they have both brought some of the greatest Oscar winning performances ever to the big screen. In American Gangster they play two individuals who are fighting against each other without evening knowing. Denzel Washington is Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin who is higher than even the mafia. Russell Crowe is Richie Roberts, a detective who is bent on bringing down Lucas' drug empire. A few weeks back we had the chance to listen in on a press conference interview with the two of them. Not only where they exuberant and hilarious, but this is an interview that just must be heard!
Interview: Assassination of Jesse James's Director Andrew Dominik
By now I hope you've heard of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the western starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. It was one of my favorite films of this year and it's definitely a visually gorgeous feast for your eyes. Up in Toronto I had the chance to sit down with writer and director Andrew Dominik and talk about some of what went on behind the camera. Andrew is a very talented filmmaker and it's obvious with The Assassination of Jesse James that he's able to achieve a fantastic sense of storytelling overlaid with some incredible cinematography. If you're curious to hear more from the mind that created this wonderful film, then you won't want to miss this interview. Read on!
Exclusive Interview: Alan Tudyk!
Alan Tudyk is most well known as Wash from the "Firefly" series / Serenity as well as very distinct characters from a number of great comedies, including Steve the Pirate in Dodgeball and Jack, Katherine Heigl's boss in Knocked Up. He currently stars in Death at a Funeral, one of my favorite comedies of the year in one of his greatest roles ever, as well as the upcoming 3:10 to Yuma western. If you thought he was funny on screen, then just wait to you hear his story about the time he took mushrooms when he was 19!
Exclusive Interview: Director Frank Oz
You may not know right away who Frank Oz is, but with a little reminder, you'll know his work. He first started his career in the entertainment business working alongside of Jim Henson as a puppeteer and soon the voice of a number of Muppets. Following that he landed another famous voice gig - Yoda in all of the Star Wars movies. His first directorial debut was the family film The Dark Crystal, which was later followed with his bigger hits: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, In & Out, Bowfinger, The Score, The Stepford Wives, and now this year, Death at a Funeral. We spoke with this Hollywood legend about his latest film, Death at a Funeral, as well as about low budget filmmaking, comedies in Hollywood, and much more.
Comic-Con Video Interview: Clive Owen and Director Michael Davis on Shoot 'Em Up
Just a few days ago, FS.net had the chance to chat with the legendary Clive Owen and the director of Clive's next movie, Shoot 'Em Up - Michael Davis. We spent a few minutes firing questions towards these two and discussing one of the most exciting upcoming action movies this year. Not only is Michael Davis just a big action movie fan himself, but Clive Owen is as charismatic and "badass" in person as he is on screen. Read on to watch our exclusive video interview.
Comic-Con Video Interview: Rob Zombie on Halloween
At Comic-Con this past weekend, FS.net spent a few minutes to chatting with writer and director Rob Zombie on his upcoming Halloween remake. In addition to chatting with Zombie, a clip from the film and a new extended trailer were shown at the presentation and Zombie and company answered questions from the fans. Anyone excited for Halloween (or not) should check out this interview, as Rob lets us in on his thoughts on all things horror and more.
Exclusive Interview with Fido Director Andrew Currie
Way back in January at the Sundance Film Festival I saw Fido for the first time and fell in love with it (you can read my review from Sundance here). It's a zombie comedy in the likes of Shaun of the Dead and just as good, but set in the 1950's with a story about a young boy named Timmy who befriends a zombie named Fido (played by Billy Connolly) - watch the trailer. Fido opens in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, June 15th, and expands wider in early July.
While out in Park City, Utah I also spent a few minutes talking with director Andrew Currie. Hailing from Canada, Andrew co-wrote the film and this is his first big screen debut. One of the nicest filmmakers I've ever met and have continued to keep in touch with, Andrew shared with us plenty about his own zombie inspirations and much more about Fido. Read on!
Perfecting Their Characters: Spider-Man 3's Cast Discusses Their Process
The strongest aspect to a successful comic book adaptation are the characters that make it up. If they aren't as dynamic and identifiable as those originally found in the comic books, then the film and its story will all fall apart into a terrible mess.
In the Spider-Man films, there are three characters that we've all come to know and love: Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and Harry Osborn; in Spider-Man 3 we are introduced to three more: Eddie Brock, Gwen Stacy, and Flint Marko. It's the actors who must fill the shoes and know the characters inside-out, and it is without a doubt that in Spider-Man 3, each of them gives a remarkable performance worthy of living up to their on-paper comic book equals. Each of the 6 actors gives us their insight and introspective on their own character development for Spider-Man 3.