Most people would shy away from being associated with a bad movie. Not Michael Stephenson. The former child actor embraces it. In “Best Worst Movie,” Stephenson makes his directorial debut and delves into the cult following for the deliriously bad horror film “Troll 2” — in which he played annoying lead Joshua Waits. The well-reviewed documentary also catches up with the cast of the 1990 film, with Stephenson’s costar George Hardy at the forefront. Stephenson and Hardy have traveled the world screening the documentary at various film festivals, and now their quirky retrospective returns to Los Angeles with a showing May 21 at the Landmark Nuart. The film will play at the theater for at least a week. Hero Complex contributor Yvonne Villarreal caught up with Stephenson for a round of five questions.
YV: There are so many films out there claiming to be the worst movie; what makes “Troll 2,” in your opinion, the official holder of the title?
MS:The short and sweet answer: There are no trolls in “Troll 2.” Usually, if you’re going to have the title of the movie representing the horror and the monsters within the story, it would help if the title were accurate.
YV: Right. And it’s not even a sequel.
MS: Exactly. It’s not a sequel and there are no trolls [laughs].
YV: If you had to pick a Best Worst Movie runner-up, what movie would it be?
MS: Oh, that’s tough. Oh, man. There are a lot of bad movies. I think that a bad movie is one that has no effect or that bores you. I would say “Transformers 2” is a bad movie. It’s a film that had hundreds of millions of dollars put into it and … it’s boring.
YV: What’s the weirdest thing you learned while making the documentary?
MS: There’ve been so many! Well, two things stand out as the weirdest. One would be, while making it, learning that one of the guys [Don Packard, who played a Nilbog store owner in “Troll 2”] I worked with on set actually wanted to kill me as a child. That was very terrifying to learn. And the next-weirdest thing — and it’s probably more concerning and more weird — is I can’t even say that “Troll 2” is the baddest movie out there. I think it’s an amazing movie. It’s left this impact and created this communal experience for hundreds of people throughout the country … and throughout the world.
YV: What has been the response of “Troll 2” fans to the documentary?
MS: We’ve been really grateful and fortunate because the documentary has gone over amazingly well. We played film festivals all last year. And most of the people who saw it at film festivals had never even heard of “Troll 2,” let alone subjected themselves to it previously. And more people are now being turned on to “Troll 2” by the documentary -- I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. But the response has been really amazing. It takes a certain person to like a bad movie. I mean, most people don’t go out with the intent to like a bad movie. But through this documentary, they’re introduced to this “Troll 2” world that they had no idea about through a warm and acceptable character like George.
YV: Well, given its lasting popularity and with so many films being remade these days, do you think a remake of “Troll 2” would be worthwhile?
MS: It’s a fun thought. But “Troll 2” is perfect as it is, in all of its blemished glory. There’s no way you can re-create something like it. Actually, the thought of remaking “Troll 2” makes me frown a little bit because you can’t remake something like that. It’s weird because you have this horrible movie that fails in every regard, but, in the same breath, it’s absolutely perfect as it is. I was talking about “The Room” and “Birdemic” with people the other day; I heard something I had never heard before. We screened it at Lucasfilm the other day; one of the employees said “Troll 2” is kind of like the John Hughes bad movie. It’s very innocent and has this kind of charm. Bad movies are a big trend right now. With "The Room," the director [Tommy Wiseau] has changed his position and now says it’s a dark comedy and is marketing it that way. And the director of “Birdemic” [James Nguyen] is marketing his as a bad movie. What sets “Troll 2” apart is Claudio [Fragasso] would never do that. He really believes in it. He’s very serious about it. And you know what, I love him for that. Most people are not that sincere with what they do.
--Yvonne Villarreal
Having a slow day at work? Well, thanks to the mircale fo Hulu, here's "Troll 2," in its entirety. Just hit play, sit back and prepare to be amazed -- no matter how bad you think it's going to be, it's actually worse. This film is rated PG-13 and their are two mild profanities in the movie.
Photos: Top, promotional poster for "Best Worst Movie." Middle, the beasties of "Troll 2." Credit: Trans World Entertainment. Bottom, the strange menace of "Phantasm." Credit: New Breed Productions Inc.
Lance Laspina was the producer and director of the 2003 documentary "Frazetta: Painting with Fire" and grew close to the subject of that film, iconic fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, who died Monday at age 82. As Laspina grappled with the sad news, he wrote this appreciation for the Hero Complex.
This morning I received some very sad news from a friend of mine. Legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta has passed. For anyone who was touched by Frank’s work or knew him personally, the word of his death comes like a shot to the gut. His long bout with illness, having suffered multiple strokes over the past decade, has been well documented, but the toughness instilled in him as a young boy growing up on the streets of New York seemed to keep him alive even through the bleakest of times. But this morning his body finally succumbed, leaving behind a legacy that will be felt and visually apparent for a very long time to come.
Widely regarded as the godfather of fantastical illustration, Frank influenced an entire generation of artists and filmmakers with powerful images of strapping warriors defending curvaceous maidens from creatures that were undoubtedly spawned in hell. Some of the more notable collectors and fans of his work include Hollywood types such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Peter Jackson, Clint Eastwood, John Milius, Guillermo del Toro and Sylvester Stallone. His impact on the world of illustration, comic and concept art is undeniable. You cannot walk into a game studio, visual-effects house, comics convention or onto a film set without finding someone who was heavily influenced by Frank’s work at a young age, which in turn affected his or her own career decision.
Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Frank showed a real propensity for art at a very early age, and by the age of 8 was enrolled in the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts under the tutelage of instructor Michael Falanga. So convinced he had a true prodigy on his hands, Falanga intended to send Frank to Europe on his own dime to study under the masters, but due to Falanga's sudden death in 1944, his wish never came to fruition. Soon the academy would close, forcing young Frank to start earning a living. He began his profession as a comic book artist, having worked on such famous strips as Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and Li’l Abner before moving on to more detailed oil paintings that graced paperback and album covers. His career then exploded like a supernova after he was asked to do a line of book covers for a relatively unknown barbarian character, Conan, penned decades earlier by author Robert E. Howard. Suddenly those Conan paperbacks were flying off store shelves, in large part due to the magnetic draw of Frank’s powerful images that would entice people across a crowded bookstore, demanding that they pick up that book.
About the same time, Frazetta was also nurturing a new and much more prosperous line of work producing movie poster artwork for big Hollywood films such as, “What’s New Pussycat?,” “The Secret of My Success,” and eventually Eastwood’s action flick “The Gauntlet.” Frank was by then in his 40s and at the high point in his career, producing extraordinary pieces of art and making more money than ever before. There would be no stopping him. His legendary status was cemented forever.
It should also be noted that Frank was a robust young man, as good-looking and talented athletically as he was artistically. While still in his teens, he turned down an offer to play baseball for the New York Giants, a decision Frank would question for years later. Stories of his powerful throwing arm are legendary. He once told me he took more pride in his athleticism than his artistic talents -- which will be hard for most people to fathom, I’m sure.
After a quiet stretch of well-deserved retirement, Frazetta had been back in the news as of late, though not all for the good this time. Frank’s prolific career took a turn for the worst after the passing of his childhood sweetheart and wife of 53 years, Eleanor, in July of last year. Shortly after her death, the issue of who would control the marketing and sale of his paintings would result in a sad turn of events involving a custody battle between his four children. Thankfully, the siblings have come to an agreement that (at least for now) has ended the feuding. There’s no telling how much the stress of watching his children quarrel contributed to Frank’s death. Hopefully the passing of their father will bring the siblings closer together and not spark more division. This photo of Eleanor and Frank in younger days shows an attractive couple ready for the world and meeting it together.
What, though, is Frank's place in art history? He carved out his career in illustration -- a term looked upon as a dirty word by the fine-art community. I personally admire this category because it most often contains two vital ingredients, working in tandem, that dynamically separate it from other forms of art: A sense of narrative (something grand is in full force or about to happen) and the human emotional element. We often find a connection to paintings that includes another human, perhaps in a state of distress, contentment or complete joy. Use of light, form, composition, color, storytelling and technical ability to render are all components that most would agree go into making good illustration art.
Unfortunately, what often trounces the aforementioned criteria is subject matter. And in the context of Frank’s work, he is often unjustly categorized as solely being a “fantasy” artist. If you were lucky enough to discuss this topic with Frank he would inform you, in his charming Brooklyn accent, that he was a “creative artist” and should not be categorized as being anything else.
I recently returned from a trip to Italy where I was fortunate to survive the lung-searing 463-step ascent to the top of the Duomo in Florence to get an up-close look at the frescoes painted on its inside ceiling. These detailed paintings, produced in the latter half of the 16th century by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, depict “The Last Judgment” with the bottom portion portraying a rather wicked cast of characters in “Capital Sins and Hell.”
The subject matter for the entire fresco could rightfully be categorized as “fantasy,” but because it is Biblical in nature it is looked upon as fine art -- and rightfully so. The amazing display of artistry and its immense size when viewed up close only adds to its grandeur. All of the components that go into creating a good piece of illustration art are on display here, even though in one scene horned demons are shown skewering several unlucky sinners with their flaming spears. While I was standing there, marveling at the frescoes, it was hard for me not to draw a comparison to Frank’s work.
Here's a photo I took during that visit...
After all, the subject matter was very similar and the technical skill required to paint this fresco is really no different than what Frazetta possessed. I’m not so bold as to claim that Frank was a better painter than Vasari or Zucarri, but I do see him as being their equal. In fact, had Frank grown up in Italy back in the 16th century (he certainly had the Italian surname needed), there’s no doubt we would be revering his frescos as some of the best to emerge out of the Renaissance era. Perhaps Frank’s current crop of oil paintings are the closet representations of classical art from the Renaissance period we will see for a long time to come.
My point is that the painting’s subject matter, or reason for being painted (many critics would argue the majority of Frank’s work was commercially produced) should have absolutely no basis as to whether or not a piece of art is deemed fine art. I’m quite sure my argument will not change how the established art community views Frank’s work.
As with most artists who have followed a similar path, the passage of time is the necessary ingredient to eventual acceptance -- the years leave behind the extraordinary pieces but the unfashionable contexts of their creation are forgotten. Just last year, Frank joined a very exclusive club of illustration artists when his famous “Conan the Conquerer” painting (a.k.a. “The Berserker”) was purchased for a million dollars.
Granted, there are dozens of deceased artists whose paintings routinely sell for a million dollars or more, but the fact that Frank was still alive at the time and categorized as an illustrator elevated him to an extremely rare category. He and his wife’s contributions to artist rights have also been largely recognized, as Ellie began to demand Frank’s original art be returned to him upon publication. Prior to this, the original artwork was either discarded (which makes many of us shudder) or kept in the private collection of the publisher, who could reuse the painting without additional compensation to the artist. Ellie’s request for the return of Frank’s original art was a concept previously unheard of, but in the end paid enormous dividends not only to the growing wealth of his art but for fellow artists alike.
In the end, the success of an artist’s career might be judged by a number of factors. How truly skilled was he? How prolific? How much money did his paintings command? Did he contribute to the greater good of society? How many lives did he affect? To judge him solely on the last question alone, Frank Frazetta’s career was magnificent beyond words.
Ten years ago I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Frank and his family during the production of my documentary, "Frazetta: Painting with Fire.” As a young, aspiring artist, Frazetta’s work heavily affected me I and owe him a great deal for leading me down the path toward a career in illustration. This same sentiment can be expressed by thousands of my contemporaries who, like me, discovered his work in their youth when their likes and dislikes were being shaped forever. I began to seek out his work, snatching up magazines and paperbacks that bore a Frazetta cover, eventually leading me to his line of portfolio art books. The artist behind the paintings remained a mystery -- interviews with Frank were scarce -- and I was desperate for a better understanding of the man responsible for these astonishing creations.
I suspected others felt the same way so I approached the artist with the idea of documenting his life and career on film so that his story could be told forever. You can imagine what a unique thrill it was to finally meet and get to know the very private Frank Frazetta on a personal level. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable in his presence -- he was so personable and down to earth. He was definitely a man’s man, but with a sensitive side that belied his tough exterior. He loved to debate art and, even more, sport. That helped us connect during a pre-filming week that I spent hanging out in his studio, marveling over the oil paintings he had casually stacked up next to his easel and treating him to dinner at his favorite Chinese restaurant. During one of my visits, Frank allowed me to draw in one of his personal sketchbooks, a thrill I will never forget. It is private moments like that, spent with Frank, that I will cherish forever, and in the end wish I could’ve captured on film for the documentary, but perhaps they were meant to remain as special memories just for me. Memories I can revisit every time I hear his name, including a sad day like today.
Susan Carpenter recently reviewed Rick Riordan's latest book for the Los Angeles Times, here's an excerpt...
In "The Red Pyramid," the first book in "The Kane Chronicles," Rick Riordan's new series for middle readers, a child has godlike powers but doesn't know it until strange things begin to unfold. A parent disappears, prompting introductions to ancient characters and travels to otherworldly places. There are battles with evil forces and a looming deadline by which the child must complete a mission, lest society descend into chaos.
If this sounds like "Percy Jackson & the Olympians," the author's five-book, New York Times bestseller fantasy series — and source of the film "The Lightning Thief" — that's no coincidence. Why mess with a successful formula, especially if you can use it to make your new story just as fast-paced and intriguing as its predecessor?
With "The Red Pyramid," Riordan has done just that. Here there are two protagonists instead of one — siblings Sadie and Carter Kane — and their powers hail from gods who are Egyptian rather than Greek. Their mission: to find their archaeologist father, who accidentally blew up the British Museum and, as a result, was absorbed through the museum's floor. On Christmas Eve, no less.
Once again, Riordan masterfully meshes modern life with mythology and history, reinvigorating dusty artifacts such as the Rosetta stone and revitalizing ancient Egyptian story lines....
At 24 Frames, John Horn reports that Ridley Scott will not attend the premiere of "Robin Hood," the adventure film starring Russell Crowe that will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The 72-year-old Scott, who teamed with Crowe in the Oscar-winning "Gladiator," recently underwent knee replacement surgery. "My recovery has been slower than I'd hoped," Scott said in a statement. "Truly, doctor's orders are the only thing that could keep me from being there."
He said the Universal film's lead actors, including Cate Blanchett, and producer Brian Grazer will be able to attend the Wednesday night premiere ...
Guillermo del Toro, Neal Adams and John Milius remember Frank Frazetta in this longer version of the obituary I wrote for Tuesday's edition of the Los Angeles Times.
Frank Frazetta, the fantasy painter and illustrator whose images of sinewy warriors and lush vixens graced paperback novels, album covers and comic books for decades and became something close to the contemporary visual definition of the sword-and-sorcery genres, died Monday after suffering a stroke the night before. He was 82.
Frazetta had gone out to dinner with his daughters Sunday and then had a stroke at his home in Boca Grande, Fla. He died at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla., his manager Rob Pistella told the Associated Press.
"He's going to be remembered as the most renowned fantasy illustrator of the 20th century," Pistella said.
Frazetta's most famous works were in oil, but his canvases were rarely seen in museums; instead his barbarians and warlocks reached out to readers from book covers on dime-store spinner racks. But as comic books and fantasy entertainment gained a wider audience in the 1970s and '80s, Frazetta became a brand name, and his original artwork became a sensation. Last November, one of his pieces, a berserk battlefield image that graced a "Conan the Conqueror" paperback, sold for $1 million to a private collector.
John Milius, the screenwriter whose credits include "Apocalypse Now," "Clear and Present Danger" and "Red Dawn," was the director and co-writer of "Conan the Barbarian," the 1982 film that was based on the warrior character created by pulp writer Robert E. Howard in 1932. Milius said Monday that it was Frazetta's muscular paintings of Conan that defined the character for him and modern generations of fans.
"Not that I could ever redo Frazetta on film — he created a world and a mood that are impossible to simulate — but my goal in 'Conan the Barbarian' was to tell a story that was shaped by Frazetta and Wagner," Milius said. "Frazetta's work is classified as illustration and there's a connotation that goes with that, that it's somehow lesser, but I think there are few artists in recent generations -- especially painters -- whose work really stays with you. I would compare Frazetta to Maxfield Parrish or Frederic Remington. These are the kinds of artists who work goes forward. The number of imitators alone speak to their talent."
Frazetta was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 9, 1928. By age 8, he was studying at the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Art. One of his key influences was Hal Foster, the great comic-strip artist whose "Tarzan" became a compass point for Frazetta's own scenes of jungle peril.
By 16, Frazetta was working in the booming field of illustration in New York. He toiled under Al Capp on "Li'l Abner" and on his own strip, "Johnny Comet" (later renamed "Ace McCoy") in the early 1950s. In comic books, he worked on "The Shining Knight" and a western hero called "Ghost Rider," but his fame would come with a paintbrush and in a more sensual sector when, in the 1960s, he began painting covers for paperbacks and magazines.
It was his covers for the "Conan" paperbacks of the 1960s, especially, that created a new overheated vision of fantasy realms. Later in life he told an interviewer that he didn't find his strange beasts, sullen warriors or buxom maidens in the text of the books he fronted with his art.
"I didn't read any of it," Frazetta said. "I drew him my way. It was really rugged. And it caught on. I didn't care about what people thought. People who bought the books never complained about it. They probably didn't read them."
Perhaps, but the readers of those Conan books — as well as the work Frazetta did on "Tarzan," "John Carter Warlord of Mars" and "Vampirella"— said they found the words and pictures melded with a resonant power.
Guillermo del Toro, the Oscar-nominated co-writer of "Pan's Labyrinth," which he also directed along with the "Hellboy" films, said that Frazetta was nothing less than "an Olympian artist that defined fantasy art for the 20th century." The filmmaker, reached Monday in New Zealand where he is working on a two-film adaptation of "The Hobbit," said Frazetta's influence is difficult to explain to people outside the fantasy world, just as Norman Rockwell would be an elusive figure to define for someone unfamiliar with the U.S. heartland.
"He gave the world a new pantheon of heroes," the filmmaker said by e-mail. "He took the mantle from J. Allen St. John and Joseph Clement Coll and added blood, sweat and sexual power to their legacy.... He somehow created a second narrative layer for every book he ever illustrated."
There were also rock album covers: Molly Hatchet, Nazareth, Yngwie Malmsteen and Wolfmother all tapped into the clanging combat and temptress imagery that sprung from Frazetta's easel.
His long, restless career took him into Hollywood work, posters, animation, commercial art and almost every corner of American illustration. The artist's final year had been a wrenching one; his wife and partner, Ellie Frazetta, died in July, setting off a dispute among the Frazetta children about the custody of their ailing patriarch and his art collection, which by some estimates was worth $20 million.
The quarrel reached a bizarre zenith in December when his son Alfonso "Frank Jr." Frazetta used a backhoe to knock down a wall of a small castle-like building that housed much of his father's premium artwork. That building was a mini-museum that sat on the elder Frazetta's farm in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and the bizarre invasion led to a criminal case, although charges were dropped during a recent settlement among the Frazetta siblings.
Neal Adams, perhaps the most celebrated living comic book artist, said he believed Frazetta was the rare individual who could bridge the vast gulf between fine art and pop illustration.
"There is no one who can fill the space left empty by the passing of Frank Frazetta," Adams said Monday. "Few have studied Classic Renaissance oil painting and applied it so successfully. Few can draw outward from deep within their gut; very few can actually paint and draw man/woman sexual allure; nearly none can tell a story with oil paint that lets you know what is actually in the muscle and sinew of the artist."
Besides his son Frank Jr., Frazetta is survived by another son, William; two daughters, Heidi Frazetta Grabin and Holly Frazetta; and 11 grandchildren.
Photo: A vintage photo of Frank Frazetta at work. Artwork: Frazetta's work through the years on Conan, the newspaper strip Ace McCoy and album covers. Credit: Photo and images courtesy of Lance Laspin and Cinemachine, makers of the documentary film "Frazetta: Painting with Fire."
Ben Fritz of Company Town checks in with a Hero Complex exclusive on the 3-D future of Marvel Studios.
If "Iron Man 2" had come out late in the summer, Tony Stark might have soared right out of the screen. And don't be surprised if CaptainAmerica's shield or even Thor's hammer comes flying at you in a dark theater in the seasons to come.
Given the extensive demands of post-production on "Iron Man 2," however, they concluded there simply wasn't enough time.
"We couldn't have turned over a version of the movie 10 or 20 weeks earlier for 3-D conversion without undermining the quality," he said. "We used all the time we had for mixing and editing and discovering the right tone."
Don Cheadle, one of stars of the film, said director Jon Favreau and his cast were "making changes while the paint was still wet" trying to find the appropriate presentation of the relationship between his character, Lt.Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Rhodey steals Stark's high-tech armor and becomes the hero War Machine. But Favreau and his team were making last-minute changes to dialogue and making edits to ensure that audiences would be sympathetic to both the stern military man and his freewheeling billionaire buddy.
With three Marvel movies in the works over the next two years, however, Feige hinted that 3-D may be in the cards for some or all of them.
"The team has been doing a lot of research into 3-D processes, and we're looking at it on future films when we have the time," he said. "We will be doing it at some point."
"Thor" is already in production, meaning it would have to be converted into 3-D in post, but "First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers" could potentially be filmed with 3-D cameras. The massive success of James Cameron's "Avatar" has stirred a 3-D sensation in Hollywood that some compare to a gold rush and others worry might just be herd mentality. Upcoming 3-D films include Martin Scorsese's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," "Stretch Armstrong" and Sony's "Spider-Man" reboot.
Art: Marvel Comics. Photo: Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Credit: Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures
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Barcelona-born actress Ivana Baquero will celebrate her 16th birthday next month and is poised to make her English-speaking acting debut in "The New Daughter," the Anchor Bay Entertainment thriller that arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on May 18 and stars Kevin Costner. Baquero is well known to fans of fantasy films from her remarkable performance as Ofelia in Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," one of the best-reviewed films of the last decade. She says in this e-mail interview that the 2006 landmark film continues to hold new meanings for her.
GB: "The New Daughter" is a thriller about a just-divorced father who takes his daughter and son to a new town for a fresh start, but then, after a series of mysterious events, he comes to believe that his family is in mortal danger. Can you tell us a bit about your character, Louisa, and how you approached the role?
IB: Louisa was a very complex role. In the movie, we meet her right after she’s been through a traumatic break-up between her parents, so it was very important to reflect Louisa’s pain and constant blame toward her father. On the other hand, she is also a very sensible person: she is welled up in pain and confusion, but at the same time she is a normal girl who is just protecting herself from the world. Luis Berdejo, the director, offered me a lot of help when developing the character and her emotions. We would sit together for hours and just talk about her, jotting down ideas that could enrich the character.
GB: "The New Daughter" gave you a chance to work with Kevin Costner. Can you talk about your experience with him and what he brought to film?
IB: I would specially emphasize Kevin’s generosity as an actor. He was always there to give me advice in moments of confusion, and he would always be there to help Gattlin [Griffith, who plays the Louisa's brother] and me. I really enjoyed listening to his tips. He’s also very professional and it’s always a pleasure to work with an actor of that magnitude.
GB:"Pan's Labyrinth" is viewed by many as a modern masterpiece of fantasy filmmaking. Did you have a sense of how special the film was while you were making it?
IB: When I read the script I instantly knew how marvelous the project would be, especially with Guillermo as its writer and director, but I had no idea about the actual impact that it would end up causing. "Pan’s Labyrinth" was definitely a blessing for me. It was like an intense acting school and a launch pad for my career. I was able to learn, gain new experiences, act, have fun, and then enjoy the final result by sharing and promoting the movie.
GB: You were just 11 when you were cast in "Pan's." How has the movie changed for you as you watch it now?
IB: I find myself discovering new things every time I watch the movie. It’s amazing how after every screening, I discover new things about it; little details that Guillermo left out for people to discover. And I must admit that I never get tired of it, I’ve watched it over 13 times.
GB: Every actor finds new challenges and new opportunities as their career moves forward. What do you consider your challenges now as an actor, and what projects do you hope to pursue next?
IB: There is always a challenge when preparing for a role that’s the complete opposite from me. However, I also find that it’s one of the great beauties of acting: being able to create a realistic interpretation of a person that is very different from you, and successfully transmitting their emotions to the audience. I actually feel inclined to accept projects that are full of challenges, because those are the most fulfilling and interesting.
I’m definitely in a learning stage, and all I’m looking for right now are different kinds of projects that can widen my horizon and allow me to explore different areas of acting. I would love to try a thriller, or a comedy, or anything different that I could get something new from. For now, I prefer looking at the context and the story, rather than a specific genre or type of movie. In fact, my next project is a family movie based on New York, and I loved it because the character that I’ll be playing is very different from any other roles that I’ve ever done.
Photos: Top, Kevin Costner and Ivana Baquero in "The New Daugther." Credit: Anchor Bay Films. Middle, Baquero in "Pan's Labyrinth." Credit: Picturehouse. At bottom, Guillermo del Toro on the set of "Hellboy." Credit: Universal
That's what I called "Inception" when I dropped by the KTLA morning show the other day to talk about the rest of 2010 from Hollywood. I didn't plan on that description -- it just kind of came out -- but I'm not going to back off of it now. I can honestly say there is no movie that I'm more eager to see, and (based on the script and the footage I've seen) I sure wouldn't bet against this movie picking up an Oscar for the best picture of 2010.
Here's the latest trailer for the July 16 Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures release -- and the first one that really starts to explain the premise of the Christopher Nolan thriller.
It turns out I'm not the only one intrigued by the prospect of Nolan's dream-time crime: Flixster says that more than a million responses from moviegoers have been tabulated and that the just-opened "Iron Man" and "Inception" ranked at the top of the "most-anticipated" list of summer movies. That's amazing considering Warner Bros. and the producers of "Inception" have been taking the semi-stealth approach to marketing for months.
If you want to know more about "Inception," check out my story from the London set. And keep checking back here...
Ben Fritz of Company Town reports that "Iron Man 2" was loud and proud in its opening weekend...
Hollywood kicked off its most important time of the year, summer-event movie season, with an explosive start for "Iron Man 2," which sold an estimated $133.6 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada.
That's the fifth-highest opening weekend of all time, not accounting for ticket-price inflation, and a sign that audience interest in Marvel Entertainment's superhero played by Robert Downey Jr. has grown significantly since the first movie debuted with $98.6 million in 2008.
Overseas, "Iron Man 2" raked in another $57.2 million, this weekend, its second weekend in most foreign countries. That brings its international total to $194 million and worldwide take so far to $327.6 million...
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There's a British woman who tells me how to get around Los Angeles. With crisp diction and authoritative confidence she tell me to "exit the motorway ahead," and "stay left and then go left." She's does good work for me, but she's going to be out of a job soon.
And there are more "Star Wars" voices coming -- C-3PO in June, Yoda in July and Han Solo in August. I'm not making this up. And Jar Jar Binks will be on sale by Christmas. OK, that last one was a joke.
I'm not sure, though, if Yoda's knotty syntax is the best choice for navigating, for instance, the curving confusion of the Hollywood Hills. "Ahead right you must go." Here's a bit of promotional fun from TomTom...
If you do choose the Dark Lord of the Sith as your driver's guide, you will get actual instructions such as "Bear left, to the dark side. Then in 200 yards you have reached your destination. The Force is with you, but you are not a Jedi yet." You also will get the theme music, the bad-ventilator breathing, light-saber effects and the sound of a TIE fighter zooming by. I might just drive around in circles for days...
Today a guest post from one of our faithful readers, Ambrose Kalifornia, who was given a very special set of marching orders by the command staff here at Hero Complex: Come up with a great Top 10 list for all those toy-saluting G.I.Joe fans out there. Here's what A.K. came up with...
G.I Joe: A Real American Hero is arguably the greatest toy line ever made. The characters, brought to life by Larry Hama, have stood the test of time, outlasting and outselling everything from its time with the exception of Transformers and "Star Wars" toys. The toys were the most popular of its day; The Marvel comic book outsold even the “X-Men.” But what really made the toy line stand out were the vehicles. G.I. Joe was not just an array of action figures, it was a military force waiting to happen, which meant tanks, planes, boats and some weird gear too. These are the best -- the best of the best, in fact -- the Top 10 G.I. Joe vehicles of the 1980s.
10. G.I. JOE MOBAT (1982) You can’t have G.I. Joe, or any army-toys-for-boys line without having a tank. The Mobat was the first big bad of the line, dwarfing other vehicles with massive working treads, thick slabs of (plastic) armor and battery operation that let the Motorized Battle Tank literally roll right over Cobra.
9. G.I. JOE RAM (1982) This is an entry on the list that may be unpopular, but look at the fine history of motorcycles in action flicks: The Nazi motorcycle chase in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Kaneda’s bike from Akira, the Bat-Pod from "The Dark Knight," the gloriously ridiculous bike from Delta Force, the Steve McQueen fence-jump from "The Great Escape" and of course, the X-1 from "Pee Wee’s Big Adventure." And what does G.I. Joe bring to the table? Well, what we have here is a motorcycle -- a motorcycle with an aircraft Vulcan cannon strapped to the side. This is a pretty good example of how this whole toy line goes from here. Straight to Awesome Town.
8. G.I. JOE KILLER WHALE (1984) This olive-drab combat hovercraft has been the absolute favorite for many Joe fans since 1984. I’ve never had one, so I don’t know anything about it, but I put it on the list so I could interrupt this countdown to show the amazing photo below...
I recently got a rare tour of the Disney archives (you'll be reading a lot more about that visit very soon), and I can't tell you how fascinating it was to see such a vast collection of artifacts and "lost" art. These costumes, props, animation cels, posters, documents, paintings, models, etc. are more than the ultimate cache of pop-culture collectibles -- they chart the history of America's most amazing entertainment success story.
We're going to be digging a bit into that archive over the months to come to bring you glimpses into these treasures, and we start off with some compelling images that date back to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," Disney's landmark 1954 live-action film.
These are preproduction drawings from 1953 that show early visions of the famous battle against a giant squid that plays out atop Capt. Nemo's Nautilus. These drawings have been meticulously preserved by the archive staff but never published in any form, anywhere, before now.
These show the squid attack taking place against a dramatic sunset and indeed that's how it was filmed -- but Walt Disney watched the footage and felt it could be better. The entire sequence was refilmed, this time during a vicious rainstorm, a more frenetic setting. That's the version that moviegoers saw when the film reached theaters in December 1954.
"20,000 Leagues under the Sea" was just fifth live-action feature film from Disney (that's not counting the nature films) and it tied with "White Christmas" as the top box-office draw of the year.
This final image below is a painting that is just amazing to see in person. It's the original artwork for the cover of a record album that tied in to the "20,000 Leagues" re-release in 1963. The artist isn't credited, unfortunately, and the archivists at Disney say if anyone has some insight into who did this great piece, he or she should leave it here in the comments section so the archivists can follow up and make their own records more complete.
As I said before, there's a lot more to come from the Disney archives, and if there are specific things you readers would like to see, let me know. Also, for you hard-core Disney fans, the archives are typically closed to the public but they are scheduled to be opened several times a year to members of D23, the official Disney fan club.
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Ridley Scott is already talking about sequels to "Robin Hood," and considering the compelling scenes from the May 14 release, he may be right to consider this a rich new territory for his cinematic plunder. John Horn has a preview of the film; this is a much longer version of his Sunday Calendar story on the movie and it's accompanied by some new behind-the-scenes video.
Whatever you say about Russell Crowe's up-with-people campaign against unresponsive, property-grabbing government in "Robin Hood," don't suggest to its makers that the historical epic is the first tea party movie. "No, no," says screenwriter Brian Helgeland. "That would not be good."
For all of its 12th century trappings, Helgeland and director Ridley Scott's retelling of the mythical English archer story tries to be thematically contemporary. Rather than a steal-from-the rich yeoman, the film's titular hero is a disillusioned war veteran just back from a distant, violent campaign against Muslims. "We wanted to tell the story of how the myth was created," says producer Brian Grazer.
Hood's homeland is ruled by a king with little concern for his subjects, and somebody — maybe that guy who's so good with bows and arrows? — needs to step up and take the country back. "There's a very strong destiny story in this," says Scott, who shot most of the film on British locations, including Sherwood Forest.
Hood and his merry men are far less interested in redistributing the wealth than in making sure King John (Oscar Isaac) focuses on the people in England. King John is in cahoots with a villainous adviser (Mark Strong'sSir Godfrey purports to be English, but he's as French as foie gras). "That's where the heart of this Robin Hood is," says Helgeland, whose credits include "L.A. Confidential" and "A Knight's Tale." "He is trying to give the people a voice."
But don't expect Scott, whose "Gladiator" turned Crowe into a global, Oscar-winning star, to focus on shuttle diplomacy. The movie is filled with fighting, including a reverse D-Day landing by the French on England's shores that casts Hood as a battlefield strategist in the mold of Eisenhower. "The biggest challenge," Scott says of some of the film's inventions, "is how can we be original? Because if you don't, it becomes cliché."
Even with so many horses and quivers and lances, "Robin Hood" also aims to have something for women. And that's where Maid Marian (Cate Blanchett) comes in. Her husband has been killed and she might need someone to help around the house — maybe that guy who's so good with bows and arrows? "You have to remember," Scott says, "that you have to be romantic."
“Robin Hood” had any number of starts and stops — once delayed by a screenwriters’ strike, and star Crowe, who had just played a portly journalist in “State of Play,” needed to get into fighting shape for his starring role. Originally set for release last November, “Robin Hood” will now premiere May 14 — one week after the behemoth “Iron Man 2."
Helgeland says he came onto the movie when Scott was looking for revisions to a screenplay by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (“Kung Fu Panda,” “Bulletproof Monk”) that had been much more focused as an old-fashioned “CSI” story about the Sheriff of Nottingham (the film’s original title was “Nottingham”) and less focused on Robin Longstride, as Crowe’s character is called in the finished film. (Played by “Price & Prejudice’s” Matthew Macfadyen, the sheriff is scarcely in the movie now.)
Helgeland had written a script about Cortez called “The Serpent and the Eagle,” with Ron Howard penciled in to direct, but the wheels came off the project when Mel Gibson made “Apocalypto.” Apparently there was only so much room for a drama about the conquest.
“Ridley really liked it, but wasn’t ultimately interested in directing it,” Helgeland says of his Cortez screenplay. Specifically, Scott admired how Helgeland had taken a historical figure and brought him to life; he wanted Helgeland to do the same in “Robin Hood.”
“There’s a legendary DNA about Robin Hood that’s in everyone’s bones,” Scott says. “They know who he is.” The challenge, he says, was to reinvent the character — and who better to do that than Crowe, Scott’s star in “Gladiator,” “A Good Year,” “Body of Lies” and “American Gangster.”
“He likes to do accents,” Scott says of his frequent collaborator. “He likes to put on weight. He likes to lose weight. And I kind of like that passion.”
PHOTOS: Top, Russell Crowe in "Robin Hood" (Paramount Pictures); Ridley Scott on the set of "American Gangsters" in 2007 (David Lee\Universal Pictures)
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Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to come out on top — that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. We have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer's most anticipated film.
This is a longer version of my upcoming Sunday Calendar cover story.
At the recent “Iron Man 2” premiere at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre, the film’s stars seemed to be channeling their characters for the over-the-top event, which featured cheerleaders in provocative red and gold outfits, fireworks and throngs of fans. Robert Downey Jr., who plays billionaire hero Tony Stark, was all ironic charm and sparkling hubris, for instance, while Mickey Rourke, who portrays the sullen villain Ivan Vanko, slowly made his way up the red carpet in sunglasses and a leather-lapel suit that gave him an air of reptilian menace.
And then there was Don Cheadle, who seemed a bit skeptical of the entire affair but dutifully followed the smile-and-wave assignment given to the stars of summer blockbusters. That good-soldier attitude fits his character, Air Force Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes, who spends much of the film torn between his heart and his marching orders.
The 45-year-old actor had plenty of conflicted feelings to draw on for the role; the “Iron Man 2” was the Oscar-nominated actor’s first experience in a big-budget special effects movie, and there was a lot of anxiety amid the explosions. Cheadle had not seen the film before the premiere and, after the credits rolled, he admitted that he had feared the heavy machinery might have spun out of control.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “This is the first time I saw it. I’m very happy.”
He didn’t look especially thrilled when giving his review, actually, but then again, that’s probably par for the course, as Cheadle has described himself as someone who is rarely satisfied with the finished product.
“It was,” he said with a thin grin, “a lot of fun.”
There were a lot of new faces in this return to “Iron Man” — Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Garry Shandling among them — but Cheadle is set apart from them because he was brought in to take on a role that was played with flair by Terrence Howard in the first film, one of the biggest hits of 2008. Howard was ejected from the franchise in a spat over personality and a proposed pay cut; he was reportedly the first cast member signed for the franchise and, somewhat surprisingly, the movie’s highest-paid actor.
Marvel Studios, Paramount and director Jon Favreau all fretted about changing the actor in such a key role. Rhodey is Stark’s best friend and in this new film becomes an armored hero himself — he goes by the indelicate name of War Machine — which was foreshadowed in the first installment.
For Cheadle, there was also the awkwardness of replacing a friend. Cheadle and Howard were costars in “Crash,” the 2004 film that won the Oscar for best picture, and Cheadle was a producer on “Crash” who championed the casting of Howard in that film.
“I didn’t actually know the [Howard] situation, and I just wanted to kind of stay out of it,” Cheadle said a few days before the premiere as he sat watching the NBA playoffs at his Santa Monica offices. “I just wanted to make sure that I was not taking a role away from him. Once they had moved off of him and it was clear he wasn’t coming back, they offered it to me. I think they gave me five hours to decide. I was at my kid’s birthday party. They were on a tight schedule and needed an answer.”
Cheadle didn’t have to think too long. He loved Marvel Comics as a kid and gravitated toward that publisher’s singular brand of cosmic melodramas with flawed, conflicted heroes. Also, after putting together an eclectic resume — he was Oscar-nominated for “Hotel Rwanda” and made memorable turns in all-star ensemble films such as “Crash,” “Boogie Nights” and “Ocean’s Eleven” — he was ready for a tour of duty as an action figure.
Still, playing a human gear-box isn’t all fun and games.
“I have a question about the suits — why was Robert’s armor all hard plastic and fiberglass and mine was metal? You never wear the whole thing — there’s always some element of it that is being drawn on later, but you carry enough of it to feel it. Walking around with a barbecue grill on my back would have been great compared to this. You have no mobility. I imagine it’s what it was like to be a knight. You can’t touch your face. You can’t get a drink of water on your own. If you get an itch, you have to call for help.”
War Machine is gun-metal and gun-loaded — essentially his armor is a less-sleek version of Iron Man’s suit that has been augmented with “a ridiculous amount of firepower,” as Favreau puts it — and has been part of the Marvel universe for years.
When Cheadle took on the role, the studio shipped over a mountain of reference material tracking the Rhodey character to his first appearance in 1979, but Cheadle’s eyes glazed over after a while. Every few seasons, the writer of the comics would change and so would Rhodey.
“Marvel sent me every iteration of Rhodey that has existed, which is a million different people,” Cheadle said with a chuckle. “There’s no real mean there other than the fact that he is Tony Stark’s friend. That is the paramount relationship in the lives of these two guys. And that friendship is what keeps getting pushed and pulled in the second movie, particularly. How does a friend take care of a friend who’s not taking care of himself?”
In the film, the U.S. military wants to confiscate the armor of Iron Man for national defense, which puts Rhodey in a tense position as he tries to protect his friend. When Stark starts going off the rails in his personal life, though, Rhodey feels betrayed, and he steals the War Machine suit while Stark is getting drunk at his own birthday party. Favreau said it’s an essential part of the film’s physics.
“One of the main tensions in this film is someone being an individual or part of a team — the lone gunslinger or the person who is ready to help his partners,” the director said. “Rhodey, he’s a character that came up through the Air Force, which is all about teamwork and support. No man can go it alone. Pilots are individuals, but they rely greatly on the technology and their trainers and the ground crew and their wingman. That’s Rhodey’s background. Then you have Tony Stark, who’s gotten everything he’s ever gotten by breaking rules, by being a loose cannon. We explore that theme.”
Cheadle said the character wasn't the big challenge, it was the massive size of the movie and the tricky magic of making a contemporary special-effects film.
“So much happens after you’re done and gone — with all the special effects, you walk away and 75 other people get hold of it and take it to a place you never expected,” Cheadle said. “There were days when you’d be finished and you don’t know what you have. You never know what’s going to happen. And because they can do everything sometimes you find yourself sometimes find yourself in a position of trying to do anything.”
There was also the added wrinkle of the working style of director Favreau and star Downey — the first film was a success by bottling the improvisational magic of Downey as the wounded-party boy and, with the exception of the carefully planned special-effects set-pieces, the rest of the film was up for grabs. (Jeff Bridges, a star of the first film, said the constant reworking made him like he was laboring on “the world’s most expensive student film.” Cheadle, the perfectionist, found the approach to be appropriate but also daunting.
He said it was the exact right way to make a movie, though, that banks on it's title star.
"You look at the first movie and the reason it was successful was Robert. It was predicated on the fact that there was a dark centerpiece to it. You have Tony Stark wake up and he's in a cave and he's got wires sticking out of his chest. For the audience, you're like 'What the hell? What kind of movie am I watching?' It kept one foot in something that felt like a purely tent pole, fantasy sort of movie and the other in something that was really gritty and real. That juxtaposition of tones is what made that movie interesting. And Robert was the key to all of that. The humor and the darkness. It took it beyond the usual popcorn thing."
Cheadle brings a very different energy to the character than the dashing yet frosty Howard; there’s plenty of high-tech warfare in this film, but the most interesting conflicts seem to happen behind the eyes of Cheadle’s less-aloof version of Rhodey.
Favreau admits that he was anxious about the departure of Howard from the cast, even though other films in the same sector weathered similar cast changes (Michael Gambon took on the Dumbledore role in the “Harry Potter” franchise after the death of Richard Harris, and in “The Dark Knight,” Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Gotham prosecutor Rachel Dawes). In short order, though, Favreau found that his superhero machine was humming along nicely with the new part in place.
“Don and Robert have tremendous chemistry together,” Favreau said.
On screen, the role handoff is handled with a wink. Early in the film, Stark is in front of a hostile congressional committee when a new witness is called — his best friend Rhodey. When it’s Cheadle who walks in, not Howard, Downey says, “Hey buddy, didn’t expect to see you here.” The military man doesn’t miss a beat: “Look, it’s me, I’m here. Deal with it. Let’s move on.”
A few weeks after Cheadle got the role he (almost literally) ran into Howard in the NBC-Universal parking lot. “We had a talk and put it all to bed. I was glad it happened. I think people can kind of get cloudy in this business sometimes and think it’s all about the job and success. It can be seductive to try to get every role. But if you don’t have personal relationships, if you don’t have blood beating in your body, what’s it all about?”
Multifaceted actor Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. was born in Kansas City, Mo., three days after Thanksgiving in 1964, the son of a clinical psychologist father and a psychology teacher mother. He’s a thinking-man’s actor, but he grows restless with the notion of limiting his pursuits to just reading scripted lines.
In addition to “Crash,” he has producer credits on the 2008 thriller “Traitor” as well as the 2007 documentary “Darfur Now,” which spoke to his impassioned work to bring attention to the genocide in Sudan. He’s also a renaissance man; he plays the saxophone, sings, composes music, and he once beat poker champ Phil Ivey in a national heads-up event.
Cheadle has two daughters, Ayana Tai and Imani, with longtime girlfriend Bridgid Coulter (she played his wife in “Rosewood” in 1997, the same year they had their first child), and he brought the whole family to the “Iron Man 2” premiere. “My girls, though, they have no interest in this Iron Man stuff,” Cheadle said with a shrug. “I mean, c’mon, War Machine, that is a total boy thing. I mean, look at the guy. He’s covered in guns. Kill, kill, shoot, shoot, fly, kill, shoot … that is so a boy thing.”
Turning himself into a human action figure was a strange but ultimately satisfying experience, he said, even if it was a little outside his comfort zone. Cheadle, who was most recently seen in the brutal “Brooklyn’s Finest” as a deep-cover narcotics detective, will return to the hustlers and handcuffs sector with the 2011 release of “The Guard,” which has him playing an FBI agent in a cast that also includes Brendan Gleeson and Mark Strong.
It’s familiar underworld turf for Cheadle, who made his breakthrough with the metal-toothed malice of a killer named Mouse Alexander in Carl Franklin’s 1995 “Devil in a Blue Dress.” The actor says he seeks out great scripts and great directors, but he does try to keep some variety in the career mosaic he’s shaping.
“Are we driven more by our near-misses?” he asked when talking about picking his parts. “It’s an interesting way to think about things. I enjoy doing comedic roles. I think those are roles I have done and people see it and it works for them, but they seem sort of surprised by it still. I did stand-up for a minute, and comedy is some of my favorite stuff to do. And it’s some of the hardest stuff to do.”
New challenges have never swayed Cheadle. He received largely positive reviews for his funny work in “Talk to Me” even if the biopic of radio DJ deejay Petey Greene was shrugged off as too pat and sentimental, and he was unforgettable as Buck Swope, the cowpoke porn star in “Boogie Nights.” And then there was his turn as the British explosives expert Basher Tarr, the exasperated anarchist among the slick con men of “Ocean’s Eleven”; he returned for the two sequels and has, it turns out, now made five films with buddy George Clooney (“Out of Sight” and “Fail Safe” stand as the non-“Ocean’s” collaborations).
Cheadle says he walks onto a movie set with the goal of not stealing scenes — he looks more for a submarine approach, staying contained and under the surface. “I want the movie to be good. You don’t do that by stealing scenes. You do that by giving them away,” he said, suggesting that Favreau’s themes of teamwork apply to film sets as well.
For “Iron Man 2,” with Cheadle wearing another actor’s role and uniform, competing for scenes with Downey would have been a dereliction of duty. “We had a lot of fun going back and forth, but it was really challenging most days not to fall into his patois. It’s seductive. You find yourself wanting to play back and forth and both of us have the similar kind of wit. But my character, Rhodey, he is not that guy. He couldn’t play with Tony like that, he wouldn’t be able to or interested. That’s not his mission so it wasn’t mine.”
Now that “Iron Man 2” is off to a flying start (it has made $100 million overseas already), is Cheadle setting his sights on a long career as War Machine in future Marvel films?
“I have no idea,” he said. “I’m not just trying to be coy. Look, I didn’t know what we were doing on any given day on the set. You think I know what’s happening with the next movie? I imagine there will be a next movie if this one does good, but I don’t know what it will be or what it will look like.”
He offered a slight smile before adding: “Maybe Terrence will be back and I’ll be out....”
PHOTOS: First and foruth, Don Cheadle in "Iron Man 2" (Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios). Second and fifth, portrait of Don Cheadle at his Santa Monica offices. (Genaro Molina\Los Angeles Times); Third, Cheadle at the premiere of "Iron Man 2" (Jason Merritt\Getty Images). Six, seventh, eight, promotional posters for Cheadle films. Ninth, "Ocean's Eleven" cast. (Warner Bros).
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Wall Street went bananas today and here's the picture to prove it. Well, actually this is a 2008 photo by Mary Altaffer of the Associated Press who snapped a shot of an actor visiting the New York Stock Exchange to promote the 40th anniversary of "Planet of the Apes."
I had monkey on the mind when I saw Pamela McClintock'sshort Variety item on a project tentatively titled "Rise of the Apes," which will return yet again to the world of Dr. Zaius and Cornelius. Here's an excerpt, links added by me.
"Rise of the Apes" is an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Weta will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.
The Weta presence is intriguing but, wow, do we need another "Apes" movie? That original 1968 film was followed by four sequels "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" in 1970, "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (1971), "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972) and "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" (1973) and then there was "Planet of the Apes" (2001) which was a "re-imagining" of the original by director Tim Burton. Then there were the television shows, too, both live-action and animated. I would have thought the Burton dud (which I had very high hopes for, by the way) would have gotten this monkey off of Hollywood's back.
PHOTOS: Top, 2008 photo by Associated Press. Second, poster for "Apes." Third, vintage images from "Planet of the Apes" (20th Century Fox).
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Here's a first look at the cover of "Thunderbolts" No. 144 from writer Jeff Parker and artist Kev Walker (cover by Marko Djurdjevic), which goes on sale May 26. Here's the blurb from Marvel: "The most dangerous people on Earth are now all in one hellish prison, and the only way out is through rehabilitation and contribution to society via The Thunderbolts, under the leadership of the steel-hard-skinned Avenger named Luke Cage." In this issue, the "Dirty Dozen" approach to a powers group includes Juggernaut. Crossbones and Man-Thing.
Speaking of Luke Cage, a.k.a. Power Man, I hear that there's more talk underway about putting the urban hero into his own film and that a notable Hollywood star is now having (very) preliminary talks with Marvel Studios about the property and its potential.
I've always loved the Luke Cage character, who has been part of some great runs in comics. Brian Michael Bendis did great things with him in his fantastic "Alias" series and clearly feels an affinity for the character, since he used him again and again in the pages of "Secret War," "The Pulse," "Daredevil" and "New Avengers."
Going way back, the Power Man and Iron Fist appearance in Frank Miller's sublime "Daredevil" was one of my favorite moments in that landmark run.
The character, created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr., has been at his best when teamed with Iron Fist, both in their title and as tourists in other books. They always struck me as a mash-up of genre films, the blaxploitation hero with the kung-fu master. I think with the right casting, a Luke Cage and Iron Fist movie would be fantastic.
Here's voting for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the roles....
Bruce Wayne is back but he's still lost in time -- it's sort of like "The Dark Knight" meets "Land of the Lost" but, well, hopefully not just like that.
Here's a first look at issue No. 1 of "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne," by writer Grant Morrison and artist Chris Sprouse (with inks by Karl Story), the first in a six-issue series that will feature a different artist for each issue. I'm a big fan of Sprouse's polished style. Here are some of the interior pages...
For those of you not keeping track, Wayne is believed to be dead and his old sidekick, Dick Grayson, has assumed his cowl. He is struggling to reconcile his place in the Batman legacy -- and also trying to deal with his grief, the new wild child wearing the Robin costume and, of course, all the madness that is Gotham City. Good stuff from the always interesting mind of Morrison.
Meanwhile, Wayne is in the past trying to get back to the future -- which is the present. Got that? This issue goes on sale May 12. You can read more about this series over at the DC Comics' The Source blog.
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Yvonne Villarreal goes in-depth on "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" in this piece, which is a longer version of her Sunday Calendar story.
The family that slays together, stays together. At least that's the case for the Cullen brood.
In "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which hits theaters June 30, Seattle is ravaged by a series of killings caused by an army of newborn vampires controlled by revenge-seeking bloodsucker Victoria. To combat the threat against Bella (Kristen Stewart) in this third installment of the franchise, the Cullens must band together and join forces with their sworn enemies, the wolf pack.
"The whole family is in a vulnerable position because of the love we have for Bella," said Elizabeth Reaser, who plays matriarch Esme Cullen. "If she's not OK, we're not OK."
In the past, we've seen the clan hit baseballs so hard that they can play only in a thunderstorm, to block out the sound. And we've watched the buttoned-up human imposters welcome Bella into their home as the human girlfriend of one of their own — the handsome Edward.
"This time around, you get to see their true vampire-ness," said Peter Facinelli, who plays head vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the series based on the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer.
The film is being helmed by David Slade, the edgy filmmaker behind “Hard Candy” and “30 Days of Night.” And if the trailer is any indication, he’s definitely given the franchise a darker sensibility.
“The guys are going to bring their girlfriends to this one, mark my words,” said Kellan Lutz, who plays Emmett Cullen. “There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of cool stunts. It’s a little darker. The stuff I’ve seen so far is amazing. Amazing. The music is great. Everything is just really captivating. I’m excited to see it, and I’m excited for the fans to see it. The stunts are so cool. It was a bit weird, like for the main battle scene where the newborns come in. I mean, we’re looking at these cardboard cutouts as we’re acting, as we’re supposed to be head-butting creatures. So to see it live on the screen is so cool. And running on the treadmills to do the chase scene was awesome. We were being pulled by a truck going really fast to make it seem like we were running at vampiric speed. To see it on screen, it looks epic.”
What else can we expect from the pale-faced Cullen family (which includes the Hale siblings) this go-round? Here's what the actors say audiences can expect from the story and their characters:
Facinelli: "For me, as Carlisle, it's an exciting portion of the series. Carlisle is very compassionate and he has a lot of killing to do in this movie. I joke, after he kills the bad guys, he says he's sorry in his head. And, you know, he's calm and level-headed. He's the rock of the family. He usually has a lot of information to draw from because Alice can see into the future and Edward can read minds. In this third movie, he's not getting that information. Neither one of his sources are working, so he's kind of flying blind."
Robert Pattinson (as Edward Cullen): Snagging a phone interview with the brooding dreamboat — who was overseas shooting his latest film, "Bel Ami" — proved difficult. So what can we expect from the lovesick Edward? He promises to love Bella "every moment of forever," as the trailer reveals. He's still hesitant about her becoming a vampire. He's determined to protect her from Victoria. And he's vying with Jacob for her affections. Oh, the life of an antique teenage vampire.
Reaser: "Esme is still a vampire. She still wants to kill people all day long. It was interesting to get in touch with the vampire side of her in ways that haven't really been explored. Her family is in danger and that brings out the mama bear in her.
Ashley Greene (as Alice Cullen): "Yeah, she's delicate and prissy at times, but Alice gets a little edgier with each installment. And with these vampires messing with her family and the people she loves, you're going to see a bit of her toughness. It's a reminder to the audience that even though we restrain ourselves at times, we're still vampires and we're dangerous. You're going to see the dark, dangerous side of Alice."
Kellan Lutz (as Emmett Cullen): "You're going to see a smile on Emmett's face from start to finish. He just loves to fight. And there's a lot of fighting. He sort of plays bigger in this one than the others."
Nikki Reed (as Rosalie Hale): "You see a reason for her attitude. I think fans will feel for her. There was a bit of that in 'New Moon.' Fans got to see a bit of her sensitive side. Her sane side. Her logical side. And her desire to help her family. This time around, she is much more of a participant. She's a survivor. This is her family. So if protecting Bella means protecting her family, she's going to do it."
Jackson Rathbone (as Jasper Hale): "You'll get to see a little bit of the root of what makes Jasper so withdrawn and quiet in the Cullen family. Fans will get some of Jasper's back story in ‘Eclipse.' I got to wear the whole Civil War gear and everything. There's a bit of the softer and darker side of Jasper in this film."
PHOTOS: Top, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone and Robert Pattinson in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (Credit: Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment). Second, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Pattinson in "Eclipse" ((Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment). Third, fourth and fifth: Portraits of Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser and Nikki Reed (Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times).
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Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to come out on top — that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands this week in the U.S., and until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops every day on the summer's most anticipated film.
Contrasting TV news personalities Bill O'Reilly and Christiane Amanpour don't see eye to eye on much, but they stand united in agreeing it was worth their time to make cameo appearances in the sequel to the mega-successful "Iron Man." Such is the persuasive power of a film that took in more than half a billion dollars at box offices worldwide.
Once a film makes that much money, it is only a matter of time until the sequel, prudently titled "Iron Man 2," arrives, and that time is now. As sequels go, this one is acceptable, nothing more, nothing less. With star Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau back in the fold, this is a haphazard film thrown together by talented people, with all the pluses and minuses that implies.
Given the non-organic way "Iron Man 2's" plot came into the world — hatched by the producers in a series of meetings before a screenwriter was brought on — it's surprising that the film has any pluses at all. What makes the difference, at least for a while, is the sense of humor of screenwriter Justin Theroux, who also wrote for Downey in the manic "Tropic Thunder."
A film that just wants to have fun, "Iron Man 2" brings back Downey's affable billionaire Tony Stark, former weapons manufacturer and self-described textbook narcissist, whose exploits inside the all-powerful Iron Man suit have brought a welcome calm to the world. The man himself, however, has to face the challenge of the erratic battery in his chest that makes him a superhero with an expiration date.
Not one to hide his light under a bushel, or anything else for that matter, Stark likes to say things like "I have successfully privatized world peace." Clearly, this is one ego that's cruising for a bruising, and no one plays over-the-top self-satisfaction with more élan than Downey.
"Iron Man 2" is at its best when it surrounds him with practiced farceurs who are adept at keeping things funny. Sam Rockwell is appropriately icky as rival weapons tycoon and smirking slimeball Justin Hammer (of Hammer Industries, of course) and Garry Shandling matches him as an oily and obnoxious U.S. senator who can't wait to get the government's greedy hands on Stark's design ...
Photos: Top - Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) are on the verge of a kiss, as usual. Last - Tony Stark stands behind his friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) who has donned the War Machine armor. Credit: Marvel Entertainment
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Chris Lee checks in with this exlcusive for the Hero Complex...
On film, Jessica Biel has fought off Leatherface (in the 2003 reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), played an Austro-Hungarian duchess (in the art house mystery “The Illusionist”) and even served as the objet du desir for Adam Sandler's closeted heterosexual schlemiel (in 2007’s “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry").
But Biel had a challenge of entirely different caliber with “The A-Team,” which opens June 11.
She portrays Army specialist Lt. Charisa Sosa, ex-paramour of the Team’s dashing rogue, Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper). Her character becomes the squad’s arresting officer when the four Iraq war covert operatives are set up for a crime they didn’t commit. And, as the actress explained in between scenes on the film’s Vancouver set in December, she had to bring in the big guns for her role.
“I’ve been training a lot with an M4 semi-automatic assault rifle, a machine gun and a Beretta 9-millimeter,” Biel said, crisply attired in full military dress detail, her hair pulled back in a demure ponytail for the court-martial scene.
In other words, don't expect the former "7th Heaven" ingenue to show up as mere eye candy in “The A-Team.” “It is so physically challenging – holding up your gun, firing your magazine, reloading," Biel said. "It’s a strain on your shoulders and upper back. A machine gun hangs around your neck, and it’s incredibly heavy. Plus you have all the magazines strapped around your chest and stomach. With the vest, it really pulls!”
Unlike the film’s B.A. Baracus (former UFC champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), and its H.M. “Howlin’ Mad”Murdock, Sharlto Copley of last summer’s “District 9,”Biel was not a lifelong super-fan who can recite chapter and verse of “The A-Team.” Before and even after taking on her role, in fact, the actress maintained a willful ignorance of the movie’s source material. “I’ve never seen it to this day,” Biel, 28, admitted of the Reagan-era prime-time sensation. “I don’t want to see what we’re working against. Until we’re done with this, I thought, ‘I’m not going to look at it so we can do something completely fresh.’ I’ll look at it when we’re done.” She paused, then added: “I hear it’s borderline cheesy. That might not have worked for our film.”
UPDATE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly summarized the plot of "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"
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If it wasn’t for Torchy Blane there wouldn’t have been Lois Lane.
Don’t feel bad if you don't recognize the byline -- the fast-talking female reporter Blane long ago disappeared from popular culture. But for Jerry Siegel, who created Lois (as well as Superman, the Daily Planet, Clark Kent and the rest of Metropolis) with illustrator Joe Shuster, was so smitten with Torchy’s feisty charms that she became a model for Lois' rough-and-tumble, no-nonsense attitude. He said as much in a letter to Time magazine that was meant to give credit where credit was due.
If Torchy hadn’t existed, Lois might have been a librarian at the Daily Planet instead of the ace reporter of Metropolis. From 1937-39, Warner Brothers made nine “Torchy Blane” low-budget programmers. Warner Archive recently released these quick-fire newspaper mysteries as “The Torchy Blane Collection.”
Ironically, Torchy was loosely based on a male character — the hard-drinking Kennedy in Louis Frederick Nebel’s “MacBride and Kennedy” stories. As the story goes, she was transformed into a less-boozy, female reporter because Hollywood’s strict production code didn’t look too kindly on having a drunken male hero. And the newspaper world was one of the few places that accepted women almost on an equal basis with men. In fact, Torchy was very much one of the boys in these films and they all seemed to adore her.
The brassy blonde Glenda Farrell, who starred in such Warner Bros. classics as 1930’s “Little Caesar” and 1932’s “I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang,” played Torchy in seven episodes, making her debut in the role with 1937’s snappy “Smart Blonde.”
Each subsequent film followed the same formula — the nimble-minded, intuitive Torchy (who never bothered to take notes when she interviewed a person) would end up solving a crime way before her lunkhead boyfriend, police Det. Steve McBride (Barton MacLane).
Farrell was so adept at the rat-a-tat-tat dialogue, the studio promoted her as the actress who could "speak 400 words in 40 seconds."
After making “Fly-Away Baby,” “The Adventurous Blonde” and “Blondes at Work” in 1937, the actress Lola Lane came on board as Torchy in 1938’s “Torchy Blane in Panama.” Though the brunette lacked Farrell’s sassiness, Lane wasn’t a bad substitute -- and her name sounds even closer to a certain scribe from the pages of Superman.
But Farrell was back in the fold that year in “Torchy Gets Her Man” and “Torchy Blane in Chinatown,” as well as 1939’s “Torchy Runs for Mayor.” The final entry, 1939’s “Torchy Blane…..Playing With Dynamite,” starred a young Jane Wyman, who comes across as more of a cub reporter than an experienced newspaper woman. Wyman had a small role as a ditzy nightclub hat check girl in the first Torchy movie. The new DVD collection may inspire some Superman historians to consider adding a footnote or two -- if so, they should yell, "Get me rewrite!"
Photos: Vintage publicity photo of Gelnda Farrell. A panel from Action Comics No. 1 with Superman and Lois Lane. (DC Comics). Superman on stage in 1966 (Los Angeles Times archive).
It's "Star Wars" Day! Though the Los Angeles City Council declared May 25, 2007, as "Star Wars" Day in honor of the May 25, 1977, release date of the first movie, most padawans out there know that May 4 is the more celebrated day. According to Wookieepedia: Typical festivities consist of inviting fellow "Star Wars"-obsessed friends to stay over, and then watching the series in succession. Light-saber fights in the early-morning hours are optional.
Hero Complex will be doing its partlater with the May 19 screening of "Empire Strikes Back" (with Harrison Ford in attendance) at the ArcLight Hollywood. But today is a day to reflect on Luke and Leia, Yoda and Mace Windu and the part that you played in saving the universe from an evil empire. At least, that's what the good folks over at JibJab want users to experience.
Using its face-transplanting technology, the site has created Star Wars Starring You. By choosing photos of friends, relatives, babies, goldfish, etc., you can help tell the story of "A New Hope" or "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Return of the Jedi." Become Luke, Leia, Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian ... or Han Solo.
Photos: Han Solo (Geoff Boucher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in a JibJab-created image.
Buy the “Star Wars” trilogy on DVD
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Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to come out on top — that's why we love him. But now comes "Iron Man 2," a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands Wednesday in the U.S., and until then, we'll have behind-the-scenes scoops every day on the summer's most anticipated film.
"Iron Man 2" ruled overseas with a $100-million opening weekend but how will it fare when it arrives stateside this week? A look at some of the reviews, both cruel and kind...
ANTHONY LANE, THE NEW YORKER: If necessary, Downey is happy to charm himself, should there be no one else around to play with, but “Iron Man 2” finds an upsized role for Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, his exasperated assistant, and [Jon] Favreau does well to stand back and let the pair of them duck and weave, turning their flirtation into overlapping chat — a touch of Robert Altman, amid a storm of high technology. Also on hand is Sam Rockwell, who romps and revels in the part of a noisome arms manufacturer named Hammer, and Scarlett Johansson as Tony’s legal adviser, who mixes a mean Martini. “Is that dirty enough for you?” she asks, handing him a glass. All these folk are so plainly enjoying the ride that to watch it slow and stall, under the weight of dead plot, is a cause for regret. [Screenwriter Justin] Theroux, Favreau, and the cast have a mind to attempt what no other team has done: to take the built-in hyperbole of the genre and treat it as food for laughs. Iron Man’s aspirations are as puffed up as those of Batman, Spider-Man, Watchmen, Fantastic Four, and the rest of the gang, but the telling of his tale feels more leavened and less savage than theirs, and it’s a pity that Favreau didn’t go the whole way and toss out the creaky narrative junk. READ THE REST
KIRK HONEYCUTT, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Well, that didn't take long. Everything fun and terrific about "Iron Man," a mere two years ago, has vanished with its sequel. In its place, "Iron Man 2" has substituted noise, confusion, multiple villains, irrelevant stunts and misguided story lines. A film series that started out with critical and commercial success will have to settle for only the latter with this sequel; Robert Downey Jr.'s return as Tony Stark/Iron Man will assure that. For a film riding a wave of unbridled achievement from its predecessor, "Iron Man 2" begins with a curious sense of panic. Characters talk at once. Hesitant story lines launch in all directions. The soundtrack and music clang away, but onscreen, little happens until a big set-piece at a Grand Prix race nearly 20 minutes into the movie. READ THE REST
NEIL MILLER, FILM SCHOOL REJECTS: Make no mistake, act three of this film is some of the best action you’re going to see on screen all year. Favreau raises the stakes with some impressive high-flying action. And once again, his restraint and dedication to mixing practical effects with CGI gives the final action set piece a strong base. And for the first time in a movie that tries so hard to put its hero in peril and never quite achieves it, we believe that Iron Man might be over-matched. It’s a final run of adrenaline-fueled explosiveness that makes it all worthwhile. It’s a final act that gives purpose to a bloated middle act and a few extraneous story-elements. It’s also a technically impressive movie. The soundtrack — filled with AC/DC — moves the story along nicely and John Debney’s score puts much of the film (especially the introduction of Vanko) on a grand stage. READ THE REST
TIM ROBEY, DAILY TELEGRAPH: Of all the megabudget effects franchises, the slick, well-oiled Iron Man might be the hardest to get a purchase on. He’s guaranteed to make a fortune, but this hero in a metal suit doesn’t have the emotional accessibility of Spider-Man, Batman’s growling rage, or even the lunkheaded sensibility of a Transformer. It doesn’t help that there’s a near-complete visual disconnect between our flying tin man and Robert Downey Jr, who plays billionaire arms entrepreneur Tony Stark. The computer-generated superhero, with his aerial pyrotechnics and stern, implacable mask, occupies a different movie altogether from Downey, whose job is to wallow slyly in wealth and entitlement, and then sit back when the whizzy graphics take over... If the movie often borders on smug, it’s equally happy to be only lightly reverent to the comics it’s based on. And I’d defend it as smug on purpose – one long, high-fiving in-joke about its own sure-fire success. READ THE REST
DAVID EDELSTEIN, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: It would be easy to write something along the lines of “Alas, those millions couldn’t buy a decent movie,” but I think they can — and have. It’s true that Iron Man 2 began, like all sequels, with a title — or, more precisely, a title and a numeral — followed by a star and director and then, only then, a story. It doesn’t come close to the emotional heft of those two rare 2s that outclassed their ones: Superman 2 and Spider-Man 2. But Iron Man 2 hums along quite nicely. The big FX scenes don’t kill the pace, the way they did at the end of the original and in virtually all of Spider-Man 3. And though it’s very busy — lots of characters, lots of crisscrossing subplots — Favreau and writer Justin Theroux go for a stylized, screwball-comedy tempo with Ping-Pong zingers that show off their leading man’s expert timing. READ THE REST
BRIAN LOWRY, DAILY VARIETY: All told, "Iron Man 2" suffers the same fate as many a sequel. Where the first film felt buoyant and occasionally inspired in helpfully demonstrating that, done right, there's considerable treasure to be culled even from second-tier occupants of the Marvel universe, the new pic feels more duty-bound and industrial. As further evidence of the apparent desire to cover all bases, there are cameos by Christiane Amanpour (then still at CNN) and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, as well as a slimy senator (Garry Shandling) being interviewed on MSNBC. That's not to say the movie lacks its charms. But as Tony Stark's free-spirited CEO might attest, while serving the needs of a major conglomerate has its perks, the task also comes with more than its share of obligations. READ THE REST
TODD GILCHRIST, CINEMATICAL: The most interesting thing about Iron Man 2 is that when it's over, it feels mostly satisfying. Predictably, there's a massive battle that wraps up the story, and it provides suitable closure (if not necessarily cohesiveness) to what came before. But almost everything that leads up to that battle feels as if the filmmakers threw money and talent at each scene, but no ideas of what would go with them: sets look great and scenarios are elegantly conceived, but it's almost as if driving the plot forward was an afterthought to all of the comedy and chummy dialogue. While it's understandable that Favreau and co. would elect to expand the shaggy, improvisational tone of the first film, the end result in its sequel is a goofy, unfocused narrative that technically ties together its disparate story strands but provides no sense of dramatic momentum. READ THE REST
PHOTOS: Top, Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark In "Iron Man 2." Middle, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow in "Iron Man 2." Bottom, Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko in "Iron Man 2" (CREDIT ON ALL: Industrial Light & Magic.)
Film directors usually sit back and watch others audition, but not Bill Condon, who has just won the directing job for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" but still sounds like he's seeking approval. The Oscar-winning filmmaker posted the following letter on Facebook last Friday:
Greetings Twihards, Twifans, Twilight Moms, Team Edward, Team Jacob and Team Switzerland,
I just want to say hello to all of you and let you know that I'm stoked to be getting underway on the adventure of making BREAKING DAWN. As you've probably heard, I've been given a very warm welcome by Stephenie and Team Summit - who are super-focused, as you know, on getting these movies right.
I'm pretty busy bringing myself up to speed on what you already know by heart: I've read BREAKING DAWN twice, rewatched Catherine's and Chris's movies 2-3 times each, have all four CDs playing in my car, and have Catherine's notebook, Mark Cotta Vaz's companion books, and even Volume 1 of the graphic novel here on my desk - a corner of my office is starting to look like Hot Topic. I realize that this barely qualifies me for "newborn" status in the universe you've been living inside for a few years now, but a guy's gotta start somewhere.
Like many of you, I've always been slightly obsessed with vampires, dating back to the prime-time series DARK SHADOWS, which I followed avidly as a kid. But that alone hadn't been enough to get me interested in making a vampire movie, even though my early screenwriting and directing efforts grew out of a great love for horror movies and thrillers. Since making GODS AND MONSTERS thirteen years ago, however, I've been yearning for a return to a story with Gothic overtones.
The wonderful world that Stephenie has created has obviously struck a chord with you, and I don't think it's difficult to see why. For me, her characters are simultaneously timeless, yet very modern. Rooted in a beautiful, real landscape with a great sense of place, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Forks/La Push menagerie, experience emotions that are primal, and universal: desire, despair, jealousy - and it all comes to fruition in BREAKING DAWN. This is a final chapter in the best sense; not just wide in scope and scale, but emotionally charged and intense throughout.
I'm a huge admirer of the already-iconic Kristen, Robert, and Taylor, and wanted to be the one to work with them as they face the challenges of bringing your beloved characters to the end of their journeys. Really, what could be more fun than that?
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below, and I'll do my best to answer them. I hope that this will be the first of many occasions I'll get to check in with you as we set to work bringing BREAKING DAWN to the screen. I am excited and grateful to have all of you alongside me for my TWILIGHT journey.
All best,
Bill Condon
P.S. Answer #1: No, there won't be any musical numbers
Interesting to watch how the modern axis of Hollywood makes it twist and spin in such different ways than it used to -- the Internet has given fans a unified forum that can amplify and narrow public opinion with breakneck force. Still, over at 24 Frames, Condon was taking heat for the undercurrent neediness in his posted letter. It will be interesting to the watch the public courtship of the Twi-hards.
In the world according to Barbie, the Mattel doll met and fell in love with Ken in 1961 on the set of a TV commercial. Over the decades, Ken has held some 40 jobs, including Olympic gold medalist and hair stylist. The two even broke up because of Ken's reluctance to tie the knot -- but according to Barbie's blog last year, this legendary couple has reunited.
It's a different history, though, in Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3," which opens June 18 and presents Ken as a swinging bachelor who lives in a day-care center where Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Mr. Potato Head and the gang come to live after their beloved owner, Andy, heads off to college.
Michael Keaton supplies the voice of the tanned, short-shorts-wearing Ken, who is looking for love. Keaton couldn't keep from laughing during a recent phone interview when he talked about playing the iconic doll.
SK: So is there a back story to Ken? How did he end up in the day-care center?
MK: It's so great to have these conversations with a straight face. I'll challenge anyone to talk about this and not start to, like, grin. You have to shoot your face up with Novocain to have these conversations. Ken actually serves as kind of a concierge — somewhere between a tour guide, a concierge, maitre d' and ambassador. He's not only alone in his dream house but probably alone in the dream.
SK: Watching the clip of his introduction in the film, Ken comes across as a pretty cool dude.
MK: He's fantastic. He is a really, really swell fellow, let's put it that way.
SK: I'm not so sure, though, about his shorts.
MK: You don't like the hot pants! I'm shocked. You have to say this for the man, he's bold.
SK: IWikipedia-edKen, Ihad to read up on him ... I had a Barbie as a kid but not a Ken.
MK: Did you ever think in your life would complete a sentence saying "I Wikipedia-ed Ken?"
SK: You had six siblings. Did any of your sisters own a Ken?
MK: The only one who would have had one was Pam. And I seriously doubt that Pam would have had a Barbie. To be real honest, they probably really didn’t care to have a Barbie. We weren’t the richest of people, so toys were spread around and shared and passed down. Believe me, I would have seen something like a Barbie pass around the house. If it was up to my brothers and I, she would have been part of a ceremony….We were rough on toys.
