Tag Archives: protagonist

If You Liked The Grey, Then You’d Better Check Out The Edge

If you enjoyed watching Liam Neeson battle territorial wolves in Joe Carnahan’s The Grey — and plenty of moviegoers have — then you’d be well-advised to look into Lee Tamahori’s 1997 thriller The Edge . Starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin and perhaps best characterized by screenwriter David Mamet’s trademark clipped dialogue, the film is an unusually strong entry in the survival-story tradition — and one to which The Grey owes at least a spiritual debt (if not more). This genre is certainly well-trod territory, and perhaps for good reason: Dramatically speaking, it’s pretty hard to get it wrong. You strand characters in the harsh wilderness. They experience hardship. Eventually they learn to face mortality with some measure of grace. They make it out, or they don’t. The Grey is the more genre-typical of the two films and draws more readily from those aspects that are common to all stories of its type, with the added attraction of some great camera work and a strong performance from Liam Neeson. The Edge , however, transcends those trappings to offer a more philosophical, character-centered naturalist meditation. Don’t let the overcranked trailer fool you: The difference between the two films is all the more striking if only because their plot points are so remarkably similar, even for a genre that necessarily has to hit a few key points. In both, a plane crashes in a forest, and the survivors are forced to fend for themselves against the elements and wild beasts. While in The Grey , we see a marauding pack of arctic wolves randomly picking off crash survivors one by one, The Edge features an equally bloodthirsty grizzly bear. Both films have leaders emerge in the forms of Neeson’s Ottway and Hopkins’s Charles Morse, who each tries to save his respective group from starvation and creeping despair. And in each film there is a character who vocalizes the direness of the situation at every turn, a stock role that should probably be known as the “Game over!” guy, after Bill Paxton’s panicky emergency-narrator from Aliens . Thematically, both films juxtapose the behavior of modern men with the untamed wild, showing that the safety of civilization can be blinding to what is essentially human. The Grey is a lot harder-nosed, preoccupied with the endurance of man as an animal; The Edge , meanwhile, focuses on the ingenuity of man as a thinking being. And while the latter film’s emphasis on reason ultimately makes it the stronger of the two, that isn’t to say that The Edge is all profound rumination. There is still a ravenous bear to be faced, a lot of great action and one of the greatest motivational speeches in film history: The idea that being stranded in the wild eventually amounts to a spiritual boon for those stranded — even as they are exposed to all sorts of peril and privation — is present in almost every survival story. But this theme comes off especially well in The Edge , because as a survivalist, Morse understands that mere survival is not enough. He’s more than just a Robinson Crusoe-figure, whose main goal is to persevere by taming the wilderness. Instead, Morse allows himself to be changed. He doesn’t feel the loneliness of, say, Tom Hanks’s character in Cast Away , or the alienation of the protagonist of Into the Wild — both of whom experience a character arc that could have happened in a different setting. With Morse, Nature itself, and his right relationship with it, is the point. His communion with Nature doesn’t have an ulterior motive, which achieves a strong personalization of a universal idea: Getting right with the material world and, in the process, regaining his own humanity. Nathan Pensky is an associate editor at PopMatters and a contributor at Forbes , among various other outlets. He can be found on Tumblr and Twitter as well.

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If You Liked The Grey, Then You’d Better Check Out The Edge

Oscar Roundtable: Meet This Year’s Best Documentary Feature Nominees

I’m thrilled and honored to welcome you to the first of several virtual roundtables featuring Oscar’s nominee class of 2012 — commencing today with those behind the five films nominated for Best Documentary Feature. They are (in alphabetical order):

Demi Moore 911 Call: Was Rumer Willis There?

On the call, someone called ‘Ru’ was asked to provide an address for emergency responders. By Kara Warner Demi Moore with daughter Rumer Willis Photo: Getty Images Ever since news of Demi Moore’s hospitalization broke, more details have emerged each day to paint a clearer picture of the circumstances that led to the actress’ ambulance ride to the ER on Monday night. Some reports have claimed Moore was inhaling nitrous oxide from aerosol cans, also known as whip-its, the night the 911 call was placed from her home in Los Angeles, the recording and details of which were released Friday (January 27). Several people were heard on the call describing various symptoms the actress was experiencing at the time, as well as a few comments that seemed to indicate that Moore’s friends were just learning of her alleged substance abuse. Photos: Demi Moore through the years. One question that is causing a buzz online is whether Moore’s 23-year-old daughter, Rumer Willis, was present during the ordeal. Careful listening of the 911 call reveals an exchange between one of the callers and someone named “Ru,” who is asked for the specific address and instructions for how the paramedics can get to the house. “Hey, Ru, what’s the name at the gate so that we can buzz them in from here?” a man is heard asking on the call. There has been no confirmation regarding Rumer’s presence at the scene, but she reportedly goes by the “Ru” nickname and references it on her Twitter account. Sources told E! News that Moore’s three daughters are doing fine since their mom’s health scare. Rumer reportedly visited her mother several times at the hospital before she was discharged earlier this week . Tallulah, 17, is with her dad, Bruce Willis. “She’s doing great,” the source said. “Her grandmother [Bruce’s mom] is also there with her.” Moore’s other daughter, 20-year-old Scout, goes to Brown University in Rhode Island and reportedly hasn’t been home since the incident.

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Demi Moore 911 Call: Was Rumer Willis There?

‘Man On A Ledge’: The Reviews Are In!

Effects work ‘frighteningly well’ but ‘premise is so devoutly ridiculous,’ critics say. By Kara Warner Sam Worthington in “Man on a Ledge” Photo: Summit If your impressions about the new action thriller “Man on a Ledge” are based on the film’s very-literal title , you’re very likely correct in assuming to know a decent amount about the film before entering the theater. “Ledge” is the story of ex-cop and fugitive Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), whose seemingly obvious suicidal plan to jump off a building is slowly revealed to be something much more. Thus far, the critical reception for the film is very different from initial audience reactions. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer has “Ledge” at a 22 percent fresh rating from critics, versus a 65 percent fresh audience rating. Read on to see what has the two viewing bodies so divided as we sift through the “Man on a Ledge” reviews: The Premise “It’s an arresting image, Sam Worthington out on that 40th-story ledge. He’s a fairly tough-looking guy, after all, and we know him best as the tooth-gritting blockbuster hero of ‘Avatar’ and ‘Clash of the Titans,’ so it’s head-spinning to see the man’s beefy figure as a speck hovering so precariously close to New York’s infinite sky. The camera swirls around Worthington’s disgraced former cop Nick Cassidy, inching out past that thin strip of architecture, then back in. What if he trips, or jumps? For a while, anything seems possible, and it’s both exhilarating and terrifying. Then the wool comes off, and it’s clear that director Asger Leth and screenwriter Pablo Fenjves have ambitions considerably less grand than their protagonist’s perch. Cassidy’s ledge game — with all the studio-unfriendly moral ambiguities it entails — is just a con, a photo op for the crowds, and Nick’s apparent desire to exit the material world is a front. What he truly, passionately wants to do is steal some jewelry.” — Andrew Lapin, NPR The Impact of Practical Effect “I, on the other hand, was gripping anything in reach, palms dripping, thinking I might not have survived the effects had they been 3-D. Though there were other production sites, serious time was spent actually shooting on that 14-inch ledge wrapping the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel to create the vicarious sensation of being there. Which worked frighteningly well, at least for the vertiginous among us. Oh, that the actual human dynamics of the unfolding story could have been as dramatic, as on the edge as that ledge.” — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times The Direction “Mr. Leth, the son of renowned Danish documentarian Jorgen Leth, has directed only one other film, ‘Ghosts of Cit

‘Man On A Ledge’: The Reviews Are In!

Effects work ‘frighteningly well’ but ‘premise is so devoutly ridiculous,’ critics say. By Kara Warner Sam Worthington in “Man on a Ledge” Photo: Summit If your impressions about the new action thriller “Man on a Ledge” are based on the film’s very-literal title , you’re very likely correct in assuming to know a decent amount about the film before entering the theater. “Ledge” is the story of ex-cop and fugitive Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), whose seemingly obvious suicidal plan to jump off a building is slowly revealed to be something much more. Thus far, the critical reception for the film is very different from initial audience reactions. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer has “Ledge” at a 22 percent fresh rating from critics, versus a 65 percent fresh audience rating. Read on to see what has the two viewing bodies so divided as we sift through the “Man on a Ledge” reviews: The Premise “It’s an arresting image, Sam Worthington out on that 40th-story ledge. He’s a fairly tough-looking guy, after all, and we know him best as the tooth-gritting blockbuster hero of ‘Avatar’ and ‘Clash of the Titans,’ so it’s head-spinning to see the man’s beefy figure as a speck hovering so precariously close to New York’s infinite sky. The camera swirls around Worthington’s disgraced former cop Nick Cassidy, inching out past that thin strip of architecture, then back in. What if he trips, or jumps? For a while, anything seems possible, and it’s both exhilarating and terrifying. Then the wool comes off, and it’s clear that director Asger Leth and screenwriter Pablo Fenjves have ambitions considerably less grand than their protagonist’s perch. Cassidy’s ledge game — with all the studio-unfriendly moral ambiguities it entails — is just a con, a photo op for the crowds, and Nick’s apparent desire to exit the material world is a front. What he truly, passionately wants to do is steal some jewelry.” — Andrew Lapin, NPR The Impact of Practical Effect “I, on the other hand, was gripping anything in reach, palms dripping, thinking I might not have survived the effects had they been 3-D. Though there were other production sites, serious time was spent actually shooting on that 14-inch ledge wrapping the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel to create the vicarious sensation of being there. Which worked frighteningly well, at least for the vertiginous among us. Oh, that the actual human dynamics of the unfolding story could have been as dramatic, as on the edge as that ledge.” — Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times The Direction “Mr. Leth, the son of renowned Danish documentarian Jorgen Leth, has directed only one other film, ‘Ghosts of Cit

Jimmy Fallon Continues Our Top 50 2011 TV Characters

‘X Factor’ castoff Astro and ‘Dance Moms’ personality Abby Lee Miller also make MTV News’ list, counting down all week long. By MTV News staff Jimmy Fallon Photo: NBC MTV News’ Top 50 TV Characters of 2011 continues with a few must-include entries, as well as some visits from surprise guests. “X-Factor” contestant Astro makes the cut this round as does “Dance Moms” favorite Abby Lee Miller, but you might be surprised to see certain sports and talk-show personalities who yapped their way onto our Best of 2011 list. Keep reading for the latest entries to our Top 50, and make sure to check out characters 50 to 41 over here . 40. Skip Bayless (ESPN’s “First Take”) One of the nation’s most respected sportswriters, Bayless got his start at the Miami Herald, eventually rising to prominence at the Los Angeles Times and followed by his coverage of the Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Times Herald. Since many of you don’t have an app for those papers, you might know Bayless as the perpetual devil’s advocate on ESPN’s “First Take.” He started as a pundit on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” in a segment called “First Take,” but thanks to his arguments with other journalists, athletes and even Lil Wayne , “Cold Pizza” evolved into “First Take.” His divisive arguments — most recently his idolatry of Tim Tebow — have garnered the ire of plenty of sports fans, and Skip couldn’t be any happier, especially since he’s right more often than they’d care to admit. -Steven Roberts 39. Victoria Grayson (“Revenge”) Imagine Blair Waldorf 30 years older and transplanted to the Hamptons, and you’ve got the central villainess of ABC’s newest guilty pleasure “Revenge.” The Queen Bee of the tony enclave, Victoria rules with an iron (not to mention, diamond-laced) fist, scheming against anyone who dares get in her way (lovers and best friends included). But Victoria’s no sociopath — fleeting flashes of guilt and sorrow betray more than a few vulnerable spots. While revenge-seeking Emily is the protagonist here, it’s Madeleine Stowe’s Victoria that steals scenes in this sudsy drama. -Amy Wilkinson 38. Marty Funkhouser (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) Funk-man had a short-yet-rewarding arc this season. He commenced his time on “Curb” with a divorce (though they “had a beautiful marriage”), delivered one of the funniest lines of the season (when he asked Richard Lewis when he plans to look at his new girlfriend’s face) and starred in what noted lawyer and academic Alan Dershowitz believes was an episode of television powerful enough to expedite peace in the Middle East — though Larry owed him such shine after leaving his dinner before dessert. -Rya Backer 37. Jimmy Fallon (“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”) Outside of his portrayal of Barry “F—ing” Gibb on “The Barry Gibb Show,” Jimmy Fallon didn’t have the most memorable “Saturday Night Live” career. And then there was “Taxi” with Queen Latifah. So expectations weren’t necessarily high when Fallon took over “Late Night” after Conan’s all-too-brief promotion to “The Tonight Show.” But that didn’t stop Jimmy from making his show the most-talked-about the next morning either. His first move once he got the job was to hire the coolest band possible in the Legendary Roots Crew, who, along with the show’s genius music bookers, have brought us amazing performances from Beyonc

‘Ant-Man’ Movie Wouldn’t Just Be For ‘Avengers’ Experts, Director Says

Edgar Wright says he’s just completed a third draft of the script for the Marvel movie. By Aubrey Sitterson, with reporting by Josh Horowitz “Ant-Man” director Edgar Wright Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images With “Captain America: The First Avenger” grossing over $65 million on its opening weekend and fans already buzzing about next year’s “Avengers,” Marvel’s quickly expanding cinematic universe is as popular as ever. Now, from San Diego Comic-Con 2011 comes news that Marvel Studios might finally be moving ahead on a long-awaited release: Edgar Wright’s “Ant-Man.” The “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” director has been talking about taking on Marvel’s smallest superhero since at least 2007, promising a live-action film that would blend humor with action and would include two different Ant-Men: Henry Pym and Scott Lang. In the Marvel Comics source material, both characters make use of a special formula and suit that allows them to shrink, as well as a high-tech helmet that facilitates communication with ants and other insects. “Ant-Man” is said to feature flashbacks of the original hero, Pym, as well as scenes of his successor, Lang, in the present day. Now, after years of infrequent updates and stalled production, things are finally looking up for “Ant-Man.” “Since February, we’ve done two drafts of the script, and we just handed in a third draft on Monday,” Wright told MTV News. The director is co-writing the film with Joe Cornish, whose “Attack the Block” (a British alien-invasion movie starring frequent Wright collaborator Nick Frost and in theaters on July 29) was making waves of its own at Comic-Con. Apparently, some of the hold-up on “Ant-Man” was related to “Attack the Block,” as the duo did not complete a second draft until Cornish was finished with his directorial debut. “The way we wrote the script is for it to be a standalone genre film,” Wright said, perhaps indicating that “Ant-Man” would be less explicitly tied to the “Avengers” family of titles like “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Thor” and “Iron Man.” Wright continued by explaining his desire to “create an ‘in’ for people so you don’t have to know 50 years of ‘Avengers’ history to enjoy the movie.” While most recent superhero adaptations have focused on Marvel and DC’s “big guns,” characters like Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and others, the protagonist of “Ant-Man” will be entirely new to all but the most fervent comic book fans. For Wright and Cornish, however, the freedom that comes with a lesser-known character is a large part of the upcoming project’s appeal. Wright was close-lipped on who he wanted to play the part of the movie’s eponymous hero (or heroes), but he did hint that he had someone in mind. Who would you like to see play Ant-Man? Let us know in the comments below. Check out everything we’ve got on “Captain America: The First Avenger.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com .

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‘Ant-Man’ Movie Wouldn’t Just Be For ‘Avengers’ Experts, Director Says

Her? Mae Whitman Joins John Malkovich’s Perks of Being a Wallflower

Someone bang the casting gong. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World co-star Mae Whitman — who you might remember as Ann from Arrested Development — is in final negotiations to join The Perks of Being a Wallflower , the angsty Stephen Chbosky novel that John Malkovich’s production company Mr. Mudd is adapting for the big screen. Whitman will play the protagonist’s first girlfriend, “a tattooed vegetarian.” Logan Lerman and Emma Watson have already been cast in the indie drama. [ Variety ]

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Her? Mae Whitman Joins John Malkovich’s Perks of Being a Wallflower

Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!

Critic calls troubled actor’s performance ‘absurd and darkly unsettling.’ By Eric Ditzian Mel Gibson in “The Beaver” Photo: Summit Entertainment “The Beaver” would have probably been your standard feature film about a suicidal man who uses a hand puppet as a way to better interact with the world around him had its star, Mel Gibson , not uncorked a few hate-filled rants that would ultimately lead to the actor being charged with spousal abuse. To say “The Beaver” entered the South by Southwest film festival with some baggage, then, doesn’t capture the half of it. The spectacle of watching an actor in the midst of a meltdown portray a man in the midst of a meltdown is hard to resist. But it’s going to be a while until the masses get to check out the action, as Summit Entertainment has pushed back the movie’s release date until May. Until then, check out what critics at SXSW had to say after the film’s premiere Wednesday. Getting Past the Spectacle, Part I “Those echoes of Mel Gibson’s well-publicized breakdowns are impossible to ignore in an opening sequence introducing us to his character Walter Black, who first appears floating in a pool, arms outstretched like Christ’s. A few shots later, we see this ‘hopelessly depressed man,’ who has tried everything to remedy his condition, flagellating himself like a Catholic penitent. Whether intentional or not, this front-and-center reminder works almost as an inoculation to viewers for whom controversy might be a distraction from drama: Having put it out there frankly (much as the protagonist will soon do, in more outlandish ways, with his own issues), the movie kills a bit of our morbid curiosity; our awareness that this depressed character is being played by a troubled actor never vanishes, but it is allowed to inform the story at hand.” — John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter Getting Past the Spectacle, Part II “Casting Mel Gibson is both a blessing and a curse. Not since ‘I’m Not There’ have I spent more time during a film having a meta-textual conversation with myself. What were the people on set thinking as they watched Gibson crack? Did making this film help Gibson’s mental health, or make it worse? Truth be told, this extra dimension only aids the film.” — Jordan Hoffman, UGO Mel’s Performance “His solo scenes are both absurd and darkly unsettling for several reasons, some of which depend on your tolerance for watching the notoriously bad-tempered actor, well, lose his temper: Whether awkwardly failing to hang himself in a bathtub or beating himself up with a guitar, Gibson demonstrates an expansive madness that suggests a much darker, more involving psychological transition.” — Eric Kohn, IndieWire The Big Picture, Part I “It may surprise some of you to learn that the story is more of a drama than a comedy. As you might expect, there are comedic moments that come from the puppet’s inclusion in various situations. But the story aims more for drama than comedy. ‘The Beaver’ is too ridiculous to be taken seriously, and too melodramatic to be funny. Foster wrestles to capture the right tones, but the shifts are messy from scene to scene, and it never seems to find the right fit.” — Peter Sciretta, SlashFilm The Big Picture, Part II ” ‘The Beaver’ is not a comedy, it’s true, but it is a deft exploration of the ways we struggle to express something as ineffable as depression, and the lengths we will endure to save our families. It is a potent reminder of why [director] Jodie Foster should have made more movies by now. And it is a strong beginning for screenwriter Kyle Killen.” — Drew McWeeny, HitFix Check out everything we’ve got on “The Beaver.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!

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Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!

Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!

Critic calls troubled actor’s performance ‘absurd and darkly unsettling.’ By Eric Ditzian Mel Gibson in “The Beaver” Photo: Summit Entertainment “The Beaver” would have probably been your standard feature film about a suicidal man who uses a hand puppet as a way to better interact with the world around him had its star, Mel Gibson , not uncorked a few hate-filled rants that would ultimately lead to the actor being charged with spousal abuse. To say “The Beaver” entered the South by Southwest film festival with some baggage, then, doesn’t capture the half of it. The spectacle of watching an actor in the midst of a meltdown portray a man in the midst of a meltdown is hard to resist. But it’s going to be a while until the masses get to check out the action, as Summit Entertainment has pushed back the movie’s release date until May. Until then, check out what critics at SXSW had to say after the film’s premiere Wednesday. Getting Past the Spectacle, Part I “Those echoes of Mel Gibson’s well-publicized breakdowns are impossible to ignore in an opening sequence introducing us to his character Walter Black, who first appears floating in a pool, arms outstretched like Christ’s. A few shots later, we see this ‘hopelessly depressed man,’ who has tried everything to remedy his condition, flagellating himself like a Catholic penitent. Whether intentional or not, this front-and-center reminder works almost as an inoculation to viewers for whom controversy might be a distraction from drama: Having put it out there frankly (much as the protagonist will soon do, in more outlandish ways, with his own issues), the movie kills a bit of our morbid curiosity; our awareness that this depressed character is being played by a troubled actor never vanishes, but it is allowed to inform the story at hand.” — John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter Getting Past the Spectacle, Part II “Casting Mel Gibson is both a blessing and a curse. Not since ‘I’m Not There’ have I spent more time during a film having a meta-textual conversation with myself. What were the people on set thinking as they watched Gibson crack? Did making this film help Gibson’s mental health, or make it worse? Truth be told, this extra dimension only aids the film.” — Jordan Hoffman, UGO Mel’s Performance “His solo scenes are both absurd and darkly unsettling for several reasons, some of which depend on your tolerance for watching the notoriously bad-tempered actor, well, lose his temper: Whether awkwardly failing to hang himself in a bathtub or beating himself up with a guitar, Gibson demonstrates an expansive madness that suggests a much darker, more involving psychological transition.” — Eric Kohn, IndieWire The Big Picture, Part I “It may surprise some of you to learn that the story is more of a drama than a comedy. As you might expect, there are comedic moments that come from the puppet’s inclusion in various situations. But the story aims more for drama than comedy. ‘The Beaver’ is too ridiculous to be taken seriously, and too melodramatic to be funny. Foster wrestles to capture the right tones, but the shifts are messy from scene to scene, and it never seems to find the right fit.” — Peter Sciretta, SlashFilm The Big Picture, Part II ” ‘The Beaver’ is not a comedy, it’s true, but it is a deft exploration of the ways we struggle to express something as ineffable as depression, and the lengths we will endure to save our families. It is a potent reminder of why [director] Jodie Foster should have made more movies by now. And it is a strong beginning for screenwriter Kyle Killen.” — Drew McWeeny, HitFix Check out everything we’ve got on “The Beaver.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!

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Mel Gibson’s ‘Beaver’: SXSW Premiere Reviews Are In!