The thing I love about the ramped-up new Rock of Ages trailer is how unapologetically it states what this movie is: A bombastic, cheeky, kitschy, bright-eyed and utterly slick tribute to the decadence of ’80s rock culture, based on the even slicker Broadway hit of the same name. Which of course you already know — but now, with Tom Cruise’s brief singing showcase and pretty much everyone else warbling adapted pop show tunes of their own, Warner Bros. and New Line’s cards are on the table. There can be no ambiguity: You are either in or you are out. In this era of equivocation and overlapping quadrants and being everything to everyone, it’s pretty ballsy when you think about it. That said, I am so, so, so out. Your mileage may vary, you tell me. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
He’s about to embark on his ambitious one-man Mark Twain show , and soon enough Val Kilmer will also be a doctor, courtesy of William Woods University ! Kinda. “It’s embarrassing if you have a brother with a real doctorate. [Laughs.] I called him up without thinking — I was so excited! — and said, ‘You won’t believe it! They called me out the blue. I’m going to be just like you! Dr. Kilmer.’ There was a long pause, and I immediately realized what a mistake this phone call was.” [ Vanity Fair ]
James Franco , Selena Gomez , and Harmony Korine are down in Florida filming Spring Breakers , a movie about four coeds (including Disney tween queen Gomez) indebted to a rapping dealer named Alien (Franco) after they rob a bank to finance their spring break trip and he bails them out. All of this sounded innocent enough, at least as much as a Korine film can seem, until images of Franco emerged from the set. Some called his look Kevin Federline-esque ; rapper Riff Raff stepped forth to actually claim, proudly, that Franco’s cornrowed, blinged-out drug dealer persona was based on him . In any case, get a look at your 2011 Oscar nominee James Franco as… I don’t even know what to call this. Movieliners, caption away! Via INF Daily – click for more . Here’s a bonus look that confirms that this isn’t just a shared psychotic Friday afternoon daydream we’re all having, posted by Gomez to her Twitter account yesterday with the message “This is where the trouble begins…” (The shoot is being heavily documented both on Tumblr and Twitter , for those interested in candid shots of Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and Vanessa Hudgens in bikinis.) Meanwhile, Fuse TV got Riff Raff on the line to explain that he was originally offered a part by Korine before Franco came to adopt his style in the film, which also supposedly stars Gucci Mane, AKA that rapper with the ice cream cone tattoo on his face : “I sent him a few things. But all you gotta do [to see how I dress] is search through my videos. I got a pretty distinct style, with the braids, the jewelry.” Damn. Somewhere in Florida, where they’re shooting Spring Breakers, at this very moment, James Franco looks exactly like this. On the movie as a whole, Riff Raff said, “I feel really kind of privileged because I got this big actor playing the role of me but at the same time, like, damn, I wish I was there… “Even though I couldn’t be a part of this project, I’m still glad that James Franco could play the role of me. That’s like if Denzel Washington was playing the role of O.J. Simpson. Even though it’s not O.J. Simpson, O.J. Simpson still gotta be like, ‘Denzel Washington is playing me.'” Sure thing, Riff Raff. In other words: This is my new most-anticipated movie of 2013. [via INF Daily , @SelenaGomez ]
Here’s a last bit of breezy entertainment as you head into the weekend: The first trailer for Miami-set dance sequel Step Up 4 , AKA Step Up: Revolution , in which a new pair of star-crossed lovers leads their crew into syncopated battle against prejudice rival gangs foreclosure evil land developers. This series has wound a long, glossy path since the days of Channing Tatum b-boying in the parking lot, but hey: It’s a new Step Up movie! As long as that Moose kid and Madd Chadd show up, I’m good to go. Of course, Jon M. Chu has moved on from the Step Up films to helm the G.I. Joe sequel (Chu directed the second and third installments of the series, making the franchise a hit) but he remains a producer with music video veteran Scott Speer in the director’s chair . (Speer previously directed the “Duet” episode of Chu’s online dance series The LXD , which inspires some faith in his eye for movement and storytelling.) My biggest hangup about Step Up 4 , however, isn’t that the two new leads, Kathryn McCormick and Ryan Guzman, are unknown — following in Step Up tradition — or that the trailer is almost too-slick looking, or that dancers on pogo legs don’t really do much for me. It’s that flash mobs are so tired already; once Justin Timberlake used them to woo Mila Kunis last year and Howie Mandel hosted a reality TV show about real people springing grandiose flash mob-gestures upon their estranged loved ones, I was kind of done with them. Also: What is Peter Gallagher doing in this movie playing the evil real estate developer who will threaten to dash the community’s dreams before being defeated by the power of dance?? He was in Center Stage 1 AND 2! YOU’RE ONLY ALLOWED TO BE IN ONE DANCE FRANCHISE, OTHERWISE THE UNIVERSE IMPLODES!!! Verdict: Seems like a missed opportunity to open Step Up 4 in 4-D, but I’ll give it a whirl anyway because yes, I am a sucker for these movies. Step Up: Revolution Against Peter Gallagher opens in theaters July 27.
With both an Oscars appearance and a No. 1 movie within the last month, Jonah Hill’s 2012 is on pace to exceed even his stellar 2011. And the folks behind The Sitter know it, dropping the David Gordon Green-directed comedy on DVD and Blu-ray this week for prime placement amid Jonahmania. But they also know, as Green mentioned in interviews last year, that the 81-minute movie yielded a trove of deleted scenes — one of which Movieline is debuting right here and now. Behold J.B. Smoove breaking up a conference between Hill’s hapless babysitter Noah and the film’s drug dealer freak-o Karl (Sam Rockwell). Or maybe Smoove’s character is the freak-o. Or maybe both of them are. There is no shortage of freak-os in this clip, is what I’m trying to say (it’s mostly SFW, for the record): Who hasn’t been there? Right? OK. Stay tuned for more coverage of The Sitter in this week’s installment of Inessential Essentials at Movieline. Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Now that Piranha 3DD finally has an official release date , it’s time to roll out a very, very NSFW new red-band trailer for your viewing consideration. It is base, oversexed, gory, cheap-looking and patently disgusting in pretty much every conceivable way, featuring such steps down as stripper lifeguards, midcoital piranha attacks, and Gary Busey chewing the head off a live fish. It’s all just stupid enough to be kind of awesome. I mean, David Hasselhoff is invoking Darwin here! We must be on to something. [via IGN ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
“Yes, because everybody’s giving me a ration about it. I wish they would have named it something else because I have a weird background and now people keep accusing me of being reincarnated.” I see. How about John Carter of Oklahoma? “Why are you calling? Oh. Well, he’s been dead for over 10 years.” [ Moviefone ]
There’s an old Korean proverb intoning that anyone who attempts to make a sequel to Beverly Hills Ninja starring David Hasselhoff will eventually get the cosmic punishment he or she deserves. If you don’t believe that, then ask Jay So, the plaintiff in a new lawsuit involving the unfinished Beverly Hills Ninja 2 and six figures’ worth of unpaid development work. THR passes along word of the suit filed Wednesday in L.A., in which So alleges that writer-director Mitchell Klebanoff and his Korean investors (the latter of whom Klebanoff successfully sued last year for his own improper termination) stiffed him on a $100,000 co-producer fee. This came after So “commenced substantial pre-production efforts and activities, including sourcing potential investors” — one of whom, Jungho Han, eventually partnered with Klebanoff, with both allegedly changing the company name and edging So out: As a result, So inquired about his $100,000. He then had a meeting Han, who allegedly told him that $200,000 had been obtained for the project, and that the money would be going to Klebanoff and Han. So was purportedly refused his fee. Meanwhile, around the time that So was karate-chopped out of the picture, the film experienced some money issues, according to details that were revealed in the earlier Klebanoff lawsuit. The film stopped production in LA, before resuming in Vancouver. Some of the film was shot, but it was never completed because Klebanoff and Han argued over things like whether the film’s lead actress should appear nude in the film. Of course . Did I mention that David Hasselhoff was in this, too? What could go wrong? Moreover, this is what they’re dealing with at Los Angeles Superior Court? I say let Judge Joe Brown dispense with this in 15 minutes, complete with a lesson about the stinking miasma of Hollywood values and maybe remanding the litigants to some kind of experimental rehab for hideous taste. Or exiling them to space. Now I’m out of ideas. Suggestions? [ THR ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Let’s see — after Russell Crowe , Christian Bale , Leonardo DiCaprio and now reportedly Tom Cruise , who’s left to consider to star opposite Beyoncé Knowles in Clint Eastwood’s long-planned, probably-never-gonna-happen Star is Born remake? George Clooney? Brad Pitt? Liam Neeson? Viggo Mortensen? Jean Dujardin? Philip Seymour Hoffman? Albert Brooks? Charlie Sheen? Matthew Broderick? Peter Dinklage? Richard Dreyfuss ? ( Too busy .) Ned Beatty? Danny McBride? Roberto Benigni? Peyton Manning? Who did I forget? [ Deadline ]
The first trailer for the lonnnng -awaited adaptation of On the Road is here — an international/market spot (the film doesn’t yet have US distribution) showcasing Jack Kerouac’s shambolic literary stylings and director Walter Salles’s ensemble including leads Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and a kind of staggering supporting ensemble: Viggo Mortensen? Kirsten Dunst? Amy Adams? Terrence Howard? Steve Buscemi? Elisabeth Moss? You can’t Beat it! Honk. Sorry, it’s late. Anyway, fingers crossed this video isn’t yanked sooner than this post is published, but fair warning! And probably look for this to debut at Cannes in May. [via indieWIRE ]
