In the decade or so since Nick Frost first made a name for himself on the BBC comedy series Spaced , much has happened. For starters, he’s not waiting tables at that Mexican restaurant. He’s moved with ease from television to film, most famously in genre riffs Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (with Spaced comrades Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg ), and in the alien geek ode Paul (which he co-wrote and stars in with Pegg). Also notably, Frost has ventured out from the fold in films like Pirate Radio and the forthcoming Snow White and the Huntsman . And, with this week’s The Adventures of Tintin , he notches another milestone: Working with his hero, Steven . Steven Spielberg .
Now that everyone has grown tired of touting the allegedly thrilling promise of 3-D, we may have some chance of figuring out exactly what its future might be. While I still think 3-D is almost less than a gimmick, I’ve come to think that its real promise lies not in big-budget filmmaking along the lines of The Adventures of Tintin or even a picture as wonderful as Hugo , but in the hands of directors working on a more modest scale who simply have a good idea and a spark of enthusiasm for the medium. Wim Wenders has brought that spark to a rather unlikely subject, the late German modern-dance choreographer Pina Bausch. For years, Wenders and Bausch, longtime friends, had been working on a movie together. Bausch died suddenly in 2009, at age 68, and Pina is Wenders’ tribute to her, less a strict documentary than a heartfelt — and visually gorgeous — celebration of Bausch’s work and her mode of working.
Much-anticipated return to Middle-earth appeals to loyal ‘Lord of the Rings’ fans. By Kevin P. Sullivan Martin Freeman in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Just days after the 10th anniversary of the release of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” we have our first look at director Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth. The first trailer for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” packs in a ton of action and gives fans a peek at what they can expect when the first of the two films opens next December. We took some time off from watching the trailer on repeat to give you the rundown on the five key things you should pay attention to in the trailer. The Hobbit(s) It wouldn’t be “The Hobbit” without a strong member of the Shire folk to rally behind. Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins, and he jumps right into Jackson’s Middle-earth and feels right at home. He also fits in with the two returning hobbits, Elijah Wood and Ian Holm . Both make welcome returns in the trailer and draw in fans of the original films almost effortlessly. The Dwarves Almost as important as Bilbo in “The Hobbit,” all 13 dwarves play key roles in the story. Fans who feared that the dwarves would look too cartoonish should find some peace of mind with the trailer. They completely worked (especially Richard Armitage as Thorin), with a balance between the child-oriented aspects of the book and the grittier look of the “Lord of the Rings” movies. The Song Nothing shows off that balance better than the dwarves’ song. J.R.R. Tolkien featured many songs in the novel, and Jackson and co. incorporated this one in a natural way. It’s a cool and ominous part of the trailer that sets the tone and shows the film’s close adherence to the novel. However, the films do diverge from the novel to cover new material in a few instances. The White Council Because the book does not offer enough action for two complete movies, the films have been padded out with tales from the appendixes and other Tolkien books. The main addition is the story of the White Council. For those unfamiliar with the books, during the journey to Lonely Mountain, Gandalf leaves Bilbo and the dwarves to fight a mysterious enemy alongside Galadriel and Elrond. Jackson confirmed the story line’s presence in the movie, but Cate Blanchett ‘s appearance in the trailer is our only hint of what’s to come. Gollum The trailer’s big reveal comes at the end as the camera cranes down to the One Ring in the foreground. Next thing we know, Bilbo is chatting up Gollum in the dark, and Andy Serkis crawls down to make his welcome return to the character. The ring and Gollum are the two biggest connections between “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” so their presence here is a near guarantee to rope in any fans of the first films. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘The Hobbit’ Trailer: Experts React
Film has been wildly successful overseas, but critics wonder if it’s worth the hype. By Kevin P. Sullivan “The Adventures of Tintin” Photo: Paramount It has already made a killing overseas, but now it’s time for “The Adventure of Tintin” to make a splash in the States. Though not as widely known in the U.S., Tintin has the help of two of today’s most popular filmmakers, director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson . The reviews are generally positive for “The Adventures of Tintin,” with 75 percent of critics’ approval, according to RottenTomatoes.com . We’ve taken our own sampling of the critical response, so here’s a rundown on what they have to say. The Story ” ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ derives mainly from three World War II-era books, ‘The Crab With the Golden Claws,’ ‘The Secret of the Unicorn’ and ‘Red Rackham’s Treasure.’ These titles mean a great deal to Tintin’s European fan base — the film has already made close to a quarter-billion dollars overseas — and less so to the average American multiplex visitor. The script, by Steven Moffat and the team of Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish follows Tintin (who looks either 12, 22 or somewhere in between) and his faithful dog Snowy as they come into possession of a model sailing ship, the Unicorn, containing a clue to the whereabouts of a vast treasure. Kidnapped and bundled on board a steamship commanded by the career alcoholic Capt. Haddock, our boy-man hero becomes the pawn in an age-old duel between Haddock, a good old sot, and the sinister Sakharine.” — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune The Performance Capture “I’m not one of those people with a knee-jerk disdain for motion capture (I enjoyed ‘The Polar Express’ and loved Jim Carrey in ‘A Christmas Carol’), but in ‘Tintin,’ the technique that renders all that movement so flowing and frictionless also makes the characters come off as if their souls were made of sponge. Is this the ‘uncanny valley’ — the much-discussed phenomenon whereby motion-capture characters look just human enough so that what’s missing from their eyes is subtly disquieting?” — Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly The 3-D “I was surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. Spielberg not only uses 3-D but bases his story on one of Europe’s most beloved comic characters. The 3-D he pulls off, just as Scorsese did in ‘Hugo,’ because he employs it as an enhancement to 2-D instead of an attention-grabbing gimmick.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times The Actors “If the mocap technique falls somewhere between live-action and animated moviemaking, the same goes for the performances, which are altogether fluid yet sometimes (especially in certain dialogue-heavy sequences) give the impression of watching a very realistic video game with the sound turned up a few thousand notches. [Andy] Serkis (‘King Kong,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings’) nonetheless manages to turn Haddock into what will surely be the trilogy’s most memorable personage, while [Jamie] Bell (‘Billy Elliot’) makes Tintin about as interesting as he can be, which is to say sometimes less so than his dog.” — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter The Final Word “Though the acting is uniformly strong, the story just isn’t engrossing, particularly for those not familiar with Tintin comics. There are a few spectacular scenes, such as a biplane flying into a lightning storm and a crash-landing in the Sahara, but the thrills are sporadic. Chases abound but none is breathtaking. … The much-publicized collaboration between producer Peter Jackson and Spielberg sets high expectations. But while the technical artistry is there, the film lacks a sense of magic, intrigue and mystery.” — Claudia Puig, USA Today Check out everything we’ve got on “The Adventure of Tintin.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Adventures Of Tintin’
‘I would not make a fifth movie to prove any point,’ director says of ‘Indiana Jones’ series. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Steven Spielberg Photo: MTV News Fans of the “Indiana Jones” movies have a complicated relationship with the series as a whole. No one knows this better than Steven Spielberg , the man who had to listen when fans cried out as the latest entry, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” failed to meet expectations. Now with talk of George Lucas writing a potential fifth film, Spielberg could stand to undo what some fans saw as a bitter farewell to the beloved character. When the director spoke with MTV News’ Josh Horowitz while promoting “The Adventures of Tintin,” he explained that he would have nothing to prove with a new Indy movie. “I already like the last ‘Indy.’ I loved ‘Crystal Skull,’ ” Spielberg said. “Yeah, I had a difference of opinion with the MacGuffin, so to speak, which I thought was a little bit out of character with the other MacGuffins in the other three films, but I still loved the experience making it.” The fan reaction to “Crystal Skulls” reminded Spielberg of the similar backlash he faced after the release of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” “We had the same criticism on ‘Temple of Doom.’ That movie came out and it changed the whole rating system. Jack Valenti and I conspired to create the PG-13 rating system based on the number of complaints about the harshness and the heart coming out of the chest on a PG movie. I went through the same thing,” he said. To Spielberg, the general opinion about the series is split down the middle. “I think audiences think we’re two for two. They love Raiders, ” he said. “They love Last Crusade. They don’t love as much Temple of Doom or Crystal Skull.” Taking that into consideration, the director still feels no requirement for a fifth film. “I would not make a fifth movie to prove any point. If we get a good story, I’ll make it. If George [Lucas] doesn’t think we should make any more, I’ll listen to him,” Spielberg said. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Adventures of Tintin.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Adventures Of Tintin’
Steven Spielberg couldn’t be at the AFI Fest premiere of The Adventures of Tintin because he was filming Lincoln in Virginia — and now we know that the Lincoln production process is a completely-effing-serious one. Not only does star Daniel Day-Lewis look remarkable as Lincoln in this new candid photo, but Variety ‘s Jeff Sneider Tweeted a report that he “hasn’t broken his Lincoln accent since March” and his “real name doesn’t even appear on the call sheet.” That is commitment. And insanity. And the new photo will haunt you like a specter in Ford’s Theatre.
If you weren’t already jealous of Brad Pitt and his free (presumably) lifetime pass to Angelina Jolie naked, then you’re about to be. In a new interview with 60 Minutes about her directorial debut, The Land of Blood and Honey , the reporter asked Angie about her days as the ’90’s most skinfamous blood-drinking, model-banging, brother-kissing wild child: “I went through heavy darker times and I survived them. I didn’t die young, so I’m very lucky. There are other artists and people who didn’t survive certain things,” she said, alluding to something a notch above knife play (she once gleefully told reporters that she and Billy Bob Thornton kept a knife in their bedroom for vampiric kicks). Angelina declined to elaborate on what exactly put her life in danger back in the day, but she did say that the tiger hasn’t totally been tamed: “You think of those too many times where you came close to too many dangerous things, too many chances taken too far,” she mused. “I’m still a bad girl. I still have that side of me…It’s just in its place now…it belongs to Brad. Or…our adventures.” We probably shouldn’t be surprised- Angelina was dolled up in a dominatrix outfit when she bagged Brad on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), after all. Skintroduce your one-eyed monster to your green-eyed monster with Angelina Jolie nude, right here at MrSkin.com!
She’s been called “the most beautiful woman in the world,” and has often been a magnet for controversy, but Angelina Jolie remains at the top of her craft. Restless in her role as a movie star, the 36-year-old has turned to directing with a film she wrote about the Bosnian War, In the Land of Blood and Honey . In a recent interview airing last night, Angelina spoke to 60 Minutes ‘ Bob Simon about her career, her family, and the “darker times” she’s put behind her: Angelina Jolie 60 Minutes Interview “I didn’t know it was going to be so sensitive,” she said of her directorial debut, which details a love story between a Muslim woman and a Serbian jailer. She also talks about her dream of being a funeral director (seriously), but the obligatory soundbite that will get the most people talking came a bit later. Discussing her many humanitarian efforts, she admitted that her “dark side” has not fully receded. It’s just dormant. “I’m still a bad girl,” the star says. “I still have that side of me. It’s just, it’s in its place now. It belongs to Brad. Or it belongs to our adventures.” Read into that however you like. Do you like Angelina Jolie?
Listen up, class — someone has finally found a foolproof way to make learning enjoyable. Open University , an unconventional learning institution based in the UK, is smartly appealing to its students (we are all students here!) through animated YouTube videos that explain dry subjects with humor and clarity. Their latest series, ” 60-Second Adventures in Thought ,” is narrated by David Mitchell, of… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Huffington Post Discovery Date : 24/11/2011 17:28 Number of articles : 2
AFI Fest closes up shop today (with a very climactic showing of The Adventures of Tintin ), but before we say so long to the parking garage at Hollywood & Highland, we have one piece of business left to deal with: the awards. AFI awarded its Grand Jury Prize to Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet “for its bold exploration of societal structures and gender roles, set against a landscape that conveys both profound beauty and profound alienation.” And because Gael Garcia Bernal is adorbz. Click through for the rest of prizes and announcements.
