Tag Archives: director

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’: The Early Reviews Are In!

Director Peter Jackson has not lost his touch for fantasy entertainment, according to critics. By Kevin P. Sullivan “The Hobbit” cast Photo: Warner Bros./ New Line Cinema

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‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’: The Early Reviews Are In!

Oscar Index: Everything’s ‘Dark’ And ‘Miserables,’ Until We Get ‘Unchained’

Welcome back to Movieline’s Oscar Index, where each week we take the pulse of the awards chatter en route to Hollywood’s big day. This week both Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty surged through the ranks after debuting in their first, successful, awards screenings, though Spielberg’s Lincoln still reigns supreme — but Peter Jackson ‘s 48fps gamble The Hobbit and Quentin Tarantino ‘s Django Unchained are right around the corner, gunning for the spotlight… The Leading 10 1. Lincoln 2. Les Miserables 3. Zero Dark Thirty 4. Argo 5. Silver Linings Playbook 6. Life of Pi 7. Django Unchained 8. Beasts of the Southern Wild 9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 10. Anna Karenina Outsiders: Skyfall , Moonrise Kingdom , Flight , The Dark Knight Rises , The Master Despite strong guild and critic screening debuts for Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty , which absolutely sealed their positions as Best Picture top dogs, Spielberg’s Lincoln is still holding onto its momentum and #1 spot in the race in the hearts and minds of pundits. Meanwhile, David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook searches for a way to keep up, while Fox Searchlight’s Beasts of the Southern Wild is making its surge, trotting out Spirit Award-nominated star (and Best Actress hopeful) Quvenzhané Wallis for awards events this week. Best Director 1. Steven Spielberg ( Lincoln ) 2. Kathryn Bigelow ( Zero Dark Thirty ) 3. David O. Russell ( Silver Linings Playbook ) 4. Ben Affleck ( Argo ) 5. Quentin Tarantino ( Django Unchained ) Spielberg still reigns atop the race, but this week’s Zero Dark Thirty splash should boost Bigelow above the ranks of Affleck, whose popular Argo treads similar true history ground but doesn’t match ZDT ‘s weightiness or relevancy. Russell’s staying in the game as well thanks to lingering Silver Linings love, but the Django curiosity factor props Tarantino up even though critics have yet to see it. Next: Who leads the pack for Best Actor & Actress?

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Oscar Index: Everything’s ‘Dark’ And ‘Miserables,’ Until We Get ‘Unchained’

Taylor Swift to Headline New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

It’s official: This December 31st will mark yet another New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square. Literally! The annual celebration – previously hosted by Dick Clark and now by Ryan Seacrest – has announced the musical lineup that will ring in 2013. And it will be headlined by Taylor Swift. She’ll be joined in New York City by Carly Rae Jepsen and Neon Trees, among other artists to be announced at a late date. Across the country, meanwhile, Fergie will lead the West Coast celebration alongside such acts as Brandy, Flo Rida, Karmin, OneRepublic and Pitbull. It will be a fun occasion, but also a somber one: Due to Dick Clark’s death in April, the first two hours of this ABC broadcast will be a tribute to that legend’s life and impact on the world of television.

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Taylor Swift to Headline New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Portland Woman Makes Hilarious Confession to Local News Reporter

A viral news clip features a possibly crazy Portland woman confessing way TMI to a reporter about the local vacuum cleaner guy … you have to watch to appreciate it. It’s unclear exactly where or when it originated … but it’s quite clear that it’s a must-see: Crazy Lady and Vacuum Cleaner Man The woman was talking about how area police activity disrupted her regular routine before admitting, out of nowhere, that “I know the vacuum cleaner man – he’s seen my tits.” “I know that’s not going on TV, but it’s true. I’m not here to lie to you.” Good to know. And who needs broadcast TV when there’s THG!!!!!! Later on, this surprisingly entertaining citizen admits she hasn’t been allowed to drive for years, which is probably for the best. She also makes a hard-to-resist offer at the end. As person-on-the-street interviews go, unexpected … and classic.

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Portland Woman Makes Hilarious Confession to Local News Reporter

Matthew Vaughn to Direct Star Wars Episode VII?

Has Jason Flemyng let the cat out of the wildly anticipated bag? In an interview with Hey U Guys at the UK Seven Psychopaths premiere, the actor was asked about working again with good friend and director Matthew Vaughn. On Star Wars Episode VII , perhaps? Hey, it’s possible, Flemyng replied… before quickly realizing that he may have revealed a bit too much. Watch his reaction now and then decide: Will you be happy if Vaughn does, indeed, end up behind the camera? Jason Flemyng Reveals Star Wars Episode VII Director

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Matthew Vaughn to Direct Star Wars Episode VII?

Justin Bieber Refers to Selena Gomez as "Genuine" in Pre-Split Interview

It happened to Katie Holmes. And Kim Kardashian . And Kristen Stewart . And now it’s happened to Justin Bieber. No, not a marriage arranged by Scientology… or a publicity-based marriage… or a game of tonsil hockey with his director. But an interview conducted when he was in a happy, steady relationship, only for it to air after said relationship crumbled. In Bieber’s case, of course, we’re referring to hit sit-down with Oprah Winfrey (which aired Sunday night) and his break-up with Selena Gomez . Watch Justin gush over Selena in the following clip: Justin Bieber Talks Selena Gomez

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Justin Bieber Refers to Selena Gomez as "Genuine" in Pre-Split Interview

Justin Bieber Refers to Selena Gomez as "Genuine" in Pre-Split Interview

It happened to Katie Holmes. And Kim Kardashian . And Kristen Stewart . And now it’s happened to Justin Bieber. No, not a marriage arranged by Scientology… or a publicity-based marriage… or a game of tonsil hockey with his director. But an interview conducted when he was in a happy, steady relationship, only for it to air after said relationship crumbled. In Bieber’s case, of course, we’re referring to hit sit-down with Oprah Winfrey (which aired Sunday night) and his break-up with Selena Gomez . Watch Justin gush over Selena in the following clip: Justin Bieber Talks Selena Gomez

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Justin Bieber Refers to Selena Gomez as "Genuine" in Pre-Split Interview

PETA to Obama: Stop Pardoning Turkeys!

Since the days of George H.W. Bush, Presidents have spared the lives of a couple fortunate turkeys every year around Thanksgiving. This year, for example, President Obama will pardon two birds named Cobbler and Gobbler. The West Wing – Bartlet Pardons Turkey But PETA is actually against this act, as chairman Ingrid Newkirk addressed the Leader of the Free World today and said: “It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States’ president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry/ Turkeys do not need to be ‘pardoned’-they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals. “You understand so well that African-Americans, women, and members of the LGBT community have been poorly served throughout history and now I am asking you to consider other living beings who are ridiculed, belittled, and treated as if their sentience, feelings, and very natures count for nothing.” Yes, she just compared the plight of turkeys to minority human beings. Are you on the side of PETA? Should President stop pardoning them?   Yes, it’s only fair! Yes, it’s hilarious! No, it’s insensitive! View Poll »

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PETA to Obama: Stop Pardoning Turkeys!

Jill Kelley: How Did She Expose Paula Broadwell-David Petraeus Affair?

Jill Kelley is an unlikely figure to be involved in a major government scandal, but was instrumental in exposing the Paula Broadwell-David Petraeus affair. How did the 37-year-old mother of three end up in that position? Kelley, an event planner, had e-mailed the mayor of Tampa, Fla., mayor before, according to People ‘s new cover story , but never under these circumstances. On November 14, she e-mailed Mayor Bob Buckhorn about news crews camped outside her home. “To put insult to injury, your police department gave the local 911 tapes to the press!” she wrote. “I’m scared and cannot believe what my city – in which I have contributed so much of my love, time, money and leadership – has now done to me and my innocent family.” Buckhorn did nothing about Kelley’s complaint and attributed the release of her phone calls to police invoking “diplomatic protection” she’s not entitled to, to “public record.” For Jill Kelley , an unpaid community liaison at MacDill Air Force Base, who placed herself at the nexus of Tampa’s military-civilian circles, his response was telling. Her fall was now going to be as spectacular as her rise. Not that she didn’t have company on the way down. By cozying up to two four-star generals, Kelley inadvertently exposed the scandal that brought down Petraeus. After admitting an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell , the CIA Director and former chief of U.S. Central Command was forced to resign. John Allen’s promotion to head NATO forces in Europe is also in limbo while what government officials describe as suggestive e-mails he wrote to Kelley. How did every thread in this tangled web link back to the chatty, flirty Kelley? Her connection to FBI agent Frederick Humphries – who she notified after receiving threatening, anonymous emails – was the missing link, leading the bureau to Broadwell. Apparently jealous and threatened by the raven-haired Kelley, Broadwell told her to quit flirting with Petraeus in emails that Humphries used to uncover the affair. But Kelley’s entry into their world ran deeper than that. For military lifers like Petraeus and Allen stationed at Central Command in Tampa, the relative glitz Kelley and her twin sister brought proved enchanting. “Here’s the thing about commanders: They can get isolated. It’s nice to have civilian friends who support you,” says an active duty Army community-outreach official. “Mostly it’s a nice thing. This one backfired.” Epically.

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Jill Kelley: How Did She Expose Paula Broadwell-David Petraeus Affair?

Just One Hitch! ‘Hitchcock’ Stars Name Their Favorite Scene and Movie By The Master Of Suspense

Quick, name your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie and scene. With the Master of Suspense getting a lot of attention this fall, thanks to the HBO movie, The Girl , and the theatrical feature Hitchcock , which opens in limited release on Friday, Movieline decided these would be good questions to ask of the celebrity contingent that showed up for the New York premiere of the latter film on Sunday. Hitchcock , which stars Anthony Hopkins in the title role and Helen Mirren as his better half Alma Reville, is set during the making of Psycho and depicts the filmmaker in a more cuddly light than the manipulative misogynist he’s made out to be in The Girl .  The comic drama is built around Hitchcock’s relationship with wife and the helpful role she played in his career.   And though Hopkins didn’t attend the premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater, I spoke to him via satellite on Saturday. Based on his answers, he’s clearly spent some time with Vertigo. Movieline: What is your favorite Hitchcock film and your favorite scene?  Anthony Hopkins , the star of Hitchcock . Movie: “ Vertigo is one of my all-time favorites. I think it’s the haunting music of Bernard Hermann and James Stewart’s romantic obsession for this young woman who is a mystery.  She’s beautiful, blonde, inaccessible. He falls madly in love with her, and she’s killed halfway through or a quarter way through the film. She just falls out of the window or commits suicide. Then she reappears on the street in San Francisco.” Scene: “That scene particularly, when he follows her across the street to her hotel. That late afternoon light in the San Francisco street, 54 years ago when it was made. And the moment when he leaves her room, he says, “Can I take you for dinner,” and Kim Novak, as he goes out, turns towards the camera and you see the whole plot. You’re let in on the secret that this was a setup and James Stewart is the victim of an appalling tragedy—a woman’s murder. Then, he sees her on the street and becomes obsessed with repossessing Madeleine. He makes her have her hair done and the skirts and the shoes and everything. He’s obsessed, as Hitchcock was about the costuming, about the dressing of his female stars. He’s waiting in her hotel room and she’s finally persuaded to have her hair done the way Madeleine had it. She comes out and she’s come back from the dead. I mean, that’s the kind of mystical genius of Hitchcock. I think that has now become the top, number one film of all time. The critics destroyed it when it came out. They just said it was rubbish. Now, it’s number one. Top movie, above Casablanca and all those. So, the guy’s genius lives on, many years after his death.” Sacha Gervasi , the director of Hitchcock Movie:  “Hel-lo, Psycho . With many filmmakers there’s perhaps two or three masterworks, but with Hitchcock there’s ten or twelve. That’s very rare. I also love Vertigo , because it’s so romantic. I think it’s sort of unintentionally revealing of the man himself.” Scene: “How could I not say the shower scene? It’s so revolutionary and so shocking and surprising.” Scarlett Johansson , Janet Leigh in Hitchcock Movie:  “ Strangers on a Train . As a kid, I liked the look of it. I liked the cinematography. I liked the suspense. I liked everything about it.” Danny Huston , Strangers on a Train screenwriter Whitfield Cook in Hitchcock Movie: “ Strangers on a Train — only because I wrote it. [Laughs] I suppose Psycho because of those memorable moments; because it all came together in such a terrifying way and it’s just such a deeply psychological film.” Scene: “I don’t know whether it’s my favorite, but the one I just can’t shake, especially when I get soap in my eyes in the shower is the Psycho shower sequence. It’s just something that stays with me. And, if you’re somewhere around birds and the birds get a little too close to you, then you have that memory, too. It’s a subconscious thing.” Toni Collette , Peggy Robertson in Hitchcock : Movie: “It’s too hard. I mean, do you know how many movies he made? Jesus. I always go for Rear Window . Psycho is probably the most famous, which is why [Hitchcock] is so enlightening. He’s the master.” Scene: “I’m too jetlagged to recall.” Michael Stuhlbarg , Lew Wasserman in Hitchcock : Movie: “It’s impossible to choose between them. Each one accomplishes a different feat. I am particularly taken by Rope , especially because of the technical achievement of shooting the story so that it appeared to be a single continuous shot and how he creatively found ways to hide that.” Scene: “When that biplane comes after Cary Grant in North By Northwest and how close it gets to him — that’s an iconic scene that has stayed with me.” Jessica Biel , Vera Miles in Hitchcock : Movie : “I actually just saw Dial M for Murder , which I quite loved a lot. That and The Birds , of course.” James D’Arcy , Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock Movie: “I think the best one is the last one I watched, because the minute you see it you’re struck by his genius and you forget the other ones. Then, you watch the next one. The last one I saw was  Foreign Correspondent , which is a 1940 piece of war propaganda. It’s utterly mesmeric. It’s got one of the best plane crashes I’ve ever seen. That wasn’t even on my radar before I’d seen it. Now it’s my favorite Hitchcock film.” Scene: “Wow. That is a difficult question. That shower scene in Psycho . That had people running out of cinemas when it was first screened. It’s just so iconic.” Jon Voight , actor: Movie: “I don’t have any favorites. I liked what he did for cinema, you know? And everybody who makes a film has learned something from Hitchcock and the way he made films. So, every film I see reminds me. ‘They took that from Hitchcock, they took that from Hitchcock.’ The things he employed became ingested by everybody in filmmaking.” Amanda Setton , actress,  Gossip Girl Movie: “I don’t want to be cliché, but I have to say Psycho . We shoot on the Universal lot in L.A. and the Bates Motel and the Psycho house are on our back lot, so I kind of feel a very personal relationship to the ‘epicness,’ if you will, of that space. Ralph Macchio , actor: Movie: “Right now, it’s Rear Window . I just wrote a short film that I’m going to direct this December and there’s a voyeur-esque element to it. Scene: “Certainly the shower scene in Psycho . There’s a zillion of ’em.” Steve “Lips” Kudlow, frontman, Anvil Movie: “It would probably be Dial M for Murder . It was really brilliant that there was virtually nothing but one room. That and Rear Window . Those two movies. Wow.” Nell Alk is an arts and entertainment writer and reporter based in New York City. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Manhattan Magazine, Z!NK Magazine and on InterviewMagazine.com, PaperMag.com and RollingStone.com, among others. Learn more about her here. Follow Nell Alk on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

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Just One Hitch! ‘Hitchcock’ Stars Name Their Favorite Scene and Movie By The Master Of Suspense