Tag Archives: film

Miley Cyrus’ ‘LOL’: What Went Wrong?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A movie expert weighs in on why the teen dramedy was a box-office flop. By Jocelyn Vena Miley Cyrus in “LOL” Photo: Lionsgate Last Friday, Miley Cyrus’ soapy teen dramedy “LOL” opened to a limited release in nine states on Friday. The film, by all accounts, didn’t perform the way a film starring Cyrus, “Twilight” star Ashley Greene and one-time screen siren Demi Moore, might be expected to. “LOL,” an English-language adaptation of a French Film of the same name, grossed only $46,500 in 105 theaters. While it’s hard to tell why the film underperformed, it seems that a lack of marketing leading up to its debut may have played a role in that. The flick follows the story of a teen, Lola (played by Cyrus), as she faces the strife of first love in a world driven by technology. “It’s really hard to say because we’ve heard absolutely nothing about it. I think there was some buzz about this was sort of going to be a different type of breakout role for Miley. I’m not a fan of Miley, but I would actually like to see that and I think a lot of people would,” Brooke Tarnoff, a senior editor at Next Movie, told MTV News about the lackluster interest in the flick once it dropped. With so few eyes on the release leading up to May 4, it’s hard to tell if the performance had anything to do with Cyrus. Tarnoff added, “Maybe the selling power of Miley has diminished. I think her fanbase may be less loyal than it was in the ‘Hannah Montana’ days, but it’s all kind of moot.” The film had gotten some attention when Cyrus and Greene were spotted filming it back in 2010 . But, after shooting wrapped, little else was heard about the film until a trailer dropped in mid-April, three weeks before the limited release. “There’s obviously an audience for pretty much anything,” she continued. “And this one having a ‘Twilight’ star and Miley Cyrus, who still has some cache, it’s just [a missed opportunity].” Regardless of the film’s box-office performance, Cyrus seemed proud of it. She took to Twitter over the weekend and brushed off the low numbers. “Thank u so much for everyone who went to see LOL,” she wrote. “It is a film I loved making and I am proud of…. That’s really all that matters to me.” Thank u so much for everyone who went to see LOL. It is a film I loved making and I am proud of…. That’s really all that matters to me. ? — Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) May 7, 2012 Lisa Azuelos, who wrote and directed both versions, talked about the box-office response in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I really thought this movie could be universal,” she said. “Usually teen movies are tender or scary or have vampires in them, but they’re never realistic. This story isn’t too dirty and not too stupid.” Have you seen or do you plan on seeing “LOL”? Leave your comment below! Related Artists Miley Cyrus

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‘Beautiful Creatures’: Exclusive First Look At The Magical Set!

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

MTV News travels to New Orleans, where four stars of the upcoming YA adaptation talk about the supernatural romance. By Amy Wilkinson Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich on the set of “Beautiful Creatures” NEW ORLEANS — This is a story of boy meets girl. Or, more accurately, boy meets caster. What is a caster, you may be asking? In the southern gothic world imagined by “Beautiful Creatures” authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, casters have magical powers much like witches. Some can seduce men with one lick of a lollipop. Others can mutate their arm into a slithering snake. And still others can channel Mother Nature, bending weather to their will. This is the supernatural realm MTV News stepped into recently during our exclusive visit to the New Orleans set of “Beautiful Creatures.” While there we got the scoop on the adaptation straight from the film’s four young stars. “Lena is a young girl who also happens to be a caster, and she’s moved around — she’s moved to a lot of small towns and problems follow her,” Alice Englert told us of her character. “She’s just come to Gatlin, which is so insignificant it doesn’t have a Starbucks, etc., and [the theater] gets the titles of movie names wrong, and everyone thinks I’m a Satanist.” Just the usual adolescent angst, right? Englert conceded that underneath her supernatural surface, Lena struggles with issues any typical teen would: “I think Lena is like most girls when you feel massively insecure.” Few things can make one feel more insecure than being bullied by classmates, which just so happened to be the theme of the scene being shot during our visit. “We’re shooting a scene where there sort of begins this class persecution of Lena, and it’s very blatant,” Englert explained. “The girls in class are sort of this awful clique of girls, who are always being mean to her, and they start tormenting her,” chimed in co-star Alden Ehrenreich , who plays Lena’s love interest, Ethan. “It’s getting out of control, and she gets of control,” Englert concluded. This particular scene was just one of many effects-laden moments scheduled during production — one in which the windows of the classroom shatter in magnificent fashion. “I forgot that we were shooting, and I just stood there, like, [ drops jaw ], my eyes crossed. It’s going to look so ridiculous,” enthused Zoey Deutch, who plays mean girl Emily. “It’s really fun. It was insane. It was so loud. I really thought there was an earthquake.” Special effects aside, Deutch was also impressed with the film’s source material, counting herself among the many fans of “Beautiful Creatures.” “I loved the books, I thought they were incredible,” she said. “I thought they were smart and like nothing I’d ever read before. I’m an avid ‘Harry Potter’ fan, and [‘Beautiful Creatures’] was kind of my favorite series I’ve read since then.” But for those wanting to draw parallels between protagonist Ethan Wate and the Boy Who Lived (or even a certain sparkly vampire), Thomas Mann, who plays Link, said not so fast. “I think it’s definitely going to be unique from those stories,” he assured. “Beautiful Creatures” hits theaters February 15, 2013. For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .

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Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace Do the De Palma in First Look at Passion

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Finally! Brian De Palma is getting out of the repugnant war-screed business pioneered in Redacted and back into the sexy-time homage-remake business with which he made his name. This time it’s Passion , a thriller based on the late Alain Corneau’s acclaimed 2010 French potboiler Love Crime and featuring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace taking over for Kristen Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier, respectively. In the first photo released from the film, the actresses do what comes naturally… to, uh, De Palma. Is that necessarily a bad thing? The Cannes market will be the first to know, with Passion headed to the Croisette as one of the myriad films on the block — yet most likely the only one with the synopsis passage, “Christine loves surprises. Naked she goes to meet the mystery lover waiting in her bedroom…” File under LOLrotic. Or not? Maybe it’s a worthy successor to Corneau. Anyway, here’s the full breakdown via The Playlist : An erotic thriller in the tradition of Dressed To Kill and Basic Instinct , Brian de Palma’s PASSION tells the story of a deadly power struggle between two women in the dog-eat-dog world of international business. Christine possesses the natural elegance and casual ease associated with one who has a healthy relationship with money and power. Innocent, lovely and easily exploited, her admiring protégé Isabelle is full of cutting-edge ideas that Christine has no qualms about stealing. They’re on the same team, after all… Christine takes pleasure in exercising control over the younger woman, leading her one step at a time ever deeper into a game of seduction and manipulation, dominance and humiliation. But when Isabelle falls into bed with one of Christine’s lovers, war breaks out. On the night of the murder, Isabelle is at the ballet, while Christine receives an invitation to seduction. From whom? Christine loves surprises. Naked she goes to meet the mystery lover waiting in her bedroom… [ The Playlist ]

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Johnny Depp Drawn To ‘Reluctant Vampire’ In ‘Dark Shadows’

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Actor especially enjoyed placing the ‘hyper-elegant figure from the late 18th century into one of the weirdest times of all time.’ By Kara Warner Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows” Photo: Warner Bros. Those familiar with the work of Johnny Depp are likely aware of his penchant for exploring characters who are quirky and misunderstood — so his decision to take on the role of conflicted vampire Barnabas Collins in “Dark Shadows” is not at all surprising. The Tim Burton-directed family melodrama is an adaptation of the popular TV soap opera of the same name, which began airing in the late 1960s and interested Depp not just because he was a fan of the show and had always dreamed of playing a vampire, but because this particular vampire never wanted to be one in the first place and has to learn how to exist in the strange and curious setting of the 1970s. “Playing a kind of reluctant vampire, in a sense, the reluctant vampire who has been locked in a box for 200 years and his misfortune to be let out in an age when things are probably at their most surreal in terms of 1972,” Depp explained of why Barnabas is more interesting than your average fictional bloodsucker. “It’s a very odd period. Things are changing radically; the sort of peace and love thing was over with, and we were rapidly approaching disco, so musically and aesthetically, that was the fun of it, to place this hyper-elegant figure from the late 18th century into one of the weirdest times of all time.” Depp’s conflicted Barnabas is supported by an equally strange cast of characters played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chlo

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‘Hunger Games’ Star Josh Hutcherson Returns to ‘Low-Key’ Life

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I haven’t changed at all,’ 19-year-old actor tells MTV News of his life post-‘Hunger Games.’ By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Josh Hutcherson Photo: FilmMagic Ever since “The Hunger Games” toppled the box office earlier this year, one would think that Josh Hutcherson would find it hard to go about the life he led before the film. As it turns out, not much has changed for the laid-back 19-year-old. While there has been a lot of pandemonium around the movie, the actor himself has been mostly left alone by fans of the franchise. And he’s totally cool with it. “I’ve changed a lot. I wear nothing but high-end designer suits. I fly private everywhere,” he joked to MTV News about his superstar status. “I haven’t changed at all. “I was expecting it to be a huge difference and it hasn’t been, and I can’t tell you how relieved that I am,” he added. “It’s been so low-key and people who do recognize me have been awesome, cool and not crazy.” With all the hype that has surrounded the film, Hutcherson had certain expectations for how his life would change. “I did for sure [think it would be different]. Everybody was telling me ‘It’s gonna be crazy.’ I go everywhere all the time and nobody stops me,” he said. “I’m good with what I have.” One thing Hutcherson doesn’t seem to want to give up is his love for getting inked. “The last one I got was six months ago. I have like an anchor ship creation on my back; it’s like an old sailor Jerry tattoo kind of thing. I love that old, traditional style,” he said. Hutcherson said he’d love to get more ink, but before he gets any full-body tattoos like Angelina Jolie, he wants to make sure it won’t interfere with his acting. “I need to have the kind of career Angelina Jolie has first,” he said. “They’re not gonna hire guys covered in tattoos. I need to make sure they hire me first.” Well, Hutcherson has some downtime until he hits the set of “Catching Fire” later this summer if he wants to squeeze one more tattoo in. In late summer he will work with director Francis Lawrence for the first time on the “Hunger Games” sequel. Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Josh Hutcherson Related Photos ‘Hunger Games’ Cast Hits NYC

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Killer Joe Trailer: NC-17 Thriller Gets Green-Band Treatment

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The William Friedkin-directed, Matthew McConaughey-starring, hit-man-in-the-heart-of-Texas thriller Killer Joe has already enjoyed its share of festival notoriety for the sexualized violence that earned the film an NC-17 rating. Now comes a trailer that sanitizes for mainstream audiences what Friedkin and Co. won’t. Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Juno Temple and Gina Gershon co-star in the tale of a young man who attempts to settle a debt by getting a cop moonlighting as a hit man (McConaughey) to off his mother for the insurance money. Guess how poorly that goes? Tracy Letts — who last collaborated with Friedkin on the psychodrama Bug — adapted the film from his play of the same name; Killer Joe opens July 27 in all its deep-fried NC-17 glory.

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Brad Pitt’s Perfume Push, Nicolas Cage’s New Gig, John Carter Lives: Biz Break

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A slew of new projects for various directors and stars were unveiled today, including new work for Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple and Nick Cassavetes. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt is apparently signing on to push a high-end women’s perfume. Read on for more in Tuesday afternoon’s Biz Break. Focus Features Accepting Entries for 5th Africa First Program The initiative, with funds earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, is for the fifth consecutive year offering eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. Entries accepted May 14 – August 20. Around the ‘net… Brad Pitt is the New Face of Chanel No. 5 Go figure, but Brad Pitt is now hawking women’s perfume. But as E! Online points out , “If ever there was a man pretty enough to render that particular point moot, it’s Brad Pitt.” A source tells the site he will be shooting his ads for the perfume soon in London. Nicolas Cage, Juno Temple & Johnny Knoxville Walk to Wild Side The road trip drama will be directed by Jesse Baget from a script he co-wrote with Stefania Moscato, Deadline reports . Avengers Breathes Life into John Carter John Carter zoomed up the domestic box office office chart from No. 38 the week before to No. 12 – thanks to being paired with The Avengers at more than 150 drive-ins across the country, THR reports . Career Watch: Scarlett Johansson, Beyond the Black Bodysuit Thanks to The Avengers , attention is back on Johansson the kick-ass action babe rather than Johansson the nude-photo-hacking-scandal babe . But is Black Widow the best Johansson can do? Thompson on Hollywood looks at the star’s trajectory. Nick Cassavetes to Direct Kristen Stewart’s Cali Voltage Prods. and New School Media are producing the gritty action pic from a script by Michael Diliberti. The story revolves around a San Fernando Valley couple who sell a “fake snuff film and ride off with a bundle of cash.” Years later, the girl (Stewart) must “return from the dead” to save the younger sister she left behind, Variety reports . Richard Regen to Adapt A Matter of Honor for Kennedy/Marshall Richard Regen has been set by Kennedy/Marshall and New Franchise Media to adapt A Matter Of Honor , the bestselling novel by Jeffrey Archer. The story revolves around a disgraced army colonel who gives a mysterious letter to his only son. After the envelope is opened, a deadly chain of events unfold that have global implications. Deadline reports .

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Watch Kristen Stewart And Charlize Theron Face Off In ‘Snow White’ Video!

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘MTV First’ shares exclusive preview of epic showdown. By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Charlize Theron in “Snow White and the Huntsman” Photo: Universal An exclusive, never-before-seen clip from the upcoming film ” Snow White and the Huntsman ” kicked off “MTV First” by teasing an epic showdown between Kristen Stewart ‘s titular princess and Charlize Theron ‘s Evil Queen Ravenna. As thrilling as the sneak preview might have been, it left fans dying to know what happens when the two enemies finally do square off when the film hits theaters June 1. The clip does give a little more insight into the beef between Ravenna and Snow White: Obviously, the Queen wants to be fairest of them all, but the death of Snow White’s father certainly adds an emotional element to the bout. In the scene, we learn that the Queen is responsible. When MTV News’ Josh Horowitz spoke with Theron at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in January, the Academy Award-winning actress seemed impressed with her co-stars fighting spirit. “She was a good fight,” Theron shared. “The bitch brought it!” Even though Theron was able to put up a fight against Stewart, she was no match for her unwieldy costumes , which might have done more damage. “The costumes were more damaging than the actual fight sequences,” she explained. “I was way more bruised from my costume than I was from [fighting]. Doing a fight sequence in your sweatpants is different than wearing an 80-pound steel thing.” At the very least, Theron could commiserate with her co-star. “[Stewart] was in full metal, I was in full metal, just getting down, it took us four hours,” Theron said. Check out everything we’ve got on “Snow White and the Huntsman.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: Snow White And The Huntsman

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Maurice Sendak Remembered By Tom Hanks As ‘Fabulously Cranky’

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘[He] delighted in scaring the kids on the block — and they loved him for it,” Hanks says of author in a statement to MTV News. By Fallon Prinzivalli Tom Hanks and Maurice Sendak Photo: Getty Images With the announcement that “Where the Wild Things Are” author and illustrator Maurice Sendak died Tuesday (May 8) at the age of 83, filmmakers and authors have been mourning the passing of a brilliant mind. From Elijah Wood to “Looking for Alaska” author John Green, the influence Sendak leaves behind in the hearts of many is indisputable. In a statement to MTV News, actor Tom Hanks — who co-produced the film adaptation of Sendak’s popular children’s book — said, “Maurice Sendak was the fabulously cranky old man, the maker of the Wild Rumpus, who delighted in scaring the kids on the block — and they loved him for it. I think a late supper is awaiting him and it is still hot.” Sendak revolutionized the children’s book genre by allowing his works to remain a dark fantasy instead of a bright, depthless story. In “Wild Things,” after being sent to his room without dinner, Max — an unruly boy constantly wearing a wolf suit — sails away from home to a land of wild beasts for an adventure. Sendak’s influence spread from the literary world to the film world as Spike Jonze set out to adapt the widely popular book into a motion picture. Critics were skeptical as the tome was labeled “unfilmable,” but the author remained involved in the project as Jonze incorporated his own interpretation of the book into the film. “[Sendak] said from the beginning that you have to make it dangerous — make something that respects kids and doesn’t talk down to them or if not, it wasn’t worth doing,” Jonze said in the film’s featurette . Sendak also created “Seven Little Monsters,” a children’s television series that showed the not-so-little monsters learning about life, and had a hand in creating and writing the Nick Jr. show, “Little Bear.” All the while children read his other picture books such as “In the Night Kitchen” and “Outside Over There.” But it was his classic story of Max and those monsters who “roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth” that continues to span time and influence generation after generation. Share your memories of Maurice Sendak in the comments.

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Is ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Too Hot For An R Rating?

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘They are going to have to balance the sexy versus the smutty,’ one expert tells MTV News of fine line between R and NC-17. By Christina Garibaldi “Fifty Shades of Grey” Photo: The Writer’s Coffee Shop “Fifty Shades of Grey” is on quite the hot streak lately — so hot, it’s even been pulled from some library shelves . Millions of readers can’t put down E.L James’ erotic novel, which started out as fan fiction based on Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in “Twilight.” The book follows the unlikely romance of college student Anastasia Steele and billionaire tycoon Christian Grey. Both are looking for different things out of the romance: She yearns for lasting love while he’s strictly in it for the S&M. From the plot alone, it’s easy to see why “Fifty Shades” has become a best-seller, and now that it’s been picked up by Universal Pictures and Focus Features to be made into a movie, the question is: How can a book that screams for an NC-17 rating actually be made into an R-rated flick? “Making this movie will absolutely be a challenge. It is going to take a devoted director who admittedly likes the books and understands that, first and foremost, this is a love story,” Lisa Parker from FiftyShadesFilm.com told MTV News. “If telling the love story is the main focus, then we do believe the steamy sex scenes can be shot and edited in a way to get us an R-rated movie rather than NC-17.” Another factor to keep in mind is that bigger actors may be more eager to take on the lead roles if the content is a little more conservative. Robert Pattinson and Ian Somerhalder have already been rumored for the role of Christian Grey , and they might be wary to tackle an NC-17 movie. The director and screenwriter will also have to find a balance between the emotional love story and the sensual scenes, since the intimate part of the story is one of the big reasons people are clamoring to get their hands on this book. “I think they are most definitely going to have a challenge,” Mags Vazquez from LatersBaby.net said. “They are going to have to balance the sexy versus the smutty, and I think they’ll have a challenge, but it’s something that I’m sure they will be able to do tastefully.” If the studio is going for an R-rated film, readers will have to understand that not every sexual plotline of the story will make it onto the big screen. “I hopefully think the fans would be realistic and understand that they can’t show some of the things that they are talking about in that book,” Vazquez acknowledged. On the other hand, the sexual content of the story is what has made “Fifty Shades” so popular, and Parker believes that if it had an NC-17 rating attached to it, fans of the book will still make it a point to see the film. “That doesn’t mean that we believe having an NC-17 rating attached to this movie would make it less wildly popular. … The scenes that could make it necessary for this rating are part of the story, part of what makes ‘Fifty,’ ‘Fifty,’ “Parker said. “They also inform the relationship between Christian and Ana. Once again, we are confident that Ms. James will protect the integrity of her story regardless of the ultimate rating.” Do you think “Fifty Shades of Grey” will be an R-rated flick? Let us know in the comments! For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .

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