Just when you’d written your last letter to Juliet and cleaned up your star-crossed gnomes , in comes one more retooled Romeo and Juliet called The Locals . In the upcoming indie , director/writer Sue Kramer treats the Montagues and Capulets to “a Jewish/Italian twist.” Shirley MacLaine, who just titillated us with fabulous anecdotes at the LA Film Festival , is the first cast in the film, and Vera Farmiga and Alan Arkin are in talks to join her. But who will she play?
Try as she might up in Toronto, Madonna just can’t shake the stink of Hydrangea-Gate. Despite a quasi mea culpa for her insensitivity to the flowers and their provider, a new video from the singer-filmmaker suggests that not only is she not remorseful, but she will also not hesitate to kill again. “It’s a free country!” she “roars” in the silent short scored to the Godfather II theme. “So f**k you I like roses!!” Classy. Click ahead for the video and more Buzz Break.
Jennifer Westfeldt’s sort-of romantic comedy Friends with Kids is on to something, even if in the end it suffers from a failure of nerve. This is actor and screenwriter Westfeldt’s directorial debut (she co-wrote and starred in the 2001 feature Kissing Jessica Stein ), and it’s polished to the point of shallow glossiness — it could benefit from being a little rougher, a little messier.
Back in 2007, during the filming of Bruno , Sacha Baron Cohen and his film crew stormed a California bingo hall. They asked the unsuspecting patrons to sign Standard Consent Agreements, alleged that they were filming a “documentary-style film,” and then Bruno was invited on stage to call numbers. Only instead of just calling numbers, the flamboyant Austrian character related each digit to a milestone in his relationship with a former gay partner — a showy extreme that ended in tears, a call to the paramedics, security officers forcibly removing Cohen, a “brain bleed” and a lawsuit against NBC Universal, that we learn today, the studio has won.
Jim Carrey and his band played a gig in New York over the weekend, covering hits by groups such as Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead. In related news: Jim Carrey has a band?!? Apparently. Check out his cover of “Creep” now: Jim Carrey Covers Radiohead The actor hasn’t made news for anything movie-related in awhile ( Mr. Popper’s Penguins ? Really?!?), but he’s expanding his resume these days to include music and quasi disturbing stalker videos. We love Emma Stone, too, Jim. But we aren’t twice her age and we don’t tell the world about what sex might be like with the actress.
Michelle Williams does her best Marilyn Monroe impression on the cover of this month’s Vogue . And it’s a pretty darn good impression! The actress is channeling the icon because she stars in My Week with Marilyn , which opens on November 4 and chronicles Monroe’s life in 1956 while shooting the film The Prince and the Showgirl . “I knew that I wanted to do it, and then I spent six months trying to talk myself out of it,” Williams tells the magazine of the movie. “But I always knew that I never really had a choice. I’ve started to believe that you get the piece of material that you were ready for.” This issue of Vogue will be available on newsstands on September 20.
‘Bucky Larson’ flops as ‘The Help’ remains strong at #2. By Ryan J. Downey Matt Damon in “Contagion” Photo: Warner Bros We wouldn’t be surprised by a spike in hand-sanitizer sales over the weekend, considering how many folks saw “Contagion.” Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh’s procedural thriller — about a pandemic spread through doorknobs, Blackberrys and handshakes — was the #1 movie at the box office, with an estimated $23.1 million debut. “Contagion” — which stars a remarkable number of Academy Award nominees and winners — Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, John Hawkes, Elliott Gould, Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne — has been a hit with critics, with 82 percent of them reviewing the film favorably, according to Rotten Tomatoes . “Warrior” also boasted 82 percent on the Tomatometer at press time but was only able to muster a paltry $5.6 million in its debut, landing the mixed-martial arts drama at #3 on the box-office chart. By comparison, “The Fighter” (which critics also loved) took in $12.1 million in its 2010 debut. By all accounts Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison pals had a blast making “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,” but it’s unlikely they were pleased with the film’s reception. “Bucky” (which wasn’t screened in advance for critics) took in less than $2 million at 1,500 single-screen locations. The movie’s $1.45 million is less than half the opening-weekend number of “Grandma’s Boy,” which starred Bucky co-writer Allen Covert and “Bucky” star Nick Swardson. Meanwhile “The Help” continued to do great business, landing at #2 with another $8.6 million added to its five-week total (which now stands at over $137 million). The adaptation of the popular novel is now the 14th-highest grossing film of 2011. “The Help” co-star Jessica Chastain also appears in “The Debt,” which took in $4.9 million in its second weekend of release to land at #4. “Columbiana” rounded out the top five with $4 million in its second weekend of release. The Luc Besson-produced female-driven action flick has earned $29.7 million thus far. This weekend’s new releases include the highly touted Ryan Gosling flick “Drive,” which Variety wrote “takes the tired heist-gone-bad genre out for a spin, delivering fresh guilty-pleasure thrills in the process.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Contagion.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
In our Fall Movie Preview, Drake Doremus says he ‘was shocked’ over chemistry between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. By Amy Wilkinson Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin in “Like Crazy” Photo: Fred Hayes/Paramount For his romantic weeper ” Like Crazy ” — the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner about two college sweethearts torn apart due to deportation — director Drake Doremus tapped a veritable who’s who of Hollywood’s young, up-and-coming talent, including Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. But it was 27-year-old Felicity Jones whom he took a real gamble on, casting the actress after having only seen an audition tape filmed in her London flat. He said it was a risk well worth the return. As part of our Fall Movie Preview, Doremus spoke with MTV News about the autobiographical nature of his tender drama, taking a chance on Jones and all those comparisons to “Blue Valentine.” Click for photos from fall’s biggest flicks! MTV : This is such a heart-wrenching love story. Is it autobiographical in any way? What was your inspiration? Drake Doremus : I think, trying to make a genuine love story, it would be silly not to try to dig deep and find pieces of yourself and put them in the film. So there’s a lot of emotional truth in the film that I’ve gone through and relationship elements, for sure. It’s a very personal love story. MTV : Felicity Jones is already gaining a lot of buzz for her performance. It seems like she kind of came out of nowhere. How did you cast her? Doremus : Felicity sent me a tape from London. I had seen about 50 girls in Los Angeles. I’d brought a few of them in with Anton and did the chemistry read, and I was not quite feeling it yet. She sent a tape of herself in her flat in London. She just embodied everything that was this character. I immediately called her and told her to come. It was a total gut call. I had never even seen her with Anton, and I didn’t even know if they’d have chemistry, but something in my gut told me we had to cast Felicity Jones and that she was the right person for this. And man, oh man, that’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my career. MTV : Were you surprised by the actors’ intense chemistry given that they hadn’t tested together? Doremus : Yeah, I was shocked. I mean, it’s a tribute to how game they were to go down this path and go down this journey. At the first rehearsal session, I asked them very specifically, ‘You have to understand what kind of a journey we’re going on here. We’re going to live this thing. We’re going to breathe it, and it’s going to come from the inside out. You’re going to have a four-week love affair. Are you guys game to do this?’ They were 100 percent game. MTV : You improvised a lot of scenes in this film. Is that a process that was specific to this project, or a method you prefer? Doremus : It’s a formula I’ve been developing for the last couple of years that I’m continuing to fine-tune and use. It’s essentially just a form of writing the characters, the backstory and the emotional arc and where we’re going. The actors are always encouraged to do and say whatever they feel and let things happen sort of organically. MTV : Does this approach leave you with a lot more footage to work with than if you’d strictly stuck to a script? Doremus : Absolutely. It’s crazy, actually. We could have cut four, five completely different versions of this movie. It would have been the same story but how we got to the end point would have been very different. You give yourself options, and the editing process becomes the third leg of the writing stool. MTV : Many critics have been calling “Like Crazy” this year’s “Blue Valentine.” What do you make of those comparisons? Doremus : Well, first of all, it’s an honor. I think that’s a very beautiful film. But I think they’re very different. You know, I think this film is a much more romantic, innocent and hopeful and optimistic look at love. Check out everything we’ve got on “Like Crazy.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
The opening film will be “Always”, directed by South Korea#39;s Cannes Jury Prize winner Song Il-Gon. Starring heartthrob So Ji-Sub, the film heralds Song#39;s transformation “from auteur to populist”, according to organisers. A romance about an ex-boxer and a telephone operator who is slowly losing her vision will open Asia#39;s top film festival in the South Korean city of Busan next month, organisers said Thursday. The 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), formerly known as the Pus
It was important to ‘create a shoe that would absolutely, 100 percent look like the shoe from the movie,’ Bob Gale says. By Eric Ditzian Nike Air McFlys Photo: Nike The news is 88 mph of awesome: The neon-lit Nikes that Marty McFly rocked in “Back to the Future Part II” are no longer part of a fictional 2015 but will soon be available for anyone willing to plunk down a hefty chunk of change. After a daylong buildup of viral videos and a Los Angeles announcement event lighting up the Web like a lightning-struck clock tower, Michael J. Fox himself appeared on “Late Show With David Letterman” on Thursday to show off the limited-edition Air McFlys (formally known as the Nike Air Mag). The proceeds from the 1,500 pairs of shoes, which will be auctioned off on eBay, will go to the actor’s Parkinson’s disease research foundation. “It’s kind of cool because it brings together three populations of people with major joneses,” Fox told Letterman. “The sneaker-heads who love sneakers, the ‘Back to the Future’ guys who, believe me, are out of their minds, in a good way, thank God for them. And people in the Parkinson’s community.” Shortly before Fox’s TV appearance and after a day of hanging out with Universal and Nike execs for the rollout, “Back to the Future” writer Bob Gale called up MTV News to talk about the development. Gale has geeked out with us before about “BTTF” memorabilia, including the Mr. Fusion he turned into a desk lamp , so we figured he’d be the perfect guy to lend insight into the new shoe’s development and how it connects back to their first appearance in 1989. He did just that, as well as assuage our concerns that the Air Mags don’t come with auto laces as Marty’s did in the film. Be patient, Gale counseled us … all in good time. MTV : How did this whole thing come together? Bob Gale : Nike has been thinking about this for quite some time. They came out with those other shoes a couple years ago that were sort of like these, and at that time, [producers] Bob Zemeckis, Frank Marshall and I were approached by Nike saying what they wanted to do was see if they could develop the actual shoe from “Back to the Future Part II.” They expected to do various versions building up to 2015. They would make sure it was all to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation. They had me at hello. When we made the movie back in 1989, we had the shoe designed by Nike. Tinker [Hatfield], the designer over there, went back into his old notebooks saying, “What did I do back then? What did I draw?” MTV : So Nike went back to the original concept art for inspiration? Gale : Well, they basically used the movies. There are drawings, which they unveiled during the Universal event. Some of those drawings are Tinker’s original drawings. The one thing they wanted to make sure they got absolutely right was to create a shoe that would absolutely, 100 percent look like the shoe from the movie. Of course, back in 1989, there was no technology to make them light up or be power laced. There are behind-the-scenes pictures showing Michael J. Fox with all these wires coming out of his jacket and shoes to make those effects works. We had a guy off camera who pulled wires and tightened the shoes. Nike figured they better figure out how to do that for real rather than have some guy follow you around all day when you want to lace ’em. MTV : What was the announcement event like today? What was going through your head as you watched everyone go nuts for these sneakers? Gale : What’s cool about these movies is they inspire people in different ways. John Mayer said he saw the “Johnny B. Goode” scene, and that made him want to be a rock star. I meet so many screenwriters who say, “The movie that made me want to be a screenwriter was ‘Back to the Future.’ ” There are people out there trying to figure out how to make a working hoverboard. The fact that art inspires people is the greatest compliment you can have. This crazy idea about sneakers that light up and lace themselves is one step closer to being a reality. MTV : Why now? Why not five years ago or 2015? Gale : Nike wanted to do this in tiers. This is the beginning. MTV : So if this year’s shoes don’t have the auto laces, future years’ might? Gale : Yes! It’s not 2015 yet. It’s only 2011! MTV : I can’t wait that long! I can’t be patient. Gale : No one ever can. MTV : What’s your sense of what this all means to Michael J. Fox? Gale : It’s nothing but positive. He’s thrilled out it. He’s going to be on “Letterman” and you’ll hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. MTV : What’s your recollection of creating and using the shoes in the film? Gale : We were associated with Nike on the first movie because Marty McFly is wearing Nikes on that. We said, “OK, he’s wearing Nike shoes in 1985, what will the shoes of the future do?” One of the things we wanted to do was keep all the elements we had established in the first movie and bring them forward to the future. We had the Texaco station in 1985 and then 2015. We show the movie theater, from a Ronald Reagan movie to a porno movie to “Jaws 19” in 3-D. The Nikes were a continuing element to distinguish between the past, present and future. We thought it was cool at the time. The fact that people still think it’s cool is really cool. MTV : Who has the original power-lacing Nikes? Gale : I think Nike has the original pair. They’re all rotted. They weren’t built to be anything other than movie props. And for the other pairs that didn’t need to self-lace that he used as part of his wardrobe, they must have made a dozen pairs of them. Where those are, I have no idea. Whether they got ditched, stolen, sold, I have no idea. MTV : Now that the Nikes are a reality, is that a load off? No one will be coming up to you on the street and asking why they’re not available? Gale : No! They’ll stop asking me that, but then they’ll want to know when we’re getting the hoverboards. Check out everything we’ve got on “Back to the Future Part II.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
