If you’ve been following reports about Iron Man 3 , then you know that Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Pepper Potts dons an armored suit during the Mandarin’s helicopter attack on Tony Stark’s home. But now you can actually see her in the suit in this international TV spot for the movie. Gywnnie looks great, but I’m more interested in the Mandarin’s affectation-free “You’ll never see me coming” voiceover. Check out the clip below (via Indiewire), listen to Ben Kingsley say the line, then check out the American trailer that hit the web earlier in March and listen to Kingsley say the same line. See what I mean? The international version is much more plainspoken (and preferable, if you ask me). I’ve asked a Disney spokeswoman if a decision has been made to eliminate Kingsley’s weird dialect or if the Mandarin’s less affected voiceover is unique to one of the film’s international releases. I’ll update accordingly. More on Iron Man 3 : Iron Woman? If Pepper Potts Has A Future In Armor, She Needs To Kick Villain Ass [ Indiewire ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
I don’t know if J.J. Abrams did this intentionally, but, if he did, it’s a real Jedi Master move. I just read the interview that the filmmaker gave to Empire magazine in the U.K. in conjunction with the upcoming release of Star Trek Into Darkness , and the way he answered the inevitable Star Wars question was so loopy and inscrutable that I have to wonder if that’s his strategy for minimizing — in the nicest way possible — Episode VII talk during the STID promotional push. Empire’s cover story is on Star Trek Into Darkness , but the publication has been teasing the issue with the below excerpt, which is about Abrams’ re-boot of the Star Wars franchise (Bold faced type is reproduced from the original excerpt): Mention the name JJ Abrams and there’s one question that immediately barges all others aside: what’s the plan for Episode VII ? While he was able to approach Star Trek with a detached objectivity, how will he, as a huge Star Wars fan approach Star Wars’ bold new era? Empire put that question to the man himself when we recently sat down with him at his Bad Robot offices in LA. “I don’t know because we’re just getting started. So it’s a great question that I hope I’ll have a good answer to when I know what the answer is . There are infinitely more questions than answers right now, but to me, they’re not that dissimilar. Though I came at these both from very different places, where they both meet is a place of ‘Ooh, that’s really exciting.’ And even though I was never a Star Trek fan, I felt like there was a version of it that would make me excited, that I would think ‘that’s cool, that feels right, I actually would want to see that. “How we were going to get there, what the choices were going to be, who was going to be in it – all of those things I knew would have to be figured out, but it was all based on a foundation of this indescribable, guttural passion for something that could be. It’s a similar feeling that I have with Star Wars. I feel like I can identify a hunger for what I would want to see again and that is an incredibly exciting place to begin a project. The movies, the worlds could not be more different but that feeling that there’s something amazing here is the thing that they share.” As I read the well-spoken Abrams’ comments in the last paragraph, I half-expected Empire ‘s writer to observe that there was a giant bong shaped like Figrin D’An’s Kloo Horn in the corner of the filmmaker’s office, but I really think Abrams’ rather cosmic word choice was probably just a smart Jedi Marketing Trick. To me, it feels like Abrams used those superlatives — “incredibly exciting” and “amazing” — to connect these two iconic sci-fi franchises and, by extension, their usually rivalrous fans. Beyond that, he gives away nothing about Star Wars , except to drop the neat little morsel that Steven Spielberg “was very encouraging” and “knew all about what was going on.” It will be interesting to see whether Abrams handles future Star Wars questions with similar wondrous cosmic vagueness during the Star Trek Into Darkness promotional cycle. It’s certainly a viable alternative to declining to address them at all. More on Star Wars & Star Trek : George Lucas Says Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher & Harrison Ford Signed For ‘Episode VII’ WATCH: Bad-Ass Benedict Cumberbatch Wreaks Havoc In New ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Trailer [ Empire ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Olympus Has Fallen features an almost 30-minute assault on The White House, and producer/star Gerard Butler says the extended siege wasn’t to show off. “You’re not going to take over one of the most defended buildings in the world in 30 seconds,” he told me. “There’s a version of that, but that’s not our movie.” And with such an intense scene, where do Butler and director Antoine Fuqua stand on the current controversy over special effects houses in Hollywood feeling underappreciated? “It’s tough,” empathizes Fuqua. “The visual effects, they deserve a lot of credit because, y’know, we get to go to worlds and see things you can never ever do. So, there are extremely creative people in these houses that deserve just as much respect as everyone else. They’re a part of the team.” I also spoke to Aaron Eckhart , who co-stars as the president. Did he ever imagine that with all the smarmy characters he’s played, one of the most earnest would be a politician? “Well I like that!” Eckhart laughs. “I expect the politicians — my politicians, I’ll say — to be honest and…trustworthy and truthful…so that’s kind of what I wanted to portray in this character here.” But that doesn’t mean Olympus Has Fallen is all hugs and kisses. It’s surprisingly violent — and enacting that violence took its toll on the cast. Rick Yune, who plays the film’s villain, confesses that co-star Dylan McDermott accidentally burned Butler’s face with a cigarette. McDermott totally owns up to it, saying “Yeah, I burned his neck…then I got hit in the throat which took me down for a few minutes…we all got our battle scars!” Check out my full interviews with Butler and company below: Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Although state-of-the-art in its rendering of textures, movement and stereography, DreamWorks’ latest 3D toon, The Croods , adopts a relatively primitive approach to storytelling with its Flintstonian construction of stock, ill-fitting narrative elements. Part family adventure story, part romance and part eye-popping thrill ride, this tale of a prehistoric family seeking a new home in a dangerous and geologically volatile environment won’t have the broad appeal of DreamWorks’ Shrek and Kung Fu Panda pics, or Fox’s own B.C.-era Ice Age franchise. But it should prove a solid earner after its March 22 release in a frame relatively free of rival predators. Conceived in 2005 under the catchier title Crood Awakening , with John Cleese and trade journo-turned-agent-turned-screenwriter Kirk DeMicco ( Racing Stripes ) set to script, The Croods was intended to further DreamWorks’ collaboration with Aardman Animation ( Chicken Run , Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , Flushed Away ) before the two companies parted ways in 2006. DeMicco and animation vet Chris Sanders ( Lilo & Stitch ) share scripting and directing duties, with Cleese co-credited for the story. The main element from Crood Awakening that seems to have survived the transition to the screen is the premise of brutish cavepeople who meet a more evolved humanoid with clever ideas up his fur sleeve, like how to make fire. But instead of the original project’s quasi-Neanderthal community, the core characters here are a frightened family of six called the Croods, seemingly the last of their species after natural selection has chewed its way through their neighbors. Enjoined by patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage ) to “never not be afraid,” the Croods hunt as a pack by day and huddle in a cave by night to hide from a delightfully designed bestiary of made-up monsters, such as the self-explanatory Bear Owl and the Macawnivore, a colorful saber-toothed tiger variant roughly the size of a rhino. Grug’s wife, Ugga ( Catherine Keener ); doltish son, Thunk ( Clark Duke ); tart-tongued mother-in-law, Gran ( Cloris Leachman ); and ferociously belligerent toddler daughter, Sandy (“Release the baby!” is one of the pic’s funnier catchphrases), are all content to stick to the routine. But teenage daughter Eep ( Emma Stone ) longs for broader horizons and a literally brighter view of the world. Enter Guy ( Ryan Reynolds ), the only survivor of a family that, judging by his svelter frame, more erect posture and higher forehead, must have been a bit further up the evolutionary ladder. Although most of the Croods are impressed with Guy’s innovations, like fire and shoes, Grug wants no truck with this young hotshot who’s winning Eep’s heart, or any of his newfangled ideas. However, when it starts to look like Guy may be right about the world breaking up, they have no choice but to seek greener pastures. The main problem with the film is that the script simply isn’t very funny, and its various subplots never quite mesh satisfyingly together; apart from Grug, Eep and Guy, the other characters add little to the proceedings apart from a few feeble jokes. Yet these story deficiencies are fairly well papered over by the pacey, smoothly animated action scenes, delivered at regular intervals. Highlights include an early hunt, with a football-like egg passed from character to character, that gains much from well-timed, Wile E. Coyote-style slapstick; and a nifty escape sequence involving volcanic eruptions, sticky tar and, of all things, makeshift puppets. Younger auds will be hypnotized by the pic’s scorching color palette, particularly in the Avatar -like jungle setting, and throughout the animators have lavished loving attention on how different kinds of light (moon, sun, fire) play on the surfaces of skin, fur and landscape. Presumably, it’s in this area that ace lenser Roger Deakins lent his services as a visual consultant, as he did on DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon . Character design, however, is less adroit, although the Croods’ stocky, simplistic figures will lend themselves well enough to merchandising. Onscreen, they’re not terribly appealing, and Eep’s helmet-like hair and East German weightlifter physique make her a somewhat awkward match with the spindly Guy, even if it’s laudable for the animators to have designed a young heroine who doesn’t fit the usual Barbie-doll proportions. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
One of my favorite Sundance Film Festival movies has gotten a name change and a May 31 release date, and you should see it for a lot of reasons, the primary one being 18-year-old Moises Arias’ breakout performance. He’s the kid dancing on the pipe in this teaser trailer for The Kings of Summer — previously Toy’s House — and he had me and a lot of other audience members laughing out loud at the Park City screening I saw in January. Arias plays Biaggio, one of three kids who escape their homes and frustrating families for a makeshift house they build from scavenged materials in a secluded forest in their hometown. He’s not the star of Jordan Vogt-Roberts coming-of-age comedy — he’s actually the extremely odd classmate who invites himself along for the adventure — but he gets a lot of the best laughs. That has a lot to do with Arias’memorable face and his deer-in-the-headlights stare, which he uses to great advantage. I hope we’re going to be seeing a lot more of this kid, who’s also playing Bonzo in one of the fall’s hotly anticipated films, Gavin Hood’s adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s Hugo Award-winning science-fiction novel, Ender’s Game . Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
If you’re a Tyler Perry fan and your home could use a few conversation-starting posters on the wall, then you’ve come to the right place. Movieline is giving away one fun — and funny — prize pack to commemorate the March 29 opening of Tyler Perry’s Temptation, written and directed by Tyler Perry and featuring Kim Kardashian in the Madea role. (I kid!) All you need to do to enter is reside in the United States and write a slow-jam haiku (in the 5-7-5 form) about Kim K. It’s up to you if you want to include Kanye West or Perry or the plot of the movie. It just needs to be Barry — as in Barry White — good. Just make sure to leave it in the comments section. The deadline is Noon Pacific time on March 28, and a winner will be picked the following day. If you rise to the occasion, here’s what you’ll win: -Teaser Poster -2nd Teaser Poster -Final Poster -T-Shirt -Paper Fan -Silicone Wristband -Breath Mints (That’s not a typo) For inspiration, here’s the official synopsis for the movie and the trailer: An explosive romance about forbidden desires, TYLER PERRY’S TEMPTATION tells the provocative story of Judith, an ambitious married woman whose temptation by a handsome billionaire leads to betrayal, recklessness and forever alters the course of her life. Go to it. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
It’s the first day of spring and a perfect time to celebrate young love of the parasitic alien variety. And how do we do that? By giving away a prize pack for Open Road’s adaptation of Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer’s novel, The Host , to one budding poet out there who can capture the spirit of the movie in an original haiku. First, some inspiration: one winner will receive the following bag o’ swag: 1. The Host T-Shirt 2. The Host Buttons 3. Signed Poster 4. A copy of Meyer’s novel 5. Movie Companion with Behind-The-Scene Photos If that’s enough to turn your brown eyes an eerie shade of blue, all you need to do is reside in the United States and submit an original haiku ( using the 5-7-5 format ) inspired by the plot of The Host or an actual parasite. I’m crossing my fingers that we get at least one entry involving bedbugs. Deadline is 6 p.m. Pacific Time on March 28 . A winner will be chosen on March 29, when The Hos t opens in theaters. In the event that you’re going to completely wing it for this contest, some background follows. Good luck. The official synopsis: What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? “The Host” is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga,” worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder ( Saoirse Ronan ) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about — Jared ( Max Irons ), Ian ( Jake Abel ), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb ( William Hurt) , proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world. The trailer: Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Sneer’s to you, Joel Silver for having the foresight to re-boot John Carpenter’s wickedly fun Escape from New York and expand it, Peter Jackson -style, into a trilogy. Now you and Studio Canal just have to find a young-ish Snake Plissken who can carry three three films with the same sardonic charisma that made Kurt Russell such a joy to behold on the big screen. According to Deadline , the first of the three movies will be an origin story — perhaps one that shows how Snake got the eyepatch and how New York City became a maximum-security prison, or whatever plot twists Silver wants to throw our way since, according to the report, The Matrix producer is planning an “entirely new take” on the story. Still, Plissken is going to have to ring some familiar bells with the crowd that will be seeing it because they loved the original. And with this in mind, here are some actors who I’d like see don ere are some of actors I’d love to see take on the role of Snake Plissken: 1) Taylor Kitsch: Take a look at his performance in Oliver Stone’s Savages and the unfairly maligned John Carter and Kitsch could be the ideal choice to grow some stubble and an attitude for the crowd-pleasing thriller that Silver intends to make. Plus, if he pulls it off, the media will remember him for Escape not John Carter . 2) Jim Carrey: If you put Carrey’s is-he-funny-or-just-crazy performance from The Incredible Burt Wonderstone in a blender with his scenes as Colonel Stars and Stripes in the Kick-Ass 2 trailer, you’d get Snake Plissken. 3) Michael Shannon : Plissken would be memorably malevolent and darkly comic in Shannon’s hands. He’d also probably be the most substantial Snake of this bunch. 4) Isaiah Washington: Admittedly an unlikely choice — unless you’ve seen Blue Caprice. Washington is chilling as John Allen Muhammad, the orchestrator of the Beltway Sniper murders. The question is whether he has any comic timing. If he does, he’d be an interesting choice. 5) Ryan Gosling: An even wilder card, but Gosling does the strong, silent, wisecracking type really well. And Only God Forgives looks brutal. If Silver really does want to defy expectations, then Gosling is his man. If he can land him. Agree? Disagree? Have a better choice? Leave them in the comments section. [ Deadline ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
There is apparently no end to Lilo & Stitch creator Chris Sanders’ talents, from doing a great Nicolas Cage impression to braving the bitter cold at the NYC premiere of The Croods – with no jacket! Just how impressed was Ryan Reynolds with Sanders? “This is my first animated movie I’ve ever done, and I was doing one subsequently right afterwards and I learned so much from [the directors] that I shifted the sessions in the next animated movie to feel more like this one!” The Croods is director Chris Sanders’ second film for Dreamworks Animation, where he defected to after clashing with Disney over American Dog. ( The title became Bolt after his departure). Is he still enjoying his new home? “Every film we make we get, like, better technology — so even better!” Plus he’s already hard at work on How To Train Your Dragon 2 . But his co-writer and director, Kirk De Micco, chimed in to say there was one area where Dreamworks Animation struggled — creating digital tar! The request threw the animators for a loop. “How deep is the tar?! How sticky is the tar?! Does it stick to their clothes?!” Good thing Sanders and De Micco were there to answer their questions. Check out my full interview below: Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The Red Band trailer for Kick Ass 2 has hit the blogosphere, and it’s pretty blue thanks to the new villain’s handle that Christopher Mintz-Plasse adopts for this sequel. Red Mist is now The Mother Fucker, with a glam-rock costume that, weirdly, calls to mind Kiss and Liza Minnelli . Triple-named threats Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl) are back and all grown up, and, this time around, they’re joined on the superhero side by Jim Carrey’s lantern-jawed Colonel Stars and Stripes. and his ball-busting guard dog. Ouch. Check out MTV’s exclusive clip below and the hot poster for the film. [ MTV ] Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
