“I’ve been acting since I was 13 years old, so I love playing around with different genres of movies…It keeps my profession fresh for me,” Ethan Hawke told me on the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival . Hawke is here to make the rounds for Before Midnight , the third entry in writer/director Richard Linklater ‘ s popular indie franchise. It’s been 18 years since the actor starred opposite Julie Delpy in the first film, Before Sunrise , but Hawke still remembers that initial experience fondly. “Richard Linklater was the first person of my generation who I felt like, was, a grown-up artist.” As for Linklater, he’s happily surprised that new audiences are discovering this third entry. “It’s really cool! Young people like this one too…It really stands on its own. I would like people would see this and then go back and see the others. It moves you in a different way.” Check out my full interview below: More on Before Midnight : TRIBECA: ‘Before Midnight’ − Richard Linklater Hints That A Fourth Film Could Happen Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
After Midnight , anyone? The Richard Linklater -directed Before Midnight doesn’t premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival until 6 pm. on Monday, but an hour before curtain time the filmmaker hinted that a fourth film in a sequence that began with Before Sunrise in 1995 and Before Sunset in 2004, was not out of the question. Linklater joined the co-stars of the latest installment of his realistic romance, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy , at the Tribeca Talks Directors series , and one of the final questions asked of the director was whether the third film was intended to tie up the romance between the American Jesse (Hawke) and the French Céline (Delpy) 18 years after they met on a train traveling to Vienna. In the third film, Jesse and Celine are not just together they have two daughters in tow as they vacation and bicker in romantic Greece. Watch the trailer and then I’ll get to Linklater’s response: Ode to a Grecian Yearn Linklater answered the festival goer’s question by responding that Before Midnight was about capturing “that moment” in Céline and Jesse’s lives. “It wasn’t a summation. It’s definitely not a final vibe,” he said, before adding his own twist on a spoiler: “They’re both still alive at the end of the movie…There might be another one. Who knows?” But, he concluded that he and his cast didn’t have to think about it for at least another five years or so. This could be good news for fans of the film series, which has a die-hard following thanks to its warts-and-all approach to romance and relationships. If the film is as good as the early buzz indicates, the sequel could be inevitable and not take nine years to come out. Oddly enough, although a nine-year time span separates the first and second and then the second and third movies, Linklater told festival goers that Before Midnight was scheduled to shoot this coming summer but production was moved up when the three collaborators realized that they each had openings in their schedules last summer. The symmetrical nine-year space between the movies “was kind of a coincidence,” Linklater said. WATCH: ‘Before Midnight’ Trailer − Ethan Hawke Calls Julie Delpy The ‘Mayor Of Crazy Town’ Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in New Zealand last week may have caught the attention of an entire nation and a good chunk of the world’s press, but the 166 minute feature’s New York premiere nevertheless turned into a lively event Friday night at the Ziegfeld Theater in Midtown. Peter Jackson , fittingly, kicked off the festivities introducing much of the cast, including Sir Ian McKellen (in fact there were a lot of “Sirs” Thursday night including Jackson himself), Martin Freeman , Elijah Wood , Andy Serkis and many of the dwarfs. [ Related: ‘Hobbit’ Fans Complain Of Dizziness & Nausea ] “It’s so exciting. Tonight was great because the Ziegfeld Theatre is where The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers opened,” Serkis told ML at the after-party at Guastavino’s, a venue beneath the Queensboro Bridge Thursday night. “It was the first time I realized that Gollum had worked as a concept and a characterization. I literally felt the audience sat forward in their seats. And I loved watching it tonight because I’m relaxed enough to watch it since I’ve seen it two times.” Not surprisingly, the movie is packed full of action, wizardry, surrealism, battles and amazing imagery. Serkis said that one time may not be enough for many fans since there “is too much to take in,” but Lord of the Rings adherents should be pleased. [ Related: ‘The Hobbit’ 3-D Early Review: Back Again, But Not Quite There ] The Hobbit also gave Serkis an opportunity to look at his character Gollum anew since the latest trio of films, set before The Lord of the Rings , gave Serkis the chance to re-introduce the Hobbit. “I have to really forget a lot of The Lord of the Rings because during that time, Gollum is driven by revenge because he’s crazed and depleted with the ring being away from him so physically he’s more wrecked,” said Serkis. “This is 60 years before and of course he doesn’t know he’s lost the ring…I’ve seen so many impersonations of Gollum that I’ve had to grab hold of him and make him mine again.” [ Related: ‘The Hobbit’ At 48 FPS: A High Frame Rate Fiasco? ] Serkis chatted with party-goers in the cavernous venue. Non- Hobbit invitees included Ben Affleck, Patrick Stewart and Terry O’Quinn, and Hobbit -inspired imagery was kept to a minimum save for the feast of food and drink that would satisfy many a dwarf. Given the recent media attention, it’s not surprising the 48 frames per second issue arose during casual chatter at the post-screening event, though an unscientific poll by people ML ran into gave the experience a thumbs up. Serkis spoke well of the visuals saying the effects combined with 3-D brought on an “immersive experience” that combined live action footage with the film’s expansive tech-generated material. “The trolls, the goblin king, Gollum, they all feel like they’re living in the same time frame and space as the live-action characters and you can’t deny that those two beings are in the same space and there’s something about 24 frames that draws a veil between the two worlds.” Watch the 13-minute The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey featurette below: Watch the video on YouTube. [ Top Image: Hobbit filmmakers and cast at the Ziegfeld in New York, credit: Getty Images ]
We at Movieline HQ were quick to cheer when Matthew McConaughey was named Best Supporting Actor by the New York Film Critics Circle for his work in Magic Mike and Bernie . After busying himself with forgettable rom-coms, the uncannily likable Texan has been on a tear, choosing unique projects in which he can strut his unique and undeniable talents. For the first time in his career, he is a genuine contender for an Oscar nomination. Movieline spoke to the man from the set of Dallas Buyers Club (the film that required him to drop tons of weight, so if the noms don’t come this year, he’ll be primed for 2014) about awards campaigns, how he’s perceived by fans, some of his classic lines and some possible film sequels. Normally we’d take laser focus in pruning our interviews, but with a guy as wonderfully laid back as McConaughey (who announces himself on the phone as “McConaughey”) you’d be a fool to ignore all the “man”s. Before we get to this terrific year, I should let you know I’m on the road and actually in your hometown of Austin and, no joke, in the shadow of a Moon Tower . Where it all began! Great shadow to be in, man. In Texas, that’s the place to be to hang out with your buds and get on a buzz. You gotta get rural on it. Okay, since we’re talking about Dazed and Confused , I mean, you’ve embraced that role — you named your company after a line from it, right? Yeah! On the football field when Randall “Pink” Floyd is deciding whether to play football or take a drug test and I say “you gotta just keep living.” That was my first film, and a week into it my father passed away. I was dealing with my Dad’s death, man. I was trying to figure out how to keep my spiritual relationship with my father. The line came to me. I didn’t make it up, but it really helped me deal with the grieving period. When we got into the scene it just came out. From that day on I kept “just keep living” and applied it — because you can apply it to anything! It’s a choice. Which choice has the most residuals? Which choice has the most delayed gratification? It’s the “just keep living” choice. It works down the road — it works for deciding what you are gonna’ have for a meal or how you are gonna’ treat yourself or how you’re gonna’ treat your woman. So I named my company that, and a record company and bumper stickers – I basically branded it on most things I have. It’s clear to me that you are too cool to give a shit about awards. [Laughs] I love it. You can’t measure art, it’s silly, but… Okay, I’m glad you are going with the “but,” because if there is such a thing as being too cool to give a shit about an award like [the New York Film Critics Circle] then I’m not nearly as cool as you think. It’s very exciting. Any artist wants to create something that translates, resonates and has a long shelf life. Something people will see, get entertainment from. We were talking about Dazed and Confused , the greatest compliment I get is when people come to me and say, “I know that guy, man! I know him!” He’s a character that lives on. People say, “I knew him, his name was Kelly Hernsberg!” So, with Dallas from Magic Mike and also Bernie and Killer Joe , these are characters that, if I can share them in a way that people recognize them and they stick — that is very exciting to me. Now, look: as far as awards for art goes, with a hundred yard dash, there’s a clear winner and there’s second and third. It’s a science. It’s not a science when you are judging art but we’d be remiss to say you can’t look at something and say this is more well done than that. I think we have the right, if you are equipped to do so and you are being honest, to judge things, and in that respect I am very honored about getting an award. So you are ready to dive in, then, and start shaking hands and going into campaign mode with the goal of an Oscar nomination for Magic Mike ? [whistles.] Well, this is brand new for me, I’ll tell ya that. I asked myself that question when this was proposed to me just a few weeks ago. My publicist said, look, you are getting some attention for Magic Mike and Warner Bros. is ready to roll a campaign. Do you want to support it, too? And I’m working right now and I think “jeez, how’m I gonna’ do that?” But this is one of those “j.k. living” questions. Engage or not engage? And I’m for engaging in some form of everything. Yes. I love the film. I love the character. I loved the process of making it. Yes. I’d love to go talk about it. I’d much rather talk about acting in the role rather than selling the movie, you know what I mean? The movie was already a hit, now you can celebrate it. Exactly. It’s a hell of a lot more fun than sitting at the junket and answering questions about the wardrobe or how it was to kiss so-and-so in a movie, right? The hard part is the compartmentalization. I’ve got the films going and I’ve got a family going, but I’m not afraid to engage. This movie I’m doing now is extreme, but we found a spot to talk. You and I were going to talk the other day, we couldn’t fit it in, so I’m talking to you now, but if we didn’t talk now, I wouldn’t be in the right space to talk after starting the day, so we worked on it and got a time. I can talk with you in the morning, then I can shut that door and get back to the role, you know? This is turning into a very meta conversation. I love that, man, meta dialogue. People say don’t talk to yourself, well bullshit. I talk to myself all the time. Just make sure you answer. There was some chatter about a Magic Mike sequel. Would you be on board if your character was fit in? You said it. If there’s integrity in the script for the character, then yes. I’d love to put those leathers on again. If it’s written well, absolutely. Have there been other films you’ve done you wish there was a sequel for? Dazed and Confused: Where Are They Now? . Rick [Linklater] and I have talked about it. It’s really fun to talk to Rick and think what Wooderson would be doing now. Nothing’s solidified, but it is fun to think about. I say he’s got a couple of kids and he’s a local DJ. The midnight to six DJ. With a couple of kids at home, probably twins. Why twins? I dunno. But he’s got twins and a wife and he’s THE SAME GUY. Rick is not afraid to do a sequel when no one expects it. He’s got the next Before Sunrise at Sundance this year. I know it. He snuck off and did it, man. One day I was talking to him and the next day I called him and he was gone. I don’t hear from him for three months he calls back, “what’s up?” I say, “hey, man, where’ve you been?” and he says he was in Greece shooting. That’s how Rick rolls. But listen, the Dazed and Confused characters are very sacred, it’s gotta’ be done right. You are aware that if you mention the name Matthew McConaughey to many people and the first thing out of their mouths will be “all right, all right, all right,” right? “All right, all right, all right.” You know the story about that, right? It’s classic. I go to the set for a wardrobe test, I’m not supposed to work that night. I wasn’t written in the script, but Rick wonders if Wooderson might be riding around trying to pick up chicks this night. So I get in the car — this is my first scene ever on film — and I’m nervous. So I’m saying to myself “who is my man? who is my man?” I had been listening to a live album by The Doors and between songs he would bark at the crowd “all right! all right! all right! all right!” Four times. So right before Rick calls action I’m thinking, “Who is my man? What am I about?” And I realize Wooderson is about weed, women, his car and music. Now I figure I’m high, I’m in my ’70s Chevelle, and I’m rockin’ out to Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold.” And there’s the woman I’m gonna go get. So I hear action, and I say “all right, all right, all right.” Basically — I got three out of four, and now I’m gonna get the fourth! And that was the first thing I ever said on film. Follow Jordan Hoffman on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The actor and his collaborators Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater could be coming back: “Well, I don’t know what we’re going to do but I know the three of us have been talking a lot in the last six months. All of three of us have been having similar feelings that we’re ready to revisit those characters. There’s nine years between the first two movies and, if we made the film next summer, it would be nine years again so we’re really started thinking that would be a good thing to do. We’re going to try write it this year.” Hmm. Twilight ? [ Allocine via The Playlist ]
Posted onDecember 10, 2010by|Comments Off on In Honor of the Machete Controversy: 5 Movies that Make Texas Look Good
Apparently, the Texas Film Commission has denied tax incentives to Robert Rodriguez’s Machete , citing a state code that bars incentives for films that contain “…content that portrays Texas or Texans in a negative fashion.” They didn’t cite any examples, but Robert De Niro’s corrupt Texas politician who murders illegal immigrants probably could have been construed this way. That said, it seems like most movies set in Texas don’t do the lone star state many favors. I mean, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre damages the reputation of their BBQ ! But for the sake of positivity (and because there are too many of the negative Texas movies to list), let’s take a look at five films that might have actually helped state tourism.
Also in this morning’s Hollywood Ink: Cillian Murphy wakes up to find another movie… Tony Scott makes a decision… a Green Lantern sequel is en route… and more.
