The trailer opens with a gender-bending Alan Cumming meeting a guy at a cabaret, but the frivolity appears to end there. After the pair get together with his closeted lawyer partner, Cumming’s Rudy befriends a developmentally disabled adolescent who is being neglected by his mother. The story goes from there in what turns out to be a fight for civil rights and the welfare of a child. Director Travis Fine’s Any Day Now won Audience Awards at the Chicago, Provincetown, Tribeca and Woodstock film festivals in addition to other wins in Seattle and Outfest. Official Log-line: Inspired by a true story and touching on legal and social issues that are more relevant now than ever, Any Day Now tells a story of love, acceptance, and creating your own family. In the late 1970s, when Marco (Isaac Leyva), a teenager with down syndrome who’s been abandoned by his mother, is taken in by committed couple Rudy (Alan Cumming) and Paul (Garret Dillahunt), he finds in them the family he’s never had. However, when their unconventional living arrangement is discovered by the authorities, Rudy and Paul must fight a biased legal system to adopt the child they have come to love as their own. Music Box Films will release Any Day Now in theaters December 14th. Watch the video on YouTube
Screams of elation, excitement — and at one point pure, unadulterated horror — echoed down through the rafters at the Nokia Theater last night as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II premiered to crowd of well-heeled industry guests and legions of Twi-hards, all craning for a glimpse of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson , who were in attendance alongside dozens of their Twilight co-stars. Hollywood suits and fans alike seemed taken with the action-packed Twilight finale, which concludes the billion-dollar film franchise with a polished touch, new faces, a welcome dash of humor, and more than a few fan service moments dedicated to Bella and Edward’s bloodsucking marital bliss. And, proving that Twilight is a universal phenomenon, the premiere drew famous faces as varied as they come: Stevie Nicks , who compared Twilight to Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre on the red carpet; Terrell Owens, spotted taking pictures with a Breaking Dawn vampire at the after party; Jaleel White, the erstwhile Steve Urkel; and even Weird Al Yankovic. Weird Al! Who’d have guessed he was a Twilight fan? PHOTO GALLERY: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson & More Hit The ‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’ Premiere Breaking Dawn Part II picks up shortly after the gory events of Breaking Dawn Part I , in which franchise heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), newly wed, gave birth to her half human, half vampire daughter Renesmee. Or, rather: When baby Renesmee clawed her way out of the womb leaving Bella dying, and fast. Enter vampirism: Painful, permanent, but too convenient to turn down in a pinch. The new film opens with Bella’s rebirth as she awakens to undead life with new strength and beauty, a thirst for blood, and a hyperactive sex drive for making eternal love with Edward (Robert Pattinson). And Bella’s not alone; along with her resurrection, the franchise comes alive with renewed energy and a much-needed sense of humor, not to mention – gasp! – changes from the book that lend Breaking Dawn a cinematic drama lacking in Meyer’s final novel. Director Bill Condon, who helmed Breaking Dawn Part I and shot the two final installments concurrently, delivers the ultimate Twilight farewell for fans of Stephenie Meyer’s books and the film adaptation they spawned. Together with series screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and Meyer herself, a guiding presence on set and in the scripting process, Condon gives the Twilight faithful all the must-see moments they want — and a few they didn’t know they needed. PHOTO GALLERY: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson & More Hit The ‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’ Premiere Suffice to say, in the service of satisfying the fans Condon and Co. have included plenty of canoodling opportunities for Bella and Edward, who are finally sexual equals now that vampire life has balanced out their 100-year age difference. If you thought Breaking Dawn Part I ‘s PG butter-colored honeymoon sex was thrilling, just wait until Bella, powered by a diet of mountain lion blood, shoves Edward onto their bridal bed and becomes entangled in a blur of abstractly unidentifiable arms and thighs and sighs until her brain explodes in orgasmic, butter-colored bliss. Scream level: 8, on a scale of 1 to 10 . And despite being saddled with the trickiest plot development of the film, maybe even the series ( Imprinting: Totally not weird, right? ), Taylor Lautner shows off his comic timing, and his six-pack, both of which he’s clearly been working on these past few films. I dare say Condon pushes the envelope a bit where Lautner is concerned; in one scene the camera leers just so at Lautner’s crotch that the entire audience gets to second base with him just by looking. Scream level: 9 . But where Rosenberg, Meyer, and Condon show they really know their fan base is in the film’s biggest departure from the book. Without spoiling it, I’ll just describe what it sounded like in the theater: Gasps and screams escaped from the fan contingent, crescendoed, and sustained for a good ten minute span. The feeling was contagious, creating a wave of invisible, palpable energy cascading from the balcony to the screen. Scream level: 11 . PHOTO GALLERY: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson & More Hit The ‘Breaking Dawn Part 2’ Premiere At the after party guests danced under the Forks High prom lights, sat in Bella’s red truck, and posed for photos in Bella and Edward’s meadow. Locations from the entire series were replicated in every corner, from the Volturi chambers to the Quileute forests to the flower-lined awning under which Bella and Edward were wed. Bella’s wedding dress stood underneath a giant hanging moon while servers dressed as Volturi brought around canapes; outside, live wolves roamed a cage on display. It was a Twilight fan’s dream, so thoroughly detailed that you wonder how long it’ll take Summit to figure out how to create a Harry Potter -styled Twilight attraction where fans can wander scenes from the films and imagine themselves in Forks, Washington, and keep the screams — and cash — rolling in for years to come. GET MORE TWILIGHT: Taylor Lautner On Jacob And Renesmee’s ‘Breaking Dawn’ May-December Relationship: ‘I Was Worried About It’ Are Breaking Dawn Fans In For ‘Big Shock’ Ending? Breaking Dawn First Images: Bella and Edward Welcome Renesmee, Lautner Insists Imprinting Not Creepy Read up on all things Twilight: Breaking Dawn ! 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Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and the rest of the ‘Twilight’ cast went all out at the afterparty. By Kara Warner Bill Condon, Clare Pattinson and Robert Pattinson attend the “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” world premiere afterparty Photo: Getty Images
‘Twilight’ star asks ‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie if it is ‘in your contract’ to ask if he and KStew are back together. By Christina Garibaldi Robert Pattinson on “Today” Photo: NBC
AFI Fest has been underway for nearly a week with a mixture of Galas, free screenings and other events, but last night it slowed its heavy rotation of movies and activities to watch returns in what can be best described as a mostly liberal party at the festival’s Cinema Lounge at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Shouts, applause and flailing victory high-fives mounted as returns came in on a big screen first tuned to CNN, but then changed to NBC when the news network seemed to be behind in their projections. Outside the hotel, a lone anti-Obama protestor made his passions against gay marriage, “that Muslim Obama ” and liberals in general as festival-goers headed in for the mostly open party. Inside, the political equation, perhaps not surprisingly, leaned left though there were noticeably mostly quiet individuals politely sitting with long faces as Obama’s victory seemed assured. Instead of trying to compete with what was a big night in the making, the festival decided to capitalize on it and turn it into a big event, complete with mostly open bar, sliders, pigs in a blanket, desserts and other treats. “When we set our dates last year, we knew the election would fall during the festival and we’re not going to try and compete with the election,” AFI Fest Director Jacqueline Lyanga told ML Tuesday night at the Roosevelt. “We’re all movie lovers, but at the same time, we’re all passionate citizens and so we wanted to find a way that people can come to the festival and see movies, but still be a part of the process. So we wanted to encourage people to get out to vote, so we didn’t have as packed of a film schedule today – we screened far fewer films today.” In keeping with the festival’s mostly egalitarian approach – for the fourth year running, all festival screenings are free – anyone including patrons on down to free ticket holders were invited into the evening to watch the returns and enjoying sponsored free of charge food and drink. The event last night appeared to be a hit and the final victory sent most people into a group cheer. A group of filmmakers and festival organizers from Ohio, which gave Obama the final win, were especially elated. “We invited in pass holders but also anyone who has a ticket from a movie from this week,” said Lyanga. “It’s great because it brings together filmmakers, pass holders, our patrons and the free ticket holders and celebrate the electoral process together. But while we’re here talking about politics, I’m also getting into conversations about cinema and getting to know our audience in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.” Lyanga plugged this year’s event saying attendance has been strong across the board. The event opened last week with Hitchcock and the festival has played host to a wide-range of Galas including On the Road from Walter Salles, Olivier Assayas’ Something in the Air , Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone and more. It will close out Thursday night with the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln . And while the big Grauman’s Chinese premieres have, as might be expected, drawn crowds and gawkers, smaller more challenging content have also been well attended, no doubt encouraged by the free ticketing. “For Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta we had to turn people away,” noted Lyanga “As a programmer, that’s extraordinary to see people be as excited as you’ve been about them for the past eight or nine months. We’re really building an audience of cinephiles. It’s a blending of older fans and newer younger fans.” Continuing, Lyanga added: “I think New York has always been a city that has had a vibrant art house audience and it’s great to now see that L.A. also has that. It encourages more filmmakers and distributors to take a chance on LA. It’s still a tough market, but this festival has given encouragement to the art house in Los Angeles.”
AFI Fest has been underway for nearly a week with a mixture of Galas, free screenings and other events, but last night it slowed its heavy rotation of movies and activities to watch returns in what can be best described as a mostly liberal party at the festival’s Cinema Lounge at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Shouts, applause and flailing victory high-fives mounted as returns came in on a big screen first tuned to CNN, but then changed to NBC when the news network seemed to be behind in their projections. Outside the hotel, a lone anti-Obama protestor made his passions against gay marriage, “that Muslim Obama ” and liberals in general as festival-goers headed in for the mostly open party. Inside, the political equation, perhaps not surprisingly, leaned left though there were noticeably mostly quiet individuals politely sitting with long faces as Obama’s victory seemed assured. Instead of trying to compete with what was a big night in the making, the festival decided to capitalize on it and turn it into a big event, complete with mostly open bar, sliders, pigs in a blanket, desserts and other treats. “When we set our dates last year, we knew the election would fall during the festival and we’re not going to try and compete with the election,” AFI Fest Director Jacqueline Lyanga told ML Tuesday night at the Roosevelt. “We’re all movie lovers, but at the same time, we’re all passionate citizens and so we wanted to find a way that people can come to the festival and see movies, but still be a part of the process. So we wanted to encourage people to get out to vote, so we didn’t have as packed of a film schedule today – we screened far fewer films today.” In keeping with the festival’s mostly egalitarian approach – for the fourth year running, all festival screenings are free – anyone including patrons on down to free ticket holders were invited into the evening to watch the returns and enjoying sponsored free of charge food and drink. The event last night appeared to be a hit and the final victory sent most people into a group cheer. A group of filmmakers and festival organizers from Ohio, which gave Obama the final win, were especially elated. “We invited in pass holders but also anyone who has a ticket from a movie from this week,” said Lyanga. “It’s great because it brings together filmmakers, pass holders, our patrons and the free ticket holders and celebrate the electoral process together. But while we’re here talking about politics, I’m also getting into conversations about cinema and getting to know our audience in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.” Lyanga plugged this year’s event saying attendance has been strong across the board. The event opened last week with Hitchcock and the festival has played host to a wide-range of Galas including On the Road from Walter Salles, Olivier Assayas’ Something in the Air , Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone and more. It will close out Thursday night with the premiere of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln . And while the big Grauman’s Chinese premieres have, as might be expected, drawn crowds and gawkers, smaller more challenging content have also been well attended, no doubt encouraged by the free ticketing. “For Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta we had to turn people away,” noted Lyanga “As a programmer, that’s extraordinary to see people be as excited as you’ve been about them for the past eight or nine months. We’re really building an audience of cinephiles. It’s a blending of older fans and newer younger fans.” Continuing, Lyanga added: “I think New York has always been a city that has had a vibrant art house audience and it’s great to now see that L.A. also has that. It encourages more filmmakers and distributors to take a chance on LA. It’s still a tough market, but this festival has given encouragement to the art house in Los Angeles.”
As Bella Swan goes, so goes Kristen Stewart . The Twilight saga star appeared on Today on Wednesday to talk a bit about her evolution from passive heroine to ass-kicking vampire in Breaking Dawn – Part 2 , and ended the interview with a quote which suggests that, like Bella, Stewart has learned to be more of a bad-ass when it comes to her fans’ and the media’s prying into her personal life. Stewart looks typically uncomfortable self in the clip below, and awfully tired. When the Today cameras first zoomed in on her, I thought the dark circle beneath her right eye looked like a shiner. But what made an even bigger impression was the way in which the actress handled the inevitable question about her off-screen relationship with Robert Pattinson . Keep in mind that, in the clip. Stewart is facing three interviewers by her lonesome: Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales. That’s not easy, though four people took part in Stewart’s 2009 Today interview for Eclipse . Guthrie gets the RPatz question in just as the Today theme music begins signaling that the interview segment is ending. “Kristen, you have so many fans, and they will be mad at us for not asking,” she says before asking if Stewart and Pattinson are back together. Watch Stewart’s face as she processes the question. She flashes a split-second expression of annoyance before responding with an answer that would probably meet the new Bella’s approval: “Funny you mention that,” Stewart replied in a deliciously deadpan manner before putting a nice sharp stake in heart of the off-screen romance story. “I’m just going to let people watch whatever little movie they think our lives are and go for it. Keep them guessing, I always say.” A little mystery goes a long way. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
As Bella Swan goes, so goes Kristen Stewart . The Twilight saga star appeared on Today on Wednesday to talk a bit about her evolution from passive heroine to ass-kicking vampire in Breaking Dawn – Part 2 , and ended the interview with a quote which suggests that, like Bella, Stewart has learned to be more of a bad-ass when it comes to her fans’ and the media’s prying into her personal life. Stewart looks typically uncomfortable self in the clip below, and awfully tired. When the Today cameras first zoomed in on her, I thought the dark circle beneath her right eye looked like a shiner. But what made an even bigger impression was the way in which the actress handled the inevitable question about her off-screen relationship with Robert Pattinson . Keep in mind that, in the clip. Stewart is facing three interviewers by her lonesome: Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales. That’s not easy, though four people took part in Stewart’s 2009 Today interview for Eclipse . Guthrie gets the RPatz question in just as the Today theme music begins signaling that the interview segment is ending. “Kristen, you have so many fans, and they will be mad at us for not asking,” she says before asking if Stewart and Pattinson are back together. Watch Stewart’s face as she processes the question. She flashes a split-second expression of annoyance before responding with an answer that would probably meet the new Bella’s approval: “Funny you mention that,” Stewart replied in a deliciously deadpan manner before putting a nice sharp stake in heart of the off-screen romance story. “I’m just going to let people watch whatever little movie they think our lives are and go for it. Keep them guessing, I always say.” A little mystery goes a long way. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Get ready for more Star Wars , and possibly further incarnations of your favorite George Lucas properties: The Walt Disney Company is buying LucasFilm for $4.05 billion, with plans to release Star Wars: Episode 7 in 2015. Great idea, or ” Nooooooo! ” worthy? Weigh in, Movieliners! [UPDATE: Disney head Bob Iger says Disney’s planning Star Wars 8 and 9 to follow.] Disney CEO Bob Iger discussed the deal in a press release: “Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas. This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars , one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.” Lucas addressed the sale and what it means for the Star Wars franchise, which will continue under Disney in 2015: “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.” I can’t imagine classic Star Wars fans are excited about the prospect of the franchise chugging along without its guiding creator, but then who among us would take a bullet for the last trilogy? We all knew it was too big not to continue along in countless spin-offs and sequels and various other merchandising opportunities, so handing the reins to fresh voices while Lucas goes off and makes his smaller personal projects could work out just fine. [UPDATE: According to Iger, Disney’s LucasFilm deal includes Star Wars 8 and Star Wars 9 to follow the 2015 debut of Star Wars 7 , along with plans to incorporate the Star Wars brand into Disney’s theme parks.] The sale, however, also opens the door for Disney to potentially revive Lucas’s other Lucasfilm properties. I’m not talking Indiana Jones here. Is the world ready for Howard the Duck 2.0 ? (I’m not even sure if that’s a possibility, just trying to prepare you for the inevitable Lucasfilm catalog cash-grabs.) The Disney-Lucasfilm merge also calls to mind the first great collaboration between a (current) Disney entity and Lucas’s world: Namely, the Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show . ” It seems we’ve landed on some sort of… comedy-variety show planet .” More of this, I can get behind. [via press release]
Robert Pattinson ‘s likeness has caused a tizzy among adherents, with many crying foul. Madame Tussauds unveiled the Twilight star’s wax figure this week in England and his synthetic apparition hasn’t exactly gone down with some fans who say the full-body R-Patz doesn’t resemble the real-life actor. The suited up waxed Robert Pattinson took four months and $240,000 to make. Pricey for sure, but that’s barely 1% of the $25 million the living, breathing, British passport-holding Pattinson reportedly made for his Twilight finale, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 . Nevertheless, the eternal Pattinson did bring fans out of the – uh – wood-work when it had its official unveiling in the U.K. resort town of Blackpool where it will be staying until the end of November. Madame Tussauds had to hire extra security to protect the statue as hundreds of fans queued up to see it. Many were disappointed though by the likeness. A recent vote by a fan site had a 65% thumbs down on the Wax-Patz. Still, it should be a top draw. It will be making a worldwide tour after its Blackpool debut. And what do you think? [ Source: Examiner.com ]
