New York dancer gives MTV News his professional opinion on how authentic the ‘Magic Mike’ trailer is. By Jocelyn Vena Channing Tatum in “Magic Mike” Photo: Warner Bros Bachelorette parties, beefy dudes and dollar bills — oh my! It must mean that the “Magic Mike” trailer dropped. And, yes, the trailer is filled with lots of Channing Tatum goodness — read goodness as: he’s shirtless, a lot — as well as cameos from fellow hunks Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer. The trailer follows the story of Tatum’s character, Magic Mike, as he tries to balance his life as a stripper with a budding romance and his dreams of designing furniture. It seems that the Steven Soderbergh-directed flick, which opens in June, will have lots of heart and lots of laughs. Now, after watching the trailer several (hundred) times, MTV News decided to track down a real-life male stripper to rate just how authentic it really is. Here’s what we learned. The bachelorette party “The bachelorette party, the whole thing is totally legit,” New York-based dancer Steve Stanulis, who goes by the stage name Steve Savage, told MTV News about the trailer’s opening scene. “I mean, with the guys coming in as cops and the girls, like, getting all nervous. So, that’s pretty authentic. It looks pretty good.” The money “The whole thing with the singles? The funny thing is when I used to go to the bank, they’d be like ‘Oh, my god. Why do you have $500 in singles?’ ” Savage, who runs Savage Men and helped create “Stripped, The Play,” recalled of hitting the bank after a night of dancing like Magic Mike. “And that would be like the ongoing joke.” The dancing “Also, the show looks pretty good, the guys dancing and the whole shtick with each guy coming out with a different routine,” he said of several teased strip-club scenes that feature McConaughey and Tatum getting their shirtless grooves on. “They’re a little overly elaborate, with all the smoke and spinning, but again that’s not something you would really see. I mean we’re not going to see Fosse. I mean, they did a great job. All the guys look great as well. They’re totally believable as dancers.” The relationships “The whole rigmarole, as far as being in a relationship and being a stripper, 95 percent of the comments of the girlfriends or the significant others give are like, ‘When are you gonna give this up? When are you gonna get a real job?’ Or what have you,” he said of Tatum’s relationship with on-screen love, played by Cody Horn. “So, they really captured that as well, which is really funny.” The ambition “I also like the fact that he’s talking about being an entrepreneur because all these guys, well most of these guys, are not just strippers, they’re doing other things,” he explained of Tatum’s dream to make furniture for a living. The bottom line So, will Savage see the flick? “I would definitely go see it,” he said. “I would def recommend it. It looks good.” Are you excited to see “Magic Mike”? Let us know in the comments!
‘She is beautiful and she is sexy. She is hot,’ legendary filmmaker says of Lively’s performance in his summer flick, out July 6. By Josh Horowitz Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson in “Savages” Photo: Universal Pictures When Oliver Stone releases a film, you’d better sit up and take notice. Whether he’s tackling the Vietnam War (as he did in a trilogy of films: “Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Heaven & Earth”), presidential scandals (another trilogy: “JFK,” “Nixon” and “W.”) or pulpy genre violence (“Natural Born Killers,” “U-Turn”), you can be sure he’ll give an audience member something to chew on. So when Stone signs on to direct some of the hottest young actors in Hollywood (Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson) in a tale of sex, drugs and violence, yeah, we’re interested. MTV News caught up with Stone to talk about his first legitimate summer release, “Savages” (set for a July 6 release), as well his distaste for most summer popcorn films, and his upcoming gargantuan take on nothing less than the history of the United States. MTV : The release date of “Savages” was shifted quite a bit. It’s now being released in the middle of a very competitive summer. Were you happy with that decision? Oliver Stone : I’ve never done a summer movie, believe it or not. Except for “Natural Born Killers,” but that was August, late summer. This is my first time out there in the big leagues. So I’m excited in a way. MTV : Do you think “Savages” will play well for that younger summer audience? Stone : I think it plays well. I don’t know that it would play completely to the “Hunger Games” crowd because we have a different kind of sexuality and the take on violence is real for us. It’s fun and exciting. It’s a wild ride. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I think the unpredictability is what makes it work. MTV : Can you give me a sense of the relationship at the heart of the story between the characters played by Blake, Taylor and Aaron. Stone : They are all friends and they believe in free love, and they happen to be growing some grass. One of them [Johnson] is doing good around the world. The other one [Kitsch] is an Afghanistan and Iraq veteran who’s his best buddy from school; they have a partnership. The girl [Lively] is from Laguna. They met on the beach, basically. MTV : It sounds like just about every hot young actor was in the running for these roles. Stone : I met with every pot dealer I could. [ Laughs ] For the girl, I had to meet a few of the younger newcomers because I did not know who they were. I saw [Blake’s] work and I was very impressed with “[The Private Live of] Pippa Lee.” And she was very strong in “The Town.” I think people that know her from “Gossip Girl” will be surprised. She is beautiful and she is sexy. She is hot. That’s what a lot of fans would say about her. MTV : Has “Savages” received a rating yet? Stone : We got a hard R. It’s an intense movie but it’s a different style than “Natural Born Killers.” It has a lush look. It has some of that sun-drenched romanticism that I like. It’s not just action, it is also romantic. MTV : “Savages” will be surrounded by some big summer blockbusters. You’ve managed to avoid tentpole movies, though you did almost direct a “Mission: Impossible” at one point. Stone : Well, we tried to make a “Mission” at that time, which was ahead of its time in terms of the story. I looked at it as a vehicle that was supersmart. [But] they could never pick a script. With “Mission Impossible,” you have to hit these beats all the time. MTV : It sounds like it’s not a regret for you. Stone : It’s all steroids now. I mean “Iron Man 2” is unwatchable, as is “Transformers 2.” It’s not my kind of moviemaking. “Savages” is a different kind of movie. It’s realistic and at the same time it has a bit of that summer pop feel. MTV : What’s the status of your TV series, “The Untold History of the United States”? Stone : That one’s a bitch. It’s a bitch in my butt. MTV : It will begin airing on Showtime in November? Stone : Yeah, we will make that for sure, but there are so many factors and fact checking. It’s a lot of work. It’s 21 hours and each hour has to work like a movie. I’m dealing with an important issue to me. That’s a legacy for me. Something that matters. It may not matter to most people, but it does matter to me. This is a perception of our time that is completely different from what we’re hearing in magazines and in our newspapers. We deal with all types of things, such as the nature of the atomic bomb, why was it used, why it should not have been used. It’s all kinds of stuff. Reagan’s legacy, our national security state, we go after all of it. MTV : Do you narrate it? Stone : Yes, I narrate it as well. Check out Oliver Stone’s “Savages” in theaters July 6, and “The Untold History of the United States” on Showtime in November. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012 Related Photos Get Psyched For 2012’s Summer Movies!
‘We were really keen that the film should tell the story of guys and girls going through pregnancy,’ director Kirk Jones tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford in “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” Photo: Lionsgate Before MTV News’ Summer Movie Preview Week wraps up, let’s take a look at the very star-studded ensemble romantic comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” Although inspired by the very popular nonfiction book of the same name, the movie revolves around five very different couples and the hilarious highs and lows they experience during pregnancy. The cast includes the following actors as couples: Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone, Dennis Quaid and Brooklyn Decker (the joke about their age gap is in the film, don’t worry!), Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford, Cameron Diaz and Matthew Morrison, and Jennifer Lopez and Rodrigo Santoro. Plus a lot of entertaining banter from the “dudes club,” consisting of funnymen Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, Rob Heubel, Amir Talai and Joe Manganiello. And no matter what you might think about romantic comedies or movies about pregnancy, director Kirk Jones (“Everybody’s Fine,” “Nanny McPhee”) promised us there’s something for everyone in this film. “We were really keen that the film should tell the story of guys and girls going through pregnancy,” Jones told MTV News recently. “That’s what really interested me in the original script. We hoped that the final film would appeal to guys, and what’s really encouraging is that I think our final preview scored almost as high with guys as it did with girls,” he revealed. “What’s great about the guys in the movie, the ‘dudes club’ headed by Chris Rock, Tom Lennon, Rob Huebel, Rodrigo Santoro and Joe Manganiello, those guys talk openly and honestly about their worries and their fears and their experience of pregnancy.” Which, according to Jones, included the good, bad and ugly when it comes to physical and emotional changes involved with being pregnant. “If someone throws up, they’re not throwing up because it’s a cheap gag in the movie,” he said. “They’re throwing up because that’s the reality of being pregnant.” In looking at the massive cast Jones had to work with , one might assume scheduling his actors was the most difficult aspect of the shoot, but that award goes to baby wrangling, not people wrangling. “For every child we cast, we cast twins. If I was shooting three scenes, the first scene with a 3-month-old, the next a 6-month-old, the next a 9-month-old, that means I had seven sets of [each set of twins],” Jones recalled. “You do the math. I think one day we had 32 babies in 100-degree heat being kept cool with air conditioning.” Speaking of the heat, Jones and his cast and crew braved shooting in Atlanta in the middle of the summer. “I think our hottest day was 117 degrees. It was difficult for these very gorgeous women to look their best in those conditions, but every one of them were great.” Manganiello of “True Blood” fame got off a little easier than the rest of the cast because his character appears shirtless in a lot of the film, which, according to Jones, proved to be a distraction. “Joe was great. He’s got a phenomenal body and I say that as a straight guy,” he admitted. “I looked around on set and the guys were just obsessed with staring at his chest. I don’t know he does it. It looks like someone sculpted his chest.” “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” opens everywhere May 18. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Photos Get Psyched For 2012’s Summer Movies!
‘[It] is by far the most emotional of the movies,’ director Barry Sonnenfeld tells MTV News about the third film in the ‘Men in Black’ series. By Josh Wigler Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in “Men in Black 3” Photo: Columbia Pictures The Men in Black are back — but these aren’t the galaxy defenders you remember, not exactly. Yes, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones have both returned to their iconic roles of Agents J and K, two of the finest alien investigators the universe has to offer. But J is not the same bright-eyed rookie introduced oh so many years ago; he’s a seasoned veteran now. And don’t even get us started on Agent K, who has changed so much that a whole new actor is stepping in to play him in the upcoming summer action flick! Nearly a full decade has passed since the last “Men in Black” movie was in theaters. But the threequel itself has been a fixture in headlines throughout its production: Between time-traveling tales, a one-two punch from Jones and Josh Brolin, and reported problems with the film’s script, “Men in Black 3” has certainly been on every film geek’s radar. But don’t let all of that confuse you. Director Barry Sonnenfeld tells MTV News that not only is “Men in Black 3” the most “emotional” of the series, it’s also the most “surprising.” In other words, if you think you know what the film is all about, take it from the man himself: You don’t know anything yet. MTV News’ Summer Movie Preview week continues today with an interview with Sonnenfeld, who spoke openly with us about the film’s story, reports and rumors surrounding the production, and how “Men in Black 3” paves the way for a brand-new take on the sci-fi franchise. MTV : A long time has passed since we’ve seen the Men in Black on the big screen. What does it mean to you, bringing them back after so many years? Barry Sonnenfeld : It feels really great. I’ve been on the movie for a little over two years though, so I’m looking forward to some vacation, too. [ Laughs ] It was really rewarding. I’m really excited for people to see the movie. So I guess I’m tired, and happy. MTV : Why return to this universe now after all this time? What made sense to you about exploring the world of “Men in Black” again? Sonnenfeld : I think the important thing is to have a new, different story to tell. We didn’t want another regular caper where some alien just comes down to threaten Earth, and the Men in Black have to solve it. The big idea — and it was actually Will’s idea, while we were shooting “Men in Black 2” one night for an exterior shot. He said to me, “Barry, for ‘Men in Black 3,’ Agent J needs to go back in time to save Tommy Lee Jones’ [character] from some event that’s happened decades earlier. He needs to learn something about Tommy’s character that he didn’t know before.” That was the genesis. Ten years later, we’re about to come out and show the world what that meant. MTV : Time travel is clearly a big element to the story, but there’s more: we’ve seen photos of the typical weird aliens, we’ve seen Josh Brolin as a young Agent K, and we’ve seen Jemaine Clement as this crazy, motorcycle-riding villain. From a distance, we see all these parts, but perhaps we still don’t have the full scope of what your movie’s about. So, tell us: What’s happening this time around? Sonnenfeld : In the first act, Agent J is a bit fed up with how closed K is as a person, how he feels he needs to open up and communicate more, but it’s not happening. K says to J, “You know how I live such a happy life? I don’t ask questions I don’t want to know the answers to.” At the end of the first act, Jemaine’s character, Boris the Animal, breaks out of prison and finds a guy who has a time device. He says he’s going back to 1969 to do something to the man who shot off his arm — because Boris only has half an arm — and of course, that man is Agent K. At the end of that first act, Tommy’s character disappears, and no one remembers that he ever existed… except Agent J, who realizes that someone went back in time and did something to Agent K. So he has to track down who gave Boris the device, and travel back to 1969 with one warning: He has to stay away from his old partner. MTV : Which, of course, he does not listen to. Sonnenfeld : What happens, actually, is he gets arrested by Agent K — now Josh Brolin — in 1969. The second and third act is all about tracking down Boris and Will renewing his friendship with a different K than the K he knows from 40 years in the future. What’s really cool is that J is constantly wondering why this guy who seems sort of open and happy became the sort of curmudgeon that has been his partner for the last 14 years. He makes a discovery about that. So, “Men in Black 3” is by far the most emotional of the movies. It has a really surprising ending. MTV : Everyone is very excited to see Brolin as K. Can you tell us more about his take on Tommy’s character? Sonnenfeld : Yeah, what’s great about the movie is you’ve got two great actors, both Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, playing the same character and being the same character, but being 40 years different in time. So Josh’s challenge was how to not impersonate Tommy, but to be Agent K, you know what I mean? What’s really interesting is that Josh can’t veer away from Tommy so much that you go, “That’s no fun, I miss Tommy.” And he can’t be so much like Tommy that you wonder why he’s so angry in 1969. Will Smith said to me one day, “What’s so interesting about this movie is that Josh Brolin is so good playing Agent K, and Tommy is so good at playing Agent K, that you almost don’t realize there’s two different actors in the role.” MTV : You mentioned that this is the most emotional of the “Men in Black” movies. What’s interesting to me is that the villain this time around is played by someone who is traditionally viewed as a comedian. How does Jemaine’s villain factor into the emotional aspect of this film? Is he more on the comedy side, or can we expect a more dramatic performance? Sonnenfeld : Jemaine delivers a totally villainous performance. If there’s any comedy at all, it’s just through frustration. [ Laughs ] The great thing about Earth is that it can be a frustrating place for aliens. We don’t think clearly, we’re not logical all the time. But Jemaine is not on board this movie for comic relief. His performance is really strong and really villainous. Think about it: If you had not seen the first “Men in Black,” and people had told you that Tommy lee Jones was funny, you wouldn’t have believed it. This is the same thing — no one is trying to be funny. I want my actors to be real. If it’s a funny situation, I want it to be funny. But I don’t want anyone to play to the comedy. Let the audience find the comedy; I don’t want to tell any [of the cast or crew] where it is. So, Jemaine does not deliver a comedic performance. While there are moments of humor that the audience will find funny, Jemaine himself is not being funny, if you get that. MTV : There have been lots of reports about issues with the script and issues with the shoot. Set things straight: Can you give us a sense of your experience making this film? Sonnenfeld : First of all, I don’t know that I’ve ever been on a shoot that wasn’t stressful for the director. I think all movies are stressful in different ways. What was reported on this one was that we took a several-months hiatus to work on the script. As it relates to that, that concept was built into the shooting schedule. We wanted the next movie Will Smith was in after a long time where he wasn’t in movies to be “Men in Black 3.” We also wanted to shoot in New York, which had a tax incentive that was about to expire. It didn’t expire, but we didn’t know it wasn’t going to expire, because New York state legislature had to vote it in again, and we weren’t sure that was going to happen. So we started the movie with a full script and with a really great first act — but the second and third needed work. We built in a two-month hiatus so we could continue working on the script and not need an eight-week reshoot. So that’s what we did. The truth is, the great thing about the movie, is that there was no stress between myself and any of the actors. We all got along very well. You don’t ever want a director and a movie star who see two different movies. But we all were working with the same ideas in mind. We knew the characters, we knew the history, and we were very much in sync. People don’t know this, but the end and plot of the first “Men in Black” was changed after we shot the picture, months and months and months after shooting. We had cut the movie and were ready to mix it and everything. But I took one scene and got a phonetics expert to change what the two aliens were saying — they were speaking English, and we changed it to an alien language, and subtitled what they were saying. That totally changed the plot of the movie. So, we did not have to do that on this movie. We got [the story] right the first time; it just took a long time to get there. The movie is really good, and it looks great. I think it’s going to be fantastic in 3-D, too. MTV : Wrapping up, you talked about how the ending of this film is “surprising.” As much as you can tease, do you view this film as an ending to the “Men in Black” trilogy? Or are there ways to continue the story? Sonnenfeld : The fantastic thing about “Men in Black 3” is that it totally closes out the trilogy, it answers questions that you didn’t even know you should be asking, it leaves you emotionally warm and sad and happy, and it could also reboot the franchise. But I can’t even begin to tell you how to interpret all of that. [ Laughs ] But I would say this: If your interpretation is that “Men in Black 4” will only star the worm guys and Frank the pug, you are wrong. MTV : Hey, I’d pay money to see that movie! Sonnenfeld : Yeah? Well, maybe I’m wrong! [ Laughs ] Just wait. It’s going to be great. Are you excited for the next “Men in Black” movie? Tell us in the comments section below! It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012
‘Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders also discusses the ‘fiendish’ Charlize Theron for MTV News’ Summer Movie Preview Week. By Kara Warner Kristen Stewart in “Snow White and the Huntsman” Photo: Universal Pictures It’s clear from all we’ve seen from the “Snow White and the Huntsman” trailers, photos and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks that this film is a stepping stone for Kristen Stewart in many ways. When MTV News caught up with the film’s director, Rupert Sanders, recently, he explained how everyone involved in the project stepped up their game for this modern take on a medieval story. “Kristen is a very driven, visceral, intuitive actress. From a director’s point of view, it’s great to get into her headspace,” he explained. “We did a lot of work together on the script and character, and she really helped inform me how that character was feeling, which really helped my process getting the character onscreen. Kristen was doing a lot of her stunt work, she was riding horses, she was jumping from high precipices into freezing cold water, she was fighting dwarves — she’s gung-ho. Sanders said Stewart’s co-star Charlize Theron was equally gung-ho with respect to the lengths she went to take her beauty into a dark and horrible place. “[She] becomes fiendish,” Sanders said. “She was willing to get in tubs of black oil, surrounded by dead ravens, and crawl her way out. For a director, what’s great about these two actors is that they will go beyond what you ask of them, and I think it really shows in the performances they’ve given. They’re both very unlike any performance I’ve seen either of them deliver.” The first-time feature director promised that fans will not be disappointed by what they’ll see onscreen when the film opens June 1. “What I’m most proud of is that it’s not a popcorn movie in that respect. It’s big and it’s epic and there’s lots of battle sequences, but it really hits you,” he said. “There’s not a lot of weeping, but it’s a very intense ride. You’re really at the edge of people’s boundaries. There are new ways of seeing action, which I’m excited about. It’s a very modern take on a medieval film but doesn’t feel like we’re trying to do anything trendy or of the minute. It still feels practical.” It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012 Related Photos Get Psyched For 2012’s Summer Movies!
‘We wanted to do our own thing,’ filmmaker tells MTV News about his approach to the upcoming Spider-Man reboot for Sony. By Josh Wigler Andrew Garfield in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Photo: Sony Pictures Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Boy genius gets bit by a radioactive spider, gains superpowers, acts like a jerk for a while until his beloved uncle dies as a result, thereby inspiring him to start using his powers for good. A familiar tale, right? Those details — most of them at least — remain firmly in place for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the upcoming cinematic reboot of the iconic Marvel superhero. But director Marc Webb wants you to know that there’s much more to this new tale than meets the eye. Some of the differences between the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” era and the upcoming new order are very clear right off the bat: new filmmaker, new leading man in Andrew Garfield. But there are other, more subtle differences too: a tone that’s a bit more grounded in reality, a new parent-centric backstory and a little filmmaking trick you might have heard of called 3-D. All of these things and more work together to bring moviegoers a Spider-Man they’re familiar with, but one who’s more than willing to spin a few curveballs along the way. As Summer Movie Preview week continues, MTV News presents our conversation with Webb about all things “Amazing” — from his “Spider-Man” fandom and the cues he took from the Raimi/Maguire films to why Garfield was the perfect choice to play Peter Parker, and much more. MTV : Aside from having a last name in common with his weapons of choice, can you give us a sense of your Spider-Man fandom? How long have you been a fan of this character? Marc Webb : I knew it obviously from when I was a little kid. I was between comic book series, but there was the animated series that I saw, that sort of thing. But I don’t know what it is: Kids have an intuitive attraction to Spider-Man, something that exists beyond the comic books and all the different media that’s out there. There’s something so simple, symmetrical and iconic about that design that kids are just drawn to it. So I can’t say when I started becoming a fan, but I’ve always been curious. It wasn’t until I got a call from Sony that I started thinking about the character in a more intellectual way. At first, I thought it was an absurd idea, but what stayed with me and haunted me was the idea that this character is so intensely relatable: He’s a superhero who’s just a kid. He’s not a billionaire, not an alien. His normal identity is so ordinary in so many ways, and so relatable, and that’s something about Marvel that I always liked. They made the teenagers the superheroes: the X-Men and Spider-Man, whereas [teens] were just the sidekicks in DC Comics. I think it was at a time in your life when you’re starting to access these stories and mythologies that make the wish-fulfillment component much more intense. I know I have a 17-year-old boy trapped inside of me forever, and that’s something with an instant appeal. MTV : It wasn’t so long ago that there was a trilogy of popular “Spider-Man” films … Webb : What ? No ! What the f—? MTV : It’s true! [Laughs.] It’s certainly a tough act to follow. Was there anything from the Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire era that you looked to when approaching your version of “Spider-Man,” or did you want to stay away from those films and start completely fresh? Webb : We wanted to do our own thing. We wanted a different villain and a different tone. There wasn’t anything I wanted to recapture from those movies, beyond their respect for the character. I thought that was a really wonderful thing. We’re doing something different and new and risky, and I understand that. But it’s something that I’ve found very appealing. I couldn’t let the opportunity go. I have deep and abiding respect for Sam and Tobey and all those movies that were made, but we are trying to achieve something different. It’s a unique set of circumstances when you talk about Spider-Man, because he’s been around for 50 years. People talk about rebooting characters. It’s different than, say, Harry Potter, who has just a handful of books for his entire canon. There’s so much material in Spider-Man that there are so many stories to tell and so many characters. It’s more like James Bond or something like that. MTV : Judging from trailers and the few scenes that have been released online, the takeaway for me is that this is a grittier “Spider-Man” movie, a bit more dangerous than some of the more cartoony takes we’ve seen previously. But the prankster side is still in place too. There’s a clip online of Peter really toying with a guy as he’s webbing him up, so the comedy is definitely there. How did you find the right mix of comedy and darkness in this movie? Webb : I wouldn’t say we were ever after pursuing darkness. We just wanted to keep things real. I think it comes down to everything having to emerge from a real place. The reason why Spider-Man is being so playful in that moment is that as a character, he’s feeling drunk on his power. He’s having a really good time. He’s becoming a bit of a bully there. He’s not being deeply altruistic, and that’s something you’ll learn more about when you see the movie. It’s a reflection of his attitude: He puts that mask on and the shy kid is gone. He’s now this really empowered superhero. That means having fun, sometimes at other people’s expense. MTV : Andrew had that great quote the other week, of Spider-Man acting like an Internet troll in the movie. Webb : It’s totally true. You get to see and do whatever you want without any personal consequences. There’s a danger to that … but there’s a thrill to it too. MTV : I was very happy with the casting of Andrew pretty much immediately. Looking at his work in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” he struck me as a guy who could nail the comedy and the drama of the role . When you saw Andrew audition, what was it about him that stuck out to you? What made you see Peter Parker in this guy? Webb : He was both funny and earnest and he had a physical ability that I knew I could rely on. I wanted the movie to be funny, but I also wanted the movie to have real emotional depth and an emotional range. He can do that, and that’s incredibly rare: to find somebody who can be light and witty but can also communicate the real tragedy of the character vis-
‘Her story is among my favorites, because she’s not a hero,’ he says of Scarlett Johansson’s character for Summer Movie Preview Week. By Kara Warner Captain America in “Avengers” Photo: Walt Disney Studios One of the most intriguing aspects about the very highly anticipated and superhero-studded “Marvel’s The Avengers” is in wondering how much the audience will see of each individual character, as well as what the actor in question has brought to the table in portraying a new side of their respective Marvel hero in the massive film. When MTV News caught up with mastermind and director Joss Whedon recently, we asked him if any of his castmembers brought something extra to the film via their pre-production knowledge or ideas about their storied characters. “They’re all very serious, dedicated people,” Whedon said with pride. “Scarlett [Johansson] knew more about the Black Widow than I did; that was a bit of a surprise. She claims that it was all from Wikipedia, though.” Whedon said Johansson’s character arc is one of his favorites in the film, because it’s so much different from that of the other bona fide superheroes like Captain America and Iron Man. “Her story is among my favorites, because she’s not a hero. She doesn’t live in a hero’s world; she lives in a very noir/duplicitous world of being a spy, and there’s a darkness to her and her past,” he explained. “There’s also a real beauty to her relationship with Clint Barton [a.k.a. Hawkeye] that, for me, is as exciting as anything in the movie, really.” For her part, Johansson joked with us recently at the film’s premiere that because Widow isn’t a superhero, she’s happy she survived the action-packed shoot. “We all took a pretty big beating,” she said. “I would have to say either [Black] Widow or Hawkeye [get their butts kicked hardest]. We’re on the ground, so we’re fighting hand-to-hand and it hurts.” She also teased a pretty epic fight sequence with another character she couldn’t name. “All I can say is that I had to fight someone else in this film, and they beat the crap out of me in stunt rehearsals. I have to say I could not believe it,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Can you hold it back, OK? You know, I’m trying to work it out here. I’ve got smaller muscles than you,’ ” Johansson said. “I was dragged across the [floor]. When we finally finished [filming] that scene I was just happy to be alive.” It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012 Related Photos Get Psyched For Summer Movie Flicks 2012!
Stick with us for sneak peeks and inside details from the season’s biggest films. By MTV News staff Christina Ricci and Robert Pattinson in “Bel Ami” Photo: Magnolia Pictures Make way for Captain America! Look out for Snow White! Here comes Spider-Man! The 2011 summer movie season is about to begin, and with it, the return of familiar faces and the emergence of new ones. All week long during Summer Movie Preview Week, MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most-anticipated films of the coming months. Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and much more! So consider this page your summer movie cheat sheet — the place you’ll be able to check out all our exclusive content. Robert Pattinson Goes Shirtless in Exclusive “Bel Ami” Clip The clip opens in a boudoir with the mostly naked and slightly disheveled Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci) lying in bed, post-tryst, posing a question to her equally scantily clad lover, Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson). Joss Whedon Reveals His Favorite “Avengers” Character One of the most intriguing aspects about the very highly anticipated and superhero-studded “Marvel’s The Avengers” is in wondering how much the audience will see of each individual character, as well as what the actor in question has brought to the table in portraying a new side of their respective Marvel hero in the massive film. Director Joss Whedon recently kicked us the inside scoop. “Bourne Legacy” Director Introduces Us to the Newly Matt Damon-Free Franchise After seeing the first trailer, you might have thought “The Bourne Legacy” would be just another “spy with amnesia” movie. Director and co-writer Tony Gilroy wants you to know that you’re very, very wrong. Joseph Gordon-Levitt Gets Extreme in “Premium Rush” Few actors can claim to have a 2012 quite as full of big movies as Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The 31-year-old actor isn’t just reteaming with his “Inception” director, Christopher Nolan, for “The Dark Knight Rises,” but he’s also starring in one of the most talked-about releases of the year, “Looper,” and preparing his directorial debut, “Don Jon’s Addiction.” On top of all that, this summer he’ll headline “Premium Rush,” an action film about a bike messenger caught up in a conspiracy. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012
‘It’s a perfect opportunity to help people now,’ Vinny tells MTV News about his book, which chronicles the star’s battle with anxiety. By Christina Garibaldi Vinny Photo: MTV News “Jersey Shore” fans saw a different side of Vinny Guadagnino during season five, when he opened up his life-long battle with clinical anxiety and temporarily left the show . Now, he’s opening up even more in his tell-all book, “Control the Crazy: My Plan to Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool,” in stores Tuesday. The book reveals why he decided to go public with his disorder and includes tips on how to fight anxiety. Vinny talked to MTV News on Monday (April 16) about the flood of support he has received how surprised he was when he realized he had become a role model. “Every day people were like, ‘Thank you, thank you for putting light on this,’ ” Vinny told MTV News on Monday (April 16). “Cause it’s embarrassing a little bit, because it’s a fearful thing, you don’t know what the hell is happening.” Vinny said “Control the Crazy” is his way of sharing his struggles so that other people can overcome anxiety. “This has always been something I developed for myself and I always said one day I want to share this with people. I don’t know when I’m going to have the courage to come out and say like, ‘Guys, I get stressed out a lot,’ because you don’t want to admit that stuff,” Vinny said. “I didn’t have to make that decision because obviously I went through it on the ‘Jersey Shore’ and everybody saw it, so once that happened was like, ‘You know what? It’s a perfect opportunity to help people now.’ ” And Vinny is the first to admit that even though he returned to finish filming last season, his short break at home wasn’t enough time away to control his anxiety. “Those five days were nothing,” Vinny said of his time back home in Staten Island. “I was in a really bad place and five days isn’t gonna do it, especially to go back in that. I needed two months of sleep.” Yet, Vinny doesn’t regret going back to Seaside to end the summer with his “Jersey Shore” housemates. “Part of healing and going through life in general is getting through tough things,” Vinny said. “No matter how tough it was — I don’t care if it was the worst experience of my life at the time — getting through it is an accomplishment.” Vinny will be back with the rest of the “Jersey Shore” crew, including what will be a very pregnant Snooki , for season six , which begins filming this summer in Seaside. “I’m ready,” Vinny said about getting back to the boardwalk. “I just have to keep working on my program, gotta eat right, stay healthy and just have fun.” For continuing “Jersey Shore” coverage, be sure to check in with MTV’s Remote Control blog.
To kick off Summer Movie Preview Week, MTV News brings you a very intimate scene between Pattinson and Christina Ricci. By Kara Warner Christina Ricci and Robert Pattinson in “Bel Ami” Photo: Magnolia Pictures There are always a lot of movies to consider in putting together our Summer Movie Preview Week, particularly with so many star-studded superhero flicks, a “Twilight” heroine-turned-warrior princess, family-friendly fare and reliably raunchy comedies on the horizon. But in thinking about how to properly kick off the week, there is no better opener than shirtless Robert Pattinson in an exclusive clip from his upcoming steamy romance drama “Bel Ami.” The clip opens in a boudoir with the mostly naked and slightly disheveled Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci) lying in bed, post-tryst, posing a question to her equally scantily clad lover, Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson). Duroy is a self-made man of sorts, who uses his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties in 19th-century Paris, where politics and media jostle for influence and where sex is power and celebrity an obsession. “What are you reading?” de Marelle asks Duroy. “It’s a letter from my father. Every week he puts on his best suit and goes to the priest and the priest writes a letter for him,” Duroy reveals as he gets back into bed. “And every week it’s the same thing: ‘Your mother sends her blessings. [The] pigs have diarrhea, when are you getting married?’ My father’s a peasant, he’s never left his village. And he’s asking me for money.” “I’d like to see where you grew up,” says de Marelle, who appears to be a young lady of the upper class. “I’d like to see you there,” Duroy says intimately before locking lips with de Marelle. “Promise me something,” she requests. “Don’t bring your other women here.” “I don’t have other women,” he counters. “All men have other women,” de Marelle says, which Duroy refutes and the lady reacts incredulously. “Honestly?” she says. “Honestly and truly,” he answers. Despite the sweetness and sincerity captured in this particular scene, Pattinson has teased that his character gets himself involved with a variety of female paramours. More importantly, in addition to his being shirtless in a lot of scenes, there’s also a lot of his bare bottom in the film. “I think there’s a lot of my crack in it,” he laughed when describing the film to MTV news. “I think there’s quite a bit of nudity.” “Bel Ami” opens in Los Angeles, New York and select cites on June 8. The film will be available on VOD on May 4. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Photos Robert Pattinson And ‘Bel Ami’ Cast Take On Europe
