Tag Archives: sundance-film

‘Underworld: Awakening’: The Reviews Are In!

Critics aren’t too impressed with the latest entry in the series. By Kevin P. Sullivan Kate Beckinsale in “Underworld: Awakening” Photo: Columbia Pictures After taking a movie off, Kate Beckinsale slips back into her impractically tight leather unitard to battle werewolves — excuse me, Lycans — once again in “Underworld: Awakening.” The film didn’t screen in advance for critics, but some reports from midnight showings have trickled in, and the consensus is pretty bad. Some critics dismissed the film entirely, while others complained it’s just more of the same from the series. Here is our roundup of reviews for “Underworld: Awakening”: The Story “This film begins with vampiress Selene waking up after being in a cryogenically frozen state for 12 years, a convincing plot element since the 38-year-old actress doesn’t seem to have aged a day. Apparently we humans have gotten hip to the preponderance of Lycans — werewolves, to the uninitiated — and bloodsuckers in our midst and have made determined efforts to eradicate them.” — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter Kate Beckinsale “Kate Beckinsale is still in her prime as a gorgeous action starlet, and there was a lot of room for her character to experience some real development across the course of the story. Unfortunately, Selene reacts to her new circumstances with such unflinching stoicism that it’s hard to become invested in anything that’s happening. In one scene, Eve actually confronts Selene about how ‘cold’ she is, offering Beckinsale an opportunity to display some true emotion — which she does in such monotone, deadpan delivery that it is hilariously ironic (and not in a good way).” — Kofi Outlaw, Screen Rant The Outfit “Oh, and Beckinsale’s outfit. A word, please, on the outfit. Ever since the very first poster for the very first movie, which had her leathered figure looming atop a grim futuristic cityscape, these films have known which side their bread has been buttered on: They’re selling Selene’s suggestive, fanboy-friendly poses as much as they’re selling action or plot or anything else.” — Bilge Ebiri, New York The Look “The Swedish director duo of M

Lana Del Rey’s ‘SNL’ Set Defended By Andy Samberg

‘ ‘Video Games’ is a great song,’ he tells MTV News at Sundance about Del Rey’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Andy Samberg Photo: MTV News PARK CITY, Utah — The critics have not been kind to Lana Del Rey following her recent performance on “Saturday Night Live.” “Wack-a-doodle” was how Eliza Dushku described it, while actress Juliette Lewis likened the performance to “watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they’re pretending to sing and perform.” At times, it seems that just about everybody has it in for Del Rey. But “SNL” castmember Andy Samberg is not so quick to criticize. Speaking with MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival — where he’s busy promoting his romantic dramedy “Celeste and Jesse Forever” — Samberg acknowledged the outcry against Del Rey but took the opportunity to compliment her. “People gave her a lot of crap. I saw it online. BriWi,” he said when asked about Del Rey, referring to “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams’ assessment of the performance as “one of the worst outings in ‘SNL’ history.” “But ‘Video Games’ is a great song,” Samberg added. Also there to offer support was Samberg’s “Celeste and Jesse” co-star Rashida Jones, who doesn’t envy anybody who has to grace the pressure-filled “SNL” stage. “It’s a tough venue,” she said. “You’re not actually performing in front of an audience; you’re performing in front of cameras. But I didn’t see it, so I don’t know.” “Yeah, I didn’t see it either, so I can’t really speak to it,” Samberg quickly added, followed by a long pause and an uncomfortable look. (Perhaps there’s something he’s not telling us … ) Samberg and Jones aren’t the only two who have come to Del Rey’s defense. Daniel Radcliffe, who served as “SNL” host during the singer’s appearance, has already condemned the way people criticized her. “It was unfortunate that people seemed to turn on her so quickly,” Radcliffe told the British media earlier this week. “I also think people are making it about things other than the performance. … If you read what people are saying about her online, it’s all about her past and her family and stuff that’s nobody else’s business. I don’t think [the performance] warranted anywhere near that reaction. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance. Related Videos Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City MTV News Extended Play: Lana Del Rey Related Photos Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest Related Artists Lana Del Rey

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Lana Del Rey’s ‘SNL’ Set Defended By Andy Samberg

Sundance Film Festival’s 2012 Lineup Bodes Well for Skin [PICS]

The films in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival were announced this week, and speculation has begun on which pix will make the grade. Over the years Sundance has evolved from a tiny independent festival to a huge movie event, so the Sundance lineup is a great peek into what’s coming to theaters next year. This year’s lineup features some skintriguing comedies about first times and nude beginnings: True Blood and Party Down ‘s Lizzy Caplan and Community ‘s Alison Brie as sisters grappling with commitment in Save the Date , The Secret Circle ‘s Brittany Robertson as a high schooler looking to lose her virginity in The First Time , Helen Hunt as a sex therapist in The Surrogate , and Heavenly Creatures ‘ Melanie Lynskey as a 30-something divorcee with bleak prospects “until the unexpected attention of a teenage boy changes everything,” according to the official program(!), in Hello I Must be Going . Refresh your mammaries with the breakout nudes of Sundance 2011, including Elizabeth Olsen and Roxanne Mesquida , after the jump!

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Sundance Film Festival’s 2012 Lineup Bodes Well for Skin [PICS]

High School Romances and Hip Family Dramas: Sundance 2012 Competition Slates Announced

It’s nearly December which means that it is time for the Sundance Film Festival to announce their competitive programming selections. This year, the slates are varied containing two (2!) Mark Webber features, one Jonathan Kasdan teen rom-com, another Lena Dunham-penned dysfunctional NYC family drama and a number of titles that span genres and the globe.

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High School Romances and Hip Family Dramas: Sundance 2012 Competition Slates Announced

Son of No One Trailer: Could We Be Looking at the Biggest Whiff of 2011?

The NYC cop drama/thriller Son of No One set up quite a bubble for itself ahead of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival: Talented filmmaker Dito Montiel ( A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints , Fighting ) had his muse Channing Tatum spearheading a cast including Al Pacino, Juliette Binoche, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta and, going straight, Tracy Morgan, creds that helped the movie earn the festival’s prestigious closing-night spot. And then came that notorious press and industry screening, piercing the bubble and hurling Son into indie limbo. Art-house ensemble piece or genre potboiler? Misunderstood gem or biggest swing-and-miss of 2011? And while I’d never suggest judging a film by its trailer, the latest spot does prompt the necessary question asked of all marketing: Does this preview actually make you want to see Son of No One ? That’s where things get complicated.

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Son of No One Trailer: Could We Be Looking at the Biggest Whiff of 2011?

James Franco Back On Set Of ‘General Hospital’

Photo from the set shows Franco covered in blood. By Terri Schwartz Steve Burton and James Franco on the set of “General Hospital” Photo: ABC There will be blood when James Franco returns to “General Hospital” on September 20. Despite Franco’s earlier statements to the contrary , E! landed a photo of Franco on the set of the ABC daytime soap that proves that he will in fact be reprising the role of his appropriately named serial killer, Franco. It looks like things don’t end so well for Franco’s soap alter ego, based on the smear of blood on the wall behind his head and the trickle coming out of his mouth in the photo. Or there’s a chance he’ll be bringing back the creepy by again playing a dead man in one of his character’s art exhibits, considering that’s how he was introduced to the show originally. The plot thickens! Franco made his Port Charles debut in November 2009 as an artist/serial killer who becomes obsessed with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), who can also be seen in the recent photo. His plot arc lasted for 41 episodes and ended last August with the killer Franco vanishing without a trace. Six months later, Franco returned and filmed three more episodes in which his character tried to bust up a pretty big wedding. Franco is going to try to do that again in the upcoming episode, according to E!. This new appearance takes place on the eve of Jason Morgan and Samantha McCall’s wedding. Franco returns to Port Charles to wreak havoc on their lives after already trying to separate them in his first plot arc. When MTV caught up with the actor at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Franco called his relationship with “General Hospital” an “ongoing thing.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com .

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James Franco Back On Set Of ‘General Hospital’

Ryan Kwanten on Griff the Invisible and Embracing His Inner Misfit Superhero

Somehow, despite his chiseled good looks, his True Blood fame, and the glut of comic book movies in Hollywood these days, 34-year-old Ryan Kwanten hadn’t yet played a superhero until now. And the one he does play — the only one that’s interested him, he says — comes in this week’s small-scale Australian indie Griff the Invisible , in which the erstwhile Jason Stackhouse plays a mild-mannered, socially-awkward geek by day and vigilante crime fighter by night.

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Ryan Kwanten on Griff the Invisible and Embracing His Inner Misfit Superhero

Happy 75th Birthday, Robert Redford! What’s His Best Onscreen Moment?

It has been a big week for Oscar-winner birthdays. First Robert De Niro and Sean Penn celebrated their own milestones and now Robert Redford, the Santa Monica-born actor, director and founder of the Sundance Film Festival rings in his 75th year today. Click through to blow out the candles for the Oscar winner and determine which of his many brilliant onscreen roles deserves to be called his best.

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Happy 75th Birthday, Robert Redford! What’s His Best Onscreen Moment?

Elizabeth Olsen To Make her Nude Debut in Martha Marcy May Marlene [VIDEO]

Elizabeth Olsen has spent much of her life in the skinny shadow of her older sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley , even making her screen debut in their kiddie flick Our First Video . But now Elizabeth is stepping into the limelight with Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), an indie drama starring Elizabeth as a vulnerable young woman struggling to re-assimilate after fleeing an abusive cult. Martha Marcy May Marlene got rave reviews when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, with special praise heaped on Elizabeth’s slim shoulders for her performance as brainwashed babe Martha/Marcy/May/Marlene (all names given to her by the cult’s creepy leader). The cherry on top of this Olsen sister sundae is that Mr. Skin sent a scout to Sundance, and he tells us that Elizabeth gets all kinds of naked in this flick! From breasts and buns when she jumps off a pier nude, to donning a bikini on a boat surrounded by nude nymphs, to a great look at her Oslen orbs when she climbs on top of a guy during an orgy, this is shaping up to be a nude debut for the ages- though there’s little skindication in the somber trailer: Martha Marcy May Marlene hits theaters in the US on July 11- stay tuned to the Mr. Skin blog for the pics and clips from Elizabeth Olsen !

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Elizabeth Olsen To Make her Nude Debut in Martha Marcy May Marlene [VIDEO]

Tim Hetherington, Restrepo Director, Killed in Libya

Documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, a 2011 Oscar nominee who directed the acclaimed Afghanistan war film Restrepo , was killed today in Libya. The veteran correspondent was only 41 years old. Hetherington died in the Libyan city of Misurat Three photographers working in alongside him chronicling the Libyan civil conflict, were also injured. One, Chris Hondros, reportedly suffered a critical brain wound. Guy Martin, who was with Hondros and Hetherington, is said to be in “grave” condition. The British-born Hetherington found great critical success with Restrepo , which he co-directed alongside frequent journalist collaborator Sebastian Junger. The Oscar-nominated film followed American soldiers in Afghanistan’s deadly Korengal Valley, known as the deadliest valley in the war zone. The film was widely critically praised and took the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. It earned an Oscar nomination for best documentary. While details are still emerging as to exactly what happened, Reuters reported that Hetherington and his group were attacked by fatal mortar fire . “Sad news Tim Hetherington died in Misrata now when covering the front line. Chris Hondros is in a serious status,” wrote fellow photographer and close, longtime Hetherington friend Andr