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'No Strings Attached' Stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher on Snuggling and Being Freaky

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jan 20th 2011 1:45PM
Filed under: Celebrity Interviews, Coming Soon

Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Portman is known for dramatic roles, like her intense, Golden Globe-winning turn as a prima ballerina in 'Black Swan.'

But as seen in 'No Strings Attached,' out this Friday, the talented beauty also knows how to play it up for laughs. In Ivan Reitman's comedy, Portman is Emma, a doctor looking for sex (and nothing else) from pal Adam (Ashton Kutcher).

It's a role that required her to really let loose in more than just a couple scenes. Not that she found it hard to let her freak flag fly. "I'm pretty freaky," she laughs. "Making a fool of yourself, for me, is relatively easy. Natural, I would say."
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'Eat Pray Love': How Does the Movie Compare to the Book?

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Aug 13th 2010 10:00AM
Filed under: Features, Summer Movies


MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. If there was ever material that seems primed for a big-screen release, it's 'Eat Pray Love.' Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling 2006 memoir about her year-long journey to find herself after a divorce has sold 6.2 million copies worldwide, holding millions of readers (and Oprah) rapt with its themes of redemption and letting go. Not to mention that her lush and colorful travels to Italy, India and Indonesia seemed born ready for their cinematic close up.

Ryan Murphy ('Glee') has taken helm of the big-screen adaptation, which hits theaters on Friday, with Julia Roberts inhabiting the role of broken down world traveler Liz Gilbert, and Javier Bardem, James Franco and Richard Jenkins making appearances as supporting players.

Of course, it's hard to squeeze in an entire year's worth of travels and self-realization into 334 paperback pages, much less a 133-minute film, which resulted in some discrepancies between the book and its movie counterpart. Some key players were bound to get lost (sorry, Indonesian pals Mario and Yudhi, and that poet/plumber from New Zealand!); some details muddied (they were at a Lazio soccer game in the book, but the movie was definitely sporting Roma colors). Others elements were added altogether (elephant on the loose).

Will avid readers of this bestseller be as enraptured by the movie as they were with the book? Here are some side-by-side comparisons as to how the two stack up. Though take caution, gentle reader: SPOILERS AHEAD.
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Nia Vardalos to Celebrate 'Mother's Day' on the Big Screen

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jul 16th 2010 11:30AM
Filed under: Movie News
She's had her big fat Greek wedding, and now, she's going to reap the rewards of Mother's Day. Variety is reporting that Walden Media has recruited Nia Vardalos to both write and star in the ensemble comedy 'Happy Mother's Day.'

The comedy follows four suburban moms who take a road trip to celebrate that special May day. "It's about the pressure of doing it all," explained Vardalos, who will play one of the four leads. "Raising children plus working, while your gut's held in by Spanx."
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Famous Movie Pets: From the Faithful to the Devious to the Flat-Out Adorable

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jul 12th 2010 12:00AM
Filed under: Features

As man's best friends and loyal companions, pets have had indelible parts in movies throughout the years. Whether they're getting their human counterparts into trouble, helping them out of a fix or proving amazingly resourceful on their own (as in the upcoming 'Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore'), these animals not only stay faithful to the end, they manage to look adorably cute throughout. Here are some notable examples.
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Bradley Cooper: Before He Was Famous

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jun 8th 2010 2:00PM
Filed under: Features, Summer Movies
Sure, everyone lays claim to him now. Men want to be him. Ladies want to be with him. And it seems as though Hollywood can't get enough of those piercing eyes, that full head of hair, that permanent scruff that makes him look rugged, yet approachable.

We're talking about Bradley Cooper. You know: that hunk and a half, the debonair lead of last summer's juggernaut 'The Hangover' and the new mug of Templeton "Face" Peck in the highly anticipated feature film adaptation of 'The A-Team.'

People sure do love themselves some Bradley. And he seems to be everywhere these days: On the other side of Scarlett Johansson and accompanying Betty White to honor Sandra Bullock at the MTV Movie Awards; with his fellow A-Teamsters at the Spike Awards; linked to actresses such as Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger. The Internet is rife with fan-generated tributes to the actor with the matinee idol good looks.

Apparently, it's Bradley's world, and we just live in it. But before he hit the jackpot with 'The Hangover' and before those blue eyes were everywhere as the Face man, he was just another pretty face trying to make it in Hollywood. Turns out the Philadelphia-born actor had quite a few lesser-known roles before his star-making bachelor chic turn as Phil Wenneck in 'The Hangover' came along.
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'Get Him to the Greek' Movie Reviews

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jun 3rd 2010 7:00PM
Filed under: Reviews
'Get Him to the Greek' is the latest feature to come out of the Judd Apatow-produced comedy machine. In this one, British comedian Russell Brand reprises his role as the booze-soaked rock demigod Aldous Snow, first seen stealing scenes in 2008's 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.'

Brand's 'Marshall' and 'Greek' costar Jonah Hill, however, does not play the same character. Rather, the 'Superbad' star plays an up-and-coming record executive tasked (by Sean Combs, a.k.a. 'Diddy') to drag Snow out of his bacchanalian British environs and escort him to the 'Today' show in New York and then to Los Angeles' Greek Amphitheater to play a 10th anniversary concert. As is usually the case when earnest do-gooders, road trips and British bawdiness meet, high jinks and hilarity ensue.

Written and directed by 'Sarah Marshall' helmer Nicholas Stoller, the film also counts Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne and Colm Meaney (who plays Snow's estranged father) among its supporting cast. But will this Brand-Hill starrer spur audiences to 'Greek' out on this movie at the box office? Read what the critics had to say:
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IMAX and AMC Partner to Open More Theaters

By Allyssa Lee (Subscribe to Allyssa Lee's posts), Posted Jun 1st 2010 10:17PM
Filed under: Movie News
It's a big show of confidence in the movie-going public: High-tech movie theater company IMAX and theater chain AMC announced today that they're extending their partnership and rolling out 15 to 25 new IMAX theaters in the U.S. next year.

The announcement expands upon the two companies' initial joint venture, which was established in 2007. That agreement led to the launch of 79 AMC IMAX theaters presently in operation, with another 25 more theaters slated to open in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2010.
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