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Gus Van Sant Opens Up About Failed Audition for 'Breaking Dawn' Directing Gig

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 18th 2011 1:30PM
Filed under: Movie News
Twice nominated for the Best Director Oscar -- for 'Milk' (2008) and 'Good Will Hunting' (1998) -- Gus Van Sant isn't used to "auditioning" for jobs, so it's hard to fault him for walking into talks to direct the final two installments of 'The Twilight Saga' blindly.

"I had never really auditioned or gone into a job interview in that way since maybe 1988 or '87," the director told MTV at the Cannes Film Festival. "I guess I was unprepared for that. Usually people just hire me."

Despite a push from 'Twilight' heartthrob Robert Pattinson, Van Sant didn't get the gig, which instead went to 'Dreamgirls' helmer Bill Condon. "I was talking about the book, and really all I was saying was 'OK, this is great, let's go do it,'" he said. "That was my pitch and I think they're used to something else."
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'Melancholia' Director Lars von Trier: 'I Understand Hitler ... I Sympathize With Him a Bit'

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 18th 2011 10:30AM
Filed under: Movie News, Celebrity Gossip


UPDATE: Lars von Trier apologizes for Nazi comments.

Notorious wallflower Lars von Trier, director of acclaimed indies like 'Dogville,' 'Dancer in the Dark' and 'Antichrist,' did what he does best at the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest film, 'Melancholia,' "a beautiful movie about the end of the world" starring Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland and Alexander Skarsgard. And by that we mean he caused a ruckus by saying some pretty ridiculous things.

Von Trier is so well-known for saying controversial things that The Hollywood Reporter compares his press conferences to a "a dark stand-up routine." He took things a step further in Cannes yesterday, however, announcing he was "actually a Nazi" who "understands Hitler ... I sympathize with him a bit." Got that? (Update: Von Trier has issued an apology for his comments.)

And now for some context. Von Trier has a notoriously dark, envelope-pushing European sense of humor that doesn't always translate across the Atlantic. So, while he made Cannes audiences a bit uncomfortable, they laughed "with the sort of chuckle that gets caught in the throat." Others, including Dunst and co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg, were reportedly dumbstruck.

The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants, however, is not laughing.
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Five Apocalyptic Scenarios Worse Than What's Coming This Saturday (VIDEO)

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 18th 2011 9:00AM
Filed under: Features, Hot Topic, Horror

If you've been living under a rock recently, we have some bad news: The jig is up. The game is over. We're finished. The apocalypse is upon us.

Yes, the day you've been waiting for is almost here. This Saturday, May 21, 2011, Jesus Christ will return to earth to kick things into high gear, according to a movement of loosely affiliated Christian groups, websites and radio stations that have mounted an elaborate campaign, including billboards, bus stop bench ads and a traveling caravan, all to spread the word. If you live in a major northeastern city, someone is probably standing on your street corner with a "Save the Date" sign right this very second.

In celebration of the End of Days, we've compiled the five best apocalyptic scenarios we could think of while waiting in line to buy canned goods and bottled water. In the movies, things always go down in a fiery jumble of aliens, zombies, nuclear havoc or assault by asteroid, but don't fret, fair Moviefone readers. Space invaders aren't coming this Saturday, the Big Man Upstairs is -- and he knows how to turn water into wine.

Watch the world get destroyed again and again after the jump. And even though this should be self-explanatory, be warned, some violent and disturbing content follows.
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'Bridesmaids' Director Paul Feig Reveals How He Caught His Actors' Best Improvs on Film

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 17th 2011 4:00PM
Filed under: Movie News

When you stack your cast with some of the best improvisational talent in the film and television business, asking them to stick to the script in front of them is a moot point. Attempting to film improv, however, is a risky business -- you never know where it's going to come from or when it's going to click.

It was a task that weighed heavily on director Paul Feig, whose 'Bridesmaids' is boasts some of the most notable improvisers around (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper). The director knew his cast was bound to take the scripted scenes to new heights with a bit of off-the-page dialogue, but capturing those moments posed a problem for the director, according to Variety, because "cross-shooting" -- the industry term for filming two actors involved in a conversation at the same time -- is not typically done in film.

"Most cinematographers just despise it and refuse to do it," Feig told the trade magazine. But Feig got it done. To find out how, read on.
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Producer Judd Apatow on 'Bridesmaids' and the Future of Female Comedy: 'Sadly, I Think Some of That Talk Was True'

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 17th 2011 10:30AM
Filed under: Movie News

Judd Apatow, expert creator of sentimental man-child bromance, proved he could carry his brand of well-made, bawdy comedy into a different realm this weekend with 'Bridesmaids,' which earned rave reviews -- it enjoys an impressive 89 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes -- and big box office. The film defied expectations to pull in over $26 million this weekend, silencing critics who didn't believe a female-driven comedy without the word "romantic" in front of it could hit it big in theaters.

A lot was riding on 'Bridesmaids.' It was reported that many studios were waiting to green-light any female-fronted films until the key first-weekend box office returns for the film were tabulated, a rumor Apatow confirmed in an interview with The New York Times.

"Sadly, I think some of that talk was true," Apatow told the Times. "There are a lot of female-driven comedies on the bubble at the studios, and they do look to measure how well these things do and what levels of interest there are in certain genres."
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Much-Anticipated Trailer for Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' Arrives

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 17th 2011 9:30AM
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Coming Soon


Yesterday, we got a first look at the U.S. and U.K. teaser posters for director Steven Spielberg's Peter Jackson–produced 3D motion-capture animation adaptation of Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi's comic book series 'The Adventures of Tintin.' Today, we get the trailer.

Aside from a few still images and the poster, Spielberg has kept 'Tintin' a mystery. But from the looks of things, the director's affinity for revolutionary special effects ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'Jurassic Park') has been put to good use here, with the motion-capture technology pioneered by Spielberg's real-life friend and 'Back to the Future' collaborator Robert Zemeckis looking sharper than ever.

However, one secret remains: Where is the rest of the film's title? The full title had been 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,' however, the subtitle is absent from both the poster and the trailer.

Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig star in the flick, which hits theaters Dec. 23. Check out 'The Adventures of Tintin' trailer after the jump.
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First Posters for Steven Spielberg's 'Adventures of Tintin' Released

By John Mitchell (Subscribe to John Mitchell's posts), Posted May 16th 2011 4:15PM
Filed under: Movie News

Though it is one of the most anticipated releases of the year, little is known about director Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.'

We know the movie was filmed using motion-capture animation in the vein of Robert Zemeckis's 'Beowulf' and 'A Christmas Carol,' but we haven't seen much of what the finished product will look like. We know Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Cary Elwes and Simon Pegg star in the adaptation of Belgian artist Georges "Hergé" Remi's comic books, but have yet to see them in action.

Now, the U.K. and U.S. teaser posters have surfaced online to give us at least a glimpse of what Spielberg has planned for us come Dec. 23. Check them out after the jump.
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