Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease.
Marvel fans have been in a panic ever since a Deadline story reported that some of the original cast of "The Avengers" might not be coming back for the much-anticipated sequel. The article speculated that Mark Ruffalo, in particular, was vulnerable, since the role of The Hulk has already been recast three times.

Moviefone gave Ruffalo the chance set the record straight about whether he'll be back as the big green guy during a chat about his upcoming movie, "Now You See Me." (Look for our full interview about his role as an FBI agent trying to nab four bank-robbing magicians closer to its May 31 release date.)

Moviefone: Are you back for "Avengers 2?" There's been a lot of talk about the salary negotiations.
Mark Ruffalo: I assume so. I haven't been let go yet.

Are you definitely signed on for it?
Oh, yeah. I'm signed for -- oh my gosh -- six movies altogether. Five now [after "The Avengers"].

So, all this speculation about recasting Thor and The Hulk is just that, speculation?
That I know of. I haven't caught wind of any of that. I was surprised to hear it, because I don't even think anyone's really started negotiating yet.

So there's no reason to panic?
No. [Laughs] Maybe people should panic, but I don't see a reason to panic.

As far as you know, everyone is back?
Yeah, as far as I know. But sometimes actors are the last people to know what's going on.

Would you come back if some of the other roles were recast?
I think so. I'd be really sad if they did. I can't imagine that. That would be bad. "That would not be good," as Joss Whedon would say.

A lot of people would be very upset if you don't come back as The Hulk.
I'd love to come back as The Hulk. I don't foresee not coming back as The Hulk.

You've already been back, at least as Bruce Banner, in "Iron Man 3." How did that cameo happen?
We were doing the Academy Awards and Robert [Downey Jr.] said, "Hey, what do you think about coming and doing a cameo In 'Iron Man?'" So he pitched the idea of the theme and I said, "I would love to do that." So, ten days later, I'm on a plane to L.A. and we're shooting that scene. It was a lot of fun. It was written, but we improvised a little bit and Shane gave us some adjustments. I haven't seen it yet, though. Robert thought it would be a good cap to all of the rest of the Iron Man story.

Marvel's "The Avengers 2" hits theaters May 1, 2015.]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 09:47:39 EDT 3263020
For this list, we focused on those moms who truly went above and beyond mere nagging and guilt-tripping, and ascended into the ranks of The Most Notorious Mothers in the History of Movies.

]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 14:36:13 EDT 3254538 "Star Trek Into Darkness" hits theaters on May 16, we thought we'd check in with the original Enterprise crew.

You already know what the first James T. Kirk is up to these days (those Priceline ads air around the clock!) and you probably caught Leonard Nimoy on "Fringe," but where are the rest of the Starfleet officers now?

Sadly, several of the original series' castmembers are no longer with us, including "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991. But the universe he created lives on, not just in J.J. Abrams's big-screen reboot, but in the legions of spin-offs and in the hearts of fans who've followed their favorite actors to every gig and convention since.

]]> Mon, 6 May 2013 11:55:44 EDT 3223364
The hunky British actor turns 30 on May 5. Cavill sailed under the radar for many years with supporting roles and famously missed out on playing James Bond and Edward Cullen, but he's more than made up for that by landing the role of Superman in the highly anticipated "Man of Steel."

If you look closely (very closely), there were signs all along he'd someday play the son of Jor-El. Read on for our in-depth investigation.

]]> Sun, 5 May 2013 11:41:10 EDT 3210611 "Oblivion," moviegoers are guaranteed to have flashbacks to several film that the ambitious sci-fi flick clearly draws on.

Reviewers are noting that, while visually stunning, "Oblivion" borrows heavily from several classics, partly because director Joseph Kosinksi intended it as an homage to '70s movies including "Silent Running" and "Logan's Run."

But after seeing the film this weekend, we were also reminded of movies from the '80s and '90s, as well as one very recent indie to which it bears a strong similarity. We've rounded up all the films that we thought of while watching it.

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS. Do not read until after you've seen the movie.

]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:29:38 EDT 3133025 this summer: Many are more concerned with the simple pursuit of love and happiness, except that in the movies that's nearly as tricky a feat to pull off as saving the world.

This summer, we breathlessly await the recreation of the Jazz Age in "The Great Gatsby," the next chapter in the decades-long romance "Before Midnight," and we're really curious about Woody Allen's latest.

We're also looking forward to seeing some of our favorites get married, invent aliases, break out of jail, sleep with their (totally of-age) students, channel John Hughes, and tackle Shakespeare. Some are doing it in 3D and some in arty black-and-white, but all are doing it, naturally, for love.



Looking for more summer movies? Head on over to Moviefone's Summer Movies 2013 page.]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:55:01 EDT 3133987
This natural aversion to number-crunching of any kind has led to one of Hollywood's most prevalent stereotypes: CPAs are either boring, cowardly nerds like Rick Moranis in "Ghostbusters," or dastardly backstabbers like Joe Pantoliano in "Bound."

As you recover from the pain of filing your taxes yet again, here's a little list of how Hollywood hates accountants even more than you do.

]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:11:14 EDT 3085953
Even when siblings are close, sometimes they're too close, which means one can't live without the other and that never ends well.

So we decided to take a well-meaning Hallmark holiday and focus only on the weirdest brothers and sisters we could think of. If you're not happy about it, go tell Mom. (Or just sound off in the comments.)


]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:05:06 EDT 3053273
Most critics, even those who loved it, are questioning how a film this incredibly graphic received an R rating. "The film's biggest achievement is with the MPAA (how this cut got an R is truly unfathomable)," writes Cory Everett in The Playlist.

On that note, here are eight reasons why the movie, which one reviewer called "an exercise in nightmarish brutality," just might be the most extreme horror flick ever to hit theaters.

[WARNING: Graphic images and some spoilers ahead!]
]]> Thu, 4 Apr 2013 12:51:10 EDT 3014968 "Evil Dead," (which opens this Friday) five kids go out to a cabin to help a friend detox, but quickly realize they are in way over their heads. Not every cabin has the Necronomicon in the basement, but a lot of very bad things have gone on in these deserted locales where no one can save you and chainsaws are entirely too handy.

Below we've rounded up five of the top reasons you should never, ever visit any structure built from logs in a wooded area. We give you: The Moviefone Five Most Horrifying Cabins.

EARLIER: Jane Levy Was Buried Alive While Filming 'Evil Dead'

]]> Tue, 2 Apr 2013 14:49:27 EDT 3000725 Jane Levy as a nice suburban teen on "Suborgatory," but she's unrecognizable as the poster child for evil in "Evil Dead." She starts off as just a junkie looking to detox at the proverbial cabin in the woods, but then things literally go to hell when she's possessed by an ancient, bloodthirsty demon.

In the beyond-gory remake of the 1981 cult horror film, she takes over the lead role from Bruce Campbell, who gave the new cast his blessing.

Levy told Moviefone about the tough shoot, which included being buried alive, enduring a "blood rain," and spending more than a month in "evil" makeup. She admitted she wasn't much of a horror movie fan, but she is definitely game for more "Evil Dead."

Moviefone: It says in the press notes you're actually a "scaredy cat." So you're not a horror movie buff?
Levy: Not really, no. But I watched some after I got this job because I thought I should know about them.

Had you seen the original "Evil Dead?"
Mmm hmm. I watched it after I got the part and it made me more excited to be part of the project. I loved it.

The first one was actually fairly silly, but you go in a totally different direction with the remake.
It's a totally different direction, but there's the same fundamentals. The Book of the Dead and releasing the spirit and him taking the five souls.

How would you describe this version to fans of the original?
I would just tell them to give it a chance. I know they're going to see it. I know people's curiosity is going to get the better of them even if they don't want to, you know? It's its own movie. What's made me feel good about it is that the original creators are huge supporters of it. It's a "reimagining." People can see this movie without seeing the original. It's its own world.

Did you get any notes or advice from Sam Raimi or Bruce Campbell?
Bruce wrote the cast an e-mail when we started, saying, "This has been really tough and I'm passing the torch. Don't ever try to recreate anything we did, because" -- he was being humble -- "we weren't good actors back then." He was really sweet and his support has made me been able to get through the whole thing.

Do you think people were looking for a Bruce cameo?
I was expecting a Bruce Campbell cameo. I wanted it so bad.

I took a friend who's a huge horror movie fan to the screening and she said this was the most extreme horror movie she's ever seen. And I've been hearing about walkouts because it's just too intense for a lot of people. What's your reaction to that?
Yeah, we watched it at SXSW, it was the premiere. You can't ask for a better response from an audience. Nothing makes people so vocal. They were screaming and crying and laughing and cheering and whimpering. The energy in the theater was really fun. I started yelling myself.

Do you recognize yourself when you're made up as Evil Mia?
I guess so. I took so many pictures because the makeup was so intricate and beautiful, in some way. So I remember it all too well. I don't recognize my personality necessarily, but yeah, it's me up there. It's pretty fun to watch, actually. Kind of comical.

How do you keep things light on set when it's nothing but blood and mayhem all day long?
We didn't! Sometimes we did, but my biggest regret is I took it all so seriously. There's a way when the cameras are rolling to be that evil person and then be Jane right after, but I feel like I didn't have the skills to do that and from now on, in every movie I do -- you gotta keep it light when you're making something so heavy or else you're just going to get depressed.

What happened when you went home at night?
I didn't sleep. I had nightmares. We were so far away from home. It was the first time I'd been a lead in a movie and I'd worked so much. It all added up. But you've got to keep it light, when you're not filming, you've got to go get drunk or have one drink with a friend or watch a comedy. When we do number two, that's going to be my goal.

You're definitely coming back for the sequel?
Mmm hmm.

This already has elements of "Evil Dead 2" doesn't it?
I've never seen "Evil Dead 2." Sorry about that. I'm sorry to the world.

What was the most difficult day of filming for you?
Really hard to compare. Every day was some crazy thing. Being buried alive is something I'll be able to say for the rest of my life. I had blood squirted on my face and a plastic bag tied around my neck and an oxygen tube behind my ears so I wouldn't suffocate. And I got buried alive. I laid in the ditch until they covered me completely.

How long were you buried?
Once I was covered in dirt, I waited, like, two seconds and was able to dig myself out. It was just a layer of dirt over my face. I made sure I had my hands near my chest so I could immediately push the dirt off my face and rip the bag off my head.

So you had the toughest job on set?
Yeah, I think I had the toughest job. I worked the most out of anybody. Most people were in their evil makeup for a week, but I was in it for 37 days. I was just there forever.
And I also had to endure the blood rain at the end, which was in the middle of the night. Night shoots, winter, two weeks of it. I was alone, freezing cold, rolling around in the mud. It was hard. ]]> Tue, 2 Apr 2013 13:30:23 EDT 3000237 "World War Z" has been plagued -- no pun intended -- with bad buzz since undergoing reshoots last year. But when Moviefone was invited to a preview last week along with a select group of outlets, star and producer Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster seemed in good spirits and very excited about the nearly finished film, which will hit theaters June 21.

Pitt gave a brief intro to the 3D trailer and some exclusive footage, saying, "Four years ago, I knew nothing about zombies, wasn't really interested. Now I'm an expert." He added, "I wanted to make this film because I wanted to make a film my sons would enjoy before they get old. You will see we got a little carried away. I hope you enjoy it as much as my boys are. They're going to love it."

Forster (whose previous films include "Quantum of Solace" and "Monster's Ball") stayed after the footage for a Q&A where he addressed the re-shoots, how the movie is trying to offer a "new perspective" on zombies, and the first reaction from a test screening.

Here's what we learned:

It's not "just" a zombie movie
"For me, this is not just a zombie film," said Forster. "It's a film about a global crisis. Yes, it's a zombie film, but it speaks about some global issues." Pitt added, "We found much more than a zombie film. We found this global apocalypse, this 'zombie epidemic as worldwide pandemic' and that really interested us."

The movie's stunning visual twist of zombie swarms is also a metaphor
"The idea we had for the zombies came from nature, sort of this flocking and swarming," Forster explained. "In the George Romero films in the '70s, zombies were such a great metaphor for consumerism. For me, the metaphor was more about overpopulation today and that there are less and less resources. Their swarming is like their going after the last resources especially when the feeding frenzy starts."

Don't expect a lot of gore
Although Forster said he's a fan of TV's "The Walking Dead," "World War Z" will be rated PG-13: "Most of the gore and blood, I avoid it on purpose."

Do expect a "Contagion" approach to the zombies
Pitt's character is a former U.N. employee who's spent time problem-solving in hot spots like Africa and Bosnia. "He was able to come out alive out of these places, so at this point in the story, it's up to him to go on a quest to find 'Patient Zero'," Forster explained. Pitt's search takes him to Jerusalem, where the striking "zombie swarm" from the trailer occurs as they try to make it inside the "Salvation Gates" erected to keep them out.

"World War Z" won't be campy.
Forster's goal was to make the action feel "very real, that it could happen right now. It's a pretty intense ride. You're on the edge of your seat pretty much from beginning to end."

These zombies turn in an instant
"It's 12 seconds," Forster said of the ultra-fast conversion process. "There are some people who turn faster than others, which [Pitt] discovers that when he sees the first person change in Philadelphia," although as the virus mutates, some people transform faster than others.

The catchphrase from this just might be...
Forster quotes a line about the "World War Z" approach to taking out the undead: "'Spines are divine but knees are just fine,' So just basically if you hit them in the knees, they start crawling."

Everyone says they're happy about the re-shoots
"We shot the movie and put it together and we all felt the ending wasn't what we wanted it to be and could be better," Forster said. "We showed it to the studio and made a proposal and we went back and did some additional shooting and we are really happy now with the result. I prefer it and I think it's more powerful and works in favor of the story."

Pitt and Forster are still on speaking terms
Not only did the two amicably share a stage, but Forster sang Pitt's praises to the press, "For me, it was a really fantastic collaboration, because we share a lot of similar sensitivities. Developing this was a lot of fun and it worked out really, really positively, so I enjoyed the process tremendously."

Author Max Brooks gave them his "blessings"
"I met Max a couple of times," Forster said. "We spoke about the book and his intentions and I think, ultimately, he gave us his blessings. He hasn't seen the finished film yet but I am looking forward to showing it to him."

"World War Z" is trying to reinvent the zombie genre.
"You're dealing with a genre that has been done many times, but you're trying to find a way in that still is new and fresh and different and have a new perspective to it," Forster said, pointing out a scene from the trailer: "You haven't seen that in a zombie movie before: An outbreak on an airplane."

Don't rule out a "World War Z" trilogy, as Pitt has previously mentioned.
"There could be more story to tell, yes," says Forster. ]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:32:13 EDT 2978645 "Room 237" is hardly your average documentary. Not only does it float some very out-there theories about what Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is really about, it illustrates those points with clips from both the 1980 horror classic and dozens of other movies. Every single shot in the film is from an existing flick, including ones from Kubrick, Hitchcock, and Spielberg, as well as classic horror movies and silent films.

Moviefone sat down with director Rodney Ascher and producer Tim Kirk, who provided insight into some of their choices. In the same spirit of obsessiveness, we've compiled every movie featured in "Room 237," below

“The Shining”
"Lolita"
"Spartacus"
"Eyes Wide Shut"
"Paths of Glory"
"Barry Lyndon"
"2001: A Space Odyssey"
"The Killing"
"Fear and Desire"
"Killer's Kiss"
"Dr. Strangelove"
"A Clockwork Orange"
“Full Metal Jacket"
"Drums Along the Mohawk"
"The Battle of Apache Pass"
"The White Buffalo"
"Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre"
"In the Land of War Canoes"
"Apocalypto"
"Schindler's List"
"The Eagle Has Landed"
“The Beast in Heat"
"Wolf"
"An American Werewolf in London"
"Merrie Melodies: Three Little Pigs"
"Fellini Satyricon”
"Capricorn One"
"The Magic Mountain"
"The Summer of '42"
"Agency"
“The Brain from Plane Arous”
"BrainWaves"
"Dreamscape"
"Spellbound"
"Demons"
"Demons 2"
"All the President's Men"
"My Fair Lady"
"Dr. Doolittle"
"Faust"
"The Legend of Hell House"
"The Terror"
"Looker"
"Jesus Christ Superstar"
"Creepshow"
“The Thief of Bagdad”

EARLIER: 'Room 237' Filmmakers on Making a Movie About 'The Shining'

]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:38:16 EDT 2972053
This time around, however, he isn't dealing with werewolves, but aliens who've taken over most of the human race. His character, Jared, is one of the few holdouts, along with Melanie (Saoirse Ronan). All that changes when she's taken over by an alien host and Jared believes the girl he knew is dead.

Irons talked to Moviefone about why it's a good thing he's not wearing the same uncomfortable contacts Ronan had to for the film, why we should be afraid of his driving, and how he's not going to let fame -- even "Twilight"-sized success -- change his approach to acting.

Moviefone: You already knew Saoirse before making this film, right?
Max Irons: We got a part together in a movie that never ended up happening for one reason or other. We went through quite a stressful audition process together when she was about 14. It was basically Prince Charming and a sort of Cinderella-y kind of stuff. Between you and me, I think we're all quite glad it didn't work out. It wasn't the finest script we've ever read.

You said you kind of blew the audition for “The Host.”
Yeah, I did. It's often the ones that you really care about. I just kept forgetting my lines, lines I'd known for weeks and weeks. But then it really started to work and there was a real... I don't want to say chemistry, but it felt easy working with Saoirse, and it felt very natural. She's so limitlessly talented and her emotional intelligence is incredibly high. I came out with a really good feeling despite butchering the first 10 minutes of the audition.

Saoirse has to wear contacts for most of the film. Is it harder acting opposite someone in contacts?
Not for me. It's for her, those contacts give you tunnel vision, and we're in the desert, so you've got a lot of dust to contend with. Not fun.

So you're glad you don't have to wear them in the film?
I have an extra problem with contact lenses: I wore them in "Red Riding Hood," and for the first ten days, every time I had to put them in, I would pass out. The way I like to see it, it's a highly evolved self-defense mechanism: Something unpleasant is about to happen to me, my body just cuts out.

Were you in that much pain?
No! I faint when I go to the dentist every single time. The chiropractor, I faint at that. It just happens. If other people have injuries, I'm completely fine and available to help them, but if my own body gets injured, I just conk out.

You grew up in London, and you've said you learned to drive for this.
Yeah, I got my license in Louisiana for this movie. Unnervingly easily. Two lessons are all you have to do in Louisiana, so two hours in total. So then I took my test and I passed.

Should we be a little afraid if we see you on the road?
Yeah, be afraid. I don't drive in London because the traffic's so terrible, it takes three times as long to get anywhere by car than it does by Underground. I've driven in LA a little and it's quite scary. They say if you drive in LA, you can drive anywhere.

Are you prepared for this to be as big as "Twilight"?
No, because I don't think it will be. I heard stories of Robert Pattinson being chased through the streets of Paris by hordes of French girls before they even started filming the first movie.

That doesn't actually sound so bad.
Hordes of French girls. No, it sounds all right, doesn't it?

So that hasn't happened for you?
Not in the least. I could walk two miles that way without being recognized.

People can't help but compare this to "Twilight." How is it different?
I haven't seen "Twilight." I haven't read the books. When I saw Stephenie's name on the script, I wondered, "Oh God, is this just 'Twilight 2.0'?" But, upon reading it, I thought, "Oh no, this is far more. There's a huge amount to this." Yes, it has its romantic elements, but at its heart, it's a story of survival. It presents science-fiction philosophical ideas that are really interesting.

Jared actually hits Melanie in one scene that fans find pretty divisive.
Yeah, in the book, people didn't particularly like Jared because he was quite violent and aggressive. I always liked Jared because I thought that he was really human. Imagine the pain you would go through to fall in love in a world where humans are few and far between, but then to have that person die, and then to have her walk back into your life, the specter of her former self, except that the girl you knew is gone. But then you discover that she is there, but she's trapped and the thing that is trapping her, if you take it out, she goes with it. That's a nightmare.

The scene that was my favorite scene to film, weirdly, was the scene where I have to hit her. I was really anxious about it, I didn't know if I wanted to be in the film, I didn't know if I approved of it, but then when it happened, I suddenly realized it was a microcosmic moment of Jared and Melanie's whole struggle. Because in that moment there is love, there is hate, there is fear, there is anger, there is confusion -- and I really liked that.

Your father was just in another supernatural romance that was heavily compared to "Twilight": "Beautiful Creatures."
I haven't seen him much recently since we've both been so busy. I haven't had an opportunity to see "Beautiful Creatures" yet, but it's safe to say it's nice that we're both working.

Does he give you any advice on choosing your projects?
Sort of. I don't always listen. I don't mean that flippantly. I have to make my mistakes and I have to make my own choices and he understands that. We have conversations, but they're never about acting, they're conversations about the business side of things. But he knows to let me go and do it my way.

You've been quoted as saying, "The problem with Hollywood is that, for actors of my age, you don't really have plenty of choices. You have to wait until you are 30, 40."
I didn't exactly mean that. I meant that I think Hollywood's a dangerous place for guys our age at the moment. I think we're very disposable, and a lot of parts are quite similar. Once you get to a certain age, the parts start to widen, which is sort of a nice prospect.

Who do you model your career after?
I really like what George Clooney does, the films he chooses to develop. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a really good example, not that I'm putting myself anywhere beside him. He does great work. I think it's a mistake to think just because you've done a movie, that stops you from doing a little piece of independent theater. Real success is working, just keeping those muscles growing. You look at the greats and they all did that.

EARLIER ON MOVIEFONE:
]]> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:06:07 EDT 2966575 "Room 237" is not only a fascinating look at Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece "The Shining," but an examination of how we see and interpret movies and the often bizarre levels to which we obsess about them.

The theories discussed in the film come from five people -- Bill Blakemore, Jay Weidner, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan -- heavy thinkers and ordinary movie fans who try to prove that the movie is really about the massacre of Native Americans, the Holocaust, or a faked moon landing. Those all may sound ludicrous, but each "expert" has pored over the film for cryptic clues and coincidences that support their theories. After a while, they start to make some sense, especially when you hear that Kubrick had met with subliminal advertisers to learn their techniques before making the film.

Moviefone sat down with the men behind "Room 237," director Rodney Ascher and producer Tim Kirk, to discuss why they chose not to get the blessing of the Kubrick estate, the significance of the number 42 and what Kubrick himself might have thought of the movie.

How did you first come up with the idea to make this movie?

Ascher: When Tim posted this incredibly deep, metaphorical analysis about "The Shining" on my Facebook wall.
Kirk: I was just stumbling through the Internet one night and anything that says "The Shining," on it, I'm going to look at it. I read an essay that Jay Weidner had written about his take on the film. So I sent that to Rodney and next thing you know, we're looking for more and just talking about it nonstop.
Ascher: We knew that people had seen all kinds of interesting symbols and number play and word play in "The Shining," but this was a whole new direction. We set out to see what else was there and were kind of thrilled and a little intimidated by how much has been generated and how recent a lot of it was.

Could you have made this movie without the internet?

Ascher: Oh God, no. The Internet is the way a lot of these people have published their ideas for "The Shining." I'm sure it inspired a lot, because without the Internet, they wouldn't have read other people's ideas and been inspired to go further. I think YouTube video comment threads are places where people are able to watch the same scene again and again. It enables this kind of close reading because you're able to spend more time with the film. Digital culture absolutely made this movie possible.
Kirk: It also made this phenomenon possible, it certainly accelerates an obsession or a study.

How did you track down all the various theorists who narrate the film?

Kirk: Mostly through the Internet. Tracking down [ABC News reporter] Bill Blakemore was surprisingly easy. I was trying to find an email for him because he's a top reporter and he handles some pretty sensitive subjects; I think there's a bit of a a firewall around his email, but "Kubrick" seems to be the word that opens that wall. He got back to me very quickly and we were able to set up an interview.
Ascher: Someone told me that a guy in Brooklyn was doing these amazing screenings of the film forwards and backwards [at the same time], so I found the theater and the guy. He did it because the other "Shining" analyst, "Mastermind," [who did not participate in "Room 237"] suggested that the movie was designed to be played backwards. He's not the first person to say that “The Shining” in some ways is "2001: A Space Odyssey," in reverse. At a very basic level, its evolution of mankind versus descent into savagery.

You were already working on this when the backwards/forwards screening was happening?

Ascher: Yes, isn't that interesting? Why is everyone thinking about "The Shining" right now?

Some of these theories are pretty out there. Do you subscribe to any of them yourself?

Ascher: I believe in all of them. Any one of these ideas, the closer you look, the more credible it seems.

But do you, as Jay Weidner suggests, see Kubrick's face in the clouds at one point? Because I didn't see it.

Ascher: That one's hard. He describes it as being very difficult, so I was happy to let it be as difficult as he described.

How many times had you seen "The Shining" before you started this project? Were you already obsessed with it as well?

Ascher: Obsessed might be overstating it but I was always a Kubrick fan and "The Shining" was always one of my favorites. Maybe 12 times.
Kirk: Maybe 12 to 15.
Ascher: Bill [the Native American theorist], said he'd only seen it five times, which is kind of surprising considering how clearly he can remember all these little moments. He's an incredibly sharp guy.

You chose to illustrate your points in the film with clips from other movies, like "Schindler's List," so you never see the people you're interviewing. Why did you decide to use that approach?

Ascher: Well, this is a movie more about ideas than individuals and there's something about how we're all kind of adrift in this culture of the movies. You can see the same shot in different contexts and it was interesting to allow people to see other shots from other films differently.

Was it hard to get permission for all these film clips?

Ascher: It took a while.
Kirk: We had a crack clearance team that went through a really long process. The film wasn't made with the cooperation of the Kubrick estate and that was a decision that we made pretty early on. We didn't want to talk with people who were actually involved in the making of the film or who felt they could give some definitive, real-world answers. As much as we might want to know that, our job was really to be as persuasive for each of these people as we present them.

What do you think Kubrick would make of "Room 237?"

Ascher: It's presumptuous for me to try to crawl too far into his head, although I'd like to think he'd be happy that his movie is still talked about and engaged with and debated 30 some years on. It seems like he had a pretty good sense of humor, so I like to think he would have taken it pretty well.
Kirk: I've read that he really enjoyed it when people would tell him what the end of "2001" meant. So I would hope he'd get a kick out of it.
Ascher: He would probably have some cutting remark that would immediately make us feel like idiots.

RELATED: 25 Things You Didn't Know About 'Full Metal Jacket']]> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:32:06 EDT 2965678