Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease. Sun, 19 May 2013 12:01:38 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/19/box-office-star-trek-into-darkness_n_3302976.html E! News that the "Epic" star and her rapper husband, Jay-Z, are expecting baby number two. While the couple have yet to comment or confirm, fellow hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons tweeted his congratulations to the couple. Hmm, interesting. Very interesting. Speculation about whether Blue Ivy's mom was again with child began after photos of Bey looking a little bit bigger in the tummy region while on tour popped up on the Internet. The NY Post then reported that sources had confirmed to them that the singer was, in fact, pregnant. As you may recall, Beyonce announced her first pregnancy without saying a word -- she just showed up at the MTV Video Music Awards sporting an unmistakable baby bump and rubbed her belly. In other words, there's no telling when or how Beyonce will announce baby number two. We'll be waiting! [via E! News, NY Post] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 16:17:55 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/beyonce-pregnant-rumors-true_n_3294549.html Fri, 17 May 2013 15:59:19 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/hangover-3-red-band-trailer_n_3294486.html explained by in an Empire podcast a few weeks ago. "We always knew we would be using the Superman glyph or the shield as we call it. But 'Man Of Steel' was also supposed to represent our take, which was he's a man, but he's not made of flesh and blood, metaphorically he's a man of steel. So that was sort of the whole thing wrapped up in a nutshell." It doesn't hurt that a 2006 attempt to bring Supes back to the big screen, directed by Bryan Singer and starring Brandon Routh, didn't exactly turn the world on its ear. Even with a new name, it will be hard for fans to shake the mental image of a lantern-jawed Christopher Reeve as Superman. However, Henry Cavill could do a pretty darned good job of giving us a fresh look at an old friend. And a bad-ass General Zod will be pretty cool, too. [via Empire] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 15:23:29 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/man-of-steel-title-superman_n_3294433.html Kevin Feige gave EW a very early preview of what's coming down the pipeline. Feige said, "I'd say 99 percent of our time right now is purely spent on Phase Two… It's five colossally giant motion pictures that we have to produce. So that's taking up the time. But within the next year or so we'll start the advanced planning for post-'Avengers 2.'" The Marvel honcho was fairly forthcoming for details on movies that are still in their nascent stages. We do know that Edgar Wright's "Ant-Man" is a sure thing, and "Doctor Strange" is "one of the prime candidates." We all know that "Iron Man 4" would go over like gangbusters, but also that Robert Downey Jr. is still in talks over his part in the future of Tony Stark. "Black Panther" is still just a hope and a dream, though eagle-eyed writers have noted that Marvel might be filming some of "The Avengers 2" in Cape Town, a hint that, followed to conclusion, leads some to believe that BP could be a new recruit. The rest of the Marvel cast of characters -- Daredevil, Ghost Rider, zombies, and so on -- are either very unlikely or still in the wishful thinking stages. But what about The Hulk, you say? Feige told EW, "Mark [Ruffalo] could stand in his own movie. … We're talking about it. We're excited to sit down and go, 'What is a stand-alone Hulk movie?'" We've got a few years to find out. [via EW] EARLIER: Comic-Con 2012 Marvel Panel: 'Iron Man 3' Trailer, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Announced]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 14:51:09 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/marvel-phase-3-doctor-strange-iron-man-4_n_3294225.html let slip some juicy tidbits about "a brother/sister act" that would appear in "The Avengers 2," which fans speculated would be Scarlet Witch and her twin Quicksilver. In an interview with IGN, the director more or less confirmed that assumption. "You know, they had a rough beginning. They're interesting to me because they sort of represent the part of the world that wouldn't necessarily agree with The Avengers. So they're not there to make things easier. I'm not putting any characters in the movie that will make things easier." Another confirmation from Whedon? Tony Stark will (not surprisingly) be back for the sequel as well, even though he destroyed his suits at the end of "Iron Man 3." "Well, I feel like in 'Iron Man 3,' even though he said, ‘I've changed' -- he blew up his remote suits, but I don't think anybody thinks he doesn't have one anymore. The question is, if The Avengers are called, does he show up? And the answer is, ‘Yes!'” How will Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver figure into all of this? Guess we'll have to wait until the next time Whedon decides to let another tidbit slip. Perhaps on Twitter? [via IGN]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 13:33:46 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/avengers-2-tony-stark-quicksilver-scarlet-witch_n_3293876.html withhold parts of the script from the cast, providing them with only the scenes in which their characters appeared. This method appears to have paid off, as critics have been swooning over "Frances" since it premiered at Telluride Film Festival last fall. Of course, the secrecy factor is where the blockbuster comparisons end for "Frances Ha." The black-and-white movie follows Frances (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring 27-year-old dancer who is looking to come to grips with adulthood as she struggles to keep a job in New York City. Here, Baumbach offers some tips on shooting a secret film, talks about why all of his movies have great soundtracks, and reveals how he ended up writing "Madagascar 3." Moviefone: You didn't set out to shoot this in secret. But, either way, it seems like a tough thing to do. Noah Baumbach: We gamed the Internet! It was deliberate to keep the low profile, but I didn't think Oh, we won't be reported [in the media] somewhere down the line. We just didn't announce ourselves and then that was really it. But it's like, we were [in New York City] doing it. If people had walked by us and recognized us, they would have discovered something. Was shooting low-profile a good experience? It seems like it worked to your benefit. I mean, we could have done the same work and everything we did, even if we had been [more official]. But I think there's something kind of nice, particularly in 2011-12, to be the only ones who know about it. Writing is a private experience and filmmaking is sort of necessarily a communal group thing, but it's kind of nice in a way for the crew to feel sort of focused and private about it; it was our thing and nobody else's. It seemed pretty secret within the production itself. You withheld some of the script from the actors. Yeah, I didn't show the script. No actor -- except Greta [who co-wrote the film] -- had the script beyond their scenes. And what we'd do, we would send them -- and we shot chronologically, so we could do this -- the pages for that week, maybe a few days in advance, but not past that. So not only did they just get their scenes, they got them as those shooting days approached. And I think it just kept people in the moment and not overly concerned with the movie as a whole. It's my job to be concerned about that. And because the movie was in chapters, and some people are kind of in a chapter and then disappear for awhile and then come back in another chapter, it kind of made that easier, too. Actors didn't really need to know what they were doing in the meantime or anything like that. And, if they asked, I would just make something up for them [laughs]. It's funny to hear that method being used for an indie film. Most of the time you hear about those techniques used on a giant superhero movie (withholding the entire script from actors, shooting in secret, etc.). Yeah, who the villain is is not important here [laughs]. But, you know, I suppose in our own way, we're looking for some of the privacy that [those films have]. A lot of people are going to have David Bowie's “Modern Love” stuck in their heads after this movie. That's a good one to get stuck in your head. Was that always the song you had in mind? I thought about a few different things, but I think that song's kind of perfect. It's so joyful. I feel like everything about it sounds great -- his vocal is so great, the way he kind of shout-sings it. It just feels so immediate. When I was a kid and I got the “Let's Dance” record for the first time, it was the first song on it and I remember just hearing that song; I don't think I'd heard a better song and I would just play it over and over again. All of your movies have really great soundtracks: “Margot at the Wedding” had Steve Forbert, “Greenberg” had a James Murphy score. Even movies you wrote but didn't direct, like “Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou,” have great music. Yeah, although we wrote the David Bowie into the [“Life Aquatic”] script because it was always written that Seu Jeorge's character, Pele, would play David Bowie. I mean, it's always interesting. With “Greenberg” I was listening to LCD Soundsystem's “The Sound of Silver” while I was working on it. I didn't necessarily feel like that music was tonally right for “Greenberg,” but I felt like the guy who made this music should probably score “Greenberg.” So I met James Murphy, and we became friends and he wrote a score, which is awfully different from LCD Soundsystem. I thought they were beautiful. I really love what he did. With “Frances,” I had this instinct that, when I was cutting it, it could really hold a big, bold score, and I started to put in all these old French New Wave scores. It felt like the movie was so strong and flexible that it could hold it, and I really pushed it. I felt like it really elevated and broadened the movie. You almost couldn't get too big or too romantic. Fans of your work were pretty surprised that you ended up writing "Madagascar 3," since you had really only done smaller indies up to that point. How was that experience? It was a great experience. I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot about the animation process, which was really interesting to me, because you work over such a long period of time. And I liked those guys so much and I think they're so good at what they do. I have a movie that I am developing there that I would direct. But yeah, I loved it. It's not altogether different from when I work with Wes [Anderson]. It's like I felt my job there was to help make the movie as good as possible. And there's something nice about that as an alternate to what I do with the movies I direct, which is so rigourous and I am involved with every part of it until the very end. It doesn't stop until you let go of it, which I probably need to do. Did they approach you? They came to me, and I worked with Ben [Stiller] on “Greenberg,” so Ben, I think, liked the idea, and I really liked the other two movies and I like Chris Rock a lot, too. It seemed like fun. That said, when I started it, I didn't know how long the process was -- I had never done animation. Earlier on Moviefone: Greta Gerwig, 'Frances Ha' Star, Isn't Interested in 'Being a Great Actor in a Sh-- Movie']]> Fri, 17 May 2013 10:54:19 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/noah-baumbach-frances-ha-interview_n_3292960.html the Daily Mail (so please, find the biggest grain of salt you can and take it), “informal talks have begun” between Nolan and the Bond powers that be -- namely producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson -- for him to helm the next chapter in the franchise. After the worldwide critical and commercial success of “Skyfall,” it was assumed Sam Mendes would be game to direct another Bond outing, but commitments to theatrical productions, as well as the exhausting amount of effort that it takes to get a Bond movie off the ground, sidelined those plans. It would be fascinating if the series entered an “auteur” phase, with big name directors, known for their singular artistic visions, took on a series known for its workmanlike dexterity more than its creative adventurousness. Right now Nolan is in the middle of prepping “Interstellar,” his big-budget space exploration film that will star Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, and (of course) Michael Caine. That film will be out on November 7th, 2014. It's unclear whether Nolan would have the time (or the energy) to jump from one gigantic project to the next, but we're crossing our fingers that this isn't simply tabloid chatter. [via Daily Mail]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:38:45 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/christopher-nolan-directing-james-bond_n_3293253.html according to TMZ. The troubled, 35-year-old actor has been arrested twice before, TMZ reports, for domestic violence charges involving the same woman. He was sentenced to six months in jail in March on the same charges, but didn't serve the full term. This time, when police arrived at his ex's home in West Hollywood, they found Furlong hiding under a stairwell close to her home. Furlong was later taken into custody and charged with a felony. He's now being held on $100,000 bail. [via TMZ]]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:27:41 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/edward-furlong-arrested_n_3292769.html according to Guardian UK. The pricey bling was supposed to be worn by celebrities at the French film fest, but instead the jewels were taken from the hotel room of one of the Swiss luxury jeweler's employees. The pieces were in a security box, which French police say was smashed and hauled out of the room. Funnily enough, the jewelry, which was scheduled to be worn on the red carpet last night, was taken during the premiere of Sofia Coppola's new film, "The Bling Ring," which tells the story of teen thieves who stole from the rich and famous in Hollywood. Mere coincidence, or a copy-cat crime? We're going with coincidence, unless Emma Watson is prepping for "Bling Ring 2: The Big Heist." No word yet on which celebrities were left jewel-less by the crime. [via Guardian UK] ]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 11:13:53 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/cannes-2013-jewelry_n_3292961.html good and not-so-good reviews. If you read what the critics have to say before seeing a movie, you may be confused as to whether "Star Trek Into Darkness" is really worth it. Is it as good as its predecessor? Should it be seen in IMAX 3D? Do Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto continue to do Captain Kirk and Spock justice? If those are the questions consuming your thoughts today, Moviefone has your answers. Mr. Moviefone (aka Russ Leatherman) joined HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss the big sci-fi release. Watch the latest Moviefone Live above to hear what they had to say!]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 10:09:42 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/17/star-trek-into-darkness-should-you-see-it_n_3292406.html 1. Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) met prior to being cast for the “Star Trek” movie through a mutual personal trainer; now the two work out at the same gym together. 2. Benedict Cumberbatch's (John Harrison) full name is -- are you ready? -- Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, and he was born in London on July 19, 1976. 3. Cumberbatch's parents, Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, are both actors. His mother starred in "Men Behaving Badly" and "Only Fools and Horses," among other roles. 4. Pine's first credited onscreen acting role was as a drunk patient on “E.R.” 5. Karl Urban (Bones) was born in Wellington, New Zealand, and got his start acting on the New Zealand television series “Shark in the Park” in 1990. 6. Zoe Saldana (Uhura) is a trained ballet dancer. 7. Cumberbatch was involved in a carjacking while filming a TV series "To the Ends of the Earth" in South Africa. This would normally leave most people terrified, but, apparently, the "Sherlock" actor loves an adrenaline rush, having tried skydiving and hot air ballooning. 8. Urban was beat out by Daniel Craig for the coveted role of James Bond in "Casino Royale." 9. Zachary Quinto decided to pursue a career in acting at age 16, following his life-altering involvement in a serious car accident. 10. Cumberbatch used his gap year (the time between high school and college) during his prestigious post-secondary schooling to teach English at a Tibetan monastery. 11. John Cho (Sulu) was born in Seoul, South Korea, but he grew up in Los Angeles. 12. Cho is the lead singer of a band called Viva La Union (formerly called Left of Zed). 13. Pine reached out to the original Kirk, William Shatner, early in the movie's development to offer an olive branch, since Shatner felt he had been snubbed by not being included in the movie. 14. Like co-star Chris Pine, Quinto reached out to the original Spock, actor Leonard Nimoy, to prepare for his role. 15. Saldana cofounded a website, described as “the IMDB of the fashion industry,” called MyFDB (My Fashion Database). 16. Cho attended the same high school as Eva Mendes. 17. Zachary plays the banjo, and he reportedly brings one to the set on occasion. (What would you give to see Spock playing the banjo?) [via IMDB, Biography.com, GeekSugar, Hollywood Reporter, TVGuide.com, ETOnline, the LA Times, DigitalSpy]]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 11:54:55 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/14/star-trek-into-darkness-cast-trivia_n_3273155.html Thu, 16 May 2013 16:33:35 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-2_n_3288253.html revealed that she is in no rush to be seen as a "woman," looked sophisticated and elegant, continuing to remind us that she is not schoolgirl Hermione Granger anymore. You're kind of working against yourself there, Emma. Watson was joined by her "Bling Ring" co-stars and the movie's writer-director, Sofia Coppola, at the event in France. "The Bling Ring" tells the true story of five teenagers-turned-burglars who targeted the lavish pads of celebrities. The fame-obsessed group tracked the whereabouts of the rich and famous online, and broke into the houses of stars, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom, while they were out of town. Check out the photos below! "The Bling Ring" breaks into theaters on June 14. ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:53 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/the-bling-ring-cannes-premiere_n_3287835.html a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained why: he's busy at work on his latest project, a mysterious, Disney-set sci-fi flick called “Tomorrowland.” “I've known [‘Star Wars' producer] Kathy [Kennedy] for a while and I know George [Lucas]. And they did come to me. But the problem was, the schedule they had in mind made it impossible to do…unless I dropped ‘Tomorrowland,'” Bird said. He added that he worried the project, which was already deep in development, would lose momentum if he temporarily abandoned it in favor of “Star Wars” – “It would've thrown the furniture around from the train stopping,” he said -- and while part of him lamented the loss of “Episode VII,” he said that he was excited to watch Abrams's take on the franchise. “I really want to see this movie,” Bird said of “Tomorrowland.” “I love the ‘Star Wars' films, and I can't wait to see what J.J. does, but it meant I'd have to shut down one dream to participate in another. I feel like [with ‘Tomorrowland'] we're making something that's really special and unique.” Judging by Bird's track record, “Tomorrowland” is sure to deliver on that promise. And if that doesn't whet fans' appetites for his work enough, Bird also revealed in that same THR interview that he's open to the idea of making “The Incredibles 2.” “I have been thinking about it,” he said. “ ... I love those characters and love that world. I am stroking my chin and scratching my head. I have many, many elements that I think would work really well in another [‘Incredibles'] film, and if I can get ‘em to click all together, I would probably wanna do that.” [via THR h/t Cinemablend]]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:28:39 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/brad-bird-turned-down-star-wars-episode-7_n_3287904.html 1. It's Not That Dark The trailers and title for "Star Trek Into Darkness" make it seem like a more oppressively heavy piece of machinery than it actually is, full of explosions and terrorists and sooty spaceships falling out of the sky. Thankfully, it's really not. In fact, it's just as zippy and entertaining as the original film. So don't worry -- it's just pretending to be "The Dark Knight." 2. The Cast Is Still on Fire What made the original 2009 "Star Trek" so much fun was that director Abrams and his confederates had assembled a crack team of newcomers that embodied the spirit and fun of the original series (and, to a lesser extent, the original set of films). That means everybody is back and ready to party, and while the movie again focuses on the relationship between Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his first mate Spock (Zachary Quinto), each character does get his or her moment in the sun (and Karl Urban's McCoy is given a chance to really shine). You could watch these actors read the phone book and it'd probably be pretty riveting. 3. The New Additions Are Great And what's more, Abrams and his crew have welcomed the new cast members with open arms. Of particular note is Alice Eve, as Carol Marcus, who Trek diehards can tell you holds a very special place in the series' mythology. She's got a wonderful asymmetrical haircut and an adorable British accent, and adds some much-needed emotional depth to all of the Star-Trekking craziness. (Her father, a Starfleet superior played by Peter Weller, is also totally brilliant and not altogether a good guy.) And speaking of bad guys… 4. Yes, Cumberbatch Is Very, Very Bad A lot of the speculation about "Star Trek Into Darkness" has been around Benedict Cumberbatch's character and who, exactly, he plays. We're not going to spoil that here because we want J.J. Abrams to still talk to us if we ever run into him at a party. But that doesn't really matter because, yes, Cumberbatch is a really scary bad guy and totally makes the character (whoever that character might be) his own. We also love that his floppy hair seems to react to whatever mood he's in. It's pretty great, too. 5. See It in IMAX 3D During our screening, people were literally ducking as things came flying out of the screen and into the audience. That's how great the 3D looks. There's this thing that Abrams does with the warp drive, where it leaves this glittery trail behind the ship in space (the soundtrack even "twinkles"), and it's so amazing in 3D. The IMAX is another matter altogether -- it's genuinely stunning and just as immersive as the 3D. Yes, the tickets are considerably more expensive, but in the case of "Star Trek Into Darkness," it's worth it. 6. It Doesn't Make a Whole Lot of Sense Yes, 2009's "Star Trek" had a whole superdome's worth of plotting issues, but "Star Trek Into Darkness" makes so little sense that thinking about it for any prolonged amount of time will probably give you a brain aneurysm. Thankfully, the movie moves so quickly that you don't have time to linger on questionable character motivations and plot mechanics. Forget about a roller-coaster ride, this is like spending the entire day at the theme park. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. 7. Michael Giacchino's Score Rules The original "Star Trek" theme music is so iconic that it's hard to think of anyone replacing that score -- or even coming close to replicating it. Thankfully, longtime Abrams collaborator Michael Giacchino has made a score all his own that is just as exciting and heartwarming. His "Star Trek" theme is fast approaching the level of the original, and that's no small feat. 8. Watch "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" Again Before You See This New Movie That's not giving anything away, either. It's almost like both movies (2009's "Star Trek" and "Star Trek Into Darkness) are subtle remakes of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," for different ways and in different shades. Like putting them together and getting one huge, two-movie-length remake. What makes "Star Trek Into Darkness" so fascinating is how many direct callbacks there are to that movie (including exact copies of snippets of dialogue), with a bunch of extra "Star Trek" shout-outs to various parts of the mythology. If it's been your dream to see a tribble on the big screen, consider that dream come true! 9. It Could Have Used More Aliens Just saying. There are a whole host of aliens in the "Star Trek" universe, and while we get to see a few of the most familiar ones in this movie (no, we're not saying who), there seems to be a genuine untapped goldmine for characters and creatures that Abrams and his collaborators could have drawn from (but chose not to). Oh well. There is some weird robot guy on the bridge that nobody calls by name or even really acknowledges. That's something, right? 10. You'll Be Ready for "Star Trek 3," or "Star Trek Into More Darkness" The movie ends on something of a cliffhanger, which makes you clamor for the third installment. Too bad J.J. Abrams is leaving the franchise for a galaxy far, far away… "Star Trek Into Darkness" is in theaters now.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 15:24:25 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/star-trek-into-darkness-review_n_3287478.html Like the teaser, Hunnam offers a quick voiceover explanation as to how the robots work: they're operated by two humans who use their minds and memories to control them, so that “man and machine become one.” Also like the teaser, there's plenty of action in the clip, including more detailed looks at the aliens -- one resembles a pterodactyl -- and additional shots of alien-on-robot action, clashing in the water and mid-air. Based on what we've seen so far, this is going to be a big, loud, explosive movie, and with Del Toro's pedigree behind it, it should be smart and fun, too. “Pacific Rim” lands July 12. [h/t The Playlist]]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 14:44:26 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/pacific-rim-trailer-teaser_n_3287710.html a verbal altercation between the groups at an English sci-fi convention had to be broken up by police. In a report that sounds more like something out of “West Side Story” than science fiction, the BBC writes that the Norwich Star Wars Club was celebrating its fourth annual Norwich Sci-Fi and Film Convention, when members of the rival Norwich Sci-Fi Club showed up, purportedly to get the autographs of two actors from the long-running “Doctor Who” TV series who were appearing at the event. Members of the Star Wars Club noticed the other members' presence -- one of them was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the club's name -- and the police were called, with the tipster complaining someone had been assaulted. After law enforcement arrived, they interviewed witnesses and reviewed closed-circuit television footage, concluding no such physical confrontation took place. (Maybe the club just used Jedi mind tricks?) “The two rival groups were spoken to and advised to keep out of each other's way,” a police spokesman told the BBC. Sunday's confrontation was nothing new, according to Jim Poole, the treasurer of the Norwich Sci-Fi Club, which is set to put on its own convention in the city later this year. Poole was the one wearing the t-shirt promoting his club, and said he was also the one to call the police, complaining of verbal abuse. Though he acknowledged that the two groups have had disputes in the past, he said Sunday's spat was blown out of proportion -- and also had nothing to do with deep-seated disagreements over differing sci-fi series. “This wasn't a fight between ‘Star Wars' fans and ‘Doctor Who' fans with lightsabers and sonic screwdrivers drawn,” he said. “It's a bit sad and pathetic. We're all in the same boat. We're not in competition.” Dominic Warner, secretary of the Norwich Star Wars Club, echoed those sentiments, adding that any ill will between the two clubs was in the past, and that the groups would try to work together more closely in the future to avoid incidents like Sunday's. “It does sound comical,” Warner said. “People that dress up in costume are labeled geeks and some people laugh at us, and this just makes it even more so.” [via BBC] ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 14:10:34 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/star-wars-doctor-who-dispute_n_3287586.html "Frances Ha" -- about an awkward 27-year-old aspiring dancer in Brooklyn who's trying to get her life together -- your first inclination might be to compare it to another Brooklyn-based project with a twentysomething female protagonist. However, "Frances Ha" is not HBO's "Girls, and its co-writer and star, Greta Gerwig, is not Lena Dunham (nor is she playing Hannah, Dunham's character on the show). That's nothing against "Girls," it's just that "Frances Ha," and its terrific performance from Gerwig, deserves to stand on its own. Most mainstream audiences are likely unfamiliar with Gerwig. Other than supporting roles in "No Strings Attached" and "Arthur," as well as Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love," she hasn't had much exposure outside of the indie film world. Whether that changes with "Frances Ha" remains to be seen. Either way, the 29-year-old actress is someone to keep an eye on. Here, Gerwig talks about the trepidation she had about acting in "Frances Ha," the new movie she just wrote about herself (she also plans to direct it), how she avoids being in bad movies, and why she's ready to take a vacation. Moviefone: This film isn't just getting great reviews. It seems to genuinely make people happy. Greta Gerwig: I am so glad about that! Are you getting that same sense? I mean, my experience of people talking to me after the movie is this joy that seems to penetrate through the movie or live through the movie that people connect to. There was a screening at the San Francisco Film Festival, and they seemed to really love it... I really love the movie and I loved making it, and it was a real expression of the best that I was capable of. I've never felt so invested in a film, so the fact that people are taking joy from it is tremendously pleasurable for me. You've written stuff in the past, but I get the feeling this project was different. This was the first time I felt like I was really…like, that's half of my writing and it's really represented, and I got the joy that I felt when I wrote plays and gave them to other actors to play. I mean, I was in this, but I also had the experience of saying “I wrote that line and now I have great actors saying that and it sounds so good coming out of there mouths!” It's so intensely pleasurable and scary. Were you worried about acting in a film you were so invested in from the beginning? Yeah. I didn't have any ideas as a writer when I thought about myself acting in it, so I didn't think about myself acting in it. I thought briefly about not acting in it; I thought maybe I would play Sofie and someone else could play Frances. But then I thought, No, that's ridiculous, you're going to play Frances. There was something that felt [long pause] … ... it just made sense? Yeah! But it was also scary because, I don't know … Being an actor you feel inadequate constantly. I mean, I guess it's just being an artist or a writer a musician -- it's a constant swing between gross ego and then gross inadequacy. I try to keep a more steady sense of self because I think it's a sign of real immaturity as a person if you gauge how you feel about yourself by how other people feel about yourself. But I also think nobody is more susceptible to doing that than artists because they're always constantly looking for approval. So you guys ended up taking some breaks in between filming to tweak the movie. Was there anything major you changed? Nope. Actually, Noah told me that this is the movie that he's made that's most closely cut to the script, which he wasn't saying was a good thing or a bad thing, he was just noting that most of the time big things get left out once he's done cutting a movie, or get moved around. That must be nice, especially if you're writing and acting in the movie. It was nice! Even the stuff that we moved around, I had a moment of “Ahhh, should we move it?” But it was right. Has there been anything you learned in the writing process for this movie in terms of what not to do as a writer going forward? Oh, a tremendous amount. I have basically written every day for my whole life, but it was just directionless writing -- it was just notes -- and it was not for anything. It was just for myself or…I didn't know what. I didn't really know that I could be a writer. And then, luckily, I had some professors in college that pointed me in the right direction. I am a little bit ADD [laughs]. I suffer from really poor organization. I think one of the things -- and this sounds very small -- I learned from Noah is he just keeps one document. You just keep adding to that one document and changing that one document and you save drafts as you go. Even if I was going to start a document, I'd write five things and then I'd save it and lose it somewhere on my computer and then I'd start a new thing. It's like the image of the tortured writer ripping pages out of their notebook, crumbling them up and starting a new draft. Yeah, totally! Also these observations were winding up everywhere. [On this] I really learned how to gather and force myself how to stay in this one document. That helped me a lot because it's just my tendency to really spread out in a way that's really not helpful for actually finishing anything. Have you've tried that method since you wrote "Frances Ha"? Yeah, [Noah and I] wrote another movie. Is this the animated movie with the dog? No, that's another one. We wrote the animated movie together and then we wrote another movie together, and then I wrote a movie about myself. Oh, wow. That's a lot. So the plan is to move forward with all three of those? Noah is directing the animated one, we finished the other one we wrote together, and he directed it, and I am going to direct the one I wrote. So, yes, moving forward. It makes me tired to think about it. My goal in 2014 is to take a vacation. Anywhere in particular? Somewhere with a beach. I mean, it's not that I can't take a vacation now, it's that I just have trouble taking a vacation when I feel like I have yet to accomplish major life things. And my most recent major life thing that I feel like I need to accomplish before I take a vacation is to direct a movie. That's a really hard thing to put in the way of a vacation [laughs]. You've mentioned in the past how people often confuse you for the role you played in “Greenberg.” How does that affect you as an actor? Are you a little more pickier with your roles? Do you just ignore it? I just try to ignore it. I really just try to work with the best directors who want to work with me. I think the only thing that's changed is that I kind of care less about people thinking whatever they think. You develop some coping skills and you stop feeling like you want to write a comment on an article [saying] “I am that person! This is totally wrong!!” Which, you do have that impulse for the first year of people writing things about you because you've never had anybody write anything about you before and you feel the need to correct the record. And it doesn't matter. You kind of just have to let it go because it will just make you insane. So I just try to pick things I really like and I really think are great. More than even the character I play, I look for the movie itself. Being a great actor in a sh*t movie is not something I am that interested in. I'd rather be a small part in a great movie than a big part in a stinker. But I will also be in a stinker, don't worry. [Laughs] I have been in some stinkers. I mean, you can't avoid being in a stinker but you can try and be honest about why you choose things for yourself. I also think you kind of just have to be, you know ... Sometimes you just need a job. You can't get too precious about it.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 10:34:11 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/greta-gerwig-frances-ha-interview_n_3285603.html Thu, 16 May 2013 12:01:12 EDT http://news.moviefone.com/2013/05/16/weekend-movies-star-trek-into-darkness_n_3272993.html