The Academy and the ABC Television Network today announced the dates for the 88th, 89th and 90th Oscar presentations. The Academy Awards will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, February 28, 2016, February 26, 2017, andMarch 4, 2018, respectively.
Academy key dates for the 2015 Awards season are:
Saturday, November 14, 2015 Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Friday, January 8, 2016 Thursday, January 14, 2016 Monday, February 8, 2016 Friday, February 12, 2016 Saturday, February 13, 2016 Tuesday, February 23, 2016 Oscar Sunday, Feb 28, 2016
The Governors Awards Nominations voting opens 8 a.m. PT Nominations voting closes 5 p.m. PT Oscar Nominations Announcement Oscar Nominees Luncheon Final voting opens 8 a.m. PT Scientific and Technical Awards Final voting closes 5 p.m. PT 88th Academy Awards begins 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT
The 88th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
In order to cover every big story, the big 24 hour cable news networks need to find experts to debate and discuss this bit of information. This is most often presented in the now standard split screen format with opposing takes to the story, now viewable side by side (sometimes the host or anchor will take up a third portion of the screen). Split screens are almost always used when another report or study is released that concerns climate change or global warming. On one side a researcher or scientist (former staple of kids’ programming Bill Nye “the Science Guy” has now become a news staple) explains the findings while a representative from some organization (“Citizens for…”, “The …Foundation, etc.) dismisses it with the popular mantra “not all the studies are in…”. But, just who are these naysayers, and what are these groups they speak for? Science historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway tried to answer these questions in a 2010 book, which inspired the new documentary from director Robert Kenner (FOOD, INC.) and co-screenwriter Kim Roberts, MERCHANTS OF DOUBT.
Oddly, the film really begins over sixty years ago, with a subject fairly far removed from current controversies: the link between tobacco use and cancer. The big cigarette producers were in a quandary. How could they refute the surgeon general’s report? To paraphrase Don Draper from TV’s “Mad Men”, “If you don’t like what they’re saying, change the conversation.”. Public relation firms were hired (the film makers present all the memos and letters), with “experts” casting doubt (hence the title) on the findings, even equated smoking restrictions as an attack on personal freedoms. Two Chicago newspaper reporters were able to connect the dots from tobacco to laws requiring often toxic non-flammable cushions in furniture and bedding. The most compelling sequence concerns a doctor speaking before different committees (always boasting of praise from the Dali Llama) relating the story of a baby’s death in a crib fire, a story he admits was fabricated. These became lessons learned and adapted by “big energy” when stories of climate change began popping up in the early 1980’s (with footage of presidents Reagan and Bush the first addressing “the greenhouse effect”).
This subject comprises most of the film’s running time and features its best sequences. And interviewees. We’re introduced to, perhaps, the film’s real hero: James Hansen, a scientist ringing the alarm concerning global warming for the last several decades. We see how the fight has taken a toll on him over the years while many others have taken up the cause. Unfortunately he and the other researchers aren’t “camara friendly”, and are shouted down by the slick PR flacks and lobbyists, armed with dissenting opinions. But who are they? Many of these institutes and foundations are headed by the developers of the atomic bomb, actual rocket scientists. Seems that they’re fiercely anti-communists and believe that anything critical of big business is un-American, even calling environmentalists “watermelons” (green on the outside, red on the inside). The most compelling naysayer, and the Moriarty to Hansen’s Holmes, may be Marc Morano, an internet agitator, who sees nothing wrong in making Hansen and his colleagues’ private email addresses public and is “shocked” that they would be bombarded with death threats (he thinks himself “witty”). Thankfully there are conversion stories, such as the head of Skeptics magazine along with former GOP congressman from South Carolina Bob Inglis who broke with his party over climate change (hence former), and who continues to spread the warning to those refusing to listen.
Kenner keeps the film moving along at a brisk pace, employing animation against a file storing warehouse that resembles the final moments of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK with folders displaying some often unbelievable missives and memos. And there’s the clips, the archival footage of Rush, Glen Beck, and the ole’ Fox News gang. The best ones go even further back when Morton Downey, Jr., on his old nightly screamfest, berating anti-smoking researcher Stanton Glantz with “I smoke three packs a day and look a helluva’ lot better than you!”. Glantz certainly looks better than him now (Mort took his last puff in 2001). MERCHANTS OF DOUBT is informative, entertaining, compelling, funny and infuriating. Most importantly, it’s an indictment against those cable channels for being too quick to give these “experts’ airtime (do your research!) And it should be required viewing for history and political students everywhere. You’ll never watch the news quite the same way again.
4 Out of 5
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre
At one time or another, we’ve all felt we’ve had the worst parents in the world. We have our reasons, but watch THE HARVEST (2013) and you’ll quickly reevaluate your thinking. The question arises… what is a child’s life worth and how far will you go to save that life when certain death rears its unfriendly head?
THE HARVEST tells the story of a seriously ill boy named Andrew, bed-ridden and bored out of his mind. He’s not allowed to leave the house, play baseball, have friends or go to school, and is barely allowed to leave his room. Andrew, played by Charlie Tahan, is weak and can barely stand on his own, but he still has desires just like any boy his age. These desire have been successfully subdued by his over-protective, borderline psychotic mother Katherine, played by Samantha Morton. Then a misunderstood, rebellious girl his age named Maryann moves into her grandparents’ house nearby and changes everything.
Maryann, played by Natasha Calis, doesn’t waste any time exploring and looking for some way to entertain herself in this secluded area, tucked away in the woods. This is how she happens upon Andrew’s house where the two quickly develop an awkward but empathetic friendship of kindred spirits. For the first time, Andrew actually appears to be experiencing some level of happiness, that is of course, until Katherine discovers the existence of Maryann, which had prior been kept a secret.
THE HARVEST is set almost entirely inside or in the immediate vicinity of Andrew’s home. What Andrew’s house may lack in physical size, it more than compensates with the size and severity of its secrets. With Andrew basically confined to his bed in his room, the house is essentially a prison. Katherine, a medical doctor by profession, is obsessed with curing her son’s ailment at any and all costs, which serves as her prison. Andrew’s father Richard, played by Michael Shannon, is also a prisoner, but his confinement is his hopelessly lost marriage to his mentally unstable wife Katherine.
Written by first-timer Stephen Lancellotti, THE HARVEST is a passionate film steeped in fear, guilt and lies kept by every major player in the film. The emotional scale of the film tilts heavily toward the darker, unsavory elements of humanity. Despite this, Lancellotti’s strong, well-written characters hold the otherwise excessively depraved nature of the story together, keeping Andrew’s world from crumbling around him until the very end. This is most clearly illustrated in Michael Shannon’s surprisingly subdued performance as Richard, a man so beaten-down by his wife’s insistence on being a controlling emotional mess, that he can often barely speak or move in her presence.
Richard is not a coward, but he is weak. Having left his career to stay home and take care of Andrew while Katherine works, he has but a single purpose that drains his very essence, and yet Katherine will not even allow him to fully embrace this role. Other weaknesses of Richard’s emerge in the film, but they all tie back into his desire to do right by his son, however he must. Sadly, that often means protecting and supporting Andrew against his mother’s abrasive, even violent behavior spawned from a truly demented sense of ensuring her’s son’s well-being.
Samantha Morton delivers a performance so absolutely frightening that the concept alone of their being a real life Katherine out in the world somewhere alone sends chills down my spine. On the most primal, stripped down level, her heart is in the right place, but the manner and methods by which she pursues saving her son’s life are so utterly deplorable that virtually every moment she is on screen is cringe-worthy. Consider Kathy Bates’ performance as Annie Wilkes in MISERY (1990) and then notch that sucker up to 11 on the bone-tingling terror scale.
Andrew’s helplessness is made convincing by Charlie Tahan’s performance, not just in the physically demanding nature of the role requiring him to appear weak and broken, but in his emotional state and virtually non-existent level of energy. In pulling this off, Tahan only increases the next-level insanity that emerges from Morton’s performance. Meanwhile, Natasha Calis is perhaps the most normal and well-rounded character in the film, despite her own demons, which are relatively minor in comparison to Andrew’s. Finally, for good measure, McNaughton throws a familiar seasoned favorite in the mix with Peter Fonda playing Maryann’s grandfather. While his role is rather small, he does provide a crucial line of dialogue in the film that, for Maryann, serves as the equivalent of Uncle Ben telling Peter Parker “with great power comes great responsibility.”
John McNaughton is a filmmaker of notable cult status, but many of you reading this are scratching your heads, I am sure. Having made his mark early in his career, McNaughton is best known to true horror movie aficionados for HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), his debut film that also introduced Michael Rooker to movie audiences, who is now something of a household name amongst The Walking Dead fans.
Well-known for the gritty, faux-documentary style of his feature film debut about what makes a killer, McNaughton takes a sizable step away from that visual style. The film still has a hint of that voyeuristic element, but its subtle and will go mostly unnoticed. I realize how strange this will sound, but THE HARVEST actually conveys more of a prime time Hallmark family movie night vibe to its visual style, with its contemporary, shot-on-digital video looking, real life drama sort of stuff, that actually adds to the creepiness of what takes place.
McNaughton is no stranger to delving into projects that develop as much controversy as they do cult following, such as MAD DOG AND GLORY (1993) and WILD THINGS (1998). I feel this will not be an exception to that rule and I am certainly grateful for McNaughton sticking to his guns. I will end with this… if you are not even a little bit afraid of Samantha Morton after seeing this film, please do me a favor and never introduce me to your mother.
THE HARVEST opened in New York on April 10 and is available on VOD now.
The film opens in Los Angeles this Friday, April 24th at the Arena Cinema in Hollywood.
Only a week after the sufferings of EFFIE GRAY, another “inspired by true events” drama set in the world of art (specifically paintings) makes its way to the multiplex. The two are quite different, though, with this new film set more than nearly 150 years after that romance gone sour. But this recent release has several flashback scenes some sixty years in the past, during the Second World War. And much of the dramatic highlights take place, not in lush estates, but in boardrooms and courtrooms. So, it’s a WWII thriller and a legal showdown pitting a plucky, feisty mature lady represented by an overwhelmed young lawyer versus an uncaring, unfeeling bureaucracy. Now with Helen Mirren as the lady and Ryan Reynolds as her aide, you know we’re in for a meaty drama indeed as they seek the return of that most celebrated Austrian artwork, the WOMAN IN GOLD.
Maria Altman (Mirren) is a widow well past her retirement age, who still runs a small clothing shop in LA in 1998. Newspaper articles about a special display of Gustav Klimt’s work spurs her memories of growing up in a wealthy affluent household in 1930’s Vienna. After a family funeral service, she speaks with a distant relative, Mrs. Schoenberg (Frances Fisher) and inquires about her lawyer son. Randol (Reynolds) who has just joined a big, prestigious law firm, after his own private practice folded. He and his wife Pam (Katie Holmes) are anxious about the new gig, but after getting pressure from mom, he agrees to meet with Maria. He’s stunned when she informs him that Klimt’s most famous work, “The Woman in Gold”, is a portrait of her beloved aunt. It was taken from their family home during the Nazi occupation. And since she’s the last living relative, can she get the pieces (along with some others) back from the Austrian government? Luckily Randol convinces his new boss (Charles Dance) to take on the case (the work is worth well over a 100 million dollars). But both Randol and Maria will have to go to Austria to get their case heard. She’s reluctant, but they make the trek and are greeted by a helpful magazine reporter, Hubertus (Daniel Bruhl), who guides them to the old records and files. The government officials dismiss the two, and all seems to be lost. Time passes, and Randol’s stop at a LA chain bookstore reminds him of an obscure court decision. There’s still a chance if he can convince Maria to take up the fight once more, a fight that will eventually send them to the United States Supreme Court.
GOLD is essential viewing for fans of the always compelling Mirren. As with many recent roles, her Maria will not suffer fools. When we meet her, she’s feisty and witty, with retorts that cut to the quick, particularly in her first encounters with Randol (this young man will not dissuade her). It’s when she must return to her homeland and confront the ghosts, that Mirren shows us Maria’s vulnerability. She’s haunted as each familiar street and building dredges up painful memories and traumas. But she keeps going, trying to quelch her thirst for justice. When she’s thwarted in the old country, it’s Randol that must now be the inspiration and rekindle that flame. Reynolds is definitely out of his comfort zone in this role. Although an attempt is made to “de-hunk-ify” him via makeup, wardrobe, and hair styling, often his leading man charisma and charm break through. Still, he acquits himself well in this change of pace character, especially as Randol embraces his heritage including the horrors his family endured. Bruhl also makes an impression as another seeker of truth, perhaps trying to compensate for the sins of his countrymen. Holmes is a warm supporter for Reynolds, as she tries to be his “rock’ back in the states. There’s more outstanding work from Tatiana Maslany, best known for her lead role on TV’s “Orphan Black”, as Mariah in the late 1930’s who makes some very tough decisions along with Max Irons as her opera singer hubby Fritz. Maslany compliments Mirren nicely, bringing another aspect of Maria’s life. Dance is a superbly intimidating boss, while Elizabeth McGovern and Jonathan Price bring the right amount of gravitas to their very different judicial roles.
Director Simon Curtis makes a confident transition from his many TV projects to this feature film. He gets wonderful performances from this great cast and never lets the audiences get mired in legal minutia, thanks mainly to the screenplay by Alexi Kaye Campbell. The location cinematography of Austria is lovely, but never detracts from the horrors of occupation in the many flashback sequences. And the art is stunning, also, with a glimpse of Klimt applying the colors to the film’s title painting. We’ve seen several recent films concerning the Nazi occupation, but these scenes still pack a wallop as several of Maria’s neighbors seem to delight in aiding the invaders. Yes WOMAN IN GOLD concerns a celebrated work of art, but it’s also about two inspiring lives also worthy of celebration.
Like many genre films, the category of mafia films is often branded with certain expectations. Granted, not all of these films are created equal, but we generally expect to see lots of violence and/or lots of foul language and Hollywood stereotypes. Where BLACK SOULS succeeds is in refusing such stereotypes and telling a richly deep story about an unconventional “family business” that conjures up the essence of THE GODFATHER but distances itself even further from the genre stereotypes than just about any film we’ve seen in recent years.
Director Francesco Munzi’s BLACK SOULS (“Anime nere” in Italian) maintains a nearly unprecedented level of dignity for its type. The film tells the story of three brothers closely connected to N’drangheta, a mafia-like criminal organization based out of Calabria. These three brothers, sons of a shepherd, have differing views on their relationships with N’drangheta, which plays a crucial role in the telling of their reluctantly interconnected lives.
Rocco (played by Peppino Mazzotta) is a quiet, well-mannered man of means. Rocco is the most successful of the three brother, business-minded and methodical, but seems cautious in his relationship with N’drangheta business and how he conducts himself. Rocco has a nice, big house, a beautiful wife and is the picture of a comfortable, low-key life in this Italian underworld.
Luigi (played by Marco Leonardi) is the brother most typical of what we imagine in an Italian mobster. Watching Leonardi play Luigi is akin to watching Ray Liotta immortalize Henry Hill in Scorcese’s GOODFELLAS. Luigi is proud of his life and his affiliation as a gangster. He’s not stupid. He doesn’t make poor decisions because of this, but he does wear it on his sleeve. This subtle mix of machismo and bravado convey a confidence that makes Luigi likable, but also dangerous.
Luciano (played by Fabrizio Ferracane) is the eldest brother. He is also the brother with the least interest in the N’drangheta but with the most at stake. Luciano has taken up their father’s legacy as a shepherd, shunning the N’drangheta life as much as he can, but living amidst it and having family ties makes completely disowning the notion an exercise in futility. Pasqualle (played by Vito Facciolla) is currently the “don” in control of power, but is far from friendly with the brother’s criminal family.
When Luciano’s son Leo (played by Giuseppe Fumo) shows an interest in N’drangheta, Luciano attempts to lead him away from danger, but Leo has no interest in farm life and Luciano instead pushes him away. Leo leaves home to spend time with his uncle Luigi, whom he idolizes, and stays with Rocco and his family in Milan. While Rocco is reluctant to officially introduce Leo to the family business, Luigi has no reservations and casually supports Leo’s efforts to wiggle his ways into the family’s affairs.
Leo is drawn to the N’drangheta life like a moth to a light. He looks at the life his father and grandfather led and sees nothing but a prison and has no intent on being shackled to that kind of tradition. Fumo captures the quintessential youthful ignorance associated with being blinded by a desire for fame, fortune and ill-gotten respect. He allows his curiosity to ferment into arrogance and entitlement, like a young Jedi being seduced and corrupted by the dark side of the force.
Ferracane’s restrained emotional performance is undoubtedly the marquee strength of BLACK SOULS. Luciano is clearly distraught by his son’s ambitious intentions, and bitter about his history and current connection with the N’drangheta, despite his efforts to break clean. Ferracane bottles up this anger and disdain, leading to a highly physical performance. Dialogue plays a secondary role to Ferracane’s body language and facial expression of emotions. This plays beautifully into Munzi’s film.
BLACK SOULS is similarly paced with the racing of turtles, intentionally, and is a surprisingly quiet film. Dialogue is sparse and enjoys long stretches of near silence, perhaps further conveying the underlying theme of loss and mourning, both literal and analogous in nature. A great deal of the character interaction is made through eye contact and gestural interpretation. There’s more to these characters than meets the eye, and their stories go deeper than we, as outsiders, can fully understand.
Despite the slow and silent nature of the film’s structure, BLACK SOULS is a fantastically engrossing portrait of conflicting obligations. Gorgeously photographed and accompanied by a thematically appropriate score by Giuliano Taviani, BLACK SOULS is a sensory pleasure wrapped around an emotionally complex tale of torn souls.
BLACK SOULS (“Anime nere”) opens in New York on Friday, April 10th, 2015, with a nationwide release to follow.
From New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures comes the comedy HOT PURSUIT, starring Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line,” “Wild”) and Sofía Vergara (“Chef,” TV’s “Modern Family”), under the direction of Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”).
Watch the hilarious new trailer now.
In HOT PURSUIT, an uptight and by-the-book cop (Witherspoon) tries to protect the sexy and outgoing widow (Vergara) of a drug boss as they race through Texas, pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen.
Fletcher directs from a screenplay written by David Feeney (TV’s “New Girl”) & John Quaintance (TV’s “Ben & Kate”). John Carroll Lynch (“Crazy, Stupid, Love.”) and Robert Kazinsky (“Pacific Rim”) also star.
The film is produced by Bruna Papandrea (“Wild,” “Gone Girl”), Reese Witherspoon and Dana Fox, with Jeff Waxman, Sofía Vergara and Luis Balaguer serving as executive producers.
Set to hit theaters on May 8, 2015, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures..
This film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual content, violence, language and some drug material.
If you watch SECRETS & LIES on ABC then the biggest question on your mind is Who Killed Tom Murphy? Everyone has their own theories but not everyone gets a chance to sit down with a key cast member to discuss them. I recently had the the pleasure of interviewing Dan Fogler about the Kickstarter campaign for his new comic book Brooklyn Gladiator. Dan expertly plays the role of Dave Lindsey, who adds some much-needed moments of levity while also providing some tense dramatic story beats. After discussing Dan’s comic, I brought up my theory of who I think killed Tom. Dan’s reaction might reveal just a little too much. Watch for yourself and let us know what you think. #DidDaveKillTom?
Celebrate the April 10th digital release of the Star Wars saga with this collection of fun facts and interstellar statistics. For the first time ever, all six epic films in the Saga, from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi, will be available on Digital HD.
Want more behind-the-scenes revelations? Then check out the extras on Star Wars: The Digital Collection.
Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn rescue Queen Amidala, ruler of a peaceful planet invaded by dark forces. On their escape, they discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a child prodigy who is unusually strong in the Force.
Anakin Skywalker’s Podracer in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was created from an interesting collection of vehicles and props. The front of the shuttle, in which Anakin sits, was made from the shell of a 1960’s racing car called a Maserati Birdcage.
It took three to four months to create many of the intricate and lavish costumes worn by Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala. Much of the fine detailing was hand stitched to couture levels by a talented wardrobe team.
In total, a team of 45 animators worked on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The team created more than 60 digital characters, including Jar Jar Binks. A crew of 15 animators worked solely on the iconic Gungan from the planet Naboo.
STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
When Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect Senator Padmé Amidala, he discovers his love for her…and his own darker side. Obi-Wan Kenobi uncovers a secret clone army as the galaxy marches towards full-scale war.
Look carefully at the head statues in the Jedi Archives that Obi-Wan visits in Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones. The busts are sculpted in the shape of some very famous Star Wars faces including George Lucas, animation director Rob Coleman, model supervisor Brian Gernand and visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman and John Knoll.
A secluded lakeside retreat in Lake Como was the romantic setting used as the location for Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala’s first kiss. George Lucas was on vacation in Lake Como – and in the process of writing the script for the movie – when he decided that the ultra romantic setting would be perfect for the film.
The scene where Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan travel in an elevator at the start of Episode II wasn’t in the original script. George Lucas wanted to add an introductory scene to the movie to show how well these two characters get along, even though there is a little tension between them in the scene that follows.
C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels makes a cameo appearance in the movie’s club scene behind Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker. Daniels is not in his C-3PO outfit for the shot, but the actor’s face is clear to see. Can you spot him?
The calm Kaminoan race appears briefly in Attack Of The Clones. They are a very graceful and serene alien race – but they were completely CG in the movie. Fashion models and the elegance of tai chi inspired the movie’s animators in creating Kaminoan characters Taun We and Lama Su.
STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH
Clone Wars rage across the galaxy. The sinister Sith Lord seizes control of the Republic and corrupts Anakin Skywalker to be his dark apprentice, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi must confront his fallen friend in an epic lightsaber duel.
In total, 72 sets created for Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith. The largest set was the stage where Anakin Skywalker has an epic lightsaber battle with Count Dooku [played by Christopher Lee in the movie].
Christopher Lee wasn’t on set when the fight scene between Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker was shot. A stunt man performed the fighting choreography and his face was replaced with Lee’s. In other parts of the scene, a completely digital Count Dooku was used, too.
Adding a mechanical arm to Hayden Christensen’s body in the movie’s bedroom scene was an interesting challenge for the Star Wars special effects team. During the filming of the shirtless scene, Christensen wore a blue glove on set. The special effects crew later replaced the glove with a computer-generated robotic arm for the finished film.
George Lucas and his two daughters make a cameo appearance in the hallway of the movie’s elegant opera scene. George’s daughters refused to appear in the movie unless their father joined them. In the finished film footage, the director has a blue face and can be spotted talking to his younger daughter. His oldest daughter is in the center of the hallway as Anakin Skywalker runs past.
STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE
Young farm boy Luke Skywalker is thrust into a galaxy of adventure when he intercepts a distress call from the captive Princess Leia. The event launches him on a daring mission to rescue her from the clutches of Darth Vader and the Evil Empire.
Despite being a big-budget blockbuster, the creative team often built props as economically as possible. For example, the pod that C-3PO and R2-D2 use to escape in Star Wars: A New Hope was created from two paint buckets. It was only used in two shots in the movie.
Ben Burtt is a Lucasfilm icon who created the many sounds of Star Wars. To research the sound of the Star Destroyer at the start of Episode IV, he had a fairly unsuccessful recording expedition to White Sands Missile Range. The sound designer was invited to record a number of military and scientific rockets taking off – but the result was crackly and poppy rather than the deep, rumbling and booming rocket engine. The sounds couldn’t be used as he’d hoped.
Look closely at the asteroids in A New Hope. The creative team was criticized that their asteroid designs resembled potatoes – but if you look in the far distance during Millennium Falcon chase scenes of A New Hope, real potatoes were actually used!
Archivists at Lucasfilm recently discovered the original lightsaber prop from Star Wars: Episode IV. You can see the discovery in all its glory in the bonus extras from the new digital release, Star Wars: The Digital Collection. What else will you discover with the new extras? Between 1975 and 1978, Charles Lippincott interviewed the cast and crew of Star Wars: A New Hope. These tapes remained lost for 40 years… Until now! You can hear excerpts from the tapes in the exclusive extras for the new digital release.
STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
The Rebels scatter after the Empire attacks their base on the ice planet Hoth. Han Solo and Princess Leia are pursued by Imperials, while Luke trains with Jedi Master Yoda. Luke must battle Darth Vader and learns the shocking truth of his past.
In the Star Wars fan world, there’s a lot of controversy about the color of the coat Han Solo wears on the planet Hoth in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Many fans think the coat is blue, but it’s actually brown. You can see it in the bonus extras of Star Wars: The Digital Collection.
If Anthony Daniels fell over in his C-3PO costume, he couldn’t get up on his own. The costume wasn’t very flexible at all. In fact, the actor couldn’t sit down whilst wearing it. Whenever you see C-3PO sitting in The Empire Strikes Back, either you don’t see below the waist or Anthony would sit down on set without the costume and they would build it up around him.
Which everyday kitchen item was used to create the sound of C-3PO moving in the early movies? According to Ben Burtt, it was a couple of ice-cube trays being bashed around.
Harrison Ellenshaw – Matte Painting Supervisor for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back – is no stranger to Disney. Harrison is the son of Peter Ellenshaw, who was a matte painter for Disney for many, many years. Peter worked on iconic movies including Mary Poppins, Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Swiss Family Robinson – and he was named a Disney Legend in 1993. Harrison can be seen talking about the use of matte paintings in the Star Wars saga in the bonus extras for the new digital release, Star Wars: The Digital Collection.
STAR WARS: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI
The Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star. The Rebel fleet counters with a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader in a final climactic duel.
Listen up when the carbonite block in which Han Solo is encased falls to the floor in Star Wars: The Return Of The Jedi. What was used to create the sound of the carbonite mass hitting the ground? Ben Burtt simply recorded the sound of a big garbage dumpster outside his home.
The iconic shot of Han Solo breaking out of the carbonite block was an interesting challenge for the movie’s special effects team. The crew made a wax figure of Harrison Ford and shone a bright light behind it for part of the epic transformation.
It was a huge task to move the mammoth life-size puppet of Jabba The Hutt on the set of Star Wars: The Return Of The Jedi. The special effects team had to stand behind and inside the character in order to try and make him move as realistically as possible. There’s a crewmember in the tail of Jabba, along with two crewmembers on remote controls, which were used to move the tongue and the eyes of the behemoth character.
The sand dune backgrounds for the scenes in which Jabba The Hutt’s barge heads to the Sarlacc Pit were all shot in Yuma, Arizona. When the background scenes were being shot, a sound crew was sent into the dunes – but the main thing they captured was sand in their equipment due to the high winds in the area! Instead, the sound crew headed off to a local naval air station where they recorded jets landing and taking off. These sounds became the basis for a lot of the speeder bikes seen later in the movie.
Here’s a look at the brand new poster for SINISTER 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit horror movie. Try getting this image out of your head.
And, continuing with the evil of Bughuul, Focus Features will release the first trailer tomorrow. You’ve been warned.
In the aftermath of the shocking events in SINISTER, a protective mother (Shannyn Sossamon of “Wayward Pines”) and her 9-year-old twin sons (real-life twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves in a rural house marked for death as the evil spirit of Buhguul continues to spread with frightening intensity.
Directed by Ciaran Foy (“Citadel”) and written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (“Sinister”), the cast includes Shannyn Sossamon, James Ransone, Robert and Dartanian Sloan.
Photo: David Ayer, Joel Kinnaman, Will Smith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Jay Hernandez, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Adam Beach, Jim Parrack, Ike Berinholtz, Karen Fukuhara, Margot Robbie, and Cara Delevigne, minus Scott Eastwood and Jared Leto.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ new action adventure brings DC Comics’ super villain team to the big screen in SUICIDE SQUAD. The film will star two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith as Deadshot; Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn; Oscar winner Jared Leto as the Joker; Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg; Jai Courtney as Boomerang; and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.
Ayer is also writing the script for SUICIDE SQUAD, which is being produced by Charles Roven (upcoming “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”) and Richard Suckle (“American Hustle”). Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns are serving as executive producers.
