On Wednesday (June 19), I had the great pleasure of talking to Marco Beltrami, composer of WORLD WAR Z. It was really a thrill for me to speak to him because I am such a fan of composers and film scores.
A prolific, Italian-born film composer who had his start with the teen horror franchise “Scream,” Beltrami was raised in the U.S. and underwent intensive musical training both abroad and at Yale University, composing music for symphonies and dance ensembles before entering the world of film and television scoring with projects like “Hellboy” (2004) and blockbuster sequels such as “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003).
Outside of his genre work, Beltrami held that contemporary film music should include a variety of musical styles and instruments, which he put to use with his critically acclaimed work on the Scandinavian film “I am Dina” (2002) before returning to mainstream films with his traditional sweeping music for “3:10 to Yuma” (2007). After writing the scores for the long-awaited sequel “Live Free or Die Hard” (2007) and the comic book actioner “Max Payne” (2008), he penned the Oscar-nominated music for “The Hurt Locker” (2009), which propelled him onto the upper tier of Hollywood composers.
During our conversation, Beltrami and I discussed how he was brought onto the film by Brad Pitt and Marc Forster, his collaboration with the star and director, the unique percussion instruments used for the movie and how he was influenced by the great Jerry Goldsmith.
Marco Beltrami, WWZ, Abbey Road, London April 2013
WAMG: So I saw the movie on Monday night, and loved it. And the score was fantastic!
MB: Yeah I actually just saw it last night. I wasn’t able to go to the dub in London, so I wasn’t sure how it all fit together, so it was a nice surprise.
WAMG: What drew you to this project, initially?
MB: Well, I read the script. I went in and had a meeting with Marc, the director, when we started…this was about a year and a half or so, two years ago. And I was just blown away by – they showed me some of the footage – by what a unique take it was on the whole zombie thing. The whole notion of them being like a force of nature, and how they swarm and all that, and I thought it would have neat music applications and I just thought it would be a blast to work on.
WAMG: Now is that sort of your basic approach when you’re doing a project or a film, that you read the script first and get ideas, or do you have ideas in your head already?
MB: Well, the script is good, to know what the story is. You can usually tell from the script if it’s gonna be problematic or not. But you really can’t put musical ideas together from a script. It really is deceiving and you need to see some of the footage or you need to see the movie. I have, in the past, worked on ideas just from scripts and I’ve always been wrong with what I…yeah it was important to see. I mean reading the script was really intense, but it was really important to see the thing.
WAMG: And would that be the same approach to something, say like, Wolverine?
MB: Yeah Wolverine, I didn’t even get the script. (James) Mangold asked me about doing it before he even shot it. We had done another movie, 3:10 to Yuma together so I knew what an amazing director he is, so I didn’t hesitate at all. And just knowing a little bit about the project, I thought it would be really cool, which it is.
(c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
WAMG: Now getting back to WWZ, some tracks like “They hear the singing” and “They’re coming over the top”…how did you decide what that should sound like, to create that sense of utter panic and anxiety?
MB: It’s there in the picture, the way its cut and shot and edited…so I was just enhancing what was already there. Like the notion that these zombies are imminently threatening the safety of the enclosure there. One of the things, score-wise, that I thought was important was being able to have a lot of quick, off-beat, odd-metered rhythms, because that type of stuff seems to provide a real unsettling feeling in the audience when they are watching it because it’s something you have a hard time grasping on to.
WAMG: Oh it was absolutely unsettling! You mentioned meeting with director Marc Forster – what was the extent of the collaboration process with him and Brad Pitt – I mean did everyone want to have their input with you or did they just leave you alone and say do your thing?
MB: It started out working with Marc when I came on, and my idea with him was that I really wanted to try experimenting. The first time I saw the movie – it’s not in it now – after the Philadelphia sequence, the picture cuts to black and you hear the emergency broadcast system tone and I thought that would be a really neat place to start, musically, for a basic idea for the score. And also, another big story point in the film was the way these things propagate, through biting, and so there’s the sound of teeth.
So I began to experiment with that and Marc was very encouraging, he came up to the studio with his editor Matt (Chesse) and listened to some ideas that we were putting together and playing around with and they were extremely encouraging and it was a great process. And then the film shut down for a little bit because they went to (re)shoot the whole last third of the movie – I think it may have been a little on the dark side. I think they wanted to make it more of a family film.
(c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
After that I worked closely with (President of Motion Picture Music) Randy Spendlove at Paramount and they had music editor John Finklea who was really instrumental in sort of leading the charge on how to…I mean there’s a lot of different factions, there’s the studio, and Brad Pitt’s company…so Brad actually came to the studio and I played him some stuff and he had some really helpful comments about keeping it experimental, but then also balancing that with the notion that it’s a big epic movie and “we have to keep this in the world of summer blockbuster” type of thing.
You know we ended up…in the end what we did was we recorded over in London and we actually had a large orchestra recording some of the big epic stuff at Abbey Road and at the same time had a smaller group at British Grove studios in London and there we recorded more of the chamber, intimate, gritty, rosin-on-the-bow type of stuff, which was unique. I don’t know of any other scores that have done that and the mixers were able to blend it all together and create something that was, that satisfied everyone.
WAMG: I read that you used non-traditional percussive instruments, like animal skulls, and teeth. Was that a first for you? Had you done that before?
MB: Never with the animal skulls. We found that there are these feral pigs in…I’m not sure where they’re native to, maybe Texas, called javelina, and they have big jaws. So we got some skulls and miked them up. Then I have a friend of mine who is a hunter and he gave me a lion skull, and we had some raccoon skulls – yeah it looked like a taxidermist. We just played around with that and it became elements that we later used as percussion elements and you can hear that stuff in the score. We experimented in the studio and then we recorded everything when we went to London. You can hear in the score, in a few different places, these sounds. Sometimes it’s covered up by orchestral percussion and all, but sometimes it stands out and I think it helps add to the tension.
WAMG: You’ve done so many different types of films, from action and sci-fi to dramas and thrillers. Do you have a favorite genre that you like to compose for?
MB: No, not really. To me, if I find the material inspiring then I come up with stuff. I found that the only thing that I think I’m not that good at is romantic comedy, I don’t know, maybe I just take myself too seriously. You know I think it’s because a lot of that stuff becomes like you’re playing musical sound effects, like musical gags type of thing and I tend to like to write longer lines, I think maybe that’s why. Stylistically they all present different challenges and I think that’s part of the real fun of being a film composer is that you’re constantly putting on different hats and working in different areas.
WAMG: Speaking of composers, I also read that among the many places you studied, you studied at USC under Jerry Goldsmith. What was that like, and what did you take away from that?
MB: That was when I first moved here and that’s why I moved here, why I came out here to learn about film scoring and I had the opportunity to study with him at USC. And you know what was really amazing working with him was that I had come from a world that sort of embraced…the concert music world really embraces complexity and sometimes it almost hides behind that, taking ideas that are not only hard to play, but also sometimes hard to appreciate. When I met Jerry, it was a complete contrast because he really focused on simplicity, on being as succinct as possible, on making things as simple and easy for the players as possible. The music in a film should all come from a simple idea and from there should blossom out and that is what has really stuck with me over the years, and I think it was a very valuable experience.
WAMG: Thanks to Marco Beltrami for taking the time to talk to us!
Here’s a look at the WORLD WAR Z recording session at Abbey Road, London – April 2013.
Shakespeare’s classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Joss Whedon’s film, “Much Ado About Nothing”. Shot in just 12 days (and using the original text), the story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a dark, sexy and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love.
Joss Whedon, along with stars Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg sat down recently at an LA press conference to talk about the film, as well as their experiences in the Whedonverse. I was there, and I must say that things got pretty silly, as you can expect. It was, by far, the best (and most entertaining) press conference that I’ve attended to date. Check it out below.
Joss, this is absolutely beautiful in black and white. What considerations did you and D.P. Jay Hunter have in doing this in black and white, and why types of challenges did it present to you – shooting the beautiful palette and tonal bandwidth that you have?
WHEDON: Well, black and white was my contribution. Beautiful was Jay’s. I felt very strongly that it if fit the narrative. It’s a noir comedy. The dramatic and the comedic elements are very much a mix, and that it had an old-fashioned feel to it that I wanted to capture. And I couldn’t afford costumes, so it seemed like black and white was the way to go. And then, Jay was very influenced by French and Italian new wave cinema, and also the older stuff. So, even though it was a very light lighting package, he made sure he used the sun and what little we had to give it that old-fashioned kind of glamour, besides the fact that it makes everything pretty and takes away a lot of problems. Anything that doesn’t fit the palette, you don’t know about it. If someone shows up in an aquamarine dress in the background and you didn’t see it in time, it’s fine. You’ll never know. It gives the movie a little bit of a remove. It’s very casual and it’s very intimate, but at the same time, it’s film. That allows for the language to settle in, in a way that, if it had just looked like a home movie, it wouldn’t have.
You shot this before the monochrome came out, correct?
WHEDON: Yes. We shot in color. We just turned the color off on the monitors.
Mr. Whedon, of all of Shakespeare’s plays that you could have chosen, what attracted you to this one.? Also, for the actors, you’ve all worked with Mr. Whedon before. In some way his work is very Shakespearian – his words. Could you compare working on his projects, with his words to working with the words of Shakespeare?
WHEDON: [To cast] I see a lot of opportunities for you guys to piss me off. [laughs] I love Much Ado. It’s hilarious and it’s accessible, but it’s also very dark and it has a lot to say about love, not all of it good, and how we behave. It poses a lot of interesting questions. It doesn’t resolve all of them, even though it has a happy ending. It’s this open debate about the way we behave and the way we’re expected to. It’s fascinating to me. But, the short answer is [Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker]. That’s why I wanted to do it.
FILLION: I don’t want to say that Joss Whedon is the Shakespeare of our generation. It’s true, but I don’t want to say it.
DENISOF: I’ve been saying that Shakespeare is the Joss Whedon of his generation. [laughs] I’m trying to let people know. They’re confused on that point.
FILLION: I think there’s a real poetry to Joss’ words. In the same way that you do not paraphrase Shakespeare, you do not paraphrase Joss Whedon.
WHEDON: I’m just gonna sit here. [laughs]
ACKER: Also, what Joss was just saying about this play has that perfect blend of comedy and tragedy, and Joss does that so well. That’s what makes being in his stuff so much fun, as an actor. He’s not afraid to take it in different places that you don’t expect it to go.
DENISOF: In the same way that Shakespeare was writing very much for his time, he was also unearthing observations that would last for generations beyond him. I hope I’m here to see that happen with Joss’ work. It’s true that he has got his finger on the contemporary pulse of American youth, but his finger is going a lot deeper than that. [laughs]
WHEDON: That is the one that’s gonna get quoted!
What was your gateway drug into Shakespeare, the particular time in your life, and that drew you in?
WHEDON: There are a couple of specific moments for me. Much Ado really was the gateway drug. I saw a beautiful production at the Open Air Theatre at Regent’s Park in London. They just nailed it, and it was hilarious. I was stunned by not just how funny, but also how contemporary and accessible it was. I had read Shakespeare and I was interested in Shakespeare, but it had never just opened itself to me, in that way. In that moment when Benedick says, “This can be no trick!,” with such authority, after the most obvious trick that’s ever been played, I was just like, “Really?! Shakespeare will do that? He’ll go that far?!” Something just clicked. I saw that production three times. Also, there was the Derek Jacobi Hamlet on the BBC. He is the Hamlet by which they’re all compared, for me.
GREGG: Much Ado was my gateway to the whole thing, the whole shebang. I was playing soccer at a small school in Ohio. I was a goalie and I dislocated my thumb, and they banned me from practice. I was walking past the theater and I saw some very attractive students walking in. [laughs] I followed them, and there was an audition for Much Ado About Nothing. They fool-heartedly gave me the role of Benedick, and I delivered them a legendary Christmas ham. [laugh] But I was hooked, so I immediately dropped out of that school and moved to New York, just ‘cause I loved it so much.
Joss, how difficult was it to make a film as huge as The Avengers, and then switch gears and do such a small film as Much Ado? Coming off of THE AVENGERS and everything that came with it, and then coming back to something so straight forward as this, did you ever have to hit reset on the brain?
WHEDON: It’s all the same job. It’s about, “Why is everybody here? What is the most emotionality and the most humor I can get out of this moment?” You’re in the moment you’re in, and then you’re in the next one. Trying to adapt Shakespeare is certainly as daunting as trying to make a superhero movie, but for different reasons. But for me, the level at which things are working doesn’t matter. It’s only about right now and, “Is this the most I can get out of this?” There isn’t really a difference. Although god knows it was lovely doing this after The Avengers, just because it was all so compressed. We accomplished so much, so quickly that you were fed back. It wasn’t like, “Oh, I’ll spend three weeks on one-third of a shot, and then give it to a house for six months, who will send it back complete.” With this, it was like “BOOM”, and we just did it. It was like theater.
Nathan, last summer at the LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival you talked to the crowd about how scared you were to do this. You had asked Joss if there was someone else who could replace you. I was wondering if you could elaborate on that. Why the fears, what did it take you to get over them, and did rest of you had any of those types of fears?
FILLION: I was afraid to do this project for much the same reason that I’m afraid to watch Shakespeare, which is that I will not understand it. That was stopping me from literally learning my lines. I didn’t understand what I was saying, until I sat down and studied, like back in school, what was being said, and what the pictures were that he was painting, was I able to comprehend what I was supposed to be doing. In much the same way as when I watch Shakespeare being done well – I’m gesturing to these people down here – I got it. It’s so easy. I get it. [laughs]
WHEDON: – and I have my finger deep in the youth of America. [laughs]
DENISOF: The pulse.
Why do you think Shakespeare is or should be relevant to today’s audiences?
WHEDON: The stuff he’s talking about is universal. I relate to it, as much as anything I’ve ever seen or read. The poetry of the thing is extraordinary, and it’s lovely to be able to interpret through that. What we’re talking about is love, identity, jealousy, pain and all the things that we still need to talk about. And, you know, Amy [Acker] falling down the stairs, so it’s a win-win.
What was your rehearsal process like for this?
ACKER: Some of us more than others.
GREGG: I came in a bit late. They had these Shakespeare brunches that I heard about. I came in quite late because of an issue with my schedule that then beautifully cleared up. I don’t know. I was quite daunted by the process. I had remembered, in that production that I was in, that this was not a big part, but I was wrong. I had a lot of lines to learn quickly. At the same time, it felt perfect to me, that way. If I had had time to think about it, I probably would have over-thought it. There was something about the way things were just getting out of control for poor Leonato that really was served by just standing there. I also felt that the words are so magnificent. Not just because they’re pretty, because that misses the point, but they’re so active. You say them, and stuff starts to happen. I wasn’t really prepared for any of that, or where it was going. In film, a lot of people don’t want to rehearse too much. I wouldn’t have normally approached Shakespeare that way, even in a film, but I’m really glad it worked out that way.
DENISOF: The last thing Joss said to me when he proposed this crazy idea was, “You’d better know your lines.” That seems like simple advice, but it was fantastic advice. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have wanted to waste any takes on not knowing my lines because we didn’t have very many takes. And he afforded us the opportunity to play these scenes from the beginning to the end, all in one take, which is such a rare treat on film. Anyone will tell you that you shoot a master, maybe, but who uses it? It gets chopped up with various angles and close-ups. The rehearsal process was about getting together in the same place, at the same time, for long enough to make it worthwhile. If you could get two people, then there was a rehearsal. If Joss could be there, great. If he couldn’t, he would give you permission to carry on the process, and then he would meet with you, individually. And then, there was a lot of stuff being worked out on the fly, right before shooting it. But, it’s his home and he had a vision of what he wanted to achieve. We all have complete trust in him. You could try something out, knowing that if it didn’t work, Joss would fix it.
WHEDON: And publicly humiliate you.
Was it more difficult to use an American accent reading Shakespearian English, and not falling back into a pseudo British accent –
DENISOF: Who has one of THOSE, may I ask? [laughs]
FILLION: Ridiculous!
DENISOF: How dare you!
FILLION: How dare YOU sir!
– and also Joss, did you your house go on lockdown after having complete cast and crew (in your house)? Did you just completely shut people out for, like, a month afterwards?
WHEDON: You know what, no – more and more people were coming. We were rehearsing. On an afternoon, we’d get four or five people and go to where we were going to shoot. Block it. Figure it out. Talk about the characters. All that good stuff… Tech guys were coming in, figuring out how they were going to set up the lights. Then, you sort of have to clean it up afterwards. Before that, the house was designed for art to flow through it, all the time. You know, my stepmother coming over to paint, or someone coming over to use the pottery wheel, or dance, or whatever. That’s sort of how it works. It never shut down entirely, no. I may – at some point very soon.
What was it like working with Nick (Kocher) and Brian (McElhaney), and what was it like welcoming them into the Whedonverse family?
FILLION: I still don’t know who they are. [laughs] I have a couple of these friends in my life where – wherever they invite me, whoever they introduce me to – I know they’re going to be good people. They are the center – they are the hub of a wheel of amazing people. Anytime I’m coming to Tuc Watkins place, or Joss Whedon’s place, I know that whoever’s going to be there is going to be fantastic people and I’m going to walk away with some new friends. Case in point, Brian and Nick. I did another little project with them called Sexy Pool Party after this. There both wonderfully talented.
[Side Note from Melissa:] It’s so funny that I couldn’t resist. Check out “Sexy Pool Party” here:
Joss, how did you decide how much of Shakespeare you could trim, and did you do all of that ahead of time, or is there a complete version of the text somewhere?
WHEDON: Oh, I made all of those decisions before shooting. I think there are three lines that we cut. We did not have time to shoot anything we weren’t going to use. Also, I wanted to know the flow of the thing, as a film. I don’t like to create films in the editing room. Obviously, you learn something. That’s part of the process. But, I like to go in with very exact intent. It’s a very long play, and there’s a good deal of redundancy in the explanation of things. If I couldn’t find the heart of something, I would cut it out. For example, there’s Antonio, the brother of Leonato. I couldn’t find a reason to keep him in. He really would just come up and say, “So, here’s what’s happened so far, brother . . .”
DENISOF: Elizabethans must have been so noisy and had such terrible ADD because it’s repeated frequently.
WHEDON: “Look! People are just entering and they’re drunk. So, let’s talk again about what just happened!”
DENISOF: Prelap. Prelap. Prelap.
WHEDON: It’s like a Chinese menu. Everything is delicious, but you can’t use it all. It’s really, really long. It’s also very compartmental. You really can just lift whole bits. Obviously, you want to keep as much as possible of the stuff that’s the reason you showed up, and then only add, visually, what helps explain the emotionality of the thing. That’s what the very small, wordless scenes that I added were for.
Now that you’ve done Much Ado, if you ever have the chance to do another Shakespeare play, what would you want to do?
WHEDON: Most people don’t see Hamlet as an old bald guy, but – [laughs]
DENISOF: I pitched that this morning!
WHEDON: Hamlet is the text that I’ve studied the most. No alienated teen ever gets over thinking that he is, on some level, Hamlet. There are others. Twelfth Night is the first that comes to mind. Hamlet, much like Much Ado, has that unity of place, where you’re trapped.
How was it to do something where nobody died?
WHEDON: It was fucking weird! [laughs] I don’t know. I was like, “I don’t have any death. I’ll add sex!”
ACKER: Well, someone died and came back to life. You’re familiar with that.
WHEDON: That’s true. Hero died, if you’re some of the characters.
Apart from the dialogue, how much did you have the scenes planned out ahead of time and how much did you have to just do on the fly?
WHEDON: Everything was pretty well locked in. The one great thing was that the sets were built way before. When we rehearsed, we’d read it through, and then we’d go rehearse in the space, exactly how the space was going to be. We knew, “Oh, he’ll run down and try to do a balcony scene with her,” and “We’ll go from here to here.” Some of the physicality, we dialed in very specifically. A lot of it happened on the day, and that all came from these guys. Obviously, Amy didn’t say, “I’m gonna try something,” and then throw herself down the stairs. [laughs] We did actually plan that one. We had the major parameters set up completely, and then within that space, we’d see what would happen with a shrub or a cupcake or a coat.
You mentioned earlier, Clark, that you joined this project later on. With casting, how much did you have planned out when you finally decided that you were going to do Much Ado?
WHEDON: Well, I started with my leads. They were deal-breakers. I called them, even before I had finished [the script]. I wasn’t going to do it without them. I called them before anything because I wasn’t going to do it without them. The next person I called was Nathan [Fillion]. I didn’t have a second choice on that one. I have this extraordinary stable of people. I wanted to make sure that I could find people who were available and who were right. I didn’t want to go to five guys and say, “Hey, you wanna play this part? Oh, you all do?! Shit!” It was a delicate process. There was a lot of me asking questions about where people were going to be for the next month, on specific dates. Clark [Gregg] was obviously the most torturous because we wanted to make it work, and it wasn’t going to work. I went through three other Leonato’s, and then two days before production, I was like, “Are you still busy?” In every case, I got the person that I wanted the most to play the part. Honestly, you could do a Woody Allen in September and re-film this with another troupe of extraordinary people. I wouldn’t. I don’t want to. But, it’s an embarrassment of riches. I just had to make sure I didn’t piss anybody off. There’s not one person where I was like, “Well, they’ll do.” I got my dream cast.
Nathan, what was it like to do your scenes with Tom Lenk? Towards the end of the film I felt like I wanted to see a buddy cop spinoff.
FILLION: What I’ve learned is that, if you want to be funny, stand next to Tom Lenk. I’m not a big prop actor, but if I could only have one prop for the rest of my career, it would be Tom Lenk.
DENISOF: I would watch that show. That spinoff you’re talking about.
What did you learn about yourself, or take away from making this particular project?
DENISOF: Maybe because of the short time we had, it was really an exercise of instinct. For me, it was a great chance to trust my instincts and hope for the best. I already trust Joss and Amy, and the rest of the cast, so in myself, that’s what I learned.
ACKER: It just reiterated how lucky we are that we have such great friends and we all got to do this together. We have this amazing friend (Joss Whedon) who has introduced us all and made it all possible.
GREGG: I have to say, I feel like it was a profound gift. I just went over to Joss’ house for dinner to see if he was okay, after shooting The Avengers. A couple of days later, it was, “Oh, you’re playing this guy.” To have someone not ask to see your Shakespeare license, or ask if you’d even done it in 20 years, it gives you a trust. I feel like the ripple effect that that caused made me go, “Well, I must be able to do it. He’s so smart. He wouldn’t ask me to do it, if he thought I was going to blow it, I don’t think.” It’s so deliciously empowering. You’re there and you’re like, “I don’t really know how to do this. There’s Amy. Look at what she’s doing. That’s just riveting and charismatic and simple. If I can just look at her, then I can do it.” I just felt like this whole organism was like a weird group hug, which was ironically the nickname that we had for The Avengers, on all of the secret documents. There was this weird Elizabethan group hug going, with this energy that was created. It was really magical. I feel like it’s a gift that stays with you and makes people want to do something like this for other people.
What was it like to work with this Shakespearian language? Can you share a warm and fuzzy story about taking to the language?
GREGG: Can they involve fingers? [laughs]
DENISOF: A lot of the stylistic approach had its roots in the Shakespeare readings that we were doing at Joss’ house, which were so relaxed and natural. Thank goodness he chose a play that’s primarily in prose. It’s not in iambic pentameter or rhyming couplets, so that allowed us to find our own rhythms and interpretations, and to have as much fun as possible and not feel that we were responsible for a poetry recital.
ACKER: Once you’ve learned the words, then you get to chew on these amazing words and they bring out the emotion and take the scene to places that, when you’re reading it, you would never think it was going to go. But, as that dialogue comes out and the poetry comes out of it, it really influences the scene.
Joss, what are the pressures of doing pop culture TV versus the classics of literature?
WHEDON: The shooting schedules are very similar. Everything is the story. Everything is, “How much can I get- how much can I squeeze out of this?” They’re very similar because with TV, as soon as you’re locked in, you have a text, you have your sets, you have your cast. You know so much going in that you have the confidence to experiment in the structure of a very short shoot. That’s similar to this. Obviously, we all knew the text from various productions, and the actors knew it because they had learned it to say it. I had been studying it, so I felt very comfortable with it, and knowing that Shakespeare wrote it is a great comfort factor. At the same time, I knew the sets intimately and I knew that this cast was not only going to give me exactly what I needed, but they were all going to surprise me on the day, and make this thing alive in a way I couldn’t predict. It’s very easy- if you’re doing a TV show that goes on and on and on, or you’re doing a play so famous that it could easily be presented as a stately home- to forget that spark. The intent behind this, and the way I like to shoot anything, is to get the space ready, and then give it to the actors and let the electricity of a stage performance happen between them, in the moment. And that happened, all the time.
Is it true that you’re not an actor until you do Shakespeare?
GREGG: Sometimes you can do Shakespeare and you’re still not an actor. [laughs]
FILLION: I say you’re not an actor until you’ve done Whedon… and I mean DONE… [laughs]
GREGG: -until you’ve had your finger- [laughs]
WHEDON: I knew it was coming to that! [laughs]
GREGG: -deep in the Whedonverse. [laughs] Fuzzy feelings.
Amy and Alexis, what do each of you like most about working with the other?
ACKER: That’s awkward!
DENISOF: Well, the holy trinity for me is Joss, Amy and myself, in a scene, so to get the chance to work with them is always my favorite day at work. With Amy, all you have to do is watch and listen, and it’s the same with Joss. That’s my approach. They’re so good that I’m just happy to be there, really.
WHEDON: Okay, Ringo! [In Ringo voice] “I’m just happy to be here!” [laughs]
ACKER: I’m pretty sure that anyone who’s done a scene with Alexis feels like he’s their favorite person to work with. I don’t think I’m special, in that way. There’s such a trust. He’s so smart and handsome and nice. Should I go on?
DENISOF: Yes, please!
WHEDON: I don’t think I’m like Shakespeare. Can we please make sure that that’s very clear?! [laughs] Or if I am, it’s like he’s Frank Sinatra and I’m Frank Sinatra, Jr. That’s how we relate.
From high above come 4 new character posters for Disney’s PLANES.
“Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing – and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit.
Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar.
Before you see the movie in August, here are some fun coloring sheets to print out. Now that the summer is here, share them with your friends.
“Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013.
A few weeks ago, WAMG attended a special press conference for Disney•Pixar’s frighteningly fun “MONSTERS UNIVERITY,” featuring Billy Crystal and John Goodman. The pair have an incredible chemistry, and were quick on their feet as press members asked them questions about their MU days. Check it out below!
Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”).
Can you talk about working with Dan Scanlon, this director?
BILLY CRYSTAL: Dan is a hipster. Dan is like – he had totally different energy than Pete Docter had, who was great. Dan is like a cool – not that Pete wasn’t –
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah.
BILLY CRYSTAL: – but Dan is different. Dan is like – he’s a hipster. He’s like a –
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, yeah.
BILLY CRYSTAL: – a young guy –
JOHN GOODMAN: He had great sensibility, and he’d read with you.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Yeah.
JOHN GOODMAN: If the other characters weren’t there, he reads with you. He’s got a good energy to feed off of.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Yeah, he was funny, too. He’s a funny guy.
JOHN GOODMAN: And when you do something he don’t like, he gets a funny little look on his face.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Yeah, and we’d know not to do that.
JOHN GOODMAN: – do this again.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Yeah, I like Dan a lot.
What do you find to be the great touchstone about the friendship of Mike and Sulley and what it is that makes them so beloved to everybody around the world, and for each of your individual characters, what is it about the character that resonates with you?
JOHN GOODMAN: The fact that he’s a blowhard. No, I think the reason they work so well together is that they complete each other, in a way. I think Sulley really, really needs Mike Wazowski. It makes him complete, lets him know – lets the air out of him a little bit. Especially in this film, when they’re not completely formed monsters yet, they learn from each other. They learn how to adapt, how to let go of their pre-conceived notions of themselves and of the world. They’re good for each other.
BILLY CRYSTAL: For me, Mike is fearless. He just – he’s really the favorite character I’ve ever played in anything I’ve done. I’ve really missed doing him until Lasseter, at a party, came to me – it was at John’s 50th birthday party – and said we have the idea. It’s a sequel, but it’s a prequel. They’re in college. And he just walked away, but he left an idea, and I went oh, this is gonna be great. It was so fun to revisit them at this time in their lives. It was such a brilliant idea to put them in that time period where they’re about to become who they’re gonna become. That’s what was so interesting to me.
I love this guy to play, and playing it with John is phenomenal because we work together in the studio, and we can act together. It’s not just – we’re not just reading lines; we’re performing them, and we’re playing them, and we feel them. I think that’s why their relationship on screen is really great because it’s a real thing.
When you were both college age, did you each feel that you fit into the world around you, or were you a little bit of a misfit at that age? Do you remember?
BILLY CRYSTAL: I have to admit, I was a little bit of a misfit. I was a film-directing major at NYU when – I’m still not sure why I became a directing major when I was really an actor and a comedian, but there was something that drew me to doing that. I had made a few films on my own, and I loved it. So I felt like I was a misfit, in a way, and out of it because all those other people – it was Oliver Stone, Christopher Guest, Mike McKean. It was a class of film people. Our professor was Marty Scorsese. So he – Marty was a graduate student – Mr. Scorsese, which is what I had to call him – which I still do, when I see him, ‘cause he gave me a C.
He was an intense – it was 1968-9 and ’70, and he was an intense guy, with hair down to here, a big beard and granny glasses. Who liked like that then? So I – he was so fluent in movies and passionate, and I really felt like I wanted to be in front of people still, so I was a little out of it.
JOHN GOODMAN: I ain’t never been in no college with famous people like Billy here. I was a drifter for a while. I just was desperate to fit in with a group. Really, I was swimming. I was lost, treading water, trying to find my way. I wanted to play football. It didn’t work out. I didn’t really know what I wanted until I found acting in a theater department, and then it just – everything fell into place, and I had a passion about something. Then, I started living my life.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Yeah, that’s how it was for me, too. Once I found a theater group, then you’re just – like a gym rat, but you’re a theater rat, and then that becomes your fraternity house. That becomes your family – extended family. I still see a lot of those people to this day because they owe me money. No, that really becomes your thing. In this movie, they find out who they are. That’s the most important element of this movie to me is well, Mike has a dream, and the dream may not work out, and then he has to readjust and recalibrate. He does that with the help of his friend, who tells him who he thinks he is, and he starts to believe it himself. So for me, that really happened then.
Picking up on that, what kind of obstacles did you guys face to get where you wanted? ‘Cause we see these two characters have that right in their face. Did you have those moments of doubt, like this dream that I know I’m destined for might not happen?
BILLY CRYSTAL: I still have them. You still do.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Every time we finish doing something, we don’t have something else – except him. He did 14 movies last year. You’re the new Michael Caine.
JOHN GOODMAN: Thank you very much.
BILLY CRYSTAL: I’m just a guy who can’t say no.
JOHN GOODMAN: A whore … uh-hum.
BILLY CRYSTAL: You constantly – we all do. We all have things, and we all – that’s what is so fascinating and frustrating and great about life is you’re constantly, in some ways, starting over all the time, and I love that. All right, I did that, but now – I don’t have a job now. Then, something happens, or you make something happen. This starts for them in this movie.
My question is for Mr. Goodman. Almost 30 years ago, you started in Revenge of the Nerds, where you played the head coach to the jocks.
JOHN GOODMAN: How’d that go?
It’s a good movie. It seemed sort of influential on this, so my question is how does it feel to be on the other side of that equation, and did you re-watch the film before making this?
JOHN GOODMAN: No, I haven’t seen it for a while. I was pretty loose while I was making it. I had a lot of fun. It’s a great way to revisit college because obviously, I couldn’t do that in a non-animated way. It’s a good way to reflect back on how I was then and my wants and dreams and everything, which – and how you adapt to everything that changes you and which roads you take. I’m babbling like a fool right now, but that’s what I’ve always done is babbled my way through life.
Hi, guys. I was just wondering – obviously, you made Monsters, Inc. kind of – it must’ve been about ten years ago now. How has the experience of working with Pixar changed, or has it – is it just as cool as it was ten years ago?
JOHN GOODMAN: Before, we were talking – Billy was talking about – we were just flabbergasted by the fact that they could animate fur –
BILLY CRYSTAL: On the first one.
JOHN GOODMAN: – and animate hair. That was a big deal then. It just seems like they’ve gotten so much better with their technique. It’s constantly amazing. So the thrill is still there because they’re such wonderful storytellers, great writers, and everything is reality-based and grounded, so you can believe in it, and it makes it fun.
BILLY CRYSTAL: The difference was it’s maybe a little bit faster than before. They can do things a little quicker.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah.
BILLY CRYSTAL: But the imagination is even broader because they can do even more. I first saw the movie two weeks ago, and I was – sometimes, you just forget what you’ve done. Because we started about two years ago, I guess, and the imagery is phenomenal in this movie. The art design on the first movie was astounding, with the door sequence and the chase sequence. This has moments in the scare games that are – you almost take it for granted, but it took years for them to think these things through. The fact that they can do it – that obstacle course is a phenomenal segment.
Then little things, like the dramatic scene with us at the lake, when Mike goes into the real world at the camp and is not scary – when he’s at the lake, that’s – we acted that scene together in the booth. For a movie to have room for those two segments alone is kinda epic, I think.
After creating these great characters for the first film – Mike and Sulley – could you talk about going back now and re-creating them, but younger versions of them? Was that challenging for you, and did you have to do anything differently with your voices?
BILLY CRYSTAL: Well, we – the first day that we reported to work together, they showed us renderings of the guys. We just started laughing because oh, sure, make us look younger, given what we look like in the movie, and they do. He’s a little trimmer and a little slimmer. I’ve got this retainer, but there’s a little more youth in his eye. They just carry themselves differently. I don’t know what – it’s just subtle, but it’s there.
JOHN GOODMAN: With the voice thing, I thought I was gonna come in and talk like the kid from Our Miss Brooks – oh, hello – and it just happened – through a couple of passes, it just kinda happens organically. You pick up on other energies and the characters’ focuses, and it just happens. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s there.
So in the movie, Sulley isn’t exactly the most prepared student on the first day of school. I’m sure while he was training with Mike; he had many times where he came up with excuses not to train or not to go to class. So as a student or parent or grandparent yourself, what are some of the best excuses you’ve heard not to go to school?
JOHN GOODMAN: Well, I used to – I was very elaborate. I would go to the nurse’s office and fill up a glass of water and – I was really good at fake vomiting, so I’d go to the nurse’s bathroom, do that, and then slam the water into the toilet bowl.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Do it now.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, okay.
BILLY CRYSTAL: You gotta see this. It’s really amazing.
JOHN GOODMAN: That was an immediate ticket home. Marlon Brando used to take a thermometer and rub it on his leg, and then put it back in his mouth.
BILLY CRYSTAL: I just would fake the sore throat thing. I can’t – Ma, I can’t – I don’t know how this happened. Yesterday, I was fine. Then, she’d go okay, and I’d go thank you – oh.
JOHN GOODMAN: I really wanna go to school, though. Well, I don’t think you should. All right; it’s up to you.
How did you both enjoy sharing the story of the Oozma Kappa characters, turning them from rejects into winners?
BILLY CRYSTAL: Well, it’s a story that you’ve seen in other movies. It’s the underdog, and it’s great, and it works, and I loved that Mike sees something in them, but at the same time, he finds out something about himself. That happens also through Sulley. You’re the one who did this. You’re the one. So they’re endearing, lovely characters, beautifully voiced. I have to tell you something. I saw it two weeks ago with the cast. I didn’t know a lot of these people were in the movie. Sean Hayes is fantastic in the movie. Charlie Day is great in the movie. Alfred Molina is great. Helen is phenomenal. They didn’t tell me that all these people were in the movie, so it was like going to college on the first day and having all these new roommates. It was fantastic.
JOHN GOODMAN: I can’t compete with these people.
BILLY CRYSTAL: It was great. They’re beautifully animated, and they’re really appealing. The great thing about this movie, too, is that – in my opinion – the first one came out 2001. John and I – I remember we hosted several screenings for kids who had just lost their parents or uncle or a father or something. Remember, in New York, we did all these screenings –
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, at the –
BILLY CRYSTAL: At the theaters on 33rd Street. They kept – round the clock. We would go out and introduce the movie and so on. All of those kids, and kids throughout the world, were 6 or 7 years old when that movie came out. They’re now the same age that Mike and Sulley are now, so they look at it in a totally different way. I was at USC a couple weeks ago, and we screened the movie for about 400 film students. They went berserk because it’s them. It’s them. They’re making decisions in their lives, like Mike and Sulley are in this.
These guys are – they’re very important characters to them – to students – and now to little kids. It’s really interesting, of all the things I’ve been fortunate to do, that this guy, Mike, is my favorite character I’ve ever done, but he also has a toe-hold – a claw-hold in people that they mean something to them.
Wanted to ask each of you what used to scare you under the bed or in the closet when you were little, and what scares you now when you go to bed?
BILLY CRYSTAL: My Aunt Sheila was terrifying because there was the napkin in the mouth, you’ve got something on your face, dear – that thing. Let me just scratch that off your face.
JOHN GOODMAN: [LAUGHING] Earl Scheib.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Let me sand your cheek. I still don’t love the darkness, though I’ve learned to smile in it a little bit now and then. I’m just sorta – the unknown has always been a little scary when you think about those things, especially as you get older. Boy, that got heavy.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah. I was just run-of-the-mill Frankenstein.
Frankenstein?
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, scared the heck out of me.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Oh, and then when Psycho came out.
JOHN GOODMAN: But I love those movies. I love those old Universal movies, especially when they’d switch off and Bela Lugosi would play Frankenstein.
BILLY CRYSTAL: They’d switch up.
JOHN GOODMAN: It’s just not a fit.
BILLY CRYSTAL: They just got bored that day.
JOHN GOODMAN: It just didn’t work, yeah.
BILLY CRYSTAL: Beware the hour of the wolf. But Psycho – Psycho was the – that was – Mr. Hitchcock knew what he was doing.
Definitely.
BILLY CRYSTAL: That was really – to this day, it’s still terrifying. It’s that music; it’s the lighting; it’s the shooting. It’s all of that. It’s a genius just genius.
For Mr. Crystal, the young actor who played Mike as an even younger – did you work with that actor at all, and how did you think he pulled it off?
BILLY CRYSTAL: I wasn’t even – I didn’t even know that that was in the movie ‘til I saw it. No, because I had filmed – I had recorded three different openings, so I wasn’t sure what they had used. The first version I did without John was I played my parents and Mike and his bored sister in the car – see, it’s funny – in the car, going to drop him off at college, something I guess we’ve all experienced at some point. So I wasn’t sure what was in the opening movie ‘til I saw that. I would love to meet him ‘cause he did a great job. It’s a beautiful sequence.
JOHN GOODMAN: I wonder if they animated that with what you did?
BILLY CRYSTAL: Oh, man, I would love to see that, yeah.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, no kidding.
BILLY CRYSTAL: That would be cool.
You guys were characters, obviously, that carry over from the first film. There are a ton of new characters in this film. What would you say your favorite new characters are?
BILLY CRYSTAL: They were all great. I think they’re all terrific. Charlie Day’s character is really funny. He’s the – I don’t know his – the purple guy that –
Art.
BILLY CRYSTAL: – Art. I don’t even know their names. So Charlie was great. Sean Hayes is hilarious. That’s hilarious – the two-headed guy. Helen is terrifying. She’s really – I’ve worked with her before and she’s the most fun, hip, great, down-to-earth lady, and she’s really scary in this movie. They’re all – it’s great. It’s a very great cast.
Kinda continuing off of what you were saying, I was curious what you thought that Helen had brought to the movie and the kind of gravitas that she added?
BILLY CRYSTAL: Well, she’s aristocracy. She is Dame Helen, and she’s – I wish we also had been around her when she was working. She’s just fantastic. She gets it. She gets the – she’s a great actress, so it’s easy. She commands – even in a strangely animated woman – a dragon, whatever she is – there’s a regalness to her, and her voice is perfect. It was great casting.
So John, you gonna have another 14 this year or –
JOHN GOODMAN: Another what?
Another 14 films.
JOHN GOODMAN: It looks like I got three opening in a row here. It’s just the luck of the draw.
That’s great.
JOHN GOODMAN: Yeah, I’ll be back as an unemployed drifter soon.
On Monday, June 17th, 2013 WAMG attended the the WORLD PREMIERE of Disney•Pixar’s frighteningly fun “MONSTERS UNIVERITY,” featuring the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Helen Mirren. The event was held at the El Capitan on Hollywood Blvd. and featured the ESPN College Scareday hosted by Lee Corso and Desmond Howard as they provided play-by-play commentary on the blue carpet, a photo ID station where guests could create their own student ID, the MU pep squad drum corps and cheerleaders, as well as the Disneyland All-American college band, appearances by Mike & Sulley, a monster obstacle course, games like Eye Ball, Sulley’s Shuffle Air Hockey and EEK ball, temporary tattoos, opportunities to design a monster head piece, Build and Growl replica race cars from Lowe’s Build and Grow, and MU team spirit accessories.
Attending the event were Billy Crystal, Sean P. Hayes, Charlie Day, Bobby Moynihan, John Ratzenberger, Noah Johnston, director Dan Scanlon, and executive producer John Lasseter. Also, guests Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, Alessandra Ambrosio, Ed Begley Jr., Wayne Brady, Kate Flannery, Melissa Joan Hart, Oscar Nunez, Tito Ortiz, Scottie Pippen, Karina Smirnoff. From ESPN: Lee Corso and Desmond Howard. From ABC: Molly Ephraim (“Last Man Standing”), Isabella Cramp and Max Charles (“The Neighbors”), Rico Rodriguez (“Modern Family”), and Eden Sher (“The Middle”) were there to show their MU team spirit. Check out some photos from the event below.
There are more photos below for your viewing pleasure. Simply click on the thumbnails to enlarge.
Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”).
It was announced today that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures has partnered with Fox 2000 Pictures to co-finance and distribute the film POLTERGEIST. Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) is set to direct from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, David Lindsay-Abaire (whose recent credits include “Oz: The Great and Powerful”).
The film is being produced by Sam Raimi (“Evil Dead”) and Rob Tapert (“The Posession”) via Ghost House Pictures, along with Roy Lee (“The Strangers”). Nathan Kahane (“The Grudge”) will serve as executive producer.
In a revisionist take on the classic horror film, a family struggling to make ends meet relocates to an outdated suburban home and is confronted by an angry spirit who kidnaps their youngest daughter and challenges them to band together to rescue her from the clutches of evil.
As long as it has the iconic Zelda Rubinstein/Tangina line, “this house is clean,” I’m all in!
POLTERGEIST will be marketed and distributed worldwide by Twentieth Century Fox, with select international territories as well as international television distribution being handled by MGM. Fox will also handle home entertainment and domestic television. MGM and Twentieth Century Fox continue their longtime partnership as Fox also distributes MGM’s home entertainment product.
POLTERGEIST is scheduled to begin production this Fall.
MGM is currently in production with Paramount on the original film “Hercules,” directed by Brett Ratner and starring Dwayne Johnson due for release July 25, 2014 as well as the sequel to the 2010 cult hit “Hot Tub Time Machine.” The studio has several upcoming films slated for release including “Carrie” with Sony’s Screen Gems due October 18, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second film in “The Hobbit” Trilogy with New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. set for December 13 and “RoboCop” with Columbia Pictures scheduled for February 7, 2014.
After the death of her husband, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Cara Harding’s (Julianne Mooore) faith in God has been shaken, but not her belief in science. In an attempt to open her up to accepting unexplainable psychiatric theories, her father introduces her to Adam (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a patient with multiple personalities, who takes on some of the physical characteristics of his other personalities. Cara quickly discovers that Adam’s personalities are murder victims, and the more she finds out about him and his past, the closer she and her loved ones are to becoming murder victims themselves.
WAMG is giving away TWO copies of 6SOULS on DVD!
6 SOULS stars multiple-Oscar® nominee and Golden Globe® Award winner Julianne Moore (HBO’s Game Change, Magnolia), and Golden Globe® Award winners Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Showtime’s “The Tudors,” Bend It Like Beckham) and Frances Conroy (HBO’s “Six Feet Under,” The Aviator). The film is From the producers of The Ring.
Written by Michael Cooney (Identity) and co-directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein (Storm), 6 SOULS heads to retail on July 2, 2013 for an SRP of $29.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $24.98 for the DVD.
“Moore is absolutely terrific as Cara Harding, maintaining a dedicated, delicate portrayal of the doctor’s internal debate even when confronted with the unexplainable,” said Ken Hanley of Fangoria. “Chills in the film range from the psychological to supernatural, brought about by seasoned performers who know how to sell a thrill,” added Jake Dee of ArrowInTheHead.com. “Rhys Meyers alters transition with a creepy, violent snap back of the neck before coming to with complete clarity as a new soul.”
6 SOULS also stars Jeffrey DeMunn (Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), Nathan Corddry (The Ugly Truth, The Invention of Lying), Brooklynn Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), and Brian Anthony Wilson (Law Abiding Citizen, Limitless).
Not always the peppiest or scariest creation to shoot down the pipe, 6 SOULS holds attention with thick mood and a finale that’s surprisingly satisfying. An entertaining film with flashes of competency, 6 SOULS is hardly groundbreaking but a good time nonetheless. Julianne Moore stars as Cara Harding a female forensic psychiatrist who begins treating a young man named Adam (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and discovers that all but one of his multiple personalities are murder victims. The more she finds out about him and his past, the closer she and her loved ones are to becoming murder victims themselves.
I must admit admit that 6 SOULS, while somewhat what I expected in terms for the aforementioned “chills,” was really a very well crafted movie with the first 15 minutes dedicated to an engrossing therapy session between Cara and Adam that cleverly foreshadows much of the horror to come. Directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein do a very fine job of creating a mood that didn’t get bogged down by all of the “impending doom,” yet was also rich with the day –to-day life of these Pittsburgh-based professionals.
Since 6 SOULS, doesn’t require acting hysteria, the film attempts to carefully balance performances all around, mostly with success. Julianne Moore earns her genre stripes with her performance, achieving a weird mix of sensuality and skepticism as Cara’s nightmare becomes progressively worse. Rhys-Meyers nicely straddles a fine line between creepy and sympathetic.
6 SOULS never indulges too much in terms of cheap scares or nonsense, and the final act of the film is where the beauty of the production is found. While far from mind-blowing, Mårlind and Stein have committed to an ending that I didn’t think could exist anymore in today’s seen-it-all marketplace. Bravo. 6 SOULS might not be the most riveting sit or the most frightening experience, but in a rare moment for the genre, it does get better as it rolls along, and that’s good enough for me.
The 2.35:1/1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is very natural and film-like presentation that is free from any noticeable compression artifacts and other nasty video anomalies. Color fidelity is exceptional and I found that many of the darkly lit scenes in the film still had a nice colorful pop in the occasional wash of color that pops up from time to time. Black levels are also outstanding in 6 SOULS with a truly remarkable amount of shadow detail.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack does a surprisingly effective job of creating the spooky atmosphere necessary in a tension-based thriller.
There are no other extras on the Blu-ray disc from Anchor Bay
The opening documentary film at the 2012 Napa Vally Film Festival, welcome to the most difficult test you’ve NEVER heard of…
SOMM takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into a mysterious world – the Court of Master Sommeliers and the massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam. The Court of Master Sommeliers is one of the world’s most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, less than 200 candidates have reached the exalted Master level. The exam covers literally every nuance of the world of wine, spirits and cigars.
Those who have passed have put at risk their personal lives, their well- being, and often their sanity to pull it off. Shrouded in secrecy, access to the Court Of Master Sommeliers has always been strictly regulated and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam, until now.
How much do you think you know about wine? SOMM will make you think again. SOMM takes you on the ultimate insider’s tour into a world of obsession, hope, and friendship in red, blanc and sometimes rose.
SOMM was filmed over three years in six countries around the world, the bulk of which took place in the United States, Germany, France, and Italy. When focused on the main characters, the movie takes place in incredibly intimate settings. The crew filmed in apartments, houses, hotels and cars, often between the hours of midnight and four a.m. when the bulk of their preparations for the Exam took place.
The crew also filmed helicopter shots over the Rhine River in Germany, dolly shots in Tuscany Italy, and time-lapse photography in Burgundy, France. There are also interviews with some of the greatest wine makers in the world.
When recommending movies to friends, documentaries are usually a hard sell, but I would do my best convincing job on this one.
SOMM takes you into the super exclusive and slightly odd world of sommeliers, specifically the ridiculously hard test they have to pass in order to hold the title of “Master Sommelier.” Now I don’t really have much knowledge or interest in wine, but I was drawn in by the utter commitment these people exhibit in order to rise to the top of the field they love.
Four friends, Brian McClintic, DLynn Proctor, Dustin Wilson and Ian Cauble take us along as they study and obsess non-stop for the big test. As we learn in the film, there have only been 170 Master Sommeliers in the past 45 years, so you get an idea just how nearly impossible it is to pass this test.
The test is only given once a year, so not passing means a whole year before they can try again. You’d think with those odds, the competition would be cutthroat, but it’s just the opposite. We see our four students study together, stress out together, help each other and ultimately root for each other in what ends up in triumph for some and heartbreak for others.
4 out of 5 stars
SOMM will be in theaters and available on iTunes June 21st.
Click HERE to see a schedule of where SOMM is playing near you.
We are all still reeling from the terrible news of the passing of actor James Gandolfini yesterday after suffering a heart attack while in Rome. Gandolfini was known for his role as Tony Soprano on the hit HBO show “The Sopranos,” as well as supporting roles in 8MM, TRUE ROMANCE, and THE LAST CASTLE, as well as his most recent role as Bobby Eggs in the Nickelodeon film NICKY DEUCE. Gandolfini joined fellow “The Sopranos” cast members Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico and Vincent Curatola, as well as Steve Schirripa, who co-wrote the book that the film is based on, and “iCarly” actor Noah Munck, who stars as Nicholas Borelli II, or “Nicky Deuce”.
On May 20th, 2013 I was lucky enough to photograph Mr. Gandolfini at the premiere of his most recent project, NICKY DEUCE, at the Arclight in Hollywood, and would like to share those photographs with you. He was not on the carpet for long, but he was pleasant with fans. I caught glimpses of him saying hello and chatting with folks before, and after the screening with a smile on his face. His talents will certainly be missed.
