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The Latest in ShowBiz News

Alex Florez

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2009/08/11 at 12:00am

‘It Might Get Loud’ director sounds off on new film!

08.11.2009 | By |

'It Might Get Loud' director sounds off on new film!

Recently I had a chance to sit down with Oscar award winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) in New York to talk about his latest documentary It Might Get Loud.  The film tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos – The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes). It reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars both found and invented.

We spoke about documentary filmmaking, whether the non-fans will enjoy the movie and his arguable decision to include Jack White in the film. Here in full, the Q & A:

AF:  First of all, congratulations on the film, I thoroughly enjoyed it!  However, I almost have to say that with an asterisk at the end.  That’s because I’m a fan of all three musicians in the film. But I also have a lot of friends that are ‘U2 haters’ who say things like “The Edge is nothing but pedals and effects…he’s not a true guitarist!”

How much do you worry about getting the non fans out to watch the film?

DG:  Well the thing about the movie is that it’s kind of universal.  Some fans may like this band more than that band but everyone responds to these guys as artists.  We all grew up to this music and this movie shows you how they made it and why they made it and the people behind it.  So I find that for non guitarists, people will like it even more because they connect with the artistry behind it.  The super guitar geeks want to look at the chords being played but this is not about that, this about how these kids from different times, from different generations, took their obsessions and became rock stars.

AF:  So is it fair to say that these bands will get some new fans out of the movie?

DG:  Oh yeah.  It already has. My son bought a mandolin and now he’s playing ‘The Battle of Evermore’.  Years later, Led Zeppelin still moves people.  U2 still moves people.  All this music is still cutting edge.

AF:  I want to talk about your selection process.  For the film you chose three guitar virtuosos from three different generations.  While it’s difficult to argue with the contributions that both Jimmy Page and The Edge have made in their respective eras, I think Jack White is a curious and somewhat debatable choice to represent our time.  Perhaps because we’re not far enough removed from the era.

Did you ever consider someone else instead of Jack White?  For instance, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine.  Or did you just need a singer? Was this your original wish list of guitarists?

DG:  We knew we weren’t going to get everybody.  In fact, if we tried to make a movie about everybody it would be too diluted.  You’d spend three minutes on Tom Morello, three minutes on Eric Clapton…We thought, why not pick 3 guys from 3 different generations? And it was important to have Jack White because he is still becoming, he’s got two new bands, and he’s also a singer, but most importantly because he represents the next innovator. He’s such an innovator. His sound is so distinct.  He’s so creative.  To me, he embodies what Led Zeppelin embodies: experimentation, improvisation and aggression.  You could easily make a movie about Tom Morello or Eric Clapton too…I really wanted Jimi Hendrix but he wasn’t available.

AF:  What kind of guitarists did you grow up with?

DG:  I was a huge fan of U2 because my brother brought home that first album called ‘Boy’ and I was like ‘this is my music!’  It was so different and so direct and so different from the classic rock that everyone else was listening to.  But it was years later that I started to realize Led Zeppelin is this really amazing band.  ‘I cannot ignore Led Zeppelin.’  It was a half a generation ahead of me so I really didn’t look into it at first.  But then when you hear it, you’re like ‘this is such great music, this is great musicianship and it’s the root of all the rock and roll that followed it.’  Everyone who came up after Led Zeppelin had to deal with Led Zeppelin because they were so good.

AF:  Its interesting to me too.  Led Zeppelin was obviously before my time but when you really fall in love with a band like U2 you eventually start to trace their roots, their musical family tree and you find out that sure enough, it was Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Patti Smith and all those bands from the 70s that influenced them so much.

DG:  Yeah.  You’re good. I like that. You know your stuff.

AF:  A rockumentary.  In my opinion, ‘It Might Get Loud’ is one of a few that genuinely deserves to be called that.  A lot of films are called rockumentaries but all they really are is concert footage with a few sounds bites.  Then there’s the ‘E! True Hollywood Story’ and the ‘Behind the Music’ specials. ‘It Might Get Loud’ arrives as something different and refreshing because at the end of the day it is about the relationship between the musician and his instrument.

DG:  I wanted to make a different kind of music documentary.  Even to call it a documentary…I guess that’s how it has to be categorized, but this is about a summit of three guys from three different generations coming together to play and I’ve never seen that before. Whereas a lot of rockumentaries end up leading towards the death of the band or a drug overdose or a girlfriend breaking up the band, this movie is about the personal journey of these guys and how they went from teenage boys to artists and how they would write their songs.  I see a lot of other movies and say ‘wait you didn’t tell me anything about how they wrote and how they created. I want to know more!’

AF:  What is the appeal of the documentary film? And do you prefer it over a traditional narrative feature?

DG:  You know, I’ve done a couple of features and I’ve done a bunch of television.  So I like it all.  I’m really drawn to documentaries because right now at this moment, documentaries are exploding.  Creatively they’re changing.  Features aren’t being as experimental as documentaries are.  It Might Get Loud is an experimental movie where I had a lot of creative control.  I had animation in this film.  I used different kinds of techniques and storytelling devices that you could never use in features.  On top of that, you have all these people that you admire whose stories haven’t been told. 

The thing that you’re desperate for when you’re telling any kind of story, whatever is, is wanting to be passionate.  You want to be excited when you wake up in the morning, because if you excited that comes through in the filmmaking. 

I get sent a bunch of scripts.  Just last night I was reading a script and I cannot finish reading it because I’m so bored. I think audiences feel that same way when they see a lot of these movies. ‘Why did they even make this movie?’  These documentaries are so fun and interesting that I just keep following that.

AF:  A documentary like this one doesn’t have the same urgency as some of the others like ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, or the Obama piece that you made.  The ‘It needs to be said NOW’ factor.  Can you talk about the differences in the approaches?

DG:  That’s a very good question.  We made Inconvenient Truth in 5½ months and documentaries usually take a couple of years to do.  But we just felt like we had to make this movie now and the timing of it was its success. It was about capturing the moment. It Might Get Loud is very different. This is an exploratory movie about the nature of creativity. 

I like just jumping around.  I like being in the situation where I’m doing a totally different movie and saying ‘I don’t know if I’m going to be able to pull this off!’

AF:  I know that the structure of most documentaries are found in post.  I don’t know how much scripting you did beforehand but it was pretty neat how each story had its own take.  There’s a boy in the film that shadows Jack White, which serves as a clever device for his segment.  The Edge going back to his old high school brings this nostalgic effect. Then, Jimmy Page’s visit to the legendary Led Zeppelin house is almost mythological.  is that something that was at all premeditated, to have these different approaches for all of them?

DG:  Documentaries have a script that you are kind of writing in your head as you’re editing them, and when you finish the movie you finish the script.  Whereas if you’re doing a feature you finish your script, then start shooting.  So its kind of the opposite right? But I’ve learned with documentaries not to script stuff, to let the characters take me where I should go.  So with Jimmy Page, we just sat in a room for two days and just talked.  I asked him questions about this song and that song, and his songwriting.   Out of those interviews, an early map came out of the places where we might go shoot.  Those places then led to more clues.  We would edit some more, and that led us to even more clues. 

AF:  Very different from ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, where you had Al Gore’s slide show in essence, guiding you.

DG:  Yes, the slideshow was about 2/3 of the movie but the other part was telling his story which hadn’t been really done properly.  So we were following him around debating whether we should go here or whether we go there, still trying to discover those moments as we went.  I wasn’t even sure that you could intercut these very personal reflective moments inside this slideshow.  But it was very organic.  Then, we were constantly animating his slideshow and changing it and cutting it and moving it around.  It’s all an evolution.  His slideshow was almost twice as long than it was in the movie, so we had to kind of shape that.  By the time we finished the movie, we had our script. 

AF:  Thanks again, Davis. we wish you the best of luck with the film.

DG:  Thank you.  What a nice interview.  I enjoyed it! 

Jack Rico

By

2009/08/07 at 12:00am

Salma Hayek in ‘Cirque Du Freak’

08.7.2009 | By |

Salma Hayek in 'Cirque Du Freak'

Salma Hayek is hot but the beard kind of kills it here. We just got the a look at Salma as a bearded lady in Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant due out October 23.

Hayek costars as Madame Truska, the hirsute woman in a traveling freak show and girlfriend of the titular vampire (John C. Reilly). The fantasy, based on the popular young-adult books, follows a boy (Chris Massoglia) who becomes an apprentice to Reilly’s vamp. Hayek’s character sprouts whiskers every time she gets passionate with her boyfriend.

“So she needs to be very comfortable with herself, which Salma really is in real life,” says director Paul Weitz (About a Boy). “I thought, of all people to have that problem, she’d be an interesting one.”

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant is the 2009 film adaptation of the first three books of the book series, The Saga of Darren Shan, by author Darren Shan. The movie began filming on February 8, 2008 in New Orleans and ended June 3, 2008.The film is distributed by Universal Studios. Some of the movie was filmed on a set constructed within New Orleans City Park, approximately 1000 feet off of the side of the road, along Harrison Avenue. The film was originally set for release on January 15, 2010, but was moved to October 23, 2009.

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek Pt.2

Jack Rico

By

2009/08/06 at 12:00am

A Perfect Getaway

08.6.2009 | By |

Rated: R for graphic violence, language including sexual references and some drug use.
Release Date: 2009-08-07
Starring: David Twohy
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.iamrogue.com/aperfectgetaway/

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A Perfect Getaway

‘A Perfect Getaway’ is one of the most predictable ‘whodunnit’ thriller films of 2009. Because of this, the second half of the film isn’t as enjoyable since we already know who the killers are. Nevertheless, it is fun, but I wish writer/director David Twohy (Pitch Black) would have made it a bit more difficult for us to decipher. The complexity of figuring out who the assassins are is what makes these types of films entertaining (i.e; Memento).

The storyline is engaging. A Hawaiian honeymoon turns dangerous for two lovers (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) when they discover they are being stalked by a pair of killers: Nick (Timonthy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez) are unmarried adventurers looking for one more destination to add to their globe-trotting resume. And Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton) are surfer/hippie types who show signs of anti-social behavior. But who could it be? (Cue the horror music).

This film begins in an amusing fashion with plenty of character development allowing the audience to attach themselves to the protagonists. This is a clever move by the director since it is a known “rule” that audiences like characters who they know well, but it backfires because Twohy tries so hard to surprise everyone that he ends up surprising no one. There is a ‘twist’ that occurs in the middle of the movie that is so expected, it makes you feel like one’s intelligence has been questioned.

I’ve never been a fan of Timothy Olyphant’s acting (‘Hitman’ was the beginning of the end for me), but it wasn’t a distraction this time around. He did a descent job as did the rest of the cast. Kiele Sanchez, the Puerto Rican actress, was a pleasing screen delight, and Zahn casted a shadow of agitation throughout the film.

All around, ‘A Perfect Getaway’ is a silly, fun time at the movies that won’t leave you bored, just expect to figure out everything out very soon and to see some dumb moments that’ll leave you scratching your head.

Jack Rico

By

2009/08/05 at 12:00am

Interview with Kiele Sanchez from ‘A Perfect Getaway’

08.5.2009 | By |

Interview with Kiele Sanchez from 'A Perfect Getaway'

Puerto Rican actress Kiele Sanchez stars in ‘A Perfect Getaway’ with Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich and Timothy Olyphant. Many of the scenes of the movie were filmed in  El Yunque de Puerto Rico and we decided to get her thoughts on the lovely tropical island and her Latin roots!

Jack Rico

By

2009/08/04 at 12:00am

Race to Witch Mountain

08.4.2009 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements.
Release Date: 2009-03-13
Starring: Matt Lopez, Mark Bomback, Andy Fickman
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.disneylatino.com/FilmesDisney/La_montania_embrujada/index.html

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What an entertaining movie! I would dare say ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ will be one of the breakout hits of the young year. The story, the fast-action-packed sequences, the charming performances, all add to a fun time with the family at the movies this weekend.

In this new re-imagining of Disney’s “Escape to Witch Mountain” (1975) and its sequel “Return from Witch Mountain” (1978), a UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie (Dwayne Johnson) to protect two siblings (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans.

Disney, known for its animation, surprisingly presents an amusing live-action sci-fi flick that provides escapism for today’s troubled times. The film immediately begins with a suspenseful, special effects driven scenery that sets a swift pace for the rest of the film. Dwayne Johnson once again does a fantastic job of adding humorous and credible layers to his performance. This script fits him like a glove and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do more roles like this (The Game Plan) in the next few years. The rest of the cast are appealing without being histrionic with the alien script.

‘Race to Witch Mountain’ feels like a Disney theme ride (I wouldn’t be surprised if one is in the works) extracting elements from E.T. and the Terminator while adding the Disney touch to make it viewable for kids and comfortable enough for parents to enjoy. There are some moments that are incoherent and random, but I say, so what? It’s a Disney film with all the bells and whistles made to be an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Mack Chico

By

2009/08/04 at 12:00am

Obsessed

08.4.2009 | By |

Rating: 1.5

Rated: PG-13 for sexual material including some suggestive dialogue, some violence and thematic content.
Release Date: 2009-04-24
Starring: David Loughery
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.areyouobsessed.com/

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Tenemos al héroe y al villano de la película. El héroe y el villano pelean, se matan a golpes, el villano busca la muerte del héroe y el héroe busca salvar su vida. Se encuentran en un precipicio, un piso alto, o cualquier diferencia de altura que permita lo siguiente, que en un movimiento el villano termine pendiendo de un hilo, a punto de caer y morir. El héroe se apiada de él y le extiende la mano. El villano aprovecha su mano, y luego lo traiciona, poniendo al héroe al borde de la muerte. ¿Les suena esta escena? No hace falta que contesten.

 

Por ahí esta escena podía causar algo de impacto en 1989, cuando Batman le extiende el brazo al Guasón, y éste da vuelta la escena, poniendo en riesgo la vida del encapotado. Pasaron veinte años, y esta escena todavía puede figurar en un guión. No solo figurar, sino ser el punto principal del clímax de un thriller. Pero para llegar a ello, Obsesionada pasa por todos los clichés de cualquier thriller. Si el personaje de la blonda Ali Larter fuera la amante de Derek, el papel interpretado por Idris Elba, estaríamos ante una remake no declarada de Atracción fatal, con la única diferencia de contar con protagonistas negros y amante rubia. Pero no, aunque no sabemos hasta qué punto el hecho de que ese dato determinara que no es una copia fiel de aquel thriller es una ventaja para la película.

 

Por un lado, si Derek efectivamente le hubiese sido infiel a su mujer, hubiese afectado la credibilidad del guión, a fin de cuentas, teniendo a Beyoncé en tu casa, ¿para que buscarías algo afuera? Por otro lado, la falta de ambigüedad de Derek por momentos se vuelve irritante. No solo parece un hombre perfecto, laboralmente exitoso, apuesto, y con una familia perfecta, sino que en ningún momento actúa de manera mínimamente cuestionable, por ende, todo lo que sucede en la película reposa en Lisa, el personaje de Ali Larter. Ahora bien, ¿qué thriller se puede construir con una mujer obsesionada con un hombre que en ningún momento da pie o hace algo (por más ingenuo que sea) para generar semejante obsesión? Sin duda, un thriller forzado al máximo, carente de todo sustento, con dos personajes “maquetas” (el de Idris Elba y el de Beyoncé), y una contrafigura construida de manera sumamente gratuita, tan gratuita como buena parte de las situaciones que se suceden.

 

Cierta intriga está correctamente desarrollada, y la pelea entre Sharon (Beyoncé) y Lisa es indudablemente entretenida, pese a ser excesivamente obvia, y desembocar en la radicalmente previsible acción que se narra al inicio de esta crítica. Dos cosas concretas: El interés principal de esta película reposa indudablemente en la bella Beyoncé, y algo de la publicidad en torno a este film sugería cierto dejo de erotismo. Hay que decir que Beyoncé está muy bien en su papel (es, lejos, lo mejor de la película), y que el erotismo, lo único que le podría haber insuflado un poco de sangre al film, falta completamente a la cita. El resto, de lo convencional a lo decididamente mediocre.

face3media

By

2009/08/04 at 12:00am

The Soloist

08.4.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.
Release Date: 2009-04-24
Starring: Susannah Grant, Steve Lopez
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:UK, USA
Official Website: http://www.soloistmovie.com/

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Jack Rico

By

2009/07/31 at 12:00am

Funny People

07.31.2009 | By |

Rated: R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality.
Release Date: 2009-07-31
Starring: Judd Apatow
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.funnypeoplemovie.com/

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Funny People

‘Funny People’ does not live up to the Apatow hype. It never even gets close to what his two previous fantastic films achieved in the genre of comedy. Much of its demise is attributed to its story which is told in a choppy and uneven manner. There’s some good material here, but the movie rambles more than the human attention span can tolerate.

The premise is succint. It’s about a famous comedian (Adam Sandler) who has a near-death experience and then goes through a self exploration phase which will make him see the world in a whole different light. Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill and newcomer Aubrey Plaza, of Puerto Rican decent, also star.

I have to admit, by looking at the trailer, I thought ‘Funny People’ was going to be a critically acclaimed film worthy of an Oscar, if it was executed correctly. Regrettably, it never quenched my personal expectations. Is it all bad? Absolutely not. There are some very funny moments, but they are dispersed all over the story like broken glass. It’s refreshing to see Apatow branching out and trying something off the beaten path but, in this case, his sense of ambition may have caused him to lose his way. It’s a brave move that is partially undone by pacing problems and a lack of focus. ‘Funny People’ clocks in at nearly 2 1/2 hours, and that’s too long for any comedy.

 

Most of you might not know of Puerto Rican comedian Aubrey Plaza, but you will after this movie. In her short and underdeveloped role, Aubrey’s shy, witty demeanor made her on-screen presence a memorable one.

If you’re a fan of Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow’s sexually charged joke marathons, there is some of it here for you to enjoy, but overall, the film is no doubt a drama that might turn off hardcore loyalists.

Alex Florez

By

2009/07/30 at 12:00am

Thirst

07.30.2009 | By |

Rated: R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language.
Release Date: 2009-07-31
Starring: Seo-Gyeong Jeong, Chan-wook Park
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: South Korea
Official Website: http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/thirst/

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Thirst

Those of you familiar with South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook know exactly what to expect from his latest film, Thirst.  For those of you that aren’t, allow me to introduce you to one of the more fearless storytellers around. 

In his previous work (Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), Chan-wook has taken on those ethical dilemmas and taboos that most are unwilling to confront head on.  Obsessed with how we as humans behave under the most extreme circumstances, Chan-wook has put together stories that are unsettling, visceral, and unapologetic.  But his films aren’t simply ‘shock & awe’.  Beneath it all, are complex and tragic love stories that are surprisingly compelling.  When asked about his major influences, Chan-wook’s response was: Sophocles and Shakespeare.  No wonder.

Thirst however is a little different.  It is about a failed medical experiment that turns a priest into a vampire – but Chan-wook is quick to note that this isn’t just any ol’ vampire movie.  “There are no bats, no stake through the heart, no fear of garlic and the cross”.  For the most part, he’s absolutely right. However, somehow the film doesn’t feel as fresh or as daring as his previous movies.  There just isn’t as much envelope pushing here.  Nevertheless, Korean stars Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-vin turn in outstanding performances in a well put together film. 

Thirst is not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those of you that still can’t quench your blood sucking desires, here’s a fresh take from a film that can be incredibly fun.   

Jack Rico

By

2009/07/28 at 12:00am

Fast & Furious

07.28.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: PG-13 for for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references.
Release Date: 2009-04-03
Starring: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.fastandfuriousmovie.net/

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‘Fast & Furious,’ the fourth installment to the classic car action film ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise, revisits the lives of the original cast members and their unexpected reunion after eight years apart from each other. This time around, the film amps up the action sequences and presents more character development than the first part. Those moments unfortunately do not work well and are perhaps the most risible and feeble scenes of the film. Nevertheless, the end result is fun, brainless entertainment that combines nostalgia with unadulterated action.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker meet up again when an unfortunate incident brings them back to the highways of Los Angeles as they are forced to confront a shared enemy. Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to ever outmaneuver him and fulfill their individual and personal agendas.

I have never been a big fan of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, but I guess the old adage of “you never know what you have until you lose it” has some truth to it. I am referring to the original cast of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster – whose absence from parts two and three (2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift) were tremendously felt. With their anticipated reunion on this third sequel, mostly a nostalgic one, the ‘hype’ surrounding the original film in 2001 was merited. These four individuals together bring a tremendous charge of allure to the big screen which will no doubt make this film a box office success. Expect a high dosage of high speed car chases, gun battles and a heavy Latino vibe from the actors, the locations and music.

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