January 2008 News Archive (Page 4)

It's hard to summon sufficient words for this music video.

It stars Jackie Moon, the main character (portrayed by Will Ferrell) of Semi-Pro and, well, just take a look...

Josh Peck is a young actor, currently appearing in The Wackness alongside Ben Kingsley. Below, Peck speaks on the film:

Q: Do you see this movie as being another step forward as an actor?
Peck: I think in any case it was a step up as a human being to be surrounded with such unbelievable talent, I mean, Sir Ben has been my favorite actor my whole life since I can remember loving acting and appreciating the craft and he's just been my favorite just getting to have this experience at Sundance with everyone in the movie, it's been such a great life experience.

Q: Did Jonathan already have Sir Ben cast in the role of Dr. Squires? What about some of the others?
Peck: I think Sir Ben was really the biggest draw in addition to the script. I remember in preparation for the movie, I was working with my acting teacher and she just said, "When you do this movie, you have nothing to worry about because Sir Ben doesn't need to do a movie with a blasé director or a so-so script."

When you're at that level, it's picking fine material, so just to be a part of it was a complete honor.

Read the full interview with Peck now.

Laurence Fishburne has a star-studded cast for the action feature Armored.

The veteran actor joins Matt Dillon, Columbus Short, Fred Ward, and Skeet Ulrich in the film, which Nimrod Antal will direct.

Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code, Ronin) and Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) have also signed on to the movie, which is about on a young armored car guard who is persuaded by his veteran cohorts to empty a truck of its $10 million cargo.

Shooting is already underway in Los Angeles.

Stop us if you've heard this before: Sylvester Stallone is resurrecting a character that made him famous for yet another version of an ancient franchise.

This time, however, it's not Rocky Balboa.

Indeed, John Rambo is back in the aptly title movie, Rambo. Let's find out if critics feel like Stallone made the right move in bringing this action hero back to the big screen...

- It's confusing. Rambo makes you root for the wrong things. -- The Arizona Republic

- The action here is repetitive, derivative, and clunky. Then there's the subtext, which embodies enough jingoistic Imperialism to make Kipling puff up his chest with pride. -- Killer Movie Reviews

- Has the gritty realism of the first film and a sadder mood for our hero but still continues Rambo as a soldier for hire involved in a standard plot. -- Mark's Movie Reviews

- Stallone (who looks fit but mostly keeps his shirt on) has no intention of bogging the action down, but it's still a notably cheerless exercise, without knowing winks or stabs (pardon the expression) at humor. -- Variety

In Meet the Spartans - opening this weekend - thirteen strapping warriors must protect their homeland from invading Persians and really awful punchlines.

Here are a couple images from the flick:

Columbia Pictures has released a few character shots of the stars in Quantum of Solace.

The studio has also gone into great detail about the plot of the next James Bond movie. Here it is, with character images scattered about:

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr, White (Jesper Christensen) who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an Mi6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organization.

Continue Reading...

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? is a question President Bush stopped asking long ago.

Fortunately, film maker Morgan Spurlock hasn't forgotten about America's number-one enemy, as he set out on a mission to track Bin Laden down in a new documentary. It just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

If you like your documentaries with a bit less attitude and grandstanding (sorry, Michael Moore), then Spurlock is your man. From the outset, Spurlock couches the larger story of bin Laden. He analyzes what the terrorist means, why he exists as he is and, of course, where the heck he's located.

In the beginning, it helps Spurlock's cause when his wife announces she's pregnant. Therefore, our hero simply must embark on his journey if he's going to raise a child in this crazy world. Doesn't he have a paternal duty to get to its evil core?

Spurlock endeavors on a trip throughout the Middle East where he dons the garb of locals, nearly creates a riot on the streets of Israel and fires a rocket launcher. From either side of the political spectrum, this is worth a viewing.

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? is tentatively scheduled to open in theaters around the nation some time this spring.

Still overwhelmed by her nomination for Best Actress, Ellen Page was asked by MTV News aboutr the moment she heard she was up for the award against Julie Christie and Cate Blanchett:

"We were coming from Paris on the train (Eurostar) and just getting to London [when I heard]. It was exciting. [Winning awards] was something I was trying to keep out of my mind [but] it's a surprise and very humbling," the actress said.

Page, of course, plays the title role in Juno and shared with MTV News what attracted her to the part:

"It's extremely refreshing and although it's witty, unique and funny, it's also extremely genuine and honest."

Juno itself has received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

"Diablo Cody wrote one of the best screenplays I ever read," said Ellen of the first-time scriptwriter. "It just blew me away."

Fans of the Toy Story franchise still have to wait awhile until Toy Story 3 hits theaters. But when Buzz and Woody return - on June 18, 2010 - it'll be in 3-D!

Moreover, in advance of the new film, Disney-Pixar will release the first two Toy Story flicks in newly retooled Disney Digital 3-D format.

Look for the 3-D version of Toy Story to debut on October 2, 2009, with Toy Story 2 following on February 12, 2010.

Pixar creative chief John Lasseter is personally overseeing the conversion process. Regarding it, he said:

"The Toy Story films and characters will always hold a very special place in our hearts and we're so excited to be bringing this landmark film back for audiences to enjoy in a whole new way thanks to the latest in 3-D technology.

I am sure that this is going to be nothing short of fantastic and people are going to be blown away by the experience. With Toy Story 3 shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody and the gang from Andy's room, we thought it would be great to let audiences experience the first two films all over again and in a brand new way.

3-D offers lots of great new possibilities for the art of animation and we will continue to use this new technology to tell our stories in the best possible way."

Emmy Rossum has updated her MySpace blog.

In the latest entry, the cute actress updates fans on the filming of Dragonball Z, while sending out her prayers to the loved ones of Heath Ledger. Here's an excerpt:

Right now I am writing from a helicopter (with my costars, Chow Yun Fat, his lovely wife and Joon Park). We are on our way to the desert where we will be filming for the the next few days. I am the lucky one who gets to sit up front with the pilot (who was very careful to instruct me not to touch anything; knobs, controls or otherwise) Chow and Joon are taking pictures in the back and we are having a lot of fun.

The landscape is alternating between, rolling sand dunes, green mountains dotted with cactus and farms laid out in geometric order with terracotta colored earth.

I want you all to see what I see, so I'll upload some pics later when I can connect my camera to my laptop.

On another note, l want to say how deeply saddened I am by Heath Ledger's sudden passing. I did not know him very well, but well enough to see he was a kind man, a devoted father and an immense talent. My heart goes out to his family and his young daughter in this time of grief. He will be so missed.