Rob Zombie On Halloween Movies: "I Don't Care For Them"

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Category: Interviews

Published: Thursday, 27 August 2009 11:10

Written by Lupe Haas

Musician and director Rob Zombie brings killer Michael Myers back to life on the big screen once again in HALLOWEEN II August 28th but it may surprise you to know the helmer has not watched any of previous films in the franchise except for the original.

CineMovie sat down in a one-on-one interview with the writer/director to discuss his new vision for the latest installment of the horror franchise and why he’s not a fan of the Halloween franchise.                 Watch Halloween II trailer

Q:  This is the 10th movie in the Halloween franchise....

Zombie: Is it really? 

Q:  Yes. 

Zombie:  Oh, god!  If I had known that.....

Q:  So how do you keep it fresh?

Zombie:  Well that's the trick.  I always say to myself, 'what has this character not done a million times?'  So for me, the biggest way to keep it fresh was the approach to it - the way the movie looks, the way the characters act, and making people see it a different way. 

You still have Michael Myers, a faceless killer that doesn't talk.  He's a tough character because you don't see his face hardly and he doesn't really talk so what the f%&#  you going to do with him after a while.  So it's the stuff that surrounds him that has to create the experience and make it different.  That's what I tried to do.

Q:  What do you think about Halloween's release date in August instead of October?

Zombie:  It is what it is.  Everyone's like 'why is it coming out in August and not Halloween' but I don't know.   It's not up to me. 

Q:  So you didn't have any input in that area?

Zombie:  No.  The executives deal with it.  The schedule was so crowded with films that they looked at the August 28th which looked light at the time.  I know Final Destination movie is coming out the same day.  You can move it to the next week, then something else will come up.  You can't win.  You just have to go for it.

Q:  And what's on the music front?

Zombie:  I have a new album that I finished before I did Halloween II.  So as soon as Halloween comes out, we start touring in October for the new record. 

Zombie plans to also take on another two films as a writer/director with The Haunted World of El Superbeasto based on his own comic book and Tyrannosaurus Rex set for 2011. 

For now, Halloween comes early this year starting August 28th in HALLOWEEN II.

Director Sam Mendes Interview

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Category: Interviews

Published: Wednesday, 27 May 2009 01:33

Written by Lupe Haas

Director Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty, Road to Perdition) explores the comedic twists and emotional turns in one couple's journey across contemporary American in his new film, AWAY WE GO opening June 5th.  

CineMovie and our Viviana Vigil is with the critically-acclaimed filmmaker in our one-to-one interview.  Kate Winslet's husband talks going green with this movie, the all-star cast (John Krasinsnki, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhall, Aliison Janney, Catherine O'Hara) and finding the right actors to play the lovable couple.

                              John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph Interview

Movie Synopsis:  

Exploring the comedic twists and emotional turns in one couple’s journey across contemporary America, Away We Go is the new movie from Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, from the first original screenplay by novelists Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida, and featuring music by singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch.

Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt’s parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there.

So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. The first stop on the grand tour is Phoenix, where the duo spends a day at the (dog) races with Verona’s irrepressible (and frequently inappropriate) former colleague Lily (Allison Janney) and her repressible family, including husband Lowell (Jim Gaffigan); then it’s Tucson, and a visit to the lovely Grace (Carmen Ejogo), Verona’s sister.

An intimate conversation with her sister, who is her lone living relative, gives Verona a refreshed perspective – which she will sorely need in Wisconsin, where Burt’s childhood “cousin” Ellen, now known as LN (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and her partner Roderick (Josh Hamilton) have Burt and Verona over to their home. After LN and Roderick elaborate on their intractable ideas for raising children and running a household, Burt and Verona bolt for Montreal and a warmer welcome from their former college classmates Tom (Chris Messina) and Munch (Melanie Lynskey).

Even though the latter’s house is full of children, comfort and joy, a night out for the four old friends provides a bracing reminder of how much it takes to sustain a relationship and a family. When an emergency phone call forces Burt and Verona into an unanticipated Miami detour to visit Burt’s brother Courtney (Paul Schneider), they realize that they must define home on their own terms.

New on DVD: Meet CORALINE's Maker

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Category: Interviews

Published: Monday, 20 July 2009 13:48

Written by Lupe Haas

CORALINE, the first stop-motion feature film shot in stereoscopic 3D comes to DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday, July 21st.  Henry Selick, director of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, worked on the film for over three years alongside a team of artists including Georgina Haynes, the Character Fabrication Supervisor on CORALINE.

Haynes, a veteran of stop-motion animation, worked on Tim Burton’s CORPSE BRIDE (first stop-motion film shot digitally) and MARS ATTACK!, and she takes CineMovie through the process of creating stop-motion animated puppets.

Q:  As the Character Fabrication Supervisor, what does your job entail? 

Haynes:  Character Fabrication Supervisor gathers together a team of people to work alongside the director and animators to fabricate the puppets off screen.  First a static puppet is made from illustrations and then the static finished puppet is passed on to the animators for movement.

So I deal with Henry (Selick) and with the creative decisions such as costumes, color of paint, hair….  I also work closely with the director and animators with the kind of movements they want because each of the puppets have full metal skeleton inside called amatures.  So we have to build, design and engineer those from scratch.

Q:  Are the sets computer-generated or are they also built from scratch?

Haynes: They were all built by hand.  In fact, Coraline has very few computer-generated effects.  Some of the background skies were computer-generated but a lot of those were hand-painted as well.  Everything you’re seeing is made by a person. 

We did use computers and technology to help us in certain processes.  Coraline and many of the other puppets have replacement faces for their facial animations.  And the way it’s been done in the past is by hand sculpting each one of these faces but it limits the amounts of expressions and faces on a puppet.  On Coraline, we used a 3D printer, so we modeled the character in the computer almost as you would with a computer animated movie but we went in and added more detail, more in betweens that you would get in an animated feature.  And then we printed them all out on a machine (3D printer) much like an inkjet printer but it actually sprays out resin instead of a flat photograph.  And then we built it up into a 3D model.  Once all of those pieces are printed out, we hand painted every one of those.  So they still have that hands-on, sort of feel to them. 

Q:  Was CORALINE shot on 35 mm? 

Haynes:  No, this is all shot digitally.  We actually used the red camera which I think was initially used for medical use but it’s a very high definition camera. 

Q:  Is that what gives the film it’s look?

Haynes: It does make it crisper than 35mm but I think part of it was how it was designed - the colors, the fabric…  Coraline’s hair zings because it’s real hair and real lighting on it.  I don’t think the camera gives it the look completely.  I think it’s more the fact that everything was hand-made and a lot of thought went into the colors that were used to get that feel.

Q:  Did you have to design the puppets differently because of the 3D aspect?

Haynes:  We didn’t really know initially because it was the first time a stop-motion animation was made in 3D.  So we were really doing a lot of tests and found out it didn’t really affect how we made the puppets.  The only things we had to be careful of were stripes and spots on the puppet’s costumes because if they were too intense, too diverse in color, it could jar the eye - make you feel a bit sick.   We used that a little bit on the mother when she gets into her checkered outfit… to sort of disturb the eye a little bit. 

Q: How many times did you have to go back to the drawing board or reshoot a scene?

It was a three year process and during the last year, the script changed because Selick was continuously working on the script. 

We didn’t have to reshoot.  The voices were recorded pre-animation.  Although after the first viewing of film, there was a question about the character of Wybee and how it related to the ghost children.  From that, we built a new puppet - the grandmother which you see at the end of the movie.   Just to make a little more sense.   We built that in 3 weeks where as Coraline took a year. 

Q:  What is your favorite scene from the movie?

Haynes:  I think the downstairs theater.  It’s the most controversial scene in the movie but I absolutely love it.  There’s not much clothing in that scene but the whole thing just makes me laugh.

Q:  And the hardest?

Haynes: Anything with the mother three - the last stage of the other mother when she turns into insects.  It took us the whole film to actually get the design because until we knew how the third act was going to play out, we could not design that character.  She came about the last year of filming.  She was a tricky one to make – she’s got four spindly legs, was semi-translucent, yet a hard-look to move.  She was a challenge.  

Q:  And everyone loves the bonus features on DVDs but do the b-roll crew ever interfere with the process when they’re present with their cameras?

Check out the CORALINE DVD Extras

Yes, it’s always a battle.  You always feel sorry for the people who are doing that because that’s the last thing you want – to have a camera shoved into your face while you’re trying to make all these puppets on the stressful deadline.  But these things are so fascinating that it needs to be done.

Interview: Megan Fox, Michael Bay and Transformers Cast

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Category: Interviews

Published: Thursday, 25 June 2009 13:10

Written by Lupe Haas

Michael Bay has no hidden agenda when it comes to making a summer blockbuster.   And when it came to facing a room full of journalists including CineMovie eager to find out the meaning behind “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Bay only had to remind us “it’s summer fun.” 

Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, and newcomer Ramon Rodriguez joined the seasoned blockbuster director (The Rock, Armageddon, Bad Boys) for the Q&A at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.  Noticeably absent was the star of the film Shia LaBeouf who was making an appearance on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien at Universal Studios.

As you would guess, most of the questions were directed to media darling Megan Fox and the one director critics love to attack, Michael Bay.

Q:  Michael, in the movie, you destroy national monuments like the Egyptian pyramids and the Smithsonian Museum.  Did you have any trepidations about it?

Michael:  It’s called summer fun.  It’s a robot movie. 

Q:  Megan, do you get a choose what you wear in the movie?  And do you have those moments where you’re asking yourself why you have to wear something?

Megan:  Yes, I have those moments on a daily basis.  I don’t get to pick my outfits.  I remember Mike auditioning Ramon and some other men in his office and I had to go in…

Michael:  Two young guys.

Megan:  No, it was Shia, Ramon two other actors, and you (Michael).  I had to come in and try 18 different outfits; a white tight jeans, pink belly shirt, and like motorcycle boots.  And Mike was selecting them in the process…

Michael:  It’s called multi-tasking.

Megan:  But I have to say he clearly has an eye for what should be and should not be in the movie.

Q:  Do you see your character as the sex symbol of Transformers? 

Megan: I just saw it a few days ago when we were at the London premiere.  I usually don’t watch myself. I don’t watch myself in playback, nor in stills.  I have a phobia of it.  I basically shot an entire glass of champagne so I can get through the sitting of it and I was really, really, pleasantly surprised.  Half way through I was overcome with genuine emotion and wanted to hug Michael in gratitude.  

The character is sexy but women in movies are generally sexy especially in Michael’s movies and if it’s part of the formula…

Michael:  If you look at the movie, we got that first (sexy) shot out in the beginning for the young boys and moved on.  The rest of the movie is not about sexy.

Josh:  Tyrese offered to introduce himself in the second film by appearing shirtless in a car wash scene on Optimus.  But Michael didn’t go for it.

Michael: That’s the shot we used.

Ramon:  Thank you, Michael.

Tyrese:  I sprained my left pinky toe.

Q:  Michael, in the film, you have dozens of shots of military planes flying over and taking off aircraft carriers.  Do you use stock footage or shoot all the footage yourself?

Michael:  I don’t like using stock footage. All that stuff was shot by us.  We had incredible access from the military which is very rare.  They flew 100 feet over our set. There were 6 F16 out doing missions and we timed their mission for when we wanted them to come over our set four times and timed explosions down below.

Q: What was the budget on this film?

Michael:  My budget was $200 million but I came under at $195 million.  I put the rest into effects.  I don’t carry a second unit with me and shoot 12 hour days.

And we’re sure Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will have no problem doubling their budget when the film transforms into a mega hit at the box office this summer season. 

Manny Perez's Pride and Glory

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Category: Interviews

Published: Thursday, 23 October 2008 12:52

Written by Lupe Haas

You know you’ve made it as an actor in Hollywood when you’re starring opposite Edward Norton and Colin Farrell in “Pride and Glory” opening October 24th.  Actor Manny Perez is living the American Dream.

Manny Perez first came to attention in 2002 with the independent film “Washington Heights” which he starred, produced and co-wrote.  Director Gavin O’Connor also took notice of Manny Perez and five years later cast him as Coco Dominguez, a “sleaze bucket” as Manny describes it from Washington Heights who is threatend and beaten by crooked New York cop played by Colin Farrell in “Pride and Glory”.

Since coming to attention in 2002,  Manny Perez has starred in numerous television roles such as F/X’s “Rescue Me” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” on NBC and starred opposite Roselyn Sanchez, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lopez, and Harvey Keitel in feature films. Not too shabby for an kid who immigrated from the Dominican Republic to Providence, Rhode Island with his parents and eleven siblings with no knowledge of the English language.  This talented actor tells us how he achieved his American Dream and his on set experience with “Pride and Glory”.

 
Not a bad gig when you get to work with Edward Norton and Colin Farrell, two of the hottest actors in Hollywood. 

Manny:  I am a big fan of both but I mostly worked with Colin Farrell.  I expected this bad boy because that’s what you hear about him but once I met him, it was the opposite.  He was one of the most kindness man I’ve met in my life.  He’s totally down to earth, respects the craft of acting, and caters to the actor by rehearsing the scene and bringing out the best from you.

Edward Norton is also known to be very hands on during production and has had clashes in the past with filmmakers, most recently with Marvel over “The Incredible Hulk”.  Did you see any of his influence on set?
Manny:  I had only scene with Edward Norton and I didn’t see one person taking over the set.  Director Gavin O’Connor had full control but he let his actors improvise and everyone had input including the extras who were from the neighborhood.  Gavin cast real people from Washington Heights to give it realism and authenticity so if something was not realistic from their perspective, Gavin would listen to their input and take it into account.  That’s the beauty of working with Gavin.   As an actor, I prefer directors letting the actor do their thing and not just be a puppet.

As a working actor who broke through on the independent side, what advice would you recommend for struggling actors especially minorities who are not offered many roles in Hollywood?
Manny:  You can’t wake up one morning and say ‘I want to be an actor’.  You have to prepare yourself very well.  I came from the Dominican Republic at age ten without knowing any English.  I learned the language, studied theater in high school, went on to college and studied acting.  I prepared myself very well and I’m always doing something to advance myself. You have to respect the craft and learn everything there is to it.  And then you can go the independent route which is what I did.

You continue to advance your career and not rely on Hollywood to come calling. You’re writing, producing, and starring in your own projects?
Manny:  I believe in the Spike Lee way, in that no one is going to make films about me or for me so it’s up to me to create my own and continue doing as I first did with “Washington Heights”.   Currently, we’re editing “El Hijo del Carnicero” and I’m writing another story set in the Dominican Republic about third world corruption.  We hope to start shooting early next year.  So I’m continuing doing my own thing.

While doing his "own thing" Perez has his share of Hollywood film projects coming soon.  Opening in December, Manny appears with Freddy Rodriguez and frequent collaborator John Leguizamo in “Nothing Like The Holidays” and he begins shooting an animated film with Michael Caine and Jack Black this month.  

Manny, however, sets both the independent and Hollywood fare aside for a personal crusade. In 2007, he was honored with a Humanitarian Award in his native country and recently the Tony Bennett Excellence in Media Award and Perry Ellis Humanitarian Award in the U.S. for his charitable work.
Manny:  I came from a poor mountainous region in the Dominican Republic and I didn’t have my first pair of shoes until I was five years old.  I know what’s it’s like to be without something so basic. So I connected with Soles 4 Souls.org and Crocs United to provide shoes to the poor and needy in third world countries.    It’s a thing I love to do.  Once you have shoes, you feel more grounded as a human being.

And no one knows that better than Manny Perez who will no doubt be one step ahead of the rest.  Catch this well grounded actor when “Pride and Glory” hits theaters October 24.

Jay Hernandez: Surviving Hollywood

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Category: Interviews

Published: Tuesday, 09 December 2008 09:43

Written by Lupe Haas

A chance run in with a Hollywood talent manager jump started Jay Hernandez’s career, but the good looking young actor from Los Angeles has stayed in the Hollywood game by turning down roles often offered to Latino actors…. the gangbanger.  Recent roles such as Samuel L. Jackson’s police partner in “Lakeview Terrace” and another turn as a uniformed officer in “Quarantine,” transitioned the well-grounded actor to more adult roles. 

Next up for the respected actor is his third movie release in 2008, “Nothing Like the Holidays” starring John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, and Freddy Rodriguez.   In “Nothing Like the Holidays”, Jay broke with tradition and agreed to play Ozzy, a gang member from Chicago’s Humboldt Park.  Jay sat down with CineMovie.TV to explain his recent choices at the movies. 

CineMovie: You’ve avoided taking on the negative Latino stereotypes in movies since your debut ten years ago.  Do you attribute your success to that?

Jay:  It’s hard for an actor of Latin/Hispanic background to have a real career in Hollywood because we are not the leading man they want.  All I got offered initially was the drug dealer or gangbanger.  It’s very easy for a guy who looks like me, named Hernandez, to be gang member all the time.  That was a very conscience thing for me and I worked really hard on keeping away from those roles. 

CineMovie:  So why take on the role of Ozzy in “Nothing Like the Holidays”?

Jay: Contextually this film is different.  It’s not about Hispanic people being portrayed negatively.  It’s about life. It’s the American experience.  So if you’re going to be realistic, you have to show the broad spectrum.  That’s what I liked about the film.  The family represents all of that; the lawyer, someone coming back from the Iraq war, a struggling actress returning from Hollywood, and me, the gang member. 

CineMovie:  Can we expect a turn as a bad cop a la Denzel Washington in Training Day anytime soon?

Jay:  That would be interesting.  I don’t want to be defined as an actor.  I want to keep people guessing.  It’s a smart thing to do in Hollywood to play a nice broad range of characters. 

CineMovie:  What role have you NOT been offered that you would love to do?

Jay:  I’ve been pretty fortunate in doing lots of different things but I’d like to try a straight up comedy.   Something really funny with guys who do a lot of improv would be really great.  That would be challenging.  I think it’ll happen soon.  I’ve been offered comedies but they weren’t right but I think it will happen soon.

CineMovie:   Would you consider a physical comedy?

Jay:   Yeah!  One thing I would love to do is put on some prosthetics and create crazy off the wall characters.  It’s something I like doing with different voices.  Not everyone knows this but I’m a clown.   I really am a clown.  With my family, they expect me to do that kind of stuff.  So one day I’d like to change up the way I look and do something really funny. 

CineMovie:   The Latino version of The Nutty Professor.  We can’t wait.  So tell us about working alongside such a large cast that included John Leguizamo and Freddy Rodriguez.

Jay: Working with John and Freddy was an honor after watching them for years jump through hoops to land good roles specifically John whose paved the way in Hollywood for someone like me.  And on set, everyone got along like family.  We had a lot of rehearsal time before we started shooting so we can have that family dynamic on camera, and it shows on film.

CineMovie:  Speaking of families, “Nothing Like the Holidays” deals with the crazy family antics around the holidays.  What are your family gatherings like?

Jay:  My father is the youngest of nine so the holidays were crazy with my immediate family of six plus his side.  When we got together, you had to talk loud and kind of yell or you wouldn’t be heard.  So it was very similar to the movie in that respects but I’m very tight with my family.  There’s no coming home after four years away like Freddy Rodriguez’s character.  My mom would not let me get away with that.

We can also thank Jay Hernandez's mom for keeping this down to earth actor grounded, which should translate to a long career in Hollywood.  “Nothing Like the Holidays” opens nationwide on December 12th.

INTERVIEW: HOP Star Russell Brand Rules Out Musical Career

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Category: Interviews

Published: Tuesday, 29 March 2011 10:24

Written by Lupe Haas

Russell Brand may look the part of a rock 'n' roller but the HOP and Arthur star admits he is no musician. The British comedian, however, does carry a mean tune in an Elvis impersonation and CineMovie has the hilarious audio.

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John Leguizamo Talks Struggles As An Actor, Next 'Ice Age' Movie and New One Man Show

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Category: Interviews

Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2016 09:53

Written by Lupe R Haas

John Leguizamo returns as the voice of Sid the sloth in ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE, the fifth film in the animated series, and CineMovie is talking to the star about his career, the next ICE AGE movie, why he should be more like Sid and his new one-man show, "Latin History for Morons."

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Zoe Saldana Disliked Shooting on This 'Star Trek Beyond' Set

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Category: Interviews

Published: Wednesday, 20 July 2016 07:44

Written by Lupe R Haas

In STAR TREK BEYOND, the crew is stranded on an alien planet under the rule of Krull (Idris Elba), and the Enterprise crew are split into pairs to survive. A rock quarry in Vancouver, Canada stood in for the planet Altamid. When CineMovie asked the STAR TREK BEYOND actors if they enjoyed taking the action to an alien planet, star Zoe Saldana explains why she prefers the comforts of a clean space ship to the dust bowl. John Cho, on the other hand, enjoyed being paired off with Saldana, and getting in some action off the bridge.

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Full Video: 'Star Trek Beyond' Stars Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Karl Urban Talk New Movie

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Category: Interviews

Published: Wednesday, 20 July 2016 18:37

Written by Lupe R Haas

Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and John Cho sat down in Los Angeles to answers questions about shooting STAR TREK BEYOND, including remembering the two co-stars they lost this year with the tragic death of Anton Yelchin and the loss of Leonard Nimoy.

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