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Category: Interviews
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Published: Wednesday, 03 June 2009 08:51
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Written by Lupe Haas
Will Ferrell Rules This Land
Will Ferrell, his "Land of the Lost" co-stars Danny Boyle, Anna Friel, and director Brad Silberling recently sat down with CineMovie to discuss their big screen adaptation of the popular 70’s tv show which has transformed into a Will Ferrell comedy.
This modern take on "Land of the Lost" is not the family adventure everyone remembers. The family is replaced with adults, sexual tension, and references sure to go over kids heads. Watch Trailer
CM: As a fan of the original show Will, why make those changes?
Will: We didn’t want my character saddled with two kids. We thought it would be a better platform for comedy to have a love interest and a funny man like Danny Boyle. We didn’t want it to be a Disney film in a way. The humor had to be cool and pushing that PG-13 rating. This is the first family I’ve done in a while but the jokes are original and sophisticated which you’re not going to find in a movie in the same vain.
CM: Were any of original actors approached for a cameo in this film?
Will: The kids from the original tv show did have a cameo at the end of the movie but they were cut out. I’m not sure why.
CM: Will we be seeing it on the DVD?
Will: Yes.
CM: Chaka, the half man, half ape character has evolved from naïve child-like character to a bit of a pervert as seen in the funny scene with Chaka grabbing Holly’s chest played by Anna Friel. Was that in the script all along or was it taken further through improvisation on set? Watch hilarious Land Of The Lost movie clip
Will: That was always in the script. Chaka quickly figured out that the way to communicate with women is to grab their breasts. He’s kind of sly and a little bit, touchy feely. We just that would be a funny place for Chaka to go. Jorma (Taccone) did such a great job and he added stuff like touching me all over the place when we first meet Chaka and he steals my wallet. It was really funny to play off of.
WILL: Originally the script called for a panel with Al Gore, Stephen Hawkins and Rick Marshall. Hawkins goes after me to debunk my theories and I lunge at him. It was funny on paper and then you start making the phone calls and they’re like ‘No, no we’re unavailable.’ So then it became the "Today Show" and they were really up for it. Matt was totally game and that became plan B which worked beautifully so much so that we went back to reshoot a scene for the end of the movie.
CM: Will Ferrell and Brad Siberling tell us Matt Lauer did his own improvising during that last scene when Ferrell’s Rick Marshall returns to promote my book “Matt Lauer Can Suck It.”
Will: Matt said “lets do one more take’ and then he just tackled me which was great. And I’m trying not to laugh because I’m so surprised that he tackling me. That was brilliant.
Brad: Matt tricked me into a second take and then he improvised the tackle. It was hilarious.
CM: Perhaps Matt Lauer was channeling what he would have liked to have done to Tom Cruise once upon a time.
Sid and Marty Krofft, owned the children’s airways with their numerous tv shows (H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, Dr. Shrinker, Donny and Marie Show) during the 1970’s.
CM: What do the creators of the classic tv show think about converting Land of the Lost to an irreverent Will Ferrell comedy?
Marty: We would not have done it without Will Ferrell.
The original Land of the Lost was a lot more serious than Will Ferrell’s take.
Marty: We’re okay with that.
Sid: Our shows were always on the cutting edge.
CM: Do you think there will be a sequel to Land of the Lost?
Marty: I hope so but we have to see after it opens June 5th.
The Kroffts have a lot riding on this movie - another of their classic tv shows H.R. Pufnstuf is headed to the big screen. Fans of the show and Will Ferrell fans are sure to make this tv adaptation a success at the box office this weekend setting the stage for more 70's shows coming to the movies.
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Category: Interviews
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Published: Thursday, 04 June 2009 14:53
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Written by Lupe Haas
John Krasinski (TV's The Office, Leatherheads) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) star as Bert and Verona in AWAY WE GO, directed by Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty. In AWAY WE GO, the hippie go lucky couple travel to find a new home to give birth to their first child.
CineMovie's Viviana Vigil sat down with the charismatic actors to discuss their new film. Watch as Viviana makes John Krasinski blush on the topic of lactacting nurses.
Sam Mendes 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.
A Focus Features presentation in association with Big Beach of an Edward Saxon/Big Beach production in association with Neal Street Productions. A Sam Mendes Film. Away We Go. John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Schneider. Casting by Ellen Lewis and Debra Zane, C.S.A. Music by Alexi Murdoch. Music Supervisor, Randall Poster. Costume Designer, John Dunn. Film Editor, Sarah Flack, A.C.E. Production Designer, Jess Gonchor. Director of Photography, Ellen Kuras, ASC. Executive Producers, Mari Jo Winkler-Iofredda, Pippa Harris. Produced by Edward Saxon, Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf. Written by Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida. Directed by Sam Mendes. A Focus Features Release.