The Moviefone Blog

Why the Western Will Never Die

Anne Brodie — 2010-12-16T14:42:00+00:00

Tumbleweed rolls through a desert, vultures circle overhead. The sadistic villain points his gun at the hero. The tension is unbearable. The battle between good and evil is on, cowboy style. The western is one of the most beloved genres in film history. Good and evil are at war, the moral code is unwavering and the arena for human conflict is as big as the outdoors.

The western ideals of freedom, the open range, open skies and the chance to loom large were irresistible to early movie audiences. At one time, horse operas made up 25 per cent of Hollywood's output. But the recent success of big budget westerns like 'There Will Be Blood' and the upcoming Coens' remake of 'True Grit' may indicate a return to the wild west. Moviefone spoke with Variety film critic and Cowboys & Indians writer Joe Leydon about the western as an enduring American art form.

Some recent Hollywood westerns have been critical and commercial hits. Are times right for a comeback?
It remains to be seen whether we're going to see a renaissance of the classic western. You could argue there may only be three true westerns in recent years: 'Open Range,' '3:10 to Yuma' and 'Appaloosa.' Only the first two were embraced by large numbers of moviegoers. The verdict on 'True Grit' is yet to come. If it does attract ticketbuyers, maybe that'll convince the bean-counters and decision-makers there's still an audience for the genre. If not, well, we'll be lucky to continue seeing sci-fi/fantasy hybrids like 'The Warrior's Way' (which bombed) and the forthcoming 'Cowboys & Aliens.'

In the early days, the cowboy/western provided fantasy fulfillment for urbanites who craved heroism and adventure. What's the appeal today?
At the risk of wading into political controversy, I would guess that a classic western of the sort John Wayne used to make might have a special appeal to Tea Partiers and other contemporary conservatives. That is, it might appeal to those who value romanticized notions of rugged individualism -- and who are profoundly skeptical about the mixed blessings of civilization and cooperation.

Some say the wild west never existed, that it was a construct of the early Hollywood studio men. Do you agree?
Actually, if you believe people like David Milch, the creator/producer of 'Deadwood,' the wild west might have been even more violent and the people certainly were more, ahem, blunt spoken. When I recently interviewed Milch, he told me, "The language and the conventions of westerns had more to do with the Hays Code of censorship than with the way people really spoke at that time in the west. My research into the west -- rather than into the conventions of old movies -- suggested, given the absence of statutory law, before turning to outright physical violence, people resorted to violence in language, which included profanity.

The western genre is defined by a rigid set of rules. What are they?
The classic western hero adheres to a simple moral code. John Wayne sums it up best in 'The Shootist' when he says, "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them." That's always been a very appealing philosophy for many, if not most, people. Still is.

What else is a western?
That's a very difficult question to answer, because the genre is vast and multifarious. It contains everything from 'Stagecoach' to 'The Hired Hand,' from 'The Searchers' to 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.' I would say a western is a story about a man -- almost always a man -- who is expert enough with a gun to have an even chance in a gunfight and lives at a time and in a place when his prowess is repeatedly tested. He is sufficiently unencumbered to place everything he owns in his saddlebags and ride off anytime he pleases. If he decides to stay put anywhere very long, he is never out of danger.

The hero's survival skills and common sense are called upon in ways we will never face. How is he relevant?
Leslie A. Fiedler said, "The private eye is merely the cowboy dismounted and moving gracefully through the streets of the city." I agree. The classic western hero has pretty much the same qualities as the classic hardboiled detective. The big difference is -- in the older westerns, at least -- the cowboy is more polite.

The genre keeps renewing itself. What about women's roles?
Verna Bloom in 'The Hired Hand' and Annette Bening in 'Open Range' are two of the very, very few women in post-1970 westerns I can think of who had more complex roles to play than most actresses in most pre-1970 westerns. There are obvious exceptions -- think Claire Trevor in 'Stagecoach' -- but Westerns have always been, by and large, for better or worse, a man's world. This, of course, may explain why many women are fascinated by them.

Colin Firth: I Don't Think We Need a Royal Family

Anne Brodie — 2010-12-02T22:00:00+00:00

Imagine you're a frightened, abused British prince who lives in the shadow of his brother, David, the future king. You're paralyzed by a speech impediment. And then, with no notice, your brother abdicates his position -- all as World War II is looming. That's the true story of Albert, Duke of York, later King George VI, in Tom Hooper's 'The King's Speech.' In the wickedly funny and moving film, Colin Firth plays George, a role that will no doubt win him an Oscar nomination. Moviefone spoke with a very handsome and relaxed Firth at the Toronto Film Festival about his role as a royal.

I can't imagine how physically uncomfortable stammering [as King George VI] must have been. It was clear your throat and face muscles were straining.
I felt the effects. I got headaches and a very strange sensation of slight paralysis in my left arm. Not every day, but there were about two or three cases.

Director Tom Hooper told me you stammered afterward, making a speech.
I did. I found myself stammering during that time. I had a very interesting chat with Derek Jacobi about it. He famously did a stammer in 'I, Claudius.' [The same sensation] happened to him and it lasted some weeks. Even when I talk about it now, I am in danger of losing my flow.

King George VI had great difficulties in his life: A cruelly abusive nanny, being forced to do things he didn't want to do, especially being made king. Given his anger, how did you make him so sympathetic?
I found him sympathetic. I think he was fiercely honest, clearly extremely brave, but I don't think he felt brave. I think he felt suffocated by fear. He was also funny, something that's not written down in history. I don't mean stand-up comedy funny. But if you read anything he wrote, and we had access to his diaries, there is a great sense of wryness about him.

Guy Pearce plays David [King George VI's brother] as wicked and weak, totally enthralled by the sexually manipulative Wallis Simpson and oblivious to the pain he was causing.
People take sides on this issue. There are a lot of apologists for David; one of our consultants for the movie felt Simpson (his lover) had been very much maligned -- that she wasn't the predatory opportunist people think she was. She might not have been. I don't feel strongly about that. I do have a problem with how much time they hung out with Hitler.

What is also absolutely reliable knowledge about David is his selfishness. I don't think he ever gave his brother a thought. David didn't think twice about him or what abdicating meant.

I'm not for the monarchy and I don't mind going on the record about that. I don't think we need to have a royal family. What happened here could have been very serious. Imagine if there was a king of England who was sympathetic to a regime like [Hitler's], who knows where history would have gone. I don't think the British people would have accepted Nazism for one second, but it might have toppled the monarchy. That didn't happen, and the extraordinary events of history came out of the story of two brothers and a girlfriend in one particular family.

Firth's next projects are 'The Promised Land', a drama set in Palestine at the close of WWII, and the Cold War thriller 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'.

Miranda Richardson on Bringing Men to Their Knees in 'Made in Dagenham'

Anne Brodie — 2010-11-17T13:00:00+00:00

Baroness Castle of Blackburn, Barbara Castle, was the first and only woman to hold the position of Britain's First Secretary of State, and she was the longest-serving Member of Parliament in modern history.

Raised by socialist parents, she became a powerful figure in left wing politics; she championed the women who held a strike against the Ford plant in Dagenham, England in 1968 for equal pay. They effectively brought the company to its knees in an international work stoppage. Miranda Richardson, a longtime follower of Castle, plays her admirably in Nigel Cole's 'Made in Dagenham.'

Moviefone caught up with the 52-year-old at the Toronto Film Festival. Richardson opened up to us about sex as political power, bringing companies - and men -- to their knees, and the changing film landscape.

Your performance as Barbara Castle is striking and exuberant. She was determined to win a battle at a time when women's rights were considered a joke.
I regard her as being very lucky and I regard myself as very lucky, having a vocation, because so many people don't have any passion to do a good job. I'm sure there were days when she wished she was doing something else. Not necessarily staying at home with the rubber gloves and washing up, but it's frustrating and heartbreaking sometimes, not being able to get something through Parliament that you are convinced was right. Not just right because of ego, but what's right for the country.

Thatcher was known worldwide as being the Iron lady. Is there a tradition of strong women in British politics?
No, Barbara was unusual. People talk about Barbara paving the way for Margaret Thatcher, but I don't know exactly what they mean by that. Just being a strong woman getting the point across. But she was diametrically opposed to her politically. But they both had reddish hair! The men in Thatcher's time talk with awe about her femininity which is difficult for us to get, but that is what they said about Barbara too. The rude ones would say she used her femininity to get what she wanted. She is a woman and she goes about things differently than men.

She definitely used what she had to get attention.
She was the first person who understood presentation of image when you're getting something across. It' a different world now, but if she had turned up looking like a slob, people would say, "How did she ever get where she is, she's a joke!" They would discount her and not want to look at her. She needs to be good to look at, and she keeps herself nice and makes her point very well... and she did, admirably. She's precise and to the point but she is engaging with whoever is talking to her.

Compare her to Sally Hawkins' heroic factory worker, Rita O'Grady, who led the strike; both were natural born leaders.
Well, I hadn't thought about that. I just say they are both women, they're working in a male-dominated world. Actually the women in the factory feel very powerful. They are very powerful with the men around them, even though the men are controlling the money and everything. The women have their amazing force. I love that scene, every time a man comes through the factory; they're not supposed to look at the women. And the women just make it really hard for them. It's great! It's a little bit of mystery and power, kind of goddess-y stuff going on. We know we can make you weak at the knees, like nobody's business. Most of the women come to work, looking very good, hair carefully done, a sense of pride. It's appropriate.

You play a woman who existed and everyone (at least in the UK) knew her; did it give you cold sweats at night worrying that you'd do her justice?
No. It's a responsibility and a lot of people felt very strongly about Barbara. But then, I don't spend a lot of time with Tory politicians! She's a heroine, a champion.

The film's about pay equity in the automotive business. How are things in film and TV?
In our business, there can be that rare opportunity where there is a female star who has made it big and she can top a movie and proportionately not make the money the males do. The bulk of the money often goes to the male star. If were talking a female and male star there is still quite a disparity.

You've collaborated a lot with Jennifer Saunders on 'Absolutely Fabulous' and 'The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle.' Really outrageous stuff.
I was hoping 'Vivienne Vyle' might come back but it hasn't as yet, but you never know. I love it! I would do more. I don't know who is writing now. There are several programmes I watch religiously and if I watch late night stuff it tends to be comedy.

Is there still snobbery about English film stars doing TV?
There is less of a stigma these days. I don't think there is any such thing anymore as a career that goes da-da-da-da-da. I think they're more like wheee, whoops, so if something appeals and doesn't seem inappropriate, they should probably do it. I caught that episode of 'ER' which Ray Liotta did, and I was absolutely mesmerized. I got why he did it and also a load of people have been on that and it doesn't prevent them from doing other things. You don't go, oh, Ray Liotta's career is over.

It brings in a wider audience.
It can if you go about it right. Angela Lansbury did 'Law & Order.' She is the original trooper, she's done it all. And now she's in New York doing theatre, how punishing is that? She's in her 80s. I think she's fantastic.

'Made in Dagenham' opens in US theaters on November 19, and in Canadian theaters on November 26.

'Inferno' Director: Lindsay Lohan Is a Great Actor, and I'm Waiting for Her

Anne Brodie — 2010-11-09T17:30:00+00:00

As just about everyone on the planet knows, the late Linda Lovelace will be portrayed by the troubled Lindsay Lohan in the biopic 'Inferno' -- if she ever gets out of rehab and legal trouble.

But the movie's director, Matthew Wilder, remains committed to the troubled actress, despite years of struggling to get the project off the ground. (Anna Faris had been attached to play Lovelace as far back as 2007, but she dropped out in 2008 to focus on comedy.)

Whenever filming does kick into gear, the movie will tell the story of the hugely influential pornographic actress whose seminal film 'Deep Throat' put her on the map nearly 40 years ago and who proved her vulnerability in a horrific autobiography that revealed the true nature of her relationship with one-time husband Chuck Traynor. Forced to perform sexual acts at gunpoint, Lovelace was drugged, beaten and raped -- but she was a survivor.

Moviefone spoke with Wilder recently about his predicament and his decision to stand by Lohan as she goes through what is, arguably, the most tumultuous time of her life.

The film title suggests this may be a re-imagining of Lovelace's story.
The movie is based on Linda's book 'Ordeal,' but I think we add a certain psychological roundness that isn't present in the book -- particularly on the subject of Linda's attraction to, and complicity with, her abusive [first] husband, Chuck Traynor. You'll forgive me the obvious irony that lies in this: If the movie has a question, it is, "Why are people so attracted to things that are very, very bad for them?" That's one of the interesting things about the picture at this point. It becomes a crazy hall of mirrors, reflecting itself to infinity.

Will this be NC-17?
I believe so. Curiously, our financier -- or so I have heard -- is interested in this as an NC-17 or perhaps as an unrated movie. There is certainly no one saying, "Please, play it safe!"

Why are you fascinated by Linda Lovelace, besides the obvious?
What has always fascinated me about 'Ordeal' is not the porn element but rather the very mythic and also very everyday quality of the relationship between Linda and Chuck. We hope we'll draw people in with the "World's first and biggest-ever porn star" lure, and they'll stay for a human drama that is a lot more like 'Scenes from a Marriage' than, let's say, 'Wonderland.'

'Deep Throat' was 1972. Is her story relevant now?
Oh, sure. When I first sent the script out, I expected a lot of people to scream, "This is disgusting, foul trash! I just flung your script in the garbage!" Instead, I took meetings where nice, polite, well-raised girls from Scarsdale in little yellow V-neck sweaters would say, "Oh my god, this is the story of my life."

It would seem that the dynamic between Linda and Chuck, which is addictive and abusive, is a lot more common than pop culture generally depicts. There are a lot of Chucks out there, and the Lindas who love them.

Why Lindsay Lohan?
I really believe that she is a great actor. There is a talent nascent in her that is immense. I spend a lot of time kind of obsessing on '70s stuff, and Lindsay is very, very reminiscent of the best women actors of that time -- Sissy Spacek, Shelley Duvall, Tuesday Weld. She's not like the bubblegum, shopping-mall girls in her age range today. There's hurt and tenderness in her, and a kind of steeliness, a scrap, that recalls those actresses.

She's not built to be some smily Maxim cutie, though she looks that way. And this is an epic part. Not many could pull it off -- it's a grueling 30-out-of-30 shooting days. That's some serious, Daniel Day-Lewis marathon stuff. And one of the things that feels so right about her is, when you see her work on something, she can dive into the darkest, scariest place, then come out of it and two seconds later go, "Hey, anybody got a cigarette?" It's kind of amazing to see someone who can just go there in a snap.

Are there any scenes that Lindsay has concerns about or nixed?
Not that we ever talked about.

Will she be nude?
Yes.

Have you spoken to her recently, and if so what did she tell you?
A little bit. We talked about actors for Chuck. I think she's a little blue being in a place that's far away from everyone and everything, but I think she's okay.

You've loyally stood by Lohan during months of setbacks and hardships. Do you consider yourself a friend?
Well, you know that line, "A friend helps you move your apartment, but a true friend helps you move the body?" I feel by those lights I am the truest friend in the world.

How long will you wait for Lohan?
If the judge throws the book at her for 100 years, that's a whole other story. But that's not going to happen. She'll finish her rehab and get out and, you know, life will go on. I mean, as much as people obsess about this stuff, there is an end to it. This girl didn't commit mass murder. She will get on with her life. So, in brief: We are doing this with her, we are committed to her, and we are not squishy or fudging about that at all.

When do you start work?
We are prepping now, and casting, and we will go right after she gets a clean bill of health from the judge in February. I know, I know -- what if she doesn't? I think she will. Her lawyer, Shawn Holley, made it very clear to her that if she missteps, she gets six months in Lynwood, without a day missed for overcrowding -- and believe me, that is a vale of tears. Look, she will climb out of the rubble of all this drama and will live and flourish and be great. I know people roll their eyes at that notion, but in my experience that's what people do -- sometimes it takes them a little longer than others.

What keeps your passion for the project alive after such a long, difficult and public journey?
I am a bit of a fundamentalist when it comes to this kind of stuff. 'Inferno' represents a certain kind of movie that is very rare now -- a movie that's sort of an assault on the senses and the emotions, very intense and not pretty. It represents something that as someone who loves movies is what I want to see. You know how the teabaggers want to take America back? I'd like to take American movies back to a period when they challenged audiences and when they let us explore what it means to be a person rather than just take an amusement-park ride. We need this stuff. That's what keeps me in it.

Did you ever give up? Get angry?
Give up? Nah. Come on! Werner Herzog makes movies where cannibals with pitchforks chase him into a live volcano! This is a girl who had to go back to rehab. Big deal! My problems are not that big a commotion, really. Get angry? Sure. The day she flunked the drug test I got really angry. But what are you going to do? People are flawed, they're f---ed up, and that's not a sin. It's not a crime; it just is how people are. Do you think all the great icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood -- you think if you followed them around with a camera back in the day they'd all be choirboys and Girl Scouts? I highly doubt it.

Intense attention will be paid to the project when it starts. Are you prepared for it?
I've been prepared forever. It has taken me about a zillion years to get to this point, dear! I'm ready, willing and able.

Kids Film 'Summerhood' Gets Childhood Just Right

Anne Brodie — 2010-11-04T13:00:00+00:00

"It was a time of my life I'll never forget, a soulful summer of acoustic rock, no parents, no school, and no parole..."

Thus begins the little Canadian film that could, Jacob Medjuck's 'Summerhood,' a poignant, breezy, fun, and deceptively astute look at summer camp. Collider.com calls it "the best film I've seen about childhood ever" -- high praise for a coming -of-age story that resonates with campers and non-campers, and reminds them of that special time that was "before life."

You know you're in for something as the film opens, and the camera pans across an idyllic lake lined with camp bunkies bathed in sunrise. Pete Seeger's singing 'Little Boxes,' a sweet sounding ditty. But then the camp loudspeakers blast everyone awake.

An uncredited John Cusack narrates the story of Fetus, a shrimpy "premature thinker" forced to bunk with newly-adolescent psychotic 14-year-olds -- and he's only nine. The bunkmates are best friends who hate each other, stuck together every summer in the same little boxes: Reckless, Grandpa, Fetus, Mud, Raincoat Kid, Toast, Fly Ball, New Kid, and the girls they love, Sundae and Cinnamon, across the mighty bridge.

Medjuck says his film is different from the usual kids' stuff. "It's like 'Oz,' not 'The Wizard of Oz,' but the prison series," he says. "'Shawshank Redemption' for kids. Imagine playing Spin-the-Bottle and it's 'Deer Hunter.' And wanting to steal third base, that's 'Blackhawk Down.'"

Each camper has a unique personality and story but the universal connection --unbound curiosity -- saturates 'Summerhood.' The boys are experiencing organic, insistent, and relatable sexual awakening and there aren't any parents around to ruin things. The counsellors don't judge because they know the bittersweet confusion that it is. They oversee adolescent yearning, as well as fair play in baseball and settling scores and getting to the dining hall on time.

Medjuck refused to diminish the boys' situation. "I got so tired of that pandering, neutered perspective of childhood," he says. "It's entertaining and I contributed to the machine in lots of movies, but it is not authentic. The 'Leave It to Beaver' world played its course. We live in a time when there needs to be authenticity. The internet is a bit too authentic, and we have to address these issues or kids will answer them themselves. The whole point was to do something right by these kids."

The film is based on Medjuck's own experiences. "For sure, there are situations and lines right out of people's mouths that came from my days at camp," he says. "I built entire scenes around a good line. I used some on my now-bride before she saw the movie. I whispered sweetly to her at the screening, 'I hope you're slutty.' Yes, I a) stole from the movie, and b) I did write the movie."

Medjuck also appears in the film as Careless, the perpetually high, distracted, work-allergic counsellor who finds his true vocation at camp, magically healing the sick (allergic) and sharing what he's learned with his lovelorn charges.

"I was trouble," Medjuck recalls. "I was in trouble constantly and I just woke up one day, and said, 'I'm not a victim.' I've had a broken heart, I've broken hearts, and I've made many mistakes. I wanted little boys to be a little better to little girls, and the only way to take the medicine is to wrap it in a filthy joke, a spoonful of filth. The movie is about the fact that it doesn't matter if you're 10 or 40 or 80. If you want to kiss the girl, you'd better ask her. My plan was always to do something right that made altruistic sense."

And that's not all. The seething power politics of the Monkey Bin bunkie pretty much foreshadow life after camp. It's tough, rewarding and vexing; there are mean adults/authority figures and great ones/friends/comrades. The film is well-scripted, directed, and acted. It speaks "up" to kids and shows them they way they are: Imperfect, loveable, and capable of great things. It's encouraging and optimistic; it relishes a world where a kid can be himself.

'Summerhood' won Best Feature at the San Diego Film Festival, Best Comedy at Maui, The Audience Award at the Santa Cruz and Atlantic Film Festivals, and raves from the critics like Ain't It Cool News, which compares Medjuck to a young Ben Stiller.

'Summerhood' begins a three-week run at AMC Yonge/Dundas in Toronto on November 5.

Kathleen Robertson on Going 'Down the Road Again'

Anne Brodie — 2010-11-01T14:25:00+00:00

Kathleen Robertson was floored when she was asked to star in 'Down the Road Again,' a sequel of sorts to one of Canada's most acclaimed films, 'Goin' Down the Road' (1970). Roberts understands the depth and breadth of the original's influence; it was credited with inspiring 'Midnight Cowboy,' and it was raved about by New York and Los Angeles film critics.

It is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential Canadian films ever made, and has remained one of the top 10 films of all time in industry polls since 1984; Canada Post even issued a commemorative stamp in its honour. Director Don Shebib returns 40 years later with original cast members Jayne Eastwood and Doug McGrath, and teams them up with Robertson, their "new" Canadian/American actress. Moviefone spoke with Robertson on the Toronto set of 'Down the Road Again.'

The director tells me you knew of 'Goin' Down the Road.'
I did, yeah. My agent called me and said he had a movie and said, "You're either going to be really excited or you're going to have no idea what I'm talking about and think I'm crazy. Did you ever see 'Goin' Down the Road'?" I said "Yes!" "Well, they're doing a sequel..." [Gasps] ] I asked, "Is the script any good?" He said it was really good and I said, "I'm in!" I don't think that type of thing has ever happened before, a sequel after 40 years with the original cast and same director.

How did you see it? It was made in 1970 and it's hard to find.
I saw it when I was a teenager. One of my first professional gigs was this series called 'Maniac Mansion' with all these 'SCTV' people. And 'SCTV' did a very well-known parody of 'Goin' Down the Road.' Oh my God, it was amazing! And they all loved it! Don loves it, and Jayne Eastwood was in the film and the parody! Americans know the parody but not the movie. Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty said 'It's great!" and that's where I learned about it. It was a weird introduction. Jayne, weirdly enough, played my mother in my very first job and she is my mother here too.

You play the estranged daughter of the late Paul Bradley's character. She's on a mission to find out who her father is. Tell us more.
I play Betty Jo Mills. The film starts with her discovering her father is dead. She met him once when she was 10, when he took her to the zoo. She has a very specific memory of that day and she met him once and that was it. The news of his death comes to her at this terrible time because she had been searching for him. She said she needed to at least put a face to him and have some relationship with him, not even a good one, in order to move forward and figure herself out. She never gets that chance, so when she gets the opportunity to get to know him through his best friend (Doug McGrath) -- someone who knew him his entire life -- she knew it was her last chance to have any understanding of who this man was. So they jump in the car and they drive across Canada to spread his ashes. It's a great premise.

How did you understand Betty Jo in a way that was just yours?
The first thing I do is prepare a bio. It's something I do called Fifty Questions. I go through them and answer them and by the time I'm through them, I feel like I can walk onto the set and say 'Wow! This is her!" Questions ranging from 'What was your first sexual experience?" to "What is your favourite food?" to"What makes you angry?" to "What's your greatest fear?" That's the thing. The fun thing about playing characters is that it's not you. They don't see the world the way you do, they only see it the way they do, and I really lock into what that is.

I had a very specific idea about how I wanted Betty Jo to look. I cut all my hair off for this role. I just wanted her to be the girl who doesn't take care of herself. This is the nicest she looks in the movie [indicates herself, in an oversized, cheap sweater, tattoos, heavy makeup, bangles] because she's at a dance with a boy. So she puts some makeup on. And chops her nails off.

You've had some amazing roles over the years. It must be great to do these diverse characters. What is it that directors see in you?
I have no idea! I have to say the thing I am most proud of is that I have a really eclectic career. I've done really mainstream stuff and I've done really dark stuff. Fringe stuff. That's what keeps me excited about doing this. I've been doing this for a long time. A project has to have that thing that makes me wants to leave my family, my home and my life and go do that! Making a movie is a huge endeavour, there has to be something. This one is obvious. I just want to do really interesting projects. I guess I'm just not afraid to stretch.

'Down the Road Again' is set for a fall 2011 release.

Keir Gilchrist Gushes About 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' Co-Star Zach Galifianakis

Anne Brodie — 2010-10-01T09:30:00+00:00

Keir Gilchrist and Emma Roberts are indie film's hottest, quirkiest couple at the moment, thanks to their roles as young lovers getting to know each other in a psychiatric ward in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story.' Their characters are in treatment for depression, but their stay on the floor is anything but a comedown. They join forces with a diverse group of fellow patients (including Zach Galifianakis); they put on musicals and live it up in what becomes the time of their lives.

The film's upbeat, feel-good and wickedly funny, and Roberts and Gilchrist are a winning pair. Moviefone sat down with Gilchrist at the Toronto Film Festival, where he talked about trying to make Roberts laugh and gushed about Galifianakis.

Emma says the two of you worked on improv scenes to create intimacy between you.
We spent two weeks rehearsing, and at one point, my whole mission was to make Emma laugh, and her mission was to be the biggest bitch to me as possible. We would spend 10 minutes in a scene, I'm trying to get her to laugh and she's trying to get me to go away. I don't even know how that helped me, but I know that it did.

And you have this other part to your character, which is the imaginary rock star, who just lets it loose performing Queen's 'Under Pressure.'
Oh we totally, the entire cast, it was just getting our rocks off entirely, the entire cast; we were just enjoying it so much. The first rehearsal was really awkward, we were in this cold warehouse and we had to sing to the music and I don't know how to sing at all! That whole day, we just got to take a break from doing this movie, which is lots of scene work in a hospital, day and night, and got to leave that location, get dressed up as rock stars and have fun all day!

Zach Galifianakis is mainly a stand-up comedian, so what was it like for him to switch gears, to do dramatic scenes as well as funny ones?
I don't know of his background in acting, but he's an amazing actor, and people need to know that he shines through this movie, and he makes this movie what it is. I would definitely say he is a better actor than I am. I learned a lot from Zach about acting. I think the first time I ever cried on camera was with Zach in this movie. I think he's just fantastic.

Were you able to cry because of your scene with him?
Just him! He would bring emotions out of me that are just so real, and he's really just an impressive individual.

Do you find it's really kind of magic thing, acting? You just pull stuff out you didn't even know you had.
Yeah, you go home feeling exhausted. I think it can be really hard to explain acting. People who do it understand it, and whenever I try to explain it I always just go on some long tangent, and then not even really understand what I am saying.

'Let Me In' Star Kodi Smit-McPhee Is All About the Gore -- Oh, and Team Edward

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-30T22:20:00+00:00

Kodi Smit-McPhee may not be very well-known on this side of the Atlantic, but the 14-year-old actor is actually part of an acting family -- his father Andy McPhee and sister Sianoa Smit-McPhee are both recognized as thespians in their native Australia (and here too). One thing's for certain, though: Kodi Smit-McPhee certainly has a knack for picking great films. Critics lauded his performance in last year's 'The Road' (where he starred alongside Viggo Mortensen), and now the kudos are rolling in for his role in the vampire-movie-remake 'Let Me In.'

Moviefone caught up with Smit-McPhee at the Toronto Film Festival, and he filled us in on how his friends plan to get into an R-rated movie, the joys of adolescence and whether he's Team Jacob or Edward.

You won't be able to see the film in theaters because of its rating for violence and gore. When you were reading the script, preparing or shooting, did it ever get under your skin, creep you out?
No. Actors shouldn't be scared. Don't get scared on film. If anything, it's totally the opposite. I was really keen on seeing the effects and bodies and blood and stuff. I actually stayed longer.

I don't really care about getting into the cinemas because I'll see it a million times with premieres and stuff. My friends will find some way to get in.

Do you identify with the character's problematic adolescence?
There are just little things I get confused about, because I'm here in America and I miss my friends back at home. I juggle it and then I'm at home and I miss my friends here. I don't really know where I want to be. I just want to go back home. I'm having fun doing this, but I want to go home and relax and ride my bike and do normal stuff.

You come from a well-known Australian acting family, so it must be a natural career choice for you.
My dad (Andy McPhee) is an actor and he's the one who got me into it. He is so confident; he said when we came to America, "I'm going to get a job in 'Sons of Anarchy.'" He did a million auditions and then he finally got a main part. He got that! My sister (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) is an actor, too; she's on HBO's 'Hung.' She's 18 and still working here. When we're working here we don't go home, we stay here as a family. Then get we get a break.

How did you find this script?
My dad reads the scripts and passes them on to me. This script was pretty amazing but I didn't know it was a remake or a book. We looked it up and found out it was a movie two years ago and were like "Aww, it's a remake!" I don't know, we just went with it and it was awesome. I really liked the character. I really love abstract stuff and how he has a whole world going on in his own mind, and I can go there whenever I want.

What vampire film do you like best?
I like 'Twilight.' I'm Team Edward because he's just so epic and awesome.

'Let Me In' opens in theaters on October 1.

Emma Roberts on 'Scream 4' and How 'Legally Blonde' Almost Inspired Her to Become a Lawyer

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-30T17:35:00+00:00

Emma Roberts doesn't reside in her aunt Julia Roberts' ever-long shadow anymore; she is genuinely a star in her own right. She's starred in seven films this year (and has many upcoming in 2011), including indie comedy 'It's Kind of a Funny Story,' which co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Keir Gilchrist. Despite the plot of the movie -- which focuses on a group of depressed individuals resigned to a psychiatric ward -- the film is a laugh-riot and actually quite uplifting.

Moviefone caught up with Roberts at the Toronto Film Festival, where she talked about appearing in 'Scream 4' and how she briefly considered becoming a lawyer thanks to 'Legally Blonde.'

Did you ever consider not becoming an actor?
I think I had a brief moment of wanting to be a lawyer after seeing 'Legally Blonde.' I decided maybe I'll just play one, one day, because that would be a lot less work. No, if I wasn't an actress now, I would probably be a writer, because I love to write and I love to read. I read a lot of books. That is what I find so daunting about writing -- seeing that empty page. It's so intimidating, so I just write down these little blurbs here and there.

You'd be surprised how much can come out after just writing down a sentence. I've been reading so many different things lately. I order truckloads of books on Amazon. Or maybe I'd be doing something in fashion, I think that would be really cool. To do a collaboration with a designer or something. I think doing something for Topshop like Kate Moss did -- because I am a Topshop fanatic -- I think would be fun. Or to do something with Barney's.

Scream 4 Official Trailer

But you're not quitting film -- in fact, you're busier than ever.
I'm finishing 'Scream 4,' and it's a lot of fun. Totally different than anything I have done. That'll come out in April. After this film, I did another independent called 'Homework,' which is really similar to '(500) Days of Summer,' with Freddy Highmore. He's so cute and sweet.

We need to know about 'Scream 4.' That seems like a funny choice for you.
The entire original cast is in it: David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. There is a younger generation coming in -- Hayden Panettiere, who I've done two movies with, as well as me. I think this might be the best one yet. It's really clever, really scary. It's definitely funny; there are parts where I was laughing so hard. But there are parts where I was genuinely terrified. So, it's a lot of fun.

You star in 'What's Wrong With Virginia,' which also screened at Toronto. What kind of character do you play?
I play a 15-year-old Mormon girl who is Ed Harris' daughter, which was fun. We shot in Michigan, and all of my clothes were bought in the child's section of Wal-Mart and had shorts built into them, and everything was pink. It was like a 15-year-old girl threw up on me, and I love it.

It was so much fun to be all prim and proper. The director said, "No more mascara for you and we're cutting your hair an inch!" because I had layers, and he said no layers, so every scene I had a headband and a blunt cut. I would fight for my mascara, but he said no. It was fun to play younger, though; it was a very interesting role. She's naive, but learning about things, and she is very conflicted. I wanted to work with Ed Harris, who I love, and Jennifer Connelly, who is amazing. And I love Dustan Lance Black; I idolize him and would love to work with him again.

Well, you are really on your way. You released seven films this year alone.
Yeah, I'm excited. I'll probably take the rest of the year off after 'Scream 4' because it's been a really grueling schedule.

You can catch Emma in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' when it hits theaters on Oct. 8.

Matt Reeves, Director of 'Let Me In,' on Creating a Successful Remake

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-30T10:51:00+00:00

Director Matt Reeves is a major player in the world of geek sci-fi, thanks to his inventive take on horror in 'Cloverfield.' It's quite the switch for the man behind TV's warm and fuzzy series 'Felicity' and the dorky David Schwimmer comedy 'The Pallbearer.' Reeves further distances himself as the man who let Keri Russell cut her hair to write and direct 'Let Me In,' an English-language remake of John Ajvide Lindqvist's superb 2008 vampire thriller 'Let the Right One In.'

Reeves admits he's battled widespread concern about the wisdom of remaking the beloved cult classic, but when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, there was a collective sigh of relief. It unequivocally won over the doubters; some say Reeves' version surpasses the original. It's about an awkward, lonely boy (14-year-old Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee) who befriends a girl (Chloe Moretz) who moves in next door. Moviefone spoke with Reeves about crafting the elusive "good" remake.

Matt, How did you handle the pressure of remaking 'Let the Right One In,' when it was clear the fans had no faith in it?
I was so far down the line on it. The thing to do was block out all the [fan interest] and do it as a labor of love. I get why people would feel there was danger, there have been so many bad remakes. To take Lindqvist's story and put it into an American world, in a world I related to, was special to me.

'Let Me In' and 'Cloverfield' inhabit a similar cinematic world.
When I first got involved, I had just finished 'Cloverfield.' I wasn't really interested in genre films but having done two, I found a way in. The thing I really love about genre films is that you can take the metaphor for whatever it is, a monster, a vampire, and you can sneak something in under the metaphor. What amazed me about the original film is that they took a vampire film and turned it on the pain of adolescence. I wrote Lindqvist (who wrote the original screenplay) and told him that not only is it a great genre story, but it resonated with me so much personally. He wrote back saying he really liked 'Cloverfield' because it was a new spin on an old story and that's what he was trying to do with 'Let the Right One In.'

'Cloverfield' was a landmark, a new way of making movies. A real accomplishment.
'The Blair Witch Project' did it before we did it. I'm interested in taking absurd fantastical themes in genre films but do them in ways that lend an air of reality, because that makes them on one hand ridiculous and on the other hand energetic. The fun of 'Cloverfield' was to find a way to do that movie as realistically as possible. It's what our collective idea of what reality is and the illusion of it. You can just go out and make a film with a handi-cam but you have to feel passionately about it or it gets boring.

How did you find Kodi and Chloe?
I said I wouldn't make the movie unless we could find someone right. There is a scene where he talks to his father on the phone. He suddenly realizes what [Chloe's character] is and it's his lowest point. It was inspired by the moment in 'Rosemary's Baby' where Mia Farrow's character is on the payphone and you're watching her break down but the camera just holds on her. That was what we needed to do, and he's so alone and can't articulate the pain he's in. I wrote that scene and wondered what 12- or 13-year-old could do this. Then Kodi came in and blew me away. He was so real. I was so relieved because then I knew we could make the movie. It had to be him. When Chloe came in, I talked to Matthew Vaughn about her in 'Kick-Ass' and he said, "You don't understand, you will love her."

There's a weird sexual vibe; how did you manage it for mainstream audiences?
At this moment in this young person's life, there's a strange juxtaposition of being stuck between adolescence, innocence and sexual discovery. There is a lot of confusion, but their relationship is incredibly innocent. He has sexual fascinations, he's very drawn to the woman across the way, and all of that is frightening but exciting. It makes the story provocative.

'Let Me In' opens in theaters on October 1.

Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Freida Pinto and Lucy Punch on How Life Sucks, and Why All Men Are 'Dogs'

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-23T17:30:00+00:00

Woody Allen's iconic characters are pretty much defined by their sex. To quote him: "Men are dogs and women suffer." It is ever thus in his latest relationship comedy 'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger,' but as we have come to expect, Allen imbues his characters with equal parts heart, soul, hope, wit, and witlessness.

Lucy Punch plays a ditzy young gold-digger and sexual gymnast who bewitches Anthony Hopkins' aging Lothario. 'Slumdog Millionaire''s international beauty Freida Pinto plays the innocent object of desire across the courtyard from Josh Brolin's overly-aroused character. Hopkins and Brolin certainly play dogs, but it's a lot of fun watching them mate even if they are leashed to their wives.

Moviefone caught up with the stars of 'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger' at the Toronto Film Festival.

Anthony and Josh, your characters don't have too many redeeming qualities. Is it fun to play that?
Hopkins: Yeah, I'm just a year younger than Woody, and I think I have reached a happy state of mind. I don't have any expectations anymore. I'm glad I'm not young anymore, I feel at peace, I've more than enjoyed my life. My wife actually suggested that we buy a Porsche, and I couldn't even get into the damn thing! She said that it's a chick magnet or something. But my character gets caught up in this nightmare, he makes a big mistake and that happens in life. Men are dogs! Never trust a man. I think it's just part of the male psyche, the more successful you get. My favorite line is from a T.S. Eliot poem, he says "I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, and I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat and snicker. And in short, I was afraid."

I think that's the most eloquent statement on death and life. And you know what I find looking back on life, is that there is solace in knowing that it is actually all a joke. It's fun, but as I think someone said, "It sucks and then you die." And you know what? That's it!

Josh, can you pick up on that?
Brolin: No.

You were saying that you couldn't stand your character.
Brolin: Well, to me, he's pathetic; I had asked Woody if he could be in a wheelchair and have a Slavic accent, and that was something that didn't work. There's this great story about Robert De Niro where he was doing a play and people were flipping out during the rehearsal process because people couldn't hear what he was saying. And then came opening night and he was brilliant, and people kept saying, "Why were you doing that?" So that's I was doing with the wheelchair -- I was flipping out, I didn't know how to play this character. He's not the most redeeming character out there, so that's why I gained some weight. There's something soft about him. I felt something soft and squishy and vulnerable about him. When I watch it I just want to slap him. Sure, the grass is greener on the other side, so he's constantly looking for something over there for notoriety and fame. It's a strange character. I'm always asking why. Why does he do that?

What was it like working with Frieda?
Brolin: She's incredible. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who comes out of a best picture situation and then works with Woody Allen. I think that takes a lot of courage and she worked really hard. She won't tell you, but she used to get sick from nerves coming to the set every day. She was nervous working with us. I know we seem nice, but we're not. But she did extremely well. She was very courageous.

Freida, your character is being watched through the window by Josh's character. She became somewhat of an exhibitionist, and I wonder, in your opinion, are all women closet exhibitionists?
Pinto: I know that Dia is meant to be this mysterious character, but I never meant to be concentrating on that as much as concentrating on the idea that she is really confused and she never really knew what she wanted. What she has wasn't what she wanted and the grass really was greener on the other side. What she got from Roy seemed to entice her, so I think she just went with it. I think she enjoyed attention, and she was getting involved with someone like her. I don't think that all women are closet exhibitionists, but I do think that this was something that was bound to happen for her character. She was finally getting some attention from someone she could relate to.

How was it playing the writer's muse, and how did working with Woody change you in any way?
Pinto: When I walked into the first meeting when I was reading the script, Woody said he really doesn't like it when people start acting when they hear the word "action." That's the best advice anyone could give an actor; you should make it a little more organic and natural. Josh said that if you really want to do something with conviction, you have to keep it visual. I think it's great that I had such great mentors on the project. I've never been a muse. Nobody's ever told me that I'm a muse to them, but I think it's very flattering compliment to a woman, that somebody is inspired by them to paint or write or sing.

Lucy, your performance was so exuberant and physical and tarty. Obviously, that's not how you normally are, so how did you get into this character aside from the script and Mr. Allen's direction?
Punch: Well, the wardrobe helped a lot. All the make-up, the padded bra and long fake fingernails. I went to the gym a lot and was in the best shape I've ever been in. I just wanted to feel all loose, and let it all hang out, and I got very fit, and was very hungry during the time of filming.

'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger' opens on Sept. 22, 2010.

Woody Allen Talks 'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger,' Aging and How Hard It Is to Find Love

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-22T15:30:00+00:00

Woody Allen details the ongoing war between the sexes in his latest film 'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger,' as four people collide in love, lust and loss in London. Allen openly admits his view of things has gotten darker and cloudier with age, and the simple act of falling in love becomes a chamber piece for wounded hearts everywhere. It teases, torments, gives in and then runs off with the next pretty face. It's dark stuff, but in Allen's hands, it's wistfully funny, occasionally hilarious -- but the specter of more darkness is always just behind him.

Moviefone cornered Allen at the Toronto Film Festival and found out that what makes it all worthwhile for him is the prospect of working with fresh and brilliant new talents.

How open are you to actors improvising and making changes to the script or character?
I'm very open because I feel that the actors have instincts that you may not have, and when you sit down to write the things, you don't want it to be ruined by yourself. And you're writing and there is no connection to those who will be performing the roles, so you get a lot of things wrong, you make a lot of bad choices, and make mistakes. Then your actors get the material, and get the chance to say the lines and act it out and their instincts come into play. They feel it more then I felt it when I was writing it, so I am very dependent on actors.

You've attracted some of the finest talent to your films. Did you write this film with any of these actors in mind?
I didn't. Halfway through the writing process I spoke to my wonderful casting director Juliet Taylor, and I said that Josh Brolin would be absolutely perfect for this, and it turned out that he was available. I was really lucky. I didn't dare dream that I would get Anthony Hopkins, but he was available. Freida Pinto was available. Lucy Punch I didn't know from a hole in the wall and she beat out a lot of women for this role. She got in on pure talent. I was just like "Who is she?! She's fabulous!"

What was it like working with breakout star Freida Pinto?
She was a pleasure, she was very sweet. I had just seen her one movie, and I thought she would be a perfect obscure object of desire to look at though the window. I withheld any view of Freida for a long time in the film because she is so beautiful that I wanted you to just see her from a distance. I didn't want the viewer to get a good look at her at all until Josh is sitting opposite from her in the restaurant, and you see her face for the first time.

It's so great and has so much impact because it's such a valuable space. It's the first time we really see her in the movie, we've seen her from afar, and her back from across the way. I never had to give her too much direction. I'd have to say to Josh, "You can't play this in a wheelchair!" [Apparently he wanted to...] But they're gifted people, so you get out of their way and try not to ruin them.

After all this time, is it still difficult for you to write movies/screenplays?
Movies, they're all hard to do. None of them is easy. They're all wrapped with anxiety. You know your movie starts off and you're thinking you're going to make 'Citizen Kane' or 'The Bicycle Thief' and you think it's going to be the greatest thing the world has ever seen. And then when you're cutting it together, you just hope people will sit thought it, and all your lofty ideas about those films your felt you were going to make, you find yourself compromising, and you put the end scene in the front, and cutting characters put in a narration, and you're just fighting for survival! So any film is tough. I think the only time I had the least of these problems was 'Match Point.' I was unusually lucky. Very atypical, everything just fell into place. But that never really happens. They're all extremely difficult.

What about finding love? That certainly gets harder.
Certainly since I was in my early 20s I knew that [finding love] is luck. We think we can control it and we think we know what we're doing, but it's largely dependent on luck, and if you're very lucky, you may just have a happy relationship. And if you're unlucky, all logical reasons in the world don't seem to make sense. So you meet somebody, you're attracted to somebody, and the exquisite neurons in the brain mesh properly and things can be wonderful and things are not like homework. You shouldn't have to work at your relationship; it's not like the treadmill. It's pleasurable. But it's hard to hit that jackpot and get lucky. You think that you can control it, but it's not really so.

And aging?
It gets worse and worse. I see no advantages in age at all. You become shriveled, you become decrepit, you lose your faculties, your peer group passes away, you sit in a room gumming and drooling. I don't see any positives in total annihilation, no hope of resurrection, so it's a bad situation. But as Anthony said, "It's a joke, but without a punchline!"

It's kind of a nightmare actually, and I find the best thing one can do is to distract yourself. And so you go to the movies, you get involved in a meaningless love affair, and the outcome has no meaning in the grand scheme of the universe. You watch Roger Federer, you do all these things to distract yourself from thinking about the tall dark stranger who's coming to get you, despite all your efforts to eat health foods.

'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger' opens on Sept. 22, 2010.

'Catfish' Creators Tell Us if It's Real or Not

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-16T14:00:00+00:00

'Catfish,' the controversial what-exactly-is-this film by New York documentary filmmakers Ariel and Nev Schulman and Henry Joost, has captured the movie world's attention. Ariel Schulman and Joost follow Ariel's brother Nev as he develops an unusual relationship with someone online. An eight-year-old named Abby sends Nev a painting of one of his dance photographs that appeared in the New York Times. It's followed by more, and soon Nev and Abby are in regular touch on the phone and online.

Abby claims that she lives in Michigan with her mother, Angela, and a teenage sister, Megan; as Megan and Nev soon develop an intense online romance, he insists that they meet in person. But the family repeatedly turns down opportunities to meet Nev, so he and the boys secretly head to Michigan, armed with cameras, to find them. What they found there would shake them to the core.

The story is so outlandish that doubts have been cast on the film's authenticity. Moviefone caught up with the Schulmans and Joost to find out exactly what the story is with 'Catfish.'
'Catfish,' the controversial, what-exactly-is-this film by New York documentary filmmakers Ariel and Nev Schulman and Henry Joost, has captured the movie world's attention. Ariel Schulman and Joost follow Ariel's brother, Nev, as he develops an unusual relationship with someone online. An eight-year-old named Abby sends Nev a painting of one of his dance photographs that appeared in the New York Times. It's followed by more, and soon, Nev and Abby are in regular touch on the phone and online.

Abby claims that she lives in Michigan with her mother, Angela, and a teenage sister, Megan; as Megan and Nev soon develop an intense online romance, he insists that they meet in person. But the family repeatedly turns down opportunities to meet Nev, so he and the boys secretly head to Michigan, armed with cameras, to find them. What they found there would shake them to the core.

The story is so outlandish that doubts have been cast on the film's authenticity. Moviefone caught up with the Schulmans and Joost to find out exactly what the story is with 'Catfish.'

So, is it real?
A. Schulman: It is 100 percent real.

What has the reaction been?
A. Schulman: Morgan Spurlock said to our producers [that] he loved the film. He thought it was the best fake documentary he'd ever seen. Zach Galifianakis, the great comedian, does not believe it's true and cannot be swayed. If he wants to go as far as to say that, then I will say, "Zach, thank you. That makes Henry and I the two best screenwriters in Hollywood, and Nev is the best actor since Marlon Brando," if that's the case. You know we're not that smart; we just have good instincts. We know when people are being fake.

Joost: I don't even understand the logistics of it being fake. How would that even work?

A. Schulman: You'd have to hire Angela to act in a movie and write it.

Joost: But that gives us much more credit than we deserve. You know we're idiots, now that you've met us.

N. Schulman: Why didn't you think it was real?

It was too perfect. structurally, and the way it wraps up.
A. Schulman: It felt that way to us also, as we were making it. We're very lucky. We happened to be in Vail working on another film, and at that moment, we discovered things weren't what they seemed. We look back at our experience and everything leads to this moment. As filmmakers we were ready; we felt like we spent our lives preparing to be ready, and it just happened to be me who shares the office with my brother and my producing partner.

N. Schulman: When you look back, you realize there were so many little details along the way that led to the film.

Joost: If you changed one thing, it would have gone the other way. And we made another film called 'Opus Jazz,' a ballet film. The photo Abby first painted was a shot we took on the set of that film. If we hadn't made that film, this film wouldn't have happened at all.

So there you are, you've tracked them down to upstate Michigan. What about the moment when you're driving up to the house? You knew it could have turned out very badly.
A. Schulman: It was the most terrifying moment of my life.

What made you follow through?
A. Schulman: The truth.

You could have died. You could have been killed.
N. Schulman: There was a real fear, a real possibility that we were going to get killed.

Joost: The suspense was killing us. Before we went to Michigan, we sent our hard drive back to New York with all the footage up to that point with instructions in case we didn't come back.

[SPOILER ALERT!] Without revealing much more, we feel such anger when we meet Angela and find out what she's been doing. The sadness we feel watching her tell you she's undergoing chemo for cancer when she's about to reveal the entire truth and she's still lying. She didn't have cancer, for starters.
A. Schulman: She defends herself with lies, protects herself. And she has zero hesitation.

N. Schulman: To think that you're sitting in front of someone, and you're telling them the truth, and you're looking in their eyes ... You think they're being real, but even that's not always true.

Was that why you were so angry in the end?
N. Schulman: Yeah. I was really hurt, and there was a process for me of re-establishing my barometer for real interaction and I am eternally grateful for that.

This is very much about borrowed lives. The online nation isn't real, you're saying.
A. Schulman: It's very much about identity and the search for connectedness and approval. The Internet is this arena of connection. Everyone is just screaming as loudly as they can and waving their arms in desperate need of approval. Some people are satisfied with 15 friends ... some need 5 million; some need five Twitter followers, some people need 500. And in order to get what you need, you might have to change your appearance, right? So, you've got these masks. Everyone is wearing masks.

Joost: If you have a Facebook profile, just by definition of having an account, you're curating the way you would like to appear to the rest of the world. You're saying I want this photo to represent me, five interests to represent my interests and you have an ability to put your best foot forward. So, in a sense, everyone is curating their lives.

What's your next project?
A. Schulman: We would love to make another documentary, because truth is stranger than fiction. But I don't think we're going to find anything as interesting as this if we went looking. You can't plan on it.

'Catfish' opens in theaters on Sept. 17.

Woody Allen Talks 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,' and How Everything Is Really Hard

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

Woody Allen's romantic dramedy 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' is at first glance a light and airy comedy about falling in and out of love, but a closer look reveals a sinister edge that follows Allen's view that "men are dogs" and "women are sufferers." His male characters (Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin) battle middle age with illicit affairs that only humilate them, and the women (Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch and Gemma Jones) are used and lied to. True to Allen form, however, the tough stuff is delivered with lots of laughs. That split is apparent in our conversation.

Moviefone caught up with Allen at the Toronto Film Festival, where he nearly split our sides with his candid views on love, aging, and writing screenplays. Woody Allen's romantic dramedy 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' is at first glance a light and airy comedy about falling in and out of love, but a closer look reveals a sinister edge that follows Allen's view that "men are dogs" and "women are sufferers." His male characters (Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin) battle middle age with illicit affairs that only humilate them, and the women (Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch and Gemma Jones) are used and lied to. True to Allen form, however, the tough stuff is delivered with lots of laughs. That split is apparent in our conversation.

Moviefone caught up with Allen at the Toronto Film Festival, where he nearly split our sides with his candid views on love, aging, and writing screenplays.

On how hard it is to write a movie:
Movies, they're all hard to do. None of them is easy. They're all wrapped with anxiety. You know your movie starts off and you're thinking you're going to make 'Citizen Kane' or 'The Bicycle Thief' and you think it's going to be the greatest thing the world has ever seen. And then when you're cutting it together, you just hope people will sit thought it, and all your lofty ideas about those films your felt you were going to make, you find yourself compromising, and you put the end scene in the front, and cutting characters put in a narration, and you're just fighting for survival! So any film is tough. I think the only time I had the least of these problems was 'Match Point.' I was unusually lucky. Very atypical, everything just fell into place. But that never really happens. They're all extremely difficult.

On how hard it is to find love:
Certainly since I was in my early 20s I knew that [finding love] is luck. We think we can control it and we think we know what we're doing, but it's largely dependent on luck, and if you're very lucky, you may just have a happy relationship. And if you're unlucky, all logical reasons in the world don't seem to make sense. So you meet somebody, you're attracted to somebody, and the exquisite neurons in the brain mesh properly and things can be wonderful and things are not like homework. You shouldn't have to work at your relationship; it's not like the treadmill. It's pleasurable. But it's hard to hit that jackpot and get lucky. You think that you can control it, but it's not really so.

On how hard aging is:
It gets worse and worse. I see no advantages in age at all. You become shriveled, you become decrepit, you lose your faculties, your peer group passes away, you sit in a room gumming and drooling. I don't see any positives in total annihilation, no hope of resurrection, so it's a bad situation. But as Anthony [Hopkins] said, "It's a joke, but without a punchline!"

It's kind of a nightmare actually, and I find the best thing one can do is to distract yourself. And so you go to the movies, you get involved in a meaningless love affair, and the outcome has no meaning in the grand scheme of the universe. You watch Roger Federer, you do all these things to distract yourself from thinking about the tall dark stranger who's coming to get you, despite all your efforts to eat health foods.

'You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger' opens on Sept. 22, 2010.

Will Ferrell on Playing a Serious Man in 'Everything Must Go'

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-12T21:03:00+00:00

Will Ferrell, known mostly as a funnyman, plays an uncharacteristically dark role in 'Everything Must Go' - an alcoholic who, in the same day, loses his wife and job. His belongings are thrown out on the front lawn, where he is forced to live illegally and much to the annoyance of his neighbors. Ferrell's character isn't entirely sympathetic, but he embarks on a bumpy journey of self-discovery that calls on his courage.

Ferrell unveiled the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Moviefone caught up with him.
Will Ferrell, known mostly as a funnyman, plays an uncharacteristically dark role in 'Everything Must Go' - an alcoholic who, in the same day, loses his wife and job. His belongings are thrown out on the front lawn, where he is forced to live illegally and much to the annoyance of his neighbors. Ferrell's character isn't entirely sympathetic, but he embarks on a bumpy journey of self-discovery that calls on his courage.

Ferrell unveiled the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Moviefone caught up with him.

How did you end up choosing this unusual part?
Dan Rush (the director/writer) and I had a great meeting. I thought it was one of the most original scripts I had ever come across, and I liked the challenge of doing something this serious. So I said to Dan that I'd love to do this, but you have to wait a year and a half, I really have that many things lined up. And he did! So that's actually how it happened. We were very frank with him. We said, "Understand that we think that this is so great, and we understand if you don't want to wait for us, because there must be many other actors that are clamoring to do this." But he did. He wanted to wait for me.

You ride a really fine line between funny and sad in this film. Are they connected?
Yeah, I guess they are. I've always thought that they are two steps away from each other at any moment. Last night [at the screening] I was actually surprised at how many laughs we did get -- that was really interesting to see. This audience was getting a lot more of the subtlety. But that wasn't really on our minds in any way; we never talked about having a certain part of the film be the funny part. It'll just happen, and if it does, it'll just be little moments that are organic to the story. That was another thing I loved about doing this film: there was never any pressure to force anything.

How did your character see himself at the beginning of the movie compared to the end?
We don't really know how he views himself at the beginning of the film. He's just going through his life, and I assume that as time goes on he's just going along making decisions because that's how he feels he should live his life, like keeping up with the Joneses or whatever. Whether it's work, or his personal possessions. And in this cataclysmic series of events that happens at the beginning of the movie he's forced to sit there and be with himself and really decide what he wants and what really is valuable to him. So I think by the end, he is going to go on, and there's hope for him.

'Everything Must Go' does not yet have a release date.

Javier Bardem on His Troubled Character in 'Biutiful'

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-11T12:05:00+00:00

Javier Bardem, the Oscar-winning star of 'No Country for Old Men,' often goes for films that other A-listers wouldn't touch. His latest film, 'Biutiful,' directed by acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Set in the mean streets of Barcelona, where illegal immigrants can die of abuse and neglect, where substance abuse, poverty, and overcrowding make it a kind of hell on earth, Bardem's character Uxbal is a powerful crime boss who traffics in slave laborers and stolen goods.

But as with most of Bardem's characters, Uxbal also has a good side; he loves and dotes on his young children. He has grace and a healing touch that he uses to comfort dying people and their relatives, but he can't seem to save himself.

Moviefone caught up with Bardem at the Toronto Film Festival.

Check back closer to October 20, when ''Biutiful' is set for release, for our full interview with Bardem. Javier Bardem, the Oscar-winning star of 'No Country for Old Men,' often goes for films that other A-listers wouldn't touch. His latest film, 'Biutiful,' directed by acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Set in the mean streets of Barcelona, where illegal immigrants can die of abuse and neglect, where substance abuse, poverty, and overcrowding make it a kind of hell on earth, Bardem's character Uxbal is a powerful crime boss who traffics in slave laborers and stolen goods.

But as with most of Bardem's characters, Uxbal also has a good side; he loves and dotes on his young children. He has grace and a healing touch that he uses to comfort dying people and their relatives, but he can't seem to save himself.

Moviefone caught up with Bardem at the Toronto Film Festival.

Check back closer to October 20, when ''Biutiful' is set for release, for our full interview with Bardem.

The film is so dark, unrelenting, grim and beautiful in parts... did it have an effect on you that was hard to shake?
I realized that working with the kids was a key part of the role, because Alejandro and I worked very hard to make sure those kids knew they were making fiction, not something real, for their own sake. They pretended, they didn't go through those emotions and they're great. Alejandro would say "Cut!" and the kids would go back to their toys and their goofy manners, That's the way it is and that's the way it should be. You don't have to get lost in your own thoughts and things. You have to really protect yourself. Getting lost doesn't make your performance better and doesn't help you to live a better life. It was a good example of how important it is to emotionally detach, psychologically, for what you do. That doesn't mean there weren't harder days than the others, but it was five/six days a week being that person for five months.

What was the hardest thing about being that person?
The end. We shot in chronological order. We were tired. But you can't help but love the person you created... and then you have to say goodbye to him. It was about being a person who is struggling with so much contradiction in his life. He has to find light in the dark world that surrounds him and also in the world that he has created for his life. And the legacy he has to give to the kids to learn good values in life, which is contrary to what he is doing. He has to really focus on what is important to learn and teach the little ones.

When we meet Uxbal, he's a street thug, not of much value. But you see how he loves his children and wants to change things. Is this one of your bravest roles, do you think?
He's a father with two kids and that's brave for anybody! But the real bravery is to witness the bravery of some others who are trying to do the same thing for their kids. We related to them. We are constantly in denial about them in our society, but we take good advantage of them, we put them in slavery. He sees those values, which helps him cope with the fact that we are all the same, we all want the same things, and there is no difference. Facing an end, he must be brave. What's he's doing is the only thing we do alone.

'Biutiful' is set for release on October 20.

EXCLUSIVE: Colin Firth Talks Playing Royalty in 'The King's Speech'

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-10T17:20:00+00:00

In his latest role, Colin Firth plays King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, in Tom Hooper's slice of royal life 'The King's Speech.' The film takes place at a particularly rich time in British history: WWII is fast approaching, and things in Europe are precarious at best.

George's brother Edward (Guy Pearce), who abdicated the throne for his American mistress, is enjoying cocktails with Hitler and Himmler while George, known in the family as 'Bertie,' is struggling with his new position as king. He isn't considered ideal king material, but destiny is flung into his lap. A stammerer, overly emotional, prone to anger and tears, and totally lacking in self-confidence, George had it tough from the beginning.

Moviefone caught up with Firth at the Toronto Film Festival.

Check back closer to December 10, when 'The King's Speech' is set for release, for our full interview with Firth, co-star Geoffrey Rush and director Tom Hooper.
In his latest role, Colin Firth plays King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, in Tom Hooper's slice of royal life 'The King's Speech.' The film takes place at a particularly rich time in British history: WWII is fast approaching, and things in Europe are precarious at best.

George's brother, Edward (Guy Pearce), who abdicated the throne for his American mistress, is enjoying cocktails with Hitler and Himmler while George, known in the family as 'Bertie,' is struggling with his new position as king. He isn't considered ideal king material, but destiny is flung into his lap. A stammerer, overly emotional, prone to anger and tears, and totally lacking in self-confidence, George had it tough from the beginning.

Moviefone caught up with Firth at the Toronto Film Festival.

Check back closer to Dec. 10, when 'The King's Speech' is set for release, for our full interview with Firth, co-star Geoffrey Rush and director Tom Hooper.

King George VI was apparently a good man but had real problems -- there was an abusive nanny, being forced to use the wrong hand, being forced to wear the crown. He was understandably angry at the world, but you managed to make him sympathetic.
I can't quite answer to the level of sympathy that comes across, but I found him sympathetic. There are two key things, really, one of which is character. I think he was fiercely honest, clearly extremely brave, but I don't think he felt brave. I think he just felt so suffocated by fear. Bravery is what you end up doing. It's not how you feel, you don't feel brave; if you feel brave you're probably not being brave, because there is nothing to be brave about.

And second: he was funny. And that is not what is written down in history. I don't mean howlingly, stand-up comedy funny, but if you read anything he wrote -- and we had access to his diaries -- it's all in there as well. If you read his quotes that aren't political speeches, like private letters and reported conversations, there is a great sense of wryness. And I thought that was an immense sign of character.

Isn't that interesting? Many comedians seem to have dark, fearful aspects of their personalities.
Some people would say comedy draws from some dark places, from your dark stuff. Life's great optimists aren't necessarily the funniest people. The line about stammering, "So they'd know it was me" -- that came from the diaries. I found that and said, "Please can we have it in that scene?" It didn't belong to that speech in reality, but he said it afterwards; these were the words spoken by these men. As I said, it's not the pinnacle of wit, but it shows he has a sense of humor about him.

Guy Pearce plays David in a very arch way. He was totally in thrall to Wallis, who emasculated him, and completely uncaring towards his brother.
People take sides on this issue. There are a lot of apologists for him; one of our consultants for the movie felt Wallis had been very much maligned, that she wasn't the predatory opportunist people think she was. She might not have been. I don't feel strongly about that, but I do have a problem with how much time they hung out with Hitler. This isn't Hitler with knowledge of concentration camps. He is clearly a Nazi, but the implications are there. Hindsight can judge people in a very different way.

'The King's Speech' is scheduled for release on December 10th.

Jennifer Beals Talks 'A Night for Dying Tigers,' Family Love and Why She Has a Dagger in Her Skirt

Anne Brodie — 2010-09-08T18:03:00+00:00

Jennifer Beals was a college student when she landed the landmark role of steelworker Alex Owens in 'Flashdance.' That steamy water chair dance became an iconic '80s image that launched her career, and Beals has worked steadily since then (despite turning down the role of Apollonia in 'Purple Rain' and another in 'Pretty in Pink' to continue her studies). The 46-year-old recently starred in the critically-acclaimed 'The L-Word' for five seasons, and worked with Tim Roth on 'Lie To Me.'

She's currently on the set of the new Fox series 'Ride Along' as a no-nonsense Chicago police officer. But her latest film, Terry Miles' 'A Night for Dying Tigers,' will premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Beals plays a woman who gathers family and friends together for a farewell dinner for her husband, who is heading off to prison for five years. Moviefone spoke with Beals about familial love and why her character has a metaphorical dagger up her skirt.
Jennifer Beals was a college student when she landed the landmark role of steelworker Alex Owens in 'Flashdance.' That steamy water chair dance became an iconic '80s image that launched her career, and Beals has worked steadily since then (despite turning down the role of Apollonia in 'Purple Rain' and another in 'Pretty in Pink' to continue her studies). The 46-year-old recently starred in the critically-acclaimed 'The L-Word' for five seasons, and worked with Tim Roth on 'Lie To Me.'

She's currently on the set of the new Fox series 'Ride Along' as a no-nonsense Chicago police officer. But her latest film, Terry Miles' 'A Night for Dying Tigers,' will premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Beals plays a woman who gathers family and friends together for a farewell dinner for her husband, who is heading off to prison for five years. Moviefone spoke with Beals about familial love and why her character has a metaphorical dagger up her skirt.

It's interesting that the premise is so relatable, that it's about the loaded interactions of a family in crisis. Things get ugly and you can't look away.
This family takes things to new heights; the germ is in all us. What's also true is how we bear things, certain dysfunctions because we love people. With family, we also love our biology. You bear certain things because of biology and that is certainly true of Melanie.

That forbearance sometimes holds families and people and society together.
I found that to be exciting but I didn't feel it when I read the script. I saw the love between the brother and sister. This could be incredibly unsavory but when I watched the film, believing they should be together, it was a cultural boundary they cross. It was a very weird thing, and I'm unfamiliar with the phenomenon, but to see it play out in the film successfully to me was radical. How does society continue? Why doesn't it fall apart? Family takes all forms.

Your character is conflicted. She's so positive when she's not really feeling it. She plays the warm host even though she's ready to kill.
Definitely... Because you're in denial and that can only hold up so long. Things have to break apart and have new meaning. The character was in denial about her relationship with her husband and in denial and how it sustained itself. She had to come to a new meaning and understanding and know her place in the world. I think sometimes you can see something in a different experience and you learn something else, and it may resonate with you in different ways. Hopefully as her husband is going off to jail, another farewell may be happening. Their relationship is transforming and what they think they had at one time is now destroying them. That needs to change. There is no external force; you have to change it yourself.

And the last scene where Melanie is in the hospital sitting next to Jules [played by Kathleen Robertson]... There were takes where I couldn't put the wedding ring on. I couldn't do it. Forbearance for the whole family is okay for a little while, but if other people are not stepping up and trying to transform things for the betterment of the family or themselves, then it's no longer tenable. You see things coming -- you don't want to because they're so painful. It's not always enlightenment; it's often pain.

The film is going to frighten some people. Melanie is really falling apart.
Yes, but she is hiding a dagger in the folds of her skirt. Nobody knows the strength of will beneath her; she will eviscerate the enemy.

How does it affect you to work in an intense closed environment on such a tough project?
Well, first, the cast was amazing. They blow my mind. My goodness! They were so courageous as they went higher and higher. No, I felt great, we laughed a lot. But I would literally feel sick to my stomach and almost physically turn my car around in the mornings on the way to the set. If it were not for the other vibrating excitement that I had in the center of this dysfunction which was very exciting, I wouldn't have gone. It was like being on a boat in the middle of the ocean in a huge storm and being asked to dive down. You're told everything is going to be fine. It's exciting, the way a storm is exciting. And I felt very safe with this supportive group. We laughed while we went deep sea diving.

You go in a different direction in the new Fox police procedural this fall called 'Ride Along.' What is your character Theresa like?
For me, it's really an exploration of being female within a male context, and where you find a female strength within that police world. 'The L-Word' prepared me to do it in a world with my own sex. Without 'The L-Word' I doubt I would have felt as comfortable as I do. Theresa is much tougher, incredibly focused, driven and singular. I met policewomen and went on ride-alongs and that was eye-opening. I wouldn't last 30 seconds; I wouldn't be able to stand it, the stress, day in and day out. My nervous system wouldn't take it. My last ride-along was to a shooting. I was with the detective when he found the shell. It was interesting. But to think that Theresa was a police officer, a woman who made her way up through the ranks quickly and was driven enough at such a young age was just extraordinary. And she's in a discipline where others would love to see her fail. There are endless storylines about that and about cleaning up the corruption in Chicago.

You played Tim Roth's estranged wife on 'Lie to Me'; that must have been entertaining!
We've known each other for a long time and that makes it much easier. He's very dedicated to the show and very smart and he's a fine director. They're lucky to have him. He's really smart.

You published the Eastman Kodak and Color Centric photographic journal of 'The L Word' with 250 photographs, call sheets, production notes, and cast interviews. Wow.
The idea was for charity. It seems incredibly glamorous but it was really made for the cast and crew, and it became something more. So much of our experience of 'The L-Word' was as a catalyst for fundraisers for various organizations, and this was a way to continue that with proceeds going to charitiy.

You have always worked, which is amazing for an actor - what's the key?
I don't know. I have no idea! But I am incredibly grateful.

'A Night for Dying Tigers' opens on September 10, and is screening at the Toronto Film Festival.

Rob Reiner Talks 'Flipped,' His Films and First Loves

Anne Brodie — 2010-08-27T09:05:00+00:00

One of Rob Reiner's greatest gifts to film is his brilliant study of young boys in 1950s America in '80s hit 'Stand By Me.' Reiner revisits the years of his youth again in 'Flipped,' a story about two eight-year-olds feeling the unforgettable sensations of first love in the suburbs. Based on the novel by Wendelin Van Draanen, Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe are Julie and Bryce, neighbors drawn together despite significant differences.

Reiner shows us both points of view -- views we might have wished for as kids wading through the soggy marsh of crushes and heartbreak. 'Flipped' is quality entertainment for kids and it's a heart-tugging walk down memory lane for older folks. Moviefone sat down with the legendary director to discuss his films, his father, and first loves.

'Flipped' is set in the '50s. Do you have to be a certain age to relate or understand?
All the feelings about first love are true in the '50s, '60s and now. We all remember how powerful and overwhelming those feelings are. You can take the kids to see the movie and they'll enjoy for certain reasons, and adults will take a lot away from it too. It'll be a rich experience for them. I try to make my films so that they appeal to everyone.

'Flipped' is like 'Rashomon' for the pre-teen set. We watch two perspectives unfold as Julie and Bryce parse their growing relationship. How'd you get the balance right?
Yes, it is like 'Rashomon,' and I don't think I've seen a film like it since... at least one that shows different two points of view of the same event so clearly. To me it was really interesting. Some people might think 'Oh, we have to see everything twice?' But for me, I'd be dying to look through the peephole and see what she was thinking. It was really difficult shooting it, though, keeping it straight. We'd be in the middle of a sequence and I'd be yelling,"Whose story is this? Julie or Bryce?" You know how you shoot a film out of sequence? Well we'd be shooting out of sequence making two versions of the same sequence! Even the continuity girl was confused! We had a devil of a time.

Julie is such a strong-willed girl. She does everything in her power to stop her favorite tree from being taken down. She is a real individualist and early 'green' activist.
Back then there was no eco-movement, but people liked being outdoors more than we seem to now. People loved outdoors and nature. And if she were that age today she would be a leader in the green awareness movement. She loves nature.

Yours is an incredibly varied body of work. Is there a common thread that connects your projects?
I try to make movies that reflect the human experience. That goes for every one of them -- 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'The Bucket List,' and 'The Princess Bride.' That's fun to me. It's a common thread throughout my stories, but it goes beyond that. They are all the same story. They are stories about men and women, and they're realistic. You know what I've discovered? That women have greater individuality; they are more intelligent and focused than men. Men run around like idiots. What good is that? A woman takes charge and makes things work. I don't know what my real life would be like if I didn't have my wife Michelle in my life. I want to make films that embrace life and show us that life is precious and life has value.

Also they are about people who live on Earth! A film doesn't have to be 3-D - it has to have a great story. 2-D becomes fully dimensional with a great story.

Is there some project you would really like to do but can't for any reason?
I would really like to make a musical! You can't really say 'Spinal Tap' was a musical. I'm interested in Next to Normal, by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. It's a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning play about a dysfunctional family that has the most glorious, beautiful music, and that's what a great musical needs.

How is your father [Carl Reiner]?
Oh, he's great, thanks for asking. He's 88 and he's still writing every day. He and Mel Brooks have dinner and watch TV together every night since years ago.

'Flipped' opens in select theaters on August 27.

Eli Roth Talks 'The Last Exorcism,' Satan, and Why This Isn't Another Gore-Filled Bloodbath

Anne Brodie — 2010-08-24T14:00:00+00:00

A remote farmhouse in rural Louisiana. A group of livestock slaughtered and eviscerated. A young, bloodied girl chained to a bed while her distraught father stands over her with a shotgun. 'The Last Exorcism,' produced by Eli Roth ('Cabin Fever,' 'Hostel' 1 and 2), has all of these things and more.

It's a disturbing morality tale about a girl (Ashley Bell) who may be possessed by the devil. Her father (Patrick Fabian) will stop at nothing to save her soul, even if it means killing her, and the pastor who comes with a documentary crew to cast out her demons doesn't believe in God. He practices fake exorcisms and hopes to document what happens there to debunk the "myth" of possession. And soon, it's hell on Earth.

It's unlikely subject matter for Roth, who is best known for extreme gore; he says he enjoyed the idea of making a film that's scary and creepy but has much more to offer than shrieks. Moviefone sat down with him to discuss exorcism, Satan and what he thinks about the 3-D trend in movies. A remote farmhouse in rural Louisiana. A group of livestock slaughtered and eviscerated. A young, bloodied girl chained to a bed while her distraught father stands over her with a shotgun. 'The Last Exorcism,' produced by Eli Roth ('Cabin Fever,' 'Hostel' 1 and 2), has all of these things and more.

It's a disturbing morality tale about a girl (Ashley Bell) who may be possessed by the devil. Her father (Patrick Fabian) will stop at nothing to save her soul, even if it means killing her, and the pastor who comes with a documentary crew to cast out her demons doesn't believe in God. He practices fake exorcisms and hopes to document what happens there to debunk the "myth" of possession. And soon, it's hell on Earth.

It's unlikely subject matter for Roth, who is best known for extreme gore; he says he enjoyed the idea of making a film that's scary and creepy but has much more to offer than shrieks. Moviefone sat down with him to discuss exorcism, Satan and what he thinks about the 3-D trend in movies.

So this isn't just another horror film, is it?
This movie, at its core, is a psychological thriller about a girl who might be crazy or possessed. It's also about the clash between religion and science ... And what I loved about the script was, the scientific approach is coming from the Reverend, who never believed in God, and he's telling the father, "We need to get your daughter to a psychiatrist. She needs help," and then the father is so devout, saying, "You have to get that demon out of my daughter or I will save her soul myself."

It's a really truly interesting clash of the two ideologies. Both of them want to help this girl, but they are completely unwilling to bend and see any point of view from the other side. The father is just so devoutly faithful to a fault -- he believes everything Rev. Marcus tells him -- and Cotton Marcus is so scientific that he never believes she's possessed until it's too late. And that's not true faith. His faith is continually tested in a number of ways, and he fails at every turn.

What's your interest in exorcism as subject matter?
When we were selling it to the territories to raise funding, the Pope came out with this speech saying they were going to open an exorcism academy at the Vatican. In 2007, there were 25 sanctioned exorcists in Rome; today, there are over 300. So that means one of two things: Either Satan is on the rise, or fake exorcisms are on the rise. In America, stories about fake exorcisms keep coming up. My father is a psychiatrist [recently retired] and was a professor at Harvard. I grew up in a psychiatric home, and then I saw 'The Exorcist' as a kid and I was like, "Hey, you didn't tell me about this!" He said to me, "We're Jewish! We don't believe in the devil." I replied, "Well, I do, and maybe the fact you're not telling me is because it's real and now I'm more terrified because you're hiding this whole Satan thing from me!"

I'm very interested in the clash between religion and science. What fascinates me is seeing people approach it from a completely different place, this fundamental place of true faith. Who's to say who's right? I love that the movie fairly showed both sides, both opinions ... It was terrific fun to play with the audience's expectations, leading them one way and throwing them off.

What was the mood like while filming the movie?
We were shooting in the Deep South, and the brother of one of our crew is an exorcist. And he was onset [saying], "Yup, you'd do that. That's what you'd say." He was fact-checking on set. And this was so normal to him, this was something he did every day. To us, exorcism was a crazy thing, but to this other exorcist we found in LA, it was like, "Of course you get the demon out. Just say this prayer of exorcism." This is a real thing in every culture, every religion. It's in every language. Possession and exorcism is very current in the modern world.

50 years ago, evil had a face: Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler. Today, there is evil in terrorism, Wall Street, insurgency, greed, killers, a general feeling of evil in Corporate America -- that is evil. That has taken over, and religion is one thing people are turning to more than ever as a way to fight that. 42 percent of Americans believe in the devil. It's real. And most people believe in creationism. I've been interested in the Two Americas -- the America I grew up with in Boston, the Harvard psychiatric world, and a three-hour plane flight down south to Louisiana, where none of that exists and its just about God and church.

Do you look on fundamentalism as weakness?
No, I do not. I don't look on any of it as a weakness. Whether it's science or religion, if you only believe in that one thing and refuse to see or listen to anything else, that's a weakness, because who's to say who's right? There is a feeling in America that it's science versus religion, and neither side will bend to the other -- ever. It's really interesting. [It] goes right into politics.

It's always people who don't believe in God ... When they're dying, it's like, "Hey, I believe right now!" And that's also something that makes you feel "S***, I should have believed!" That scares me. I wanted to make a film that was thought-provoking, a film that satisfies the story and also inspires discussion and thinking about their beliefs.

Where do you stand on 3-D?
I'm producing the remake of 'Funhouse' in 3-D. I think that 3-D is another element, like CG and HD, and it really depends on the story. 'The Last Exorcism' wouldn't benefit from being in 3-D; you don't need it. It's about the look on her face. It's about seeing, "Is this girl crazy? Is she possessed? Is her father going to shoot her?"

It's these performances and seeing these characters go through this that makes it compelling. 'Piranha 3-D' [which Roth produced] is written and called that for a reason. You want to see the fish popping out of the screen and guts and eyeballs being thrown at you. That's the fun of that movie, and it fully embraces that.

Why did you not go with the gore-fest route for 'The Last Exorcism'?
I've made it clear that it's about possession, not power tools. This is not 'Hostel 3,' and people should not expect a gory bloodbath. What I love about it is that every story has its own appropriate level of violence. You can see 'Piranha 3-D'. It is a magnificent bloodbath; it's spectacular; it's the most blood ever in a movie. And it's wonderful. But that's because it's appropriate for that movie and that story. We never shot it to be PG-13. I just wanted to make it the scariest, smartest movie and it just wound up as PG-13!

'The Last Exorcism' opens in theaters on August 27, 2010.