By Jennifer Huber

Animal Kingdom, an Australian family crime drama

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 8/15/2010 – “I wanted to make a film that unlike, say, a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie crime movie, took itself seriously, and was set within a big, dark, nasty world, which was nevertheless still quite poetic and beautiful,” says Animal Kingdom writer-director David Michôd.

Taking viewers on an intense thrill ride, Animal Kingdom excites with fine acting and an incredible story. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize World Cinema at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, this film is one to definitely check out.

Animal Kingdom is a story told through the eyes of Joshua “J” Cody, played by James Frencheville in his feature film debut.  After the sudden death of his mother, J has little choice but to live with his estranged grandmother and her three criminal sons.  Thrown into a world he knows little about, J has to not only navigate this new life, but also determine his role and where he fits in the scope of this family.

“It did take me a while to envisage him in the role, because he’s a big, strapping, seventeen-year-old, sort of a man-child, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea,” says Michôd. “Suddenly the movie felt plausible in a way that it hadn’t before. Given his mature appearance, it was conceivable that his uncles would have allowed him to participate in their world.  So in many ways the story felt heightened because he looked like a man and subsequently, people would expect him to handle himself that way, forgetting that he was really just a young kid. J is essentially our tour guide.”

“I wanted the story to be about a particular epoch during which the criminals realize that their illegal pursuits are shifting in terms of their lucrativeness, which precipitates a crisis,” says Michôd. “They then commit this terrible crime and their world collapses.  Relating these events via J was the perfect way in which to navigate their world, as I never wanted Animal Kingdom to feel as though it was a movie solely about a kid, but someone out of place in a world that is maybe going to really harm them.”

Guy Pearce arrives on the scene as Nathan Leckie, a good cop amongst numerous crooked ones. Leckie provides J with an alternative choice to the life he shares with his criminal family.

“J’s story arc is about a kid who’s looking for a place where he belongs,” says Michôd.  “He never felt that he belonged with his mother and then he lands in this house full of damaged people. Then Leckie comes along. It takes J a while to realize that maybe there’s something in Leckie that is genuine. I never wanted Leckie to be a father figure, but rather to represent there might be somewhere where J could be safe and comfortable. Eventually J realizes that he needs to be the one who decides where he belongs, instead of relying on other people to do so for him.”

Animal Kingdom was filmed in Melbourne and Victoria Australia.

Animal Kingdom

• Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
• Running time: 112 minutes
• Release Date: August 13, 2010
• MPAA rating: Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language

http://www.animalkingdomthefilm.com.au/

by Julie Roth

Rick Malambri and Sharni Vinson in Step Up 3D

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh! TV) 8/15/2010 – “Adam Shankman told us it would be one big boot camp and that’s exactly what it was,” says Step Up 3D star Sharni Vinson who hadn’t danced in five years. “That went on for weeks before shooting so by the time we got to that first day of filming, we were ready.”

“Casting for this franchise is always complicated,” says Step Up 3D producer Adam Shankman. “We needed people who can act and dance alongside the best b-boys and b-girls. It’s wonderful to showcase the kinds of dancers that you don’t get to see as often. These kids are incredible athletes.”

“To be able to deliver these dancers and New York into an audience’s lap in 3D so they can feel the rush and get sucked into this world was an opportunity we couldn’t miss,” says Step Up 3D director John Chu. “Dance really lends itself to 3D technology,” says Shankman. “It’s very exciting to marry the two and be the first to use this kind of technology to highlight this art form.”

“Dance is huge passion for Jon so what better director can you have for this film?” says Vinson. “He knows what he wants, he knows what looks good and he gets it. It’s exciting for the actors and dancers to bring what we can to the table and trust that he is going to turn it into this incredible movie.”

Shankman has experience auditioning dancers. He’s a judge on the Fox television series So You Think You Can Dance. One of the dancers from the series who was cast for Step Up 3D is season 4 runner-up Stephen “tWitch” Boss, with a co-starring role in Step Up 3D as Jason, the b-boy graffiti artist in the Pirate crew. More than 250 dancers were needed for the film’s six huge dance sequences.

“Our Los Angeles audition was so huge that we had to add multiple days,” says Chu. “There were thousands of people who turned out in each city to show what they could do. Then we hit the Internet and opened up auditions to anyone who wanted to submit their own dance audition video online. As a result we have dancers from all over the world in the film. It’s one of the most amazing collections of talent in one place at one time that’s ever been assembled for a movie.”

“The idea for the movie came a lot from LXD,” says Chu. “We were doing a show in my hometown, and the dancers were all staying at my house. Because they were always around, naturally, they were always moving or dancing. We had b-boys in my pool, poppers in my living room, contortionists in my kitchen…When it came time to cast, I had lots of ideas of who I wanted to recruit from the LXD and put in Step Up 3D.”

LXD: The League of Extraordinary Dancers, is Jon Chu’s online video series that already had 50,000 fans on Facebook before it even launched. After directing Step Up 2 the Streets, Chu created the online series to keep the dancers together and provide an outlet for dance. The series shoot on an Old West backlot.The group has performed on So You Think You Can Dance and at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Jon Chu is currently directing Paramount Pictures 3D feature film about Justin Bieber. The teenage singing sensation is already being filmed for behind-the-scenes footage, from his concert in Nashville to his August 31st performance in Madison Square Garden.

Step Up 3D strives to bring a passion to the screen that goes beyond the dance community to bring together a diverse audience. “The message is consistent in all three films…believe in yourself,” says producer Jennifer Gibgot. “If you believe in yourself, you can overcome any obstacle that you are faced with in life and acheive your dreams. And, it’s an incredibly fun way to spend an hour and a half…watching amazing dance and listening to great music.”

Step Up 3D

• Running time: 1 hr. 37 min.
• Release date: August 6, 2010
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.
• Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures

http://www.facebook.com/stepupmovie

http://thelxd.com/

By Gabrielle Pantera

Classic children's tale takes a quest from England to New York City

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 8/13/2010 – “The film really emposers you,” says James and the Giant Peach voice star Susan Sarandon. “It’s great for kids to know they can figure things out. Your fears won’t have any power you don’t give them.”

James and the Giant Peace is about a boy James, played by Paul Terry, who’s parents are taken away by a magical rino and he’s left to live with his two evil aunts Sponge, played by Miriam Margolyes, and Spiker, played by Joanna Lumley. His aunts starve and torment him with threats that a rhinoceros will get him if he doesn’t obey them. James dreams of getting away to a better place and a better life, the place his parents spoke of going, New York City.

“James and the Giant Peach was a favorite of my little sister,” says star Jane Leeves who voices Ladybug. “I used to read it to her all the time.”

“There’s something about James and the Giant Peach that will always be timeless with children,” says director Henry Selick. “It’s about children overcoming problems on their own with a lot of innovation, a lot of humor.”

James and the Giant Peach is based on the 1961 children’s book by Roald Dahl, who also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Tim Burton produced the film James and the Giant Peach and directed the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

James and the Giant Peach was created in stop-motion with some live action scenes. Originally released in 1996, this musical fantasy adventure took three years and 22 sound stages to complete. Selick also made Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Roald Dahl story is not childish. Some difficult topics are addressed. The animation and live action segments blend together effortlessly for the most part. It’s story of hope while living in dread of evil aunts and the unseen rhinoceros.

The photography is beautiful bat at times the colors look dull. The film looks very good on Blu-ray, but is not a restoration.

The extras are the same as the original DVD except for a new BD-J game. There’s a featurette that describes the making of the film.

James and the Giant Peach

• Created by: Walt Disney Productions, Skellington Productions, Allied Filmmakers
• Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
• Directed By Henry Selick
• Produced By Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi, Jake Eberts, John Engel, Brian Rosen, Henry Selick.
• Written By Karey Kirkpatrick, Jonathan Roberts, Steve Bloom, Roald Dahl.
• Running Time: 79 minutes.

By Robin Rowe

Perfect wife Eva Mendes and bookish cop Will Ferrell in Columbia Pictures comedy The Other Guys

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 8/8/2010 – “What people don’t know about me is that I will do anything for a laugh,” says The Other Guys star Eva Mendes, who plays the role of perfect wife to bookish cop Will Ferrell. “Sheila’s a doctor and the all-around perfect wife.” The Other Guys star Will Ferrell says, “The joke is that no one can believe that this guy has a wife as beautiful as Eva Mendes.” In the film, Ferrell is oblivious to how beautiful his wife is and that other attractive women are hitting on him.

Cop comedy The Other Guys makes Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg unlikely partners. “My character is obsessed with what he thinks is real crime…drug dealers, vice, murderers, and anything that’s going on in the street,” says The Other Guys star Mark Wahlberg. “Will’s character’s whole attitude and approach tos police work is paperwork. That’s all it basically comes down to, paperwork and white collar crime. But I’m stuck with him because of a mistake that I made.”

Ferrell says that he and director Adam McKay are big fans of Mark Wahlberg, from his work in The Departed, a dark detective story about the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia. “We always thought he would be great in a comedy, playing a character that maybe is similar in some ways to the role he had in The Departed, but to utilize that intensity he has and play it for laughs.” Director Adam McKay became Ferrell’s creative and producing partner after the two met on Saturday Night Live in 1995.

Wahlberg was nominated for an Oscar for his 2006 performance in The Departed. For those looking for another dark detective film from Wahlberg, he’s executive producer for Sharky’s Machine, based on the book by William Diehl that was made into the 1981 Burt Reynolds film. Slated for 2012, Sharky’s Machine has screenwriter Dave Miro, who wrote The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Prince of Persia.

Joining The Other Guys in a supporting role is Michael Keaton as a precinct captain who works two jobs to make ends meet and loves for his second job working in housewares at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are co-workers, brilliant detectives with an unfortunate tendency to cause a lot of property damage making small-time busts.

The Other Guys shot in New York City. “We were so lucky to get to shoot in New York and to get to show off all the different locations in the city, from Wall Street to Rockefeller Center,” says Ferrell. “Almost every part of the city you can think of, we put on film. On top of that, we had a full second unit going the whole time, doing scene work with car crashes and guns a-blazing.”

With a 35.6 million opening, The Other Guys dethroned Inception at the box office this weekend.

The Other Guys

• Running Time: 1 hr. 47 min.
• Release Date: August 6th, 2010 (wide)
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence, and some drug material.
• Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment

By Jennifer Huber

One Lucky Elephant, finding a home after leaving the circus

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV)  7/24/2010 – “We as humans have been fascinated with the magical inter-species bond that can exist between man and animal since the beginning of time” says One Lucky Elephant writer-producer Cristina Colissimo.  “Today, the popularity of YouTube videos, like the emotional reunion of a lion and the two men who raised him, are a testament to this.  I think David and Flora’s story taps into this desire.”

One Lucky Elephant shares the story of the father/daughter relationship between David Balding, a circus producer, and circus elephant Flora.  The story starts the moment David realizes Flora no longer enjoys performing in his circus and continues as he searches for a permanent place for her to live out the rest of her days comfortably and happily.

“We wanted to tell the story of Flora’s journey back to Africa, but that plan took a detour which potentially put the production of this film in jeopardy” says Colissimo.

The story of the bond shared between David and Flora is extremely touching.  It is also very entertaining to see the mischievous personality Flora displays throughout filming.  The care and love the filmmakers put into telling this story is evident.

Behind the scenes, the filmmakers helped find solutions to financial and location snags, sometimes at the cost of their own production.  “By 2008, Jordana and I had raised close to $200,000 for Flora, but not a penny for the film”.

One Lucky Elephant indulges our fascination with elephants and captures a loving bond that transcends the animal/human divide. One Lucky Elephant premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

One Lucky Elephant

Running Time: 83 minutes

http://www.oneluckyelephant.com/

By: Jennifer Huber

Hello Lonesome, what is it to be lonely?

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 7/24/2010 – “I can’t wait to see how audiences react to Hello Lonesome because it was created to challenge hearts and minds, while making us laugh at the same time, “ says writer-director Adam Reid.

There are three stories at the heart of Hello Lonesome.   One story centers on Bill, a bachelor voice-over artist who harbors deep regrets for having been a lousy father to his now adult daughter.  Another story follows, Eleanor, a widow who sees her last ounce of freedom, and reminder of her husband, taken away when she loses her driver’s license and can no longer drive her beloved car.  The third story follows a young couple as they begin their relationship, after having met online.

“The third story is the most personal to me” says Reid. “It was inspired by my sister Lisa, who was in her 30s when she met a guy online and then shortly after discovered she had advanced breast cancer.  I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings about their situation.  Making this film has been an awesome way to explore that and tell my sister’s story at the same time.”

The film pulls off a fantastic exploration of character.  Through all their quirks and faults, the characters connect with the audience.   Each character embodies his or her own battle with loneliness and combats or copes with that feeling.

The role of Eleanor, played by Lynn Cohen, was created for the actress.  “She is so young at heart that I thought it would be wonderful to see her in a romantic role,” says Reid. “ I also wanted to create a strong independent female character so her journey would have to be peppered with the indignities of old age.  I think I’ll always have a part for Lynn Cohen.  In that way she’s my Uma Thurman”

At times heartbreaking but never dull, Hello Lonesome really shines in its breakout performances and touching storylines.

Hello Lonesome

Running time:  91 minutes

Los Angeles Film Festival winner, award for Best Ensemble Performance in the Narrative Competition

http://www.hellolonesome.com/

Elvis 75th Birthday Collection, seven of his best or worst movies

Collection of Elvis Presley movie classics includes some of his best and worst, except not everyone agrees which is which *** 3 Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 7/3/2010 – Elvis Presley movies were made fast and cheap. The more he sang, the better the movie. Fox has released seven Elvis movies as a set to honor his birthday.

Clambake (1967) is a The Prince and the Pauper story with millionaire oil tycoon Elvis getting his wish to get away from stress to live the ordinary life by switching identities with a happy-go-lucky water ski instructor. Of course there’s a girl, the delightful Shelley Fabares, who 22 years later would star in almost 200 episodes of ABC Coach. In Clambake, Elvis finds himself in competition with a smarmy Bill Bixby, both for Fabares and to win the big boat race. This movie is the most fun of all the movies in this set. At times it’s a bit campy, but the songs are memorable and at the end you’re in a upbeat mood.

Follow That Dream (1962) is a Forrest Gump story with Elvis the most simple-minded of a family of well-meaning country hicks. After their old car breaks down on the Florida turnpike the family is forced to become squatters. A loophole in the law means they can own that particular piece of landfill if they can remain on it long enough, an outcome a state official is determined to prevent. A curvy social worker takes a personal interest in “helping” Elvis. Directed by Gordon Douglas; Written by Charles Lederer and based on the novel by Richard Powell. Despite the yokel story, this movie is better then you first think. Maybe it’s not the best script, but it’s engaging and funny.

Flaming Star (1960) is a Dances with Wolves story with Elvis the mixed-breed son who wants to stop the settlers and Indians from fighting. Elvis’ Kiowa mother is played by Dolores del Rio and her Texan husband is played by John McIntire. When conflict breaks out between the Indians and the settlers, Elvis opposes his half brother played by Steve Forrest. Directed by Don Siegel. Written by Clair Huffaker and Nunnally Johnson. There are two songs by Elvis at the beginning of the movie. The film is well directed and not too preachy.

Frankie and Johnny (1966) has Elvis as a riverboat singer obsessed with misfortune. When a gypsy says he needs a redhead as a good luck charm, that’s not good news to girlfriend and singing partner Donna Douglas. Yes, it’s the girl from The Beverly Hillbillies. There are eleven original songs and it’s Elvis’ motion picture dancing debut. Directed by Frederick De Cordova;.Written by Alex Gottlieb.

Kid Galahad (1962) Elvis is a former G.I. who’s returned home to work as an auto mechanic. Gig Young, who runs a boxing camp, notices Elvis has a natural talent as a boxer. Elvis gets as his trainer Charles Bronson. Directed by Phil Karlson.

Love Me Tender (1956) is a Cold Mountain type of story, but don’t expect Oscar performances. Elvis stays home while his brother goes to fight the Civil War…on losing side. After hearing of his brother’s death, Elvis marries his brother’s sweetheart played by Debra Paget. With reports of his death having been greatly exaggerated, the brother, played by Richard Egan, returns home to find his girl is married to Elvis. That creates conflict. Directed by Robert D. Webb. Written by Robert Buckner;

Wild in the Country (1961) is a Peyton Place story of a town wrongfully accusing Elvis and his therapist Hope Lange of having an affair. Elvis is a country boy, seething with hostility, but a gifted writer. Elvis has chemistry with sweetheart Millie Perkins and bad girl Tuesday Weld, but the scenes with Hope Lange drag on with heavy dialog. Directed by Philip Dunne. Written by Clifford Odets and based on the novel by J.R. Salamanca. Elvis takes himself seriously here as an actor. Not much fun.

This collection has one disc for each movie packaged in two cases. There are no DVD bonus features, unfortunately. It would have been fun to hear more about how these movies were made.

Elvis 75th Birthday Collection

• Format: Box set, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 7
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: June 1, 2010
• Cost: $33 at Amazon.com

By Robin Rowe

Robert Pattison live the red carpet on USTREAM,no glitches

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 6/24/2010 – Fans and stars converge on the hotly anticipated premiere of the sequel to hit vampire movie The Twilight Saga: Eclipse starring Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward.

A quarter of a million viewers on the Internet watched the stars of Twilight on the red carpet tonight as a live video stream. The show demonstrated that a large number of viewers can watch video on the Internet, that the past struggle to scale to large numbers seems to be overcome. The video had good quality and did not sputter under the load. Well done, USTREAM.

The live web video broadcast started at 5:30pm and ended at 8:10pm.