Where were you 35 years ago, fellow movie geeks ( if you even existed ) ? Well, it turns out that today, May 25, 2012, is the 35th anniversary of the day the original STAR WARS ( it wouldn’t be given the episode IV subtitle for several years ) exploded on USA movie screens. This was the big one. Steven Spielberg had established the Summer as a prime time for escapist Hollywood blockbusters with JAWS in 1975 , but George Lucas solidified ” school’s out ” as the ” get out of the heat and lose yourself in a fantasy world ” season. It’s difficult to convey to you younger film fans what a game changer this was. Most sci-fi fantasy films were ultra-low budget saucers on the loose with guys in ill-fitting rubber suits B movies. We had the occasional big, stompin’ monster epics from Japan along with the James Bond series ( by then in the very tongue-in-cheek Roger Moore era ). The Planet of the Apes series had run its course, but the major studios would dip their toes in sci-fi with LOGAN’S RUN and THE OMEGA MAN. And there were re-issues of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. But these films didn’t have a sense of adventure that connected with 70′s movie audiences ( along with a great sense of humor ). This may be an amazing example of being in the right place at the right time. The public craved heroes and Lucas stepped up and delivered.

Here’s my personal SW story. I first became aware of the film in the early issues of Starlog  ( this full color newstand magazine devoted to sci-fi and fantasy films started in 1976. Talk about your right place/ right time ). In the upcoming films column they mentioned a movie from AMERICAN GRAFFITI director Lucas called STAR WARS about the adventures of ” Luke Starkiller ”.  Hmmmm. I really enjoyed Graffiti, so I’ll have to check this out. Soon Starlog was teasing us with samples of Ralph McQuarrie’s pre-production art ( like the image up above ). When I began college in Chicago, I hit the used bookstores and found this recent paperback from Ballentine Books’ SF line:

As you see, the cover also featured McQuarrie’s art. In November of 76 I decided to treat myself after a long week of school and go to one of the premiere downtown Chicago movie houses, the McClurg Court, and see this boxing flick called ROCKY. Well before meeting Mr. Balboa on those mean streets of Philly, several previews were shown, one of which was this teaser from 20th Century Fox:

<iframe width=”560″ height=”420″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/rxwGGZ1BXC0?rel=0” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

We in the theatre audience were a bit dumbfounded. I Imagined thought bubbles coming from everyone’s heads that proclaimed ” Huh? ” and ” Wha-?”. The fellow behind the sweet 60′s nostalgia flick is slumming with rockets and weird ” thingies “.  Fox is gonna’ take a bath with this!  Items would appear in movie columns over the next few months. In the Spring of 77 Marvel Comics published a monthly comic book tie-in/adaptation of the May release. It featured terrific Howard Chakyn art with a taut script from Conan scribe Roy Thomas. Marvel had done some licenced properties before, but could this find an audience?

Soon I was in the last days of my freshman year of college. On my way to class, the current issue of Time magazine caught my eye poking out of a newsstand. There across the top, above the logo was the banner: ” Inside the year’s best movie”. Past the Middle East conflict cover story was a rave review of STAR WARS. And I found out that it was opening in the Chicago area that Friday. I hatched a plan. After Dinner at the dorm that night, my new pals Dave and Chad ( names changed ) and I would walk the twelve blocks to the single screen Esquire theatre, just off Michigan Avenue, and catch the 8 PM show. We got there a half hour or so early and joined the growing line on the street. When the previous showing let out a very odd thing happened. Complete strangers were coming up to people in line and proclaiming, ” You’re gonna’ love it!’. Wow, this may be something!

We settled into our seats in the middle of the auditorium. The Fox logo appeared with the fanfare extending with the extra horns that used to signal a Cinemascope film. I was hooked already. This night was one of my best movie going experiences ever. Everyone gasped when the first ships passed over the camera. They booed and hissed at the arrival of Darth Vader. Several special effects shots were greeted with enthusiastic applause ( particularly the Millenium Falcon’s first jump to light speed ). Chad, who’s a huge John Wayne fan, whispered to me during the cantina scene, ” This is a Western!’. After staying to see all of the long list of end credits, we walked energized out on to the street. We came across a still open record store ( ah, remember them? ) and David bought the 2 disc soundtrack set. Back at the dorm we listened to John Williams’s stirring score into the wee hours while telling our dorm pals that they absolutely had to see this movie. The next day I was to have a Saturday afternoon date with a woman from my school. First lunch, then back to the Esquire for a matinee! There I heard a man telling his son, ” This is like Flash Gordon! “.

Returning to Southern Illinois for Summer break, I awaited the film’s opening in Carbondale. This was before the 3000 screen same day releases, so the film slowly made its way to smaller markets over the next months. But the trailer was playing. A reviewer for the SIU-Carbondale student paper wrote that the only good thing about the EXORCIST sequel was the STAR WARS Trailer playing with it. When it finally opened at the old Fox theatre, I made sure that my student movie-making pal Todd was with me at its Carbondale premiere. I had to rescue him from the concession stand so he wouldn’t miss the first scene! Later the Summer I also picked up the 2 LP set, more Marvel Comics ( they reprinted those first six issues countless times, perhaps saving the comics industry from collapse ), several movie magazines featuring the cast and characters and an eight  minute scene released on Super 8 color sound ( those pricey Betamax video recorders didn’t have current films and the home video explosion was still 4 or 5 years away ) which was looped on to my old hot projector whenever I got the chance. And this was before the merchandise really exploded with the Kenner toy line. Back in Chicago for my sophomore year, the film was still playing at several theatres ( that next May a suburban theatre still playing the film placed a full-page newspaper ad featuring a one year cake adorned with the Kenner action figures ). At the dorm we listened to the Williams score and the Meco disco mix, I drew up a SW themed Christmas card and dressed up as Obi Wan for the big Halloween party ( always grew the beard when I went back to school ). I probably ended up seeing the film 25 times over that first year of release.

The legacy lives on! We certainly wouldn’t have this weekend’s MEN IN BLACK 3 and the box office juggernaut MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS without that odd little epic that seemed to come out of nowhere. No amount of dismal prequels or endless directorial tweeking will erase my memories of that magical May night. So, what are your special remembrances? Drop a comment here or at our Facebook page. Obi-Wan’s last bit of dialogue from the film can certainly be applied to the legacy of STAR WARS : ” The force will be with you…always”

Once upon a time…or maybe twice…there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland…

The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release on June 5th in North America. The film’s songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date.

Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by Paul Rutan Jr. and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame.

Bonus features for the Yellow Submarine DVD and Blu-ray include a short making-of documentary titled “Mod Odyssey” (TRT: 7:30), the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, several brief interview clips with others involved with the film, storyboard sequences, 29 original pencil drawings and 30 behind-the-scenes photos. Both Digipak packages will include reproductions of animation cels from the film, collectible stickers, and a 16-page booklet with a new essay by Yellow Submarine aficionado John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios).

Lasseter writes in his essay, “As a fan of animation and as a filmmaker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine, whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today.”

Enter for a chance to win Yellow Submarine.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.

2. FILL OUT YOUR REAL NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.

3. What is Paul McCartney’s first name?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.

Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.”  When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognised as a landmark achievement, revolutionising a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.

Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann, Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.

“I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts” remembered Edelmann. “The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end.”  These styles included melding live-action photography with animation, 3-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic “rotoscoping” where film is traced frame by frame into drawings.  The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.

On April 24, Candlewick Press released a new, compact hardcover edition of the Yellow Submarine picture book, a read-aloud journey for the whole family. Featuring the lighthearted wit of the film’s script alongside original artwork from the movie that has charmed children and adults through several generations, the beautiful, 40-page book will be sold by retailers everywhere and on the Beatles Store (www.thebeatles.com). An interactive digital version of the book is also available as a free download on Apple’s iBookstore for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch at www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles.

www.thebeatles.com

Yellow Submarine synopsis:

Once upon a time… or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good.  Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day! Armed with little more than their humour, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom.

Production credits
Running Time: 89 minutes
Director – George Dunning
Producer – Al Brodax
Screen story – Lee Minoff
Screenplay – Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, and Erich Segal
Art Director – Heinz Edelmann
Animation directors – Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Production Executive – John Coates
Music Producer and Supervisor – George Martin
Featuring music by The Beatles

Yellow Submarine [DVD, Blu-ray]

Feature film [TRT: 89:00]
Fully restored in 4K and presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:66-1

Audio options:
English 5.1 DTS
German 5.1 DTS
Italian 5.1 DTS
English Dolby Stereo
Original Mono

Audio Commentary – Heinz Edelmann (Art Director) and John Coates (Producer)

Subtitle languages (feature only):
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Japanese

Extra features:
Mod Odyssey documentary [TRT: 7:30]
Original theatrical trailer [TRT: 3:30]

Storyboard sequences:
- Sea of Monsters (split screen footage) [TRT: 4:20]
- Battle of the Monsters [118 images]
- Pepperland [64 images]

Interviews:
- Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) [TRT: 1:39]
- John Clive (voice of John) [TRT: 2:03]
- David Livesey (key animator) [TRT: 1:11]
- Millicent McMillan (Heinz Edelmann’s assistant) [TRT: 1:12]
- Jack Stokes (animation director) [TRT: 3:42]
- Erich Segal (co-writer) [TRT: 1:38]

Original pencil drawings [29 images]
Behind-the-scenes photos [30 images]

Yellow Submarine Songtrack [CD]
1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You To
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
7. Think For Yourself
8. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. With A Little Help From My Friends
10. Baby, You’re A Rich Man
11. Only A Northern Song
12. All You Need Is Love
13. When I’m Sixty Four
14. Nowhere Man
15. It’s All Too Much

MOONRISE KINGDOM is the new movie directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rushmore).

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban; and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl.

Enter for a chance to win a MOONRISE KINGDOM prizepack from Focus Features and WAMG.

Two (2) winners will receive:

T-Shirt

Patches (set of two)

Cooler

Canteen

Soundtrack

Prizing values: $46.99

Prizing provided by Focus Features

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.

2. FILL OUT YOUR REAL NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.

3. WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW. LIST THE FIVE DIRECTIONS TO THE MEADOW.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

CONTEST WILL END ON MONDAY, May 28, 11:59pm CST.

A Focus Features and Indian Paintbrush presentation of an American Empirical Picture. MOONRISE KINGDOM. Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton. With Jason Schwartzman and Bob Balaban. Introducing Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. Casting by Douglas Aibel. Associate Producer, Octavia Peissel. Co-Producers, Molly Cooper, Lila Yacoub. Costume Designer, Kasia Walicka Maimone. Khaki Scout Marches by Mark Mothersbaugh, Performed by Peter Jarvis and his Drum Corps. Original Music by Alexandre Desplat. Music Supervisor, Randall Poster. Editor, Andrew Weisblum, ACE. Production Designer, Adam Stockhausen. Director of Photography, Robert Yeoman, ASC. Executive Producers, Sam Hoffman, Mark Roybal. Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson. Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola. Directed by Wes Anderson. A Focus Features Release.

Focus Features presents MOONRISE KINGDOM,
coming to select theatres May 25, 2012.

www.MoonriseKingdom.com
www.Facebook.com/MoonriseKingdom
www.YouTube.com/MoonriseKingdomMovie
Follow on Twitter: @FocusFeatures  Hashtag: #MoonriseKingdom

(l to r.) Actor Jared Gilman and director Wes Anderson on the set of Moonrise Kingdom, a Focus Features release. Credit: Niko Tavernise.

Newcomer Jared Gilman stars as Sam in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, a Focus Features release. Credit: Niko Tavernise.

In the epic action-adventure SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

WAMG is giving away passes to the advance screening of SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, May 29th - Wehrenberg Ronnie’s 20 Cine at 7:00 PM.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:  From SNOW WHITE, through THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and SLEEPING BEAUTY…heck even the one in ALIENS….tell us who the Best Evil Wicked Queen in film history is and why.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence, Intense Sequences of Action and Brief Sensuality

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN  on Flipboard

Keep up with SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN  on Flipboard, the elegant social magazine app for iPad and iPhone. Download the app now, then add Snow White as one of your favorite sections. http://flpbd.it/snowwhite

Buy Pre-Sale Tickets Today!

Tickets are on sale now for SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, click below for showtimes and tickets:  https://www.facebook.com/snowwhiteandthehuntsman/app_163978533708856

Watch the exclusive debut of the music video for “Breath of Life” by Florence + The Machine, the first single from the Official Motion Picture Soundtrack – available for pre-order now. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007WFR0R2/?tag=unimotrecunir-20

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN arrives in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 1, 2012.

Visit the film’s official site:  http://www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com

“Like” it on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/snowwhiteandthehuntsman

Follow it on Twitter: @SnowWhite #SWATH

Win prizes by creating your own SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN inspiration board on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/swathmovie/swath-pinterest-challenge-win/

Why hello fancy kids! Melissa here, with some awesome movie extras just for you! I recently attended the WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING press day, and WAMG has the audio from the press conferences below!

Inspired by the perennial New York Times bestseller of the same name, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING is a hilarious and heartfelt big screen comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood.

Up first was the men’s panel with Chace Crawford, Ben Falcone, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, and Kirk Jones.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING Men’s Panel

The ladies followed, with Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Heidi Murkoff.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING Women’s Panel

Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband, Gary, struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who’s expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler. Photographer Holly is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex isn’t so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a dudes� support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is. And rival food truck chefs Rosie and Marco’s surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date?

A kaleidoscopic comedy as universal as it is unpredictable, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING finds humor and uplift in all the unexpected trials and triumphs of welcoming a child into the world. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone and Joe Manganiello.

FOR MORE INFO:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatToExpectMovie/info

Website: http://www.whattoexpectthefilm.com

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING hits theaters May 18th

An irreverent, uplifting comedy about friendship, trust and human possibility, THE INTOUCHABLES has broken box office records in its native France and across Europe. Based on a true story of friendship between a handicap millionaire (Francois Cluzet) and his street smart ex-con caretaker (Omar Sy), THE INTOUCHABLES depicts an unlikely camaraderie rooted in honesty and humor between two individuals who, on the surface, would seem to have nothing in common. Directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the film was nominated for a total of nine 2012 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, including Best Picture, and won Best Actor for breakout star Omar Sy. The film also won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival. THE INTOUCHABLES has received Audience Awards from U.S. film festivals including the San Francisco Film Festival, COL COA, and the Nashville Film Festival.

WAMG has passes for you to see this great film on May 23rd at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema in St. Louis, MO.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: After watching the trailer, who is the Phillippe in your life?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

theintouchables.com

facebook.com/weinsteinco

twitter.com/weinsteinfilms

WAMG is giving away Run-Of-Engagement passes for CHERNOBYL DIARIES - an original story from Oren Peli (@Oren_Peli), who first terrified audiences with his groundbreaking thriller, “Paranormal Activity.” The passes are good at Wehrenberg Theatres…valid through June 28th.

Click on the link to bring an exclusive screening of the film to St. Louis: http://www.quarantineyourcity.com/#

The film follows a group of six young vacationers who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an “extreme” tour guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago.

After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone…

Brad Parker makes his feature film directorial debut with CHERNOBYL DIARIES.

Alcon Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment and Oren Peli/Brian Witten Pictures present, an Oren Peli/Brian Witten Pictures production, “Chernobyl Diaries.” The film opens on May 25, 2012 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The film has been rated R for violence, some bloody images and pervasive language.

OFFICIAL RULES:

FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor number four explodes, releasing radioactive contamination into the atmosphere greater than that of 400 atomic bombs. It is a nuclear meltdown of catastrophic proportions, the worst of its kind in history, a Level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. What year did this take place?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED

The screenplay was written by Oren Peli and Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke, based on a story by Peli. Peli also produces, with Brian Witten. Richard Sharkey, Rob Cowan, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Allison Silver, Milan Popelka and Alison Cohen serve as executive producers.

The film’s cast includes Devin Kelley, Jonathan Sadowski, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jesse McCartney, Nathan Phillips and Dimitri Diatchenko.

Parker’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Morten Søborg, production designer Aleksandar Denic, editor Stan Salfas, visual effects supervisor Mark Forker and costume designer Momirka Bailovic. The music is by Diego Stocco.

Visit the official site: http://chernobyldiaries.warnerbros.com/

“Like” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chernobyldiaries

Follow on Twitter: @SeeChernobyl  #ChernobylDiaries

In MEN IN BLACK™ 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Also featuring Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma Thompson MEN IN BLACK 3 will be released in 3D in theaters nationwide on May 25, 2012. You can be the first to see it by entering for a chance to win passes to the advance screening on Thursday, May 24^th at the Galaxy at 7PM.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Who is your favorite extraterrestrial from the MIB series?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Check out the first live performance of the new Pitbull song “Back In Time” – theme song for Men In Black 3.

Barry Sonnenfeld directs MEN IN BLACK 3. The film’s screenplay is written by Etan Cohen, based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald produce, and Steven Spielberg and G. Mac Brown are the executive producers.

Visit the official site:  http://meninblack.com/

“Like” it on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/meninblack

Follow on Twitter:   @MenInBlack  #MenInBlack

This film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE, AND BRIEF SUGGESTIVE CONTENT.

Bonnie Morgan is an actress who specializes in what she calls ‘otherworldly movement’. Remember the creepy little girl in THE RING 2 who crawled out of the well like a spider? That was Bonnie. In MEN IN BLACK 2 she doubled over and a headlike appliance was placed on her behind, given the character the nickname “Jabba the Butt”. ‘Bendy Bonnie’ is a 31-year old contortionist. She discovered she was capable of dislocating her shoulders and hips at 9 years old and eventually took her talent on tour with her actor/stuntman father and sister. Bonnie has put her unique skills to work in such films as MINORITY REPORT, HELLBOY 2, PIRANHA (she was the gal in the inner tube!), FRIGHT NIGHT, and TV’s The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Her most substantial role to date was in this year’s surprise hit THE DEVIL INSIDE as Rosa, a young woman whose body becomes twisted into all sorts of unnatural positions when she’s visited by a group of Exorcists. When I saw THE DEVIL INSIDE, the scenes involving Rosa impressed me greatly because I had the sense that there was no CGI involved in that sequence, yet I couldn’t quite figure out how this possessed character became such a human corkscrew. I recently had the chance to speak with Bonnie about the role and asked her about her unusual skills.

THE DEVIL INSIDE is available on Blu-Ray and DVD Tuesday May 15th

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman April 16th 2012

We Are Movie Geeks: I dug up my review of THE DEVIL INSIDE from January and I singled you out. I wrote “Bonnie Morgan plays Rosa, the first girl they try to exorcise and that one delirious sequence, with contortion, blood, and screaming vulgarity, is the film’s best.”

Bonnie Morgan: Oh Tom, I feel so loved!

WAMG: You know what they should do; they should make a prequel to THE DEVIL INSIDE all about Rosa. Have they talked about that at all?

BM: They haven’t actually. I believe they are working on a sequel but they haven’t told me anything specifically, but I’m on board for that idea!

WAMG: I think Rosa is still alive.

BM: Absolutely, Rose survives her ordeal. I’m not sure what state her interior is.

WAMG: I liked the movie and gave it a good review. You were so scary in it. How did you get the role?

BM: That was a straight-up actress audition. I got a call from my agent who said she was sending me in to be an Italian teenager. I have flaming red hair, very blue eyes, I look like an Irish girl. She sent in a head shot, we call it my ‘broken picture’, which is a shot of the pose I was doing laying on the bed and I have very dark hair. I bought a dark wig because I couldn’t leave it up to the imagination of the filmmakers. I play poker with a guy named Mark Fiorini. He’s an Italian who played the Pope in ANGELS AND DEMONS and he translated the Italian dialog for my audition. So I went there feeling Italian, dislocating my shoulders, speaking a little Yiddish, a little bit of whatever else I know, some profanity that wasn’t supposed to be there. The casting director thought that was very interesting. Two other actresses were looking at me and thinking “What the crap?”

WAMG: Two Italian actresses probably

BM: Possibly. So for the callback, I went in and it was William Brent Bell, the director, and two producers and the three of them had my headshots and were looking at me like three smiling kids and wondered if I could really do this and asked me if I speak Italian. I said “I speak enough to get through your script”. So they asked me to show them what I do. They didn’t say contortionist in the original breakdown, they just got that with me.

WAMG: Did you research possession cases to see how a possessed woman might act?

I’ve actually researched possession for a few other roles. I kinda seem to be the go-to girl for creepy, possessed kids. I was Samara in THE RING 2, the girl in the well, things like that. I hate to say the ‘otherworldly movement’ is my expertise but being freaky is definitely part of my business. Of course though, you research the touchstones. You build from Linda Blair. God bless her and her amazingness.

WAMG: Have you met Linda Blair?

I have not. I love her though. She does great work with animals now, and I’ve been an animal for most of my life.

WAMG: Was there any improvisation in that sequence or was that tightly storyboarded?

BM: I had very little contact with everybody before I got to Romania. By the time we got there, they looked at me and asked what I wanted to do and let me come up with some ideas of my own. Some of the more vulgar profanity was mine. I brought my sister Molly with me because on a job like that, you need a keeper to watch your back, to work with you. The scene where my shoulders dislocate in mid-air, was actually done with monofilament so that my sister was puppeteering my arms. We tried to have the Romanian effects guys help out but you need someone who knows your body, what you can do. She was just an invaluable help. The scene where I say “What is your name my daughter?” in German just freaked (lead actress) Fernanda Andrade out. She almost walked out of the room. The guys definitely gave me a pretty long leash to work with. Brent was amazing. He really knows the genre. We worked really closely and came up with some freaky stuff.

WAMG: Was there any CGI in that sequence?

BM: No, that was all me. There was one bit of CGI where the blood hits the camera, and there was a bit of wire removal. They actually cut a couple of sequences that were really cool, like one where I came charging out of that spider hole in the wall. I had no stunt doubles, they figured I was capable enough.

WAMG: Perhaps that scene will make it into the special features on the DVD

BM: I wouldn’t be surprised.

WAMG: Does it ever frustrate you that modern audiences assume that a sequence like that is full of CGI?

BM: Of course. My dad was a stuntman and stunt coordinator for years so stunts have always been in my life and that’s the bane of every stuntperson’s existence that people assume a cool stunt is enhanced with CGI. But as long as it’s entertaining audiences, we know the truth. I got a phone call right after THE RING 2 came out from a producer who wanted something like my scene in that move but “real”. I said “Uh, that was me!”.

WAMG: You said your dad was a stuntman?

BM: Yes, my dad’s name is Gary Morgan. He is kind of sci-fi royalty. He played Billy in LOGAN’S RUN. He was also in CUJO. He was the stunt double for the dog!

WAMG: What was the most physically challenging part for filming your stunts for THE DEVIL INSIDE?

BM: The location was a real challenge. It was tough. It was an uninsulated stage in Romania in December. For a contortionist, cold is our kryptonite. Your muscles will try to lock up when it’s cold. It was a 17-hour day. There was a scene where Simon yanks on my hair that hurt like Hell. It was a long day. It was taxing climbing that wall, but we got a great show.

WAMG: Oh yeah, that was the best part of the movie. When did you realize that your body moved in different directions than others?

BM: After the nuclear accident……just kidding. I was 9 years old when my sister was trying to fly me off of a diving board. She grabbed my feet and pulled them behind my head and they stuck. She was quite upset but my dad was very amused and figured we could use a contortionist in the family. I started developing an act when I was 14.

WAMG: What’s the difference between your bones and mine?

BM: Our bones aren’t that different. The big difference is the muscles and the ligaments that are attached are different. Mine are hyper-mobile and elastic so I can pull the bone out of its socket at will. Yours are going to fight to stay in or are going to tear if they come out.

WAMG: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever received on a film set?

BM: I went to the hospital when I was doing Peter Pan on stage. I was doing a swordfight with a great actor named Bruce Spence.

WAMG: From ROAD WARRIOR?

BM: Yes, the gyro captain! He laid my head the crap open. Full strength with two hands, it was like being hit in the head with a bat.

WAMG: Was he playing Captain Hook?

BM: No, he was playing the giant pirate. Jason Isaac was Captain Hook. I was playing a fairy and was Wendy’s stunt double.

WAMG: I’m glad you recovered. Thank you for taking the time to speak with We Are Movie Geeks and best of luck with you career.

BM: Thank You

WAMG has a little announcement … you can be the first to see WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING on Monday, May 14th – Ronnie’s 20 Cine – 7pm.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Everyone loves pictures of babies. What are your top baby photo tips??

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING has been rated PG-13.

Inspired by the perennial New York Times bestseller of the same name, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING is a hilarious and heartfelt big screen comedy about five couples whose intertwined lives are turned upside down by the challenges of impending parenthood.

Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband, Gary, struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, who’s expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler. Photographer Holly is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex isn’t so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a “dudes” support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is. And rival food truck chefs Rosie and Marco’s surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date?

A kaleidoscopic comedy as universal as it is unpredictable, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING finds humor and uplift in all the unexpected trials and triumphs of welcoming a child into the world. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Ben Falcone, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Rodrigo Santoro, Joe Manganiello, Rob Huebel, Tom Lennon and Amir Talai. The film is directed by Kirk Jones, written by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach and inspired by the book “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff. Lionsgate presents in association with Alcon Entertainment, a Phoenix Pictures production / a Lionsgate production of a Kirk Jones film.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING is due May 18, 2012!

Official Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/WhatToExpectMovie

Dudes Group Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/DudesGroup

Official Twitter Page:  http://twitter.com/#!/lionsgatemovies 

Twitter Hashtag: #WhatToExpectMovie

The film’s soundtrack is available to play for free on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatToExpectMovie?sk=app_178091127385

Dyer Straits Productions (DSP) presents year three of St. Louis’ only pop-culture, horror and sci-fi convention on June 15-17, 2012. Contamination 2012 3D takes place at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport and is bigger and better with film icons, TV stars, models/Playmates, super heroes, ghost hunters, filmmakers and musicians.  Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew (“Star Wars”) and a cast reunion of the original “The Munsters” TV show (Butch “Eddie” Patrick & Pat “Marilyn” Priest) are headlining this year along with an impressive lineup of icons at this highly anticipated follow-up event.

In addition to super heroes The Flash (John Wesley Shipp) and “Shazam’s” Captain Marvel (Jackson Bostwick), horror fans will get their fix with Michael Berryman (“The Hills Have Eyes 2”), Planet of the Apes enthusiasts will be able to meet Linda Harrison (Nova) from the Original “Planet of the Apes & Beneath the Planet of the Apes” along with Don Pedro Colley (“Ongero”) from “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” plus many more (full list on their website).

Fans of all genres will get a total “Celebrity” experience with a weekend full of options: a chance to meet the celebrities, get autographs and pictures and a lucky few will even get to know their favorite celebrity one on one at an intimate dinner overlooking the Lambert Airport landing strip.  Contamination’s 24 Hour Grindhouse Cinema returns…a new 3D haunted attraction has been added…take a ride in “The Munsters” Koach Kar…be amazed by burlesque and side show acts…party in the pool Friday night… get your dance on at ”Club Chaos” Saturday night…shop in the dealer room all weekend…attend seminars with the celebs and filmmakers…and end the weekend with a live charity auction to raise money for “Scares That Care.”

Tickets for the weekend convention are available online now for a discount, but prices will be higher when purchased at the door. A limited amount of VIP Passes and Celebrity Dinner tickets are available online while supplies last. Vendors can reserve a spot, sponsorship packages are still available and discount rooms at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport are still available.  Much more information can be found on the DSP website. Check the site and their Facebook page for updates and a complete list of celebrities, artists, filmmakers, musicians and vendors

The successful events that began this new tradition in St. Louis – Contamination 2010 and Contamination 2011: The Sequel – have featured film legends from popular horror series such as “Halloween,” “Friday the 13^th,“”Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Candyman,” cult favorites “The Boondock Saints,” pop culture icon Larry Thomas “The Soup Nazi” from “Seinfeld,” Grammy winning G Tom Mac, sports legend Ken Norton and showcased one of the most recognized cars in the world – The Batmobile.

Visit the official site: http://www.con-tamination.com

“Like” on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ContaminationSTL 

Follow on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/horrorscificon

On May 18, 2012, the battle for Earth begins at sea.

Peter Berg (Hancock, The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) directs and produces BATTLESHIP, an epic-scale action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. WAMG is giving away passes to the advance screening of BATTLESHIP, May 15th, at The Galaxy – Mega Screen –  at 7pm.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Name the last Battleship to see military use.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

BATTLESHIP is rated PG13 for intense sequences of violence, action and destruction, and for language.

BATTLESHIP stars Taylor Kitsch as Lieutenant Alex Hopper, a naval weapons officer assigned to USS John Paul Jones; Alexander Skarsgård as Hopper’s older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of USS Sampson; global music superstar Rihanna, making her motion-picture debut as Petty Officer Second Class Cora Raikes, Hopper’s crewmate and a weapons specialist on USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, Hopper’s fiancée and a physical therapist specializing in the rehabilitation of military combat veterans; Tadanobu Asano, as Captain Yugi Nagata, Commanding Officer of the Japanese destroyer Myoko and Hopper’s archrival; and Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone’s superior (and Sam’s father), Admiral Shane, Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

Supporting the cast are Hamish Linklater as Cal Zapata, a scientist who mans the international satellite station in Hawaii that searches the skies for signs of life; Jesse Plemons as Jimmy “Ordy” Ord, a boatswain aboard USS John Paul Jones; New Zealander John Tui as the ship’s engine room expert, Chief Petty Officer Walter “The Beast” Lynch; and, in his professional acting debut, U.S. Army Colonel Gregory D. Gadson, a battalion leader who lost both legs in Iraq in 2007. Gadson plays Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales, an Army combat veteran and double amputee who begins his recovery just as the alien attack begins.

Inspired by Hasbro’s classic naval-combat game, BATTLESHIP is produced by Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir of Hasbro (the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises), Scott Stuber (Safe House, Couples Retreat), Film 44’s Sarah Aubrey (The Kingdom), along with Duncan Henderson (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Perfect Storm). The action-adventure is written by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (Red).

BATTLESHIP will be in theaters May 18!

http://www.battleshipmovie.com

Become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Battleship)

Follow on Twitter  (https://twitter.com/battleshipmovie) for the latest updates.

HIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL GENERAL ALADEEN – SUPREME LEADER, ALL TRIUMPHANT GENERAL, BELOVED OPPRESSOR, AND CHIEF OPHTHALMOLOGIST OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF WADIYA – is allowing WAMG to distribute passes for the advance screening of his film THE DICTATOR on May 10 at 7PM at Wehrenberg Ronnies 20 Cine.

Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley, THE DICTATOR is the heroic story of a North African dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. The Ruthless Protector of the Precious and Expendable People of Wadiya will release his film upon the masses on May 16, 2012.

(c) 2012 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Sacha Baron Cohen has made three films – each starring one of his three characters from the “Da Ali G Show” show. Name the 3 movies.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

THE DICTATOR has been rated R for strong crude and sexual content, brief male nudity, language and some violent images. It is a Paramount Pictures Release.

General Aladeen’s finest computer scientists have created a Wadiyan Games app where he neutralize all opponents! Hafla! http://www.republicofwadiya.com/game/

Visit the Republic of Wadiya’s official site: http://www.republicofwadiya.com/

“Like”� it on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/RepublicOfWadiya

Follow on Twitter:  @RepublicWadiya

Hey kiddos, Melissa here… and I have a short film that you have to see! GHILD, from Rose and Bomb Productions in association with Yarvo Productions, is a fairy tale for the giant child in all of us.

GHILD stars Michael Rosenbaum as Brauly Gullivan, an 8-year-old boy who has grown abnormally larger than those in his community. As Brauly struggles to fit in, his parents find raising a giant child, or Ghild, to be rather difficult.

You can watch GHILD in its entirety here:

Interview with Director David (Yarvo) Yarovesky

How did you and Michael Rosenbaum come up with the concept of GHILD? How did the idea come about?

Yarvo: Well I should say that me, Rosenbaum, and Rob Danson all created GHILD. We all talked about doing something and when we got in a room, we started talking about a friend of Rosey’s who has a head of a child and the boy of a woman… and they called her a GHILD. So anyway, one of the first visuals we talked about is this tiny mother, pregnant with a HUGE belly, lugging her stomach around in a wheel barrow. Obviously we couldn’t afford those big effects so it never made the final script… but quickly, Rosenbaum stared thinking about funny things that the GHILD could do. I started thinking about how awful childhood already is, and adding this defect… how it would destroy your family and effect your humanity. Rob started thinking about wild crazy things like the wheel barrow. We kinda mashed those things together and that’s GHILD.

Wait… Did this woman know they called her GHILD? 

Yarvo: I have no idea.. I don’t think i have ever met her. But I do expect to get accosted by a baby headed grown woman on the street one day.

You would probably deserve it.

Yarvo: Most likely.

With this being a short film, and you coming from a music video background, what was your biggest challenge making GHILD?

Yarvo: Well, it’s a different muscle. I enjoy making music videos, but I ****** love telling stories. I had been doing a lot of videos lately, and hadn’t shot anything completely narrative in a while… and I think I bit off a lot. I get really excited and think that everything I’m working on has to be perfect, and I have to push every dollar the absolute furthest. We had NO money, and I was like, lets build the house, and let’s have all this CG, and all this dramatic lighting, etc… it was just this HUGE idea, and we did NOT have the money to support it. THANK GOD FOR PANAVISION and Mike Dallatorre, our cinematographer. They got on board and really helped us.

How long did the film take to actually shoot?

Yarvo: The film took 2 days to shoot and a year to finish. The 2 days we had were psychotic! We would look across the stage and see Brauly’s bedroom as a stack of wood in the middle of the floor, and I would say “Hey… you know we’re shooting that scene in 15 minutes?” The art crew, Brent Mason and George Contorinis, were amazing, but as I said.. the time and money I gave them to work with was kind of a sick joke.

How did the casting process for this work? 

Yarvo: Well, Rosey knew Harland. I gotta give Rosey a lot of credit, because he wrote that scene for him… and it was a great scene. I loved shooting it, mostly because I had seen his stand up and thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. So, I was way more excited to work with him than I think he knew.

Did Rosenbaum want to play the lead?

Yarvo: Yeah, I mean from the genesis of the project, we were talking about making a vehicle for Rosey. We would play this party game Mafia all the time and talk about how we were doing a lot of other people’s work, but nothing that we could control and make our own. We had a lot of time to bond because everyone in the game would kill Rosey and I first, so we would just sit in his backyard talking while all his guests enjoyed the game.

So, you are admitting to being horrible at Mafia?

Yarvo: No, I take it as a compliment that the mafia kills me IMMEDIATELY. They know I’ll get em. I am admitting that you are horrible at Mafia.

I’ve played Mafia twice… I know I am horrible at it. You are a terrible teacher. 

Will you be taking on any more shorts in the near future? Do you and “Rosey” have any upcoming plans for collaborations?

Yarvo: Well, me and Rosey and Rob still talk about GHILD, and what’s next… that’s about all I can say about that for now…

Directed by: David Yarovesky

Starring:  Michael Rosenbaum, Harland Williams, Jimmy Bennett, and Jolie Vanier

Screenplay by: Michael Rosenbaum

Produced by: David Yarovesky, Michael Rosenbaum, Rob Danson

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Website: http://www.ghild.com/

Like GHILD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GHILDmovie/info

WAMG has passes to the May 8th screening of Johnny Depp’s latest film DARK SHADOWS. Now we’re all carrying around phones with cameras so here’s the horrific gig. In order to receive a pass you MUST send in a a “Vampire” themed photo of yourself. Please email them to michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com and we’ll post the images here as well as our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WeAreMovieGeeks.

Easy-peasy, right? Oh and be sure to read Tom Stockman’s interview with one of the stars of the original TV show, Kathryn Leigh Scott  HERE.

Director Tim Burton brings the cult classic series “Dark Shadows” to the big screen in a film featuring an all-star cast, led by Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter.

In the year 1750, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from England to start a new life in America, where they build a fishing empire in the coastal Maine town that comes to carry their name: Collinsport. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of falling in love with a beauty named Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) and breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death—turning him into a vampire, and then burying him…alive.

Nearly two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972, a stranger in an even stranger time. Returning to Collinwood Manor, he finds that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin, and the dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.

Family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the one person Barnabas entrusts with the truth of his identity. But his rather odd and anachronistic behavior immediately raises the suspicions of the live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), who has no idea what kind of problems she’s really digging up.

As Barnabas sets out to restore his family name to its former glory, one thing stands in his way: Collinsport’s leading denizen, who goes by the name Angie…and who bears a striking resemblance to a very old acquaintance of Barnabas Collins.

Also residing in Collinwood Manor are Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gully McGrath). The longsuffering caretaker of Collinwood is Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), and new to the Collins’ employ is David’s nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), who is, mysteriously, the mirror image of Barnabas’ one true love, Josette.

Burton directed “Dark Shadows” from a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith, story by John August and Grahame-Smith, based on the television series created by Dan Curtis. The producers are Oscar® winner Richard D. Zanuck (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Driving Miss Daisy”), Oscar® winner Graham King, (“Rango,” “The Departed”), Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, and David Kennedy. The executive producers are Chris Lebenzon, Nigel Gostelow, Tim Headington, and Bruce Berman.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, Oscar®-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs (“Sleepy Hollow”), Oscar®-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Alice in Wonderland”) and editor Chris Lebenzon. The score was composed by four-time Oscar® nominee Danny Elfman (“Milk,” “Big Fish,” “Men in Black,” “Good Will Hunting”).

A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, an Infinitum Nihil/GK Films/Zanuck Company production, a Tim Burton film, “Dark Shadows” will be distributed worldwide in theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

Visit the official site:  www.darkshadowsmovie.com

“Like” on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/darkshadowsmovie

Follow on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/wbpictures

You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/darkshadowsmovie

The macabre and lurid tales of Edgar Allan Poe are vividly brought to life – and death – in John Cusack’s new film THE RAVEN… and to celebrate WAMG is hosting THE RAVEN Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive:

•  a copy of The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
• an official poster signed by John Cusack and Alice Eve

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST HAVE A U.S. MAILING ADDRESS. 
2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.
3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: What is your favorite Edgar Allan Poe poem?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

SYNOPSIS:

The macabre and lurid tales of Edgar Allan Poe are vividly brought to life – and death – in this stylish, gothic thriller starring John Cusack as the infamous author. When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Poe’s darkest works, a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans) joins forces with Poe in a quest to get inside the killer’s mind in order to stop him from making every one of Poe’s brutal stories a blood chilling reality.  A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, which escalates when Poe’s love (Alice Eve, She’s Out of My League) becomes the next target. Intrepid Pictures’ The Raven also stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).

Director: James McTeigue

THE RAVEN is in theaters now

Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS assemble on May 4th. On Saturday April 28 at the closing night of The Tribeca Film Festival, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS cast members Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders honored everyday heroes from New York’s finest, first responders from the NYPD and NYFD and America’s best – service men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

In MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS the world’s greatest Super Heroes assemble when Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) join S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to protect the world from the dangerous and powerful villain, Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

Assemble a team of your own by entering to win a “Red Baron/MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS Pizza-Night-In” Prizepack.

Red Baron’s new Baron’s Best Pizza in Hand Tossed and Pan-style crusts feature Avengers packaging for a limited time. Look for the epic tasting pizzas in your grocer’s freezer.

The giveaway includes full value coupons for Baron’s Best, as well as a ‘Pizza Night In’ prize pack with:

• Red Baron pizza cutter
• Red Baron plates and napkins
• Red Baron oven mitt
• Red Baron pizza knife
• CAPTAIN AMERICA – THE FIRST AVENGER on DVD
• 2 Avengers Action Figures

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A U.S. RESIDENT WITH A U.S. MAILING ADDRESS.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. GIVE US THE REAL NAME OF THESE AVENGERS :

• Captain America
• Iron Man
• Hawkeye
• Hulk

Visit http://avengers.redbaron.com/Page/HomePage and https://www.facebook.com/redbaronpizza

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. 

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, directed by Joss Whedon, from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon with screenplay by Joss Whedon, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS in theatres in 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D May 4

Follow @Avengers on Twitter for more details.

Website and Mobile site: marvel.com/avengers_movie

Like on Facebook: facebook.com/MarvelsTheAvengers

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

WAMG is giving away passes to the advanced screening of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL in St. Louis – Tuesday, May 8th at 7pm at Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Tell us of your DREAM retirement.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

Check out this behind the scenes featurette of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL.

The film is directed by John Madden (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) from a script by Ol Parker and based on the novel “These Foolish Things” by Deborah Moggach. The producers are Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin of Blueprint Pictures.

Starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Dev Patel, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL will check into theaters May 4th, 2012.

Visit the film’s official website:  http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thebestexoticmarigoldhotel/.

“Like” the film on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/marigoldhotel 

Twitter:  @foxsearchlight

Here are the latest photo entries in WAMG’s THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT contest. We’ve had quite a few of you enter with a photo and we love that! Keep ‘em coming.

The director and writer/star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall reteam for the irreverent comedy THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT. Beginning where most romantic comedies end, the new film from director Nicholas Stoller, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Rodney Rothman (Get Him to the Greek) looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle. The film was written by Segel and Stoller.

Two people who once dreamed of the perfect day just want to get it over with. But even that seems beyond them, as comical problems torpedo every “save the date.” Maybe it’s not meant to be. Maybe they’re not meant to be. Now, through the humorous trials of discovering who they will become as a couple, Tom and Violet will learn if they have what it takes to survive their five-year engagement.

Being that its the wedding time of year, get your memories ready because WAMG has just the contest for you. We invite you to enter to win a prizepack to celebrate the release of THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT.

• Please submit your own engagement photos or tell us your best/worst engagement story.
• Tell your story in the comments section below.
• Send photos to michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.
• We’ll need both your full name and email address.
• Prizes will not be exchanged or substituted. You must have a U.S. mailing address.

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT has been rated R (Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian) for sexual content, and language throughout.

From Universal Pictures,
THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT will be in theaters
April 27, 2012.

Visit “Tom and Violet’s” wedding blog at  http://tomandviolet.com/blog/

“Like” the film on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FiveYearEngagement

Greetings kids! Melissa here, with another exciting tale for all of you movie lovers!

On Thursday, April 12th WAMG attended the press conference for Marvel’s THE AVENGERS at The Four Seasons in Los Angeles, and we have the audio featuring Robert Downey Jr (“Tony Stark” / “Iron Man”), Samuel L. Jackson (“Nick Fury”), Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”), Chris Evans (“Steve Rogers” / “Captain America”), Mark Ruffalo (“Bruce Banner” / “The Hulk”), Jeremy Renner (“Clint Barton” / “Hawkeye”), Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”), Cobie Smulders (“S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill”), Clark Gregg (“S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson”), Joss Whedon (Director) and Kevin Feige (Producer). Not only that, but you can check out the pictures that I took during the conference below. Hooray!!!

“Marvel’s The Avengers” stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Directed by Joss Whedon, the epic action-adventure film is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

In the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, Iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow are called to duty when an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security. Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., must assemble the Super Heroes to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Take a listen to the audio from THE AVENGERS press conference here:

THE AVENGERS Press Conference Part 1

THE AVENGERS Press Conference Part 2

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge: 

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham.  Thestory is by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon, and the screenplay is by Joss Whedon.

“Like” MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarvelsTheAvengers

Follow MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS on Twitter: twitter.com/avengers

THE AVENGERS releases May 4, 2012, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.