Rebecca's Hollywood Movies Blog

Steve Coogan stars as Dana Marschz, a failed actor who turns to teaching high school drama, in the comedy movie Hamlet 2. As Dana, Coogan sings, dances, plays Jesus in a musical put on to save the school's drama program, and even rollerblades – an athletic skill that wasn't easy for Coogan to pick up.

"I thought, well, maybe I could be really good at it," said Coogan about the prospect of playing a teacher who rollerblades as a means of getting to and from work. "Then rapidly that became obvious that it wasn't going to happen." Read On...

More Hamlet 2 Interviews

Steve Coogan Interview Video

Exclusive Interview with Writer Pam Brady and Co-Writer/Director Andrew Fleming

_{(Photo © Focus Features)}

Hitting Theaters on August 22nd

Death Race Starring Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson

Hamlet 2 with Steve Coogan and Elisabeth Shue

The House Bunny Starring Anna Faris and Katharine McPhee

The Longshots Featuring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer

The Rocker (on Aug 20) Starring Rainn Wilson and Emma Stone

Interview with The Rocker's Emma Stone and Teddy Geiger
Emma Stone and big screen newcomer Teddy Geiger play a couple of high school kids whose band has been chosen to perform at the prom in the comedy movie The Rocker. The problem: they need a drummer. The solution: one of their bandmates has an uncle who's a former heavy metal drummer who was this close to hitting it big before he got booted from his '80s hair band. Sure, he's a couple of decades older than the rest of the group but when Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Rainn Wilson) joins the band, their fortune changes. Their little high school rock band 'A.D.D.' becomes an internet sensation which translates into a roadtrip and a record deal. Read On...
_{(Photo © Fox Atomic)}


On the Red Carpet - New Celebrity Photo Galleries

The Day the Earth Stood Still Cast Photos - Keanu Reeves/Jennifer Connelly

Mirrors Cast Photos - Kiefer Sutherland/Amy Smart

Pineapple Express Premiere Photos - Seth Rogen/James Franco

Race to Witch Mountain Cast Photos - Dwayne Johnson/Carla Gugino

Step Brothers Premiere Photos - Will Ferrell/Judd Apatow

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Premiere Photos - Javier Bardem/Scarlett Johansson

The Wolfman Cast Photos - Benicio Del Toro/Emily Blunt

If you tuned into the 2008 MTV Movie Awards back in June you saw a lot more of Rainn Wilson ('Dwight' on The Office) than you probably ever expected to see. Wilson appeared onstage ‘naked’ except for a bunch of flowers and a teddy bear strategically covering his private parts. The actor wasn’t doing this because he’s an exhibitionist. Wilson was actually appearing sans clothing to support the August 20th release of the comedy movie, The Rocker.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, a man who knows a little bit about showing off his actors naked bodies (he helmed The Full Monty), The Rocker finds Wilson playing Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, a drummer who gets booted out of his 80s hair band, stops playing music for two decades, and then picks up the beat again by joining his nephew’s high school band. Read On...

More on The Rocker

The Rocker Photos

Another Interview with Rainn Wilson

_{(Photo © Fox Atomic)}


In Other News

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Moves to 2009

-The Surprise Move Leaves Muggles Sad

But Twilight Gets to Move Into Potter's Place

-Which Makes Vampire Fans Everywhere Rejoice

Paula Wagner Exits United Artists

-Wagner's Ready to Return to Producing

Angelina Jolie Takes Over Edwin A Salt

-Will the Title Change to Edwina?

Adam Shankman Decides on Playing for Pizza

-Shankman Will Helm the John Grisham Story


One on One with Writer/Director James Gunn
For the life of me I never understood why audiences didn't catch on to Slither during its theatrical release. It was creepy and campy and just plain fun, but it never took off in theaters. Now on DVD James Gunn's film has built up a following - as it deserves. We haven't heard much from Gunn since he wrote and directed Slither, but recently I caught up with him to find out what he's been working on. Gunn has a batch of projects in the works, including an alien movie, a stint as a judge on VH1's reality show Scream Queens, and a special project with X-Box Live that involves short films directed by his horror movie cohorts. Read On...

Death Race (2008) doesn't have much in common with 1975's campy Death Race 2000, other than the fact cars are involved and there's plenty of speed. In this new version, Jason Statham stars as speedway champ Jensen Ames, an ex-con framed for a murder he didn't commit. Presented with the choice of spending the rest of his life rotting away in jail or donning a Frankenstein mask and competing in a 'death race', Ames chooses to drive. With his freedom at stake, Ames has to use every ounce of his skill to survive the world's craziest spectator sport. Read On...

More on Death Race

Death Race Photos

Trailer for Death Race

More on Jason Statham

_{(Photo © Universal Pictures)}

Brand New Movie Posters

Appaloosa Poster

Bolt Poster

Disaster Movie Poster

Righteous Kill Poster

Sex Drive Poster

Traitor Poster

Exclusive Interview with Carla Gugino on Watchmen
Carla Gugino describes her character, Sally Jupiter, in Watchmen as a broad - and that's the perfect word to use to sum up the ex-costumed crimefighter who pushed her daughter into following in her footsteps. And on a totally different subject, for all of those men and women who've emailed to ask whether Gugino's as pretty in person as she is on screen - the answer's yes. I don't know why I get asked this question so often... Read On...
_{(Photo © Warner Bros Pictures)}

Cue the dramatic theme music. Star Wars returns to the big screen but this time around Obi Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and the rest of the Jedi Knights are in animated form. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a brand new animated adventure which is set during, of course, the Clone Wars and introduces a couple of new characters as well as brings back some familiar faces from the Star Wars world.

At a press conference held at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, producer Lucas joined director Dave Filoni and producer Catherine Winder to discuss the story behind this latest chapter in the Star Warssaga. Read On...

More on Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Photos

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Poster

Trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars

_{(Photo © Lucasfilm)}


Box Office Report - August 15-17
I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I did call it. Tropic Thunder did something no other film's been able to do the last few weeks: it knocked The Dark Knight out of the top spot - just as I predicted. Surrounded by controversy, Tropic Thunder overcame calls for a boycott to grab decent box office dollars (the best for Ben Stiller as a director). Meanwhile Alex Aja's horror film about a guy who doesn't like what he sees in the mirror failed to catch hold with audiences, finishing in 4th with $11 million. That's still better than Summit Entertainment's animated family movie, Fly Me to the Moon (yes, it's about flies that travel to the moon), which didn't even break the top 10.

Top 10 Films for the Weekend Ending August 17 (Estimates)
1) Tropic Thunder - $26,000,000 ($37 million since opening on Wednesday the 13th)
2) The Dark Knight - $16,800,000
3) Star Wars: The Clone Wars - $15,500,000
4) Mirrors - $11,100,000
5) Pineapple Express - $10,000,000
6) The Mummy: Return of the Dragon Emperor - $8,600,000
7) Mamma Mia! - $6,500,000
8) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - $5,900,000
9) Step Brothers - $5,000,000
10) Vicky Cristina Barcelona - $3,700,000
_{(Photo © Dreamworks)}

Scarlett Johansson is used to being labeled Woody Allen's new muse, but that doesn't mean she agrees with the title. While it's true she and Allen often work together - Allen's latest romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona marks their third movie together – Johansson doesn't believe 'muse' is the right word to use in defining their relationship.

"Every single junket that we've done so far, we always get the muse thing and when always say, 'No, it's not that way, it's not that way,' and I don't think it is that way, I think I'm fortunate enough to fit in to the young girl part of the story, the young woman, you know, just the same as Judy Davis would fit in to a certain part or Dianne Weist would fit into a certain part," said Johansson. Read On...

More on Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Cast and Crew List

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Poster

_{(Photo © Richard Chavez)}

Just Added - New Trailers

Appaloosa Trailer

Bolt Trailer

The Brothers Bloom Trailer

Jack Black Gets Into the Action in Tropic Thunder
Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a comic actor whose claim to fame comes from starring in an obnoxious comedy franchise about a farting fat guy (think Eddie Murphy in full Nutty Professor or Norbit mode), in the action comedy Tropic Thunder. Black's Tropic Thunder character isn't a happy-go-lucky comedian. Portnoy's battling an addiction to drugs yet somehow despite his bad boy rep, he's cast as one of the leads in an epic war movie based on a book by Vietnam war hero John 'Four Leaf' Tayback (played by Nick Nolte). Read On...
_{(Photo © DreamWorks Pictures)}

Kiefer Sutherland stars as a troubled ex-cop whose job as a night watchman at a burned out department store leads to terrifying encounters with evil forces in Mirrors, the latest thriller from Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes). His role in Mirrors isn't the first time he's played a tortured character, although Sutherland says any resemblance to past roles he's played is purely coincidental.

"It’s never that thought out, maybe more just because I’ve never gone for a character, specifically," said Sutherland at Mirrors' Los Angeles press junket. "I’ve always gone towards a story, and those stories have interested me." Read On...

More on Mirrors

Exclusive Interview with Amy Smart

Mirrors Photos

Poster for Mirrrors

Mirrors Cast Photos from Comic Con

_{(Photo © 20th Century Fox)}


Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell on Henry Poole is Here
Luke Wilson takes on the title role in the dramatic movie Henry Poole is Here directed by Mark Pellington (The Mothman Prophecies). Wilson plays a real sad sack of a man, a solitary guy who has totally given up on life. Although he purchases a new house, Henry's sure he won't be living there long and doesn't care how it looks or who his neighbors are. All he wants is to be left alone to drink, think, and sleep.

But when his next door neighbor (played by Academy Award-nominee Adriana Barraza) - the neighborhood's gossip queen – believes she sees the face of Jesus on an exterior wall of his house, all hope of living out his life quietly is tossed out the window. Radha Mitchell co-stars as Henry's other neighbor, a single mother caring for her adorable young daughter who hasn't spoken a word in over a year. Read On...

More on Henry Poole is Here

Henry Poole is Here Photos

More on Luke Wilson

_{(Poster © Overture Films)}

Star Wars creator George Lucas says he doesn't normally attend premieres of his films, however he made an exception and did so for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the new project from the filmmaker behind six Star Wars feature films. Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the latest addition to the franchise, is definitely a different beast than the previous Star Wars films. It's the first animated Star Wars feature film and it's the kick-off point for a TV series based on the events that took place during the Clone Wars.

The U.S. Premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars took place at the historic Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Storm Troopers guarded the red carpet, R2D2 put in an appearance, and invited guests received Star Wars backpacks packed with goodies (including lightsabers). In addition to premiering the film, the event was a benefit for the American Cinematheque, a non-profit organization dedicated to the celebration of moving pictures in all forms.

Exclusively on About.com - Star Wars: The Clone Wars Interviews

Interviews with George Lucas and Director Dave Filoni

Interview with Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker)

Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka) and Nika Futterman (Ventress) Interviews

James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Tom Kane (Yoda), and Ian Abercrombie (Chancellor Palpatine) Interviews

Catherine Taber (Padme Amidala), Kevin Michael Richardson (Jabba the Hutt), Dee Bradley Baker (The Clones, Rex, Cody) and Composer Kevin Kiner Interviews

_{(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)}


The Cast Talks About Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Writer/director Kevin Smith wasn't there (he was being kept busy doing hosting duties for a panel at the 2008 Comic Con) but the cast of Zack and Miri Make a Porno all got together for a mini-press conference to discuss the raunchy comedy. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks play the lead roles of Zack and Miri, respectively, two friends who turn to porn for profit when they find themselves in need of fast cash. Rogen and Banks joined their co-stars Katie Morgan, Traci Lords, Jason Mewes, and Ricky Mabe for an R-rated conversation about the R-rated comedy from Kevin Smith. Read On...

More on Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno Photos

Cast Photos of Zack and Miri

_{(Photo © Weinstein Company)}

Actors, studio execs, action epics, Vietnam War movies, classic rock film soundtracks, and even art films are all fair game in Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller's mostly hilarious send-up of pompous Hollywood types. By the time Tropic Thunder ends, Stiller's stuck his comedy knife in deep and eviscerated Sean Penn's I Am Sam performance, smarmy actors, and out-of-control film industry big wigs.

Tropic Thunder goes way beyond where past spoof movies have ventured. Robert Downey Jr plays an Oscar-winning Aussie who undergoes a skin pigmentation procedure in order to darken his skin enough so that he can play an African-American soldier. Not many modern films would attempt something that crazy. But it's not just that unusual storyline that puts Tropic Thunder in a league of its own. Read On...
_{(Photo © DreamWorks)}


One on One with Mirrors Director Alexandre Aja
Writer/director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes) adds another creepy horror film to his resume with Mirrors starring Kiefer Sutherland and Amy Smart. Sutherland and Smart play siblings who discover there's something more than just their reflections in the mirrors. Read On...
_{(Photo © 20th Century Fox)}

Last year Javier Bardem earned an Academy Award for his portrayal of a calculating killer with a weird haircut in No Country for Old Men. Now he's back on the big screen with a starring role in much lighter fare – Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Bardem plays a charismatic painter who seduces two American women (played by Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall) in Barcelona for their summer holiday. Penelope Cruz co-stars as his gorgeous but unstable ex-wife, Maria Elena. Read On...

More on Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Penelope Cruz Stars in Her First Woody Allen Movie

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Photos

_{(Poster © Weinstein Company)}


Hitting Theaters on August 15th

Fly Me to the Moon

Henry Poole is Here Starring Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell

Mirrors with Kiefer Sutherland and Amy Smart

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Tropic Thunder (on August 13th) with Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr

Vicky Cristina Barcelona Starring Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson

Exclusive Interview - Kate Mara on Transsiberian
Kate Mara (We Are Marshall, Shooter) stars as a troubled young woman who hooks up with a man of questionable morals in the dramatic film Transsiberian, written and directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Next Stop Wonderland). Filmed in Lithuania, Transibberian follows an American couple (Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson) fresh off of doing charity work in China who opt to do a little sightseeing before heading back to the States. Their decision to take the Trans-Siberian train from China to Moscow puts them in contact with Spaniard Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and his American girlfriend, Abby (Mara). Carlos and Abby's relationship is shrouded in mystery and writer/director Anderson never shows his hand as the film progresses toward an unexpected climax. Read On...

More on Transsiberian

Transsiberian Movie Poster

Photos from Transsiberian

_{(Photo © First Look Studios)}

Ben Stiller co-wrote, produced, directed and stars in the action comedy movie Tropic Thunder, a send-up of Hollywood movies and actors in which no topic – no matter how controversial - is off limits. According to Tropic Thunder's Robert Downey Jr who plays an Oscar-winning Australian actor who has his skin dyed in order to play an African-American soldier, Stiller was up to the job of handling multiple tasks on the film. In fact, he could have handled even more.

"He's probably as capable in every single department that he was hiring people to be heads of department as the heads of department he had hired them to be. In other words, he probably could have shot this movie. He probably could have costume designed and production designed the movie. He probably could have done the transportation," said Downey. Read On...

_{(Photo © DreamWorks)}


Bernie Mac Passes On at Age 50
The world lost a truly funny man - and a heck of a sweet guy - with the passing of Bernie Mac this past weekend. Mac succumbed to complications brought on by pneumonia. He leaves behind a wife of 30 years, a daughter, grand-daughter, and a world full of fans.

And as if Mac's passing wasn't sad enough, Isaac Hayes passed away just one day later. Hayes, 65, was found unresponsive next to a piece of exercise equipment. Hayes was a deep-voiced soul singer who also starred in feature films and even lent his voice to the character of Chef on the animated TV series, South Park. In a truly bizarre twist, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes recently completed work on a comedy movie titled Soul Men which is set to hit theaters later this year. Commenting about the loss of two members of his Soul Men cast, Malcolm D Lee told USA Today, "It was surreal. It had to be some sort of bad dream that these two giants would die on the same weekend, and both would be in my movie." More on the Death of Bernie Mac

More on Bernie Mac

Exclusive Interview with Bernie Mac at the Premiere of Ocean's Thirteen

Bernie Mac Discusses Mr 3000

Bernie Mac on Guess Who? and His Work Ethic

_{(Photo © Dimension Films)}