Press Bits

Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts

Award-winning director Paul Haggis’ latest romantic thriller “Third Person” follows the journeys of three sets of couple at three different stages of a relationship set at the backdrop of Paris, Rome and New York. The movie’s main character Michael, played by Liam Neeson, a novelist who’d been famous for his previous work has holed himself up in a hotel suite in Paris finishing his latest book. Within the hotel works a maid named Julia, Mila Kunis’ character – an ex-soap opera actress who was once a frequent guest at the hotel.

Julia is caught in a custody battle for her 6-year old son with her ex-husband Rick played by James Franco, who is a famous New York artist. With her support cut off and her legal costs ruinous, Julia’s lawyer Theresa (Maria Bello) has secured Julia one final chance to change the court’s mind and be reunited with the child she loves. Julia’s sole motivation in life is to gain joint custody of her son but her fragile psychological state and the circumstances of her marriage break-up make that a big challenge.

A fan of the director’s works, Kunis had no qualms joining the cast, “I’ve been a fan of Paul’s work and he has a very specific way of writing so I didn’t necessarily know what to expect but I knew it was going to be intertwining storylines. I can honestly say that there are those movies that come along that they make you realize why you love doing what you do and working with Paul Haggis made me fall in love with my job again. I love it, I love every aspect of how he works, how he interacts, how, confident he is and how confident he makes you feel. I think we just kind of get each other’s work ethic and work rhythm. He trusts me and I trust him that’s just so incredibly important”.

“Given the complexity of the film, Julia is a hard character to explain,” says Kunis of her character. “She’s slightly misunderstood but she means well. Technically speaking, she’s in a custody battle with her ex-husband Rick for their child Jesse. At heart, Julia’s a sweet person but she’s always late and if a person has to make a right or a left turn, she always makes the wrong choice, but it’s not on purpose so you can’t blame her for it. Maybe she just has the world’s worst luck, or maybe not. She seems to be constantly put in situations where she’s just being attacked or accused of not being good enough.”

Kunis’ onscreen ex-hubby in the film, James Franco, Rick, pulls their son away from her mother. “Rick is one of a number of characters who come in and out of the film and he’s an artist, a painter in New York and has a child with Mila Kunis’ character Julia. He and Julia have had a very rocky past and she seems to be emotionally unstable and irresponsible and maybe even dangerous towards Jesse, our child. So, I gain custody of Jesse and I prevent her from seeing him because I think she might hurt him. Paul writes very intricate characters. I remember years ago he once told me that he likes to make himself the villain. He likes to put himself into his characters,” Franco enthuses.

“Mila Kunis and I have done something like seven projects together, after working together so many times, there’s certainly a shorthand with Mila Kunis and I. We just get along very well. We’ve kind of done everything together - fantasy, comedy, drama, a weird vampire thing, an experimental movie, so I guess the only thing we haven’t done is maybe action, so we’re looking for a, an action script next!” concludes Franco.

“Third Person” opens June 18 in theatres nationwide from Axinite Digicinema.

Adrien Brody who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of real-life Holocaust survivor Wladislaw Szpilman in Roman Polanski's “The Pianist” and he is, to date the youngest person to have received the Oscar in that category stars in the latest romantic thriller “Third Person” opposite an impressive cast that includes Liam Neeson, Kim Basinger, Moran Atias, James Franco, Mila Kunis and Olivia Wilde.

“Third Person” spans three stories of love clothed in mystery where Brody plays Scott, a shady American businessman and reluctant globe- trotter, who is in Italy to steal designs from fashion houses. At the end of his trip and looking for something American to eat, he goes in search of a decent hamburger and a Budweiser, and finds Bar Americano, where, to his consternation, he finds nothing he is seeking. He is about to leave when in walks Monika (Moran Atias), a breathtakingly beautiful gypsy. Unable to stop from flirting, Scott discovers that Monika is about to be reunited with her young daughter. When the money she claims to have saved to pay her daughter’s smuggler is stolen, Scott feels responsible and is compelled to help. Though she is skeptical of his intentions, she reluctantly agrees and quite literally takes him on a ride. While they explore the more dangerous corners of southern Italy, Scott starts to suspect that this girl they have set out to rescue may not even exist. Nothing about their encounter is quite what it seems.
“My character Scott Wallace is a man who’s made some errors in life and some mistakes are permanent and too difficult to overcome. I think he’s grappling with a lot as a result of that and he’s unable to forgive himself. He encounters a very interesting, alluring young woman in Rome while on a business trip and he somehow needs that excitement she embodies but that too is a tumultuous chapter of his life. At the same time, it pulls him away from the weight he’s been experiencing and is kind of unable to escape on his own”. . It’s way more interesting to observe imperfections and people’s ability to get past those imperfections. That’s more inspirational than overly heroic characters,” explains Brody.

Further, Brody shares that “I strive to find material that is unusual and speaks to me and that’s either something with incredible social relevance or something that is a learning process for me as a human being, not just as an actor and that I can share. There’s a degree of that in this piece – the processing of emotions and the need to overcome certain things that prevent us from moving forward and being present. Tragedy befalls many people’s lives and you have to surmount that, or it destroys any possibility of the future. I also think that there are many flaws in all the characters in this film, they’re all really flawed human beings and I think film should celebrate flaws rather than create perfect people, because people are imperfect.”
Atias, who plays the gypsy Monika, is an immigrant from Albania trying to scrape together a living on the fringes of a world where people like her are considered to be less than dirt – all con artists and criminals. “Her character’s strongest motivation is simple – survival. . It’s not a question whether or not she wants to do certain things; she sees no other choice. Hers is just a very basic need. One key characteristic about her is that she doesn’t trust anybody and she has a really good reason not to trust anybody, especially men,” says Moran.

A model and an ambassador in worldwide disaster relief operations, Atias shares that “I’ve done a lot of research to play Monika, even on things that I knew were not going to ever be in the script, but I just wanted to explore the life of the gypsy in Italy.. I became so respectful of their courage and dignity and that force of life to continue.”

“Third Person” opens June 18 in theaters nationwide from Axinite Digicinema.

John Green’s global bestseller struck a chord not only with young adults, but with readers of all ages, when it came out in 2012. The film, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort is equally compelling, bringing Green’s indelible characters to life on screen. It tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster (Woodley) and Gus Waters (Elgort), who are immediately drawn to each other when they meet at a cancer support group. Friendship and a shared sense of humor turn into something much deeper for the pair and we are swept along on their extraordinary journey as they embark on a quest that takes them thousands of miles away from home, to Amsterdam.

Ostensibly centered on two teenagers with cancer, at its heart “The Fault In Our Stars” is moving, funny and upbeat, about the joys and heartache of first love. In short, the film is an insightful celebration of life. There is powerful chemistry between the two stars of the film. Directed by Josh Boone (“Stuck In Love”), the consummate supporting cast includes Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff and Willem Dafoe.

The British musician Ed Sheeran whose music videos in YouTube and songs are widely followed and anticipated, watched an early version of “The Fault In Our Stars” and was immediately inspired and affected by the remarkable movie. Sheeran signed on to write a song for the film: ‘All Of The Stars’.

“Julie Greenwald, who runs Atlantic Records, my record label, kept saying: ‘have you read this book, “The Fault In Our Stars”? You need to read this book, it’s amazing. They’ve made a movie of it.’ She just kept saying it and then eventually I watched the film and it is amazing! I had a bit of an emotional breakdown and tweeted about it, and I saw the huge reaction just from one tweet. I cracked! I was like, ‘cool, let’s do it.’ I realized there was a pretty sizeable fan base for the book and the upcoming film. I was so excited that I was asked to write a song for the film. I wrote ‘All of the Stars’ and I’m very glad to be involved,” shares Sheeran on how his song for the movie came to be.

When he was only 20 years old, Ed Sheeran’s highly praised EP ‘No. 5 Collaborations Project’, reached number 2 on the iTunes chart. His multi-platinum debut album called ‘+’ (plus) established him as a global presence. In 2011, Sheeran won two Brit Awards, [one for British Breakthrough Act and another for British Male Solo Artist]. He performed with Elton John at the 2013 Grammys, toured with Taylor Swift on The Red Tour and played at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. He was nominated for a Grammy for ‘The A Team’ in 2013. This year he was nominated for another Grammy, for Best New Artist. Sheeran has contributed to many film and television soundtracks. He wrote the original song ‘I See Fire’ for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” He wrote two songs for the popular group One Direction, which were in the film “One Direction: This Is Us.” His songs have been featured in TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Vampire Diaries.”

Sheeran continues to share that, “I wanted to make a very emotive song that would make people cry, I guess. For people who love the book and love the movie, I hope this song makes them cry. That’s the goal. You wouldn’t watch the film if you didn’t want to cry and have a good release. So I hope the song gives people a release. I wanted something very anthemic and euphoric to lead the audience out of the film and to give it emotion.”

“The Fault In Our Stars” opens June 5 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

One of this generation’s most remarkable heartthrob, multi-talented young actor Ansel Elgort takes his most challenging role yet in the most-awaited love story of the year in “The Fault In Our Stars.”

“The Fault In Our Stars” celebrates the power of young love in all its magic, power and complexity where Elgort takes on the role of Augustus ‘Gus’ Waters, a teenager who is in remission from his osteosarcoma who met Hazel (Shailene Woodley) at a cancer support group in their community. Based on the bestselling novel by John Green, the movie is the story of two remarkable teenagers who fall in love and embrace life despite the strong odds against them. Both are smart, funny and sarcastic. When they meet at a support group, Hazel Grace Lancaster is instantly smitten with Augustus Waters. The feeling is mutual. Despite dealing with serious health concerns on a daily basis, health doesn’t dominate life for Augustus and Hazel. Far from it. They are normal teenagers, excited about first love and getting to know each other. It’s clear from the start that there is strong chemistry between this attractive pair. They don’t see eye to eye on everything, but their connection is powerful and they both have a great sense of humor about their circumstances.

Gus, played by Elgort, is someone who believes in big, heroic gestures. He’s brash and tough, but also possesses an appealing intelligence. According to John Green, Hazel and Gus’ attraction to one another stems from the fact they possess a similar wit and intelligence. “There’s a line in the Philip Roth novel The Human Stain, where a character says, ‘The pleasure isn’t in owning the person. The pleasure is this. Having another contender in the room with you.’ I think Hazel is someone who doesn’t have a lot of contenders in the room with her, and when she meets Gus she realizes, ‘Oh, this guy can hang with me.’ For Gus it’s the same thing. He’s used to being able to attract women, but he’s never encountered someone like Hazel before.”

Gus is a complicated figure: he’s a former high school basketball star, and his favorite book – until meeting Hazel – is based on a videogame. At the same time, he’s an intellectual who enjoys giving long, thoughtful monologues.

Ansel Elgort already had a connection with Woodley, with whom he stars – as her brother – in Divergent. Woodley notes that this previous onscreen pairing was “a blessing for our work together in “The Fault In Our Stars” because we already knew each other and had this on-screen chemistry, so it was easy to connect as Hazel and Gus. Ansel’s like my brother; he’s so curious about the world and everything excites him.”

“With love stories it’s all about chemistry,” adds producer Wyck Godfrey. “Shailene dominated many of the actors we had tested with her, because she has that kind of intimidating strength of character. But then Ansel came in and he had this charisma, exuberance and energy that put Shailene back on her feet a little bit, which is exactly what you want her to feel.”

For Elgort, Gus was exactly the part he was looking for. Like so many others, he was a fan of the novel. “Above all, the book is full of beautiful ideas that make you think about life and love,” he notes.

“The Fault In Our Stars” opens June 5 in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.