Movie: Death Sentence

After making his wildly successful directorial debut with the low-budget horror film Saw, young director James Wan returns with Death Sentence, a revenge-thriller about a family man (Kevin Bacon) who takes matters into his own hands after his son is murdered. I caught up with Wan to discuss Death Sentence and his approach to filmmaking, and here’s what he had to say.

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A FEW WORDS WITH DEATH SENTENCE DIRECTOR JAMES WAN

Q: Tell us about the basic story behind Death Sentence.
A: Kevin Bacon plays a father whose path crosses with a street gang when his son is murdered in an initiation killing, and in a fit of rage and in the heat of passion he makes a mistake and goes after one of the people that was responsible. I describe the film as a revenge tragedy – it just spirals out of control. It’s not an outright revenge movie from start to finish. The first half of the film plays more like a thriller, while you watch this normal, everyday, white-collar guy just slowly losing control over the world that he knows, and getting caught up in a world that is very opposite his own. It’s basically a story about two different families when worlds collide – you have the family of the gang and the suburban family of Kevin Bacon. It really is a moral tale. He does what he does but he ends up paying dearly for it. ‘How far would you go to protect your family?’ If I was the marketing guy, that would be the tagline.


Q: You’re best known for making horror films. Why did you decide to switch it up?
A: I was really starting to be pigeonholed as a guy who only makes horror films, and that is so not me. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a movie fan as opposed to just a horror fan, and I felt like the revenge-thriller genre was a good stepping stone for me to try something different and concentrate more on the drama of an everyday life, performances and all that stuff, and I got the opportunity to work with a lot of really good actors. I wanted to show another side.


Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers?
A: The best advice I can give would be things I experienced myself, and I say the best thing one should retain is naivety. When you’re young and stupid and you don’t know any better, you just go and do it; you don’t let anyone discourage you, you just follow your heart. You should do what you believe in – just go for it. Especially in today’s world, where studios and producers are willing to take chances on young, up-and-coming directors.

Movie: The Brothers Solomon

The Solomon brothers want to put a baby in you, and goddammit they will, even if it’s the last thing they do. When their dying father expresses one final wish to have a grandchild, Dean and John Solomon (Will Forte and Will Arnett) must find a way to procreate, stat. And it’s not going to be easy. That’s because until now, they’ve grown and developed (or rather, not developed) in the social equivalent of a concentration camp: a remote arctic location where they were home-schooled by their father. Miffed to find that the ladies aren’t exactly swooning, Dean and John explore other options, such as kidnapping (“We were trying to coax that little girl into our car, but her mom’s being a real pain in the ass,” Arnett explains to the police) and adoption (“What is your return policy?”), before they find Janine (SNL’s Kristen Wiig) on Craigslist, and convince her to serve as a surrogate. Written by Forte and directed by the legendary Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), this late-summer gem has all the right ingredients for comedy gold.

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Movie: Superbad

-Popular Girl: "You know, you scratch our backs, we'll scratch yours."
-Fat Nerd: "The funny thing about my back is, is that it's located on my cock."

Once again, director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) proves that good things happen when you combine a funny script with funny actors. Superbad tells the tale of Evan and Seth (played by Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Knocked Up’s Jonah Hill), two socially inept best friends and high school seniors who must make the most of their days together before enrolling at different colleges in the fall. With no social skills, less than no sex appeal, and nothing even resembling a cool bone in their bodies, the boys realize that if they want to make it as college men, they’re going to have to turn around their luck with the ladies – starting tonight, on the eve of their graduation. Not to be mistaken for a classic coming of age tale a la Stand By Me, Superbad is about as heartwarming as a funeral. But thankfully, it’s a whole lot funnier.

Read the exclusive interview with Jonah Hill
Watch the uncensored Superbad trailer

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Movie: I'm Reed Fish

In his breakout role, Jay Baruchel (Undeclared, Knocked Up) proves to the world that Zach Braff isn’t the only geeky leading man who can pull off a romantic comedy without making us want to puke. Baruchel plays Reed Fish, a small town radio personality with a hot fiancée (Gilmore Girls’ Alexis Bledel) and a solid 10-year plan, whose life is turned upside-down when his former high school crush suddenly reappears on the eve of his nuptials. With DJ Qualls (Road Trip, Hustle & Flow) and SNL alum Chris Parnell at the helms, I’m Reed Fish takes a not-so-original story and turns it into a not-half-bad picture.

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TV: Kaya

After a slew of reality show successes like The Hills, My Super Sweet 16 and Rob & Big, this fall MTV returns to the sitcom with Kaya. The half-hour drama revolves around the world of Kaya (Danielle Savre), a young musician whose life is forever changed when she skyrockets to celebrity status virtually overnight. Kaya is managed by her often self-serving father Don (who is totally not based on Joe Simpson), a former supermarket meat manager who must eventually choose between his own newfound success and his daughter. Presented through a series of flashbacks, present day scenes and flash-forwards, the viewer follows Kaya as she attempts to stay afloat amidst the rock & roll lifestyle and all its temptations, from drugs and sex to money and power. It remains to be seen whether audiences will go for a scripted drama on a network that has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to shows that document the real life excesses of bratty American teens who will literally die if Shakira doesn’t perform at their birthday parties, but MTV has historically proven adept at catering to the interests of its viewers, and Kaya is likely to follow suit.

WWW.MTV.COM

DVD: Kung Fu Hustle

What would the late Bruce Lee have to say about Steven Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle? “It’s no Enter The Dragon.” Maybe not, but KFH manages to hold its own - so well, in fact, that it received 26 nominations (including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film) and 17 awards at a slew of international film festivals when it was released in 2004. Set in 1940s Shanghai, KFH is the story of Sing (Chow), a pitiable would-be gangster with high hopes of joining the city’s most notorious crew, Axe Gang. But a series of events finds Sing going toe-to-toe with the powerful gang, leading the unlikely hero to discover his inner kung fu master. If you think Drunken Master beats Rush Hour any day of the week, then Kung Fu Hustle is like the Jackie Chan movie you’ve been waiting for, sans Jackie Chan. Check out the DVD before KFH 2 rolls out in ‘08.

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Interview: John Leguizamo & Donnie Wahlberg, stars of "The Kill Point"

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPIKE TV

Who needs Jack Bauer when you’ve got… Pittsburgh?

“I love Pittsburgh, I think it’s underrated,” says actor Donnie Wahlberg, who plays hostage negotiator Horst Cali on Spike TV’s new summer miniseries The Kill Point, shot on location in the ‘Burgh.

Joining Wahlberg on set was John Leguizamo in the role of “Mr. Wolf,” the ringleader of a team of disgruntled Iraq War veterans who decide to rob a bank.

Wahlberg admits that although he is ostensibly playing the role of hero, “You could just as easily not root for [my character]. I think in the end people will,” he says, “but [Wolf and Cali] are two flawed characters, they’re not perfect. It seems like sometimes the choices they make aren’t always great, but at their core they’re both good guys and they make a connection. They’re both fearlessly determined to get their way, and while they respect each other, it’s like a very good chess match. They find that they have a lot in common but they both want to win, they both want to accomplish their goals.”

Leguizamo likens the relationship between Wolf and Cali to that of the lead characters in Les Misérables. “The cops and the underbelly are flipsides of the same coin,” he says. “We relate to and understand each other. We respect each other, but I don’t know if we love each other.” And, as in Les Mis, Leguizamo is confident that the audience will side with the so-called criminal.

“I’m a good guy gone bad that you have to love no matter how much you hate,” Leguizamo says. “If I do my job right then you will totally identify and sympathize and hopefully root for my boys and me. We have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and have it bad. It’s tough to come back from the war or any war and adjust to normal life. Nobody prepares you for it.”

Indeed, aside from to its natural appeal as a traditional tale of cops and robbers, the very premise of The Kill Point – namely, that a high stakes bank heist is being carried out by former U.S. soldiers who served in Iraq – ventures into interesting political territory, territory that most major networks seemingly consider too controversial for primetime television. And while Leguizamo and Wahlberg insist that the show is not intended to make any overt political statements, both actors acknowledge that of course it does, if only implicitly.

“There are probably a lot of veterans going through what these guys are going through. They haven’t all made the choice to rob a bank, but many veterans are very unhappy with the way things have turned out, given the sacrifice that they’ve made. We’ve heard about some of them – we’ve heard about a certain military hospital being inadequate for veterans – so inevitably it will make a statement but I don’t think it’s the goal of the show,” says Wahlberg, not-so-subtly referring to the recent scandal surrounding the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the treatment (or lack thereof) being provided to the vets. “The war is the war,” Wahlberg says. “I don’t think any statements need to be made – they’re clear enough. Whoever doesn’t know what’s going on with this war is living under a rock.”

Similarly, when asked what drew him to this particular show and this particular role, Leguizamo says, “I found the veterans’ plight very important. Hate the war, but not the soldiers – they are the bravest people I know. Especially the vets that came back and are against the war. They risk rejection now from all sides. Can you imagine being brave enough to lose your job, your friends, your pension and being labeled? That’s courage. My character Mr. Wolf is just that. He picks a tough venue for his message, but that’s what makes this miniseries fascinating and difficult and different.”

At its heart, The Kill Point is what all television shows purport to be: an entertaining way to spend an hour each week. That it also happens to be a high-quality, well-acted program is simply an added bonus. But while The Kill Point may lend itself more readily to intelligent analysis than, say, such inexplicably popular shows as Deal Or No Deal, don’t over think it, and rest assured that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

“If it’s great, then maybe there will be a Broadway show musical skating version,” jokes Leguizamo.

We eagerly await news of The Kill Point On Ice, but in the meantime, we’ll happily resign ourselves to watching it on television.

TV: It's Always Sunny in Philadephia

The little TV show that could, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns to FX this summer for a third season. The show – which was picked up in 2005 after a pilot that reportedly cost only $85 to make was submitted to FX under the title It’s Always Sunny on TV – circulates around four friends (two of whom, Dennis and Dee, also happen to be twins) who run an Irish pub, Paddy’s, in the City of Brotherly Love. Midget-turned-actor Danny DeVito joined the cast last year in the role of Frank, the twins’ father – or so we were led to believe before it was revealed at the end of last season than he is actually their friend Charlie’s biological father. A bunch of lazy, depraved, egomaniacal liars, these kids are fast becoming our personal heroes, and if you don’t get FX, don’t worry; episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are available for download on iTunes.

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DVD: Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas

Perhaps you missed Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas when it, um, wasn’t released on the big screen, but have no fear, because this August you’ll have the opportunity to experience Bickford on DVD. An A (and B) -list cast features Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Saved!), Olivia Wilde (The Black Donnellys, The Girl Next Door), Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo) and John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle). Fugit stars as college student Bickford Shmeckler, whose journal of unbelievably awesome theories and ideas is stolen by his smoking hot classmate Sarah Witt (Wilde), effectively altering life as he knows it. Now, Bickford has to channel all that nerd-juice into a plan of action to get his book back. Make sure to check out the exclusive Dungeons and Dragons bonus feature. It’s what all the cool kids will be talking about this summer.

WWW.SCREENMEDIAFILMS.COM



PHOTO COURTESY OF SCREEN MEDIA FILMS

TV: American Body Shop

The latest series to join the programming schedule at Comedy Central, American Body Shop is set against the backdrop of, you guessed it, an American body shop. Modeled after the improvisational format of Reno 911!, the half-hour comedy gives us an inside view into a world hitherto shrouded by mystery and known only to your local mechanic. The show focuses on the twice-divorced shop owner, Sam, whose spends most of his time trying to keep his business running smoothly as his unruly employees make every effort to undermine him. First there’s Johnny from Brooklyn (a wannabe gangster who alludes to the possibility that he may be in the Witness Protection Program; suffice it to say that he’s not). Then there’s Tim, the “undersexed prankster” who has no concept of comedic timing. Add in a few other misfits and you’ve got a bunch of bumbling idiots with ready access to heavy machinery. Let the laughs begin.

WWW.COMEDYCENTRAL.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF COMEDY CENTRAL

Movie: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

When the fine print in his insurance plan prevents NY firefighter and widower Larry Valentine (played by Hitch’s Kevin James) from naming his own kids as beneficiaries, he and his best friend Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) devise a foolproof plan to get around the technicality: they tie the knot, claiming to be gay domestic partners. So far so good, until a suspicious official starts snooping around, and Chuck and Larry’s personal life is suddenly front-page news. Enter Jessica Biel, the firecracker lawyer who feels so comfortable around her gay client, Chuck – who is of course actually straight and single – she doesn’t think twice about getting undressed in front of him or making sure he knows first, uh, hand that she doesn’t have breast implants. A bit of a hokey premise to be sure, but everything Adam Sandler touches turns to gold, and Kevin James’s ass is no exception.

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Movie: Spider-Man 3

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

This spring, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) returns in Spider-Man 3. In the new flick, Spidey’s suit suddenly turns black, augmenting his existing powers and drawing out a more sinister side of him, one that is focused on retribution and vengeance. As he struggles to resist the power of the black suit and remain on the side of good, he must also throw down with two of his most dangerous opponents, Sandman and Venom. Can Peter overcome the forces of evil that threaten to pull him away from his family and his dreamgirl, M.J. (Kirsten Dunst), or will he hold it down and regulate on his enemies? Since this is Hollywood (and since we’re not retarded), we already know the answer, but with Tobey Maguire dancing around in a glorified leotard, Spider-Man 3 is like watching a demented version of Billy Elliot with high-budget special effects and action sequences. In other words, it’s worth it.



SPIDER-MAN 3 HITS THEATERS MAY 4TH




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Movie: Evan Almighty

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

We first met Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) in 2003’s Bruce Almighty, in which he played Bruce’s (Jim Carrey) office rival at a local Buffalo, N.Y. television station. When Bruce lost his job to Evan, he blamed God, prompting the Almighty Himself to come down from the heavens to teach Bruce a lesson. Now, Evan is a United States congressman, and he’s about to get his very own visit from God (Morgan Freeman). And what does God want with Evan, pray tell? It’s pretty standard, really; He wants Evan to build an ark in anticipation of a great flood, and He won’t take no for an answer. Thus it is that Evan becomes the modern counterpart to Noah, as he sets about building an arc, much to the dismay of his wife and kids. Co-starring John Goodman, Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), Jonah Hill (Knocked Up; The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Daily Show correspondent Ed Helms (not to mention a variety of elephants, giraffes, and other members of the animal kingdom), Evan Almighty is laugh-out-loud funny, which is certainly the best thing the Bible has done for us lately.

EVAN ALMIGHTY HITS THEATERS JUNE 22ND


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Live From Springfield: The Simpsons Movie

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

If you don’t like The Simpsons, there is something very, very wrong with you, and you ought to consult a doctor immediately. Medical conditions notwithstanding, if you do nothing else this summer, you must go see The Simpsons Movie. Nerds have Star Trek and cool nerds have Star Wars, but the one thing we can all agree on is our common love and appreciation for The Simpsons. In the movie, Homer is charged with saving the world from an impending disaster that he is responsible for having created in the first place. Sounds like a classic in the making.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE HITS THEATERS IN LATE JULY

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Movie: Fanastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are as fantastic as ever in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the latest installment of the Marvel Comics- inspired films. In the sequel, the astronauts-turned-superheroes must face-off with a new enemy: the evil, intergalactic Silver Surfer, who has touched down on Earth with the intention of destroying the planet and anyone that stands in his way. As in the first film, expect some fancy, hi-tech special effects and an a few hours of entertainment, but don’t lose too much sleep wondering whether the Silver Surfer will succeed in his efforts or whether the Fantastic Four will prevail and save the world. Something tells us they will.

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER HITS THEATERS ON JUNE 15TH





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Super Deluxe Offers An Alternative to the Unfunny

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF SUPER DELUXE

YouTube was cool for a while. But then it started getting coverage in The New York Times and on CNN, and suddenly even my grandma knew about it – and she doesn’t even know what a computer is. That’s why we love Super Deluxe, a new website devoted to showcasing comedy videos, without all the creepy video blogs and bad homemade music videos. Super Deluxe has it all, from comedy shorts and recurring series to exclusive clips from some of the best and brightest people in the comedy world. Peruse the site for videos like Baby Trade, a “commercial” for Barry Blintz’s Baby Trade & Car Bonanza (“How many times have you stated that you’d give up your child to support your materialistic desires?”). Super Deluxe is also proving to be an invaluable resource for up-and-coming comedy troupes like Olde English – shout out to Bard College – who are using Super Deluxe as a platform to distribute original, potentially viral videos. So whether you’re an aspiring comedian or you just want to prove to your stoner friends that the Dick In a Box video isn’t the only hilarious clip on the Internet, Super Deluxe has what you’re looking for.


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Movie: Live Free or Die Hard

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

After Sylvester Stallone brought retro back with last year’s Rocky Balboa, this summer, Bruce Willis, 52, is back as Average Joe-turned-hero John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard. In this, the fourth Die Hard flick, the plot has been updated to accommodate a post- 9/11 world, and focuses on a terrorist group that is using the Internet to wage war against the United States. Live Free or Die Hard boasts the same entertainment value of the first three Die Hard movies, but with better technology and action sequences. In short, failure to go see Live Free or Die Hard would be downright unpatriotic – and these days, that’s enough to land you an open-ended stay at Guantanamo.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD HITS THEATERS JULY 4TH




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DVD: Smokin' Aces

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Simply put, Smokin’ Aces is Pulp Fiction meets Saving Private Ryan – if the objective hadn’t been so much rescuing Private Ryan as it was tracking down and killing him. With an A-List cast, Smokin’ Aces features excellent performances by Ryan Reynolds (yes, we are as surprised as you to see Van Wilder coming into his own), Jeremy Piven (as Buddy “Aces” Israel, the powder-nosed, Vegas illusionist with a $1 million bounty on his head), Ray Liotta, Alicia Keys, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Jason Bateman (who has a small but ingenious role), and even a cameo by Lost’s Matthew Fox. The long list of characters and complex web of relationships á la The Usual Suspects might seem confusing at first, but before you realize that you’re not totally sure what’s going on, the movie is over and it all makes sense. With everything you could possibly want – violence, drugs, hookers and mobsters – we venture to say Smokin’ Aces is one of the best movies thus far in ‘07. And it gets better every time you watch it, so copping the DVD is definitely the way to go.

BUY SMOKIN' ACES ON DVD MAY 15TH

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DVD: The Messengers

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA / SCREEN GEMS / GHOSTHOUSE PICTURES

Although this horror flick didn’t break any records when it was released in early 2007, The Messengers did hold down the top spot at the box office over Superbowl weekend and was generally popular among horror fans. The Messengers (which stars Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller and Panic Room’s Kristen Stewart) tells the story of the Solomon family and the events that transpire after forces of darkness begin to infiltrate their formerly tranquil North Dakota farm. Special features on the DVD include a featurette on the making of the film, interactive commentary with the actors and more. And don’t be skeptical about the film’s fright factor just because it’s rated PG-13; kid-approved movies are allowed to be terrifying – they just can’t contain excessive nudity or profanity. Which totally makes perfect sense.


BUY THE MESSENGERS ON DVD APRIL 3RD

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Movie: 28 Weeks Later

BY JUSTINE GOODMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOX ATOMIC
The sequel to 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later picks up six months after a deadly, blood borne virus was released from a London laboratory, devastating the city and transforming those infected into ferocious, murderous predators. Now, the U.S. Army has come to restore order, claiming to have eradicated the virus, but as the surviving refugees begin to return to the city it seems the nightmare has only just begun. A new cast of characters is led by Rose Byrne (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones; Troy) and although 28 Weeks Later may seem like little more than a vaguely altered version of the first film, the story carries over quite well and suspense levels remain high. Don’t be surprised if this one sticks with you after you leave the theater, but be sure to remain seated until the final credits role – you wouldn’t want to miss another famous alternate ending.


28 WEEKS LATER HITS THEATERS MAY 11TH

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