Via ComicBookMovie, here’s a snippet from SFX’s interview with the director of the upcoming super-team flick. Here, he talks about the challenges of bringing Marvel’s biggest and most challenging hero to life on the big screen:
“QUESTION: This is Marvel’s third shot at bringing the Hulk to the big screen. What did you need to get right?
WHEDON: “So much. A Bruce Banner who’s not obsessed with his own problems. A Hulk who not only feels flesh and blood, but is clearly an extension of Banner himself and not just a CGI thing that roars. A Hulk who feels dangerous, who might actually hurt someone we care about, who belongs in a classic horror film. And much more. He’s the hardest character by far, and ended up being the most fun.”
QUESTION: What does Mark Ruffalo bring to the role of Bruce Banner?
WHEDON: “Mark is such a delightful mensch it’s stupid. His Banner is a bunch of contradictions: graceful and awkward, meek and confident, erudite and working class, funny and sad. And contradictions are what the Banner/Hulk dynamic are all about. Also, Mark kinda looks like the Hulk. So we got to build our Hulk from him.”
This one features an encounter between stars Lenny Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence. Unfortunately, it’s not embeddable here, so I’ll direct you to HeyUGuys, where you can watch the clip.
The big-screen adaptation of Suzann Collins’ best-selling YA series opens in the USA later this month. The advance buzz is getting killer and the consensus seems to be that it’s going to be pretty good. The book is on my bedside table right now, waiting to be read before I head to the multiplex.
For those among you who don’t know, here’s a synopsis:
“In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’ young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.”
It’s the Japanese language trailer for “Snow White and the Huntsman,” the epic retelling of the old fairytale. Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron star.
“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(r) 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.”
If you’re a parent who’s ever taken your child to Disney World or Disneyland, and, let’s face it, that’s most of us, then you’ve no doubt wished mightily that the Mouse served alcohol before hopping on the “It’s A Small World” ride.
The cloyingly sweet song, sung in every language known to man as canal boats slowly slink through the garish, multicolored ride, is the mother of all earworms. Once it’s in your head, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it.
One half of the composing team responsible for the song, Roberrt B. Sherman, was only too aware of his creation’s capacity to annoy. And in an interview with National Republic Radio a few years back, he apologized, laughingly noting that he wasn’t sure if parents wanted to thank him or kill him.
This morning, I learned that Sherman had died at the age of 86. So as much as “It’s A Small World” drove me crazy when I took my daughter to Disney World during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2010, I just wanted to take a minute to thank him for making the world a little bit better with the music he wrote with his brother Richard.
The two siblings with the Tin Pan Alley pedigree were responsible for some of the best-loved Disney songs, including “Supercalifragilisticespialadocious,” “The Aristocats” theme and the “Winnie the Pooh” theme.
In that NPR interview, Sherman recalled the birth of “A Spoonful of Sugar,” from Mary Poppins:
“Robert’s son had just been given the polio vaccine.”I said, ‘Oh, did it hurt?’ ” Robert remembered. “He said, ‘Oh, no — they just put some medicine on a lump of sugar and you eat it. Nothin’.’ “
A lump of sugar.
“Next day,” said Richard, “he came into the office and he said, ‘I think I’ve got a title.’ I said, ‘What is it?’ ‘Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down.’ I said, ‘That is the worst thing I have ever heard in my life!’ Of course, I snapped out of it right away. I said, ‘No, no, no, it’s absolutely fantastic, it’s great, it’s great, let’s do that!’ “
The songs were cloyingly sweet, there’s no doubt about it. But they have an undeniably tunefulness and a kind-heartedness about them that can force a smile from even the most cynical among us.
Here’s one of my long-time favorites, the “Winnie the Pooh” theme:
So rest in peace, Mr. Sherman. I just hope the “Small World” theme wasn’t playing when you got to the other side. I wouldn’t wish an eternity of that on anyone.
Here’s the new trailer for the sci-fi/comedy that once again teams Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as a pair of madcap interstellar immigration agents. The movie opens in the U.S. on May 25.
Here’s a few production stills from “The Raven” the new thriller starring John Cusack. The movie, which chronicles the fictional adventures of America’s first horror writer, opens April 27.
Here’s the new trailer for “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.” The enduring popularity of this franchise continues to elude me. On the other hand, my 6-year-old daughter loves it. So what the heck do I know?
As ever, there’s an all-star cast: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge, Jennifer Lopez, Peter Dinklage, Aziz Ansari, Nick Frost, and Alan Tudyk all star, according to HeyUGuys.
Here’s the trailer for “Now is Good,” the new film starring Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine (“War Horse“). Fanning plays a terminally ill young woman struggling to live a normal life in the time she has left.
And a synopsis:
“Tessa is seventeen and passionate about life. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, she determines to use every moment, compiling a catalogue of what a normal teenager would experience, including losing her virginity and taking drugs. With the help of her friend Zoey, she sets the list in motion. While her family deals with fear and grief, each in their own way, Tessa explores a whole new world. Falling in love with Adam, her new neighbour, wasn’t on the list, but it proves to be the most exhilarating experience of them all.”
Here’s your first look at Disney’s big-budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pulp hero. The movie opens in U.S. theaters this week. Tyler Kitsch and Lynn Carter star. Thanks to ComingSoon, which had the clip first.
The Cineaste's Lament. 