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MTV Video Music Awards Air This Sunday, And You Can Own A Piece Of The Show!

Posted 9/9/10 3:11 pm EST by in Video Music Awards


Yes, yes... I know. This is a movies blog. But remember, kids: some of your favorite directors working today got their start helming music videos. So make sure you tune in, if only to get a taste of what the next wave of kickass young film directors might be.

And hey, since you're watching, why not compete with the masses to own a piece of history? Head over to our MTV News Facebook page for details on your chance to win one of ten squares of the white carpet, which every celebrity in attendance will be strolling across on their way into Sunday night's show. And of course make sure you tune in to MTV starting at 8pm for pre-show coverage; the awards show starts at 9pm. We'll have some movies-related treats for you here on the blog, but you'll also be able to catch presenters from the "Glee" and "Easy A" casts, as well as performances from Mary J. Blige, Swizz Beats and more during the show.

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Legendary Poster Artist Drew Struzan On His Process And His Legacy

Posted 9/9/10 2:43 pm EST by in News


Next week, on September 14, the spotlight will shine on a man who really should need no introduction. The work of Drew Struzan, the poster artist responsible for iconic movie posters from "Star Wars," "Back to the Future," "Indiana Jones" and any number of classics from the '80s and '90s ("Goonies," "Coming To America," "Police Academy"... get the picture?), will be featured in a new book from Titan Books, "The Art of Drew Struzan," which contains not just poster art but anecdotes and concept/unreleased designs, many of which have never been seen before.

Drew was kind enough to take some time out to chat with MTV in support of the coming book. He was really a delightful interview. In the latter part of the book, there's an unfortunate trend with some of the movies where he was asked to create art by someone involved with the production only to have the studio go in another direction. An overall change in the industry's approach to movie posters was a key component in Drew's decision to retire. He was a delightful interview nonetheless, a man who is obviously pleased with the turns life has taken and thankful for his good fortune. Read More...

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EXCLUSIVE: TIFF Selection 'Stake Land' Is A Vampire Road Movie

Posted 9/9/10 1:02 pm EST by in Photos, Toronto International Film Festival


MTV Movies managing editor Josh Horowitz left for Canada this morning, where he'll spend the next bunch of days seeing movies and yakking it up with celebrities at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Among the cooler offerings being screened there is "Mulberry Street" director Jim Mickle's "Stake Land," which falls into the unusual sub-genre of vampire road movie.

The story follows a teen who joins a veteran vampire hunter on a road trip across post-apocalyptic America. In addition to dealing with the expected army of bloodsuckers, the unlikely twosome must also contend with crazed religious fundamentalists who believe that the vampire pandemic is actually the Lord's work. In the below photo exclusive you can see fledgling vampire hunter Martin ("Gossip Girl" actor Connor Paolo) perched above a recent kill. "Stake Land" also stars Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis and Bonnie Dennison.

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Alamo Drafthouse: Founder Tim League On The Company's Past, Present And Future

Posted 9/9/10 12:37 pm EST by in News


You can be forgiven for being foggy on the name Alamo Drafthouse, especially if you've never spent time in Austin, Texas. The movie theater picks up accolades from all of those who pay a visit: Entertainment Weekly called it the "#1 theater in America"; "coolest movie theater in the world" from Wired; "Best Theatrical Experience Award" from Fandango.

Going there isn't just about sitting in a dark room and watching a movie; it's an event. Food is served. Attendees are engaged not just with what's on the screen but with the people around them. Weekly special showings have themes that foster audience participation and raucous behavior. While nationwide chains struggle to keep theaters full each week in the face of Internet-streaming and VOD releases, Alamo Drafthouse succeeds simply by staking out territory as the place to be for movie fans in Austin (and beyond).

Behind it all is Tim League, founder and recently returned CEO of the company. Tim and his wife Karrie sold the brand in 2004, stepping away from expanding operations while maintaining control of the original Austin locations. Tim came back in June of this year, on the eve of major, still-unfolding expansion plans; just this morning, the company announced the creation of a film distribution arm, Drafthouse Films. Tim was kind enough to take some time out earlier today to chat with MTV about the founding of Alamo Drafthouse, Mondo and Drafthouse Films, and what the future has in store. Read More...

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Christina Hendricks Joins Ryan Gosling And Carey Mulligan In 'Drive'

Posted 9/9/10 10:45 am EST by in News


Indie action thriller "Drive" is the follow-up to last year's excellent Tom Hardy starrer "Bronson" from director Nicolas Winding Refn. Recently it was confirmed that Carey Mulligan and "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston were joining a cast that already features Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks and Oscar Isaacs. Today there's word from Variety that another AMC talent has joined the cast: "Mad Men"'s lovely Christina Hendricks.

"Drive" is adapted from the same-titled James Sallis novel about a Hollywood stuntman (Gosling) who has a side gig as a getaway driver. He ends up on the run with an associate and ex-con's girlfriend (Mulligan) after a job goes very, very wrong. No word on the role that Hendricks is in for. But "Bronson" was an admirable, if out there, piece of work. I'm looking forward to seeing what Refn does with a genre tale.

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'Weird Al' Yankovic Dumps His Fan Mail In Today's Daily TwitPic

Posted 9/9/10 10:10 am EST by in Daily TwitPic


I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the genius of "Weird Al" Yankovic. His musical parodies were theme songs for my teenhood. Was a time when I could recite the lyrics to every song on "Alapalooza" from beginning to end, along with every line from "UHF."

I never sent him a fan letter though. And it's a good thing too, as today's Daily TwitPic shows us exactly what Al thinks of his fans! Okay, that's not true. I'm sure he loves us all. But those fan letters pile up, don't they? The many boxes seen in the pic found after the jump contain what Al claims are his fan letters from the '80s. The thing is, I can't tell if he's serious or not. This is "Weird Al" Yankovic we're talking about. Those could just be boxes of old clothes, or CDs containing potential songs for parody that ended up in the "no" pile. Or it really could be fan letters-- I can easily believe that that many would have piled up over the course of the decade that saw the release of "I Want A New Duck," "Fat," "Lasagna" and "Living With A Hernia." Read More...

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Pastor Terry Jones' Quran Burning, 'Breaking Dawn' Costumes And Aliens In Today's Twitter-Wood

Posted 9/8/10 8:00 pm EST by in Twitter-Wood


Pastor Terry Jones has been on the receiving end of numerous complaints in Twitter-Wood today, thanks to Quran-burning event he's decided hold with his Florida-based church. Tweeters also have not overlooked the Monty Python member he happens to share a name with.

In "Twilight"-related posting, Peter Facinelli announced his return to costume fittings for "Breaking Dawn." Two of his cast-mates, meanwhile, were focused on Justin Chon's new hairstyle. You can find out what that looks like after the jump, as well as where "Transformers 3" is headed and how much fan mail "Weird Al" Yankovic has saved from the 1980s.

I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is Twitter-Wood for September 8, 2010. Read More...

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Ron Howard To Direct Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' Film Trilogy And TV Series

Posted 9/8/10 7:03 pm EST by in News



Major "Dark Tower" news - after months of rumors, deliberation, negotiation, etc. Deadline reports that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television have made a deal to adapt Stephen King's beloved sci-fi/fantasy behemoth "The Dark Tower" into both a feature film trilogy and a network TV series.

Ron Howard will direct the initial movie and season one of the TV series. Both will be written by Akiva Goldsman, who will also produce with King and Howard's Imagine Entertainment production partner Brian Grazer.

Howard told Deadline that their ambitious undertaking was inspired by Peter Jackson's history-making approach to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy:

“What Peter did was a feat, cinematic history,” Howard said. “The approach we’re taking also stands on its own, but it’s driven by the material. I love both, and like what’s going on in TV. With this story, if you dedicated to one medium or another, there’s the horrible risk of cheating material. The scope and scale call for a big screen budget. But if you committed only to films, you’d deny the audience the intimacy and nuance of some of these characters and a lot of cool twists and turns that make for jaw-dropping, compelling television. We’ve put some real time and deep thought into this, and a lot of conversations and analysis from a business standpoint, to get people to believe in this and take this leap with us. I hope audiences respond to it in a way that compels us to keep going after the first year or two of work. It’s fresh territory for me, as a filmmaker.”

What do you think of Howard's plan? Would you rather see only feature film adaptations or the TV series or both?

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'Community' Star Joel McHale In Talks To Wed Jessica Alba For 'Spy Kids 4'

Posted 9/8/10 4:15 pm EST by in News


The "Spy Kids 4" cast is rounding out more and more, and damn if it's not looking pretty great. Jessica Alba is already set to play the kids' mother, herself a retired spy who is forced back into the game. While raising two grown kids and a new baby, no less. Fortunately, it seems that she'll have some capable help.

Alba's spy kids weren't immaculately conceived. They have a papa. And it looks like that papa might be "Community" star and "The Soup" guy Joel McHale, who is now in final negotiations to join the cast, Variety reports. Actually, the plot is a bit thicker than that. Apparently, the titular spy kids are McHale's biological children and Alba's step-children. Complicating matter further, McHale will play a spy-hunting reporter. What ever will he do when he finds out that both his wife and his children are dirty cloak & dagger folk?

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Ronald Reagan Biopic Planned, MTV Casts The Gipper

Posted 9/8/10 3:23 pm EST by in Commentary, Humor


The saga of Ronald Reagan is certainly a fascinating one. The A-list actor went on to have a pretty okay career in politics. You know, just the 40th president of the United States. No big deal.

The biopic, which carries a $30 million budget and is targeted for a late 2011 release, will be helmed by "Malice" director Jonas McCord, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. He also wrote the script, working from a pair of optioned biographies by bestselling author Paul Kengor: "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan." McCord admits to not being a fan of the former president, but being intrigued by the project as he learned more about Reagan's early life. The story will open on the 1981 assassination attempt, telling the Gipper's life story through "flashbacks and flash-forwards."

It's all going to hinge on who plays Reagan, of course. And as you might expect, we have a few suggestions... Read More...

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