Posted 9/17/12 5:08 pm EST by Kevin P. Sullivan in Interviews, Toronto International Film Festival, Video
There are a few things you might notice about Chis Evans' role in the indie crime drama, "The Iceman." The killer he pays in the film is definitely not a hero like Captain America, but it's his hair that might strike you first.
When MTV News spoke with the first Avenger at the Toronto International Film Festival, the topic of the hair came up immediately. Unfortunately, the 70s era locks are not Evans'.
"It's a great wig, though," Evans said. "Isn't it?"
Posted 9/14/12 3:00 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Interviews, Toronto International Film Festival
Joss Whedon tried something a little new with his take of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Instead of going on a planned trip to Italy after wrapping "The Avengers," he decided to bring together some of his closest friends to film an adaptation of the classic comedy. They finished shooting the movie in 12 days last year, and Whedon finally debuted it at the Toronto International Film Festival this week where it met with rave reviews.
MTV News had the chance to catch up with Whedon while he was promoting the movie and ask him about his experience directing a project written by the Bard. Since Whedon is so well known for his own unique writing style, we assumed he would have had some difficult working with a script he didn't pen. It turns out that's not entirely the case.
"When you're writing the words, you're looking for something from the audience. You're looking for a reaction. And you're doing the same thing when you're directing, you're doing the same thing when you're directing; you're just trying to connect. To have somebody else write the words is fine."
Posted 9/13/12 11:18 am EST by Terri Schwartz in Interviews, Toronto International Film Festival
With "The Twilight Saga" wrapped and "Cali" out of the picture, Hollywood is Kristen Stewart's metaphoric oyster.
The actress has been attached to a couple of projects recently like the potential "Snow White and the Huntsman" sequel and Scott Cooper's take on "Lie Down in the Darkness," but neither project is officially confirmed. MTV News recently caught up with Stewart at the Toronto International Film Festival where she said she's enjoying not knowing what she'll be up to over the next few years.
"It's been a little while since I haven't had stuff mapped out, so it's nice," she said. "I'm in a good place to choose."
Posted 9/13/12 9:00 am EST by MTV Movies Team in Toronto International Film Festival
In today's review from the Toronto International Film Festival, you can read all about the role that Jennifer Lawrence is already getting Oscar buzz for and see what kind of investigative journalist Shia LaBeouf is.
"The Company You Keep"
Grade: C
The major problem of "The Company You Keep" is the moral fiber of the piece. Making a film about an issue as dicey as the Weather Underground is, on the face of it, courageous, but "The Company You Keep" routinely avoids all judgments. Was the Weather Underground a necessary political instrument that actually saved lives by acting out in a violent manner? Or were they the same as terrorists the whole world round, their original intent severely corrupted by their deeds? Instead of getting into that, the film is much more comfortable throwing its hands in the air and saying, "Quick, look over there!" -Laremy Legel
Posted 9/12/12 2:30 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Interviews, Toronto International Film Festival
Woody Harrelson wants to go full drunk in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."
MTV News had the chance to catch up with Harrelson at the Toronto International Film Festival and he said that he's going to shoot "The Hunger Games" sequel in little more than a week. Harrelson's had the chance to take a "gander" at the script for the project and said that it has his stamp of approval -- though it could always use more alcohol for his character Haymitch.
"It's a really good script, really strong script, so I feel good about that. That was the big question mark, since there was so little time to get that script together," he said.
Posted 9/12/12 11:52 am EST by MTV Movies Team in Toronto International Film Festival
By Ade Mangum
It seems that our favorite spooky holiday has arrived early the year. The attendees at the Toronto International Film Festival were given an early Halloween treat...and no, it's not the Candy Corn flavored Oreos. They were privileged to be the first audience of the Eli Roth-produced film "Aftershock."
The line outside the Ryerson Theater wrapped around the block with blood thirsty fans. As the clock struck midnight, they were greeted by the man himself, Eli Roth, and he filled us in on his relationship with TIFF. He premiered "Cabin Fever" here years ago. Then he followed up a few years later with the Festivals first digital projected film "Hostel."
He came this year to bring the TIFF attendee's another first, its first Chilean feature-length film, "Aftershock." After he introduced the cast of the film, we met his new, very eager, 29-year-old collaborator, Nicolas Lopez, who riled the crowd up with jokes, and his energy was contagious as he woke up the "Midnight Madness" crowd.
Posted 9/12/12 11:04 am EST by Kevin P. Sullivan in Interviews, Toronto International Film Festival
Well, our quest for details about a "Beetlejuice" sequel continues, with the most recent stop taking us to Wionna Ryder at the Toronto International Film Festival, where she's promoting her new crime film, "The Iceman" with Michael Shannon.
Unfortunately, the former Lydia Deetz didn't exactly have the deetz on the sequel from Tim Burton and writer Seth Grahame-Smith.
"You tell me — I don't know!" Ryder said. "I've heard from journalists, that's how I found out, but I'm seeing Tim next week, and I will let you know."
Posted 9/12/12 10:24 am EST by MTV Movies Team in Toronto International Film Festival
Another day, another set of reviews from some of the best movies playing up at the Toronto International Film Festival. Below, you'll be have to find takes on "The Master," the highly anticipated new film from Paul Thomas Anderson, and "To the Wonder," the highly anticipated new film from Terrence Malick.
"The Master"
Grade: B-
Still, for all its clever work, "The Master" is highly clinical. It’s a movie for students of film history, and for audiences far more patient than average. The themes of "The Master" are relatively clear, and right up there on the surface level for all to note. Can you invent a new way to "help" the troubled out of thin air? How and where does fanaticism form, and what type of person is drawn to the trappings of power, or to follow the newly powerful? These themes get bludgeoned home in a big way throughout the nearly three hours of the film, though not to anyone’s benefit. "There Will Be Blood" shared this issue of repetition, but Daniel Day-Lewis was a more lovable scoundrel than Hoffman’s Mr. Dodd. There was more room to breathe in each and every one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, and by comparison "The Master" is oppressive and claustrophobic. Beautifully done, yes, but missing the entire point of "freeing one’s mind" while watching a film. "The Master" wants you to do it simply so it can lock you up in its own personal cage. -Laremy Legel
Posted 9/11/12 4:44 pm EST by Kevin P. Sullivan in Toronto International Film Festival
When a celebrity takes up a cause, there are usually more than a few cynical eye rolls and claims of publicity stunts as a result. Johnny Depp's work with the West Memphis Three, however, deserves some genuine recognition.
The story of those three men, their wrongful conviction, imprisonment, and release is the subject of a new documentary from producer Peter Jackson, "West of Memphis."
MTV News caught up with Depp and producer Damien Echols to discuss how the actor became involved with the case and the documentary.
Posted 9/11/12 3:12 pm EST by Tami Katzoff in Toronto International Film Festival
Pink's skill set is extensive and varied: writer, singer, aerialist, mom, make-up pitch person. With her role in the film "Thanks For Sharing," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, she can now legitimately add "serious actress" to the list.
"Thanks For Sharing," a dramedy about sex addiction, has a cast that includes established, respected actors like Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins and Gwyneth Paltrow. But Pink definitely holds her own. She plays Dede, a beauty salon employee and recovering addict who strikes up a friendship with Josh Gad's Neil, an emergency room doctor whom she meets in a 12-step program.