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Fans of Seth Rogen, Michel Gondry and comic books, rejoice! "The Green Hornet" hits theaters today, following privileged playboy Britt Reid's (Rogen) emerald-suit-clad alter-ego in his attempt to find his place in the world following his publishing mogul father's untimely death.

Reid's solution: teaming with his late father's kung-fu-fighting mechanic Kato (Jay Chou) to provide Los Angeles with the vigilante justice its crime-ridden streets so desperately need. Hilarious friction between the polar opposite partners, a refreshingly Gondry-esque take on action sequences and menacing opposition in the form of villain Chudnofsky (played by "Inglourious Basterds" baddie Christoph Waltz) ensues.

The Green Hornet's name was coined in homage to Reid's father, who died of anaphylactic shock after being stung by a bee. Because "The Green Bee" sounded silly, "hornet" was offered as a substitute. This got us thinking: What the heck is a hornet, anyway? As it turns out, Chudnofsky would've done well to give Jim Carpenter, curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, a call. The man knows a thing or two about defeating a hornet, among other useful facts pertaining to the insect. (Um, we hate to break it to you, Rogen, but you didn't have to lose all that weight to play the part after all.) Hit the jump to find out what the movie got right and wrong with regard to hornets. Read more...

Tags Christoph Waltz, green hornet, Jay Chou, michel gondry, seth rogen

One of the big names at South By Southwest last weekend was Michel Gondry. As the man responsible for one of the finest films in recent memory -- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" -- people tend to sit up and take notice whenever he does something new. And while he'll next be trying his hand at a spectacle-driven blockbuster in "The Green Hornet," he was at the Austin entertainment conference to promote his new documentary, "The Thorn in the Heart."

The doc is an incredibly personal one for the filmmaker, as it takes an up-close look at the life of the Gondry family, specifically his mother, aunt and cousin. When MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke to Gondry over the weekend, he asked what the appeal of capturing non-fiction on film is.

"I want to do more documentaries to really learn to get people to tell us some things we don't know," he explained. Read more...

Tags michel gondry, the thorn in the heart, Video

Director Michel Gondry is down at South By Southwest right now promoting his documentary "The Thorn in His Heart," which offers a highly personal look at his family. MTV's Josh Horowitz snagged a few minutes to chat with him, and he asked if Gondry would like to follow up "The Green Hornet" with something similarly epic in its scale.

"I'd like to do a movie of this size with my own story, which would be quite amazing. But we'll see," he said. "I'm developing a screenplay with a writer right now about kids who travel [into] the future by mistake and a machine [that] keeps people younger... ehhh, it's complicated to explain." Read more...

Tags ellen page, michel gondry, Video

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Seth Rogen and Jay Chou may be getting some heavy metal backup from the Oscar-hopeful band Anvil in "The Green Hornet." The group's appearance in the 2010 film appears to have been leaked in an overview of their busy schedule and indie documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil." Their recent calendar purportedly included a Conan O'Brien appearance, followed by their movie debut in Michel Gondry's new hero film.

Beware of minor spoilers before reading on, but according to the L.A. Times, Anvil performed in a scene that featured them exploding on stage at a rock club.

Continue reading Anvil To Appear In 'Green Hornet'?

Tags anvil! the story of anvil, green hornet, Jay Chou, michel gondry, seth rogen

Film and music video director Michel Gondry premiered a new project, a documentary, last week at Cannes. "The Thorn in the Heart," as it is called, nabbed enough critical endorsement to find a new home at Oscilloscope Pictures, a company co-founded by Beastie Boys member Adam "MCA" Yauch. The Beasties are also making headlines this week with the newly revealed title of their forthcoming album: "Hot Sauce Committee."

Yauch called Gondry's film "a sincere doc on a subject that is so close to [the director's] heart," according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Read more...

Tags michel gondry, the thorn in the heart

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Ever since Seth Rogen told us about the top-secret fight scene that director Michel Gondry shot with his own money as an audition for “The Green Hornet” movie, I’ve been dying to know what visual tricks the distinctive filmmaker has up his sleeve. Now, Gondry is finally talking about the groundbreaking technique he’ll be bringing to the film.

“It was not elaborate,” Gondry modestly began the MTV News interview. “I’m glad [Rogen is even] paying any attention to what I’m suggesting.”

Read about the Michel Gondry's "Green Hornet" fight filming at SplashPage.MTV.com.

Tags michel gondry, the green hornet

Michel Gondry is one of the few directors on the market who is sought after both for his full-length and music video direction. The Oscar winner, whose next big project will be Seth Rogen's "Green Hornet" movie, has directed videos for Beck, The White Stripes, The Rolling Stones and most famously Björk, all of whom are represented on his new DVD retrospective, "Michel Gondry 2: More Videos."

"There is nothing more exciting for me than viewing the animation shots," Gondry said in a press release. "There is a feeling of trying a new (legal) drug as the condensation of hours of work become seconds of moving things." Read more...

Tags michel gondry, michel gondry 2 more videos

FROM SPLASH PAGE: By now, you’ve most likely heard the beyond-awesome news that Seth Rogen’s “Green Hornet” movie will be directed by Mr. Michel Gondry, one of the most visually-stunning directors in Hollywood. But, being a movie buff, I’m always intrigued by the “What if?” possibilities of Steve McQueen starring in “The Bodyguard,” Christopher Walken as Han Solo, and so on.

Which is why I was intrigued when, moments after the Gondry news broke, I noticed that my Facebook friend James Wan had changed his status. “Damn you Michel Gondry *shaking fists*,” read the message from the “Saw” director. “Oh well the better man won.”

Moments later, James took the status update down. But lucky for us, Seth isn’t the type of Hollywood phony who hides behind “no comments” and the like.

For more on the "Green Hornet" director that almost was, head over to SplashPage.MTV.com.

Tags green hornet, james wan, michel gondry, seth rogen

FROM MOVIES.MTV.COM: Seth Rogen’s high-profile superhero movie has a brand-new director — one of the most distinctive visionaries in Hollywood — and the star can only use three words to describe how he’s feeling about it.

“It’s f—ing crazy!” he said when we spoke with him Tuesday, accentuating the point with his trademark laugh.

His new “Green Hornet” collaborator is none other than Michel Gondry, the eye-popping auteur who gave us “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Be Kind Rewind,” and too many classic music videos to list here. Capping off an exhaustive search, the “Pineapple Express” funnyman said Gondry is the perfect director for his comedic take on the crime-fighting newspaper publisher who first slipped into his green mask in 1936.

Continue reading about Michel Gondry and “The Green Hornet” at movies.mtv.com…

Tags be kind rewind, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, green hornet, michel gondry, pineapple express, seth rogen