EMPIRE 262
APRIL 2011
BRAND NEW
IN THIS MONTH:
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
Michael Bay is back, back, back with another dose of blockbusting
mayhem in Transformers 3, the biggest toy-to-screen franchise until
Christopher Nolan decides to make an Action Man biopic. Bay is
Hollywood's equivalent of LA's sky-reaching US Bank Tower: a reliably
ginormous monolith dwarfing everything around in the City of Angels.
Love him or not, he paints from a bigger canvas than any other director
at work. Empire caught up with him as he put the finishing touches on
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, a third instalment he describes as 'kind
of like a spy movie". Disappointingly, this doesn't turn out to involve
Optimus Prime brandishing a newspaper with eyeholes cut out. Happily,
in a refreshingly candid chat, Bay shed some light on his new
'bot-battling tentpole and told us where Transformers 2 went wrong. Two
words, Michael: Robot genitals.
Also Inside The Issue
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The Slate
This month's chockers news section has a fantastical feel to it.
An in-depth first look at the long-awaited and finally confirmed cast of
The Hobbit gets things off to a rollicking start. If you know the bit
on the telly when footballers turn and grin at the camera, the
introduction of Peter Jackson's new cast of hobbits and dwarves at
Wellington's Weta Digital was a bit like that, only with more beards. We
chatted to the key players before packing our bags and heading several
thousand years (in mythology terms) to the '60s of X-Men: First Class to
cast a beady one over Matthew Vaughn's bone-shaking X-prequel. If all
that doesn't sate your appetite, there's a double dose of Superman, aka
Henry Cavill, who'll be buckling swash as Theseus in Tarsem Singh's
Immortals before donning the red cape as the Man Of Steel.
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Marion Cotillard
Oscar winner, conspiracy theorist and holder of Empire's
prestigious Weirdest Dream Ever award (it involves lesbians, shootouts
and the cast of Hawaii Five-O... don't ask), Marion Cotillard isn't your
average Hollywood starlet. "I admired Greta Garbo," she purrs, "but I
really wanted to be Peter Sellers". Quoi? If the thought of Cotillard
tiptoeing through a Parisian apartment whispering, "Now is not ze time,
Kato!" seems a little melon-twisting, she's the kind of screen presence
that can carry audiences seemingly wherever she desires. She's appearing
next in a typically free-spirited role in relationship drama Little
White Lies - think a French version of The (Le) Big (Grande) Chill
(Chill?) - in which the old fibs and deceits of a group of friends come
out to play during a seaside vacation. For added spice, it's also
directed by her partner Guillaume Canet. Catch the whole interview in
this month's issue.
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Green Lantern
As we know, it has not been a gilded few years for films with the
word 'green' in the title. Green Zone flopped, Green Hornet fizzled and
Greenberg, good as it was, scarred us with the most awkward sex scene
for many moons. Can Green Lantern buck this in-no-way-arbitrary trend?
Don't bet against it, especially with Ryan Reynolds' physical presence
and razor-like comic timing in front of the camera, and Martin Campbell,
the man who made Bond fly again, behind it. The story of a man's quest
for a higher purpose - a free-wheeler turned superhero - dates back to
the '40s and inspired Star Wars. Can it inspire audiences weaned on
superhero epics? The star and director told us what to expect from the
$200m spectacular.
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Conan
This month Empire stepped back in time to ancient Hyboria to meet
the new Conan. Disappointingly, Marcus Nispel's Conan doesn't feature a
scrawny, red-haired New York talkshow host spending two hours trying to
pick up a giant sword; happily he'll be offering a freshly sharpened
take on Robert E. Howard's tale of revenge, romance and 'pecs the size
of Romford. Nispel has taken the epic John Milius/Arnie adventure, torn
up much of the original tale, added 3D, vengeance, a hessian sack worth
of effects and the muscular presence of Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa.
"Conan needs to be the kind of guy that grabs a girl's ass, and he
likely gets laid that night," Nispel explains. Arnie wouldn't do that.
He's the Governor of California.
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Scream 4
The Ghostface killer returns. After a decade's hiatus, the
malevolent, masked presence in Wes Craven's postmodern horror is
creeping back onto our screams, sorry, screens, with old hands Neve
Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette in close attendance. There's
also a cast of fresh-faced teens to face the knife-wielding but
super-smart psychopaths. There will unquestionably be blood. Loads of
it. So how better to mark the occasion than to get the three survivors
of the first three films, give them a big 'ole knife, get out the karo
syrup and taking a few snaps, while chatting merrily with Craven himself
about the Scream tetralogy?
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Kubrick: Part One
Roll up for the first of a two-part film-by-film, or if you're
Scatman Crothers, blow-by-blow account of Stanley Kubrick's glorious
career. There are new interviews with Stanley's widow Christiane Kubrick
who he met on the set of Paths Of Glory, producer Jan Harlan
(Christiane's brother) and 2001's FX maestro Douglas Trumbull.
Astonishingly, Kubrick's only Oscar came for his and Trumbull's work on
2001's special effects, but pick one of his movies at random and the
chances are you've got a worthy Best Picture. Empire casts a fresh eye
at his early work from The Killer's Kiss to The Killing, his sci-fi
masterpiece and his three war epics, Paths Of Glory, Dr. Strangelove and
Full Metal Jacket. Unmissable.
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Hangover 2
The April issue's quickfire Hangover 2 set visit is brought to you
by the number four and the drug Rohypnol. The four - Stu (Ed Helms),
Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha)
- were last seen piecing together their night of Vegas carnage. The
Rohypnol may or may not make another appearance in the sequel, but one
thing is for sure, judging by our interview: Bangkok ain't gonna be an
easier ride for the boys, with or without Mel Gibson. For that they can
thank director Todd Phillips. "Patpong's for tourists," he tells us, "I
was more into the ladyboy scene..."
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Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
Pete and Dud... Derek and Clive... however you remember the double
act, whether as loveable charmers or as the sweariest, most
booze-soaked rogues ever to (dis)grace tellies in the '70s, the pair
were every inch the rebel geniuses of British comedy. With Arthur,
Moore's Hollywood comedy hit, making his merrily ramshackle way back
onto our screens with Russell Brand, Empire looks back at a creative
partnership that could be a little, well, tense. Okay, they hated each
other's guts. So where did it all go wrong, and how did it end up going
so right for the salt-and-vinegar pairing of wits? Find out here - all
with the bonus of Brand on Moore and Rhys Ifans on Cook, a man he's
played.
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Ken Loach
Is his visceral new film, Route Irish, Ken Loach's audition to
become the new Michael Bay? "The thing is", he laughs, "if you've got to
shoot an explosion, you get special effects in and they make it explode
and you just chose the camera positions". We're saying that's probably a
no, then. The Iraq and Liverpool-set thriller is, however, a departure
for one of Britain's longest working filmmakers. At 74, he's turned his
eye to Britain's role in the new Iraq, a violent setting against which a
character drama plays out boasting all Loach's usual grit and power.
What better excuse to track down the Midlander for a cuppa and a
fascinating chat about his life, career and love of Bath City FC?
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In Cinemas Roundup
The Adjustment Bureau opens this month's In Cinemas section in a
blur of Inception-meets-Casablanca-meets-Philip K. Dick wizardry, with
Bourne Ultimate writer George Nolfi making his directorial bow, and Matt
Damon and Emily Blunt playing lovers chased across most of Manhattan by
shady men in hats. Another debut feature follows hot on the heels of
the sci-fi magic: Richard Ayoade's homespun coming-of-age tale
Submarine, as well as Farrelly brothers' rom-com Hall Pass, Julie
Taymor's adaptaton of The Tempest, and the return of filmmaking legends
Woody Allen (You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger), Ken Loach (Route
Irish) and Werner Herzog (Cave Of Forgotten Dreams). They all get the
rule run over them right here.
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At Home Roundup
This month's Re-View section careers in with Denzel Washington and
Chris Pine clinging to the roof and a cargo of kittens heading straight
for it. That's right: Unstoppable is out for your at-home viewing
needs. Also out are a dazzling array of DVD/Blu-ray releases that can be
broadly split into three categories: Awesomely demented (Jackass 3,
Machete, Paranormal Activity 2, Skyline); cerebral and provocative (The
Kids Are All Right, The American, The Arbor, Tamara Drew, Made In
Dagenham); and Thai films with 'Uncle Boonmee' in the title (Uncle
Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). There's a special joy for fans
of Matt Reeves' horror Let Me In with that terrifying swimming pool
scene broken down by Reeves and his FX honcho Brad Parker. What was that
about being safe to go back into the water? | |
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