FEBRUARY 2011 • NUMBER 108 • WWW.MOVIES.IE

Also InsideThe Rite, I Am Number

Four & More...

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IN CINEMASFEBRUARY 25

“HOPKINS IS INCREDIBLE,his most disturbing performance since Hannibal Lecter”

ZOO MAG AZINE

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IN CINEMAS FEBRUARY 25PAID PREVIEWS 23 & 24 FEB

CERT TBC

No Strings Attached

Release Date: February 25th

Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher

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A couple try to have a relationship that is

purely physical with, as the title says, no

strings attached. But while she just wants

them to be ‘friends with benefits’, he wan’t

more, in this comedy about modern

relationships from the director of Ghostbusters.

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SIMONPEGG

NICKFROST

AND

SETHROGEN

AS PAUL

“PURE PEGG AND FROST... VERY, VERY FUNNY”

EMPIRE

IN CINEMASVALENTINE’S DAY © 2010 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

FROM THE PRODUCERS OF

LAVVA

THEMORF

IN CINEMASYAAY D DASINE’TENL

OFRSDUCEOR P THE

Y © 2010 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. VED.ALL RIGHTS RESER

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Photography by Alison JacksonTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde (1895)

my inspirationJohn Hurt

“ The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

Algernon Moncrieff to Lady Bracknell in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895) Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

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As a director he helped turn Shia LaBeoufinto a star, directing him in the Hitchcockinspired ‘Distrubia’ and again in 2008 thriller‘Eagle Eye’. This month DJ Caruso bringsus ‘I AM NUMBER FOUR’ a new sciencefiction film from heavy-weight producersMichael Bay and Steven Spielberg.Based on the best selling book of thesame name the film stars Alex Pettyfer,Dianna Agron and Teresa Palmer. Wewent behind the scenes on the film withthe upcoming director.Q: What was it that attracted you to making‘I Am Number Four’?A: I read the manuscript and a couple ofscreenplays - they sold the book quite early- and I wanted to make a science fictionmovie that would be sort of dramatic andquite fun, so this fit the bill for me. It wassomething that I felt I could do a reallygood job with and the lead character -John - is a beautifully disenfranchisedyouth character and that was someonethat dramatically, I could really grab ontoand the audience could understand andsympathise with. At the same time I felt itwas an incredibly entertaining movie bythe time you reach Act Three you havethis beautiful battle in a high school in avery science fiction-y kind of way. I just feltall those elements were something I waslooking for to make into a fun movie.Q: Did you read the book or did you intentionally stay away from it?A: No, I read the book a few times. Believeit or not, the book hadn’t been publishedso we were reading the manuscript andworking on the screenplay and I read theoutline for the next book to help figure outand chart the character development.Q: There are always nerves when belovedbooks are turned into films, how do youhope fans of the book will respond to the film?A: Well I fans will respond positively, ofcourse we have altered a few things tohelp the movie cinematically. I think my

job is not necessarily to improve on thebook, but to make the best cinematic version of that story that I possibly can. I think you’ll find it’s very true to the book.I think what happens with all fans is thatit’s about what we left out of the moviethat didn’t make it from the book; peoplemight have a favourite thing. Sometimesyou are worried about that but I just haveto tell the best story that I can.Q: Do you think that the Lorien Legaciescould be the series to fill the gap left whenHarry Potter and Twilight end?A: I think this movie is a great movie thatstands alone, I think at the end of themovie you will want to see where NumberFour and Number Six’s journeys will takethem. I don’t ever make a movie thinkingthat, but if it does fill some void or we getto make another movie that’s fine, but thatit wishful thinking.Q: Originally Michael Bay was attached todirect ‘I Am Number Four’, how much didit change when you took over?A: I think the Michael Bay version of themovie would have cost five times asmuch money! [laughs] And had a lot moreaction, but that’s just because that’s whatMichael does. When I first met Steven[Spielberg] and Michael [Bay], the screenplaywas basically the screenplay that theywere developing together. I mean this in agood way; this is too small a movie forMichael, I think. There’s too much talking![laughs] It didn’t change that much, wedeveloped it over the course of time. I hadthe first draft, worked with a couple ofwriters then a couple of months later,showed it to Michael and Steven andworked from there. The basic structurestayed the same, but we took a lot of thestory and a lot of the dramatic elementsand re-worked them. It’s always been amovie where most of the action takesplace at the end, so that stayed the same.Q: How involved was Steven Spielberg in‘I Am Number Four’?

A: He was pretty involved, particularly inthe beginning and the development of thestory and in the editing room he was veryhelpful again. In the last few experiences Ihave had with him he didn’t come to theset and basically lets you shoot yourmovie. When you have Michael Bay andSteven Spielberg it’s a great resource. Ifyou don’t tap into that you are really stupid.Michael helped with visual effects, andSteven really helped with the story; I’ll showhim two different versions of a scene andget his opinion on what works. I have beenlucky to have those guys. Even thoughthey are producers, they are directors anddirectors have a certain respect for howthe craft is done so they are not intrusive.Q: How challenging is it mixing acting withthe CGI and green screen process?A: It’s challenging. One, because we are amovie that’s in the $15m budget range- which sounds a lot - but we have 695effects shots, so it was really difficult toget those shots done well on the budgetlimitations that we had, but it’s less aboutbudget than it is about time. I found it fairly frustrating to get the shots to lookthe way I wanted them to look in the time that’s allotted. I am learning quickly about how this all works. It has definitely been challenging for me, but incrediblyeducational as a film maker.Q: There is a lot of focus on 3D movies atthe moment, were you ever tempted tomake ‘I Am Number Four’ in 3D?A: I wasn’t tempted and I was curious aboutwhy I wasn’t asked to, I figured someonewas going to bring it up eventually, but weare an IMAX movie, we are not in 3D andI am really happy. I think certain movieslend themselves to 3D and you have to do it right - and not in the conversionway. I was very happy not to have the

discussion about doing this movie in 3D.Q: If the movie does become a series, doyou want to stay with it or are you happyto step back into a producer role likeChris Columbus did on ‘Harry Potter’?A: If it does become a series I would beinterested in keeping it going. It’s funny, Ithink, sometimes, making a movie is likegiving birth - you scream, and you are inpain, then three months later you go ‘OK,it wasn’t that bad’. [laughs] So, ask me ina few months!Words - Brogen Hayes

I am number Four hits Irish cinemas on Feb 23rd

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MATT DAMON EMILY BLUNT

THEY STOLE HIS FUTURE. NOW HE’S TAKING IT BACK.UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND MEDIA RIGHTS CAPITAL PRESENT A GAMBIT PICTURES PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH ELECTRIC SHEPHERD PRODUCTIONS A FILM BY GEORGE NOLFI MATT DAMON “THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU” EMILY BLUNT ANTHONY MACKIE

JOHN SLATTERY MICHAEL KELLY AND TERENCE STAMP CASTING BY AMANDA MACKEY & CATHY SANDRICH GELFOND VISUAL EFFECTS

SUPERVISOR MARK RUSSELL ASSOCIATE PRODUCER ERIC KRIPKE CO-

PRODUCER JOEL VIERTEL MUSIC BY THOMAS NEWMAN EDITED

BY JAY RABINOWITZ ACEPRODUCTION

DESIGNER KEVIN THOMPSON DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN TOLL ASC EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ISA DICK HACKETT JONATHAN GORDON PRODUCED

BY MICHAEL HACKETT GEORGE NOLFI BILL CARRARO CHRIS MOORE BASED UPON THE SHORT STORY “ADJUSTMENT TEAM” BY PHILIP K. DICK

WWW.THEADJUST MENTBUREAUMOVIE.CO.UK SCREENPLAY BY GEORGE NOLFI DIRECTED

BY GEORGE NOLFI

IN CINEMAS MARCH 4

It’s certainly been a whirlwind year forDrogheda native Colin O’Donoghue. Not only did he land the leading role inpsychological thriller ‘The Rite’, he foundhimself starring alongside acting heroAnthony Hopkins and filming in Rome. The movie, based on journalist MattBaglio’s book ‘The Rite: The Making ofA Modern Exorcist, sees Colin play aseminarian sent to the Rome to enrol inan exorcism course. Here, the 29-year-oldactor, who cut his teeth on shows like‘Fair City’ and ‘The Tudors’, discussesworking with Hopkins, why he’s notmoving to Hollywood and the ratherunusual research he did for the film… Q: Tell us about ‘The Rite’?A: I play Michael Kovak, an Americanseminarian who’s at a loss with his faithand unsure if he wants to go ahead withhis vows. So he goes to Rome to enrol inthis exorcism course which brings up alot of doubts and struggles. He then getssent to Anthony Hopkins’ character FatherLucas, who mentors him in the ways ofbeing an exorcist. But Father Lucas isstruggling with his faith as well, so they gothrough a process of learning together.

Q: How was your first meeting withAnthony Hopkins?

A: I had to screen test with him in LAand I was really nervous. He had a bigbeard at the time and he looked somuch like my father in law that I feltinstantly at ease because he’s got a bigwhite beard as well.

Q: What did you learn working with him?

A: What could you not learn? He’s one ofthe greatest actors in the history of cinema.There’s a discipline and preparation youlearn when you’re working with peoplewho are so unbelievably gifted, you getto see how good it can be. One of thebig things I learned from Tony is thatpreparation is key. When you know yourwork inside out, you’re free to play as an

actor. I can’t fully put into a nutshell whatI learned from Anthony Hopkins, butmost of all, I got inspired to try to be abetter actor. Q: How did you research for the role?A: I read Matt Baglio’s book which hewrote based on his real experiences inRome. It tries to take an unbiased look atthe implications for psychological illnessor demonic possession. I read a lot ofother books about demons, angels andspirits, written by priests. Then when Iwas in Rome I went to some exorcisms.I was surprised by how normal it was for people. It was like watching a person with their therapist. The idea of seeingexorcisms was more daunting thanactually being there. Q: What happened during the exorcisms?A: It was different in every case. In theworst case, the person closed the doorbecause she didn’t want us to watch.We heard thrashing in the room andreally guttural, vocal noises. The blessingscan go on for some time. They have awhole Roman ritual where the priestplaces his hands on the person andrecites prayers.Q: Did doing the film change your personalviews on religion and faith?A: When you invest yourself in somethingand research it, you’re bound to raisequestions. Personally, I’ve got a healthyscepticism. There’s no proof for, or against.Q: Are you like your character in any way?A: He keeps himself to himself. Verymeasured and thought out in how hespeaks. In a sense that’s very much whoI am as well.Q: What makes The Rite different fromother exorcist-type movies?A: This is more a psychological dramathan a horror film. It’s not really a frightfest. It’s unsettling. [The director] MikaelHafstrom has orchestrated a real senseof tension. What sets it aside is a clever

The Rite is at cinemas from Feb 25th

and intelligent debate between scepticsand believers.Q: So was making a big Hollywoodmovie what you expected? A: Yes and no. It’s something I’ve aspiredto for years. To be shooting a film inRome and to see the scale of shuttingdown actual whole streets is an incrediblething. It’s difficult not to get overwhelmedby it. To have the opportunity to workwith actors like Tony (Hopkins), RutgerHauer, Ciaran Hinds and Toby Jones onthis was incredible.Q: How did you family react when yougot the role? A: My wife Helen was delighted. We’vebeen together 12 years since I startedacting - so she’s been there through allthe ups and downs. My parents havealways been very supportive. And workingon this, I felt more pleased for them thanmyself, just because of the support they’realways given me.Q: Are you prepared for fame if the film isa hit?A: I haven’t really thought about it. Ibecame an actor because I absolutelylove it. I can’t really do anything else.Q: Would you ever move to Hollywood? A: I like coming to LA and going toplaces for work. I’m from a big enoughtown in Ireland, but I think there’s only 37,000 people in my home town compared to millions in L.A. At theminute I’m happy to stay in Ireland andgo back and forth. My family and mywife are in Ireland. I love living there. I’ma bit of a homebody. I like to go for acouple of pints with my mates in mylocal pub. I also play the guitar and singwith my cover band The Enemies. Wedo a bit of funk, a bit of rock. The lads

came and played for the wrap party forthe film which was great. Q: Who are your Irish acting heroes?A; It’s hard to pinpoint. I always liked LiamNeeson, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell.Ciaran Hinds was one of the actors I aspired to work with and I got theopportunity in The Rite. Daniel DayLewis is incredible. Away from Ireland,there are tons of people I’d love to workwith and Tony was one of them. To behonest - he was one of my all timeheroes. I feel very lucky.Words - Ellie Genower

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SAM RILEY ANDREA RISEBOROUGH AND HELEN MIRREN

STUDIOCANAL FEATURES BBC FILMS & UK FILM COUNCIL PRESENT A KUDOS PICTURES PRODUCTION A FILM BY ROWAN JOFFE “BRIGHTON ROCK”

STARRING SAM RILEY ANDREA RISEBOROUGH ANDY SERKIS WITH JOHN HURT AND HELEN MIRREN CASTING SHAHEEN BAIGHAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER IVANA PRIMORAC COSTUME DESIGNER JULIAN DAY MUSIC SUPERVISOR IAN NEIL MUSIC COMPOSED BY MARTIN PHIPPS PRODUCTION DESIGNER JAMES MERIFIELDEDITOR JOE WALKER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN MATHIESON BSC CO PRODUCER PAUL RITCHIE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS JENNY BORGARS WILL CLARKE OLIVIER COURSONRON HALPERN JAMIE LAURENSON BASED ON THE NOVEL BY GRAHAM GREENE PRODUCED BY PAUL WEBSTER WRITTEN &

DIRECTED BY ROWAN JOFFE© [StudioCanal S.A]/UK Film Council/BBC 2010

FROM THE PRODUCER OF

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BASED ON THE CLASSIC NOVEL BY GRAHAM GREENE

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ET - The Extra-Terrestrial:A being so peaceful and full of love thatET could be called the Gandhi of moviealiens, or, for that matter, Jesus (which isan interpretation of Steven Spielberg’stale popular with chin-stroking film nerds). Out-of-this-world strengths: Making bikesfly; resurrection; psychic connections with humans; handy with makeshifttelecommunication devices.Mere mortal weakness: Can’t hold his liquorSuperman:What else is Kal El but a being from anotherplanet, dispatched by his father from theexploding Krypton to Earth to save theworld as only true heroes can: by becominga journalist? Oh, and that whole ‘fasterthan a speeding bullet’/ ‘Man of Steel’thing helps too.Out-of-this-world strengths: Flying; superhuman strength; looks good in a tight vest.Mere mortal weaknesses: Not great ondisguises, opting only for a pair of glassesand slicked hair for his civilian get-up;Kryptonite; appearing in shoddy sequels. Spock, Star Trek:Half-human, half-Vulcan, full-on Nimoy, Spockis the logical, rational member of theStarfleet. Pointed-of-ear, and capable of almost supernatural detachment andcalm, Spock is the Barack Obama of popcultural alien life (although right winggroups in the US are now eager to provethat Obama himself is an alien from thePlanet Africa).Out-of-this-world strengths: Brains; dabhand with a phaser; progressive views onopposite sex interaction; reported abilityto stop out-of-control Monorail trains inSpringfield (didn’t he?).Mere mortal weaknesses: Not powerfulenough to out-ham William Shatner. Thenagain, no mortal is.Celeste in My Stepmother is An Alien:Other-wordly being Celeste is sent downto Earth on a secret mission to find out if

humans had anything to do with a gravitysucking attack on her home planet. Shebecomes involved with a widowed fatherand his young daughter (played by Willowfrom Buffy) and goes on to discover allmanner of earthly pleasures.Out-of-this-world strengths: Looks like KimBasinger; magic purse that can creatediamonds and fancy gowns.Mere mortal weakness: Acts like KimBasinger; has sex with Jon Lovitz.Ford Prefect, The Hitchhiker’sGuide to the Galaxy:Mistaken for an out-of-work actor, Ford isactually an alien (Betelgeusian race, if you’rewondering) who came to Earth to researcha travel feature for The Hitchhiker’s Guide.After 15 years, he accompanies his humanpal Arthur Dent on the Vogon constructorships back to the galaxy, explaining much ofthe weird goings-on to Arthur along the way.Out-of-this-world strengths: Has managedto stay sprightly for a 200-year-old; at onepoint took the form of Mos Def.Mere mortal weakness: Not able to pronounce his own real name, whichcaused his father to die of shame.Doctor Who:It’s easy to forget that this perpetual timespace continuum-botherer is an alien whohas regenerated into different human formson 11 occasions.Out-of-this-world strengths: Magic policephonebox-type transport known as theTARDIS; ability to attract a bevy of beautifulassistants including the singer of ‘BecauseWe Want To’ and, erm, famed chavteenager Lauren.Mere mortal weakness: Friendship withone of Earth’s most annoying specimens,John Barrowman.The Solomons, Third Rock fromthe Sun:A team of four alien researchers cometo Earth to investigate human behaviour,posing as a loft-living family in Ohio.They take human form in the form of

Paul hits Irish cinemas on Feb 18th

Earth renowned scenery chewer John Lithgow,Amazonian blonde Kristen Johnston,adorable nerd (then and now) JosephGordon-Levitt, and some other guy whoserves as a channel to communicate withtheir alien overlord, The Big Giant Head(William Shatner, again, wahay!).

Out-of-this-world strengths: Collectivelystrong on physics and engineering.

Mere mortal weakness: Basic humaninteraction; teen hormones.

Gordon Shumway aka ALF:Ginger-furred Gordon - aka ALF (Alien LifeForm) - crash-lands on Earth and is takenin by the Californian Tanner family until hecan fix his spaceship to return to the planetMelmac. Bored hiding out, and curiousabout the world, Alf is constantly committingjapes and pranks, eating the Tanners outof house and home, and pursuing hisdeath row dinner: Lucky, the family cat.

Out-of-this-world strengths: Has eightstomachs and a heart for a brain.

Mere mortal weakness: Cats; bad relations- in reality - with his human co-stars.

Roger the Alien, American Dad:Rescued from Area 51 by military dad Stan

Smith, effete, camp, sarcastic, selfish, amoralRoger ostensibly lives in peace on planetEarth, but he’s also known for his temper,capacity to hold grudges, and occasionaldictatorial tendencies. He’s also led the mostfascinating life, having done everythingfrom fighting for the Viet Cong in theVietnam War, and killing Notorious B.I.G.

Out-of-this-world strengths: Gifted at roleplaying and conjuring disguises to analmost sociopathic degree.

Mere mortal weaknesses: Alcohol; drugsof every description; junk food; TV.

Mork, Mork and Mindy:Nanu-nanu! Arriving on Earth in an egg-shaped pod from the planet Ork,rubber-faced alien Mork is on a mission toinvestigate Earth and report back to hissuperior Orson, all through the prism ofhis adventures living with dorky brunettemusic shop owner Mindy.

Out-of-this-world strengths: Comic voicesand impressions, including an uncannyRobin Williams.

Mere mortal weakness: Mork wouldeventually become a naturalised citizen andgo on to make Patch Adams. Shazbot!

Watch our interviews with Simon Pegg & Nick Frost on Movies.ie

 

Want more? Irish cinema website Movies.ie is updatedevery day with movie news, features & competitions. Hereare some highlights to discover on Movies.ie this month

OSCARS 2011Log onto Movies.ie on Oscarnight for our live blog. Chatto other users & find out whowins, live as it happens.

I AM NUMBER FOUR Check out our interviewswith cast members DiannaAgron, Teresa Palmer &Alex Pettyfer on Movies.ie

WIN THE TOWNON DVDWe have copies of thecritically acclaimed THETOWN from Director/StarBen Affleck to give awayon Movies.ie this month.

ATTEND PREVIEW OF ANIMAL KINGDOMANIMAL KINGDOM tells the story of seventeen year-old J(Josh), as he navigates his survival amongst an explosivecriminal family and of the detective who thinks he can savehim. The movie stars Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton andGuy Pearce.

Win tickets to our exclusive advance preview screening.Check out the competition on Movies.ie this month.

FEBRUARY EDITION

CERT TBC

IN CINEMAS MARCH 4