'Dark Tide' Clip: Shark Jumping With Halle Berry
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/07/dark-tide-clip-shark-halle-berry/
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We explore what lessons Christopher Nolan should learn in The Weekly Rising.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
Christopher Nolan
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty
We stand a little over four months away from the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises." The pressure on Nolan to deliver in an incredible experience compounds with "Rises" because, not only is he making a film about one of the most iconic heroes of all time, but he's following up one of the most successful movies ever.
"The Dark Knight" changed the game. It was a complex, gritty and heady superhero ensemble piece, the likes of which had never been seen before in the genre. Following an act like "The Dark Knight" requires an equally if not more confident move by Nolan and his team, one that's as ambitious yet still satisfying.
With the last film, Nolan cracked the code of the Batman movie, so here are some of the lessons he'll need to carry over to make "The Dark Knight Rises" just as memorable.
Keep it dark
Joker smashed a pencil into some guy's face. Then, he burned a guy alive on top of a pile of money. Rachel Dawes blew up mid-sentence. "The Dark Knight" went, well, dark and never made a big fuss about it. How bleak did any of the Marvel Universe films ever get? Sure, Bucky fake died. That was sad ... kinda. Nolan's world distinguishes itself by going there and making it feel natural. With only the close left, now is not the time to pull punches.
Don't have too many villains
It isn't necessarily my position that "The Dark Knight" featured too many villains. That was a general complaint made about adding Two-Face near the end; many said he didn't get his due respect. While I mostly disagree, there's something to that. If the villain in "Rises" turns out to be a surprise — as many predict it will be — the twist can take a lot of the impact out of the ending. We won't be as invested in that character's fate if he or she was revealed as an antagonist just 10 minutes before. If Nolan wants to surprise us with a villain, he should do it early and not put so much weight on the reveal.
Don't dumb it down
"Dark Knight" had a lot going on. Batman was hunting the Joker. Harvey and Rachel were pursuing Gotham's crime syndicate and citing conspiracy law. Gordon dealt with balancing his professional responsibilities with his wife's requests to not fake his own death. Even Lucius Fox struggled with the complex morality of helping Batman spy on everyone in the city of Gotham. It all seems like a lot, but the ensemble structure of the story added a complexity that has yet to be replicated in a superhero movie. Nolan never pandered to the audience or held its hand. He told a multi-layered story and let you figure out how the pieces fit.
Make it about something
Part of what made "The Dark Knight" complex was that its characters and their arcs presented ideas for the audience to mull over. It wasn't exactly "The Tree of Life," but Nolan managed to inject some philosophy into a movie about a guy who dresses up like a bat. The moralistic crux of the movie rested on Harvey Dent and his conversion to the dark side. All it took was a little push for the supposed incorruptible Dent to kidnap Gordon's wife and child. If Dent could go bad, what's Batman fighting for? "The Dark Knight" asked questions about its characters, which surprisingly enough, doesn't happen in many movies.
Make it about Batman
If "The Dark Knight Rises" is going to be the last we see of Nolan's Batman, we better get a lot of him. With "The Dark Knight," Nolan made the choice to also focus on all the people around Bruce Wayne, but for the conclusion, he'll have to narrow the iris and keep the camera locked on the Caped Crusader. For his final bow, something must be said about Batman, what he does and why he exists. Gary Oldman has said repeatedly that Nolan would never make a movie without having something to say. The director clearly has a deep respect for the hero and has made two movies trying to earn ours. "The Dark Knight Rises" will be his closing arguments.
What other rules should Christopher Nolan follow in making "The Dark Knight Rises"? Leave your comment below!
Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
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'Over the last decade, March has been a hotbed for animated releases,' industry analyst tells MTV News.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
A scene from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"
Photo: Universal Studios
Taylor Swift can now add "box-office champion" to her list of accolades. "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" scored huge numbers at theaters this weekend, ending up with an outstanding $70.7 million take and the biggest weekend of 2012 so far.
Dr. Seuss' little environmentalist surpassed all expectations on the way to its record-breaking bow; the film also contributed to a solid weekend on the whole, with ticket revenues up 27 percent from the same period last year.
With stars like Swift, Zac Efron, Ed Helms and Danny DeVito populating the cast, "The Lorax" not only had the benefit of being the first big-budget family release of the year, but also one with major stars.
Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told MTV News that March has recently been a month made for strong animated openings, so the success of "The Lorax" isn't exactly shocking.
"Over the last decade or so, March has been a veritable hotbed for animated releases. In fact, six of the top 10 March debuts have been 'toons," Bock said. "Universal certainly had already been witness to the success of 'Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!' which went on to gross over $150-plus million after a March 2008 rollout. So is this a surprise? Not really."
The success of "The Lorax" could potentially bode well for the rest of 2012's box-office prospects, especially with such big releases slated for the rest of the year. "The box-office surge of March should continue, as 2012 is packed with promise," Bock said. "The real question is whether or not summer will live up to expectations; those four months can make or break the entire year. With the triple threat of 'The Avengers,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'The Dark Knight Rises,' I certainly like our chances."
Check out everything we've got on "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
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Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias
<P>Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most <i>theatrical</i> era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s. </P><P> </P><P>Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout <i>Animal</i> album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much <i>everything</i> else. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:652875" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it." </P><P> </P><P>So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc. </P><P> </P><P>"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it." </P><P> </P><P><i>What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>
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'He's a bit of a wiseass, and he thinks he's above them all,' Neal McDonough tells MTV News about playing the bleach-blond big bad on the show.
By Josh Wigler
Neal McDonough on "Justified"
Photo: FX
"Justified" lawman Raylan Givens has faced no shortage of memorable nemeses in his days as a Lexington, Kentucky-based U.S. marshal: hoodlums with "four kidneys," an "apple pie"-brewing and weed-slinging mama crime boss, not to mention the born again and born again and born again Boyd Crowder.
But Robert Quarles? In a sea of backwoods Kentucky killers and thieves, this bleach-blond mobster may very well take the cake.
Television veteran and "Captain America" actor Neal McDonough has graced the FX drama "Justified" with his formidable presence for the show's currently airing third season, and viewers are better off for it — even if deputy Givens, the modern-day cowboy played by lead actor and producer Timothy Olyphant, is ruing the day that McDonough's Quarles first set foot in Harlan County.
"It's like two great chess players in the same room," McDonough told MTV News about this season's ongoing battle between Quarles and Givens. "We both learn about each other. We've done our background checks on each other. So we both know we're worthy opponents — but when we get in front of each other, it's pretty awesome, because we're on the opposite sides of the spectrum, but there's a respect level for what each of us does. We're both really good at what we do. But there's also that ultimate disrespect from both of us: 'Don't think you're going to beat me. I'll let you dance with me for a while, but I'm going to crush you.' "
Quarles has already dished out some crushing blows. In just eight episodes, the Detroit mobster has dropped by Raylan's home unannounced, executed the deputy's ex-wife's ex-husband (it's complicated), framed Raylan for the murder and set him up as a dirty cop. None of that mentions Quarles' other atrocities, such as fatally shooting a businessman and his secretary mainly to prove a point, as well as brutally torturing a prisoner while simultaneously fielding a phone call from his very young son. What kind of monster can commit such crimes, you ask? According to McDonough, a very funny one.
"He has a bit of a sense of humor," said McDonough, who has played other villains with significantly fewer wisecracks to their names, including those in "Walking Tall" and "Street Fighter." "This one, Quarles, his tongue is firmly in cheek in a lot of scenes. He's a bit of a wiseass, and he thinks he's above them all. To play that, and then have him unravel, trying to keep that veneer up, is what makes it really fun for me to play."
Indeed, the walls are closing in on Quarles. Raylan Givens is not his only obstacle: Quarles is now completely cut off from the Detroit crime syndicate he once worked for, and is starting to abuse the illicit pain pills he's been pushing in Harlan County.
"He's a lot like me in a lot of ways: a businessman, but family first," McDonough said of his character. "But Quarles gets addicted not just to the rush of power, but worse, to OxyContin. We all know how bad that gets when you're hooked on junk like that."
Just how bad will Quarles' addiction get? The actor teased, "The only thing I've asked of ['Justified' executive producer and show-runner] Graham Yost is that by episode 10 or 11, I'd like to be naked and hopped up on my own stuff. He goes, 'Already thought of that, trust me!' "
"Justified" marks the third collaboration between McDonough and Yost, having previously worked together on "Boomtown" and "Band of Brothers." In fact, Quarles was written specifically with McDonough in mind, said the actor, who added that he would happily work with Yost on any project, anytime, anywhere.
"If Graham Yost called me and said, 'I have a three-minute infomercial to shoot in Bulgaria, are you in?' I'd say, 'Yes, what time is the flight?' " he said. "Graham tells me what to do and I do it. He gives me the juiciest stuff I can imagine as an actor."
The juicy stuff isn't always cruel and unusual, either. McDonough teased an upcoming scene that shows a "beautifully altruistic" side of Quarles that he described as one of his top moments of the season.
"There's one scene in particular where a young boy comes into my trailer threatening to kill me," said McDonough. "How I disarm him, not just physically but emotionally ... it was maybe my favorite scene of the year. It's just simple, emotional, truthful acting. Graham lobbed it in the air for me and I hit it out of the ballyard for him."
In short, to say that Quarles is an astounding addition to the "Justified" rogues' gallery would be a tremendous understatement — and given where the character is headed in the back half of season three, it appears that we haven't seen anything yet.
"The first half of the season was great," McDonough said. "But the second half ... the second half is money. It's fantastic for me as an actor."
Freshly renewed for a fourth season, "Justified" airs on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1680686/justified-neal-mcdonough.jhtml
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'I'm fascinated by her,' Cowell says of singer, who's rumored to be contender to join show.
By Jocelyn Vena
<P>There are several women's names currently being tossed around as potential judges for the upcoming season of "X Factor." Avril Lavigne, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears are the leading rumored contenders to replace Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul for the show's completely revamped second season, which kicks off later this year. </P><P> </P><P>In a recent press call, Simon Cowell would not confirm who producers were talking to, but he did not deny that Jackson was on the table. </P><P> </P><P>"You can probably count on two girls," fellow judge L.A. Reid added. "That we can confirm." </P><P> </P><P>Cowell recently addressed the Britney buzz on Billy Bush's radio show, continuing to play coy about the chatter. "Well, I'm fascinated by her. The fact that she's still one of the most talked-about — not just pop stars, but people — in the world today means that you've got this star power. This girl's got resilience, and the fact that she's survived this and she's still hot, she's still having hit records and she's still controversial ... there's a reason for that. </P><P> </P><P>"I would think that if she's managed to sustain a family, a career, which is tough, this is a walk in the park," he added, noting that he believes she would be a good judge. </P><P> </P><P>While Cowell seems to be dancing around the issue, British "X Factor" judge Louis Walsh may have let the cat out of the bag in an interview on U.K. talk show "Craig Doyle Live." He shared that Spears was indeed talking to producers about possibly joining the show. </P><P> </P><P>"I know he is talking to Britney. I know he's definitely talking to Britney to do the American show. Absolutely true and maybe Janet Jackson," he said. </P><P> </P><P>In the end, Cowell summed up the current spate of rumors on that conference call. "There's a load of speculation, some true, some not true. It's true to say that a lot more people have entered the frame this year. We were waiting to see who was going to contact us before we actually contacted people," he said last week. "We're in that place right now, which is a good place to be in. We will meet a number of people over the next few weeks, mainly to explain to them that this is a big commitment when you do a show like this because of the mentoring aspect."</p>
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