It has all the makings of a perfect tweenage film: two Disney channel stars, one music-obsessed social outcast, a lot of angst and “indie” references, and “rockin’” musical numbers. The problem: we’ve seen it all before. Summit Entertainment’s Bandslam tells the story of Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), a misunderstood outsider who moves to Lodi, NJ and discovers that, unlike his old school, Martin Van Buren High’s students love music.
The school’s social ca lendar revolves around Bandslam, a talent competition where the winning band receives a professional recording contract. Through a random- never explained- encounter, once-popular-now-emo Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka) asks Will to be her band’s manager and help them win Bandslam with his “awesome” indie music knowledge. Also thrown into the plotline is Will’s budding romance with semi-gothic and monotonic Sa5m (“the five is silent”) played by Vanessa Hudgens.
The failure in Bandslam lies in the fact that it cannot decide what type of film it wants to be. One minute it’s a comedy, then a musical, then a drama. While elements of these genres can be used successfully together, it’s an impossible feat when you have Vanessa Hudgens playing a pariah in the movie. As Sa5m, she proves yet again, that she cannot act nor sing nor be of any use. Additionally, newcomer Gaelan Connell lacks depth and likeability in his portrayal of Will. In fact, there is not one strong performance from the lead roles. Instead, the movie is saved by its supporting cast. Bandslam lacks the star power and talent to reach the top of the charts.
With the box office success of her latest flick, Obsessed, Beyoncé Knowles proves that there is nothing she cannot accomplish. Deemed as this year’s Fatal Attraction, Obsessed tells the story of Derek Charles (ldris Elba), a recently promoted asset manager, and his perfect life with wife Sharron (Beyoncé). When a seductive temp named Lisa (Ali Larter) begins working at Derek’s firm, his perfect life is thrown into chaos. What begins as harmless flirting turns into dangerous stalking when Lisa becomes obsessed with Derek. After Lisa attempts suicide and tries to steal the Charles’ baby, it’s up to Sharron, the not-so-typical housewife, to take care of Lisa once and for all.
SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, featuring direction by Julie Taymor (Across The Universe, Frida, The Lion King on Broadway) with music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge (from U2) will be holding open casting calls at major cities across the country starting next week.
SPIDER-MAN is seeking principals and understudies for the roles of ‘Peter Parker,’ ‘Mary Jane,’ and ‘Female Lead Villian.’ The production is looking for performers with dynamic rock/pop voices including those with experience in bands and as solo performers. Regardless of experience, anyone who thinks they might be qualified is encouraged to audition.
ORLANDO, FL (Thursday, April 9; 10 AM – 5PM)
Orlando Marriott World Center
8701 World Center Drive
Orlando, FL 32821
NEW YORK, NY (Monday, April 13; 10 AM – 5PM)
The Knitting Factory
74 Leonard Street
New York, NY 10013
LOS ANGELES, CA (Saturday, April 18; 10 AM – 5PM)
Hollywood United Methodist Church
6817 Franklin Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90028
SEATTLE, WA (Monday, April 20; 10 AM – 5PM)
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
CHICAGO, IL (Thursday, May 7; 10 AM – 5 PM)
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
AUSTIN, TX (Wednesday, May 27; 10 AM – 5 PM)
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
The Roles and Understudies:
PETER PARKER – Male. 16-20’s. Must have a great rock tenor voice. Can be nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.
MARY JANE – Female. 16-20’s. Beautiful girl next door. Strong pop/rock singing voice required.
LEAD FEMALE VILLAIN – Female. 25‐35 years old. All ethnicities encouraged. Must have an amazing rock voice. Think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek twist. Foreign and/or world music types are great. Foreign accents are great.
If you’re a guy, go get a Fife! No your eyes didn’t just deceive you, that says Fife. In “I Love You, Man”, the irresistible companionship between Peter Klaven and Sydney Fife (portrayed by Role Model’s Paul Rudd and Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s Jason Segel) is enough to draw you in and care for two likeable losers. The chemistry between the two gives the viewer a real sense of friendship. Both actors carefully assess their characters and turn what may feel like cliché type roles into their very own original performance.
The laughs are present throughout and the film even delivers some laugh out loud moments. While it is vulgar, it is used within the boundaries of this type of movie. You may feel like you are easily watching another Judd Apatow film, and while his usual players in Paul Rudd and Jason Segel star, it is director John Hamburg who steps in and takes a script in which he co wrote and crafts one of the funniest comedies to come out so far this year.
The dialogue is extremely witty and the delivery of the leads and the supporting actors such as SNL’S Andy Samberg,Juno’s J.K. Simmons, The Cone Head’s Jane Curtin, My Name is Earl’sJaime Pressley, and Actor/ director of Iron Man; Jon Favreau. Everyone has memorable lines to work with and when you leave the theatre you are bound to use some of the terms that are used in the movie. This is the kind of movie that entertains, while elevating standards for raunchy comedies.
I Love you; Man is full of heart and may just be the type of movie that can put a big old smile across your face. Give this one a try and I promise it will not disappoint because to tell you the truth… I loved it, man!
I Love You, Man-An Interview with Paul Rudd and John Hamburg
How much of your own experiences are reflected in the film?
John Hamburg: Well there are some certain things in the movie that I would definitely say are not my own experiences, things that Sydney has in the man cave and other things. I think the idea of some awkwardness or some miscommunications or when you make a dude friend and you don’t know whether to give him a hug goodbye or shake his hand you know that kind of stuff certainly I go through on a daily basis it’s day
Paul Rudd: John’s wife does make a summer salad.
JH: She’s made a summer salad. We don’t watch Chuck a lot together but we’ve been known to do a summer salad.
Your original concept for the movie, Let’s Make Friends, came five years ago. The timing now is perfect with shows like Bromance. The whole concept of male bonding is very on the conscience. Had this had been done five years ago, would the climate been right or was this a perfect coincidence?
PR: I know that when we were filming the movie, none of us had ever even heard of the term “Bromance.” It seems to me it kind of came in the last few months. We shot this a while ago. I know that when I read it a year and a half ago, I remember thinking I can’t believe that this type of movie hasn’t been made already. It seemed to be a pretty straightforward story and one that is relatable whether it is recent or five years ago or whatever. I think everyone likes to classify something with the show Bromance. It’s a catchphrase that will drive everyone crazy in about two week before we move onto the next thing. It seems like its all come to fruition at this point. It seems like it to me anyway.
JH: It’s kind of a bizarre time. We didn’t plan it. The original idea was written way before anybody had heard “Bromance” or anything like that.
PR: Back when Brody Jenner was in short pants.
Besides the movie’s spin on typical male bonding, Andy Samberg’s character Robby goes against the stereotypical version of gay men. Was this a conscious creation?
JH: It was a conscious idea to take stereotypes and try to ignore them and just have people not be what you expect. Not be what you always see in movies or what is put on TV. Many people in the world are like Andy’s character, whatever their sexual orientation is. So the idea was that he just happens to be gay. It doesn’t define him in a certain way. It’s just who he is. He’s just a cool guy. Unlike Paul’s character, Andy’s character is just more comfortable in his own skin at the beginning of the movie
This is the third movie you have worked on with Jason Segel. How was this experience different?
PR: It was pretty great because we knew each other by this point. I met him during Knocked Up. We had a little to do together. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was just a few weeks and there wasn’t any thing scripted for the part I was playing. It was true playing off each other and getting to know each other. We were doing bits when weren’t shooting it and it was probably annoying to everyone else. I think it was nice in a way because when John cast both Jason and I this movie, I think we really felt as if we already we knew each other. I felt as if we were on the same page as to how we saw the film and our sensibilities. We had done so many stupid rifts as they were setting up lights during Sarah Marshall, it was just easier to seem like we were friends and we could do it in this one too. John said that one of the challenges in the beginning was when we were first getting to know each other. It didn’t seem as if we were familiar with one another even though we were already really good friends.
How much did you improv?
PR: You know bits here and there. The script, I thought, was fully realized and tight. An example would be when our characters are getting to know each other and we go out to have fish tacos and drink beer. We knew that we would be filming that all night but in the script we were just getting to know each other. So we knew that the conversation would be improvised. What you see in the movie, his Andre the Giant impression or just talking about hybrid animals, these are all kinds of things we were doing off the cuff.
Is that how some of the phrases like “Jobin” got into the movie?
JH: It was a combination. Some of the stuff was in the script and then some of it we came up with in rehearsal. Me, Paul and Jason would meet up in my office. I think that is how “Jobin” came.
PR: “Jobin” was in college. You’d say “Hey Jobin.” Another friend of mine would say “Shabe” which seemed just as arbitrary as “Dude.”
JH: Give Paul a little bit of film and a couple of minutes and he will come up with some of the stupidest phrases you’ve ever heard in your life and I mean that lovingly.
Do you find any similarities between Peter and some of the other characters you have played? For example, Josh in Clueless.
PR: I think that there was something about the character in Clueless that had a bit of optimism in that freshmen year of college where everything is new and you think you know more than you really do but you’re also open to lots of things. Ithink one of the things about this character, that was different than some of the other characters that I’ve played recently, I really like was a general optimism. The ability to speak how I feel and wear my emotions on my sleeve a little bit. And by the way, I think we have so many general ideas for “that’s a guy.” Guys like sport and they drink beer and they fart and girls dent understand them. Most of the guys I know, like my friends, do not fit into the macho mold. I think were somewhere in the middle. Clearly you can look at John and I right now and that’s obvious
JH: Two very handsome metrosexual men.
PR: John and I will sometimes say “Are you going to wear the gingham shirt because if you do, I’m going to go with a solid oxford.”
JH: It’s true. Often times, we’ll go to each other’s rooms and do a “getting dressed montage” like a Julia Roberts movie and try on different things.
PR: Sometimes I’ll take a picture on my computer in photobooth on my Mac and I’ll email it to John and ask if it’s a good outfit. We’ll iChat to look at each other’s pants.
In the movie Peter goes on a series of man-dates, what would you do on a perfect man-date?
PR: Here is an example where I would say I am somewhere in the middle. I would love to watch a series of football games on a Sunday but then I’ll still like to end the day with karaoke. I would like to eat a steak somewhere in the middle of it and a scotch. I don’t want it to be too hot but I’d like it to be a nice day, so if you want to walk around and maybe walk off the meal, you can. Maybe wakeup and have a good brunch, maybe a good breakfast. Say “Hey man meet me for an omelet.” This is a full day. If I’m going for a dream, I got to go for a full day. Omelets steaks, football and singing that’s my dream date.
How important was LA as character in the movie?
JH: LA way a very important element to me of the script because I wanted it to take place in a real city, not just anywhere USA.
PR: That just came out so wrong.
JH: Let me clarify, some movies take place in a made up city. So they’re just like “We live in Youngsville,” that is a real city. It could have been Chicago, Miami or Dallas. Just an actual place as opposed to a city we made up for the movie. Also LA is so spread out that is it hard to meet people like in a lot of cities in America. You get in your car. You go to work. You communicate with people over the Internet but not face to face. So I thought that would be a cool element of the story.
