John Boyega on “Attack the Block”: “A Mega Experience for Me”

In a recent interview, British actor John Boyega talked about the audition process for his first feature, the London-based Attack the Block, and if he’ll eventually make the leap to American movies.

“Attack the Block was the first thing I did so it was a mega experience for me,” Boyega recalled. “I got the call from my agent and he told me there was a film based in South London and it was about an alien invasion… I thought (the plot) was incredibly dumb but I still went to the audition. After that I just got recall after recall, it was a grueling process because they were, based on me, trying to match me with the other guys in terms of bonding and chemistry. I did 10 auditions and I finally got the part.”

Naturally, Boyega eventually came around on the plot, which centers around a gang that protects their neighborhood from alien invasion. “We got time to work on our character…” he explained. “It changed and got better as we moved along because I found friendships, I kind of had a vague vision of who was going to get cast and just based on chemistry and great acting ability from the other guys, there was so much talent in the room, but it was amazing, a great experience.”
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Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha Appearing in Eisenberg’s Off-Broadway Play, “Asuncion”

The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg’s new off-Broadway play, Asuncion, will bring him together with another recent box office star, Justin Bartha of The Hangover and its recent sequel. The two will play opposite one another in the dark comedy, about two roommates who let a Filipino man move in with them, when it begins at New York City’s Cherry Lane Theater later this year.

“Unless you’re Brad Pitt or one of five or 10 actors, you don’t really get a chance to play the kind of film roles you’d like to,” Bartha told the Los Angeles Times. “Theater is a good way to counterbalance that.”

Bartha and Eisenbeg, good friends of one another, also acted together in 2010 indie flick Holy Rollers, about two Hasidic drug dealers. Eisenberg also wrote Asuncion, which is due to be directed by Kip Fagan.

Of his recent successes with The Hangover franchise, Bartha said, “The big benefit to doing a project like that it is to have a bigger creative life. It allows me more room to do theater, which is the reason I started acting in the first place.”

Review: “Cowboys and Aliens”

Cowboys and Aliens has gotten a ton of hype thanks to director, Jon Favreau. He’s been everywhere pitching the movie, even having a star-studded premiere at Comic-Con last week.

Eben thought I’m totally bitter about not being invited, I won’t let that color my review. Because I liked it. It’s not going to win any awards but the film definitely lives up to its title, delivering not only cowboys and aliens but also indians, bandits and the best performance Harrison Ford has given in years.

The film starts off with Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) lying on the ground, waking up in the middle of nowhere with a metallic gizmo on his wrist. He’s got no idea where or who he is but he’s got no time to figure anything out because he’s soon surrounded by a gang of desperadoes out to kill him. A scuffle ensues (i.e., he kills ‘em all!) and, thanks to a preacher, finds his way to the town of Absolution.

In town, Jake watches Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano) bully the townsfolk, including the saloon owner (Sam Rockwell). When it’s Jake’s turn to get Percy’s rile, he doesn’t take too kindly to it, knocking him down within seconds. That puts him on the radar of the Sheriff (Keith Carradine) and Percy’s father, cattleman and unspoken leader of the town, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), who realize that Lonergan is a wanted man.

But when, out of nowhere, several alien ships swoop through town and snatch up a bunch of townsfolk, those matters are set aside. Lonergan and Dolarhyde gather up a posse and head out to kick some alien butt.

The film does have it’s faults, particularly Olivia Wilde‘s character. She is part of a major plot twist (which I won’t reveal) that doesn’t really have any pay off or explanation. When it happens, the film seems to brush it off within moments. And in the scene, she’s naked… so I was hoping it would last the rest of the movie.

Daniel Craig is perfect in the film as is Rockwell, who gives us a crowd-pleasing moment towards the end of the film. And like I said, this is Ford’s best role in ages. This is the kind of part I want to see him in! You can’t fault him for wanting to do films like Morning Glory or Extreme Measures but come on, he belongs in a hat battling evil. Midway through the film, he gives a speech to the little boy about being a man. It maybe lasts for 1 minute but for me, that was the best part of the movie. I could watch that moment over and over and never get tired of it.  For that one minute, I recommend this.

Eric Balfour of “Haven” Opens Up on the Pressures of a Cable Series

SyFy’s Haven sci-fi television series — which just started its second season this month –has been gaining fans even outside the typical Stephen King fan (the series is a loose adaptation of King’s novel, The Colorado Kid).  One of the reasons for this popularity of the shows is the shady Duke Crocker, played by Eric Balfour.  Balfour chatted with The Wall Street Journal about getting into character in a show that has a shorter season than the average network television series, and therefore less screen time.

Balfour explains that at first he didn’t have much input on the character, but after he became comfortable in the role he begin to help the writers craft the characters now. “In season one, we didn’t really know either. We were learning as we went. But as that season went on, we started taking our roles very seriously. We really care about them. The writers do allow us to [alter] them when the character feels incorrect.”  Surprisingly, Balfour says he prefers the show’s 13-episode season (standard for cable series) rather than a longer network season even though it adds pressure, pointing out, “The problem with a 22-episode season like with a network show, you have a lot of space to fill. You have to hold things back. Whereas, with 13-episodes, something has to happen every week. You don’t have room for a clunker and that’s the stressful part. We all really feel the pressure. When we read a script that’s not as good as it could be, it’s very frustrating because we’re the last line of defense. We’re the ones about to perform it and there’s nothing else we can do.”

Haven airs Fridays on SyFy Network.

Watch: Spider-Man’s Reeve Carney, Bono and The Edge in the Music Video for “Rise Above”

We’re still talking about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark?  The big Broadway musical that could is still in the news these days, selling lots of tickets despite so-so reviews and the fact that the “new and improved” safer show has more-or-less eliminated the what were once daily accidents that people seemed to buy tickets just to catch a possible glimpse of.  Maybe this Spider-Man kid has a future in showbiz after all.

Still, the recent strong ticket sales doesn’t mean the show — along with the recently released original cast recording soundtrack — couldn’t use a bit of promotion so in a rare move a music video of one of the show’s signature songs, “Rise Above 1″, has been created.  The video stars Reeve Carney, the on-stage Peter Parker, along with songwriters Bono and The Edge of U2.  In fact, you may not notice that the video is actually a duet between Carney and Bono since Carney sounds remarkably like the U2 frontman, which goes to show you that if his Broadway career doesn’t work out Carney could also make a few bucks in a U2 tribute band.  It also shows some behind-the-scenes footage of the cast soaring through the theater, and thankfully there’s no accidents here.  Although Bono and The Edge aren’t typically at the Foxwoods Theater performing with Carney, it’s a great way to promote the show (yet I’m pretty sure anyone who wants to know already knows that the U2 duo wrote the show’s songs).

Check out the new music video below!

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Everybody Needs An Accountability Buddy

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

One of the simplest and most effective ways to accomplish your goals is to rely on an accountability partner.  Checking in with a buddy about your daily actions, your weekly accomplishments, your monthly roadblocks, and your yearly goals will keep you on track and actually help you generate bigger results quickly.

My students often ask me, “Dallas, how do you get so much stuff done everyday?”  My answer is simple.  I have support.  I rely on my accountability buddy to help me prioritize my immediate goals, take smart actions daily, and most importantly, celebrate the process.

Believe it or not, I have three accountability partners.  That’s right, three.  I’m a big believer in the power of teamwork.  So,  I guess you could say that when it comes to accountability, I take a “more is merrier” approach.  Now, you do not need to have three different accountability partners.  Unless, of course, you want to.  Instead, why don’t you pick the type of partnership that feels like the best fit for you.
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Dominic Cooper’s Dual Roles In ‘Devil’s Double’

Devils’ Double is just days away from making its debut at the box office, opening in LA and NYC on July 29th (it goes wide on August 5th).  The film is directed by Lee Tamahori and judging by the trailer the action drama looks like a must see with actor Dominic Cooper pulling double duty.

Playing two different characters in the film, Cooper, who just appeared in Captain America, is tackling both the on-screen portrayal of Saddam Hussein’s playboy son, Uday Hussein (aka The Black Prince), and Latif Yahia, one unfortunate Iraqi army lieutenant brought in to play his body double.  Not an easy feat!

Based loosely on a true story, Cooper’s switch from the brutal Uday, and that of Latif, a good guy who gets caught up in the evil world of murder, illegal dealings and more, will be brought to the big screen using new and old tricks of the trade.

Speaking out about techniques and using the same actor for two roles, director Lee Tamahori shared that “there’s really no road map for doing these twin-shot movies. You can talk to the technical people about how to do it and we looked at what other people had done, but I was adamant that really the most important thing was to separate the two characters so completely that people would believe they are watching two characters, not one actor playing two parts.”

The experience was also new to Cooper, who used different voices to draw a distinction between both Uday and Latif.  To show the difference between his two alter egos Cooper was also suited up with prosthetics, fake teeth and makeup to play both parts.  Sound recordings were also used, so that the dialogue exchanged between the two characters were timely, and believable.

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Eric Stonestreet on ‘Modern Family’ fans: “I hope they understand that I’m an actor playing a character”

Perhaps the only downside of Modern Family’s successful two-year run on ABC has been that the show’s Eric Stonestreet has to break the news that he’s not gay to disappointed fans of his flamboyantly homosexual character, Cam.

“That’s the sort of thing I’ve got to stop caring about,” Stonestreet told Halifax, Nova Scotia’s The Chronicle Herald for a recent story. “People are disappointed sometimes but I hope they understand that I’m an actor playing a character. They love the character and they might like me too if they give me a chance.”

The 39-year-old takes cues from his mother in playing Cam, an openly gay man who lives with his partner and their adopted daughter on the popular comedy, which centers around three related families living in southern California.

“The thing I found that was familiar was my mom and how my mom acts and talks and sounds and reacts,” he explained, saying that he quickly found the mixing of her mannerisms and his large body type “would work in opposition perfectly.”

His Modern Family role certainly wasn’t an easy transition from his pre-sitcom days, when he appeared on dramas like The West Wing, NCIS and CSI. “The year before Modern Family I think I killed three people on TV,” he laughed.

Steve Carell Kicks into “Another Gear” for “Crazy, Stupid, Love”

Crazy, Stupid, Love star Steve Carell opened up about his leading role in the upcoming flick and how his big-screen stardom has surpassed his initial expectations.

“I always thought I’d be a quirky character actor or I’d be the offbeat secondary supporting character,” the 49-year-old told the paper’s Bryan Alexander.

Over the past half-decade or so, Carell has become a consistent box-office draw with hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dan in Real Life and Date Night. As the lead in his latest romantic comedy, the former star of NBC’s The Office has certainly carved out a niche for himself much bigger than that of a quirky supporting character.

“It’s just another kind of character to play,” explained the very versatile Carell, who’s played everything from suicidal scholar to blockheaded TV weatherman over the course of his film career. “It’s just another gear.”

Trailer: “Tower Heist” starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Michael Pena, Gabourey Sidibe

Tower Heist: After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them.

Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy,  Casey Affleck,  Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Pena, Gabourey Sidibe, Nina Arianda

In Theaters: November 4th, 2011

 

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