I thought she was good in Lost in Translation as well as the Island. I also think she did a good job in The Spirit; keep in mind, The Spirit was supposed to be over-the-top comic-y and she fit well into that.
But I think she is one of those actors that some people like and some don't.
I think one thing that is important to consider is that an actor's performance can often times be at least partially attributed to the director. Some director's can get really good performances out of their actors by working with them and I think Jon Favreau is one of them. Sam Rockwell said that Jon knows how to communicate with actors so it makes the job easier (I think he said that anyway).
I'm not the least bit worried about her performance in the movie. I am slighlty worried about
WHAT!? I must have missed that, but that seems really weird to me. Hopefully it makes sense in context.
Back in 1976 if I was to tell you that Harrison Ford talks to a giant ape-dog hybrid we'd probably all have shaken our heads too. Then again that takes place in outer space so maybe it isn't the best example, lol.
WHAT!? I must have missed that, but that seems really weird to me. Hopefully it makes sense in context.
Back in 1976 if I was to tell you that Harrison Ford talks to a giant ape-dog hybrid we'd probably all have shaken our heads too. Then again that takes place in outer space so maybe it isn't the best example, lol.
Quote:
Rourke, for his part, wanted to instill some lightness into the role. "I told Favreau, 'I don't want to just play him as a one-dimensional p---,'" he says. "He let me have a cockatoo, who I talk to and get drunk with while I'm making my suit."
If you think you love Jon Favreau from a distance, try sitting next to him at a roundtable. (I know how fangirlish that sounds and I don't care.) Somehow, our seating arrangements switched up, and I ended up sliding into the chair next to him just as things got going. I think I can safely say we were both startled by that arrangement. For my part, I had just come from the Comic-Con floor, and was terrified the smell had rubbed off on me. To make matters worse, he smelled like cupcakes, sunshine, and expensive cologne. (I'm not the only one to remark on that, by the way. Jordan Hoffman did too!) But he is quite lovely to sit beside, and he's the kind of guy you really want to spend hours hanging out with. I mean, look to your right and see the nerdy shirt he was sporting! I do think that's the geekiest shirt I saw all week, and at Comic-Con that's saying something.
Below you'll find some Avengers hints, the lowdown on Mickey Rourke's cockatoo, and just why they rushed the footage to San Diego.
What do you most want fans of the comic book to know?
What do I most want them to know? Well, that we hear them. We're working from the same material that they're familiar with. We're going to stick with it in certain ways, and in certain ways we're going to change it, but we're not changing it out of ignorance. We're changing it as a choice to make it interesting, and maybe make it so they don't always know what to expect. I think that fans have been punished by studios that don't care, and they assume that when you change things, you don't know what you're doing, or you don't care about them. But sometimes, you do things -- sometimes you change it, like when you're telling a joke, to throw things off a little bit, and let there be some surprises when next May rolls around. Because with the level of curiosity, it's very hard to not open every Christmas present before the release date. And so we try to do things that might be unexpected. (Diesel note: HULK PLEASE ) I gotta tell you, all the secrets we thought we had the first time out, very few of them made it all the way to when the movie came out. I mean, that Nick Fury thing was out there on Ain't It Cool News less than a week after we did it. We shot with a skeleton crew, on a dark day, nobody knew about it, we thought we were so clever, and then everybody knew. But what we ended up doing was pulling that additional scene off of all the press prints, and we didn't put it out there until the film actually hit the theaters. What was funny was that there were people at Ain't It Cool News saying "I know it's true! Something's wrong! They did something!" And they never questioned it, and they were right. But it drove them a little crazy for awhile. It's a cat and mouse game that we play, often.
Jon, do you ever plan to give another film a chance at ComicCon? It's now 1, 2 ... it's just not fair for anyone else!
Well, last time we were fighting for a place at the dinner table. We had to Al Capone it a little bit. We were sandwiched there between, you know, Indiana Jones and Star Trek, you know what I mean? We were third class citizens. So we had to bring it with the footage. Then this time, it's like we did it -- from a marketing standpoint we didn't have to do anything here. The mainstream fans knew about us, they liked it, they would see it even if we made a piece of junk, it would do business. The franchise would be run into the ground, but this one would do well, and so, the marketing concern wasn't really first and foremost for us this year. What was more important was that these fans were the people who allowed the world to know about IronMan, and built an audience for us through their vocal advocacy online. We wanted to come here, and show them the first look, as opposed to getting it from some tabloid tv show or running an article. We wanted to really roll out the surprises here and show people what we were really thinking, because in a lot of ways, we felt we owed it to this group of people. Ultimately, if they're not satisfied, even if the film does well, I'm going to be bummed out, because I feel they put a lot of trust in not just myself, but the cast and Marvel. We wanted to make sure that they approved of the way we were going, and hoping to get an enthusiastic response, and I think we did. But that also helps me go into the editing room now, and work alone for the next ten months, and have that momentum of going from 6,000 people cheering to a dark editing room alone with an editor. It's a very surreal experience, and to continue that process, it's very strange, but also very gratifying.
You talked a little bit on the panel about IronMan and IronMan 2, and you talked about the stepping stones to The Avengers, and Thor. And then there was the joke between you and Robert about whether or not you would direct The Avengers How much of that is you kidding around, and how serious is it that you might do The Avengers?
Well, when we started shooting, there was no way I could direct The Avengers. And I was like, "Really? You're planning it so that I couldn't even if we wanted to?" And then how will you make The Avengers anyway, concurrently with the films that are supposed to establish the characters that are reflective of it? You don't know -- I don't know what IronMan 2 is yet. I'm not going to know for another eight months. You discover -- these movies are made through not just prepping them and shooting them, but by cutting them. Who is Thor? You won't know until you know what that movie is. Fortunately, they spaced out the films now, enough that they'll really have a deeper understanding, and a shot for all of these to be good films, and they're not rushing it. I think they're doing it the right way. And who they have hired for Thor so far, and are considering for other roles that I cannot share with you -- it's unfair to them! But I will say that it gets me very excited, and they're taking risks. I think that's what they said they would do when they formed their own studio. And if that turns out well, and if Cap turns out well, then I think you could have a killer Avengers. But you have to understand who they are and how they all fit together, because you're going to be changing the very fabric of the reality of the world that we created for IronMan when you introduce a supernatural character.
So does that mean that Hulk is not part of that discussion?
Again, I'm kind of on the sidelines of this. I would like to be involved in some way. I mean, right now? I have enthusiasm. In a year? It will have been four years in this world, not just making these movies, but really hewing out the tone and the world that these Marvel films occupy. We've been trailblazing. The trick is you've got to do films you're enthusiastic about. Right now, I'm very excited about finishing this one. Launching into the next one, I don't know right now, but I've got to say, so far it's been a great ride. If there's anything I could bring to it -- I will be involved as an executive producer for sure, and I will be helping with the whole process. But to live it for two years and bring all those things together, that's going to depend on the story and where Marvel wants to go with it.
These characters are so integrated. Kevin and you had talked about going up to see what Kenneth was doing, and he'd come down to see what you were doing. Is there a possibility that -- I don't know how Marvel deals with you guys on a day to day basis, but could this be a PIXAR type thing, where everyone works together?
Maybe. Hopefully, it is that. Certainly, everybody that I've encountered there have been very easy and fun to collaborate with. Kenneth Branagh could not be more different in his skills set than I am, and also more open and gracious. So, I think it does lend itself to that environment, and it's a small enough shop. Unlike a lot of studios where the executives are more politicians than creative entities, Kevin Feige, he really knows the stuff. He loves movies, we talk the same language, and I have a tremendous amount of faith in that guy. If he's the guy that's unifying those visions, I think it can be very interesting. I certainly want to stay involved with these guys, it's only been a pleasant ride so far. Knock wood, what's going to happen in the next year, but so far so good. I really like my life now, I like the amount of creative freedom, and how unexpected and unpredictable everything is from day to day. I mean, we're on a high wire, and we could do anything, and hire anybody. You know, I want to call Sam and see if he'll do this. So I call him up. Really? Yeah, come on man, do it! And he does the scene you saw today. Hey, you wanna -- do you want to do another? Really? Yeah, we'll figure out something for you. And we sculpt scenes and change them as we learn things about the characters. Or Mickey Rourke wants a pet. All right, let's get you a -- not a chihuahua! But I'd seen a picture of him with a cockatoo that he used to own. And so he's like, how about that? That's my favorite animal, and he's like, "Maybe it could humanize this guy." That wasn't something in the script, but how do you do it? It's always like, you want the freedom that Coppola brought to The Godfather, where Marlon Brando finds the cat on the set and is playing with it in that scene. What you don't want is Brando wearing an ice bucket on his head and Mini-Me. [laughs] And that's the balancing act.
My somewhat more experienced first girlfriend put it best: it happens to every guy.
In my three years covering San Diego Comic-Con I've always feared getting boxed out of a big ticket event. Today it happened - I did not see the Hall H footage of IronMan 2. I don't blame Paramount (they handed me a VIP pass) and I don't blame the Fire Marshall (if it ain't safe, it ain't safe.) The middle finger of fate has to flip at everyone sometime and today it was flipped at me.
On a more positive note, I was able to meet the cast and crew of IronMan 2 during roundtable interviews.
Scarlett Johansson bounded in full of spry energy. She was more petite than expected and was wearing a lovely cream colored dress with a giant black band around the waist. She spoke with tremendous confidence and excitement, hardly the neurotic character seen in many of her films.
She loved the energy from the crowd of Hall H and had never quite experienced anything quite like that, especially for a film that just wrapped two weeks ago. It is, indeed, true that she dyed her hair red for her second meeting with Marvel Producer Kevin Feige and director John Favreau. But she also wanted to experiment with red hair, so it wasn't THAT big of a deal.
It was Scarlett's mother who turned her on to the first IronMan movie. She thought, wow, if my Mom is saying I should see this, it must really be good.
Coming into the second movie was not difficult. Kevin Feige ensures that despite the films being so big, they feel like a small unit. When asked if the character, Black Widow, could ever be spun into its own franchise, she gave the smart answer: ask Kevin Feige. She made it clear, though, she's down for more.
And she loved how she looked in the costume. The first time it was all hooked up with all the weapons, many of the set workers who were fans of the franchise went nuts. When pressed, though, on how the costume felt she gave us just one word: warm.
Robert Downey Jr. sat next to us in pinstriped pants and a bebop hat.
He loves clowning around with Favreau on stage at Comic-Con.
He says some of the best stuff in IronMan 2 is the throughline with Nick Fury. It shows how Tony Stark is part of something bigger now. He also says Mickey Rourke is totally badass as Whiplash. Regarding Scarlett Johansson, he says they wanted to do something "freakier than a love triangle." Black Widow is a great character because she is not what she appears to be, and Pepper Potts is exactly what she appears to be.
Any and all Avengers questions get deferred to Kevin Feige. He thinks IronMan 2 is a good thing going and doesn't want to sully it for himself by worrying about big picture stuff.
The philosophy on set of IronMan 2, for him, was to be a worker among workers.
Queens was in the house when Jon Favreau sat next to us. I was shocked at how great he smelled. Scarlett Johansson didn't smell like anything, but Favs was delicious.
He knows his movies. He knows that, in a franchise, movie 1 is your origin and movie 3 is where, if you aren't careful, you get bogged down with too many surplus characters. He'll worry about that later - but he knows that movie 2 can be the sweet spot. You are already on board with your lead and can introduce new villains.
The two "number 2" films he holds up as success models are Wrath of Khan and The Empire Strikes Back.
For sequels, you have to go bigger. Make Alien into Aliens.
He's really excited about Mickey Rourke's performance and the technology of Whiplash. The ending of the film won't just be "two guys in robot suits hitting each other."
Robert Downey Jr. was key in getting Mickey Rourke on board. They talked quite a bit as they were "on tour" during awards season.
IronMan 3 is on the docket, but so is Avengers. Not sure which will come first. It still depends on how Captain America and Thor play out. But Marvel considers IronMan their flagship franchise and Avengers is the oasis down the line.
Kevin Feige, mastermind of Marvel movies, sat down sporting a Marvel ball cap and a big grin. He knew the footage rocked.
He knew making IronMan 2 would be tough because they had to top the last one plus they wrote themselves into a tight spot with Tony Stark admitting he was IronMan in the last scene.
Regarding changing up Rhodey with Don Cheadle (taking over for Terrence Howard,) Feige said that, ultimately, they improve the movie with Cheadle. There is great advancement for the War Machine character in IronMan 2. Something Feige wanted to "fix" for the new movie. The end battle will be more epic.
Regarding the current slate of Marvel Movies - they have multiple writers working at once. They take conference calls with one another - it isn't reinventing the wheel, it is "the Bullpen" all over again.
Nick Fury is the conduit through which all the characters connect. We're going to learn a lot more about Nick Fury in IronMan 2.
Is the Hulk in Avengers? "I think so. In the comics he is."
When asked if he was currently in a "good place" with Edward Norton, Feige demurred and said, "ask him."
We'll have news on Captain America casting in a few months.
Regarding Thor, 30% of it is set in present day.
Sam Rockwell took a seat and referred to working with this group as like playing with the All-Star team.
He considers the character of Justin Hammer to be a tremendous fan of Tony Stark who lets his obsession go sour.
The Hammer character is very different from the comics. "Isnt' he 70 years old and British?"
His first scene with Mickey Rourke was the first time he ever met him. Never even spoke on the phone. Rourke told Favreau he wanted the scene where they discovered one another to be a true discovery. They didn't even rehearse. They shook hands and rolled camera. The result, he thinks, brings real electricity to that scene.
In preparation for the character, Rockwell watched F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus, Gene Hackman in Superman, Jackie Gleason in The Hustler and Bill Murray in Kingpin. And he did a lot of study on guns.
Rockwell, too, says Favreau is an "actor's director." His goal is to always find truth. There is even truth in imaginary situations, it doesn't have to be sci-fi nonsense. How would you really react in this circumstance, is the question always asked.
He loves the positive response to Moon. He was worried it would play for two weeks and disappear and is jazzed this hasn't been the case.
Don Cheadle is a slick lookin' guy and spoke bluntly about needing to make the Rhodey character his own while respecting what worked well with Terrence Howard's performance.
The most interesting thing in his character, he felt, is the friendship with Tony Stark. Rhodey is a military man and Stark is working on the outside, but their respect for one another causes a great push and pull.
He congratulates Jon Favreau for being such a great "actor's director." Even with all the special effects, IronMan 2 is a human story. It was the characters that made the first film so memorable and successful.
Next up for Cheadle - trying to get his Miles Davis project off the ground. It isn't a traditional biopic with a cradle to grave narrative. When asked why he wanted to play Miles, he joked, "because of my heroin addiction." His publicist nearly fainted.
So, here's the two biggest things I took from that article.
Rourke may make it to the end of the film by the sound of it
Ah, the old Abe Simpson "Little from column A, little from column B" theory. Yeah, if I was a betting man I'd put money down on both as well. He did leave acting to get punched in the face for a living so he's probably not playing with a full deck.
Ah, the old Abe Simpson "Little from column A, little from column B" theory. Yeah, if I was a betting man I'd put money down on both as well. He did leave acting to get punched in the face for a living so he's probably not playing with a full deck.
Seeing as both he and Favreau agree about the cockatoo, I have faith it was a good decision. Guess we'll find out.
He considers the character of Justin Hammer to be a tremendous fan of Tony Stark who lets his obsession go sour.
[.....]
In preparation for the character, Rockwell watched F. Murray Abraham in Amadeus, Gene Hackman in Superman, Jackie Gleason in The Hustler and Bill Murray in Kingpin. And he did a lot of study on guns.
I like that idea about the obsesion going to far; sounds interesting. Also, great choices in movie villains, especially Bill Murray from Kingpin; that's hilarious.
I thought she was good in Lost in Translation as well as the Island. I also think she did a good job in The Spirit; keep in mind, The Spirit was supposed to be over-the-top comic-y and she fit well into that.
But I think she is one of those actors that some people like and some don't.
Back to the box office, I'm actually thinking that IronMan 2 will probably come close to The Dark Knight. The first IM obviously did better than Batman Begins (granted it was the first Batman movie after Batman and Robin). In any case, I bet it will do better than Transformers 2.
Back to the box office, I'm actually thinking that IronMan 2 will probably come close to The Dark Knight. The first IM obviously did better than Batman Begins (granted it was the first Batman movie after Batman and Robin). In any case, I bet it will do better than Transformers 2.
Hmmm, thats a tall order, coming close to TDK that is.
I don't think it will have a shot, I still think The Avengers will be the only superhero movie currently on slate to be able to mount a challenge for TDK.
IronMan 2 will clear $350million domestic easily though imo, I'd say probably close to $380 million. Unless hype goes up a lot before the release I wouldn't think it will crack $400million. But thats just me.
IronMan 2 will clear $350million domestic easily though imo, I'd say probably close to $380 million. Unless hype goes up a lot before the release I wouldn't think it will crack $400million. But thats just me.
i think it could top $400 mil., if it gets the same praise from the critics the 1st one did.
everyone who saw the 1st one will see the 2nd but if it gets great word of mouth and the critics like it, it will sky rocket!!
It's actually a great visual to imagine Rourke mumbling to a parrot while he's making his whips. It's also a great plot device to let the audience get some background on some of his motivation without having to cast the over-used cellmate that hears all the secrets and then gets killed when he escapes.
Oh and about the parrot, it's to show that he's more human and not a pure villain (you don't see the Joker doing that lol).
Yeah, I'm not sure if that is necessary with the bird but I trust Jon Favreau; above all else, Jon knows his commedy and how it fits in contextually withother thematic elements.
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) I gotta tell you, all the secrets we thought we had the first time out, very few of them made it all the way to when the movie came out. I mean, that Nick Fury thing was out there on Ain't It Cool News less than a week after we did it. We shot with a skeleton crew, on a dark day, nobody knew about it, we thought we were so clever, and then everybody knew. But what we ended up doing was pulling that additional scene off of all the press prints, and we didn't put it out there until the film actually hit the theaters. What was funny was that there were people at Ain't It Cool News saying "I know it's true! Something's wrong! They did something!" And they never questioned it, and they were right. But it drove them a little crazy for awhile. It's a cat and mouse game that we play, often.
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