Check out all our exclusive ‘Locked Down’ still photos and videos!

Looks like Rashad is fighting Rampage Jackson (Mr. T in the new A-Team Movie) on May 29th in Vegas!

Check out this on-set interview with the Former UFC – Light Heavyweight Champion!

Check out all the on-set still photos from ‘Locked Down’!

Check out our on-set Kimbo Slice videos!

Part 1 Part 2

In case you missed reading our exclusive interview with Daniel Zirilli (Director of ‘Locked Down’) here it is again:

Part 1 Part 2

5) When shooting fight scenes does the location play a role in staging the sequences?

For sure. I try to set the fights in interesting locations and stage them with the fight choreographer to utilize the setting. A couple examples: (Spoiler Alert) In the opening warehouse location, the actors flip a table, run through debris, Forrest picks up a pipe, knocks a gun loose from Tony, they fight, Forrest gets the gun and shoots a cop on the second level, flees up a 30 foot ladder and after a few punches, falls to his death. In that location- the floor was cement- so there was not as much “ground game” in the fight. Of course we had a stunt performer do the highfall… but I did hang Forrest upside down which was fun (not for him). In the case of “The Cage” in the prison- I asked for a layer of foam padding to be painted like the flooring, so the fighters could take wrecks and not get hurt. It’s always great to see the impact- and that made it possible, though for some of the crazy falls of course we had pads, and covered the scene in a variety of ways to sell each fall or wreck.

6) Tell us a little about the actors and fighters in the film, and how your direction changes for experienced actors versus the fighters who might be less experienced?

Vinnie Jones plays a crime boss, and he works in such an authentic way- his performances are amazing. We would talk briefly before the scenes and I gave him very minor notes- which he adjusted to perfectly. He never took the dialog in an obvious direction, and his threats were either charming or matter of fact– instead of over-the-top- and that gave his character so much more power. I just shot another film with Tony Shiena, who plays the wronged undercover Cop. Tony has that combination of acting and fighting chops- and Model good looks so these films (Locked Down and Circle of Pain) could break him to another level. Dwier Brown plays an evil prison guard- which is very against type for him. We have known each other for 20 years- he made a cameo in a music video I directed right after he played Kevin Costner’s father in ‘Field of Dreams’. I always try to remember the people who did me a solid and Dwier is an excellent actor… the same goes for David Fennoy – who plays Tonys cellmate and eventual trainer. I wrote the role for him- (along with writer Glase Lomond) as David played a similar mentor role in a film I directed called ‘Clash’- and he was legit in that too. He has that combination of heart and timeworn experience.

Bai Ling and I worked together on ‘The Lazarus Papers’ in Thailand and ‘Circle of Pain’ in Texas, and she loves traveling so did this smaller role as a favor. Bai plays a prison guard with some tricks up her sleeve and has an “interesting” scene with Vinnie Jones. Sarah Schultz plays a lawyer who comes to the aid of Tonys character, this is our first time working together, and like the other professional actors above- we can communicate very openly and make improvements to the characters as we shoot. The MMA fighters are mostly new to acting- but I try to help them deliver lines from an authentic place and keep things street and fight legit. Sometimes it’s a matter of explaining their marks and what the camera sees, and with the fight choreographers- explaining how to “sell” kicks and punches without connecting. (yes- there were a few “connections”). All of them worked hard on set and never complained no matter how many takes I wanted. Rashad Evans is very fluid and poetic in his style of fighting and he took a very “uncool” role. In one scene he gets his face smashed in creamed spinach- and he did it take after take even when I told him he did not have to until the close ups. He was that committed and I respect the man. Cheick Kongo is just the biggest, nicest guy around- and all the girls on the set loved him. He looks mean- but I had to push him to trash talk- because he is so polite in real life. Forrest Griffin has a very unusual sense of humor- and he really enjoyed firing guns more than the movie fighting – but he too did whatever I asked of him. Kimbo has one of the longest fights in the film and he would not even sit down between takes- it was that fight which made me realize how much strength and endurance these MMA guys have… and yeah- Kimbo is a prolific trash talker.

7) With your audience being subjected to more and more ‘real’ UFC/MMA fighting, how does that change or influence what you bring to the screen?

In ‘Circle Of Pain’, we tried to keep the fights (with Fight Choreographer Arnold Chon) very authentic to the sport- so we played by the rules and made the fights less flashy. But with ‘Locked Down’- we made a conscious effort to break the rules- in the prison setting anything goes- shanks, spitting, 2 against 1- flashy moves and kicks. Arnold Chon makes a cameo with his signature – spinning, flying kick… which looks great on film though in a real MMA match- it would be just too precarious to be realistic. Bottom line- it’s the STORY that gives the Fans something they do not get in a real fight, to see the MMA stars as characters who talk smack and fight in settings far outside their personas in the ring. I also loved the promotion MovieSet did for Beatdown- (I was one of the judges) where we had the fans submit clips of their fight game- and we picked unknown Kevin Mattson- for a cameo in the film. When I saw his audition- I went to bat for him because he is a diehard MMA fan, working his butt off in gravity boots upside down and staying cut as a young “Grandpa” and Martial Artist. The great thing about this growing sport is that it transcends language barriers, countries and time. People all over the world can relate to the physical demands of fighters- the heart and that Warrior spirit. Look at Heath Herring and Frank Mirs fights against Brock Lesnar- they may have lost but they never quit! It’s hard for me to watch those fights again now that I’ve worked with them- but I really admire their amazing resilience. They have to dig down deep to keep going and not tap out. I watched the Mir/Lesnar fight with Arnold Chon, Rudy Youngblood, and Wesley Snipes- all Warriors- and when Frank smiled after taking a pounding that we did not think anyone could withstand- the room erupted. And BTW- Frank Mir was looking better than ever when I shot him in Las Vegas for ‘Circle of Pain’. Very Focused… Never count Mir out. Fighting as a sport and martial arts have roots from the beginning of time, to the gladiators, to the UFC, Pride, and beyond. Fighters like Rashad Evans Heath Herring, and other MMA stars who take acting seriously- can become the next wave of international Action stars. And they have the street credibility and true action figure status to back it up. Besides- they are fun to watch.

Daniel, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions and we look forward to seeing/featuring more of ‘Locked Down’ on MovieSet!

And thank you MovieSet- it’s important to have a place to promote and discuss movies- especially to help the smaller films connect to the audience. I’d also like to thank Grindstone, my producers, cast, crew and fighters for their hard work- and I welcome correspondence via www.popartfilmfactory.com

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us and our MovieSet audience, we really appreciate it! Let’s get right to it:

1) How did this project (Locked Down) and the other MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) films (Circle of Pain, Beatdown) you are shooting come to you?

I developed ‘Locked Down’ from scratch, along with about 10 other Action / MMA projects, written in collaboration with two of my main co-writers, Glase Lomond & Bobby Mort. I have been working with (distributor/executive producers) Barry Brooker and Stan Wertlieb at Grindstone for years, and they wanted to do a slate of films with me in this genre, so they choose 5 (with the help of Ryan Black) and I connected with various producers to help get them made. ‘Locked Down’ is the third film “in the can” from this slate – after ‘Circle of Pain’ – which I directed, and ‘Beatdown’ which I executive produced (directed by Mike Gunther)…. the next two are Action/Westerns, and most of the rest will get made someday. I look at these MMA/Action films as a new genre- combining real actors with real fighters who are action stars already to their fans.

2) How and when did Kimbo Slice get involved in the film?

Kimbo Slice is an Internet legend of course, and I have a deep urban music video background, so I have been wanting to put Kimbo in something for a while now (as did Barry Brooker) so I went after him first. I heard Kimbo was really hard to nail down for films because he had a bad experience on another one, and he is so focused on fighting. After much correspondence with his manger – Icey Mike- I got a text to meet them in Hollywood at midnight. I did, and Kimbo heard me out- we shook on it- and we have done two films together so far and now have a great working relationship. Kimbo takes direction well, is very tough and gave me his all.

3) What was your biggest challenge while shooting ‘Locked Down’?

Half the battle on this film was getting it started. We had several scheduling delays, and originally were going to shoot the film in New Orleans so I prepped and re-wrote the script for specific locations in N.O. – so when we switched countries (to Canada)- I had to re-prep and revise the script- and deal with the snow and cold of Winnipeg and make that work for the project. (We did end up shooting the Kimbo sequence in New Orleans- because of scheduling and I gave him my word that we would not change the date). I usually shoot in places like Thailand, Tahiti, or The Florida Keys (read: warm and tropical) so shooting in Minus 32 (with a 40 plus wind-chill) was brutal for cast and crew and we did have some delays with the RED cameras shutting down in the cold. One time I left my coffee in the truck, came back and it was literally a frozen block of brown Ice. That kind of cold slaps you in the face and hurts in new ways that I have not felt before. But the crew in Winnipeg was solid.

On the first day – even though it was snowing- we still were able to get the first shot off (an Exterior) just 37 minutes from call time- and shot 87 set ups that day (a new record for me). Half of our day was outside and the other in an unheated industrial building shaped like a giant freezer. We had a swat team, shoot outs, a drug deal, a fight (with Forrest Griffin and Tony Schiena) and stunts with a High Fall, etc – all in one day! Day 2 a blizzard came in and shut down the last two hours, and Day 3 was almost cancelled, half the crew was stranded or delayed on the way to set in Selkirk (an hour away), so everyone was given the choice- they could stay home, go back home through the blizzard, or show up whenever they could. I just started shooting with whatever elements arrived and eventually almost everyone and everything showed up and we made our day. So it was tough- but so was my crew.

4) Does a shorter shooting schedule help or hinder your process?

I would love more time to shoot these films- I had 2 second unit days and just 13 days of principal photography to make an action film with weather issues! BUT- I am very focused and committed to keeping things on budget and on schedule. Once the parameters are set- I play within the lines- which means doing the readers digest version of some scenes and narrowing down the story to its key elements. I edited the first hundred music videos I directed- so I know what I need to shoot in order to cut a scene- and what I do Not need. On these schedules- I can’t shoot all the angles and lenses and coverage I would if I had more time – but I make sure the scene “Works” and “Tells the Story” before I move on. With more time and money there would be more toys and more fancy camerawork- but the “Through-Line” trumps all- so the audience can follow the story, cares about the characters and stays connected to the plot. This was my first film working with cinematographer Samy Inayeh- and he was fantastic and fast, so I feel like we made a great little genre film with an artistic look. Samy shot another film for Grindstone called ‘Unrivaled’ and I loved the look- so I reached out to him. In Music Videos- I have worked with some of the greatest cinematographers early in their careers – Mathew Libatique (Iron Man) Ericson Core (Fast and the Furious) Jeff Cronenweth (Fight Club) and Samy could be on a similar path. ‘Locked Down’ had a hard timeline- but it was worth it. And BTW- we kept 100% on schedule and wrapped 1 minute early :-).

Check out Part 2 of our interview with Daniel Zirilli tomorrow!

Expect more stills and videos from ‘Beat Down‘ to continue the documentation of this MMA-powered action flick coming from Grindstone/Lionsgate Home Entertainment including veteran actor Danny Trejo answering your questions and video clips from MMA video contest winner Kevin Mattson’s on-set experience.

Bobby Lashley stars as Lucius in BEAT DOWN.

via Bobby Lashley – Beat Down Stills – MovieSet.

Synopsis:

21-year-old Brandon has a problem: the mob wants him to pick up his dead brother’s substantial tab, and he’s stuck in a dead-end town. His only option is to literally fight his way out of this predicament. Making friends and enemies along the way, he starts to realize that what he’s really fighting for is the opportunity to bring fulfillment to his life and the ones he loves.

Kevin and Heath 'The Texas Crazy Horse' Herring on-set of Beatdown

MovieSet is proud to introduce Kevin Mattson (@kevinmattson), the MMA Movie Star Video Contest Winner, a ‘Beat Down‘ cast member, and all around inspirational guy.

After traveling with his wife, Lisa, down to Austin TX and shooting his scenes for the upcoming Lionsgate Home Entertainment release ‘Beat Down,’ Kevin shared his experience with us, saying:

“I want to thank, LionsGate, Movieset.com, all the sponsors, judges, & everybody that was involved in putting this MMA Movie Star video contest together! This awesome and rare opportunity was a chance of a lifetime… Thank You So Much!!!  I also wanted to say that I appreciate so much and thank everyone for their comments, ratings and amazing support that you have given me.”

We say, “You are very welcome!”

Notes from the Beatdown Set

The ‘Beatdown’ producers talked about Kevin’s experience in the “Beatdown” Day 5 – Beat Down Blog, saying:

“MMA video contest winner, Kevin Mattson, and his wife, Lisa, showed up to the set for Kevin’s film debut. Mike Gunther had a great part waiting for him—a cage fighter who beats his opponent into a bloody pulp. Needless to say, Kevin didn’t need much direction to make the scene look authentic. An award winning body builder and amateur fighter, he was a great pick for the part, and no one could possibly be as enthusiastic and thankful as him and his wife.”

Kevin and the crew of 'Beat Down' on set in Austin, TX

Kevin continues talking about his on-set experience:

“My wife Lisa & I had so much fun on this, MMA Movie Star Video Contest/vacation, getaway, it was so much more than what I had anticipated or expected! The non-stop excitement and action continued throughout the entire weekend! It was so exciting meeting everybody involved, seeing how things happen on the set in real life, everyone was so courteous and nice to us, they welcomed us like we were family, and really made me feel good. I had such a blast and I am so grateful to have had this chance!”

Was the work on-set challenging?

Kevin and Bobby Lashley on-set of 'Beatdown'

The entire MovieSet Crew was stoked to hear how amazing the experience was for Kevin and we look forward to providing more opportunities for fans to get on-screen – even if the work gets a little bit tough:

“I would get sprayed with water between takes… it felt so cold, the temperature outside had dropped below 40, I think it went down in the low 30’s. But as the takes took place, and through all the excitement, my adrenalin was racing, and that kept me warm… it also helped standing under the lights in the middle of the ring, lol.

I really admired everyone I met, but especially the crew that worked to prepare me for my scenes in the ring. I am so excited still…this will be an experience I will NEVER forget!!!

I kept telling my wife to pinch me… am I dreaming!”

We all wish Kevin and his family Happy Holidays and hope that 2010 is another year of exciting, new experiences.

More Mattson

Check out some of Kevin’s videos, profile, personal blog posts and Facebook

Kevin’s performance working the heavy bag while upside down in gravity boots won this tattooed (and cut) Grandpa the role in MMA-powered action film ‘Beatdown.’

Keep your eyes on MovieSet.com for your next chance to get into the movies!

He’ll join the ‘Beatdown’ production in Austin, Texas on Dec. 11th for a climactic fight scene with other cast members including Michael Bisping (MMA), Bobby Lashley (WWE), Danny Trejo (Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror, The Expendables), Rudy Youngblood (Apocalypto) and Eric Balfour (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Video capture from Kevin Mattson working the heavy bag in gravity boots

Check out some of the great talent who entered! in this montage video

Extras in Austin: There is a chance for some extras to participate so if you are in or around Austin, Texas, let us know in the comments. Of course, keep an eye on MovieSet.com for content coming from the ‘Beatdown’ set including Kevin’s experience working on a film.

Kevin says: I am a 42 year old Grandpa. I have been Working out, with weight training, Boxing, & Martial Arts ever since I was a young teenager, & have never lost my Interest. Anybody that has ever seriously worked a heavy bag, knows what a grueling workout it can be, & the lower ya hit the bag, the more heavier & solid it becomes…try this on gravity boots!!! I thank God for my strength, & the discipline 2 blast through my barriers, & obsticles that seem 2 never end & that try 2 keep us down. I have had, & overcome lower back problems, 2 Massive Hernias, in witch they Implanted a mesh patch in my lower left groin & many, many other setbacks.

And here’s the ‘Beatdown’ synopsis: 21-year-old Brandon has a problem: the mob wants him to pick up his dead brother’s substantial tab, and he’s stuck in a dead-end town. His only option is to literally fight his way out of this predicament. Making friends and enemies along the way, he starts to realize that what he’s really fighting for is the opportunity to bring fulfillment to his life and the ones he loves.

MovieSet wants to thank everyone who entered, voted, and supported our contest and remember Death Warrior is available everywhere on DVD and Blu-ray!

MovieSet.com, the leading behind-the-scenes web site, announces the launch of an online User Generated Video contest where one lucky fan will win the role of a lifetime in an upcoming MMA movie production.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 9, 2009 — MovieSet.com, the leading behind-the-scenes web site, announces the launch of the ‘MMA Movie Star Video Contest’ an online User Generated Video contest where one lucky fan will win the role of a lifetime. The contest is being co-sponsored by DEATH WARRIOR, an action packed film that features some of the world’s greatest Mixed Martial Arts Champions including, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad “Sugar” Evans, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre and Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine. The producers of DEATH WARRIOR are looking for a new action star to appear in their next MMA film alongside these champions.

Skilled fans can go to www.MovieSet.com to contend. Videos will be judged by other fans online and by a panel of celebrity judges. Aside from the walk-on role, the winner will fly to the location of filming, spend a day on set and get a chance to mingle with the cast and filmmakers and witness firsthand how a major motion picture is made.

via MovieSet.com Gives One Skilled Fan The Role of a Lifetime.

To enter, submit a video of yourself pulling off your best MMA skills for a chance to win MovieSet and Death Warrior’s ‘MMA Movie Star’ Video Contest! Tell your friends, impress the judges & pack your bags.

FIGHT FOR THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME!

Think you’re tough enough to share the screen with professional MMA fighters? Prove it on video and you could be on your way to the set of an upcoming action film distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Director Daniel Zirilli is looking for the next MMA star to bring energy and excitement to an upcoming film. Capture Daniel’s attention by showing us WHY YOU SHOULD BE AN MMA MOVIE STAR. Reenact a scene from a movie, show us your best moves, or talk smack to an opponent. Be sure to follow the full Rules and Regulations for your chance to win. And, remember, this is show business, not professional fighting…don’t hurt yourself!

An all-star panel of filmmakers and fighters will judge the 10 finalists chosen by the online community.

The winning entry will exceed our expectations in the areas of creativity, talent and originality… So ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes to be an MMA movie star?!”

We’ve already had one entrant! If you think can do do better then SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TODAY

Contest Requirements:

- Video must be between :30 and 2:00
- No nudity, swearing, real violence or blood
- No background music, logos, or 3rd party video
- All identifiable people must sign a release
- Open only to residents of USA and Canada

Prizes:

WIN A ROLE IN A FILM!
Estimated value: $2500.00

• Walk-on role in Daniel Zirilli’s next MMA feature film!
• DVD of Death Warrior movie from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
• Air-travel to Set Location from any major airport in US or Canada
• Two nights hotel plus transportation to and from airport
• Clip of your on-set experience featured on MovieSet.com

EACH OF OUR TOP TEN FINALISTS WILL RECEIVE A DVD COPY OF DEATH WARRIOR AND AN OFFICIAL TAPOUT DEATH WARRIOR T-SHIRT.

Scott W of Schertz, Texas wins a jumbo prize pack including 2 framed film cell pieces and a unique press backgrounder signed by Director  JJ Abrams.

He says:

Yay!!!!! Swag!!!!  JJ Abrams Swag!!!!!!!!!

Here’s what you won:

(1) Star Trek media backgrounder signed by Director JJ Abrams

Collected by MovieSet correspondent Quinn Bender at the Star Trek press junket in LA, this is a photo-copied media hand-out filled with behind the scenes stories, challenges and anecdotes from the making of Star Trek. Comes with a MovieSet COA.

(2) Framed and numbered Star Trek film cells art pieces

Each features mini-poster art from Star Trek (2009), surrounded by hand-picked film cells depicting action from the film with Certificate of Authenticity and a black frame ready for hanging.

Wanted to win?

No doubt of the huge passion and enthusiasm from this legendary fanbase for this sweepstakes (who doesn’t want cool prizes anyhow?) But perhaps you are kinda ticked off because you didn’t win because you entered everyday? Well there is some good news after the break.

Star Trek: The Mission Continues… Sweepstakes!

The Star Trek franchise is re-booted and you are invited to come aboard and enter to win one of three pieces of Star Trek history. Ideal for your displaying on your bridge or Holodeck.

Your mission is simple: Fill out the entry form daily for a chance to win framed film cell art pieces featuring Kirk, Spock and Uhura and more of the Enterprise crew. Then, enjoy some alternate reality relaxation with MovieSet’s collection of behind the scenes videos, news and still photos from the making of Star Trek.

Star Trek: The Mission Continues… Sweepstakes!

The Star Trek franchise is re-booted and you are invited to come aboard and enter to win one of three pieces of Star Trek history. Ideal for your displaying on your bridge or Holodeck.

Your mission is simple: Fill out the entry form daily for a chance to win framed film cell art pieces featuring Kirk, Spock and Uhura and more of the Enterprise crew. Then, enjoy some alternate reality relaxation with MovieSet’s collection of behind the scenes videos, news and still photos from the making of Star Trek.

Prizes: Three limited edition, 9.5″ x 11.5″ framed film cells – Each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity to ensure quality.

• 1st Prize – poster art of Kirk, Spock and Uhura surrounded by 12 film cells
• 2nd Prize - photo signed by Zachary Quinto as Spock with 10 film cells
• 3rd Prize – Enterprise crew action poster art with 10 film cells & plaque

More Star Trek:

• Captain Kirk speaks on Star Trek vs. Star Wars
• Nimoy Speaks: Champions Younger, Fresher Cast in new Star Trek
• Spock and Uhura’s Hanky Panky on the USS Enterprise
• Kirk, Sulu, Pavel and the Enterprise Crew Talk Trek

• Summary
• Cast & Crew
• Blog (2 posts)
• Videos (18 videos)
• Stills (51 photos)
• News (12 articles)

More Sweepstakes:

• Contestbeat
• Sweepstakes Advantage
• CashNet Sweepstakes
• Lots of Luck Contests and Sweepstakes
• Sweepstakestoday.com

by Alex Kartman: ‘Scene Selection’
for movieset.com

Movie: ‘The Hurt Locker‘

Release Date: July 26th 2009 (Limited)

Grade: 4/4

Simply put, “The Hurt Locker” is one of the greatest war films I have ever seen (I have to admit I have many still to see). The cast captures the stresses of war in all aspects, and the writing evokes raw emotion that questions the humanity within all of us. Every aspect of the film fits within the opening quote “war is a drug.” The fighting and chaos of war drives the main character, and pushes the audience along with the rush. “The Hurt Locker” became my favorite film of the year after just one viewing.

Jeremy Renner stars as Staff Sergeant William James, a bomb specialist, in charge of disarming all sorts of ordinates. He enters the film as a man apart from his squad by putting them in danger during their first operation together. His two squad partners, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, only have a few weeks left on tour. You can quickly imagine how they feel about this “wild-man” putting them in harm’s way. The story charts their days together for a few weeks, tackling their relationships with each other. Without spoiling too much, the ending ties the story together perfectly and leaves you knowing what becomes of these soldiers.

While the acting creates a certain sense of intensity, the cinematography and camera style complete this depth. Most of the film is shot using the popular hand-held technique, and it is used perfectly for mood and tone of the film. A man who lives on the brink of life or death needs a style to evoke his state of mind, and director Kathryn Bigelow (known for “Point Break”) hits it spot on.

You may be asking “What is ‘the hurt locker’?” the film doesn’t clearly explain what the title refers to, but it hints at the possibilities. Easily put, it could be the mental state when you are between life and death, with adrenaline rushing, and not worrying about death at all. Staff Sgt. James exists only within the hurt locker. He is a man pained by meaningless everyday life, needing to be on the edge. It isn’t something the military creates through dehumanization. It is his human nature, and this character study is fascinating. It begs to question how each of our minds is wired, and what makes a man tick.

The film moves outside of politics and conventional war themes dealing with humanity and depression, To attempt an understanding of a man himself. By the end, that man never waivers from his true nature, keeping in step with who he is at the beginning. His journey throughout the few depicted weeks is tiring depressing and heart wrenching. One of the most powerful scenes on screen is Sgt. James breaking down while taking a shower in full uniform. This image alone captures what it means to be a victim of war, past or present. That is something “Hurt Locker” perfects: the psychological effects of battle as the war are happening. The main victim, Specialist Eldridge, has a broken psyche, yet he is forced to suppress it to enter the war zone for each operation.

“The Hurt Locker” is not without flaw. The story introduces several characters only to kill them off in the same sequence. Some of these are very intriguing people, yet they get shallow development and fade quickly. The pacing is a little slow at times through the second act, but it builds toward a great resolution. The bomb disarmament scenes are thrilling yet they seem a touch repetitive. These are extremely minor drawbacks to the greatest Iraq war film yet, and it has an actor worthy of an Academy Award.

Overall “The Hurt Locker” hits every chord of action, drama, comedy, and suspense to create one emotional ride. The desert firefight is one of the best standoffs I have screened, and I left the theater completely satisfied. As the tagline puts it, “You’ll know when you’re in it” and once you’re in, you’re engrossed.

More Hurt Locker

Check out all the Hurt Locker Videos, News and Pictures on MovieSet.com

Check out all of MovieSets ‘Hurt Locker’ Coverage!

Director Katherine Bigelow talks ‘A Round Oak Table’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ on Charlie Rose

Check out MovieSet’s Featured ‘Hurt Locker’ Video

‘My Sister’s Keeper’,’The Hurt Locker’ and ‘Cheri’ – Behind the Scenes #54

1982 Tron's Original Movie Poster

Tron is a 1982 science fiction film by Disney. It stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and his program counterpart inside the electronic world, Clu), Bruce Boxleitner as Tron and his User Alan Bradley, Cindy Morgan as Yori and Dr. Lora Baines, and Dan Shor as Ram. David Warner plays all three main antagonists: the program Sark, his User Ed Dillinger, and the voice of the Master Control Program. It was written and directed by Steven Lisberger. Tron has a distinctive visual style, as it was one of the first films from a major studio to use computer graphics extensively.

A couple film blogs were recently sent these packages from a San Diego company known as ‘PMB’.

Inside were these tokens:

That is, indeed, the same Flynn known as the ‘Home of Tron’ from the first movie.

Also in the packages were thumb drives with these images, labeled as “4.gif”:

That is some very strange code in those images. Do any TRON Fans know what it could mean? Drop us a comment.

But it doesn’t end there – this is where is gets good. The website JoBlo also received the same package, however their thumb drive had the image labeled as ‘3.gif’. I’ve also heard of someone receiving the package with ‘1.gif’, and the MovieBlog received image #2.

Ian from ViralMove Quotes:

I’m guessing that there were only 4 of these sent out, and they can now be decoded somehow. If you know what any of this means, by all means, contact us (News@MovieViral.com) and let us know!

Disney is probably going to have an extensive viral campaign for Tron 2 at this year’s Comic-Con

(which you can follow here!).

Special thanks to FirstShowing for the heads-up.

UPDATED: Current found pieces:

So far FirstShowing, JoBlo, UGO and /Film have received these clues.

Apparently it’s out of five, and EVERYBODY is still looking for “5.gif”.

Don’t forget to check out the TR2N synopsis from “Tron2Blogspot”

http://tron-2-trailer.blogspot.com/2009/07/tron-2-official-synopsis.html

Welcome to round 2 of our Micro Movie Reviews, featuring reviews by people just like you! If you’re curious; the basic idea is we send you a FREE DVD and you Twitter a 140 character review (including “@Movieset“). You can find the more detailed instructions on Micro Movie Reviews.

Now on with the Reviews! (Cheer, cheer, rah rah rah!)

ptrleblanc says: Inkheart – fun family adventure w/ gd darkness – sum story lines get lost, gd movie 4 fantasy fans @ http://bit.ly/17AChZ

But what can you say about a movie in less than a gross of characters? Turns out quite a bit. Take a look at these practitioners of the art of the haiku-sized review for movies ranging from family popcorn fantasies to Scottish capers to Deuce gone bad.

Stone of Destiny

blainecreates Stone of Destiny was interesting because it was based on a true story but doesn’t deliver much tension or twists. http://ow.ly/gJiR – #

shermanscorner @movieset Stone of Destiny/an enjoyable true-story (Ian Hamilton)-caper Solid acting and direction. http://ow.ly/hnw1m #MMR – #

More: Stone of Destiny on MovieSet

Big Stan

thatcraigguy @movieset – Big Stan is the new Rob Schneider vehicle. Rare to see a movie dedicated to making fun of rape. Oh Deuce you’ve hit a new low… #

Inkheart

mariab76 @MovieSet Inkheart starts off slow but the ending has lots of good action. My niece and nephew quite enjoyed it. Good acting w all star cast – #

ptrleblanc Inkheart – fun family adventure w/ gd darkness – sum story lines get lost, gd movie 4 fantasy fans http://bit.ly/17AChZ – #

Beccabue My boys and I LOVED it!!!!! (Inkheart) – #

More: Inkheart on MovieSet

The Deal

shermanscorner The Deal disappoints. William H. Macy stars and co-wrote this Hollywood satire that plays like a student film. Weak. #MMR – #

{More reviews after the break}

Two Lovers

Annenigma55 TWO LOVERS Voyeuristic feel,follows unwell & interesting characters. Joaquin P. genuinely disturbed, acting A+. http://ow.ly/hcTt @movieset – #

Bonus enthusiasm! @Annenigma55: @MovieSet I just got my packet! It made my day! :D Thank you SO much! I will be reviewing A-SAP! – #

More: Two Lovers on MovieSet

Wet, Hot American Summer

uncleweed Hot Wet American Summer ~ weirdly funny camp flick in Meatballs tradition – Surprise stars & montages compensate for weak plot @movieset – #

He’s Just not That Into You

mariab76 He’s Just Not That Into You-Awesome film!You laugh,cry & learn about dating 101 http://bit.ly/faZUX @movieset – #

More: HJNTIY on MovieSet

Some new clips from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince are here and ready for you to watch. Check out Harry, Ron and Hermione in action before the movie releases!

The first clip is called “Kill Sirius Black”

The Second Clip is called “Who is the Half Blood Prince?”

Whats this about then?

Check out our Harry Potter Roundup Post to see all the HP6 content, including news, videos, trailers and interviews, we have to offer or just visit the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Sitelet!

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson star as Harry Potter, Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger in the new Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince“.  As the book series went on it got more mature and intense and the same can be said for the movies, so expect this Harry Potter to be the best one yet.

“Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.”

After shaky young performances from the stars in the first few movies, the trio have really grown into their roles in the massively popular franchise, so you can expect a good movie this time around! It also features lesser known characters such as  Ginny Weasly (Bonnie Wright), Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), Cho Chang (Katie Leung) and Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim BroadBent).

A Whole Cauldron of Content

MovieSet has been following the movie since it was announced and have diligently been collecting ALL content Harry Potter related, so take some time and check out all the articles, games an fun little tidbits we’ve been talking about leading up to the release of this highly anticipated movie!

• First off, make sure and check out our Harry Potter Vocabulary CheatSheet, where you can get all your Harry Potter terms right before being embarrassed by your friends publicly.
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• Make sure and check all our still photos, which are pictures taken on the set or in studio, so you can catch a glimpse of some of the characters like Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) before seeing the movie.  Still photos are also a great way to see what its like to be on a movie set because many of they include pictures of the crew and equipment they use when shooting the scenes!
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• Check out the MTV awards exclusive Harry Potter Trailer
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• See ALL the videos currently available for Harry Potter 6 in one place, in high quality, one after the other, without having to look around! Just goto the Harry Potter and the Half Blooded Prince Sitelet.
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• Get all the latest Harry Potter News and keep up to date with the non-muggle world!

But, if you are lazy, or you really just can’t wait for one more page load, you can check out the latest Harry Potter 6 Trailer right here, right now.

And don’t forget to keep checking back for more content as we will be updating our sitelet as soon as new videos and pictures are available!

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The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbusters “Ice Age” and “Ice Age: The Meldown” are back, on an incredible adventure…for the ages. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while, maybe, finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth, Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs; and Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he’s growing too “soft” hanging with his pals. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna run amuck – and meet a relentless, one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck. – In Theaters July 1st, 2009.

The creator, star, writer and producer of Borat and Da Ali G Show has created the gutsiest, craziest and most dangerous comedy to be released in mainstream theaters. In Bruno, Baron Cohen introduces moviegoers to the next character from his award-winning series: a gay fashionista who is the host of the top-rated late night fashion show in any German-speaking country…apart from Germany. Bruno’s mission? To become the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler. His strategy? To crisscross the globe in the hopes of finding fame and love. – In Theaters July 30th, 2009.

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The Irishman chronicles the rise and fall of infamous Cleveland gangster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who engaged in a power struggle with the Italian mob.  Greene was as an upstart longshoreman union rep and later became a cocky, legendarily difficult-to-kill troublemaker in the world of organized crime in the 1970’s. Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

No doubt you saw the new Star Trek movie – in fact you probably saw it twice because you are a true fan of the Star Trek universe.

In honor of this exciting installment of the Star Trek story, MovieSet assembled a prize-pack worthy of a hardcore fan including a press backgrounder signed by Director JJ Abrams who brought this dynamic installment of Star Trek to life, plus a pair of numbered and framed Star Trek film cell art pieces to display on your own bridge, den or bedroom.

Be sure to explore the collection of behind the scenes Star Trek videos, pictures and news at MovieSet.com.

The Star Trek Director’s Cut Sweepstakes runs from June 25 until Aug. 1 2009 – Enter daily for more chances to win.

One Lucky Winner Scores a Grand Prize Pack with:

(1) Star Trek media backgrounder signed by Director JJ Abrams

Collected by MovieSet correspondent Quinn Bender at the Star Trek press junket in LA, this is a photo-copied media hand-out filled with behind the scenes stories, challenges and anecdotes from the making of Star Trek. Comes with a MovieSet COA.

(2) Framed and numbered Star Trek film cells art pieces

Each features mini-poster art from Star Trek (2009), surrounded by hand-picked film cells depicting action from the film with Certificate of Authenticity and a black frame ready for hanging.

SO ENTER THE CONTEST

What are you waiting for?…

Now that you have Entered the Sweeps, Check out some of this Star Trek Roundup!

MovieSet gets Trekky – StarTrek Special Edition – Behind the Scenes #33

Spock and Uhura’s Hanky Panky on the USS Enterprise

Captain Kirk speaks on Star Trek vs. Star Wars

Kirk, Sulu, Pavel and the Enterprise Crew talk Star Trek

MovieSet Exclusive Interview with Quinn Bender (discussing the Star Trek press junket)

Nimoy Speaks: Champions Younger, Fresher Cast in new Star Trek

and you probably also entered the previous Star Trek Sweepstakes, but check out:

Star Trek Sweepstakes Winners Announced!

ContestHound.ca Canada’s Sweepstakes Directory
Canadian Sweepstakes and Contest Directory – free to enter contests and sweepstakes exclusively for Canadians. Sign up for the Contests for Canadians Update to enter to win prizes just for being a subscriber..
http://www.contesthound.ca
CashNet Sweepstakes
AllCanadaContests.com – Canadian Sweepstakes

This movie is based on the book “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Piccoult. This is from the back of the book: “Anna (Abigail Breslin) is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) can somehow fight leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate-a life role that she has never challenged . . . until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister-and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for her sister she loves.

THE HURT LOCKER is an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James (Jeremy Renner), takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty), by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he’s indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.
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It is turn of the century in Paris and a scandalous romp is underfoot. In this seductive and sensational tale, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as a ravishing Parisian courtesan who takes a naïve young man half her age – rising British star Rupert Friend — into her boudoir to teach him a thing or two about women. But of course, he learns all too well and turns out to be her perfect match. He doesn’t want to grow up and she doesn’t want to grow old and together they defy all of society’s rules. Their affair is pure pleasure – as they trade light-hearted romantic barbs and indulge in their delicious, upside-down chemistry — until they do the one thing that will make an outrage of it all, most significantly to themselves: fall in love. And gradually they each come to see there will be weighty consequences of this unusual affair.

Kathryn Bigelow’s

It tells the story of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team whose job it is to defuse the way too numerous IEDs scattered across Iraq. As you can imagine, stress and exhaustion are a daily part of the job.

Get a feel of what life is like for the Iraq Bomb Diffusal team trough the MovieSet Featured clip from The Hurt Locker.

While you wait for the limited release of the flick hit up the The Hurt Locker Sitelet for the more The Hurt Locker Videoclips and some pretty intense still pictures like this one below!

Jeremy Renner in the Hurt Locker

Hurt Locker News

‘Hurt Locker’ pits men against bombs

Hurt Locker Interview with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal

Kathryn Bigelow Interview, The Hurt Locker, Toronto 2008

Hurt Locker to compete for Golden Lion

By Jeff Otto

Over the past decade, Larry David has gone from the man behind-the-scenes of the most popular, beloved show about nothing, Seinfeld, to creating a persona almost as well known as Jerry, Kramer, George and Elaine. That persona, a very slight twist on David himself, has drawn rave reviews and a loyal fan base over the course of six hit seasons on HBO with Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now, David is embarking on his most challenging endeavor to date, portraying the lead role in Woody Allen’s new comedy, Whatever Works.

As Boris Yellnikoff, David’s characterization isn’t a massive stretch from the lovable curmudgeon we’ve all come to know on Curb, but he is now infused with an unmistakable dose of Woody.

Walking into the Four Seasons ballroom to interview David, the actor is involved in a conversation with his co-stars Patricia Clarkson and Evan Rachel Wood about the premiere. “You invited a lot of people?” David asks them with a note of surprise. “Really? I guess I should. It’s too late now.”

In person, it’s nearly impossible to decipher the real Larry David from the man we’ve gotten to know so well on television. The expressions, the verbal delivery and the sense of humor are one in the same.

Although David has been in front of the camera for some time now, the loosely scripted Curb hasn’t saddled the actor with a whole lot of memorization. He admits that aspect was the biggest challenge for him. “It was hard,” says David. “I opened the script, I saw the first page was full of Boris. And then I tured to page 50 and I saw Boris on page 50 and then I went to the last page and I went, ‘Oy vae shmear.’ Yeah, it was kind of daunting to have to learn all that to tell you the truth. I am used to improvising and kind of making up most of it as I go along and it was challenging and I don’t really care for challenges.”

The younger woman

The Larry David and Woody Allen personas have some unmistakable similarities, but David wasn’t interested in aping Allen like Kenneth Branagh in Celebrity or Jason Biggs in Anything Else. “I know that’s a concern. People would say to me, ‘Well, are you gonna be doing him?’ and I would think that they were out of their minds. ‘No, I’m going to try not to do him.’ It never occurred to me to try to do him and he doesn’t want me to do him. He didn’t call me up and say, ‘I want you to do me. Have you ever seen me? Can you talk like me?’ No, it wasn’t really an issue for me at all. It wasn’t anything I thought about or even worried about. I just sort of memorized it and said it. I didn’t want to do Woody Allen.”

In the film, Boris falls for the much younger fish-out-of-water character, Melodie St. Ann Celestine, portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood. While intimate moments between the couple are discussed and Viagra is even mentioned at one point, the two never share a love scene on screen. “I don’t think anyone wants to see me having sex with anyone. It’s true,” David said.

Instead, he and Wood focused on their own comic chemistry together. “I have immediate chemistry with pretty much everyone,” says David immodestly. “Whether it’s good or it’s bad. I really can tell right off. I don’t need to get to know somebody, it doesn’t take me long… I can go out and talk to people. I know just by looking at people if I can say something nasty to them, how they’re going to react. If I can kid around with them, whether they’re going to get it or not. I have a sixth sense like that. There’s a very visceral reaction, very quickly. We were very comfortable with one another.”

I’m not insane

At first glance, Boris Yellnikoff and Larry David might seem just like two peas in a pod, but David is quick to clarify that there are plenty of important differences: “We’re different in that I’m way more normal,” says David. “I enjoy life. I play golf, I like having sex. I have normal wants and needs. He’s insane, really. He’s really on the edge. I don’t wear shorts, which is a huge difference. I’m a much better dresser than he is. We both have some disdain for the human race. And we both come from similar roots. And we probably have a, well we were both Bar Mitzvah’d I’m sure.”

The film’s title, Whatever Works, is also Boris’ philosophy about life, but David doesn’t agree. “It’s actually in conflict with my own philosophy, which is ‘whatever doesn’t work.’ That’s pretty much what I subscribe to. Anyone who finds me unattractive, that’s the one I want. Unappealing, yeah, that’s who I go for.”

Next up for David is another season of Curb, but he says he’s open to another big screen acting gig. “I just finished shooting Curb Your Enthusiasm and I’m editing that right now. I think [another lead role] would depend on the people who are producing the movies. I haven’t been inundated with offers yet. If it was something that appeals to me, I would definitely consider it.”

A Twilight fan?

Meanwhile, David is editing season seven of Curb for a September premiere and spending some quality time with his daughters, who have recently begun subjecting their father to the world of Twilight. “My kids were completely into to it. They read all the books, the whole Twilight series. I went to see Twilight with them. I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to part two whenever that comes out. I watch all the kids stuff with them. I was at a Hannah Montana concert. What kind of dad am I? Lucky kids.

So what’s next? Surely plenty of golf, maybe a Jonas Brothers concert and perhaps a comedy tour in time. David says he is contemplating a return to the stand-up stage. “I think I will, after Curb [is finished].”

Welcome back to Crystal Lake in a chilling re-imagining of the classic horror film “Friday the 13th.” Searching for his missing sister, Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki) heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins behind moss-covered trees. And that’s not the only thing lying in wait under the brush. Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has in the search for his missing sister, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), with the help of Jenna (Danielle Panabaker), a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. But they are all about to find much more than they bargained for. Little do they know, they’ve entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history–the infamous killer who haunts Crystal Lake, armed with a razor-sharp machete… Jason Voorhees.

At long last, Madea returns to the big screen in TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL. This time America’s favorite irreverent, pistol-packin’ grandmomma is raising hell behind bars and lobbying for her freedom…Hallelujer! After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea (TYLER PERRY) in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe (TYLER PERRY) couldn’t be happier at Madea’s misfortune. But Madea’s eccentric family members the Browns (DAVID and TAMELA MANN) rally behind her, lending their special “country” brand of support. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (DEREK LUKE) is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle – defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington (KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM) – and asks his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes (ION OVERMAN) to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way as only Madea can.

In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team

Eddie Murphy and Thomas Haden Chruch star. Evan Danielson is a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter. When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter’s imaginary world.

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A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.
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It is the near future. Astronaut Sam Bell is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. It is a lonely job, made harder by a broken satellite that allows no live communications home. Taped messages are all Sam can send and receive.

Thankfully, his time on the moon is nearly over, and Sam will be reunited with his wife, Tess, and their three-year-old daughter, Eve, in only a few short weeks. Finally, he will leave the isolation of “Sarang,” the moon base that has been his home for so long, and he will finally have someone to talk to beyond “Gerty,” the base’s well-intentioned, but rather uncomplicated computer.

Suddenly, Sam’s health starts to deteriorate. Painful headaches, hallucinations and a lack of focus lead to an almost fatal accident on a routine drive on the moon in a lunar rover. While recuperating back at the base (with no memory of how he got there), Sam meets a younger, angrier version of himself, who claims to be there to fulfill the same three year contract Sam started all those years ago. Confined with what appears to be a clone of his earlier self, and with a “support crew” on its way to help put the base back into productive order, Sam is fighting the clock to discover what’s going on and where he fits into company plans. Starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey

Souvenirs de Cannes are heading to these movie fans (check out some of the topics they covered in the included comments). We are especially pleased to see all the countries who chimed in including a Jim carrey fansite from Denmark – crazy!

• Miss 604

“Attention movie buffs: Movieset.com, a local site that covers all things film, covering all aspects of the Cannes Film Festival and will be running a contest to give away official merchandise. Stay tuned to their official Cannes portal, their Twitter @movieset, or search Twitter using the tag Cannes09.”

• Geek Tyrant

“The Cannes Film Festival recently ended and there were a ton of movies screened. I wish I could have seen them, but I will have to wait. Movieset was able to get some great movie panel videos from the festival and I thought it would be cool to share a couple of them with you because they are actually pretty cool to watch.”

• Killer Film

“Whether Academy Award winning director Robert Zemeckis will do films outside of the 3D motion capture in the future is debatable but regardless, what we have seen of his Christmas Carol retelling does look rather stunning.  Below MovieSet shows Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis talking on their work on the film and what to expect.”

Plus:

• Ariane C
• D*hOLLYWOOD
• Becky Santoyo
• OUTtv
• JimCarreyOnline
• Russell Warner
• GuyFix
  

We’ll send their memorabilia pronto-  or rather, “bientôt”. We *might* have a few more goodies so keep the bloggage coming about any of the films we covered at Cannes, including:

• Drag Me to Hell
• Hump Day
• Taking Woodstock,
• A Christmas Carol
• Agora
• I Love You Philip Morris
• Inglourious Basterds
• UP
• Bright Star
• Collections of Cannes still photos
• and Cannes Film Festival News
• Plus: Thanks to Monica Hamburg for campaign assistance

Congratulations and thanks for your support of MovieSet’s Cannes 2009 campaign

“Au reviour from the Cannes seashore”

Welcome to the DVD Tuesday edition of Behind the Scenes with Eric Fell and Shaun Stewart.

Check  out the DVD releases of Defiance, Revolutionary Road and He’s Just Not That Into You. Enjoy!

GSP’s Bloody Hoodie Grand Prize Winner is Jeremy R. !! Here is what he had to say when we told him the good news:

“AAH YES, oh my goodness i’m so glad i won this, thank you so much. I love fighting and the UFC. GSP is one of my favorites and this is the coolest thing ever to win, I can’t wait to see the movie it will be AWESOME. thank you again.”

You’re welcome Jeremy R. You’re welcome.

MovieSet was on the set of Death Warrior and peeled the bloodied and torn hoodie from the lifeless body of MMA superstar Georges St-Pierre.

Jeremy received this unique piece of MMA movie history, plus a copy of GSP’s first movie Never Surrender, and a pair of movie tickets, all runner up winners walk away with the DVD and movie tickets to the flicks of their choice.

Here’s the Death Warrior film crew preparing the hoodie for GSP’s final fight scene:

Grand Prize: GSP’s Bloody Hoodie, Never Surrender DVD, and a pair of movie tickets

Death Warrior Summary

Death Warrior stars Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Hector Echavarria, go behind-the-scenes now and check out all the exclusive content!

Synopsis: A gritty MMA fighter is forced into a twisted, underground gambling ring in which he must fight to the death with other MMA fighters in order to save his wife from certain death at the hands of a maniacal crime boss. In a desperate race against time, he is forced into a series of increasingly violent life and death matches while simultaneously piecing together the puzzle which leads him to uncover the identity of the promoter and the ultimate showdown, in which there can only be one Death Warrior.

Shaun and Eric, hosts of the Behind the Scenes show, ask, “What did you like at Cannes?” Let us know and we’ll send you a official gift from the festival – just add a link to the Cannes 2009 sitelet.

To get your hands on our Cannes souvenirs, simply let us know what Cannes movies and coverage you enjoyed with a link to the Cannes 2009 sitelet in a blog post, Twitter update, Facebook mention, MySpace blurb, comment, whatever … Just make sure you point back to the Cannes 2009 sitelet so we can say thank you with an official Cannes poster, Cannes watch, Cannes backpack or Cannes film slate photo frame to remember the 62nd edition of this classic festival.

Some of the Cannes Movies we covered:

• Drag Me to Hell
• Hump Day
• Taking Woodstock,
• A Christmas Carol
• Agora
• I Love You Philip Morris
• Inglourious Basterds
• UP
• Bright Star

‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus‘ is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now rapidly approaching this ‘coming of age’ milestone and Dr Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles – and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all…

‘Bright Star‘ : London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats (Ben Whishaw), and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. It was the illness of Keats’s younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny’s efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny’s alarmed mother and Keats’s best friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations, “I have the feeling as if I were dissolving”, Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats’s illness proved insurmountable.

Both these movies were at Cannes, and so was MovieSet.  You can check out exclusive content from our coverage of the 62nd Annual Cannes International Film Festival.  We have great footage of movies and the actors from those movie like, Christmas Carol, Inglourious Basterds and Agora, amongst others! Check it out!

Synopsis: Upon the news that they are expecting their first child, a rootless young couple embarks on a road trip to find a place where their future family can fit in.

Stars: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Alison Janney, Jeff Daniels

Written by: Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Distributed by: Focus Features

Opening on: June 5th, 2009 in Limited Release

EXPECTATIONS

What I’d Seen – A happy-go-lucky trailer making this look like a pleasing alternative to Hollywood’s usual generic summer romcom fair.

What I’d Heard – Sam Mendes, director of such dysfunctionally poignant urban tales as American Beauty and Revolutionary Road is finally making a movie about a happy couple.

What I Wanted – As a huge fan of The Office, I was hoping to get past John Krasinski as the ever-affable, apathetic Jim Halpert. His unexpected pairing with Rudolph was also intriguing. I was hopeful they could pull off the chemistry.

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On – Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are quite believable as a couple and their experiences figuring out where exactly they fit in life as they prepare for an unexpected arrival is a situation that should strike a chord with many fellow Gen-x’ers. Their plight feels very authentic, stripped of the kind of usual witty, sparkling dialogue we’ve become accustomed to in the average romantic comedy. In fact, the genre has taken on such a pacified form in modern times that it would probably sound insulting to even refer to Away We Go as a traditional romcom. Its just a character-driven story about a couple coming of age together in the adult world and searching together for a true home.

What Turned Me Off – Nothing about this movie really turned me off per se, but I was surprised to see this kind of material from director Sam Mendes. This isn’t a masterpiece and its not trying to be. It’s just a simple little character piece with an identifiable story and believable characters. It falls short of greatness, but I’d say that’s partially intentional. After a resume that includes such prestigious, heavy-handed entries as American Beauty, Road to Perdition and Revolutionary Road, Away We Go feels like Sam Mendes saying, “Hey, look, I can just make an entertaining, smart movie. No awards consideration necessary.”

AFTERMATH

I Left Thinking – John Krasinski made me forget Jim, no small accomplishment after 100-plus episodes of my beloved Office. Likewise, Maya Rudolph demonstrates a versatility I wasn’t previously aware of outside of her comic stylings. After years of spot-on impression work on Saturday Night Live and the occasional sidekick comic relief role in a movie here and there, Rudolph digs deep and proves the old adage that all clowns have some sadness on the inside.

I Left Saying – That was a refreshing diversion, the kind of release I love to see in the midst of the blockbuster-laden summer movie season. For story and originality-deprived movie lovers, Away We Go proves that not all summer movies have to have big stars, explosions and high concept plot lines.

Expiry Date – Away We Go will mostly sell to the art house crowd during its limited theatrical run, although the popularity of The Office could propel some Krasinski fans to go out of their way for it. This one will have legs on home video and, probably most importantly, serve as a calling card for promising future work from Mendes, Krasinski and Rudolph.

‘Drag Me to Hell‘  tells the story of Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, Professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) enters their lives…and everything begins to unravel. When her loan is denied and she loses her house, the shamed Mrs. Ganush places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Christine is tortured and desperate to have her old life back, so she sets on a quest to reverse the spell. But as evil forces close in and threaten to drag her deep into hell, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse?

On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?

The Brothers Bloom, a globe-trotting comedy about the last great adventure of the world’s two best con men. Welcome to the world of The Brothers Bloom, where deception is an art and nothing is as it seems. The brothers have perfected their craft through years of fraternal teamwork. Now they’ve decided to take on one last spectacular job–luring a beautiful and eccentric heiress into an elaborate plot that takes them around the world. For as long as they can remember, the Brothers Bloom have had only each other to depend on. From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their highflying lives as international con artists, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he’s still searching for the perfect con, the one where “everyone gets what they want.” Meanwhile, Bloom yearns for “an unwritten life”–a real adventure, one not dreamed up by his older brother.

The MovieSet Cannes team is back and brought a suitcase of souvenirs for fans of the film festival and we wanna share the stash with you! Indeed, We Like to Be Seen so are asking you, “What did you like at Cannes?”

To get your hands on our Cannes souvenirs, simply let us know what Cannes movies and coverage you enjoyed with a link to the Cannes 2009 sitelet in a blog post, Twitter update, Facebook mention, MySpace blurb, comment, whatever … Just make sure you point back to the Cannes 2009 sitelet so we can say thank you with an official Cannes poster, Cannes watch, Cannes backpack or Cannes film slate photo frame to remember the 62nd edition of this classic festival.

Write about any movie we covered, a Behind the Scenes episode or share a photo – whatever you liked best.

Here’s a recap of Cannes Highlights and Films to get you started:

Cannes Round-ups

MovieSet’s Ultimate Cannes Round-Up!

And the winners are at the Cannes Film Festival…

Top Directors at Cannes

Starlets out and about in Cannes

On the Red Carpet at Cannes (preview)

Cannes Movies

Drag Me to Hell

Hump Day

Taking Woodstock,

A Christmas Carol

Agora

I Love You Philip Morris

Inglourious Basterds

UP

Bright Star

Collections

Stills

News

As we come to the end of the Cannes Film Festival, we are gonna do a quick re-cap on the top stories we covered at the Festival.

For those that missed the great coverage, check out this post to see the progress of the festival, as well as the awards and winners.

Our team at Cannes is very proud to captured some amazing footage of one of the best film festivals in the world!

The full list of winners follows. You can log on to Official Cannes Festival site to watch the press conference and photo call following the closing ceremony festivities in Cannes.

To check out exactly what each prize means, and more info about the festival itself, check out The Substream Filmlabs’ Cannes Video.

• Palme d’Or (Golden Palm): “The White Ribbon,” by Michael Haneke (Austria)
• Grand Prize: “A Prophet,” by Jacques Audiard (France)
• Jury Prize: “Fish Tank,” by Andrea Arnold (Britain) and “Thirst,” By Park Chan-wook (South Korea).
• Special Prize: Alain Resnais
• Best Director: Brillante Mendoza, “Kinatay” (The Philippines)
• Best Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds” (United States)
• Best Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg, “Antichrist” (Denmark)
• Best Screenplay: Feng Mei, “Spring Fever” (China)
• Camera d’Or (first-time director): “Samson and Delilah,” by Warwick Thornton (Australia)
• Best short film: “Arena,” by Joao Salaviza (Portugal)

Here’s an introduction to the films we had an opportunity to cover, including press conferences and interviews with filmmakers and actors.

1) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The ‘Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus‘ is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. Dr. Parnassus with his extraordinary traveling show “The Imaginarium” offers to members of the audience an irresistible opportunity to enter their universe of imaginations and wonders, by passing through a magical mirror. But Dr. Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality.

Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr. Nick. Now it is time to pay the price…

Watch the Press Conference with Terry Gilliam and Actors.

2) I Love you Phillip Morris

The true story of an ex-cop, ex-husband, ex-insurance swindler, ex-model prisoner and eternal lover of cellmate Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) will do anything to avoid being separated from the man of his dreams. Which means not rotting away in prison.

How far can one go for love? Quite far if you believe the incredible story of Steven Russell, an escape artist whose romanticism gets the better of him. Based on the book by Steven McVicker, this jail-house, dark romantic comedy.

Read the Ultimate Review by Phillip Nakov

3) Agora

As the Roman Empire declines, philosopher and astromomer Hypatia struggles to preserve scientific knowledge amid the clash of zealots in Alexandria, whose rising Christian population grows increasingly militant toward Jews and worshipers of the Egyptian gods.

Check out the Press Conference with Rachel Weisz and Director Alejandro Amenabar

4) Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind him of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today, and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better man.

Jim Carrey plays four separate roles in this updated version of A Christmas Carol. Carrey portrays Scrooge, as well as the three ghosts (Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come). His dynamic character roles keep the four characters as diverse as being played by four actors. Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future trilogy) has his chance to dabble in telling a story through the windows of time, as he directs the long-awaited remake. In theaters Nov. 6, 2009.

Check out this sneak peak teaser footage of the movie, showing off some of the CGI and the Press Conference with Jim Carrey and Robert Zemeckis and some Stills of the Premiere.

5) Bright Star

“Bright Star”. The movie stars Australian Actress Abbie Cornish, Thomas Sangster and Paul Schneider. Not much is know about the movie yet, but you can check out some stuff at the Official Page.

London 1818 is the year, a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. It was the illness of Keats’s younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny’s efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny’s alarmed mother and Keats’s best friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations, “I have the feeling as if I were dissolving”, Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats’s illness proved insurmountable.

Take a look at this clip from the Press Conference in Cannes.

For everything Cannes Remember to check out the Cannes 2009 Sitelet!

Au revoir !

From Phillip, our man on the Crossiette ….

And that wraps it up for us and the whole MovieSet.com crew from here in the south of France. It has been a terrific, fast-paced and exciting two weeks. We’ve seen so many great movies, some not so great and some that we just wondered how they ever got made. There is no other festival like it in the world.

We thank the Festival de Cannes press accreditation committee for welcoming MovieSet.com so graciously at this year’s festival. We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 62^nd Annual Festival de Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.  The response has been tremendous from around the world and so till next year.

Miss604 also mentioned MovieSet in her “Wednesday Morning Link Fest: Readers’ Choice“.

And we were pleased to see one of our other Cannes videos making the rounds – MarketSaw displayed  A Christmas Carol’s Press Conference on their blog and remarked:

“Isn’t Jim Carrey a likeable guy? Just watching his discussion here underscores what a treasure he is. Hope the kid never dies inside you man!”

We can’t help but agree.

Thanks all, for talking about us.

We encourage you to do share our content too.  In fact, there might be a prize in it for you…

Here’s the scoop:

We’re giving away 10 great Cannes prizes to bloggers only!  As you know, the festival ended yesterday – but we are continuing to post content beyond this date – and prize winners will be announced throughout our coverage.

So how can you enter?

Step 1:  Embed video, post stills, tweet our news from the Cannes Sitelet.  Essentially: share, share, share

Step 2:  Be sure to provide a link/trackback to our “Behind the Scenes” Cannes Sitelet.

Step 3:  Get ready to win cool, original prizes!

• Please tag posts: Cannes
• The twitter hashtag is: #Cannes
• And remember: you can also find MovieSet on Twitter
  

We’re thrilled to share our content.  And, we have to admit, we never shy away from attention.

Straight from Cannes is a video of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie being the sensation that they are. Thousands of fans crowd around the Inglorious Basterds Premiere to try to get some footage of the Dazzling couple.

Check it out Below.

Join us here at the Cannes Sitelet as we cover the remaining days of the festival and stay tuned to our Blog for the latest!

First off we are in Cannes for the premiere of ‘UP‘, correspondent Phillip Nakov was AT the premiere! Its the first time an animated movie has opened the festival and its gotten pretty good reviews.

Its the movie about Carl Fredricksen. He spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Junior Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Next we have ‘Iron Sky’. This one is a bit of an enigma because its still in pre-production without funding! But it looks HILARIOUS so we’ll give it a shot!

Towards the end of World War II the staff of SS officer Hans Kammler made a significant breakthrough in anti-gravity.

From a secret base built in the Antarctic, the first Nazi spaceships were launched in late ‘45 to found the military base Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun) on the dark side of the Moon. This base was to build a powerful invasion fleet and return to take over the Earth once the time was right.

Now it’s 2018, the Nazi invasion is on its way and the world is goose-stepping towards its doom.

Finally we end the episode with ‘Wrong Side of Town‘ which is a movie that MovieSet has Exclusive access to the set.  Check out all our videos of behind the scenes footage and the teaser trailer.

Ex-Navy Seal Bobby Kalinkowski lives apeaceful life as a landscape architect in an LA suburb with his wife Dawn and 16 year old daughter Brianna. On a night out with his wife Dawn is accosted a club owner, Ethan Bordas. When Bobby intervenes and accidentally kills Ethan defending his wife, his enraged older brother, Seth, puts a bounty on his head. Now Bobby must escape LA while being pursued by every criminal, wise guy and thug in the city.

By Phillip Nakov

Inglourious Basterds

Synopsis: The movie opens in on a farm in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

Stars: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, D.J. Novak.

Written and Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Produced by: Lawrence Bender

Distributed by: Universal & The Weinstein Company

Opening: August 21, 2009

EXPECTATIONS

What I’d Seen – A short, pointed yet remarkable introduction to the world of ‘Inglourious Basterds’ with Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine giving a small group fo eight Jewish American soldiers about to embark on a mission to hunt down and scalp Nazi solderis in German Occupied France. The tone and outrageous nature of the plot is both darkly comedic and classic Tarantino. I had also seen the poster, giant character banners on the front of the Carlton hotel and a few stills from the production all which promised a richly styled World War II era film with comedy, drama and violence.

What I’d Heard – That this was to be a departure from Tarnatino’s previous efforts but how much and in what way was to be discovered. I had read that the script was completed on July 2, 2008 and that once completed they had to immediately move into pre-production as Tarantino intended the movie to be ready for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. That meant a vastly accelerated 14-week pre-production schedule and shooting in sequence in locations in France and Germany with an international cast.

What I Wanted – The energy, story complexity and character diversity of a true Tarantino masterpiece. I wanted to see a cool, new world reinterpreted by a directorial genius. I was looking forward to seeing Brad Pitt acting alongside a large group of international stars.

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On -

So much to recall! The locations, the costumes, the attention to detail, the advertisements and art on the walls, the characters and the way Tarantino seamlessly blends real historic people with fictional ones to create alternate endings to history. It’s both vividly amusing and disturbing at the same time. The richness of the Third Reich with its sumptuous use of red and black to mark its territory is both visually inspired and striking.
What Turned Me Off -

Much of the movie is not in English. Yes, it is very realistic to have Germans speaking German and French speaking French, bravo! But for following the story line in a two hour, thirty-two minute movie, it’s somewhat distracting and hard to understand all of the plot twists and character nuances. Luckily I speak French fluently so was able to follow a great part of the film without reading, except that there are subtitles running constantly which distracts one from the action on screen. Tarantino seemingly plays with us in the first scene of the movie where an encounter with a French farmer and a German colonel. The Colonel asks if it would be okay if they switched from French and spoke in English. This caused the audience to erupt in laughter. A nod to the audience by the director indeed! Except, moments later the characters are back to French and German!

For this being a war movie there is very little fighting or actual action. Save for a black and white film that was created especially for the movie and features vidily depicted war sequences, this movie does not weigh in heavily as a fighting war movie.

AFTERMATH

I Left Thinking – That ‘Inglorious Basterds’ is a pretty well-paced Tarantino pic. It did feel like it dragged in some places especially when groups of German soldiers would assemble together and just talk. It felt as if we were just witnessing a lot of extra plot lines being laid out to be completed later, although not as expertly as I would have hoped. There could have been some additional character development, especially of some of the more secondary characters.

.

I Left Saying – Most of Tarantino’s fans will show up to see this… although some may end up staying away because of the somewhat stunted use of foreign language to drive the story in the film. I wish there was a greater number of pay-offs versus one event that everyone is working towards resolving. I can’t imagine too many of the die-hard Tarantino fans either checking this film out more than once. Though it is well-made, repeat business will most likely end up being far less significant than on his previous works.

Expiry Date – This movie will have an expiry date somewhere after the award season. It was made for entry into this year’s Cannes film festival. Its US release will be in August, just shy of the obvious start of award season yet close enough to be considered for all categories.  Although the DVD should feature a rich selection of behind the scenes footage and making of segments, only the really true Tarantino fan will buy the disc instead of just renting it.

Last thoughts – Overall I did like the movie and felt transported to the world of WWII France. However, the overuse of native languages and subtitles when it would have been so easy have to have the actors all speak in English or at least more than 50% of the time made for some hard work! Though a great work with some amazing performances, ultimately this movie will not reach the sort of mass audiences sees with past Tarantino offerings.

The story covers a lot of ground in its run time but it could still have been tightened up in certain places and we would not have missed a thing.

At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was codenamed “Valkyrie“, for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after.

A single, suburban dad tries to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It’s a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa’s helpers at the mall stage a coup, shutting down the megaplex and taking hostages (Paul’s daughter and sweetheart among them), Jersey’s most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.

Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine’s Day, he woke up…and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed. Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine’s Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Sasha Grey (not nude), Chelsea is an upscale Manhattan call girl who provides more than just a sexual encounter; for a price, she’ll simulate a complete romantic relationship—a girlfriend “experience.” Despite a wide variety of happy customers, Chelsea wants to expand her business. Her real boyfriend Chris, a personal trainer at a downtown gym, has come to terms with his girlfriend’s level of experience, not to mention the posh apartment they share as a result of her success. But it’s October of 2008 and the faltering U.S. economy is on everyone’s lips.

The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly anticipated Angels & Demons, based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals.  What terrifying discovery would make the Vatican turn to Robert Langdon, the man who cracked history’s most controversial code? When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Upon learning that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, Langdon travels to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow the 400-year-old Path of Illumination that marks the Vatican’s only hope for survival.

Beto (Diego Luna) and Tato (Gael García Bernal) Verdusco are brothers who work at a banana plantation and also play soccer for the village team. Nicknamed “Tough” because of his personality and football style, Beto dreams of becoming a professional soccer player; Tato’s dream is to be a famous singer, and both share the dream of building a house for their mother, Elvira (Dolores Heredia). They have a change in luck when “Batuta”, a soccer talent scout, discovers them accidentally. Tato is the first to move to the big city where he becomes the star goal scorer for the prestigious Deportivo Amaranto (Amaranto Club). His baroque playing style earns him the nickname of “Corny”. Although Beto feels he has been betrayed and left behind, he soon travels to Mexico City to become the goalkeeper for Atlético Nopaleros (Nopaleros Team). At the peak of glory, they forget all animosity, although it does not last long. At the very real possibility of fulfilling all of their dreams, the siblings must face an innate rivalry as well as their own demons and limitations.

MovieSet correspondent Phillipe (feeel-eep) Nakov was AT the premiere in Cannes and got a chance to talk to the films director Pete Docter and the executive producer  of ‘Up‘, chief creative officer of Pixar himself – John Lassester.

Enjoy this video of the interview and be sure to visit the Cannes 2009 Sitelet for more.

The gist of the movie is … By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Don’t forget to check out our continuous 24/7 Cannes Coverage at the sitelet, with tons of new content being updated as-it-happens throughout the festival.

The Starlets! The Stories! The Champagne! And the Cinema!

Is Cannes the best film festival in the world?

Mais bien sur!

Bonjour MovieSetters! MovieSet is going ALL OUT at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival from May 13 to the 24th in the south of France.

Follow us in this extraordinary eco-system, an intense dreamscape populated by a medley of money-men, hustlers, hacks and extra-terrestrial stars.

Our festival team will be producing exclusive still photos, videos, interviews, and blog content daily and on the MovieSet Cannes 2009 Sitelet

We’ll be keeping an eye on these films – Any others we gotta catch? Leave us a Comment

- Inglourious Basterds
- Taking Woodstock
- Up!
- AntiChrist (Lars Von Trier)
- Drag Me to Hell
- Imaginarium of Dr. Panassus

Behind the Scenes at Cannes

The Festival de Cannes has always been the reflection of its era: a centre for all cultures and hopes, a spring of effervescence and, above all, transmission. Join Shaun and Eric as they lead you behind-the-scenes on the latest at Cannes with a kick off episode of the vidcast featuring UP!, Taking Woodstock and Dr. Parnassus.

Like this episode? Check out More of Eric and Shaun on their BTS Sitelet

Canne’s do!

Looking for some more Info about the Festival?

Give the Official Cannes Film Festival Site a whirl, they have a great selection of information and history about the Festival, including:

- The Official Selection (full list of movies in screening in Cannes)

- The Juries (Judging the Festival, Who?)

Follow along on Twitter!

- Festival Cannes on Twitter

- 2009 Cannes Festival on Twitter

- Tagged posts: #Cannes09 Or #Cannes

- And of course MovieSet on Twitter

Come say hello to the MovieSet crew on the Palais

Meet Ryan, Phillipe, Massoud and the rest of the MovieSet team on the Palais throughout the festival at Stand # 26.03. They are assisting producers to set up promotional Sitelets and giving away MovieSet branded 1GB Flashdrives.

MovieSet is an official sponsor of the PRODUCER NETWORK and will be hosting the HAPPY HOUR on Sunday May 17th from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Producers Club (Village International – Pantiero, pavilion 210).

Au-revoir!

Just in time for MovieSet’s coverage of the Cannes Film Festival 2009, iPhone and iPod Touch users can access mobile.MovieSet.com for compelling behind the scenes coverage of films in all phases of production – cast and crew interviews, candid clips, technical instructionals, and exclusive featurettes await!

This is a beta release so not all videos available yet on the iPhone version of the site and it will be a few weeks at least before all videos available for viewing.

To enjoy the mobile experience, simply browse to MovieSet.com and your phone will display the mobile-optimized version. Here’s more info at Apple.com

MovieSet serves up Fresh Content Daily from movies over their entire lifecycle:

• Featured movies: what’s making waves on MovieSet today
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