PopSugar

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

Shannon Vestal — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:00:00 PST

Matt Damon stars in this drama as a man whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) is the first victim of a deadly virus. As he grieves and tries to keep himself and his daughter safe, the world goes through crisis, and several other characters try to solve the mystery of how and where the disease broke out. Stephen Soderbergh directed this thriller, which boasts an ensemble of A-listers that includes Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Marion Cotillard. The subject matter may make you feel like a germaphobe, but the movie is a tense and entertaining ride. The DVD extras include several featurettes.

86%

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

A woman (Katie Holmes) moves into a decrepit mansion with her boyfriend (Guy Pearce) and his daughter, but their home life is less than idyllic when the little girl starts complaining about being tormented by creatures in the house. Guillermo del Toro produced and co-wrote the horror film (a remake of a '70s made-for-TV movie), but his touch doesn't save the film from feeling a bit formulaic. A three-part making-of documentary is included as a DVD extra.

59%

To see one more new release, just keep reading.

Box Office: The Help Continues to Clean Up

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:05:00 PDT

Despite three new releases and a hurricane that shut down much of the East Coast, The Help took the number one spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row with $14.3 million. In what was the second slowest weekend at the box office this year (behind only Super Bowl weekend), new film Colombiana saw a modest debut, taking second place with $10.3 million. Other newcomer Don't Be Afraid of the Dark followed close behind in third place with $8.7 million. Rise of the Planet of the Apes maintained a top five spot, coming in fourth with $8.6 million, while Our Idiot Brother came in fifth with a disappointing $6.5 million in its opening weekend.

Photo courtesy of Dreamworks

Watch, Pass, or Rent Video Review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:26:45 PDT

Katie Holmes and a young Bailee Madison deal with creepy critters in this week's horror film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. But will the film's cowriter and producer Guillermo del Toro deliver scares that will make you want to sleep with the lights on? Watch our video review to find out.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Light on Scares

Rose Curiel — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:05:00 PDT

In Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a young girl named Sally (Bailee Madison) moves cross-country to Blackwood Manor, a Gothic estate her architect father (Guy Pearce), and his interior decorator girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are renovating. Soon after arriving, Sally begins to hear eerie voices coming from tiny creatures in the mansion's basement, and what follows is a pretty formulaic approach to a horror film - there's a house with a dark history, an all-too-knowledgeable groundskeeper, and a child whose fears are written off by the adults around her. The story feels all too familiar, and you can pretty much guess what's going to happen every step of the way.

The film is a remake of a 1970s made-for-TV movie that producer and cowriter Guillermo del Toro cites as the scariest movie he ever saw as a child. It's hard not to expect a unique take on a haunted horror film, given the fact that del Toro created such a vivid imaginary world in Pan's Labyrinth. Instead we get a lot of clichés, and one of the only deviations from standard horror movie fare - an intricate mythology surrounding the creatures - emerges as more confusing than scary. To find out more about why del Toro's monster's failed to make my skin crawl, just

The tiny beasts who torment Sally are most terrifying during the first half of the film, when we only catch brief glimpses of their claws and beady eyes, experiencing them through their raspy whispers. Their ability to inspire fear, however, diminishes when they make their first appearance onscreen and we see that instead of the terrifying boogeymen we've been envisioning are scruffy rat-like creatures that have been brought to life with CGI effects.

More convincing than the little critters is Madison, who taps into Sally's loneliness and fear with such ease, it's hard to believe she was only nine when the film was shot. We feel Sally's pain and isolation as she cries over her parents' divorce, weeps during a phone call to her mother, and wanders the estate's grounds by herself. Madison steals the spotlight from Pearce, who is largely forgettable in his role as a father who cares more about his career than his daughter. Holmes's character Kim, on the other hand, has a little more emotional depth, as we see her struggle to connect with the distant girl who has recently entered her life, and then goes on to become Sally's ally in dealing with the haunting.

If you're a fan of classic horror films that make you scream at characters as they make one bad choice after another, then you will probably enjoy Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Those who are expecting a more terrifying tale that will stick with them for days might be disappointed, as this definitely isn't the type of film that's going to make you want to sleep with the lights on once you get home.

Photo courtesy of Miramax

Guillermo del Toro Believes "Very, Very Strongly" in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Allie Merriam — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:00:00 PDT

Guillermo del Toro is the force behind this weekend's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, and he recently spoke about his involvement with the Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce film during a NYC press day. Troy Nixey directed the scary movie, with del Toro operating behind the scenes as a producer and "presenter." Del Toro discussed what his duties included and how he stuck to his original vision for the picture. He also revealed his favorite movies, admiration for the young actress Bailee Madison, and how he thinks perpetuating the weak-females-in-horror-movies cliche is immoral.

On their film having an R rating despite little sex or profanity: "We shot the movie carefully - no profanity, no sex - and it’s not graphic at all. There’s not a single moment when you see anything gory, but when we asked the MPA, 'What would it need to change?' they said, 'The whole movie. It’s too intense . . . it’s intensity with a child.' And frankly, at that point, they said something really nice! They said, 'Why ruin a perfectly good R-rated movie?' Which I thought was very nice coming from them. So we wore it as a badge of honor."
On working with Bailee: "I think the term 'child actor' is a mistake. They're either actors, or they're not; whatever they are, at any age. If a kid is a real actor, he’s a thrill."
On attaching his name to a movie, despite not directing it: "I only presented three movies, one in Spain and The Orphanage internationally, and this is the third time. I only do it when - (a) I am introducing a filmmaker to the world, but (b) I endorse and say I believe in this movie very, very strongly. For whatever reason, it’s a more risky proposition in one way, but it’s one that I believe needs to continue to support first-time filmmakers. . . . I only do it when I fully believe I was involved in the product in a way that is meaningful."
On his favorite movies: "When DVDs came out I made a solemn promise to my wife that I’m just going to get my 10 favorite movies - which are really 7,000 movies. But instinctively, which may change tomorrow, I’d say Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Erich von Stroheim’s Greed, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, Beauty and the Beast. It’s almost impossible to make this list. I’d say all Chaplin and Hitchcock . . . it’s impossible. It’s a horrible dilemma."

To read what Guillermo said about the movie's 10-year development period, the importance of storytelling, and female protagonists in horror films, just

On what happened to his film after a long period of development: "I left [the movie] at a dimension exactly where I thought it was ready, after a couple of drafts. And then 10 years later, they had done every permutation with every director - the creatures became giant bugs that impregnated woman and took them to the caves! I went back and recuperated the draft exactly where I left it, and that’s the movie we shot. . . . We avoided a lot of the cliche that would have happened had it gone [the studio's way]. Certainly the ending is not what you expect from a major movie where every character is going to be running away from a ball of fire or jumping into the pool or something."
On his love of a good story: "I think it is primordial. I think I’ve been quoted many, many times over many, many years, talking about storytelling, which I think is a primal function of the higher human being. The thing that scares me the most is that we live in a reality TV world that we raise everything to the most materialistic, brutally, merciless level of materialism that is really, really revolting, because if that’s all we are then I want to get out of the show, frankly."
On making movies with female protagonists: "I think that the genre of horror, if you go with the scream queen mentality, you create victims. But some of the greatest female roles go to great actresses in horror. I think of Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby - an incredible, compelling role that any actress should be super happy to do. Or think about Nicole Kidman in The Others and Belen Rueda in The Orphanage. I think the genre can create some of the best, most powerful female roles ever for any actor. In our society, to reinforce the horror films that just create victims, create female characters that are waiting to be rescued, really, really to me [are] almost immoral and all the movies I can be involved in, in any of them, even the most commercial ones, I carefully try to avoid re-creating weak, rescue-able female characters."

Katie Holmes: I "Held My Daughter Closer" After First Reading Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Allie Merriam — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:24:00 PDT

Katie Holmes linked up with her Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark producer Guillermo del Toro recently in NYC to chat about their scary film. They were in Australia nearly two years ago shooting the project, which was directed by Troy Nixey. Katie dished about their shoot down under, saying she loved their desserts - actually, after the interview was over, Katie beelined to the junket's dessert tray to eat sweets with young costar Bailee Madison. Katie had kind words to share about Bailee and Guillermo, and shared her favorite movies of the moment and how she prepped to act in such a scary film. Katie said:

On getting to know Bailee on set: "It was a pleasure working with Bailee and getting to know her mom Patti. They're so lovely, such a nice family . . . I think it’s really fun to work on movies because everyone's families get to know each other. I know Guillermo’s family, he knows my family, and we all stay in touch. We're all raising children in a very creative environment - it’s great fun. Bailee is a very strong human being and she is so good at what she does. We're going to see many of her films over time."
On doing the movie: "I was really excited to work with Guillermo, first of all. And I love this script. I was scared reading it. I love these characters and I really loved [my character] Kim’s journey from really resisting a relationship with [Bailee Madison's] Sally then getting to the point where she can identify with Sally. I love that emotional tension and then turning it into a great emotional art. It was really fun and challenging, and I really loved how strong these two female characters are. It’s great to see on film and it’s really fun to portray."
On being on the set: "We loved Melbourne, Australia. The people in town were so lovely, and they have the best doughnuts and great bookstores and great pavlova."
On watching scary movies growing up: "I did! I was affected by them, and when I read this script, I was so terrified that I started hearing noises - and I kind of held my daughter closer and looked in the corners of her bedroom a couple of times. I really enjoyed being a part of this, because I really do think it takes the audience on that thrill ride."

To read more from Katie about how she prepped, playing opposite make-believe creatures, and the legacy of strong women in scary films, just

On how she prepared: "Fortunately we had a lot of time prior to shooting, and Guillermo is very generous with his time and insight, and helpful. To me, I have to sort of sit down and make sure that I am doing it right - at what point does she discover this, and how is she feeling here, etc. - just so that you know what the rules are for a particular scene and then you can play with it within those boundaries."
On playing opposite creatures later added with CGI: "I had seen what they looked like, so I had that in my mind and I was working opposite pieces of tape. What was great was I wasn’t playing a character that was running from them. I was fighting them, taking control over them, so it was challenging - like squatting them and punching them. You wanted to make sure you were doing it at the right time 'cause it was important. So it was challenging in that way. It was one of the things that was really fun and creative about this movie . . . It was fun to go see what they looked like and what they were creating."
On working with Bailee Madison: "Bailee is very gifted; she’s a great actress. It was like working with an actor at any age. She is just really good at what she does. It was thrilling and inspiring like it is when you work with good people."
On her favorite movies of the moment: "It’s more like favorite movie this week. This week, Notorious and - because that’s what I watched!"

Tom Cruise Steps Out to Support Katie Holmes's Scary Movie

Allie Merriam — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:57:39 PDT

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes headed home after the NYC premiere of her movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark last night. She hit the black carpet in a dress from her Holmes & Yang line and a necklace featuring the letter "S" for Suri. It was the end of a long day for Katie, who arrived in the Big Apple very early in the morning. She made a quick change before heading out to do an afternoon of press, and she met up with her young costar, Bailee Madison, and Tom for dinner before the screening. Tom, meanwhile, passed his afternoon out with Suri. There are more interviews to come for Katie today as she preps for the junket and a stop by Jimmy Fallon's show. Katie's movie isn't out in the US until Aug. 26, but she and producer Guillermo del Toro are getting the PR out of the way early.

Link Time - Paul Rudd to Freeze People in Next Film

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:44:49 PDT

Paul Rudd is set to star in film about freezing people - The Hollywood Reporter
Ted Danson joins CSI cast - Aol TV
What's Oprah's next career move? - Zap2It
Vin Diesel signs on to star in new action film - Moviefone
Steven Colbert debates monogamy - TrèsSugar
See photos from the fifth installation of Final Destination - Rotten Tomatoes
Get a sneak peek at Soderbergh's Contagion film - /Film
Check out the poster for Katie Holmes's upcoming horror film - MTV Movies Blog

Katie Holmes Catches Royal Fever and Closes the LA Film Festival

PopSugar — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:15:13 PDT

Katie Holmes stepped out at the LA Film Festival Sunday with her adorable young costar to premiere Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and talk about the young royals!

Katie Holmes Isn't Afraid to Go Sexy and Backless For LA Film Festival

Molly Goodson — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:23:01 PDT

Katie Holmes posed with her young costar Bailee Madison at the LA Film Festival premiere of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark last night. The scary movie closed out the festival, and Katie was glowing with her fresh-from-Miami tan, backless Contrarian dress, and Lanvin pumps. Bailee, who also acted alongside Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler in Just Go With It, is racking up quite the A-list résumé. For the past few weeks, Katie and Suri have been enjoying their time in Florida, where Tom Cruise is filming Rock of Ages. Katie Holmes whipped out a bikini to hit the beach and embraced the heat in barely there outfits in between adorable excursions with her daughter as Tom works with his ensemble cast. It will be months before we see Tom's big-screen musical, but this week we'll get a peek at another of his high-profile projects when the trailer for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol premieres ahead of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.