Laura Prepon is set to co-star opposite Taylor Schilling in Orange Is The New Black, Netflix’s new 13-episode hourlong series from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. Also cast in the series as a recurring is Australian actress Yael Stone. Based on the book by Piper Kerman, Orange Is The New Black is a one-hour drama, with comedic elements, about Piper (Schilling) an engaged Brooklynite whose decade-old relationship with a drug-runner (Prepon) in college results in her arrest and multi-year detention in a federal penitentiary. Lacking any real-world experience to deal with this harsh new environment, Piper immerses herself in women’s prison culture. Stone will play Boston-Italian inmate Rosemarie Perrone, the very happily engaged-to-be-married transport driver at a Connecticut women’s prison who is also not very-not-above servicing her own, ahem, needs – usually with her fellow cons in the shower. Stone, repped by Gersh, Shanahan in Australia, and Andy Corren Management, is best known for starring opposite Geoffrey Rush in the play Diary of a Madman. That ’70s Show alumna Prepon starred in NBC’s comedy series Are Your There, Chelsea? last season.Few things to look forward in the series:
[1] The series will be much more detailed than the book it was based on. Sex is glossed over in the memoir but Jenji Kohan is given the freedom by Netflix to go all the way meaning detailed sex/nudity. Remember there is no guidelines for show producers to adhere to like on the cable. Sex can be graphic as long as there is no penetration shot. The casting notice for the lead roles requires nudity. It's not optional or a possibility. Nudity is part of the character. After all OITNB is a modern retelling of the 1970's and early 80's women prison movies albeit with better writing and plenty of pretentiousness including contrived moments thrown in to make it look smarter and grittier than it was.
[2] According to reliable source(s) (main gratitude goes to virginia), Taylor Schilling is certainty for her first ever nudity on-cam in the series. Taylor nude scenes will be shade similar to Weeds' Mary Louise Parker but much more blatant considering the shower scenes will be lengthy and full-frontal is almost a must. The opening episode will see Taylor in a shower montage with a guy, lez-shower with Alex (Nora Jenson in the book) played by Laura Prepon and then her in prison showering. Yep. A guaranteed show-stopper premiere and star-making (in terms of nudity) for Taylor. She shows tits, ass and bush. Brief love scene(s) with her BF Larry. The strip-search scene from the book will be graphically shown on the show. Ladies and gentlemen, Taylor Schilling goes full-frontal. Incredibly ballsy for a first-timer. In fact the premiere is all about sex and nudity to lure in subscribers.
[3] She is joined by Laura Prepon (already broke her nudity cherry) and Aussie Yael Stone (her first nudity as well). Yael plays Rosemarie Perrone. They're still looking for a African-American actress to play another inmate who becomes close with Taylor's Piper. A Latino character (also an inmate) and the actress who plays her will be announced soon. Watch out for the character named "Nina Collins' - a twentish white girl. She and Yael's Rosemarie will have a shower sex scene.
[4] The show will derive its entertainment value mostly from voyeuristic like sex/nudity due to the original material being such a shallow nonsense. Jenji will make it work. The following 13-episode will be filled with lesbian sex and nudity so again keep an eye out for the casting news.
* I do have a bad news regarding Netflix and related anti-piracy bill expected to pass early or mid of next year. I will post the details as soon as I get a clear picture.
Christian Pitre testing for the role of Piper
Emily Stockdale auditioned for the role of Nina Collins [Orange is the New Black]
Cristen Coppen test audition for the role of Piper
Ali Marsh test read for role of Alex (eventually offered to Laura Prepon)
(don't miss this one. Nasty sexy lines)
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Star On the Rise: Kristen Connolly
Kristen Connolly was sure she wasn’t going to get the gig in “The Cabin In the Woods.” And she didn’t – at first. But she discovered that Hollywood has a knack for surprise endings, and ended up both the film’s leading lady and a star on the rise.
As the genre-tweaking horror film heads to Blu-Ray, Connolly tells how she lost, and then got, the job, recalls scary and silly days on the set and reveals how her Hollywood career continues to heat up.
Did you realize while you were making the film the impact that it would later have?
No. I think we all knew it was really something special. I think we were all like, 'Really? Are they going to let us all do that?' But I didn't know that it would be so well received and that so many people would love it so much. So, that was really exciting and it just felt good to have something that you loved so much be so welcomed.
No. I think we all knew it was really something special. I think we were all like, 'Really? Are they going to let us all do that?' But I didn't know that it would be so well received and that so many people would love it so much. So, that was really exciting and it just felt good to have something that you loved so much be so welcomed.
How did the project come to you and how did you react when you first read the script?
This is kind of freaky actually: the first casting director that they had working on this thing, I don't think he liked me at all. He kind of like was, like, 'Eh,' and he gave me lots of notes, like, 'Your hair is wrong. Your outfit is wrong.’ And after I left I was like, 'Well, that was a waste of time. He's never going to hire me,' and he didn't. Then there was a new casting director who I guess went through all of our old tapes – and I think Chris Hemsworth had the same thing, where he was never submitted – and so she asked me to go in again, and I was like, 'Are you kidding? Again with this movie?' My agents said, 'No, no – It's different people.'
So I put myself on tape at my agents office and from there I got a call that they wanted me to come out to L.A. and meet with Joss [Whedon] and Drew [Goddard]. So I flew out there and I read with Fran [Kranz] – up until then I had all fake scripts. Like, I had no idea what the movie was actually about, and so it was kind of crazy. I was kind of like, 'I'm flying out to L.A. and doing this thing and I don't even know what this movie is about.' They were like, 'No, no – It's the main girl. She's awesome.' I was like, 'Alright, fine.' I got there and Joss and Drew were just so cool, and Fran was great and we hit it off right away and it was a really fun day. I remember leaving and thinking, 'You know what, even if I don't get this job, that was a great experience and it was great to meet these people and to have a fun time in an audition,' which almost never happens.
Then I got a call on the way to the airport that they were offering me the role, and only then did I get to actually read the script. I was like, 'Holy s***, this is fantastic!' It's so different from anything. I'd never read anything like that in my life. Yeah, and at that point I was like, 'I have to do this movie. It's so cool.'
It's a great deconstruction of the horror genre. Are you into the genre?
I'm sort of in between. There's some stuff that I love. I love being scared, but I don't like some of the torture stuff. I find that really, I can't watch it. So one of the things that I was so excited about with this movie is that it's not torture porn, and they were very aware of that and I think what they wanted is to create, and what they did create is a movie that's actually got the sort of thrill of being in a movie theater with other people and being scared and then laughing, almost, as soon as the scare’s over, that it's fun. It's not meant to just disturb you. It's kind of communal and it's fun and it's exciting. I wasn't a total horror buff, but I do like scary movies. Drew gave us a whole bunch to watch. There were ton of movies that they gave us, and it was a ball.
Did you ever feel genuinely freaked out on the set, a sequence you did maybe where you felt some real fear?
Did you ever feel genuinely freaked out on the set, a sequence you did maybe where you felt some real fear?
Yeah. There were times when we were actually outside and it was really late at night, like three or four in the morning. They had all of these different zombies, like in all different directions and they were kind of far away. And they didn't even show all of this in the movie, but they had footage of all of them approaching us, and that was pretty eerie, because you actually were outside and it was pretty quiet apart from the set and you could just sort of make out this figure, like a person from far away.
What's the flipside of that: the silliest day where you guys couldn't stop breaking up?
What's the flipside of that: the silliest day where you guys couldn't stop breaking up?
It was in the basement. The basement was the worst. We couldn't get through that Latin, when I was reading the journal – somebody would start laughing. I mean, there were so many takes where we just couldn't get through it, and we shot that scene over three days and it was all night shoots. So we were totally loopy, and Fran had somehow snuck a camera onto the set and we looked over and it was just sitting there and people were losing their minds, trying not to laugh.
Because the film was so warmly received, have you felt an uptick in your agents getting more phone calls for you and offers coming in?
I was very lucky in that I was already going into another job. I'm shooting a series down in Baltimore called 'House of Cards.' David Fincher is the director and executive producer and Kevin Spacey is the lead and Robin Wright. It's about DC and politics. It's based on the British mini-series from the early '90's and it's for Netflix – It's their original programming. I had gotten the job about a month probably before the 'Cabin' press tour started. So I was very lucky to be able to go right into another job. As soon as the film opened I was already heading to Baltimore to do pre-production on this, so I've been very busy here, and I'm crossing fingers that I continue to be.
Can you talk about what you're playing on that show?
I play the assistant to a congressman, who's played by Corey Stoll. He's got sort of a drug and alcohol problem and I'm his assistant, but also his girlfriend.
Do you have another scary movie coming up?
Do you have another scary movie coming up?
I do. It's called 'The Bay.' It comes out November 4th. It could not be more different from 'Cabin,' but the similarity, I guess, is that I'm not allowed to talk about it. And to make it even more certain that I couldn't talk about it, they only let me read the scenes that I'm in, so I haven't even read the entire script, but I do know that it's more like 'Paranormal Activity' in that it's feels very pedestrian. It feels very naturalistic, and then these sort of extraordinary, scary things happen…Barry Levinson’s the director, and it was really kind of low-key. I mean, we shot the whole thing…I think I worked maybe five or six days over two weeks, and it was really kind of wonderful.
What's the most scared you've ever been, whether something was really going on or you were just doing it to yourself in your head?
Oh, man, I had a really weird experience with my mom. We were on vacation and I became convinced that the doorman was going to kill us. He was really creepy and I thought that he was going to come into our room and kill us in the middle of the night. She was like, 'You are out of your mind – I don't know what's going on,' but I was positive that it was going to happen, and I think that I just had PMS or something. But I was terrified.
* Kristen will have (clothed?) sex bent-over the table getting it from behind by the congressman during an episode. While the British version is mostly implied, the lengthiness of US-remake is expected to have more than its share of sleaziness factor. Still no news of Kate Mara expected bed-scene with Spacey's character. Will be she be nude? In one of the scenes her reporter character Zoe Barnes is seen questioning and arguing with Spacey's Francis Urquhart while his wife Robin Wright watches on. Cuts to cam panning down close to a bed with Francis on top of a woman, rolls over and........that's only the tantalizing part I received. Spacey is gay and he is never comfortable with female nudity. That could be an issue.
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You Need Netflix More Than It Needs You
On Friday, Netflix (NAS: NFLX) managed to close above $60 for the first time this month.
It didn't last.
Variety raised doubts this morning that Netflix's streaming deal with A-and-E and History Channel won't be renewed before the original contract ends this Friday. Adding insult to injury, Macquarie analyst Tim Nollen initiated coverage of the company today with an underperform rating and a $50 price target.
Ouch.
Nollen's argument is that investors are better off going with the content owners than with the distributors. "Content is king" may be a tired mantra, but Nollen thinks it will be media giants including Time Warner (NYS: TWX) and CBS (NYS: CBS) that "rule the roost" here.
"Netflix is a price taker in an increasingly competitive market," he argues.
Throne for a loop
Time Warner is the parent of HBO. CBS owns Showtime. One can argue that they started out a lot like Netflix. Cable providers continue to market HBO and Showtime as premium movie channels -- which is pretty much what Netflix was during its disc-intensive model.
However, HBO and Showtime began to learn that owning content -- especially recurring content in the form of television shows that can push the envelope the way traditional broadcasters can't -- is the smarter path to retention.
The third season of Boardwalk Empire premiered on HBO last night. If you wanted to catch Weeds before its finale, you needed Showtime.
Does anyone care if HBO or Showtime misses out on a particular movie? No. Do they care that obscure A-and-E and History Channel shows have never been available? Of course not. However, Netflix's stock still takes a whack whenever a cable channel or studio deal falls apart, even if it will ultimately improve margins if subscribers stick around.
Spoiler alert for cynics: Netflix subscribers stick around.
Seeing Starz
Liberty Media (NAS: LMCA) cut off a lucrative deal with Netflix in February, and Netflix shares have taken a beating since Starz let its intention known last year. Did subscribers follow the stock price out the door? No. Netflix has actually tacked on nearly 2.3 million net streaming subscribers in this country through the first half of the year.
There are now nearly 24 million domestic Netflix streaming subscribers. Netflix's more than 27.5 million global streaming subscribers represent a figure comparable to the leading premium movie channels. Why are folks willing to pay twice as much for HBO or Showtime than Netflix? Why are they willing to pay far more for the cable and satellite television services required before they can add Showtime or HBO?
If "quality original content" is your answer, have you seen the Netflix playbook? Netflix's foray into original programming got off to a slow start with February's Lilyhammer, but we have the Arrested Development revival, the star-studded House of Cards, and Eli Roth's Hemlock Grove on tap for next year.
Maybe Netflix is taking the wrong path by making entire seasons of its shows available at once, the way it did with Lilyhammer. It wants to encourage what it calls "binge viewing" instead of creating the buzz that builds for hot shows with weekly installments.
In the end, it doesn't matter. Netflix has proved that it's flexible enough to shift gears when something isn't working. Just look at Qwikster, which lasted about as long as a Kardashian relationship.
If skeptics think that investors will bail on Netflix just because they can't watch old episodes of Hoarders, they're wrong. Just wait until Netflix has just one original-programming hit and learns to milk it appropriately.
When you have more than 27.5 million premium streaming customers worldwide, you're going to find that you can not only pay more to score magnetic content, but you can also pay more to acquire quality content.
Amazon.com is giving Netflix a good fight as it follows the Netflix blueprint circa 2009, but Netflix is already catching up to the audibles that HBO and Showtime are calling.
Good luck betting against Netflix.
Stream on
A new premium report on Netflix details the opportunities and challenges in store for its shareholders. The report includes a full year of updates, so time's ticking. Check it out now.
* Imagine the huge profits generated when Netflix expands to even more countries when their original programming content becomes top seller and new demands arises in untapped regions. Netflix in a long run will be capable of achieving something that even cable often struggles to do : convincing nudity dodgers to strip on-cam. The net-masters can pay above and beyond to snare the hardiest of nudity dodgers and guys, that's the time we can truly celebrate. You'll think it's far-fetched but money will move any obstacles (faith, family and inscecurities) or more precisely remove any clothing in the way. Good times are coming.
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TIFF 2012: The best of the fest
While TIFF's 37th year was a memorable one, even with David O. Russell's dramatic and funny meditation on mental illness Silver Linings Playbook picking up the Blackberry People's Choice Award, no one movie is leaving the fest with as much heat as obvious crowd-pleasers like Slumdog Millionaire and last year's The King's Speech as we head into awards season.
No matter. The stars showed up, the less-famous tried to figure out who they knew that could get them into the Soho House, Bill Murray was funny, Ryan Gosling looked hot, Colin Farrell remembered us (!) and Spike Lee got us dancing in our seats.
Now that we've been able to resume our normal sleep schedules, it's time for the wrap-up, TIFF 2012 edition. Read on for our thoughts on the Best of the Fest.
Weirdest display of pseudo-feminist solidarity - Kristen Stewart's fans litter On the Road red carpet with supportive signage
Though all she did was step out on her famous boyfriend at the tender age of 22, Stewart's female fans are acting as if she is in the process of overcoming some MAJOR HARDSHIP and they lined the red carpet for her Jack Kerouac flick with hand-made signs proclaiming their sisterly support: "Talent, Beauty, Strength and Courage -- We stand by Kristen always" and "We are always with you Kristen Stewart." The first time she did press since unnecessarily publicly apologizing for her cheating ways, the awkward actress was, well, just as awkward as usual while her fans were happily vocal about standing by their woman.
Best Opportunity to see a Bond girl go arthouse - To the Wonder
Olga Kurylenko made a splash as Camille in 2008's Quantum of Solace and though playing opposite Blond Bond got her noticed, she hasn't done much in the way of big projects. She does most of the heavy lifting in Terrence Malick's divisive To the Wonder, an artsy, largely wordless experiential film that gives her a chance to be much more than a Bond girl.
Biggest red carpet snafu - Asking Octavia Spencer about Precious...
Everyone knows that a red carpet journalist is only as good as their ability to be an aggressive-but-kind-lightning-quick-question-asker and the time they put into research before they thrust their single question out into an A-lister's face, so it was especially cringe-worthy when our lady-in-the-trenches Taylor Kaye witnessed a reporter asking The Help's Octavia Spencer, here to support her movie Smashed, why she didn't come to TIFF with Precious when it premiered in 2009. Uh, because she wasn't in it.
Best use of Tom Waits - Seven Psychopaths
The gravel-throated balladeer is no stranger to acting, having appeared in a handful of movies since the early '80s, but writer-director Martin McDonagh tapped into Waits' singular and slightly menacing energy and was able to get a hilarious and emotional performance out of the musician. As one of the seven psychopaths, Waits portrayed a bunny-stroking former vigilante killer who desperately wants to be written into Colin Farrell's character's screenplay. It sound confusing but it's not, and Waits' wacky performance is only one of seven reasons to watch this brilliant and mad movie that scored the Midnight Madness Audience Award.
Most likely to further irritate GOOP dissenters - Gwyneth Paltrow in Thanks for Sharing
It's become an international pass-time to pick on Gwynnie and we get it: the gorgeous 39-year-old is married to Coldplay's Chris Martin, kick-started the weirdo name game with Apple and has a lifestyle website where she advises you on what J. Crew items you must have and what to buy the man in your life. And her role in Stuart Blumberg's sex addiction dramedy Thanks for Sharing probably won't convince those who don't dig Paltrow to give her another shot. She plays Phoebe, a food-obsessed marathon-running businesswoman who gets to bed Mark Ruffalo and performs a lapdance while wearing black lingerie. Good luck, GOOP.
Movie most likely to make you chair-dance - Bad 25
For Michael Jackson fans, Bad 25 is a must-see but for those who are at all interested in how the best-selling 1987 album was recorded, how Martin Scorsese came to direct the titular, dance-tastic music video and what Kanye West thinks of the song "Dirty Diana," this Spike Lee doc will satisfy. Not only that, but it's song-by-song dissection of MJ's much-anticipated Thriller follow-up is full of little-seen performance and in-studio footage that will get you tapping your toes, if not leaving the theatre doing the MJ shuffle.
Most potent reminder that Joaquin Phoenix is a masterful actor - The Master
Hiding behind sunglasses, a massive beard and the worst case of bed-head, Joaquin Phoenix made himself into a punchline with 2010's I'm Still Here, except no one even cared enough to bother with courtesy laughs. With Paul Thomas Anderson's pulsating, inventive and brilliant The Master, Phoenix re-emerges in a big way and makes you forget all about his previous missteps by bringing to life a character so lost, depraved, malleable and self-destructive that we don't want to imagine how he got into that head space. Either way, the man is back.
 Lawrence hits the red carpet during TIFF |
Here's the thing: Jennifer Lawrence is gorgeous. And talented. And funny. But sporting darker tendrils that appear to have been coated in olive oil, a dour expression and a sad tie-dyed tea-length dress, she looked more Evan-Rachel-Wood-dating-Marilyn-Manson than ingenue on the rise. We hear her performance in Silver Linings Playbook is stellar but this red carpet look gets a thumb's way, way down.
Best show of Disney Girls Going Bad - Spring Breakers
The press conference for Harmony Korine's happily odd look at girls behaving badly was more fun than expected, mostly because of the things coming out of Selena Gomez's mouth. The movie had the weird thing locked by casting James Franco as a thuggy rapper named Alien and then Korine turned the eccentricity level up to 11 by having squeaky-clean teen queens Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson carry around shotguns while wearing bikinis and getting into serious trouble. And it's no accident; if you're trying to break out of the play-safe mold, starring in a Harmony Korine movie IS the way to go.
Cool film event we hope becomes a TIFF trend - Jason Reitman's Live Reading seriesThe Toronto International Film Festival should be about films, duh, but writer-director Reitman brought his Live Reading series to our city and shook up the perception of how we consume them by having a handful of actors put their own spin on Oscar-winning drama American Beauty this time around. (He'd previously done live-read of The Breakfast Club and The Apartment.) With big names like Bryan Cranston and Christina Hendricks leading the cast, not to mention Adam Driver, Mae Whitman (her?), Toronto's own Sarah Gadon (Antiviral, A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis) and Strombo, it was a lively way to kick off the fest and breathe new life into a movie that's over a decade old. Fingers crossed Reitman does this again next year.
Top picks from 2012 Toronto International Film Festival
by Victoria Ahearn, Andrea Baillie, Michael Oliveira, Nick Patch and Cassandra Szklarsk, The Canadian Press
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This film image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bryan Cranston, left, as Jack O’Donnell and Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in "Argo," a rescue thriller about the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. This crackerjack political drama definitively establishes Ben Affleck as one of Hollywood's top directors, while shedding light on a previously secret CIA mission to extract six U.S. citizens from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Warner Bros., Claire Folger |
TORONTO - The Toronto International Film Festival ended on the weekend after unspooling 289 feature films over 11 days of movie madness. The Canadian Press writers who covered the fest pick their favourite titles. Here they are (in alphabetical order):
"Argo" — Textbook popcorn thriller, but it works. This crackerjack political drama definitively establishes Ben Affleck as one of Hollywood's top directors, while shedding light on a previously secret CIA mission to extract six U.S. citizens from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis. It sets a relentless pace from the get-go, albeit with the help of some convenient dramatizations that ramp up suspense and CIA heroics while downplaying Canada's key involvement. (Opens Oct. 12)
"Bad 25" — At first blush, movie-goers might first be puzzled as to why Spike Lee chose to focus his new documentary on Michael Jackson's erratic "Thriller" followup. But that's just the point. Lee's riveting film is jam-packed with mesmerizing archival material and insightful interviews explaining what drove the King of Pop as he tried to outdo his own history-making album. Prepare to be humming "Smooth Criminal" for days after viewing. (Airs on ABC on Nov. 22).
"A Late Quartet" — Critical darlings Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken star in this exquisite tale of a New York City string quartet thrown into disarray after their leader becomes ill. The discipline of a classical music career is rendered in fascinating detail and Walken's restrained portrayal of a kindly cellist struggling with his mortality is already earning Oscar whispers. (Opens Nov. 23)
"Looper" — Selecting the festival's opening film can't be easy and the final decision is usually a subject of much debate. But there's no question TIFF organizers nailed it this year. Industry insiders had good reason to show up for Day 1 of the festival, to catch the world premiere of this smart, sci-fi film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. It's got A-list star power, enough action to satisfy thrill seekers, and a compelling, twisty story that lends it the potential to become that all-too-rare commodity at the box office: a blockbuster with brains. (Opens Sept. 28)
"Love is All You Need" — In different hands, this could have been a typically trite feel-good rom-com — a Danish "Mamma Mia!" without the musical outbursts. But Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier balances fizz with feeling in a film that remains breezy while acknowledging some harsh truths. Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm have crackling chemistry as single strangers brought together by their kids' wedding on a beautiful chunk of the Italian coast, and that combined with Bier's subtle style gives us something rare — a romantic comedy imbued with actual romance. (Opens in 2013)
"Quartet" — Two-time Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman deserves a big "Bravo" for directing this sharp and charming comedy, about a retirement home occupied by former opera artists. Scottish wag Billy Connolly offers a master class in comedic timing as the home's cheeky ladies' man while Maggie Smith is pitch-perfect as the icy diva who's averse to singing in the facility's annual gala. Tom Courtenay adds a sensitive touch as her jilted ex, Pauline Collins warms the heart as her best friend, and Michael Gambon steals the show as the gala's director.
"Rust and Bone" — A makeup-less Marion Cotillard delivers a haunting portrait of a depressed and hopeless orca trainer who loses her legs in an accident at work. Brawny and gritty co-star Matthias Schoenaerts is equally raw as a struggling single father who bonds with Cotillard's character as he turns to underground fighting to make a fast buck. Director and co-writer Jacques Audiard keeps the drama grounded in this adaptation of Canadian Craig Davidson's short story collection, never shying away from the painful, awkward or arousing elements of the characters' unlikely union. (Opens Dec. 21)
"Silver Linings Playbook" — The seriously messed-up romantic leads of this huge-hearted comedy, played by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, are brought together by their shared urge for honesty, even if it's the sort of tactless, blurted-out candidness that can bring a dinner party to a screeching halt. Well, the audience appreciates it anyway. Written and directed by David O. Russell from a novel by Matthew Quick, this film expertly mines laughs from its cast of engaging oddballs — including a surprising Robert De Niro playing against type — without making fun of them. (Opens Nov. 21)
"Smashed" — Too often, films about addiction veer into heavy melodrama or turn into sensational shockfests. Here's a look at alcoholism that's grounded by a moving naturalism, even as its flawed heroine spirals through after-work benders that go from hilarious to sad to frightening. Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers a career-making performance as a young schoolteacher who realizes she's lost control of her drinking. The stellar supporting cast includes "Breaking Bad"'s Aaron Paul as her enabling husband, "Parks and Recreation"'s Nick Offerman as her sympathetic co-worker and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as her AA sponsor. (Opens Nov. 2)
"Yellow" — He's probably best known for spawning a billion tears by directing Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the mainstream romantic drama "The Notebook," so it's a bit surprising to see Nick Cassavetes helming this quirky mind-trip of a movie. The dark dramatic comedy stars Heather Wahlquist as a pill-popping substitute elementary school teacher struggling to keep her personal demons at bay and provide for her kids. A string of delightfully out-there dream sequences that punctuate her travails are a highlight, along with performances from a strong supporting cast led by Ray Liotta, Melanie Griffith and Sienna Miller.
5 Fall Festival Films That Still Need Distribution
There's still a few films standing around on the sidelines, including some that we'd figured would spark off bidding wars, which were seemingly dampened by disappointed critical reactions. Discussions are undoubtedly still ongoing, and we'd expect to see many of these films picked up in the weeks and months ahead. But to close off TIFF, we've picked out five (technically six) high-profile pictures that are still looking for distributors, and examined why they weren't snapped up faster, and where they might eventually land. Read on below.
"Argo" — Textbook popcorn thriller, but it works. This crackerjack political drama definitively establishes Ben Affleck as one of Hollywood's top directors, while shedding light on a previously secret CIA mission to extract six U.S. citizens from Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis. It sets a relentless pace from the get-go, albeit with the help of some convenient dramatizations that ramp up suspense and CIA heroics while downplaying Canada's key involvement. (Opens Oct. 12)
"Bad 25" — At first blush, movie-goers might first be puzzled as to why Spike Lee chose to focus his new documentary on Michael Jackson's erratic "Thriller" followup. But that's just the point. Lee's riveting film is jam-packed with mesmerizing archival material and insightful interviews explaining what drove the King of Pop as he tried to outdo his own history-making album. Prepare to be humming "Smooth Criminal" for days after viewing. (Airs on ABC on Nov. 22).
"A Late Quartet" — Critical darlings Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken star in this exquisite tale of a New York City string quartet thrown into disarray after their leader becomes ill. The discipline of a classical music career is rendered in fascinating detail and Walken's restrained portrayal of a kindly cellist struggling with his mortality is already earning Oscar whispers. (Opens Nov. 23)
"Looper" — Selecting the festival's opening film can't be easy and the final decision is usually a subject of much debate. But there's no question TIFF organizers nailed it this year. Industry insiders had good reason to show up for Day 1 of the festival, to catch the world premiere of this smart, sci-fi film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. It's got A-list star power, enough action to satisfy thrill seekers, and a compelling, twisty story that lends it the potential to become that all-too-rare commodity at the box office: a blockbuster with brains. (Opens Sept. 28)
"Love is All You Need" — In different hands, this could have been a typically trite feel-good rom-com — a Danish "Mamma Mia!" without the musical outbursts. But Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier balances fizz with feeling in a film that remains breezy while acknowledging some harsh truths. Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm have crackling chemistry as single strangers brought together by their kids' wedding on a beautiful chunk of the Italian coast, and that combined with Bier's subtle style gives us something rare — a romantic comedy imbued with actual romance. (Opens in 2013)
"Quartet" — Two-time Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman deserves a big "Bravo" for directing this sharp and charming comedy, about a retirement home occupied by former opera artists. Scottish wag Billy Connolly offers a master class in comedic timing as the home's cheeky ladies' man while Maggie Smith is pitch-perfect as the icy diva who's averse to singing in the facility's annual gala. Tom Courtenay adds a sensitive touch as her jilted ex, Pauline Collins warms the heart as her best friend, and Michael Gambon steals the show as the gala's director.
"Rust and Bone" — A makeup-less Marion Cotillard delivers a haunting portrait of a depressed and hopeless orca trainer who loses her legs in an accident at work. Brawny and gritty co-star Matthias Schoenaerts is equally raw as a struggling single father who bonds with Cotillard's character as he turns to underground fighting to make a fast buck. Director and co-writer Jacques Audiard keeps the drama grounded in this adaptation of Canadian Craig Davidson's short story collection, never shying away from the painful, awkward or arousing elements of the characters' unlikely union. (Opens Dec. 21)
"Silver Linings Playbook" — The seriously messed-up romantic leads of this huge-hearted comedy, played by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, are brought together by their shared urge for honesty, even if it's the sort of tactless, blurted-out candidness that can bring a dinner party to a screeching halt. Well, the audience appreciates it anyway. Written and directed by David O. Russell from a novel by Matthew Quick, this film expertly mines laughs from its cast of engaging oddballs — including a surprising Robert De Niro playing against type — without making fun of them. (Opens Nov. 21)
"Smashed" — Too often, films about addiction veer into heavy melodrama or turn into sensational shockfests. Here's a look at alcoholism that's grounded by a moving naturalism, even as its flawed heroine spirals through after-work benders that go from hilarious to sad to frightening. Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers a career-making performance as a young schoolteacher who realizes she's lost control of her drinking. The stellar supporting cast includes "Breaking Bad"'s Aaron Paul as her enabling husband, "Parks and Recreation"'s Nick Offerman as her sympathetic co-worker and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as her AA sponsor. (Opens Nov. 2)
"Yellow" — He's probably best known for spawning a billion tears by directing Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the mainstream romantic drama "The Notebook," so it's a bit surprising to see Nick Cassavetes helming this quirky mind-trip of a movie. The dark dramatic comedy stars Heather Wahlquist as a pill-popping substitute elementary school teacher struggling to keep her personal demons at bay and provide for her kids. A string of delightfully out-there dream sequences that punctuate her travails are a highlight, along with performances from a strong supporting cast led by Ray Liotta, Melanie Griffith and Sienna Miller.
5 Fall Festival Films That Still Need Distribution
There's still a few films standing around on the sidelines, including some that we'd figured would spark off bidding wars, which were seemingly dampened by disappointed critical reactions. Discussions are undoubtedly still ongoing, and we'd expect to see many of these films picked up in the weeks and months ahead. But to close off TIFF, we've picked out five (technically six) high-profile pictures that are still looking for distributors, and examined why they weren't snapped up faster, and where they might eventually land. Read on below.
Of all the expectations mounted upon the new Terrence Malick film, "To The Wonder," a critical evisceration wasn't one of them, especially given that it came only months after "The Tree Of Life" got a Best Picture nomination and came close to broaching the Sight and Sound Top 100 poll. That film was greeted by boos at Cannes, but it was nothing compared to the vitriolic reviews of its follow-up from many quarters (although we, and many others, liked it a great deal). As such, it's not wildly surprising that 'Wonder' has yet to find a home. It feels that, given the reviews, someone like Fox Searchlight, who took "The Tree Of Life," are probably out of the running at this point, given that the 'Wonder' is unlikely to come anywhere near its predecessor's relatively modest box office haul ($13 million domestic). But there's still money to be made for a smart distributor -- the big-name cast will bring in a certain crowd (particularly if word spreads of the film's sexual content...), Malick has a certain fanbase, and curious cinephiles will want to see for themselves. Reports that UK distributor StudioCanal are considering sending the film direct to DVD are bogus, and in the U.S. it'd be a smart pick up for someone like Oscilloscope, who acquired the Malick-esque "Wuthering Heights" after TIFF last year, and who could use a high-profile buy to show that they're still in the game after the passing of founder Adam Yauch earlier in the year. We expect it won't be too long before the film finds a home.
"Passion"
Speaking of critically derided features from respected auteurs, "Passion" got a pretty poisonous reception at both Venice and TIFF. A few De Palma die hards were on board, but many outright loathed the film (our man on the ground walked out), or were a bit nonplussed, like our Venice review -- which came from a big fan of the filmmaker. Either way, few find it to be much of a step up from the dismal "The Black Dahlia" and "Redacted," so again, the film not finding distribution yet isn't an enormous surprise. In a way, the cast aren't hugely helpful -- Noomi Rapace isn't really proven as a solo lead ("Prometheus" wasn't exactly sold on her), and Rachel McAdams can be a big draw, but less so when she's outside her comfort zone, as she is here. That said, given the murder and sapphism, it's still a reasonably commercial proposition, and while hopes of the film landing at a mini-major like Lionsgate, let alone a studio, are probably slim by now, we think a genre-minded distributor with a VOD leaning -- someone like Magnolia, if they weren't put off by the terrible $65,000 gross of "Redacted," admittedly a more difficult sell, or even Anchor Bay, could probably make a decent amount of money on the film. Don't expect it to skip theaters, but a simultaneous theatrical/on-demand rollout is probably the best bet for something like this.
"Ginger and Rosa"
While not overwhelmingly adored, Sally Potter's coming-of-age tale "Ginger and Rosa" was much better received than the two films above, and has some real admirers -- we called it one of our favorite films at Telluride. But perhaps because its bow in the mountains meant that the buzz peaked too early, the film's yet to find a distributor, although it's going to be released in the U.K. next month, courtesy of Artificial Eye. While Potter's work doesn't tend to be audience friendly, this is probably her most accessible film, and there's enough recognizable members of the cast -- Annette Bening, Christina Hendricks, Alessandro Nivola, Oliver Platt -- that there's plenty of marquee value to be had. But the biggest selling point is the performance by fast-rising young star Elle Fanning, in what's arguably her first real lead role since breaking out in "Somewhere" and "Super 8." We're not sure if she's a box office draw exactly, but given the ecstatic reviews for her performance -- even from those cooler on the film -- it's possible that "Ginger and Rosa" might tap into the same kind of audience that saw "An Education" take a healthy $12 million three years ago. As such, someone like Sony Pictures Classics, who had "An Education," might be a good home for "Ginger and Rosa," although the company have been on something of a buying spree of late. Still, there's sure to be some room on their 2013 slate, and if not, IFC Films or someone similar could surely make some coin from the film.
"Laurence Anyways"It's becoming a bit of a refrain in these parts to question why "Laurence Anyways,' the latest from Quebecois wunderkind Xavier Dolan, hasn't yet found a U.S. home. It's an unruly, scrappy and overlong film, to be sure (160 minutes, which may be the major reason for it failing to get a distributor so far), but one that picked up some strong reviews at both its Cannes premiere and at TIFF, where it also won the festival award for Best Canadian Feature FIlm. Presumably the length, and the $70,000 gross for Dolan's previous feature last year, "Heartbeats," are putting audiences off, and of all the films here, this feels like it's most at risk of slipping between the cracks. But that TIFF award could theoretically help, and if Dolan's willing to trim the film down, it'll become a lot more palatable to audiences. There's certainly an audience out there for the film, especially if a distributor targets the film to the LGBT crowd -- look at "Weekend," which IFC took to a $500,000 gross last year.
"Arthur Newman"/ "Greetings From Tim Buckley"We're cheating a little bit here, but there's one thing that unites these two films -- they're both pictures that screened after the crucial first weekend of the festival, when press and industry are starting to filter out of Toronto. As such, neither got a huge amount of attention, overshadowed by the big premieres from the first half of the festival, and neither have yet been picked up. "Arthur Newman" is the starrier of the pair, led as it is by recent Oscar winner Colin Firth, and It Girl Emily Blunt (who was the biggest name in indie sleeper "Your Sister's Sister"). But the film was very tepidly received across the board, and neither are necessarily home-run draws -- Firth picture "Main Street" took only $2500 when Magnolia released it last September. It'll find a home somewhere, but it may take a while, and don't expect it to get the widest of arthouse releases. "Greetings From Tim Buckley" may have a better chance. The film wasn't raved about, exactly, but reviews were fairly respectable. And while it doesn't have the big names, it does have some rising ones, in the shape of "Gossip Girl" star Penn Badgley and British actress Imogen Poots. Neither are proven draws by themselves, but they'd likely bring in a degree of press, and musos are likely to turn up to the first proper Jeff Buckley biopic (although it might help if his name was in the title...). The ship's probably sailed on a Sony Pictures Classics or a Focus taking the film -- the reviews aren't quite strong enough for that. But Magnolia or IFC or Oscilloscope might well yet step in.
Honorable Mentions: Other films still looking for a home include Michael Winterbottom's "Everyday," Venice favorite "A Hijacking," Golden Lion winner "Pieta," Nick Cassavettes' "Yellow," Tommy Lee Jones war drama "Emperor," critically-savaged Hugh Laurie vehicle "Mr. Pip," Laurent Cantet's "Foxfire" and Indian epic "Midnight's Children."
Maggie Grace : Brian Bowen Smith photoshoot (2007)
* look at those nips (Nope. I won't admit it's all angles+dress thingy). She had them covered in all her movies. Finally they're coming out in 2013 and it'll be worth the wait.
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Katee Life : Bike Ride and Shower Off
* by the way, check out Girls Gone Wild blog with greats free pics of hot babes.
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some of the most outrageous designs or lack of it: Nipples, Nudity And Inspiration at London Fashion Week.
* Alice Dellal is the model walking around 'butt' naked and in see-thru apparel.
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Why Real Sex in Real Movies Never Quite Works
The new, semi-gritty indie About Cherry is all about a semi-reluctant slide into the porn industry, and it's also the first mainstream feature co-written by a busy porn actress, Lorelei Lee, otherwise famous for double penetrations and clothespin bondage. This shouldn't strike us very strange. Every screenwriter needs a day job, and it's not as though Lee would necessarily be well-equipped to pen a biopic of Teddy Roosevelt or something. Beyond that, everyone has heard that you should write what you know. Beyond that, though, the question remains: Why would anyone want to make a film about porn, anyway? Doesn't porn do that already? Just because porn's Internet ubiquity has pushed it closer to the public mainstream than ever in the history of humanity doesn't mean it's so fascinating that we need to know more than porn itself tells us. Or provides for us, to be concise. But the relationship between the two schools of expression, between the Hollywood you'd bring to the prom and the other Hollywood, has always been fraught, like the one between sisters when one's Ann Romney and the other is, oh, Lorelei Lee. The plain old "normal" film business, here and elsewhere, has traditionally shunned hardcore porn both as a subject and a methodology, and for good reason — porn by definition does not play well with others. For the most part, the bio-neuronal function it serves actively excludes and/or obliterates the other reasons we might watch movies. Porn is a walled ghetto built by our dicks and pussies, and you don't drive through unless you're looking for one thing and one thing alone.
Of course, "straight" filmmakers have dared to go there, to use the extremity of hardcore media for their own purposes. It's usually folly, explicit sex being something like Kryptonite to movie narratives — the sudden introduction of real sex and sometimes even just sexually charged nudity will immediately distract us from the movie it's in. (Susan Sarandon once said it's difficult not to be upstaged by your own tits, and she would know.) The key to art, as Nagisa Oshima knew when he forged ahead with In the Realm of the Senses (1976), is to make the fucking as grim and unpleasurable as possible. The result for Oshima was either an unpleasant masterpiece or an experimental semi-movie, depending on how much you could avoid speculating about the actors' subsequent careers; predictably, the remarkable actress Eiko Matsuda all but vanished, while swinging-dick Tatsuya Fuji hasn't been out of work since.
The hybridization has always been fitful. In 1981, porn magnate Anthony Spinelli though his porn-drama Nothing to Hide had enough story and character to be regarded as a suitably "mainstream" release, with the cum shots edited out; Siskel and Ebert torched it on PBS, and that was that. The late '90s saw a French run on insertions, from Bruno Dumont's first films to Leos Carax's Pola X (1999) — which muskily confronted us with the merging genitalia of Guillaume Depardieu and Yekaterina Golubeva — and Catherine Breillat's Romance (1999), which revealed porn god Rocco Siffredi as being preternaturally capable of handling relaxed dialogue while stroking himself to erection. Still, sex that's not meant to be arousing is always boring, because we are not having it. Rape Me (Baise-Moi) (2000), co-directed, co-written, and starring working porn actresses, used a Thelma and Louise template wherein the motivating rape trauma wasn't backstory but all in your grill, while Michael Winterbottom's dull 9 Songs (2004) demonstrated the dangers of thinking that authentic sex, just because you think it's generally awesome, can sustain a feature-length screenplay.
We're not yet ready to nonchalantly incorporate full-on sex into our workaday movies, but that day might be coming. How could you stop it? For now, movies like About Cherry — of course, Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997) is the tiny subgenre's Oliver Twist — address the adult-film industry as a business and a lifestyle. Otherwise, it's a rare movie that doesn't merely use the porn industry for a joke and leaves it at that. Which might be the smartest avenue. The Showtime TV movie Rated X (2000), about the infamous Mitchell brothers' descent into ruin and murder, was frank about things, but even About Cherry, exuding a saucy optimism and self-interestedly painting the industry polite and professional on the ground, is aware of the ambivalences. Even here, it's clear we're talking about modern media's ghost subculture, a far-from-healthy ecosystem of no-impulse-control meta-children, old-fashioned exploitation scum, sublimated predators, and young dim-bulb beauties of both sexes for whom nothing is not for sale.
But look at some porn — the problem is right there, in the rented-mansion living rooms, the cyborgian implants, the industrial repetition, the intensifying emphasis on spit-ready humiliation, the lack of real humor or sympathy or motive. Any viewer's thoughts not focused on arousal instantly detour toward the uneasy weirdness of the film/video's production — every piece of porn has the drama and ethical dilemmas of its own making built right in. Who are these people, anyway? There's little mystery as to why the adult industry is still fringe — it's a gigantic id-driven daydream built upon a single, embarrassing, and usually private physical function. Once that's satisfied, there's not only no there there, but also there's an anti-there, a vacuum of purpose. Any effort to make it look like a savvy and cozy career choice strains against the reality of the glance of frustrated boredom that appears at least once in every adult film. That's the real drama. You can always see the trail of ruinous decisions, the shadow of old rationalizations, and time passing badly. That is, at least when you're not getting off.
* Michael Atkinson needs to get laid and not high before writing any article.
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Before Treasure Island: 5 Reasons to Get Excited for New Starz Drama 'Black Sails'
The film follows two Parisian cops on patrol through some of the seedier sections of town. It is based on the career of co-writer Phillipe Asard, who was on the Paris vice squad for fifteen years. Shot in the same locations where he used to patrol to add an almost documentary-like feel to the proceedings, this one is definitely on our list of can't-miss films at the fest. 
Unfortunately, the trailer below (that was uploaded by Fantastic Fest) does not contain English subtitles, so you'll just have to use it to get an idea of what to expect.
Paris By Night screens on Saturday, September 22 at Noon and again on Monday, September 24 at 8:30pm. The full Fantastic Fest 2012 schedule is available here.
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Nudity and Feminism at Philly Live Arts
What Charlotte Ford, Young Jean Lee, and a "clown sex show" have to teach us about female liberation.
By Jessica GoldschmidtAs this final week of the Philly Fringe/Live Arts Festival kicks off, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the scope of this yearly miracle: Over 200 Fringe productions, plus 14 internationally recognized artists gathering together for two glorious autumnal weeks to turn Philadelphia into the most vibrant artistic region around. Rather than hum a by-now-familiar tune of generalized praise, I’d like to focus here instead on the unusual and brilliant relevance of the Festival’s curation—specifically in terms of the timely, politicized dialogue around the female body featured in two of its offerings.
The performances in question are Bang and Untitled Feminist Show. The former is a clown sex show conceived by local powerhouse Charlotte Ford and featuring herself and two female co-collaborators. The latter is an all-female burlesque investigation written and directed by downtown New York’s theatrical darling Young Jean Lee. These two shows—though aesthetically entirely unique—find common ground in that both are fueled by prolific and virtuosic female artists investigating questions of societal gender expectation and construction, and the objectification and potential liberation of the naked female body on stage.
Basically, both Bang and Untitled Feminist Show ask us to ask ourselves: What do we expect of a naked woman in performance?
More even than our expectations, what are our judgements, sexual mores, and social associations? And is it possible—through laughter, through unbridled joy, through liberating acquaintance with the simple fact of the female body—to create a kind of female stage utopia, a real social space in which women are finally free to control their own bodies without the threat of objectification?
Full disclosure: I have yet to see Untitled Feminist Show. I’m going on Wednesday and so should you—you won’t see anything like it anywhere, even within Young Jean Lee’s venerated oeuvre of similarly boundary-pushing work. As the Time Out review of the New York production put it, “No words are spoken in the piece, and that refusal to attach language to objects underscores the director’s stated intent to explore fluidity more than fixed identity.”
I did see Bang, a hilarious, intellectually engaging and immaculately executed piece of physical comedy and clowning, peopled with liberation-seeking, cheese-ball-consuming, ecstatically and radically sensualized clowns. If it were still running, I would find a way to include in this article a mandatory written agreement for each reader stipulating that they get themselves a ticket to this show. Sadly, I have no such power.
And really, my opinion of these performances isn’t the point here: This is not a review, it’s a pledge of fealty and eternal gratitude to Live Arts for their commitment to socially engaged and politically aware performance. Our country is embroiled in a perilous new chapter of the “woman question,” a moment rife with slut-shaming, rape-denying, repressed and repressive political dialogue. Live performance, with its issues of physical objectivization and display, offers a perfect forum for the social questioning and radical experimentation that such dire days so desperately require.
So thank you, Philly Live Arts, for your determination to remain awake and alive, for your quiet refusal to opt out of national dialogues and accept the too-frequent marginalization of the live performance experience. And thank you, Charlotte Ford and Young Jean Lee, for asking the necessary, the hard and fascinating questions, for taking your own determinedly hopeful, even ecstatic, leaps towards an as-yet distant utopia of freedom and equality.
* Don't want to objectify Jessica but can't help it. Cute Jewish princess I want to fuck your brains out and put them back in with another round of Roger hard loving. Are you into creepy dudes, sweet-heart?
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Zoochosis Presents: Escalator
There's no such thing as a free ride.
http://zoochosis.com/
http://twitter.com/ZoochosisCOM
http://facebook.com/ZoochosisCOM
http://youtube.com/Zoochosis
A Zoochosis Production
Written, Directed and Edited by Patrick Scott
Produced by Nikos Bellas and Ryan Nicholson
Cinematography by Pete Soto, Alex Merkle and Maximilian Sperber
This short features the acting talents of Michael "Mikey" Lange. You can see more of his stuff by clicking the link below. He and his Navy Seal of Comedy are responsible for a hilarious rendition of "Dramatic Interpretations of Facebook - Middle Schoolers": http://youtube.com/watch?v=L-gzqA4FzIA
https://facebook.com/pages/Navy-Seals-of-Comedy/317637211605380
Starring:
Michael Lange
Brittany Escobar
John Scillieri
Maya Bradley
Fiona Stout
Bethany Regan
Reanne Helo
Whitney Fortmueller
Tiffany Gonzalez - (http://youtube.com/user/Tiffyepiphythegreat/)
Full Cast/ Crew List: http://imdb.com/title/tt2153452/
Soundtrack: "Strauss - Blue Danube Waltz" by Apollo Symphony Orchestra.
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Two Tech Geeks Launch a "Kickstarter for Porn"
OffBeatr functions like most crowdfunding sites -- creatives pitch their ideas, those interest pitch in a couple bucks with gift-based incentives, and the project is successfully funded when the money raised reaches the idea's goal amount.
But instead of funding an ice cream shop, an artist project, or the production of a record by a local band, all money raised on Offbeatr goes toward "sexier" projects.
Tao told TechCrunch the project was born out of a serious lack of porn-funding resources/ Kickstarter and IndieGoGo don't support "adult" projects -- that, and it's probably harder to make eye contact while passing around a cash basket to fund your sleazy ideas.
Currently up for funding: Super Fuck Friends, a humor approach to porn, Double D Erotica (tagline: "Read Our Lips....Real lesbians, real sex!"), and Erotic Adventures in WAM Land.
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"It's irrelevant whether I was nude or not" - Esha Gupta
By Joginder Tuteja
After Jannat 2, newbie Esha Gupta has made it two in a row with Raaz 3 turning out to be an even bigger success. In an industry where an actor is known more by the stardom that he/she manages to accumulate, Esha has managed to strike big with consecutive successes. However that hasn't come without its fair share of controversies. In a freewheeling chat, Esha comes clean on each one of them in her own words.On the scene involving kissing and love making with Emraan...
I know some have questioned that how could I and Emraan kiss and make love soon after seeing a gruesome murder (of a medium in a cemetery). I too had similar doubts and had asked Vikram about it. His reasoning was that once you have near to death experience, you feel very different; that you may feel a very strong sexual urge in a way like never before. Also, you may feel love very differently. I was convinced. This is the reason you would see that I am crying during the love making sequence since I am also thanking God for still being alive.
On her parents reaction to her dare bare scenes...
My parents saw the film in Delhi and if there had been an issue, they would have called. They knew that I was doing a scene like that. I had told then in advance since I didn't want them to be agitated. The biggest compliment came from my mother who said that even the love making scene was so beautiful.
On the 'nude' controversy...
I am supposed to have done a flip-flop over the nude scene and apparently stated that it was a body double who did that. Come on, there was no controversy at all. In fact I asked Vikram (Bhatt) from where had such 'news' emerged but he just told me to forget about it. Please, I am sensitive and also new to the industry. I don't want to be misquoted.
On actually doing the scene...
Yes, of course I did it and am very proud of it. I won't give away that scene to anyone for anything. We shot for it for five days that including me running in the party and all. Was I actually nude or not? That's irrelevant. What I know is that in the context of the scene even if I ran nude, the whole nudity doesn't matter. As an audience, I am sure you felt pity for that girl instead of saying that 'Wah wah, look how is she looking'. You don't clap and whistle.
On some of the scenes/dialogues becoming too filmy...
Yes, the dialogues in the film were very filmy but then I felt them. My breakdown scenes, the one in particular at the hospital where I realize that it was Emraan who was the cause of all my troubles, was very overwhelming. I have come to realize that till the time I am not into the character, I can't get the feeling she is going through. In Raaz 3, I could feel Sanjana's pain.
On the film being panned by many critics...
To be honest, critics did put us down. On the other hand looking at the film's collections, I don't think I have to say much about how audience has accepted the film. They are the ones who know best. Yes, at the end of the day it is a critic's job to share his view but then ultimately money comes from 'junta'. If they love the film then that's what matters in the end.
On her boyfriend reacting to each of the controversies and the film as a whole...
All I would say is - please don't dag him into this.
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‘Sex-obsessed’ Bollywood photographer ‘murdered in revenge attack after he took dirty photographs of young actresses’
A Bollywood producer who took photographs of up-and-coming models was found bound, gagged and strangled to death on Friday.
Navraj Kawatra, 65, was killed at approximately 12.30pm Friday when two assailants went to his Mumbai apartment with a gift-wrapped box that looked like a present.
A neighbour heard shouting coming from Kawatra's apartment and saw the two men run out of the complex shortly after.
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| Victim: Two men went into Navraj Kawatra's (pictured) apartment with what looked like a present and a neighbour found him bound and gagged immediately after |
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