This week, Earl Dittman brings us interviews with a bevy of film beauties, including Friends alumna Lisa Kudrow and real-life friends Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. After the jump, you’ll find the always inviting Elizabeth Banks talking about The Uninvited, plus this week’s DVDs and Blu-rays.
After three varied performances last year, in Role Models, W. and Zack and Miri Make A Porno, actress Elizabeth Banks reveals her creepy, sinister side as the mysterious, soon-to-be step-mom to two young girls who have just lost their mother to strange, unexplainable circumstances. Her performance in the eerie thriller The Uninvited demonstrates why Banks is quickly becoming a Hollywood force to be reckoned with.
A few months ago, you had four movies come out in the span of almost six weeks. Do you have a favorite of the four?
“Honestly, I loved them all, because I got to play such different characters in each one of them. I went from being the First Lady, to a porno star, to an evil, engaged lawyer. They were all a lot of fun to make. But, it was a little bit of a blur for me back then. It was not my plan or my fault that they all came out at the same time. Actually, they’re coming out in the opposite order that I made them. I did The Uninvited first, and it was the last of the group to be released. That’s Hollywood for you.”
Were you excited about your role in The Uninvited?
“Oh yeah, big time. Since I play an evil lawyer, which I think is redundant. [Laughs] Just kidding. I was excited about exploring evil. It was a real kick.”
How do you approach the characters you play?
“It depends, because every character requires different things. I have a bag of tricks and pull them out whenever tricks are necessary. I mostly try to be really present.”
Do you like thrillers or horror movies?
“Yes and no. It’s one of those things where I hate getting scared, but I love it when it happens while I’m watching a good horror movie. This is definitely one of those kind for me.”
While you were doing Zack and Miri Make A Porno, did your co-stars Katie Morgan and Traci Lords, former porn stars, give you any tips about the porno business?
“Actually, I gave Tracy and Katie a lot of tips. It was really nice to have professionals around, because it took a lot of the pressure off of everyone. There was no weirdness. Katie was totally prepared to be totally nude around everyone, so it made everyone else feel at ease. I mean, I go to the gym and ladies walk around naked around each other all the time. So, you get over sex scenes fast, especially when the sound guy is eating crackers and dip during the moment you are filming your porno film scene.” [Laughs]
Did you learn anything about porn industry that surprised you? Did Traci Lords give up any secrets about the industry?
“Actually, Traci would not consider herself a part of the porn industry, because she has not made a porn film since she was 18 years old. She does not consider herself a porn star, she is an icon, but she has separated herself from that side of her life. I’m fairly well versed on the controversies surrounding pornography, but I didn’t learn anything new or insightful. I learned what the Dutch Rudder and the Double Dutch Chocolate Rudder were, but that’s it.”
How long have you been with your husband?
“I’ve been together with my husband ever since college, for 17 years. I never met anybody I liked more than him, so he’s stuck with me.”
You have a great recurring role on Scrubs, which is changed networks this year. How long do you plan to stay with the show?
“I love doing Scrubs, but Zach (Braff) has said that this is his last year. I don’t want to do it if Zack is not a part of Scrubs. But, I’m scheduled to do a couple episodes this season.”
Now that your visibility has risen tenfold, what would you like to do with your career?
“Hopefully, with all the new visibility, I’ll have the opportunity to work with some great caliber directors. But, I really have no expectations for life in general. I’d love to take a vacation, but I probably won’t in all honesty. I’m having a lot of fun producing movies and looking at what’s out there. At the moment, it’s a dead time in the movie business, because everyone is scared of a strike. With my production company, our first movie is The Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis. Our next movie that will go into production is Expedition Six, which is based on a book about the astronauts stranded on the international space station when their ship explodes.”
What do you get out of producing that you don’t out of acting?
“Producing is storytelling from a different angle. You call somebody up and say, ‘Hey, I want to make your book or article into a movie.’ With The Surrogates, we called this guy—who wrote a graphic novel and lives in Georgia—and he gave us the go ahead. He said, ‘I always imagined Bruce Willis would be the perfect guy for this.’ The most gratifying thing for me was calling this guy—who had just had a baby—and telling him, ‘Guess what? We got Bruce Willis.’ Afterwards, he emailed us a photo of him with his check from selling the rights.”
Which of your movies do most people recognize you from?
“Well, I don’t really look like me in most of my movies. I guess in The 40-Year-Old Virgin I looked like myself. In Seabiscuit, Catch Me If You Can and Spider-Man, I didn’t look like me. Most young people who come up to me love Wet Hot American Summer. It’s a college phenomenon, and it’s the Dazed and Confused of its day. Surprisingly, they do actually recite lines of dialogue to me. They like to say, ‘You have BBQ sauce on your face.’”
BD + DVD Bonus Features: “Unlocking The Uninvited” Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending.
DVDs now available
Martyrs
Winning positive kudos and critical-acclaim at both the Toronto and Cannes film festivals, (in addition to Screamfest LA), this tightly-wound nail-biter (which has been dubbed a “masterpiece” by countless horror websites) is for movie lovers who don’t mind if their hearts skip a few beats. Written and directed by Pascal Laugier, Martyrs is the terrifying tale of how a young woman’s quest for revenge against her tormentors leads her into a living hell of depravity. As a ten-year-old, Lucie, had been beaten, tortured and held hostage at a vacant slaughterhouse. Fast forward 15 years into the future and the horror tables get turned when Lucie sets out to avenge her abuse. Bold, brutal and bloody, Martyrs is not for the faint of heart.
Living With The Wolfman: Season One
A unique and highly-rated series on the Animal Channel, Living With the Wolfman examines the behaviours and habits of wolf expert Shaun Ellis, his finance, their family, and a pack of wolves. For years, Shaun has been sleeping, eating and brawling with a pack of captive wolves at Combe Martin Wildlife Park in Devon, England, successfully infiltrating the pack and becoming its peacemaker. At times, it seems that Shaun is just short of becoming a wolf himself, and he might jump at the chance if it weren’t for his other true love, Helen Jeffs. In Season One, Shaun attempts to bring his two loves together. In Helen’s journey to become accepted by Shaun’s dangerous pack and become the first woman ever to live among wolves, she must face her fears and get closer to these wild animals than most people would ever dare. Featuring all eight one-hour episodes as well as bonus features including behind-the-scenes footage.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: The Sixth Season
Long before Tom Cruise remade this ahead-of-its-time action TV series in a billion dollar film franchise, TV viewers could tune-in each week for a whole lot of action-packed spying. In the digitally remastered sixth season (1971-72) of this classic espionage series, finds leader Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) and his team focusing mainly on targets outside the reach of conventional law enforcement agencies, as they successfully bring master criminals, corrupt politicians and syndicate bosses to justice. After a single viewing, it’s easily understand why MISSION IMPOSSIBLE is considered one of the most influential series in television history.
American Dad: Volume Four
From the twisted minds of Family Guyproducers Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, American Dad Volume 4 follows the further animated adventures of ultra-conservative CIA agent Stan Smith, a man who will stop at nothing to protect his family and country from the dangers of international terrorism and left-wing America. Containing 14 episodes from Seasons 3 and 4 on three discs. Guest (vocal) appearances include Elizabeth Banks, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Patrick Stewart and Amanda Seyfried.
Marvel X-Men: Volume 1 + Marvel X-Men: Volume 2
With X-Men Origins: Wolverine set to ignite the Summer ‘09 movie season, both hardcore and casual X-fans will now be X-trajazzed about the early days of their beloved mutants. Want more secrets about the mutants’ beginning days? You’ll find just what you’re looking for on both these animated 2-Discs DVD sets. Volume 1 contains the first 16 episodes from the series, while Volume 2 features the epic five-part “Phoenix Saga” episodes.
THE BEST ON BLU-RAY
Star Trek: The Original Series: Season One BD
With the release of director J.J. Abrams’ new cinematic take on Star Trek about to hit the silver screen, here is your chance to boldly go back to where it all began. Star Trek: The Original Series: Season OneBlu-Ray set features state-of-the-art technology that gives viewers the best of both worlds by offering up the choice to see each of Season One’s 29 episodes with either newly enhanced special effects and soundtrack, or the original visuals and sound—and, you can even toggle back and forth between the two versions. The “Starfleet Access” feature gives you the option to view selected episodes with special pop-up trivia and picture-in-picture video commentaries, and the package also contains a cool, interactive tour of the Enterprise, rare on-set home movies, a coupon for a collectible Sulu figure, trailers, profiles—basically, it’s 24 hours of pure bliss for fans. Believe me, if you weren’t a Trekkie before Season One, once you pick up this impressive BD set don’t be surprised if you start feeling the urge to wear pointed Spock ears.
Sin City
Since debuting in theatres in 2005 to critical acclaim and box office success, the fan base for the cinematic version of Frank Miller’s epic graphic novel Sin City grown every year. Sin City was co-directed by Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse) and Mr. Miller (The Spirit) and featured an all-star cast that included Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson. A hip, tale of killers, cops, hookers and hit men—all inhabiting one very dangerous, very sexy city. Featuring the ultimate in high definition picture and sound, this 2-disc set comes with two cuts of the film plus eight hours of bonus material, including an interactive game, the “Cine-Explore” feature with picture-in-picture footage of the film in its early green-screen stages original artwork, filmmaker commentary with Rodriguez & Miller, interviews with Rodriguez and “guest director” Quentin Tarantino, and several behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The Da Vince Code Extended Cut BD
Can’t wait to see even a little bit of Angels and Demons? You won’t have to when you buy this Extended Cut BD of The Da Vinci Code that features an “exclusive first look” at the upcoming sequel. And, when the film hits multiplexes on May 15, you can see Angels and Demons free, thanks to the enclosed $10.00 Movie Cash coupon good for a complimentary ticket. But, enough about A+D, because fans of The Da Vinci Code will be thrilled with the load of new Code HD content. The Extended Cut includes 28 minutes of never-before-seen footage, eight interactive Picture-in-Picture Streams, a whopping 17 featurettes, a bunch of commentary and interviews and the Cinechat feature that allows you to create “virtual” viewing parties and chat with your friends through your internet-connected Blu-ray player.
