Movies

Seth Rogen has slammed a film critic for claiming movies like 'Neighbors' motivated shooting suspect Elliot Rodger.
The actor, who appeared in the movie alongside Zac Efron, has hit out at Washington Post writer Ann Hornaday, who suggested in a recent article that "outsized frat-boy fantasies" like the film encouraged the Santa Barbara suspect, who left six people dead and 13 injured last week in a deadly rampage, after he revealed he was tired of being ignored by girls at college.
Rogen took to Twitter to call out the writer today (27.05.14), posting: "@AnnHornaday I find your article horribly insulting and misinformed.
"How dare you imply that me getting girls in movies caused a lunatic to go on a rampage. (sic)"
Hornaday wrote in her article: "How many students watch outsized frat-boy fantasies like 'Neighbors' and feel, as Rodger did, unjustly shut out of college life that should be full of 'sex and fun and please?' How many men, raised on a steady diet of Judd Apatow comedies in which the shlubby arrested adolescent always gets the girl, find that those happy endings constantly elude them and conclude, 'It's not fair'?
"Movies may not reflect reality, but they powerfully condition what we desire, expect and feel we deserve from it."
Hornaday went on to write: "If our cinematic grammar is one of violence, sexual conquest and macho swagger - thanks to make studio executives - who green-light projects according to their own pathetic predilections - no-one should be surprised when those impulses take luridly literal form in the culture at large."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, director and producer Apatow, who worked on 'Bridesmaids' and 'Knocked Up', has also responded to the article, calling it "self promotional" and "idiotic."
He added: "Why is it always everything else but mental illness?"
Elliot, 22, who is the son of 'Hunger Games' second unit director Peter Rodger, detailed his chilling plans to murder women in a 141-page manifesto and committed suicide after the killings.

Angelina Jolie says motherhood played a huge part in her taking on 'Maleficent'.
The actress - who has Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, Zahara, nine, Shiloh, seven, and twins Knox and Vivienne, five, with her fiance Brad Pitt - was happy to take on the role in the re-imagining of Walt Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty' as she was able to spend time with her children on set.
She told Collider.com "[Motherhood] had a lot to do with it. My kids are now all watching all of these movies and wanting to play with mummy. It was perfect timing to have them all on set, playing and being a part of the adventure with me. "
Jolie, 38, also credits the "bold" nature of the evil title character as a factor in her decision to take on the role.
She said: "For me, as an actress, I wanted to not do something where I'm taking myself so seriously, and trying to do something for myself and my art. I wanted to remember what it is to play and entertain, and try something bold.
"The artist in me felt that it's good to do something bold, every once in awhile, that you're not comfortable with and haven't done. I was a bit nervous to take her on. I don't have a big theater voice. I don't do things that are comedic. This is such a crazy idea. I'm a fairy. I'd come and hear, 'How was your day, honey?' And I'd be like, 'I was a fairy. I don't know.' But somehow, it's great to jump into things you're not sure of and you haven't done and that are a little scary. That's what we have to do, as artists."
The Oscar-winner - whose daughter Vivienne makes her acting debut as the young Princess Aurora - hopes that her children don't dedicate their lives to the big-screen and only wants them to take-up movie-making "for fun."
She said: "I just want them to like it and do it for fun, only. If, when they get older, they decide to be actors, I would just ask that that's not the centre of their lives. That can be an aspect, but I also want them to do many other things with their lives and get involved with many other things. I don't think it's a healthy focus, as a centre of your life."

Drew Barrymore admits she constantly cried on the set of her new movie 'Blended.'
The 39-year-old actress - who has daughters Olive, 20 months, and Frankie, four weeks, with husband Will Kopelman - plays a single parent in the movie and kept breaking down on set because it reminded her of her relationship with her own mother.
She told Us Weekly magazine: "I couldn't get through my scene with Bella Thorne [Adam Sandler's daughter in the film]. She needs a mum. I relate. Mums are my Achilles' heel, emotionally speaking. I had times in my life when I needed a mum. I'm gonna be there for my kids."
Meanwhile, Drew, who went back to work shortly after giving birth to her second child on April 22, was "too tired" to celebrate Mother's Day in the US on May 11.
She said: "I've been pregnant for three years. On the couch, in sweatpants, eating take-out. I was like, 'We should do something special.' But we were just too tired."
The movie marks the third time Drew has worked with Adam, who jokes that he has to give the actress large gaps between movies together or she'd get sick of him.
He said: "She wouldn't want it every day, so I have to give her a pass every four or five years. And then I jump in and remind her of why she moved on."

Angelina Jolie thinks she looks "dull" after playing Maleficent.
The 38-year-old actress donned prosthetics to transform the shape of her face to play the titular wicked fairy in the 'Sleeping Beauty' reimagining and admits it made her feel "flat" when she returned to her normal self after filming finished.
She said: "It was quite important she didn't look traditionally pretty.
"What's now strange is when I go home for the weekend, I feel like my face is really flat - I feel very dull in comparison to her. She's so much more fun."
The brunette beauty - who raises children Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, Zahara, nine, Shiloh, seven, and five-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne with fiancé Brad Pitt - says starring in the movie taught her a lot about "being a woman".
She told Stylist magazine: "I've learned more about being a woman. She's very complicated, she wasn't born evil.
"She was born very soft and female in a way that a lot of women will be able to relate to but then she was abused in a way.
"We've all had that experience where something has made us put our wall up and fell like, in order to survive, we need to become tougher."

Rupert Grint was "surprised" to learn he can sing.
The 25-year-old actor shows off his musical talents in 'Postman Pat: The Movie' - in which he plays the titular character's talent show rival - and thought it would be "a laugh" to record his vocals, but didn't realise he could actually carry a tune well until he heard the finished track.
He explained to Dev on Radio 1: "I was surprised, I thought it would be a laugh, I didn't take it too seriously but it came out alright, I was quite surprised when I heard it."
However, Rupert - who shot to fame playing Ron Weasley in the 'Harry Potter' movie series - insists he has no intention of embarking on a music career.
Asked if he'll release an album, he said: "I doubt it. It's hard, I don't know how people do it."
Rupert was delighted to be a part of the 'Postman Pat' movie because he was such a fan of the original TV series when he was young.
He said: "It's a very different kind of Pat to what I knew, he enters an 'X Factor'-style show and tries to pursue a career in music, and I play his rival.
"It's great, I'm proud to be a part of it because Postman Pat was one of my heroes when I was a kid."

Angelina Jolie's acting career is to take a "back seat".
The 'Maleficent' actress wants to focus more of her time on writing and directing, as well as on her work with the United Nations (UN), for who she is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, so only plans to make "a few more" movies.
She said: "Acting is going to take more of a back seat. I've had a wonderful career and I'm very happy to have had all the opportunities to tell stories and work for as long as I have.
"I'm sure there'll be a few more films but I'm happy that I'm able to be selective and have fun with characters like Maleficent.
"But I would like to focus more on writing and directing and above all I would like to focus more on my work with the UN."
While Angelina enjoyed working on 'Maleficent', she found playing the titular character tough because of the transformation it required.
She explained in an interview with Britain's OK! magazine: "It was so much fun but hard at first. As an actress, I do film, not theatre, so I don't naturally have that voice. I had to embrace my silliness.
"I think it's a beautiful story and there's a lot of depth to it and we got a little crazy and had a lot of fun. I hope that resonates and people are entertained by it."

'Winter Sleep' has won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival.
The drama, which runs for more than three hours and tells the story of a family that run a hotel in the snowy Turkish mountains, fought off stiff competition from 17 other entries to win the top honour at the annual event's closing ceremony today (24.05.14).
Accepting the accolade from Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who previously won Cannes' second highest honour, The Grand Prix, twice, said: "I want to dedicate the prize to the young people in Turkey and those who lost their lives during the last year."
'Le Meraviglie' ('The Wonders') by Italian director Alice Rohrwacher won this year's Grand Prix award.
Julianne Moore was named Best Actress for her performance in David Cronenberg's dark Hollywood satire 'Maps to the Stars,' but was not present to collect her trophy.
British star Timothy Spall, 57, was thrilled to win Best Actor for his portrayal of the artist JMW Turner in 'Mr. Turner.'
He joked: "I've spent a lot of time being a bridesmaid. This is the first time I've ever been a bride."
Bennett Miller won the award for Best Director for his wrestling drama 'Foxcatcher,' and dedicated it to his stars Channing Tatum, Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo, while 'Leviathan,' a Russian film about corruption, was named Best Screenplay.
The jury prize was shared by the oldest and youngest directors at the festival, Jean-Luc Godard, 83, for 'Goodbye to Language' and Xavier Dolan, 23, for 'Mommy.'

Stephen Mangan was stunned to discover Barry Manilow is a fan of his.
The 'Episodes' actor recently met the legendary musician and was left speechless when he began quoting lines from his hit comedy show, which also stars Matt Le Blanc.
Stephen explained: "I was on 'Graham Norton' this week and Barry Manilow came over and started quoting 'Episodes' lines to me. And the idea that Barry Manilow knows who I am is incredible. It is a really bizarre thing."
The 41-year-old star also won a role in critically acclaimed Hollywood movie 'Rush' - which starred Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl - because the film's director, Oscar winner Ron Howard, was a big fan of 'Episodes'.
He added: "I did the film 'Rush' last year ... that was partly because Ron Howard watched 'Episodes' and loved it."
While Stephen is enjoying his newfound fame following the show's success, he is pleased each season is relatively short because it allows him to take on a variety of other projects.
He told BANG Showbiz: "The great thing about 'Episodes' is that it's two months of my year, unlike other American shows which require your whole year. My best friend Andrew Lincoln is in 'The Walking Dead' and it requires a whole year. 'Episodes', I love because it's two months ... it indulges my short attention span."
Stephen's new film 'Postman Pat' is out now.

James McAvoy insisted on wearing hair extensions in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'.
The Scottish actor is a keen enthusiast of the 1970s - in which the new film is set - and was so determined to authentically portray his character, Charles Xavier's style during the era, he asked producers to give him extensions to create a free-spirited, long-haired look.
He said: "As my wife will attest, the Seventies is my favourite decade.
"I was like, 'Yesss!' I f***ing love the way I look in this film.' It's the only time I've ever done that in my whole career."
The 35-year-old star also revealed how he was left exhausted after playing four characters with psychological issues back-to-back.
He told Radio Times magazine: "There was a lot of mental illness that year. My character in 'Trance' has had his mind molested. Bruce in 'Filth' and Macbeth are both raving mental cases. Even in 'Welcome to the Punch' I'm dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"By no means is 'X-Men' as balls-out as those films or Macbeth, but I'm glad that Fox and [director] Bryan Singer afforded me the chance to go somewhere quite interesting with a part in a $200 million movie.
"Charles is effectively a junkie who's denying who he is. I've spent over a year now exploring skewed mental states, and this is the easiest I've found it."