Funny thing; Taryn Manning’s brief description on her Twitter profile is “Yeah I’m in that movie and also on that show, and yep that’s me doing all that music n stuff too.” That very well might be one of the most accurate summaries on the site. In all seriousness, I’d like to bet the majority of you have seen Manning on the big screen, in a TV show or heard a Boomkat song before. Manning’s accomplished quite a bit over the years and shows no signs of slowing down, as her repertoire continues to grow. The latest edition to Manning’s resume? The movie The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll, due out in theaters and on demand on August 5th.
The films stars Kevin Zegers as Spyder, a guy who ditches his hometown to hit it big in the music industry. Sure, his first record is a hit, but without his song writing buddy, Eric (Jason Ritter), by his side, his second go is nothing short of a disaster. In an effort to make a comeback, Spyder heads back home to make amends with Eric and make his third album a hit, together. Manning steps in as Rose, Spyder’s manager who’s just about fed up with his antics. For Rose, Eric’s presence isn’t only promising in terms of Spyder’s career, but possibly on a romantic level, too.
Clearly The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll is right up Manning’s alley as a musician and as a person who tends to gravitate towards films about music, but there was still much to be learned from director Scott D. Rosenbaum as well as her multi-talented co-stars, Zegers and Ritter. While Manning shared a great deal of insight on her experience making the film, some of the most touching material is what she had to say about working in the industry and managing her insecurities in such a judgmental business. It seems as though Manning’s policies are working because not only is The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll on the way, but she’s also got a number of projects on the horizon, both on the big screen, like The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, and musically, particularly the release of her very first single from her new solo album, “Turn It Up.”
Click here to watch the interview.
So far, so good for The Avengers this summer. Thor’s a pretty cool guy and now it’s Captain America to show off what he’s got. Sure, he comes with the superhero standards – buff body, noble intentions and a sleek costume – but other than that, he’s nothing more than a poster boy for Marvel movies. Steve Rogers makes for a better propaganda symbol than superhero.
The Devil’s Double has two things going for it, it’s inherently fascinating to watch one man play two roles in the same movie and it claims to be “the real story of the man who was forced to become the double of Saddam Hussein’s sadistic son.” If this is really exactly how things went down for this man, the movie’s a worthwhile watch for that reason alone, to get an inside look. Too bad this inside look doesn’t make the true tale as rousing as it could have been.
If you’re going to make a movie called Cowboys & Aliens, there better be some cowboys and aliens. In combining the two genres, the filmmakers had two options, miraculously create some sort of scenario that feels raw and believable or just go all out, embracing absurdities of both. Forget the fact that the former would have been a near impossible achievement; who wants to watch some schmaltzy drama about cowboys fighting aliens? The filmmakers not only go for the latter option, but they strive to outdo any expectations we might have formulated and, sure, it’s ridiculous, but the big screen is one of the best places to live out such a ridiculous fantasy.
San Diego Comic Con is officially behind us and this edition of Best/Worst Movie Promos proves it — as just one film featured on the list had a presence at the event. It’s not necessarily because the material that came out of SDCC was lackluster, but more so because much of the footage debuted during the panels has yet to hit the web – in non-bootleg form at least.
News has been rather slow lately, but, just in time for San Diego Comic Con Lionsgate opted to fire things up with a brand new poster (and a motion poster at that!) Love for The Hunger Games aside, this is a really beautiful piece of promotional material. As a standard stagnant design, it’s quite stimulating, boasting rich detail. Toss in the motion and music aspects and you’ve got something that’s not just fun to look at, but a piece with the power to convey the tone of the film.
Cue cheesy movie trailer narrator voice! What happens when an alien race goes head-to-head with a group of boys from the block? Get ready for the ultimate in summer movie season mayhem, as you’re about to experience an epic adventure with guns, creatures from deep space and lots of blood. In all seriousness, Attack the Block is what every mega budget studio film should strive to be. Rather than use and abuse familiar concepts and trying to spice them up with flashy CGI, Attack the Block maintains an alien invasion’s entertainment value while infusing it with novel characters, refreshingly designed creatures and an abundance of laughs, resulting in an exceptionally innovative and entertaining experience.
The Trotsky boasted an incredibly solid and colorful lead character amidst a piece that was extraordinarily well paced. Take the writer-director and star of that film and reunite them for a crime thriller and we’re bound to get something lively and compelling, right? Absolutely not. Perhaps The Trotsky drained Jacob Tierney and Jay Baruchel of all their pep and passion because their next collaboration, Good Neighbors, is quite the opposite, dull and lifeless.
She may be almost entirely unrecognizable, but yes, that is Rose McGowan rocking the porcelain skin, minimal leather outfit and, well, receding hairline in the trailer for Conan the Barbarian. She stars as the evil Marique, a powerful sorceress and the daughter of the ruthless Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang), Conan’s (Jason Momoa) archenemy.
I can’t believe it, but this is officially it; my coverage of San Diego Comic Con 2011 has come to a close. For five incredibly long days, the experience went by in a flash. The action was non-stop from the moment I touched down in San Diego and while it was extremely exhausting and probably one of the most trying working experiences I’ve ever gone through, it was beyond worth it.