“Saturday Night Live” aired a very funny digital short tonight that parody’s “Twilight”.  The short was called “Firelight” and it stars Taylor Swift in the Bella Swan role.  Since anything I say will just spoil the parody, check it out after the jump.  It’s definitely worth watching.

SNL Digital Short: Firelight

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As I said yesterday, while I never post studio provided interviews, when you’re dealing with a property like “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, you make exceptions. Also, I know some of you “Twilight” fans and you want to see everything.

Here’s what you need to know: when actors are on set and filming a movie, at some point they do generic interviews for the eventual EPK (electronic press kit). Meaning some studio intern or production assistant asks the most basic questions and the actor answers them. They’re not exactly hard hitting interviews. But, like I said, you “Twilight” fans want to see everything and I aim to please. So after the jump you can watch on set video interviews with Stephenie Meyer, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene and Director Chris Weitz.

Stephenie Meyer On Set Video Interview

Ashley Greene On Set Video Interview

Dakota Fanning On Set Video Interview

Michael Sheen On Set Video Interview

Chris Weitz On Set Video Interview

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If you’re a fan of the “Twilight” franchise, you’re probably counting the days untill November 20^th. That’s because in just a few weeks, the second installment in the worldwide phenomenon, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, is going to be released. So to help promote the film, yesterday, here in Los Angeles, Summit Entertainment held a massive press junket that had the entire cast and the filmmakers talking to reporters from around the world. That means you can expect to see tons of interviews with your favorite cast members on every website you read and on every TV channel.

Due to how many interviews the cast is doing, I’m not waiting till the week of release to post who I spoke to yesterday. So after the jump you can read a transcript of the press conference Taylor Lautner did yesterday. He talked about how he got in shape for the role, the stunt work, what he has coming up, working with the cast, and he answers the big question: in a no holds barred fight who would win, Jacob or Edward. Take a look:

Question: Did you ever feel like you were ever really in danger of not getting this role? Did you use steroids?

Lautner: Definitely not on your second question. And honestly, I knew where my character went in ‘New Moon’ and that’s all I tried to stay focused on. I couldn’t control things outside, I couldn’t control the media. But I could control what I was doing to portray Jacob Black correctly. So that’s what I stayed focused on the whole entire time.

Question: Did that start with going to the gym?

Lautner: Absolutely. Yeah, Jacob transforms a lot in ‘New Moon.’ Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. So it was a matter of getting to the gym and eating the right foods and a lot of it. But also, reading and studying the book and my character over and over and over again so I could have his character down as well. Because he changes in many many different ways.

Question: Can you talk about those changes?

Lautner: Well when he transforms, basically my job was to continue what I started in ‘Twilight,’ which was this extremely happy, friendly, outgoing guy. Best friends with Bella. And I had to continue that for the first half of the film, but as soon as I transform, I snap and I become a completely different person. I’m dealing with my issues and it’s really hard for me.

Question: Would you talk about scenes where you show off your physique?

Lautner: I start laughing so hard every time I see that scene. ‘Oh, you’re bleeding? Okay, let me fix it.’ It’s so embarrassing. Yeah, I mean, here’s the thing. There’s a reason that he’s not wearing clothes all the time. One, when he transforms, all his clothes get shredded, he can’t help it. And when he goes into the woods to get something to put so he’s not naked, it’s just a ripped pair of jean shorts. And he’s also hot, he’s one hundred eight degrees. So that’s another reason. And the thing is, I love this character, I love this story and putting on the weight and not wearing much clothing was required by the role. A year from now, if I love a story and I love a character that requires me to lose forty pounds, I’m ready to do it.

Question: Like Tarzan?

Lautner: Possibly.

Question: Could you be more specific? I want to do whatever it was you did.

Lautner: Oh boy. Putting the pressure on me now. I was in the gym about five days a week, because it’s important to get your recovery time. And not over working yourself, because if you’re overworking yourself, I was trying to put on weight. And if I was in the gym, I’d be burning the calories I’m trying to take in. The most important thing was the eating side. Everybody thinks it was the actual getting in the gym, that was easy. I was motivated, so getting in the gym was easy for me. But, the eating was pretty hard. It was just eating a lot, we found out that I had to consume at least thirty two hundred calories a day just to maintain. And I’m not trying to maintain, I’m trying to gain. So I had to eat more than that. And putting something in your mouth every two hours. And I’m busy. I’m downtown LA going from meeting to meeting, so there’s not time for me to be eating so I literally would have to carry a little baggie full of beef patties, raw almonds, sweet potatoes, so it’s not like every two hours I’m eating ice cream. It was difficult.

Question: Did you have a personal trainer?

Lautner: I do, I definitely had one that helped me out.

Question: Were you ever concerned about overshadowing Edward in your performance? Was that something you had to temper?

Lautner: Well thank you very much, that’s good to hear. I think it just depends on what kind of girl you are, what kind of guy you like. Edward and Jacob are complete opposite guys. They’re hot and cold. Literally. Forget that. So yeah, I mean it’s just I personally love Jacob and Bella’s relationship. How they begin with best friends and it starts to grow into something more and more. Both guys are in love with Bella. Both guys are always gonna be there for Bella. And they’re protective. And I mean I just think it’s what kind of guy you like.

Question: Can you talk about the stunt work and the wire work?

Lautner: The physical side was really fun. Some of it was challenging. I’ve never ridden a dirt bike before and yes, I rode the dirt bike for a total of five seconds in the film. But for those five seconds, I had to look as cool as possible. So it did require a lot of practice just for safety wise so they could let me do it. And the wire work, like when I run up the side of her house and that whole thing. The wires were there just so if I slipped and fell I didn’t face plant into the ground. But it was definitely challenging, that stunt was really complicated and you need to be on. I’m using like a little plug in the side of the wall just to take off from and jump so it’s really complicated. And it required a lot of practice. Every single weekend I would practice that stunt for three hours a day and it was the last thing we filmed. The bonding with the werewolves was very fun, those guys were characters. They’re a lot of fun - did they talk to you? Oh my, I’m sure this was a fun room. They’re fun guys and what’s so great is that they each fit their character perfectly so on set, we had a blast when they were on set. They made the set so exciting.

Question: They were talking about getting a wolfpack tattoo, are you in?

Lautner: I don’t know, I’d have to think about. I’ll have to discuss it with my pack.

Question: The media seems to love you, shirtless or not. What’s the strangest thing that’s ever been written about you? How do you let the fans know who you really are outside of Jacob?

Lautner: Honestly, I try and stay away from what’s been written about me, because if you let that stuff get to you and it’s not true it can drive you crazy. One thing that I have heard recently which is not true, I didn’t say it, is that I believe I was quote saying ‘I will never take my shirt off for a movie again.’ I didn’t say that. If I have to, if the character requires it, I will. Who knows in ten years I might do that. And like I said earlier, if the character requires me to lose forty pounds, I’ll do it. It’s just all what the character requires. So that was interesting to see. What was the second part?

Question: How do you balance the fans and the public with your real persona?

Lautner: It’s difficult, it is. It’s definitely important to stay true to yourself and stay close to those people who you were close to before. Family, your friends, and just not let that outside stuff get to you.

Question: How do you prepare yourself to be an idol to teen girls?

Lautner: I don’t think there’s anyway to prepare yourself for this phenomenon just because none of us expected it. When we were filming ‘Twilight,’ we didn’t expect anything. We were just filming a movie that we wanted the fans to enjoy. And then it kinda just blew into this whole other world. So I don’t think there’s a way to prepare for that, but yeah you could definitely say I felt a little bit of pressure trying to bring Jacob’s character and Jake and Bella’s relationship alive for the fans. Because this movie definitely develops their relationship and that sets up the love triangle so it’s a very important story.

Question: What is it like to look around see all the posters with your face on it? Is it strange?

Lautner: Yeah of course. I don’t think there’s a way to ever get used to it. It’s not normal to drive down the street and see your face up there. It’s ‘Twilight,’ it comes with the job.

Question: Is it cool though?

Lautner: [laughing] Possibly. It comes with the job.

Question: You’re filming with Taylor Swift. Has she written a song about you? Would you like her to?

Lautner: That’s a scary thing. I don’t know if she has. I have no idea. That movie was a lot of fun and it comes out pretty soon, it comes out really soon after ‘New Moon’ does. It’s gonna be fun there was a lot of fantastic actors in it, I got to work with legendary director Gary Marshall and Taylor was great as well. So I’m excited to go and see that.

Question: What’s it called?

Lautner: Valentine’s Day.

Question: So it’ll be out early next year?

Lautner: Yeah, in February.

Question: Was it hard with the schedule?

Lautner: It was hard, yeah. We had a very short break between ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’ and I knew that I wanted to be part of this film somehow, just to work with Gary and then the entire cast so I was able just to squeeze a short thing in quickly.

Question: What about you and Taylor Swift?

Lautner: What about us?

Question: Is that just a publicity thing? Are you two dating?

Lautner: Well the very funny thing is that all of you have seen every single move I make so I guess I can leave that up to you to decide.

Question: How much does wearing the wig inform your character? Is getting rid of it freeing?

Lautner: Yeah, I had a sigh of relief when we brought this up. It was very freeing. It not only was uncomfortable, okay. One? I’d look at myself in the mirror and I wouldn’t be able to recognize myself, it was so weird to see that hair on me. Two, it was very itchy, hot, whatever. Annoying. But it also, it slowed down the filming process like whenever it got caught in my eye or whatever, we’d have to cut, start over. It got caught in my mouth and I’m spitting hair out in the middle of the scene. I’m coming this close to kissing Bella and I’m like ’sorry, I gotta spit my hair out.’ So it was annoying, so yeah. The day we were able to - we actually had a picture wrap on the wig. You know, the crew claps for you at the end or whatever. My last day of filming with the wig, we ripped it off, held it up in the air and were like ‘that’s a picture wrap on Taylor’s wig.’ And the whole crew did a standing ovation and it was amazing, it was great to chop that thing off.

Question: There’s practically an international countdown for your eighteenth birthday. Have you given any thought to that day?

Lautner: I haven’t even begun. We are so busy, it’s like we take one day at a time. I don’t even know what room in this hotel I’m going to after this. That’s very interesting, I wasn’t aware of this countdown. It’s a big day. It is a big day. So yeah, as soon as I finish this, maybe I’ll think about that.

Question: What is a really sweet fan encounter you can tell us about?

Lautner: Man, we have fans all the time that will just burst into tears and that just - yeah, it’s just moving. It must mean so much for them to meet us and it’s an amazing feeling to know you can touch somebody in that way. It also makes you sad, it’s like, ‘don’t cry, stop crying!’ You don’t know what to do, it’s like ‘it’s okay!’ It’s hard, you feel bad for them but you’re also happy at the same time.

Question: Would it help in your real life to turn into a werewolf?

Lautner: Oh boy. I don’t know, I guess when you’re younger and you’re in school being picked on by some bullies. Get into a fight with your little sister, no. I don’t know, that’s a good question. I don’t think that would be a good situation. It could get very, very ugly.

Question: Who would win between Shark Boy and Jacob?

Lautner: That’s a good question. At the moment, I’d have to say Jacob. We’re pretty strong. And fast.

Question: What’s it like to say goodbye to Edi [Gathegi] and Rachelle [Lefevre]? Who else are you close to into the cast? Are you close to Bryce [Dallas Howard]?

Lautner: It was definitely sad to see both of them go. All of us, the whole entire cast loves both of them. They were great people, but Bryce is amazing. She is extremely talented and she’s a great girl as well. So we’re definitely lucky to be surrounded by an amazing cast. I wouldn’t be able to pick one [that'd I'm close to]. If I were to start, I’d end up listing the whole cast. I do spend a lot of time with Kristen because all of my scenes are involved with her, so Kristen and I are very close. I guess I’m close with Rob too because we spend a lot of time together as well. But this great thing about this series is that the whole entire cast is so close and it would be a nightmare if we weren’t. It would be impossible to make this series because the characters are so tight, so we’re really thankful that we all get along so well.

Question: What’s it like working/living in Canada? Tell us about the next movie as well?

Lautner: Canada’s great. I’ve spent a while there, I’ve spent the six months there this year. The first time we were there, it was really rainy and dark and cloudy and it was snowing and that was difficult weather wise. But this past time filming ‘Eclipse,’ it was beautiful. It’s just one of the most beautiful cities, I’m definitely gonna miss it a lot. Filming ‘Eclipse’ - Eclipse was my favorite book so I was really excited to start filming the movie. I just love that it’s the height of the love triangle. ‘Twilight’ develops Edward and Bella’s relationship, ‘New Moon’ develops Jacob and Bella’s and in ‘Eclipse,’ the three of them are physically together. It has one of my favorite scenes ever in that movie - the tent scene. Edward is forced, I mean I guess it was a choice of his, to let me sleep in the same sleeping bag as Bella, just so she doesn’t die because she’s shivering to death. And I’m warm and I’m the only thing at that moment that can keep her alive. It’s a funny scene, there’s a lot of ribbing going on between Jacob and Edward. It’s gonna be a really good movie. And visually stunning. David Slade is incredible visually.

Question: Behind the camera, how cold was it? Talk about the shivering.

Lautner: Yeah, the challenging thing is Jacob is supposed to be extremely hot so he’s not supposed to feel cold at all. And the worst scene for that was the rain scene or the break-up scene, where Bella first sees Jacob after his transformation. We’re standing on that little hill right behind Jacob’s house and it was thirty five degrees and it was pouring rain on top of us and just not regular rain, rain tower rain which comes straight from the springs. And the scene was very long, it took four minutes to film the scene and we film that same scene all day long. So it was really, really rough. It was hard. And as soon as we’d call cut, we’d run over to a heater quick and wrap ourselves in blankets and we’d have like two minutes before we’d have to go do another take. So the weather was definitely extremely challenging and I just had to take myself to another world so during the scene I wasn’t sitting there shivering. It was hard, sometimes I’d catch myself and I’d have to stop.

Question: Did you catch a cold?

Lautner: No, I didn’t, I’m really surprised by that actually. I was, for sure I was gonna get sick.

Question: Do you speak any Spanish at all?

Lautner: I don’t speak much Spanish. I took it in school, yeah. That was about it. And I think it’s just Jacob’s personality, he’s really outgoing, he’s random and it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with his character. Just the fact that he’s friendly and you never know what to expect. I didn’t speak any Spanish in ‘Eclipse’ so that was a bummer. But at the end of this one, I did speak a little bit of Quileutes, when I was leaning in to kiss her in the kitchen. No, I’m not going to tell you what I said. I leave that to you to figure out. There are only like four people left in the world who actually speak Quileutes, so we were able to talk to one of these ladies and it was really interesting.

Question: What did you think of your role when you finally got to the wolf on screen? How are you trying to relish the end of your teenage years?

Lautner: I’m having the time of my life, so it couldn’t be a better end to my teenage years. I’m doing what I love and I’m spending time with the people I love. So it’s great, I’m definitely never, ever going to forget this. [When I first saw the wolf], I was blown away. I was really excited. Because when I’m filming the famous trailer shot where I’m running through the film and jump up and transform mid-air, I’m attached to wires and I’m running and I let the wires pull me up the air and they jerk me to a stop and I just have to freeze there and let them convert my body into a CGI wolf and the whole time I’m like ‘I hope I look cool.’ And yeah, after I saw the final version last week, after I saw the wolves it was amazing. And the fight scene that comes right after that, the fight between Jacob and Paul Wolf, it was so cool. I thought they were extremely powerful and looked very real.

Question: No holds barred fight, who would win, Jacob or Edward. Same thing with you and Rob?

Lautner: Oh man. I don’t know between me and Rob. He actually does a lot of boxing in his time off, so it might be a good match-up. Jacob, we were actually discussing this on set, it’s funny we were like ‘who would win in a fight between Jacob and Edward,’ because there’s a scene outside Bella’s house where Edward grabs my shoulder and he’s mad at me and Jacob doesn’t take that. So he takes his arm and rips it off. And at that moment, Jacob would transform into a wolf and we’re having this discussion that got really deep, we’re like ‘if I were to poof into a wolf right now, what would happen? Who would win?’ I don’t know, our discussion points were like ‘usually, we’re with our pack so if I’m without my pack, am I gonna be weaker?’ So I honestly don’t know. That discussion is still up in the air. We should probably get Stephenie Meyer on the line and ask her.

Question: How does being part of this phenomenon transform you?

Lautner: Really, I’d have to say the biggest transformation would be my schedule. I’m really really busy, but it’s a lot of fun. I just got back from South America yesterday and here I am today for three days and then I go to Europe. So I’m really really busy but it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience, I’m really excited to be part of this thing.

Question: Have Robert and Kristen given you advice on how to enjoy this moment? Any advice at all?

Lautner: No, I mean I think most of our advice and talking and stuff has just pretty much stayed on a business level. And that’s the great thing with our relationship, is where all of us are completely open and not afraid to hold anything back, we talk about our characters together and we have meetings and we discuss our characters and it’s really, really helpful. But we haven’t gotten into life talks yet.

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Just five days after Halloween it’s beginning to look, um… a bit like Christmas at the box office.  “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” opened in the widest release yet for a 3D feature on Friday: 2,035 screens including 181 in IMAX. Disney also booked a few 2D screens a grand total of 3,683 theatres. So with all that exposure, and those extra-fat 3D ticket prices, it comes as no surprise to find Ebenezer Scrooge on top with an estimated Friday total of $9 million. More of a surprise is the strong second place showing of new entry “The Fourth Kind” with Milla Jovovich. The alien-abduction pic took in just under $5 million after opening in 2,529 theatres. George Clooney and “The Men Who Stare at Goats” came in third with $4.5 million from 2,443 theatres and Richard Kelly’s “The Box” barely edged out the “Paranormal Activity” phenomenon to take fifth place with just under $3 million. Check back tomorrow for details and snarky comments on all of the week’s new releases.

Yesterday was the start of the massive Los Angeles press junket for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”.  While an embargo prevents me from writing my thoughts on the film (or I’d tell you), I’m allowed to start positing all the interviews I participated in, so if you’re a fan of Rob Pattinson, after the jump you can either read or listen to his entire press conference from yesterday afternoon.

The big news is what I reported yesterday.  At the end of the press conference, I asked Rob “what movies have you committed to in 2010 and have you been told a tentative start date on ‘Breaking Dawn’?” He told me “I think the tentative time for ‘Breaking Dawn’ is fall of next year.” Also, he talked about his next movie “Bel Ami” and a western he might do with Rachel Weiss and Hugh Jackman called “Unbound Captives”.  So not only are you going to get a lot of info on “New Moon”, you can learn what he has coming up.  Take a look after the jump:

As always, you can either read the transcript below or listen to the audio by clicking here.  For info on “Breaking Dawn”, “Bel Ami”and “Unbound Captives”, it’s at the very end of the interview.

Question: What were your thoughts where you reveal yourself in the sunlight?

Pattinson: My thoughts at the time or now? I just kind of came to a realization about that scene today. I guess one of the kind of closest moments that I’ve really felt to people’s emotional attachment to the character, there were so many extras there who were just ‘Twilight’ fans that’d flown in to be in the Town Square and just taking that one step off, that one step into the light, it’s been the one moment since the first Comic-Con where I felt the whole weight of anticipation and I guess responsibility as well to all the people who were kind of so obsessed with the stories. It was a good moment. It was very nerve racking. I felt probably the most in character that I’ve ever felt in the whole series at that moment.

Question: Can you talk about working with Chris Weitz this time around and if the syllabus he gave the actors worked with your acting style?

Pattinson: The syllabus which gave at the beginning, yeah. When he gave that out, I mean I’ve never had that from any director. It was like forty or fifty pages long this thing and this is in addition to a bunch of letters and emails and everything, trying to show that he’s on the same page as us and that he’s completely with us in making the film. He kind of didn’t falter from that attitude during the whole movie. It probably sounds ridiculous how much praise this guy gets. I was just with his wife in Japan and she was kind of sick of [laughs], but I mean he is like a saint. He’s one of the best people that I’ve ever met let alone directors. I think in a lot of ways it shows in the movie. There’s a lot of heart, especially for a sequel and a franchise. I think he’s just a great person to do it with.

Question: Appearing in these visions did you feel apart from your cast mates this time and did you wish it was more or was it a nice to be by yourself a little more?

Pattinson: Those scenes were the hardest scenes. They weren’t really at the time but when I saw the first part of the movie, they changed it quite a bit in the edit and in ADR and stuff mainly because it’s so difficult. It’s not Edward. It’s a kind of manifestation of Bella’s loneliness and kind of desperation. It was always very difficult because I was trying to ask Kristen [Stewart], ‘How would you play it?’ because it’s her opinion. So I guess that was hard, but as for being alone I think that I’ve always felt a little bit aloof as the character throughout the whole series. I think that’s how it kind of is. So I didn’t feel anything particularly different.

Question: What’s this last year been like for you? You came in with the first movie as a new face and it’s now a phenomenon. Are you more comfortable with it now, a year later?

Pattinson: I guess it’s inevitable that you become more comfortable. You’re still fighting against some things. The franchise itself, there’s nothing really scary about it. I like the people that I work with. I generally have very few disagreements about the script or about anything when we’re doing it, especially on ‘New Moon’. It just seemed so relaxed and easy.

Question: That’s on set, but what about everything else?

Pattinson: That’s what I mean. I’ve been on sets, three different sets since January 14th. I’ve had like three days off. I always say the same thing, last year also, about how your life changes. I’m on set all the time and I’m still on set and I’m going to be on set all next year. So I don’t really know. As to getting and things I don’t know that is really like because I haven’t had a sustained period of time where I’ve been off. So I still don’t know how it’s changed. I still feel I’m pretty much exactly the same which is maybe not a good thing.

Question: Can you talk about the scene where you breakup with Bella, how it was to do that?

Pattinson: It’s a strange thing, something weird about it because one of the main things that I felt doing that, or what really helped was people’s anticipation of the movie and people’s, I guess fans of the series idea about what Edward and Bella’s relationship is and what it represents to them as some kind of ideal for a relationship. So just playing a scene where you’re breaking up the ideal relationship, I mean you feel or I felt a lot of the weight behind that. Also, it took away your fear of melodrama as well because it felt seismic if that’s the right word. Even when we were doing it, it was very much like the stepping out into the sunlight scene at the end. You could really feel the audience watching as you’re doing it. So it was a strange one, doing that.

Question: A fight between Edward and Jacob, who wins and the same with you and Taylor [Lautner]?

Pattinson: [laughs] I don’t know. I did hear the other day that Taylor had agreed to an interview where the interviewer was going to fight him. I don’t think that I’d ever agree to that and also looking at Taylor’s martial arts videos from when he was like nine I really wouldn’t want to do anything. Maybe if I had some kind of weapon. Edward and Jacob? I don’t know. I think it’s actually a fact that Edward would win. I think. If I’ve read the books correctly. So I guess I can hold onto that for my ego.

Question: This movie has made you a bankable leading man. How does that change things for you and where do you want to be five years from now?

Pattinson: I’ve only done one movie outside of the series.

Question: And that was what?

Pattinson: ‘Remember Me’ which is going to be out sometime next year. But even that I did with the same studio and I guess I’m still a little bit blind as to what my actual economic viability is outside of the series. I mean it’s definitely different. You get offered stuff that you would’ve never have dreamed of being offered before but that’s also scary as well. You don’t have to audition for anything and so you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t want to do a movie just because it gets made. I have no idea.’ It’s a scary situation to be in, in a lot of ways. You really have to question yourself a lot more than before ‘Twilight’. I did any movie that I got and you try to make the best of it afterwards. Now you’re expected to come into the movie and provide not only economic viability but also a performance as well because people are like, ‘You can’t just mess around. We’re employing you to be a star and an actor.’ So it’s difficult and it’s scary.

Question: Isn’t that what you dream about when you start in this business?

Pattinson: You do. You always think, ‘Oh, when I’ve done a big movie -’ because when you haven’t got a big movie behind you and you’re not bankable everyone is like, ‘He’s not bankable enough,’ and so you can’t get the kinds of roles you want to get. Then when you do you have to, especially with a movie like this where there’s a perceived specific audience which I think that people are quite confused about as well, but people start thinking, ‘You need to get this audience and you need to do this and that and you need to look a certain way,’ and so on. There are limitations to it as well. Whereas when no one is watching your movies and you get a part you can do whatever the hell you want because that’s just the way that it is. So there are good and bad points either way.

Question: What personality traits do you share with Edward?

Pattinson: I guess stubbornness in some ways about some things. I guess he’s pretty self-righteous. I guess I am. I guess I get quite obsessive about things and possessive as well, I think. I don’t know.

Question: Like what?

Pattinson: Obsessive about what?

Question: And possessive of what, your privacy?

Pattinson: In some ways. What am I obsessive about? I have very, very specific ideas about how want to do my work and how I want to be perceived and to the point of ridiculousness sometimes. I don’t listen to anyone else. That’s why I don’t have a publicist or something like that. I can’t stand it if someone’s trying to tell me to do something which might be a mistake sometimes. I guess about that. I like being meticulous and it’s quite difficult as an actor to have that much control. That’s actually an answer to the other questions as well. That’s the good thing about the ‘Twilight’ series as well because in a lot of ways when you agree to the job it gives you a lot more control over the little things which I want to have. I’m like a control freak about it.

Question: Do you appreciate Edward more with each movie and what are your favorite parts about him?

Pattinson: It’s funny about ‘New Moon’. When I read ‘New Moon’ it gave me ideas about how to play the first one and it’s the one that I connected to the most and the one that humanized Edward the most for me as well. In the first one he still does remain from beginning to end an idealistic character but in the second one he makes a mistake that’s acknowledged by everybody including himself. Also he’s totally undermined by more powerful creatures and he’s undermined emotionally by people as well. I think that’s what humanized it. Since I’ve read that book I’ve always kind of liked him as a character. I try to play that same feeling throughout the first one and after the third one, as well, trying to get some kind of element of an all powerful person or almost all powerful person, the kind of hero of a story who just refuses to accept that he’s the hero. I think there’s something admirable there. I don’t know if I really made any sense.

Question: How do you separate falling in love in real life and then the woman that you’re cast against?

Pattinson: You’ve always got to remember that you’re being paid and then there’s a lot of connotations that come with that [laughs]. I think that’s one of the major separations.

Question: Did you agree with the decision to make Edward a vision and how do you avoid letting your life become just one big blur?

Pattinson: There are random moments which sound out but generally you’re working so much, this year I’ve been working so much that you do your living in an almost alternative reality. Also, the hours on a film set are so long that you’re doing like doctor hours and every doctor that I’ve ever spoken to says the same thing which is you have no idea what’s going on other than working. You’re away from your family and friends and all of that stuff. The apparitions thing. I was always very worried about that because even before we started shooting people were asking questions, like, ‘Do you think people are going to be worried about not having enough Edward in it?’ He’s not in the book. I was so worried that it was just going to be random scenes. There was talk at the beginning of showing his back story in South America, going around moping or something. That would’ve been terrifying for me and I think that it would’ve been catastrophic for the film as well. But I fought as far as I could to keep it as limited as possible, mainly because it just doesn’t happen in the book. But then at the same time it’s scary just to do voice over because it could well end up being very cheesy. I guess there’s a kind of medium. Also, it was interesting because you’re not just there. You’re supposed to be playing something, whether I achieved it or not. You’re just playing a vision and if you play it as realistically as possible it becomes an interesting thing to try and figure out. So it was interesting for me at the time.

Question: How do you fight?

Pattinson: In reality?

Question: No. You said you fought as much as you could.

Pattinson: Oh! I guess I just talked to Chris. He wasn’t ever going to just do things for the sake of doing it. He was always on the side of the story and even since it’s been edited there’s been loads and loads of the apparition sequences cut out and a lot of them Chris cut out without me saying but when I was doing ADR I was saying, ‘Things looked more interesting. Things looked more kind of mystical if you cut out more of these shots.’  It becomes more eerie and more realistic the less of these visions that you have and the less visible. Just having these head-on shots doesn’t make it a vision. It just becomes a superimposed image which is not interesting.

Question: Have you ever had your heartbroken like Edward when he left Bella?

Pattinson: I’m just trying to think of a really stupid answer and I can’t think of one [laughs]. No, I don’t think so.

Question: You seem to have gotten the brunt of the crazy fan. Has there been anything that’s cracked you up during all of this?

Pattinson: Yeah, a lot of the time. There’s been so many things. Recently I have less direct interaction with people because there’s way more security on the sets and stuff, but I always find it funny when older people come up. There was a woman who came up to me the other day who must’ve been in her nineties and was saying this stuff. It’s very unusual and they say the exact same things as twelve year old girls [laughs]. That is kind of bizarre.

Question: When you’re shooting the romantic scenes what’s going on in your head and are you a romantic person in your life? What’s the most romantic thing that you have done?

Pattinson: I haven’t done that many romantic things. What was going through my head, it’s weird, I keep being told by people that I  need to pump up all the stuff about the action and all this stuff for the guys to go and see it. It’s ridiculous. It’s like saying guys can’t appreciate romance. I don’t think that you can say that about ‘Gone With The Wind’ or something. I’ve watched ‘Titanic’ and I didn’t think, ‘Oh, this is a girl’s film.’ Unless you’re a complete idiot of a guy, I don’t really think…and especially in ‘New Moon’ and in the whole series I’ve never played it as if I’m playing a series of girl’s films, doing something just for girls. I don’t feel like I’m doing ‘Tiger Beat’ every week, a kind of animated ‘Tiger Beat’. I like doing the romantic scenes. I felt like the storyline in ‘New Moon’ is very heartbreaking and true. I didn’t think that I was doing something just for the sake of romance. In a lot of ways it’s a really sad story. The most romantic thing I’ve ever done?

Question: Have you serenaded somebody?

Pattinson: Oh, no. I don’t think that I would ever do that to be romantic. You have to have so much balls to do that. Jesus Christ. I can’t think of a single romantic thing that I’ve ever done. That’s terrible. I put a flower in someone’s locker when I was fifteen years old, this girl called Maria. Maybe I was fourteen. She thought that it was someone else and the other guy claimed it as well which is great.

Question: Can you talk about growing this romantic triangle in the series and also what it was like watching Taylor transform himself?

Pattinson: I didn’t see Taylor until just a little before we started shooting. So when he came back I had the same reaction as everyone else, like, ‘Jesus. Now I have to go to the gym.’ It was strange. This one was weird because I hardly did any scenes with Taylor. We did just the scenes at the beginning and the scenes at the end and that’s it. He had his entire storyline develop without me being around which is interesting because I had no idea where his performance was going and so it wasn’t really a competition or anything. It was all sort of independent. Whereas in ‘Eclipse’ we’re doing scenes together all the time with Bella and so it really shows the dynamic in that one.

Question: Who’s your favorite movie vampire of all time and why?

Pattinson: I always think of the wrong people. I always think of like Ethan Hawke in ‘Interview With A Vampire’. But then he’s not a vampire. He’s the interviewer.

Question: Gary Oldman in ‘Dracula’?

Pattinson: Yeah, I like Gary Oldman. There’s actually a bunch. I really like Wesley Snipes. I think that Wesley Snipes is great.

Question: What’s the weirdest or funniest thing you’ve ever read about yourself, and how do you maintain a balance with letting fans know who are and keeping your private life private?

Pattinson: The weirdest was something recently, some magazine had on the cover that I was pregnant. I was like, ‘Wow,’ but it was without a hint of irony or anything. I didn’t really know what to make of that one. I don’t know if that even qualifies as libelous because they can just say, ‘Well, it’s obviously fiction,’ but it’s printed in a non-fiction magazine.

Question: When are you do?

Pattinson: I did see a couple of comments under the article, saying, ‘That’s why he always wears a jacket. He always wears layers to hide it.’ [laughs] And how do you keep your private life private?

Question: But also showing your fans and the public that there’s more to you than just Edward.

Pattinson: I think you just do it through doing jobs. I think it’s such a risky thing doing interviews. I try to limit the amount of interviews that I do because no one is that interesting especially when you’re not really saying anything. And I don’t particularly want to be an character in society or whatever. So I guess the only thing that you can do is do jobs and see if people respond to that. I’m always holding onto the fact that I don’t really know who I am. Hopefully I won’t compartmentalize myself because of that, because I’m completely ignorant of the whole. I’ve never really struggled with anything up until recently. I’ve got to step being so self deprecating because people are starting to believe it. ‘That guy is an idiot.’ So I’ve I tried to stop doing that.

Question: What movies have you committed to in 2010 and have you been told about a start date on ‘Breaking Dawn’?

Pattinson: I think the tentative time for ‘Breaking Dawn’ is fall of next year. I think. They may well change that. And depending on how things go I’m doing a movie called ‘Bel Ami’ in February which is an adaptation of this Guy de Maupassant novel. I’m doing, I hope, a western with Rachel Weiss and Hugh Jackman called ‘Unbound Captives’ at sometime around there as well. They have to try and model everything around everyone’s schedules and stuff.

Question: Will you be a gunfighter?

Pattinson: No, actually. I’m playing a kid who’s kidnapped by the Comanche’s when he was four years old and he’s brought up by them. Then his mother spends her entire life trying to find me and my sister. When she finds us we can’t remember who she is and can’t remember anything about the western culture that she grew up in and I speak Comanche in the whole movie. So you can’t really get more different from Edward.

Question: Is that the reason you wanted to do it, because it is so different from Edward?

Pattinson: I actually signed onto that after I’d done ‘Twilight’ but in the summer, just a couple of months after I finished. It was really before anything had happened. I wasn’t really even thinking about that. It’s just a cool script. It reminded me of -

Question: ‘The Searchers’?

Pattinson: It is kind of similar to ‘The Searchers’. I mean, that’s the scary thing, yeah, but I mean actually it’s nothing like ‘The Searchers’. Only in general terms. It reminds in a lot of ways of ‘Giant’ which is one of my favorite movies. I think that’s why I responded to it.

Question: Is James Dean one of your favorite actors?

Pattinson: One of them, yeah.

Question: Was it a big shock to have Bryce Dallas Howard on the set of ‘Eclipse’ instead of Rachelle Lefevre?

Pattinson: Yeah, it was a shock but she’s lovely. She’s really, really nice.

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Going back to the old masters, going back to the classics is always illuminating. Someone like Alfred Hitchcock knew how to frame a film. He knew where he was putting his camera, and why it was there. As in North by Northwest he achieved one of the great visual representations of sex. Cary Grant lifts Eva Marie Saint up to bed, and then a train enters a tunnel. Not exactly subtle, but undeniably brilliant. My review after the jump.

North by Northwest is one of Hitchcock’s most pleasurable films. In his cycle of “wrong man on the run” films, which includes The 39 Steps and Foreign Correspondent, North by Northwest has one advantage over those others films: It stars Cary Grant. And Grant’s dapper persona adds a level of debonair to whatever he did. Here he stars as Roger Thornhill, who’s mistaken for secret agent George Kaplan. He’s picked up by some thugs, questioned, and then has alcohol forcibly poured down his throat in hopes of him having a fatal accident. He escapes, but no one believes him - including his mom.

He tracks down the man he thinks kidnapped him, but when he shows up the man is murdered, and Thornhill is implicated. The man who might be able to clear him is Kaplan, but there’s one problem: Kaplan doesn’t exist. When escaping by train, Thornhill meets Eve Kendell (Eva Marie Saint), who seems easy, but is working for Roger Vandamm (James Mason), and extends his chase of Kaplan into a cornfield.

Well, if you haven’t seen the film, it’s not fair to spoil any more, but if you haven’t you’re either young or don’t love movies. North by Northwest is a masterpiece by one of the great filmmakers of all time, and it’s a fun film, with set piece after set piece that have defined suspense and action filmmaking since Hitch made them. But where films like Vertigo and Rear Window chew on some interesting concepts of voyeurism and obsession, NbNW is Hitch at his lightest, and the master could have a delicate touch. There are no missteps, and when the film comes to its conclusion, it wraps up perfectly.

The main reason to write about the film is Warner Brother’s new 4K 1080p transfer, and to call it a revelation is unfair. The film has been well looked after, but the new level of detail available at home is undeniably impressive. As Glenn Kenny and Jeffery Wells noted, there is details here that were probably there before, but now pop off the screen. The film is fifty years old, but has never looked better at home (though the film is a perennial revival house favorite. As my friend Tom Raneri called it, it is the single most rewatchable film ever made). If you like HD because of the difference in quality, this is one of the best older films to use as a touchstone.

The film comes widescreen (1.78:1) and in 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. The film also comes with a music only track in 5.1, which highlights Bernard Hermann’s excellent score (rousing). The film also comes with a commentary by the late screenwriter Ernest Lehman, and though it was recorded not too long ago, and Lehman was an older gent, it’s pretty riveting once the man picks up steam. “Cary Grant: A Class Apart” (87 min.) is a biography of the film’s leading man, and while going point by point through a lot of his career, it does get some good talking heads. “Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest” (39 min) gets Saint to host a making of with comments from Lehman and Martin Landau. This is TV background stuff, but the film is great enough that it deserves some puffery.

New for this release are two documentaries: “The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style” (57 min) and “North by Northwest: One for the Ages” (25 mi) These documentaries give such filmmakers as Curtis Hanson, William Friedkin, Christopher McQuarrie, John Carpenter, and Martin Scorsese a chance to wax about how Hitchcock made films, and why North by Northwest is one of the best films ever made. There’s enough content here to forgive the somewhat scattershot method of what’s accomplished. I don’t know how much Francis Lawrence took from Hitchcock, nor even know if he’s professed a great interest in him, which makes some interviews better than others, but most everyone has something interesting to say about the master.

Also included is a Still Gallery. A TV spot, re-release trailer, and the theatrical preview, which offers Hitchcock as a tour guide.

This Tuesday, Warner Bros. is releasing the “ultimate cut” of “Watchmen,” a 5-disc box set intended to do the graphic novel justice–something that writer Alan Moore would be (but still isn’t) proud of.  The feature included is an hour longer than the theatrical release, and there are plenty of bonuses to be seen.  Go through it all with me, one disc at a time, after the jump.

Disc One: The “Ultimate” Cut

I’m among the select group of people who loved both the graphic novel and Zack Snyder’s film “Watchmen” when it released in March.  And though I agree the book trumps the film, I am a tremendous fan of both for different reasons.

Thus as expected, this “ultimate cut” of the film is pretty special for a fanboy like myself. It’s the director’s cut of the film with all the side stories thrown back in and the animated complementary piece, “Tales of the Black Freighter” voiced by Gerard Butler, interwoven into the story quite smoothly. In terms of being the cinematic equivalent of the comic, it’s as close as anyone will ever get.  I really recommend a viewing for die-hard fans of the graphic novel.

Unfortunately, it’s 3-hour-and-35-minute runtime prevents me from really recommending it to anyone else.  This film is long.  Moreover, its pacing suffers from its unwieldiness (though not as much as one might expect), and, to be frank, I didn’t like the “Tales of the Black Freighter” sequences–the animation seemed stiff and needlessly grotesque.  Then again, I didn’t like the “Black Freighter” sequences in the graphic novel either, so maybe that lends to its authenticity.

Suffice it to say, if you love the comic and the film, this is the definitive cut. And if you’re not a die-hard fan of both, steer clear.

Disc Two: Bonus Featurettes

I’m not a big fan of featurettes to begin with–I find that they don’t contribute to my appreciation of a film whatsoever–but I really didn’t like the inclusion of these featurettes specifically.  Each one is over 30 minutes, detailing some aspect of the production or another.  One goes on about the legacy of the novel, which is silly since any fan big enough to buy the ultimate cut would already be more than familiar with the novel.  Another talks about the books within the book, namely “Tales of the Black Freighter” and “Under the Hood”–once again, we’re already familiar.

The only bonus I was really looking forward to was the “Under the Hood” feature, a pseudo-documentary about Hollis Mason’s autobiography made as a companion piece to “Black Freighter” when it released on DVD.  I was sadly disappointed.  The feature, as one might expect, is mostly back story about the Minuteman, and is only useful if you’re not already familiar with who they are.  It also interacts with the film by introducing characters, Big Figure and Rorschach’s psychoanalyst among them, in a cheesy, wink-wink-nudge-nudge fashion.  Plus, it’s really just boring.

For my money, this disc could’ve been left off altogether.

Disc Three: Digital Copy of Theatrical Version

I’m glad they included this, because it’s nice to have to original release to compare the ultimate cut to.  Besides that, though I enjoyed the full 3 1/2 hour feature, I know most of my friends won’t, so if I’m entertaining, I’d rather throw this on.  Unfortunately, it’s a digital copy, not a DVD, which means if anyone wants to watch it, they’re checking it out on my iTunes. Unless you have an Apple TV, this limitation kinda sucks. I personally would’ve preferred a DVD copy of the theatrical version, but I guess that wasn’t not tech savvy enough for Warner.

Discs Four & Five: The Motion Comic

This was the part I was looking forward to the least. I’d seen previews of the “motion comic” Warner Bros. produced online, and it looked plainly bad: like some pathetic TV-MA flash video iteration of the story.  But I’m pleased to say, I think I judged it kind of prematurely.

Having watched a couple episodes now, I must say, the animation’s pretty cool. It does look like a flash video to an extent, but it lifts images straight out of the graphic novel, and given the stills they had to work with, it’s an impressive product. I just wish Warner had sprung for a second voice actor–Silk Spectre’s voice was certainly less…husky…when I heard her in my mind. No offense to narrator Tom Stechschulte, that is.

In Conclusion…

It’s a cool box set.  I’m very glad I own it, and I think fellow “Watchmen” fanatics will be too.  But this is not for the general public. I just ends up being too much, well, content.

When you attend a press junket, you never know where and when you’re going to land a scoop.  Sometimes you get a great story during a roundtable interview, and other times you’re sharing an elevator ride with the director of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and you ask him about the DVD.  Which is what happened to me today.

On my way to do an interview with producer Wyck Godfrey, I happened to run into director Chris Weitz.  Since I didn’t have a chance to ask a question during the press conference, I used my shared elevator ride to find out what extras would be on the DVD and how many minutes of deleted scenes “Twilight” fans could expect.  While he confirmed the usual stuff like a commentary with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, the big news is he told me there would be around ten minutes of deleted scenes.  More after the jump:

From the way Weitz spoke, I believe the DVD is going to have the deleted scenes placed back into the scene so you can watch the full scene play and not just see the stuff that was cut out.  I’m not sure if the movie will be an extended edition, or if the deleted scenes will be in a separate area of the disc.  I’m sure we’ll hear about that soon enough.

The big news for fans is you’re going to get ten extra minutes whenever the DVD/Blu-ray gets released.

Here’s my conversation with Chris Weitz.  Due to the short amount of time, I was unable to find out exactly what was cut out.

Collider: What can we expect on the New Moon DVD?

Chris Weitz: On the DVD there will be some deleted scenes, there will be a commentary with me and I think Kristen, Rob and Taylor at the same time, and some making of and behind the scenes type stuff.

My big question is how many minutes of deleted scenes?

Weitz: I think it’s around twenty.

Is there really going to be that many minutes?

Weitz: Yeah, but sometimes it’s just showing a whole scene with bits that have been cut out. There is not like twenty minutes of stuff thrown out.  It’s like here is the fully expanded scene.

Here’s my question….the Twilight fans are obsessed with seeing stuff they haven’t seen before. So how many minutes do you think of footage that’s not in the theater would be on the DVD/Blu-ray?

Weitz: I’d say a good ten minutes of groovy stuff they haven’t seen.

So why did you cut it?

Weitz: The running time of the film and the cadence of how I wanted the film to play.

While I never post studio provided interviews, when you’re dealing with a property like “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, you make exceptions.  Also, I know some of you “Twilight” fans and you want to see EVERYTHING.

Here’s what you need to know: when actors are on set and filming a movie, at some point they do generic interviews for the eventual EPK (electronic press kit).  Meaning some studio intern or production assistant asks the most basic questions and the actor answers them.  They’re not exactly hard hitting interviews. But, like I said, you “Twilight” fans want to see everything and I aim to please.  So after the jump you can watch the studio provided on set interviews with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

Kristen Stewart On Set Interview

Robert Pattinson On Set Interview

Taylor Lautner On Set Interview

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With “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” getting ready to hit theaters on November 20th, Summit Entertainment has released an EPK for the media to use.  If you’re not familiar with the term EPK, it stands for Electronic Press Kit.  An EPK is where the studio puts movie clips, trailers, and behind the scenes footage from whatever movie they’re promoting.

Anyway, I’ve taken the movie clips Summit released, as well as all the behind the scenes footage, and posted two videos after the jump.  While the three clips have already been released over the past two weeks, the ten minutes of behind the scenes footage is all new.  So if you’ve been waiting for “Twilight: New Moon”, you’ll really enjoy the footage of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner on set.  Take a look after the jump:

Finally, while I’d love to say what I thought about “New Moon”, an embargo is preventing me from writing any thoughts.  Saying that, I’m free to post all the interviews I did with the cast and the filmmakers.  As you may have already seen on the front page of the site, the onslaught has begun.

Here’s the synopsis:

In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenally successful “Twilight” series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of-only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.

Following Bella’s ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward’s image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward’s true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she’d hoped for. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made “Twilight” a worldwide phenomenon, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

NOTE: We are getting a lot of traffic right now.  We’re working on getting get more streams for the videos.

3 Movie Clips

B-Roll - Behind the Scenes Footage

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Earlier today, the massive Los Angeles press junket for Summit Entertainment’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” began.  All weekend the cast is going to be doing tons of interviews and I’d imagine you’re going to be reading the coverage on every website you follow.  So rather than wait till the week of release, I’m going to be jumping in head first and posting what was said as fast as I can get it done.  And up first… Kristen Stewart.

While at last year’s press junket for the first “Twilight” film, I got the sense that the massive worldwide interest was a bit much for this talented young actress.  But, on stage today, she not only handled the media like a pro, she seemed a lot more comfortable being closely associated with Bella Swan.  In fact, she seemed really happy to be talking about the movie.  So if you’d like to read or listen to what Kristen Stewart had to say about “New Moon”, hit the jump and take a look:

As always, you can either read a transcript of the press conference or listen to the audio by clicking here.

Finally, while I’d love to write what I thought about the movie as I saw it last night, Summit Entertainment has given us a strict embargo.  Sorry.

Question: A year ago when we talked to you seemed to be a shy, sensitive young actor. How has this past year been for you in terms of this nonstop thing on ‘New Moon’ and you and Rob Pattinson?

Stewart: I think I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with talking about myself and knowing that what you say people are really going to take into consideration and that always intimidated me so much that I minced every word that came out of my mouth. I couldn’t finish a sentence because I was so concerned about how it was going to sound. I didn’t want to come across insincere about something that I really love to do. So I realized that instead of refraining from saying I’ve put my heart and soul into this thing and I love it, that’s what I should’ve said instead of, like the really logical, over analytical reason why I love it. You just do. I’ve gotten more comfortable with. The whole rumor, tabloid stuff, it’s so obviously false to me. Look, even before I became a part of it, once I sort of became a star…it’s like a show. It’s like a ridiculous show.

Question: A soap opera with your name in it?

Stewart: Exactly. With false realism like a soap opera that seems real but you’re not quite sure. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t take it personally. Luckily, because I’ve had so much experience it’s gotten easier to talk about the work.

Question: What about the work on this one?

Stewart: I had a really good time on this movie. It was intense. Just because of the nature of the story it goes in a completely different direction. We undermine the first. We establish a very ideological of love and basically tell our main character, our main protagonist that she was wrong and it’s like, ‘Where’s our story?’ You’re going to be left if Edward’s not there. What I really love about ‘New Moon’ is that you see this girl build herself back up and by the time she makes this sort of rash decision to spend eternity with a vampire she’s in a position where you actually believe her. You’re like, ‘Okay, you’re old enough, your mature enough to know. You’ve lived life.’ She grows up. I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore.

Question: What has been like working with Bryce Dallas Howard?

Stewart: Really good. Bryce is scary. She’s really oddly sweet as well. So it’s funny to see her switch back and forth, but Victoria for Bella is like an ever present fear. Even when Victoria isn’t around she’s scared that she’s coming back. Bryce is such a good actress and it was easy to be scared of her.

Question: Can you talk about breaking in your new director? How did you work with Chris Weitz?

Stewart: Chris has everything. I think to be a good director you have to be a good person and you have to care about people. I don’t know a more compassionate human being. I couldn’t have done this unless I had such a believable environment, a comfortable and safe environment to be so vulnerable in. He provided that tenfold. He’s one of the coolest, one of the smartest and funniest guys I know. He really loves the project as well. He wasn’t just jumping on the next big thing. So it wasn’t about breaking him in at all. He only helped make everything better. He made everything what it is. He’s incredible. I love him.

Question: Did he give you guys any guidance when he came in? How did that work?

Stewart: Chris did a very different thing that I’ve never had a director do. He put together, it’s like a syllabus almost of what we were supposed to achieve and how he was going to make it easier for everyone, sort of an introduction to how he likes to work. It didn’t only introduce the idea of collaboration, it was like inviting everyone onto this project and saying, ‘Please, everyone love it, and please, everyone be invested and work hard.’ It was very encouraging. It also had technical aspects of how he was so sorry that so much of the movie was going to be CGI stuff that we were going to have to react to but that he was always going to make us aware of what we were acting with, that he was never going to leave us high and dry. A lot of the FX movies are hard to do because you don’t know what you’re reacting to. So he had a full rundown of how he planned on making the movie. Most directors are like, ‘Have you put together notes for our meeting?’ It’s like, ‘No. That’s your job.’ So he’s amazing. I love him.

Question: Taylor Lautner is emerging from this movie as a huge star. If you could wipe the slate clean and made a decision do you really think that she wouldn’t have gone with fine, old Jacob?

Stewart: I know, trust me. I feel you completely.

Question: Can you talk about working with Taylor because he did an incredible job in the face of controversy going into the movie?

Stewart: I think that controversy has probably been like made bigger than it was. We needed to be sure that whoever played Jacob was going to be Jacob in ‘New Moon’. He’s such a different person. He becomes a man. There’s an entire [thing]. It’s not just a physical transformation. He really becomes an adult. I mean I always knew that Taylor could do that but we just needed to make sure because it was so important. So once he actually proved himself which wasn’t hard to do, even seeing him walk around on set was like a different experience. He’s literally become a different person. He’s just grown up. He’s so confident and the nicest guy that I’ve ever met. I know that I’m using this grammatically incorrect but he’s the funnest guy I’ve ever hung out with. So he’s great. I’m so proud of him.

Question: These films have come out so fast, one after the other. Can you talk about the intensity of that and also if you think you’ll remember all of it in five years?

Stewart: There’s already a lot of stuff that I have to say, ‘Okay, Kristen, be here. Experience it. Make sure that this isn’t another fleeting situation that you’re going to barely remember.’ You have to force yourself to sort of be present but I feel like the fact that I have the opportunity to pick and choose moments that I want to remember and I have to focus on remembering cool moments, that only tells you that I literally have an influx of them. I’ve had the coolest two years and I’m so lucky.

Question: What’s it like to work in Vancouver since you’ve been there for a while now? Do you have a home, favorite hang outs, what do you like to do there?

Stewart: I love Vancouver. When we’re doing the ‘Twilight’ series there I don’t get to go out as much as I’d like to. I’m also sort of a boring person. I really don’t go out to bars and stuff a whole lot unless it’s an event. It’s a beautiful place to be.

Question: What are your favorite spots in the city?

Stewart: I just like being outside there. I don’t have favorite spots. The climate is so different from what I’m used to. I don’t really have any favorite spots. I really don’t.

Question: Did you actually get to ride the motorcycle and if so were you into it and how do you feel about the bike?

Stewart: I’m definitely never going to be a biker. The idea of riding, I mean I’m scared of cars so the idea of riding a motorcycle is just never going to be something that I’m into. I was towed ridiculously. I was on the back of this truck and I probably looked funny doing it. Taylor rode motorcycles really well. There’s this one part that’s sort of undeniably him. He rides up and skids. I left that to him. I wasn’t about to do that. I don’t even think that they would let me necessarily. They would have more faith in Taylor to do that.

Question: Would you ride on the back with a guy though?

Stewart: Yeah. I did that. I did that and I didn’t like it. It’s so precarious. I don’t know if you’ve been on one but it literally feels like you’re going to fly off of it. I’m not into that.

Question: What do you find the most rewarding part of being involved in something so popular and what are some of the challenging parts of that?

Stewart: I think my favorite thing about this is the fact that I can keep it personal. It’s still something that if the franchise,  if the saga didn’t become a franchise and it was literally was just a series of movies that I had done they would mean just as much to me. That’s also the best part of it, the fact that it isn’t like that, the fact that so many people are affected by it and are invested in it just as much as me if not more. Like I said about Chris, if you don’t like people and if you don’t want to make movies because you care about people then you probably are just wanting to be just rich and famous. So the fact that this is so important to so many people makes me so happy. That’s it. I think that’s it.

Question: Having such an avid fan base where and how do you draw the line between what the public wants to know about your private life?

Stewart: Right. I don’t know. I don’t think that anyone can get a handle [on that]. It’s like as soon as I stopped trying to control everything that came out of my mouth and every picture that came out, that’s when I became so much happier and it was so much easier to deal with. It wasn’t like it was a turning point. I’ve just grown into not having to care so much and to not try to think that I’m going to be able to plan out the way that everyone perceives me. There are no false impressions. Everyone’s impression of you is going to be what it is in that isolated moment. It’s people not considering where you are in that moment when you give that impression. I’m fine with that. I’m going to own what I’m going to own and literally…I should just stop trying to control what’s coming out of my mouth. I’m always going to keep what’s important to me in mind and I completely understand considering that we’re playing characters that are so coveted by so many people so I get why they want to know more about us and they want us to be together and all of that. I just sort of have to not think about it.

Question: How did filming in Italy add to the romance of your character?

Stewart: The fact that we didn’t have to be on a set and we were really in Italy, it makes it so much easier to immerse yourself in this world. It was so cool that we got to go to Italy and that we didn’t have to fake it. I think it really did add - I’m totally taking Chris’s words right now - a scope to the film that wouldn’t otherwise be there. To go from Forks to Italy is such a stark contrast and romantic just in the idea of it. So then to be there and feel it, of course it helps to have the real environment.

Question: Can you talk about the breakup scene with Edward and how emotional it was to do that? I know a lot of young girls in the audience last night were crying.

Stewart: Oh, that’s good. That was the scariest thing. I was almost as worried about messing it up than I was about what I actually should have been thinking about which was the issues that Bella is dealing with. Reading it, it’s so inconic. There’s nothing like that moment in reality even. It’s not even like a normal breakup scene. I know what’s it like to get broken up with but I don’t know what it’s like to get broken up with by a vampire who I’ve now been physically and chemically altered by. Suddenly you take an addict, you take whatever they’re addicted to away from them and there’s withdrawal. So that was the most intimidating scene in the entire movie. I don’t know how to explain how I did it. Chris really helped me out. It was just about talking. I don’t know. It was just about talking to him and reading the book and I had no other actors play off. I mean, the breakup scene that I did with Rob, that’s not where it happens yet. That’s not where I was intimidated. That was still, like she doesn’t even believe it yet. It’s when he goes, the absence of him that I was scared of. I was like, ‘How am I going to by myself in the woods with a hundred guys standing around me, filming me, die?’ Basically, literally having the equivalent of like a death scene but stay alive and get up and keep walking. It was hard. It was really intimidating. I still don’t know. I’ve seen the movie. I really like the movie but I don’t know if anyone ever really would’ve been able to bring that to life the way that Stephenie [Meyer] writes it.

Question: Other than that were there any other challenging scenes or moments for you?

Stewart: This for me is the most difficult, I won’t say hardest…I want to define it a little bit more. Bella is so sure all the time and this is the one movie where she’s actually baffled and totally like, ‘I don’t know.’ It’s weird to play Bella like that because she’s so not like that. That was difficult. I can’t think of a particular scene. It was really hard to go back and forth because you don’t shoot a movie in sequence, obviously. I had to do stuff with Jacob where I was alive and happy and out of this depression thing and then after lunch go back and scream in my bed for six hours. So that was difficult.

Question: What’s the craziest thing that you’ve had happen to you with this fans since starting this?

Stewart: The funniest thing in the world just happened to me in Brazil. I’ve had a lot of really varying experiences. Some absolutely touching and overwhelming and daunting. Some just like crazy. Then sometimes they’re really funny. I was in Brazil and me and Taylor went to Latin America this time and Rob was in Japan. That’s just how it goes sometimes. We’re sent all over and it means nothing who we’re with. This guy was chasing after us. There was a huge crowd anyway but this one very persistent fella was like, ‘Where is Robert! Where is Robert!’ I couldn’t stop laughing and I felt really bad because he was distraught and emotional and I was like, ‘It’s just Robert.’ It was really funny. I found that funny. Sometimes you get letters that are sort of reassuring when everyone is saying one thing about you. You have one person say, ‘Look -’ and it’s funny when you can actually relate to the fans on a human level and it happens all the time. People assume that’s impossible. So when that happens it’s a cool thing.

Question: Anything scary happen?

Stewart: Scary? No. I’m scared of crowds but individually no, of course not. Just personally I’m sort of intimidated by a lot of people.

Question: When it was announced that Chris Weitz was going to direct Stephenie Meyer was quoted as saying, ‘Lets see how a man does with movie.’ Did you have any trepidation when Catherine Hardwicke departed? Also, do you see Bella as a role model for young women?

Stewart: I think that Bella is such a good characters for girls not to look up to because it’s not looking up. The fact that she’s normal, and I think the most typically relatable thing is that she’s awesome and she doesn’t know it and she’s very sort of confident but also not arrogant. It’s a weird thing to be. I think she also has a lot of really innately female qualities that for a character in literature I think it’s awesome that so many girls can look up to her because she’s fickle and unabashedly. It’s like, ‘I’m allowed to make mistakes and I’m going to do it and I’m going to do it right now and I’m not going to be ashamed of it.’ Bella is very much like that. I think she is a good example for a young girl. I think the director thing, everyone is different. I’m not smart enough to sit here and analyze whether or not a female would’ve been more in touch. Both characters that the protagonist deals with are men. Everyone approaches relationships differently and I can’t really think of an answer.

Question: Do appreciate it when fans want to relate you to Bella, can you understand it?

Stewart: I totally understand why people have a hard time separating ourselves from our characters. It’s also just sort of the way our world is going. People are obsessed. There’s an incredibly large group of people that spend most of their time considering other people’s lives. It’s strange to me. Like I said, I can’t have anything to do with it or else I step in and mess it up for myself and I can’t even do it in a way that’s complete. I just let it sort of fall by the wayside and it doesn’t really affect me.

Question: You’ve talked about living in the moment, enjoying it. Is there a memory from the set that you’ll always take with you?

Stewart: The one moment that really [stands out], throughout the filming of ‘New Moon’, we wrapped in Italy. The last thing that I did I was running through a square through a bunch of people just around this corner, one little part of that montage where I’m running through there. There were so many people around and there was so much energy. You could feel everyone was expecting the done date, that we were almost finished. I can’t turn off, I need to fully and completely on up until that very last moment. I remember the second that we wrapped. I said at ComiCon that my favorite moment of ‘New Moon’ was when we wrapped and people took that the wrong way. It wasn’t like I was so glad to be done. It was the most memorable moment for me because I literally fell apart. I literally went [gasps]. I almost couldn’t handle it. It was the coolest experience that I’ve had on a movie. One of the coolest experiences I’ve had on a movie so far. Chris was there and it was something that we had together really. I just felt really good and that’s the most memorable experience.

Question: How attached have you become to Bella since starting this project?

Stewart: I’m very protective of her. I feel a shared ownership. It’s weird. If you were talk about the character in a way that was not at all thought out or flippant I would be right there to say that you didn’t know what you were talking about. I’m so defensive of her. So, yeah, I feel like I like her a lot. I think I can just say yes.

Question: Can you talk about a moment that stand out about making the next movie and what the third director is like?

Stewart: Yeah, ‘Eclipse’ is such that just like ‘New Moon’ it sort of starts and becomes a completely new movie. Just as soon as you think you’re going to get the same story it’s sort all of a sudden that it completely changes. Bella is much more back to herself. She’s content now. She’s comfortable and self-assured in a way that she wasn’t in ‘New Moon’. I think what I really love about ‘Eclipse’, what was interesting for me to explore was different levels of love and acknowledging that the ideals that you maybe had a little while ago aren’t true. Bella is innately honest. That’s something that I feel she is. In ‘Eclipse’ she lies to herself and she lies to everyone around her about the fact that she’s in love with Jacob, just  not as much. It’s not that extra thing that you can’t really even describe. I loved watching the three of them. I loved playing with the three characters together. There’s literally a scene where Edward and Jacob who are mortal enemies are in a tent with a sleeping Bella in between them. It’s a ridiculous circumstance to find yourself in. We had so much to work with. Then the FX as well were even more. There’s a big battle that happens and that was more than we had to deal with on ‘New Moon’. So it was cool. I’ve always gotten to do things for really short periods of time. To follow a character this long surprises me every time. I can’t wait to do the fourth hone because I’m sure that I’m going to come in and say that everything I said this time was wrong, that I actually know Bella more  now. And actually we have such established dynamics. The way that I know Bella deals with Edward, you sort of can’t mess with that. I know how she deals with him. I know how she deals with Jacob. I know how she deals with Charlie, her dad, and to have people come in and help that process out is only cooler. You always get a different perspective. So working with David [Slade] was like, ‘Okay, lets see what you’ve got, ‘ because he came up with a lot of stuff that I would’ve never thought of and he’s quite good at the whole technical aspect of movie making which is so completely over my head. So I got to feel safe that he had that handled and me and Rob and Taylor just sort of did our thing.

Question: Have you heard of a start date on the fourth film and I’ve heard it rumored that it might be two movies? Is there any truth to that?

Stewart: I don’t know.

Question: How do you relate to the idea of being immortal?

Stewart: I can only relate to that as Bella can because she is still human. I think that’s an interesting question for any one of the vampires because they actually [deal with that]. The way that I consider immortality from both my perspective as Kristen and my perspective as Bella is that it’s so completely unknown but that given the right motivating factor I’d be willing to explore it. She’s very willing to acknowledge that she doesn’t know but that she’s willing to give it a chance because of Edward, because she’s willing to sacrifice anything for him basically. A big thing for Bella is change. She’s so terrified of change because she’s been thrust into this world. It’s not a necessarily healthy way of looking at things because nothing is going away. I should be at work right now talking to Chris. This is ridiculous. Basically if you’re facing something that is completely unknown but you’re willing to take everything that is hard about it because of what you might get, that’s hope. That’s people. That’s why we get up every day. Immortality is almost more scary in our story than mortality. To live forever seems on the surface like a really cool thing but in our story it’s terrifying and in our story that means taking your soul or at least it does to Edward. Like the lines of personal belief and literally theology and your faith, what you think is going to happen after you die, these are things that we think about incessantly in the movie and things that Edward and Bella even argue about. I know that was really everywhere but there you go.

Question: How did you balance playing Bella and then playing a character like Joan Jett?

Stewart: I can only play characters that I feel like are real people and in a complete way and in such a whole way that if I fake any aspect of it I will have failed them and literally they’re slaughtered and they don’t get…it’s like these characters, they don’t exist anymore unless I do it. So in terms of approaching parts thank God I don’t have to do that. It just happens. Joan. I got to know Joan not only as her now but I feel like through footage and just through the script and the story, everything, I feel like I got to know who she was in such a whole way that it’s not about imitating even though I was really concerned about details being right, gestures and stuff. I really wanted to do a good impersonation but I also didn’t want it to be imitation. I wanted it to be natural. Playing Joan Jett had nothing to do with Bella. It was a small period of time that I had to do it but it was an opportunity that I jumped on and it was going to go away [if I hadn't]. I would’ve liked more time but like I said about walking on set, seeing all the characters and Rob and Taylor, it’s instantly easy to get right back into the right mindset. That’s vague but I what I do is so vague. Literally, what I do is so oddly ambiguous.

Question: You talked about Bella being a good role model for young girls, and yet she seems willing to sacrifice everything for Edward.  She gets depressed about a love affair that goes flat and becomes an adrenaline junkie who’s trying to kill herself in a way. Are you worried about twelve or thirteen year old girls watching this and getting a terrible idea of what’s that like?

Stewart: It’s a very extreme story. I think people who take to this story need to be a little bit more mature than that. I think the only reason that they take to it is because they are. The only way that I can justify that, and maybe I’m an immature girl as well, I really feel like if you feel like you need to do it then you need to do it. It being anything. Then after you’re told that you’ve made a mistake and that you’re wrong, if you’re willing to say that you made a mistake and that you were wrong and that you’re going to try the next thing there’s nothing to be ashamed of there at all. Be extreme. Go for it. I think that’s the point. I know this is a movie about immortality but you live once. I’m also not preaching to anybody. I’m just standing behind the story. That’s what I think.

While I am not a “Twilight” expert, I do pay attention to the world of vampires as many of you out there care a great deal about them.  So at today’s press junket for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, one of the big things I tried to find out was what is the status of the movie version of the last “Twilight” book, “Breaking Dawn”.  When I asked Kristen Stewart if she knew what was up with “Breaking Dawn” and if the rumors about it being two movies were true, the moderator quickly said next question and wouldn’t let her answer.

But when I had the opportunity to ask Robert Pattinson  the last question at today’s press junket, I made the most of it.  I asked him if he has been told of a tentative time he might film “Breaking Dawn”? He replied:

“I think the tentative time for “Breaking Dawn” is fall next year.  They may well change that.”

What you need to realize is many things change. Perhaps “New Moon” doesn’t do as well at the box office as the first “Twilight” movie.  Or perhaps they can’t get the script right.  While things might change, Pattinson’’s statement of fall 2010 is the first time anyone in the cast has admitted there is a plan.  Much more on “Twilight: New Moon” later tonight.

If you need an example of how smart marketing can turn around naysayers on a film, look no further than Joe Johnston’s “The Wolfman”.  After the bad buzz generated by the switch in directors from Mark Romanek (”One Hour Photo”) to Joe Johnston (”Hidalgo”) coupled with constant kicks in the release date (the film was first intended to open on November 12, 2008) “The Wolfman” will finally hit theaters on February 12, 2009.  Coupled with its most recent and most awesome trailer, “The Wolfman” is back on people’s radars and it’s looking to compete next Valentine’s Day.

The new poster for the film shows just how ballsy the marketing for this film is willing to go.  The Wolfman isn’t even in the poster but it’s obvious that Emily Blunt’s character is freaking out and with good reason.  She’s in a movie called “The Wolfman.”  I think the marketing will payoff as couples could go see this instead of the weekend’s rom-com anthology “Valentine’s Day” (or they might choose the gay Sundance sensation, “I Love You, Phillip Morris” starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor).  Hit the jump to see the poster and strongly consider putting it on your wall.

Click here to see the full-sized image.

Stephen Frears is probably one of the most successful directors that most Americans have never heard of because his movies tend to be highly British.  However, he does enjoy some solid success when he comes over to this side of the Atlantic with the popular films “The Grifters” and “High Fidelity”.  The latter film, adapted from Nick Hornby’s book, was a box office flop but has developed a strong cult following over the years.  Now it looks like he may reunite with the film’s screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis for another adaptation.  This time they’re going for geeky gamblers rather than music nerds.  Hit the jump for details.

According to THR, Frears and DeVincentis would re-team for “Lay the Favorite”, based on Beth Raymer’s upcoming memoir “Lay the Favorite, Take the Dog”.  As THR describes the plot, it looks like this film could be a lot of fun:

Raymer’s memoir is set amid a group of fiftyish math geeks who figure out how to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas for their own profit. It centers on a woman in her early thirties who has made a series of bad choices but achieves a redemption of sorts when she meets and then becomes involved with the gamblers.

Here’s how DeVincent describes his take on the material:

“It’s a less violent, less sketchy version of the mob,” DeVincentis said of the colorful gamblers, who are based on real people. “This is the version of 50-year-old math geeks from Queens in basketball shorts who have pet guinea pigs.”

This sounds like a much better version of “21″ where the geeks aren’t afraid to be geeky and the roles seem perfect for a solid crew of middle-aged character actors rather than the pretty gamblers of Robert Luketic’s film.  Also, as seen by “High Fidelity”, Frears knows how to take a particular group’s interests and approach to life  without trying to make it seem cool and hip because he’s not afraid to highlight how and why these people are outcasts in the first place.

Hopefully this project will come together because the material sounds perfect for Frears and “Lay the Favorite” could be the film that achieves the box office success that escaped “High Fidelity” back in 2000.

“Star Trek” director J.J. Abrams is once again using his producing magic to get another TV series off the ground.  Yes, I know that “What About Brian” and “Six Degrees” were both cancelled, but he’s had some success with the last two projects he helped launch, “Lost” and “Fringe”.  Now he’s going to try to give NBC a dramatic hit they sorely need in their line-up with “Undercovers”.  Hit the jump for details.

THR reports that, schedule permitting, Abrams will make “Undercovers” the first TV pilot he has directed since 2004’s “Lost” opener.  According to THR, it was the success of that pilot which helped Abrams get the gigs for “Mission: Impossible III” and later “Star Trek”.  This means that no one took much notice of the episodes he directed of “Felicity” and “Alias”.  Good thing that “Lost” turned out to be one of the best television series of all-time.

Warner Bros., the studio producing the series, is keeping mum on the details of “Undercovers” but rumor has it that the show is a cross between “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and “The Bourne Identity”.  That makes sense since both of those movies were incredibly successful.  I have yet to see a spy show that would be described as a mix between “Ecks vs. Sever” and the film version of “I Spy”.

Part of what makes Criterion Collection films so valuable, aside from the company’s commitment to the best transfers and special features, is that some times a title will go out of print which makes the film more valuable, both in price and in lording your copy over people that didn’t get one.

“The Third Man” was one of the first Blu-ray titles released when Criterion began their foray into the format on December 18, 2008.  Now “The Third Man” is the first title of the Blu-ray line to go out of print which means the only ones left are those that have already been shipped to retailers.  If you want to get one, now’s the time as the price will most likely rise among eBay and Amazon sellers in the coming months.  I just picked up my copy online from Barnes & Noble for $34.55 (including shipping) which, after searching online, was the best deal I could find.  [Thanks to Blu-ray.com for the heads-up]

Thanks to the good folks at MGM, we’ve been provided with an exclusive new behind the scenes video from the set of “Stargate Universe”.  The clip features singer Janelle Monae talking about her cameo in tonight’s episode, as well as some new behind the scenes footage.  Take a look after the jump and remember to watch “SGU” tonight at 9/8c on Syfy.

And in case you missed it, I went to the set of “SGU” a few weeks ago and you can read my report and watch an extended interview with the cast here.

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I’ll admit that when I sat down to watch “The Blind Side” last week, I really didn’t expect much.  I thought it would be a Lifetime movie of the week except on the big screen.  But even though I walked in ready to dismiss the film, I’m forced to say “The Blind Side” was a lot better than I expected and I enjoyed the way it mixed a few different genres together.  What you need to know is, “The Blind Side” is both a football movie and a family values film.  It’s also a bit of a comedy.  When films try and mix genres like this, you almost always end in disaster.  So I have to give credit to director John Lee Hancock (”The Rookie”) for crafting a film that should appeal to both football fans and families.  He even made me feel something for Sandra Bullock.  Trust me, that’s not easy.  Anyway, to help promote the film, we’ve been provided with seven clips and you can watch them after the jump.

For those unfamiliar with the book it’s based on, the film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home who is taken in by the Touhys (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw), a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

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One of my big films in 2010 is director Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”.  As the director of “Spaced”, “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”, Edgar Wright has proven that he’s one of the best directors working today.  While I’d be interested in whatever project he chose to do as his next film, the fact that he’s making the fantastic comic book series by Bryan Lee O’Malley is just awesome.  Anyway, people have been shown footage from “Scott Pilgrim” and the mini-reviews have been crazy.  Director Jason Reitman pretty much lost his mind after seeing 30 minutes.  And I’m beginning to figure out why.

I think the reason people are so excited for the film is Edgar Wright is pushing the boundaries of narrative storytelling.  While every movie has moving cameras and interesting shots, I’ve heard rumors that “Scott Pilgrim” is going to use a lot of split screens and animation to help tell the story.  And after speaking with Jason Schwartzman the other day, I can now confirm it.  While I do not know how many scenes use split screens, I think it’s a big part of the movie. Perhaps it’s all about trying to make comic book frames work on a movie screen. Anyhow, if you’d like to see Jason Schwartzman talk about seeing the first 19 minutes of the movie, working for Edgar and with Michael Cera, and what’s up with “Bored to Death”, hit the jump to see the interview.

Finally, this interview is part of a much larger interview I did with Jason Schwartzman for “Fantastic Mr. Fox”.  Look for what he said about Wes Anderson’s new movie closer to release.

Jason Schwartzman

• Scott Pilgrim talk. I mention how the movie is going to be a lot bigger than people think.  Jason talks about his love for Edgar Wright and Michael Cera
• Has he seen any of the movie. Says he saw the first 19 minutes
• I mention how I’ve heard the movie will have a lot of split screen and animation and he’s throwing a lot of unusual stuff at the screen
• Jason talks about how you could see on set how it was all going to come together as Edgar had a special effects team on set so you could quickly see what it might look like
• Bored to Death talk - says they start shooting the next season in March

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It’s been almost two years since their last short film (if you don’t count “Mystery Team Adventures” from a few months ago), but Derrick Comedy is still going strong as they’ve released their new short-form hilarity, “Boy Band”, while continuing to push for their excellent movie “Mystery Team” to come to your city.  If you forgot why you loved Derrick (and I don’t understand why; they have a website with all their videos), this will quickly refresh your memory.  Once again, the group knows how to make you laugh and feel dirty at the same time (…and you can just take a bath…).

Now the important part: you need your city to get “Mystery Team”.  Unlike “Paranormal Activity” which just made people think they got the film released, you actually have to demand that “Mystery Team” come to your town and get all your friends to demand it as well.  It’s a hilarious film and you’re missing out if you don’t catch it.  The best I can do is ask our Atlanta readers to please CLICK HERE and Demand It for our city.  You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.  Hit the jump to watch “Boy Band”, learn more about “Mystery Team’s” quest to reach more theaters, and if you’re one of the glorious cities that will have a chance to see the film this holiday season.  It will just be our little secret.

The Derrick guys sent out this message to their fans [via /Film]:

There is no big corporate machine behind this movie, it’s just us and the movie and you guys, the people who want to see it. We are, as ever, entirely in your hands. We thank you for your continued support, your patience, and your excitement. Please let us know you’re out there by DEMANDING “Mystery Team.”

Over the next several months, “Mystery Team” will expand to the following cities:

11/13/09 - Phoenix, AZ - Harkins Valley Art Theater

12/4/09 - New York, NY - Quad Cinemas

12/11/09 - Albequerque, NM - The Guild Cinema - MIDNIGHT SHOWS

2/4/10 - Chicago, IL - Music Box

You’ve got to want it people.  Click here to demand it and get “Mystery Team” to your city.  Your fellow citizens need it.

View all Mystery Team tour dates