Archive for October, 2009

New York, I Love You Review

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Love is in the air a second time. How does it smell in the big apple?

Hayden Christensen: Ben
Andy Garcia: Garry
Rachel Bilson: Molly
Bradley Cooper: Gus
Natalie Portman: Rifka
Irrfan Khan: Mansuhkhbai
Orlando Bloom: David
Christina Ricci: Camille
Anton Yelchin: Boy in the Park
Olivia Thirlby: Girl in the wheelchair
James Caan: Mr. Riccoli
Ethan Hawke: Writer
Maggie Q: Woman on the Street
Julie Christie: Isabelle
John Hurt: Waiter
Shia LaBeouf: Jacob
Eli Wallach: Abe
Cloris Leachman: Mitzie
Drea de Matteo: Lydia
Chris Cooper: Alex
Robin Wright Penn: Anna
Director of Transitions: Randall Balsmeyer
Concept By: Emmanuel Benbihy
Premise By: Tristan Carne
Release Date: October 16, 2021
Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Rated R for language and sexual content.

New York, I Love You is the second installment of Emmanuel Benbihy’s global explorations of love. I still remember fondly watching Paris, Je T’aime on the big screen, being enthralled by how truly special each short was. Following that lead would be tough for anyone, but Benbihy and his writers have moved the concept to New York City, where viewers can be introduced to an assortment of eccentric people and neighborhoods. The result is not as masterful and refreshing as Paris, Je T’aime , but the vast array of styles and ideas still offers imaginative tales and an overall worthwhile film.

Paris, Je T’aime found the right balance between the quality of the directors and the quality of the casts. Nevertheless, it was the filmmakers time to shine, and they triumphed beautifully. New York, I Love You makes some changes to the format we fell in love with previously. First is that the star caliber is higher, while the directors are more unknown in many cases. This is fine, as it allows green filmmakers the chance to prove their talents, while still throwing in the intermittent famous director to have fun with a short. The most notable faces at the helm this time are Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, and Mira Nair. The line-up is a jarring transition from the Coens, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, and Alfonso Cuaron, among others.

New York, I Love You was shot over a period of 36 days. The 10 filmmakers were given three guidelines: They had only 24-48 hours to shoot, a week to edit, and they needed to give a sense of a particular neighborhood. The shorts are around 10-12 minutes in length each, give or take a minute. In my mind it is misleading to summarize a few and leave the rest out, so here are my brief thoughts on all of them. Noticeable as well are the absences of titles. This time, the name of the director acts as the title for each segment, but more on that later. His or her name will appear in bold italics.

Jiang Wen - This strange short has a young man named Ben meeting a girl in a bar. He has a cell phone she left behind, and starts a conversation that is interrupted by her boyfriend. Wen instills a rather slick methodology here that I dug, and Garcia and Christensen have a solid chemistry as foes.

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Hayden Christensen in the D!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

The Hayden Christensen film “Vanishing on Seventh Street” will be shooting in and around Detroit through Nov. 17, the Michigan Film Office confirmed with the Free Press on Tuesday.

Directed by Brad Anderson, the film is set in “a once-thriving city where shadowy forms cause residents to inexplicably disappear,” IMDB.com says. Also starring in the thriller are Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo.

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Behind-the-scenes look at Vanishing on 7th Street

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Broadcast House ‘Goes Hollywood’
We have your front row seat to a big movie shoot right here at Channel 7. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Vanishing on 7th Street, starring Hayden Christensen and WXYZ-TV!

Good morning, Hollywood! This is Action News like you’ve never seen it.

At 4:30 a.m. Sunday, a crew of 75 took over Broadcast House with trucks, high-tech cameras, cables, lights, fog machines, and one famous face.

The star of the movie is Hayden Christensen, best known for his role as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. Now he’s a reporter in the movie Vanishing on 7th Street.

The film is being shot in Detroit, and all the newsroom scenes are at Channel 7.

“It’s a bit of a dark paranoid thriller,” said Brad Anderson, the movie’s director. “One night all the lights go out and there’s a big blackout in a big American city, and when the lights come on moments later 99 percent of the people have simply vanished.”

The shoot at Channel 7 is the first day of the production. The crew moves quickly to set up each scene in the building. While some crew members are from California, others are from the Detroit area, and they’re taking full advantage of Michigan’s Hollywood boom.

Sara Goller is one such “local.” She’s from Ferndale and is coordinating the locations.

“We essentially deal with logistics in filmaking, basecamps. Where are we going to park cars? Do we need security?” said Goller.

Sarah moved back to Ferndale from Los Angeles because of the film tax incentives and she now has a lot of work.

“Once you can get a job on a film as a production assistant and then you do a good job, people will recognize that and that’s what gets you rehired,” she says. “Just being a nice person and working hard are really the two main keys to success.”

The work is long. Crews set up the studio for a shot with Hayden, and then it’s on to the newsroom, which is transformed into a cold, deserted space.

Next, all the gear has to be dismantled and taken upstairs to the control room.

As Hayden gets his direction, you can see some familiar faces in the monitors. Carolyn Clifford and Stephen Clark shot their scenes as TV anchors a few days earlier, along with Erin Nicole as a weathercaster. Hayden reacts to seeing his “Action News team” disappear.

And, a mere 18 hours after it began, its a “wrap” on day one.

Vanishing on 7th Street will be shooting here for the next five weeks. Be sure to look for Action News in a supporting role when the film comes out next year.
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Movie Features Hayden & Action News

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Action News is getting a taste of Hollywood right here in our own Broadcast House! The Producers of “Vanishing on 7th Street” chose Channel 7 as a key location in the movie. Some of our colleagues even have roles in the upcoming film that stars Hayden Christensen.

Christensen plays a young reporter on the Action News Team. You’ll remember the actor from his starring role as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars 2 and 3.

In the film “Vanishing on 7th Street,” there’s a good chance you’ll see Dave LewAllen, Erin Nicole, Stephen Clark, Carolyn Clifford and Tom Leyden in the movie.

Erin Nicole plays a meteorologist and Hayden’s girlfriend.

Dave LewAllen is a reporter who reports on the mysterious disappearance of everybody.

Stay with WXYZ.com for details on when the movie will be set for release.


You can also see a slideshow, but the pictures are what is already uploaded.


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Hayden Christensen bonds with WXYZ Detroit news staff on set of ‘Vanishing on 7th Street’

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

A new horror film starring Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton is filming in Detroit — and incorporating a Detroit TV station into the film.

The newsroom of WXYZ is being used as the set for some scenes in the film “Vanishing on 7th Street.”

The movie is about the strange disappearance of nearly an entire city’s population. Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode II” and “Episode III”) plays a news reporter covering the story.

Several staff members from channel 7 news will also have small roles in the movie.

Weekend anchor Dave LewAllen will play the role of another reporter. Traffic reporter Erin Nicole plays a meteorologist and Christensen’s character’s girlfriend.

Stephen Clark, Carolyn Clifford and Tom Leyden are also expected to have roles in the film.


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Takers Mention

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Ealy next appears in Screen Gems’ “Takers,” opposite Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay Hernandez, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Chris Brown and Hayden Christensen.

Due Feb. 19, 2010, the plot follows a notorious group of criminals (Elba, Walker, T.I., Brown, Christensen and Ealy) who continue to baffle police by pulling off perfectly executed bank robberies. They are in and out like clockwork, leaving no evidence behind and laying low in between heists. But when they attempt to pull off one last job with more money at stake than ever before, the crew may find their plans interrupted by a hardened detective (Dillon) who is hell-bent on solving the case.


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Voice-over actors give life to Cartoon Network’s ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’

Monday, October 5th, 2009

They are the most unrecognizable actors in a galaxy far, far away.

Audiences generally associate Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor in the roles of the famously iconic Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But, the truth is, other actors have inhabited those roles in far more performances, yet you’ll never know what they look like.

They are voice-over actors, men and women who bring these Jedi Knights to life each week in the computer-animated series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

And that’s just the way they like it.


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Canada’s Rising Stars

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Canadian actors have never been strangers to the bright lights of Hollywood. And a new crop of Generation Y actors are continuing the trend. CTV.ca counts down the top ten Canadian Generation Y actors who are stealing hearts –- and parts –- in Hollywood.

Rising star:
Hayden Christensen

Age:
28

Hometown:
Thornhill, Ont.

Small start:
A role on the soap opera ‘Family Passions’ at the age of 12.

Big break:
Landing the role of Anakin Skywalker for the new ‘Star Wars’ franchise.

What’s next:
Christensen is set to star in at least three 2010 films, including ‘Takers,’ ‘Quantum Quest’ and ‘Vanishing on Seventh Street.’



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What’s Hot, Green, And Ripped All Over?

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

2. Hayden Christensen: Organic Vegetable Gardener
Hayden Christensen, otherwise known as Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, isn’t just an actor: His modeling days date back to Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2005 ad campaign. When Hayden’s not posing or acting, he’s working away on his 200-acre farm–outside Toronto in his native Canada–growing organic produce. Christensen also ran a public service announcement for Do Something, a non profit youth organization that inspires young people to change the world. The organization has initiatives for the environment, disaster relief, poverty, and more.



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Takers… who’s with me?

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

I’m sorry, but sign me up for this one. Takers will be released in February, and I dunno why, but this trailer has me sold for seeing it in theaters. Who knew Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen were two different people? Who knew the husband from Obsessed was British? Who knew Chris Brown could jump through a square-foot-sized window? (Besides the LAPD) Who knew T.I.‘s first name was “Tip?” This movie looks like a thick slice of popcorn action, and pulpy fun. I have a feeling that after the cold onslaught of the Sundance Film Festival in late January, Takers will be exactly what the doctor orders.



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Vanishing on 7th Street Mention

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

LewAllen on His New Movie Role


What a thrill! I got word following an audition yesterday that I was being cast in a major motion picture to be shot this month in Detroit.

The film is “Vanishing on Seventh Street,” directed by Brad Anderson, whose previous credits include “Session 9,” “The Machinist,” and “Transsiberian.”

The story is set in a once-thriving city where shadowy forms cause residents to inexplicably disappear. Five survivors fight to stay alive while grappling with the meaning of existence.

Hayden Christensen has signed to star, along with John Leguizamo and Thandie Newton. I was selected to play (of all things) a TV news reporter. This is an exciting first for me; hopefully my few lines don’t wind up on the cutting room floor! My Action News colleague, Diana Lewis, gained a measure of fame with her role in the first “Rocky,” and Bill Bonds appeared in the “Escape from the Planet of the Apes,” from 1971.

Shooting for “Vanishing on Seventh Street” is set to begin mid-October in Detroit.



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