Anne Hathaway On Her Tight Catwoman Costume (VIDEO)

From AOL TV: "The catsuit's unforgiving," Anne Hathaway said on 'Chelsea Lately' (Weeknights, 11PM ET on E!).

She was, of course, talking about her Catwoman costume for 'The Dark Knights Rises.' While fans have only seen it in glimpses, Hathaway has spent far more time with it, and it's not necessarily time always enjoyed.

When asked how she gets into it, Hathaway admitted it takes motivation and literally three people to get her into it.

"That sounds like a nightmare," Chelsea Handler said. She went on to marvel at the discipline that it must take for Hathaway to commit to such a costume for a six month movie shoot. "So are you not doing any drinking or anything like that," she surmised.

But Hathaway wasn't so quick to agree with that sentiment. "The character's naughty anyway, she said. "So if I was perfectly behaved, I wouldn't be honoring her, is what I tell myself."

Hopefully, she's not so into the method acting that she's actually becoming a cat burglar, though if she were to turn to a life of crime, we know she'd have at least three accomplices the authorities could question.

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Favorite Lines: Steve Carell's Wife Thinks His On-Screen Sex Life Is Ridiculous

From the way Steve Carell's wife copes with his on-screen love life to why Neil Patrick got involved with 'The Smurfs,' as long as there are new movies coming out, there will always be celebrities to talk about them. So with 'Cowboys & Aliens,' 'Crazy, Stupid, Love,' and 'Attack the Block' among other quality movies coming out this week, we thought we'd start up "Favorite Lines" -- a new ongoing feature where we round up the best celebrity quotes from the past week and present them in a neat little lineup for you to enjoy.

There were some bonafide gems this week from some big names in Hollywood, so go ahead and see for yourselves what the celebrities came up with over the past week.
Steve Carell on getting up close and personal with Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei in 'Crazy, Stupid, Love:'

"You know who's even more surprised than I am is my wife. She cannot believe that I get to make out with beautiful women in movies. She thinks it's ... one of the most ridiculous aspects of our marriage."

[via NPR]

Ryan Gosling on why he signed up for 'Crazy, Stupid, Love:'

"Okay, so when I finished 'Blue Valentine' I had to go get a physical from the doctor and he gave me a prescription and it said, 'Do a comedy.' So I did."

[via Collider] 'Cowboys & Aliens' screenwriter Robert Orci on his approach to blending genres:

"This sort of genre mash-up relects a movement in music, to sample and mix stuff together. But, in a way, we're mixing genres that have already been mixed. 'Star Wars' is a space western. 'Star Trek' was pitched as 'Wagon Train' to the stars. We're just not hiding it in this movie."

[via Entertainment Weekly] Alec Baldwin took questions from his fans on Twitter, this was our favorite answer of the bunch:

"@vickijackson2: @AlecBaldwin what film starring yourself has made you feel the most proud? 'The Hunt for Red October'"

[via Twitter] Neil Patrick Harris on what got him involved in 'The Smurfs:'

"When I was first approached for 'The Smurfs' I figured it was going to be for a voice of one of the characters, so when I found out that I was going to be one of the human counterparts I was understandably excited by the prospect ... I've never got to dabble in anything quite like this. I did a little bit in 'Starship Troopers,' but mostly they'd have these battles and I'd come marching in at the end, say a couple lines, and march out."

[via Channel3000] Don Cheadle on the perks of filming 'The Guard' in Ireland:

"I golfed every weekend. I golfed in the rain. I didn't care. I was like, 'I'm in Ireland. I'm golfing.'"

[via Vulture] Olivia Wilde on her 'Cowboys & Aliens' character as a female role model:

"I think it proves that those roles can be women, that it doesn't have to fit into the usual molds. I think that something like [James] Bond is a good example. We think of Bond as being a man, but there's no reason it shouldn't be a woman."

[via Ain't it Cool News]
'Attack the Block' breakout actor John Boyega on how his parents are taking to his newfound fame:

"My mum sees me in a different light, she thinks I'm an action superhero. So therefore whenever she hears something creaking downstairs in the kitchen she's like 'John, you get it. Do something like you did in the film.' Dad thinks I'm incredibly cool, but he still wants me to get to the level of Bruce Willis because he's a big Bruce Willis fan. I asked him the other day, I said 'dad, do you respect me more than Bruce Willis?' and he said 'Yeah ... no.'"

[via Bloody Disgusting] So which celebrity do you think had the best quote this week?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures.

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'Super 8' 86-es Competition: Box Office Report June 10-12

At the box office 'Super 8' could have been a train wreck the size of the one in the movie, or it could have been a monster hit the size of... Anyway, it was neither. The film debuted in first place (which was expected) with an estimated $37.0 million from Friday to Sunday (which was a little better than expected).

Given the secrecy of the J.J. Abrams movie's marketing campaign (which took pains not to reveal the nature of the monster, à la the Abrams-produced 'Cloverfield'), its complicated premise (both monster flick and nostalgic homage to a childhood spent making home movies and watching Steven Spielberg films) and its lack of star power, it was hard for industry experts to guess how well 'Super 8' would open.

On the plus side: a wide opening on 3,379 screens (including several IMAX venues with surcharges), generally strong reviews, and fanboy fondness for both Abrams and Spielberg, who produced the movie. Predictions had 'Super 8' opening in the low 30s. Not only did the movie do better than that, but a handful of early Thursday screenings, cross-promoted on Twitter to help improve word-of-mouth, added another $1 million or so to the weekend's take, for a four-day total of $38.0 million.

Falling to second place, last week's winner, 'X-Men: First Class,' lost around 55 percent of its business, earning an estimated $25.0 million. That steep fall was not unexpected, since such second-week drops are typical for superhero movies, and since it was competing for much the same audience as 'Super 8.' The mutant-hero prequel has taken in just shy of $100 million in two weekends, and it'll get hammered again this coming weekend when 'Green Lantern' comes out. So it seems unlikely that it will equal or surpass the tally for fellow Marvel superhero saga 'Thor' (still in the top 10 in its sixth week, with $173.6 million to date).

In third place, 'The Hangover Part II' lost another 41 percent of its business, for an estimated take of $18.5 million. Still, that's enough to have pushed the movie past $200 million in its third weekend of release.

'Kung Fu Panda 2' remained the top toon and top family movie in theaters, earning an estimated $16.6 million, good for fourth place. It lost just 30 percent of last week's business and has taken in $126.9 million in three weekends.

Rounding out the top five, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' spent its fourth weekend in fifth place, Down 40 percent from a week ago, it earned an estimated $10.8 million, enough to follow 'Hangover II' into the $200 million club. That's peanuts compared to the $614.9 million 'Pirates' has grabbed overseas, putting it in a league with the previous two 'Pirates' movies and 'Alice in Wonderland' as one of Disney's biggest foreign earners ever.

This weekend's other new wide release, 'Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,' debuted at No. 7 with an estimated $6.3 million on 2,524 screens. That's about what was expected, given the film's modest star power (sorry, Heather Graham), its limited appeal to boys and its competition against the still-mighty 'Kung Fu Panda' for the pre-teen audience.

'Judy Moody' barely surpassed Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris,' which expanded wider to 944 screens and took in an estimated $6.1 million. In four weeks, the comedy has earned $14.2 million and become the indie hit of the summer so far. At this rate, it should soon surpass 'Match Point' ($23.1 million) and 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' ($23.2 million) among Allen's recent modest successes and should become one of the biggest hits among the 40 movies he's directed.

Overall, box office for 2011 is still off almost 7 percent from this time a year ago, thanks to the slump that dominated the first few months of this year. Still, June numbers are up almost 24 percent from last June, thanks to such hits as 'Pirates 4,' Hangover II,' 'Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'Bridesmaids,' and 'Thor.' By this time last summer, the only real blockbusters had been 'Iron Man 2,' 'Shrek Forever After,' and 'The Karate Kid.'

'Super 8' Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'Super 8,' $37.0 million (3,379 screens), $38.0 million
2. 'X-Men: First Class,' $25.0 million (3,692), $98,9 million total
3. 'The Hangover Part II,' $18.5 million (3,675), $216.6 million
4. 'Kung Fu Panda 2,' $16.6 million (3,929), $126.9 million
5. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,' $10.8 million (3,433), $208.8 million
6. 'Bridesmaids,' $10.2 million (2,922), $123.9 million
7. 'Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,' $6.3 million (2,524), new release
8. 'Midnight in Paris,' $6.1 million (944), $14.2 million
9. 'Thor,' $2.4 million (1,782), $173.6 million
10. 'Fast Five,' $1.7 million (1,329), $205.1 million

Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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In Defense of Brett Ratner Producing the Academy Awards

So... does this mean that Chris Tucker will be hosting? On Thursday, it was announced that Brett Ratner will be producing the 84th Academy Awards. This announcement was met with, let's just say, overwhelming mass disapproval -- judging from my Twitter feed, the only selection that could have been less popular would be John Boehner. You see, Ratner, fair or not, has established himself as the prototypical poster boy for the Typical Hollywood Movie. And Ratner's image as an outspoken party boy (who's not afraid to Tweet – IN ALL CAPS -- at unassuming movie writers at 3:45 a.m. when he's not pleased) hasn't necessarily endeared him to your average cinephile. But, when you look at the mess that the Oscars has become, Ratner may actually (gasp!) be the perfect guy for the job.

Look, I know what you're afraid of. You can picture it now: Best Picture is about to be announced and, instead of Hollywood Legend gliding up to reveal the winner, two Lamborghinis race on stage, crash, explode -- then Kelsey Grammer in full Beast makeup from 'X-Men: The Last Stand' hands the Oscar to Ratner for 'Tower Heist.' This (probably) won't happen. (O.K., I can't tell you for sure that won't happen, but the odds of this are at least moderately low. Fifteen percent chance, tops.)

Reading through all of the jabs at Ratner on Twitter (and, yes, some are pretty funny), I'm just not sure what show people are defending. Did everyone forget what we all just witnessed in February? A show that was regarded as the worst Academy Awards telecast in history? Seriously, at this point, why not let John Boehner produce the show if it ensured that we wouldn't see a repeat of what we saw this year? Ratner's first act as producer should be to send James Franco a nice cheese platter in appreciation for leaving Ratner with absolutely no expectations.

I love the Academy Awards. I love the history of the Academy Awards. And I love it when the Academy Awards take a risk. Sure, this doesn't always work out: David Letterman hosting in 1995 was a risk -- and it was a much better show than you remember (Letterman's own self-deprecation is mostly responsible for the legacy of the show being labeled a failure; trust me, Ratner will not have this problem.) What wasn't a risk: tapping Anne Hathaway and a very uninterested James Franco as co-hosts. Brett Ratner is a risk, but it's a risk worth taking. I mean, what's the worst thing he could do? Pick two hosts who hate each other? Produce a show that has absolutely zero surprises? Oh, yeah, we just saw that in February. If two Lamborghinis actually did race on stage and explode, it would still be a huge upgrade from what we saw this year.

"I think it's time that the industry embraced the Academy Awards, came out and supported it," Ratner told The Hollywood Reporter shortly after Thursday's announcement. He continued, "I hope to create something that's so exciting that I'm not going to have to twist people's arms. Without having to beg them, they'll want to be involved." You know what? He's right! The Academy Awards could use a little excitement!

The Academy Awards have been desperate to plug new life into an awards show that has been running on fumes. Look, say what you want about Brett Ratner, but no one has ever accused him of being boring. 'X-Men: The Last Stand' was cluttered and over-produced (and before you Tweet at me again, Brett, I will add that it's also the highest grossing 'X-Men' film) compared to the more nuanced Bryan Singer installments, but it wasn't boring. And, you know what? When it comes to the Academy Awards, f*ck nuance -- I just want to be able to stay awake. And I can assure you, no matter how the telecast turns out, Brett Ratner will ensure that you'll be awake at the end -- and, on its own, that's already a huge improvement.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

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'The Help' Review: An Adaptation That Would Make Any Author Proud

'The Help,' adapted from Kathryn Stockett's 2009 bestseller, is a story of friendship, rivalry, racial injustice, and female empowerment set against the backdrop of one of the ugliest periods in American history. While a lot of men out there might write it off as one for the women, those guys won't know what they'll be missing.

Here are our thoughts on the big-screen version of one of the most popular books of the past two years:

What's It About?
Set in 1960s Jackson, Miss., in the midst of the civil rights movement, 'The Help' is story of Aibileen and Minny, two African-American women who have worked as maids in white households their entire lives, and Skeeter, a white woman whose moral compass starts spinning after her friends strike up an initiative to build outdoor bathrooms for "the help." Just out of college and itching to pursue a career in journalism, Skeeter pitches an idea to a publishing house in New York for a book told from the perspective of Southern black women who spend their lives raising white babies only to have those babies grow up and become their new employers -- and, in many cases, tormentors. After getting the go-ahead, Skeeter convinces Aibileen and Minny to meet with her in secret to document their stories in the hopes of getting their voices heard, despite the considerable dangers to their safety and livelihoods.

How Does It Compare With the Book?
We've read the book and we liked it, but, surprisingly, we liked the movie more.

Tate Taylor's script, to its credit, stays quite true to the events and characters in the book that worked so well. While certain events have been moved around and some of the finer details are left out, nothing detracted from the movie as a whole. If you're a student who was assigned the book for summer reading, you might miss a couple points here and there, but you could probably just see the movie and still pass the test with ease. (Not that we recommend that!)

For the most part, the transfer from the page to the screen couldn't be better. The only downside of the adaptation is that, with so many characters and plot points to cover, the perspective jumps around an awful lot. The novel is also told from the varying perspectives of the three central characters, but the film sometimes feels staggered when certain characters find themselves in the spotlight at one point, then disappear completely for the next 15 or 20 minutes until the focus changes and their story picks back up. This would be a bigger problem if every actress didn't make the absolute most out of her screen time, but since that's a non-issue across the board, it's more something you just get used to than it is a glaring drawback.
As far as emotional roller coasters are concerned, this one does the novel justice and then some. Reading the book, we got a lump in our throat maybe once or twice over the course of some 500 pages; watching the movie, we were fighting back tears (along with everyone else in the theater) a handful of times over the course of two hours. While Kathryn Stockett did an amazing job of creating these characters in the first place, seeing them in the flesh really drives it all home -- which isn't a slight on the book as much as it is a compliment to the film. This really is a doozy of a tear-jerker, never careening toward the melodramatic and as genuine as anything we've seen all year.

Is It as Controversial as the Book?
Yes, but that's an element that we didn't have much issue with in the first place. Race relations is always a touchy subject, and when you consider the time, setting and different viewpoints from which the story is told, controversy was inevitable. In 'The Help,' we see full-fledged super-racists who worship the Jim Crow laws like they were scripture, but we also see an arguably stereotypical image of Southern African-American women. While some might have more of a problem with that depiction than others, we have a tough time pointing any fingers at the movie since it doesn't change or sugarcoat anything we read in the book.

How's the Cast?
It's one of the strongest ensembles we've seen since 'The Fighter,' and the best female cast we've seen in years. This one's all about the women, and they do an exceptional job all around.

One performer who now has a strong chance at an Academy Award nomination -- or even a win -- is Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark. Davis, who was robbed of an Oscar three years back for her incredible supporting role in 'Doubt,' turns in a raw, intense, vulnerable performance that shook us to the core time and time again. If only she'd had more screen time.

The biggest surprise is probably Bryce Dallas Howard as the pie-loving mega-bigot of Jackson, Hilly Holbrook. This is Howard's best role to date, and we admire how she sinks her teeth into such an insanely conniving and outrageously unlikable character.
Emma Stone does a fine job as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, even if she doesn't shine quite as brightly as her dazzling co-stars (Stone can do no wrong in our book after being so amazing in 'Easy A'), while Octavia Spencer is perfect as Minny Jackson. Jessica Chastain is utterly delightful as Minny's ditzy employer, Celia Foote, and the great Allison Janney is just that as Skeeter's mom. Sissy Spacek, as Hilly's mother, effortlessly turns an otherwise-minor character into one of the sharpest and most memorable roles of the bunch.

Like we said, this is a big cast, but everyone here really does deserve mentioning. Coming after 'Bridesmaids' earlier this summer -- another instance where the girls showed up the boys -- 'The Help' feels like a natural progression in a year in which actresses are raising the bar left and right.

Is it worth seeing?
Even having read the book, we weren't quite sure what to expect here, but long before the credits started scrolling, it became plain that this film is something special. Regardless of your gender or your familiarity with the novel, 'The Help' is affecting and well worth seeing. It's rare to find an adaptation that manages to trump its source material, but thanks to a clear appreciation for the book from director Tate Taylor and a powerhouse ensemble, it does just that.

VERDICT:
8/10 Helping Hands

Photos courtesy of Touchstone Pictures.

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Why 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Brings Hope to G.I. Joe Fans

It was 1982 and the first G.I. Joe action figure that I begged my parents to purchase for me came with the codename of Flash. From the file card that I cut out from the back of his package, I learned that Flash's real name is Anthony Gambello -- and this is how I referred to him until I realized that wasn't the way it worked with a G.I. Joe character. Flash, as it turns out, wasn't a very important Joe in either the '80s cartoon series or the excellent Larry Hama Marvel comic book series, but he was my introduction to this wonderful adventure storyline of my youth. A storyline that, post 'Star Wars,' would deliver me, in theory, to my teenage years when this kind of stuff wouldn't matter to me anymore. (That theory would prove false.)

I am not alone in my love for the '80s G.I. Joe storyline, and this is why the abomination that is called 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' pisses all of us off so much. And this is also why the upcoming 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' gives us some semblance of hope.

It wasn't just that the first movie wasn't good -- it didn't even try. Look, go ahead and trash the Michael Bay 'Transformers' movies all that you want, but it's not like Bay didn't put any effort into those films. Misdirected effort? Sure. But no matter what, Bay and Paramount were invested -- there was too much money on the line not to be. But why didn't G.I. Joe get the same kind of big-screen respect? The source material for a great movie was just sitting there in the first few issues of the comic book, but, instead, we were treated to a film that inexplicably began in 17th century France.

Actually, when broken down to its core story, G.I. Joe is more relevant today than it was in the '80s. A story about a terrorist organization and a group of U.S. military personal that is assembled for the sole purpose of fighting said terrorist organization. In 1985, with the Cold War still very much real, this made absolutely no sense to me. I would lay awake at night trying to make heads or tails of the fictional scenario presented to me, "So Cobra is not even another country? It's a private organization determined to overthrow the world? And we are using our best troops for this? Not to fight the Soviets?" It's interesting that, today, for obvious reasons, this storyline seems a lot more relevant than it did 27 years ago.

The animated G.I. Joe '80s television series was a godsend for us starved-for-entertainment children, just dropped off by the school bus with nothing to do in those harsh Midwestern winters. But it was also kind of a silly show. Both G.I. Joe and Cobra used laser guns, for some reason. And Cobras' most diabolical plans usually involved machines that could control the weather or some sort of mind control device. The comic book, however, was brilliant. Gone were the diabolical plans, replaced by a somewhat more realistic terror organization that used bullets and were headquartered in a town called Springfield long before The Simpsons were. And the Joes, for their part, lived in an underground bunker called The Pit that was nestled under Staten Island. As a child, I so wanted to visit Staten Island! (Note: I've lived in New York City for seven years and have been to Staten Island once.)

This is why, to someone who is my age, 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' is trash. (It even somehow managed to make Joseph Gordon-Levitt look terrible -- which is very difficult to do these days.) The characters used in the film were in name only -- most of the backstories were changed. One of the most interesting characters, Cobra Commander (Levitt), was an afterthought. Add in some explosions and the title "G.I. Joe" -- and there's your movie. It was apparent that after 'The Rise of Cobra''s somewhat financially successful release, either two things were going to happen: That was the last G.I. Joe movie we would ever see or we'd be treated to a just as awful sequel. Somehow it appears that neither will happen. Enter: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation.'

Honestly, I hope that the 'Retaliation' in the title means that this movie is retaliating against the first movie. The first sign this movie is being taken seriously is the screenwriting team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. This is the team who wrote the excellent 'Zombieland' and is currently working on the script for 'Deadpool' (another character that has to be saved from its prior big-screen appearance). Also, the second 'Joe' film won't have the budget that the first film had. This is a good thing! In other words: there will be less explosions and much more story. From all accounts, this second G.I. Joe film will disavow any knowledge of the first movie. Thank God.

Also, the casting is intriguing: Gone are pretty much everyone from the first film except for Channing Tatum and two other guys who hid behind masks for most of the film (Ray Park and Lee Byung-hun playing ninjas Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, respectively), now replaced by The Rock -- who is already Tweeting photos of himself on set -- and, possibly, Bruce Willis. And let's not forget The Rza will play a martial arts master, meaning this sequel is wise enough to know that Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to "F" with. This could be the pulpy version that we fans have been clamoring for -- more reminiscent of our beloved comic book or television show.

Look, it's hard to tell, but the early signs, especially on the screenwriting side, are optimistic. Jon Chu isn't really known for his ability to weave a gritty tale, but it would be difficult for him not to be an improvement over Stephen Sommers who directed the first installment. I promised that I wouldn't do this again: to be excited about the possibility of a good live-action G.I. Joe movie. At this point, I think all any fan of the G.I. Joe franchise can ask for is for an honest attempt to be made so that we can, finally, have the film that we deserve. (And maybe it will even include Flash?)

(Images courtesy of Everett Collection.)

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.
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Sam Worthington Uses Hit-Girl as Bait in the First Trailer for 'Texas Killing Fields' (VIDEO)

We still don't know where he came from, but Sam Worthington is in everything these days (not that we're complaining). Up next for the 'Avatar' star is 'Texas Killing Fields' where he gets to put on a tie and hunt down killers with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Loosely based on actual events, 'Texas Killing Fields' is about a Texas detective (Worthington) who teams up with a New York detective (Morgan) to solve a drove of unsolved murders before more bodies start turning up in the marshes. Co-starring Jessica Chastain and Chloe Moretz, directed by Ami Canaan Mann (daughter of writer/director Michael Mann), and written by Don Ferrarone.

Now that we're less than two months away from its October 7 release date, click through to check out the first trailer for 'Texas Killing Fields.'

Another great reason to not mess with Texas.

So what do you think of the first trailer for 'Texas Killing Fields?'

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