General Aladeen: Don’t worry, I am Wadiya’s number one actor. You don’t win 4 Wadiyan Golden Globes for nothing.
Nadal: Yes you do, because you gave them to yourself! | permalink

General Aladeen: I am very proud to be an American. I am America’s number one douche. | permalink

General Aladeen: Is there any way you could lend me some money? Maybe… 20 million dollars? | permalink

Zoey: Could you please take your hands off my breasts?
General Aladeen: Those are breasts? I thought you were a boy. | permalink

General Aladeen: Oh it’s a girl. I’m so sorry. Where’s the trashcan?
Pregnant Woman: Oh no we want it! | permalink

Based on the bible for having a baby by Heidi Murkoff, the film weaves the varying types of pregnancy through its story of five couples who are, you guessed it: Expecting.

Cameron Diaz is a TV fitness guru who discovers she’s pregnant as she closes out her guest stint on a Dancing with the Stars type show. Her partner, on and off the dance floor, is Matthew Morrison (Glee). Jennifer Lopez and onscreen hubby Rodrigo Santoro are an artsy couple who have to adopt when they learn they cannot have children. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone have been trying for what seems like forever and then one fateful day, the proverbial stork arrives. Then there’s Dennis Quaid (who is Falcone’s father) and his screen wife Brooklyn Decker, whose May-October romance gets a little surprise in the form of a baby. Anna Kendrick and Chace Crawford round out the ensemble as a pair of young upstarts that welcome pregnancy by accident.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting TV Trailer

Why What to Expect works is it takes the book that it is based on and captures its essence and then promptly throws it out the window. In the celluloid arena, story matters. What we have is not only a circle of five stories that surprisingly works, but also a periphery story that may be the best part of the film: The dad’s group. You’ve seen their collective coolness, in spite and because of their adorned with fatherhood personas.

Chris Rock anchors the group that also features Reno 911 vet Thomas Lennon. Lopez hears about the group from a fellow Reno 911 star — Bridesmaids scene stealer Wendi McLendon-Covey — and promptly sends her freaking out dad-to-be to hang with the boys.

Their simple credo mirrors an iconic film: Rule number one, no talking about what happens with dad’s group. As such, their bond is brilliant. They bemoan their situation, but every single one of the young dads emotionally conveys in mere movie minutes their utter adoration for their children. One even talks about loving them so much he is afraid he might eat his baby!

The film runs out of steam just as our ladies go into labor. It is an ensemble piece, where very few of the stars actually even share scenes. This is the slight issue we have with the film. Woody Allen is the master of weaving large casts and making it believable that everyone knows each other — and most importantly — is an integral facet to their life. But in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the connectedness of our cast is not established until the film’s final moments. It appears to be a storytelling necessity, yet these stories work so well on their own — they need not unite.

Solid romantic comedies are hard to find. But, what audiences have delivered to them in What to Expect While You’re Expecting is a romantic comedy and so much more. Usually in rom-coms, couples are basking in newfound love. In this film, the affection arrives in the form of unabashed adoration for the little life that these couples are now charged with raising to adulthood.

The stills cast the film as an intensely thrilling cat-and-mouse game in the vein of Zodiac or Se7en (visit our Se7en quotes page). Though, you have to wonder if Cusack and Cage flipped a coin to see who would play the killer and who would play the detective (my first instinct would be to reverse the roles).

The film also features 50 Cent (who produced) and Vanessa Hudgens, who plays an escaped would-be victim who helps Cage’s character track down the killer. Hudgens is currently shooting Spring Breakers alongside Selena Gomez and James Franco.

Frozen Ground will be released December 1.

Atwood met us at a studio space on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and began by informing Movie Fanatic how one goes from idea from a script to the marvels we are witnessing today that were worn by stars Kristen Stewart’s Snow White, Chris Hemsworth’s Huntsman and Charlize Theron’s Evil Queen.

“The first thing I get is a phone call and the script. To have a conversation (with the director) about the people without knowing the story doesn’t matter. So far I’ve been lucky enough to work on movies where there are scripts,” Atwood admitted and smiled.

“I usually work with directors that have a screenplay almost in place by the time they call me in. Then you have your ideas and talk to them. You get the director’s vision of what the film is, then take that idea and go and start a research and development process. You often don’t have a month to research and a month to do sketches. You are doing all of it at once: A budget, design work and your concept work all at the same time. The costume supervisor works with you and you sort of do the budget together. They can tell you when you are over budget and pull back.”

Then, Atwood and her team put pen to paper creating sketches as the ideas flow. She also employs a research person that ensures historical, sociological and geographical accuracy. “We do that for two or three weeks together and we get a presentation together for the director. Then we have a second meeting with concept and costume ideas and fabric swatches that I’ve gone out and gathered — those are all part of my inspiration,” Atwood said. “For Snow White we had public library research from art books, and museum collections and online research. That’s the initial two to three weeks. This movie exploded to different things.”

Her biggest challenge tackling Snow White and the Huntsman wasn’t the battle armor for 500 extras, the intricacies of the Evil Queen’s wardrobe (as seen in the photo directly above) or putting Snow White in something that she could be both elegant and fierce in. It was crafting for the iconic Seven Dwarfs. “We started by having tests: Take a drawing and blow it up to life-sized with the shape of an average human body. Then, we take a little person and blow their drawing up to life-sized to give it all the proportions,” Atwood recalled. “We did use little people with make-up that matched the actors for a lot of middle ground stuff to cheat for the visual effects. So, that’s a side thing going on, meanwhile, there was so much more.”

As she points to the exquisite armor-plated suit on a mannequin next to me (far left in photo above), she explains how she managed to craft something we’ve never seen in a period piece battle scene. “The silver army from the Snow White trailer, we manufactured those. That process is a six-month process from start to finish when you are assembling five or six hundred costumes that are armor. You not only have to figure out the armor but what is under the armor!”

Atwood is an extremely hands-on designer — from first sketches to the crafting and even selection of the fabric. “I’m very involved in the draping and cutting of the costumes. With armor then you go to a full life-sized sculpt of the armor. We came up with scales for Ravenna’s army (photo below). Each palette is clamped on with a jewelry ring and one skirt probably took one person three days,” she said.

She also said she works closely with the stunt team to ensure that not only do the costumes look great and are historically accurate, but also functional. “I need to know how well it functions. I know they can squat in it. They can lift it over their heads,” Atwood said. “As we go into the movie with the expectations the director has for the action, I can design a costume that works for action but still looks like a period piece. It’s very technical.”

So many have been inspired by the artistry Atwood has crafted since she first started working in Hollywood in the early 1980s. How does one get from point A: Desire to get into the business, to point B: Working on films fulfilling a dream of costume design.

“I think there is all kinds of ways to define talent and there are certain personality types that suit costume design more than others and there is all kinds of costume design and ways of approaching it,” Atwood said.

She reported the key is being a well-rounded student of many disciplines, not simply fashion and costume. “Having an overall background in all kinds of studies helps rather than just studying about clothes. Basically, you are designing characters: People on the street, fantasy people… but if you can connect it with experiences that you’ve had, people you’ve known in your life or places you’ve seen, I think it makes you a better designer. It’s not just going to the right school and having all the right credits.”

Atwood’s beginnings are quite humble, compared to where she is now as the go-to designer for filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton (whom she most recently worked with on Dark Shadows). “I always wanted to be an artist. I had a very artistic bent — studied painting and art — then went into fashion and came into costume design that way,” she said. “Everything I did when I was younger tied into my life later which is typical with any career. They end up connecting in some way later in your life. I think it’s made my life and work more interesting.”

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Won’t Back Down Trailer

Won’t Back Down opens September 28, and also features Holly Hunter and Ving Rhames (who will also star in the upcoming Piranha 3DD).

And while Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a concerned mom in Won’t Back Down, her brother Jake will play a police officer in the upcoming found-footage drama, End of Watch. Check out the End Of Watch trailer for a look at the film.

Multiple sources confirm that Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, Moneyball, The Social Network) will pen the screenplay for the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic based on Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of the iconic Apple founder.

This Sony Picture production is wholly separate from the upcoming film that will feature Ashton Kutcher as Jobs.

No star is attached to the main character yet, though George Clooney and Noah Wyle has both been rumored for the part.

Wyle portrayed Jobs in the 1999 TV movie The Pirates of Silicon Valley, which focused on the early days of Jobs and Bill Gates.

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The Grey: Liam Neeson stars in this man-versus-nature thriller about a group of oil men stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. The Grey is based on Ian MacKenzie Jeffers’ short story Ghost Walker, and made a splash in theaters early this year.

The Grey Trailer 2

The Devil Inside: While trying to uncover the secrets of her mother’s demonic possession, a woman becomes involved in a series of exorcisms in this found-footage horror flick. To celebrate the film’s Blu-ray release, Paramount took Movie Fanatic on a full Devil Inside experience.

The Devil Inside Trailer

Chronicle: The story of three boys who receive telekinetic powers after discovering a mysterious object, Chronicle plays like a superhero origin story, but without the pre-established canon. At first, the boys use the powers for some innocent fun, but then things turn a bit darker.

Chronicle Final Trailer

One For The Money: Katherine Heigl stars as Stephanie Plum in this adaptation of the novel by Janet Evanovich. The film tells the story of a down-on-her-luck woman who takes a job as a bounty hunter and finds herself chasing one of her own ex-lovers.

One for the Money Trailer

Being John Malkovich (The Criterion Collection): This quirky dark comedy from the mind of Charlie Kaufman stars John Cusack as a hapless puppeteer who accidentally discovers a portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich. Nominated for three academy awards after its 1999 release, the film remains a perennial classic. This Criterion Collection Blu-Ray reissue brand new extras including a behind-the-scenes documentary by Lance Bangs and a conversation between Malkovich and humorist John Hodgman.

Being John Malkovich Trailer

Florence + The Machine: Breath of Life Video

Snow White and the Huntsman stars Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth as, well, Snow White and the Huntsman, respectively. Charlize Theron also stars as the Evil Queen. Hemsworth of course plays Thor in the Marvel films (Thor 2 and Avengers 2 are both in the works), and he got to keep the long hair for his role as the Huntsman.

Additionally, you can now pre-order tickets to Snow White and the Huntsman via a Facebook app for the film! For a closer look at the film before its June 1 release, check out this Snow White and the Huntsman clip, which reveals the Enchanted Forest and the Dwarves.

Lopez also dishes why she adores romantic comedies, and how director Kirk Jones thought she and her onscreen husband Rodrigo Santoro sold their relationship a little too much!

Movie Fanatic: What is it about romantic comedies that you adore so much — to watch and appear in?

Jennifer Lopez: I’m a bit of a romantic. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, and I am a little bit funny, maybe you haven’t noticed. I think from very early on in my career I’ve always loved romantic comedies. I just love romantic comedies. I always have. I’ve been a fan. What movie would I rather watch than any other movie in the world? A romantic comedy. I love the romance. I love the comedy. It does come super natural to me. I don’t know why. It’s just who I am.

Movie Fanatic: What’s your favorite?

Jennifer Lopez: When Harry Met Sally!

Movie Fanatic: You have impeccable chemistry with your co-star, Rodrigo Santoro. Was that present right away?

Jennifer Lopez: Well I think I was the envy of the cast. I had Rodrigo Santoro to be my husband [laughs]. Right away we just felt like this couple was the couple that everyone liked to hang out with, because they get along. They really love each other. They’re doing their thing and they just let it go too long — now they really have to catch up. I think the funniest thing on set was our very English director, Kirk, kept telling us to stop. That was his direction for us, “Stop touching each other!”

Movie Fanatic: Your character in the movie heads to Africa to adopt. What did it feel like to hold that baby in that scene? It looked magical.

Jennifer Lopez: You fall in love instantly. It really occurred to me, “I can see how somebody can do this.” It’s so easy to embrace a child that has nothing. It’s really a beautiful, selfless act of love. It’s funny, you know, before the movie I never really thought about adoption at all.

Movie Fanatic: With all the different looks at pregnancies, how did the movie hit home for you?

Jennifer Lopez: It’s funny, I had a C-section, but my sister gave birth six months later. We got pregnant around the same time, and she asked me to be in the delivery room with her, and I was like, “Wow!” Because I had twins it was recommended for me to have a C-section. There was a part of me that was like, “Ugh, I didn’t get to do it the way that everybody else does it.” When I saw my sister pushing that baby, I was like, “Well, maybe this was alright.” [Laughs] That was an experience. I don’t know all the details of what happened to me, and I don’t need to.

Movie Fanatic: The book that What to Expect is based on is a sensation. Did you utilize it while you were pregnant?

Jennifer Lopez: Well, I found the book to be so incredibly accurate when I was pregnant. I just see why everybody has this book, and why it’s the first thing you get when you find out that you’re pregnant. It just takes you through everything. I even remember after reading the book, because I was in my bed with these twins, and I had a C-section, so I was obviously in a lot of pain, I was like, “No pain killers.” I’m going crazy from the pain, and I want to hold the babies, but I can’t because it hurts too much. So, I have this baby nurse helping out, and I say to Marc at the time, “The babies don’t love me and they’re not going to know me. They’re going to love the nurse.” I start crying and the whole thing and he goes, “The babies love you. Trust me. They don’t even know anything yet.” But, whenever I opened the book, it was like, “That’s what’s happening to me!” It made it so much better.

Movie Fanatic: As we’ve seen in the What to Expect When You’re Expecting trailer, the dads’ group is hilarious. What did you make of that element when you read the script? 

Jennifer Lopez: Yeah, with the dads’ group I thought that was pretty genius. Dads, who are really involved dads and good dads, need other dads to kind of help them through. I thought that was a really good addition to this type of movie. That’s what I kind of loved about the movie too. It wasn’t just the typical what you think men would do, because that’s not always what they do. Sometimes they show up.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting TV Trailer

Movie Fanatic: You didn’t really get to work with the other expectant moms in the movie, did you?

Jennifer Lopez: None of us ever worked together [laughs]! I worked with Brooklyn (Decker) for a minute. But I didn’t get to work with the other belly people!

Movie Fanatic: It’s been a great crazy year. How does it work appearing on American Idol, filming What to Expect When You’re Expecting and planning a tour?

Jennifer Lopez: It feels good. I’m a little bit tired right now. I’m not going to lie [laughs]. I just feel really in the zone: Rehearsing, doing Idol, promoting this movie. I feel really blessed.

In other news, the film passed the billion mark in total earnings in an unprecedented 19 days. Its domestic total clocked in at $ 373.2 million while internationally it has earned $ 628.9 million.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s latest film together, Dark Shadows, earned a respectable $ 28.8 million and finished a distant second. That total is far less than the $ 116 million they earned on Alice in Wonderland. Think Like a Man continued to impress, landing in third place with $ 6.3 million and The Hunger Games took fourth with $ 4.4 million. Slightly behind the Suzanne Collins page to screen effort was The Lucky One with $ 4.1 million.

Box office top 10:

1. The Avengers, $ 103.2 million
2. Dark Shadows, $ 28.8 million
3. Think Like a Man, $ 6.3 million
4. The Hunger Games, $ 4.4 million
5. The Lucky One, $ 4.1 million
6. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, $ 3.2 million
7. The Five-Year Engagement, $ 3.1 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, $ 2.7 million
9. Chimpanzee, $ 1.6 million
10. Girl in Progress, $ 1.4 million