By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The colorful palette of Spike Jonze’s wistful, slightly futuristic digital romance “Her” had an unlikely inspiration: Jamba Juice.
Jonze premiered his highly anticipated film Saturday at the New York Film Festival, where he and his cast, including star Joaquin Phoenix, exemplified none of the interpersonal disconnect of the movie’s sleek but melancholy future. They entertainingly debuted the film for critics and film industry members ahead of an evening red-carpet premiere that was to draw the 51st New York Film Festival to a close.
Phoenix stars in the film as a recent divorce who purchases and gradually falls in love with an artificial operating system named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). The system, dubbed OS1, is something like a far more advanced version of the iPhone’s Siri, advertised as an “intuitive entity” and “a consciousness.”
Jonze said in a post-screening news conference that he wanted to set “Her” in a somewhat utopic Los Angeles that “felt nice to be in.” It shares some of the color of the smoothie franchise Jamba Juice and is forested by skyscrapers. Jonze, who wrote and directed the film, borrowed the skyline from Shanghai, where much of the movie was shot.
It was an interesting acting challenge for Phoenix, given that his primary co-star was a disembodied voice. The character was initially voiced by Samantha Morton before Johansson took over the role.
“I’d like to say that I trained, but as an actor, I’m accustomed to walking around my house and talking to myself,” Phoenix said. “We rehearse all the time so I don’t think it was that dissimilar.”
Phoenix is known for his distaste for public appearances and media interaction, but he was in good spirits Saturday, playfully answering questions or cheerfully ignoring them. On capturing the loneliness of his character, Phoenix replied that “Spike just broke me.”
“Going into the movie, all I was concerned about was trying to feel natural in something that wasn’t there,” he said. As to how he managed to “break” Phoenix, Jonze fumbled for an answer before guessing, “I think he’s joking?” while Phoenix nodded.
The actor even ironically admonished co-star Rooney Mara, who plays his ex-wife, for not eagerly answering questions.
“Rooney, don’t do that,” Phoenix said. “I’m so sorry everyone.”
Warner Bros. will release “Her” on Dec. 18.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More