It's been fifteen years since Men in Black first brought a cinematic version of the comic book created by Lowell Cunningham to movie theaters across the world.  The film introduced audiences to an extra-governmental force tasked with covertly carrying out extraterrestrial policing on Earth, and did so with a witty comedic sensibility not as present in the source material.  The result was an international success that captured the zeitgeist in 1997 and helped propel Will Smith to global stardom.

After a decade without a hint of Agents J or K since Men in Black II, the franchise has been revived with a third sequel that sees Smith and Tommy Lee Jones returning to their roles.  Director Barry Sonnenfeld is also back to tell another story of the MiB organization.  For the third outing, an intergalactic biker played by Jemaine Clement travels back in time to settle a score with K and pave the way for an alien invasion.  With no other choice, J must journey back to 1969, teaming up with a younger K, played by Josh Brolin, to save the future.

At the Los Angeles press day for Men in Black 3, IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick was present to gain some insight on the latest science-fiction comedy.  Stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin were all in attendance to discuss the sequel, their roles, working with visual effects, and prominent ears in 3D.

On the same day that Sacha Baron Cohen, in character as General Aladeen, led an elaborate, absurd, and hilarious press conference at the Waldorf Astoria for his new film, The Dictator, a slightly more serious press conference was conducted with the films supporting actors, Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List) and Jason Mantzoukas (Baby Mama, The League). The Dictator, which is now playing everywhere, stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Supreme Leader, Chief Ophthalmologist, and excellent swimmer, General Aladeen, a misogynistic, anti-Semitic dictator of a fictional country in northern Africa called The People’s Republic of Wadiya. Sir Ben Kingsley plays Aladeen’s scheming uncle and Jason Mantzoukas plays Aladeen’s Chief Nuclear Scientist.

Along with other members of the press, I had a chance to sit down with Sir Ben Kingsley and Jason Mantzoukas to discuss The Dictator. The actors discussed the energy of New York City, what it was like working with Sacha Baron Cohen, trying not to break character, the phrase ‘just kidding,’ improvisation, Arab Spring, accents, and beards.

The new comedic drama What to Expect When You're Expecting isn't based on the most likely source material.  Sure, the book of the same name by Heidi Murkoff has consistently topped bestseller lists since first being published in 1984.  In three subsequent editions since then, it has sold almost 15 million copies and become the go-to handbook for modern pregnancy.  That's what makes it an unlikely movie: it's a self-help text, a practical guide filled with information and tips on the different stages of pregnancy and early childhood.

The film version, Kirk Jones and co-written by Heather Hatch and Shauna Cross, incorporates Murkoff's applicable advice into a narrative feature by telling five interconnected stories of pregnancy, each with their own couples and circumstances.  That means What to Expect When You're Expecting stars a sprawling ensemble cast, including Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Rodrigo Santoro, Chris Rock, Brooklyn Decker, Matthew Morrison, Anna Kendrick, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ben Falcone, Chace Crawford, Rob Huebel, and Joe Manganiello.

IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick attended the press day for this Lionsgate release in Los Angeles, where Murkoff and Jones, along with much of the all-star ensemble cast, enthusiastically discussed the book, making the movie, drawing from real-life experience, and working with lovely, talented ladies.

Supreme leader, Chief Opthamologist, and excellent swimmer, General Aladeen of the People’s Republic of Wadiya, addressed hundreds of journalists from all over the world recently in New York City. General Aladeen is the latest alter ego of Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Brüno), a comedian known for promoting his films with in-character stunt appearances. In his latest film, The Dictator, which opens Wednesday, May 16th, Cohen plays a misogynistic, anti-Semitic dictator of a fictional country in Northern Africa, called Wadiya.

Director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp go together like peanut butter and jelly, like smoke and fire, like whiskey and Coke.  Their efforts together began with Edward Scissorhands, and now, twenty-two years later, their eighth collaboration is about to hit theaters from sea to shining sea.  That would be Dark Shadows, and to most audiences, the new film is likely a whole new quantity, a mixture of garish, gothic visuals and a comedic sensibility.

But Dark Shadows is, in fact, a theatrical update of the creaky soap opera created by Dan Curtis in 1966.  The series, which followed the exploits of the highly dysfunctional inhabitants of Collinwood Manor, has maintained a passionate cult of die hard fans devoted to the characters, particularly the vampire Barnabas Collins, originally played by Jonathan Frid.

In the new version, Depp plays Barnabas, a wealthy gentleman in the Colonies just before the Revolutionary War who is cursed with vampirism and buried alive for two centuries.  When he's unearthed in 1972, he naturally returns to his home and finds his descendants presiding over the dilapidated Collinwood Manor.  Depp leads a cast that includes Eva Green, Jonny Lee Miller, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Joel Amos from Moviefanatic.com was on hand for the film's press day, where cast, along with Tim Burton, writer Seth Grahame-Smith, and composer Danny Elfman discussed the influence of the original series, soap opera acting, being part of an ensemble, and the film's unique tone.

With this month's Men in Black III, Will Smith returns to screens after a four year absence.  That might not seem too long, but consider that from 1995 to 2008, Smith starred in at least one major motion picture every single year like clockwork.  His third turn as Agent K in the second Men in Black sequel is the first time we've seen him onscreen since 2008's Seven Pounds, and with the return of one of the last true international movie stars, attention is naturally focused on his potential future projects.

IAR's Jami Philbrick was present at the Los Angeles press day for Men in Black III, where Smith provided updates on two potential starring vehicles: another go-around in Bad Boys III and starring alongside Denzel Washington in an Uptown Saturday Night remake.

Over the last decade and change, the superheroic exploits of neon gods in spandex and armor have become one of our most reliable sources of blockbuster entertainment.  Ever since Bryan Singer's X-Men and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man ushered in the modern age of the comic book movie, the Marvel Comics stable of iconic heroes have dominated the popular culture and multiplexes across the country.  Now, even with comic book adaptations having saturated our sensibilities, The Avengers is something truly unprecedented.

It's the event movie towards which Marvel Studios and its head honcho Kevin Feige have been building since the studio's first feature, 2008's Iron Man.  It's culmination of years of planning and ambitious, never-before-attempted franchise cross-pollination between The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and both Iron Man films.  It's also an outstanding standalone piece of pop entertainment, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon ably providing thrills and juggling characters as writer-director.

Those characters Whedon so impressively juggles are played by an all-star cast, each of them capable of carrying their own franchise and many of them having done just that.  IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick was amongst the global entertainment journalists present at the Los Angeles press day for The Avengers.  Held in LA the day after the film's premiere, the press conference included Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, and Cobie Smulders, all of whom were happy to discuss making the film together.

Just days out from the film's domestic release, The Avengers is pretty much everywhere right now, permeating the popular culture in that particular manner of a massively hyped blockbuster.  It's only fitting, since this first-of-its-kind comic book movie is the culmination of years of ambitious universe building at Marvel Studios, assembling the heroes of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in one mega-movie.

When Marvel first announced the writer-director of the event movie towards which the studio has been striving, those unfamiliar with Joss Whedon may have scratched their heads.  After all, the man Marvel chose to be at the helm of its crossover had but one directorial feature to his credit, 2005's sci-fi adventure Serenity.  Whedon's fans, however, knew well that the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse was just the man for job.

His work on those television series demonstrated Whedon's unparalleled skill with witty dialogue and nimble character development, especially when juggling ensembles of characters, each with their own unique voice.  Who better suited, then, to oversee the gathering of Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo as their respective superheroes?  Apparently no one, since word on The Avengers is uniformly enthusiastic, and it looks as though the film actually lives up to the hype. 

At the Los Angeles press day for The Avengers, Joss Whedon talked to journalists, including IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick.  The writer-director discussed translating a comic book to the screen,the challenges of constructing the story, handling the characters, delivering the proper spectacle, and the importance of Steve Rogers.

Bernie Tiede, a soft-spoken assistant funeral director, was probably the most popular guy in the small Texas town of Carthage, while widower Marjorie Nugent was one of the least popular.  The two sparked up an unlikely friendship that found Bernie traveling the world with the elderly millionaire and essentially acting as her servant, until one day in 1996 when he murdered Nugent. 

Bernie, based on the true story, seems unlikely material for a comedy, even a dark comedy, and seems even less likely as a collaboration between director Richard Linklater and Jack Black, who last teamed up for 2003's family-friendly School of Rock.  Linklater co-wrote the screenplay with Skip Hollingsworth and recruited Black to capture Bernie's sweet likability.  Oscar-winning screen legend Shirley MacLaine plays Marjorie, while Matthew McConaughey lends support as Danny Buck Davidson, the local district attorney who went against local sentiment in his prosecution of Bernie.

Unlikely though it might seem on paper, Bernie arrives in limited release today, with the film and Black's performance in particular earning no small amount of critical praise.  IAR Managing Editor Jami Philbrick was on hand at the film's Los Angeles press day earlier this month.  At the promotional event, Richard Linklater, Jack Black, and Shirley MacLaine were all present to discuss the film, the mysteries of Bernie, recreating real people on screen, the need to be liked, shooting in Texas, and the humor in horror.

In 2008, writer/star Jason Segel and director Nicholas Stoller made an unconventional contribution to the break-up subgenre with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a comedy that featured a irascible rock star, beautiful vistas, a puppet musical, and conspicuous nudity from Segel himself.  Stoller then directed the Sarah Marshall spin-off Get Him to the Greek before the duo reunited to write last year's The Muppets.  Now, having taken on break-ups, benders, and muppets, Segel and Stoller are turning to the subject of marriage.

Or rather, they're turning to the subject of engagement.  Co-written by the duo and directed by Stoller, The Five-Year Engagement stars Segel and Emily Blunt as a loving couple whose nuptials just keep getting postponed.  The comedy follows misanthropic Tom and academic Violet, along with their friends and family, over the five years it takes them to actually end up at the alter.

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, and Nicholas Stoller were both present at the Los Angeles press day for the film, where they and super comedy producer Judd Apatow were happy to talk about all things The Five-Year Engagement.  IAR was on hand to catch the quartet's thoughts on running times, relaxed narratives, the supporting cast, cutting funny material, making personal movies, and losing objectivity.