Opening in theaters on May 25th is the third installment of the extremely popular science fiction comedy franchise Men in Black, this time entitled Men in Black 3. The new film once again stars Grammy-winner Will Smith (Ali) and Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger) as Agents J and K, respectively, and was also directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty) who helmed the first two installments. In addition to the return of Smith and Jones, the new movie also features Oscar-nominee Josh Brolin (Milk) as a younger version of Agent K, as well as performances from two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Alice Eve (ATM), Jemaine Clement (HBO's Flight of the Conchords), Nicole Scherzinger (Fox's The X Factor), David Rasche (United 93).

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with makeup effects artist Rick Baker (The Wolfman, The Nutty Professor, Ed Wood) to discuss his work on Men in Black 3. The legendary makeup artist talked about the new movie, creating the '60s era aliens and his inspirations for them, why setting the film in the '1960s helped keep the third installment fresh, advances in CGI since the first movie, the importance of using both practical as well as CGI effects, working with director Barry Sonnenfeld for the third time, having to make two different versions of the film's villain, and why Harry & the Hendersons holds a special place in his heart. 

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.

Opening in theaters on May 25th is the third installment of the extremely popular science fiction comedy franchise Men in Black, this time entitled Men in Black 3. The new film once again stars Grammy-winner Will Smith (Ali) and Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones (Captain America: The First Avenger) as Agents J and K, respectively, and was also directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty) who helmed the first two installments. In addition to the return of Smith and Jones, the new movie also features Oscar-nominee Josh Brolin (Milk) as a younger version of Agent K, as well as performances from two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Alice Eve (ATM), Jemaine Clement (HBO's Flight of the Conchords), Nicole Scherzinger (Fox's The X Factor), David Rasche (United 93).

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with director Barry Sonnenfeld to discuss his latest film Men in Black 3. The director talked about his new movie, the art of making a time travel film, using Back to the Future as a template for the project, why they decided to introduce time travel to the Men in Black series, setting the movie in 1969, not shying away from the racism of the era, the film's over publicized script trouble, why they took a much needed break halfway through production, the brilliant idea of casting Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones, the possibility of Jaden Smith appearing in MiB4, and the future of the popular franchise. 

Synopsis: J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K  to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

With just over a week until the sequel's domestic release, a new Men in Black 3 featurette is here to remind us not only that the film is on the way, but that Rick Baker is now and shall forever be a master of his craft.  This new behind the scenes featurette includes interview snippets with director Barry Sonnenfeld, as well as stars Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, and Jemaine Clement.

Two new clips from Men in Black III have brought the total clip count in the last twenty-four hours to five, following Wednesday's three-official-clip debut day.  These two both center on Will Smith back in the role of Agent K for the first time in a decade, and he plays off of Agents K from two different eras.  In the first, Tommy Lee Jones intros the memory-erasing Neuralyzer, while in the second, Smith negotiates MiB circa 1969, interacting with Josh Brolin's young K and Alice Eve's young O.

Synopsis: The macabre and lurid tales of Edgar Allan Poe are vividly brought to life - and death – in this stylish, gothic thriller starring John Cusack as the infamous author. When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Poe’s darkest works, a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans) joins forces with Poe in a quest to get inside the killer’s mind in order to stop him from making every one of Poe’s brutal stories a blood chilling reality.  A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, which escalates when Poe’s love (Alice Eve, She’s Out of My League) becomes the next target. Intrepid Pictures’ The Raven also stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).

Hollywood has long been trying to bring the life and work of legendary author Edgar Allan Poe to the big screen and thanks to Relativity Media, that goal has finally been accomplished. Opening in theaters on April 27^th is The Raven, a new film from director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) that features popular actor John Cusack (Grosse Point Blank) as the Master of Macabre, or the godfather of Goth, whichever you prefer.

Rather than making a straight biopic about Poe or an adaptation of one of his books, the filmmakers chose to tell a fictional story that places Poe as the central character in a mystery that is similar to something the author might have written himself. Actor Luke Evans (Immortals) plays Detective Emmett Fields, a 19^th century Baltimore policeman who discovers that the crime he is investigating resembles a fictional murder described in detail in a story penned by struggling writer and social outcast Edgar Allan Poe (Cusack). Realizing a serial killer is using Poe’s writings as inspiration for his murders, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the crimes. However, when it appears as if the murderer’s next victim is someone close to Poe, the stakes become even higher and now the inventor of modern detective stories must call on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before its too late. In addition to Cusack and Evans, The Raven also stars Alice Eve (ATM), Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), and Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).

I recently had a chance to sit down with two of the film’s producers, Aaron Ryder and Marc Evans, to discuss The Raven. The two producers talked about the new movie, the process of bringing a Poe film to the big screen, the concept of telling a fictional story, director James McTeigue’s vision for the project, the film’s locations, and why John Cusack was the perfect actor to embody the great Edgar Allan Poe.

Opening in theaters on April 27th is a new thriller from director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) called The Raven, which features John Cusack (Grosse Point Blank) as literary legend Edgar Allan Poe. The film is a fictionalized account of the last eight days of Poe's life, in which the poet and author pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in his stories. In addition to Cusack the film also stars Alice Eve (ATM), Luke Evans (Immortals), Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and M. Emmet Walsh (The Mighty Quinn). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with director James McTeigue to discuss The Raven. The accomplished director talked about his new movie, its fictional story, why John Cusack was the perfect actor to play Edgar Allan Poe, the film's amazing locations, tone, Alice Eve's secret, and what Poe himself would think of the film. 

Actor Luke Evans has recently gained attention worldwide for his work in a string of period films including Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and director Tarsem Singh’s Immortals. Not to mention that he will soon be seen playing Bard the Bowman in director Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. But first, Evans will be starring in another period movie entitled The Raven, which opens in theaters on April 27^th and features a fictional account of the final days of acclaimed author Edgar Allan Poe’s life.

In the film, Evans plays Detective Emmett Fields, a 19^th century Baltimore policeman who makes a shocking discovery: the crime he is investigating resembles a fictional murder described in detail as part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as inspiration for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. However, when it appears as if the murderer’s next victim is someone Poe cares about, the stakes become even higher and now the inventor of modern detective stories must call on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before its too late. The Raven was directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), and in addition to Cusack and Evans, also stars Alice Eve (ATM), Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), and Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).

I recently had a chance to speak with actor Luke Evans about his work on The Raven, as well as the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Evans discussed his new film, the work of Edgar Allan Poe, his initial reaction to the script and its fictional story, what he learned from working with John Cusack, the film’s locations, his character, director James McTiegue’s vision for the project, shooting The Hobbit films, living in New Zealand, Peter Jackson’s infectious passion, and being a part of the incredible cinematic Lord of the Rings universe.