Ben Lyons is E! Entertaiment’s resident film critic and movie buff rubbing shoulder with some of Hollywood’s most famous names.
His new show E’s Hot Summer 25 looks at some of the biggest films that are going to be released this summer including Iron Man, Batman and The Incredible Hulk.
I caught up with Ben to discuss some of this summer’s most anticipated films.
You are fronting a new show E’s Hot Summer 25 what is it all about?
I love how you British say fronting. I’m hosting s new show Hot Summer 25 and basically it’s a look at what is going to be the biggest summer in the history of the movies.
We have already seen Iron Man come out and destroy the box office plus you have got a new movie from M.Night Shyamalan, there’s another Batman movie, Emile Hirsch is Speed Racer, there’s a whole bunch comedies; Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow so it should be a fun really really big summer at the movies.
So we went out to Universal and we previewed most of the movies and sat down with some of the biggest stars in the world so it’s a pretty action packed special.
What are some of this summer’s highlights?
For me I always enjoy M.Night Shyamalan, I don’t necessarily love his films but I appreciate watching him direct I respect his films, he has got a new movie called The Happening with Mark Wahlberg.
Also Indiana Jones is coming back after nineteen years, I know the guy is like ninety eight years old, but as soon as you hear that theme it turns you into a kid again, it will be cool to see Shia Labeouf in the franchise as well, it’s an event movie it’s what the summer is all about.
There’s another Incredible Hulk movie, and there’s a cameo from Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, and there’s fun stuff for the kids with Kung Fu Panda, which I already saw, and don’t laugh at me Helen but Kung Fu Panda rocks, it’s gonna be a Shrek like situation where we are going to have Kung Fu Panda movies for years to come.
And OK listen for working at the E Channel I think I do a pretty good job of shouting out movies like Iron man and Batman, these kick ass action movies, but I do work at the E Channel and every single woman I have ever met in my entire life has asked me for tickets for Sex and the City and I have said I will only take someone that I’m guranteed to make out with it’s a complete waste if I just take a friend right?
It’s interesting films based on TV shows usually come out years after the TV show has been off the air, there’s another one of these movies coming out this summer with Steve Carrell called Get Smart, that TV show was on ages ago and now there’s a movie but Sex and the City is still on cable, the DVD’s are incredibly popular, and it’s only been of the air a year or two so it will be interesting to see how fans who live and breathe what Carrie Bradshw is wearing on her feet and what bag she is holding if they are going to respond to the movie.
As you say films like Batman, Indy and Sex and the City are all highly anticipated but do they deliver?
I think so from what I’ve seen of Batman, they’ve been incredibly secretive of it, however they have show the film in chunks Christopher Nolan, the director, did a private screening and showed about twenty minutes of it. It’s so unfortunate about Heath Ledger because when you watch the movie you forget that he is Heath Ledger and he provides a new take on an classic character that we have seen done many times before.
Jack Nicholson got a Golden Globe nomination for playing The Joker, and now Heath Ledger is coming with something completely different and I think he will be nominated for a Oscar, that’s how this town works I can see them honouring his life’s work.
I mean Iron Man delivered and I think that was the film that I was most excited about seeing this summer, and it happened to come first, but it makes all the difference in the world when you have A List, Oscar nominated, Oscar winning actors in these huge movies, God bless Chris Evans and Jessica Alba I love them both but that was Fantastic Four, this is Iron Man and Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr are A List actors, and that is what you are going to see with Christian Bale reprising the role of Batman and that is what you are going to see with Ed Norton in the Hulk, there is something about these comic book movies that these tremendous talents want to be a part of.
Iron Man has kicked off the blockbuster summer what did you think of it and is it a franchise that has serious legs?
Oh it’s going to be a franchise we are going to see a trilogy of Iron Man movies that’s for sure. Director Jon Faverau wants to explore Tony Stark’s alcohol problem, which is very prevalent in the comic books, so it will be very interesting to see how Robert Downey Jr takes that on.
I thought the movie was great it almost played more like Bond movie than an action superhero movie because there weren’t any characters with mystical powers you didn’t have to believe that the character was half man half spider he was just a real guy who built this incredible suit and it took place in the real world with real enemies, not these fantastical bogeymen. I thought it rocked I loved the music, I loved the style of it I thought it was great.
What did you think of the casting of Robert Downey Jr he isn’t your first thought when you think action hero?
No he’s not the first thought when you think action hero but if you are familiar with the character of Tony Stark then it is a perfect fit. He’s a tormented character he is not a perfect Clark Kent or Peter Parker type character it’s somebody with flaws that are very visible, as Robert Downey Jr is, it’s only the second time he did a screen test for a movie which shows just how much he wanted the part.
And a lot of other names were thrown about from Russell Crowe to Tom Cruise but Robert Downey Jr is just so quick and so funny, I have interviewed him maybe four times this year already just because he has got a lot of movies out; Tropic Thunder later this summer and The Soloist in the fall, which will probably get him an Oscar nomination.
Yeah that’s Joe Wright isn’t it?
Yes yes Joe Wright look at you Brits with your Atonement guy, So he has got a lot going on this year so I’ve spoken to him a lot and he is really funny, you forget how quick and funny and self deprecating he is he is perfect for the role. Jon Faverau made a good point in me interview with him he said it’s kind of like being the coach of a basketball team, or as you guys say a football team, you assemble your players you get your Henry’s and your David Beckham’s and get out of the way and let them play. So he assembled this amazing cast and stepped back and removed himself a little and let them do what they do best.
The film has broken the $100 million barrier is this paving the way for the rest of the summer?
Yeah it’s great for the summer it’s shows that people want to come out to the movies for an event movie we live in an age of video games and flat screen TVs the NCA playoffs are in high definition we are in a recession here in the States so people have every reason to stay at home and every reason to not go out to the movies, it costs a lot to go to the movies, but it shows for an event film there is nothing like being in the theatre on a Friday night when the film opens with your friends and your popcorn and losing yourself in an amazing spectacle. And that’s what Iron Man was it’s what Speed Racer is going to be this week the Narnia movie and Indiana Jones all in the month of May so we have got a lot going on here when it comes to summer movies.
Already a sequel has been announced along with the likes of Thor and Captain America what do you think of this Marvel comic movie phenomina?
Well I think it’s great because a lot of these characters were B List characters they were not the cross over pop culture icons of a Batman or a Spiderman or Superman they were only from the really hard core fan boy comic people you know? But if they can find a way to get people excited about it and the hard core fans happy with it, many of comic book sources approve of Iron Man and the casting of it and the visual effects, then I think it’s great.
For me it’s the pinnacle of filmmaking to have an event movie that delivers that is intelligent and not just a shoot en up movie, in the eighties it was all action movies with Van Damme, Steven Segal and Bruce Willis and Stallone, and now the action movies are superhero movies and I think with some of the lesser characters like a Thor and a Captain America they need to cross over into each other’s movies, I think that’s why you are seeing Robert Downey Jr pop up in the Hulk later this summer that’s pretty cool and unprecedented. In part two of my exclusive chat with Ben Lyons we talk about the new Batman, Heath Ledger, Ed Norton's the Incredible Hulk and what we can expect to see in summer 2009. Catch Ben on E!’s Hot Summer 25, on Friday 23rd May at 6pm only on E! Entertainment Television (Sky: 152/ Virgin Media: 173) FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Ben Lyons is E! Entertaiment’s resident film critic and movie buff rubbing shoulder with some of Hollywood’s most famous names.
His new show E’s Hot Summer 25 looks at some of the biggest films that are going to be released this summer including Iron Man, Batman and The Incredible Hulk.
I caught up with Ben to discuss some of this summer’s most anticipated films.
You are fronting a new show E’s Hot Summer 25 what is it all about?
I love how you British say fronting. I’m hosting s new show Hot Summer 25 and basically it’s a look at what is going to be the biggest summer in the history of the movies.
We have already seen Iron Man come out and destroy the box office plus you have got a new movie from M.Night Shyamalan, there’s another Batman movie, Emile Hirsch is Speed Racer, there’s a whole bunch comedies; Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow so it should be a fun really really big summer at the movies.
So we went out to Universal and we previewed most of the movies and sat down with some of the biggest stars in the world so it’s a pretty action packed special.
What are some of this summer’s highlights?
For me I always enjoy M.Night Shyamalan, I don’t necessarily love his films but I appreciate watching him direct I respect his films, he has got a new movie called The Happening with Mark Wahlberg.
Also Indiana Jones is coming back after nineteen years, I know the guy is like ninety eight years old, but as soon as you hear that theme it turns you into a kid again, it will be cool to see Shia Labeouf in the franchise as well, it’s an event movie it’s what the summer is all about.
There’s another Incredible Hulk movie, and there’s a cameo from Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, and there’s fun stuff for the kids with Kung Fu Panda, which I already saw, and don’t laugh at me Helen but Kung Fu Panda rocks, it’s gonna be a Shrek like situation where we are going to have Kung Fu Panda movies for years to come.
And OK listen for working at the E Channel I think I do a pretty good job of shouting out movies like Iron man and Batman, these kick ass action movies, but I do work at the E Channel and every single woman I have ever met in my entire life has asked me for tickets for Sex and the City and I have said I will only take someone that I’m guranteed to make out with it’s a complete waste if I just take a friend right?