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Review: ‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ just for built-in fans

5 November 2009 6:53 AM, PST | ReelLoop.com | See recent Reel Loop news »

The recent rise in melodramatic teen vampire fare has been interesting to witness. From the golden-hearted sparkling heartthrob in Twilight to the multitude of sappy TV dramas (sans True Blood), the watering down of the classic (and dapper!) “monster” from Eastern Europe has been both sad and alluring. It’s like passing by a car accident between a truckload of Nerf balls and the Munster-mobile.

In the case of Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, the Nerf truck totally decimated the poor Munster car. Soft in the middle and tragically predictable, the latest from Paul Weitz (brother to New Moon’s Chris Weitz) is fitting for its target audience, but doesn’t have enough meat for the entire family. For a movie based on a series of books aimed at the young adult genre, the film does a fantastic job of entertaining its core but doesn’t leave much for anybody over 16-years-old. »

- Erik Buckman

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Secret Identity: A 'Conan' Casting Call!

29 October 2009 12:31 PM, PDT | MTV Splash Page | See recent MTV Splash Page news »

A recent casting call for the upcoming "Conan" film described the titular Cimmerian as "very smart, almost inhumanly strong, and very cunning." Essentially, we're talking about the perfect human being.

Casting Conan isn't easy, and not just because the description is so specifically tailored for a god-like actor. The widely adored character also comes in different shapes and sizes, from the Arnold Schwarzenegger-styled muscle man to the more agile but still powerful warrior featured early in Kurt Busiek's comic book series for Dark Horse.

On either end of that spectrum, whoever is chosen to play Conan must be a capable actor. Finding a bodybuilder that can slay dialogue as easily as he slays his enemies is not an enviable task.

The most obvious solution is to recruit an undiscovered actor, but I think there are a few hidden gems already known in Hollywood that could pull off Conan—although, »

- Josh Wigler

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Movie Review: “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”

28 October 2009 9:34 PM, PDT | screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news »

Seen on: October 19, 2009

The players: Director: Paul Weitz, Writers: Brian Helgeland, Paul Weitz, Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson

Facts of interest: Based on the books by Darren Shan.

The plot: A teenager visits a freak show and decides to jump on board and become a vampire, which really pisses off his best friend. A rivalry ensues...

Our thoughts: Paul Weitz’s “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” is the beginning of something we may even never get to see. It’s merely an introduction to what could be a more intriguing story, and that’s the main reasons I simply couldn’t connect with this dark, periodically humorous vampire tale. »

- Franck Tabouring

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Chris Massoglia Interview at Spike TV Scream Awards 2009

26 October 2009 12:00 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »

Watch a brand new Spike TV Scream Awards 2009 interview with actor Chris Massoglia who stars in the upcoming film “The Vampire’s Assistant” aka Cirque Du Freak by director Paul Weitz stars John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal and Salma Hayek. About Spike TV Scream Awards 2009: The stars will definitely illuminate The Greek Theatre for Spike TV’S “Scream 2009″, which will premiere October 27th at 10pm Et/Pt. “Scream 2009″ To Reveal An Exclusive Preview From The Upcoming Martin Scorsese Thriller “Shutter Island,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Teen heartthrob Taylor Lautner will Unveil World [...] »

- Brian Corder

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Photos of Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the Set of The Other Guys. Plus Video of a Stunt - Updated

25 October 2009 9:59 AM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

When you film on the streets of New York City and you’ve got huge stars like Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson involved in the film, you’re going to get a lot of people taking pictures and video of whatever you’re doing. And that’s what happened the other day on the set of director Adam McKay’s “The Other Guys”, as people snapped pictures of the two filming an action scene that involved destroying an amazing car. If you don’t mind some minor spoilers, hit the jump to see what they were filming and you can also watch a video of a separate stunt from the movie which had some people jumping off a building.

If you’re not familiar with the film:

Set in New York City, The Other Guys follows Detective Allen Gamble (Ferrell), a forensic accountant who’s more interested »

- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub

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More Photos from The Vampires Assistant

25 October 2009 12:00 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »

Universal Pictures just sent us a few new movie stills from the upcoming film “The Vampire’s Assistant” aka Cirque Du Freak by director Paul Weitz stars John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal and Salma Hayek. Click Here for more photos, news and videos from Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. Synopsis: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks [...] »

- Brian Corder

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‘Cirque Du Freak’ Movie Brought Action And An Ok Plot

24 October 2009 7:55 PM, PDT | OnTheFlix | See recent OnTheFlix news »

Universal Pictures' Cirque du Freak :The Vampire's Assistant movie brought action and an ok plot . It stars: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe, and Salma Hayek. Although the storyline/plot left something to be desired, "Cirque du Freak :The Vampire's Assistant" did deliver more action than I had originally expected it to. The movie focused around character , Darren Shan who is best friends with a guy named Steve. They eventually end up going to a "Cirque du Freak" show that changes young Darren's life forever. »

- Eric

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[Movie Review] Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

23 October 2009 9:23 PM, PDT | JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news »

I was pretty surprised to learn after I saw the movie that Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant is an adaptation of three novels. Three! I was surprised, not because the movie is focused and concise (on the contrary, it’s actually all over the place and drags on and on) but because if I had to take a guess, I would wager that it’s based on only parts of a novel. So why is it that it feels like nothing happens?

The books in question are Cirque du Freak, The Vampire’s Assistant and Tunnels of Blood; the first three in the Saga of Darren Shan series of vampire novels written by Darren Shan about Darren Shan (oy), the boy who would become a half-vampire personal assistant to a vampire, involving him in centuries-old civil war between two bloodsucking factions. But that’s not until later, »

- Arya Ponto

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Kevin Carr’s Weekly Report Card for 10.23.09

23 October 2009 1:08 PM, PDT | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

Saw VI Studio: Lionsgate Rated: R for sequences of grisly bloody violence, torture and language. Starring: Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith Directed by: Kevin Greutert What it’s about: This sixth installment of the popular horror franchise sees Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) continuing the work of the serial killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). However, even with a new game targeting a greedy insurance tycoon afoot, there’s more surprises for Hoffman from the police and from beyond the grave of Jigsaw. What I liked: Unlike many critics, I have really enjoyed the Saw franchise, and this film is a worthy successor. If you’re looking for gore and violence, you’ll get plenty of that. But also, if you’re looking for a film that gives more twists and turns in the already complex story arc, you’ll get that as well. Like the other sequels, Saw VI »

- Kevin Carr

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‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ With John C. Reilly Not Freaky Enough

23 October 2009 12:54 PM, PDT | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – For everything that Paul Weitz’s “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” does right, there’s something about the film that just doesn’t work. More manic than quirky and more cluttered than consistent, “Cirque” features a few great performances and interesting characters but they’re sabotaged by the other members of this cinematic freak show.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

With a plot that plays like what “Beetlejuice”-era Tim Burton might have done with the current vampire craze (“True Blood,” “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”), “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” is an adaptation of the books by Darren Shan that is constantly shooting itself in the foot through bad editing, a distracting supporting cast, a super-dull lead, and far too much expository dialogue. A non-ending that tries to set up the franchise a la “The Golden Compass” doesn’t help the feeling that you’ve »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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Awesome New Photos from The Vampires Assistant

23 October 2009 12:37 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »

Universal Pictures sent us another set of movie stills featuring John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek in the upcoming film “The Vampire’s Assistant” aka Cirque Du Freak by director Paul Weitz stars John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal and Salma Hayek. Click Here for more photos, news and videos from Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. Synopsis: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a [...] »

- Brian Corder

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The Vampire's Assistant Launches "iFreak" iPhone Application

21 October 2009 1:02 PM, PDT | DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news »

In case you've forgotten, Saw VI isn't the only genre film opening this weekend. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant will also hit theatres on October 23rd, and in celebration of the upcoming release, Universal is allowing fans to join the freak show through the launch of a brand new "iFreak" iPhone and iPod Touch application.

The "iFreak" application allows users to take a photo (or select one from an existing album) and transform into their favorite freak from the film, including the bearded lady Madame Truska, Loafhead, Gertha Teeth, Mr. Tiny, Wolfman, Rhamus Two-Bellies, Evra Von, and Larten Crepsley. Users can mix and match characters and add endless features until they are completely satisfied. Once a freak inside and out, the user can name the creation, save it to their iPhone and iPod Touch, email, and share their new identity through social networking outlets.

The "iFreak" application also contains »

- The Woman In Black

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Exclusive Video: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Cast Featurette

19 October 2009 10:51 AM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

Ever since the success of the film adaptation of the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, almost a decade ago Hollywood has endlessly been looking for the next big thing in adapting teen-adventure novels. They hit pay dirt last year with the adaptation of Stephanie Myer's teen-vampire book Twilight which has started a chair-reaction of vampire knock-offs throughout pop-culture. Now Universal may have discovered the perfect blend of Harry Potter meets Twilight in the film version of Darren Shan's popular books, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, opening in theaters on October 23rd. We recently had the opportunity to speak with John C. Reilly, Chris Massoglia and Salma Hayek and they gave us an inside look at this freaky new family film. To watch our exclusive interview click on the video clip below.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant tells the frightening tale of a »

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Highly Explosive - Cars blowing up on the Set of ‘The Irishman’

14 October 2009 3:56 PM, PDT | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

Go behind the scenes of ‘The Irishman‘ to hear what SFX Foreman’s Rob Tyrell of Tyrell Effects and Rental from Chesterfield, Mi and Russel Tyrrell have to say about blowing things up.

Hear Rob talk about working smart and safe as well as buying supplies locally, while Russel runs you through an on-set car explosion in which they explode a series of 1970’s era cars on “just another day on the job.”

Exploding cars on the set of 'The Irishman' movie

You’ll see the safety measures used on the set of a movie including wiring doors, towing cars and handling explosives. Great for aspiring filmmakers and action fans alike!

More explosions from ‘The Irishman’

‘The Irishman’ Blows Up in Detroit, Cleveland and Beyond

More videos from ‘The Irishman’

‘The Irishman’: Interview with Costume Designer Melissa Bruning

Hair and Costumes for ‘The Irishman’ - Behind the »

- Dave

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New Criminologist dives deep into ‘The Irishman’ in “Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick”

14 October 2009 12:58 PM, PDT | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

While promoting the production of ‘The Irishman,’ we’ve found there are many disparate niches of fans for this film. For example, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Ray Stevenson and many of the other actors have dedicated fan groups and dozens of fan sites and busy message boards.

Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene in 'The Irishman'

There are folks who have a personal association with the Cleveland mob wars and others who care mostly that the film is made in Detroit. Then of course, there are mafia movies fans And also the historians and researchers who adeptly chronicle every nuance of the situations, characters and compare/contrast the reality with the movies.

A perfect example of the latter is the New Criminologist who published an deep-dive article into the story by Ron Chepesiuk called The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick.

For those »

- Dave

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Win Cool Stuff from The Vampires Assistant

13 October 2009 12:00 AM, PDT | toxicshock.tv | See recent toxicshock news »

In celebration of the October 23, 2009 release of the upcoming film “The Vampire’s Assistant”, Universal Pictures and Shockya.com are giving away a bunch of cool prizes to our members including, Hats, T-Shirts, a magnetic Locker Mirror and a backpack. “The Vampire’s Assistant” aka Cirque Du Freak by director Paul Weitz stars John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal and Salma Hayek. Click Here to register. Hurry, the contest ends October 31, 2009. Also, be sure to check out the IFreak application here. Synopsis: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books [...] »

- Brian Corder

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New Promotional Posters for Upcoming Films Including Neuromancer, Chloe, The Irishman, and I Come With The Rain

12 October 2009 11:10 PM, PDT | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Here’s some inside baseball about Hollywood that your average moviegoer may not know: movies do not get made solely from investors or studios nor do they make money solely from domestic box office.  A large majority of films, especially true indie films (i.e. no name stars), require the sale of their foreign distribution rights to finish the film they’re selling or to secure a profit that will provide investors with a good return on their investment.  However, films with name actors like Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken also have to play this game.  Some movies do it by creating unofficial posters and after the jump, we’ve featured six of these posters plus synopses for films with name actors but are still trying to secure funding.  However, this is no guarantee that these films will ever get made and just because someone made up a poster, »

- Matt Goldberg

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"Vampire's Assistant" In Theaters In October

12 October 2009 4:16 AM, PDT | icelebz.com | See recent iCelebz news »

Vampire mania continues with another novel-based film, "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," from author Darren Shan. Universal Studios is releasing the first of three books from the popular series "The Saga of Darren Shan."

The fantasy-adventure film tells the story of a teenager who becomes a half-vampire and apprentice to a 200-year-old vampire to obtain a spider bite antidote for his best friend.

John C. Reily, Willem Dafoe, Orlando Jones, Ken Watanabe, Jane Krakowski, Ray Stevenson, Brandon Molale, Josh Hutcherson, and Salma Hayek star in this upcoming movie directed by Paul Weitz.

Brian Helgeland ("Nightmare on Elm Street 4") wrote the screenplay.

»

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‘The Irishman’: Interview with Costume Designer Melissa Bruning

8 October 2009 1:33 PM, PDT | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

Check out our latest ‘The Irishman‘ Video.

Costume Designer Melissa Bruning sits down to talk about creating the illusion of reality in a period piece through proper wardrobe selection. She discusses her research into the clothes of the era and introduces the wardrobe staff that keep the continuity of the cast’s clothing correct from scene to scene.

The Irishman Synopsis

‘The Irishman’ chronicles the rise and fall of infamous Cleveland gangster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who engaged in a power struggle with the Italian mob.  Greene was as an upstart longshoreman union rep and later became a cocky, legendarily difficult-to-kill troublemaker in the world of organized crime in the 1970’s.

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

The incredible ensemble cast includes Vinnie Jones, »

- Kyle Zahar

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Coming soon … to a Gas Station Near You - MovieSet on PumpTop TV

8 October 2009 1:29 PM, PDT | MovieSet.com | See recent MovieSet.com news »

MovieSet issued a press release to announce a new distribution channel for exclusive behind-the-scenes video content. We thought you might be curious so here are a few excerpts:

From Irvine, CA - PumpTop TV, a leading nationwide digital media network located at-the-pump, has made a deal with MovieSet.com, a pioneering movie website, to provide content from movies in various states of production - from green light to distribution.

This is the first time ever that movie fans will be able to witness production location shoots from their favorite big screen titles when they are pumping gas. MovieSet.com allows fans to track a movie’s progress on the web with an interactive social networking environment layered over video showing the actual movie production.

One of the first “production previews” focuses on “The Irishman,” starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken. The movie is directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, »

- Dave

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2009 | 2008 | 2007

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