DIRECTV News

This Week’s Top Flicks: May 25

dtvrayhill — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:51 +0000

Liam Neeson does battle with wolves, demons, and superpowered teens to come out on top of this week’s list of hottest flicks!

The Grey

Try as she might, Mother Nature should know better than to mess with Liam Neeson. Plane crashes, hungry wolves, and a brutal Alaskan winter were not enough to keep the Irish acting vet from dominating this week’s list.

Chronicle

After discovering a mysterious object in the woods outside Seattle, three high-school seniors find themselves with telekinetic powers as well as in our number two spot.

One for the Money

Playing a rookie bounty hunter, Katherine Heigl successfully chases down crooks and more than a few laughs in this charming action comedy.

The Vow

Channing Tatum returns this week as he attempts to rekindle the love between him and his amnesiac wife, played by the lovely Rachel McAdams, setting hearts aflutter in the process.

The Devil Inside

Not for the easily disturbed, this documentary-style fright-fest follows a film crew investigating demonic possession and exorcisms. Needless to say, things don’t go very well.

Back in Black: Men in Black III

rhohmandirectv — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:30:46 +0000

Photo credit: Sony Pictures

Where else can you find a giant fish, space guns, and Andy Warhol? It’s been 10 years since our favorite Ray-Banned secret agents defended the world from otherworldly villains. In the upcoming third installment of the Men in Black Marvel comic book series, Agent J (Will Smith) must travel back in time to 1969 to stop an alien criminal from killing his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Here, he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin), who reveals to him the secrets to the universe. Get ready for Men in Black III, which hits theatres on May 25. In the meantime, get your fix of alien invaders, interstellar travel, and futuristic technology with our favorite sci-fi comedies—all available on DIRECTV CINEMA™.

Ghostbusters
In this hilarious comedy, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Rimes play ex-parapsychology professors who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. On a mission to rid The Big Apple of ghouls and spirits, they use their proton packs to zap each and every beastie, including slimy creatures and a marshmallow man. With its clever mix of horror and humor, dazzling special effects, and a catchy soundtrack, Ghostbusters is rated as one of the 80s most popular films.

Spaceballs
With a kitschy visual style and clever dialogue, this cult classic from the 80s created by Mel Brooks parodies the Star Wars series. King Roland (Dick Van Patten) of the planet Druidia tries to marry off his daughter Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), who’s kidnapped by the evil Spaceballs. The Spaceballs President Skoob (Mel Brooks) sends Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to steal the air of Druidia as ransom. The President then hires Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) to go rescue his daughter.

Wall-E
It’s the year 2700, and planet Earth is completely abandoned. All that remains is Wall-E, a waste-collecting robot tasked to clean up the mess left by large corporations. Fascinated by the trinkets left by human life, he discovers something that will likely decide the fate of mankind. What follows is an extraordinary adventure through space that will make you laugh, cry, and fill you with a sense of wonder. This captivating tale garnered an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

G.I. Joe Sequel Pushed to 2013: Movie News

dtvrayhill — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:03:39 +0000

With only a month to go before its June release, execs at Paramount have decided to delay G.I. Joe: Retaliation a full nine months, to March 29, 2013, in order to convert the film to 3D.

Many have pegged the decision on the 3D success of The Avengers as well as the weak box-office performance of another childhood-favorite-turned-action movie, Battleship.

A sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Retaliation stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as fan favorite Roadblock. Channing Tatum will also return as Duke while Bruce Willis plays the original supersoldier, Joe Colton, as they do battle with Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world.

While a disappointment to fans who saw Retaliation as being truer to both the classic cartoon as well as the critically acclaimed comic book than the first film, others see it as a wise move given an overcrowded summer movie season.

To fill the void left by Retaliation, Universal Pictures swiftly moved up its Seth MacFarlane comedy, Ted, from July 13 to June 29. Starring a motion-captured MacFarlane as a magical teddy bear brought to life by a young boy’s wish, Ted follows the duo as they grow up into a pair of crass slackers. Directed by MacFarlane, Ted also stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.

CHOICE ULTIMATE™ FREE Trial

jfarahdtv — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:55:46 +0000

From May 28 to June 3, enjoy all 225+ channels in the CHOICE ULTIMATE™ package at no extra charge, including premium movie networks ENCORE® (Chs. 535-542) and The Movie Channel (Chs. 554-556). Plus sample other popular networks like Sundance Channel (Ch.558), Cloo (Ch. 308), Style (Ch. 235), and NHL Network (Ch.215).

Looking for something to watch? Here are a few recommendations:

• Empire Girls: Julissa and Adrienne, an all-new Style Original Series about two best friends trying to make it big in NYC. Tune in Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET on Style (Ch. 235).

• Tangled, a charming Disney take on the children’s classic Rapunzel. Tune in Friday, June 1, at 1:45 p.m. ET on ENCORE® (Ch. 535).

• Robert Redford Presents, a collection of indie films, like The Crucible, curated by the Academy Award-winning actor. Tune in Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET on Sundance Channel (Ch. 558).

• 2012 Stanley Cup Playoff coverage on NHL Network (Ch.215).

Like what you see? Activate CHOICE ULTIMATE™ today.

Poll: What’s your favorite Damages case?

rhohmandirectv — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:36:54 +0000

If you watched the previous seasons of Damages, you may have noticed a trend. (If you haven’t seen Season 4, now is your chance to catch up). Most of Patty’s cases are based on real-life newspaper headlines. Arthur Frobisher‘s company is reminiscent of Enron. Louis Tobin’s name could’ve been Bernie Madoff. The upcoming final season is no exception. The idea for it was derived from the controversy surrounding Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks website and, according to Josh Payne, it’s the best season yet.

Don’t forget to come back next week to vote in another poll.

Josh Spills the Beans on the Final Season of Damages

rhohmandirectv — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:56:55 +0000

Interview conducted by Max Wyeth

We think Josh Payne looks very comfortable in Patty’s chair. After all, he knows her better than most people. He also knows why the producers of Damages had no problem attracting top-notch talent to join the cast, how the new characters figure into the story, and even how the final season ends! He tells us as much as he can—but don’t worry, you won’t get any spoilers here.

Get Your Game On With GSN Game Lounge!

jdwalshdtv — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:00:01 +0000

Tune in to GSN Game Lounge (Ch.110) from 5/26-2/27 to enjoy UNLIMITED play of 5 Card Slingo, plus many of your other favorites like UNO™, Monopoly®, and more for FREE. All you need is your DIRECTV remote.

Jenna Elfman Talks Damages: Exclusive Interview

rhohmandirectv — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:13:38 +0000

You won’t find any traces of quirky Dharma in Naomi Walling—Jenna Elfman’s character in Season 5 of Damages. Naomi is an investment bank employee who comes across some incriminating information about her company. Morally torn, she considers making this information public on Channing McLaren’s (Ryan Phillippe) website. Will she go through with it? You’ll have to tune in to Season 5 to see how the story unfolds. In the meantime, see what Jenna has to say about her transition to drama and what she did to prepare for her role. Our Damages insider, Josh Payne, recently sat down with Jenna for an exclusive interview.

JOSH PAYNE: Why did you want to do Damages?

JENNA ELFMAN: I was excited to work on a well-written show with excellent actors. Also to change it up and do some drama I thought would be fun. And having the opportunity to change it up and play the types of scenes I haven’t yet had the opportunity to play.

JP: You’re known mainly for comedy. Was drama easier or more difficult?

JE: When I started acting I did both. It was kind of by accident I got the comedy trajectory in my career. A happy accident. But I didn’t start acting to do comedy, necessarily. I love comedy and always wanted to do it. But I also love drama. I got in this business to become other characters and experience the lives of other people. I happened to get success with comedy and just kind of took that road.

JP: Recently you did an episode of Comedy Central’s Web series Matumbo Goldberg. How did you get involved in that?

JE: I had a general meeting with Rob Pearlstein, the writer-director, a year before. He wound up doing this and asked me if I wanted a role on one episode. I read it and it was hilarious, so that’s how that came about.

JP: Was it vastly different from working in network TV?

JE: It was different because the entire crew and production were smaller, which actually made it more fun because there wasn’t a huge done-by-committee executive presence on set. It was just the writer-director and the actors. It was much more laid back.

JP: How did you prepare for your role on Damages?

JE: It’s funny. I did prepare, but sometimes you find something that’s not obvious but it opens the door for you, even though for others it may not seem like a direct connection. I actually did a lot of walking in New York City and, in my head, pretending I was Naomi Walling and I had just found out this horrible news. So walking amongst people and feeling that sense of disorientation and feeling like every single person knows everything about me now. And this awkward walking the streets a lot and imagining this sense of isolation and thinking about: “How do you solve this problem of your life that happens out of nowhere?” You went from a private life to a public life over night and it was all bad news.

Exclusive Photos From the Set: Writers’ Whiteboard

rhohmandirectv — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:48:15 +0000

Check out these exclusive photos from the set of the fifth and final season of Damages—brought to you courtesy of Josh Payne, our Damages insider.

Damages writers often employ flashback and flash-forward techniques to add another dimension to the show’s nonlinear plot. Sometimes they even reveal the ending in the first episode (gasp!). Yet they still manage to keep us glued to our TVs or mobile devices (did you know you can watch Damages online?) eager to see what happens next. How do they do it? No high-tech gadget here. They make do with a simple whiteboard which they use to visually connect various storylines and keep track of all the twists and turns Damages is known for.

Don’t forget to come back next week for more exclusive sneak peeks from the set.

Damages Guest Star Profile: Debra Monk as Denise Parsons

rhohmandirectv — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:54:05 +0000

If you think Ellen’s mother looks familiar, we’re not surprised. Prior to becoming Denise Parsons, the Emmy Award-winning actress Debra Monk appeared in numerous hit TV series: NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Desperate Housewives, Frasier, Grey’s Anatomy. The list goes on. She’s done movies too. Remember the demon who torments Kevin’s (Keanu Reeves) wife in Devil’s Advocate? Yes, that’s Ellen’s mom. Josh Payne tells us more.

Denise Parsons is a classic people-pleaser from an earlier generation who never stood up to her domineering husband. Denise and her husband, Gary, raised Ellen and her sister, Carrie, in a lower-middle class New Jersey neighborhood. While Denise doted on Ellen and took pride in her achievements, she could never truly grasp the depth of her daughter’s intellect and talent. At the beginning of the series, Denise helps Ellen with her wedding preparations and then later through the aftermath of her fiancé’s murder. As the seasons progress, it’s clear that Ellen is much stronger than her mother.

Casting Debra Monk was an easy decision for the producers. Another Broadway and TV veteran, Debra came with ample experience and insight she could immediately invest in the complicated relationship between Denise and Ellen.