HTG: TV is an ever-changing place and the changes have been huge this year. One could even say it’s a complete revamp, with TV networks renaming and so forth, creating the new lineup of APB (All-Points Bulletin), CH500 (CH500…yeah, that’s the full name) and TBC (The Broadcasting Company). Another new trend in place is having multiple owners (or one owner and a co-owner… or maybe assistant) as APB is now controlled by CzarTim and Kaitlynn while CH500 is owned by Lucian and Sparckvalentine, and TBC is owned by Quantum alone… until this moment as Goliathus is getting into the TV business as the co-owner (in a trial period) of TBC.

“I like the challenge of working in the TV industry. It’s a dream come true to me ever since the day I stepped into the entertainment industry. Of course, I am still pretty green in the field so there’s a lot to learn.” Goliathus said in the press conference, “Target? Well, I don’t think I should be aiming on a target while I am still learning the rope. However, for long term vision, I would like to make TBC more competitive in the future and also provide entertaining lineup at the same time. Sometime a good show might not get highest rating but as long as we can provide entertainment to the world, then we are getting the job done.”

When asked about the lineup of the next season, Goliathus merely gives the journalist a smile. “It’s still pretty early, we are still planning the new season out and I am still trying to get the hang of the processes you know, this is only my second day on the job.”

Co-owner seems to be the new trend to accommodate the more intense annual TV schedule, which is part of the HTG: TV 2013 revolution, and one cannot argue that APB and CH500 are still doing very good jobs with two owners. What kind of impact can a co-owner (on a trial period… yes, he is) brings to TBC? Guess we will not know until next season, but we’ll be watching.

You might not heard of Tesla and Mad Scientist Films a year ago but it’s hard to not know him after the last Yoda and giving the output of his recent films. He has been on headlines, press conference and any big or small movie forums out there. How can you miss that? No, you can’t. As productive as always, his new movie will be in the theater very soon and this time, it’s an arthouse film — Killing Blues.

GOLIATHUS: Hello there Tesla, and congrats on winning the Best Producer award in the recent Yoda. To begin with, tell us more about Killing Blues.

TESLA: Thanks. On the surface it’s about an aging hitman who takes on a protege while also forming a dangerous relationship with his boss’s daughter. I guess it explores the lives of people who make a living through what would be regarded as immoral, and what happens to “normal” people when they come into contact with these kind of persons and vice-versa.

GOLIATHUS: You have written various things so far and they are all very different when it comes to the theme and so forth. So, what really inspire you to write about hitman and that profession’s social position?

TESLA: Yeah, it’s just an interesting profession to include in a story. I guess people take to it, or I hope they do. There’s a lot of jobs out there that society would shun you for if they knew that’s how you made your living, but everyone has to make a living somehow. You could be in a mall and the person walking beside you could be a prostitute or a drug dealer — you’d never know. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure you could think of way worse positions. So that was interesting to me, writing about someone who is in one of these professions and still has to function in society.

GOLIATHUS: Mind to shed a few lights on the cast selection?

TESLA: Originally, I wanted Nicolas Cage in the lead role, but his TS was way too high, so we went with Mark Ruffalo. Taylor Kitsch was also in the original cast, but he ended up replaced with Dominic Cooper. Jennifer Decker was the only girl I could find to play her role. She and Vincent Cassel play French/English speaking father and daughter.

GOLIATHUS: A little more about the main character, your original choice is Nicolas Cage, who sadly isn’t getting paid, and your replacement is Mark Ruffalo. What is the main element that makes Mark Ruffalo the perfect replacement on that particular character?

TESLA: That character is a bit of a smooth talker, but he’s also sort of sleezy at the same time. I had a hard time finding a replacement for Cage due to the arthouse limitations. Ruffalo’s a fairly versatile actor, and I think he’s capable of playing this role. Nothing more to it really.

GOLIATHUS: Speaking of French, it’s probably just me wonder but is there any special reason you pick French out of the tons of languages out there?

TESLA: I think it was really about Jennifer Decker’s character. I’m not sure if her character would’ve had the same charm if it were a different language. It’s also a pretty sexy language, so there’s that.

GOLIATHUS: Shane Black usually directs scripts that have action, thriller, noir and black comedy elements. Is any of the element featured in Killing Blue?

TESLA: There’s a little bit of everything. Some elements are obviously involved more than others. There was also the arthouse factor to consider, but overall it felt like a good fit.

GOLIATHUS: I can easily see action and noir elements in this but I am not certain on the thriller and black comedy but well, more to expect for the audience! Speaking of expectation and now that you have won arguably one of the bigger awards in Yoda, is there any extra pressure or a higher standard you want to uphold now?

TESLA: You’re definitely right about the use of the genre elements. The action rises and falls throughout the film. It’s not like full on shootouts. You see the hitmen at work here and there, and then it all builds up to a thrilling end, I’d like to think. Not really aiming for laughs either. I don’t feel there’s any pressure to meet some sort of standard, mainly because I know I’m trying my best. If I don’t feel proud of something I wrote, then I wouldn’t even be writing it in the first place. The mere act of me writing something means it’s met my standards. I guess that means I write to please myself first, but I don’t want to write something and keep it to myself. You want to share with people and hope someone else feels the same way as you do about something you wrote.

GOLIATHUS: You have been writing for different studios but Catalyst Studios is the first you have written more than one piece for (Fact check: Opium and Tea is the first one, an arthouse film revolves around actors and their relationship, working and personal) so the question is, how is your relationship with the owner of Catalyst Studios (Fact check: RandomFX) and what makes you go back to an arthouse studio since well, arthouse has its limitation and there’s a ton of major studios out there, even some you have worked for?

TESLA: I wish Random would already upgrade to a full studio. Of course he has fantastic creative skills, but what really comes through is his enthusiasm for each project. It’s nice to see someone who cares about it as much as you do. It’s actually inspiring. It makes me want to do a better job. But sometimes you have a project that exceeds the arthouse limitations, so you’ve got to use a major studio.

GOLIATHUS: In your mind, in what way does Killing Blues stand out against (or different from) other movies of the same theme?

TESLA: I’m not sure what I’d compare it to. It’s possibly more dark and more raw, I guess. To me it was interesting to cross a few genres, and I don’t think films along the same line as this one would’ve bothered with that. It could’ve just been a story about a hitman and his protege, but there’s also the romance aspect, which only makes the stakes even higher. Tough question.

GOLIATHUS: Thanks for the interview, any last words for promotions or anything?

TESLA: Go watch it, please. That’s all I got.

Sometimes, few words are more words. Killing Blues is in theaters on May 24 and it’s arthouse which means less screens so you better book your seat now! The movie’s studio, Catalyst Studios, was kind enough to share, exclusively, with us the awesome poster for the flick…

The Dark Horse Films is back with a quadrilogy ready to launch and I think that a little reunion would be cool so here I am, with The Dark Horse.

GOLIATHUS: Welcome back to HTG (belated or not), so what brings you back?
THE DARK HORSE: Around Christmas time I started writing The Slave and I wanted to release it then. I don’t think I finished it till early March.

GOLIATHUS: In the previous interview, you said that you don’t think you will write about your own place but then BAM, there’s The Slave, what’s up with that?
TDH: I don’t think I could ever write about London right now. But Victorian London is almost like a whole other world. I did lots of research into that time and found it very fascinating.

GOLIATHUS: Any plan of bring your previously canceled project into development in the near future?
TDH: I’ll read a review for one of my films and suddenly feel the need to do something different and I know I can. I’ve dabbled in all kinds of genres and stories. That’s the only way you can learn. I’ve love to do a comedy or a sci-fi or an action. I’d love do a film that has broad appeal. My favourite directors and writers are the ones who can do opposite sides of the spectrum. If you do can do something dark and heavy then you should be capable of doing something lighty and fluffy. But I dunno. No matter how hard I try I keep going back to the same themes and subjects. I know I get alot of complaints for being dark and gritty and edgy. But that’s character. I want to write about real people in the most honest way possible. There’s truth to it. Everyone has that dark side. There’s alot to be said of a character’s sexuality – are they intimate? aggressive? promiscuous? impotent? passive? violent? tender? And there’s this undiscovered frontier that is yet to be explored – the human psyche. I write about dark, damaged people because I want to know what made them that way and if they’re capable of changing.

GOLIATHUS: Some may say that you always use a lot of A-cast in your film(which if we are looking at the in-game mechanism, isn’t always the best choice), any chance of you using lesser known stars in the near future or you just prefer to use well-known people because well, they are known for their capability?
TDH: I honestly think there’s a science to casting actors. When I cast an actor I want someone standing next to them who is as good as them. One weak link and the whole thing can fall apart.

GOLIATHUS: Rumor around the HTGsphere is that you have a quadrilogy known as the Hollywood series in development, mind to confirm or deny the rumor? And share a little about it if it is indeed, true.
TDH: Ha, yeah. I’ll have to get use to calling it a quadrilogy. I’ve only ever heard that term once before with the Alien films. I’ll confirm that yeah. The Hollywood films will be four crime comedies (if you consider Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas a comedy) that intertwine and overlap. Hopefully, we’ll be releasing them one after the other. The main characters are a crime kingpin (Daniel Day-Lewis), a racist cop (Christian Bale), a mob lawyer (Edward Norton) and a cocky stockbroker (Jude Law). The films will follow their attempts to learn to grow up, appreciate life and connect with others. Though to be honest, I’d like to complete those films and then take a leave again. I love writing films but my first love is writing novels.

GOLIATHUS: Hollywood Empire is in theater pretty soon, care to share a little more about that one?
TDH: “Hollywood Empire” is a crime saga in the same vein as “The Godfather”, “Chinatown” and “Goodfellas”. The main character, Michael Verona (played by Daniel Day-lewis) is a powerful Irish-Italian crime kingpin who must confront the ghosts and regrets of his past – including the re-emergence of a sociopathic Cuban drug dealer (Javier Bardem), a powerful German real estate mogul (Christoph Waltz) and his estranged adopted daughter (Rachel McAdams) who has since become a lawyer. There’s alot of secrets and twists and turns.

GOLIATHUS: Your filmography has been filled with dark and gritty elements and the Hollywood series is branded as a crime comedy, is this your take on a lighter(mood-wise) story or it is actually black comedy?
TDH: Yes and no. There’s a screwball romantic comedy, a courtroom thriller, a gangster epic, and a buddy-cop film. They’re all neo-noir. They’re all psychosexual thrillers. They’re all Hitchcockian in some way. There’s a touch of eroticism in all of them. The darkness is still there. But I’m aiming for it to be light, funny and relatable. Each film will embrace the cliches.

GOLIATHUS: Scanning around the rumored cast list, I realize you tend to use a focused group of actors, any reason why you prefer to use the same people over and over again?
TDH: They’re all my favourite actors. Nevertheless, I’m the kind of writer that uses actors when he writes. I try to imagine how they’d act a certain scene and how they’d look and behave. I’m very excited about these new films. I’ll be working with some new actors – Christoph Waltz, Leonardo Dicaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke, John C Reilly, etc.

GOLIATHUS: Your America series has four films but they are not realy directly connected to each other. Is the Hollywood series similar in sort of connectivity or this one is more relative to each others?
TDH: I honestly think there’s a theme in the America series that connects them all. They’re all have alienated protagonists that obsess over a woman, destroy themselves with this obsession and are ultimately saved by a woman. The Hollywood series will connect. “Hollywood Vice” starts with the death of one of the characters from “Hollywood Crimewave”. One of the characters in “Hollywood Nightlife” works for a character in “Hollywood Empire”. It’s a nice little tapestry.

GOLIATHUS: A little out of topic, what makes you prefer writing novel over film?
TDH: I’ve written screenplays before. “The Method” is a screenplay format. I just prefer writing with the novelistic style of writing. You get alot more control. Whereas with screenplay writing, when you pass the script over to the director and the actors, there’s a good chance they’ll change it for better or worse. I love the filmmaking process, it’s collaboration, it’s a team effort. A painter or poet can be a loner, but a screenwriter has to be a team player. Whereas writing a novel, you’re director-writer-actor all in one.

April is such a busy month for me and I apologize for the belated movie preview. Let’s just say that April isn’t as busy as March when it comes to the releases but hopefully the quality is still packing here. Do note that not all of the releases are covered in this article(due to lack of information) and everything is subjected to change as per usual, some films might pop-up suddenly, some will be delayed and so on.

April 5, 1st week of April
Already in theater is Hybrid: Phoenix Rising and it’s an achievement when your TV show is good enough to create a full release movie and that’s how Hybrid rolls. Phoenix Rising is the first half of the prequel of Hybrid, so expect politics and fantasy warfare out of this one. While I don’t have too much experience with Hybrid, I do know that it is kingdom-driven and has a lot to do with civil war and magic, lots of them. Do expect to see some new characters that will go alongside the TV lineup that will be available in this film. Neil Marshall is chosen to be the director as the producer is happy with his guest directing performance of the TV series.

April 12, 2nd week of April
Drugged: The End is the final chapter of Drugged. Every chapter of Drugged has a protagonist and this one will have all of them together and conclude their stories once and for all. Adding to that is a battle of victims and Harson Pharmaceuticals with a lot of laws intact. If you have found yourself in love with any of the protagonist of the previous instalments, do check on their ending in this one.

April 19, 3rd week of April
I would like to provide more of this week but really, the only one I have information on is Hollywood Empire, and that will be covered another day. So sorry folks, while this week has the most movies coming out of this month, the information is pretty hard to obtain, I almost kidnap one of the studio worker just to extract information but I am not that evil.

April 26, 5th week of April
Silent Hill: Broken Memories comes late April and is a direct sequel of last year’s Touch of Fear. Alex Mason, the protagonist, is rebuilding his life while the power of Silent Hill is luring him into the fray. Once again, Alex Mason returns to the foggy streets of Silent Hill in his attempt to find out more about the mysterious force. While I sometime have problem seeking information, the studio seems particularly open on this one and they seem to be very confident on this release. How will it perform though? We will find out on May. Okay, the studio is open, so where are the extra information? You do know we(Hollywood Times) have a TV show, right? Check that out.

And now, the monthly star valuation report:

On The Raise

• Chandler Riggs 0.500 -> 1.961(Scratchy Needle On a Phonograph Record)
• Louis Gossett Jr. 1.500 -> 2.399(Scratchy Needle On a Phonograph Record)
• Montego Glover 0.500 -> 0.999(Scratchy Needle On a Phonograph Record)
• Aryanna Engineer 0.500 -> 0.999(Scratchy Needle On a Phonograph Record)
• Gus Van Sant 5.588 -> 5.904(Scratchy Needle On a Phonograph Record)
• Lani Minella 0.500 -> 1.881(Sailor Moon)
• Lucy Liu 3.737 -> 4.048(Sailor Moon)
• Naomie Harris 3.819 -> 4.126(Sailor Moon)
• Chris Hemsworth 2.042 -> 3.386(The Man Who Would Be God)
• Paul Dano 3.992 -> 4.795(The Man Who Would Be God)
• Sean Bean 4.822 -> 5.182(The Man Who Would Be God)
• Melinda Clarke 1.309 -> 1.845(The Man Who Would Be God)
• Michael Rady 8.086 -> 8.819(Serial Killing For Dummies 5)
• Alison Brie 3.349 -> 4.553(Serial Killing For Dummies 5)
• Charlize Theron 8.403 -> 8.754(Serial Killing For Dummies 5)
• Ken Anderson 0.594 -> 2.128(TCW Rule the Ring)
• Pamela Anderson 6.252 -> 6.738(TCW Rule the Ring)
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson 10.672 -> 10.694(TCW Rule the Ring)
• Mick Foley 0.834 -> 1.348(TCW Rule the Ring)
• Paul Heyman 3.739 -> 5.196(TCW Rule the Ring)
• Idris Elba 4.460 -> 5.467(Thomas Jones: No Good About Goodbye)
• Tom Wilkinson 3.436 -> 4.284(Thomas Jones: No Good About Goodbye)
• Cobie Smulders 1.014 -> 1.559(Thomas Jones: No Good About Goodbye)
• Timothy Dalton 1.000 -> 1.546(Thomas Jones: No Good About Goodbye)
• Edward Zwick 5.182 -> 5.803(Thomas Jones: No Good About Goodbye)

Falling Down

• Brad Bird 8.120 -> 7.787(Sailor Moon)
• Christopher Nolan 13.270 -> 12.088(The Man Who Would Be God)
• Parker Posey 11.908 -> 11.541(Serial Killing For Dummies 5)
• Cameron Crowe 10.681 -> 10.590(Serial Killing For Dummies 5)

Who?

The film is being released by Lake Hope Features and produced by Drejr29 films. It is directed by Neil Marshall and stars Charlize Theron as Imoren, Emily Blunt as Imoren’s sister, Tryane, Viggo Mortensen as King Madarion and Alexander Skarsgaard as Imoren’s husband, Valynard. Other notable cast members are Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, Mia Wasikowska.

What?

Hybrid: Phoenix Rising is the first film of two, that serve as a prequel to the Hybrid television series. When a child with magical abilities escapes, it sets into motion events that will spark a civil war within the kingdom of Fryiae and Madarion must do what he can to remain in power. In the kingdom of Arnithlul, with the death of their brother Imoren and Tryane must decide to follow their own ambitions and desires or the needs of the kingdom at war.

Where?

Most of the film was shot on a stage. What wasn’t shot on a stage was shot on location in the UK. The film is set in four different kingdoms: Fryiae, Illista, Arnithlul, nad Belaham.

When?

The film is set about 30 years before the events in the Hybrid Series.

Why?

I wanted to explore how the characters in the series became who they were.

How?

I started working on this film immediately after I finished In Memoriam and right after I finished the third season of Hybrid. I originally wanted to write a film that served as a back story for the characters Vysarane and Evanine from the series. As I started working on the film, I began to go further and further back in time and so I included other characters from the series. In order to tell the stories of Vysarane and Evanine, certain events needed to happen and these events had to be triggered by certain characters. That just expanded the film that I had planned to be a short film.