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Exclusive Interview with the Star-Studded Cast of PIXELS
When Sony Pictures invited me to attend the New York press conference for their new movie PIXELS starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Josh Gad, I was beyond thrilled to attend. I had the opportunity to watch the movie at the private press screening the night before the junket and then interview the stars of the movie the following day. A few of my favorite moments & questions with this comedic cast:
Question: What was it like to work with Adam Sandler and Kevin James for the first time?
Josh Gad: It was a nightmare! No…it was truly a dream come true. These guys have been idols of mine forever. I grew up in the generation of Adam Sandler being on SNL and watching it religiously. I feel like Kevin and I are cut from the same cloth. I always wanted to work with him. He didn’t want me to do the movie originally, and I told him it would be okay. And Michelle, I am just obsessed with. The entire cast is just amazing, and Chris Columbus defined my childhood. Goonies and Gremlins made me the nightmare I am today.
Adam Sandler: And he had four call backs for Home Alone.
Josh Gad: They told me that they didn’t want to go that Jewish with the part.
Adam Sandler: They thought it would only play in Long Island.
Josh Gad: Laughing
Question: Michelle, how did it feel be the in the “girl power” role?
Michelle Monaghan: It felt awesome! Her job title and the name really got me – Lt. Colonel Violet Van Patton. I could not say no to that! She’s a weapons designer for the government and she gets to design this amazing weapon called the light cannon and that’s what the Arcaders use to defeat the aliens. She’s very cool, she’s strong, she confident. She has beauty, brains and brawn and that’s what I love about her.
Adam Sandler: She is confident.
Michelle Monaghan: She’s got beauty, brains, and brawn - - and that is what I love about her.
Question: Did any of you play classic arcade games from the film, and if you did what did you play?
Chris Columbus (Director): I only knew Donkey Kong and PAC-MAN. I was a little old, so hanging around arcades would have been a little creepy of me.
Adam Sandler: We all kind of grew up playing them. We loved it. It was our whole life growing up. Right around 12, maybe a little younger like 10, 11, 12 that was a big deal; the arcades opened up. There were girls there you got to talk to. There was food, some tough kids walking around that you were scared of. I remember you got to take the bus. Ours was downtown, it was called The Electric Dream Factory just like in the movie. You got on the bus, you went with a couple of your friends, you hung out, and your parents gave you like a dollar. You could choose to play one game and spend $0.75 on a McDonald’s hamburger or play all four games and have nothing to eat.
Question: How did you film the Donkey Kong scene? Did you use a green screen?
Adam Sandler: That was the best. We were pretty high up there. It was like a giant stage that was 70 feet high or something…
Chris Columbus: We built the entire thing…all the Donkey Kong platforms. It was mind boggling. You walked into that stage and it was stunning and then these guys were in harnesses and they can explain how painful that was. It was pretty grueling.
Michelle Monaghan: You do feel a little awkward when Chris is yelling…“Okay…there’s a barrel coming and it’s on fire…jump!
PIXELS Movie Review - Bring It On Like Donkey Kong!
The 80’s were bitchin. Totally tubular. Awesome in fact. Sometimes I just want to go back to those simpler times of big hair, Madonna and, of course, rockin’ video games like PAC-MAN™, Centipede® and Donkey Kong™. If you’re longing for a blast to the past, infused with state-of-the-art present day graphics and effects, then the PIXELS movie is for you.
In PIXELS, the classic video games find new life and are the real stars of the show in a bigger than life comeback. Adam Sandler plays Sam Brenner, the underachieving former “2nd Best Donkey Kong™ Player in the World.” Sandler is funny, endearing and a character you root for the entire movie. Kevin James, an unlikely choice for the President of the United States, desperately needs help in the polls due to some recent blunders in the press. He brings in his longtime childhood friends to help save the world…and his reputation. Michelle Monaghan, as Lt. Colonel Violet Van Patten, is beautiful, poised and tough as nails. All hail girl power! Peter Dinklage, as Eddie Plant a.k.a. The Fire Blaster, is the Arcaders former nemesis whom they reluctantly spring from prison to help defeat the aliens. A bad guy turned “sort of” good story. And rounding out the eclectic crew is Josh Gad as Ludlow, the child video game prodigy, who is hysterical in his adult conspiracy theorist role and adds laugh-out-loud humor throughout the film.
PIXELS is a fun filled ride for those nostalgic for the 80’s, but what about for kids of this generation? One word…EPIC! PIXELS seamlessly integrates cutting edge graphics to make the classic video game characters come to life. It’s like being in the middle of the arcade action! The combination of new technology with iconic video game characters, a killer cast with comedic chemistry, an amazing 80’s soundtrack and, of course, a battle to save the world makes PIXELS a “must see” movie for you and your family. LIKE TOTALLY!
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Sony Pictures invited me to pre-screen the PIXELS movie and attend the press junket. All reviews and opinions are those of SuperMoms360.com. |
