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Thomas Jane Talks ‘Dark Country,’ Reveals The 3-D Western He’s Making Next!

Almost a year ago today, I spoke to actor Thomas Jane about his directorial debut, “Dark Country” — a noir-fueled thriller with a scary, Hitchcock-style twist that was filmed entirely in digital 3-D. Starring Jane, Lauren German (”Hostel: Part II”), and Ron Perlman (”Hellboy”), “Dark Country” will receive not just one but two 3-D screenings attended by its director and lead actor at Long Beach Comic Con this Halloween weekend.

The veteran actor is currently enjoying the success of his HBO television series “Hung” (set to premiere its third season in 2011), but he took time out to chat with me about this weekend’s “Dark Country” screenings, and remind the world that the film is not only his passion project, but also the very first fully digital, live-action 3-D movie.

MTV NEWS: Tom, here we are again, talking about “Dark Country” right before Halloween. Last time around, the film had just been released on DVD. What’s been happening since last we spoke about it?

THOMAS JANE: Well, it played three times this month. Earlier in the month, I hosted the L.A. 3-D Film Festival, and we played it there. It went over really well. It’s always great to see it with an audience in 3-D, because the film plays great with an audience and in 3-D like that. I’m very proud of that. Then I went to Korea, where I screened the film in 3-D for their 3-D film festival, and that went over really well, too. I was kind of worried about it because we didn’t have subtitles. The audience really got the movie, though.

Now we’re going to play it for the second year in a row at the Long Beach Comic Con. I do an annual Halloween screening, and this year the Comic Con is over the Halloween weekend, so they’re going to play it twice. They’re playing it on Friday night as a full 3-D screening, and then we’re playing it on Saturday night with a live commentary by me and Tim Bradstreet, the production designer on the movie, and Ray Zone, the 3-D supervisor.

MTV: I know you’re pretty proud of the film’s place in 3-D filmmaking, too…

JANE: Yeah, it’s still a pretty great example of a 3-D film, and we were the very first live-action 3-D film to be shot with the purely digital method. The way people are making 3-D movies now, we were the very first guys to do it. Even “Journey To The Center Of the Earth,” which came out before us, used a different system that involved some tape. We’re the first purely digital 3-D, live-action film to be made. It’s still a great example of 3-D filmmaking. We paid special attention to how to handle things like closeups in 3-D, which turned out really well.

MTV: Last time we spoke, you said that one of the things holding up this film and so many other authentic, truly 3-D projects from getting the positive attention they deserve is the evolution of 3-D in the home entertainment world. We have 3-D televisions and players now, so do you feel like we’re getting there yet? How close are we?

JANE: We’ve come a long way, but we’re still not there. The 3-D TVs are available and they’re selling, and all the TV manufacturers have 3-D TVs available, but we’re still not at the point where that is a viable alternative. The Blu-ray players are slowly converting to 3-D compatible too, but right now there are less than 20 true 3-D films that you can get for your home.

MTV: I just bought a 3-D television myself, and since I own a Playstation 3, I can play 3-D movies — so when will I be able to watch “Dark Country” the way you intended it?

JANE: Yeah, everybody’s slowly starting to get these things, but I think they’ll release my film when the market is a little more saturated with 3-D. Right now, like I said, there’s less than 20 3-D blu-rays on the market, and those are all big studio films. Slowly I think we’ll see the market get bigger, and when it does I fully expect Sony will put the film out with a director’s cut on Blu-ray.

MTV: Well, until then, we’ll have to settle for the annual Halloween screenings. On that note, where do you feel like “Dark Country” fits in the world of horror movies? Do you consider it horror?

JANE: I see it as more of a thriller than a horror movie, but it does have elements of horror. For me, this is my “Twilight Zone.” This is my “Tales From The Dark Side.” This is also my film noir. I studied a lot of film noir making the movie, and in film noir, they only used wide lenses, there was a lot of deep focus, there was a lot of shadows — all the stuff you see in my film. Even the cutting pattern in the movie mimics an old-fashioned film noir. If you’re very familiar with film noir, you can see I ripped off a lot of shots from some of the classic film noirs.

MTV: What about the DVD cut of the film? I know you’ve had some concerns about the film showing without the 3-D element…

JANE: My only complaint about the DVD out now in 2-D is that the movie’s not intended to be seen in 2-D. I don’t think it plays as well. And the film on DVD, for some reason that escapes me, is about a half a stop too dark. It’s called “Dark Country,” not “The Really F—ing Dark Country.” That really p—es me off. But when we’re able to screen the film in 3-D, I’m able to boost the gain a little bit and get the film looking pretty close to the way it was intended to look — certainly better than the DVD looks now. I live for the day I can release the film on Blu-ray 3-D, and also do some edits to the film and get it looking exactly the way I intended it to look when I made it. That hasn’t happened yet, but it will.

MTV: So is 3-D the future for you now? Will your next project be 3-D, too?

JANE: Yeah, I’m directing a Western in 3-D next year. I’m doing a 3-D Western, which hasn’t been done since the ’50s, and I’m really excited about it. I’m working on the script right now. I’m writing with a great writer named Glenn Porter, who wrote the movie I just finished called “I Melt With You,” that starred Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven and myself. The script was so great I approached him and asked, “You ever thought about doing a Western?” We’re cranking that sucker out now. I’m really looking forward to shooting that sucker in 3-D. I’ll direct and star.

Thomas Jane will screen “Dark Country” this weekend on Friday (October 29) and Saturday (October 30) at the Long Beach Comic Con. You can find out more information about the convention at www.longbeachcomiccon.com.

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Michael J. Fox And Lea Thompson On The Impact Of ‘Back To The Future,’ Getting Hit On By Young Fans

Going “Back to the Future” seems to have paid off for both Michael J. Fox and Lea Thompson: 25 years after the time-travel comedy became a worldwide sensation and the highest-grossing movie of 1985, the stars are still amazed by the impact the film had back then… and still has today.

At a recent event to celebrate the release of the “Back to the Future” Trilogy 25th Anniversary Collection on DVD and Blu-ray, Fox told MTV News that while he doesn’t remember “large chunks” of making the film — he was also starring in “Family Ties” at the time and was thus working 20-hour days — he does remember what happened when the movie hit theaters. “I was away in England when it opened,” he said. “And I was getting these calls from the States saying, ‘You have no idea how big this is.’ And when I came back, it was a different world.”

Thompson, meanwhile, marveled that she’s now getting recognized by a whole new generation of fans. “It’s kind of crazy, you know. I see these kids and they’re like, ‘Oh my God — you’re Lorraine McFly! And you’re so hot!’ And I’m like, ‘You were -10 when I made this movie. That’s so cool!’”

As for the movie’s continued appeal, Thompson said: “I think that it endures like this and that people still love it keeps being a surprise to me, year after year. The younger and younger kids still seeing this movie and recognizing me because they aged me to my age. I have to go, ‘I’m Lorraine old AND young.’”

Where does “Back to the Future” rank on your list of all-time favorite movies? And did you see it in the theater or discover it on VHS or DVD? Tell us in the comments!

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‘The Dark Knight Rises’: How Does The ‘Batman 3′ Title Stack Up To The Names Of These Other Sequels? [Poll]

Christopher Nolan gave Batman fans quite a bit to chew on this morning, when he revealed that the movie we’ve heretofore known as “Batman 3” a) will not feature the Riddler as its villain and b) will bear the not-so-different-from-its-predecessor title “The Dark Knight Rises.”

OK, take a moment to shed a tear for the Riddler (and for Jim Carrey, who no doubt would have loved to play him again). Got that out of your system? Good — now let’s talk about that title, “The Dark Knight Rises.” “The Dark Knight” was a brilliant title for the 2008 sequel to “Batman Begins” because, in addition to referencing one of Batman’s moniker’s from the comics, it foretold of the Caped Crusader’s descent into loneliness, self doubt and exile in that film. In naming the follow-up “The Dark Knight Rises,” Nolan seems to be hinting that a little something called redemption lurks ahead for our tortured hero.

“The Dark Knight Rises” also calls to mind the great sequel title “Return of the Jedi”: Both titles suggest a return to glory for our down-and-out heroes. Just as Luke and co. were left Solo-less, emotionally scarred (Vader was Luke’s father!) and on the lam at the end of “The Empire Strikes Back,” so too was Batman left friendless, girlfriendless and a fugitive from the law at the end of “The Dark Knight.” These were the dark middle chapters our protagonists had to go through to emerge the stronger, better heroes we always knew they could be in the third chapter. Of course, while most franchises of this sort play best in trilogy form, I welcome Nolan to keep making Batman movies as long as he wants.

All of that said, what do you think of “The Dark Knight Rises” as a title and how does it stack up to some of the other all-time great sequel titles? Hit the jump to vote for the best and worst sequel titles ever in our poll.

Didn’t have your pick for best and worst sequel titles in the polls? Tell us your favorites (and least favorites) in the comments!

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Tim Burton And Danny Elfman Chat About ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ In An Exclusive Clip!

FROM SPLASH PAGE: Ever since their first collaboration on 1985’s “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman have established themselves as one of Hollywood’s most perfect pairings. This holiday season, Warner Bros. Records will commemorate their prolific partnership with the release of “The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box,” a massive collection of the duo’s 13 scores together, featuring more than 19 hours of music, an exclusive DVD, and a long list of rare audio, video and collectible material.

Later this week Splash Page will feature a rare interview with Elfman discussing his work on projects like 1990’s “Batman,” but Warner Bros. Records has also provided MTV News with an exclusive clip of Elfman and Burton reflecting on “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” one of the many projects featured in the 25th Anniversary Music Box. In the clip, the award-winning composer explains why he identified so well with the film’s skeletal hero.

“['Nightmare'] probably reminded me more of your days in clubs and the certain type of music you were doing,” Burton told Elfman. “To me, that always seemed like the clearest thing to you in a way — something that was just inside of you for a long time.” Read more about Burton and Elfman’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” conversations on Splash Page!

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John Stewart’s Rally, ‘The Walking Dead’ And ‘Rocky Horror’ On ‘Glee’ In Today’s Twitter-Wood

Michael Ian Black refuses to perform at John Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity this week, but he’s got a good reason, and if you’ve been following his Twitter account you know what that is.

Meanwhile, the NBA tweets have been in full swing with the new season officially kicked off. Danny Pudi was all about it yesterday, while Marlon Wayans sounded worried about the Miami Heat. While the NBA is a popular topic in Twitter-Wood, it still may not have been as popular as AMC’s “The Walking Dead”; Carlton Cuse and Eric Appel checked out the premiere last night and posted their thoughts. You’ll find them after the jump along with Brian Lynch’s concerns about last night’s “Glee” episode.

I’m @brianwarmoth, and this is Twitter-Wood for October 27, 2010.

Twitter Pic of the Day:
@minusthebear Minus the Bear
LA w/ @mintzplasse trying to talk him into not using ride cymbals as crash cymbals… http://twitpic.com/314itv
-Minus the Bear, Band

@michaelianblack Main reason I refuse to perform at Jon Stewart’s rally this weekend: I was not asked to.
-Michael Ian Black, Writer/Actor (”Run Fatboy Run,” “Wet Hot American Summer”)

@StephenAtHome I’m concerned about all this anonymous corporate spending. That’s money that should be spent on advertising during my show
-Stephen Colbert, Actor/Writer (”The Colbert Report,” “Monsters vs Aliens”)

@MARLONLWAYANS I’ve seen white people on coke dancing to hard core hip hop more in sync than the miami heat
-Marlon Wayans, Writer/Actor (”G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” “Little Man”)

@dannypudi NBA hoops are back! And the World Series is here! I hope to be jumping and saying ’snap’ many times tonight. http://plixi.com/p/53085700
-Danny Pudi, Actor (”Community,” “Road Trip: Beer Pong”)

@BrianLynch Looking forward to the ROCKY HORROR episode of GLEE. Now that I’ve admitted this, am I allowed to serve in the military?
-Brian Lynch, Writer/Director (”Puss in Boots,” “Big Helium Dog”)

@CarltonCuse Congratulations to my pal Gale Anne Hurd (@GunnerGale). While not for the faint of heart, “The Walking Dead” is awesome.
-Carlton Cuse, Writer/Producer (”Lost,” “Nash Bridges”)

@erockappel Holy s–t! Just went to The Walking Dead premiere! Best show ever! I mean so so so f—ing good. Like no other tv show!
-Eric Appel, Writer (”Human Giant,” “The Andy Milonakis Show”)

Don’t forget to follow @MTVMoviesBlog on Twitter for all the latest updates and colorful commentary from the world of movies.

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