Interview with Ryan Simpkins of “Space Warriors” (and a Chance to Win A Trip to Space Camp)

Posted on May 30, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Space Warriors is the story of a group of extraordinary teens recruited for Space Camp, who battle for their chance to win a seat in the next shuttle to space, and learn the importance of teamwork, dedication and friendship when they get called in to save some stranded astronauts. It stars Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud Incredibly Close), Booboo Stewart (Twilight), Grayson Russell (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Savannah Jayde (Big Time Rush) and Ryan Simpkins (A Single Man, Revolutionary Road). The movie premieres on Friday, May 31st at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel. I am proud to present an exclusive clip.

Viewers can win a free trip to Space Camp by signing up now, and tuning into The Hallmark Channel on Friday 8/7c to find the secret keyword on screen.

I interviewed Ryan Simpkins about making the movie.

What’s the scariest part of Space Camp?

Well space camp isn’t really that scary, because everything is super safe and there are people there to help you no matter what. That being said, there was this one simulator that spun you around in a huge circle and it would slowly get faster and faster. It would come to a point where you couldn’t even lift your arms or open your mouth! The only fear I had was the fear of throwing up, and that was just because it was so hot in there.

What’s the most fun?

I really liked the scuba diving. It really feels like you’re just flying or floating. We played basketball with a bowling ball (I accidentally dropped it on Michael’s head, but he didn’t even feel it)! I also lifted a two ton ball above my own head down there. We were doing flips and flying around- it was amazing. I also quite liked our jumpsuits. We didn’t have pockets to put our hands in, so we just held them at our collar as if we were Bane from The Dark Night Rises. We also looked like we were in Starfleet Academy cadets from Star Trek. That was nice.

If you were an astronaut, which job would you want?

I would probably want to be in charge of the robots. I don’t know why, it just seems cool. I have a lot of friends who build robots in school and then go to competitions and compete, and they absolutely love it.

What are the most important things an astronaut has to know?

I think they really have to know how to work together as a team. There is one part of the film where the Warriors get in a huge fight and completely blow a mission. They failed and they had to pay for it. There is another part where the astronauts are making an extremely important decision and they have to draw straws. They don’t fight about who wins the game of straws, or say that it was unfair, they just work together to keep each other safe.

What are the most important qualities an astronaut has to have?

They have to stay humble and know how to work together, or else their egos will get in the way of getting the job done and doing it right.

What surprised you the most in what you learned about the space program?

I had no idea that they had moon buggy races. It wasn’t in the original script and it hadn’t been written in until about half way through the shoot, and no one ever mentioned it because they just assumed everyone knew. It’s actually a huge part of space camp training. I was lucky enough to actually go and see some of the races when I went back for the premiere. It’s pretty intense stuff.

What did you and the other kids do to have fun while you were making the movie?

We did lots of things. Every night after filming, we wouldd go up to the fifth floor where they served food and we would play games like Janga or Uno and watch the Olympics together. When we were done we’d head down to the pool and swim for hours; playing Marco Polo, Football, or just throwing a penny into the pool and searching for it. We all went to see The Dark Night Rises in the Imax Space Center Theater, and I forced them all to see The Avengers (it was my 7th time seeing it. I love that movie). We also went to this Safari that you could drive through and the animals would come right up to your car. On the night of the premiere we had this giant sleepover and stayed up till three in the morning watching The Hobbit, some of the behind the scenes footage, having pillow fights, and eating junk food. We also watched LOTS of Netflix. I love that cast more than anything.

What’s the best advice you ever got about acting?

Acting is always a challenge. A great man told me that. It’s never going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go for it.

What makes you laugh?

Bad puns. I’ll go back and watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and Sokka will tell a joke that I thought was the dumbest thing when I was little but I’ll die from laughter watching it now. I don’t know why but bad jokes just make me cry from laughing. Also Edgar Wright movies. I will laugh the entire time while watching one of those.

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Interview: Thomas Horn of “Space Warriors”

Posted on May 30, 2013 at 8:00 am

Thomas Horn, Jeopardy champion and star of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” appears in this week’s “Space Warriors.” The movie premieres on Friday, May 31st at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel and co-stars Ryan Simpkins, Danny Glover, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Lucas, and Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino.

Viewers can win a free trip to Space Camp by signing up now, and tuning into The Hallmark Channel on Friday 8/7c to find the secret keyword on screen.

Thomas Horn was nice enough to answer my questions:

What’s the scariest part of Space Camp?

I used a simulator called the multi-axis trainer that spins riders’ bodies in multiple axes, as the name suggests. Its a little bit nauseating and scary to watch, but it is less unpleasant than it looks.

What’s the most fun?

Conducting the space mission is definitely the most fun part of the camp, because you get to put what you have learned into practice. You get a feeling for what it is like to actually operate a spacecraft

If you were an astronaut, which job would you want?

I would want to be the mission commander, because they get to be in charge and make the final decisions on the spacecraft. It is the most difficult job, but also the most important.

What are the most important things an astronaut has to know?

As far as I know, an astronaut needs to be very familiar with physics and chemistry in general. Astronauts also have to know a large number of ordinary and emergency procedures.

What are the most important qualities an astronaut has to have?

An astronaut has to be clever and decisive, but also patient. They have to be hardworking, physically fit, and good team players. For my character in the film, this last requirement is the hardest.

What surprised you the most in what you learned about the space program?

I was really surprised when I heard that the astronauts returning from the Apollo missions had to land in the ocean, but couldn’t aim themselves very well, so they sometimes had to wait for hours to be picked up by a ship. That’s bravery.

What did you and the other kids do to have fun while you were making the movie?

We did a lot of swimming in the hotel pool (temperatures were 90+ for all but 2 days during the shoot), and we saw a lot of movies, including two in which my co-stars acted!

What’s the best advice you ever got about acting?

Be natural.

What makes you laugh?

Jokes are great, but the funniest moments are always accidental.

MVP of the Summer: Animated Snails?

Posted on May 28, 2013 at 8:00 am

Are snails the penguins of 2013?

For a while, penguins were the adorable go-to, in movies from “Madagascar” to “Surf’s Up” to the record-breaking documentary “March of the Penguins.” But this summer, the cutest creatures in animated movies seem to be…snails. The trailers for “Epic,” “Monsters University,” and “Turbo” feature snail characters. Indeed, in “Turbo,” the lead is a racing snail voiced by Ryan Reynolds. And Chris O’Dowd’s snail and his slug sidekick voiced by Aziz Ansari are the comic highlight of the film.

Epic

Posted on May 26, 2013 at 10:08 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language
Profanity:	Brief language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Fantasy/action/cartoon violence and peril, mostly non-graphic, arrows, swords, poison, sad deaths (one onscreen, discussion of death of parents and death of child)
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters and voices, all combatants white males
Date Released to Theaters:	May 24, 2013
Date Released to DVD:	August 19, 2013
Amazon.com ASIN:	B00CQFINCE

“Epic” means big — usually a big story filled with grand adventures. This is a grand adventure, but the story is very small, or at least its characters are. Like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” “A Bug’s Life,” and “The Ant Bully,” this is a story about the tiny creatures who live in the forest, riding on hummingbirds and swinging swords the size of toothpicks.

They are so little and move so quickly that most humans cannot even see them. But there is a scientist named Bomba (Jason Sukeikis) who knows they are there. He is so obsessed with tracking the little creatures that he lost his wife and daughter. Everyone thinks he is crazy.

As the movie begins, his ex-wife has died and his now teenaged daughter MK (Amanda Seyfried) is arriving. She has had almost no relationship with him and is not sure she wants one now especially when she learns that he still insists that there is a community of tiny beings in the forest. He has rigged up motion-sensitive cameras and he keeps detailed records of his sightings. MK decides to leave, but on her way out she has a close encounter of her own and suddenly finds herself shrunk down to the size of an insect and with the dying queen of the forest (Beyoncé Knowles) giving her custody of a magical bud. If the bud is not exposed to moonlight at exactly the right once-in-a-century moment, the forest will fall into the hands of the evil Boggens, led by Mandrake (two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz).

In the forest, there is a constant struggle between the forces of life and decay. The queen is protected by an army of Leafmen, led by Ronin (Colin Farrell). Ronin is responsible for Nod (Josh Hutcherson), the impetuous and rebellious son of a close friend who died in battle. Nod quits the Leafmen in frustration, but when everyone is needed to make sure the magical bud gets to bloom in the moonlight, including Ronin, Nod, MK, and an adorable snail and slug duo (Chris O’Dowd and Aziz Ansari, the comic highlight of the film).

The co-producer, co-writer, and production designer is the brilliant writer/illustrator William Joyce, inspired by his book, The Leaf Men. The visuals are pure magic, from the grand sweep of the forest to the tiniest details of the saddle on a hummingbird. Every shot is filled with marvelously imaginative ideas, exquisitely rendered. MK’s absent-minded scientist father has a wonderfully messy office filled with charts and equipment and record books that have a slightly stem-punk, Victorian feel. Chase scenes through the trees are deliciously vertiginous in 3D. And the quiet moments are lovely, too, with MK and Nod sharing the experience of losing a parent and learning to appreciate the families they have.

Parents should know that this movie includes a discreet but sad death of the murdered queen and references to divorce and the death of parents. Mandrake’s son is killed, and characters are in frequent peril. There are some scary images and characters use brief strong (for PG) language. There is one sweet kiss.

Family discussion: “Who gives up everything for a world that’s not even theirs?” What does it mean to say “many leaves, one tree?”

If you like this, try: “Robots,” “Ferngully,” and “A Bug’s Life” and the books by William Joyce.

For Memorial Day: Two Outstanding Short Films

Posted on May 25, 2013 at 12:22 pm

For Memorial Day, Sundance is making available online two outstanding short films about the military. Please take time to watch them with your family.

For aviation fans, get ready for a ton of wonderful archival footage coming your way in William Lorton’s Spitfire 944. A true-life story, Lorton has discovered rare 16mm footage of a 1944 spitfire crash and tracks down the pilot, now an 83-year-old World War II veteran to show him the footage. The early parts of this film consists of wartime remembrances and nostalgia for days gone by. The elderly pilot recalls his time spent with his comrades and explains the basic information involved with his aircraft. What he doesn’t know is that he is about to see, for the first time in his life, footage of his own crash. When the camera captures the man’s honest reaction to what he’s viewing, the greater theme at work is suddenly revealed in a flash. The result is an affirming, honest portrait of a man confronted with his past.

Based on a frightening true story that you won’t believe until you see, Rosso Fango details the ways in which a simple act of compassion can alter the entire course of human history.

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