JAMIE BLACKLEY, OUT TO STEAL HEARTS AS THE REBEL ROCKER IN “IF I STAY”

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British actor Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) stars as Adam, the unlikely rocker who can’t resist the shy girl he hears playing the cello one day at school, in New Line Cinema's “If I Stay,” director R.J. Cutler’s adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

In “If I Stay,” Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Blackley notes, “It’s such a great story. These two people find each other because they share the same passion for music, and their relationship is nuanced and complicated and really appealed to me. But then in the blink of an eye everything changes without warning. Contemplating whether you’re ever going to see someone again and be able to say everything you thought you’d always have time to say to them is quite intense.”

Cutler says, “When Jamie sang for us he blew us away and when he and Chloë read together we all had tears in our eyes. We all felt the same way; we had our guy.”

Producer Alison Greenspan adds, “I knew he had made his big break in ‘Spring Awakening’ in London, which is vocally rigorous, but listening to him sing and watching him interact in character with Chloë was incredible—the electricity in the room was palpable.”

Blackley couldn’t resist stepping into the boots of the up-and-coming musician—and onto a stage behind a microphone and guitar. “I thought it would be nice to be a rock star for a bit,” he smiles.

Cutler says, “Adam is talented beyond his years and going places and I think Jamie is, too. He’s an incredible actor and really puts a hundred percent into it. We were lucky he walked in that door.”

Greenspan also thinks they were fortunate. “Women like men who are a combination of tough and sensitive. Jamie is the perfect blend of good looks and beautiful emotions. He immediately became Adam.”

Blackley and Moretz shared a mutual professional admiration from the start. “It was such a pleasure doing our scenes because Jamie’s a brilliant actor. Our relationship felt organic and natural,” says Moretz.

Blackley, who reveals he had been a fan of Moretz’s for some time, remarks, “It doesn’t hurt that we just get on well, and laughed a lot. It was cool to actually work with Chloë.”

“If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

MORETZ MUST MAKE A LIFE-OR-DEATH CHOICE IN “IF I STAY”

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Mia Hall thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam. But caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate, in New Line Cinema's romantic drama “If I Stay.”

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Directed by R.J. Cutler, “If I Stay” is a film adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman.

Chloe Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the upcoming “The Equalizer”) plays Mia whose life has always been infused with a rich soundtrack, because music has always been a priority in her house. Mia’s father was the drummer in a punk band before he became a teacher. Her mother carted Mia along to his gigs as a toddler and reveres women like Blondie’s Deborah Harry. Mia’s little brother, Teddy, who is already pretty good at drums himself, idolizes Iggy Pop.

But Mia wants to play the cello at Juilliard. And her heroes are Yo-Yo Ma and Beethoven.

“Mia’s parents embraced the punk ethos of living in the moment and the messiness of life and that’s just not who Mia is—she is a girl who needs order,” explains director R.J. Cutler. “She craves structure and form and it’s one of the reasons she was so attracted to the cello and why the moment she met her first cello she connected with it.”

Cutler had always wanted to work with Moretz and was thrilled when she came on board.

Moretz describes Mia as “very shy and sweet. She’s a regular girl, just living her life, figuring it out step by step like everybody else, faced with normal things like being insecure, wondering if she’ll get into the school she wants to get into. Unlike everyone else, however, she just happens to feel more comfortable with her cello than with people.”

Cutler says of his lead, “Chloë carried so much of the film and always came to work with such a positive attitude. When you have a star that brings it every day, everyone else brings it, too, and it makes a big difference. I was impressed by her professionalism and how she delivered at that level.”

How Mia’s story was told intrigued Moretz even more: in flashbacks, as Mia weighs her life and relationships. “The structure was such an interesting way to frame this character. It required going through such a range of events and emotions at different times in her life. It was nice exploring those dimensions.”

Cutler remarks, “Although Mia’s family and friends are unaware of her presence, Chloë was able to evoke a tangible connection with the other characters in a way that was truly remarkable.”

Being present but unseen was one challenge for the actress. She admits the mere physical aspect of portraying an accomplished cellist was another, particularly since Moretz had never played any instrument before in her life.

Moretz spent time studying classically trained cellists to prepare for the role. She relates, “There is something so raw and beautiful about a cello because cellists literally sing through their instruments. You can hear them breathing with each bow stroke, and every time they put their finger on a new note a new part of their body moves.”

She noticed many of the cellists she met were introverted—until they began to play.

“It was fascinating to watch them transform before my eyes. They become so animated and so passionate through this instrument. And that helped me with Mia, because Mia speaks through her cello,” says Moretz.

Cutler notes, “One of the things Chloë did so beautifully was capturing the essence of what it means to already be a virtuoso cellist at the age of 17. Her performance is persuasive and conveys that love of music. She really channeled the great cellists she studied.”

The director arranged for lessons with a cello instructor via Skype and in person during the busy months before Moretz would start “If I Stay.” He also wanted Moretz to have access to a cello—no matter where she was in the world.

And Moretz was all over the world. “I’d come to these new locations and there’d always be this instrument lurking around, following me. From Leipzig, Germany to the middle of Louisiana, the hotel staff would give me a strange look and say, ‘Ma’am, there’s a cello for you downstairs,’” Moretz laughs. “But actually living with it constantly made a difference since, for cellists, it really is an extension of their body.”

If I Stay movie review

It's already months after Valentine's Day and there's a chick flick that is out of season. The reason why I like to watch this movie because of Chloe Grace Moretz, better known as Hit Girl in Kick Ass movies.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Besides Ms. Moretz, what made me interested was the concept of the afterlife in the story. But this is not the first time movies had this theme. I can recall, Always, the trending Ghost, and my personal favorite; Just Like Heaven.

What I appreciated in this movie was the comedy and the musical score which is also essential in the story. What I like that this movie still appreciate classical and it also compliments rock in general. I never thought a kid would even heard of Iggy Pop.

I like how the story progressed. It's like there are two timelines are happening at the same time. The characters were proven useful except for Chloe's character. She just run around without looking for the solution while the living did their part.

I haven't read the book which it was adapted from but from the way I see it, the target audience enjoyed the movie after hearing their reaction in the last scene. I also heard from another movie critic that someone really cried. I am glad that there are "guinea pigs" or "test subjects" present during the premiere screening.

For more chick flick reviews, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook. Thanks to Warner Bros for the premiere screening.

BEST-SELLING NOVEL “IF I STAY” ENTHRALLS IN THE BIG SCREEN

Sometimes you make choices and sometimes they make you. For reserved high school cellist Mia, it comes in an instant. One snowy drive, one horrific accident, and she is forced to make a choice only she can make, one that will make this day Mia’s defining day.

 

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

That is the storyline of New Line Cinema's “If I Stay,” director R.J. Cutler’s adaptation the New York Times best-selling novel by Gayle Forman. Forman’s book has gripped Young Adult readers around the world with its enthralling love story and its unflinching look at what one young girl would do in the face of a life or death crisis that suspends her between this world and the next and presents her with an impossible choice…to stay or go?

“I read it in one sitting and it shattered me,” says director R.J. Cutler. His big screen adaptation marks the documentary filmmaker’s motion picture debut. “The central premise—we are whom we love—was so evocative, so moving, I knew I had to translate the profound connection I had with those pages to film.” 

The book’s global fan base includes producer Alison Greenspan, who read the galleys of Forman’s novel before it was even printed. Greenspan was equally engaged by Mia’s conflict and relationships. “I was captivated by Gayle’s voice, and how true it was to the young experience of grappling with love: family love, romantic love and love of self. It really spoke to my heart,” she offers.

She was also completely taken with Cutler’s vision, which he revealed in a visual presentation, complete with a CD reflecting the detailed musical palette for the world revolving around star-crossed musicians.

“I didn’t just see the film when I read the book, I heard it,” says Cutler. “It was very clear to me.”

Greenspan was familiar with Cutler’s thought-provoking and critically acclaimed documentaries that covered pop culture from politics to fashion. She followed an instinct that the combination of Forman’s material and Cutler’s inherent understanding of it was the start of something special.

Capturing the spirit of the popular book in a script was a key element. Although screenwriter Shauna Cross’s repertoire had been predominantly edgy comedies, her regard for the book and her take on it was exciting to the filmmakers. 

“There was a great alchemy between her hip, vibrant voice and the heartrending nature of Gayle’s,” says Greenspan. “The script is touching and sentimental, but still grounded in reality, and that’s what Shauna brought to the table.”

The producer also made a decision early on to keep Forman closely involved. Cross enjoyed the collaborative process with the author, noting, “The novel has so many layers—it’s funny and cool and heavy and uplifting. I wanted to preserve what the fans fell in love with in the first place. You have to modify things a little, but the film is still Gayle’s world and has Gayle’s Mia; it’s her Adam, parents and friends.” 

The pairing of styles proved fruitful. Forman, who also serves as executive producer, attests, “This is material I know intimately and characters that have lived in my mind for years, so, as I read the screenplay or watched on set, and got that twist in my gut I knew, for me, the book’s emotional content had successfully made the transition to screen.

“It’s been a real labor of love, I think, by a remarkable team,” she goes on. “Alison has been a champion and the moment I met R.J. I knew he saw it. He completely got the music, visuals, love story, and the characters. The cast is incredible too. It’s really the full package and I think the readers will be happy.”

Cutler adds, “Regardless of whether or not you’ve read the book, ‘If I Stay’ is a love story that takes an emotional journey exploring a fundamental truth: fate may have a hand in defining us, but so does love. And the choices we make because of that love can alter everything.”

In “If I Stay,” Mia Hall (Chloe Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. 

Opening across the Philippines on September 3, 2014, “If I Stay” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

If I Stay's Chloe Grace Moretz & Jamie Blackley Greets Philippines

Chloe Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley, the lead stars of the upcoming romantic drama “If I Stay,” say “Hello, Philippines!” as they invite Filipino fans of Gayle Forman's best-selling novel to cath the film when it opens here on Sept. 3, 2014. 

The international main poster for “If I Stay” has also just been revealed, featuring a collection of haunting images, anchored by the tagline, “Life for Love.”

Forman’s beloved novel comes to the screen in New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ drama “If I Stay,” starring Chloë Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the “Kick-Ass” films), Mireille Enos (“World War Z”), Joshua Leonard (“Higher Ground”), Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and Stacy Keach (“Nebraska”).

In the film, Mia Hall (Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Rounding out the main cast are Liana Liberato , Aisha Hinds, Jakob Davies and Gabrielle Rose.

R.J. Cutler directed the film from a screenplay by Shauna Cross based on Forman’s novel. “If I Stay” is produced by Alison Greenspan, with Denise DiNovi, Forman and Brad Van Arragon serving as executive producers.

Cutler’s behind-the-scenes team included cinematographer John de Borman, production designer Brent Thomas, editor Keith Henderson, costume designer Monique Prudhomme and composer Heitor Pereira.

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 03, 2014, “If I Stay” is a presentation of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.