Saoirse Ronan
Irish actress Saoirse Ronan got her start in her native land on the television series The Clinic and Proof before parlaying her small-screen success into a career in Hollywood. Her first big-screen gi...
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04/11/1994
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'Byzantium' Producer Says His Gemma Arterton Vampire Film Is Nirvana to the ABBA of 'Twilight'
May 29, 2013 5:13pm EST"We've made a punk vampire film," producer Stephen Woolley says of Byzantium, Interview With the Vampire director Neil Jordan's long-awaited return to the undead. Judging by the leather bustiers we see Gemma Arterton wearing throughout the trailer for the movie (out June 28), "punk" really is the operative word. In fact, in a new interview with the BBC about the movie, Woolley shows how keen he is to distance Byzantium from the mother of all latter day vampire movies: Twilight. "I think this is a little bit more funky than Twilight," Woolley says. "It's Nirvana if Twilight is ABBA." Byzantium is about a mother and daughter, Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan respectively, who live for 200 years trying to hide who they really are: immortal bloodsuckers. "I wanted to make her very ferocious," Arterton says of her character. "And sensual, and sexual, and strong, and feminine... and all of these things that are scary. This is a movie in which women, who usually fall prey to vampires, are most definitely not their victims. Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt | Follow Hollywood.com on Twitter @Hollywood_com More: ‘Byzantium’ Teaches Us That If You’re a Vampire, Don’t Tell Anyone Or You’ll Die — TRAILER Artsy Vampire Flick ‘Byzantium’ Is Perfect for YA Readers Will Caroline or Elena from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Crossover on ‘The Originals’ From Our PartnersStars Pose Naked for 'Allure' (Celebuzz)Which Game of Thrones Actor Looks Least Like His Character? (Vulture)
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'Byzantium' Teaches Us That If You're a Vampire, Don't Tell Anyone. Or You'll Die (For Real).
May 21, 2013 4:20pm ESTJust because Twilight is (finally) over doesn't mean that vampires movies are a thing of the past. But hopefully Neil Jordan's upcoming Byzantium will be far better than Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vamps! Starring Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) and Saoirse Ronan (Hanna), Byzantium follows a mother and daughter as they try to get by without giving away their bloodsucking heritage. Along the way, their history is unraveled and a young romance emerges — will that be the ultimate downfall of these crafty vamps? Check out the newly released trailer for the artsy, mature vampire flick: Byzantium hits theaters June 28, 2013. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum | Follow Hollywood.com on Twitter: @Hollywood_com More:Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan Set for 'Byzantium'Artsy Vampire Flick 'Byzantium' Is Perfect for the YAF ReaderTribeca 2013: 15 Films That Belong On Your Radar From Our PartnersStars Pose Naked for 'Allure' (Celebuzz)Which Game of Thrones Actor Looks Least Like His Character? (Vulture)
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'Violet & Daisy': Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan Are Violent, Whimsical Teen Assassins — TRAILER
April 30, 2013 10:29pm ESTIf you often think to yourself "man, I wish my crime-thrillers had a bit more whimsy," then Geoffrey Fletcher's newest film, Violet & Daisy, might just be for you. Because Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan don't seem to be f**king around in this entirely curious, but all together fascinating-looking film. A far cry from the one that won him Oscar gold, Precious, the trailer for Violet & Daisy shows a movie that's not at all what you would anticipate upon first glance. Seemingly part young adult novel, part crime drama, with a dash of whimsy thrown in for good measure, Fletcher has definitely not written another story about a can-her-life-get-more-depressing girl from 1980s Harlem. It's hard to know what Violet & Daisy will ultimately be about given its trailer, but it's safe to say that there's more going on beneath the surface than two teen assassins accepting a job that goes horribly awry. Upon further inspection, there seems to be a curious character-driven story hidden amongst the visual interest and symbolism of whatever it was we just saw. Also starring James Gandolfini as the girls' "target," Danny Trejo as their client Russ, and the insanely talented but criminally under-appreciated Tatiana Maslany (from BBC America's similarly-trippy Orphan Black) as April, Violet & Daisy looks like it could end up being one to watch in 2013. Don't believe us? Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself. Planning to see Violet & Daisy? Let us know in the comments! Follow @AliciaLutes on Twitter More:Alexis Bledel Nabs Killer New Role'Mad Men' Adulterers Alexis Bledel, Vincent Kartheiser Are EngagedSaorsie Ronan Ain't No Bella Swan From Our Partners:Miley Goes Braless for Magazine Cover (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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Lily James to play Cinderella
April 30, 2013 3:25pm ESTThe glass shoe fits for Downton Abbey star Lily James - the Brit will play Cinderella in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming movie adaptation of the classic fairytale. The 24 year old, who plays flighty Lady Rose MacClare on the hit period drama, has beaten out the likes of Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan and Dark Shadows beauty Bella Heathcote for the part of the Disney princess in the live-action remake, which is set to be released in 2014. Actress Cate Blanchett will portray her evil stepmother, while Game of Thrones hunk Richard Madden is in talks to play Prince Charming. Branagh will start shooting in London later this year (13).
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Tribeca 2013: 15 Movies That Belong on Your Radar
April 16, 2013 3:54pm ESTThese past nine years have seen the Tribeca Film Festival transform from a patriotic passion project of Robert DeNiro into one of the most exciting annual purveyors of new film. Tribeca has upheld the flavor of independent cinema with countless small and engaging projects, but has hardly fallen victim to these limitations — just last year, the festival debuted The Avengers, as big a movie as one can imagine. The variety maintains with 2013's slate, kicking off this week. No matter what breed of cinephile you might be, the Tribeca slate has something to be excited over... You wanna laugh?Indie fests aren’t all tearjerkers and documentaries. Tribeca ’13 has a healthy platter of comedy in store. A few attractive entries: Adult World, in which aspiring writer Emma Roberts works at a sex shop while taking literary advice from an eccentric John Cusack; A Case of You, which stars Justin Long as a young man who lies on his Internet dating profile (is there any alternative, really?) to impress barista Evan Rachel Wood; and the wicked G.B.F., which highlights the competition of two vapid popular teens to win the camaraderie of their high school’s first openly gay student. Not into that? Fine. As a wise man once said, “Laughs are cheap. I’m going for gasps.” We’ve got you covered:If your preferred movie-watching position is at the edge of your seat, Tribeca’s list of thrillers, horrors, and crime dramas will peak interest: holding up the fantastical, there’s Byzantium, in which mother-daughter pair Gemma Arteron and Saoirse Ronan (doesn’t it seem like they’d be more appropriately cast as sisters?) fend off a ganglion of undead monsters; an emotional punch invades the genre with A Single Shot, in which a Sam Rockwell vies desperately to reunite with his family after being wrongfull accused of murder, and in Whitewash, which sees Thomas Haden Church circling the drain in the wake of an accidental killing; finally, things get their darkest in Big Bad Wolves, when two vigilantes (one with a badge) take the apprehension of an alleged serial killer into their own hands. Would you prefer tears?There’s nothing like a good cry and there’s no deficit of sob stories at Tribeca: kick off with the troubled father-son story of At Any Price, in which corn farmer Dennis Quaid comes to blows with his son Zac Efron, the contentious economy of the corn industry, and his own compulsive pride; there’s some hard-hitting material to be found in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which illustrates a young Pakistani man’s personal and professional experiences in America following the events of Sept. 11; and in the especially promising Bottled Up, we have Melissa Leo, tackling a new gritty story (hopefully without those dreadful Oscar pleas this time around) about the complicated journey attached to devoting one’s heart to a drug addict. How about Paul Rudd? You like Paul Rudd, right?Especially when he’s hanging out with some other guy? We’ve got two for you, then. Take your pick:Almost Christmas, in which smooth-talking Rudd teams up with conman and cuckold Paul Giamatti in the get-rich-quick game, or Prince Avalanche, in which highway worker Rudd teams up with his nubile brother-in-law Emile Hirsch in the doing-nothing-for-hours-on-end game. Both strong candidates. Well you must like cat videos…The documentary Lil Bub & Friendz proves that America’s kitten GIF fixation has extended far and beyond an at-work distraction. It is now a full-on, film-inspiring religion. You like your documentary subjects to be a little more… sophisticated?Okay, hot shot. How’s Gore freakin’ Vidal? Burr Steers, Christopher Hitchens and more lend their takes on the superhuman American writer in the doc Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. Finally, the one we're all waiting for:Ladies and gentlemen, Before Midnight, the third (and possibly final... but who knows anymore) chapter of Richard Linklater's story of romance involving a garrulous Ethan Hawke and a scathing Julie Delpy. When the trio introduced the small but unstoppable Before Sunrise in 1995, it invoked something fresh and humane. When the follow-up Before Sunset hit in 2004, fans were doused by the amazement of the sequel's ability to not only live up to, but to perhaps completely outdo its predecessor. And word on the street is, Before Midnight is more than worthy of its company among these heartrending gems. Tribeca might have a lot of gold lined up this year, but nothing more exciting than Before Midnight. More:2013 Tribeca Includes a Paul Rudd Buddy Comedy and a 'Star Wars' Remake'Before Midnight' Completes a Trilogy at Sundance, Questions True LoveSXSW's 'Prince Avalanche' Is a Hilarious, Touching Odd Couple Story From Our Partners:Eva Longoria Bikinis on Spring Break (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Celebrity Apprentice': Dennis Rodman Insults Melania Trump, and 6 Other Ridiculous Moments
April 08, 2013 9:04am ESTSomething smell fishy? No, I'm not just talking about Melania Trump's Caviar Complexe skin care line, which our D-listers were forced to create a 60-minute advertisement for Sunday night. I'm talking about the fact that Dennis Rodman — the Celebrity Apprentice star who looks like he wandered out of a TLC series — was chosen to be Project Manager for the show's 60-minute advertisement for Melania Trump's Caviar Complexe skin care line. In just two weeks — in two abridged one-hour segments — Celebrity Apprentice rid its cast of the two most drama-producing stars, Omarosa and Dennis. And, with Penn Jillette picking up his first Project Manager win and bored cowboy Trace Adkins narrowly escaping elimination, it seems the reality show has come to the point in the series when it pretends it has hired stars that actually harbor a modicum of business savvy. So, essentially, the point in the series that's about as interesting as an endless loop of Ready For Love advertisements. Thank god we still have Busey. But before we actually start caring about who should reel in the Celebrity Apprentice win this season, we have bigger fish to fry — read on for the seven most ridiculous moments of Sunday's Celebrity Apprentice! RELATED: 'Celeb Apprentice': Dennis Is Actually a Modern Artist 7. Melania's a Big FishWhich is precisely why Mrs. Trump opted to use little fish eggs in her skin care line, which she claimed to be researching for 10 years. (If, of course, by "researching" skin care products, she meant simply "using" skin care products, expect my heavily "researched" line of peanut-butte-served-on-spoon to hit stands soon.) Also, it didn't hurt that caviar only manages to further the Trump mission to thurst opulence at American consumers. (Trust me, I didn't like using "Trump" and "thrust" in the same sentence any more than you liked reading it.) Next up for Melania: Toothbrushes with bristles made from black American Express cards, Bubble bath soaked in pieces of water polo horse, and Tru Blood serum made with real bits of Eric Trump. 6. Gary Busey's Day OffAt least, it seemed Busey wasn't quite present during Sunday's episode — and, for once, we're not referring to his state of mind. But just as I began to write in my notes that the episode, like all television programs, didn't feature enough Busey, the Oscar-nominated actor popped up to pitch himself as a spokesman for Melania's line, claiming he could sell the product to "men homosexual and heterosexual." His catchphrase of choice, "This is no longer a secret weapon. It is now a secret miracle," also happens to be the exact phrase reality TV producers use to describe Busey himself. RELATED: 'Celeb Apprentice': Dennis Cures Homelessness 5. James Bond and Caviar Go Together Like James Bond and Casual FridayStill, that didn't stop Project Manager Dennis to pitch an ad concept involving 007 and caviar, which he claimed was seen in every James Bond film. 4. "Be very promiscuous with your caviar."Best line from Dr. No, bar none. 3. "I give us all half stars."The most apt quote of the night came from Dennis, who refused to give one single team member a star for their work in the boardroom. Instead, Brande, Trace, Lil Jon, and Dennis were rewarded with a half star, which means, collectively, Team Power's four D-list all-stars are equivalent to two stars. Congratulations, Dennis, for being unintentionally self-aware! RELATED: 'Celeb Apprentice': Omarosa and LaToya's Fight 2. The Continued Existence of Eric TrumpThough it's impossible to not pity the enormous vampire Trump when Dad balks at Dennis' insult of Melania (see No. 1), but fails to even mention Penn calling Eric a "disruptive force." We know now why you cry, poor, sad, enormous vampire. 1. Who is Milania?One of the most heinous children to ever appear on television (sorry, King Joffrey — you are not quite the best at being the worst), but definitely not Donald Trump's wife. (That is, not until the young Real Housewives of New Jersey star is old enough to compete in Miss USA.) But rather than double-checking their spelling, Celebrity Apprentice's Team Power managed to incorrectly label Melania Trump "Milania" in their promotional materials. More ridiculous than Dennis' claim that Penn's incorrect labeling of Melania as the skin care line's "spokesperson" was worse than the misspelling, was the fact that Stephen Baldwin was the first to notice the error... claiming the correct spelling was "Malania." (Just a regular Saoirse Ronan, this Melania is!) Eventually, though Trace designed the posters, Dennis' oversight and Trump's incessant need to make Trace like him was enough to cut the basketball star loose. "Hate to lose him," Trump said as Dennis exited out the door. And since we're talking about a reality star who spent his first Celebrity Apprentice season sleeping, and his second asking Mrs. Trump if he could rifle through her bathroom, so do we, Trump. [Image Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC] From Our PartnersJessica Alba Bikinis in St. Barts (Celebuzz)Pics of The Rock Making Things Look Small (Vulture)
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Slippery When Wet: 12 Sexy Rain Scenes from Movies — GALLERY
April 02, 2013 6:48pm ESTAdmit it: sometimes things are just better when they're wet. Slip 'n' slides, thirst-quenching beverages, and yes, even the occasional romantic moment or two. Aside from the lubrication aspect of the wee moisture droplets, there's also a sense of abandon that comes with saying "f**k it, let's do this" when the rain is pouring down around you. RELATED: 'The Host': A Guide to Evading All Body-Invading Aliens Think about some of the most epically sexy moments in movies: Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams share The Kiss to End All Kisses in The Notebook under a deluge, Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger got wet 'n' wild in some back-alley sexytimes during 9 1/2 Weeks, and who could forget the sexy at-last kiss between Holly Golightly and her Breakfast at Tiffany's paramour? RELATED: 'The Host''s Saoirse Ronan Ain't No Bella Swan Such is the case of the films we present before you: a little rain never hurt anybody, and in this instance, we think it actually helped the situation. Think about it: what's more boring than a movie make-out? One without rain, of course! So in honor of the sexy alien times going on in the newest Stephenie Meyer mega-hit The Host, we've compiled a list of our favorite, legitimately sexy moments in water-related history. Who knew there was such variety living in these downpours? If you weren't aware, you are now: sometimes sexy is better with a little drizzle. GALLERY: 12 Sexy Cinematic Rain Scenes Follow @Alicialutes on Twitter [Photo Credit: Open Road Films] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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Box Office Report: What Happened to Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host?'
April 02, 2013 1:28pm EST$3.35 billion in worldwide box office, some of the biggest opening weekend's in movie history and one of the most successful movie franchises of all-time! No, we are not talking about Stephenie Meyer's The Host. The anticipated big screen follow up to her enormously successful Twilight franchise is not even in the same ballpark. The Host's paltry $10.6 million for the entire weekend is less than one-third of the first day gross of the first Twilight movie back in 2008 ($35.98M) and allowed for only a sixth place debut for the weekend behind holdovers Oz the Great and Powerful and Olympus Has Fallen. RELATED: 'G.I. Joe' Tops Easter Box Office with $41.2 Million! Featuring a young and attractive cast including Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna), Max Irons(Red Riding Hood) and Jake Abel (The Lovely Bones, I Am Number Four) the plot had something to do with an "unseen enemy" taking over people bodies and performing some sort of mind erasing techniques. Clearly the romance and drama that was so compelling to teen girls in the Twilight films was absent with The Host and the numbers reflect this indifference. To be fair, no one expected the film to come anywhere close to the box office numbers of any of the Twilight films and Meyer is not the only one to be stung by the come down blues. Other than Kristin Stewart and her Snow White and the Huntsman box office home run, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner have had mixed success in their post-Twilight careers. If this proves anything, it is that even a brand name like Meyer's isn't enough to make a hit out of a mediocre movie. So what ultimately went wrong? You can blame all of the usual things: bad timing, competition in the marketplace, ineffective marketing, bad reviews, etc. Perhaps it just came down to the nebulous title and a lack of any real star power to drive teen audiences to the theater. Or maybe it just was a really bad movie and no one showed up. What do you think? [Photo Credit: Open Road Films] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'The Host': A Guide to Aliens That Invade the Human Body — INFOGRAPHIC
April 02, 2013 9:42am ESTGuard your orifices! The Host may be a CW-style variation of it, but Stephenie Meyer's story of alien Souls invading the Earth follows a long and rich sci-fi tradition: that of militant extraterrestrials violently taking over human bodies. The mechanics of these body intrusions may vary — some implant themselves in the ears, others in the GI tract, others in the womb — but one thing is clear. These aliens really, really want to get up and close and personal with humans, with varying degrees of discomfort for the host. Stephenie Meyer’s ‘The Host’ Vs. Bong Joon-ho’s ‘The Host’: A Soul/Seoul Connection? So to help you avoid implantation yourself, we've given you an anatomical breakdown of where exactly you can find each type of invader in a typical human body. Sharpen your scalpels and check out this infographic: Click on the image above for to get a larger view. And start taking notes from our handy key. Knowledge is your best defense! 1. Brain: Compared to some of these others, the way the Souls take over human bodies in The Host is pretty gentle. Via a surgical slit in the back of the neck, a Soul — a little light-up creature that looks like the plasma balls at a science museum you liked to touch when you were a kid — enters your nervous system and moves toward the neocortex, assuming all cognitive functions and erasing the personality of its host. 2. Nose: Technically, the tiny aliens in Meet Dave have built a spaceship that looks and sounds exactly like a human being (or at least a really awkward Eddie Murphy). They use its eyes as viewports, its mouth as a gangplank, and when they need to make a really rapid exit they get themselves snorted out of its nose. The scary thing, is that they're small enough to invade the noses of actual humans as well. Yeah, you might want to get that lingering sinus infection checked out... ‘The Host’: Let’s Talk About That Ending — SPOILERS 3. Ears: Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) used a Ceti Eel to extract information from Commander Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Captain Tyrell (Paul Winfield) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The eel, a native of barren wasteland Ceti Alpha V, burrows into a human's ear and all the way into his or her brain. Once there, it renders the host completely vulnerable to suggestion. Meaning that Khan could tell Chekov and Tyrell exactly what he'd want them to do, and they would do it no matter what. 4. Mouth: Time-traveling Romulan freighter captain Nero (Eric Bana) in 2009's Star Trek was a kindred spirit of Khan in terms of using alien parasites to bend human prisoners to his will. His Centaurian slug, however, enters its host through the mouth, then tunnels in toward the brain stem. Nero was able to use one to get Capt. Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to reveal all of Starfleet's defense codes. 5. Chest: The parasitic aliens of LV-423 in Alien begin their takeover of the human body by wrapping their tentacles around a person's head and hugging the face. When it suddenly departs, you think you're free. But actually it's deposited an egg inside you that will incubate in your chest cavity, until suddenly it bursts out when you're chillin' with your space-trucker friends. 6. Womb: Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) had unprotected sex with her lover Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) while exploring a mysterious alien world. So the possibility of getting pregnant was already very real. But what she didn't realize was that Charlie had been infected with an extraterrestrial virus that was rewriting his genetic code. And so he didn't impregnate her with a human child but with a rapidly growing alien parasite that lodged in her womb. Not many would have the fortitude to perform a C-section on herself to abort this unwanted pregnancy like Dr. Shaw did. 7. Hand: Okay, this isn't really an extraterrestrial parasite, but it is a condition known as "Alien Hand Syndrome," in which a person can't control the actions of their limbs. In the case of Dr. Strangelove that meant his hand kept spontaneously giving the fascist salute, which we suspect may have been a Freudian slip in mime form for the ex-Nazi scientist. Laughs aside, it is a real condition. Think of it like a much more embarrassing version of "restless leg syndrome," if anything can be more embarassing than "restless leg syndrome." Follow Christian Blauvelt on Twitter @Ctblauvelt [Photo Credit: Hollywood.com Illustration] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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Is Stephenie Meyer's 'The Host' Rooted In Mormon Doctrine? How the Religion Fosters Sci-Fi
April 01, 2013 5:23pm ESTThis article contains mild spoilers for The Host. Underneath The Host's schmaltzy romance and blinding shine of silver sports cars lies a challenging theme of identity and existence, both Earthly and beyond. The concepts are deepened with a little background information: the movie is based on a book of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, best known for penning the Twilight series. Meyer is also one of the most successful authors to come out of the Mormon faith. Viewed through a lens of the uniquely American religion, The Host ends up more of a refraction of those beliefs than anything found in her vampiric romance saga. Some connections are superficial: in the film, the human race is taken over by body-snatching aliens and forced to go into hiding. The "resistance" dwells in caves, living off their stored food and underground fields of wheat. The world of The Host may revolve around a doomsday scenario, but it bears striking resemblance to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most notably, the Church practices food storage and the image of grain features prominently in The Book of Mormon (according to Robert R. Bennett of the Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, there are more than 28 references to grain in the Book of Mormon). Meyer tells us that it was Host director Andrew Niccol who pushed for the inclusion of wheat because he "really liked the visual" and that any LDS connection is total coincidence. But even persons of the Mormon faith see the roots of her science fiction tale. "There were many LDS/Mormon overtones on gender and race embedded in the Twilight series, but The Host seems more connected to to the Mormon faith to me," says Joanna Brooks, a senior correspondent for Religion Dispatches. According to Brooks, The Host's broader strokes — from the alien "Souls" (terminology from Meyer's original text) entering the body of humans to the possible interplanetary afterlife suggested by the film's conclusion — explore foundational Mormon doctrine. Brooks notes that Mormon theology teaches that before the souls of human beings come to this life, spirits live in a preexistence with God. She describes it as a "pre-heaven." But in that time before life on Earth, one-third of the souls that "pre-existed" were cast out of the presence of God and followed Lucifer instead of finding bodies on Earth. There have also been suggestions that the slighted souls attempt to intervene with the affairs of the world. "Sometimes, you will hear as folk doctrine, the idea that this one-third are so envious that they will try and take over," Brooks says. "But the teaching that there were a large number of spirits that never made it to Earth who might like to is actually doctrine." RELATED: Let's Talk About That Crazy Ending of 'The Host'— Spoilers The blurry line between doctrine and Mormon folklore, a visible sign that the 19th century religion continues to evolve, is at the heart of The Host. In the end of the film, the main character Wanda (an alien inhabiting the body of a human woman, Melanie) decides to opt out of being transplanted to a spaceship and sent to another planet, choosing instead to be removed from Melanie's body and "die." This strikes Brooks as a reference to Kolob, the thing closest to the dwelling place of God. It's another Mormon story that has slowly become myth in the grand tapestry of beliefs. Other Mormon writings took the concept a step further — and sound more like the basis of The Host. "Even our most speculative theologians in the 19th century inferred that there could be other universes where other divine beings with a parallel to God may also have dominion," Brooks says. "A cosmological consciousness is part of the Mormon tradition." Meyers isn't the only Mormon science fiction writer to look to her religion for inspiration. Nathaniel Givens, blogger for popular Mormon site Times And Seasons, cites Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card, who reworked the history of Joseph Smith, founder of Latter Day Saint Movement, for his book The Seventh Son, and touches on Mormon themes in the Ender's sequel Speaker for the Dead. Other prominent Mormon sci-fi writers include Glen A. Larson, whose show Battlestar Galactica includes a place called "Kobol," and fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, who took over the poplar Wheel of Time series. For Givens, The Book of Mormon, unlike other religious texts, considers all sides of the universe, creating a faith that nurtures science fiction writing. "Since Mormonism also makes doctrinal claims that go well outside of most religions (for example, about what happens before and after this mortal life) and also has long believed in compatibility between science and religion, the direction that Mormons take with their individual speculation is very compatible with sci-fi," Givens says. The blogger points to American sci-fi writer Pamela Sargent, who described science fiction as "the literature of ideas," and believes that a large part of Mormon practice is working out big ideas that have to do with how we got where we are and where we might get where we're going. "If Mormons want to try and dig deeper and understand the meaning behind or connections between elements of official Mormon doctrine, then that becomes sort of their own responsibility," he says. "So there's just this deep culture of amateur theology in Mormonism; we spend a lot of time just trying to figure out how things might work, theologically." Givens notes that he does not believe either Meyer or Scott Card depict things they already believe, aligning with Meyer's retort that The Host isn't an overtly Mormon film. There's a presumption to how faith-based works operate — a "preachy" film can steer larger audiences away — and that's not The Host. Instead, Meyer's adaptation takes a stab at considering, challenging, and working out Mormon ideas. "It's all about questions, not answers, and Mormonism is a religion that — in terms of structure — tends to create a lot of questioning people," Givens says. "It also creates a lot of very conformist people, too, don't get me wrong. That's just a tension that exists within the community." RELATED: ‘The Host’ Star Saoirse Ronan Talks About Alien Kissing A speculation-friendly religion is bound to divide, both between sects of believers and those on the outside looking in. As a successful Mormon figure, Meyer has come under predictable heat, and Givens says he knows just as many Mormons who are proud of Meyer's success as there are naysayers of her work. He says that the "Mormon depiction" in Twilight has caused issues with the perception of members of the faith, painting them as "sex-obsessed." On the other end of the spectrum is scrutiny over Meyer's ability to be a progressive fiction writer and commit to her faith. In a recent article, Brooks defended Meyer's ability to be a Mormon feminist, equating her with Harriet Beecher Stowe in her ability to employ saccharine drama and still tell deeply involved, human stories. Add that all to the science fiction of The Host and you have a layered individual that seems to exemplify what Mormonism strives to be about. For Givens, sci-fi ruminations like The Host, that wrestle with the oldest ideas of Latter-day Saints, don't interfere with the ability to take Mormon doctrine seriously. To him, a work like The Host can live side by side with The Book of Mormon. "I think that the historical claims of the religion are actually very important," he says. "I understand that there are a lot of Mormons who, for example, would like to value and treasure The Book of Mormon as a purely spiritual document without actually believing the stories it tells or the idea that there were really gold plates that Joseph Smith translated. I respect that, but that's just not my position. And, for me at least, I don't think that the sci-fi causes problems on that level." Givens also acknowledges the tension created by the difficulty Mormonism faces when being accepted by modern thought. But he doesn't believe that a movie like The Host pulls the carpet from under believers. Meyer may try to keep her faith-related questions out of the publicity circle, but even if her work is perceived by audiences as religiously rooted, introducing the questioning can be positive. "It's hard to carve out a kind of literal idea of the sacred in this current culture, and I think that's also a tension that you see Mormon authors working out in their work," he says. "So, for me at least, I think the tension just spurs more creativity and art, rather than necessarily detracting from the faith." For Brooks, Meyer spins stories from Mormon faith with the right sensibilities: part traditional, part imaginative. "One of the defining features of Mormon culture is that we are exceptionally pragmatic," she says. "This comes from our roots in the rural west and our penchant for large families. At the same time, we are a people with an extremely rich speculative theology. To live with that balance is to be a Mormon." Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches [Photo Credit: Open Road] Additional reporting by Jordan Hoffman From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
