A Perfect Getaway (2009)

About the film . . .

Official site for A Perfect Getaway - very cool site featuring trailers, clips, pictures, and more
Rogue community: several behind the scenes videos
Official synopsis: Cliff and Cydney (Milla) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they've found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins...
Various articles/interviews in promotion of A Perfect Getaway:
- Interview with Milla from BBC: "Part of the reason that I was able to return to work, being a mum of four months at that point, was because it wasn't an action film. I wasn't expected to train. It was nice to just play myself for most of the movie, to just play a nice girl on her honeymoon. Being able to take my baby with me to a beautiful exotic location and take her swimming in the ocean every day. "
- Fantastic BBC interview with Edith Bowman (audio; 18 minutes) (Milla discusses "There Ain't No God for Dogs")
- Sunday Herald (Scotland) August 16, 2009:
  - "Being a mother is so much more than you could ever imagine. Having a baby is the most incredible thing I've ever done as a person and the biggest single teacher in the world for me is my child. I have found a different side of myself. I'm much more relaxed and patient than I ever thought I'd be. Also, I'm much less insecure. My daughter has brought me so much confidence in what I do. I have this responsibility and she's number one in that sense. It's made me care much less about other things. When you care a lot, you worry all the time about whether you're good enough, and that fuels insecurities."
  - Discussing The Fourth Kind: "The Fourth Kind is set in Alaska in this very small town that has had a lot of attention from the FBI, because there's been a lot of disappearances and no one has been able to find out why. I play a young psychologist whose husband has killed himself. And with all these strange disappearances she thinks it might be aliens. It was interesting for me to see how a completely sane person, like this psychologist, could believe so sincerely that aliens are taking people. I thought that was fascinating." She smiles. "I myself don't believe in aliens."
  - Discussing Keep Coming Back: "We had started filming on that, but the movie's kind of fallen apart again because I have to get into Resident Evil: Afterlife. But I'm hoping that by next year things get better with the economy and smaller movies will have an easier time getting financed again. It's been an uphill battle for us. I was the first actor to get involved with the project. William contacted me about the movie in November last year, so we've been trying to get it off the ground for a while."
- Irish Times (Ireland) August 15, 2009: "People do think of me as being strong, with Resident Evil and so on," she says in an accent that, despite nearly three decades in the US, still carries flavours of Eastern Europe. "I think everybody's got different facets in their make-up. It depends on the situation. If you try to harm my daughter I will kill you. That's for sure."
- Digital Spy, August 12, 2009 (video)
- Max Exclusive (Cinemax) interview with Milla, Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, and Kiele Sanchez:
- Milla and Timothy Olyphant take over Current TV:
- Interview from Guardian August 7, 2009: "There's no mystery to who I am any more," she says. "You know, you go through your whole life looking for an identity and then you become a mother and you're like: 'Oh...I'm a mom.' So no matter what, that's what I am. If everything else fades, I'm, still a mom. The acting, the modelling, the career -- I'd give it all up tomorrow for her. Everything else is secondary, which makes it all the more enjoyable, because it's not like the be-all-and-end-all, its more like: oh, cool. A movie in Puerto Rico? That sounds fun. Get me out of the house for a little bit. Maybe I can go to New York for a few days and get some sleep... It's the only time I don't get woken up with 'mama!' all the time. I mean you can try ignoring it, but it's just impossible."
- Interview from Scotland on Sunday August 9, 2009: "It's given me more freedom to work and travel. I have a house to support, Paul can't do everything. I'm very lucky to still be modelling. I can earn great money so, while I can do it, I have to. In this climate it would be a sin to not be working when you have a chance to be." ... "Leeloo was beyond any greatest dream to play," she says. "We'll probably never see again something as unique as she was. The amount of time I had to spend training and studying to play that part really changed me as a person and an actress."
- Video of Milla on GMTV (UK) (August 7, 2009): Discussing her upcoming marriage to Paul W.S. Anderson: "I'm marrying a Geordie! I love Newcastle, we have so much fun there and his family's. And I just - I love it! I love going up to Lindisfarne and Lumley Castle... and having fish and chips."
- Interview with Milla from Parade August 6, 2009: "This is one of those movies where you just don't really know who anyone is or what their motives are, so it totally screws with your mind. You want them to be your friends and suddenly, one or two of them are killers and you're just like, 'Whoa!' With all the crazy stuff that's happening in the world, it's a cautionary tale. Don't be afraid to be suspicious." ... "I paddle a kayak in ocean waves close to some very sharp rocks. It was dangerous because there was a very high tide and if my boat tipped over I'd have gone face-first onto the rocks. That was pretty grueling. Then I had a fight scene with a girl who was trying to kill me. We had knives and we were hitting and punching each other on the edge of a cliff."
- Interview with Milla from FEARnet August 6, 2009: "Kiele Sanchez and I have a good girl fight together. It was really different because in the Resident Evil franchise, it is so choreographed and so cinematic. But in A Perfect Getaway it was so raw, and just kind of like, 'go for it.' We were told to go from A to B, but in-between, just do whatever. So it was really raw, which I think is really interesting. I hadn't worked that way before in the action genre. But A Perfect Getaway isn't so much action-driven as it is character-driven. Kind of an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The action stuff is very cool, though."
- ShockTillYouDrop.com (August 6, 2009): "David Twohy is very, very eccentric, he's very focused. He's a funny guy, but you've got to get to know him. He definitely knows what he wants, he definitely has a vision for this movie and he wrote the script, obviously he's a great writer. He's great because he definitely knew what he wanted from the characters so he had great actors working with him. So I think it was all really fun for us because everyone had a handle on their characters and David was doing a great job making sure that we remembered where we came from and where we were going to keep the script consistent because so many of the characters change and are different and you don't really know what's what and who's who for a while. So, it was important for us to always know where we came from and where we were going so we don't give things away too quickly. With these films you have to be super careful with your performance too. How much can you actually say but give it sort of a double entendre so that when people think back to like, 'Did we see it coming?' They do see signs, but think they were totally innocent that they could've been something else too."
- LA Times: "Milla Jovovich takes a turn toward 'normal' in A Perfect Getaway": "My priorities have shifted completely, which has helped my career because there's this new peace that I have," says the mother, with fiance filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson, of 21-month-old daughter Ever. "If I never did anything again, I would be a mom and I'd be totally happy being a mom. Everything has fallen into place so beautifully because I'm not trying so hard. If my daughter's OK, I can concentrate on something else. So it's not like all day I'm thinking about me."
- Canada.com: "Milla Jovovich not your typical girl next door": "That's what was interesting to me about A Perfect Getaway -- that I actually got to play her in a way like the girl next door. No one's going to give me that part (I thought) so if someone does give that two me, even for two acts of the film, I'm like -- OK, cool."
- MetroNews.ca: "There's an element when you are out dealing with nature around you that definitely as an actor I think is a lot easier than say, (if) this whole set was a jungle on a soundstage. The whole energy changes, you're not projecting as much (on a soundstage) and people are like, 'remember there's wind and remember the rain.'"
- 3news.co.nz: "If you've got a good body you should flaunt it. My mum always told me that you're not going to have it for ever, so you might as well show it off as much as you can now. We are very Russian about that. I like dressing sexily, but I dress for me because guys don't care as long as you're showing some skin. You can walk around in short shorts and a tube top and men will think you look great. It's only women who notice your shoes."
- Toronto Sun: "Thrilla for Milla": "It's probably the most screen-time I've had in my life being nice and normal," Jovovich says of the thriller. Jovovich remembers telling director David Twohy, " 'I'm 165 pounds. I'm not the girl you've seen in movies at all,' " she says. Still, he persisted. "He asked, 'How long would it take you to lose 20 pounds?' and I was like, 'I'm not interested in losing 20 pounds, I just want to be a mom. But I do want to do this with you so I'll send you some pictures of myself and you can decide.' He said, 'No, I think it's all right, because you'll look more like a normal girl; you're not all fit and stuff.' So I think it worked."
  Recalls Twohy, "She came to me probably 40 pounds overweight, which was some concern ... But it wasn't such a bad thing. We kind of embraced that, even though she was working to get it off throughout the shoot. We weren't going to do a bathing suit scene when she was four months post-pregnant."
- Lex & Terry radio interview (August 2, 2009)
- Opie & Anthony radio interview (July 31, 2009)
- NZCity: "Milla loves knives": "I have so many weapons at home. It's not like I sit at home twirling knives, but I've always been into handling weapons. As a kid I liked ninja warriors, not dolls. I have some kukris. They are one-handed knives and a bit like machetes, very vicious instruments with a curved blade. They are used for hacking and I love them because they are so versatile. You can really get into the meat of an animal, slice cucumbers and kill zombies - all in one day."
- Mail Online: "Milla Jovovich: Model, actress, musician, martial arts expert... zombie killer": "In A Perfect Getaway I have to steer a kayak close to razorsharp rocks, miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. It's dangerous - there's a very high tide and if my boat tips over I'll go face-first on to the rocks. The sun's beating down and I'm tipping water over my head. It's so gruelling trying to get this kayak to go where I want it to go. Then I have a vicious cat fight with a girl who is trying to kill me. We have knives and we're hitting and punching each other on the edge of a cliff, rolling around in the dust. Sexy girls in shorts - it's a nice, crazy fight scene."
- Bloody-Disgusting.com: "You know, I don't mind being typecast honestly. If I have my niche, I have my niche. I'm very lucky. I'm 33, I'm a mom, I've got a great franchise. If people see me as an action hero, great. There could be worse things to be seen as. I still get a chance to work on smaller films where I get to play more versatile characters. Granted, not many people see them, but as an actress I get to do lots of different stuff."
- WPIX video interview with Milla and Timothy Olyphant
A Perfect Getaway director David Twhoy discusses how he came up with the story for the film (August 2, 2009)
Release date update from director David Twohy's blog (July 13, 2009):

The marketing mavens at Universal have decided to move up A PERFECT GETAWAY by one week, from 8/14 to 8/7. Main reason: The 14th was always a traffic jam, what with four other wide releases opening the same day. Sure, they were all different movies, but somebody was bound to cannabilize someone else.
Personally, I think it's a good chess move. The PG-13 techno-feast that is G.I. JOE opens that weekend, and to drop a twisty R-rated thriller on top of it could prove good counter-programming. (Notice I said "could." We'll know for sure soon enough.) It also gives us a little breathing room before INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS drops on the 8/21.
Keep checking back: I'll be posting the APG international release dates soon, as well as bitching about Lionsgate and how they blew THE ARRIVAL Blu-ray release.
DT
Note from director David Twohy's blog about the trailer and DVD (June 27, 2009):

About 6 weeks away from the release of A Perfect Getaway. Been keeping busy checking the 30-second TV spots that will start running in a few weeks -- they range from the exciting to the hackneyed. But a couple winners in the bunch.
Trailers will play on front of PELHAM, PROPOSAL, BRUNO, among others. Now if you go to see these movies, you aren't guaranteed to see the APG trailer, because they give you 30-40-50% "penetration" on these movies. So you're chances are probably 50-50 (or less) that you'll actually see the trailer in any given theater. But let me know (dtwebsite@hotmail.com) when you do so I can tell if we're getting the screens we need.
Also busy doing a "Director's Cut" of APG for DVD market. I put that in quotes because, since I'm pretty happy with the theatrical cut, this particular version of the movie is really kind of an "Extended Cut" thing: I'll probably drop 10 minutes of footage back into the movie. The theatrical version is rated "R," and the Director's Cut will be unrated, as these things usually are.
First picture and information about the release date from Director David Twohy's blog (March 8, 2009):

So no, the new movie won't be released March 14 as I'd suggested earlier. Which is a bad news/good news tale -- with an emphasis on the latter.
See, once upon a time, APG was going to be an MGM release, and March 14 was the date that worked for that studio's release schedule. But recently Universal saw the movie, liked its upside, and made a successful bid to cherry-pick it away from MGM. Which is fine by me, since I've done two releases with the folks at Uni -- PITCH BLACK and RIDDICK. It's a good team they have in place, led by Adam Fogelson, and they know their shit. Waiting a few extra months for them to get their marketing materials together is a small price to pay for having a major like Uni release your movie.
Anyway, the date that works for Uni schedule is now sometime in August, possibly August 14. And I'll even caveat that, if only because movies frequently change release dates these days. Sometimes it's a reflection of the movie itself, sometimes it's simply about the musical chairs that all studios play with their releases. So don't get too hung up about it. I don't.
Including pix of my two leading ladies, Milla Jovovich and Kiele Sanchez. Gentlemen, start your engines.
DT

Credits

[ For complete credits, check out the Internet Movie Database listing for A Perfect Getaway ]

Directed by David Twohy
Written by David Twohy

Cast (partial)
Milla Jovovich .... Cydney
Steve Zahn .... Cliff
Kiele Sanchez .... Gina
Timothy Olyphant .... Nick

Plot summary: Cliff and Cydney (Milla) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they've found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins...

Release dates:
USA ... August 7, 2009
Canada ... August 14, 2009
UK ... August 14, 2009
South Korea ... August 20, 2009
Belgium ... August 26, 2009
Russia ... September 3, 2009
Brazil ... October 23, 2009
Sweden ... November 20, 2009