Todd Phillips on Summer Movie Memories, Loving Michael Bay and the Darkness of Hangover II

The current poster going around -- of Bradley Cooper laying facedown on the floor, Galifianakis dazed with his head shaved, Helms looking paranoid, the three of them in some room that looks like it's out of Apocalypse Now -- is kind of disturbing. They look tormented. From a marketing point of view, what are these materials supposed to say to prospective viewers?

I think ideally it's supposed to say, "Shit just got a little bit darker." I think that Hangover II is as funny as The Hangover I, honest to God, but I think that it's a little bit darker, and the stakes are a little bit higher. And so when you say that about the Apocalypse Now feel or that desperation, I think that's a success, hopefully. My goal with the movie is that it works on a comic level, obviously, first and foremost, but also on a level of, "Whoa. This feels more epic."

Can you elaborate without giving too much away?

It is kind of hard to talk about without giving stuff away, but I think if you've seen those character posters where Stu says, "I have a demon in me..." Things are revealed in the movie that are little bit more twisted and a little darker than in the first film. But again, I think what made the first film special -- outside of the chemistry with the guys and the comedy -- was that there was a darkness to it. I mean, the movie starts out with "Thirteen," by Glenn Danzig. It was hopefully telling the audience, "This is not your typical Hollywood comedy." Or certainly not your typical "bachelor party" movie.

Last week in your note you said, "I direct comedies." I asked you this two years ago, but from where you stand now, do you have another documentary in you? Or a drama? Or a horror film? Maybe Hangover 2 is your horror film?

I don't have a horror film in me just because I don't like to be scared. But I definitely have a documentary in me, and I certainly have dramas. I think you've seen some of the documentaries I've made, and they always had a comedic slant to them. They weren't hard-pulsing journalism. And I think if I did a dramatic piece, it would be infused with comedy. Horror's probably the one genre that just doesn't interest me as a filmmaker.

OK, so summer movies! What's the first summer movie you remember seeing? What was the experience like?

It was probably Jaws. Probably. But I don't remember thinking about summer and movies until... Well,I remember buying tickets to Raiders of the Lost Ark and sneaking into Stripes. Obviously I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark as well, but sneaking into R-rated movies with my friends is basically what I would do. Now, I don't condone that at all anymore! In fact, it got harder and harder to even when we were kids; we would approach a random 35- or 40-year old single male and have him buy us tickets. And now I've somehow become that guy, Outside of Century City I'm buying kids tickets for The Hangover.

You've gotta do what you've gotta do.

It's heartbreaking when you hear a kid buying a ticket for... I don't know, whatever movie you're up against. And you see them sneaking into your film. It's just heartbreaking. But in the spirit of full disclosure, that is what I did as an 11-year-old sneaking into Stripes.

Is there one summer blockbuster you remember just totally delivering on the hype for you?

I suppose it was honestly Jaws. I was really young, but it scared the hell out of me. It's still one of my favorite movies of all time. It certainly wasn't a horror movie; it was just one of those epic summer films that defined that summer. That summer was about Jaws and about the shark. And since then, there have been other films. As a filmmaker, you kind of define years by certain movies in their odd way. But I think that was the beginning for me.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

This summer, Super 8 looks just... I think JJ's such a great storyteller, and that movie just looks really interesting to me -- the kind of movie that I would have loved as a teenager and will probably love now. That one I'm really excited about. What else? Oh. [Laughs] Oddly, I'm excited about Transformers 3 because technically, I know what Michael Bay's been up to, and I think he's going to blow people's minds with what he's going to do.

Do you dig 3-D?

I'm not a huge fan of 3-D. What he's doing in on another level; it's not just the 3-D. I'm not a huge fan of 3-D, though. Honestly, I think that movies are an immersive experience and an audience experience. There's nothing like seeing a film with 500 people in a theater. And there's something about putting on 3-D glasses that makes it a very singular experience for me. Suddenly I'm not connected to the audience anymore. I think once they solve the glasses issue it'll be a huge step forward. You know what I'm talking about? You put them on, and suddenly you're there alone. It's not like you can turn to your friend and share a look during an amazing scene. They have their glasses on and you can't really see. So it becomes a very singular experience to me, 3-D, which is the opposite of the audience experience I love so much.

But that said, I was talking about Transformers 3, and it wasn't the 3-D part that was really exciting. I know Michael Bay, I've talked to Michael Bay, and the enthusiasm with which he's brought me through some of the stuff that he's doing was just infectious. I'm really excited to view it.

I think a lot more people look forward to Michael Bay movies than would let on. I mean, I do. I'll admit it.

It's good to hear that you admit that. I certainly know filmmakers and directors who know how hard it is to make a movie, and when you look at a movie on the scale of what Michael does, and you just can't help but be blown away. Knowing all the moving parts that go into these things, and then he just kicks it up to 11? You've just gotta respect that.

RELATED: Read Movieline's Hangover 2 review here, along with interviews with co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong.

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