10.30.08
Hollywood Riffs: Sam Mendes Directing ‘Preacher,’ His ‘Revolutionary Road’ Called ‘A Modern Classic’
It appears that talented suburban-angst director Sam Mendes who has done such work as “American Beauty” and the upcoming Oscar-bait “Revolutionary Road” has fallen victim to a growing epidemic, Comic-book adaptations. Columbia has recently hired him to helm the adaptation for popular Comic-book series, “The Preacher.” Mendes has done a graphic novel adaptation before with “Road to Perdition,” but it was a little different as it less of a comic-book and was actually based in reality. Created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, the series follows a possessed Texas preacher who teams up with a vampire on a quest to find god and hold him accountable for his negligence. Yeah, we don’t really get it nor care, so click here for a more in-depth explanation.
The idea for an adaptation has been floating around Hollywood for some time, and even Kevin Smith was attached to the project at one point. No writers are yet attached to the project and it will most likely continue to be that way until Mendes can put the finishing touches on “Revolutionary Road,” which is due out December 26th. [Courtesy of The Playlist]
Speaking of “Revolutionary Road,” an editor friend of Variety’s Anne Thompson was fortunate enough to attend the first long lead screening of Sam Mendes’ Richard Yates adaptation, and has nothing but good things to say about it, “first screening long lead today at paramount. the word from me is wow! very powerful two-hander for Leo and Kate, all grown up now as a married couple unhappy but still in love. they go at it fiercely and you can sense the real-life bond that lets them really go for it, all defenses down. it’s powerful and also beautifully written and filmed. Sam Mendes doing suburban angst again, but this time in the 1950s. I daresay it may be a modern classic. also, the screenplay race this year is unusually light on adaptations, so this being an adaptation of the Richard Yates novel, I’d look for a nomination.” [Thompson on Hollywood]
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Trailer: France’s Best Foreign Film Entry, ‘The Class’
Laurent Cantet’s Palme d’Or winning “The Class” has been as high up on my list of things to see this year just as many other festival favourites have been throughout this year. Early word is mixed, highlighted by two seemingly polarised reviews below, but moviegoers can make up their minds for themselves come Christmas day in New York, and Los Angels, but if you are located in the latter, check it out at the AFI film festival. [Yahoo via LiC]
Sam Juliano, “One eventually gets lost in all the histrionics, and there’s no emotional underpinning for one to emote. It’s a shame, because The Class has much to offer, since it’s one of the only classroom films where the students do most of the talking.”
The Playlist, “We honestly don’t have enough good things to say about this film and we could probably go on about it for a long time. But suffice to say, there’s a reason why the radiant film is an award winner and it’s likely going to crack our top 10 at the end of year.”
10.29.08
Early Word on ‘Milk’ & Will Its Subdued Marketing Make A Difference?
Months before Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” opened to widespread critical acclaim, publicity (paid for and otherwise) was so intense that it was something of a surprise the film overcame the advance word and lived up to expectations despite the thought of it having been shoved down our throats constantly. This year, Focus Features are handling their another gay-themed awards hopeful “Milk,” directed by the otherworldly Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, in a low key, respectful manner. In about a month’s time, the film will open, and so far, the amount of full-on media hype is startlingly low, whereas Oscar chatter is peaking as the advance word comes pouring in.
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Hollywood Riffs: New Casting Gigs, New ‘Angels and Demons’ & ‘Star Trek’ Stills, Joaquin Phoenix Done With Acting?
Welcome to a new Fataculture feature. Its like all my other round up posts, but now it has a title.
Tom Hanks gets a new hairdo in the upcoming “Angels and Demons” adaptation, obviously. While “The Da Vinci Code” was far from a box-office flop, Hanks’ hair most certainly got a thumbs way down from absolutely everyone who knows anything about the limitations of hairstyles. I didn’t like the film, although I liked the book, and I’m relying on Hanks’ new do as a sign that “Angels” might actually be a worthwhile adaptation. I am not, however, holding my breath. [USA Today ]
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Mike Nichols to Tackle “High and Low” Remake, Scott Rudin Faces Busy Year in ‘09
Mike Nichols (“Closer,” “Charlie Wilson’s War”) has been tapped to direct a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s (“The Seven Samurai,” “Rashomon,” both remade by Hollywood, with the Weinstein Co. financing yet another Seven Samurai remake) “High and Low,” based on a screenplay by David Mament that Martin Scorsese got him to write back in 1999. Scott Rudin will produce the as of yet castless film for Miramax, with Scorsese likely to executive produce it.
Other projects being produced by Rudin in 2009 include: a Nancy Meyers comedy starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, Wes Anderson’s animated “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” written by Noah Baumbach whose next directorial offering will be “Greenburg” for Rudin, the Coen brothers are adapting “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” and “True Grit,” “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is also set up for Miramax with Jose Rivera and Walter Salles (“Linha de Passe,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) attached, and finally, Steve Zaillian is adapting “A Thousand Splendid Suns” for Sony. Let’s hope Rudin can handle all of that better than he has all his 2008 projects. [Variety]
‘Man on Wire’ Among The Five IDA Documentary Finalists
The IDA documentary finalists were announced yesterday as well, making it two for two in one day for James Marsh’s apparently amazing documentary “Man on Wire,” about Philippe Petit who walked between the Twin Towers back in the 70’s with nothing but his strength of spirit and a tightrope keeping him from falling. Gonzalo Arijon’s beguiling “Stranded,” which only got a US release last week, which documents the incidents before, during and after the 1972 Andes plan crash as reiterated by the survivors, “Young@Heart,” about a chorus of golden oldies performing pop hits on the daily to take their mind of stuff like their future which is not eligible for the Best Doc award at the Oscars, “Waltz with Bashir,” Ari Folman’s animated doc chronicling his wartime memories of the Israel/Lebanon conflict of 1982 which isn’t eligible for the Oscar either, and finally “Kassim the Dream,” which tells the story of a Ugandan child soldier who defied the odds and became a world champion boxer, all received spots on the IDA finalist list. The awards ceremony is to be held on the 5th of December where Werner Herzog will receive the Career Achievement award, amongst other recipients of similar handouts. [THR and indieWIRE]
‘In Bruges’ and ‘Hunger’ Lead The British Independent Film Award Pack
Whenever awards bodies such as the British Independent Film Awards release their nominations, I have no choice but to question where ‘independent’ factor comes into play. Nevertheless, their thoughtful championing of the underdog(s) year in and year out is reason enough to let such thoughts slip. This year, Mike Leigh’s disarming “Happy-Go-Lucky” received a paltry 3 nominations, same as James Marsh’s highly regarded doc “Man on Wire” and Mark Herman’s so-so “The Boy in Striped Pyjamas” (in which I found Vera Farmiga excellent, and she received a Best Actress nom here too), while “Son of Rambow,” “Somers Town” and “The Duchess” snatched 4 apiece, which is laughable if only because Leigh’s film is so obviously a shutout.
Nevertheless, of course, those films may never see much success at any awards ceremony this year, whereas “Happy-Go-Lucky” has a good chance of get some serious Oscar love. In a surprising move, Martin McDonagh’s hybrid of genres “In Bruges,” whose stars Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes all garnered nominations of their own, received the most nominations, with 7, which was equalled by the take of Steve McQueen’s mesmerising IRA prison drama “Hunger.” Danny Boyle’s festival pleaser “Slumdog Millionaire” took 6 nominations on its slow, but sure, bid for world domination, R-rating aside.
Full list of nominees here.
10.28.08
Fox Searchlight Take a Liking to Van Sant’s ‘Kool-Aid’
After having been attached to the finance-less project since last year, Fataculture favourite Gus Van Sant and writer of his upcoming “Milk” (which premieres tonight in San Francisco) Dustin Lance Black’s take on Tom Wolfe’s 1968 book “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” might see the light of day after all, thank the Pope. Fox Searchlight have picked up the film that is set to chronicle Van Sant’s long time pal Ken Kessey’s, writer of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and to whom Van Sant’s “Gerry” was dedicated, cross-country, um, trip alongside the Merry Pranksters in their DayGlo school bus, as high as the clouds. Can’t wait to join them, in theory anyway. [THR via LiC]
Image: The Playlist
Disney to Campaign for ‘WALL-E’ Best Picture Nomination As the Oscars Enter a More Commercial Era?
Word on WALL-E’s potential Oscar success started before it even opened in theatres, and just after it was release its Oscar buzz intensified. However, as the months passed and our initial curiosity of the film faded somewhat, I noticed that buzz faded too. But that always happens. Other potential contenders came into the picture, equally commercial ones too (“The Dark Knight” for example) and festival buzz started overpowering the interwebs, but as we enter the Oscar Corridor, studios and the like start their intensive campaigns to bring their cinematic offerings back into the limelight. Then it makes sense that studios are pushing the likes of “Tropic Thunder,” “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man” and of course “WALL-E” into possible contention because they mostly secured a strong amount of support from various critical bodies and audience members alike.
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10.26.08
New Trailer: ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’
Releasing a new trailer for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which was notoriously bumped to a release on the 17th of July next year, with nine months to go before Hogwaters everywhere get to see it is kind of like a slap in the face, on the exact same cheek they slapped when they changed its release date. Featuring some new footage, and being just as good as the previous trailer, it’s worth taking a look at but the fact that come the 21st of November, the films original release date, it’ll sting like a bitch that we’ll still have to wait a further eight months to bare witness to one of the series darker, more intense instalments. At least we get Twilight…
10.25.08
Review: “Chop Shop”
It is becoming something of a cliché in modern independent cinema to express a neorealist sense of urgency using straightforward narrative ticks portrayed by seemingly untrained actors as something palpable and unrefined, so as to allow audiences to feel as though they are watching realism on display rather than a scripted, sensationalised story thought up by a director. When “Chop Shop” was filming, onlookers assumed Ramin Bahrani to be making a documentary, when instead he was creating an oblique, moving testament to the unfiltered beauty so often overlooked when transcribing the harshest aspects of surviving in life against all odds, that exists in a realm where many films fear to tread.
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Tragedy Strikes Jennifer Hudson’s World: Mother and Brother Killed, Nephew Missing
The Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson’s life is plagued by ups and downs, and more recently things seemed to have been looking up; she’s had a slew of film projects under her belt, her album including the track “Spotlight” couldn’t be doing better, her engagement to David Otunga (of VH1’s “I Love New York”) and so on. Now it is being reported that tragedy has struck her world, with her mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason having just been found shot dead in their Chicago home due to an apparent “domestic” shooting, and her 7-year-old nephew is considered missing too (whose mother Julia hasn’t been seen since her work shift on Friday). Police have taken a man named William Belfour, a convicted felon who had been staying in Hudson’s mother’s home for the past year, into custody and are questioning him in connection with the murders. Whatever the outcome, my heart goes out to Jennifer Hudson and the rest of her family. [CBS2Chicago]
10.24.08
Trailer: Clint Eastwood’s Racially Charged Oddity ‘Gran Torino’
The trailer for Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” has just gone up over at Apple. When Eastwood said his character was a “weird racist,” and I may be paraphrasing there, he meant it. In fact, the entire scope of the picture, as hinted at in the trailer, and the mood it evokes is profoundly unlike anything I’ve seen before. Weird, but totally original. I think it is almost 100% different to what I was expecting, and perhaps it doesn’t look as good as I hoped, but I am feeling it for sure.
Characteristically assured, definitely channelling the gritty majesty of the ‘Dirty Harry’ archetype, I think that if any film scores Eastwood Oscar attention this year, it will be “Gran Torino.” “Changeling” could get Jolie her nomination – but it is clear that Eastwood as we know him, an iconic amplification of badass composure, seems to be in top form here and probably deserving of his first Best Actor win ever. If they, being the Academy, were to ever give him one, I’m betting this is Clint’s best shot.
If this is indeed Eastwood’s final acting role ever, it looks like he’s going out with a bang: caricature style. Famous for his grumpy scowl, watch him deliver it yet again – gun in hand, and intolerance on the brain – “get off my lawn” and all. And then learning the errors of his ways – Oscar style.
In the film, Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War vet who helps a particularly troubled kid who is a part of a family of Hmong immigrants, whom Kowalski despises, out when he is hounded by a local Detroit gang. Branding Walt as a neighbourhood hero, now uncomfortably in the position of having to face his demons head on. “Gran Torino” opens in limited release on the 17th of December.
Image: The Playlist
Crispin Glover is Burton’s ‘Knave of Hearts’
Cinematically Correct read my mind when they said that Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland: 3D” got that much stranger now that weirdo Crispin Glover has signed on to play the Knave of Hearts, in his and weirdo Burton’s first ever collaboration. Totally a step up from absolute rubbish like Epic Movie and tedium in movie form like Beowulf, the latter being his first foray into performance capture technology. Glover’s character goes on trial based on the accusation of him having stolen the Queen of Hearts’ tarts (euphemism? metaphor?) with Alice (to be played by Mia Wasikowska) and the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp) called in to defend him and give evidence respectively. [THR]
Trailer: ‘Last Chance Harvey’
Joel Hopkin’s “Last Chance Harvey,” starring the affable pairing of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, landed itself a wonderful trailer today. It tells the story of a man (Hoffman) who is down on his luck, just about to lose his job and possibly his sanity until he meets a women (Thompson) in one of those chance meetings in life that, from that moment onwards, leaves him a changed man forever, for the better. So I assume, anyway. It seems heart-warming enough, without being too sappy or manipulative but rather quietly charming, one that I expect could score some love at the Oscars in terms of the acting categories, but only time will tell. “Last Chance Harvey” will play at the AFI Festival on the 8th of November, move on to a limited release on the 26th of December and expand on the 26th of January. Looks like one to keep an eye on for sure.
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