Film News (04/07/09)

It's such an empty week for news, I'm really struggling to fill a column. Really the whole of Hollywood must book the week before Independence day off and not bother with any press releases. So excuse me, if I'm making mountains out of molehills, or elevating the sort of story I'd usually ignore completely.

Moneyball

Steven Soderbergh's baseball flick was all set to start lensing last Monday when out of the blue the studio pulled the production, citing some changes in the script and the general lack of profitability for either baseball pictures or Soderbergh.

Of course money comes and goes in Hollywood with many projects starting then falling by the wayside, but the curious element here is the lateness with which that decision was made. You would have thought that by the time the camera's were heating up it was probbly too late to change your mind. That's not to mention that really Soderbergh and Baseball have been profitable in the past (Ocean's Eleven = $183m, A League of their Own = $108m).

The studio also claim some direct to camera documentary interviews with the major players (from this true story) were not part of the original spec and may affect the sales. I'm not sure they would for the real baseball fans, who would probably love to see their stars on screen.

Of course now the whole projects in limbo, trying to find a new studio to finance, and Steven, star Brad Pitt and the other 200 people emplyed by the film will have to move on to other projects. Let's hope they can find a financier and we do get to hear about this interesting mesh of computer modelling and sports.



Woody Allen

Only an incredible half baked rumour, but hell let's run with it, it seems that Woody will be continuing with his international tour by visiting Paris in his next film. No, that's not Whatever Works currently showing the US when Woody proves he can only write for people in his own social groups, or the Untitled London film, due to start lensing any day now with Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Pauline Collins. Instead we're talking about the next film - the 2011 Woody Allen picture.

Don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure if he knows where that will be set yet, so expect this little story to disappear soon.



Oscar 2010

Now we're halfway through the year AMPAS have been dropping press releases all week talking about the 2010 ceremony.

The most shocking change has been the increase to 10 best picture nominees. Naturally the blogosphere has been all over this exciting development with 2010 prediction changes, and guesses to what other films would have been nominated in previous years. Of course we won't know what will happen until we get there, but it is comforting to know that the single transferable vote has not been lifted so there will still be some utterly bizarre entries at the year end.

Special awards have been moved to November, clearing them from the telecast. This seems like a shame, because who doesn't want to see an ageing Hollywood starlet showing how time can be cruel during the annual event. Plus the whole celebrating of charitable works and innovation should be considered an important part of what cinema is about. Boo to this idea.

Finally the doors have been opened for a 134 new members to join the AMPAS, some of whom are pretty obvious. Although none made me think - weren't they members already. Because I'm obsessed with acting here are the on screen performers who joined the list, with a selected filmography and in order that I think they deserve to be members:

Viola Davis : Doubt, Far From Heaven, Syriana, Traffic, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Kate & Leopold, Out of Sight, The Shrink is In, Solaris, World Trade Center

Amy Ryan : Gone Baby Gone, Capote, Changeling, You can Count on Me, Before the Devil Knows you're Dead, Dan in Real Life, War of the Worlds

Casey Affleck : The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone, Good Will Hunting, Gerry, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Thirteen, Ocaen's Twelve, To Die For

Anne Hathaway : Rachel Getting Married, Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Michelle Williams : Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There, Incendiary, Lassie, The Station Agent

Melissa Leo : Frozen River, 21 Grams, Righteous Kill

Taraji P. Henson : The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hustle & Flow

Michael Shannon : Revolutionary Road, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Bug, Chain Reaction, 8 Mile, High Crimes, Lucky You, Tigerland, Vanilla Sky, World Trade Centre

Brendan Gleeson : Cold Mountain, The Field, Gangs of New York, Artificial Intelligence: AI, Beowulf, Breakfast on Pluto, Butcher Boy, Far and Away, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Into the West, Kingdom of Heaven, Michael Collins, My Life so Far, Troy, The Village

Eddie Marsan : Gangs of New York, 21 Grams, Vera Drake, B. Monkey, Happy-Go-Lucky, Miami Vice

Jeffrey Wright : Ali, Syriana, Basquiat, Celebrity, Critical Care, Faithful, Lady in the Water, The Manchurian Candidate, Presumed Innocent, Quantum of Solace, Ride with the Devil, W.

James Franco : Milk, In the Valley of Elah, City by the Sea, The Company, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3

Emily Blunt : Charlie Wilson's War, The Devil Wears Prada, Dan in Real Life

Emile Hirsch : Into the Wild, Milk, Lords of Dogtown

James McAvoy : Atonement, The Last King of Scotland

Jane Lynch : The Fugitive, Collateral Damage, Vice Versa, What Planet are you From?

Michael Cera : Juno, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Frequency

Paul Rudd : The Cider House Rules, The Object of my Affection, Romeo + Juliet

Hugh Jackman : Australia, The Fountain, Happy Feet, Kate & Leopold, The Prestige, Scoop, X-Men, X2

Seth Rogen : Look - I know he's a bit of an it man with many top selling films over the last couple of years, but I can't for the life of me string them together with any sort of justice to the others. By far the least deserving of all the actors invited to join this year.