Film News (12/12/09)

One of the great pluses of taking time off from writing here (or actually working, however you want to call it) is that I can spend the best part of a day trawling through the news items from the last 4 weeks. There have been loads of minor stories and a few major talking points have disappeared from the schedules - I'm looking at you Mr. Spielberg - but there are 5 key films that has caused me to comically raise my eyebrows.

The Master



Paul Thomas Anderson will be following his monumental There will be Blood with another tale of a meglamaniacal businessman. This time oil will be replaced with the opium for the masses - religion. Sketchy details of a plot centred around the formation of a religious cult as it tips from belief system into major religion, as led by regular Anderson collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman, and as witnessed through a yet to be cast acolyte.

I can't think of a reason why this won't be incredible.



Hanna

Joe Wright (Atonement) has been circling a number of projects in recent months, notably I'm looking forward to Indian Summer, about the end of the Raj, and he was linked to the My Fair Lady remake for a few minutes. Well, in mid November he was also linked to this action thriller about a teenage hit girl, apparently trained from an early age to be the perfect weapon for the CIA. OK, it sounds like nonsense but if it's half Bourne and half Leon then it should be worth the entry fee.

Miss: Better Living Through Crime

The French graphic novel has been optioned with John Ridley attached to complete the adaptation. A white hooker and black pimp join forces to commit a crime spree in New York at the turn of the 20th Century. What's not to love. And that's a great cover there on the left.

Moneyball

Brad Pitt's baseball/computer modelling picture has not been abandoned for good, and now has Bennett Miller (Capote) replacing Steven Soderbergh in the directors chair. Given the studio pulled production over the way the script may have led to a fantastic budget expect rewrites announced soon.

Spider-Man 4

We all know that too many villains spoilled the broth in the last spidey outing, but that won't stop us salivating at every nemesis casting rumour that sparks up aroung the net. Latest I heard was John Malkovich on board as The Vulture and Anne Hathaway as another, unnamed, villianess. Both of them sound like top choices, Malkovich has proved his bad guy mettle in everything from Con Air to Portrait of a Lady, and a change of pace for Anne will be more than welcome.

Go get 'em tiger.