Of course the biggest news this week is the release of the Cannes line-up. Never ones to mix-up the formula this years competition is dominated by films from known and respected male auteurs. Of them there are a few that I would definitely like to be in the crowd to guage the response as it happens. Curiously I was invited as a plus one, but as my friend is a yellow badge and has her own film to plug I don't think it would be much fun.
Of most interest to me are the two entries that made my top 20 [anticipated films] for 2010: Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu's Biutiful and Mike Leigh's Another Year. In the competition I'd also be intrigued to see La Princesse du Montpensier and Utomlyonnye Solntsem 2 from Bertrand Tavernier and Nikita Mikhalkov respectively.
Outside of the competition my tastes are more mainstream. Robin Hood, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Wall Street 2 - Money Never Sleeps you all know about, bu I'll also be interested to hear the word from Stephen Frears' Tamara Drewe which I wasn't expecting for another year at least.
Anyway let's march on to the usual mix of film and casting news.
Jackie
I think it goes without saying that Darren Aronofsky loves his wife deeply (I imagine if I was married to the lovely Rachel Weisz I would be pretty enamoured too) in teir last collaboration - the divine but confused The Fountain - she essentially played his muse through 10 centuries, the love between Hugh Jackman's stand-in and Weisz being the universes only true constant. So it is hardly surprising that Aronofsky has cast her in his latest biopic of the iconic first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
The film will document the days between JFK's assassination and the funeral as Jackie must cope publicly and privately with the grief, pain and expectations of the nation. 
This picture is stolen from awardsdaily.com, but you get a chance to see the subject and the performer together. (Thank you, by the way)
It's the sort of role that any actress would kill for, and I would imagine that Darren knows what he's doing. I just hope he is able to objectif the performance more, in The Fountain he was so busy adoring Rachel with the camera that she came across as one-dimensional and this role deserves more than that.
Read on for rebellious dancing, art house pastiches, drunken footballers and an unusual case of fraud (sounds like a great saturday night).
Footloose
The endless delays on the Footloose remake have led to another star and director moving through the revolving door of it's production office. So to recap Chace Crawford is out (following Zac Efron) as is Kenny Ortega. And whilst there is no news on the lead (although Zac's diary is looking free again) Craig Brewer has taken the reins. Yes, that's the same Craig Brewer who made Christine Ricci all sweaty in Black Snake Moan. Suddenly I'm very intrigued.
I heard You Paint Houses - and offshoot
Bobby DeNiro has been babbling on about his next collaboration with Martin Scorsese as if it's planned to start soon (whereas we all know Marty has Hugo Cabret and Silence on his slate first). I suppose if I was De Niro I'd want people excited about this too, so you can't blame him. So far it's all be a retread of the previous rumours, that they're working together on the biopic of alleged mob assassin Frank Sheeran who may or may not have killed Jimmy Hoffa, expect that he's also announced a side project to be filmed at the same time. In his own words:
"We have a more ambitious idea, hopefully, to make it a two-part type of film or two films. It’s an idea that came about from Eric Roth to combine these movies using the footage from ‘Paint Houses’ to do another kind of a [film that is] reminiscent of a kind of 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, [a] certain kind of biographical, semi-biographical type of Hollywood movie — a director and the actor — based on things Marty and I have experienced and kind of overlapping them."
Now if that doesn't get you all excited then I don't know what will.
Namath
Now that Jake Gyleenhaal is officially buff he's obviously looking around for a greater variety of roles that will show this off (something for which we are all grateful), one of these is the biopic of American Footballer Joe Namath. I confess I know nothing about who this fella is - feel free to enlighten me in the comments - but I'm sure that any American Football movie will have plenty of time for the camera to linger over Jake as he hits the team bath.
Mmmm.
Untitled Bill Anthony Jakob biopic
Our fourth, and last, biopic of the week is almost certainly the least known of the subjects. Above we've had President's wives, mob enforcers and athletes, but somehow I think Jakob's story could be just as much fun. In 2008 Jakob descended on a sleepy Missouri town claiming to be a Federal agent and wiping the crime from the streets. He was extraordinarily successful. Only he wasn't a fed, just an ardinary guy trying to make a difference. Like a real life superhero. Of course the real FBI arrested him for fraud. It'll be interesting to see which way screenwriter Clark Gregg goes with this bizarre tale.
The Oscar Shortlists for the 97th Academy Awards
11 hours ago
2 comments:
Ben, I saw the Cannes lineup the other day and I am also anticipating the reception to many of these pictures. As one of the few who really liked "Babel", I an especially interested in "Biutiful". Of course, I will see anything by Woody Allen.
As far as the others go, "Jackie" fascinates me. I was a little boy when JFK was killed, and so most of my impressions of Jackie were of what I remember in the media in the years that followed (before the cult of celebrity really took off).
I am pleased to see Jake G take more varied roles. Joe Namath was kind of a playboy in his time....his nickname was "Broadway Joe"...and so unless the film offers some kind of expose, his life doesn't seem to be worthy of serious scrutiny. Maybe it's a comedy? We will see.
I'm afriad I'm too young (and too british) to have a real appreciation of Jackie Kennedy - to me she is just another dead presidents wife - but the cultural impact she had both as Kennedy's wife and his widow are hard to be ignored and it should make for a fascinating portrait.
You've got to hope the Namath film plays up the comedy - according to Wikipedia there's no dead brothers or rapes, like th musical biopic cliche's. Although he did go into rehab for alcoholism - but I can't imagin that being enough of a rason to make the film.
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