I'll just go right ahead and say the last few weeks of trailers have been a little disappointing, it's strange how November is generally looking like quite a poor month for movie goers, with very films with the potential for hitting it out of the park which leads us nicely onto the last trailer for the month's releases (see what I did there?), a Baseball film that isn't really about Baseball, and possibly the first genuine Best Picture Oscar winner contender for 2011, bring it on.
Moneyball is released on 25 November 2011.
Showing posts with label Moneyball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moneyball. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Tuesday Trailers - Moneyball
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
20 for 2011: 18 - Moneyball
At number 18 we have an unusual proposition. Moneyball a film about computer programming in baseball.
For two days in a row we have a Zaillian script, although so many people have worked on this it's going to be difficult to tell. Telling the true story of how the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) used computer analysis to model the best team combination on a budget this seems like the perfect movie for fantasy sports players everywhere. Of course the film is likely to concentrate on the tensions between Beane and the rest of the management who probably go for more instinctive ways of finding talent.
Baseball is a sport that works well in movies, it's a team game where the individual often has to make their own mark, and we're due a high grossing sports movie. The question is with all the high profile troubles this film had getting made (Steven Soderbergh lost all the funding one week before the cameras were set to role with Bennett Miller taking over when production started) will this be the one to hit a home run?
Friday, 23 July 2010
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Happy Birthday to
Philip Seymour Hoffman
43 today
Looking back now it's difficult to remember that time when Hoffman was everybody's favourite below the line character actors, effortlessly walking about with scenes from more famous and experienced stars. Three Oscar nods later we realise how quickly times change. In 2011 we'll get a chance to see him square off with Brad Pitt in the long-delayed Moneyball and play religious con-man The Master in Paul Thomas Anderson's next movie, which may or may not be called The Master.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Film News (15/05/10)
Cannes is on. The glamour, the glitz, the stars, the sex, the back-stabbing trades and so on. It must be an absolute whirl out there with paparazzi staking out the croisette whilst some has been B-movie actor waxes lyrically about their latest passion project. Saying that the Palme D'or candidates are the most muted they've been for years. Not that this has meant the rumour mill has been quiet - in fact I've picked up on 11 different films that have led news stories in the past week. So without any further delay lets wade into it:
The Tiger
Sounding a little like The Ghost and the Darkness 2, this non-fiction tale concerns a conservationist who is forced to confront a tiger that's got a taste for human flesh in a Siberian settlement. The man versus nature theme is as old as time, but given the main (human) character is having to go against his life's work as well adds a little more potency to the mix. Darren Aronofsky is attached to direct with Brad Pitt tempted by the role (marking the third time they've both been interested in a project a the same time - and hopefully the first time it actually happens) and Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams) developing the script.
That is a tiger in Siberia, people being eaten not including in pic.
Read on for Norma Jean, peirced Channing Tatum, limosines, Mexican, Brazilian and Sudanese gangsters, computer programming, a far Eastern city of love, collectable minatures and misplaced fish.
Blonde
There are two Marilyn Monroe (left) projects currently working their way through pre-production, and of these the more interesting to me is Andrew Dominik's adaptation of her biography written by Joyce Carol Oates. Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James) is planning to seperate Marilyn from the myths that surround her, to fully concentrate on the individual caught in the maelstrom of Old Hollywood. Expect it to be a slow burner with beautiful cinematography and some obvious symbology.
Cheaters
Ron Howard's Vince Vaughn collaboration continues to add cast members, with Queen Latifah signing on for an unnamed role and Channing Tatum as the tattooed and peirced man Winona Ryder cheats on her husband with. Can't say I blame her - he may not be much of an actor, but he does have abs of solid rock.
Cosmopolis
David Cronenburg may be prepping for The Dangerous Method, but he's already set his sights on the project to follow, the adaptation of Don DeLillo's limo set drama (right). Colin Farrell has signed on to play the millionaire losing everything in a 24 period, with Marion Cotillard as his cheated wife.
The Jesuit
This is a new title, about a man wrongfully inprisoned who finds his wife and son are kidnapped by a mexican drug cartel and he must fight to get them back. So far so Man on Fire. But the cast list is looking interesting with Willem Dafoe, Paz Vega, Michelle Rodriguez and Oscar Isaac all signing on - not sure if any of those will be the lead though so perhaps there's another big name due to be added any day now.
Machine Gun Preacher
The Sam Childers (Hell's Angel turned freedom fighter) biopic moves forward with the confirmation that Gerard Butler has been cast in the lead role and that Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon will be supporting. Odd that there's been no mention of a Sudanese cast member yet, and you'd have thought that would be the core of the film. 
Moneyball
Are you still holding out for the computer modelling/baseball picture first conceived by Steven Soderbergh then dropped by the studio on the day filming was due to commence? The good news is that Bennett Miller is confident the script issues have been sorted and that filming will commence later this year. The even better news is he may be casting his Capote alumni Philip Seymour Hoffman in a supporting role. On the left, by the eay, is a baseball - just in case you've forgotten what they look like.
Monsterpocalpyse
Definitely to be taken with a pinch of salt but it's alleged on the croisette that Palm D'Or president Tim Burton will be heading to Dreamworks for his next assignment, to adapt the collectible minitures game (with monsters fighting in a major metropolis). Sound like complee garbage - possibly, but with Burton around it may just be entertaining garbage.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Condon's abandoned project, from the Simon Beaufoy script (it's a humorous look at the fictional decision to create a Salmon farm in the Middle East), has not just been left to disappear. Instead Lasse Hallstrom has stepped in to direct the Kristen Scott Thomas picture, even bolstering the cast with Emily Blunt and Ewan MacGregor. Hallstrom has proved in the last couple of months that he is an extremely hit and miss director, so we'll just have to wait to see which side of the fence this one ends up on.
Shanghai, I Love You
The next in the cities of love short film collections (following the very successful Paris and the still awaiting a UK release date New York) is set to begin principle photography later this year in the beautiful and historic Chinese city of Shanghai (below). Included in the directors attached so far are Jim Sheridan and Gabriele Muccino, which looks more interesting on paper than Shekhar Kapur and Joshua Marston who were involved in the last episode. The next 2 cities planned to locate in are Rio and Jerusalem. They will need to start showing it mind (harumph).
Triple Frontier
Kathryn Bigelow is causing a diplomatic outrage - and I'm talking about Sigourney Weaver's bizarre comments about the Oscar win. Her next project, due to be the second collaboration with The Hurt Locker scribe Mark Boal, has been villified by the tourist boards of Argentine and Paraguay who, together with Brazil, form the border of the title. The story revolves around drug smuggling and funding of terrorism so I guess they may have a reason to take offence. Brazil, in a wise move, have yet to condemn the film, which may just mean thats where Bigelow will spend most of her budget!
Friday, 18 December 2009
Brad Pitt
Happy Birthday to
Brad Pitt
46 today
Brad is one of the few actors that can make me go to the cinema whatever he's in. I haven't missed a film of his since 2005's Mr & Mrs Smith. This is not so much because he's a bakable and charismatic star (although it's hard to argue with that) but due to the exciting and varied projects he selects. The next project I'm most looking forward to is Moneyball, the baseball film which has passed from Steven Soderbergh to Bennett Miller just this week.
By the way, I know this is an old photo, but it's the first pic that comes up in a Google search and I couldn't resist.
Sunday, 13 December 2009
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.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
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.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Film News (07/02/09)
An unbelievable busy week for film news. So crowded in fact we'll just dive straight into it.
King Lear
You wait years before a decent King Lear adaptation and then two come at once. Last year Anthony Hopkins signed on to play the aging monach who splits his kingdom, under the watchful gaze of Joshua Michael Stern; this week it's Al Pacino railing at the storm and reuniting with his Merchant of Venice director Michael Radford. Now I love King Lear, it's the play that got me into acting, but I doubt both of these will be released - so which will it be? My moneys on Al, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Miral
Julian Schnabel is set to begin principle photography on his Israeli-Palestinian epic Miral in April. Starring Hiam Abbas (The Visitor) as a Palestinian to runs a orphanage in Jersulam the film will show how the relationship between the 2 nations has developed over the last 50 years. It's all going to be filmed on location and I persanally cannot wait to see a film that puts this extraordinary conflict into some perpective.
Moneyball
It's extemely difficult to keep tracks of Steven Soderbergh, but with the delays on Cleo it looks like he's bumped Moneyball up to the top of his things to do list. The film concerns the development of a computer algorithm to selct the best baseball team with a limited budget, fantasy baseball if you will, only done by a real team manager. If that doesn't make your inner geek glow I don't know what will. 
Silence
Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro as signed on to play Jesuit priests bringing christianity to Japan in Martin Scorcese's next film. This pairing seems like an excellent one, but I think I'm going to need more to stop me from classifying this as The Mission in a kimono. 
Start
Brandon Koener's "Now the Hell Will Start" has been optioned by 40 Acres and a Mule. The non-fiction novel relates how an African-American soldier murdered his Lieutenant and then escaped into the Burmese jungle eventually being accepted by the natives.
Valentine's Day
Would anyone like to see 10 strangers in Los Angeles briefly connect their lives over Valentine's Day in a variety of forced coincidences and bizarre cupid led entanglements? No? Just me then.
The Ward
I'm not really a horror fan, but Amber Heard (the titular All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) is preparing to enter the Ward. Cue scary noises and tales of long dead mental patients with grudges. And lots of running around semi-naked, probably. 
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