Happy Birthday to
John Lithgow
66 today
I can't help but think there's a certain sniffiness about audience opinion of Lithgow, his long running stint on TV's "Third Rock from the Sun" obscures the two dramatic supporting actor Academy Award nominations. Maybe his acclaimed turn in Rise of the Planet of the Apes will introduce him to a whole new generation of film fans. Next up is ensemble romantic comedy New Years Eve.
Showing posts with label New Years Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Years Eve. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
John Lithgow
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Julie Andrews
Happy Birthday to
Julie Andrews
76 today
We don't get to see much of Dame Julie, sure she occasionally lends her voices to the Shrek franchise, but rarely is there an opportunity to see her - even fans who went to her comeback concerts saw very little (and heard less, snark snark). So when I heard she has a small role in Garry Marshall's New Years Eve I confess it does make me want to see the film just a little bit more. Missed her in the trailer, mind. For the fans here's one of my favourite vocal performances from Julie, from Victor/Victoria, just close your eyes and think of that "Crazy World".
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Halle Berry
Happy Birthday to
Halle Berry
45 today
Ever since her historic best actress Academy Award in 2001 Berry's name has become a byword for the Oscar curse, turning up in preposterous big budget flops and now desperately seeking baity roles (mulitple personality disorders, recovering drug addicts etc.) in order to bring herself back into critical acclaim. That said the role I'm most interested in seeing her in is New Year's Eve the (not-really-a) sequel to Garry Marshall's Valentine's Day and with that shot from the trailer it's looking awfully like a TV medical drama isn't it? Teehee.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Abigail Breslin
Happy Birthday to
Abigail Breslin
15 today
Five years on from her Oscar nominated performance as beauty pageant obsessed Olive in Little Miss Sunshine Abigail's doing nicely as she makes the transitiion into more mature roles. She was suitably dry in Rango and next up is a storyline in the multi-character comedy New Years Eve (it's got to be better than Valentine's Day, surely).
Saturday, 19 February 2011
An Englishwoman abroad - (Film News - 19/02/11)
It's been a funny week. On the one hand there have been a number of news stories that could fascinate the potential cinema patron in the future, on the other hand none of those are really jumping out shouting "I'm the best story! Put me first!" Lots to see, not necessarily lots to get excited about. We've also been inundated with casting news which gives a reason to go beyond the jump.
Lady who Went too Far
Tom Hooper and David Seidler are currently on top of the world. The director and writer of The King's Speech are likely to come away with a number of Academy awards next weekend, and for both of them the collaboration seems to be the highpoint of their careers so far. With that in mind it's hardly surprising they are planning to work together again with the biopic of 19th century explorer and humanitarian Lady Hester Stanhope (below).
The niece of British Prime Minister Pitt the Younger, she travelled extensively across the Middle East treasure hunting and offering sanctuary to refugees, often whilst facing powerful opposition for her unconventional lifestyle from home and the largely Islamic local tribes.
It's a great role for a woman so expect a powerhouse performer snapping up the central part before long, especially given the additional budgetary clout the project may have due to the below the line talent involved. From the director of Oscar winning... works wonders for accountants.
Read on for spies, submarines, gang violence, reincarnation choices and fat cats acting outrageously (it's OK, I don't mean Garfield).
Agent Zigzag
As well as the return of Bond we have this non-fiction counterpart that may just be hitting our muliplexes in the next few years. Based on the life of Eddie Chapman, with the titular codename, it will focus on how his British spymasters and conveyor belt of lovers learn whether to trust him. It's being written by Brighton Rock scribe Rowan Joffe, son of Roland, and might be directed by Mike Newell once he's completed Great Expectations.
Hunter Killer
Submarine based movies are few and far between even though there have been some excellent examples (Red October (right), Crimson Tide). Notably both of these involved gung-ho Americans and mysterious Ruskies, and so it is with this latest script likely to go into production. It focuses on an American sub commander and a Navy SEAL team that must rescue the Russian president and defeat a renegade admiral who’s attempting a coup, which sounds utterly barmy will have some underwater action scenes as well as (hopefully) some torpedo dodging action.
The Knife
Curiously connected to Agent Zigzag above in both it's true story premise and scope this project looks at the modern version of spies: the snitch, the criminal who wants to get out but can only do so with the FBI so sings like a canary. Based on the 2008 GQ article by Guy Lawson it focuses on a South Central gang member who turns states to such a great effect it sends it's leaders into a panicked attempt to kill all snitches. Kimberly Peirce (Stop-Loss, Boy's Don't Cry) is the slightly unlikely director attached.
Ubik
Philip K. Dick's work is currently undergoing a film adaptation revival. Next month we'll see The Adjustment Bureau and a remake of Total Recall is in pre-production. Next will be his highly praised metaphysical comedy about death and salvation centering on a cabal of dead characters looking for their next physical manifestation. I'm not sure what the relevance of the aerosol can on the book cover is, really must read it, but if anyone can enlighten me I'd be very grateful. Michel Gondry is working on the script and planning to direct, let's just hope he's given enough rope to make a fun Gondry but not allowed to indulge his every whim a la The Science of Sleep.
Wolf of Wall Street
Formerly reported here as a potential project for Ridley Scott the biopic of investment banker Jordan Belfort has now moved to the schedule of Martin Scorsese an will mark his fifth film with Leonardo DiCaprio who's already signed on for the lead. However we will have quite a long time to wait as Franciscan monk movie Silence is still planned as Marty's next move.
Casting News
There have been another full wave of casting announcements made this week including Jude Law joining the love across class divide drama 360, Juliette Binoche and Matthieu Almaric will be helping to ruin Robert Pattinson's day in Cosmopolis, Rachel Weisz will learn to love her husband even after she becomes the first transgendered woman in Danish Girl. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard are the latest rumoured cast members for Dark Knight Rises, and talking of Batman alumni Michelle Pfeiffer is set to play the matriarch at the centre of the Dark Shadows with Helena Bonham Carter also set to join Tim Burton's movie (surprise, surprise). Colin Firth looks to be the next Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady and finally after sorting out her painful divorce (who says I don't pay attention to celeb culture) Halle Berry is back on for New Years Eve, although in a different role.
Anne Hathaway may be a better Catwoman than Halle Berry but she's got a lot to do to out Miaow Michelle Pfeiffer (above).
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Jake Gyllenhaal
Happy Birthday to
Jake Gyllenhaal
30 today
Yes, I have put today's birthday picture a bit lower in the post in order to let it be bigger, and I fully believe looking at it tha I'm fully justified in doing so. The good news is tat Jake is only 10% younger than me, so I'm feeling less of a perv for drooling as I have in the past. Coming up (obviously) is Love and Other Drugs and his also rumoured to b in Garry Marshall's New Years Eve. 
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Amnesia again (Film News - 06/11/10)
It's not been the busiest week for news, only a couple of new projects kicking off, but there has been an avalanche of casting rumours and with our monthly scour of IMDb there are a load more potential movies that have begun the production process.
Trap for Cinderella
Loss of memory has been a plot standby of thrillers since cinema began, no matter how unlikely it actually is it's amazingly how many characters wake up next to a corpse with no idea of how they got there. So whilst this latest take on the subgenre may lack originality it's good to see it's going to be taken seriously.
Iain Softley is directing and producing this production which sees it's main character (Micky) wake up terribly burned after a house fire in which her childhood friend (Do) has been killed. But is Micky really Do and is she really involved in the attempted murder of herself. Or something like that.
Sure this sounds like first class tosh, but we're a little short on new films this week so bare with me.
I'm not completely sure how Cinderella is involved with this story. I suspect there's a major subplot I've not picked up on yet...
Read on for recurring nightmares and literally half a dozen casting moves.
Darkchylde
John Carpenter may have spent the last eight years or so hiding in a box (I know that isn't true but he may as well have been) but it seems he's returned with a new vigour. The Ward, his latest horror, is set to hit cinemas early in the new year and he's also signed up for this comic book adaptation. It concerns the recurring nightmares of Ariel Chylde (pictured right, I don't think this is a comic for kids), nightmares about strange demonic beasts, and nightmares that reach a whole new level when she begins to transform into the beasts during the day times.
I don't know whether this is part of a planned franchise or a stand alone movie but expect Ariel to be investigating the background of the creatures whilst fighting for control of her own psyche.
Casting News
I said it was mainly casting didn't I? So the latest dogged rumours are as follows: both Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck are interested in reuniting with Jesse James director Andrew Dominik for his next crime thriller, now entitled Cogan's Child, the hunt for the next batman female lead goes on with Charlize Theron and Vera Farmiga both in talks with Christopher Nolan, the long list for Daisy in Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby with Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams all in contention, the follow up to Valentine's Day (New Years Eve) does have a growing cast list including Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin and Reese Witherspoon - but why does that seem such a boring trio of actresses, Judi Dench is apparently due to snog Johnny Depp in a Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cameo and Francis Ford Coppola's horror project, Twixt now and sunrise, is picking up more names with Alden Ehrenreich and David Paymer both linked.
Depp wonders which way to tip his head when kissing Dame Judi.
Production News
And if all those castings weren't enough here's a long line of new films that have kicked into production (most of which we already knew about). Francis Ford Coppola gets his second mention of the post as Twixt now and Sunrise is not only in production but already filming. Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo and Garry Marhall's New Year's Eve have finally shifted from in development to pre production (even though they both already had release dates). World War 2 Native American story Bless Me, Ultima has started filming, Bryan Singer is moving on with Jack the Giant Killer, The Hobbit (parts 1 and 2) look like they will be happening soon, filming has begun on The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Spielberg has decided that his next project will be Robopocalypse and James Cameron is putting all of his efforts into Avatar 2 and Avatar 3.
The following two movies were surprises though when I looked them up:
Ghost of Munich
Milos Forman (One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) has been mulling over adapting Georges-Marc Benamou's novel about a postwar journalist's investigation into the 1939 Munich conference (famously attended by Hitler and Neville Chamberlain) for several years so it's a pleasant surprise to see it's back on his things to do list.
Too Big to Fail
I originally thought this look at the collapse of the banking system was going to be made for TV, hence I ignored the earlier news stories, but looking at the details it looks like a cinematic release may be on the cards. With Curtis Hanson directing a cast that includes James Woods, Michael O'Keefe, Paul Giamatti and William Hurt that has to be a good thing. 
Wall Street financial markets - collapse not included.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
You Rang Mr. President (Film News - 31/07/10)
Summer must be here. I say that because it's been another slow week for film news with very few headlines appealling to me. That said we have a bumper collection of release date changes with 9 new ones that I fancy watching as well as 4 changes. You will also have noticed that this post is a day late. I'm afraid I'm going to have to settle into a new routine over the coming months now that I'm about to start my corporate work, looks like Sundays are the new Saturdays, but more on that on my personal post which may arrive tomorrow. Instead we'll go straight to the headlines:
The Butler
What does it take to finance and greenlight a film with adult themes in todays Hollywood? It seems more than talent and stories based on major political upheavals in 20th century America are needed with the news that Lee Precious Daniels (below) is set to abandon his civil rights epic Selma due to lack of funding. In spite of the notable and talented cast Daniels may have to change priorities and postpone. This surprises because Daniels latest film was so well received, picking up 2 Oscars and 4 more nominations, that you would have thought he would be free to choose his own project next.
If he does it's looking likely that his next film will be the biopic of Eugene Allen the maitre'd of the White House who started as pantry man in 1952 (under Harry S. Truman) and worked up the chain of command until his retirement in 1986 (Reagan) - passing through a total of 8 Presidents. Denzel Washington is rumoured to be taking the role should the film end up going ahead.
As much as we can admire Allen's efforts I very much doubt his story is as compelling as that of the civil rights struggle on the streets of Alabama. (Please feel free to contradict in the comments.) It worries me that Hollywood moguls would still rather put forward a film about a loyal employee of the White House than one that looks at the complex and violent history of segregation and racial intolerance in the US.
Read on for sci-fi rewrites, poaching singers and Sandra Bullock's next role.
Alien Prequel
The "Lost" writer Damon Lindelof is giving the Alien prequel script a re-write. "So what", I hear you say. Admittdly it's not uncommon for this sort of high concept movie to go through several iterations and I certainly wouldn't think it was worth mentioning if it hadn't said of his meeing with Ridley Scott "the exchange of ideas between them sparked a take that could well turn out to be a free-standing science fiction film." (from Deadline) If that's true it brings up the total number of film projects on Ridley Scott's directorial list to 11:
2 * Alien Prequels
Brave New World
The Forever War
Monopoly
The Passage
Red Riding
Wolf of Wall Street
The Gucci family biopic
Larry McMurty's Western
and this new sci-fi.
If Ridley takes the same time to make these films as he took to make the last 11 features he will finish them around 2025 when he'll be 88. My advice to Mr. Scott (left, from the last time he directed an Alien picture) is to please stop saying yes to new films.
Dirt Music
Tim Winton's Booker prize winning novel (right) has been rumoured to be heading into production for some time with stars like Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz all attached at some point. It's looking like Russell Crowe is the latest actor in the frame as a country singer turned poacher in the Aussie outback building up a relationship with a neighbour and the world in general. Philip Noyce, who can shoot his native Oz like few others (see Rabbit-Proof Fence), is set to helm with Crowe also providing some of the music.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
When Sandra Bullock celebrated her birthday earlier in the week I stated my surprise that she has yet to find a suitable follow-up to her Academy Award winning turn in The Blind Side. Good news for her fans and perhaps galling news for her doubters - Sandra's been talking with Stephen Daldry about the role of the mother in his next project. As the parent of a precocious New Yorker coming to terms with his fathers death in September 11 it could be a good chance to flex some actorly muscle.
Release Date News
As I said earlier it's been a very busy month for changes in release dates. Here are just the films that caught my eye.
New York, I love You - It has a release date again! I have been looking forward to this collection of shorts themed aroung love in the Big Apple for over 2 years and I'm hoping this (third) release date is written in stone. Walk hand in hand through Central Park on 01 October 2010.
Hereafter - Clint Eastwood's forst foray into the supernatural focussing on three different ghosts stories in three cities seems like an interesting diversion for the veteran director and given his auteurial themes of guilt and redemption it could be a worthwhile piece. Get spooked on 28 January 2011.
Restless - Competing against the above is Gus van Sant latest teen romance concerning terminally ill teenagers and Kamikaze ghosts, I'm thinking this may be high on the navel gazing scale of van Sant pictures. Attend a funeral for someone you don't know on 28 January 2011.
The Debt - Shifting back into 2011 UK release is standard procedure for prestige films on the road to Oscar so few surprises to see this Mossad action/Drama make the move. Hunt for ex-Nazis on 11 February 2011.
Rango - the surreal trailers for Johnny Depp's animated lizard movie has certainly piqued my interest and even if it turns out to just be a light-hearted pastiche of Western tropes I think it could be worth a gander. Chase the clockwork goldfish on 04 March 2011.
Red Riding Hood - I'm still unsure how this fairy tale with adult overtones will position itself in the market and a March release indicates the studio are unsure too - will it be a disaster? Check out the size of grandma's teeth on 11 March 2011.
Hanna - shifting just a couple of weeks is Joe Wright's new murderous child movie - I just want this to go as quickly as possible so we can move on to Indian Summer. Rediscover your past on 08 April 2011.
Footloose - The original has to be a guilty pleasure for most people who grew up in the 80's - average quality but immensely enjoyable and hit the zeitgeist - the remake has a lot to live up to. Dance like there's no tomorrow on 15 April 2011.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - As awful as the 90 second teaser released thi week was I've not been put off yet and will still be seeing the 4th episode of the popular pirate franchise. Shiver me timbers on 20 May 2011.
Contagion - Rumour has it Steven Soderbergh will be using 3D technology for his virus action thriller, which leads me to ask how is that going to work and what sort of film will this be? Can't wait to find out. Avoid a cold on 21 October 2011.
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - The Twilight saga reaches it's emotional climax (the first half of it anyway) with frightening pregnancies and decisions to be made - more than just a metaphor for itself. Finally pick Team Edward on 18 November 2011.
New Years Eve - I don't know why I'm writing about the style follow-up to Valentine's Day as I slated that on it's release. I suppose I'm just being drawn to the car crash. Find relationships predictable on 09 December 2011.
All these new releases are great to hear but we must remember the dates can be pulled away as easily as moss from a stone and this month we are especially sad to see Gavin O'Connor UFC movie Warrior disappear from the schedules. Given recent revelations about star Tom Hardy's youthful daliiances I'm sure he won't mind if we stare at this pic and imagine what we're missing.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Film News (13/02/09)
You just can't move without finding exciting news stories this week, overall there have been 13 different press releases that have struck me as projects to look out for. That's pretty much a record for me and as a result this weeks post will be scattershot, focusless and messy. Hang on that's every Saturday news post only even worse. And on to it...
Contagion
I think we all know that I am a huge fan of Steven Soderbergh. Frankly I think he's a genius, with an enormous output and a clever way of balancing high-profile marquee productions with more intimate experimental work. This week it was announced he's working on Contagion, an international deadly virus thriller. It's not the sort of thing that has been tried on such a massive scale before (most virus plots focus on small communities such as Outbreak). It's definitely going to be one of his bigger pictures with Matt Damon, Jude Law and Kate Winslet all circling roles.
Here's a flu virus in action - Steven Soderbergh not pictured.
Read on for Penelope, Rachel and Cate casting news, 70's comedies, US Presidents, metaphoric violence, original musicals, Russian spys and social satires!
Dream House
Our first major casting story is the addition of Rachel Weisz to the it's-not-a-remake-but-sounds-exactly-the-same-as-Cold-Creek-Manor Dream House. She will be married to Daniel Craig, which in itself is quite a dreamy proposition.
Hanna
Also signing on to a new project is Cate Blanchett, who has taken an unnamed role in Joe Wright's child trained to kill flick. This shouldn't be a big surprise as there's a big hole in her schedule where Wright postponed his Lady Mountbatten/Nehru picture for Hanna in the first place.
Laverne and Shirley/New Years Eve
There seems to be some confusion about what's next on Garry Marshall's slate. New Line, sensing box office gold with this weekends Valentine's Day have already started the ball rolling on a sequel - that is using the same concept of a star studded selection of relationships all intersecting on New Years Day. Names in the hat for who'll be in that one.
In the meantime Garry's been joking(?) on the red carpets that's he's planning a big screen adaptation of "Laverne and Shirley" - the long running spin-off from "Happy Days". I'll confess I don't know the series so I can't say whether it's a good or bad thing.
Personally I'm planning on seeing Marshall's latest magnum opus this afternnon so I'll get back to you on whether I think he should be allowed behind a camera again.
Untitled LBJ Biopic
From the austin360.com website (I think it's just a local arts/tourism site) comes the news that Robert Benton is prepping for a biopic about 36th US President Lyndon B. Johnson. All we know from the story, which can be found here, is that filming will likely take place elsewhere in order to receive more favourable tax cuts. It seems that would be bad news for the Texan economy. HBO are producing so this may or may not get a theatrical release, but either way the story of LBJ is probably ripe for the telling.
Little War of Our Own
Beacon pictures have picked up Dan (The Hurricane, Murder in the First) Gordon's script about a small town drifting towards violence during the second world war, effectively mirroring the international political scene at the time. It will up to the Sheriff to keep the peace before it's too late. This could be a modern western, or just pure allegory, either way it may just work.
Melancholia/Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Penelope Cruz has hit the headlines for signing on to two widely diverse projects. The first is Lars von Trier's catastrodrama Melancholia, and the second will be seeing her square off to Johnny Depp in the next Pirates installment. Both projects, which I'll be honest I was probably going to see anyway, have just got a lot more interesting.
Robocop
The remake of the seminal 80's action thriller is not yet dead in the water. In spite of rumours that Darren Aronofsky was against shooting in 3D and that MGM were equally reticent about the R rating the director favours, writer David Self is convinced the project is still go. There are certainly practicalities about the production that need to be finalised as there would be when dealing with a "large corporation" but there's nothing major in the way. Other than Aronofsky's Black Swan, which is due to be released later this year, of course.
Song is You
Based on the novel about Arthur Philips, the story revoles around a middle aged commercial director, going through a bad patch in his life (I'm mentally casting Paul Giamatti) who feels a connection with a club singing ingenue. A tenous romance then plays out with him guiding her career and her becoming his inspiration to reinvigorate his life. Sounds dreadful - only the plan is to make a musical about it. I hope thet means original songs. There are so few musicals writeen directly for screen that I hope they're good when they do try.
The Terminal Spy
Do you remember when there were multiple Alexander Litveninko project hangiong around Hollywood, with Johnny Depp being very vocal about his wish to play the former KGB spy? Well finally one of these is beginning to get moving with news that the authoritive Alan S. Cowell's investigative best-seller is being developed. He's the former chief of the London Bureau of the New York Times so it'll be well researched and at the same time won't hesitate from pointing the finger where it needs to be pointed. Whther any adaptation will be able to fit in the complexities of the case, or whether Depp will be involved in this one remains to be seen.
Turn of the Century
Finally I'm turing to on of the most promising directors of the 1970's, but equally one who never really made good on that original promise: Peter Bogdanovich. It's been 9 years since his underrated Cat's Meow so we're certainly due this Kurt Anderson adaptation. The novel has been favourably compared to the yuppie classic "Bonfire of the Vanities", a social satire which should fit Bogdanovich's style. Let's hope it does - I want to see a re-emergence of the once feted auteur.
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