Hi there,
I wanted to write a brief note to my few regular readers just to say how much I've enjoyed writing this blog over the past three and a bit years, however to be honest it has come to the point that I no longer enjoy writing.
This morning when I woke up my thoughts turned to preparing another week of birthday posts, and Tuesday trailers and a recap of the weeks news and a review of Cage/Kidman vehicle Trespass, and it just felt like a chore, neither a cathartic nor an excited prospect. These days I write just because I feel I have to keep going with the blog, rather than because of any desire to share my views.
It is for that reason that I'm going to take a sabbatical, initially until the end of the year however that may extend.
I will still stay on here though and visit your blogs, even occasionally posting responses. I would especially like to thank the trio of bloggers who have stuck with me since the blog began: Tom at Reinvention, Alex in Movieland and Andrew's Encore. These three are incisive and witty writers whose work I will continue to follow, indeed I hope to be able to continue discussion of movies with them through comments, something which I know I have been less than diligent with in the past.
Thank you once again for all your support here.
Ben
x x x
Saturday, 19 November 2011
No News is good news
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Rehearsing is for Frogs - (Film News - 12/11/11)
All eyes are on the Academy this week, from the moment Brett Ratner faux pas'd at a Tower Heist Q&A last Friday night the knives were out for the Oscar Producer. And probably for the best, whilst we can all appreciate the context of the comment and the vocabulary Ratner uses in interviews generally that his intention wasn't to denigrate gay men as a demographic, however the insensitivity of such an off-the-cuff remake is not in keeping of the man steering the gayest night of the Entertainment industry. As Ratner fell, so did his front man Eddie Murphy, in a career move that may be yet another turning point for the once reliable star. AMPAS then swung into damage limitation mode, quickly appointing Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal (ignoring the online campaign for the Muppets to host, hence the title) a reliable if safe choice. I suppose I should care for all this hoohar, but to be honest I don't watch the show. Of course I won't deny the Academy impacts my viewing habits, occasionally bringing a movie to my attention that I hadn't considered, but the night itself doesn't appeal. Time will tell what this will do to Ratner and Murphy's career however I suspect it will all blow over very quickly.
Moving on to the real news though.
Rule #1
At first, before reading the synopsis, I was really keen on the potential pairing of Frozen River director Courtney Hunt with Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon in a comedy, after all there aren't enough high profile films from women (of course part of that is my own inherent prejudice) and Reese is one of the best comedic performers of her generation.
Then the plot: According to THR, Witherspoon will play “34 -year old woman trying to cope with OCD, who takes in a young woman with ADD and her newborn baby in an effort to face her anxieties and ultimately get her estranged husband back. The resulting effort takes the woman’s already chaotic world spinning into the next level.”
So this is a comedy when OCD meets ADD. Whilst that does have slight thematic similarities to The Odd Couple however once the characters are labelled with mental health diagnoses it seems to be making the illness the butt of the joke rather than the interplay, of course that may change when Hunt revises the script and it ends up on screen, but I do have concerns. 
Witherspoon gave one of the most hilarious and convincing comedic performances in the noughties for Legally Blonde and it would be great to see her back in the genre.
Read on for equal rights legislation, dating thrillers, a strip of pebbles and a non-comic comic book.
Airtight/Untitled Prop. 8 Movie
You should learn something new everyday, and this week its the turn of avuncular New Yorker Rob Reiner to reveal a facet of his character that surprised and taught me. You see Reiner is one of Hollywood's leading advocates of gay rights, founder of the American Foundation of Equal Rights he is a major supporter of the campaign against Proposition 8, so much so when the legal challenges eventually end in their logical conclusion (and as a gay man I pretty much have to say the plebiscite will be overturned, even if its by the Supreme Court) he plans to dramatize the fight. It's will no doubt be a worthy court-room drama in the vein of his 96 race crime elegy Ghosts of Mississippi and whilst I am in favour of bringing this story to the multiplexes I can't help but think there's a more interesting personal story to be told about how the vote illegitimised relationships and what effect that has on them and their close families.
By the way Airtight is a heist film he's also knocking around as a possible next project - purely because he has never done one before. No details yet, but we'll have to keep an eye on it.
The Double Hour
More remakes of European thriller, this time an Italian original (maybe the rights are being sold to save the economy) which started like a rom-com with a speed-dating leading to a one-night stand leading to a kidnapping and terrible secrets held by the cop and cleaner protagonists coming out to haunt them. Joshua Marston has been tapped to direct, which will make an odd English language change of pace for him.
On Chesil Beach
I know there are fans of Ian McEwans sparse internal novel, even though I personally wasn't engaged and think it's intensely un-cinematic, however I thought I'd pass on the news that the big-screen version hasn't died when proposed director Sam Mendes left for Bond, instead the baton has been passed to Mike Newell. Unfortunately whilst Newell's a nice guy with talent I think it's fair to say he's anonymous behind a camera and I suspect that McEwan's work needs someone flashier to bring out the tension.
Wilson
Just a reiteration of Alexander Payne's desire to adapt Daniel (Ghost World) Clowes' graphic novel. I confess to not being a reader of these books, having a barely concealed prejudice against the format, but Clowes is considered as one of the greats, able to create a fully rounded story within a three panel format, so I'll certainly follow this to see how it works on screen.
Casting News
The latest bizarre casting rumour to hit the web attaches Colin Firth to Spike Lee's OldBoy remake, as the chief antagonist to Josh Brolins wrongfully imprisoned revenge seeker. Not that I doubt Firth's ability in the role, but it is pretty left field a suggestion you have to admit.
There's a small campaign (which will no doubt be crushed before the end of the year) for Colin in the Supporting Actor field for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which conveniently brings us back to Oscar and the opening paragraph.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
I'm getting to old for this s**t (Film News - 05/11/11)
I know, I know, I'm a day late. I would love to heap on the excuses and try to wriggle my way out of responsibility but it can't be done. I simply didn't turn my computer on yesterday (although to be fair I spent most of the day 200 miles away from it) so couldn't post up this weeks moribund news section. Not that we've missed much, the lead story has a title I don't understand and a premise that firmly sets out it's stall for potential audiences (not me it seems), there's the least surprising press call this year and even the monthly IMDb trawl barely uncovered anything. Oh well at least we've got our health, eh?
BZRK
Michael Grant's young adult high concept sci-fi may not be hitting the shelves until 2012 but Sony pictures are so sure of it's success in the lucrative market that optioning the big screen adaptation seems like a no-brainer. Although if you asked me they should wait to see if the novels pick up in the way of Twilight or Hunger Games before dishing out the cash. ALthough on the other hand whilst the books flopping might save them some money the resulting bidding war if the kids love it may be cripplingly expensive.
The plot features too competing factions using nanotechnology to try to control mankind, the first a unfeeling conglomerate headed by co-joined twins Charles and Benjamin (this'll do wonders for societies acceptance of co-joined twins) and their quest to turn mankind into subservient consumers and create a capitalist utopian society. On the other side is the BZRK's, a teenage guerilla army, no doubt representing the 99%, who will stop at anything to prevent this nascent corporate takeover. Including using nanobots that are linked to the lifeforce of the donor/controller in their group. 
Of course it's very early days so I wouldn't go raising your hopes for this particular production, although Grant's literary pedigree is succesful enough (the "Gone" series) to suggest he knows his market so maybe this will turn out to be the next Harry Potter?
Read on for wolf pack refugees and why all eyes were on London this week, as well as the latest in casting and production news and the chance to say goodbye to a Hollywood hero.
Untitled Gus van Sant picture
At first this week I thought the world was about to end, that everything I had held dear to was about to be destroyed in a burning apocalypse. Taylor Lautner, him of the rock hard abs and even harder acting style from the Twilight franchise (on the right, you know who I mean), wants a real film acting career - actually with the recent box office disaster that was Abduction any career might be a bonus - and has "hired" Gus van Sant and Dustin Lance Black to mould a vehicle around him based on an as yet unknown New Yorker article. Now I could be putting two and two together and making five but given van Sant and Black are high profile gay film-makers and their last collaboration was homosexual politician biopic Milk so is Lautner about to go gay for pay? Does he really think the critics are so shallow that merely kissing a bloke will get him the plaudits he's so far missed?
Skyfall
So the next Bond movie is called Skyfall, surprise surprise. There was a big press call on Thursday where all the rumours that have circulated about the forthcoming production were confirmed - except for the less action more introspection story which was roundly turned upon. That's it really, a lot of bruhaha about nothing. I still really want to see it though.
Casting News
I am sure I've mentioned this before, but I'm damned if I can find my post on the film, but on the off chance I haven't it's great to see Nicole Kidman sign up to play elephant conservationist Dame Daphne Shledrake in My Wild Life which sound a bit like a pachyderm version of Gorillas in the Mist only with a happier ending. Everyone wants to work with Leonardo DiCaprio so it's no surprise to see him and Sean Penn on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrittu's revenge western The Revenant, with DiCaprio recovering from a bear mauling and crossing America to demand an apology to Penn for leaving him to die.
The last time Nicole Kidman got involved with an Elephant it was a delightful cocktail, I doubt this will feature the same amount of singing and absinthe.
Production News
Scanning IMDb has been it's usual process of rediscovering titles I thought had disappeared, surprising myself with previous posts that are coming to fruition and the odd new project came to my attention (and make no mistake the only new film is very odd). Resurrected this month is the Swedish crime thriller The Hypnotist, biblical drama Mary, Mother of Christ and Kenneth Grahame biopic Banking on Mr. Toad. On the new movie side we have Alexander Payne's Nebraska (although to be fair that's been drifting along threatening to enter pre-production for years), submarine actioner Hunter Killer - joining Antoine Fuqua's ever expanding to-do list, the Coen Brothers' folk music expose Inside Llewyn Davis (now with added Justin Timberlake), true life murder/siege drama Foxcatcher, sci-fi romance Timeless and Robert De Niro on acerbic comic form in The Comedian.
Monster Butler
Extended from a 2010 short film, Malcolm McDowell will be reprising his role as serial killing servant Roy Fontaine, who murdered 7 employers, acquaintances and relatives in the late 1970's before serving out the rest of his days in prison. Peter (Highlander) Bellwood's script, partly based on Fontaine's own memoires, will probably take in the complex addictions and weaknesses of it's anti-hero as he graduated from petty thievery to more serious crime and found that he couldn't stop once he started. Or it could be exploitative nonsense, we'll see.
McDowell has a spotty filmography but you know he fully commits to eveyr role so he at least should be worth seeing.
Gilbert Cates
Finally this week we were saddened by the passing of Gilbert Cates, veteran director and producer who's early relationship dramas and TV staples will no doubt be passed over for the incredible contribution and consistency he brought to producing the Oscars telecast between 1990 and 2006. Like it or loathe it it's fair to say much of what we recognise in the annual celebration from tinseltown directly stems from Cates' ideas and production values over the last two deacades. He will be missed.
Here's a snippet of I never Sang for My father the 1971 play adaptation that first brought him to the attention of the mainstream.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
What now, Ben? (Film News - 29/10/11)
It's Ben Affleck everywhere you look this week, he's headlining the news and his latest picture has a release date, it's like he won't leave me alone. (For the record he has pretty much left me alone for the last 34 years but I can dream). So todays news post is partly dedicated to the chinned wonder and his growing strengths of his directorial career.
The Stand
The first story came as a bit of surprise to Harry Potter fans, it was thought David Yates would go on to adapt the seminal Stephen King novel as his next project however it looks like Warner Bros. have passed the baton on to Affleck, which would mark the biggest project so far for the actor/director.
The Stand (above) is a dense complex novel about the end of civilisation and the split of mankind's survivors into two distinct social structures one good and one evil! Developed into a miniseries in the early 90's even short-changed many of the characters and over-simplified the thematics of King's work, so how it will squeeze into two and a bit hours remains to be seen.
That said it's great news for Ben's career, his last two films have been Boston set crime novels which have proven he knows how to work with strong ensembles and tense action scenes so perhaps this is proof a large studio is willing to take a chance on his growing skills behind the camera.
(and upcoming Whitey Bulger biopic)
That is if he doesn't choose to focus on the second story, a potential new collaboration with his Good Will Hunting buddy Matt Damon, a biopic of the famed Boston gangster/FBI informant Whitey Bulger. As much as I'd like to see the two old friends working together again I don't really have much anticipation for this, which appears to be a step back for Affleck's directorial career. Especially given this is the third Bulger biopic I've heard about, although none of them appear to be far enough in production to deter the others from developing the idea right now.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see which way Ben goes, there's another 340 days before Argo is released so plenty of time for him to make his mind up.
Read on for a miss-sold thriller, some running, Norwegian crossovers and a catch up on something I completely missed, as well as the latest casting news and a review of the latest changes in UK release dates.
The Arrangement
I'm not sure why the press notes for this love triangle pitch are calling it a thriller, but the mixed race romance scripted by Brian Tucker is getting that moniker everywhere I see it. Maybe the man on the side turns into a Bunny boiler when the affair ends? That'll be a neat twist which hopefully I haven't just spoilt.
McFarland
Disney make inspirational sports drama on a regular basis, they tend to involves teams of no good kids, learning to work together under the tutelage of a sports star on the way down (usually a well known star) who realises his (and lets face it it's almost always a he) potential to inspire greatness and defeat his own personal demons. They will probably be a last minute pep talk in the locker room and an amazing turnaround in the final quarter. Usually. This time though the sport in question is athletics, individual players who work alone to prove themselves on the field (although I expect the relay, right, to feature heavily). It'll be interesting to see how this true-life story of a predominantly Latino school turning around it's fortunes will be handled, interesting to see how racial politics come into play too.
The Snowman
Even more news from the North as another Scandinavian thriller looks set for a US adaptation. This time it's the serial killer novel by Jo Nesbø which has been optioned by Working Title in part to the books rise in popularity in the wake of Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy and partly due the success of the homegrown adaptation of another of Nesbø's novels, Headhunters. The seventh in a series about Harry Hole, a detective who doesn't play by the rules and a killer whose modus operandi includes burying the victims under snowmen. Sounds more TV to me, but we'll see.
Zeitoun
I probably should have mentioned this Jonathan Demme project some years ago, after it's been on his to do list for a long time, but I honestly thought it was a documentary (let's face it these days he does drift between fiction and non-fiction works these days) however the more I hear the more I doubt that assumption. It's going to be animated, not that that discounts the possibility of documentary, it's based on a non-fiction novel by Dave Eggars (left) and concerns the muslim shopkeeper who was arrested and detained without charge for 23 days following Katrina, allegedly for terrorism charges. Whether the film will essentially be a biography in the nature of the novel, or whether it will look at the incident as we would expect from a doc remains to be seen for a time, either way it will probably blur the boundaries of the medium and I'll probably flip flop several times over my commitment to talk about it.
Casting News
Probably the most bizarre casting story this week is the addition of Albert Finney to the Bond 23 supporting rosta. What that's you say? "How is that surprising?" I suppose you have a point, with the recent rumours Sam Mendes is going for a more dramatic Bond, less action orientated, it makes sense he'd ask a star like Finney on board, however considering Al's next movie is the other spy franchise The Bourne Legacy there might just be some unfortunate pre-conceptions that audiences will bring in. Also in the news is Sylvester Stallone who's joined the prison break drama The Tomb replacing Bruce Willis in the role of an architect caught in his own labyrinth.
Release Dates
Trespass - The first of the changes you've probably picked up on because I posted the trailer a couple of weeks ago, not that you'd know living in Manchester, less than two weeks until opening and I've only seen one small poster in the cinema. Laugh at Cage's syrup on 11 November 2011.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday satirical novel, with it's curious mishmash of styles (memos, diary entries, interviews) it's going to be odd to interesting to see how it adapts to the screen, especially with the gender changes that have happened to some characters. Realise your most ambitious plans on 09 March 2012.
We Bought a Zoo - We're going to have to wait a little bit longer for Cameron's Crowe's first film in over 6 years, as it's shifted out of the Christmas opening probably to avoid getting missed in the mix of prestige pics. Learn how to deal with sick Lions on 30 March 2012.
Playing the Field - The Gerard Butler career shift continues with this romantic comedy based around children's football (OK, soccer) team and his attempts to shag his way through the Moms. Go to the park for a kick about on 30 April 2012.
Lucky One - Get your hankies ready for the next Nicolas Sparks (Notebook, Dear John) novel to make it to the big screen, with Zac Efron searching for the anonymous girl in a photo that sustain him during his tour in Iraq. Find someone you don't know on 04 May 2012.
Argo - Ben Affleck may be in the news this week for his long-term plans but we still have his CIA subterfuge movie to see first, heading for a similar release pattern to The Town. Pretend to make a film on 05 October 2012.
The Thor 2 - I really enjoyed the first Thor - the only comic book movie I saw this year - and I suspect the change of director to Patty Jenkins will definitely make the follow-up one to watch too, although the delays in getting her to sign up have delayed the release a few more months. I need to buy a horse on 15 November 2013.
Obviously I couldn't end this post without at least one Ben pic - slightly less sexually objectified as I planned but I'm sitting next to my landlord right now!
Saturday, 22 October 2011
An Unlikely Combination (Film News - 22/10/11)
This week there're a couple of stories this week about films I've already mentioned but didn't really discuss in detail because they were side issues, and there are a couple of stories about films that are way way off in the future and will probably be forgotten before they're made and then there's one very perplexing story that I had to read about four or five times before I even got close to believing it. Even then I've only seen it in one website so I am sceptical, although if it's true it seems like the most surprising combination of genre, director and source material that I can imagine. Naturally it had to come first.
The Mountain
I've only seen it on Deadline so far, but they're usually reliable and calling this an exclusive, but Fox have acquired the above spec script by Helen Childress.
Described as a sophisticated horror in the vein of Rosemary's Baby (which in itself is quite a claim) it is based on the characters from Edith Wharton's "Summer". You certainly read that right, early feminist author's fable about a unwed mother contemplating prostitution will form the basis of a psychological horror - not what I expect Wharton had in mind. Then it get's even more bizarre when you hear Fox have asked Ben Stiller - who directed Childress' Reality Bites back in 1994 - to get back in the directors chair for this one.
So we have a horror, directed by Ben Stiller from a book by Edith Wharton. 
Have you ever heard anything so bizarre?
I actually think it may work, I believe Stiller's most nuanced directorial work was with The Cable Guy with it's dark mood of melancholy behind the florid moments of over acting, so perhaps an unsettling tense horror will be something that he might work well with - as long as he doesn't try to make it funny.
Read on for smuggling, Scandinavia and a railway trip to mess with your head.
City State
Remaking Scandinavian movies seems to be in vogue right now, with Let Me In last year opening the flood gate for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and now this Icelandic crime entry with four diverse storylines converging in Reykjavik as overseas organised crime syndicates take over the cities trade. Given the original written and directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (see poster right) is still out in cinemas over there, it only opened last weekend, there must be potential crossover appeal and it'll be interesting to see how this fares in the English speaking market now news of a remake is out there.
Italian Shoes
Also from within the Artic circle is the latest on Kenneth Branagh's new movie, which is keeping him from directing Thor 2. Written by Wallender creator Henning Mankell (so the link there makes some sense) the story concerns a former surgeon living in a self-imposed exile on a remote Island in the Baltic sea, until a former flame looks him up. It looks like a fascinating project for two performers in their later years, and Manning's themes of decay and danger as they relate to environmental damage and the extinction of isolated communities could make for a thought-provoking backdrop.
Snakehead/Other Stephen Gaghan smuggling drama.
Occasionally Syriana scibe Stephen Gaghan pops up and says he wants to direct again but for some reason his hyperlink dramas never seem to get a final greenlight. Now as a different strategy he's talking about two different projects he's working on, with the expectation that at least one will eventually make it to celluloid. Curiously they both revolve around smuggling illegal goods into America, the first one, based on the Patrick O'Keefe's non-fiction novel, follows the rise and subsequent end of Cheng Chi "Sister" Ping (left) whose Hester Street noodle store was the front for one of the most elaborate and expansive human trafficking organisations in U.S. immigration history (plus a rare chance for Chinese American's to take starring roles in cinema) whereas the second takes a look at Mexican Heroin cartels. Frankly I'm more stoked about the first, but as long as we get something from Gaghan soon it's got to be a good thing.
Casting News
Which I may as well call Carey Mulligan news as both of the stories I read that related directly to casting were about the rising British star. She must be networking in an extraordinary way (as well as being really very talented) as she's signed up to work with two of America's most exciting modern auteurs. On the one hand she's going to be in the next Spike Jonze/Andy Kaufman movie with Joaquim Pheonix, very little is known about the plot although it seems to be a satirical conspiracy theory based movie. She will also be working on the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, they're music based faux-documentary, it'll be a reunion of sorts of Carey with her Drive hubby Oscar Isaac as the lead folk artist.
Go on love, give us a smile.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
The Real Computer Genius - (Film News - 15/10/11)
Difficult to get a handle on the headlines this week, especially with the leading story as there are two vastly different points I want to make about the forthcoming Alan Turing biopic. Of course overall I welcome the increased pace of news this week, with three completely new stories coming our way as well as a flurry of castings it feels like a proper week again.
Imitation Game
Leonardo DiCaprio wants an Oscar, his yearning has become obvious, as reports of his J. Edgar indicate it's fairly missable, he's already lining up his next biopic, a biopic that has all the hallmarks of Academy Award bait. He'll play mathematical genius, suicidally tortured homosexual and renowned stutterer Alan Turing.
Don't get me wrong with 2012 seeing the centennial of Turing's birth the list of his achievements should be sung from the rafters. Here is a man who virtually invented the modern computer, and whose work on the German Enigma device in the second World War won the war in the Atlantic. I wish that Hugh Whitemore's 1986 play "Breaking the Code" with it's award winning performance by Derek Jacobi at the core had a more significant part to play in Turing's fame. It's an incredible play that really gets to grips with Turing's work and personal dilemmas.
It's interesting timing for this news in a couple of ways, partly because of the J. Edgar connection, but partly because of the perceived connection between Turing (above) and Apple computers whose founder Steve Jobs passed away last week. Turing committed suicide in response to chemical castration following a conviction for homosexual activity (illegal in 1952 Britain) by taking a bite from a cyanide laden apple. When the epithet genius has been bandied about far too much in the last couple of weeks to describe branding maestro Jobs, it's time to remember the man who may (or may not) have inspired the Apple logo and who truly deserves the tag of genius.
In many ways I want DiCaprio to pass on the role, and as much as I want to see this film made I would rather the part went to an unknown (obviously I'm prepared to put myself up for the role) and the film garnered a less obvious but still committed audience. After all this story doesn't need awards it just needs to be told.
Read on for New York shenanigans, a time-travel twist on Pride and Prejudice and some casting stories.
The Emperor's Children
Scott Cooper has taken over the helm for the adaptation of Claire Messud's novel, taking over from Noah Baumbach. The novel revolves around the romantic and platonic relationships between four New Yorkers about to hit the big 3-0. Michelle Williams was attached for a while, but the latest press release says nothing about the actors so it could be that she's moved on. Either way this looks like it could have some curious performances from some up and coming actors.
Lost in Austen
Nora Ephron is set to make her first sci-fi movie, albeit one which won't alienate her core fans. Adapted from an ITV mini-series the film centres around a modern New Yorker - shifted from London - whose romantic life is further complicated when she finds herself implanted in Jane Austen's seminal novel "Pride and Prejudice", hijinks involving the novel's plot strands falling apart and the headstrong Elizabeth Bennett making the most of her New York adventure will no doubt make an excellent fish out of the water comedy. Ephron will probably use her Julie & Julia template of jumping between the stories much more than the ITV production which stayed firmly with our heroine. Expect two big names to sign up soon, as well as another iconic Mr. Darcy.
A book cover of Jane Austen's classic, I expect the book itself will feature heavily as a prop.
Casting News
We've had some odd rumours with regards to bills over the last week, none more so than the Avatar 2 saga with Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron both weighing in over the Alien star's potential to return to the franchise. Whilst currently denying it Cameron made a point about non-linear storytelling which could indicate that we could go back to Grace's early work on Pandora. Not to mention the spiritual world-building could bring in some surprising facts about the afterlife. I'm sure this story will go on and on either way. Liam Hemsworth, the brother of Thor with the least interesting CV, has signed up for time-travel romance Timeless, I normally wouldn't care but he's only 21 - how can we justify giving the role about a man inventing a time machine to see his dead wife just once more to a child? Alexander Payne has a long list of veterans he's approaching for his alcoholic old man road trip, including Robert Forster, Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall and, most intriguingly given he's retired, Gene Hackman. If he can persuade Hackman to make a comeback then you know this will be something special. Finally the cast for Robert Redford's Company you Keep keeps on getting better and better with the latest additions of Anna Kendrick and Terrence Howard, look out for this to be in my top 20 for 2012!
Can Payne persuade the legendary Hackman to come out of retirement for one last role? I hope so.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Bzzzzzzzzz (Film News - 08/10/11)
I thought we might be back to decent levels of news with last week's onslaught of great projects, however I was clearly mistaken as this week we drift back to virtually nothing taking my fancy. Admittedly the sad passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs has dominated the headlines, and apart from a brief flurry of biopic rumours most of Hollywood has been respectful in it's simple response. A couple of potential stories had surfaced over last weekend though, and these form the backbone of this weeks breakdown.
The Fly 2
Back in October 2009 I first reported that David Cronenberg was interested in revisiting his classic 80's creature-feature The Fly updating it with the best of modern special effects techniques. Two years on and David's now on post for his Robert Pattinson in a limo movie and is talking up the possibility again. Only now with a completed script it's looking much more like a sequel, a continuation of the original's story.
The script is apparently sitting with Fox right now, awaiting for either the green light or whatever else studios do with screenplays these days. Great news for anyone who's missed the King of Venereal Horror's most excessive flights of fantasy, although I have to admit I have my doubts whether Fox are prepared to go with it and wouldn't be surprised if we get a complete re-boot first.
The final stage of Goldblum's evolution gets it's own back on Cronenberg.
Casting News
And that's pretty much it, with the main news, although there are a couple of casting coups that may be curious. First up is the news that Halle Berry doesn't care what films she makes as long as she's working, as proved by her signing up for Joel Schumacher's The Hive as a emergency phone operator who answers a call that connects her to a murderer in her past. I also read that Schumacher might squeeze in an indie before filming starts in February, although the fact that I'm not headlining with that is somewhat telling. The surfing biopic Of Men and Mavericks has expanded it's cast by adding Abigail Spencer and Elisabeth Shue as subject Jay Moriaty's mother. Finally the cast of Ron Howard's Formula 1 movie Rush is picking up players, tracing the legendary on-track rivalry between Niki Lauder and James Hunt as well as the personal tribulations of the drivers whose personas were on the opposite end of the scale. Hunt, pictured below, was the rock star of the sport, making the celebrity headlines as much as the sports pages, Chris Hemsworth has been set for a while to play Hunt and now Olivia Wilde looks close to signing on as his supermodel wife Suzy Miller and Russell Crowe may cameo as Hollywood icon Richard Burton, who stole Suzy away from Hunt. 
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Will it ask why? (Film News - 01/10/11)
So after weeks of summer draughts we now head into the autumnal abundance with so many news stories coming thick and fast this week I can barely contain them. I suppose it has always been this way, the gentle ebb and flow of production budgets means we get periods of backlog but rarely does it explode upwards in this way. Plus I've also found a couple of very interesting projects springing up on IMDb so it's all go today.
Foxcatcher
Giving the critical (and to a lesser degree) commercial success of Moneyball it's no surprise that picky film-maker Bennett Miller is using the attention to get his next project off the ground and it's looking likely to be this long gestating story about chemical heir and Paranoid schizophrenic John Du Pont who in 1996 murdered his friend and Olympic Wrestling Champion David Schultz in his Estate's wrestling facility.
The film will explore the background to the killing and the two stand off between Du Pont and the police in which he barricading himself into his vast Georgian home. 
DuPont cut a compelling but rather pathetic figure in this portrait from the trial.
Oddly Steve Carell is being tentatively attached to the project, marking his attention to move into more serious acting roles. It's an odd choice both for director and star, but with Miller currently riding high there's no way the Studios will pass on this intriguing true-life tragedy. I suppose the main question though is how the slow pacing Miller will tackle the subject, should we expect long lingering shots of Du Pont as he considers his options both before and after the murder and how will the screenplay address the nature of mental illness, certainly a subject that mainstream Hollywood seems reluctant to explore in an adult way.
Read on for operatics, tablets, teenage girls, surprises in the post, kidnapped Premiers, running hitmen, and old friend in a mask and a return to the fifth dimension. As well as the usual casting news and a rundown of the latest movies going into pre-production. I warned you it was a busy week.
Callas
Maria Callas' tumultuous career and tabloid friendly life off stage seems to be made for cinema and it seems odd that it's taken 30 something years since her untimely death in 1977 for Hollywood to get on the case. Born in 1923 to Greek immigrants in New York she developed a love for music and following her parents divorce found solace in Opera, becoming the world's most famous diva in the 1950's virtually owning La Scala. Later her professional rivalries with Renata Tebaldi, romantic entanglements with Aristotle Onassis and fluctuating weight would end her career, spending her last few years as a recluse. Mirroring Edith Piaf this seems like another bipoic that could propel a star into public conciousness like few others. Oscar here we come.
If you're not already familiar with her spectacular voice have a listen to this recording of Bizet's Habanera at Covent Garden in 1962.
Gods and Kings
Are the rumours of Darren Aronofsky's Noah and Mel Gibson's Maccabee project pushing us back into a new age of Biblical epics? You'd better believe they are as Warner Bros. this week released information about their planned remake of The Ten Commandments, filmed twice by Cecil B DeMille, the film which will focus purely on the words in the Old Testament will follow Moses as he persuades Pharoah to "Let my People Go!" Expect plenty of plagues, some wandering in the desert and Moses dying just before the promised land. Does that count as a spoiler?
Goldengrove
Based on the barest of rumours and the most unlikely set of logical steps the internet has been buzzing about Sofia Coppola's next directorial outing. The source appears to be 14 year old Aussie actress Olivia DeJonge who has told a little known Oz publication The West that's she was heading out to LA to read for Sofia. The Playlist then picked this up and clearly decided it was for the role of Nico in Francine Prose's teenage novel (pictured, left). Coppola has been linked to this before, however there's still a major gap there. One things for sure, if DeJonge is telling the truth then Sofia is in the early stages of making a new movie and whilst I had my issues with Somewhere I still celebrate her talent and look forward to her next project. Even if it is a meditative look at sexual awakening and sudden death as witnessed by a 13 year old girl.
Hate Mail
Chalk this one up as an intriguing prospect but until we know where the plot will go with the set up I'm not sure what to make of it. Effectively the New York set picture will chart the disintegration of previously sturdy looking relationships when one or both of the couple start to receive anonymous letters exposing the truth behind the personal dynamics. Sounds like a beginning rather than an end but I'll be fascinated to see where Half Nelson and It's a Kind of Funny Story collaborators Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck will go with the idea.
Hunter Killer
The submarine thriller hasn't been sunk by the evacuation of Director Philip Noyce as Antoine Fuqua has added it to his ever expanding list of possible projects. You'd better hope he gets on with it though as the December 2012 US release date has already been booked. All good news for my as yet unmade Submarine epic, I wait to see how this Russian President kidnap plot goes down.
Samurai
It could be a cliched ridden disaster but this week writers Gavin O'Connor and Michael J. Wilson sold their above title script to Warner Bros. for an undisclosed six figure sum. Described by The Playlist as "a Brutal lighting fast thriller with a prominent love story" the plot sounds like a hitman inflected Bourne with anti-hero Townes Joyce escaping from a Texan jail then going on the run with a Mexican single mother across three continents before facing up to the international manhunt. Sounds like one hundred other movies but maybe there might be something in the romantic element that makes it stand out. Keep crossing those fingers folks. The title, by the way, is almost certainly stolen from Melville's hugely influential existential hitman pic Le Samurai, right, but I sincerely hope they change it as it seems almost sacrilegious.
Scream 5
Talk of Wes Craven returning once again to the post modern horror franchise won't go away, which is very odd considering Scream 4 bombed at the box office taking in just $38m domestically, and whilst it's oversees gross and DVD income will probably ensure it more than makes back the budget it can hardly be considered a success. That said it's significantly better than the $15m from his last non Scream movie so maybe it's a case of hedging bets.
Twilight Zone
Tracking must be going well for Dark Shadows and The Man from UNCLE as Warner Bros. (again, busy week for them) have optioned another long defunct TV staple. Rod Serling's excellent sci-fi with a message serial originally ran from 1959-64 and gave us a oddball selection of misfits and convoluted plots as well as it's infamous opening narration with it's dimension not of sight and sound but of mind! Leonardo DiCaprio is producing which pretty much guarantees a big budget and a top quality director becoming attached soon. Watch this space for more.
Trippy, eh?
Casting News
It's a reunion of last years Academy Awards supporting actress nominees this week with both Melissa Leo and Jacki Weaver in talks, the former we be caught up in the wreckage of Robert Zemeckis' near-miss plane crash Flight whilst Weaver will be Bradley Cooper's mother in The Silver Lining's Playbook.
The only picture I could find of the two ladies together was at the QVC Oscar Red Carpet Style Party. Don't they look lovely.
Production News
There's been the usual mix of blockbuster and artier fare moving into pre-production phase on IMDb this month, most of which I've already mentioned here on the blog. Films like the all singing Les Miserables, surfing biopic Mavericks, Will and Jaden Smith going into space in One Thousand A.E. and Michel Gondry's French surrealist project The Foam of the Days. But like most months there are a couple which have appeared seemingly out of nowhere, staggering into the sunlight with delicious topics or dripping with talent, and these two films, which I wish I had covered earlier, are no exception.
La Vida Precoz y Breve de Sabina Rivas
Or roughly translated as "The Brief and Premature Life of Sabine Rivas" this is a Mexican love story exposing the realities of modern teenage life at the edges of society. Sabina is the heroine desperate for a music career in America, Jovany her paramour caught up with gang culture and drug cartels. This exceptionally low budget indie - IMDb are suggesting it's under $10k - has even completed filming before I'd read anything so I am a touch intrigued. Oh, and the reason I spotted it is because former Hollywood director Luis Mandoki (Message in a Bottle) has returned to the directors chair for the first time in 8 years.
Night Train to Lisbon
Perhaps a more obvious pull is this European adaptation of Pascal Mercier's Philosophical thriller about a language professor travelling to meet survivors from Salazar's dictatorship. The draw here is the diverse international cast who have already signed on including Jeremy Irons in the lead role, Vanessa Redgrave, Melanie Laurent and Bruno Ganz; a quartet who virtually guarantee the intellectual integrity of the screenplay.
The woman in the red dress appears on all the book covers so I suspect's she important to the plot, she might also be Melanie Laurent.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Do what with the Police? (Film News - 24/09/11)
Last week I bemoanded the lack of film news, crying out for the studios to release something vaguely interesting. They haven't exactly listened. We've had a cornucopia of casting misssives but not much else, although the two biggest stories this week have certainly caught my interest. I've also have an update of UK release dates which spreads out until December 2013 (no prizes for guessing the film) so with no further ado lets get on with the headlines.
Straight Outta Compton
I am not a fan of the seminal Gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A, I confess to being much more middle of the road with my musical tastes, however it's hard to ignore the impact of the Californian group that brought us Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. Their highly rated debut album "Straight Outta Compton" (which will be used as the title for an upcoming biopic) went double platinum and is largely considered one of the influential and ground-breaking musical works of the 1980's, at least in part due to the success being in spite of widespread criticism of the violent lyrics and US radio stations ignoring the phenomena.
The 20th anniversary album cover.
N.W.A members were poets, crying out against police brutality and racial inequality in the crime ridden streets they grew up in, angry and filled with rhetoric it's hard to argue against the aural and political demands of their work. Although retrospect is a hard thing, over the years Gangsta rap has become distorted it's pleas for equality have been replaced by bling worship and violent misogyny. Indeed the recent London riots have, in part, been blamed on the culture of greed and entitlement that has been spawned by N.W.A's antecedents.
Surely then it's time to go back to the beginning, to look at their story in it's own historical context and to dissect what it meant for the group to come from Compton. Of course rumours of this particular biopic have been circulating for years but the intensity of the talk has increased recently with Boyz in the Hood and Abduction director John Singleton recently telling the press he was working with Ice Cube on a script, a comment that the rights-owning studio New Line were quick to scotch (at least with regards to Singleton's involvement). I do hope we see some movement on this soon though.
Read on for superhero stories, some casting breakdowns and the latest release date changes.
Thor 2
I'm facing a dilemma right now. I liked Thor, I enjoyed what Kenneth Branagh brought to the superhero story and was amazed by the films design elements. But I didn't suspect for a second that I would go and see the sequel, I'm not even interested in seeing The Avengers, a movie that seems - even more than most comic book franchises - designed purely to make money. Now though comes the revelation that Marvel are in talks with Monster director Patty Jenkins about taking the helm. Let's just consider this. Branagh may have been a brave choice but his experience with Shakespearean themes and dialogue and the epic canvas he brought to Frankenstein at least backed up the productions decision. Jenkins has none of this, since steering Charlize Theron to an oscar for her murderous prostitute she's been largely drawn to TV - frankly it's so bizarre I can only be excited about the possibilities. Especially as it will be one of the largest movies to ever be directed by a woman.
Now I just have to find out whether I will understand the next instalment of Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth intergalatical love story with tuning into The Avengers.
Casting News
Brad Pitt, who's getting some very nice notices for his subtle work in Moneyball continues to be added to interesting and varied upcoming projects, including the news this weeks that David O Russell is hoping to recruit him for The Mission, the film about a six year hunt for US hostages in Columbia - no news on whether Pitt will be a hostage or part of the seal team out to rescue them. Of course any DOR related news must be taken with a pinch of salt because he's juggling so many projects in the air you never know which one will end up being made. Following last weeks rather young list of potential actors for the Man from U.N.C.L.E there's been at least two more sets of possibilities leaked from memos across the production teams, each more unlikely than the last - I mean do DiCaprio, Bale or Crowe really need this job let alone Robert Pattinson!!! Jackie Earle Haley is the latest to join Spielberg's Lincoln as the pro-slavery Senator Alexander Stephens - notably Steven also confirmed the movie will just look at a short period of Lincoln's life, will not be politically motivated and will be a conventional biographical set-up. Finally some great news for Robert Zemeckis's Flight in which Denzel Washington with accidently save the lives of hundreds of people - Don Cheadle has joined the cast. The last time these two appeared together was 1995's Devil in a Blue Dress, the superb noir tinted drama that saw both of them at the top of their game - hopefully working together again they can recapture that magic. 
Denzel and Don together, in one hell of a good movie.
Release Schedules
The floodgates have opened on 2013 with several big ticket releases confirming the UK dates this month. There's also a few guilty pleasure genre pieces and some Oscar contenders on their way too so sit back and relax at all these upcoming movies.
Dream House - Early buzz of Jim Sheridan's haunted house movie is not good, first there was the overeggy trailer and now it's not getting screened to critics in the States, can Daniel Craig's career recover from this and Cowboys? Remember your murdered family on 25 November 2011.
Trespass - And if the previous film seems like a turkey just imagine the whiff from this Joel Schumacher directed actioner which got utterly plastered at Toronto, looking like a low-rent Funny Games I won't be surprised if this date slips direct to DVD like Joel's last 2 movies. Get kidnapped in your own front room on 16 December 2012.
The Descendants - Following it's superb reception on the festival circuit - currently a bookies favourite to pick up a best film nomination if not the award - there's been a slight shift to a less busy week at the end of January. Reconnect with your kids on 27 January 2012.
Carnage - The cracking cast for Polanski's adaptation of Yasmina Reza's award winning short play make this one of the must sees of the season. Bitterly dissect your relationships on 03 February 2012.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - As I type this I've been listening to an interview with Tom Wilkinson where he talks briefly about this upcoming India-set retirement home dramedy, he's a very humble interviewee so he's not selling it but it does look fun. Celebrate the best and worst of Britons abroad on 09 March 2012.
Big Year - So the set up is strange - Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black spend a year birdspotting - yet there's still something lovable about such a crazy premise about obsession, although this delay in the release does not look good. Get twitching on 23 March 2012.
Great Hope Springs - Coming in 10 months later is David Frankel's next directorial gig, this Meryl Streep/Tommy Lee Jones comedy about marriage counselling - look out for an unlikely Oscar campaign if The Iron Lady fails . Start talking about the niggles on 04 January 2013.
One Thousand A.E. - Let's face it M. Night Shyamalan's career couldn't possibly get any lower rated than at present, however Will Smith - who's got a brilliant track record - is starring and producing so there must be something about the script. Commemorate the end of Earth on 07 June 2013.
Robopocalypse - Spielberg's next but one movie has already got a release date both here and in the States, no cast, no script, just the demise of mankind at the hands of sential robots- it's not going to be a cheerful summer next year. Run from your toaster on 03 July 2013.
Thor 2 - Yeah, it doesn't have a director yet and the little we know about it involves the continuation of the central quartet of relationships, but Marvel do like to plan ahead. Maintain relationships on two planets on 26 July 2013.
The Hobbit: There and Back Again - The second of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings prequels is by far the most dangerous prospect, An Unexpected Journey will cover most of Toilkein's story and this will attempt to bridge the gap and complete the history of the ring, nevertheless it is incredibly anticipated so much so we have a release date 810 days in the future. Sit around with the precious on 13 December 2013.
All this talk of Thor's release date, and the director choice has reminded me of Chris Hemsworth wandering around with no shirt. Thanks Marvel.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
What's the B****y point (Film News - 17/09/11)
I have to ask because I spend all week with my nose to the ground, digesting press releases and sorting through the flotsam and jetsam of film news coverage all to discover there's naff all going on.
Sure I could mention the fascinating but far too young list of actors being considered for Steven Soderbergh's Man from U.N.C.L.E remake (don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as much as anyone but they're no Robert Vaughn). 
Or how about the latest star character actors queuing up to join Robert Redford's The Company you Keep, and I'm not complaining about getting a chance to see Stanley Tucci and Chris Cooper strut their stuff in a parable about politics and journalism, it just shouldn't be the biggest story I have, should it?
Indeed the only titbit that even vaguely caught my eye was Gus van Sant saying at Toronto that's he's still trying to adapt Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid test for the big screen. This is the legendary drug-fuelled road trip Ken Kesey went on before writing One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That's great - and I do really want to see that at cinemas - but we've been talking about it since October 2008! Now I want more than talk.
Maybe I've just missed something. Maybe there's been loads of delightful news stories that have just passed me by. If you've read anything over the last 7 days that made you go "Hmmm.... That seems like a great idea for a movie." Please let me know in the comments. There must be something out there to raise some interest.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
What about leap years? (Film News - 10/09/11)
My mind is not on the news today. I'm pretty much too nervous for tomorrows race to think straight. Looking at what I've written so far pretty much confirms that. Sentence structure is all over the place, I wander aimlessly through paragraphs and don't have anything insightful to say about any of these unusual upcoming projects (although some would say, quite rightly, that's typical of my news posts). I suppose it doesn't help that none of this weeks stories really inspire me, the project either sounds daft, or extremely vague or I've mentioned it before. Take a look at whats coming up and tell me whether you think the same.
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Isn't everyone fed up of superheroes now? This summer proved that too many saturate the market with The Green Lantern in particular crashing and burning, and non-marquee superheroes or the stories of normal people who want amazing powers seems to fare even worse, just look at the box office figures for Scott Pilgrim or Kick Ass. Yet Hollywood still thinks there's cash in the old cow leading to Universal acquiring this dismal sounding action comedy spec from David Guggenheim.
The title refers to the majority of days in the year where our hero imagines, plans and contemplates the heroic deeds he will do on the one day of the year he has superpowers. Which to me sounds like it could be an awfully long boozy chat about what powers we'd choose to have - let's face it we've all been there proudly admitting invisibility would be cool even if it led to Hollow Man levels of perversity.
Plus I wonder what happens if your one day turns out to be a slow news day. You may want to stop a evil scientist from destroying New York or go beserk on an invading SWAT team, but aren't you more likely to be required to put out a chip pan fire or find a stolen car? Worthy no doubt but hardly worth having super powers for.
Guggenheim is currently riding high so it's no surprise to see all his ideas jumped on. Last year he quit as editor of US Weekly when his Safe House script was picked up (look out for Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in that next year) and has just seen success with it's follow ups Santiago (sold to Fox) and Puzzle Palace (Summit Entertainment) so there must be something good about what he writes - or something immensely easy to sell.
Read on for twisted oaters, an intriguing clue, two strong female leads and the latest in casting titbits.
Untitled Gothic Western
I think John Carpenter must be a little confused. He seems to believe it's still the early 80's. At the Fright night festival 2011 he talked about the possibility of making a gothic Western, something he's currently working on. Admittedly in the clip online he does confess that making Westerns is tough at this time and commercially difficult to justify to the studios, however the ambition to make a genre straddling Western still seems a little brave. I also read in follow comments that he is hoping to get Amy Adams on board, which considering she's about to star in Man of Steel seems unlikely. Although it is reminiscent of casting Karen Allen in Starman only a couple of years after Raiders of the Lost Ark so he has form, but like I said before that was at his peak. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, only time will tell.
David Lynch
For far too long we appeared to have lost the surrealist master (right) to animated shorts, dance music and subversive clubs but after the five year feature hiatus since INLAND EMPIRE the man who puts Lynch in Lynchian could soon be back to cinemas near you. That's essentially a lot of preamble to nothing because all I have as a story is David saying in a recent interview with Rolling Stone " I’m working on another new film, but it’s not there yet." No details; no plot, title or cast, no real sign that's he's serious. But I really do hope he is. I need more backward speaking dwarfs in my cinemagoing experiences.
Juliet/The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
I've had the strangest feeling of deja vu this week (I knew you'd say that) as two projects we first reported on here years ago have resurfaced. First up it's the adaptation of Anne Fortier's 2010 novel which is sort of sequel to Shakespeare's doomed romance - a direct descendent of Juliet (um, how did that happen?) finds out that's Mercutio's "plague on both your houses" was a real and long-lasting curse - which we first heard about on 10 January 2009. Or going back even further to 28 July 2008 there's the young adult novel about Miss Doyle, the scion of British aristocracy, who finds herself a lone passenger on a trans-atlantic liner with a tale of intrigue to unfold. Back then Saoirse Ronan was attached as the title character but delays have meant she's too old and the task of casting has just begun. Oh, and if you don't believe me about the age of these stories, feel free to click on the labels below.
Casting News
We've heard the first couple of names bandied around with Lars von Trier explicit sex movie Nymphomaniac and frankly they couldn't be more disturbing. Among the sexual conquests of our heroine will be previous von Trier collaborators Stellan Skarsgaard and Willem Dafoe. Shouldn't he be concentrating on finding the girl before surrounding her by middle aged men? Les Miserables continues to build it's cast with the news that Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are circling thes role of greedy innkeeper Thenardier and his wife, erm Madame Thenardier, not much of a surprise given their previous in musicals (in Bran Nue Dae and Sweeney Todd respectively) and the recent work with director Tom Hooper on The King's Speech.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
You've got to Know when to Hold 'em (Film News - 03/09/11)
It's not been much of a week for film news, even trawling through IMDb looking at new movies going into production hasn't done much to whet my appetite for upcoming cinematic events. Of course there are a couple of reasons for that. Firstly it's the last week of the summer, ending with the US Labor Day weekend and what a perfect excuse to go away and relax for a bit. We've also seen the Venice and Telluride festivals kick off with Toronto coming on their heels next week, marking the final stage of 2011, the awards baity film releases. So with publicists and creatives mixing it with the Press at a variety of exotic locations, it looks like an inopportune moment to talk about what's going to happen in a couple of years time. Of the few stories I have spotted there has been a music related theme, even if utterly tenuous, so please enjoy the inserted youtube clips, and with the choices there should be something for everyone.
The Gambler
When I first heard that Martin Scorsese, William Monahan and Leonardo DiCaprio - the director, writer and star of 2006 Oscar winning The Departed - were getting back together to remake The Gambler I immediately felt my heart leap. At last legitimacy for Kenny Rogers' most famous ballad and unnecessary TV adaptation. Alas they were talking about a different better, the 1974 Karel Reisz drama which starred James Caan as a respectable middle class professor who is controlled by his addiction to gambling.
Like all good addiction movies it traces the compulsion from a harmless hobby to when it begins to cost Caan his family, home and even his professional integrity. Indeed the famous tagline, on the poster below, says it all.
The film is loosely based on a short story by Dostoyevsky and it's unclear right now how much Monahan will stick to the original film or return to the book for inspiration, or indeed when this will slot into the three hectic slates. One questions I really want to know though is why they didn't ask Tobey Maguire, Leo's poker buddy who's currently being sued for winning illegally gained funds - essentially money laundering even though he wasn't aware of it.
By the way if you wondering if they ever will remake Kenny's story, you'd better hope not as that Gambler should be left alone with his personal miseries. Let Kenny tell you all about it:
Read on for bountiful bouquets, rejected child actors and a belted dream as well as the latest list of films heading into production.
L'Ecume des Jours
It's a bit of a non-story but due to the scarcity of exciting stuff I'm running with it anyway. Do you remember several months ago we heard about a forthcoming collaboration between bonkers French director Michel Gondry and gamine Gallic Goddess Audrey Tatou? Well, it now has a title, which I would translate but I can't find a definition of Ecume anywhere. Anyone able to help? Anyway joining Tatou will be Romaine Duris (they have a long history of starring together) in the fantastical love story with philosophical subplots and beds of flowers (it's adapted from the 1947 novel by Boris Vian, so that hasn't come from nowhere). With those elements now known suddenly this seems like a perfect vehicle for all involved.
Cameron Crowe's Kids movie/My Name is Marvin
Crowe has scotched the rumours of a Say Anything sequel this week, although if you remember I had my personal doubts from the very beginning. So of course that's led to an avalanche of alternative theories of what he might he be working on next, in spite of the six year wait we've had for We Bought a Zoo. One popular thought is he will return to the Marvin Gaye biopic (My Name is Marvin) first planned several years ago, an artist to which he is still utterly in awe of (and who can blame his). Crowe's a former music journalist, which I guess everyone who's seen Almost Famous knows and this will be a fascinating bridge between his documentary work and narrative cinema.
The most recent alternative, which he's even admitted to writing, is a kids movie based on the child actors he didn't cast in We Bought a Zoo. Read about it in this excerpt from an IFC interview.
“This woman that I work with, Gail Levin, is a great casting director. She’s always finding new faces,” he said. “The kids she found for ‘We Bought a Zoo’ are so exciting. We met with all these actors, and they would leave the room and it was a situation where I would turn to Gail and say ‘They’re not right for this one, but I want to write something where we can work with that person.’ That was the genesis for writing a whole new script which I’ve been working on while we were doing ‘We Bought a Zoo’ and finishing this Pearl Jam movie.”
Which to me does not seem like a good enough excuse to make a movie, but maybe it will showcase great talent so I shouldn't be so sniffy.
Casting News
Only one casting bit that caught my eye this week but it's such a doozy I can't imagine that any film fans weren't on the cusp cheering the news that Anne Hathaway may be joining Tom Hooper's production of Les Miserables as Fantine. The phenomenally successful musical scored by Claude-Michel Schönberg has taken an painfully slow route to the screen, surprising given it's inbuilt audience, but with the casting of Hathaway alongside Hugh Jackman who last got together at the Oscars proving they both have the lungs to knock their respective roles out of the park. Fantine is a relatively short role in the story (no spoilers here though) but she does get the most famous song "I dreamed a dream", which no doubt all of you have heard a variety of takes on it, including this version from Glee.
Production News
Very few new films moving into pre-production this month, one can only assume that August with all the school holidays and festival planning it evokes has left Hollywood short on pencil pushers ticking boxes. That said the following productions all look worth seeing. There's Robert Redford's press ethics drama The Company you Keep, which will hopefully not be spoiled by Shia LaBeouf. Thematic sci-fi Adaline has come and gone before so it may just disappear again, naval adventure Here there be Dragons which almost certainly not be Robert Zemeckis' next film and the Bret Easton Ellis scripted Bait. Yet another film that casts sharks as the bad guys as a revenge seeking nerd feeds the yuppies to them.
Sharks just want top be loved, stop hating on them Hollywood.
