Philip Seymour Hoffman

Happy Birthday to

Philip Seymour Hoffman

43 today

Looking back now it's difficult to remember that time when Hoffman was everybody's favourite below the line character actors, effortlessly walking about with scenes from more famous and experienced stars. Three Oscar nods later we realise how quickly times change. In 2011 we'll get a chance to see him square off with Brad Pitt in the long-delayed Moneyball and play religious con-man The Master in Paul Thomas Anderson's next movie, which may or may not be called The Master.

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Film News (29/05/10)

Did everyone enjoy the Cannes results last weekend, as much as I respect the judges opinions I think we can safely say the results this year, as will many of the films presented, will be relevant only to Cannes history and are unlikely to affect the movie going public. If Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives even gets a UK release I will be pleasantly shocked. Moving on to the rest of th news there's been nothing earth shattering but these small stories have got my attention.

One Day

Did you know An Education helmer Lone Scherfig was making a rip off of Same Time Next Year? If so why didn't you tell me, I am quite curious. The premise of two romantic partners who meet one day every year (in this version it's on St Swithuns Day, 15 July) for twenty years is certainly stolen from the 1978 Robert Mulligan film, but I'm interested to see how Lone can update the rather cliched story (the character arcs are so obvious) and what she can do to make it less stagey. The casting certainly looks good with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in the leading roles.


St. Swithun, Bishop of Winchester from 852-862, is primarily known for the proverb:

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain no more

I'm not sure how that will be worked into the plot.

Read on for a Bruce Willis double, a really unlikely Sinatra and more titbits from Paul Thomas Anderson. As well as the latest shifts in UK box office releases.



Kane & Lynch/The Tomb

Bruce Willis (left) is not generally an actor that I wil queue up to see, in fact the last time I saw him in a leading role was 2006's 16 Blocks (I know, I know). But these two films both look like they could be fun and may just bring me back to reappraise his work. Kane & Lynch has been hanging around for some time, adapted from a computer game it sees two death row inmates escape and search for a stolen fortune. Kane (Willis) is a badass mercenary, Lynch (to be played by Jamie Foxx) is a schizophrenic. Doesn't that just sound barmy enough to work?

The Tomb is weirder still with master architect (Willis again) finding himself incarcerated in the inescapable prison he designed. He must find a way out and bring the people responsible for putting him there behind bars. Maybe it's a little too high concept or similar to "Prison Break" for it's own good, but it should be another chance for wisecracking Willis to perform.

Sinatra

Martin Scorsese is thinking of casting Al Pacino as Sinatra and Robert De Niro as Dean Martin in his forthcoming biopic - according to his comments on the Indian press circuit with Shutter Island. My message to Marty. Please don't do that, it's a big big mistake, don't go for names, find someone who can do the role without a load of baggage. Thank you.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson project

PT Anderson's new religion movie, which almost certainly isn't about Scientology (in spite of any superficial similarites) has gained a leading lady with Reese Witherspoon eyeing the project. She's a good actress, but she needs direction so her performance my well depend on the type of project this is. If it's an ensemble piece then she do well, if it's going o focus on Philip Seymour Hoffman's fanatic then expect Reese to irritate from the sidelines. We'll see.



I'm short of picture concepts today - so that's Reese in a dress on a red carpet.

Release Date News

Knight & Day - I do believe that Tom Cruise himself is afraid of clashing with World Cup football, how else do you explain the shift in release date of his latest caper until after the competition. Become a rogue agent on 06 August 2010.

The Town - Ben Affleck's last directorial gig was a surprise critical hit, unfortunately he's replaced his incredibly talented brother with his wooden self in this Bank Robber follow-up. Develop a Stockholm complex on 08 October 2010.

The Debt - The English language remake of the anti-Mossad Isreali picture couldn't be better timed, what with the Dubai assassination still big news. We'll just have to see if the marketing team use that. Find someone you thought was dead on 15 October 2010.

Social Network - David Fincher's facebook chronology may have shifted it's release date to clash with the film above, but I doubt there will be many crossover fans. Update your status on 15 October 2010.

Green Hornet - There have been rumours of bad test screenings, studio interference and 3D reshoots, but we'll never know the real truth abouth the delay of this winter blockbuster. Get a martial arts expert as a sidekick on 14 January 2011.

Cheaters - The Vince Vaughn/Ron Howard collaboration may have only just started filming, but they're obviously expecting a quick edit looking at the release date. Catch your best mates girl playing away on 21 January 2011.

Somewhere - Stephen Dorff is set to be wandering dreamily round his hotel reconnecting with his daughter really soon now, why not try to imagine how closely this will resemble Lost in Translation now. Let the world float by on 04 March 2011.

Straw Dogs - I don't really believe this release date, after all Rod Lurie's revenge drama has already had three of them. We'll see how long it takes before this is whisked away. Try to get on with the locals on 28 October 2011.

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - It's a new record, a release date in 545 days time. Of course Spielberg's involved so everything we know about film marketing is likely to be wrong. Whoah whoah on 25 November 2011.

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There Will Be Blood

2007. Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds, Kevin J O'Connor and Dillon Freasier ●●●●●



With no sign of Everlasting Moments at cinemas in Birmingham I randomly chose PT Anderson's There Will Be Blood to review. It seems incredibly now, just 18 months later, that this film and No Country for Old Men became locked in a titanic battle for the 2007 Best Picture Oscar. In the end the Coen film took the prize, but in my opinion, the better film missed out.



The film, very loosely based on Upton Sinclair's Oil, concerns the decay of the soul of Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis), an oilman whose avarice overtakes all his other thoughts. The story follows him from mining silver alone to ending his life alone and bitter in his mansion via the adoption of a son of a deceased worker and a major struggle with a small church and it's charismatic preacher (Dano).

Of course a film which revolves around a single character requires a solid performance, which Day-Lewis delivers in spades. It's absolutely electrifying, you just can't keep your eyes off him. Every line is said with such vigour and certainty it's as if it's a documentary. Towards the end there is a tendency to waver on the line of cartoonish caricature, but thankfully Day-Lewis never crosses it.

Dano is effective as the young man of God, especially in the two key scenes he shares with Day-Lewis (the baptism and the bowling alley), but in his quieter moments he looks a little lost (the blessing of the new mine). Dillon Freasier and Russell Harvard both do fine work as the yound and adult versions of H.W. Plainview, Daniel's adopted son, I hope to see both of them build on these performances in the future, although there's nothing so far.

The cinematography by Robert Elswitt is excellent, the way natural light plays across the characters in different ways, the sun streaming through the church windows, the framing of the oilmen is beautiful and often moving. I was also struck by the movement of the camera, Anderson and Elswitt almost never let it be still, especially in the mid-shots when it often pans forward and back moving you towards or away from the action. It's a technique that often goes with the multi-character films Anderson made his name with but here it's equally effective.

Finally the score is beautiful, Johnny Greenwood's (adiohead) original pieces are compelling and the use of Brahms is overpowering.

This film is a masterpiece, if you haven't already seen it I urge you to rectify that as soon as possible.

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