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, 22 October 2011
An Unlikely Combination (Film News - 22/10/11)
Saturday, 16 July 2011
The scribblings of a genius (Film News - 16/07/11)
It's been another weak week for film news with only a couple of projects catching my eye, the first of which won't be see for at least another couple of years. I'm not completely sure why this is - are all the execs on Holiday right now? No need to dally though lets get right into:
In the Hand of Dante
We heard this week that Johnny Depp has found a director for the big screen adaptation of Nick Tosches' head scratching novel in the form of Julian Schnabel. Intertwining fictional and autobiographical accounts of the lives of Tosche, Dante and a mobster named Louis the novel focuses on a manuscript of The Divine Comedy that may or may not be the original version.
It sounds to me like a more literary version of Adaptation so I can't wait to see how the characters intersect and what direction the plot unfolds in. The pyjama wearing auteur has said the book is about everything which may not be strictly accurate but at least gives an idea of how ambitious the project will be.
Unfortunately this is a long way off being made, in a statement Schnabel said nothings been signed and Johnny just wants him to look at it and develop it over the next couple of years. I don't know but it sounds like Depp wants to have something interesting to dig out of his schedules at some point in the far off future (and not now when he's hopelessly busy with box office stinkers). Not that Schnabel has anything to worry about, after their brief but memorable collaboration on Before Night Falls (Depp plays a transvestite smuggler - below - in the 2000 Reinaldo Arenas biopic) I suspect they're both itching to get together again.
Read on for a sequel 20 years out of date and a round up of this weeks casting news.
Red Hook Summer
Appearing seemingly out of nowhere and only really a tweet and some investigative journalism is the news that Spike Lee is making a semi-sequel to his seminal 1989 movie Do the Right Thing (see poster below). It's a sequel in that he will return as the character of Mookie but not continuing the plot, although like the original movie the action will take place over a long hot summer. Obviously Lee decided to make a quick joint before seriously starting pre-production on his Old Boy remake, and I for one am far more interested in what he has to say with this.
Casting News
We may not have seen much excitement in the new films section of this weeks news, but at least the casting section sees plenty to write home about. The most interesting story was hearing Joaquin Pheonix is attached to the forthcoming Spike Jonze and Andy Kaufman collaboration. This is great news as it means Pheonix's career has somehow survived his I'm Still Here stunt and we also picked up the movie will be a political satire concerning world leaders planning future crises - sounds intriguing. Edward Norton is being considered for bad guy duties in The Bourne Legacy, the eclectic cast of He Loves Me is getting more interesting with Elliott Gould, Antonio Banderas and Steve Coogan signing on in support and further to last week Josh Brolin is being consider for the Old Boy remake.
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Yeeee-har (Film News - 18/12/10)
True Grit must be quite good. I say that not because of it's two SAG nominations (for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld) this week, or even because of its positive critical receptioon so far. Far more important in Hollywood circles is it's immediate impact on the cinematic landscape for the next few years. It appears to be fully resurrecting the Western genre, completing the process started by The Assassination of Jesse James, 3.10 to Yuma and TV's superb "Deadwood" over last last decade. This week alone there have been three new Western themed movies announced proving the once moribund genre is back for good. 
It's always been a minor surprise that the Western was temporarily faltering, the true American film genre is as much an influence on the national Psyche as a reflection of it. You could argue that Revisionism was it's undoing, the recognition that the 19th century wasn't as black and white (hatted) as the John Ford (director of The Searchers above) and Anthony Mann output would have us believe. With the modern murkiness underpining the moralty of the push into the West was have to accept the European settlers were as complicit in the violence as the Native Americans, and certainly more responsible in it's creation, and with the humanisation of that faceless enemy the cattle baron's and hired killers became the primary bad guys until the delineation between one side and the other became impossible.
True Grit, as with it's 1969 version, has a very clear antagonist (Josh Brolin's scarred Tom Chaney - we should also expect the Coen themes of retribution to return; it's a world where every negative action has a clear reaction on the perpetrator. And that in itself must be the path the post-revisionist Westerns will need to tread.
Untitled Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman Collaboration
In spite of all this talk of Western tropes I'm actually opening with a far more exciting cinematic prospect. Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, the mind bending Director and Writer behind Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. have apparently made up their differences and are currently schlepping between the studios with an original idea (although as yet no script).
I suspect it's going to be a tough sell in today's financial environment, and it could be that the process may end up a lot more interesting if they go outside the studio system, however I would love to see their next movie together. Definitely one to look out for.
Read on for our three Westerns and a Pulitzer prize winning adaptation.
Colour of Lightning
The first Western set to see it's big screen adapatation by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (and, yes there are two of them) will be a revenge story about a freed slave who's family are kidnapped by Native Americans. Similar in plot to The Searchers then, only with a post-colonial twist. Ridley Scott is set to direct this - which would therefore make this the McMurtry Western he mentioned during interviews back in June. Where this will fit on his already overcrowded schedule is yet to be finalised.
Empire of the Summer Moon
On the other side of the coin is this Braveheart style look at the Comanche tribe and the almost mythical dual heritage leader who fought against the White settlers. Robert Duvall has been mentioned (slightly) against the role so maybe it will involve a bookend structure and Scott (Crazy Heart) Cooper may end up directing.
The Gunslinger
Our final Western, or more appropriately a contemporary Western, will be from James Mangold who has previous form in the genre with 3.10 to Yuma. It's also a revenge flick but instead of Lightning and a kidnapped family it's a murdered brother that kicks off the plot. Lensing for this is planned to commence in the spring.
Anna in the Tropics
Another week, another Lee Daniels project announced. Sometimes I'm being facetious when I say that but in Daniels case it's absolutely true - we have had three distinct rumours baout films projects in the last month. This time it's Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer award winning play about the 19th century cigar industry and the Cuban migrants who made the cigars. I don't know the play but I can only imagine the dialogue is more exciting than the concept.
Casting News
Not much in the way of casting from this week, we should be completely unsurprised to see Colin Firth is interested in the crime caper remake Gambit. The only other story is the rather low-key concept of re-uniting Robert DeNiro with Martin Scorsese in The Irishman, formerly known as I heard you Paint Houses, with a supporting cast to include Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel and Al Pacino. Which surely isn't a casting coup that's in any way excitable. (OMG, shriek, shriek, etc.)
Blake Edwards 1922-2010
This week we were saddened to hear of the passing of cinematic legend Blake Edwards. He had a genius for shooting slapstick as we will no doubt remember from the Pink Panther movies, as well as making ramance perfect as in his 1961 magnum opus Breakfast at Tiffanys. Tom in Chicago has written a very nice in memorium piece here, but for me I'll just have a listen to Moon River.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
2009. Dir: Spike Jonze. Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara and Lauren Ambrose. ●●●●●
I will start this review by confessing that I have never read Maurice Sendak's Where the wild things are. Regardless of it's status as one of the greatest children's books ever written I was never exposed to it's beauty as a child. The biggest compliment I can say having seen the film is "I wish I had". If the book has even half the emotional richness that the film has then every child should have that opportunity.
By now you probably know that I liked Where the Wild Things Are. I really really liked it.
The plot (bearing in mind this is not really plot driven) follows a small boy (Max Records) first in his normal every day life then, following an arguement with his mother (Catherine Keener), in a fantasy land populated by "Wild Things" where he escapes to. In both environments he plays, fights, builds forts and (fails to)connects with everyone else.
There are so many things this film gets right it's difficult to choose which ones to look at. Primarily the casting of Max is perfect. I don't know whether the boy can act but he was incredibly natural, both on screen and in his actions. The changes in emotional state from joy to fear to petulance as perfectly played and as spontaneous as children can be. Later as Max begins to realise the psychology of the Wild Things and as he appreciates the shift in dynamics that takes him from being the child to the parent he handles the subtle changes incredibly well.
The screenplay perfectly judges to tone. It is a kids film, they could watch it and understand everything that is being said, enjoy the comedy of throwing mud balls at each other and feel the fear when the Wild Things may turn on Max. Yet it's also an adults film. In growing up we start to hide all those emotions that Max allows to run rampant, but that doesn't mean they don't exist - or that they ever fully go away. As an adult I can recognise those Wild Things and appreciate them - I want ot be Max and face them.
The Wild things themselves are brilliant. Both as physical creations - the things they do are pure fantasy but because they are real people in big suits (with some addition FX shots to clean up the facial expressions) we can feel their movements as much as see them. The voice performances are all suited to the characteristics their Wild Things portray, but special kudos go to Lauren Ambrose as K.W. (representing the pull of family) and Paul Dano as Alexander (loneliness).
A brilliant film that should be seen by everyone.
