It started off quite slow this week, with very few stories capturing my imagination and when one did come along I wasn't too sure whether it was true in the first place. Oddly though that element of whether the story was real or fiction actually struck me more than the story itself. This links to an interesting discussion on the Slash Film podcast a couple of weeks ago about the development of internet news. Essentially the crux of the argument was that the range and breadth of film news sites, and the growth of 24 hour news culture means that there's a desperate need to be the first with the stories and commentary has a habit of being treated as fact without the due journalistic veracity. The team cited several internet rumours that ended up being treated as true before any fact-checking had taken place. The full discussion can be heard here. By the way if you're not a regular listener then I suggest you do start getting it, I don't always agree with the guys and their preference for blockbusters and exploitation cinema (at least in the films they discuss) can be a little wearing but it's usually worth a listen for their insightful commentary.
As a nod towards that idea of most stories coming to nothing, whilst being perfectly aware that only between 30-40% of the movie projects I mention actually get made, and as a tribute to 50 years of the UK betting shop I'm going to give my own odds for each of the news stories that caught my eye of ever making it to a cinema near you. Starting with the story that began it all:
Secret Door
Last weekend a tweet, reportedly from American Zoetrope (the production company set up by Francis Ford Coppola), announced Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst would be teaming up for their 3rd collaboration. 10 pages from the script, which indicated it was set in 1940's Paris and concerned three depressed and existential characters, were also released. Within hours the story was viral, appearing on many reputable news sites including empireonline and The Playlist.
By the end of the week this turned out to be complete rubbish - there's no word on who created this story or why (seriously who is aching for Dunst to play a suicidal French woman enough to pen a script and fake a twitter account?) - but all of the major players have said it's not true. 
Both of Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst's previous collaborations, The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette (above) have been fascinated movies so I will confess I was hoping this story had some truth in it.
Odds of getting made: 200-1. It's possible the hoax is a hoax, the whole project is real, and Sofia just wants a little privacy in putting it together. More likely the entire internet was over-excited about nothing.
Read on for paranoid elves, inadequate serial killers, strippers, scams and a chance to go back and make thongs right. As well as the latest in UK release date news.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Truth and fiction (Film News - 30/04/11)
Cloris Leachman
Happy Birthday to
Cloris Leachman
85 today
Even in her mid eighties Cloris' career is still going strong, thanks at least in part to a lucrative stint on "Dancing with the Stars" and her recent chucklesome performance in New York, I Love you. Of course none of the films she has coming up in any way appeal to me, but it's good to see there's plenty of work out there for this clever character actress.
Friday, 29 April 2011
By Odin's Beard (Out this week - 29/04/11)
Summer's Here!!! We know this not because certain birds are singing, or flowers budding, or even the increasing temperature, but becuase the cinema schedules tell us so. The first of the tentpole movies has been unleased onto the unsuspecting movie public today (although actually it's been on at UK cinemas since Monday) and what with the positive reviews, and the fact that it's the one comic book adaptation this year that interests me, I'm going to say the movie of the week is Thor.
Thor
Marvel have cornered this end of the blockbuster season, with the Norse God taking over the spot from Iron Man last year, even the marketing here in the UK has emphasised this is from the same studio. Chris Hemsworth is the headline but quality supporting turns from Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins should be expected.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Celeste Holm
Happy Birthday to
Celeste Holm
94 today
To anyone who suggests that the glamour of old Hollywood is gone I would like to remind you that Celeste, star of Gentleman's Agreement and All About Eve is not just still alive but still working in her nineties. And any headshot with pearls on just screams glamour to me.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Mary McDonnell
Happy Birthday to
Mary McDonnell
59 today
One of the biggest disappointments about Scream 4 was the criminal underuse of the talented and reliable Mary McDonnell as Sidney's aunt and mother to the new generation's protagonist Emma Roberts. Don't get me wrong she did a great job wih only half a dozen lines, but I can't help feeling some character development ended on the cutting room floor. Poor choice from the editor there.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Red Riding Hood
2011. Dir: Catherine Hardwicke. Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Gary Oldman and Julie Christie. ●○○○○
Well let's just get this clear straight off the back. I am not the intended audience for Red Riding Hood, however I went to see it on a Thursday afternoon during Easter holidays and the (sparse) audience around me was in the majority were ealry teenage girls, and like me they were shifting uncomfortably in the seats whilst this shockingly inept piece of filmmaking rolled (and not just when the projector turned itself off in disgust).
Perhaps I should be more generous, as there are elements of the film I liked - lovely costumes for instance however poor scriptwriting, acting and direction combine to destroy any positivity I have about the piece.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Tuesday Trailers - Win Win
The final trailer for May is one of my most anticipated movies for 2011, and from what I hear over in the U.S. that was a good call. Thomas McCarthy's The Visitor follow-up concerns a stressed small-town lawyer and wrestling coach (Paul Giamatti) who opens his house to the grandson of a client (Alex Shaffer). The reviews have been positive, and the box office staying power has been very impressive for a limited release. I doubt it will do quite as well over here where high-school wrestling doesn't exist, but I for one will be queuing up to see it.
Win Win opens on 20 May 2011.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Happy Birthday to
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
44 today
A RADA alumni with an impressive stage career, Marianne occasionally gets the opportunity to shine in a supporting role in cinema. Nothing vaguely interesting on the horizon though, come on someone give her a prize job.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Running (24/04/11)
I cut down on the distance side this week, and with a much better balance between individual runs, which have the effect of a large improvement on my average speed - I don't know whether that will translate to a longer run when I next do one - we'll see.
5 runs
26.7 miles
3 hours 51 minutes
So that's an average speed of 6.92 mph
Talia Shire
Happy Birthday to
Talia Shire
65 today
When Talia was first cast as the abused sister in Francis Ford Coppola's seminal masterpiece The Godfather it was probably generally considered just another case of nepotism for the notorious family man, however using that as a platform she went on to Oscar nods for the sequel and for Rocky proving her critics wrong. Still acting most of her pictures these days seem awfully similar and awfully direct to DVD fare.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Will he or won't he (Film News - 23/04/11)
Not exactly an exciting week for cinema stories, I guess the proximity to Easter/Passover and other spring based breaks has meant progress in the studios has been slow. That said I did here about a couple of new projects they may just make fascinating films in the years to come, or might just be my chace to ogle at muscly men.
Parker
Like Jason Statham for instance. Who is set to star for Taylor Hackford (??!!) in this big screen spin-off of Donald E. Westlake's series of novels. I say spin-off as the film will only use the central character (the eponymous burglar) as a starting point and will create it's own plot.
Parker himself seems like the type of rugged hero Statham was born to play, he is described as never stealing from those who need it - although quite how this will be shown in the movie remains to be seen - and he never kills. Unless he has to. So expect a high body count, and maybe he'll give some chage to a charity collector.
The main question of course is whether he'll find an excuse to rip off his shirt Transporter style. I'm guessing there's at least one scene where he shows off his stunning body (cue body)
and tries to prove he isn't gay by sleeping with an underwritten female character.
Read on for industrialists, mid-air heroics and the usual update of casting stories.
Djimon Hounsou
Happy Birthday to
Djimon Hounsou
47 today
The statuesque Beninian has two Oscar nominations to his name and has worked with a slew of big name directors yet still can't seem to get roles that aren't at least partially focussed on his African heritage. By the way, as a former model, there's plenty of pictures like this on the web.
Friday, 22 April 2011
In the Depths of Winter (Out this week - 22/04/11)
It's a good job I'm still in the run of "Baby Jesus Freak" as the cinematic landscape is looking a bit bleak at present, with the final deep breath before the summer season of blockbuster action commences. That's not to say there isn't some interesting output, but it's purely on the independent foreign-language kind and therefore hard to get hold of in the majority of cinemas. Anyhoo - film of the week is How I ended this Summer.
How I ended this Summer
Set in a Russian weather station deep within the arctic circle the film follows the progression and breakdown of two vastly different men over one summer as they receive and attempt to process some bad news from home. The trailer indicates high emotions and a fair degree of tension.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Jack Nicholson
Happy Birthday to
Jack Nicholson
74 today
Easily one of the most recognised actors on the planet, those eyebrows alone are infamous. Jack doesn't work terribly often these days, taking a couple of years between projects, but his fanbase still loyally attend even when the movie is rubbish (see How Do You Know).
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Scream 4
2011. Dir: Wes Craven. Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere. ●●●○○
Do you like Scary movies? Or perhaps a better question: do you like comedies that make you jump or horror films that you laugh at? If you're a fan of the former than you will probably find Scream 4 or Scre4m right up your street, if you fall in the second camp prepare to be disappointed. At no point in the (curiously overlong) 111 minute screentime does this feel like a horror, the tension simply doesn't get ratcheted up enough, however there are plenty of giggles to be had anticipating the next bloody corpse and trying to second guess the killer.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Jessica Lange
Happy Birthday to
Jessica Lange
62 today
Notoriously publicity shy Lange's breakout role was in the underrated 1976 King Kong remake swiftly followed by the Angel of Death in All that Jazz. Equally adept in comedic and dramatic roles it's a shame we don't see more of her these days.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Tuesday Trailers - The Messenger
It's shocking that we've had to wait so long for this in the UK. Oren Moverman's subtle and realistic fable chronicling the work of soldiers reporting the loss of loved ones is a unique and harrowing movie, and yet it has taken over 18 months to get a British release. I've already seen it - and I'm very glad it's coming out as that will make it eligible for my best of lists this year.
The Messenger is released on 20 May 2011.
James Franco
Happy Birthday to
James Franco
33 today
Is Franco biting off more than he can chew? What with Oscar nominated work on 127 Hours as well as high profile movies like Howl and this months Your Highness, a stint on "General Hospital", all his art and photography work it was highly likely that one of the balls would be dropped - shame it was hosting the Oscars. Loads of films on the slate but really I'm only interested to see his (con) wizarding skills in Oz, The Great and Powerful.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Running (17/04/11)
I wandered down to the London Marathon course on yesterday morning, cheering on the runners. They all did such a great job, both in terms of their dedication to the race (plenty of grimacing faces) and in terms of raising huge amounts of money for charity. I'm sure they'll all feeling a delightful mixture of muscular pain and elation at their achievement this morning. Well done to all. I may even sign up for next year now, the atmosphere was amazing so I'm sure I'd enjoy the run. In the meantime:
5 runs
32.2 miles
5 hours 02 minutes
So that's an average speed of 6.40 mph
Hayley Mills
Happy Birthday to
Hayley Mills
65 today
It's hard to imagine now but in the 60's not only was Hayley the most famous child star on the planet, but she also consistently championing the box office leagues - you just can't imagine any of todays prodigys having that much clout. She's still working, mainly on British TV, but she's obviously not as angelic as she once was.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
All that glisten's is not... (Film News - 17/04/11)
I'm still in London, so just a little bit out on a limb, therefore it's difficult to keep up with the news, however I have endeavored to keep looking at the latest headlines on a daily basis so I can, at least, give a rough breakdown. Actually the biggest news stories have all been casting related but a few new rumours have surfaced. Such as:
Gold
Which sees the unlikely marriage of Michael Mann director with Paul Haggis on production duty for this modern tale of obsessions and greed with cues taken from John Huston's masterful The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. We don't know anything else at this point, but investigations into the seamier side of man's relationship with rare stuff from the ground is usually good for a watch - whether we're talking about Bogart in the 1949 film or Daniel Day-Lewis drinking our milkshake. 
The script by Chicago Code/Friday Night Lights alumni Patrick Massett and John Zinman was originally passed to Haggis, who felt he could not direct due to other commitments so in turn offered it to Mann. I suspect this will be right up Micheal's street, the potential mix of dangerous men in dangerous situations will undoubtedly be irresistible to him.
Expect some great names to join the cast over the coming months.
Read on for more revenge, more money, and some casting news.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Something we all do (Out this week - 15/04/11)
Odd little week, without much exciting at the cinemas, but some independent US and overseas efforts keep the art-house crowd happy enough. With the latest block buster efforts from Catherine Hardwicke and Wes Craven fighting for the top spot I'll definitely be attending a multiplex at some point, but the film of the week is Little White Lies.
Little White Lies
Actor turned director Guillaume Canet amazed everyone with his 2007 thriller Tell No One and here gets the opportunity to follow-up with a multiple character mood piece as a group of bourgeois 30 somethings head to the coast to play fast and loose with the truth of their relationships. Marion Cotillard reminds everyone she's French.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Emma Thompson
Happy Birthday to
Emma Thompson
52 today
Actress, writer, commedienne, national treasure. Emma defies convention with the wit and intelligence to seamlessly move between her many talents. She's going through a period of taking the money and running at the moment with nothing coming out that really begs to be seen.
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).
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Tuesday Trailers - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
I'm fairly confident this will be the highest grossing movie I see in cinemas this year. Whether Captain Jack Sparrow will defeat Transformers, Captain America or Cars 2 remains to be seen - nevertheless the haul for this nautical juggernaut will be substantial. As you know it made my most anticipated movie list for the year, and I expect to see the usual hijinks and fun that we expect from the series - just hopefully more focussed than At World's End.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is released on 20 May 2011.
Andy Garcia
Happy Birthday to
Andy Garcia
55 today
Andy (birth name Andrés Arturo García Menéndez) didn't really register in New York I Love You even though I'd been looking forward to it for months. His role was in the first section and I felt the short was too tricksy to really work. It's a shame because I always want to like to watch him, but so few of his performances come my way.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Running (10/04/11)
I was in London all this week - doing Baby Jesus Freak, as if you didn't know - so the diet went to pot a bit, but at least I've kept the legs moving.
5 runs
26.6 miles
4 hours 05 minutes
So that's an average speed of 6.50 mph
Haley Joel Osment
Happy Birthday to
Haley Joel Osment
23 today
Contrary to popular belief the stratopheric child star of the turn of the millenium hasn't disappeared off the face of the earth. On the contrary Haley has been consistently working wisely doing voice work during the difficult growing phases. Now in his early twenties the adult career is just about to start - let's hope he can throw off the "seeing dead people" preconceptions.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Sorting out the rubbish - (Movie News - 09/04/11)
I'm in London this week - it's Baby Jesus Freak don't ya know? - so I'm doing one of those tricks where I attempt to complete the news report in an internet cafe - writing up the stories as I hit them. It's so exciting as I want to keep the costs down and writing becomes much more intense!
Trash
The biggest title grabbing my attention is the children's adventure novel by Andy Mulligan which is about to get the multiplex treatment under the watchful eyes of Richard Curtis (writing) and Stephen Daldry (directing). That's a fascinating combo and frankly I'd probably see anything those two would plan to work on together, but this story seems especially intriguing.
Three boys (Raphael, Gardo, and Rat) in an unnamed third world country struggle to survive by recycling rubbish from the vast refuse mountains outside the major city where they live - I'm not trying to offend anyone but I imagine the Jardim Gramacho outside of Rio at this point. When the boys find something special, and then refuse a large bribe from a local policeman to hand it over it sparks a chain of events that will require all their cunning and courage to survive.
Sounds like it could meld a searing attack on modern poverty with the ind of adventure games children like exceptionally well. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
Read on for controversial mayors, a weird virus, lies-a-plenty, Conrad's muse, a lost architect, a stupid murderer, the Godfather of Soul and our regular review of casting news.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Bird in Paradise (Out this week - 08/04/11)
It certainly isn't a classic week, with the box office clash between 2 animated behemoths, neither of which are in any way aimed at me, and a selection of horror, low-rent sci-fi and Bollywood entries packing them in. Personally I doubt I'll be bothering with the cinema this weekend - far too busy - however because it's tradition the film of the week will be Rio.
Rio
It's unlikely to turn many heads or to be remembered as we draw to the years close, but this colourful CGI creation could provide adequate laughs for the small ones. Jesse Eisenberg is a nervy Maccaw unable to fly, Anne Hathaway the only female of the same sub-species - sounds like justification for arranged marriages. The supporting cast includes Jamie Foxx.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Baby Jesus Freak
It's started. The London run of Ian Winterton's Baby Jesus Freak opened last night to a select (Um... very select) preview audience. They enjoyed it and the sister production of Stage Kiss (which is very funny but obviously I must support the play I'm in).
The pair are on from now until Good Friday (22 April) and tickets are available on the door or online via The Space website. I look forward to seeing you there.
Russell Crowe
Happy Birthday to
Russell Crowe
47 today
The Oscar winning, interestingly tempered Aussie is currently in the middle of an acting hiatus, enjoying beers and kicking back waiting for Ridley Scott's post Prometheus project. (I suspect Ridley's the only director left who'll work with him!!!)
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Tuesday Trailers - Hanna
Can you believe it's April already? And the good news here we are on the first tuesday in April and I'm showing the first trailer for May releases - back on schedule. This won't last - as I type this there's nothing I'm looking frward to in June so it's going to come to a crashing halt soon. In the meantime I'm psyched for Jow Wright's first foray into genre cinema with Saoirse Ronan as a mean killing machine out to knock off Cate Blanchett who shafter her father Eric Bana. I suspect there're more twists to be uncovered - and I don't mean Tom Hollander's ghastly wig.
Hanna is released on 06 May 2011.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Running (03/04/11)
Had a chat with another jogger yesterday morning (whilst out in the water park). He was in training for the London Marathon in two weeks and he asked me for advice. I couldn't think of any at the time, to be fair it was just before we split off in different directions, but on the off chance you're reading this. Enjoy the run and make sure you get a sports massage on the legs after.
5 runs
27.2 miles
4 hours 12 minutes
So that's an average speed of 6.49 mph
Robert Downey Jr.
Happy Birthday to
Robert Downey Jr.
46 today
Even now Robert's career surprises me, but with two franchises on the go and a second Oscar nod in 2008 for a comic supporting role you have to admit he's got it right at the moment. Not that his forthcoming appearances are doing anything to interest me right now.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Is the tide about to turn? (Film News - 02/04/11)
It's an odd week to be writing up, very little on the news front that could possibly excite anyone. That said I was interested in an unusual box office related piece which taken in conjunction with one film that I was planning to bury after the jump makes a fascinating leader.
Untitled Yang Guifei project
Or why Hollywood may stop being the Holiday destination for talent.
At CinemaCon's annual conference for U.S. theatre owners an interesting statistic was dominating the first day. Warner Bros. noted a 65% expansion in the Chinese Film Market in 2010, and with 3 new screens opening every day on average the total take in China is likely to outstrip the U.S. within the decade. Given the pummelling the U.S. box office is getting at the moment this could come sooner than they project. Overall studios will therefore need to be more mindful of the potential of overseas, especially Chinese, exports.
At present there's a strict quota on American films shown in China but whilst the Communist government is planning to relax that it will take more to persuade the audiences to switch to non-homegrown talent. Just look at France which still enjoys a thriving market for French produced films. As audiences and box office take increase the knock on effect will be an increase in budgets for Chinese films. With increasing budgets comes increasing salaries and before you know it everyone wants to work for the Chinese film industry.
Which brings me to the second story - it has already started. Antoine Fuqua, the very American director of Training Day and Shooter has been recruited to direct a tragic period epic about the relationship between the 8th Century Emperor Xuanzong and of the four most celebrated beauties of ancient China Yang Guifei. It's an immensely popular story in China, celebrated in poetry, art (like the example below) and opera over the years and it will certainly be a challenge to bring it to the silver screen.
With a budget of 200m Yuan (about $30m) it will add considerable international cachet to both the project and Fuqua which could substantially improve it's international box office potential. Whether Fuqua is the right (most subtle) person for the job is another question, as is the delayed Tupac Shakur biopic which he was due to film this summer.
Whatever happens though this is definitely something to watch out for.
Read on for Zombies taking over the world (if they can get the money) and politically challenging women (being fought over by men). Plus the latest casting news and round up of new projects kicking off production.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
A recogniseable fantasy (Out this week - 01/04/11)
Given that I gave Bradley Cooper the benefit of the doubt last week I should really be as generous to Jake Gyllenhaal and select his film as movie of the week, especially as it's directed by genius Moon director, Duncan Jones. However I just couldn't resist a little French farce to celebrate April Fool's Day, so film of the week is Louise Michel.
Louise Michel
Delightful looking black comedy where a group of disgruntled employees, led by the indomitable eponymous heroine, take a hit out on their boss. Then it all starts to go wrong with surreal and unexpected results.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
