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 Although retrospect is a hard thing, over the years Gangsta rap has become distorted it's pleas for equality have been replaced by bling worship and violent misogyny.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.

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Taking all that pain away (Film News - 02/07/11)

Not exactly a classical week for film news, given half of the stories I'm running with are retreads with slight updates of projects I mentioned just two weeks ago (both of which turn out to be biopics of musicians), nevertheless if the other two movies we mention in the main news get made rest assured they will be culturally significant enough to have them queuing round the block. I've also had a catch up on IMDb, looking for the latest developments on a number of projects we've mentioned here before and quite a few have entered the early production stages, which is all good news for film fans. So without further ado:

The Giver

Jeff Bridges has been repeatedly behind attempts to film Lois Lowry's Newberry Award winning 1993 novel for at least 15 years. Originally envisioning his father in the role of a sage within a Utopian future who alone has the knowledge of the true pain and pleasures of life Bridges now feels he is old enough to take the role himself so he and producer Nikki Silver has obtained the screen rights and are trying to put together cobble together funding. I doubt that will be a struggle, whilst I don't know the book it is a young adult sci-fi novel (see the cover below) - the protagonist is a 12 year old boy being trained to take over from "The Giver" - and the first of a trilogy which in these uncertain times with Harry Potter and the Twilight franchises about to end and The Hunger Games still untested could well be what's needed to keep some of the studios cash flow going.





On the other hand the book contains some very adult themes such as the suppression of emotions and the physical and psychological effects of puberty and even state-sponsored euthanasia. As well as some tricky visual constructs such as only the Giver being able to see colour.

In spite of these problematic sections I expect the funding will eventually be found, and the significant task of casting the 12 year-old Jonas will begin.

Read on for American heroes and two very diverse singers, as well as the latest casting stories and an update on which of the stories we run here actually happen.



American Can

Whilst a number of movies have skirted around the effects of Hurricane Katrina so far Hollywood has yet to confront the issue head-on (ignoring of course Spike Lee's excellent documentary When the Levees Broke) so it's refreshing to hear that Will Smith's production company is still pushing on this project so much the script is currently with Denzel Washington with the hope of Denzel taking the role - originally considered for the busy Smith - of ex-marine John Keller who helped take of the residents of the titular New Orleans apartment complex, ensuring the seven feet of flooding wasn't followed by a wave of looters.

Untitled Dave Van Ronk biopic

It seems the Coen brothers next movie will be based on the life of coffeehouse folk singer and political activist Dave van Ronk, whose legacy both as an artist and as a spotter of talent (he paved the way for Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell among others) is certainly significant. This ties up with the rumours of the single instrument music based movie and will be a sidestep and unique addition to their canon. Take a listen to van Ronk here:



Untitled Anita Lindblom biopic

Meanwhile Catherine Hardwicke has revealed her European jaunt will look at the turbulent relationship between Swedish singer Anita Lindblom and boxer Bosse Hogberg with Noomi Rapace on board as Anita. Unfortunately I cannot find anything other than Lindblom's music on the net so I know nothing else about the topic - so it could be intriguing. Take a listen to Lindblom here:



Casting News

We've got three major stars picking up some intriguing projects this week. Firstly Leonardo DiCaprio may be the washed up actor taking Beyonce under his wing in Clint Eastwood's Star is Born remake and Brad Pitt might be going into the South American jungles for The Mission, for the ladies Nicole Kidman is leading the field, somehow getting entangled with crime drama The Paperboy. We also heard this week David Strathairn will be joining Steven Spielberg's Lincoln as William Seward (hopefully getting more time than the unfortunate extra who took the role in The Conspirator).

Production News

I've been catching up with the latest production shifts, and there's an exciting range of films that we've already mentioned here on RunsLikeAGay which have entered the pre-production stage so we can hopefully look forward to seeing them at some point in the future.

First up I'd just like to welcome back James Foley's nativity reinvention Mary Mother of Christ, a project he's been trying to get underway for some time and which left IMDb earlier this year, only now o return. Also Paani - the sci-fi based on the premise of extreme water shortages - and The Wolverine both of which seemed to become mired in production woes.

We've also seen movement on Al Pacino's black (sex) comedy The Humbling, portmanteau picture Jayne Mansfield's Car, children's western The Lone Ranger and the Denzel Washington as a drunk commercial pilot movie Flight. Charles Dickens adaptation The Great Expectations is moving forward with BBC films, although I understand it may become a TV mini-series. The biopic of British explorer George Mallory is moving ahead as is Jason Statham vehicle Parker, Recession themed European movie Le Capital and - almost finally - lacrosse movie Crooked Arrows.

Balladem Om Marie

I'm actually going to end with this completely new project of which I had heard nothing until spotting it on IMDb. The Danish movie, set to be directed by Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror) looks at the relationship with renowned painter P.S. Krøyer and his long-suffering wife Marie who sticks by him through bouts of manic depression and psychotic rage. It sounds like the sort of high-class suffering that could get awards attention so look out for this in the 2013 foreign language Oscar race.


A self portrait of Krøyer with Marie.

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Toy Stories (Film News - 18/06/11)

It's been a bumper week for film news, with an extraordinary selection of stories catching my eye, even if some of them appear to be less likely than me winning the lottery this evening. Actually mainly what we've seen this week are stories concerning directors who just can't seem to make their minds up about the next excuse to get behind the camera. In fact for the various big name helmers I'm going to mention this week there are at least 20 projects they've been "attached" to so far this year and given they can't possibly make all of them it seems unlikely that any will be made. Once again we're facing the fact that the Internet will eat itself in it's desperate attempt to create and sustain news feeds. Like a sucker though I just carry on reading and digesting everything for just the slightest indication of what's coming up. So to mix it up this week I'm going to be labeling the projects I've read about against their potential auteurs (although given the range of some of the titles I think we can safely say the director is not the author of the film when it is a studio picture) rather than the titles.

Robert Zemeckis

Having seen his Yellow Submarine remake sank Zemeckis appeared to be going into live action movie making again with Flight with Denzel Washington just having gone into pre-production. However he's now been attached to Major Matt Mason, a 3D extravaganza based on the 1960's Mattel action figure with Tom Hanks in the lead role. Side note, given Hanks's long time association with a different kind of toy do you think he's doing this as a way of competing with Buzz Lightyear?

The action figure's (see below for his lifelike limbs) story was surprisingly complex, given it was a standalone product, with several different coloured suits for his assistants in space and a giant foe who proved to be more help than hindrance against more hostile aliens.



Of course the toys must have had a large, albeit unsung, cultural influence. They were released around the same time as the original "Star Trek" series and with them popularised the idea of colonization of space by a future collective of humans able to put former nationalistic ideas of Earth to one side. Although these days it will probably feel too much like a throwback, the plot could be a retread of Star Trek only for a much younger audience with elements of John Carter of Mars thrown in for good measure, so it might struggle to build up it's own identity in a crowded genre field. I also suspect the trend for 3D presentations will be well and truly dead by the time the film is made.

Read on for more debunking of the auteur theory, the latest casting gossip and my reaction to the latest group of actors inducted into AMPAS.



Ben Affleck

Currently in pre-production for his CIA mission movie Argo, including chucklesome plans to lock the actors up for a couple of weeks together to give them an idea of what's it's like being in captivity, Affleck has also been named as the go to guy for the American remake of French thriller Tell No One (see poster, left). Going back to Harlen Coben's source novel, itself American, the story focuses on a doctor who begins to suspect his wife is still alive several years after her murder at the hands of a known serial killer. The French version, written and directed by Guillaume Canet, was a huge success in both Europe and the States so any remake will have to work very hard to survive the inevitable comparisons.

Ethan and Joel Coen

At the opening of the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center earlier this week the Coen brothers and Noah Baumbach were discussing film openings in front of an invited audience when a small clue about the Coen's next project was revealed, in that it involves music but little playback (the comments were in response to a question about their dislike of the cumbersome process of playback recording). Of course without anything else we're completely in the dark, although it's worth noting earlier this year they said one of their potential projects was a mockumentary - or rather a fake documentary in that it won't be openly comedic. Could that be focused on a musician?

Catherine Hardwicke

I hope she's liking her wounds following my scathing review of Red Riding Hood (unlikely I know, and in the picture on the right she's still smiling so I guess Catherine hadn't heard my views then) and hopefully she's taking my advice about returning to pubescent girls for the subject of her next movie. Regardless of whether she is it's still what she's going to do with the announcement of a Scandinavian set crazy, raw and gritty true story of which more will be announced over the next few weeks (hang on why didn't I wait for that...)

Sean Penn

The only name here is isn't pimping himself out to the highest bidder is actor and sometime director Sean Penn, who doesn't go behind the camera often but when he does it's a fascinating thing. This week we've been asking whether he's going to take on the Art Linson script The Comedian which has already grabbed the attention of Robert De Niro. The project was originally intended for Martin Scorsese but it looks like he's passed leaving Sean Penn free to pick it up, if so this seems like a unlikely but hopefully fruitful combination of talent involved.


David O. Russell

I wish this guy would just make up his mind over what he wants to do. So far this year he's been linked to Cocaine Cowboys, Fighter 2, Joe, Politics and Pasta, Silver linings Playbook (currently in pre-production), Uncharted: Drake's Progress (which he's ruled himself out of) and a Russ Meyer Biopic. Not to mention his Nailed which is languishing in post-production vaults waiting for the money to finish the cut. So imagine my surprise to see two more projects land on his desk including Disney's Cinderella spin-off Maleficent (surely not what someone like Russell should be concentrating on) and The Mission which may be about the rescue of 15 FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, left) hostages in Columbia in 2007 by cross-national agencies working together and certainly will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.


Steven Spielberg

I've been keeping the two I least suspect of making it to multiplexes under the directors I've attached them to until last - it's not just because it's his name last alphabetically - which stems from the difficulties in separating Spielberg the producer from Spielberg the director. Anyway over the last few days there have been stories in connection to Jurassic Park 4 and Transformers 4 both of which could have the beard in control, and both of which would be interesting to see, but I suspect a less-assured name will be found soon to take over both projects.

Casting News

Plenty of exciting stuff going on in the casting couches of Hollywood including Darren Aronofsky courting Christian Bale as the lead in his Noah's Ark picture and the curious news that Annette Bening has signed onto to He Loves Me, the writers block movie from Valarie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, the directing duo behind Little Miss Sunshine, which explains why she's dropped from Rob Reiner's similarly themed movie. Elesewhere Ed Harris has signed on to World War Z, Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are circling Jason Reitman's Labor Day and John Hurt and Kevin Bacon will be passing through Jayne Mansfield's Car. Finally there's been the surprise sighting of Liam Neeson on the set of Dark Knight Rises in the costume of Ra's Al Ghul, the character he played right up until he drove a train off it's tracks in Batman Begins, so of course the fans on the net have been trying to figure out how that will affect the plot (and how he got out of the predicament). Personally I suspect the truth is less exciting, we already know Josh Pence is playing Ra's in flashbacks, surely it's not to difficult to make the leap to more recent flashbacks with Neeson in the role?



How they know Neeson was in costume confuses me as he wore a variety of clothes in the first film, maybe he's dressed for a fight like in this picture.

AMPAS

Another year and another cohort of inductees find themselves offered membership into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As ever it's a fascinating list that says as much about the Academy as it does about those invited. In terms of the actors (I'll be honest it's the group I'm most interested in) there's been 27 performers who've received invitations, up 7 on last year, with a large number of younger members whose tastes are hopefully more hip and in touch with public tastes than the older conservative members. None of those invited this year have riled me as much as Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogen did over the last couple of years, although you do have to question the wisdom of letting Russell Brand and John Corbett identify quality movies. Anyway here is the full list of actors and the films that probably formed part of the reason for their invitation, in order that I think they deserve that honour.

John Hawkes - Winter's Bone; American Gangster; Miracle at St. Anna; Miami Vice; Identity; Perfect Storm; Flesh and Bone

Jesse Eisenberg - Social Network; Cursed; Village; Emperor's Club

Ellen Page - Juno; Inception

Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom; Picnic at Hanging Rock

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone;

Vincent Cassel - Black Swan; Eastern Promises; Elizabeth; Ocean's Thirteen; Ocean's Twelve; Jefferson in Paris

Anthony Mackie - Hurt Locker; Half Nelson; Million Dollar Baby; She Hate Me; Manchurian Candidate; 8 Mile

Lesley Manville - Vera Drake; Secrets and Lies; Another Year; Christmas Carol; All or Nothing; Topsy-Turvy; High Hopes; Sammy and Rosie Get Laid; Dance with a Stranger

Jennifer Garner - Juno; Catch Me if You Can; Valentine's Day; Deconstructing Harry

Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married; Cinderella Man;

Robbie Coltrane - Mona Lisa; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Ocean's Twelve; World is not Enough; Message in a Bottle; Nuns on the Run; Henry V; Revolution; Loose Connections; Krull; Britannia Hospital; Death Watch

David Duchovny - Chaplin; Full Frontal; Zoolander; Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead; Bad Influence; Working Girl

Gerard Butler - Mrs Brown; Game of Their Lives; Phantom of the Opera; Timeline; Cherry Orchard

Connie Nielsen - Gladiator; Return to Sender; Hunted; Mission to Mars; Devil's Advocate

Wes Studi - Dances with Wolves; Avatar; Heat; Last of the Mohicans; Doors

Dominic Monaghan - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King

Mia Wasikowska - Kids are All Right; Alice in Wonderland; Defiance

Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls; Fighting Temptations

Mila Kunis - Black Swan;

Rooney Mara - Social Network;

Natassja Kinski - Inland Empire; One Night Stand; Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, As long as it's Love; Revolution; Maria's Lovers; Hotel Blue Hampshire; Unfaithfully Yours; Cat People; One from the Heart; Tess

Tea Leoni - Spanglish; Hollywood Ending; Flirting with Disaster; Wyatt Earp; League of Their Own; Switch

Thomas Jane - Killshot; Mist; Dreamcatcher; Magnolia; Boogie Nights

Peter Dinklage - Death at a Funeral; Find Me Guilty; Station Agent; Human Nature

Bradley Cooper - Valentine's Day; New York I Love You

Russell Brand - Tempest

John Corbett - Raising Helen

The other Academy news story this week was the twist in the number of films the Academy will nominate for best picture this year, it will now be a variable figure between 5 and 10 based on the number of films getting over 5% of the vote for the best films. It's an odd way of doing things, but it sure will make the announcement of the nominations more exciting.


Yes, this man, holding his hand out to the Academy in the dreadful Sex and the City 2 now has more of a say about what the best films of the year are than you do, reader.

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