There goes the street cred.
There was a time when everyone thought Renee Zellweger was a good actress. Terrefic in Jerry Maguire and Nurse Betty. Convincing as Miss Jones and scarily thin but by no means embarrassing in Chicago. Then came the frankly dreadful oscar winning performance, you know of what I speak, and since then Renee hasn't managed to pick up a decent part. Often even get worst in show kind of reviews.
I am convinced this is temporary and furthermore this project may just show her turning a corner. In My Own Love Song she plays a disabled singer (shades of Passion Fish) who travels to Memphis with her best friend Forest Whitaker. As they make their journey the bond between them strengthens as they support each opther through the past tragedies of their lives.
I could be wrong but in my mind Renee and Forest will realise they are in love with each other and want to spend the reat of their lives together, regardless of the prejudices each of them may individually or as a couple. Interracial relationship and the treatment of the disabled are still touchy subjects in Hollywood and maybe it will take an outsider like French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie en rose) to break the silence.
Alternatively if it's a comedy (with an extremely weird premise) Kristen Gore is co-scripting and if her experience on "Futurama" shines through I'm there.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
20 for 2009 My Own Love Song
Film News (10/01/2009)
Tintin
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will continue to be best buddies in films as they have signed on as Thompson and Thomson in Spielberg's long awaited Tintin adaptation. This is great news. I love the comeraderie the pair have brought together in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, should be a riot to watch them bumble around together.
By the way have a look here for a fascinating article in the Times this week arguing the 80 year old Tintin might just need a good man in order to settle down.
The Way Back
I'm a big fan of Peter Weir, director of Gallipoli and The Truman Show. So when I hear his next film, about a ragtag group of soldiers escaping from a Soviet gulag, has enticed the likes of Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess then you just know it will entice me.
Juliet
Following a shark like feeding frenzy at last years Frankfurt book festival (honestly I don't just make this stuff up) the rights to Anne Fortier's yet to be published novel Juliet have been bought up with the plan to release the film in 2011. It's a multistranded novel, aren't they all?, flicking between a 21st century girl learning the truth about her heritage and Romeo and Juliet. Could make for fascinating stuff, or at least some desperate casting choices.
20 for 2009 State of Play
Life got in the way on Thursday so I wasn't able to do a 20 for 2009 so I'll be popping 2 out today. State of Play this morning and another this evening. Indeed statistically I was likely to hit another Helen Mirren film and here we go.
Admittedly we only have supporting Helen in this one but that's better than no Helen at all.
State of Play is a big screen remake of an acclaimed BBC drama series, which tragically I missed, which follows an investigative reporter looking into the mysterious death of the girlfriend/aide of a former buddy who's now rising in the ranks of politics. The mast cast is filled out by Russell Crowe as the journalist and Ben Affleck as the congressman, although they were both called in to replace the rather more exciting duo of Brad Pitt and Ed Norton.
Here's the trailer:
OK, the trailer is slightly pedestrian, but I think this is just a bad cut. The pedigree is excellent. The script has been worked on by Tony Gilroy, of the Bourne trilogy, and Billy Ray who wrote and directed Shattered Glass.
Also the supporting cast is interesting. Joining Helen Mirren is Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis and Jeff Daniels.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Out this week (09/01/2009)
Toughie this week as two films draw on 6 coloured blobs. If you're in a mood to watch Jews killing Nazis then Defiance may be the one for you this weekend. I'm drawn that way, but only because I've already seen the incredible Slumdog Millionaire. I doubt Defiance will better Slumdog so see that and weep like a baby at the end of the feel good film of the year.
Bride Wars
Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson slum it in this tosh about two best friends whose weddings clash. Or at least Anne is slumming for Kate this is bread and butter work now.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Defiance
Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell are brothers. Damn, that's good genes. (Although I'm not sure that's an appropriate response to a holocaust movie)
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Hannah takes the Stairs
The film that encompasses all the ideas of mumblecore - digital filming, low budget, using your mates, improvised dialogue, poor sound quality, virtually no audience.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Role Models
Starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd as the last men in the world to be selected as McLovin's role models this is the comedy the guys will watch whilst the girls see Bride Wars and I see something else.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Sex Drive
Unless that is the guys gop to see this teen road movie with an internet romance at it's core. Better trailer than synopsis.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Slumdog Millionaire
Coming out of nowhere, or Toronto really, this gem of a movie from Danny Boyle is possibly going to take this years Best Picture Oscar. I saw it on Monday and it's flippin' fantastic.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Stuck
Did you wonder what happened to Mena Suvari? Well here she is finding that when you run someone over your fate is linked with theirs... Am I the only person not surprised by that?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
20 for 2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
What do you do if mid way through production your lead actor dies prematurely?
Some people would close the production as a mark of respect, others would use a body double or CGI to finish the part, if your Terry Gilliam (no stranger to troubled shoots) you call in Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to play different versions of the same character in parrallel realities.
And he might just pull it off.
This is certainly an odd film to envision. The plot, pure Gilliam, involves immortal travelling entertainers, virginal beauties and the Devil himself.
I think it is safe to say that the only reason I want to see this film is to witness Heath Ledger's last performance. This truly great actor, whose passing just under a year ago was both shocking and saddening for all, has had a tremendous swansong in The Dark Knight. That enormous performance will likely win him a posthumus oscar next month. With The Imaginarium we will see another aspect of what cinema has lost.
Imelda Staunton
Happy Birthday to
Imelda Staunton
53 today
A beautifully comic actress who stormed the awards circuit 3 years ago as the eponymous abortionist in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake. Look out for her in the forthcoming Taking Woodstock.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Ron Moody
Happy Birthday to
Ron Moody
85 today
Ron belongs to that generation of broadway stars who transferred their hit performance to the screen and then were forever associated with that role, in his case Fagin in Oliver! It's a good performance but don't you ever wonder how good an actor he could have been if he didn't have that partiocular millstone around his neck?
Run Training Day 4
Hopelessly bad this morning. Should have stayed in bed - I'm sure I'd have gone faster if I did.
4.9 km in 31 minutes, or 9.6 kmph. A long long way to go.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
20 for 2009 - Where the Wild Things Are
After a couple of days of "oh, really" here's a film I'm sure every geek in the world is excited about. Where the Wild things are is based on Maurice Sendak's classic chrildrens novel about a the wild things sprouting from a boys imagination.
Quick confession: I've never actually read the book. I'm not too old for it to have been in bookshelves when I was a boy but maybe I'm just too British with my hungry caterpillar. Anyway I have certainly seen it around and I know many of my neices and nephews are fans.
Not that I might be taking them to this - the rumours of children bursting into tears during test screenings and 60mph winds closing filming - I'm certainly going to check it out.
I think the reason I'm so stoked about this one is the potential for darkness and subversion in what boils down to a children's fable. Let's face it the film unites the incendiary directorial talent of Spike Jonze, Dave Eggars (once described as Generation X's J.D. Salinger) co-scripting and Jonze's regular production designer K.K.Barrett.
For the sheer weidness of this combination it has to be seen.
Nicolas Cage
Happy Birthday to
Nicolas Cage
45 today
I'm never too sure if I like Nic Cage as an actor; after all we know from Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation that he can act when he puts his mind to it, yet his output still slants towards garbage like Bangkok Dangerous. Couple of good ones coming mind, might even go and see him in The Riot.
