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!!!)
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Russell Crowe
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.
World War Z
Those of you who thought the big screen adaptation of Max Brooks' excellent Zombie Apocalypse novel was dead in the water (excuse the pun) fear not as funding discussions between Paramount and other studios in order to get together enough money to do it justice. The bad news is that they obviously think they need a lot of money to do it justice - given that the unique selling point of the book is that it's all done in interviews which shouldn't need much cash at all that makes me think it will be a lot more expansive and - potentially - rubbish.
Untitled Gertude Bell biopic
British minor aristocracy meddling in the Middle East seem to be the order of the day at the moment. A few weeks ago we looked at the potential biopic of Lady Hester Stanhope and today it's Gertrude Bell CBE (above), the archaeologist, writer and all-round good egg. Active on behalf of the British Government during the First World War she is credited, along with T.E. Lawrence of uniting the Arab tribes in order to fight the Ottoman Empire. After the way her work was instrumental in establishing what is now Iraq. Ridley Scott is saying he wants to direct a film of her life (cannily mixing the proto-feminism of Thelma and Louise with the geopolitical knowledge of Kingdom of Heaven) but he'll have to duke it out with Werner Herzog who's been planning a film of her life for many years. Now that's a celebrity death match I'd pay to see, my money's on Herzog getting out of the gate first after all Scott's already linked to about a dozen other projects.
Casting News
The biggest casting story this week is for Roger Michell's Hyde Park on Hudson, which we briefly discussed last week, not that we have a replacement Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter (as the British royals on a jolly to the States) but Bill Murray has signed on as Franklin D. Roosevelt. Superb casting there, both with the look and the mix of humour and gravitas that only Murray can bring to the screen. We're on cameo alert with the confirmation that Johnny Depp will paint a little in Martin Scorcese's Hugo Cabret and the latest potential obligatory Avengers trailer for Thor which might be Jeremy Renner in full Hawkeye mode, which at least makes more sense than Samuel L.'s Nick Fury who we've met before (I still doubt it's necessary). Talking of Renner some websites have been reporting he's close to being announced as Matt Damon's replacement for The Bourne Legacy. I doubt that's true - wouldn't the character be just a bit too close to his Mission: Impossible franchise-stealing Brandt.
Production News
I've been on IMDb again. So sue me. The following projects, all of which we've mentioned before, have kicked off the production process: TV to movie adaptation The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Ski dramedy Woodchucks, Monk Meditation Silence and the Anjelina Jolie version of Cleopatra (now with David Fincher rumoured as director). This is on top of Hype Park on Hudson and the Yang Guifei project mentioned above.
The following, though, I had never heard of until I checked this week.
Bumped
Well, it existed yesterday, but it's already been pulled into obscurity (in development) on IMDb. I know nothing but it's a comedy called "Bumped" from the director of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and Man of the House so could be great fun or utterly dreadful.
Castro's Daughter
A biopic of Alina Fernandez, the exiled daughter of Fidel Castro (natch), who fled Cuba in 1993 (disguised as a bewigged Spanish tourist). Since then she's written a tell-all autobiography (below) and now hosts a Miami based radio programme which looks at Cuban politics. It's unlikely to be completely balanced.
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: ●●●●●○○○○○
Passenger Side
Canadian Indie following two brothers, one a failed writer the other a recovering junkie, on a road trip around their adoptive Los Angeles. Slow and sedate it looks like a fine attempt at getting under the skin of the central fraternal relationship.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Source Code
By rights this superior time-travel thriller, like a mash-up of 12 Monkeys, Deja Vu and Groundhog Day, should be the film of the week. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Colter Stephens, a mixed up soldier trying to save the past, with Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga supporting and directed by Duncan [Zowie B...] Jones this will probably do very well at the box office.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Essential Killing
A virtually wordless acting tour de force from Vincent Gallo drives this Eastern European set prison break drama with Gallo playing the Islamist convert escaping waterboarding.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Oranges and Sunshine
Based on the true cases of British children being lured away to Australia by an inefficient and corrupt social services in post-war England, many whilst their family were still alive. Emily Watson plays the social worker trying to uncover the conspiracy, David Wenham and Hugo Weaving among the cases she uncovers. Worthy and tear-jerking but probably not much more than that.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Blooded
Interesting independent British movie, which takes the central conceit of The Most Dangerous Game with an extreme Animal Liberation hunting down a group of bloodsports enthusiasts. Intercut with alternative actors explaining what happened.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Game
Our Bollywood release of the week revolves around a murder mystery with four very different suspects (drug-dealer, actor, journalist and politician) who may have killed a young woman and now face their lives falling apart until the real killer can be found.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Killing Bono
Unfortunately the story of making this slightly inaccurate Neil McCormick biopic is more interesting than the film itself given that Bono himself suggested the title. Ben Barnes plays the lead singer of Dublin's second best band, Martin McCann does a spot-on impersonation of 70's era Bono and Pete Postlethwaite will always have this as his lasting legacy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Sucker Punch
Suddenly the same fans who were applauding Zack Snyder to direct the new Superman were disgusted at the thought after his latest creative nadir crashed and burned at the US box office. It's all to do with an innocent young woman fending off evil men by retreating into her subconscious - but feminism it ain't.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Hatchet 2
I suspect if I said I didn't even know there'd been a Hatchet 1 I guess I'd be missing the point of this grisly American horror. Expect small axes to fall on all the sympathetic characters - if indeed there are any.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Hop
We get the cinema we deserve really, or so you will if you watch this appalling looking kids comedy about the Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand) and his attempts to avoid work whilst excreting jelly beans.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Young Hearts Run Free
First feature from Andy Mark Simpson looking at the relationship between a art student in Northumbria and a girl from London against the backdrop of the Miners strikes. Probably would've felt like an old-story in 1974 (when it's set).
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Linda Hunt
Happy Birthday to
Linda Hunt
66 today
The diminutive (4 foot 9) character actress has the unique record for winning an oscar playing someone of the opposite gender for her role as photographer Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). These days she has one of the most recognised voices in the world thanks to her narration of the incredible successful God of War computer games.
Friday, 1 April 2011
24 Hour Ping Pong People
I rarely talk about what's going on in the real world, but here's a chance have a bit of fun and raise some money for a good cause.
A couple of friends from work are completing a 24 hour ping pong (or table tennis, if you will) challenge in order to raise money for comic relief.
Here are Ian and Matt before they started.
And here they are now:
You can also follow their progress on Facebook and "like it" thereby increasing it's likelihood of being spotted by your friends.
Or please just go on to
http://my.rednoseday.com/24hrpingpongpeopleian
and make a small donation.
Thanks very much
Debbie Reynolds
Happy Birthday to
Debbie Reynolds
79 today
A consummate professional and natural sing-and-dance star, Reynolds starting film acting in the late 40's and gained stardom following 1952's Singin' in the Rain, although she's just as well known among geeks these days for her fraught relationship with daughter Carrie Fisher. With the disappearance of Katherine Heigl's One for the Money from the summer schedules it looks like we still won't be seeing Reynolds back where she belongs for some time.
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