Happy Birthday to
Natalie Portman
30 today
It's been a fantastic year for Natalie. Winning an Oscar for her stunning portrayal of a ballet star on the edge in Black Swan, leading lady in a successful comic book adaptation and building a family with Benjamin Millepied. She currently taking a well-earned hiatus but whatever comes next I'm sure it will be highly anticipated.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Natalie Portman
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Tuesday Trailers - The Conspirator
Crikey it's been such a long time since we last showed a trailer here. Thankfully it's now June and we can think about the movies coming out in July - not that there are many great prospects. The first is this Lincoln assassination conspiracy movie from the Sundance Kid, Robert Redford. A holdover from the 2010 Toronto film festival (where it didn't get a raptuous reception) the film has a solid cast headed by James McAvoy as a idealist lawyer and Robin Wright as the woman he must defend.
The Conspirator is released on 01 July 2011.
Liam Neeson
Happy Birthday to
Liam Neeson
59 today
An odd thing has happened to the Ulster born Liam Neeson. Up until the middle of the last decade he was a serious actor with a string of high profile award chasing roles. Then he played Henri Ducard in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins which showed the world he could kick some serious ass and the post Taken Neeson was born. I really hope to see a return to more adult fare at some point in the future, as it is there's nothing on his slate that looks remotely watchable.
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Running (05/06/11)
It was the last week of totally pushing myself before slipping back into a proper routine on Tuesday, we're just 14 weeks until the Nottingham Marathon now. I'm going to be running Nottingham with a friend - Matt - and we went out for a run together on Thursday morning which made a nice change but I think I'm probably a natural loner when it come to running. The good news is whilst my distance increased this week (I don't think I've ever run as far in 7 days) the pace stayed about the same which bodes well for the rest of the training.
7 runs
47.7 miles
6 hours 48 minutes
So that's an average speed of 7.02 mph
Over the last 4 weeks I've run a total of:
22 runs
120.6 miles
17 hours 28 minutes
So that's an average speed of 6.90 mph
Mark Wahlberg
Happy Birthday to
Mark Wahlberg
40 today
Judging by the photo I don't think the former rapper and underwear model is totally happy with what I'm about to say here, but I confess that whilst The Fighter underwhelmed me I adored Mark's measured performance as boxer Micky Ward. Right now I'm most looking forward to the next collaboration planned with David O. Russell, The Silver Lining's Playbook.
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Me Ben. You Reader. - (Film News - 04/06/11)
It's been a great week for film news, with some very unexpected stories catching my eye, and with sci-fi, romance, adventure and thrillers there's probably something for everyone in these stories. There have also been some exciting casting developments and the monthly look through imdb has revealed an unlikely trio of movies that weren't even on my radar. So please enjoy the read, and don't forget to let me know if any of these films appeal to you too.
Tarzan
It's been a while since Edgar Rice Burrough's 1914 novel has seen a new adaptation. 12 years since the Disney animation, 27 since the largely dismissed Hugh Hudson movie and of course 63 years since Johnny Weissmuller last donned the loincloth so it's hardly surprising that Warner Bros are dusting of the rights, believing we're due another look at the lost Earl of Greystoke.
Essentially a series of boy's own action adventure stories about an abandoned child with no adult contact with humans getting the full Victorian explorer craze full in the face. Partly a treatise for leaving the natural environment well alone it'll be an interesting to see what a post global warming look at the plot will highlight
Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Footloose) is set to direct what has been described as a passion piece for him, with an eye to making a franchise trilogy should the first film do well. Either way I;m sure we'll get some jungle action soon. Everybody grab hold of a vine and do your best "Aaaa-aaa-aaargh".
Weissmuller was never happier than when just hanging out in a tree.
Read on for computer chips, iconic love stories, media frenzies, more pirates and secrets in our past as well as the weekly round-up of casting news and the monthly check on imdb pre-production lists.
Ecstasia
A few months ago Wayne Kramer was attached to the Sylvester Stallone assassin film Headshot (which is in no way connected to Stallone's Assassins) and things seemed to be going swimmingly until out of the blue Kramer left for 'creative differences' and Walter Hill was brought on board. At the time reports said that Kramer had something else in the works which would be easy to get funding for so na na nah-na naa. This week we heard his next project, which doesn't sound at all easy to get funding for, will be a sci-fi romance set in a alternative future where love can only be obtained through via a prohibitively expensive implanted chip (the title). The plot will follow a couple who go to desperate measures to obtain a chip. There are more questions than answers in that summary - for instance if they want a chip why do they need one? - but I am curious how Kramer, working from his own script, will build a world where that seems plausible. 
Furious Love
Those of you with long memories will remember we first mentioned the relationship biopic of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in July last year, based in part on Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger's book (left). Back then there were quite a few names in the frame for the cast but plans were still very sketchy. Now Liz is no longer with us the impetus to make the movie seems to have increased with the news that Martin Scorsese is interested in directing. That's a bizarre twist I doubt anyone would have predicted, but then who would of thought he'd be making a children's film in 3D and the Hollywood lore aspect of the story almost certainly appeals to Marty. That said I think I'd rather see his Silence first.
Panic Attack
OK, calm down. Just a week after the red band trailer for the US Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake has been 'leaked' onto the net director David Fincher has kept himself in the headlines by optioning Jason Starr's 2009 crime novel. The story concerns a psychiatrist who kills an intruder and must face the media frenzy that results and the victim's partner in crime out for revenge. Ultimately we're looking at a Cape Fear type cat and mouse game and the sort of stuff Fincher could do in his sleep, although you have to ask whether it's far enough apart from the Dragon Tattoo's dark and macabre central conceit to really interest him as a director.
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
Now it's time to panic, as Disney are convinced there is a public appetite for a fifth Pirates movie (ignoring it's domestic gross will probably be around $100m less than the previous installment) and already the wheels are in motion to recruit Rob Marshall back into the directors chair - on the off chance that fails they've also got a long list of other directors they're willing to contact including Tim Burton, Sam Raimi and Alfonso Cuaron. Of course it's all down to Depp (right) if he stays on then I can't imagine the studios turning away the licence to print money so "please please please Johnny just give it up and walk away; this franchise is killing all of our brains".
Safe Haven
Fans of unadventurous middle America literature be warned Lasse Hallstrom is set to have another crack at a Nicolas Sparks novel (left) following the reasonable profits from two hanky movie Dear John. This time an audience surrogate with a dark secret moves into a North Carolina town and falls for a store-owning widower. Expect difficult choices and tearful reconciliations and absolutely no-one really caring about the characters.
Casting News
News on the casting front has been a little more interesting this week, starting with the delicious prospect of Leonardo DiCaprio joining Tarantino's Django Unchained as the evil plantation owner holding Will Smith's wife as a slave. Amy Adams and Laura Dern are both up for a bit of fundamentalism in Paul Thomas Anderson upcoming project about creating a religion.
Production News
It's that time in the month when we look through imdb to find which of the delicious stories mentioned here has swung into production, potentially threatening a real movie at the end of it. The top line good news is that there are now 20 films that would qualify for the 20 for 2012 countdown for next year - yes we're already thinking about it. Naturally many of those will fall by the wayside (5 will potentially move into this year including Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Little Red Wagon, numbers 1 and 20 respectively) but it's a good sign that next year could see a load of really interesting stuff on the horizon. This month we've seen movement on Steven Spielberg's Lincoln biopic, motorcycling epic The Place Beyond the Pines, mother/daughter vampire picture Byzantium, Danny Boyle's quickie arts heist movie Trance, Florida murder mystery The Paperboy (Much discussed at Cannes) and Channing Tatum will get nekkid as Magic Mike. We'll see paperback pygmalian He Loves Me, Michel Gondry's kids flick The We and the I, Texas-set thriller Borderline and 3D erotica Io e Te.
Of course a month wouldn't go down properly if there weren't some titles that surprised me, coming out of nowhere. So here, in no particular order, are three brand new projects which I am curious about seeing.
Charlie Irish
The least likely of the films to actually make it into a final product is this Steven Feder script about a maths prodigy who uses his skills to create unbeatable algorithms to predict sports results and thus clear up. Allegedly based on a true story this seems like a one man retread of 21 without boring card game scenes. Currently Barry Levinson's attached to direct but with Gotti: three generations also on the horizon expect this to be dropped soon.
Saving Seymour
Allegedly based on a book, although I can't for the life of me find a novel with that title, the main reason I'm curious about this adaptation is Jerry Stiller, Mr. Pinky from the Hairspray musical will play the title role, and it's always great to see a character actor get the limelight later in life (he's 84 this week).
Whisperings and Lies
Biopic of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Few can argue with the immense talent (and immense hands) of one of the most influential musicians of the 19th/20th century, his works including the brutal and complex piano symphonies speak for themselves. As a man he is fascinating, spent most of his life battling depression and arthritis, as well as spending most of his adult life in America, escaping from the Russian Revolution. There is no doubt that a look at his life and works will be an important addition to the canon of Classical music biopics, although quite what direction this film will take is unclear. The description hints to taking his story up from after his death (secrets he took to the grave) and the only cast member attached is Abbie Cornish, who whilst very talented could not make a credible Sergei.
Rachmaninoff's work has made it to cinemas before, most notably the Piano Concerto No. 3 which sends Noah Taylor (as a young David Helfgott) over the edge in Shine above.
Angelina Jolie
Happy Birthday to
Angelina Jolie
36 today
Are there many more famous women on the planet right now, honestly Angelina - complete with Brad on her arm - can probably stop traffic anywhere in the world as fans sit and gawk at her. On the right she's holding the attention at Cannes, plugging Kung Fu Panda 2 but it's the planned Cleopatra movie that most excites me right now.
Friday, 3 June 2011
One Hairy Biker (Out this week - 03/06/11)
So here we are entering the merry month of June and already we have an utterly lackluster week of releases - excluding the fantastic looking Senna but as we all know I try to avoid chatting about docs here. Of course there's a certain (x) movie that will clear up at the box office however in spite of all the lovely CGI and attractive cast there's something that just doesn't work for me in the merchandising. Here at RLAG I'm going to continue my gallic themed preferences and support our third French film of the week this year with Mammuth.
Mammuth
It's the second film of the week this year for directors Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine after their delightful black comedy Louise-Michel took the prize in April and whilst this Gerard Depardieu pension comedy may not have the bite of their previous film there is a lot of fun to be had in the trailer. Also starring Yolande Moreau and Isabelle Adjani.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Last Night
Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington are two corners of a love rectangle as a pair of marrieds who are both visited by temptation on the same night. All the characters are ridiculously attractive and absurdly wealthy so you're unlikely to feel much sympathy for their situation but some interesting points about the meaning of fidelity may lurk under the surface.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
X-Men: First Class
Or X-Men : Babies as one wag put it. The writing/directing team behind Kick-Ass reboot the flagging X-franchise by reviewing the origins of the split between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Cuban missile crisis. Look our for Jennifer Lawrence in blue body paint.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
How to get rid of Cellulite
Polish sex comedy (not that you'd guess from the trailer) about a trio of bff's who will go to any length to maintain the perfect figure. Not a sniff of cellulite in the main cast, mind. Gets an extra point for the great title.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Ready
Bollywood action-comedy that seems to be pinning the marketing on the cinematic return of Salman Khan. I'm sure he's a very good actor, but the year and a half since Veer was released does not seem like Terence Malick levels of waiting.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Prom
I'm clearly not the target audience for Disney's multicharacter look at the build-up to the high school prom, taking in the many variations on the school experience and the hopes and dreams associated with the event. In fact the direct to camera interviews in the trailer hint at something interesting - but ultimately the whole thing looks just a little flat.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Screwed
Nasty looking British prison drama with plenty of violence and implied threat based on the biography of Iraq veteran turned screw Ronnie Thompson. Noel Clarke has been pushing this as his first real adult role, but as much as he does good interview I'm not sure I care to see the movie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Win Win
2011. Dir: Thomas McCarthy. Starring: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Alex Shaffer, Burt Young and Bobby Cannavale. ●●●●○
Win Win is not the type of film that does well in cinemas, bereft of high-profile stars, difficult to classify it's genre and featuring small scale family situations that don't sensationalise reality it has all the hallmarks of an American indie film that drifts past the box office figures and doesn't stir up awards talk. This is a shame as Tom McCarthy's third film is as close a vision of realistic humanity that we will see in the multiplex.
Paul Giamatti takes the central role of Mike Flaherty, a schlubby (natch) lawyer, high school wrestling coach and family man in a small town trying to make ends meet with his one man legal practice. He is, on the face of it, a paragon of suburban American values; he tries to set a good example to his young children (there's an extended early joke about the daughter picking up on rude words), dedicates time to his community and is unafraid to unblock his office toilet. There's the small matter of hiding his slow financial position from his wife (Amy Ryan) and his panic attacks from his best friend (Bobby Cannavale) but these are understandable, humanistic faults.
Then, in an attempt to save his business, he does one wrong thing. He take son the guardianship of Leo - an elderly client suffering from early stages of dementia (Burt Young) - and quickly puts him in a Nursing Home, pocketing the $1,500 per month. Within days Leo's hitherto unmentioned teenage grandson (Alex Shaffer) arrives on his doorstep, homeless and on the run from his drug dependent mother (Melanie Lynskey) and blessed with an extraordinary talent at wrestling.
Whilst you can probably guess where the plot goes from there, this movie is never about the twists and turns, it merely presents the predictability of life, exploring the relationships that drive this unlikely family unit and asks whether a bad deed can - in the end - lead to a good result.
Giamatti and Ryan put in sterling work as the central couple, he's all everyman desperation she's flinty and pragmatic, and they balance each other perfectly such that every sentence, every look comes across as the normal affectations of a genuine marriage. You know it's hard for them sometimes, and perhaps there are days when they bicker about the shopping and mundane nature of their existence, but ultimately there's real love in the pairing, somehow these two will make it through life's journey.
Alex Shaffer, as their unexpected visitor, is an odd screen presence, monosyllabic and quiet it takes a while to tune into his performance but it's perfectly judged. Listless and diffident it's a teenager performance that doesn't seem cliched or precocious. Whether charting his first steps at bonding with the other kids on the wrestling team or the unexpected journey the character has to make he is able to convey the emotion without losing sight of the teenage inability to fully express their thoughts. Shaffer is a first time screen-actor (although his experience as a high school wrestling champ is clearly in evidence) and I sincerely hope that he continues to work in the medium.
Cannavale and Jeffrey Tambor (as Giamatti's sad-sack assistant coach) are fine comedic foils to the main action, but have little to really do in the roles. The only missed note is Lynskey who overplays her neediness and whose character does not have the real-world nuances of everyone else.
Ultimately though as writer and director this is Tom McCarthy's film. He has returned to the rich mine of people struggling to make sense of the world around them and generally being missed in a crowd and has once again created characters and situations that we can all relate to and understand, ensuring that no-one is a saint or a rogue but a little of both, a combination of competing character traits. Whilst there is a general lack of ambition in the screenplay it doesn't matter so much when the content is as perfectly formed as the dramedy is here.
One annoying aspect is the product placement. Normally I would hardly notice the coke cans and computers however when one of the lines is "Oh, it's Wii Golf. You should try it, it's great." With more than one occasion of on-screen playing. All of these completely took me out of the picture.
This is a small film, about small things, but don't be fooled you will struggle to find a movie that presents such an intimate and true portrayal of average humanity this year.
Morgan Freeman
Happy Birthday to
Morgan Freeman
74 today
The Memphis born Freeman has one of the most delicious voices in Hollywood, so much so that an obvious impersonator is currently doing the rounds in the UK with the More Than Insurance adverts (see after the jump if you must). He has a couple of plum roles on the way: the return of Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Rises where hopefully he will have more opportunity to question Batman's motives and as a writer suffering a block in Rob Reiner's Third Act.
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