Happy Birthday to
Rosemary Harris
84 today
It's great doing the birthdays as I find out all sorts of stuff I didn't know about the stars I feature. So today I've learnt that Rosemary's daughter is King's Speech actress Jennifer Ehle and they've played the same character at different stages of their life twice on screen.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Rosemary Harris
Saturday, 17 September 2011
What's the B****y point (Film News - 17/09/11)
I have to ask because I spend all week with my nose to the ground, digesting press releases and sorting through the flotsam and jetsam of film news coverage all to discover there's naff all going on.
Sure I could mention the fascinating but far too young list of actors being considered for Steven Soderbergh's Man from U.N.C.L.E remake (don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as much as anyone but they're no Robert Vaughn). 
Or how about the latest star character actors queuing up to join Robert Redford's The Company you Keep, and I'm not complaining about getting a chance to see Stanley Tucci and Chris Cooper strut their stuff in a parable about politics and journalism, it just shouldn't be the biggest story I have, should it?
Indeed the only titbit that even vaguely caught my eye was Gus van Sant saying at Toronto that's he's still trying to adapt Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid test for the big screen. This is the legendary drug-fuelled road trip Ken Kesey went on before writing One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That's great - and I do really want to see that at cinemas - but we've been talking about it since October 2008! Now I want more than talk.
Maybe I've just missed something. Maybe there's been loads of delightful news stories that have just passed me by. If you've read anything over the last 7 days that made you go "Hmmm.... That seems like a great idea for a movie." Please let me know in the comments. There must be something out there to raise some interest.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Who's the Ringmaster (Out this week - 16/09/11)
It's crazy busy this week with twelve different releases heading to a screen near you, although to be fair many of those have very limited distribution strategies. Frankly most of them look quite weak too with really only 4-5 that even look vaguely watchable. On the other hand we've suddenly broken free from the grip of disappointing summer blockbusters and entered the first half of the pedigree movie season with the first movie to get 8 on the excitometer since March, film of the week Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The awards season kicks off smartly with this tense spy-catcher thriller adapted from the classic John Le Carre and directed by Let the Right One In helmer Tomas Alfredson who brings his murky palette and slow-burn tension. With an impeccable cast of Brit thesps including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt and Tom Hardy expect this to be the first big entry into the Oscar fray.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
30 Minutes or Less
In no way related to the recent case of a law-abiding US citizen having a bomb strapped to them and forced to rob a bank, this is a film about a law-abiding US citizen having a bomb strapped to them and forced to rob a bank. I'm glad we cleared that up. Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari star as the hapless robbers.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
I Don't Know How she Does it
I'm not really looking forward to this Sarah Jessica Parker star-vehicle concerning a modern woman balancing her family and business lives whilst proving she's able to have it all, but I am looking forward to reading the critical reaction to this sex-and-the-city-lite rubbish. Greg Kinnear takes the money and runs as SJP's supportive hubbie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Tomboy
Description on the back of a fag packet, French teenage Boy's Don't Cry, although one hopes the finale for this 12 year old loner trying to fit in with a new crowd is far less tragic.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Atrocious
More found footage hokum with this Spanish/Mexican co-production reassembling the final days of Cristian Quintanilla and his siblings. Mercifully the film is only 77 minutes long, compared to the 37 hours of recorded footage referred to in the back story.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Change-up
Body-swap comedy which proves two things. Primarily that the sub-genre should just be abandoned and ignored for all eternity and secondarily that Ryan Reynolds, whilst cute, does not have the fanbase to open a movie. Jason Bateman is the other swapper and Alan Arkin provides a little support.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Turnout
Hoxton set crime pic with a young, impestuous couple finding themselves in murky water as they try to fund their ambitious holiday plans. Probably will find an audience, if only because it showcases the big screen debut of Ben Drew, aka Plan B.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Vanthaan Vendraan
Tamil action comedy, with a little romance thrown in for good measure. OK, I admit I know nothing about this pic, even having watched the trailer, although it was shot in some lovely locations.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster
Seemingly titled purely to capture the growing trend to support the UK travelling community (Channel 4 and Big Brother have a lot to answer for) it's another by the books British gangster pic with "the most dangerous man in Britain" regaining his criminal empire after a spell inside.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Episode 50
Making Atrocious (above) look like high-art is this American found footage horror about the final episode of a spook-debunked cable TV programme in which the hosts scepticism is put to the test and all their rationalist assumptions fall apart like badly plotted horror pics.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Thomas and Friends: Day of the Diesels
Very limited release for a pre-DVD showing of the latest variation on a theme by Rev W Awdry. Very little is known about the cast and crew of the project - at least not on IMDb - so I don't know if Ringo Starr is back voicing the titular blue steam engine.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
You Instead
If you wanted to go to V festival but couldn't make it then this may be the picture for you this week with Luke Treadaway and Natalie Tena starring as feuding rock stars accidently handcuffed together at the music/mud event. If you were happy to stay at home then I expect you'll want to give this a miss too.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Jennifer Tilly
Happy Birthday to
Jennifer Tilly
53 today
She must have one of the sexiest, huskiest voices in Hollywood as showcased in "Family Guy" and Monsters Inc, indeed she'll get another chance to play Celia Mae in the Monsters follow-up. She's also remarkably talented round the poker table, must be impossible to not resist her raises.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Melissa Leo
Happy Birthday to
Melissa Leo
51 today
It seems like only yesterday that Melissa dropped the F bomb on the Oscar podium, picking up her win for The Fighter. Now we're six months later and oddly she's still signing up for every movie offered to her as if she's still a jobbing actor. Not that any of the upcoming 7 pictures on her slate is jumping out at me.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Tuesday Trailers - Restless
Back to the controversial now with this weeks trailer. Gus van Sant's latest movie premièred at Cannes earlier this year where death obsessed Harry Hooper falls for a cancer ridden Mia Wasikowska whilst communicating with a Kamikaze ghost in this modern take on Love Story was generally considered a lesser one of his films. That said I will still be supporting the films of this uncompromising auteur.
Restless is released on 21 October 2011.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Jennifer Hudson
Happy Birthday to
Jennifer Hudson
30 today
It's hard not to mention the "I" word (in conjuction with the "A" word) when discussing J. Hud's career. Since not winning a talent contest she's gone on to win awards and praise for her glittering, if limited career, although the next year will show how much versatility she has with the Winnie Mandela biopic and a Farelly brothers comedy.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running
And we're off:
The Experian Robin Hood Marathon in the gorgeous city of Nottingham has just started. Somewhere in the crowds I'm there ready to take on the 26 and a bit mile course, hoping this will be the year I finally break the four hour mark.
In the last week up to now I've been out for a few ultra short runs just to keep me going but without pushing me to the limit.
5 runs
17.7 miles
2 hours 17 minutes
So that's an average speed of 7.70 mph.
I've been on quite a journey this year, I've been training since February, losing over 3.5 stone and my weekly average pace has gone from less than 6 mph to over 7.5 mph. In all this time I've been out 155 times completing 879 miles. That's further than the distance from Land's end to John O'Groats, and roughly equates to the length of California from the Oregon to Mexican borders!
Anyway please wish me luck, or spend a couple of moments today thinking about the runners of Notts. Cheers Ben
John Hawkes
Happy Birthday to
John Hawkes
52 today
Last year character actor Hawkes came out of nowhere with a devastating and brutal performance in Indie Winter's Bone earnign his first Oscar nomination - don't be surprised if he gets a second for religious cult drama Martha Marcy May Marlene - as well as turning up in higher profile pics Contagion and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Which goes to show what a great performance can do to your career.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
What about leap years? (Film News - 10/09/11)
My mind is not on the news today. I'm pretty much too nervous for tomorrows race to think straight. Looking at what I've written so far pretty much confirms that. Sentence structure is all over the place, I wander aimlessly through paragraphs and don't have anything insightful to say about any of these unusual upcoming projects (although some would say, quite rightly, that's typical of my news posts). I suppose it doesn't help that none of this weeks stories really inspire me, the project either sounds daft, or extremely vague or I've mentioned it before. Take a look at whats coming up and tell me whether you think the same.
364
Isn't everyone fed up of superheroes now? This summer proved that too many saturate the market with The Green Lantern in particular crashing and burning, and non-marquee superheroes or the stories of normal people who want amazing powers seems to fare even worse, just look at the box office figures for Scott Pilgrim or Kick Ass. Yet Hollywood still thinks there's cash in the old cow leading to Universal acquiring this dismal sounding action comedy spec from David Guggenheim.
The title refers to the majority of days in the year where our hero imagines, plans and contemplates the heroic deeds he will do on the one day of the year he has superpowers. Which to me sounds like it could be an awfully long boozy chat about what powers we'd choose to have - let's face it we've all been there proudly admitting invisibility would be cool even if it led to Hollow Man levels of perversity.
Plus I wonder what happens if your one day turns out to be a slow news day. You may want to stop a evil scientist from destroying New York or go beserk on an invading SWAT team, but aren't you more likely to be required to put out a chip pan fire or find a stolen car? Worthy no doubt but hardly worth having super powers for.
Guggenheim is currently riding high so it's no surprise to see all his ideas jumped on. Last year he quit as editor of US Weekly when his Safe House script was picked up (look out for Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in that next year) and has just seen success with it's follow ups Santiago (sold to Fox) and Puzzle Palace (Summit Entertainment) so there must be something good about what he writes - or something immensely easy to sell.
Read on for twisted oaters, an intriguing clue, two strong female leads and the latest in casting titbits.
Untitled Gothic Western
I think John Carpenter must be a little confused. He seems to believe it's still the early 80's. At the Fright night festival 2011 he talked about the possibility of making a gothic Western, something he's currently working on. Admittedly in the clip online he does confess that making Westerns is tough at this time and commercially difficult to justify to the studios, however the ambition to make a genre straddling Western still seems a little brave. I also read in follow comments that he is hoping to get Amy Adams on board, which considering she's about to star in Man of Steel seems unlikely. Although it is reminiscent of casting Karen Allen in Starman only a couple of years after Raiders of the Lost Ark so he has form, but like I said before that was at his peak. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, only time will tell.
David Lynch
For far too long we appeared to have lost the surrealist master (right) to animated shorts, dance music and subversive clubs but after the five year feature hiatus since INLAND EMPIRE the man who puts Lynch in Lynchian could soon be back to cinemas near you. That's essentially a lot of preamble to nothing because all I have as a story is David saying in a recent interview with Rolling Stone " I’m working on another new film, but it’s not there yet." No details; no plot, title or cast, no real sign that's he's serious. But I really do hope he is. I need more backward speaking dwarfs in my cinemagoing experiences.
Juliet/The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
I've had the strangest feeling of deja vu this week (I knew you'd say that) as two projects we first reported on here years ago have resurfaced. First up it's the adaptation of Anne Fortier's 2010 novel which is sort of sequel to Shakespeare's doomed romance - a direct descendent of Juliet (um, how did that happen?) finds out that's Mercutio's "plague on both your houses" was a real and long-lasting curse - which we first heard about on 10 January 2009. Or going back even further to 28 July 2008 there's the young adult novel about Miss Doyle, the scion of British aristocracy, who finds herself a lone passenger on a trans-atlantic liner with a tale of intrigue to unfold. Back then Saoirse Ronan was attached as the title character but delays have meant she's too old and the task of casting has just begun. Oh, and if you don't believe me about the age of these stories, feel free to click on the labels below.
Casting News
We've heard the first couple of names bandied around with Lars von Trier explicit sex movie Nymphomaniac and frankly they couldn't be more disturbing. Among the sexual conquests of our heroine will be previous von Trier collaborators Stellan Skarsgaard and Willem Dafoe. Shouldn't he be concentrating on finding the girl before surrounding her by middle aged men? Les Miserables continues to build it's cast with the news that Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are circling thes role of greedy innkeeper Thenardier and his wife, erm Madame Thenardier, not much of a surprise given their previous in musicals (in Bran Nue Dae and Sweeney Todd respectively) and the recent work with director Tom Hooper on The King's Speech.
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