Press for "Slumdog Millionaire" began today in New York and unfortunately we were too occupied with the dayjob to participate. But Cinematical spoke to director Danny Boyle and got his reaction to the unfortunate news that the film was slapped with an R-Rating — a seemingly grossly unfair move considering its joyful and exuberant tone. Sure, there's some violence in the film, but "The Dark Knight" gets a PG-13 and 'Slumdog'? The MPAA hypocrisy in standards is well-documented. The recent almost-NC-17 rating for "Zack and Miri Make A Porno" (a relatively tame Kevin Smith film) is just another example. We digress.
Needless to say, Boyle was not pleased with the MPAA's decision."I was very disappointed. What happens is when you make a film, you sign a contract with the studio or whoever is financing it and there are several stipulations -- like it has to be under two hours or what have you -- and one of the things that's in there is that it has to be a certain certificate (aka rating). And we all agreed that it would be a PG-13 or less. And so I shot the film very deliberately to achieve that certificate, and I'm very disappointed because there's very little actual violence in the film at all. But the response was that the journey of the film was too intense -- and then you think, but that's the job! What's wrong with somebody wanting to watch an intense journey? But yeah, I was very disappointed."
Boyle said he tried to appeal and fight the verdict, but "the response was the same." Hmm, sounds like there's no time for nips and cuts and "Slumdog Millionaire" will just have to live with the R-Rating? The article doesn't exactly say, but that's what we're inferring here, epecially since its November 12 release date is right around the corner and its probably too late (and too expensive) to cut new prints of the film.
The violence in the "The Dark Knight" was brought up too.
"Yeah, see and that's what I thought was wonderful about The Dark Knight -- because it was so real. And their argument is that's fantasy. No, actually, the reason the movie is so effective is because it's extraordinarily real and Heath Ledger's performance is extraordinary. Just an extraordinary performance."
10/24/2008
Danny Boyle Responds To 'Slumdog Millionaire's MPAA R-Rating; Looks Like Appeals Have Failed, Still Is Stuck R-Rated
More 'Synecdoche'; Pretentious Twattery Or Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius?
Gotta go personal here cause not all Playlist members might agree: I gotta admit, I have a lot of respect for Gleiberman and White's views here.
Owen Gleiberman, EW: It’s a hallowed ritual of film culture. An artist makes a movie that is so labyrinthine and obscure, such a road map of blind alleys, such a turgid challenge to sit through that it sends most people skulking out of the theater — except, that is, for a cadre of eggheads who hail the work as a visionary achievement. It happened in 1961, with that high-society puzzle obscura Last Year at Marienbad, and in 2006, with David Lynch’s through-the-looking-glass bore Inland Empire… Now Charlie Kaufman, the brain-tickling screenwriter of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, has directed his first movie, Synecdoche, New York (he also wrote it), and yes, it is one of those ”visionary” what-the-hell doozies. Prepare to be told that it’s a masterpiece.
Normally, we dislike both these guys' views and opinions intensely, but part of us agrees with what they have to say about 'Synecdoche' even though we did like some and lots of it. There thoughts here is an unpopular opinion, but there are parts of what they say that we totally believe, especially White's hipster sheepherd mentality that sarcastically mocks anyone suggesting anything Kaufman does can't be less than totally brilliant.
Quotes cherry-picked/found at AwardsDaily. I should probably find some positive quotes to balance this post, but we've already by-and-large said a lot of incredibly positive things about this sometimes infuriating, sometimes mind-blowing film. Again, it's a film that if I'm in a bad mood when thinking about makes me want to dismiss it and when I'm in a good mood it gives my intellectual synapses an incredible hard-on. Another thing to note if we haven't already: while incredibly funny in an absurdist manner, 'Synecdoche' is also heartbreaking too (hence the nod of Eggers title). It's so many damn things at once which is its genius and achilles heel.Armand White, New York Press: Kaufman’s artiness ignores political reality—further congratulating hipsters who prefer Todd Haynes–style narcissism to Todd Solondz’s humane sociological explorations (Kaufman imitates both)… Pity those nerds and fashion-sheep who’ll waste time trying to connect Kaufman’s symbols, cite the many David Lynch references and puzzle for ways to use “synecdoche” in daily conversation.
Trailer: 'Zidane A 21st Century Portrait'
We just mentioned "Zidane A 21st Century Portrait" in our box-office report for this weekend. The film about French futbol (soccer you dolt) superstar is finally (!) coming out in North America which is long overdue for football fans because it was originally released in 2006 in Europe. Can you say slow-burning Mogwai score?
The film is supposed to be fabulous and we're going to see it tonight. Zizou, as his fans call him, kind of trainwrecked his career on the night of his most important match, his last, when he headbutted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the final game of the 2006 World Cup. His impetuous move got him ejected from the game, France lost the world championship and Zidane ruined his last chance at ever winning the ultimate futbol match again. It was simultaneously a brilliant and heartbreaking moment (by all accounts, Materazzi's was brutally taunting him and he had it coming) and perhaps as dramatic as any moment ever in cinema.
Update: We saw it this weekend. Bad idea. It's a strange excercise in formalism and we suppose it was a little hypnotic if you're looking at it from an academic level, but it was pretty damn dull overall and we felt - a waste of our time. Perhaps if we would have rented it, it might not have been such a big deal, but we formally recant our pre-endorsement/excitement for this film. Next time we should read about the film before we actually go see it. Fortunately, Max Ophüls' re-remastered re-release of "Lola Montes" was some sort of consolation prize as far a weekend movie-going went.
Weekend Box-Office Options, Oct 24: 'Changeling,' 'Pride & Glory,' 'Synecdoche, New York,' More...
Yes, for the ham n' egger nitwits out there (sorry, but it's true), this box-office weekend belongs to "High School Musical 3" and "Saw V" without a doubt. Estimates have them both reaping in about $30 million each (with HSM possibly going as low as $25 or as high as $45), which makes for a very healthy box-office haul monetarily, but still leaves you mentally and soulfully empty (the brainless and unwatchable-looking 'Saw V' has a hilarious 15% Rotten Tomatoes rating, when will people stop paying to see this dreck!)
That's where we come in: suggestions to nourish your cinematic heart and soul. First up is probably Clint Eastwood's "Changeling," a film that's been divisive for critics and its rating is naturally mixed at 49%. It's elegantly well-made and crafted and is definitely supported by a strong Angelina Jolie performance, but it's exorbitant length and cliched, been-there melodramatic notes left us cold eventually.
Perhaps the really most polarizing film is Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York." It has a decent 65% Rotten Tomatoes rating, but people seem to either hate it or love it and most people critic basically (and often condescendingly) believe you're a moron if you don't feel the same way they felt about (i.e., if you don't think it's pretentious and a mess, you're foolishly mistaking abstraction for profundity and conversely, if you don't think its kaleidoscopic-ness is brilliant, you just don't understand it cause you're an idiot). The heady film invokes a ton of heated and impassioned responses both negative and positive, which must, at the very least, be a compliment to the filmmaker who definitely makes you want to think.
We felt somewhere in the middle. Parts of 'Synecdoche' are staggering and we walked around in a punch-drunk daze after the film trying to absorb its prism of ideas and feelings. But elements of Kaufman's mindfark do drag in the second half and sometimes the film is just so damn depressing that it becomes an uphill slog that feels sluggish and grey. It's a film you have to see more than once, as its impossible to digest in one sitting, but we assume the majority of audiences aren't going to have that kind of patience. Balancing everything we admired and didn't necessarily love about the film, we gave it a grade somewhere in the middle. We love Jon Brion to death, but even his score didn't really move us this time.
We love what Jeffrey Wells just wrote about it. He calls his feelings towards the film, "complex, semi-enthused, slightly tortured" and that the movie is "undeniably interesting, densely layered." That succinctly sums up what our, and many other people's feelings are as well. And like some of the condescending critics, we can't help but feel that the people blindly loving this film are a little naive to not see its flaws. It's kind of about the suffering for art (or at least one of the things its about) so appropriately, we the audience have to suffer through some of it.
The most universally praised film of the weekend is the vampire drama, "Let The Right One In," which has a extremely positive 95% rating. We didn't love it that much, but it is good and the wintery, contemplative tones and thoughtful direction towards the teens' tender friendship outweighed most of the sometimes-silly vampiric elements.
The penultimately adored film is the family/post-prison drama, "I've Loved You So Long," that stars an unbelievably devastating Kristin Scott Thomas and equally mesmerizing Elsa Zylberstein. The Academy should just hand over the Oscar to KST now, and it would also be amazing if Zylberstein were to earn a Best Supporting Award nomination, but we're skeptical that that will happen. The film by first-time filmmaker Phillipe Claudet has a 91% RT consensus. Man, the NYTimes get it right as per usual. Their perfect headline for their review? A Broken Soul Wandering Aimlessly on the Long Path to Redemption. Wow, that nails it, especially the painfully-real sounding, "broken soul."
Pickin's get slim after that. The stock cop drama, "Pride & Glory" which has some decent performances, (particularly an understated and good, Noah Emmerich), but fails to deliver on the Sydney-Lumet-like promise it begins with. In fact, near the 3/4 mark, it really flys off the rails. It has a low 32% rating.
Nothing past that seems to be worth losing breath over other than the very-well received (and apparently very good Chilean Andes mountain survival documentary, "Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains" (I'm allowed to say this: Chileans are funny every movie they make is either about Pinochet's regime or the aforementioned airplane disaster). The film has a great 89% rating and we wish we would have had a chance to see it in advance.
Oh, we're almost forgetting the North American release (finally!) of "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait," the documentary about one of football's greatest champions, Algerian-born French soccer superstar, Zinedine Yazid Zidane (god, what an amazing player; Zizo's grace turned the sport into an art). The film features a fantastic soundtrack by Scottish post-rockers Mogwai who are big footie fans (they also helped perform the score for Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" that was composed by Clint Mansell). If we didn't have a hard-drive crash recently, we'd post some of it for you. The film has been out in Europe for almost two years now, so we're psyched it's coming to North American finally.
Anne Hathaway's "Passengers" also opens up this weekend, but it has no ratings at Rotten Tomatoes which suggests it was so bad that it was not screened for critics. Make the right decision, happy movie-going!
(PS, to be fair, "Fear(s) Of The Dark" is well reviewed too with a 72%rating, but we never had a chance to look into what that one was about to be honest).
Eastwood's Perma-Scowl Gets Even Grumpier In 'Gran Torino' Trailer
Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino," aka, "Hey, Get Off My Lawn, You Friggin' Korean Kids!" has itself a trailer and god, this is the thing everyone's flipping over and expecting to earn multiple nominations, including some predicting a Best Actor nomination for Eastwood? Apple's got it here.
From we get from this trailer, Eastwood's doing a caricature of every grumpy old man in America, with his trade mark scowl, but this time to hilariously exaggerated effect (see the photo). No, really. Eastwood (who also directs here) even growls at one point, armed with a shotgun, "get off my lawn!" We're not kidding.
Opening Dec. 17 in limited release in "Gran Torino," Eastwood plays a disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski who sets out to reform his whippersnapper neighbor, a young Hmong teenager who tries to steal his most prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. He resents his neighbors and dislikes their presence, but hey, redemption comes when Eastwood and the boy bond and they both show each other to look past their indivdual biases. Argh!! C'mon!
Regardless of what we think this has Oscar-bait written all over it. Redemption tales of grumpy old men? The Academy loves this stuff. Wait, maybe this is Eastwood's last acting performance he says? Yup. "Yeah, it'll probably be my last," Eastwood told USA Today. "I'll be drummed out of it after this one."
All the more reason to celebrate him one more time, no? Sorta, he's kinda kidding, but notes there's not that much left for him. "It was fun [acting in 'Gran Torino']. But I'm not destined to do too many more [acting turns]. I've been happy doing the ones I haven't been in."
Whatever, that probably won't matter for his chances. It looks really cliched to us, but that's never stopped Oscar before.
The whole premise is rather ironic too, considering his recent beef with Spike Lee who accused him of unfair racial depictions. Eastwood shrugged off Lee's comments and what does the logical old white dude do then? Make a film where he chases and beats up Asians? Funny, huh?
Crispin Glover Joins Tim Burton's 'Alice In Wonderland' 3D
It's about time Crispin Glover got some more mainstream work other than shit like "Epic Movie" to pay the bills (ok he was in "Beowulf" too, but who paid to see that?).
Tim Burton has wisely tapped his odd talents for his 3D adaptation of "Alice In Wonderland" which already features Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasikowska as Alice, plus Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.
Glover has signed on to play Knave of Hearts, who is put on trial for stealing the Queen of Hearts' tarts and is defended by Alice in Lewis Carroll's famous story. [THR]
AFI Gets Its Happy Opening With ‘Doubt’
So it turns out David Poland was correct when he said John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt” would probably replace Joe Wright’s “The Soloist” as the opening night selection for the AFI Film Festival, only I was not aware of the fact that “Doubt” was as of yet unfinished – which is how it will be shown at the festival on the 30th of October.
“The movie is still being finished, but we were so excited to show Doubt and help our friends at AFI Fest and the American Film Institute at the same time. We couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity,” Miramax President Daniel Battsek said.
Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, “Doubt” is one of the years more anticipated films and definitely more buzzed than “Soloist,” so not only is this a step up for AFI but also a far more appealing opening night film for festival goers, all of whom are now officially on my hit list. [LiC/provided from Fataculture]
Genuine Feel-Goodery Or Pap? Trailer: 'Last Chance Harvey'
Joel Hopkin’s “Last Chance Harvey,” starring the affable pairing of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, landed itself a wonderful trailer today. It tells the story of a man (Hoffman) who is down on his luck, just about to lose his job and possibly his sanity until he meets a women (Thompson) in one of those chance meetings in life that, from that moment onwards, leaves him a changed man forever, for the better. So I assume, anyway. It seems heart-warming enough, without being too sappy or manipulative but rather quietly charming, one that I expect could score some love at the Oscars in terms of the acting categories, but only time will tell. “Last Chance Harvey” will play at the AFI Festival on the 8th of November, move on to a limited release on the 26th of December and expand on the 26th of January. Looks like one to keep an eye on for sure. - [from Fataculture]
'Notorious' Trailer: Umm, Whatever You Say Big Poppa
"What kind of grown-ass man calls himself Puffy?"
Ugh, we'd love to support "Notorious," the biopic of Christopher "Biggie" Wallace, aka dearly departed Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G, but we're not sure this film, directed by George Tillman Jr. is going to cut it. Well, at least not by looking at his new trailer that kind of makes us wince. All the cliches are there: Puff Daddy (Derek Luke) and Biggie (Jamal Woolard) trying to take back the East Coast (Biggs: "Maybe in the right hands [beat]... I could be on of the greatest."), Mrs. Voletta Wallace (Angela Bassett) yelling at Biggie for not taking life seriously (the aforementioned and hilarious quote at the top) and more unintenionally hilarious Puffy ("By the time you're 21, I'll make you into a millionaire.")
What's worse, is having known all these people on TV, magazines and popular culture for years, one really can't help but giggle every time you see an actor trying to pull off these parts (again, particularly Luke, a great actor, but playing the take-himself-too-seriously Diddy is just deliciously funny, and obviously it's not meant to be).
"Can't change the world unless we change ourselves!" We could be wrong and hey, we'd be more than willing to admit it, but right now this looks like a movie of the week. "Notorious" hits theaters January 16, 2009. Synopsis:
In just a few short years, The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.
10/23/2008
Amazing: Steven Soderbergh To Shoot 3D Musical 'Cleo,' With Guided By Voices Providing The Score
Steven Soderbergh seems to be picking up projects as frequently as anyone not named David Fincher, and with all the activity comes inevitable rumors. A few months ago there was buzz about Soderbergh working on a Cleopatra script, with Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard writing music . In the midst of speculation about a Liberace film with Michael Douglas, and even an adaptation of "A Confederacy of Dunces", Soderbergh completed his 4 hour "Che" epic, went in to production on "The Informant" and finished "The Girlfriend Experience" script. "Cleopatra" went on the back burner, understandably so.
Now Variety reports the project is very much alive, with Soderbergh shopping his vision of a full blown rock n roll musical. Music has apparently already been written by Guided by Voices, former bassist and SPIN writer Jim Greer penned the script. Soderbergh wants Catherine Zeta Jones in the title role and Hugh Jackman as her lover, Mark Antony. Oh yeah, and the whole thing is going to be in 3D.
At least we can't accuse Soderbergh of settling in to conformity at this point in his career. He continues to be attached to a slate of diverse (and bizarre) films. This seems like an unusual idea, and will inevitably be compared to Joseph L. Mankiewicz 1963 version with Elizabeth Taylor. But Soderbergh obviously has a different direction for the story, Guided by Voices should bring their aesthetic to the material, and after seeing "Che" we're willing to go along with it...for now.
Musically it almost sounds stranger than the project itself, right? But don't forget Pollard wrote some music for "Bubble" -- that went under the Bubble Ep title -- but that went so under the radar, most people didn't notice. Soderbergh's a devout fan though. He wrote a brief foreword to Greer's 2005 book, "Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll."
First Look: New 'Slumdog Millionaire' Poster
Like many other critics, we unabashedly loved Danny Boyle's exhilarating, and electrical new film, "Slumdog Millionaire," when we saw it early this year at TIFF. but we are not feeling its design at all (Anne Thompson had it first exclusively).
A small quibble perhaps, but we think FoxSearchlight should go back to the drawing board here. Though they probably don't have time.
Thompson notes that Searchlight rushed and went from "zero to 100 when it took over the release" of the film, which now comes out November 12 in limited openings and maybe this is why the poster feels like a rush job. It doesn't quite capture the joyful tone of the film, but we suppose it does catch the kinetic energy in a bottle and quick-like moving camera and pace of the picture. What happened to the color old palette though? Much better. Oh well.
It shouldn't detract anyone from seeing the film, but that logo, ooof. That's like a font we used in 1997. According Ms. AT:
TV spots will take advantage of the movie’s Bollywood soundtrack and closing dance number, and eventually reviews and awards. Natch, Searchlight is supporting an Oscar campaign for the filmmaker—“it’s time,” says Utley—and adapted screenplay writer Simon Beaufoy, who was Oscar-nominated for the label’s The Full Monty. “We always have the little underdog,” says Utley, who’s banking that Slumdog will place favorably against darker, grimmer Oscar competition. “This movie makes you feel good in a time of deepening anxiety.”We're big Danny Boyle fans and feel like a lot of his work since "28 Days Later" has been overlooked, so we're happy for him to see this underdog get some good press. PS. Every film festival 'Slumdog' plays, the crowd pleaser earns itself a standing-ovation. Everyone loved it at Telluride and TIFF and it seems like the reaction at the Austin Film Festival was similarly super enthusiastic.
Scenes: 'Quantum Of Solace' - " Do You Know You've Being Played"
Not much to say here, some scene from 'Quantum Of Solace,' the new James Bond film starring Daniel Craig as 007 and Jeffrey Wright as directed by Marc Forster. It probably won't change the world, but it sounds like intelligently-crafted entertainment.There's also a new one here, that's not embeddable called, "Do You Know You're Being Played?"
Ben Stiller In Talks To Direct 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7?'
The DreamWorks project about the riots during the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago and its aftermath, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" has gone through a few potential directors since its inception , and now it seems that Dreamworks (having lost all hope?) is considering giving the project to Ben Stiller (yeah, you heard us right, Ben fucking Stiller). At one time Steven Spielberg was being courted for the directorial spot, and when that didn't work out Paul Grengrass was extended an offer, but after those two accomplished directors turned it down it seems that the studio greatly lowered their standards.
Stiller's directing credits don't seem to fit the mold ("Tropic Thunder" "Zoolander"), and honestly we have no idea why anyone would consider him a good choice to direct a dramatic film. Whatever...
First Listen: John Legend, Bernie Mac & Samuel L. Jackson Sing 'Soul Men's 'Puppet'
"Soul Men," hmm, yes. Looks like masterpiece theater, right? The soundtrack to this winner hits shelves November 4 on Stax Records (at least that's fitting). Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the R&B music comedy hits theaters nationally on Nov. 7.
The MGM/Dimension movie stars Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac, along with modern R&B superstar John Legend portraying a fictitious group called The Real Deal. This popular singing duo went their separate ways and never spoke again until death of their former group leader (Legend) "reunites them and sends them driving cross country for a tribute concert at the legendary Apollo Theatre, they will have only five days to bury the hatchet on a twenty-year-old grudge."
Stax Legend Issac Hayes, who died ironically a day after Mac in August, makes a cameo in the flick. Hayes' version of 1971 classic, "Never Can Say Goodbye" is among the main tracks on the soundtrack, which also features covers of James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet," Carla Thomas' "Comfort Me" and Hayes' "Do Your Thing" (someone should be paying us for this post, blech).
1. "Soul Music" - Anthony Hamilton
2. "I'm Your Puppet" - John Legend, Bernie Mac & Samuel L. Jackson
3. "Private Number" - Chris Pierce & Leela James
4. "Water" - Me'Shell Ndegéocello
5. "Never Can Say Goodbye" - Isaac Hayes
6. "Boogie Ain't Nuttin' (But Gettin' Down)" - Bernie Mac & Samuel L.
Jackson
7. "Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In)" - Sharon
Jones & the Dap Kings
8. "Memphis Train" - Ryan Shaw
9. "Comfort Me" - Sharon Leal
10. "You Don't Know What You Mean (to a Lover Like Me)" - The Sugarman 3 featuring Lee Fields
11. "I've Never Found a Girl (to Love Me Like You Do)" - Eddie Floyd
12. "Do Your Thing" - Bernie Mac, Samuel L. Jackson & Sharon Leal
First Look: Mos Def As Chuck Berry And More 'Cadillac Records' Photos
As we noted earlier this week, the biopic about estimable R&B label Chess Records, titled "Cadillac Records" is now coming out December 5 via Sony. The soundtrack. which features many of the actors singing R&B classics, including Beyoncé Knowles, Mos Def and Jeffery Wright, plus appearances by rapper Nas, Raphael Saadiq and Beyonce's younger sister Solange, hits December 2 (apparently Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest is on it too, we musta missed that).
IMDB a bunch of images of the film including the first look at Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Cedric The Entertainer as Willie Dixon and more shots of Knowles portraying Etta James and Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters.
The cast is rounded out by Adrien Brody who plays R&B magnate Leonard Chess , Columbus Short (Little Walter), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Revetta Chess), Tammy Blanchard, and Eamonn Walker (Howlin' Wolf).
"Cadillac Records" charts the rise and fall of Chess Records or as the mini-synopsis says, "In this tale of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950's Chicago, “Cadillac Records” follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry."
Viral Marketing For New Jared Hess Movie 'Gentlemen Broncos' Stars Waay Early
Damn, so we and presumably 25,000 other bloggers get hit with an email by Fox Searchlight concerning, a new video from Dr. Ronald Chevalier. OK, and? Who the hell is that? And why is there some micro-site built for him? Ah, well, it's apparently very-early viral marketing for Jared Hess' ("Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre") new film, "Gentlemen Broncos,"which stars Michael Angarano ("Snow Angels"), Sam Rockwell and Jemaine Clement one half of HBO's "Flight of the Conchords." And evidently the campaign started quietly even earlier in August.
'Broncos' "follows a high school outcast (Angarano) who's an aspiring fantasy author. He attends a fantasy convention to show off his work and finds his supposed masterpiece - 'Yeast Lords' - ripped off by legendary novelist Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement), who has turned desperate for ideas," wrote THR earlier this year. Production apparently began in March and filming has surely wrapped by now. Mike White is one of the film's producers. We guess Fox Searchlight picked this up, but there's no word of the film on their site and presumably this film is coming out sometime in 2009.
We're not convinced with Hess' talents, 'Dynamite' being an overhyped, obnoxious little film that people cherish for reasons beyond us, but "Nacho Libre," believe it or not, had some very decent moments to it and a child-like sense of wonder that wasn't as annoying self-aware as 'Dynamite,' so there might be hope. We know who's scoring 'Broncos' but we've been sworn to secrecy. We're excited for the guy who's got the gig, he'll hopefully improve it overall. We gotta say, the soundtrack to "Nacho Libre," some of which was composed by Beck was really great too. All the Spanish-music tracks picked for the movie are tops too.
Download: Beck - "Tender Beasts of the Spangled Night" (from "Nacho Libre")
Tiny Indie Critics Hit Winning Tiny Indie Film With Micro Backlash
Does the tiny indie film, and recently GothamAward-nominated, "Ballast" deserve a backlash? It's being self-distributed for christ sake out of pocket and is showing in tiny, art-house theaters only. But some critics (contrarian Armond White, sometime-curmudgeon Jeffrey Wells) think the film's acute portrayal of African-American poverty in Memphis stinks of white guilt.
Even worse, some of these critics are also accusing the filmmaker Lance Hammer of coming from affluent lineage (who are allegedly funding his self-distribution), as if being a "rich kid' somehow disqualifies your art. It's a ridiculous argument and one that makes us want to set fire to anyone retarded enough to spout such nonsense. In fact, we'd like to formally request a slap upside the head to such espousers. The film is hauntingly raw and one of the year's best. Drown out the retardation and go out of your way to see it. and we hope you can see through this paper thin argument.
Yes, the "backlash" is kind of a whole lot of nothing, but it is intensely aggravating, our strong affinity for the film, aside.[Spoutblog]
'A Woman In Berlin' Rips Open Old WWII Wounds In Germany
The film, "A Woman In Berlin" is ripping open old WWII wounds in Germany. The excellent German drama (which we saw at TIFF earlier this year) is based on the anonymous diaries of Marta Hillers, a young woman, who along with several other women, were brutally and systematically raped by Russian soldiers during the fall of Berlin in 1945. The book caused a national shame that was rather swept up under the carpet upon its release and was shunned and forgotten until the film's recent release.
We're a little sad, something much simper-looking ( the German action thriller, "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex") was elected by Germany to represent their cinema at the Oscars. We're sure, 'A Woman' would have had a far greater shot. Crafted with an observant eye by Max Färberböck, the film is penetrating and lead actress Nina Hoss is deserving of accolades. [Reuters]
ShortCuts: 'W' FactFile, Internecine Old-School 'Star Trek' Beef; The Meta-Art Of 'Synechdoche, New York'; More...
Is it a little too late? Lionsgate have set up an impressive-looking "W" 'FactFile' to prove the elements they're satirizing in Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic are based in truth. The film has already been met with mixed-results, so it might not even matter anymore.[Lionsgate/via Spout]
Todd Field will direct the dark comedy, "Buried."The "In The Bedroom" filmmaker revealed his masterful touches of pitch-black satire in the suburban drama "Little Children," which was so subtle in its comedic touches (a Sahara desert-dry narrator just dripping with slow I.V.-like sarcasm), that the jokes in the film went over many people's head (still to this day, people claim the voice-over is terrible. Duh, that's the point! It's actually genius). [Collider]
(Further evidence that Shatner is going senile) Internecine "Star Trek" beef! William Shatner is so upset that George Takei did not invite him to his gay wedding, Shatner has taken to his website to bitch about it a blog. So heavy was the traffic on Shatner's site yesterday that the webpage went down. We're pretty sure the senile blog entry went something like this. "Great Scott, no invite? Sulu served under me for over 25-years on the U.S.S Enterprise. Is this how I am to be repaid?" Someone get this old coot a hobby or a lawn to mow. [AP]
Catherine Keener's Adele Lack in "Synecdoche, New York," is a miniaturist artist, who paints almost-infinitesimally small micro-paintings on tiny canvases. Her "work" is collected is now getting its own art opening. Of course to preserve the meta-ness of it all, they're not saying who the real artist is and the art exhibit goes under the ruse that Lack is an actual real person. High-brow meta-marketing we guess...[BoingBoing]
Sam Raimi has chosen the "Spider Man" franchise over Tom Clancy's CIA Agent 'Jack Ryan' franchise. I.e. he won't have time to direct the latter. Oh well, we never cared for those things at all and find it odd that anyone has nostalgia for these pictures. [MTV]
Is Dustin Hoffman going to get 'Drunk' with infamous director Tony Kaye for a new project? [Cinematical]
Will. I.Am sinks even lower with his ear-splitting cover of "I Like To Move It (Move It)" by Reel 2 Reel for "Madagascar 2." [ComingSoon]
'Let The Right One In': I Was A Tweenage Vampire
Set in the pitch dark cold of a silent Scandinavian winter, the lauded Swedish film, "Let The Right One In" (Låt den rätte komma") is much more thoughtful and meditative than your average vampire film. Characterized by an atmospheric elegance, a sensitive touch and a contemplative tone largely absent in bloodsucker cinema, Tomas Alfredson's fourth feature tender film is a unique spin on the commonalities we've come to expect and injects, ahem, new blood into the genre by adding a caring, friendship bond to the mix.
Seen through the eyes of a (creepy-looking) 12-year-old boy Oskar (first-time actor Kåre Hedebrant), this outsider child lives a lonely existence. Suffering from a broken homelife, the only kids who talk to him at school are the ones that bully him with insults and revel in finding innovative ways to abuse him. He discovers a new friend in his new next door neighbor Eli (another non-professional Lina Leandersson), who despite her constant need to blood-sated, never threatens Oskar, and instead, searching for her own connection in life, befriends him, ultimately serving as his protector.
One could call it a "love story," but unrequited blood lust tales have become another vampire cliché, and the 'Right One' tender bonds have many more textures than that simple definition.
Introspective, and nicely thematically layered, what prevents 'Right One' from becoming a spellbinding film rather than simply a very good one (you may have heard some over-the-top hype), are tentative steps in balancing its vampire truisms with its more humanistic contours of friendship, affection and remorse. While the notes are mostly seamless, Alfredson's strength lies in the introspective, almost poetic moments of snowy silence and human frailties. The strongest and most poignant scenes in the film are the affectionate, almost sad sequences when Oskar teaches Eli what its really like to be a little girl.
Almost grating in context to these perceptive scenes are the near kitschy moments when the director almost seems obligated to deliver Dracula-like tenets and guidelines. Bare in mind the violence works, but it's the smaller Vampirisms that prove problematic at times. When remaining ambiguous they work – Eli suddenly becomes old in a disconcerting unexplained flash-- however one particularly ill-conceived and poorly executed scene with attacking CGI-cats take us right out of the Alfredson's understated zone.
But these are mostly minor quibbles as 'Right One' admittedly is crafted with a thoughtful and compassionate eye towards characters. There's a terrific scene where the two tweens lie in bed coming to grips with their sexuality (or lack of it in the sexless vampire's case) that could be cut from the cloth of any coming of age tale.
Unlike almost all modern horror directors Alfredson realizes that the real horror is in what we don't see and he visually keeps us wanting more by teasing with quick flashes of jarring and unexplained visuals.
For our taste, he could have reigned in the vampiric elements all the more and achieved a super subtle level of anxiety, but it still mostly works. Oskar's inner-strength soon begins to mirror her violent desires and the two create a bond resilient enough to last what soon foreshadows to seem like a lifetime together. If this is the direction in which horror is moving, we're all for it. [B+]
The Inevitable U.S. Remake
Naturally, whenever a foreign export makes waves, U.S. studios are right there to pounce on it and suck the flavor right out of it. Case in point, this contemplative film is now going to be remade by Matt Reeves, the director behind the decidedly incurious, "Cloverfield." Afredson is not involved and is not happy about the news either. "[Remakes should be made of movies that aren’t very good, that gives you the chance to fix whatever has gone wrong. I’m very proud of my movie and think it’s great, but the Americans might be of another opinion. The saddest thing for me would be to see that beautiful story made into something mainstream.” Indeed.
Zac Efron To Star In 'Footloose' Remake
The torch has been officially passed and while no, the apocalypse is not yet around the corner, a little piece of someone who grew up in the '80s died inside (not necessarily us though). Those with massive amounts of nostalgia and affection are turning around in the office chairs (cause they're not in their graves quite yet) at the news that "High School Musical" homoflamer heartthrob Zac Efron has been cast to take Kevin Bacon's iconic role in the remake of "Footloose."
Earlier this month Bacon even gave Efron his blessing. ("It's great," the six-degrees-of man told MTV. "I couldn't be more excited. He's the man")
Kenny Loggins couldn't be reached for comment. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" opens this weekend and is set to make $30 trillion dollars. Senior citizens have been warned to stay away from theaters this weekend for fear of being crushed to death by stampeding pre-teen girls. Speaking of Efron, here's the trailer to his new film, "17 Again." Don't expect a lot. The 'HSM' hottie also will appear in Richard Linklater's "Me & Orson Welles," whenver that mediocre piece of work decides to come out.
'The Soloist' AFI Gig Cancelled
Just the other day, “The Soloist” suffered the same fate as many ’08 awards hopefuls when it was promptly bumped to an unspectacular release in March of next year, and now a press release has surfaced stating that no longer will Joe Wright’s film have its opening night world premiere at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles. A new opening night film is set to be announced sometime today, wonder what it could be?
Some are saying or hoping that Paramount will try and make it up to AFI by screening “Benjamin Button,” and I would be extremely jealous of all AFI festival goers if that happens. [DHD] - From our friends at Fataculture.
First Look: Clint Eastwood In 'Gran Torino'
USA Today has a the first peek of Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino," and the movie's one-sheet.
What can we tell you? An angry, old, bitter Eastwood playing a racist? We're sick and tired of seeing Eastwood playing these scowling codger roles. Sure, maybe it's all he can do now, but is this going to be any different from his work in "Million Dollar Baby," outside of him being a blatant racist and a slightly more-unlikable than usual character?
Everyone has this pegged for Oscar hopes, but it's more for consistency and track-record than anything else. Though let's not forget that around the time of "Flags Of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima," Oscar seemed to tire of him slightly. Sure, the latter WWII film did get nominated for four Oscars and did win Best Achievement in Sound Editing, but it never really had any serious hopes in the Best Director or Best Movie categories that year and the nominations were almost in-lieu of nothing better ('Iwo Jima' put us to sleep).
Opening Dec. 17 in limited release, "Gran Torino," Eastwood plays a disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski who sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager whose Korean family he already resents, who tries to steal his most prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
In a previous USA Today interview, Eastwood say of his character. "I'm a weirdo in it. I play a real racist... But it also has redemption. This Hmong family moves in next door, and he has been in the Korean War, in the infantry, and looks down on Asian people and lumps everybody together. But finally they befriend him in his time of need because he has no relationship with his family."
Hmm, redemption for an old bastard, do we smell Oscar-bait on the end of that stick? Hmm, could be, huh? But we're still really sick of these stories and execution from Eastwood; they're becoming stock dramas that feel all-too familiar over and over again.
Either way, Eastwood will be competing with himself this year, his first 2008 film "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie (which we didn't love), comes out this Friday, October 24. Jolie is almost a shoo-in for an Oscar just because of history, but it's a crowded field with many other deserving actresses as well (and frankly if we had our choice, we'd go with Michelle Williams or Kristin Scott Thomas instead).
Javier Bardem To Star In New Alejandro González Iñárritu Project
Javier Bardem has had enough with the ugly English language and is finally returning to the much sexier Spanish language films. He is currently set to star in Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Biutiful." Gonzalez Inarritu is known in America for his most recent film, "Babel" and "21 Grams" before that. It will also be Iñárritu's first self-penned film since the break with his former screenwriting partner, Guillermo Arriaga, who left that creative team less than amicably to write and direct his own movies (most recently, "The Burning Plain").
The Spanish-Language picture is about man who finds himself deep into illegal dealings who is then confronted by a childhood friend who is now a policeman. It is set to begin shooting in Barcelona next week.
Joining the Mexican director once again will be cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto and the great composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who won back to back Academy Awards for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel," and has scored almost all of Iñárritu's work.
The film is being produced by Cha Cha Cha, the powerhouse Mexican production company led by fellow countryman, Alfonso Cuaron ("City Of Men"), Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labryinth") and of course, Iñárritu.
Is A Quiet Oscar Buzz Building For Richard Jenkins And Or The Visitor?
With the release of the first pre-Oscar award nominations, the Gotham Independent Film Awards, the fantastic indie that no one is talking about, Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor," scored nominations in both the Best Picture category and Best Ensemble Performance. The lead actor who plays the part of the emotional disconnected professor perfectly, Richard Jenkins, didn't get nominated but we (and others) think he will be included if "The Visitor" continues to pick up steam come Oscar time.
"The Visitor" follows a disenfranchised economics professor coping with the loss of his wife. He visits his apartment in New York City to attend an academic conference only to find two Islamic immigrants inhabiting it. In a bizarre turn of events he eventually lets the couple stay with him, and befriends them, learning to play drums with one of the guest. Things take a turn for the worse though when one of them is picked up on the subway for jumping fare and launches a series of events that proves to be one of the defining moments in every one's life.
The film was released way back in early 2008, so it has been suffering from the fact that the little attention it had upon the release has died down. The film, aside from being a moving story about a man struggling to move on with life after the loss of his wife, is also a subtle post-9/11 political screed. We highly encourage anyone who gets the chance to see this movie. It is a wonderful example of minimalistic independent filmmaking at its best, which will hopefully (but must likely not) get the praise it deserves come Oscar season.
Jenkins is consistently turning out good work (not to mention he's always funny in Coen Brothers films). He might not eventually get the Oscar nod, but it's not to see him get a little recognition as this character actor s long overdue for real plaudits. BTW, if you haven't seen Tom McCarthy's previous film, "The Station Agent," you should, it's tops. One of our favorite indies from 2003.
10/22/2008
'Slumdog Millionaire' Gets An R Rating, There Goes The All-Inclusive Feel-Good Vibe And Possible Oscar Nod?
Danny Boyle's surprise hit of the year "Slumdog Millionaire," was pegged to corner the "Little Miss Sunshine"/"Juno" feel-good indie market this fall. Unfortunately it has been blind-sided by the MPAA which recently gave the film an R rating, which will most likely shut it out of the success that "Juno" enjoyed and potentially jeopardize its Oscar contention. The soccer-mom oriented MPAA must have been turned off by the gross non-white characters that dominated the film, and thought a movie set in the slums of India would just to be catastrophic if witnessed by the teens of America. 'Slumdog' has its tough moments, but is certainly in no way deserving of an R-Rating and a PG-13 at worst. It's practically a family, feel-good film! (but done by Boyle, it's still aces, and probably the most exhilarating film we saw the Toronto Film Festival).
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