What's this? Another Roman Polanksi documentary? Nope it's not part two of Marina Zenovich's documentary, "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," its the mostly unknown and little p.r.'d about film called, "Polanski Unauthorized" that Jeffrey Wells calls it a "apparently crapola biopic" and by the looks of the trailer, that sounds about right. It seems to have little distribution, only receiving a small-theater run. We're morbidly, car-pile-up rubberneck curious as we like more Polanski stories, but he's probably had enough controversy to last a few lifetimes and this one seems pretty tawdry and cheap.
Here's the trailer.
In related Polanski news, the District attorney in his 30-year-old rape case are calling his motion to move the trial out of Los Angeles, "frivolous."
The recap: The Polish filmmaker fled the U.S. in 1978 after he was charged with statutory rape and bailed when he felt the judge in the case wasn't going to give him a fair trial. Zenovich's aforementioned documentary demonstrated key evidence -- even from the side of the prosecution - that the Judge was indeed biased and based on that significant documentation, Polanksi's attorneys filed to have the 30 year old case dismissed (he's been a fugitive from the U.S ever since).
The L.A district office was willing to hear the case against him, but Polanski -- still feeling there was lingering bias -- asked the trial be moved out of the California court system. His request was denied, he then appealed, and there's been a stalemate ever since. Now the LA prosecutors have written in a 24-page brief that the allegations of prejudice is "patently frivolous" and based on "mere conclusions with no factual basis. No person aware of all the facts, would entertain any doubt about the impartiality of Judge (Peter) Espinoza and certainly not the entire bench of the Los Angeles Superior Court," they wrote.
The now, 45-year-old victim, Samantha Geimer, not only publicly asked the trial to be dismissed, she's actually as filed an affidavit supporting dismissal of the case.
1/31/2009
Another Polanski Movie? L.A. Prosecutors Call His Motion To Move Case Out Of L.A., "Frivolous"
Meta-Marquee Poster Of 'Pride of the Nation' From 'Inglourious Bastards'
German actor Daniel Brühl (Fredrick Zoller, pictured) must be loving these meta-posters they made from "Pride of the Nation" ("Stolz Der Nation") the propaganda movie within the movie that plays out briefly in Quentin Tarantino's ambitious WWII saga, "Inglourious Basterds." Director Eli Roth, who also plays one of the Jewish American soldiers in the film, actually directed the clips and bits we'll see of 'Pride' within the larger film. '"Inglourious Basterds" will likely debut in May at Cannes and then will hit U.S. theaters on August 21, [via Tarantino Archives]
Watch: The 'Year One' Superbowl Ad With Michael Cera and Jack Black
Remember the Harold Ramis-directed, Judd Apatow-produced biblical comedy, "Year One" starring Jack Black and Michael Cera? Well, our first real look at it is now online. Black and Cera play bumbling cavemen / lazy hunter-gatherers who are banished from their primitive village and bungle their way through stories from the Bible including Adam and Eve, (Ramis and Rhoda Griffis), Cain and Abel (played by David Cross and Paul Rudd), and Abraham and the son he wants to sacrifice to god, Isaac (Hank Azaria and McLovin'). Of course there's the princess met at Sodom and Gomorrah (Olivia Wilde) and cavewomen love interests too(Juno Temple and June Diane Raphael).
We read the script mid-summer and while we never had time to write a real review, the film should be very entertaining and funny. The amusing screenplay written by "The Office" writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (based on a Ramis) idea reads as if it was tailored specifically for Black and Cera in mind. It hits theaters June 19 and will be the first Apatow-related project we see in 2009.
Superbowl Spot: 'Land Of The Lost,' 'G.I Joe,' 'Star Trek' Reboot, 'Transformers 2'
We never really thought we would care much for this remake of the sci-fi TV show, "Land of the Lost," starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and the very attractive Anna Friel, and this teaser spot doesn't do anything to instill much confidence either. It's just a big popcorn movie; a fun "Jurassic Park," for the mainstream crowd and screams PG-13. But your little brother or sister and less discerning film blog should love it. Dumb special effects enthusiasts should mark down June 5 on their calendar.
Update: Here's some other spots from films we don't really care for because we're not 17-year-old boys trapped in the bodies of late 20-somethings: "G.I. Joe," "Transformers 2"and "Star Trek"
'Slumdog Millionaire' Wins The Scripter Award
In more, and seemingly endless, news on the awards "Slumdog Millionaire" has been winning, the screenwriter for the film, Simon Beaufoy, took home the Scripter Award this season. He beat out the writers of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Iron Man," the latter of which marked the first time a comic book movie had ever been nominated.
In case you're wondering, the Scripter only recognize the author of pre-existing and produced literary work-to-film adaptation.
The Scripter is as good of a precursor award as any for a writer to win, but the real sign will come next Saturday when the winner of the Writers Guild is announced (and then we'll get the Best Original Screenplay winners as well). But don't be alarmed if you're suddenly overcome with a feeling of deja vu. It'll happen more and more. - Jonathan Helm
'Wall-E' Snubbed At The Annie Animation Awards
We now know why the abbreviation "WTF" was created! To explain how "Kung Fu Panda" swept the 36th annual Annie Awards (the Oscars for Animation basically), winning 15 categories and leaving its competitors, "Bolt," and more importantly, "Wall-E," empty-handed.
We would tell you to just ignore this mind-boggling flub, but since the Annie has predicted the winner for Best Animated Film all but ONCE since the category was introduced to the Oscar race, we're still going to say ignore it anyway. There is no way in hell "Wall-E" is not going to win this thing, is there? It's the surest bet for any category of the Oscars in who knows how long, and is definitely safer than any of Pixar's previous winners, including the much adored "Finding Nemo." Our guess is they we're just wanting to be different /shocking or share the love (a Dreamworks animated film hadn't won since 2002), but no matter the reason, they still look like idiots. "Wall-E" holds the record for the most Oscar noms for an animated film, and we wouldn't be surprised if it wins all it's up for. - Jonathan Helm
1/30/2009
Geekbeat: Soundwave Jets in, Dinobots Are Out for "Transformers 2"
It's bad enough that Grimlock and the Dinobots won't be in "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen", but now it seems like nearly every Decepticon in the Transformers movie franchise is a freaking jet. Need proof? Empire Magazine has new pictures of the toys for Transformers 2. They include Bumblebee, who we've seen before, and new images of the Decepticon formerly known as a ghetto blaster, Soundwave. Could Michael Bay have not made one of the coolest Transformers ever into an iPod at least? [Ain't It Cool News]
Bay wants the battle to extend beyond Cybertron and into Skynet territory, as he stated on his online message board that he is hip to a Transformers and Terminator cross-over film. “I would love to see my robots take on Terminators." stated Bay. Yeah, well, you also wanted to see dogs urinate on Autobots. Don't push your luck. [/film]
The DC Comics movie purge continues as Dan Mazeau has supposedly been assigned by Warner Bros.to pen the script for The Flash. Mazeau is the screenwriter for the in-development "Johnny Quest." Let the Ryan Reynolds rumors begin. [IESB]
The way some people have slammed his forthcoming film, this new "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" poster image might come with the caption, "Hugh Jackman wants critics to read between the lines."
Robert Rodriguez's name is being attached to "Nerveracker,"though the mystery behind why people are so secretive about the film is perhaps the real reason to be excited. [/film]
And the controversy behind "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" continues as it heads to DVD. The God-forsaken retail chain Wal-Mart asked director Kevin Smith to remove the "P word" from the title, so as not to offend customers. Smith agreed to the request. We can't wait for some unsuspecting customer to buy "Zack and Miri: BFFs" before heading home to witness the scatologically filled romantic comedy. There's something that warms our heart about Wal-Mart being shit on. [Cinematical]
Posters: 'I Love You, Man' & 'Crossing Over'
Despite its homoerotic title, "I Love You, Man," is not a tale of two men in love. No it's actually a tale of two men in friend. It stars Paul Rudd as a male-challenged pussy who's needs a best man for his wedding to Rashida Jones. He finds a bff in slovenly and wild Jason Segel, but their budding "bromance" actually causes problems for his impending nuptials. It comes out March 20 and will premiere at SXSW where there will be panels n' shit.
"Crossing Over" on the other hand is the Wayne Kramer-directed, Weinstein-bungled, "Crash"-like L.A. ethno drama about intersecting lives that touch upon the lives of illegal aliens. See the posters? Lanes intersecting. Colors of America (they don't run). Get it? It stars Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess ("Across The Universe"), Ray Liotta and Sean Penn. Oh wait, no Sean Penn, that's right, because he hated the movie so much he asked for his small part to be excised from the film and the Weinstein's -- afraid to mess with stars they might need in the future -- obliged him much to the chagrin of the director Kramer. It comes out, oh... "coming soon," because TWC needs a few more months to pass by so audiences can forget this bad publicity and they can begin their marketing plan.
Why is Harrison Ford starring in a drama like this that doesn't present him as the dashing hero? Presumably its because he still regrets dropping out of the Michael Douglas' part in Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning "Traffic" -- a story with similarly multi-tiered and overlapping threads that is likely infinitely better than this could hope to be. As you were.
Fay Dunaway Disses The 'Bonnie & Clyde' "Remake"
You know the end is nigh when even "Bonnie and Clyde" is being remade.
You know a snowball has frozen over in hell where the remake in question will star tarts like Hilary Duff walking a bank-robbing mile in Faye Dunaway's shoes, playing the role of Bonnie Parker. Kevin Zegers, the nobody who has appeared in "Transamerica", "The Jane Austen Club" and our personal favorite, "MVP: Most Valuable Primate," will play the role of Clyde Barrow.
Hollywood sources told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker that Warren Beatty and the aforementioned Dunaway both responded with, "Why?" when they heard that director Tonya S. Holly would be at the helm of her own screenplay, "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Holly insists that her project wasn't inspired by the 1967 film, but by news clippings she found in an abandoned house on her family's property. Congratulations?
We'll give it to Dunaway for having one of the best comebacks in recent memory. When she learned that Duff would be playing the role of Parker, she allegedly quipped, "Couldn't they at least cast a real actress?" Dunaway obviously never saw The Lizzie McGuire Movie." And you thought "The Dark Knight" got snubbed by the Academy. Geez.
To rinse the bad taste of this stupid project out of your mouth, we suggest you chill out and listen to Serge Gainsbourg and Bridgette Bardot's eponymous song, "Bonnie And Clyde."
"Sex and the City 2: Electric Bugaloo" Close To Confirmed
So the news here appears to be no news at all - none of the leads have officially signed contracts although they're all allegedly on board, a script hasn't been completed and a tentative summer 2010 release date has been discussed. Thankfully part two will reportedly be shorter than the first go around. No word on if it will officially be blighted with Patricia Fields' costume designing, but we'd guess you can expect a return of the outrageous fashion. Using the term fashion loosely.
No further word on Sarah Jessica Parker's genius idea to cast Britney Spears in the sequel.
One thing you can look forward to for certain is an army of male critics reaming them for being old ladies having sex. There were already many slings and arrows in reaction to the first one that these actresses were too old for some of the behaviors they portrayed on screen - apparently women are supposed to stop being interested in sex, casual or otherwise, at the age of 35 because that is when middle aged male film critics stop finding them attractive.
Rickroll, The Movie? Rick Astley Penning A Musical
Eighties pop-star Rick Astley, most recently known for the Internet phenomenon of Rickrolling, has has been slowly coming out of his self-induced exile for the past 20 years, he is currently on tour in Europe, mentioned recently in an interview with The London Times that he may have plans to break into the film industry.
Astley, whom is married to movie producer Lene Bausager has apparently developed an infatuation with movie scripts of late and thought he would give writing his own a try, "My wife’s now a movie producer so I read a lot of scripts and I’m really passionate about films. One day I thought, ‘Well, why don’t I write one?’ And it turned into a musical — but not for the stage. It’s dominated by the songs I’ve written — they tell the stories — so I hooked up with a guy in California and we wrote the script together. We’re at the point of speaking to a few different agents and getting people to read.
Keeping in line with his humble demeanor, Astley is keeping expectations for his screenwriting career in check, "I'm not fooling myself — nothing may come of it and I totally understand that, but as a process I have loved it. When you’re writing frothy pop songs the lyrics can be a bit ‘whatever’, they are hooky and you just sing them because they work. But writing these songs . . .” He falters. “Do they call that a libretto?
Astley also went into a few details of the project, "The working title is 'New York Cowboy' because it’s about a young guy who sets off from a small town — not Newton-le-Willows [Astley’s home town], ha-ha — to go to New York.”
If Astley's project ever gets a green-light, which it probably won't, we will differently be advance ordering our tickets.
Leaked 'G.I. Joe' Images Confirms Movie Is For The Mentally Retarded
Wow, "G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra" is going to be such a colossal faaaaaaail. You can bet Paramount is scrambling as much as they can. There's been hardly one positive word of geek talk from this one. Early prediction? "The Spirit" of 2009. Wow, painful. [via Defamer]
'Gigantic' Gets Poster, Release Date Of April 3
Now "Gigantic" looks, walks and talks, superficially, like the twee-emo indie films we've been complaining about lately, but the winning film balances any feyness it may have with a tenderness and keen screenplay that refuses to dumb down or give easy explanations to its audience. The film now has a release date which is April 3 in limited release (as promised) and it was one of the more enjoyable films we saw at the Toronto Film Festival last September.
In a post last year we said: "Exhibiting a disarming charm, a penchant for wise ambiguity and a loopiness that's never too precious, 'Gigantic' centers around a mattress store employee (Dano) who has a strange obsession with adopting an Asian baby, but complicates this plan when he falls for a odd girl (Zooey Deschanel) who inadvertently becomes part of his life due to her overbearing father (an excellent John Goodman). The film was a joy to watch with smart, sharp writing.
Directed by original new voice Matt Aselton, the film is both a love story and a family tale about connection and letting go of our collective neuroses. It was effortlessly endearing and aside from excellent principal leads Dano and Deschanel it boasts an incredible supporting cast of Zack Galifianakis, Ed Asner (who is superb!), Jane Alexander, Ian Roberts and Clarke Peters from "The Wire," that made it all the more awesome.
It certainly has traces of indie-quirk fest here and there, but it's a fresh one and its never obnoxious. We've already noted all the music in the film which includes a winsome score from Imperial Teen founder and ex-Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum, plus features music by British folkis Richard and Linda Thompson, Animal Collective and Edith Frost. Now all we need is a trailer.
Video From That Terrible 'Watchmen' My Chemical Romance Dylan Cover
"As if the song wasn't epic enough!"A fan at MTV wrote. "Gee-sus, I'm so excited. How long has it been since we've had any new MCR? Too long. Plus, I screamed when I saw Gerard. By God, his child will be gorgeous."
Another MTV user summed up their feelings thusly "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ROCKS!" Jesus Christ.
17 Even More "Anticipated" Films From 2009
Probably, but there are starving children in Africa and our parents always told us to never waste anything so with that in mind, without further ado, The Playlist's Random, Left-Over and More Sorta-Anticipated Films of 2009 list. BTW, there are obviously more than 17 films written about here, but that's how many we did in full-blown blurb earnest.
"Downloading Nancy" - Strand - Dir. Johan RenckSynopsis: Married Nancy (Maria Bello) leaves her married life after meeting Louis online so that they can partake in what the movie's website refers to as "smutty chat rooms" and "alternative websites." The duo does this as a method of giving themselves up to the kinds of impulses and urges that takes years of therapy to undo. Basically they just wanted to get freakier than your average internet couple.
What You Need to Know: Maria Bello's performance is being heralded as daring and provocative by those who have seen it. Some press material hints at shocking material that may rival fellow Sundance selection "The Informers," but tempered with a story of seeking salvation in the same dark corners that initially caused the main characters' emotional scars. Also stars Jason Patric as Louis, Rufus Sewell as Nancy's husband and Amy Brenneman. It just sounds fucked up enough to interest us.
Release Date: May (limited)
"Cold Souls" - No Dist. yet - Dir. Sophie BarthesSynopsis: Paul Giamatti plays an actor that literally puts his soul on ice in order to overcome the tribulations of playing Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. His soul is stolen and given to an undeserving soap opera actress. Inevitably, Giamatti's character embarks on a trek to redeem his soul, learning much along the way.
What You Need to Know: "Souls" should appeal to Charlie Kaufman fans with its alternately quirky, dramatic and funny narrative. The impressive cast also includes Emily Watson, Lauren Ambrose and David Straithairn.
Release Date: None yet (pending distribution deal, but it didn't sell at Sundance, at least not yet...)
"Whiteout" - Warner Bros. - Dir. Dominic SenaSynopsis: The only U.S. Marshal in Antarctica (Kate Beckinsale) tries to solve a murder in the few days before the brutal winter sets in.
What You Need To Know: The film, based on the comic book by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, had a bumpy road to the silver screen, finally landing in the hands of the helmer of "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and "Swordfish." Co-starring Gabriel Macht and Columbus Short, it is anyone's guess how this murder mystery, but along with "Insomnia," seems like we are only a few films away from an Arctic detective subgenre.
Release Date: September 11, 2009
"The Goods: The Don Ready Story" - Paramount Vantage - Dir. Neal BrennanSynopsis: A car dealership in trouble calls in some questionable experts to help sell automobiles.
What You Need To Know: A cast of Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, Ed Helms, and James Brolin suggests some kooky characters, as does the director's previous association with Dave Chappelle. The crazy group descending on a peaceful small town isn't exactly a novel approach, but there's always the chance this crew can mine some humor.
Release Date: August 21, 2009
"Sin Nombre" - SPC - Dir. Cary FukunagaSynopsis: Three teens' stories converge on a train heading from Mexico to the United States.
What You Need To Know: Loosely described as a "social-political thriller," the film seems to defy categorization, an exciting hint to the film's potential. Fukunaga is receiving lavish, near-universal early praise for his feature-length debut. The film won two awards at Sundance including Best Director and today he scored two great writing/directing deals with Focus Features and Universal Studios. Call that a ringing endorsement.
Release Date: March 20 (limited)
"Dead Snow" - IFC Films - Dir. Tommy WirkolaSynopsis: When teens go on a skip trip, what's the only thing that could happen worse than zombies? Nazi zombies, of course.
What You Need To Know: A Norwegian movie that played Sundance, the premise seems so outlandish, this apparently gory movie already feels like a parody of itself. Probably best left for those who appreciate these kind of movies, the film has practically guaranteed itself a slot in cult film festivals for years to come.
Release Date: TBD, but it was bought by IFC Films, presumably for later this year.
"Arrested Development" - Fox Searchlight - Dir. Mitch Hurwitz/Ron HowardSynopsis: A wealthy, fragmented family dips further into turmoil when the patriarch is first accused of insider trading and then breaks free, deceiving them all. Is it a trick... or an illusion??
What You Need To Know: Based on the definitive "funniest show no one ever watched," there's the sense that its probably not a smart play that people will shell out $10 for what they ignored for free over three years of programming. Still, the cast of the Emmy winning show can now pretty much write their own check. As has been much-discussed to the point of nausea: the ball is sorta in George Michael/Michael Cera's court, but there's also that pesky script none of the cast seems to have read. No one knows if it actually exists.
Release Date: TBD.
"Invictus" (formerly titled "The Human Factor") - Warner Bros. - Dir. Clint EastwoodSynopsis: A friendship blooms between Nelson Mandela and a rugby coach after post-apartheid South Africa hosts the World Rugby Cup.
What You Need To Know: This is pretty touchy-feely stuff, and Eastwood occasionally directs some dodgy awards-bait, but he's no dummy, and sometimes he can shoot some pretty straightforward, clear-eyed drama. He's also got one of his favorite collaborators in Morgan Freeman, who's such a no-brainer to play Mandela. Matt Damon will star as the team's coach/star player, so we're getting some politics, some sports action, some of the usual Clint macho bonding, and two standout actors in heavy roles.
Release Date: December '09
"Ilich: Story Of Carlos" - No Distributor - Dir. Olivier AssayasSynopsis: Story of the life of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the Venezuelan terrorist who brought the OPEC to its knees in the seventies while running an underground operation as the mythical Carlos the Jackal.
What You Need To Know: Canal Plus is financing this major effort, a three-part TV event that will also have a theatrical release. Edgar Ramirez of "Domino" and "The Bourne Ultimatum" is starring as the criminal, who is currently serving a life sentence in France. Assayas is an exciting voice with a punk rock aesthetic, and showed his range with the yet-to-be-released "Summer Hours," a family story that played to raves at the New York Film Festival, and with a serious budget at his disposal, expect this to be an exciting departure from your usual biopic.
Release Date: Shooting is ongoing, so an end-of-the-year slot seems possible.
"Paul" - Universal - Dir. Greg MottolaSynopsis: Two British sci-fi nerds attending a comic convention in America get sidetracked when they befriend an alien in the New Mexico desert.
What You Need To Know: Peanut-butter-and-jelly combo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as the nerds, with Frost taking the alpha male role this time, switching up a pretty familiar dynamic. Also changing things will be American Mottola, director of "Superbad" and this year's "Adventureland" and now looking to branch out into what looks like sci-fi comedy. Normally movies about sci-fi and comic nerds seem shallow and desperate ("Free Enterprise" comes to mind), but no one distilled the notion of being a proud nerd quite like Pegg did in co-creating the British sitcom "Spaced", so we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, since Pegg and Frost collaborated on the script.
Release Date: With empty schedules this year for both Pegg and Mottola, they have to AT LEAST be able to show some footage at one of the summer's big conventions. Probably 2010, right? But hey, wrote it up already!
"Antichrist" - TBD - Dir. Lars Von TrierSynopsis: A therapist attempts to treat his wife after the loss of their own child by retreating into the woods, where they learn that their child might be tangentially related to the coming of the Antichrist.
What You Need To Know: Von Trier's first film since succumbing to crippling depression after completing "The Boss Of It All", "Antichrist" will stand apart from the provocateurs previous work in that he's previously stated that he needs to direct a film that makes money. Plot details are scarce, though it's hard to not get the shakes when you consider what a Von Trier horror film would be like, since Von Trier's films feature shocking, wholly unpleasant encounters with characters doing such cruel things to each other that scar worse than any knife. Known for being an abusive tyrant of sorts on the set, he's enlisted two go-for-broke actors in Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg in the leads, and while he's promised a commercial English language feature, his films have proven to be so problematically defined by mockery and hatred American politics that its hard to predict what type of film this will end up being.
Release Date: Rumored to be September 11th (holy shit, Lars).
"13" - Paramount - Dir. Gela BabluaniSynopsis: A young construction worker ends up an unwilling participant in a Russian Roulette league run by wealthy businessmen.
What You Need To Know: Babluani must always remember the names of George Sluzier and Ole Bornedal. Both were lured to Hollywood for a chance to remake their own films in English. Sluzier's disastrous remake, "The Vanishing", is probably a worst-case-scenario example when considering redos, while Bornedal's "Nightwatch", nearly a carbon copy of his original film, was buried for more than a year by Miramax before being dumped onto video. Both returned to their native countries and proceeded to make a number of films that have been roundly ignored by audiences and critics. Babluani is remaking his tense "13 Tzameti," and lest you think its a coup by casting toughies like Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, 50 Cent, Ray Winstone, Michael Shannon and Ray Liotta alongside young lead Sam Riley, remember that "The Vanishing" remake had an otherwise pretty damn great performance by Jeff Bridges. The original is not an untouchable classic, but it's a tense, affecting thriller, and there's not a whole lot of space for added Hollywood theatrics, so maybe this will be worth seeing.
Release Date: Currently filming- Fall '09? Wishful thinking?
"She's Out of My League" - Dreamworks/Paramount - Dir. Jim Field SmithSynopsis: A successful and attractive young lass falls for a normal airport security agent ("Tropic Thunder"s Jay Baruchel). Also stars newcomer Alice Eve.
What You Need To Know: While this may just be another in an unending line of romantic comedies, it'll be interesting to see if Baruchel can give Justin Long a run for his money in the lanky 20-something department in his first starring role. This could turn out to be something we'd go see if our significant other really wanted to, or it could be another one to avoid.
Release Date: Fall 2009
"Cirque du Freak" - Universal - Dir. Paul WeitzSynopsis: A boy breaks a centuries-old truce between two camps of vampires, reigniting the clash between them.
What You Need to Know: Another vampire movie? At least this one has a more palatable cast than other vamp flicks (John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek, Ken Watanabe). Paul Weitz directs his first film since the failed political farce "American Dreamz." Our main concern? Who the hell casts Salma Hayek in a bearded lady part? Isn't there something better for her? Gross.
Release Date: TBD
"I Love You, Beth Cooper" - 20th Century Fox - Dir. Chris ColumbusSynopsis: During his graduation speech, a geeky valedictorian declares his love for dreamgirl cheerleader Beth Cooper (Hayden Panetierre). Based on the popular novel by Larry Doyle.
What You Need To Know: You'll see him briefly as Andy in "Inglourious Basterds," but complete unknown Paul Rust will no longer be an obscure Upright Citizens Brigade affiliate after 'Cooper'. Expect plenty of hazardous physical comedy, in addition to seeing more of Rust in years to come.
Release Date: July 10th, 2009
“Crazy Heart” – CMT Films – Dir. Scott CooperSynopsis: Based on Thomas Cobb’s debut novel, it’s the story of a down-on-his-luck, alcoholic country music singer who is able to get his life and career back on track through his relationship and experiences with a female reporter.
What You Need to Know: Country music uber-producer, T. Bone Burnett, is writing original music for the film, while Jeff Bridges (playing the musician) will be performing original songs. Bridges is no stranger to music in his films, as he starred in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" in ’89, and even recorded his own version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” that played over the opening credits in “The Contender.” Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the reporter in the film, and Robert Duvall (who is producing this via his production company, Butchers Runs Films) has a supporting role. Colin Farrell, hot off his Golden Globe win, is also listed in the credits as a dude named Tommy Sweet. Our guess is after the blockbusters that were "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight," Bridges and Gyllenhaal don’t mind making something a little more lazy-hearted.
Release Date: TBD
“Away We Go” - Focus Features - Dir. Sam MendesSynopsis: A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family.
What You Need to Know: The film stars John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as the couple in question, and features lots of other comedic actors, such as Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Schneider. Being big Sam Mendes fans, we must ask the question, “What is he doing directing a comedy?” He hasn’t made an average film yet, and we really don’t want him to start. The main problem is the leads. You would’ve thought that after "License to Wed" and "Leatherheads," one would understand that Krasinski can’t carry a film, and Rudolph (aka PTA’s baby mama) doesn’t help, but the ace in the hole is Dave Eggers who co-wrote the scritp. Yet still can’t help but wonder if it won’t be his “Elizabethtown” all over again. Hopefully not.
Release Date: June 5th (limited)
Honorable Mention/ Things We've Become Too Lazy To Write Full Blurbs AboutRichard Gere and Ethan Hawke look good in blue chasing down perps Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes in the multi-strand narrative "Brooklyn's Finest" - it was bought at Sundance despite mixed reviews. Jared Leto plays the last dying human in a society of immortals in the $60 million Belgian experiment known as "Mr. Nobody." " The Killer Inside Me," will probably see release in 2010, possibly with a late '09 festival run. Michael Winterbottom usually works quickly, which is why we're surprised we'll have to wait two years, but his cast includes Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba, so maybe a slow '10 launch is a good bet; "Management" with Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn is probably predictable rom-com nonsense with an indie bend (only halfway shit), but Randall Poster ("Rushmore" all Wes Anderson flicks) is doing the music supervision, so maybe that will be a plus; Justin Timberlake appears in the baseball cum father/son drama, "The Open Road"; Ray Winstone plays a jealous husband who plots the kidnapping of his wife's lover with the intention of revenge in "44 Inch Chest" and one of our fave French actors, Melvil Poupaud co-stars.
Art House Picks/Films We Wish We Had More Time To Write AboutPark Chan-Wook’s follows-up his little seen "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" comedy romance with "Thirst" about a failed medical experiment that turns a man into a vampire; Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul ("Tropical Malady," "Syndromes And A Century") returns with "Primitive," an experimental film borne out of a multimedia project revolving around apes and his patentend themes of reincarnation and remembrance; Bela Tarr follows up 2008's "The Man From London" with "The Turin House" based on Friedrich Nietzshe's late-life breakdown. It will apparently be the masters final film; Also working at a rapid clip is Claire Denis who delivers two films in two years — '08s "35 Rhums" (which has a Tindersticks score and hopefully comes out in the U.S. in '09) and this year, "White Material," starring Isabelle Huppert and Issach de Bankole; Abbas Kiarostami (1997 Palme d'Or winner "Taste Of Cherry") brings an unexpected love story with "Certified Copy" featuring Juliette Binoche; Austrian minster of fear Michael Haneke continues his button-pushing exploration of humanity's miserable and misanthropic side with "The White Ribbon," another cheerful project about strange events tied to a German rural school in the early 1900s that involve ritual beatings and potentially promote fascism; other '09 arthouse fare by European masters include Alain Resnais ("Les Herbes Folles"); Lukas Moodysson’s highly anticipated "Mammoth," South Korea's Lee Chang-dong ("Secret Sunshine") has "Poetry" on the way, the ceaseless Jean-Luc Godard has "Socialisme," the uber provocative Argentinian Frenchman Gaspar Noé ("Irreversible") returns with "Enter The Void," about a young man who promises to protect his little sister after the brutal death of his parents. Fun for the whole family, we're sure; Excellent Turkish director Fatih Akin ("The Edge Of Heaven") returns with "Garbage In the Garden of Eden"; French stalwarts Claude Chabrol has "Bellamy" and Jacques Rivette has "36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup" - whether we see any Arthouse '09 fare this year, possible remains to be seen, but there's always film festivals.
Does this exhaust all the looking forward to in 2009 pieces? Pretty much. We wanted to do a Most Anticipated Scores piece too and if it's not too late and more than 3 people post in the comments section asking for it, we'll call that a ringing endorsement (hey, we take what we can get).
Written by Gabe Toro, Jared Weiss, Jonathan Helm, Rodrigo Perez and Christopher Adams
Update: Ron Howard Not Super Concerned About Convincing Michael Cera
'Arrested Development' Point Percentage Deals Move Three Inches To The Left
We wish we could report this project died in a head-on collision late last night, but alas... You gotta love non-stories and publications that try and push a pebble an inch because they're trying to be "the lead" on a story.
Such in the case with EW who reported yesterday a small blip in the continuing off/ on /not so fast/ theoretical/ maybe, etc. saga of the "Arrested Development" movie
The blip is this: Fox Searchlight is beginning to enter into negotiations with the cast and crew of the discontinued Fox television series for the movie of which a screenplay does not exist (or maybe it does).
Don't think this means that they will actually stop talking about it and actually make the movie anytime soon? Because all the contracts are in preliminary stages, not the mention the most important personal of creator Mitch Hurwitz, producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have yet to agree upon a final deal. We guess this could be viewed as a slight step forward, and this news comes closer to confirming the movie is happening than anything before it, but don't forget that Michael Cera has suddenly mistaken himself for an actor that actually matters and is holding out and that whole not having a script thing. We really just think to fuck with everyone of the fans that they should recast the whole movie. In your fucking face.
Update: Ron Howard doesn't think it'll be hard to convince Cera, but he still cautions that it's project ain't ready yet. “Mitch Hurwitz is working on the script right now," he tells MTV. "Everybody is excited, but it’s not a ‘go’ movie When we really know what people’s schedules are, really know what the screenplay is, I’m sure Mitch will connect with everybody."
'Watchmen's Excised "Black Freighter" Tales Coming to DVD
The long and short: "Watchmen" has a longwinded subplot/ story within the story called "Tales of The Black Freighter." It's a fictional pirate comic which one of the characters is reading. It's a metaphor for being "marooned" much like Dr. Manhattan's (Billy Crudup, the guy with the blue cod piece) self-exile on Mars. Zack Snyder has wisely excised (or been forced to cut) the subplot (or most of it) from the film because it was forcing the film to be too long, too heterosexual, and too non-Matrix-y in its slow-moving, non-action-y and thoughtful tones. It comes out March 24. Meh. [Rope Of Silicon via Vulture]
Dismal Weekend Box Office Options for January 30: 'Taken,' 'New In Town,' 'Uninvited'
Well, it's that time again: time once more to look out over the empty wasteland that composes this weekend's new releases. As we struggle through even more out-of-season horror pictures and dumb-looking romcoms, we grin and try to bear it until something worth seeing shows up. In the meantime, though:
First up this week is the Renee Zellweger vehicle "New in Town" which also stars Harry Connick, Jr. as a bland and handsome love interest of some sort. The plot concerns Zellweger's character who moves to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere from Miami for a business opportunity. It goes without saying that hilarity ensues. Unless you're a gigantic RZ fan, you should probably steer clear of this one--the pathetic 11% rating at Rotten Tomatoes is a flagging red signal that this flick is godawful.
The critics have been somewhat kinder to "Taken," directed by Pierre Morel (B13). The film stars Liam Neeson as a sort of Jason Bourne-minus who decides to kill every criminal in France after his daughter, played by Maggie Grace ("The Fog"), is kidnapped while vacationing in France. Neeson plays a former CIA agent who exacts a brutal revenge on the traffickers who hope to sell his daughter into the sex trade. A pretty thin premise, but the 56% RT score suggests it might not be a total waste. Still it's assumed this will top the box-office as the herd generally takes in the biggest spectacle when given half an option.
YET ANOTHER Asian horror movie debuts this weekend in the form of "The Uninvited." Starring the usually entertaining it-girl Elizabeth Banks and the less ubiquitous Emily Browning ("A Series of Unfortunate Events") in a standard "Ghost reveals murderer or does it?!?" tale. With an average of 46%, there's probably worse ways to fritter away your income--assuming you're not satisfied with the glut of predictable ghost stories that have flooded theatres of late.
If you're lucky enough to live in a city where it will open this weekend, your best bet will probably be "Serbis," the Filipino film that chronicles a family-run pornographic theatre where the clientele often arrange their own sexual adventures. The movie offers a number of alternately beautiful and grotesque vignettes that chronicle the lives of each member of the family. We saw this at NYFF and loved it--if you're near a theatre where you can take it in, you should definitely give it a shot.
Finally, there's "Medicine for Melancholy," a pluckly little romance set in San Fransisco. Helmed by first-timer Barry Jenkins, it tells the story of two young black "indie" folks who wake up together after a one-night stand and begin a 24-hour romance. Tracey Heggins and Wyatt Cenac ("The Daily Show") star as the couple who explore the politics of being black in a pasty-white city and each other as they do the same with the West Coast. The picture currently has a 89% on the Tomatometer and as usual, we didn't really have time for a review, but we would consider this number grossly overrated. We need to spit out that review soon. We did do a piece on the ghostly-white indie music in this film about disconnected black hipsters. Yes, it's placed there specifically to hammer home the dichotomy, but we still felt it was ill-suited and the filmmaker simply showed too much affection for it.New York Centric Repertory:
But if you're in New York, there's a Douglas Sirk/John Stahl retrospective at Anthology Film Archives and Al Pacino's debut role in "The Panic In Needle Park" (good ol' Schatzberg) is playing at Film Forum. Thank god for those places. Oh AND, Paul Schrader's very underrated and overlooked, "Blue Collar" with Harvey Keitel and Richard Pryor (not a comedy, a film we love) is playing at Walter Reade starting tonight. Go see this if you're in town.
Is 'Gulliver' Throwing A Monkey Wrench In 'Iron Man 2' Casting?
"Gulliver's Travels" has added Emily Blunt and Jason Segel to its cast that already include Jack Black. Directed by Rob Letterman ("Shark Tale"), the film also reteams Segel with his "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" pal, filmmaker Nicholas Stoller, who wrote 'Travels' with Joe Stillman.
Not a bad sounding project, right? Not so fast! the casting of Blunt in the picture, may interefere with the potential casting of the "The Devil Wears Prada" actress as the Black Widow in "Iron Man 2!" Raise the red flag! Move our terror alert to yellow status, stat! Geeks are all in a tizzy that their schedules might not synch up and their concerns are valid. "It will be an uphill battle because of scheduling overlap," her reps told Variety. Whatever, hasn't Marvel's already fucked up that franchise already? We remain skeptical until Jon Favreau can prove their penny pinching isn't going to run this thing into the ground.
Trailer: Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden's 'Sugar'
We understand that people have to sell their films to mass audience, but don't be fooled by the "up" tone of this new trailer to "Sugar," the baseball drama directed by excellent "Half Nelson" filmmaking duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.
Having seen the film at least year's Toronto International Film Festival, we can tell you first hand, it's a much more slower, studied and observant character piece. Continuing their nuance examination of characters on the margins, "Sugar" is about a baseball hopeful from the Dominican Republic who dreams of making it in the U.S. He's drafted into the minor leagues, but he quickly finds America to be an alienating place and not quite the mecca he had hoped for.
We're huge fans of "Half Nelson," and that film debut signaled amazing promise, but we have to be honest when we say "Sugar" didn't blow us away. It's not because we're not baseball fans either, in fact, those scenes are some of the film's most thrilling, but the quiet and sympathetic structure of the film was a little underwhelming. We weren't as engaged as we hoped. But then again, we did have large expectations. Anyhow, the film comes out April 3 in the U.S. so you'll soon be able to judge for yourself. We will say that it's admirable that Fleck and Boden are very aware that most 20-somethings are generally engaged in making navel-gazing woe-is-me love stories and at TIFF they pointed out how that specifically doesn't interest them. Oh the film features TV on the Radio, and a score by Michael Brook ("Into The Wild").
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