Dude's schedule is now booked for the next three-four years.
After his upcoming work on medieval-comedy "Your Highness," starring Danny McBride and James Franco, renowned indie director David Gordon Green will move onto his adaptation of Steve Niles' ("30 Days Of Night") comic book series "Freaks Of The Heartland," according to MTV.
"It’s funny, because now [Gordon Green's] on everyone’s radar because of ‘Pineapple Express' - but I was a fan of his before that and I know that he had wanted to do ‘Freaks of the Heartland,'" revealed Niles, who will also produce the film. "I think he’s got a movie in between, but right now we actually have a screenplay and we’re going back to work on that. And that’s just progressing great.”
"Freaks Of The Heartland" is a 6-issue comic miniseries that follows a freakishly deformed boy and his brother who run away together and help a band of other mutant children from their rural Middle American town do the same.
It is not known when "Your Highness" will start or finish shooting but as Franco was forced to pull out of Christopher Nolan's "Inception" (which is set start shooting this summer) for it, 'Highness' must have a similar or overlapping schedule. Will probably arrive sometime in 2010, no? We can only hope.
5/07/2009
David Gordon Green To Follow Up Medieval-Comedy 'Your Highness' With Horror-Thriller 'Freaks Of The Heartland'
Judd Apatow's Funny People Will be 2.5 Hours?? Plus A Panoply Of DVD Extras?
OK, when we read that test screenings of Judd Apatow's "Funny People," ran 2 1/2 hours long we thought, wow, that's great, but there's no actual way that the film — which some are already touting as a potential Oscar contender — would actually run that long.
Someone at Universal would inevitably persuade the director to deliver the summer comedy, stress summer comedy, in at a more manageable length, no? (but yes, we do realize "Knocked-Up" ran just over 2 hours)
Well, MTV chatted with Apatow and said the film will most likely come in at a 150 minute [2.5 hours] running time and that the writer/director/producer was squeezing the studio for as much possible extra room for the DVD release.
“The main argument I’m having with the studio is, ‘How much DVD capacity can you get me?’” Apatow told MTV which sure as shit implies that the above-average running time, comedy-wise is not the issue.
But actually, Apatow says it will ultimately run long — much longer than your average comedy, generally 80-90 minutes — but not quite that long.“It’ll probably be a little less than two and half hours. The story covers a lot of ground. I’m a fan of movies that are on the longer side. I never sit in a movie I like and think I wish this was over already. I think people will be very involved with these characters and enjoy the ride. There’s plenty of time to get back home and watch ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ and do whatever else you need to do.”
Apparently they shot a surfeit of footage, including full stand-up concerts (documented last year in photos, plus others from the cast — Jason Schwartzman, Aziz Ansari — have already hinted at plenty of extras). “Every time we shot stand-up comedy, we shot their entire act. We didn’t shoot it on a stage and add laughs later. We brought in real audiences and shot with six cameras and whatever happened happened. There are 5-10 minutes of stand up in the movie, but we shot everybody’s act seven times so we have all of that material to play with [on the DVD].”
Adam Sandler's dying comedian character in the film, is also a famous actor, so expect to see clips of some meta, fake, movie-within-the-movie moments. “Every time there’s a clip in the movie of one of George Simmons’ films [Sandler's character], we shot several scenes from that movie so there’s a lot of material,” Apatow said.
Man, this is going to be some Hal Ashby on James L. Brook type shit and we cannot wait to see this film.
"Funny People" also stars Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and many, many others. It opens on July 31. Someone get us into an early screening as soon as bloody possible.
Mike Tyson Gets His Singing Debut In "Red Band Preview" For 'The Hangover'
Ok, we actually have no clue if it's Tyson's singing debut or not, but it just sounds good. But it is kind of interesting that the pugilist reenters the pop culturalsphere with his James Toback-helmedTyson" documentary "and then shows up in Todd Phillips' bachelor-party-gone-wrong comedy, "The Hangover" only a few mere weeks later. The timing is just too perfect.
This red-band "preview" piece features a few f-bombs, a few more clips from the film and Tyson meditatively singing, sorry warbling, a way off-key rendition of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight," moments of which you've probably already seen in early 'Hangover' trailers.
The film stars Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper ("Wedding Crashers") as three best friends at a wild Las Vegas bachelor party who lose the groom just hours before his wedding and is due in theaters June 5, 2009. Todd Phillips once elevated lowbrow comedy to glorious art, so we have high hopes for this one.
'Three Monkeys' Intricate, But Sombre And Claustrophobic
Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," was a foreign film we greatly anticipated this year because of the buzz it generated at Cannes and Oscars, but like many things the review got away from us (it came out last week in limited release). But our old contributor pal saw it and we basically agree with everything said in his well-written review which we've been sanctioned to borrow.
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Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," Turkey's measured and quietly devastating 2009 Oscar entry for the Best Foreign Language category, is a film in which every moody, darkly-lit frame offers a moment worth savoring. The same can be said of the director's impressionistic "Distant" and "Climates": his particular form of intellectually stimulating artistic expression can only be appreciated when savored.
In contrast to prior works, which focused on the plight of one or two individuals, here the filmmaker chooses to analyze an entire deteriorating family, but retains his ability to visually articulate the depths of the human psyche in a way that few modern directors can. This is a pensive piece of art, one that blends noir sensibilities with melodrama and is, regardless of his deviations from a perfected formula, quintessentially Ceylan. The filmmaker spins a complex yarn, wherein wrongdoings impact each other until the deafening sound of thunderclaps drown out silent screams of guilt in the final scene. And even when "Three Monkeys" becomes a little too meditative and leisurely, it's damn near impossible not to become entangled in this intricately woven plot right along with the director's meticulously crafted characters.
The title of the film alludes to the three proverbial wise monkeys: see, hear, and speak no evil, casually sidestepping the fourth monkey oft depicted, which conveys the notion of "doing no evil," not covering its eyes, ears or mouth - but its crotch or abdomen instead. Guilt, the theme of this elliptical thriller, becomes a moral undercurrent - if not always noticeable. A guilt that isolates and suffocates Ceylan's characters the more they try to defend or flat-out ignore it. Does ignorance render truth non-existent, or merely accelerate the process of self-destruction? Ceylan offers no easy answers to these existential questions.
Things are set in motion when Servet (Ercan Kesal), a Turkish politician responsible for a hit-and-run accident, appeals to his driver, Eyüp (Yavuz Bingöl), to take the rap for him. But with this pact comes the burden to Eyüp's wife, Hacer (Hatice Aslan, who gives a moving, powerful performance), and their only son, Ismail (Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, a brooding, intense talent worth paying attention to), of living with this festering lie.
The director shifts from character to character, rarely showing the family as a cohesive unit; Ceylan emphasizes fragmentation, familial and societal-- even political. As with many art films, one could be forgiven for assuming that little of consequence takes place in "Three Monkeys." Ceylan plants clues and hints that build to a succession of emotionally-charged moments of reckoning. Most of the motivations and actions that drive the film are mere elisions - unseen in happening, but displayed in consequence.
However, "Three Monkeys" is a dour film, with flashes of pitch-black humor and irony that evolve into a medium of tragic expression. Ceylan uses cramped, dark and cluttered rooms to express excruciating claustrophobia, and his shots of Istanbul's overcast, ominous and thundering skies, illustrate the character’s despair; for him, landscapes speak louder then words. Ceylan's subdued tone, his technical and expressionistic flair, and narrative complexity, animate "Three Monkeys" with a muted ferocity and daring execution that renders it a tragedy of near-classic measurement. It’s also a film that approaches the higher echelons of noir/domestic drama hybrids. [B]
Last Word: "Three Monkeys" is a film for those interested in process, those willing to play along with Ceylan's intricate and sombre game, immersing themselves in its mesmerizing stylistics and claustrophobic mannerisms until the intensity of its focus is almost too excruciating to bear. And if you display such patience, you will be rewarded it, but if not... - Nick Plowman courtesy of our friends at InReviewOnline.
Peter Bogdanovich: Not The Dubious Revisionist You Assumed?
Everyone should have affectionate, but nonetheless ambivalent feelings towards director and cineaste Peter Bogdanovich.
Admiration for his encyclopedic cinephilic knowledge, impossibly good use of ridiculous neck scarves and comedically oversized spectacles and the ability to worm up to Orson Welles and not get bounced out the room immediately...
....and disappointment, perhaps disgust, for trading in on the promise of his early trifecta of immutable classics — "The Last Picture Show," "What's Up, Doc?," "Paper Moon"; all impossibly released between the year 1971-73, dude was on fire — with the subsequent releases of sub par, not-up-to-snuff pictures that most people have forgotten (not to mention disdain for his hubristic success-to-his-head trading-up maneuvers: ditching longtime artistic collaborator and wife, Polly Platt for the younger Cybil Shepard, which perhaps resulted in the karmic comeuppance that was the failure of everything since, aside from "Mask"; we won't even go into the ignominy of the Dorothy Stratten fiasco).
Personal feelings about his personal life aside, the DVD re-release of his 1976 picture, "Nickelodeon" led to some alarming and eyebrow-raising concerns of revisionism on the part of the '70s filmmaker when it was announced the color-film would be rendered into a version of black-and-white. Perhaps a sly way to insinuate that this newly-transferred, now-black and white film should be retroactively reevaluated, perhaps corresponding in quality to his aforementioned triumvirate? Hmmm...
Not so says Bogdanovich in an interview with AMC. He claims this is the way the film was always intended to be - sans color. "Well, I always wanted it to be in black and white because it would be better able to convey the period -- 1910 to 1915," he said. "[Cinematographer] László Kovács and I kept in mind that we might one day be able to print the color [film] into black and white, and eventually we did. We finally convinced the powers-that-be to let us put the DVD out in both versions -- the color and the slightly longer black-and-white version."
So wait, he was forced to shoot it in color by the studio? This is only implied by his response, but not directly stated. Fine, we can buy that... we suppose....With the recent release of 1981's interesting, but not-entirely-successful "They All Laughed" (which of course makes it a Tarantino favorite) and now "Nickelodeon," should we expect a deluge of lesser Bogdanovich on DVD for reevaluative purposes? As much as many are sure to infuriate with their lost-opportunity elements, yes. We do begrudgingly love the shit out of you, Peter Bogdanovich.
New 'Iron Man 2' Image Of Robert Downey Jr. In Suit Causes Excitable Nerd Seizures
We don't feel like writing too much about this "Iron Man 2" image — essentially the first look at Robert Downey Jr. in costume armor from the film — but we can pretty much guarantee that every geek-minded site will post this image replete with panting exclamation marks as they are so wont to do.
In fact, the ratio of exclamation marks to regular non-geek punctuation might be an interesting piece in itself. Vulture? Movieline?
[People/ComingSoon]
Robert Rodriquez Changing His Mind About 'Sin City 2'?
Since Robert Rodriquez released "Sin City" four years ago, fans have been laying awake at night wondering when the Texican director will finally get around to making a sequel. Well, it seemed for a while that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, or at all since the director kept quipping comments like "I always say 'Sin City 2 right' around the corner, because that’s what everybody wants to hear and I like pleasing the audience...but it might be a long corner."
However, when recently discussing the project with IGN, the director hinted that he might be caving under fan pressure and changing his mind about the possibility of a sequel, "Next week we're going to talk about it some more and get a timing on when we'd be doing it. But there's a lot of people who are interested in it. ... We are definitely going to do that one [Sin City 2]." He could have genuinely changed his mind and decided to helm the project or just be splitting the difference and planning to serve as an executive producing, while letting Frank Miller have the reigns of the sequel.
You'll notice he says "we" and said "Predators" and "Machete" were his projects -- and they are -- but he's only co-directing the latter and about about the former, he said he would only possibly, "pick up a camera and co-shoot the coolest scenes" (i.e., he's not officially directing that one either). What we're saying is, his talk about the film going forward doesn't necessarily preclude the fact that he might not direct any "Sin City 2" film. Our money is on that he won't.
As far as what the possible "Sin City 2" might be about, Rodriquez says it will include the Sin City story "A Dame to Kill For" as well as new additional material written by Miller himself. [IGN via MTV Splash Page]
Focus Features Putting Out Park Chan-Wook's 'Thirst' For Mid-July U.S. Release
One of the most anticipated Foreign films of the year — and the rare one that unites geeks and film snobs (anything with darkness precipitates erections arouses nerds) — South Korean director Park Chan-Wook's "Thirst" is premiering at the Cannes Film Festival next week.
Chan-Woork is known for his immensely engrossing revenge trilogy ("Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy," "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"; nerds love revenge, plain drama without blood or a baseball too? Mmm, not so much, sorry awesome revenge film, "Revanche"). Chan-Wook's not-as-beloved 2006 film, "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" didn't even really come out in the U.S. properly, but cinephiles and basement-dwelling dweebs alike will be happy to know that — according to an email we just received from the publicist — "Thirst" is set for a "Mid-July" release via Focus Features. Not a specific date, obviously, but better than nothing, right?
What's the film about? Well, it's essentially a horror/drama about a priest (venerable S. Korean actor and PC-W mainstay Song Kang-ho) who turns into a vampire through a failed medical experiment and then falls in love with his friend’s wife.
Let's consult the full-blown synopsis that just came out today.Sang-hyun is a beloved and admired priest in a small town, who devotedly serves at a local hospital. He goes to Africa to volunteer as a test subject in an experiment to find a vaccine to the new deadly infectious disease caused by Emmanuel Virus (E.V.). During the experiment, he is infected by the E.V. and dies. But transfusion of some unidentified blood miraculously brings him back to life, and unbeknownst to him, it has also turned him into a vampire. After his return home, news of Sang-hyun's recovery from E.V. spreads and people start believing he has the gift of healing and flock to receive his prayers. From those who come to him, Sang-hyun meets a childhood friend named Kang-woo and his wife Tae-ju. Sang-hyun is immediately drawn to Tae-ju. Tae-ju gets attracted to Sang-hyun, who now realizes he has turned into a vampire, and they begin a secret love affair. Sang-hyun asks Tae-ju to run away with him but she turns him down. Instead, she tries to involve Sang-hyun in a plot to kill Kang-woo...
Apparently Chan-Wook conceived and then developed the story over several years with screenwriter Jung Seo-kyung. Here's the international teaser trailer from a few months back. We think many will be relieved to hear this one is getting a proper North American release.
Third 'Harold & Kumar' Gets A 2010 Release Date
While everyone assumed the 'Harold & Kumar' series was dead when Kal Penn gave up his glamorous acting career to be a meager associate director in the White House's Public Liaison Office, a recent press release says otherwise, confirming that the series will indeed be back for a third installment.
Could 'Wolverine' Have Made An Additional $29 Million Opening Weekend If The Leak Didn't Happen?
Ok, it's really too impossible to quantify, but...
Foxs News Corp. once thought that about 1 million people downloaded "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Now their estimates claim around 4 million people probably downloaded the pirated and unfinished workprint.
Movieline does the math (thank god, we weren't about to) and estimates around $28 million worth of extra dough could have been added to the worldwide tally that was $174 million (seriously, that's a sad, sad commentary on the world we live in).
Is their math an exact science? Absolutely not, but they're probably still in the ballpark. They cheekily suggest the leaked helped, not hurt the picture and everyone should adopt this new form of pre-promotion.
"Is there really a market for 4 million downloads? And if there was — considering how many people necessarily saw Wolverine twice — shouldn’t every studio consider a workprint leak for their own summer tentpoles?" Amusing, but no, not gonna happen.
Not So Fast On Bradley Cooper As 'Green Lantern'? New 2011 Date Goes Head To Head With 'Thor'
By now, you've presumably heard that Bradley Cooper ("Wedding Crashers") is reportedly in line for the lead in Martin Campbell's "Green Lantern."
Hitflix's Drew McWeeney, who broke the story did say the deal isn't done and that Warner Bros. were still eyeing many actors, but stated, "I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I would bet that Cooper's going to be the guy," which makes it sound that he's pretty sure about his sources.
However, EW, who are wont to write, "Ohnoyoudint! well, actually..." pieces said nothing is set in stone yet (umm, but Hitflix said that too). A source tells EW, "[Cooper] came in and met [director] Martin Campbell. He's definitely in contention, everyone's very interested in him, but it's far from being decided. He's one of the people that's in serious consideration, but he's not in a negotiation."
They're not adding a lot to the story frankly, but are they just trying to poo-poo Hitflix's story (like they are inclined to do with any story they don't break themselves)? Hard to say (yes).
Last night, news broke that the "Green Lantern" intended release date of December 7, 2010, was being pushed back until June 17, 2011. What many have failed to note (including us this morning), is that this date means, WB/D.C. Comics' 'Lantern,' will go head to head with Marvel Studios' "Thor" which is also set for a June 17, 2011 release date.
Is this intentional? In your face, Kenneth Branagh? Perhaps WB's game of chicken two years before the fact? Hard to say, but obviously both films have plenty of times to change their schedules. Update: Hmm, "Thor" seems to have quietly moved to a May 20, 2011 release date. When did that happen? Scratch that DC/Marvel beef theory, too bad, woulda been interesting.
Cooper will next be seen in Todd Phillips' likely return-to-form, "The Hangover" which hits this June. For the record, we love Cooper, but after seeing "Star Trek," its quite evident that Chris Pine -- once rumored to be up for "Green Lantern" -- would also make for a very capable Hal Jordan too. However, if claims that the 'Lantern' film might center around some elements of light comedy ala "Iron Man," are true (and the one version of the script does suggest that) maybe Cooper does have the edge.
Tilda Swinton To Work With Lynne Ramsay & Apichatpong Weerasethakul?
Tilda Swinton's new movie, "Julia," sounds rather excellent. While it's only getting mixed reviews so far it does sound kind of fascinating (too bad we weren't invited to a screening, *tears*). She plays an actress who is also a fucked-up addict and free imbiber. TimeOutNewYork calls her turn in the film a "staggering lead performance." Sounds good to us, we're sold.
However, more interesting is the project she has coming up next.
She says she's working with Lynne Ramsay -- the MIA Scottish director behind the excellent indie flicks, "Morvern Callar" and "Ratcatcher"-- and the two are "developing an adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s book 'We Need to Talk About Kevin.' " That disturbing project about a fictional school massacre has been on the docket for Ramsay -- who hasn't made a picture since 'Morvern' in 2002 -- for many years now, but we suppose the fact that Swinton is talking about it (and that she's helping out) means its moving forward? Let's hope so, it's been too long since we've seen a picture by her (note: Ramsay was supposed to direct Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," adaptation before Peter Jackson got a hold of it, but left the project in early 2004). Bring her back, Tilda.
And not any time soon, but still potentially exciting, is a future collaboration with opaque, filmsnob-approved Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul known for his beautifully arty (read: confounding) and Cannes-endorsed films, "Blissfully Yours," "Tropical Malady" and "Syndromes and a Century" (if you hated "The Limits Of Control" for example, stay away). "Very long-term, the Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul and I are talking about making a film together," she says. And while it's not a lot, hey, it's something we'd definitely be looking forward to.
More Details On Terry Gilliam's 'Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'
There's not a ton of new info on the Cannes page for "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (yes, we will milk this all day because we are genuinely interested, sorry) which features Heath Ledger's final onscreen performance. And no, these purported "new" photos are not new, but there are bits of information for those of us that are starved for more.
Mychael and Jeff Danna who wrote the score for Terry Gilliam's "Tideland" (and Jeff wrote music for "The Boondock Saints," plus many other films we generally don't care for; Mychael's CV is much classier) also composed the score for this one and a larger synopsis is now available for those that have no clue what this potential head-scratcher is about. Gilliam's long-time cinematographer and close-friend to Heath Ledger, Nicola Pecorini is once again lensing. The film is also 122 minutes long. Here's the synopsis:
'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. Dr. Parnassus with his extraordinary traveling show "The Imaginarium" offers to members of the audience an irresistible opportunity to enter their universe of imaginations and wonders, by passing through a magical mirror. But Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter (Lily Cole) reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Now it is time to pay the price... In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all!Notice that the synopsis doesn't mention the Ledger/ Johnny Depp/Jude Law/Colin Ferrell character. Odd, right? Though not really, according to the script we read, he doesn't really enter the picture until maybe the 20-minute mark by our estimation. The film also stars Andrew Garfield (the remarkable young actor from "Boy-A") and Verne Troyer, both of who are part of Parnassus' traveling show.
Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" makes its world premiere near the end of the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 22. No U.S. date is set yet, but last we heard, Gilliam himself said he was aiming for a Fall release.
New Photos, More Details: Ang Lee's Comedy, 'Taking Woodstock'
Ang Lee's '60s hippie rock-concert comedy -- yes, a full-on comedy* -- "Taking Woodstock" makes its world debut on Saturday, May 16 at the Cannes Film Festival.
Some new photos are out there which give us our first photo look at Eugene Levy who plays Max Yasgur, best known as the owner of the dairy farm where Woodstock took place (next to him is star of the picture, comedian Demetri Martin).
The Cannes page for the film has some new photos and some deeper details and reminds us that Danny Elfman is composing the music (which we had noted awhile ago, but had honestly forgotten). Some of the new photos aren't great or of the highest quality, but hey, they're something.
Here's the largest and most official synopsis we've seen so far.
"It’s 1969, and Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), a down-on-his-luck interior designer in Greenwich Village, New York, has to move back upstate to help his parents run their dilapidated Catskills motel, the El Monaco. The bank is about to foreclose; his father wants to burn the place down, but hasn’t paid the insurance; and Elliot is still figuring how to come out to his parents. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a hippie music festival, he calls the producers, thinking he could drum up some much needed business for the motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbor's farm in White Lake, NY, and Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life, and popular culture, forever."Taking Woodstock" opens August 14, 2009 in limited release via Focus Features. Here's the tie-dye heavy poster and (somewhat goofy-looking) trailer if you haven't seen them already. *PS, those that are wondering if the film is indeed a comedy, we saw at least two other magazine profiles where Lee stated it as such in no unspecific terms, but forgot to hold onto them or grab quotes.
First Look & Details: Michel Gondry's Documentary 'A Thorn In The Heart' ('L'epines Dans Le Couer')
When the 2009 Cannes Film Festival was announced, the biggest surprise to us (and most people, frankly) was the announcement of the heretofore unknown Michel Gondry documentary about his aunt, Suzette Gondry, called, "The Thorn In The Heart" ("L'epines Dans Le Couer").
The Cannes Film Festival site now has the details and the first photos from the relatively brief, 86-minute film.
Here's the synopsis:
Suzette, Michel Gondry's aunt, was a school teacher from 1952 to 1986 and she tells Michel how it was to be a teacher by then in a rural and isolated part of France. But little by little, Michel discovers some family stories he was totally unaware of and uses his camera to explore it in a subtle but very emotional way.Sounds like a very personal document about a family member that means the world to the filmmaker. The film has its world premiere on Friday, May 15 during the Croisette.
New Erotic-Heavy Poster For Lars Von Trier's 'Antichrist'
Apparently this is the second poster for Lars Von Trier's psychological horror-in-the-woods film, "Antichrist," but the first one doesn't look much different from the first bare-ass photo unveiled a few weeks ago.
This one is a bit heavier on the sure-to-be weird erotic and sexual nature of the film (Erotica horror sans the typical schlock whenever regular horror tries to inject sex into the picture? Sounds like an interesting take). Academy Award-winning cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle ("Slumdog Millionaire") has shot the film and what we've seen so far looks appropriately creepy.
Synopsis: A therapist attempts to treat his wife after the loss of their own child by retreating into a cabin in the woods, where they learn that their child might be tangentially related to the coming of the Antichrist.
The film stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as the couple in question and the film makes its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, May 18. [via Horror Movies]
Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter Scoring Gaspar Noé's Cannes Film 'Enter The Void'
Nice. Thomas Bangalter, one half of electronic French house innovator's Daft Punk, has written the score for Gaspar Noé's "Enter The Void," according to the press notes from the Cannes Film Festival.
Noé is the French-Argentine provacateur behind hard-t0-watch transgressive films like "Irreversible" and "I Stand Alone." And "Enter The Void" centers on a young man (Nathaniel Brown) who promises to protect his little sister ( Paz de la Huerta, the sexy and very-naked temptress of "The Limits of Control") sister after the brutal death of their parents.
The collaboration isn't a total surprise. Bangalter produced the excellent pulsating and clautrophobic score to the film "Irréversible," released in 2002. A soundtrack album was later released featuring Bangalter's tracks plus material by Gustav Mahler, Étienne Daho and Beethoven also featured in the film.
Here's the official, "Enter The Void" synopsis:
Oscar and his sister Linda are recent arrivals in Tokyo. Oscar's a small time drug dealer, and Linda works as a nightclub stripper. One night, Oscar is caught up in a police bust and shot. As he lies dying, his spirit, faithful to the promise he made his sister that he would never abandon her - refuses to abandon the world of the living. It wanders through the city, his visions growing evermore distorted, evermore nightmarish. Past, present and future merge in a hallucinatory maelstrom.Daft Punk's next major scoring gig appears to be "Tron 2" which is set for a 2011 release. "Enter The Void" has its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 22.
International Trailer: Harold Ramis' 'Year One'
What haven't we already said about Harold Ramis' biblical comedy, "Year One," that stars Jack Black and Michel Cera as two inept hunter and gatherers exiled from their tribe in ancient times who then wander through the rough terrains of before-B.C. history together, all the while coming across many touchstone figures featured in that wacky book called the Bible.
The Trailer Addict synopsis adds: "Two friends (Black, Cera) will go on a journey to change the course of history and evolve into heroes," and that's essentially correct too, though perhaps a little overstated.
Produced by Judd Apatow, other appearances in the film include David Cross and Paul Rudd who play Cain and Abel and Hank Azaria as Abraham. Olivia Wilde, Juno Temple and June Diane Raphael also appear as the obligatory lovely lasses in various form of distress. Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (two key writers of "The Office") penned the innocuous, but still amusing script.
It's certainly not radically different, but if you're highly anticipating this PG-13 film, i.e., potentially toothless compared to most Apatow films, but still retaining the decent probability of at least moderately goofy/fun laughs, here's the international version of the trailer.
"Year One" opens on June 19.
2009 Cannes Film Fest Screening Schedule Is Up; 'Inglorious Basterds' World Premiere Is May 20, 'Parnassus' May 22
The screening schedule for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival is now online for those that are attending (we'll be there part of the time).
Let's just tackle the highlights for now.
In Competition/Out Of Competition:
- Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" premieres on Wednesday, May 20
- Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" plays near the end of the festival on Friday, May 22
- Ang Lee's '60s hippie rock-concert comedy, "Taking Woodstock" debuts on Saturday, May 16
- Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" screens for the first time on Monday, May 18
- Pedro Almodovar's "Broken Embraces" has its Cannes premiere (but not world, it's already played in Spain) on Tuesday, May 19
- Michael Haneke's "White Ribbon" plays Thursday, May 21
- Gaspar Noé's "Enter The Void" screens first on Friday, May 22.
Special Screenings
- Michel Gondry's "A Thorn in the heart" ("L'epines Dans La Couer") has its premiere on Friday, May 15.
Un Certain Regard
Lee Daniels' "Precious" plays Friday, May 15.
“Mother” directed by Bong Joon Ho Saturday, May 16
Hirokazu Kore-Eda's “Air Doll,” Thursday May 14.
Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" screens Friday, May 15.
The Director's Fortnight screenings do not appear on this doc, so no word on Francis Ford Coppola's "Tetro" yet. This is all of course just highlights, highlights there is much much more great stuff playing, so if you want to see the full sched, check out the entire line-up. Of course this doesn't do anyone much good unless they're going, but since we are, this post almost acts as a quick, fyi to ourselves (that we may add to later when we get a sec). All premieres screen twice and those second screenings are listed as well if you get shut-out of the premieres (which we're banking on, frankly). We'll tell you right now, regardless, we'll be missing Gilliam's 'Imaginarium' no matter what which is sad, but c'est la vie. Update: Here's the Director's Fortnight schedule. Coppola's "Tetro" obviously opens that side of the program on May 14 and Lynn Shelton's "Humpday" screens May 15.
The 2009 Cannes Film Festival runs May 13-May 24.
Simon Pegg Talks 'Paul,' 'Tintin,' 'Scott Pilgrim' And Next Collaboration With Edgar Wright
Simon Pegg recently spoke at lengths with Collider about the handful of project he's involved in including Greg Mottola's "Paul"; his as-of-yet-titled third and final 'Ice Cream Trilogy' film with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost; Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn" as well as touching on Wright's "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World."
On "Paul," Pegg revealed that filming will begin on June 8th with a ten week shoot planned in New Mexico. A great cast is being assembled and will be a "coming together of the two comedy communities that exist in America and the U.K." Wow, that sounds awesome. Bill Hader had hoped he'd be part of the cast, but there's no confirmation yet.
Pegg further talked about the plot of "Paul" which he described as "the story of two comic book geeks, fanboys types who go to Comic Con. They're on a trip of a life time across America. They're going to go to Comic Con, they're going to go to geeky spots they want to go. When they visit Area 51, they happen upon an alien who's out there and he enlists them to help him to get to a point where they need to meet his pick up ship. And so these two guys end up getting involved in the craziest adventure they could possibly imagine. It's like their dream come true. " Work in still currently being undertaken on the creation of the title character, Paul, who will be a mixture of practical effects and CGI. Filming for "Paul" at Comic Con, where the story takes the two protagonists, is a possibility.
He also added that the concept of "Paul" began as a joke on the set of "Shaun Of The Dead." When Pegg and Frost were asked by a producer about their next project, the two decided to bluff their way through. "It's set in America and there's a couple of guys and an alien," the two conjured to which the producer replied "Alright, let's do it" and thus "Paul" was born. After the script was written, Pegg and Frost were on the lookout for a new director as their usual go-to man, Wright, was busy with 'Scott Pilgrim.' After seeing 'Superbad,' the two knew Mottola was the man for the job: "The whole point of 'Paul' was that we wanted to make a film with a certain feel to it. And Greg has a real lightness of touch. He has an amazing ability to bring like an indie feeling to a more mainstream film and that's kind of what we wanted to do."
Regarding his cameo in 'Tintin' with Nick Frost as Thompson and Thomson, Pegg revealed that during the filming process, the motion-captured rendering of their characters were visible to them though the quality was that of "a very good [Nintendo 64] game." He compared the current obscurity of the character Tintin in the U.S. to that of Indiana Jones before "Raiders Of The Last Ark" and spoke of Spielberg's first encounters with Tintin.
"Someone said to Steven Spielberg after 'Raiders,' 'It's abit like Tintin isn't it?' and Steven didn't know who he was and then researched him and found this wealth of story. Now finally all these years later has got around with Peter Jackson to getting it up onscreen. I think it's going to be amazing." Pegg also noted that he and Frost may possibly be returning to New Zealand later in the year to do their role in the second film.
As a good friend as well as frequent collaborator with Edgar Wright, Pegg then took to talking about his thoughts and feelings on the prospects of 'Scott Pilgrim': "I know for a fact that his making incredible stuff out there in Toronto right now and I know 'Scott Pilgrim' will blow the lid off everything when it's seen cause I just get that feeling talking to him, seeing what his doing over there, I know it's going to be great."
Pegg, Frost and Wright's next collaboration - the third and last installment of their "Blood and Ice Cream" trilogy (also known as their "Three Colors Cornetto") which has been tentatively titled "The World's End" was revealed to be on hold until the trio return to Britain after their work on 'Scott Pilgrim' and 'Paul.'
"I feel like now, we're so much more mature than we were when we started 'Shaun Of The Dead',' Pegg confessed. "We know a lot more. We're more wise. We're more equipped. I really think we're going to write something very special for this and we've had a lot of ideas and we've poked around and had chats and big laughs about the possibilities of what we're going to do."
All this while his latest role as Scotty in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" is set for release this Friday. The world is set for a whole lot more Simon Pegg.
First Look: 'Alice In Wonderland' In 3D, Katie Holmes Joins Del Toro 'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark?', New Poster For Alejandro Amenbar's 'Agora'
Here is your first, albeit 3D-inhibited, look at Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland." The film is due out March 5th 2010 and stars Mia Wasikowska in the title role. Maybe if you have 3D glasses lying around it'll look all groovy. [MarketSaw]
Katie Holmes will star in the Guillermo Del Toro co-scripted and produced "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark." The film is based on a 1973 ABC telepic about a young girl who moves in with her father and his girlfriend and discovers they are sharing the house with devilish creatures. Del Toro protege, Troy Nixey, will helm the film in Melbourne, Australia this summer. [Variety]
Edward Norton and Robert De Niro are attached to star in John Curran's indie-psychological-thriller "Stone." The Angus MacLachlan scripted film follows a correctional officer (De Niro) who is seduced by the wife of a convicted arsonist (Norton) up for parole. [Variety]
A new poster for Alejandro Amenbar’s "Agora" has been unveiled. The film stars Rachel Weisz as the legendary astronomer/philosopher, Hypatia of Alexandria. [Ropes Of Silicon]
James McAvoy, Elizabeth Banks, Laura Linney and Anna Friel have joined Jacob Estes' "The Details." The black comedy concerns a couple (McAvoy and Banks) who discover an infestation of raccoons their back yard which produces disagreements over how to deal with the animals that lead to an escalating series of events. Hilarity ensues? [Variety]
Sundance hit "The Cove," a film that looks at the hunting of dolphins by Japanese fishermen, is causing a stir between filmmakers, exhibitionists and the Japanese government after a screening was canceled, suspected to be the result of political power play from the Japanese-American consulate. [THR]
'Green Lantern' And 'Suckerpunch' Pushed Back, 'All The Boys Love Mandy Lane' Pulled Again, Trailer For 'Give Em Hell Malone'
Martin Campbell's "Green Lantern" and Zack Snyder's "Suckerpunch" have had their release dates pushed back with both now due out in 2011. 'Lantern' will see a release on June 17 while Snyder will return to to the familiar territory of March 25. [Coming Soon]
The creator of the comic book character Venom, Todd McFarlane, has optimistically and naively revealed his hope for a return for the character in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 4": "He was in the last 'Spiderman' movie. And I think he might make an appearance here in the next one, too." Of his character's portrayal in the third film, MacFarlane added: "I would’ve done something more dramatic. [I also would’ve increased] the nastiness; I never cared too much about the comics code." Dear, Todd, we can pretty much bet you all kinds of money that Venom won't be in Spider-Man 4" and be right. [MTV]
Julie Taymor, creator of the upcoming "Spider-Man" musical has revealed that casting for her musical is progressing, slowly. Regarding the strong rumours of Evan Rachel Wood playing Mary Jane. "It’s not scheduling. It’s just in negotiations at the moment. It’s purely that sort of stuff right now" she said. Little Miss Wood want a fatter pay check after "The Wrestler"? [MTV]
Jonathan Levine's "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane," starring Amber Heard as the lead, has been pulled from its July 17th release date. The film has experienced a shocking run scheduling after it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006 before being left for dead and then sold by the Weinstein Company. [Shock Till You Drop]
Alexander Nevsky has revealed that production on "Hercules: The Beginning," where he will play the title role, will begin later in the year with Morroco and Russia being eyed as locations. John Bierly and Kevin Rice scribed the film. [Obsessed With Film]
Matthew Fox is set to lead Jeffrey Nachmanoff's "Billy Smoke," an assassin thriller based on an Oni Press comic book. Fox will presumably play an elite hit man who is nearly killed during a botched job and realizes that his only way to find redemption is to rid the world of all assassins. [THR]
Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer have all jumped on board mob drama "The Irishman." The film will be helmed by Jonathan Hensleigh and is based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene. [THR]
A new trailer for "Give Em Hell, Malone" has been released. The action-crime film is directed by Russell Mulcahy and stars, among others, Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames and Elsa Pataky. [AICN]
5/06/2009
Gilliam's 'Doctor Parnassus' Screens In L.A. "Befuddles," But Overcomes Already Low Expectations
The privileged and lucky few didn't have to wait til Cannes. As mentioned earlier in the day in brief, Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," screened in L.A. last night to potential "major independent" buyers. EW has a little bit to add in their reactions (but their story basically serves to muscle in and prove them have 'Parnassus' contacts and cred too).
The audience was apparently left, "befuddled," but apparently the consensus felt it was "better than expected," i.e., expectations are low because Gilliam hasn't had a home run in forever.
As mentioned, the picture came allegedly affixed with a seven figure price tag too and as THR said, the sellers were looking for a "studio-level deal with studio-level prices."
But EW tries to refute that by saying "such an opaque story might limit its commercial prospects." Blah, blah, blah. Why did we start this story again? Oh yeah, the reactions which are new, but minimal and can mean all kinds of things. However, no one should be surprised that anyone seeing a Terry Gilliam film -- especially the fairly convoluted 'Parnassus' script.
Harry Knowles also recently saw the film, but well... you know it was going to be a win-win for the producers to show him that obviously.
It's interesting to note today's Hollywood Reporter piece that calls, 'Parnassus' the "hottest U.S. acquisition title at the upcoming Festival de Cannes," was written by Steven Zeitchik, the same writer who wrote and suggested that excitement from U.S. buyers about the project had waned back in March (and that initial piece which begat a lot of "Is Parnassus Never Coming Out?" blog speculation elicited a pretty fierce response from the 'Parnassus' camp too who called it "erroneous" and "misleading"). Just goes to show, we guess...
Soderbergh To Animate Stats Guru Bill James For 'Moneyball'?
Very odd. Was Steven Soderbergh wowed drunk by the "Avatar" footage he saw recently because dude has a peculiar idea about using VFX for his would-be straight-forward sports story, "Moneyball."
Based on the book, "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," the story details the Oakland A's innovative concept to building a winning ballclub and their then-unconventional approach, created by stats guru Bill James.
Brad Pitt plays Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who used James' advanced statistics guide to create his winning team (we wrote a whole post about the book that some of us are very familiar with).
Anywho, Soderbergh doesn't want to cast an actor as Bill James. He's got an... unconventional idea. "My current plan is to animate him,” Soderbergh told MTV. Wait, how does that work? "We have this sort of oracle character that appears throughout and declaims various issues and he’s essentially supposed to be Bill James. He’s your host in a way…. The background will be real but the person who is supposed to be him will be animated.”
Apparently the film will have a realistic tone (obviously, baseball), with a bit of... flare. “It needs a gimmick,” Soderberg said. “It needs something to make it not Masterpiece Theatre. His writer voice is so big, I thought to literalize it is going to actually harm it. I need to make his voice funny and when he comes on you’re happy to see it.”
Hmm, we'll trust him for now, but it does seem kinda weird. So far, the only other name in the cast is Demetri Martin (who is apparently playing a Harvard grad who uses his statistical skills to change baseball scouting tactics) and Steve Zaillian is evidently doing a script polish on a screenplay started by Stan Chervin and Rachael Horovitz. Shooting will presumably start later this year when casting is finalized.
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