Archive for October, 2009

Short Take: More contemporary than usual, while still unusual

Director: Kevin Greutert

Screenwriters: Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (Saw IV, Saw V)

Cast: Tobin Bell (Saw), Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell, Shawnee Smith

Length: 1h 30m

Synopsis: The maniacal Jigsaw (Bell) has long since been dead, but his “games” continue to be played. The next main target is a health insurance executive (Rolston) who has denied coverage to persons in need of it, resulting in their deaths. The man carrying on Jigsaw’s work, detective Hoffman (Mandylor), forces the exec to come to terms with what he’s done. The goal of his games remains the same as all the others: to test a person’s will to live. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: A poingant tale that really hits home

Director: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation)

Screenwriters: Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak (book)

Cast: Max Records (The Brothers Bloom), Catherine Keener (40 Year Old Virgin), James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Chris Cooper (Breach), Catherine O’Hara (Away We Go), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Lauren Ambrose (Love and Other Impossible Pursuits)

Length: 1h 21m

Synopsis: An ordinary boy named Max (Records), through dealing with everyday life, is finding out that the world is not everything he keeps hoping it will be. From having an older sister who doesn’t pay much attention to him, and a single mom (Keener) who is trying her best to keep her family afloat, he constantly relies on his vibrant imagination to create happiness. One day he runs away to find a land where he can find this happiness and discovers a place as wild as his dreams. Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Weitz during the shooting of "New Moon"

The Hollywood Reporter has published an interview they held with Chris Weitz, director of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Although fairly short, the interview provides a decent illustration of how Weitz approached the source material for the film and what his attitude was towards making the film an adaptation of the book. It would appear that fans should expect a very loyal adaptation, with only minor tinkering with filmic imagery.Weitz claims to have been in constant contact with author Stephenie Meyer throughout the various production stages, which for fans hoping for a loyal adaptation is an encouraging verity.

Chris Weitz’s other directing credits include The Golden Compass, About a Boy, Down to Earth, and American Pie.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon hits theaters November 20th.

92YTribeca and Borders are proud to join forces with Twentieth Century Fox to present an evening of conversation with Wes Anderson (Director) and Jason Schwartzman (voice of “Ash”). In advance of the release of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes and Jason will discuss working together on the film, a stop motion animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel. In addition to the moderated discussion, you’ll get a sneak peek of clips from the film and the opportunity to participate in audience Q&A. The bar will be open, and books will be for sale, including “The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox” by Wes Anderson and the original Dahl novel.

Tuesday, November 10th, at 7:30pm

92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street @ Canal Street, New York, NY;  212-601-1000

www.92YTribeca.org/film

Fantastic Mr. Fox opens in limited areas Nov. 13th and everywhere Nov. 25th. For more information and to see the trailer go to www.fantasticmrfoxmovie.com.

All above information is courtesy of Cristina Cacioppo (ccacioppo@92Y.org).

Dan Glickman

Current CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Dan Glickman has announced that he will retire his position once his current contract expires at the end of 2010. The reason for this is reportedly so he can pursue other personal interests.

“The search for a successor is expected to be of intense interest in Los Angeles and Washington, as it is viewed as one of the prized lobbying posts for its prestige and perks.” – Variety

Harold Ford Jr., Disney lobbyist Richard Bates, Howard Berman, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have been mentioned as possible successors.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: Usually when an opportunity like this arises it’s as if it’s handled like an opening in the Supreme Court. Whomever will be the next CEO of the MPAA will likely be a democrat due to that party’s current holding of the majority in Congress. Washington likes to keep a close eye on Hollywood without directly interfering (which is the main function of the MPAA), so having a representative of the ruling party only makes sense in order to buy enough trust to let the MPAA run itself without constant oversight.

Ewan McGregor in "The Ghost"

Director Roman Polanski, who was arrested last month on a decades-old sex offense, is attempting to finish his newest film The Ghost Writer from his jail cell in Switzerland. Head of production at Studio Babelsberg and co-producer Henning Molfenter insisted that the film will be finished on time and that they’ll meet all obligations with their distributors. The plan is to have the film ready for exhibition for the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

The film is based on a book by Robert Harris of the same title.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: Being that Polanski is even trying to finish the film from jail should tell that there wasn’t much work left to be done on it – relatively speaking. He had already finished a rough cut of the movie before being arrested, which no doubt has helped make the finalizing process easier on everyone involved. It will be interesting to see what kind of repercussions will result from Polanski’s bad publicity being attached to the film.

Movie-Thoughts.com would like to know, would you be willing to see The Ghost Writer when it releases, or will you hold off on seeing it out of protest against Polanski’s offenses?

Justin Long in "He's Just Not That Into You"

Justin Long has reportedly been cast to co-star in Robert Redford’s period piece Conspirator, joining fellow stars Robin Wright Penn and James McAvoy.

“Conspirator tells the story of Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt (Wright Penn), who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination, and Col. Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), who reluctantly agreed to defend her before a military tribunal.” – Hollywood Reporter

Shooting begins in Georgia later this month.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: This film marks the first real outreach into unfamiliar waters for Long, who has up to this point remained more or less fixed in comedy or comic-relief roles. It will be interesting to see A) how he fares in such a heavily dramatic turn, and B) what kind of draw the film will have on audiences. Will fans of Long’s comedy be willing to give him a chance in a serious role, or will the film have to rely on McAvoy, Wright Penn, and Redford’s fiscal gravity?

Chris Pine

Star Trek’s new Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is currently in talks with Paramount about possibly being the next actor to take on the role of Jack Ryan, the Tom Clancy character that has spanned four films since 1990 (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears).

The next Ryan film is expected to be a reboot of the franchise, the original script for which is currently being written by Hossein Amini.

Pine’s schedule appears rather full at the moment, with Unstoppable currently filming and him reportedly in talks to be in director D. J. Caruso’s project The Art of Making Money, set to begin filming early next year. But Pine is expected to accept the role.

Source: Variety

Quick Opinion: Pine seems to be a perfectly capable actor, so if he is cast as the next Jack Ryan few people ought to have qualms about the matter. However, I would be more interested to know how many people, especially fans of Tom Clancy’s work, are all that excited about yet another franchise reboot. The first ten years of this millennium is already starting to be referred to as “the decade of remakes”, and for good reason. Perhaps a franchise reboot might not be the way Paramount should want to start the next ten years.

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

IGN.com has published a piece detailing a variety of fantasy films that are in the works, from ones that will definitely hit theaters to ones that seem to only have a fleeting chance. It is a very convenient list for anyone trying to keep tabs on the news and rumors of such movies, functioning as a sort of one-stop-shop to note much – if not all – that appears noteworthy.

The list details the latest information on films like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, and The Hobbit, as well as some lesser known, smaller projects like Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, a gothic version of Little Red Riding Hood produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and a dark, stop-motion animated version of Pinocchio.

Anyone interested in such films should take a look, as the information provided ranges from inducing fervent excitement to cautious optimism. All in all, a very worthwhile article. And don’t worry, there are no spoilers.

Director Bryan Singer

Director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2) said Sunday that he is speaking with 20th Century Fox about doing another X-Men movie.

“I’m still looking to possibly returning to the X-Men franchise. I’ve been talking to Fox about it,” Singer said at a talk at South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival. “I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast,” he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine. - Hollywood Reporter

Singer added that directing sci-fi or fantasy films was particularly interesting to him because they allow for certain commentaries about social issues and the human condition to shine through.

Singer would have directed the third X-Men film (X-Men: The Last Stand) instead of Brett Ratner but opted to direct Superman Returns for Warner Brothers.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: It will be interesting to see if 20th Century Fox wants Singer back to direct another X-Men chapter, because although the first two X-Men films were very successful Superman Returns was considered a financial flop by Warner Brothers (grossing just over $200 million but also costing $200 million). Singer’s newest release, Valkyrie (2008), was only slightly more successful, grossing just over $83 million while costing $75 million. Given this recent history 20th Century Fox might be less inclined to hand the reigns back over to Singer, even though this past summer’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t fare much better than his last two films (grossing $180 million while costing $150 million) and was less than well-received by critics.

Scheduling will no doubt be an issue as well, as Singer is currently working on pre-production for Excalibur (set to release 2012) and is also attached to Jack the Giant Killer (set to release 2011). Fox may not want to wait for Singer to be available.

What do you all think?