While we’re all getting caught up in a the best fall movie season in eight years (completely unexpected), it’s important to remember that a number of the big December heavy-hitters have yet to screen for anyone: e.g. Mike Nichols’s Charlie Wilson’s War, Marc Forster’s The Kite Runner and Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood … Continue reading
While Martin Scorsese continues to weigh his pre-strike options on the dramatic feature side of things (and Devin forwarded me a doozey of a rumor that may have a shred of truth to it, but confirmation has proved elusive), he’s just announced his intention to direct a documentary on the life of George Harrison. With … Continue reading
In a move that will surprise only the very stupid, Dreamworks and Paramount have called dibs on July 29, 2009 for Transformers 2, which will be directed by Michael Bay (unless his nearly closed deal suddenly falls apart) and star Shia LaBeouf (such are the wages of sin, m’lad). While making the release date is … Continue reading
As a director, Sean Penn has always chased the ineffable. But the films (The Indian Runner, The Crossing Guard and The Pledge), while fascinating for their moody, unconventional texture, have always fallen a tad short of satisfying. Though you were grateful for the experience of watching them, there was always something closed off about their … Continue reading
Things that can be gleaned from Zack Snyder’s first Watchmen production blog: he’s tired. I understand that Warner Brothers is a little frightened by the prospect of spending so much money (though reportedly less than $100 million) on a project they do not fully comprehend, but if there’s one thing they don’t have to worry … Continue reading
Separately, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are already considered "talent magnets". Together, they’re a talent vortex. I do believe I predicted this. For several months, casting was stagnant on Kevin McDonald’s State of Play; while Pitt was "attached" to the project, his participation was apparently contingent on the punching up of Matthew Michael Carnahan’s screenplay … Continue reading
The Crop: Seven Samurai The Studio: The Weinstein Company The Director: Justin Chadwick or Wayne Kramer (Rumored) The Writer: John Fusco The Cast: Zhang Ziyi (In talks) The Premise: A modern day retelling of Seven Samurai set in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, only with a multicultural mix of mercenaries taking the place of … Continue reading
I don’t know how Hilary Swank got hooked up with Richard LaGravenese, but if she’s serious about having a lucrative career beyond those two Best Actress wins, she couldn’t have picked a better collaborator. The writer of The Bridges of Madison County, The Horse Whisperer, The Mirror Has Two Faces and Living Out Loud is … Continue reading
While I revere Clint Eastwood as a director, and hope he continues to make films until he is ready to break his staff, I haven’t unabashedly loved anything he’s done since 1993’s A Perfect World. True, there may be moments of stirring visual poetry in Letters from Iwo Jima, The Bridges of Madison County and … Continue reading
Jason Segel is late for lunch, but that’s his problem. I’m on a mission. I’ve got to find out where Judd Apatow’s Lakers seats are. And Segel – the writer and star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the set I’m ostensibly "visiting" – can either cough up the info, or eat a cold veggie burger. "They … Continue reading