Celebrities and Controversy »
'Terminator' Rights Sell, But Not To A Studio
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Lionsgate Films, Sony, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Everyone has been mildly interested to see who would win the Terminator franchise rights after Halcyon Holding Corp. went into bankruptcy. (Come on, we all wanted Joss Whedon to get it.) Last we knew, Lionsgate was the leading contender to win the rights to making more chronicles of John Connor. But according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the bidding has ended, and the winner? Pacificor, the Santa Barbara hedge fund that had loaned Halcyon the money to buy Terminator in the first place. Halcyon failed in their loan payments, forcing Pacificor to come after them, which they tried to head off by filing their own lawsuit. But now the slate has apparently been wiped clean to the tune of $29 million dollars.Sony and Lionsgate did place bids, and even united to bid together once the first round was over. But both dropped out at $29.5 million when it became clear that Pacificor was willing to pay any amount necessary to win the Terminator rights. Reportedly, Sony's Peter Schlessel was "furious" at how the auction went down and stormed out of the building. Was that because he really, really wanted Sony to have Terminator? Was he just mad that he wasted his evening? Or is everyone as weirded out by the shadowy business practices as we on the outside are?
The sale must be approved by bankruptcy court, so there could still be another chapter to the sad saga. What Pacificor plans to do with the franchise is anyone's guess, but I suspect that Terminator will be something so tied up in legal red tape and rights that we won't see another film for a long, long time.
Interview: Pierce Brosnan on Polanski, Percy, and R-Patz
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Noir, Mystery & Suspense, Celebrities and Controversy, New in Theaters, Interviews, James Bond
February is about to get really interesting for Pierce Brosnan. A mere week after his debut as a self-proclaimed "horse's ass" (aka Chiron) in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief on February 12, a much smaller and much more controversial thriller he's in will be hitting art house screens in New York and Los Angeles. Brosnan is one of the heavy-hitting stars in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, the movie Polanski was doing post-production on when he was arrested in Switzerland on an outstanding warrant from 1978, when he fled the US before being sentenced for having sex with a minor. (Polanski finished the film while under house arrest.) Pierce Brosnan, who plays ex-Prime Minister Adam Lang, is part of an impressive ensemble; Olivia Williams is Lang's intensely intelligent wife Ruth, while Ewan McGregor is the titular writer who reluctantly signs on to help Lang with his memoirs after the first writer turns up dead.
Brosnan spoke to Cinematical about working with the legendary figure on The Ghost Writer, as well as Percy Jackson, dealing with Robert Pattinson's screaming fans on the set of Remember Me, and much more.
'Death of a President' Director Works With 'Last King of Scotland' Writer
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Thrillers, Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical Indie
In spite of all its controversy and its Emmy and Toronto Film Festival awards, the faux documentary Death of a President was not worth all the hype it received four years ago. I won't say it was terrible, because I've come around to respect some of the positive things said about its purpose, but I certainly did not enjoy watching the film, which depicted the hypothetical assassination of George W. Bush using real footage of the former U.S. president. However, I'm willing to give director Gabriel Range another shot, especially now that I've learned his next film comes from a script by one of the writers of The Last King of Scotland, Jeremy Brock. Though Peter Morgan may have been the better screenwriter involved in that adaptation, Brock's involvement with other decent British films, such as Charlotte Gray and Driving Lessons, which he also directed, are indicative of his talent. He also scripted Kevin Macdonald's upcoming sword-and-sandals flick The Eagle of the Ninth.
Mel Gibson Wants To Be The 'Cold Warrior'
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Casting, Universal, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
This Friday, audiences will decide whether or not they're into a Mel Gibson comeback, but Hollywood seems to have tentatively decided they're cool with the idea. According to Variety, Gibson is in talks to star in Universal's Cold Warrior, a thriller that would reunite him with Shane Black, who is set to direct the film from Chuck Mondry's script.The film centers on a Cold War era spy who is lured out of retirement by a new domestic terror threat launched by Russia. He's paired up with "a younger agent of the new school" and presumably clashes with that agent over the way things used to be. Variety isn't clear as to whether it'll have comedic elements like Black's other action films, or if it will be a dark and edgy thriller.
While Gibson has lined up a lot of projects in the last year (including a reunion with Jodie Foster in The Beaver, the Mexican prison thriller How I Spent My Summer Vacation, and the Leonardo DiCaprio Viking film being penned by William Monahan), this is his first foray back into a big studio picture. All of his other films, including Edge of Darkness, have been independently financed. Nevertheless, big and bankable names like Martin Campbell, DiCaprio, and Monahan have been willing to throw their lot in with him. Black has been struggling for a major comeback himself (and deserves one far more than Gibson), and the whole deal feels like someone's attempt to spin a down-and-out fairy tale. Still, I want to see Black's Cold Warrior and if Universal has to play Million Dollar Baby to make it happen, then I too will play along. Will you?
The Legend of Zelda Rubinstein, 1933-2010
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Obits
Actress Zelda Rubinstein, best known for her role as a psychic "house cleaner" in Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist and its sequels, passed away Wednesday at the age of 76. Rubenstein also had a memorable role on TV's "Picket Fences" and appeared in films like Sixteen Candles, Teen Witch, Southland Tales, and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
According to the LA Times, Rubinstein died from natural causes at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles. She had been suffering health issues since at least December, when she was reportedly taken off of life support.
The diminutive actress had enjoyed a steady career in television and film, although she didn't make her acting debut until 1980, when she was already in her 40s. Her first film role was in Under the Rainbow, a comedy about aspiring little people actors starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher. The film earned pans and two Razzie nominations, but the following year notched a big early film for Rubinstein, who stole her scenes as Tangina, the medium who attempts to save little Carol Anne Freeling in Poltergeist.
The Real Frank Serpico Looks Back
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Politics
Film retrospectives seem to be in scarce supply these days unless they're tied to a new release, a remake, or an untimely death. Thankfully, The New York Times' piece on Frank Serpico was inspired by none of the above; it's just an intriguing look back at Sidney Lumet's film Serpico and the man who inspired it. Neither the film nor the real Frank Serpico have exactly disappeared from the radar (Serpico has an official website and a blog), but Corey Kilgannon's profile is a particularly haunting piece because it confronts its subject with his own movie biopic. It's a timely one too, as there's at least one generation (if not two) that know more about Spider-Man's heroism than Serpico's, and favor Michael Bay over Sidney Lumet. In the 1970s and 1980s, Frank Serpico's name was shorthand for bravery, honesty, and standing up against your so-called friends and allies. Everyone knew his story. He was the son of Italian immigrants, a Brooklyn native who had such pride in his country that he fought in Korea and joined the NYPD. But once he joined the police force, he found that corruption and extortion was rampant. Anyone unwilling to participate in bribery was shunned, and anyone willing to speak against it risked his life. Serpico bravely stepped forward to testify, and was shot during a routine drug bust in 1971. It was clear his fellow officers had set him up to be executed. It was a shocking act of violence and betrayal that still haunts Serpico to this day. "I still have nightmares," he told the New York Times. "I open a door a little bit and it just explodes in my face. Or I'm in a jam and I call the police, and guess who shows up? My old cop buddies who hated me."
Cinematic Letters of Note: Harvey Weinstein Thinks Errol Morris is Boring
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy
Letters come in so many shapes and forms... When Peter Hall first alerted you to the website Letters of Note at the end of last year, he talked about The Birth of North by Northwest. The letter was an interesting and revealing communique -- and so is this latest installment ... for vastly different reasons.The latest Letter of Note was sent to filmmaker Errol Morris by Harvey Weinstein back in the Miramax days of 1988. Morris went on NPR to promote his film The Thin Blue Line, and Harvey wasn't quite satisfied with his, erm, performance. Refusing to sugar-coat, the Miramax head started his complaint in the very first sentence: "Heard your NPR interview and you were boring." Weinstein continued: "You couldn't have dragged me to see The Thin Blue Line if my life depended on it."
Harvey wasn't complaining for the film -- which went on to win some pretty solid acclaim -- but rather the way Morris talked about it, "in short one sentence answers." Weinstein argued, pretty rightly so, that it should be discussed "from an emotional point of view." If Morris couldn't do as Harvey asked, he would "hire an actor in New York to pretend." (Can you imagine?!)
I'm including the transcript after the jump, but you can check out the scan on Miramax letterhead over at Letters of Note.
Don't Let Documentaries Like 'The Cove' Die Away!
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Sundance, Celebrities and Controversy, Politics, Fan Rant
Let me begin this post with a disclaimer -- Cinematical is a site about film first and foremost, and we try not to let politics or social agendas interfere that goal. But seeing as we're in the thick of awards season and the beginning of Sundance (a festival that often dictates our year to come -- be sure to check our 2010 coverage to see what that might be!), I thought I would take the opportunity to remind you not to forget about the documentaries or films that moved you into action. Back in September, Jenni Miller brought you the very good news that The Cove (which premiered at last year's Sundance -- you can still read Scott Weinberg's original review) had created enough awareness to stop the dolphin hunt in Taiji. It was one of those moments that proved the smallest film can make a difference. In an industry populated by so many disposable movies and marketing, it's nice to feel good about it all. But eventually, the publicity machine stops rolling. The awards are handed out (and The Cove has taken home a ton of them) and people are onto the next round of documentaries making the festival circuit. The media loses interest. Six days ago, The Cove's Ric O'Barry updated with some depressing news. Now that the initial shock and horror is off, people have lost interest and the dolphin hunt has resumed.
I feel strongly about stopping this hunt once and for all, as have many who have seen the film. We here at Cinematical have been fervent champions of The Cove , as we did with Dear Zachary. The ball continued to roll with Dear Zachary, which continues to fight to bring some real change to Canadian law. Obviously, I hope The Cove continues to snowball now that it's on DVD and receiving so many critical awards.
Simon Pegg Sends the Twitter World A-Flutter
Filed under: RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom
Many of us follow celebrity Twitter accounts, and a number of movie rumors and news bites that have circled the web have come from those all-too-brief Tweets. But of course, that's not necessarily the best place for info. Often there's the "oh crap!" deletion as stars realize they've spoken, or tweeted, too soon. Then there are those who like the comedy.Simon Pegg has been amusing himself today in Twitterland, which has sent a some Twitterfolk into sadly false squee territory.
- Yes!!!! I've been accepted into Hogwarts to do a post grad in technical drawing. Second choice after Bristol Uni but hey, cute witches.
- Oh great they don't allow dogs. It's either cats or toads. That's fucking disgraceful. I'm making a formal complaint to UCCA. Magic that!
- They've made an acception because Minnie can speak German. Yay!!
- They've revoked the offer due to my inability to distinguish between 'exception' and 'acception'. I'm doing a B-tech at Cheltenham Ladies.
- Dear news vultures picking thru my banal tweets for scraps of relevance, I am NOT in Harry Potter but I am the new Q in James Bond. (FALSE).
- And I'm playing Renesmee in Breaking Dawn. Using MoCap to turn me into a creepy, psychic baby. It's tough on Kristen, she has to carry me.
You can follow him here, and just maybe the comedy will be enough to keep us from wearing out our Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz discs before Paul finally hits theaters.
Could Conan O'Brien Become a Movie Star?
Filed under: Comedy, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom
Now that Conan O'Brien's departure from NBC is official according to The Wall Street Journal, everyone is wondering just what he'll do next, especially as his deal may limit him from hosting his own talk show for a period of time. He'll undoubtedly pop up on a new network, and I wouldn't be surprised if he landed a nice little book deal. But could he become a movie star?
It was Adam Sandler who got me thinking about it. He appeared on O'Brien last night, and promised that O'Brien could have a spot making movies with him. Of course he came prepared with movie posters and pitches, and it was all one big joke which you can watch on Hulu if you like. Obviously O'Brien's comedic skills have always been in writing and improv, and we all love him for his zany, madcap antics. But we love a lot of comedians for the exact same reason, and the list of successful comedian-turned-actors is pretty long and illustrious. O'Brien's cameos on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's boyfriend are terrifyingly normal, and suggest he has a lot more dramatic range than his talk show rivals (we don't need to name names) have.
Don't believe me? Refresh your memory by watching the clip:
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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