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Tom Hanks and Nia Vardalos ... Together Again
Just last month we learned that Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts were reteaming for a new comedy called Larry Crowne, about "a man forced to reinvent himself and find a new career as he navigates the second act of his life." Tom Hanks wrote the script, and is gearing up to direct -- his first feature since That Thing You Do! all the way back in 1996. But there's a little more to the story, it seems.Deadline Hollywood reports that Universal has grabbed the domestic distribution rights to the feature, and attached along with this news is the following tidbit: "Tom also wrote the screenplay with Nia Vardalos. (He hatched the idea in 2006 under the title of Talk of the Town, he got a first draft from Nia Vardalos.)" Since then, the pair have been working on the script together. You might remember, that he and Vardalos go back some years -- he produced My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Connie and Carla, and executive produced the recent My Life in Ruins.
I'm not sure why she was left out of initial reports, but it's going to be interesting to see how people react to the new news. Does it make you less interested since she's had a heck of time with her career lately? Or, could this be her Sherlock Holmes? That one did wonders for Guy Ritchie's once flailing career.
SXSW 2010 Announces Its Panels
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Horror, SXSW, Quentin Tarantino, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Just last week, the South by Southwest Film Festival revealed the majority of its 2010 line-up, and now they've announced the guests scheduled to attend for their always-informative panels.Jeffrey Tambor is returning with his popular Acting Workshop; Michel Gondry will turn up for a conversation about his work to date and his latest documentary, A Thorn in the Heart (playing there); David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) will talk about his role in the success of HBO's "Eastbound and Down"; and the casts of Kick-Ass and MacGruber will each host a panel about their respective films.
I'd be remiss if I omitted two of the panels in particular: One sees our own Scott Weinberg moderating a horror panel attended by the likes of Ti West, Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth, Matt Reeves and Ruben Fleischer, while another sees our own Erik Childress taking to task hyperbole in film criticism. We don't want to shamelessly promote either of them, obviously, but I will just say that I've heard Erik's will be "the best panel of the year" and "a total laugh riot!"
So... take that for what you will.
Peter Bogdanovich Moves from Meows to Barbies and Manson
Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Scripts
It's been eons since we've gotten a Peter Bogdanovich tale. Aside from some TV work and his Tom Petty documentary in 2007, there hasn't been a big-screen feature since he dug into William Randolph Hearst's dirty laundry with The Cat's Meow in 2001. And before that, The Thing Called Love in 1993. No finishing Orson Welles' The Other Side of the Wind (he stated last month that he didn't think editing the film would ever be possible), and no code cracking. But finally, The Hollywood Reporter posts that he will write and direct an adaptation of Kurt Anderson's novel Turn of the Century.If anything should reinvigorate the feature career of the man who helmed Paper Moon, The Last Picture Show, and Mask, and bring in a new audience, this is it. The book is a modern social satire oft-compared to Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities. Written in 1999, the novel follows the MacTiers in the year 2000, "a Manhattan power couple with three kids who are managing their troubled marriage in a world where BarbieWorld has opened in Vegas and Charles Manson's parole hearing is live on TV." George has produced a series called NARCS, which mixes real drug busts with snappy scripts, while wife Lizzie is a software entrepreneur who created a "force-feedback technology," which is part of an alternative history game that senses fear. "Dinner time!" is announced room to room via e-mail, Lizzie's guilt over voting for Rudy Giuliani leads her to hand out $5's in penance, and there's a Jimmy Smits/J-Lo revolution in Mexico.
Bogdanovich isn't the first name I would think of to helm a technology-ridden modern satire like this, so I'm dying to see what he makes of it. Should things continue as planned, the film will shoot next spring in New York.
Pitch of the Day: 'Superman Returns 2'
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Today's pitch is sort of a last chance grab at any possibility of Warner Bros. not rebooting the Superman franchise yet again and instead letting Bryan Singer, or someone else, simply move forward from the underrated Superman Returns. I'm sure to be in my own boat here, especially since all the geeks are celebrating Christopher Nolan's reported involvement with version 3.0 of the superhero on film (if we're talking theatrical releases, isn't this version 5.0? And if we're talking all adaptations it's like version 10.6.2). Still, I'm going to once again make the case for...Superman Returns 2
Of course it wouldn't be titled that. What an awkward title. But my point is that I'd like to see Singer's installment get a follow-up rather than another reboot. As I noted in my take on the pseudo Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot yesterday, and as some commenters agreed, sequels are usually more desirable than reboots. I know, go on about Nolan's Batman franchise reboot. Well, a sequel can go in a new direction, too, without the lame connotations of a reboot. Or, it can be a combo like Singer's movie was. Superman Returns continued the original Superman series while also rebooting it. I'll admit I'm a wee bit torn on the idea, as I'd like to see Brandon Routh return but I could certainly do without Kate Bosworth -- though, if Nolan can switch it up with the female lead in his Batman films, they can do it with this, as well.
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Casting, Stars in Rewind
Is Joe Johnston's The Wolfman a new spin on the 1941 Universal classic or is it a shocking, gorier reboot of Big Top Pee-Wee? Benicio Del Toro seems to be working hard to compete with Marmaduke, Marley, and the Beverly Hills Chihuahua for the title of Hollywood's hottest canine actor. He first appeared in a full fur face in the 1988 Pee-Wee Herman vehicle in a small part as circus freak Duke the Dog-Faced Boy.His role as Lawrence Talbot in The Wolfman represents the curse of type-casting at its worst. It's clear now that Del Toro will only be considered for roles that call for a half-puppy/half-man hybrid. I'm expecting him to tackle the role of Snoopy in a live-action version of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown very soon. (I'm also kidding.)
You don't think The Wolfman is even remotely similar to Big Top Pee-Wee because one is a gothic horror and one is a silly comedy? Consider this -- Pee-Wee Herman makes out with both Valeria Golino (whatever happened to her?) and Penelope Ann Miller in the film. Pee-Wee's tongue in your mouth? That's scarier than anything that happens in The Wolfman.
Oxford Film Fest: Voices 'Ole' and New
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Festival Reports, Fandom, Oxford Film Festival
According to a detailed manifesto on its website, the Oxford Film Festival began in 2003 "as a project of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council... committed to celebrating the art of independent cinema." What the festival actually is, however, is so much more: a four-day celebration where filmmakers, industry professionals, critics, and cinephiles gather together, get to know one another, and share in a community's collective appreciation for film in all of its forms. Cozily entrenched in the businesses and residences of Oxford, Mississippi, the town that the picturesque college Ole Miss calls home, OFF is a modest, maturing sibling of mainstay festivals like Sundance and South By Southwest whose smalltown charm bypasses superficial spectacle in favor of more substantial rewards.
The festival runs four days and features more than 80 different offerings, including narrative features, documentaries, short films, animated works, and experimental projects. I was enlisted at the last minute to serve as a member of OFF's documentary jury, so I was unfortunately unable to attend the Opening Night screening of director Joshua Goldin's Wonderful World, but took a break from some 20 hours of verite filmmaking to attend a party at Oxford's Southside Gallery. In attendance were several of the filmmakers who brought their movies to the fest, as well as an array of other participants and locals without whose presence the festival simply wouldn't have its singularly intimate feel.
Free Flick of the Day: Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Filed under: Action, Classics, Comedy, Home Entertainment
In honor of Jeff Bridges' Oscar nomination for Crazy Heart, I was going to write up a favorite scene from one of his first nominations, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. But thanks to SlashControl, I've got something even better -- the entire movie! Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is currently available, and I'm thrilled for us all. Don't let Michael Cimino's name fool you. Thunderbolt is one of the funniest slices of 1970s cinema you will ever come across. It really doesn't get any better (or sexier) than Bridges and Clint Eastwood in one movie, but throw George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis into the mix and you have a classic that needs to be dusted off and rediscovered. It's best enjoyed cold, but if I promise you unlucky redheads, awkward sex, bromance, leather pants, crossdressing, car chases, rabbits, nudity, and a young Gary Busey, can you resist? Not if you're a film fan.
The DVD is currently out of print in the U.S. (you can get it in the UK for some odd reason), so this is the easiest and cheapest way to watch it unless you have a local theater that regularly airs out this classic. I keep hoping that enough online clamor will cause it to be re-released properly. Until then, you can watch it right here. It'll make your week. I promise.
Memo to Brangelina: Don't Let Them Reboot 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'!
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Thrillers, RumorMonger, 20th Century Fox, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Remakes and Sequels
I'm sure I'm not the only person who likes Doug Liman's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But I might be the only person who considers it a masterpiece. The problem is, I don't really know how to defend it without sounding like a bad combo of fanboy and academic. Saying it's the best action movie interpretation of the comedy of remarriage subgenre since Twister surely isn't bringing anyone to my side, even if they are fans of both Twister and classic screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s.Regardless of my inability to properly convince people of how perfect Mr. & Mrs. Smith is, I'm sure I can get enough people to agree with me that Fox should not dismiss the film by trying again with a sort of remake/reboot. According to Vulture, the production company New Regency, which operates out of the Fox lot and through its distribution, and original producer Akiva Goldsmith are hoping for a new franchise this time around with a prequel/origins movie (now titled Mr. and Mrs. Jones) that recasts the title characters, originally played by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
New Line Moves from Valentines to 'New Year's Eve'
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Deals, Scripts, Remakes and Sequels
New Line must be pretty happy with Valentine's Day, the new Garry Marshall rom-com that hits theaters this Friday. It hasn't even been released yet, and the studio is already prepping a follow-up. Variety reports that they're getting ready for a spin-off of the ensemble comedy, and they expect Marshall to come back and direct.Titled New Year's Eve, the film will deal with a big Fourth of July celebration. No, I kid. Shooting late this year for release at the end of 2011, the film will tackle New Year's Eve celebrations, and it will include "some" of the characters from Valentine's Day. I'm assuming that "some" will be whomever is interested in continuing on the romance train. Katherine Fugate is returning to write the feature, and the producers are back; it's pretty much a repeat of the last film.
Since the first isn't out yet, it would be a wee bit hard to muse over what the follow-up will be like. However, I'm eager to see what happens with Eric Dane and Bradley Cooper. If you caught my post last week, their relationship has been well hidden by the film's marketing department, and as a reader who has seen the film commented, "they're still the only couple in the movie that never touch one another, let alone kiss." Maybe it's all riding on the sequel.
'Ghostbusters 3' News: Murray Confirms Rumors, Possible Villain Revealed?
Filed under: Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels
As the writers slave over another draft of the Ghostbusters 3 script -- with production hopefully beginning later this year -- some more news regarding the film's storyline has slipped out across these internets, with one aspect being an exclusive to Cinematical.
Possible spoilers for Ghostbusters 3 to follow ...
First up is the news that Bill Murray has confirmed his other-worldly role in the film. A few months back, Sigourney Weaver had let slip that Murray was going to be playing a ghost in the film -- a rumor that was later squashed by folks who claimed that particular storyline was featured in a very old draft. However, Murray has now gone on record as not only disliking the second Ghostbusters movie (something he's said before) and thinking that Groundhog Day should've been a bigger hit, but also noting that he would only return to the Ghostbusters franchise if they made his character a ghost. He says, "I said to them, 'I'll do it if you kill me off in the first reel.' So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film." Murray as a ghost? I hope it works. What do you think?
Meanwhile, as most talk revolves around the returning actors and the identity of the new recruits, little has been said about the film's mythology and who (or what) the Ghostbusters will be battling this time around. Well, Cinematical has it on very good authority that as recent as this past summer, the central mythology of the sequel was being based on Zoroastrianism, which is one of the earliest religions on record. Like with most religions, the war between good and evil is at its central core, and in terms of evil there's Ahriman: the god of darkness, the eternal destroyer of good, personification and creator of evil, bringer of death and disease.
Is Ahriman the film's villain?
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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