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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.
Pitch of the Day: 'Fast and the Furious' in Space
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels
It's day-old if not month-old news that there's another Fast and the Furious sequel on the way. It's called Fast Five, which cuts out the "furious" this time so as not to get sued by Grandmaster Flash or Kung Fu Panda. But I'd like for Friday installments of the Pitch of the Day to be unofficially "Franchise Fridays." This means that all pitches on Fridays will be suggestions on what to do with a franchise. This is different from "Part Two Tuesdays," which will only be pitches for a first sequel -- a part two -- of a film. So with that clarified, let me present my preference for the next F2F film to be...Fast and Furious in Space
Guess what it's about. I'll give you one hint: there are no cars this time. Give up? Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are racing space ships! How'd their characters get into outer space and the future? Maybe they're cryogenically frozen? Maybe Paul Walker is really an immortal android? It doesn't really matter. It's science fiction, after all. And whatever method of explanation used won't be any more ridiculous than the rest of the series anyway. And the audience won't care as long as they get to watch some awesome space ship-racing action.
The Inaugural On-Screen Geek-Off Tournament: Round #1!
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Fandom, James Bond, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Polls
In the time-honored tradition of last summer's Superhero Movie Tournament, Cinematical humbly presents its first ever Geek-Off, pitting the most endearingly nerdy characters of the silver screen against one another, armed with nothing but their wits and their pocket protectors.
As we mentioned yesterday, we've excluded the likes of Peter Parker because of his involvement with the above-mentioned superhero showdown, and after much discussion, we've decided to also leave out C-3PO on the grounds that he was programmed to be geeky as no other characters here have. Also, to prevent any sort of monopoly, we've only selected one character per movie -- the only pick this really seems to have any bearing on is Revenge of the Nerds, but your vote counts whether it's for the ensemble or just for that one character. (We honestly wouldn't know the difference.)
The first pairing out of sixteen characters is listed below, with more after the jump and even more coming over the weekend (so don't lose it if you don't see a fave -- there are sixteen more to come). Ready? Set... Vote!
Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Jurassic Park vs. Erwin "Whistler" Emory (David Strathairn), Sneakers
Watch This: 'Yellow Submarine' Star Peter Serafinowicz as All Four Beatles
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Casting, Family Films, James Bond
Of the four actors just cast in Robert Zemeckis' remake of Yellow Submarine, Peter Serafinowicz is by far the most appropriate. Americans primarily know him as Simon Pegg's flatmate in Shaun of the Dead and maybe also Pegg's arch-nemesis on the British TV series Spaced (he also recently appeared in Couples Retreat). But Serafinowicz is a well-known impersonator in the UK who has lampooned the Fab Four multiple times on his sketch series The Peter Serafinowicz Show.Though Zemeckis cast him as the voice of Paul McCartney for his performance capture remake, Serafinowicz portrayed all of The Beatles in a recurring bit called "Ringo Remembers," in which the drummer recalls significant events in the history of the band and the members' solo careers. The silliest sketch of the bunch features his portrayals of John, Paul, George and Ringo during the recording of the Let It Be album and involves the band playing and pooping on the rooftop of the Apple Building. Better clips parody Paul's recording of a Christmas song and John's writing of "Imagine," which is shown as initially going in a completely different direction.
My favorite of the sketches, though, and certainly the most movie-related, presents Ringo Starr's catchy theme song written for the 007 film Goldfinger, which of course wasn't used. It's a cute little gag making fun of Ringo's reputation for writing and singing simple songs that seem made for children. Check out the video, with proper James Bond-intro graphics, after the jump.
James Bond Delayed Due to MGM Woes
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, MGM, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
UPDATED: MGM says the scripting process is still in progress & that Bond is not delayed. It's going to be a little longer before 007 steps in front of cameras again. According to Total Film (and passed along via MI6), Bond's 23rd adventure has been delayed by MGM's financial woes. After all, someone has to pay for all those new gadgets and when the home office is on the block, where do the new ones come from? While both Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench have hinted that the film will begin filming in late 2010, and will aim for a 2011 release, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli hinted that the shooting schedule can only be decided once MGM settles its accounts. "Well, our timeline's a little up in the air what with the situation at MGM, so we have to be flexible. We just don't know enough about the situation to comment, but we know it's uncertain."
And if you've been sitting here since Peter Morgan took the screenwriting job last summer, dreaming of a script that's at least a draft or two in, guess again. Wilson said it was far too early to start talking about where Bond will end up after he found his solace. "Well ... we've hired the writers and we've been working with them but it's just too early to say anything. You know, often at this stage, I find myself saying, 'Oh, we're gonna do this and that', then six months from now you'll say, 'That isn't in the film at all - you told me it was ...' I think we're at the stage where a lot of ideas are floating around that sound very good, but whether they make the final cut, who knows?"
The Best of the Decade: Action Flicks
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Sony Classics, Universal, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, James Bond, Lists, Miramax, Best/Worst, War, Daniel Craig
Cinematical is about to launch into our best-of-the-'00s series, with a different writer tackling a different genre over these last few weeks of the aughts (or whatever it was we decided to call this decade). Yours truly has been tasked with sifting out the most exciting action flicks these years have had to offer, and in the list-making equivalent of flinching, I've decided to divide them up by superlative instead of ranking them in order of awesomeness.
Oh, and before you comment away about what's missing (which we do want), I have left off The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United and The Incredibles, so they may be included in any superhero or animated list to come. If those movies are left off those lists, then by all means, give them hell. I might even join you.
New Remakes: 'Romancing the Stone' and 'Overboard'
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Casting, Sony, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels
If there's one (living) Hollywood couple I wish was still working together it's Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. If only to make another sequel to Romancing the Stone. Never mind that the first follow-up, The Jewel of the Nile, was a disappointment. There could have been a really great franchise there had its stars not broken up, with subsequent films involving one-off stories set in different, romantic parts of the world. Of course, Danny DeVito would be necessary for each film, too, but really it was the chemistry -- good and bad -- between Turner and Douglas that makes those movies work. Alas, we'll never get that third installment of the original series. But we are, no surprise, getting a remake, as Monika disappointedly told us a year ago. And Pajiba has an update on the project, which appears to be moving forward with Robert Luketic (The Ugly Truth) directing from a script by Dan McDermott (Eagle Eye). Dustin Rowles at Pajiba believes this will be Luketic's next film after finishing the upcoming Killers, rather than the remake of Barbarella. And it's easy to assume the director will cast Katherine Heigl in Turner's role. As for Douglas' adventurer character, perhaps Luketic can go for an Ugly Truth reunion and go with Gerard Butler.
MGM Studios Officially For Sale
Filed under: Deals, Executive shifts, Lionsgate Films, MGM, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Distribution, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond
MGM Studios' financial troubles will soon be coming to a sad end. Back in September, it was reported that MGM was in such poor shape that they might be forced to auction off their assets, including James Bond and The Hobbit. That day has come to pass. Variety reports that MGM Studios is officially on the auction block.MGM has been given a month of breathing space from their interest payments, time they plan on using to begin "a process to explore various strategic alternatives including operating as a standalone entity, forming strategic partnerships and evaluating a potential sale of the company."
But all hopes of survival may rest on what they sell off from their glorious history, including a library of 4,000 titles, the logo, the United Artists company, James Bond, and half ownership in The Hobbit. Time Warner, News Corp, and Lionsgate are said to be interested in all of the above.
As their library scatters to the four winds, it'll be really interesting to see what remakes and reboots it spawns. Remember, Robocop was on the MGM remake slate, and surely some hungry studio will snap that up. The Cannon Films and ITV Global Entertainment collections are just ripe for harvesting. Perhaps you'll finally see a Lifeforce movie, or a remake of Capricorn One, or an aspiring Tarantino type will buy up all those American International Picture rights and revive motorcycle gang movies. Sure, we all want to know who will wind up with James Bond, but it'll be far more fascinating if someone tries to remake Psych-Out. *
*It's possible this is considered one of AIP's "early" films, though it's unclear where that cut off date is.
Discuss: Your Perfect Movie Music Mix-Tape
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Fandom, James Bond, Trailers and Clips
You all remember the romantic rite of passage known as the mix-tape, right? Where you would try and convey how deep, charming, profound, and downright cool you were by compiling a group of songs for your intended? In the world of movies, filmmakers use songs all the time to create a mood, explain an emotional 'state of mind', or even to fill in what they don't have time to explain. As it turns out, so do we, and that's where the art of the mix-tape comes in. But this isn't just about music, and Cinematical is a film site after all, so I thought it would be fun to put together a little mix tape of songs I've come to love thanks to hearing them in the movies.
Now before we start, I should warn you that my mix tape isn't just a collection of run-of-the-mill love songs, because as I keep telling everyone, I'm not a run-of-the-mill girl. Instead, I've put together a 'celluloid compilation', that if given to me would guarantee that I fell head over heels into film geek love.
After the jump; some movie songs that would woo me right off of my feet (in no particular order)...
Could Money Woes Cost MGM James Bond and 'The Hobbit'?
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Executive shifts, MGM, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Peter Jackson, Politics, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
MGM has been plagued by financial woes for much of their long and illustrious career, but their most recent crisis could end up costing them two of their biggest titles. Nikke Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is breathlessly reporting that the studio is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy with over $3.5 billion in debt. MGM held a very long conference call with their creditors, pleading with themto waive their interest payments until February 2010, and allow them the cash they need for the rest of the year, particularly to fund its upcoming slate of films. Naturally, some of those are highly anticipated, such as Robocop, The Hobbit, and the latest James Bond installment. However, MGM's creditors aren't feeling particularly charitable, and may force the studio to file for bankruptcy. If that happens, they could lose James Bond, The Hobbit, and numerous other franchises as MGM would have to sell them to the highest bidder. Right now, they're trying to convince their Scrooges that bankruptcy is the worst possible option, and that Bond and Bilbo are big enough moneymakers to cover their debt. That's where the situation stands now, and it'll certainly be quite the economic spectacle to watch.
I find the news particularly interesting in light of Peter Jackson's remarks on The Hobbit at ComicCon, when he squashed rumors that the film was in the casting stages, and noted that it hadn't even really been green-lit or had its budget approved yet. It was a douse of cold water after a lot of breathless excitement, much of which seemed to come straight from the filmmakers themselves. Could the brakes have been put on because of MGM's financial woes? Possibly.
Continued below the jump
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