Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Review: 'Take'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/19/review-take/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/19/review-take/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/19/review-take/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,



Death is the ultimate dramatic device, but great art doesn't emerge from strong devices alone. In Take, the directorial debut of Charles Oliver, the impact of a single, startling tragic death immediately conveys the sense of watching a gravely serious movie, which is definitely the case. However, having immediately provided a tone, Oliver fails to follow up with a story powerful enough to justify it. That's not to say that the experience Ana (Minnie Driver) goes through after her son dies in a freak accident before the start of the film isn't relentlessly bleak, but there's hardly anything distinctive about the circumstances to make viewers care any more than they would if they were glancing at it in the morning headlines.

Still, Olilver has made a quietly observant work solely driven by the specific needs of two downtrodden protagonists with completely believable motives. In flashback, we learn that Ana struggled with her son's elementary school, which wants to put him in a special needs program. Meanwhile, she has a hard time communicating with her husband and finding decent work to get by. Elsewhere, reckless gambling addict Saul (Jeremy Renner) destroys his life in a whirlwind of debt. His misfortune, as it's shown in early scenes at a prison where Saul awaits execution, will lead him to accidentally murder Ana's innocent child, Jesse (Bobby Coleman).

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]]>bobby colemanBobbyColemancharles oliverCharlesOlivercrashdeath penaltydeath rowDeathPenaltyDeathRowjeremy rennerJeremyRennerminnie driverMinnieDriverpaul haggisPaulHaggisrestorative justiceRestorativeJusticetaketake tribecaTakeTribecatribeca takeTribecaTaketyler measomTylerMeasomEric KohnSat, 19 Jul 2008 18:32:00 ESTNew JibJab Video Debuts Online!http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/16/new-jibjab-video-debuts-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/16/new-jibjab-video-debuts-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/16/new-jibjab-video-debuts-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,




And you thought Wall-E was political. JibJib, the interactive e-card site founded by brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, have returned to the scene that originally brought them fame. The duo first received national notice during the 2004 presidential campaign, when their riotous spoof This Land presented the two candidates (and a variety of secondary players) as rotund heads on animated bodies spouting rhetoric in rhythmic harmony. Since then, the JibJab site has placed more focus on the e-card business, but now it's back to the good old days with Time for Some Campaignin', a jolly tune to set the stage for the Obama/McCain face-off in the weeks to come.

The new video is similar to This Land in that it opts not to spoof either candidate more than the other, instead focusing on the larger campaigning process. It's hard not to laugh at the goofy visuals and smartly composed lyrics (especially those involving the Clintons), but it seems to me that the Spiridellis' work will never attain the degree of insight offered by the satire on The Daily Show (or The New Yorker, for that matter) because of this resolutely non-partisan approach. What do you think?

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]]>barack obamaBarackObamajib jabjib jab this landJibJabJibJabThisLandjohn mccainJohnMccainthe daily showthe daily show with ...the new yorkerTheDailyShowTheDailyShowWith...TheNewYorkerthis landThisLandtime for some campaignintime for some campaigningTimeForSomeCampaigninTimeForSomeCampaigningwall-eEric KohnWed, 16 Jul 2008 20:02:00 ESTA Return to the Cuban Missile Crisis at 'Midnight'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/14/a-return-to-the-cuban-missile-crisis-at-midnight/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/14/a-return-to-the-cuban-missile-crisis-at-midnight/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/14/a-return-to-the-cuban-missile-crisis-at-midnight/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Yes, we're heading back to the Cuban Missile Crisis for a new film. However, the spotlight won't be focusing on the Fidel Castro-led island just south of Key West. Variety reports that Fox 2000 has grabbed the screen rights to Michael Dobbs' book called One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Krushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War. Changing things up a bit, so as to not tread on already familiar cinema territory, the film will focus on an incident that occurred at the same time -- up north in Alaska.

While all the main players were tensely trying to avoid a nuclear war, "a U-2 pilot took off from Alaska, lost his bearings, and ventured inside the Soviet Union." Talk about a really dumb mistake. So the guy figures out that he's gone off-course, his plane is about to run out of gas, Soviet planes are waiting to take him down, and he's got to try to get back to safe land. Oh, and just in case that wasn't enough fear for the poor dude, he'd previously spent 600 days as a POW in Korea.

It'll be a while before this hits the screen, but for now, you can go out and read the book for yourself -- this is actually one of those texts that got picked up after its release.

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]]>CinematicalCuban Missile CrisisCubanMissileCrisisMichael DobbsMichaelDobbsOne Minute to MidnightOneMinuteToMidnightMonika BartyzelMon, 14 Jul 2008 16:32:00 ESTThe Cast of Oliver Stone's 'W.' Gets Arrested in a Louisiana Barhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/13/the-cast-of-oliver-stones-w-gets-arrested-in-a-louisiana-bar/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/13/the-cast-of-oliver-stones-w-gets-arrested-in-a-louisiana-bar/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/13/the-cast-of-oliver-stones-w-gets-arrested-in-a-louisiana-bar/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When Josh Brolin takes a night off from playing a young George W. Bush to get arrested in a bar, the jokes practically write themselves. (Method acting, anyone?) That's what happened in the wee hours of Saturday morning in Shreveport, La., as Brolin, co-star Jeffrey Wright (who plays Colin Powell), and five crew members from Oliver Stone's biopic W. were arrested at the Stray Cat bar and taken down to the big house.

The Associated Press's account is sparse, so we turn to Shreveport's KSLA News 12 for more details (and thanks to Jeffrey Wells for the link). Seems it was closin' time at the ol' Stray Cat, and Brolin and his pals wouldn't leave, despite bein' asked twice, and they were bein' rowdy. So the bar staff called the police, who arrived just after 2 a.m., whereupon there was a bit of a scuffle, and a fellow named Eric Felland got arresting for remaining in the bar, public drunkenness, and resisting arrest. Brolin, Wright, and the other W.-affiliated folks reportedly interfered with the arrest, so they got arrested for that misdemeanor.

The Shreveport Times reports that Brolin posted a $334 bond and was free to go. Wright and the other four arrest-resisters had the same price on their heads. The guy who was being arrested in the first place, Felland, who is a lighting technician on the film, had a $752 bond. It's unclear from the early news reports how long it took everyone to get out of the clink, but one assumes they didn't have to fester in jail too long. I like what one of the commenters at Hollywood Elsewhere said, that it would have been great if James Cromwell, who plays George Bush Sr., had had to come bail everyone out.

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]]>george w. bushGeorgeW.Bushjeffrey wrightJeffreyWrightjosh brolinJoshBrolinoliver stoneOliverStonestray catStrayCatw.Eric D. SniderSun, 13 Jul 2008 20:32:00 ESTChina Commands Some 'Mummy 3' Cuts Before Releasehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/12/china-commands-some-mummy-3-cuts-before-release/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/12/china-commands-some-mummy-3-cuts-before-release/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/12/china-commands-some-mummy-3-cuts-before-release/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

When it comes to Hollywood movies, Chinese censors have always been a little strict. Case in point: The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television tells Variety that the upcoming release of The Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is still pending until Universal makes unspecified changes to the flick. The censors didn't give any details about what would have to be cut from the film, but speculation has it that the source of the problem is "usually themes involving ghosts are taboo in China".

Emperor sets the new and improved O'Connell family (Brendan Fraser, Luke Ford, and Maria Bello) smack dab in the middle of another adventure battling a tyrannical emperor (Jet Li) and his legion of undead armies. Universal already made some concessions to the Chinese government in exchange for permission to shoot on location. According to Variety Universal was urged to make the film, "less political and more focused on fantasy than real history" -- Less political? Now that's a word I would have never associated with the Mummy franchise.

A flack for Universal has already released a statement saying, "Universal does not anticipate any obstacles to clearing the film for China and looks forward to releasing "The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor" in the country where it was set and shot." Translation: We just spent $145 million bucks on this movie, and we want some of those Chinese box-office dollars. Emperor is just the latest Hollywood production to get a rough deal from Chinese censors, but at least they are in good company. On the upside, I guess the Chinese will never know what they're missing.

The Mummy 3 Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens on August 1st, 2008.

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]]>brendan fraserBrendanFrasercensorshipjet liJetLiLuke FordLukeFordmaria belloMariaBellomummy 3Mummy3The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon EmperorTheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperorJessica BarnesSat, 12 Jul 2008 12:32:00 ESTDiscuss: Do Sacha Baron Cohen's Antics Bother You?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/discuss-do-sacha-baron-cohens-antics-bother-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/discuss-do-sacha-baron-cohens-antics-bother-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/discuss-do-sacha-baron-cohens-antics-bother-you/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Call it performance art, savage prank behavior or audacious social satire. Call it whatever you want, but there's no question Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again. As Erik reported back in March, the Borat star began surfacing as his Bruno alter-ego in a variety of absurd situations likely intended for the movie starring the effeminate European character. Wearing chains at a Kansas church? Check. Weirding out Ben Affleck? Check. Airport dancing? Yep. Now, bizarre reports of a cage match in Arkansas, where attendees paid for admission expecting to watch a fight and instead witnessed two men get naked and lock lips, suggests Cohen is still at it, more than three months down the line. Not only that, but he appears to have pulled the stunt twice: First on June 5 at the Four States Fair Grounds in Texarkana, then again at Fort Smith's convention center, where a character named "Straight Dave" apparently selected a planted audience member to challenge him.

Whether or not you agree with Cohen's brash style -- he claims to take inspiration from Michael Moore's stunts --
the actor definitely constructs his gags with very specific ideas in mind. Borat took a stab at American stereotypes of foreign cultures, but Bruno looks like it's geared more towards attacking homophobia -- specifically as it manifests in middle America. However, it's hard to say whether or not such excessive spectacles will manage to correct misinformed perspectives or reinforce them.

Continue reading Discuss: Do Sacha Baron Cohen's Antics Bother You?

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]]>arkansasboratbrunoeric kohnEricKohnfeaturedhomosexualhomosexualitykansasmichael mooreMichaelMooreperformance artperformance artistPerformanceArtPerformanceArtistsacha baron cohenSachaBaronCohensatiresocial satireSocialSatiretwentieth century foxTwentiethCenturyFoxEric KohnTue, 08 Jul 2008 21:02:00 ESTAsian Cinema Scene: Did 'Panda' Teach China?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/asian-cinema-scene-did-panda-teach-china/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/asian-cinema-scene-did-panda-teach-china/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/08/asian-cinema-scene-did-panda-teach-china/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Could a cute children's movie about an adorable furry animal ignite change in a country noted for its official cultural restraints? Kung Fu Panda has enjoyed robust returns at the Chinese box office, which prompted a top cultural advisor to bemoan: "Why didn't we make such a film?"

As reported by Variety, Wu Jiang, a key member of the CPPCC Standing Committee, noted: "The film's protagonist is China's national treasure and all the elements are Chinese." The committee recommended that the government "relax its control in order to accelerate the reform and opening up of the cultural market and to enhance China's cultural influence in the world."

Though China produces hundreds of movies every year, most have been described as "stodgy propaganda pics" -- check out a recent post by Grady Hendrix at Kaiju Shakedown to see a few examples -- and only a select few achieve visibility at international festivals. Director Lu Chuan (Kekexili: Mountain Patrol and the upcoming Nanking Nanking) says the problem lies with the government itself, which stifles the creativity of Chinese filmmakers. He wrote in China Daily that he tried to make an animated film for next month's Olympics in Beijing but finally gave up: "I kept receiving directions and orders on how the movie should be like. The fun and joy from doing something interesting left us, together with our imagination and creativity."

Will the Chinese government be making any changes soon? Don't count on it. Sun Zhonghuan, another member of the CPPCC Standing Committee, says that Hollywoood studios have another big advantage: Kung Fu Panda's $130 million budget is nearly 100 times the cost for an average Chinese film. "We might have the ideas," he said, "but we lack the structure to realize them."

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]]>asian cinema sceneAsianCinemaScenechinese governmentChineseGovernmentkung fu pandaKungFuPandaPeter MartinTue, 08 Jul 2008 18:32:00 EST'Inconvenient Truth' Director Helming Secret Obama Doc?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/07/inconvenient-truth-director-helming-secret-obama-doc/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/07/inconvenient-truth-director-helming-secret-obama-doc/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/07/inconvenient-truth-director-helming-secret-obama-doc/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

From global warming to toasting a presidential candidate? Davis Guggenheim, who won an Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, is reportedly working on a film about Senator Barack Obama that will be shown during the Democratic National Convention in late August, according to The Huffington Post.

Guggenheim was seen accompanying Obama during his visit to Butte, Montana, on Friday afternoon. Guggenheim said only that he was traveling with his son and doing some interviews, though a tipster told a reporter the film shoot was on behalf of the Democratic National Committee and the convention. An Obama staff member later told the New York Post that "elements of what [Guggenheim] is shooting may be used," but declined to be more specific.

The Huff Post article says that Davis Guggenheim's father, Charles Guggenheim, chronicled John F. Kennedy, though IMDb shows that Charles Guggenheim won an Academy Award for Robert Kennedy: Remembered, a live action short subject that was compiled from footage that Guggenheim had shot over the years.

An Inconvenient Truth didn't move me as it did many others, but it would be interesting to see if Guggenheim could make something that would liven up the convention broadcast. No word on whether Senator John McCain has recruited any Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers, though Variety described him as "a major movie freak" back in January 2007; he picked John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate as his favorite political film.

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]]>al goreAlGorean inconvenient truthAnInconvenientTruthbarack obamaBarackObamadavis guggenheimDavisGuggenheimjohn mccainJohnMccainPeter MartinMon, 07 Jul 2008 14:32:00 ESTCinematical Visits MOMA's "Dali: Painting and Film" Exhibithttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/cinematical-visits-momas-dali-painting-and-film-exhibit/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/cinematical-visits-momas-dali-painting-and-film-exhibit/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/cinematical-visits-momas-dali-painting-and-film-exhibit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Even the weirder artists of the twentieth century have been attracted to the allure of Hollywood filmmaking, and Salvador Dali was no exception. In the fall of 1941, the surrealist painter hosted a masquerade party at Pebble Beach during one of his regular visits to the town. Called "Surrealism Night in An Enchanted Forest," the fundraising event, intended to assist European refugee artists, brought out a number of stars, including Bob Hope and Ginger Rogers. It was here, the story goes, that Dali became attached to a major studio production called Moontide. The great German emigre Fritz Lang was hired to direct the movie, and asked Dali to create a three-minute nightmare sequence for the film. Unfortunately, after the incident at Pearl Harbor later that year, Twentieth Century Fox deemed the project too bleak. Lang was replaced, and Dali's nightmare sequence went with him.

Although inspired by the movies, Dali didn't always have the easiest time making them. He would get another chance to inject his hallucinatory vision into American cinema with the hypnosis scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, but it's his unrealized projects that truly indicate the scope of the painter's ambition. So many ideas, such little time. Dali: Painting and Film, a breathtakingly unique exhibit currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, surveys Dali's completed cinematic works in addition to tidbits from the ones that never came to fruition. Marvelously structured to show how his paintings were intentionally cinematic, the exhibit contains all the obvious highlights from Dali's movie career alongside lesser-known productions. The importance in film history of his collaborations with Luis Bunuel remain uncontested; two large screens in separate rooms showing Un Chien Andalou (where the opening eye splicing retains its original gross-out impact) and L'Age D'Or attest to that. Fewer visitors, however, might know about Dali's collaboration with the Marx Brothers on a deliriously strange movie that sounded too good to be true.

Gallery: Dali: Painting and Film

EntranceUn Chien AndalouThe lobster phone.Portrait of Jack Warner

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]]>1932filmadolf hitlerAdolfHitlerafter hoursAfterHoursalfred hitchcockAlfredHitchcockandy warholAndyWarholanimal crackersAnimalCrackersbabaouobob hopeBobHopechaos and creationChaosAndCreationdalidali fascismdali painting and filmdaliandithesurrealis...DaliFascismDaliPaintingAndFilmdestinodisney animationDisneyAnimationfeaturedfritz langFritzLangginger rogersGingerRogersgiraffes on horseback saladGiraffesOnHorsebackSaladharpo marxHarpoMarximpressions from upper mongoliaImpressionsFromUpperMongolialage dorLageDorluis bunuelLuisBunuelmartin scorseseMartinScorsesemomamomastoremoontidemuseum of modern artMuseumOfModernArtpearl harborPearlHarborpersistence of visionPersistenceOfVisionsalvador daliSalvadorDalispainspellboundsurrealismsurrealist womanSurrealistWomanthe age of innocencethe marx brothersthe surrealist womanTheAgeOfInnocenceTheMarxBrothersTheSurrealistWomantwentieth century foxTwentiethCenturyFoxun chiean andalouun chien andalouUnChieanAndalouUnChienAndalouwalt disneyWaltDisneyEric KohnWed, 02 Jul 2008 22:02:00 ESTProducers to SAG: Strike? What Strike?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/producers-to-sag-strike-what-strike/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/producers-to-sag-strike-what-strike/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/02/producers-to-sag-strike-what-strike/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Hey, remember the weeks and months approaching the recent writers' strike, when all of Hollywood panicked and began rushing projects into production and feverishly coming up with contingency plans? Have you wondered why the looming Screen Actors Guild strike and the ongoing SAG/AFTRA catfight have not really provoked a similar hysteria? The New York Times' answer: because producers are calling SAG's bluff.

Or, in the Times' more tactful language: "the film industry's needs have overwhelmed any conviction that actors will actually walk out." That's its explanation for why big, expensive productions like Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Angels & Demons are steadfastly forging ahead despite the risk that a strike will send most of their casts off the set, leaving them with half a movie.

Could just be hubris, or willful stupidity. I haven't followed the recent guild developments closely enough to be able to speak with any authority on whether there will be a walkout any time soon. But look: the idea behind election markets (for example) is roughly that the best way to forecast the future is to see where large numbers of people are willing to put their money. That this time Hollywood bigwigs -- in particular, many of the people who will have a say in the outcome of any contract negotiations -- don't seem to be blinking in the face of a possible strike suggests to me that we aren't heading toward one, or at least not a protracted one. If we are, then it looks like a lot of people are going to be out a lot of money.

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]]>screen actors guildScreenActorsGuildstrikeEugene NovikovWed, 02 Jul 2008 10:02:00 ESTDiscuss: Do Politics Belong in Kids Movies?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/28/discuss-do-politics-belong-in-kids-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/28/discuss-do-politics-belong-in-kids-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/28/discuss-do-politics-belong-in-kids-movies/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



A couple of people have been griping about Wall-E director Andrew Stanton's refusal to admit that his cute little movie about a robot in love actually contains some pretty upfront green politics, but there's a far more polarizing reference in the film than its harmless pro-environment agenda. It's no major plot spoiler to reveal that, about an hour or so into the story, Fred Willard appears in a recorded message as the mysterious president of Earth's corporate government and orders the ship's captain (Jeff Garlin) to "stay the course." Wait, we've heard this one before: It was the go-to statement used by the Bush administration for about three years or so when describing its modus operandi in Iraq (the term was abandoned when staying the course started to sound like a bad idea). In Wall-E, the context is quite different -- it's an order to not do something, rather than take action -- but hard to ignore nonetheless.

Certain critics with (surprise!) conservative slants have taken issue with this. At Dirty Harry's Place, John Nolte expresses his disappointment in the first paragraph of his review: "Have we lost the wonderful studio who brought us The Incredibles and Ratatouille to Bush Derangement Syndrome?" he asks. New York Post critic Kyle Smith picked up the rant and decided to write his own, even though he hadn't seen the film yet: "This kind of crack, lame as it is, also breaks the spell of the movie by hurling you out of the theater and back into reality."

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]]>andrew stantonAndrewStantonanimated filmsAnimatedFilmsbrad birdBradBirdconservativeconservative biasConservativeBiasconservativesdirty harrys placeDirtyHarrysPlaceeric kohnEricKohnfamily filmsFamilyFilmsfeaturedfred willardFredWillardiraqjohn nolteJohnNoltekyle smithKyleSmithliberalliberal biasLiberalBiasliberalsnew york postNewYorkPostpixarpixar wall-ePixarWall-epoliticspresident bushpresident2008PresidentBushratatouillestay the courseStayTheCoursethe incrediblesTheIncrediblestopicalwall-ewalleEric KohnSat, 28 Jun 2008 18:32:00 ESTObama Endorses Jeff Bridges for Presidenthttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/obama-endorses-jeff-bridges-for-president/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/obama-endorses-jeff-bridges-for-president/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/obama-endorses-jeff-bridges-for-president/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When it comes to sifting through all actors responsible for portraying the most powerful man on the planet, there's no shortage of options. John Travolta did a great Bill Clinton impersonation in Primary Colors and Timothy Bottoms delivered a near-perfect imitation of George W. Bush in both D.C. 9/11: Time of Crisis and That's My Bush! Neither one comes across as particularly flattering, so presidential nominee Barack Obama has chosen a safer bet: At a recent party in Los Angeles, Obama revealed that he prefers Jeff Bridges' conflicted commander-in-chief in The Contender. Granted, he may have said this simply to keep his audience happy -- in this case, Contender director Rod Lurie, one of the attendees who was willing to plop down $28,000 for the event. "'I just plugged your movie," Obama told Lurie, according to a report the director sent to Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeffrey Wells.

Still, when you're under the kind of intense scrutiny that Obama currently endures, Bridges actually seems like a pretty safe choice. Choose Anthony Hopkins in Nixon and it sounds like you're endorsing the bad guy. Choose Kevin Kline in Dave and you come across as disingenuous. Choose Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove and somebody will call you incompetent. Bridges, on the other hand, plays a fierce leader bound to his moral convictions. Of course, Obama also expressed sympathy over Lurie's short-lived television show Commander-in-Chief, which featured Geena Davis as the first woman president. Perhaps it's no coincidence that he and Hillary have publicly made amends.

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]]>1993911anthony hopkinsanthony hopklinsAnthonyHopkinsAnthonyHopklinsbar...barackbarack obamabarack-obamaBarackObamabill clintonBillClintoncommander in cheifcommander in chiefcommander in chief t...CommanderInCheifCommanderInChiefCommanderInChiefT...davedc 911 time of crisisDc911TimeOfCrisiseric kohnEricKohngeorge bushgeorge w. bushGeorgeBushGeorgeW.Bushhillar...hillary clintonHillaryClintonhollywoodhollywood elsewhereHollywoodElsewhereivan reitmanIvanReitmanjeff bridgesjeff wellsJeffBridgesjeffrey wellsJeffreyWellsJeffWellsjohn travoltaJohnTravoltakevin klineKevinKlinelos angelesLosAngelesmike nicholsMikeNicholsnixonoliver stoneOliverStonepoliticsprimary colorsPrimaryColorsrod lurieRodLuriethats my bushThatsMyBushtimothy bottomsTimothyBottomsEric KohnFri, 27 Jun 2008 18:32:00 EST'Swing Vote' Jumps on Viral Bandwagon with Campaign Commercialshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/swing-vote-jumps-on-viral-bandwagon-with-campaign-commercials/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/swing-vote-jumps-on-viral-bandwagon-with-campaign-commercials/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/27/swing-vote-jumps-on-viral-bandwagon-with-campaign-commercials/#commentsFiled under: , , ,




I know that studio attempts at "viral" internet marketing are a dime a dozen these days, but you should watch this. It's funny.

Swing Vote, due August 1st, presents the wildly improbable scenario that a United States presidential election comes down to one politically apathetic New Mexican's choice, leading the candidates -- an incumbent Republican played by Kelsey Grammer and a Democratic challenger played by Dennis Hopper -- to converge on his tiny hometown and court like they've never courted before. The obvious marketing hook: a campaign ad! Actually four of them, two by each candidate, all targeting Kevin Costner's Bud Johnson. My favorite one is above; the rest are here and here.

I like these because they're done with some nuance; I particularly enjoyed the parodies of real-life candidates' disingenuous tendency to "swing to the middle," decimating whatever convictions they previously claimed to hold to pander to "moderate" swing voters. The folks behind these videos take that to its absurd conclusion, of course, with the Republican uncomfortably embracing gay marriage and the Democrat haranguing his opponent about not being pro-life enough. The latter's the video I've embedded at the top of the post -- it cracked me up.

[hat tip: Cinema Blend]

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]]>dennis hopperDennisHopperkelsey grammerKelseyGrammerkevin costnerKevinCostnerswing voteSwingVoteviral marketingViralMarketingEugene NovikovFri, 27 Jun 2008 15:31:00 ESTTony Danza Wants to Play Nixon Aidehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/tony-danza-wants-to-play-nixon-aide/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/tony-danza-wants-to-play-nixon-aide/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/tony-danza-wants-to-play-nixon-aide/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Yesterday's New York Post contained a gossip item in Page Six taken from the book party for James Rosen's The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate in New York, where attendee Tony Danza expressed an interest in playing Richard Nixon aide H.R. Halderman -- maybe in a movie version of Rosen's book. Halderman, who died in 1993, worked for Nixon as White House Chief of Staff until the Watergate scandal landed him eighteen months in prison in 1973. His story, partially recounted in The Strong Man, involved a longstanding relationship with Nixon going back to the 1950s and the tense moments immediately before and after the president's resignation. In between, he was involved in a botched attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro and other tumultuous events dutifully recorded in Halderman's diary, which became available to the public years later.

Many political scandals often revolve around a single corrupt individual, but it's the right hand man whose story can be most revealing. (Roy Cohen's personal drama has way more twists than that of Joseph McCarthy, for example.) There's little doubt that Halderman's experiences would work well on the big screen, but this wouldn't be the first time: IMDb lists no less than five actors who have portrayed Halderman, including James Downing in The Pentagon Papers, as recently as 2003. Would Danza make sense in this role? And will any film have a chance at getting people interested in this story after Frost/Nixon nabs the spotlight later this year?

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]]>197319932003eric kohnEricKohnfrost nixonFrostNixonjames downingjames rosenJamesDowningJamesRosenjohn mitchellJohnMitchellnixonnixon frostNixonFrostpentagonprisonstrong manStrongManthe pentagon paperthe strong manthe strong man john mitchell and the secrets of watergateThePentagonPaperTheStrongManTheStrongManJohnMitchellAndTheSecretsOfWatergatetony danzaTonyDanzawatergatewhite housewhite house chief of staffWhiteHouseWhiteHouseChiefOfStaffEric KohnThu, 26 Jun 2008 19:32:00 ESTGeorge Lucas Testifies in Washington D.C. -- Yes, Really!http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/george-lucas-testifies-in-washington-d-c-yes-really/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/george-lucas-testifies-in-washington-d-c-yes-really/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/26/george-lucas-testifies-in-washington-d-c-yes-really/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

This isn't exactly film news, but it was too odd not to share with Cinematical. I honestly thought it had originated at The Onion, and not with the AP!

On Tuesday, George Lucas testified before the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. His intentions were really very admirable, as he was arguing in favor of reforming the universal service fund, which provides Internet and telephone access in rural, low-income, and high cost areas of the country. Lucas is passionate about education reform, and he testified in favor of making Internet access "a digital civil right," that is free to schools and libraries.

While his intentions were good, the saga of Lucas and the subcommittee quickly became downright goofy. Several lawmakers took advantage of Lucas' appearance to crack Star Wars jokes. Rep. Mike Doyle declared "The universal service fund needs to be blown up like the Death Star," while Rep. Lee Terry compared himself and fellow Representative Rick Boucher to Luke Skywalker, and their opponents to Darth Vader. Our tax dollars at work, people.

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]]>George LucasGeorgeLucasHouse subcommitteeHouseSubcommitteeElisabeth RappeThu, 26 Jun 2008 09:32:00 ESTHey, the Academy Makes Some Smart Rule Changeshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/19/hey-the-academy-makes-some-smart-rule-changes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/19/hey-the-academy-makes-some-smart-rule-changes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/19/hey-the-academy-makes-some-smart-rule-changes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Well, well. Here's some welcome news. After this year's much balleyhooed disaster with the Best Foreign Film Oscar noms -- recap: lauded Romanian Cannes winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days somehow didn't even make it onto the Oscar shortlist -- The Envelope's Mark Olsen reports that a rule change has been voted in for next year's event. Now, I don't like to get too worked up about the Oscars -- it's such an insidery, backpatting schmoozefest of the "You're great!" "No, you're great!" variety -- but last year's foreign noms really pissed me off.

I wasn't as enarmored of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days as many of my fellow critics were, but even so, it's a masterful, tensely drawn piece of filmmaking, it won the Palme d'or and gave critics worldwide a collective cinematic orgasm, and it damn sure deserved not just to be shortlisted, but to make the final cut of nominees. That it wasn't nominated was a travesty, and confirmed the ongoing suspicion of many in the film community that many of the people in the Academy who are charged with making decisions around foreign film noms are a pack of drooling idiots.

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]]>2 days3 weeks4 months4Monthsacademy awardsbest foreign filmbest songBestForeignFilmBestSongoscar rule changeOscarRuleChangeoscarsKim VoynarThu, 19 Jun 2008 18:31:00 ESTDiscuss: Dwayne Johnson, Philanthropisthttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/17/discuss-dwayne-johnson-philanthropist/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/17/discuss-dwayne-johnson-philanthropist/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/17/discuss-dwayne-johnson-philanthropist/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



There's no way around it: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson owes at least some of his fame to the way his dominating figure fits the blockbuster action stereotype with near-mechanical sleekness. However, he also offers an alternative to that reductive perspective. Looking sharp in a business suit and speaking with the relaxed professional discipline of a CEO, Johnson showed up at a screening of Get Smart on Sunday at the CineVegas Film Festival displaying sheer confidence. The screening took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, where Johnson had recently acted in Race to Witch Mountain ("We just added to the chaos," he said), but on this visit, Johnson got a chance to remind people that he's not just a one-note performer, but someone who plays an active role in the international film community (not to mention the health community, since The Rock Foundation pushes obesity prevention).

Outside of his supremely meta performance in Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, Johnson has made his interests in adventurous cinema increasingly clear, and boldly champions independent artists. You can get a small glimpse of this aspect of his personality in Operation Filmmaker, documentarian Nina Davenport's account of an Iraqi filmmaker named Muthana Mohmed whose aspirations tragically fall short of the expectations surrounding him. Landing the opportunity to work for Liev Schreiber on the set of Everything is Illuminated, the 25-year-old Mohmed grows increasingly frustrated with the boring tasks given to him, and continually blows opportunities as a result of his unbalanced work ethic.

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]]>cinevegascinevegas film festi...cinevegas2008CinevegasFilmFesti...cinevegasfilmfestivaldwayne the rock john...DwayneTheRockJohn...everything is illumi...EverythingIsIllumi...featuredget smartGetSmartiraqiraq warIraqWarliev schreiberliev schrieberliev scrhreiberLievSchreiberLievSchrieberLievScrhreibermuthanamuthana mohmedMuthanaMohmednina davenportNinaDavenportoperation filmmakerOperationFilmmakerplanet hollywoodplanet hollywood res...PlanetHollywoodPlanetHollywoodRes...production assistantsProductionAssistantsrace to witch mountainRaceToWitchMountainrichard kellyRichardKellysouthland talessouthland tales trai...SouthlandTalesSouthlandTalesTrai...the rockthe rock foundationTheRockTheRockFoundationEric KohnTue, 17 Jun 2008 14:02:00 ESTRobin Williams Looks Into 'The Prince of Providence'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/11/robin-williams-looks-into-the-prince-of-providence/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/11/robin-williams-looks-into-the-prince-of-providence/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/11/robin-williams-looks-into-the-prince-of-providence/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Almost two full years ago, Russell Crowe was looking to star in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Stanton's The Prince of Providence, which was being helmed by Michael Corrente. Since that time, Crowe is out, the project is still in the works, and as The Hollywood Reporter posts, it might be getting itself a serving of Robin Williams.

The script, which was written by David Mamet and polished by Howard Korder, focuses on Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, a corrupt politician "who dominated Providence's political machine for 21 years." There's no word on who Robin Williams will play if his scheduling works out, but Oliver Platt will take on the role of Cianci (quite the change from Crowe), and be joined by the likes of Dermot Mulroney, Adam Goldberg (Ronnie Gantz), Bradley Cooper (Haxton), and Ed Burns.

All of the actors sound great, but it will be even better if Williams officially signs on. After so many questionable films in the last handful of years, it would be so very nice to see Robin stretching his acting chops again. Production will begin later this summer in Rhode Island.

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]]>Adam GoldbergAdamGoldbergBradley CooperBradleyCooperCinematicalDermit MulroneyDermitMulroneyEd BurnsEdBurnsMichael CorrenteMichaelCorrenteOliver PlattOliverPlattRobin WilliamsRobinWilliamsThe Prince of ProvidenceThePrinceOfProvidenceMonika BartyzelWed, 11 Jun 2008 16:31:00 ESTNewbie Writer Will Adapt Warren Ellis' 'Ocean'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/newbie-writer-will-adapt-warren-ellis-ocean/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/newbie-writer-will-adapt-warren-ellis-ocean/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/newbie-writer-will-adapt-warren-ellis-ocean/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I know some of you are super-jazzed about political content and political film, so how about a good, healthy dose of politics in a science fiction wonderland? In August of last year, producers Gianni Nunnari and Nick Wechsler optioned Warren Ellis' comic mini-series/graphic novel Ocean. Now, The Hollywood Reporter posts that new writer Ryan Condal has been tapped to write the adaptation. He has not penned a produced feature yet, but THR notes that he is known for a spec called Galahad, "a revisionist take on the King Arthur legend."

The writer's background certainly should help here. I'm betting that even if you haven't read Ellis' work, this should sound familiar. On one of Jupiter's Moons, Europa, thousands of coffins are found that hold "angel-like bodies and a giant weapon of mass destruction." "A U.N. weapons inspector is sent to investigate the find, teaming with a space station crew, when a powerful conglomerate moves in to exploit the discovery." And the place he's sent to -- Cold Harbor.

Are you ready for some weapons of mass space destruction?

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]]>CinematicalOceanRyan CondalRyanCondalWarren EllisWarrenEllisMonika BartyzelThu, 05 Jun 2008 15:40:00 ESTA Teaser Poster for 'W'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/a-teaser-poster-for-w/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/a-teaser-poster-for-w/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/05/a-teaser-poster-for-w/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If anyone was still expecting Oliver Stone's W to be a sympathetic, thoughtful treatment of a controversial figure a lá Nixon, you can pretty much toss that out the window. The teaser poster for the rushed-to-production George W. Bush biopic -- a piece of artwork Lionsgate took with them to Cannes -- makes Stone's attitude toward the man pretty clear. Check it out after the jump.

My question is this: does anyone seriously think that people are going to flock to the theater in the middle of election season lured by the promise of... Bushisms? That's your marketing pitch? Bush supporters don't appreciate the jibes, and Democrats have already heard all the jokes.

Look, I don't want a movie that's kind to Bush, or even one that's "even-handed"; I just want one that's thoughtful. Of course it's possible that the poster doesn't match the tone of Stone's film; after all, the Lionsgate marketing department almost certainly had final say. Granted, too, this was a poster produced for Cannes, and may not be representative of the eventual American campaign. But everything I've heard about W -- most notably this -- indicates that the poster has it pretty much right. Bush is a frat boy, a bumbler, "the improbable president." No doubt. But is he anything else?

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]]>George W. BushGeorgeW.BushOliver StoneOliverStoneWEugene NovikovThu, 05 Jun 2008 08:02:00 EST