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Casting Bites: From Weisz's 'Dream' to Wasikowska's 'Eyre'
Filed under: Action, Drama, Romance, Casting
On this Tuesday, lots of female casting bites are hitting the net:First, Rachel Weisz has found her next gig. Variety reports that she's signed on to star with Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts in Jim Sheridan's Dream House. Craig and Weisz play a couple who move from Gotham to a New England town, and then discover that a mother and her two children were murdered in their new home. Watts plays the neighbor who knew the family, and Toronto is standing in for New England as production kicked off on Sunday.
And the rest of the goodies come from a post over at Deadline Hollywood Daily:
Cate Blanchett has signed onto Hanna, the Saoirse Ronan film that just cast Eric Bana. There's no mention of who she will play, but the film focuses on a CIA-bred killer 14-year-old girl "hellbent on finding her father, and uses the survival skills she learned from him on anybody who gets in her way."
Amber Tamblyn, meanwhile, has grabbed a starring lead opposite James Franco in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours. You know -- the story of the man who got his arm caught whilst rock climbing and had to saw it off himself to survive. Tamblyn will play his girlfriend in memories that get him through the ordeal.
Finally, we've got our Jane Eyre. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) has signed, after circling the production last November with Michael Fassbender. As for the Fish Tank star, there hasn't been official word following last year's announcement, but he seems to be signed on, which probably means a no-go for Wuthering Heights and Andrea Arnold. But it does allow him to get his May-December groove on again, moving from a young character named Mia who falls for him in Fish Tank, to all-out romance with the next youngin' Mia in Jane Eyre.
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, Romance, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical Indie
A Serious Man
Coen Brothers. Academy Award-nominated. Need more? "The culmination of their lives, reminiscent both of their own suburban childhoods in the '60s, and of their cinematic successes over the last twenty-five years." Michael Stuhbarg stars as "a man utterly at a loss to explain his life's severe turn for the worse; he is a man desperate for answers." (Monika Bartyzel, Cinematical.) Buy it.
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Couples Retreat
Shameless it may be, but "you end up laughing more than expected," I wrote in my review. Vince Vaughan, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Kali Hawk star. The comedy is broad and silly, but harsher truths occasionally emerge. Rent it.
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The Time Traveler's Wife
Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in an adaptation of the novel by Audrey Niffenegger. "Adds up to a mildly successful time-passer, though one too concerned with trying to target its audience rather than with trying to figure out where it's actually coming from." (Jeffrey M. Anderson, Cinematical.) Rent it.
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The Stepfather
"The most intense Lifetime Channel Original Movie that the Lifetime Channel never made. ... [It] just isn't enough." (Peter Hall, Horror Squad.) Skip it.
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Also out: Serious Moonlight, Free Style, Emma, Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic.
After the jump: Indies on DVD, library titles on Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner!
Girls on Film: Romance is a Dirty Word
Filed under: Romance, Girls on Film
Beware the arrows this week; we're just six sleeps away from Valentine's Day, that time of year when Cupid's bow sprays the populace with love bug-laced arrows. Or, more accurately, that time of year when jeweler's make you feel like a stingy fool if you don't spend your life savings on diamonds, when rose prices skyrocket, and every business preys on those who itch for a little of that dirty word called "romance."
Some may lead you to believe that it is the practice of romance that is a dirty, woman-centric desire on the big screen, but let's face it, folks -- we all love a little love. Boys, girls, men, and women. It's in almost all of our films, and is the basis of most of our favorite stories, from straight-forward romantic comedy and drama to action, sci-fi, and every other genre out there.
The menace seems to be in the word. Merely uttering romance breeds slights like "chick flick" and "crap," and inspires many a moviegoer to place one foot outside the door. But it's the 21st century, and it's time for a little evolution.
'Days of Thunder' Isn't Being Remade
Filed under: Action, Drama, Romance, Paramount, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman
It wasn't a huge hit. It didn't receive good reviews. And it's not really considered a classic by any measure. But Days of Thunder has its fans, and those people would be really pissed if Paramount decided to remake their beloved NASCAR movie. That's why it's surprising that the studio is not following with the traditional Hollywood procedure of redoing, rebooting or otherwise diminishing the original. Instead, according to Variety, Paramount is celebrating Days of Thunder on its 20th anniversary.No, it's not getting a special theatrical re-release nor is it likely that Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman will be reunited for a big occasion. Simply, the studio has made a number of licensing deals related to the film's anniversary. Kohls will be selling men's t-shirts with the tagline "You Can't Outrun the Thunder" and Robert Duvall's signature line, "Rubbin' is Racin.'" Also, there's reportedly a downloadable videogame on the way this summer!
It may not sound like much, but there's something to be said for Paramount's idea to spotlight a 20-year-old property. Are they interested in giving back to the small, loyal fanbase? Or, do they hope to acquire new fans -- a new generation of racing fans, for instance -- by promoting the heck out of an archive title with a continued niche audience? The reasoning from the studio is officially thus: "Days of Thunder is a timeless racing film that has maintained a strong following 20 years after its theatrical release."
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.
Cinematical Set Visit: Channing Tatum Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews, War
I have to confess that I don't think I could have picked Channing Tatum out of a line-up before meeting him on the set of Dear John. I knew vaguely that he was one of those incredibly buff Ambercrombie Models, I knew he danced, and knew he was going to be in G.I. Joe, but I didn't have a very precise image of him. As I disembarked from our car, he galloped past me, and I didn't recognize him right away. Shocking!
I think everyone has an image of what they think Tatum must be like. I'm happy to say that you're wrong. For one thing, he's charismatic in a way that I don't think has come across onscreen yet. I hope Dear John changes that for him. In person, he's incredibly warm, friendly, and sweet and no one could stop singing his praises. As you can guess, actors run the gauntlet as far as approachability goes, but there wasn't a smack of phony affability in Tatum. He even gave us all a hug after our interview -- and no, none of us asked -- which is not something actors really do. Come on, I don't want to hug 99% of the people I meet in a professional day. And yes, girls, you can feel every muscle.
Here's our Q&A with Tatum, which Cinematical participated in with UGO and Coming Soon. The questions were not all asked by Cinematical, so we've kept them all in bold as a reference.
Release Date Shuffle: 'Titans' Clash Cusses Everything Up
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Distribution, 20th Century Fox, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels
"
Damn the Gods"? Nah, more like "Damn the Suits" who opted to give Clash of the Titans a 3-D upgrade in the wake of Avatar's popularity, unaware or unfazed by the fact that A) that film was actually shot for 3-D, not just given layers in post-production, and B) that film didn't succeed massively because of star Sam Worthington (no offense, fella).
So Warner Bros. has bought themselves a week, moving Clash back from March 26th to April 2nd in order to capitalize on Easter weekend and give How to Train Your Dragon a whopping week before squeezing in on its 3-D screens. This move has left other studios to scramble to avoid competition (or fill the gap left behind), and so far as B.O.M. is concerned, here's how things have settled at the moment:
Damn the Gods"? Nah, more like "Damn the Suits" who opted to give Clash of the Titans a 3-D upgrade in the wake of Avatar's popularity, unaware or unfazed by the fact that A) that film was actually shot for 3-D, not just given layers in post-production, and B) that film didn't succeed massively because of star Sam Worthington (no offense, fella).So Warner Bros. has bought themselves a week, moving Clash back from March 26th to April 2nd in order to capitalize on Easter weekend and give How to Train Your Dragon a whopping week before squeezing in on its 3-D screens. This move has left other studios to scramble to avoid competition (or fill the gap left behind), and so far as B.O.M. is concerned, here's how things have settled at the moment:
- Fox's family-friendly Diary of a Wimpy Kid has moved to March 19th from 4/2
- Universal's sci-fi actioner, Repo Men, has moved to March 19th from 4/2
- MGM's raunchy romp, Hot Tub Time Machine, has moved to March 26th from 3/19
- Disney's Nicholas Sparks/Miley Cyrus vehicle, The Last Song, opens on March 31 instead of 4/2
- Summit's kiddie comedy, Furry Vengeance, has moved to April 30th from 4/2
Cinematical Set Visit: Amanda Seyfried Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews
Amanda Seyfried is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's hottest young stars. When we talked to her on the set of Dear John, she was fresh off Mamma Mia!, gaining rave reviews from Big Love, and on her way to bigger and bigger roles. In person she's absolutely charming, incredibly pretty, and very sweet. We had to catch her between takes and as she was getting make-up reapplied. Despite how late and cold it was, she managed to laugh and be perky the entire time we talked, which is not something that comes across on transcription.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
Without Terminator, McG Decides 'This Means War'
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Romance, Deals, Scripts, 20th Century Fox, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
Poor McG. At this time last year, he was the king of the world! Terminator: Salvation was rumored to be the coolest movie of the summer, and he was raking in franchise deals like there was no tomorrow. But there was, and it's now, but he may finally be stepping behind the camera again for a genre miles away from Judgment Day -- a romantic comedy. According to Variety, McG is in talks to direct This Means War, a romantic spy comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Bradley Cooper. This Means War has been through the rewrite mill for a couple of years, and its latest incarnation (penned by Timothy Dowling) is a delightful romp where two spies are lifelong friends until they fall for the same woman. Presumably they then try to kill each other using nasty, slick covert methods like cyanide capsules and thin wires you can hide in a sleeve. The girl's preferences, of course, will not factor into their bitter rivalry. It never does! (I wouldn't be surprised if Gerard Butler is the third corner of the triangle, since the tabloids claim to have spotted him lunching with Witherspoon. Those are the kind of rumblings that preceded The Bounty Hunter.)
Fox is desperate to get the film off the ground, and wants to begin shooting by late spring. If McG is as eager to return to the director's chair, expect the wheels to start turning immediately.
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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