I loved Tom Tykwer's Perfurme: The Story of a Murderer, starring Ben Whishaw as a sociopathic serial killer. Whishaw's performance in that film -- in which he had very little dialog and had to convey almost everything through facial expression and body language -- was just outstanding. In poking around IMDb a bit while writing some Sundance reviews, I found out that Whishaw (most recently seen in Todd Hayne's I'm Not There) has three new projects lined up, and I'm excited about all of them.
First up is The Restraint of Beasts (currently in post-prod), an adaptation of Magnus Mills's first novel. The film is being directed by Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, whose film My Summer of Love back in 2004 first brought Emily Blunt to notice.The darkly comedic story is about an unnamed supervisor (presumably Whishaw) working with two Scottish high-tensile fence builders in the countryside and "accidentally" killing people along the way by day and hitting the local pub at night. I have the book on reserve to read before the film comes out -- I like Mills's work but I've not read this one yet. If this film does well, perhaps it will be the beginning of a series of adaptations of Mills's books.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age reunites director Shekhar Kapur and Cate Blanchett in the follow-up to the 1998 film Elizabeth, which told of the early years of Queen Elizabeth I. The earlier film deconstructed the earlier history of Elizabeth I, when she ascended to the throne following the death of her half-sister, Mary Tudor, aka Bloody Mary. The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (who was beheaded when Elizabeth was three), Elizabeth had been raised a Protestant in the Church of England. Mary Tudor, a devout Catholic, had been married to Philip II of Spain, which made him, until Mary's death, the Prince Consort of England.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age picks up some years after Elizabeth left off, with the Protestant Elizabeth now firmly in control of the British crown. Once again, Elizabeth faces enemies and insurgency, this time from her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), and her former brother-in-law Philip II (Jordi Molla), who comes at odds with his former sister-in-law over both religion and her approval of the capture of Spanish treasure ships. The Inquisition is in full force in Spain, and the Catholic Philip regards Elizabeth as a heretic and whore, believing that God wants him to bring her down and bring England under the firm hand of the Catholic Church and the Inquisition. Once again, Geoffrey Rush is by Blanchett's side as Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster and adviser, whose intelligence about a plot against Elizabeth saves the queen's life, even as it sets in motion a war with Spain that could spell the end of her reign.
Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing after reading that headline: "Ryan Phillippe? In a Viking epic?" Is someone playing a cruel joke, or is this thin-as-tissue-paper pretty boy really going to try to pull off playing a tough-as-nails Viking? Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it would appear as if the latter is indeed true -- Phillippe, Sean Bean and Abbie Cornish have signed on to star in writer-director Menno Meyjes' Viking tale Last Battle Dreamer. HR describes Phillippe's role as being a "seventh-century Viking warrior named Thorfinn (sorry, I need to pause for a chuckle ... carry on ... ) who, along with his older brother, the battle-scarred Hakon (Bean), invades Britain." Maybe I'm totally mis-judging the guy (and, to be fair, I've sort of warmed up to Phillippe over the past two years), but no part of me sees him playing "a seventh-century Viking warrior."
But I digress. Bean and Cornish, on the other hand, I'm really starting to dig. I can certainly see them starring in a film like this, which Meyjes says is "a love story written in fire and blood." Back when this film was first announced, Variety said Meyjes was looking for an American to star as the Viking and a British woman to co-star as the noblewoman with which our heroic Viking falls for. Monika suggested Brad Pitt for the role. Well, I guess they're both blondes. Phillippe and Cornish will also star alongside one another in the upcoming Stop Loss, while Meyjes (who's completing post production on his matador biopic Manolete) has the John Cusack flick Martian Child (a film in which practically everyone at Cinematical wanted to review for some reason) due out this October, courtesy of New Line.
The way I see it, it's still way too early in the game to start taking most Bond 22 rumors very seriously -- just ask Abbie Cornish. Since there isn't much for fans to do between now and November 2008, we might as well enjoy a little speculation. The Metro UK is reporting that "unnamed sources" (we all know what that means) have confirmed that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty is in the running to star as the next Bond Girl. According to Metro's source, 'Shilpa is having secret talks with the top brass who are working on the next movie. She has a huge following in Bollywood, as well as a number of fans in the Western world – especially in Britain – so she will be great for box office sales.'
Shetty began her career in 1993 and has appeared in over 50 films, although the actress has had her fare share of controversy over the years. There has been talk of links to organized crime and obscenity charges. In the last year alone, the award-winning actress has been at the center of not one, but two major scandals. The first was for her appearance on UK Celebrity Big Brother; when a housemate was accused of racist behavior after making offensive comments about Indians on the show. Shetty got the last laugh though, and won the show with 63% of the audience votes. And how can we forget the maelstrom that ensued after Richard Gere kissed Shetty on stage at an AIDS-awareness event.
Since Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and company were still looking at locations a few weeks ago, it doesn't seem likely that they are remotely close to casting Shetty, or anyone else for that matter. While Shetty certainly has the look of a Bond Girl, I'm betting that this is just another rumor that will eventually fall by the wayside. Not to mention, if political groups were burning effigies after a kiss from "The American Gigolo," could you imagine what would happen once Bond was through with her?
Abbie Cornish's agent has come out and publicly refuted the story that's been circulating that Cornish has sewn up the leading lady role in the next Bond film. This sounds like a complete non-story to me, since we pretty much knew that already. Last time I checked, major casting deals aren't usually announced through the Rose Byrne Tribune. "I can tell you that information is not accurate," agent Belinda Maxwell told the Sydney Morning Herald, clearly speaking to the idea a deal is completely locked up. The only other quote from Maxwell is a reiteration of that first, careful statement: "Well, I can reiterate that that's not accurate information." In other words, she's choosing to stay within the bounds of the obvious -- that her client hasn't signed on any dotted line. I'm a van Houtenite, not a Cornite, so any news that puts distance between Cornish and this part is good news to me.
In other Bond news, Commanderbond.net is linking to some details on the upcoming fourth Young Bond novel, which will be titled Hurricane Gold. This one is set in and around Mexico, and has the young hero finding himself on an island that's a "safe haven for criminals." The name of the Bond Girl in this one will be Precious Stone, which sounds kind of lame to me. Couldn't they have come up with something better? Anyway, the book is set to be published in September of this year, but I'm not sure if that's U.K. or worldwide. Stay tuned to Cinematical as we continue to report on all things Bond-related.
Is it bad that I just got around to seeing Casino Royale for the first time a couple weeks ago? Lame, I know, but I needed to work up to it in my Netflix queue. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved it and anticipate Bond 22 just as much -- if not more than -- my fellow Cinematical writers. As was the case in the months leading up to Casino Royale, most of the talk revolved around who would be cast as the next Bond girl. Things came right down the wire last time, with Eva Green and Caterina Murino landing major roles. This time around, the list of female contenders became available almost immediately after Royale left theaters. Sticking with that somewhat exotic, unfamiliar vibe, names like Carice van Houten, Abbie Cornish and Rose Byrne were being thrown around. And the most concrete rumor came in the form of an Aussie scoop that claimed Cornish had flew to Singapore to meet with producers about the role. Since then, nada.
Now, however, MTV is reporting that Rose Byrne may have let slip some major casting information during a recent interview with the actress. When they asked her whether she was up for the Bond girl role, the gal denied it but said: "I think Abbie Cornish's got it." Byrne and Cornish are both Aussies, but they're also friends -- which means it's quite likely that one would know which roles the other had landed. If Cornish has landed the role, there's a good chance negotiations are still ongoing and we won't hear about it for a little while. Cornish is known for going both brunette (A Good Year) and blonde (Candy, Somersault) in her roles, but I personally would like to see some blonde on blonde action between her and Daniel Craig. What about you?
Bonus trivia question: Name the last film that featured a blonde Bond girl?
This summer has brought us a string of what are being called "threequels:" Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: Is This Movie Seriously Still Going On? One would expect those big special effect-laden movies to spawn franchises, but now a highly unlikely candidate may be headed for trilogy status -- Elizabeth. Director Shekhar Kapur tells Entertainment Weekly in this week's issue that he always envisioned the series as a threesome. Kapur and his Queen, Cate Blanchett, have already completed work on Part 2 -- Elizabeth: The Golden Age -- and it will be in theaters on October 12th. The new film (which Monika told you is already being blasted for its historical accuracy) will focus on the Queen and her adviser (played by Geoffrey Rush) during the time leading up to the Spanish Armada. Clive Owen will play Walter Raleigh, Samantha Morton plays Mary, Queen of Scots, and up-and-comer Abbie Cornish plays Elizabeth Throckmorton.
Blanchett apparently needed a bit of coaxing to return to her Oscar-nominated role for The Golden Age. Kapur says, "It's sometimes difficult for an actor when you're so appreciated for a part, you're just afraid that you may not find the same passion the second time. But as I assured Cate: I've never seen her do anything without passion." Will he have to twist her arm for the third chapter? Depends on if it happens. The Golden Age is being released by Working Title Films, and the studio won't greenlight a third installment until they find out how Age performs at the box office. "Talk to me in November," says Working Title co-chair Tim Bevan. The original Elizabeth grossed a very respectable $30 million, and was a critical smash, nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture (It won only one, for Best Makeup). Kapur feels confident he'll get his chance to bring his saga to a close. In fact, he's already hammering out the story. Says Kapur, "I want to make a film about the absolute loneliness of power. She (Elizabeth) was left with no one at the end. She outlasted everybody." Sounds pretty interesting, but if he really wants to make some cash, he should have Venom and The Sandman swing by 16th century England.
I've been a fan of Abbie Cornish for a couple years now, since I first saw her in Somersault, and have followed her career closely since then to see if she'd live up to the promise she showed in that film. I saw her last September at the Toronto International Film Festival in Candy, in which she played opposite Heath Ledger as a good middle-class girl turned heroin addict hooking for her next high, and was impressed with both her range of emotion and the chemistry she and Ledger had as the lovers tragically addicted to both heroin and each other.
Checking in with Cornish through IMDb, I was happy to see she has a slew of upcoming projects coming up with some impressive directors and co-stars. Like another of my fave young actresses, Ellen Page, Cornish is making some smart script choices and working with the right people -- plus she's just got the spunk and the talent to rise above the fray. Next up for Cornish is the just-completed The Golden Age, which reunites director Shekhar Kapur and Cate Blanchett, who once again plays Elizabeth I, this time in a storyline exploring her relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen -- yum!). Cornish takes on the role of Elizabeth Throckmorton, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I -- and wife of Sir Walter. Sounds delish.
The period romance takes place in the early 19th century, focusing on Keats' romance with Fanny Brawne, who has already been cast with Australian actress Abbie Cornish (who is rumored to also be in talks for the next Bond film.) The couple's romance only lasted a couple years before Keats' health deteriorated due to his suffering from tuberculosis. He died a year after they separated, at the age of 25. As much as we could do without another tragic, tear-jerking romance film, with Campion behind the camera this could be one of the better ones. And in addition to further boosting the careers of both Whishaw and Cornish, it could, as many Campion films are good for, garner some acting nominations for the pair as well. Next up for Whishaw is a new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh'sBrideshead Revisited.
Although Jane Campion's latest project seemed to have been forgotten, much like her career, it's finally making some headway. In May of last year, Martha Fischer posted that the director's latest project, Bright Star, would deal with John Keats and his relationship with Fanny Brawne, which stretched three years until his death at the age of 25. They had met when he had moved next door to the girl, and it is said that their relationship was not a big bowl of bright peaches. By the end, all that she could write in her diary was: "Mr. Keats has left Hampstead." (That is when he left for Italy in an attempt to get well, which, obviously, didn't happen.)
Finally, the casting is starting to come together for the film, and The Hollywood Reporter has released that Abbie Cornish, the star of last year's Candy with Heath Ledger, is in talks to take on the lead role as Ms. Brawne. If the talks are successful, this will bring the actress one step closer to a solid career as a professional love interest. She's got a thing for pulling hearts, with each of her most recent features dealing with romance -- Somersault, Candy and A Good Year. From there, she can take on the world! That's the way it works right? Most big-name celebrity actresses seem to start out that way -- Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock... Considering the rumors that Cornish might be the next Bond girl, it seems to be working already! Me, I'll just be happy to finally see another Campion movie, even if it will make me feel like I should have accomplished a lot more by the age of 25. On a side note: I wonder if they'll end the movie like Brawne ended the Keats relationship in her journal? That would be amusing.
I'm now convinced that we'll have a steady stream of Bond rumors until the next film finally hits theaters sometime during the 2008 holiday season, especially since the casting game is already being played. The Australian magazine New Idea has just published a piece that claims Aussie actress Abbie Cornish, most notable for the film Somersault, is flying to Singapore to meet with Bond principals about a role in the next film. A source at MGM -- who knows what kind of source -- apparently had the following to say to the paper: "Abbie is perfect because she is not familiar to film audiences, but at the same time people have become intrigued by her. She may not have enjoyed being caught up in a scandal at the time but it certainly helped her profile."
The scandal being referred is the one where Cornish allegedly broke up Reese Witherspoon's marriage to Ryan Phillippe. The paper claims that Cornish is due to meet with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli as well as MGM executives and Daniel Craig. This isn't the only Bond rumor flying around, of course. A major villain role in Bond 22 -- Vesper's Algerian boyfriend -- is also reportedly being cast, and Croatian actor Goran Visnjic, most known for his role as a doctor on the television show ER, has been talked about as an ideal choice for the role. Stay tuned to Cinematical as we waste terabytes bunking and de-bunking each new Bond rumor that comes down the pike. Also, check out our new regular Bondcast podcast, appearing every other Friday!
60% of Oscar nominated documentary features are directed by women, 40% of Oscar nominated foreign-films are directed by women, 25% of Sundance 2007 features and shorts are directed by women 10% of best-picture Oscar nominees are directed by women (although Little Miss Sunshine is co-directed by Valerie Faris) 6.25 % of top-250 domestic box office grossers in 2006 are directed by women 1.8 % of top-1000 domestic box office grossers in 2006 are directed by women.
Rickey doesn't posit anything based on these stats; she simply presents them as they are and then asks the question: what do we think those stats mean? Several of my fellow AWFJ members have responded with their own astute observations, so I thought I'd toss my own two cents on the subject into the pot.
Note: This review originally ran during the Toronto International Film Festival. It is being reprinted now because the film is in limited release.
I overheard some press folks the other day discussing whether to check out the film Candy, and whether it's even possible at this point to make a film about drug addiction and drug addicts, without resorting to the trite and cliched. The thing is, it's a truth that many stories repeat themes done over and and over again -- drug abuse, child abuse, adultery, politics, the line between love and hate -- misery and tragedy are great fodder for interesting stories. Who wants to see a film about perfect, happy people? It's not whether the subject matter has been handled any number of times, it's the way that it's handled in any given story, whether book or film, that will either make a story stand on its own merit or stumble as we agonize over the cliches. Two other (at least) films on the fest circuit this year, Sherrybabyand Half Nelson, told stories of drug addiction in completely different ways. Now director Neil Armfield tries his hand at the subject with Candy, an adaptation of the book Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, by Luke Davies, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Armfield.
I overheard some press folks the other day discussing whether to check out the film Candy, and whether it's even possible at this point to make a film about drug addiction and drug addicts, without resorting to the trite and cliched. The thing is, it's a truth that many stories repeat themes done over and and over again -- drug abuse, child abuse, adultery, politics, the line between love and hate -- misery and tragedy are great fodder for interesting stories. Who wants to see a film about perfect, happy people? It's not whether the subject matter has been handled any number of times, it's the way that it's handled in any given story, whether book or film, that will either make a story stand on its own merit or stumble as we agonize over the cliches. Two other (at least) films on the fest circuit this year, Sherrybabyand Half Nelson, told stories of drug addiction in completely different ways. Now director Neil Armfield tries his hand at the subject with Candy, an adaptation of the book Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, by Luke Davies, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Armfield.
After what The Hollywood Reporter presents as an epic search, Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce has finally found the man on whom she will hang her return to directing -- and it's ... Ryan Phillippe. Um, ok. Has he had a massive charisma-cum-talent transplant lately of which we are unaware, or something? Because Phillippe's not the first actor of his age who would come to mind as the answer to any talent-related questions.
Clearly knowing something we do not (or else having been told "no" by everyone she really wanted), Peirce is drafting Phillippe in to star in Stop-Loss, which she co-wrote. Assuming he signs that contract, Phillippe will play "a soldier who returns home ... and is called to duty again in Iraq through the military's 'stop-loss' procedure" but refuses to return to service. Already on board as the female lead is young Abbie Cornish, one of Kim's current favorite actresses; Peirce is hoping to begin shooting in August.
I loved Tom Tykwer's Perfurme: The Story of a Murderer, starring Ben Whishaw as a sociopathic serial killer. Whishaw's performance in that film -- in which he had very little dialog and had to convey almost everything through facial expression and body language -- was just outstanding. In poking around IMDb a bit while writing some Sundance reviews, I found out that Whishaw (most recently seen in Todd Hayne's I'm Not There) has three new projects lined up, and I'm excited about all of them.
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SCOOP: Spider-Man 4 and 5 Might be Shot at the Same Time!
Cinematical Seven: Disney's Awesome Live-Action Kid Adventures
