AlejandroGonzalezInarritu Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Javier Bardem is 'Biutiful'
Filed under: Drama », Foreign Language », Casting »
For someone who made just as much of an impact in No Country for Old Men as Josh Brolin did, Javier Bardem has been taking it easy in the face of possible stardom. He took on some Cholera and a little Vicky Cristina Barcelona, dropped out of some other projects, and that's about it. But now Variety reports that he's going to star in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's new Spanish-language film, Biutiful. Being in the early stages, not much is being said about the plot, other than Bardem will play "a man embroiled in shady dealings who is confronted by a childhood friend, now a policeman." Could it possibly be Gael Garcia Bernal? The actor is pretty well linked to Inarritu.
I'm sure this will be a great project for Bardem, should this not become another film he backs out of, and one that has a decent chance of bringing him more critical acclaim. *
*Edited, thanks to Princess of Peace -- while we might hope for a reunion, this is all Inarritu's film.
Secret Cannes Film No Longer a Secret
Filed under: Foreign Language », Cannes », Shorts »
Earlier this month, I posted about a secret film debuting at the Cannes Film Festival. All that was known at the time was that it would be a compilation of 30 shorts, each about three minutes long and directed by an internationally respected filmmaker, and that it wouldn't be shown to the public. Now, thanks to an official press release, we learn that there are in fact 33 shorts from 35 filmmakers (including two pairs of brothers) and that the film, titled To Each his Own Cinema, will air on French television on May 20 following its premiere at the festival. So now I don't have to wish I could attend Cannes; I have to wish I got Canal +. Also revealed are the names of the 35 participants, all of whom were supposed to be kept secret until the film's unveiling, and a few details about the project. Each director was assigned the task of filming, "their current state of mind as inspired by the motion-picture theater." The only individual specifics mentioned in the press release, which was written by festival head Giles Jacob, are that Wim Wenders shot in the Congo, Tsai Ming Liang shot in Kuala Lumpur and David Cronenberg shot "in the ... toilet!" (probably meaning the bathroom, not the bowl). But anyone familiar with the directors involved can imagine the kind of diversity that will be seen in the film.
See the names of the 35 collaborators after the jump.
New Specialty Division: Paramount Vantage
Filed under: Executive shifts », Paramount », Paramount Classics », Distribution »
The stars in Hollywood aren't the only ones who get face-lifts. Paramount Classics is having so much work done, you probably won't recognize it after today. The art-house division of Paramount Pictures, founded by the studio in 1998 to compete in the booming indie-film market, had a big shake-up last fall that resulted in different leadership. Now John Lesher, the company's new president, is announcing his decision to break up the division and rename it Paramount Vantage. The old label is not going away completely, though. Paramount Classics will exist within Paramount Vantage mostly for the acquisition and distribution of foreign films and documentaries. The new company will be handling the rest of the art-house category including low-budget comedies and horror films. Its first release will be Babel, which is premiering at Cannes this month and comes out in theaters this October.
As much as the changes sound confusing and unnecessary, Lesher's plans are pretty smart. The name Paramount Classics -- it always seemed to imply its films are old -- was a bad idea on the part of Paramount, which built the division from scratch while most studios were buying existing indie-film distributors. Also, as a major player in the art-house market, the company has never seen the level of success that its competitors have, and starting fresh with a new name could distance Paramount Vantage from its weak past. Already on deck for distribution are new films from Noah Baumbach, the Coen brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson and the directorial debut of Mike White.
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