InsideMan Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Funny, too, because my friends and I were just discussing Inside Man last night. My good pal has a thing for when Denzel yells, "This ain't no robbery!" -- and for some odd reason, he's always saying it (in Denzel's voice). Everyone has THAT quote-crazy friend, ya know? But anyway, The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Spike Lee is moving forward with a sequel to Inside Man over at Universal -- a project that's been in the works for awhile now, but took a backseat when Lee decided to make Miracle at St. Anna. The director would return to the film in the same role, with Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, Reservation Road) currently in negotiations to write the screenplay.

Universal and Lee made a killing on the first Inside Man, which, in my opinion, was one of the more enjoyable heist flicks of the past few years, and so it's no surprise they're looking to dive in for more. Though they're not signed on yet, both Denzel Washington and Clive Owen are interested in reprising their roles -- and THR says the sequel will "continue the relationship between the two man characters but in a new high-tension situation." Not a big fan of the "it made $175 million so we have to do the sequel" thought process, but if there's a duo I'd like to see reunited on screen, it would be Clive and Denzel. Both were excellent in the first film.

What do you think? Down for more Inside Man? And where could you see them taking these characters?

Yes, 2006 is winding down, so that means pretty much everyone who writes about movies is making lists of their best and worst movies of the year. I like to make lists too but it's often difficult to because I simply don't have enough time to see every movie that comes out. So, I'm sure I miss some really great and some really terrible movies. Consequently, I don't always feel fully qualified to make these types of lists.

Even so, I can go on record with several movies I did like this year and will do so for your reading pleasure. Even though this year was pretty dismal for Hollywood movies there were still a few that made the cut. Fortunately, those outside the mainstream of Hollywood continued to do good work this year and were able to fill in some of the holes in my list left by the major studios.

Not that every film out of the Hollywood machine was total crap -- not at all. It just seems like more often than not, Hollywood doesn't give audiences anything new or particularly innovative but instead, gives audiences the same thing wrapped in shiny new packaging. More explosions, louder music, more CGI and sequel after sequel have become the norm rather than the exception. But as this article is not really about the sad state of affairs in current Hollywood, I will stop my rant before it goes too far.

Instead, getting back to the real purpose of this article, I present my picks of the top ten movies of the year -- with one caveat. This list is made up of movies I've actually seen so I'm sure one or two great films have slipped through the cracks and don't appear here. Still, try to enjoy the list anyway and happy new year. Oh, one more thing -- the list isn't in any particular order either. Ok, that's it. Enjoy.

Last year, AFI dove eagerly into a sea of drama and politics. They cuddled with Brokeback Mountain and got whiplash with Crash. With only an old virgin to keep them afloat, it seems that the AFI powers-that-be started to sink into the drama, and were happy to be rescued by the smiling lifesaver of 2006. Unlike the heaviness of the groups previous choices, this year's choices are ... different to say the least.

First comes the familiar -- the films that aren't surprising. There's some overseas drama with Letters from Iwo Jima and Babel. For home flavor, there's the indie teacher drama, Half Nelson, Spike Lee's Inside Man, United 93, and some music with Dreamgirls. So far, so not surprising. It's a decent range of dramatic choices, although by no means complete.

Then comes the smiling life saver. There's a penguin with Happy Feet, for starters. Top that off with two huge indie hits -- Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan and Little Miss Sunshine, and you hit some mainstream, some satire, and one hell of a Miss Sunshine performance. But then -- and this is where I get really confused -- there is The Devil Wears Prada. When I wiped away the eye-rolling feelings of superiority from her friends, the fat comments (which may be accurate, but are still scary), and a few other too-cheery moments, I liked the film. I wasn't sad to have seen it, or to have even spent the extra coin to see it in a cushy theatre with seat service. However, that being said, is AFI so desperate for relief from last year that they went a little too far in the other direction?

Call me cynical, but I have a really hard time getting excited about any film that Brett Ratner is involved with. Although, I guess I should give him a break because he's done some good work on films like, um, wait a minute, ah, well I'm sure there has to be one. Oh yeah, I enjoyed X-Men: The Last Stand. He directed that one, right? Although, that film was pretty much director-proof at this point in the franchise and if I know my Brett Ratner (and I do) I'm pretty sure he phoned that one in.

However, It seems someone must like what he's doing because they keep giving him films to direct -- and now, he's got another one. According to Production Weekly, Ratner, who is currently shooting the much-anticipated Rush Hour 3, has attached himself to an as yet untitled heist drama cleverly known as The Untitled Brett Ratner Project. And that's not all. Try to follow me here and I promise to do my best not to let the sarcasm come through too much. Joining Ratner in this new film, which is being written by Inside Man scribe Russell Gewirtz and tells the story of two Trump Tower janitors who plan an elaborate heist to steal from the building's luxury tenants, are Chris Rock and -- wait for it -- Eddie Murphy. Yes, you read that right -- Eddie Murphy. Apparently, Murphy will be segueing into Ratner's film right after he finishes up starring in The Untitled Eddie Murphy/Romeo and Juliet Project. Yes, I'm serious.

I'll admit I'm a little conflicted here because I did think Inside Man was a very well written film so The Untitled Brett Ratner Project has that going for it. And, I'm a fan of Chris Rock's stand-up and HBO show. However, when you throw Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy into the mix and combine that with a story ensuring the inevitable cameo appearance by Donald Trump and his bad rug -- all I can say is "Ratner, you're fired!" The UBRP (which sort of sounds like "burp", doesn't it?) is scheduled to start production this March in New York with an inevitable appearance at your local Blockbuster soon after.

When you think about independent filmmakers out there doing their own thing, one name has to come to mind: Spike Lee. From his first film She's Gotta Have It (way back in 1986) through Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour and up to his recent Inside Man, Lee has demonstrated his impressive skills. When you watch a Spike Lee Joint you know you're in for an innovative and interesting experience. That's what makes him such a virtuoso filmmaker -- he tries to do something unique with each of his films -- unlike most of the cookie-cutter product coming out of mainstream Hollywood these days.

Unfortunately, commercial success has, for the most part, eluded Lee -- up until recently with Inside Man. It was Lee's most successful film to date, earning over $180 Million worldwide. Plus, it was an extremely well-done bank heist thriller that featured standout performances by Clive Owen, Jodie Foster and Lee regular Denzel Washington. Now, according to Variety, Lee is "doing the right thing" and returning to familiar and successful ground for a sequel to Inside Man that he is developing with Imagine Entertainment and Brian Grazer. At the moment, things appear to only be in the development stages. But in true Lee style, he's already begun working on a script for the film with his Inside Man co-writer Russell Gewritz.

It's great to see a filmmaker with Lee's passion for storytelling and obvious talent finally getting the big-screen success and support he deserves. I might not always love his films, or agree with his politics, but at least he's never boring. Which is more than I can say for many other "directors" working today. No word yet on the return of any stars from the first film, a start date or other casting.

Anyone else out there a Spike Lee fan?

When you're as big a star as Tom Cruise, a little thing like Paramount giving you the boot probably won't affect your career all that much. People will still come to you, trying to convince you to be in their movies. Prime evidence of this fact is that, according to Variety (via Coming Soon), Cruise now has three projects from which to choose his next acting gig.

The first pic competing for Cruise's attention is the drama The Ha-Ha for Warner Bros, adapted by Chuck Leavitt from the novel by Dave King. In the pic, Cruise would play a mute Gulf War vet who is forced to take care of a 9-year old when his mother disappears. The next possible choice for Cruise is the indie political drama Lions For Lambs, written by Matthew Carnahan, which tells the story of a platoon of U.S. soldiers and what happens to them in Afghanistan. Cruise would play a U.S. Congressmen in the film investigating said platoon. Additionally, Robert Redford seems likely to direct the pic and may co-star as well. Plus, Meryl Streep is currently in talks to join the cast playing a reporter working either with, or against, Cruise's character.

Cruise's third potential gig is the film Selling Time for Fox which tells the story of a man who because he wants to go back and re-live the worst day of his life, hopefully making it better, must sell other parts of his life to anyone who wants them. This horror-thriller is being written and directed by Spike Lee and reportedly Lee has met with Cruise about the project several times, trying to get him to commit.

All in all, three pretty interesting choices. If I were Tom Cruise, I would pick either Spike Lee's joint Selling Time or Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs. These two films seem better, story-wise, and Cruise would definitely benefit from working with directors who have a strong vision like Lee or Redford. Really, either film would probably be a good choice for Cruise given the material and other elements involved.

But I guess if I had to pick one or the other, I would probably go with Spike Lee because he's an extremely talented director who's proven he can handle material like this -- especially with his recent and very well done Inside Man. Plus, I think Cruise and Lee would work well together and something interesting would come out of their pairing. So there you go Tom, problem solved.

How about you? What do you think Cruise's next film should be?

As Inside Man opens, a man stares into the camera in a too-small room. He speaks in clear, clipped tones. "My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself." And bang – as Clive Owen looks out from the screen, director Spike Lee sets the hook for one of the most satisfying pieces of grown-up entertainment big Hollywood's given us in a long time. Both Lee and his anti-hero spend the next 128 minutes playing us, and by the time they're done, we're glad they did. 

Four painters show up at a bank in Manhattan's financial district. The bank doesn't really look like it needs painting, but that's okay; they're actually there to rob the place. They take out the surveillance cameras, round up the staff and customers and get everything under tight control in an eye blink. Then they tell the cops what they've done … and then they're in no hurry at all. NYPD Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) catches the case – and Frazier needs to put a win up on the board, since $140,000 in cash went missing from one of his busts recently and Internal Affairs is sniffing around. Frazier and his partner Mitchell (Chiwitel Ejiofor) head over to the scene, Frazier takes command of the police presence from Capt. Darius (Willem Dafoe) ... and soon comes to realize that the mystery men inside the bank are really calling all the shots.

When the bank's president (Christopher Plummer) is told of the robbery - and which branch specifically is being taken down - calls are made to Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a high-powered fixer armored in a perfectly tailored cream ensemble and a demeanor that's as cold, slick and hard as a frozen lake. Plummer doesn't want her to stop the robbery; that's in the NYPD's hands. What he wants is to make sure that one very specific item in the bank never, ever leaves it. …

The recent flurry of pilot announcements (as has been the case for a few years) has a lot of actors and actress who we normally associate with movies heading to television. While the trend is well-established enough that most of the names aren't worth noting, the fact that Spike Lee is directing a pilot is undeniably newsworthy. To the point, Lee's has only dabbled in television, primary with movies and specials. The pilot, for a show called Shark about "an L.A. celebrity attorney who decides to become a prosecutor instead," stars James freaking Woods. Like Lee, Woods - a multi-Emmy winner for his work in cable movies - will be heading to network TV for the first time.

According to Lee, his own participation is due entirely to the fact that Imagine TV is behind the project. Having just finished Inside Man with Imagine, the director had such a good experience that he found he couldn't say no to the pilot. Woods? Maybe he's just bored.

Though there are still a lot of variables here - Lee actually was announced as the director of pilots twice before, and neither was ever shot - I can't be the only one whose Tivo would happily devote an hour/week to the team of James Woods and Spike Lee.

[via ALOTT5MA]