JoanAllen Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Medical science tells us that there's a portion of the brain called the R-complex that, nestled low and close to the spinal cord, governs simple, automatic brain functions like respiration and reflex and heart rate; other outlying, larger brain structures cover language, culture, memory and art. I mention this because Death Race, writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson's re-visitation of the 1975 trash-classic Death Race 2000, is wholly, entirely and perfectly designed to appeal to the R-complex portion of your brain. Death Race roars, rages and races down the track, all velocity and visceral violence, unencumbered by logic, sense, reason or dignity. My more evolved brain structures kept objecting to Death Race's more ludicrous contortions as it whipped around its curves, but my R-complex didn't want to hear the high-pitched whining voice of logic and reason; it simply grunted, settled into a soft cushion of popcorn topping and said "Shut up, bigger brain; bald man who talk cool killing now."

To paraphrase the scariest horror movie currently in theaters -- Mamma Mia! -- you wait long enough for a red-band trailer and then three come along at once, at least two of which deal with hitting the road in the name of action, so without further ado...

First up is the age-restricted trailer for this week's Death Race. I've yet to watch this one myself, since reactions posted elsewhere have assured me that whatever meager hopes I have for it being just a fun piece of trash cinema -- from a filmmaker who often lives down to that title -- are to be derived from moments shamelessly showcased therein. I'm no prude, having shelf space and soft spots set aside for the man's Event Horizon and the first Resident Evil, for the reliably butt-kicking Jason Statham and for the surprisingly present Joan Allen (him signing up for it, no big surprise, but her?). However, I'm roughly one trailer away (well, one feature away) from giving it the genuine benefit of the doubt.

Erik wrote about the original trailer back in June, and now one only has to wait until this Friday to determine just how fast and spurious this baby is.

After August comes September, and after Death Race comes Righteous Kill. The profanity-spiked red-band trailer for this NYPD thriller has been included after the jump...

A few years ago, a little film called Bonneville premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. A year went by, and then the film popped up at a few more festivals. Finally, SenArt Films grabbed the feature, and it's finally making its way to the big screen this year. You'd think that it must be some sort of super-indie to create pretty much zero buzz and not find any takers for well over a year after its premiere, but it's actually a film that has quite of few big-name actresses in it -- Joan Allen, Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, and Christine Baranski. (On the male side of things, there's also Tom Wopat, yes that Wopat, and Tom Skerritt.)

Now that it will hit screens this February, The Hollywood Reporter has posted about the film's unique marketing campaign. You'd think with a road trip movie named Bonneville, they might have some sort of car promotion, or maybe even a big party in Bonneville, PA. Not in the least. Instead, they are teaming up with Princess Cruises and hosting sneak previews on a number of the line's ships. It will be shown on oceanic trips to destinations like Australia, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Argentina.

I don't get it, but nevertheless, even if you're not cruising around the world on a Princess ship any time soon, this is what you'll get if you go see the flick next month -- a woman named Arvilla (Lange) is faced with a big life decision, so she grabs her two best friends (Bates and Allen) and they take a road trip across the US in a '66 Bonneville convertible. Of course, this trip is a rediscovery, so I imagine it'll be a bit like Boys on the Side, but for an older generation. Limited release begins on February 29.

Last May, word came out that a remake of the Japanese tearjerker Hachiko monogatari was in the works, starring the actor who has had a bum rap when it comes to animals -- Richard Gere. The production was supposed to kick into action back in September, but as is usually the case, the project was delayed. Hachiko, A Dog's Story now has a new start date in January, and Variety reports that it's also got a co-star and director. Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger) has signed on to star with Gere, and Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules) will take the directorial chair.

The project is based on the true story of the Hachiko statue in Tokyo's Shibuya station. A teaching assistant had a devout dog who would meet him every day. When the man gets sick and doesn't return home, the dog continues to wait, for what Variety says is almost ten years. As the remake story goes, Gere is a college prof who takes in an abandoned dog, so I'm not sure if the dog gets abandoned twice, or if he gives it a new home after it waits around for its master for years. Either way, it's sure to be full of tears and heartbreak, just what every moviegoer is looking for! Annoyingly, there is no word on who Allen is playing. Gere's lady friend? A sinister person from the pound? Who knows. The film heads into production this January in Rhode Island, if there are no further delays.

Sorry, Jason Statham fans. He's not going to be your "Real American Hero." Statham had been rumored as the likely choice to play Action Man in the upcoming G.I. Joe flick, but Statham insists he has nothing to do with the film. "The old Internet can be quite misleading at times," he tell MTV Movies Blog. "I don't know where that came from." Statham is keeping busy without Joe though, bro. The Bank Job is due out in 2008, and he's currently on the set of Death Race with a surprisingly excellent cast that includes Ian McShane and Joan Allen. That film is being directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (the terrible Soldier and the almost-terrible Alien Vs. Predator). I always wondered why that guy didn't change his name. You'd think years of people being disappointed when he's not Paul Thomas Anderson would get to the guy.

In addition to those projects, the ass-kicking Statham is lining up some sequels that will bring him back to some of his more popular roles. For starters, there's Crank 2, which Statham promises will be "effing ridiculous." "If you thought the first one was crazy, this is ridiculous. It's mad," he says. "I couldn't resist working with those chaps again. It gives me a chance to go wild in the aisles." For more on the Crank sequel, check Scott's report here. And yet another Statham sequel is in the works -- Transporter 3. "I have a massive yearning to do Part 3 with Luc (Besson). I think it will happen (soon)," says Statham. I haven't seen the Transporter films, though I hear great things. I do happen to think Crank is one of the finest pure action films in years. I'm dying for a sequel, if only to see how they make up for the fact that it sure looked like Statham's character -- spoiler warning -- died in the original. Oh, and bring Dwight Yoakam back! Man, I love that guy.

It's been a while since I've seen Paul Bartel's Death Race 2000, but I do remember that it's the movie that created the whole "hit that pedestrian with your automobile and you get 15 points" joke that people still (somehow) think is funny -- plus I remember it being a whole lot of grungy, campy, R-rated fun. (Most people seem to think mega-producer Roger Corman directed this particular flick, but nope. It was actually the admirably weird actor / filmmaker Paul Bartel, who'd also go on to direct Eating Raoul, Lust in the Dust and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. So credit where it's due.)

Plus it's probably the only movie you'll ever see that has characters named Frankenstein, Calamity Jane, Matilda the Hun, Nero the Hero and Machine Gun Joe Viterbo. The futuristic action satire is about a cross-country car race that awards points for pedestrians slaughtered. Fun stuff indeed, but did you know that "fan favorite" filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson is about to start shooting a remake for Universal? (Well, you should if you're a regular reader. Previous reports on this project can be enjoyed here, here and here.)

Jason Statham has been cast in the lead of Death Race for a little while now, but The Hollywood Reporter indicates that a few cool names have joined the fray. In addition to the also-previously-announced Tyrese Gibson, the producers will now cut paychecks for not only the fantastic Joan Allen, but also the perpetually amusing Ian McShane. (Unless I'm insane, IGN Movies broke the Allen news at Comic Con last week.) Ms. Allen will play an evil warden; Statham the reluctant prisoner forced to participate in the race; McShane a racing coach; and Gibson will play "Machine Gun," the role originally played by Sly Stallone in the 1975 original.

As you're no doubt aware, Paul W.S. Anderson is the man who brought you Shopping, Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, Soldier, Resident Evil and Alien vs. Predator. Some movie fans see this guy as the ruiner of all things potentially cool, but I see a guy who's directed six films -- two of which I really enjoy watching. In baseball that batting average gets you a new contract. (Can you guess which two flicks they are?)

A couple of new posters for The Bourne Ultimatum have been released, and I like the hard edge they're going for. I've never read the Ludlum books, so I can't speak to how well the screen character measures up to the book Bourne, but I know that as far as the movies go, it's long past time for the 'confused Bourne' to give way to a Bourne that knows which end is up and can get into a full-scale war with those Treadstone guys led by Joan Allen. The buzz on this one is actually pretty good -- Paul Greengrass is back, as is Tony Gilroy, who scripted the first two films, and Tom Stoppard also had a hand in the script. As for Matt Damon, he's been going around saying that this will be the trilogy capper and there won't be any more Bourne films after it, so hopefully the series is going out with a bang.

The plot involves Bourne coming out of hiding once again to make contact with a journalist who has gotten wind of his story. The journalist has some info about Treadstone, and David Strathairn plays the bad guy who gets wind of this new development and doesn't like it one bit. Strathairn sends Pam Landy back into the fray to find Bourne and take him out. Julia Stiles is back for the third time, but I doubt she'll have a more significant role than she's had in the other two films. The film, which was shot in a large number of international locales, from Morocco to Spain to France to Germany, and all over the U.S., will be hitting theaters on August 3.

I should probably start by admitting that I'm one of those rare people who is not a huge fan of the Bourne series. However, I've still tried to like them -- after seeing The Bourne Identity, I still went to see The Bourne Supremacy. Unfortunately, the one thing that would keep me watching them no matter how indifferent I am to the product was infuriatingly killed off in the last one. With that said, I'm not entirely thrilled that this trailer starts off with a bunch of old footage, and reminds me of all the Franka Potente that is no longer there. On the other hand, I found myself strangely amped by the poster -- both for Bourne coming home, and for the mysterious, yet completely descriptive of the movie, pose.

But how is this trailer for fans of the series? As Erik Davis said in his news of the first trailer, "it looks just like the other two -- a bunch of government types are still chasing Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), while he's doing his best to allude the villains and figure out his identity before it's too late." Joan Allen is still tough and cool as Pamela Landy: "Trying to kill him [Bourne] and failing -- just pisses him off." Damon is still beating down whoever comes across his path, with wildly driving cars or sailing through the air as he jumps from one building to the next. And Julia Stiles.. Well, she looks a bit goofy with her new 'do, but she only gets a brief flash of screen time. And finally, the whole trailer lies around the end revelation. Is that really something you'd want to reveal? Is it obvious and okay, or does it kill the sense of mystery? Either way I might forgive the Supremacy shocker and see what ultimately happens to Bourne.

Though it's hard for me to imagine him as a villain (after watching him play the sweet, yet emotionally deranged Stephan in The Science of Sleep), Gael García Bernal has been offered the role of bad guy in The Bourne Ultimatum, which just started shooting this week in Tangier. (Hmm, so that's why Matt Damon seemed jacked when I saw him at The Departed press junket.)

However, negotiations haven't even started yet and, with production kicking into full swing, folks will have to act fast (ie: give the dude whatever he wants) if they want to remain on schedule. The third (and final?) installment in the Bourne franchise finds our favorite amnesiac spy hero (Damon) unearthing clues to his past which somehow pin him up against a superkiller (Bernal, if he takes the part). Paul Greengrass will direct, with Joan Allen, Julia Stiles and David Strathairn set to star alongside Damon. Is it just me, or does anyone else have a hard time picturing Bernal as a superkiller?

I still remember what a wonderful shock it was to see the incredibly sexy, adult Rene Russo driving Pierce Brosnan crazy in The Thomas Crown Affair. (Yes it's a remake. And yes, I love it. So sue me.) In 1999's movieworld, most men in the 40s were paired up with lithe young things who were barely out of school, so it was stunning to see a hot leading man wanting a woman who was actually his own age. A look at screens now, though, suggest that things may have changed. The desperately under-appreciated Joan Allen was a romantic lead in The Upside of Anger. Maggie Cheung and Gong Li are babes in 2046. Catherine Keener saves The 40 Year-Old Virgin. All of these women are in their 40s, and they all (finally) are getting a chance to strut their stuff on screen. Great news, right? Well, maybe not.