Henry Poole Is Here Trailer


When Pearl Jam's video for "Jeremy" came out, I think I watched it a billion times -- one, because it was damn good, and two, because I was young enough to crush on the cute, doomed, floppy-haired star. Now Mark Pellington, who directed the video, is bringing us the Luke Wilson-starring Henry Poole is Here, and you can check out the trailer above.

Not surprisingly, there is great music, but I'm not so sure on this whole premise -- it's too "Jesus on toast" for me. Nevertheless, Wilson stars as Poole, a guy who finds out he has 6 months to live, retreats from his life, and sets on a course to die in suburbia with junk food and booze. But then his neighbor notices a heavenly face on his house's stucco. Miracles ensue, love with Radha Mitchell grows, and Henry finds a purpose in life.

Now the question becomes: Will Henry Poole find his own miracle, or will he end up like Jeremy?

The film hits theaters July 25.

The popularity and quality of DVDs, the rise of home theaters, the general unpleasantness of the modern cineplex experience -- when pinpointing blame for declining interest in going to the movies, all of these reasons (and a few more as well) likely play a part. Nonetheless, for studios and theater chains, the "why" isn't quite as important as the "how do we turn this awful trend around?" And if the past couple of years are any indication, their prime solution seems to involve trotting out a technology that's more than half a century old, slightly improving its quality, and touting it as some sort of revolutionary step forward. That's right, we're talking about 3D, which began its comeback in exclusive IMAX-only presentations of random major theatrical releases (like 2006's Open Season), and has now begun its full infiltration of the mainstream, most notably with last November's Beowulf, a CG spectacle that -- in nearly a third of all the theaters it was projected -- required the use of advanced red-and-blue glasses to get the full, eye-popping experience.

Now the next phase of the technique's attempted resurrection arrives in the form of U2 3D, the first live-action film to ever be shot completely in 3D. And as with Beowulf, the same inherent positives and negatives persist. Directed by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington using a wide array of 3D cameras, this document of U2's 2006 stop in Argentina on their Vertigo tour -- including footage from seven different performances -- is a striking up-close-and-personal view of the iconic band running through a greatest hits set list to a raucous outdoor stadium audience. What Owens and Pellington's film provides is an immersive front row seat at a U2 show, which -- with its elongated stage platforms that stretch into the crowd, and an immense, multifaceted screen presenting all manner of graphics and text -- seems to have been custom-designed to be transposed into three dimensions. Attuned to the bass of Adam Clayton in "Where the Streets Have No Name" and the crooning of Bono during a fantastic rendition of "One," the spectators rock, sway and bounce with rhythmic exhilaration, feeding into the titanic ego of U2's frontman and washing over the band's calmly cool guitar god The Edge.

The logjam may have been broken at Sundance. Just as I finished writing something about the slow selling conditions over the usually busy first weekend, Variety broke the news that Choke and Henry Poole is Here have both been sold.

Fox Searchlight acquired Choke in a deal valued at $5 million, for which the distributor receives "world rights, less several international territories," according to Variety. Erik Davis told us the film's world premiere on Monday night was a hot ticket and that it received shouts and cheers at the conclusion of the screening.

As a fan of the source material -- the novel comes from Fight Club author Chuck Palahnuik -- Erik said he had some issues with it. His review explains: "First-time director Clark Gregg (who also penned the script) decided to turn this adaptation into a straight-up laugher that really works ... some of the time." Erik was mighty impressed with Sam Rockwell's performance as a scheming sexual addict, though he wonders if "casual moviegoers and non-Palahniuk fanboys" will be care. Fox Searchlight now has five million reasons to make them care.

In the other big deal of the moment, Overture Films acquired US rights to comedy/drama Henry Poole is Here for about $3.5 million. Mark Pellington directed; he previously made Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, and a whole bunch of music videos. Henry Poole stars Luke Wilson as a man who believes that he is dying, so he leaves his fiancee and family business to spend his final days alone -- but no one will leave him alone! To repeat an old joke, Overture Films now has three and a half million reasons to hope moviegoers will not, in fact, leave him alone.

When The Jazz Singer arrived in theaters in 1927, it was far from perfect. In fact, despite heralding the arrival of sound pictures, its audio was quite poor in quality, and it would take many years before the sound in sound films would be accepted as natural. But The Jazz Singer will forever be remembered in the film history books. I'm not so sure that U2 3D will hold the same kind of prestige as that film, but it ought to, because as the first live-action digital 3D film, it is certainly opening the door for a brand new kind of movie experience, one that will likely be the standard in coming decades, if not years.

The problem with U2 3D's prestige could be that it is neither the first 3D movie, nor is it the first digital 3D film. But people have never seen anything like this before, enough that we could consider those early analog 3D films the equivalent of D.W. Griffith's failed 1921 sound film Dream Street, which used poorer technology than The Jazz Singer. And we could consider those recent animated digital 3D movies as the equivalent of the 1926 film Don Juan, which featured a synched soundtrack of music and sound effects, yet no dialogue. Anyway, what I'm saying is that U2 3D must be seen, not necessarily because it's a great film, but because it's an important film, and you can say you saw it when.

Not much of a U2 fan? Well, I'm not either. I've never owned a U2 album (though I will admit to liking most of the band's early singles), and I never had any interest in seeing them live, let alone seeing a concert film of them performing. However, while most concert films are limited to fan appeal -- unless Martin Scorsese or some other great filmmaker shoots them -- U2 3D is obviously different. Plus, it was co-directed by well-known music video director-turned-Hollywood-player Mark Pellington (Arlington Road) and video maker Catherine Owens, who is best known for directing U2's "Original of the Species" video and content for the band's multimedia-filled Zoo TV tour.

I apparently like Luke Wilson more than Erik, who recently told us about the actor's role in Henry Poole is Here, but I have to agree that the Vacancy star is at his best when surrounded by a good ensemble. Well, some of the other cast members of Henry Poole have just been announced, and so far it looks like Wilson will be supported well. The first, Radha Mitchell, is actually signed on, while the second, Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza, is still in talks ("advanced" talks). Though neither actress is who I would initially have in mind for a comedy, even one actually described as a dramedy, they are each talented enough for me to have faith in their capability for humorous performances.

Not much is really known about the plot of Henry Poole, which was written by Albert Torres, but a good guess for Mitchell's role is the love interest for Wilson's character. This part could be the fiancee that he breaks up with when he discovers he has six weeks to die, or it could be a new romantic pursuit, possibly one of the neighbors who disrupt his plan to wallow in seclusion for the rest of his short life. Hopefully Barraza will not ruin her Oscar-nominated reputation by appearing as a Mexican stereotype. So far, Henry Poole, which director Mark Pellington says is about a hopeless man who finds hope, makes me think of Joe Vesus the Volcano meets The 'burbs. As great as that combo sounds, though, Wilson is not quite the next Tom Hanks (even if you think Old School is Wilson's Bachelor Party and My Super Ex-Girlfriend is his Splash). Not even I like Wilson enough to give him that much credit.

I've given up trying to understand why Luke Wilson continues to land big starring roles. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the guy -- I just don't get him the way others do. That said, we're in luck -- he only has six more months to live. Oh wait, or is it his character that only has six months to live? Yes, Wilson has signed on to star in the dramedy (ooh, perhaps we'll finally see some emotion out of the guy??) Henry Poole Is Here, for Lakeshore Entertainment. Mark Pellington (who you old schoolers might know as the guy that helmed the classic Pearl Jam music video for Jeremy) has been tapped to direct.

Pic, which is based on an original script by Albert Torres, tells of a man (Wilson) who learns he only has six months left to live. Utterly depressed, he leaves his job, his fiancee and his overbearing mother and retreats into suburban isolation, where he finds comfort in pizza, twinkies and vodka -- a fine combination if I may say so myself. That is, until a "so-called miracle transforms his life." And, with help from his quirky neighbors, I imagine the dude has some sort of spiritual awakening. When Wilson is at his best, he usually has a multi-talented ensemble cast surrounding him; thus, allowing his dry, wooden shtick to bounce off someone else's humor. Based on the description here, it appears he'll have plenty of support. Henry Poole Is Here also marks the fourth film that Pellington has teamed with Lakeshore on; The Mothman Prophecies, Arlington Road and Going All the Way (which, actually, was the only other film for Pellington in which comedic elements were present) being the other three.

I brought you news yesterday that Martin Scorsese will be teaching a Masterclass, presenting an award, and unveiling a new film preservation foundation at the upcoming Cannes festival. Today brings more confirmation that this is going to be a pretty amazing year for Cannes, which kicks off on May 16th. Guest of honor Scorsese will also be putting his Rolling Stones documentary up for sale, and more rocking will be heard at the screening of Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington's 3D U2 documentary U2 3D. New Line will be premiering scenes from the highly anticipated The Golden Compass with Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman. James Gray's We Own the Night with Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix, (who also co-starred in Gray's last film - The Yards), will premiere. And there will also be a screening of No Country for Old Men, which is written and directed by the Coen Brothers and therefore moves it to the tippity-top of my "must-see" list.

Ocean's Thirteen and Tarantino's Death Proof had already been announced for the fest, and Robert Rodriguez may do a special midnight screening of Planet Terror. The rest of the lineup is still unconfirmed, as the Cannes team still has many films to watch, but insiders are reporting that strong contenders include: Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream starring Ewan McGregor and Colin Farell, Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan project I'm Not There, Michael Winterbottom's Angelina Jolie film A Mighty Heart, City Of Men - a sequel to the mindblowingly excellent City of God from a different director - Paulo Morelli, Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely (with a cast that includes Werner Herzog and David Blaine!), Michael Moore's health care documentary Sicko - which Moore is racing to finish in time, and Julian Schnabel's Diving Bell and Butterfly. It is rumored that David Fincher's very cool Zodiac will be the closing-night film. Of course Cannes can't only be about American films and there are a lot of exciting foreign contenders as well, including the new movie from celebrated Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai: My Blueberry Nights, which has a phenomenal cast. So, ah -- anybody got an extra Cannes ticket? Maybe I'll try Craigslist.