MichaelWincott Tagged Articles at Cinematical
News Bites: Donated Skulls, Wincott in Sweden, and a Scribe for 'Captain Blood'
Filed under: Action », Drama », Independent », Thrillers », Casting », Deals », Scripts »
This first bit might be a bit off the cinematic path, but it's something strange enough to rival those stories of a frozen Walt Disney. You might have heard that David Tennant (our latest Doctor Who) is starring in a stage version of Hamlet over in the UK. Well, it seems that he wasn't using a fake skull -- in fact, it was the skull of a Shakespeare enthusiast, concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Andrew Tchaikowsky. Tennant leaked the information, and now the BBC reports that it will no longer be used so that the audience wouldn't be distracted. Bummer for Tchaikowsky's dying wish, but imagine the possibilities. Is bone donation the next wave in creative appreciation?In other dark news, Variety reports that the classically creepy Michael Wincott (Top Dollar from The Crow) is teaming up with Swedish actor/director Rafael Edholm for an untitled Sweden-set drama. According to Wincott: "Three people meet, something may have happened in their teenage years, and this will now result ín one death. It is drama, thriller and dark comedy." Unfortunately, we won't learn what that all means for a while -- production isn't slated to start until February 2010.
Finally, we've got a scribe for the upcoming remake of Captain Blood. The Hollywood Reporter posts that John Brownlow, writer of 2003's Sylvia, has grabbed the gig. If you're not familiar with the Oscar-nominated original, Errol Flynn starred as a doctor convicted of treason who is sold into slavery only to escape and become a pirate. This whole thing makes me itch for Cary Elwes to return to his escaped prisoner-turned-pirate roots. Who's with me?
Retro Cinema: Romeo is Bleeding
Filed under: Drama », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Retro Cinema »

Yes, this is Gary Oldman week for me and retro cinema, but you won't see me complaining. Usually, the chameleon Oldman morphs and slides onto the screen for one of his many diverse supporting roles. Most recently, he's taken on heroes like Sirius Black and Lt. James Gordon, but he's got a past that includes the little person Rolfe, the creepy Mason Verger, Pontius Pilate, Zorg, a Russian hijacker, and as I shared earlier this week, Ludwig van Beethoven. 1993's Romeo is Bleeding, however, marks one of the few times like Immortal Beloved where we can see him shine in the lead.
Oldman plays Jack Grimaldi, a cop who has been lured by the dark side in a noir '90s landscape. (Think Twin Peaks' timeless quality and haunting music, but set within a violent urban environment.) To supplement his low-pay job as a sergeant, Grimaldi is working for the mob -- directing them to the locations of different witnesses under protection. For his efforts, he gets thousands of dollars, which he hides in the back of his yard. But this is only the tip of Jack's moral failings. While he has a wife named Natalie (Annabella Sciorra) at home, he's also acting out fantasies with his grating girlfriend, Sheri (Juliette Lewis).









