Patricia Neal Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Wait, they still cast Jennifer Connelly in non-melodramatic roles? According to Variety, the actress has signed on for the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. She will take on the part of "Helen Benson", the character originally played by Patricia Neal (who hopefully will be able to make a cameo), and as she does in every film, the Oscar-winning Connelly will likely emote way too much. Sure, she's fine for a lot of serious dramas, but when it comes to sci-fi/comic book movies, she hasn't really fit the part since Labyrinth, and even then she was a bit too pouty. Of course, she may seem more chipper in this remake, as she'll be acting opposite Mr. Serious himself, Keanu Reeves. As we learned long ago, Reeves will be portraying the alien Klaatu. Variety also reports that Kathy Bates may co-star in the movie, but doesn't mention the role she'd play.

I guess in some ways The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi melodrama, and Neal herself emoted plenty. In fact, she looked like she was going to start screaming and/or bawling in nearly every scene I recall. But then, she doesn't actually cry when you expect her to. She almost acts like more of a robot than Gort. And this should be fine, since aside from emoting, Connelly is good at looking drowsy and a bit empty. Anyway, I can't imagine the remake is going to have the same serious tone as the original. Hollywood just doesn't make movies like that anymore. Certainly the redo will not have Bernard Hermann's iconic music or Leo Tover's beautiful black and white cinematography to give it the same atmosphere. As we've told you previously, the new version is being directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and has been written, according to Variety, by novelist Ryne Douglas Pearson (Simple Simon which became the movie Mercury Rising) and David Scarpa (The Last Castle), who penned a rewrite. The remake begins shooting in Vancouver next month.

Taking on this story, I must be a masochist. Why? Seeing the name Billy Ray Cyrus, and that face of his, sends me back to a dark time, one that I should never revisit. Achy Breaky Heart had just come out; it was everywhere -- Billy Ray was in that cowboy hat and singing his way out of country obscurity and into super stardom, and my friend loved it -- but 'love' doesn't even come close to describing it. She sung it to me over, and over, and over again, with verve and crazy fanaticism, just like she had years before with Step by Step. Now, years later, Billy Ray is going to hit the stage on the big screen, with a High School Musical star to boot.

The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Cyrus and Olesya Rulin will star together in Jim Amatulli's indie drama -- Flying By. Billy Ray will play "a businessman who risks his marriage, family, and fortune to pursue his dream of being in a rock band." (At least there won't be any Achy Breaky then.) Rulin will co-star as his daughter, who supports his dreams, Robert Gossett (The Closer) and arse-less chaps man Eric Allan Kramer (American Wedding) have already signed on to play his bandmates, Ted Hutton will play a club booker, and Patricia Neal (Hud) is in final negotiations to play his mother. There's no word about who he'll be married to. The film will jump into production on November 26 in San Diego, and in the meantime, Cyrus has his kid's television show, Hannah Montana, and a new album, while Rulin has some time with Jessica Simpson in Major Movie Star.