PrestonWhitmore Tagged Articles at Cinematical
News Bites: Zooming Musicals and Murderous Mobsters
Filed under: Drama », Music & Musicals », Deals », Scripts »
We've got another music-themed film on the way, and this time it isn't based on an old movie or musical. Variety reports that Universal and Imagine have tapped Preston Whitmore (This Christmas) to write and direct a new music extravaganza called Zoom. Normally, I'd be happy to hear of a story that's not re-telling, re-vamping, re-imagining, re-whatevering, but this one sounds a bit like another music-themed film on the front-burner. Zoom focuses on "a troubled West Virginia youth who attends a music academy and finds his voice and a place in the world." I'm betting this is aimed to grab some of Fame's buzz.Meanwhile, Variety also reports that Hollywood is taking another stab at James "Whitey" Bulger -- GK Films has picked up the life rights of John Martorano. He was a killer for the mob, taking the lives of 20 people. "After he discovered his compatriots, including Bulger, were government informants all along, Martorano became a government witness who exposed corruption and collusion between the mob and the Boston office of the FBI."
Now we just have to wait and see how long until Mark Wahlberg signs up. He was part of The Departed, which took cues from Bulger, and he bought the rights to the story of another Whitey associate back in 2006. That one didn't go anywhere, so maybe Martorano is the key to film fruition.
Review: This Christmas
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Music & Musicals », Romance », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Scripts », New in Theaters »
Maybe it's because I just sat through the lazy, depressing Fred Claus. Maybe it's because I was expecting Tyler Perry in drag. Maybe it's because my holiday spirit is at an all-time low. Whatever the reason, This Christmas came as a complete surprise. I kinda loved the thing.
Loretta Devine plays Ma Dear, the matriarch of a sprawling Los Angeles-based family with a whole lot of secrets. A whole lot. There's Quentin (Idris Elba, Stringer Bell on The Wire -- the best show on television), a musician who owes big money to some bookies. There's Lisa (Regina King), trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage with the hissable Malcome (Laz Alonso). There's Kelli (Sharon Leal), a sexually frustrated businesswoman. There's Claude (Columbus Short), in love with a woman (Jessica Stroup) he's scared to introduce to his family. Ma Dear has a secret of her own regarding Joe (Delroy Lindo), something of a surrogate father to the Whitfield clan. Oh, and Baby (R&B sensation Chris Brown)? He wants to sing, damn it!
That's a lot of stories to keep afloat, and writer/director Preston A. Whitmore II handles that list and many more mini-dramas with ease. It's quite the balancing act. Whitmore has written and/or directed several smaller projects since 1995's Vietnam drama The Walking Dead, but Christmas will put him on the map in a big way.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
