Richard E. Grant Tagged Articles at Cinematical

About 35 years ago, writer/director Barra Grant was an actress and one of the Daughters of Satan (who got to be married to Tom Selleck). But the on-screen days ended in the 70s, and now she is gearing up for her latest film, a new romantic comedy that has a pretty solid ensemble cast. Variety reports that the new feature, which is called HangingOutHookingUpFallingInLove, stars the likes of Richard E. Grant, Carrie-Anne Moss, Janeane Garofalo, Rita Rudner, Camryn Manheim, Caroline Aaron, and Johnny Pacar.

The film will focus on "a newly separated father having to learn how to date again with help from his teenage son who himself dreams of conquering one girl's heart." How... full of love. There's really nothing about the description that sets it apart from other romcom fare, or that makes it sound anything less than super-sappy, but I'm wondering if that spice will be left up to the cast. There's some snarky talent in the mix, which could make things considerably more interesting, or just be another romcom derailment (think The MatchMaker).

But that aside ... While I understand how some misspelled words or noticeably bad grammar can help make a film's name memorable, is that really the best way to go? Why have a 7-word title all smushed together as one?

Pinch me, I must be dreaming -- Madonna directed a movie?! And it will receive its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival?! Will wonders never cease? The Associated Press is reporting that Filth and Wisdom "will screen in the Panorama section, outside the main competition." A check of the festival web site turns up this press release, which confirms the news: "Music star Madonna will give her directorial debut alongside the works of underground star Bruce LaBruce and TEDDY winner 2007, Zero Chou from Taiwan."

Madonna was rumored to be directing a film entitled Blade to the Heat, inspired by a 1959 boxing match which resulted in the death of one of the combatants after he slurred the other's sexuality. That project may still be mired in development. Filth and Wisdom apparently stars Stephen Graham, Richard E. Grant and Eugene Hutz. Her official site says that she directed a television ad earlier this year, so she may be gearing up for more projects to come. Production on Filth and Wisdom, described as a low budget, 30-minute comedy possibly based on some of Madonna's own life experiences, began in May.

The IMDb page lists Tim Maurice-Jones as cinematographer; he previously worked with Madonna's hubby Guy Ritchie on Revolver and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Dan Cadan is listed as the writer; he's also worked with Ritchie for years, steadily moving his way up the production chain.

In general, Madonna has not been well served on the big screen, though I have a soft spot for her role in Desperately Seeking Susan. I'm very curious to see how Filth and Wisdom turns out. Will Madonna become a director to reckon with? The Berlin Film Festival runs from February 7-17.

There's lots of small casting announcements popping up over the last few days -- some of which might make you oooo, ahhh or possibly convulse in repulsion:

• Back in May, I told you that John Turturro was going to be the Evil Mouse King in the upcoming film, Nutcracker: The Untold Story. Since then, it seems that the name has been changed to Nutcracker: The True Story (I guess they weren't getting enough cred with the untold version), Variety reports that Odyssey Entertainment will take care of international sales and the cast has been completed. When word first came out, Turturro was joined by Nathan Lane and Elle Fanning. Now the list includes the wonderful Richard E. Grant added as Father, and Frances de la Tour added as the Rat Mother/Fraulein Eva.

The Hollywood Reporter also has a slew of casting updates up, check these out:

• Autumn Reeser, Taylor from The OC, has been added to the cast of the much-feared Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. If you remember, this film is going to deal with vampire surfers, and rumor was that both of the Coreys were going to be in it. In a bit of unoriginality, she'll play a girl who moves with her brother to Trinidad, California and is seduced by the leader of the vamp surfers. Can she live up to the likes of Jason Patric and Jami Gertz?
• Jessica Walter, who you might remember as Lucille Bluth* on Arrested Development, is going to play Luke Wilson's mother in the upcoming Henry Poole is Here. The film is about a depressed and terminally-ill man whose life is changed by a miracle -- seeing a stain on the wall that looks like the face of Christ. Jesus shows up in the strangest of places.. I imagine Lucille making the poor guy's life hell, but it seems that this mom is more focused on Wilson's lack of ambition and interest in other people. Anyhow, you can check out more info on the film in our posts here, here and here.
• Rounding things out -- Mark Feuerstein, Mia Wasikowska and Ravil Isyanov have joined Defiance, the Holocaust drama, Lindsey Kraft has signed on to See You in September and Melissa Keller is joining Brian Austin Green in an indie thriller called Breaking Point. (How exciting is that?)

* Good lord, I have no idea how or why my fingers typed "Booth!" Thanks for the catch, dear readers! -MB

Last week, Mena Suvari told Ryan during a press junket that she would be in the upcoming adaptation of the great, unfinished Ernest Hemingway novel -- The Garden of Eden -- news that I couldn't be happier about. The picture is to be helmed by John Irvin. He hasn't done many high-profile films lately, but he is the guy behind the 80's film Hamburger Hill, so hopefully he's got the chops for the project. Now Variety has fleshed out the cast for us. Besides Suvari, there is Jack Huston (yes, of the Huston dynasty), Caterina Murino (Casino Royale) and Richard E. Grant (do I need to explain who he is!?).

As Ryan said last week, the storyline is a love triangle between an ex-pat (David) and wife (Catherine) traveling through Europe, and a woman named Marita who they both fall for. It's also an interesting and pretty progressive look at gender bending that Hemingway started to write just after the end of World War II. Throughout the novel and affair, Catherine experiments with masculinity -- wearing pants and getting her hair cut, as well as saying things like: "I'm a girl. But now I'm a boy too and I can do anything ..." Heck, the gender-bending even extends into the bedroom. This novel undoubtedly has its roots in Hemingway's own childhood, where his mother would dress him in girl's clothing. Of course, as Variety describes, Suvari will be playing Catherine and Murino will be playing Marita. Sliding the men into their roles should be easy enough, I imagine Huston will play David, and Grant will take on Colonel John Boyle -- an acquaintance of the couple. The film will start production this month in Spain, and hopefully release will come soon after.

So much for my belief that St. Trinian's is the best cast movie in production right now. The film, which began shooting in March with top-notch British talents like Emily Watson, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett, has just added a young, American actress to sour up the mix. According to Variety, in a report from Cannes, Mischa Barton has joined the cast, which also includes Brits Toby Jones, Lena Headey, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Anna Chancellor, Lucy Punch, Fenella Woolgar and possibly (still rumored, and not actually British) Richard E. Grant. To quote my favorite Sesame Street game: "One of these things is not like the other."

Hopefully Barton will simply be playing the bland girl from the States who happens to be studying at an English girls' school, and will not be expected to pull off an accent. Either way, she'll at least make the elder cast appear even greater. The former O.C. actress joins rising stars Jodie Whittaker (Venus), model Lily Cole, Talulah Riley (Pride & Prejudice), Tamsin Egerton (Driving Lessons), Juno Temple (Notes on a Scandal), Gemma Arterton and possibly (still rumored) singer Amy Winehouse, all of whom presumably play students at St. Trinian's, which they save from going bankrupt. St. Trinian's still seems to be, as Cinematical writer Monika Bartyzel called it, "a British film fan's wet dream," but thanks to the casting of Barton, the dream has gotten a little bit drier.

After the generally positive critical reception that greeted Richard E. Grant's Wah-Wah, his debut as a writer-director -- and despite the horrible trial that the movie's making was for him -- he's wasting no time in putting together another project. According to a recent interview, Grant is busy writing Zeitgeist, a screenplay "about the making of a disaster movie -- basically The Poseidon Adventure in outer space!" Mmm ... disaster movies. Things with Grant's pretend movie go south, however, when it "becomes a real disaster;" Zeitgeist will focus on the aftermath of the movie falling apart, "and how actors really are, as opposed to the PR version."

Nice. In the best possible world, it sounds sort of like Red Dwarf, except with behind-the-scenes looks at the bastards playing the parts. Which, really, could be pretty damn awesome. Awesome enough, even, for me to suppress my deep bitterness at Grant's final revelation in the interview: "It's fairly and squarely based on my experience working on Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis 16 years ago," he said, "[The script comes] from bitter, first-hand experience." Doh!

If there is one underrated character actor in the world it is Richard E. Grant. Since his breakthrough role in Withnail and I, the actor has appeared in over 50 films and therefore has one of those faces that has audiences asking, "Where have I seen him before?" With a rubbery face and a remarkable skill with dialects, he seems comfortable with broad and dry comedy, serious drama and crazed villainy, all of which he's exhibited in films ranging from Spice World to The Age of Innocence. He has played the lead in quite a few movies, and carried them very well -- I especially like him in the little-seen A Merry War -- but he is most easily recognizable for supporting parts in which he tends to stand out. He was the one enjoyable part of Hudson Hawk (not that it was hard) and was a piece of the brilliant ensemble in Gosford Park.

After watching his directorial debut, Wah-Wah, I'd like Grant to stay in front of the camera. The film, which he also wrote, is not a wasted effort, but there is nothing about it that is evidence he should be making movies rather than stealing scenes in them. The only significance it holds is that it is based somewhat on his own coming of age in the South African country of Swaziland during its transition to independence from Great Britain. But that is only of significance to Grant, and not to viewers, who, if they are anything like me, could do just fine, thank you, without another cinematic memoir of alcoholic fathers and distant mothers and incoherent scenes that add up to a whole without a center.