Scott Speedman Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back in early July, we made mention of the fact that Bryan Bertino, writer/director of The Strangers, had at least two projects going on at Rogue Pictures since he ended up giving them a good ol' summer sleeper success story, the grosses for which inevitably prompted talk of a possible sequel.

Well, Variety now tells us that there surely will be a second Strangers, and that Bertino is returning to write (if not direct) it, with a certain star standing to return as well (profitable as the film may have been, I'd rather not risk spoilers, so don't bother clicking on either that Variety link or the 'certain star' one if you've yet to see the film -- after all, it doesn't open in the UK 'til tomorrow).

I felt that The Strangers milked enough tension out of a somewhat sparse premise to merit a watch, but I'm that much more concerned about how redundant or ridiculous a second one would have to be in order to follow it up. The point remains that, if they make it, I will watch it, and so will plenty of others. Let's face it: There are more vicious cycles operating in the world today.

Welcome back to another fantastic edition of Insert Caption -- the game where you're totally allowed (and encouraged) to talk to strangers. Last week, we were hangin' with our girls from Sex and the City, and asking you to send in your best captions for a photo of Carrie typing away with some ... thing wrapped around her shoulders. Needless to say, creativity was a flowin'.

1. "Her transformation from socialite to yeti nearly complete, Carrie writes her final, twisted column." -- Jay J.

2. "Note to self: New line of sweaters from Jimmy Choo - not so fabulous." -- Chia S.

3. "I knew I would do anything for fashion, but drugging and shaving a Wampa might be over the line. I should have shaved an Ewok instead ... they're softer." -- Laura E.

See full image and all captions

This week, we're throwing on our random, creepy masks and showing up to your house unannounced with a photo from the new freaky flick The Strangers. Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler play a couple who are harassed (in more ways than one) by three complete strangers who pop up at their front door in the middle of the night. And if you don't leave a funny caption for this one ... well, let's not wait to see what happens. (I'm so not intimidating.) The winners of our three favorite captions will sneak away with one cast-signed The Strangers movie poster. You know what comes next ...



Read the official rules for this contest

It is not immediately obvious why The Strangers is rated R. The horror film, about a young couple (Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler) terrorized in their home by a group of sadistic masked assailants, is reasonably violent, but not very graphic: aside from a brief glimpse of a pretty nasty gunshot wound and some stabbings that are either obscured or off-screen, there's not much here that would ordinarily raise rating board eyebrows. (The elaboration states that The Strangers is rated R for language in addition to violence, but there are, at the most, one or two muttered F-bombs.) In terms of content, PG-13 films have gotten away with worse. Hell, the PG-rated Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian featured a decapitation, which is more than we see here. What, then, explains the MPAA's harsh (and no doubt economically damaging) treatment of The Strangers?

I am convinced that the film broke the R threshold in the eyes of the MPAA for one reason: it's pretty good. Tight, intense, often legitimately frightening, and committed to its suburban-nightmare premise, The Strangers may not be gory, but I wouldn't wish it on too many kids under fifteen. It's a classical, no-frills, 85-minute blast of cold air, a refreshing bit of professionalism in a genre whose mainstream, at least, has been plagued of late by lazy pandering and general shoddiness.

Adoration, the newest film by critically acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan, is a beautifully evocative film, though some may find its convoluted storyline distracting. In many respects, the film very much evokes one of my favorite films, The Sweet Hereafter, Egoyan's 1997 Palme d'Or and Oscar nominee*. Where The Sweet Hereafter dealt with the impact of guilt and grief in a small community following a tragic school bus accident, in Adoration Egoyan deals with grief and loss on a more personal level, while also blending in ideas about the subjective nature of reality and identity in a technological age. In a world where who we are can be invented, reinvented, and broadcast to the world via chat rooms and virtual reality avatars, can we ever really know another person -- or even ourselves?

Last night, I had the honor of being asked to co-host IFC.com's red carpet coverage for the Cannes premiere of the film Adoration, starring Scott Speedman and Rachel Blanchard. (We'll post a link to IFC's archived video coverage as soon as they have it, FYI.) This not only meant that I got to cover the film's opening with IFC's personable host Matt Singer, but I also got to take advantage of one of the best views that Cannes has to offer. If you want to check out the red carpet at Cannes like you've never seen it before, head down to the gallery below. And for our complete coverage of the 2008 Festival de Cannes, click on over to our festival hub.

I had almost completely forgotten about Liv Tyler's horror flick The Strangers, until the new trailer popped up on the net (there's a larger version on the official site). Last August, an R-rated trailer was released, but by then, the initial release date had been scrapped with only the vague promise that the film would be in theaters some time in '08. The movie is now scheduled to hit theaters this May, so it will be almost one full year late to the party.

The Strangers centers on a young couple who are inexplicably targeted by masked psycho-killers for a night of terror. It looks like it's going to be your usual fight to the death as the couple try to make it out alive. The Strangers was written and directed by Bryan Bertino, a first time writer and director. Joining Tyler is Scott Speedman (Underworld) as Liv's better half, and Gemma Ward as one of the masked maniacs.

After watching the trailer, I think that it still manages to deliver some chills, and it doesn't give away too much. It's funny if you think about the fact that no sooner did the film manage to avoid comparisons to last year's Vacancy, audiences will probably be comparing it to Funny Games. It does look awfully similar. I guess we'll find out if The Strangers was worth the wait when the film finally hits theaters on May 30th.

[via Ace Showbiz]

This is a great week to catch up with a few indies that came and went quickly in theaters. Craig Zobel's Great World of Sound burst out of Sundance last year with positive notices -- check GreenCine Daily's roundup -- and our own James Rocchi named it one of the ten best of the year. The basic premise is that two music scouts go on the road in the American South to look for acts to sign. In James' original review, he described it as "funny and vital and tough." Magnolia's DVD includes an audio commentary and deleted scenes.

If Feast of Love had nothing else to recommend it, it would deserve recommendation as director Robert Benton's latest work. As Jeffrey M. Anderson commented, Benton's melodramas (Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, Nobody's Fool) "almost always hit home." Feast of Love "focuses on several couples in a Portland college community," he wrote. "These characters may live in a college town, but in love, everyone has something to learn." Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and Radha Mitchell star. MGM's DVD looks bare, with just one feature evidently on board.

Director Allan Moyle returned to his roots (Pump Up the Volume, Empire Records) to make Weirdsville, in which stoners, Satanists and drug dealers commingle. In her TIFF review, Monika Bartyzel called it "fun, endearing, and quite fluid for a stoner comedy. It's also recognizably Canadian (the drug dealer is into curling), but still completely palpable for wider audiences." Wes Bentley and Scott Speedman star. Magnolia's DVD includes an audio commentary and 14 featurettes: behind the scenes, making of, and interviews.

Ah, serial killer movies -- always becoming more and more convoluted by the second. It seems like every film has to have the worst killer ever known to man, or the most bizarre motivation, to keep the audiences interested. The Hollywood Reporter announced that IFC has picked up the rights to the crime thriller Anamorph. The film stars Scott Speedman (Underworld or Felicity, depending on your age group) and Willem Dafoe, and centers on a bizarre and vicious killer who re-creates anamorphic paintings in his crime scenes. After a quick Wikipedia search, I discovered that anamorphic painting is a style that uses a "distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image." So, if our killer is using this technique in his crime scenes, I can only imagine how freaky some of it might get.

The film was written and directed by Henry Miller, who has only worked on a few comedy shorts up until now; Anamorph will be his first full-length feature film. Joining Speedman and Defoe in the cast are Peter Stormare as an art gallery owner and Clea DuVall (Heroes) as a troubled girl put in danger by the killer -- what were you expecting? She might as well be listed as bait/love interest in the credits. It looks like the film was originally set for release in 2007, but they didn't quite make it. Speedman has wrapped up two films since finishing Anamorph, just to give you an idea. But, I guess the old adage of better late than never is still in full effect, and the film is scheduled for release this November.

I used to think Julia Stiles was the next big thing. That was back when she seemed to star in every Shakespeare update around (10 Things I Hate About You; Almereyda's Hamlet; O). Then she somehow became better remembered as "Nicky", the deer-in-headlights character from The Bourne Identity and its sequels. Sure her part increased through the series, but all I can think of is that line, "I can send Nicky to do that, for Chrissakes." Now, I associate her with any role that's so easy even she could do it. Which certainly seems to apply with a movie in which she's just been cast, Cry of the Owl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stiles is replacing Sara Polley in the thriller, which makes me wonder if maybe the part is too simple for the now-very-respected Polley. "They can send 'Nicky' to do that, for Chrissakes," the actress must have thought.

Cry of the Owl is based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (author of The Talented Mr. Ripley, which starred Bourne co-star Matt Damon) and was previously adapted by Claude Chabrol. This version will be helmed by Jamie Thraves, who directed my favorite Radiohead video, "Just", as well as videos for Blur ("Charmless Man") and Coldplay ("Scientist"; "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face"). The movie co-stars Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum) as a new guy in town who Stiles' character falls for. Problem is, he's also stalking her. Scott Speedman (who was probably looking forward to working again with Polley, his My Life Without Me co-star) plays her ex, who plots revenge for being dumped. The movie begins shooting in Toronto next week.

To be fair to Stiles, I have to admit that coming from Highsmith, Cry of the Owl may not be just another stalker thriller. Also, she has been delivering fine performances in little-seen movies like A Little Trip to Heaven and Edmond -- never mind that she also starred in The Omen remake. She's also just made her directorial debut with the short Raving and she's set to star in an adaptation of The Bell Jar. Perhaps one of these days I'll have something new, and more favorable, to associate her with.