SeanPenn Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I've got nothing against the thought of Sean Penn getting funny. In fact, I wished for that very thing earlier this month. But grabbing the funny by becoming one of the Three Stooges? Sean Penn as Larry Fine? Surely Mr. Penn had fallen on his head, partook in the drugs, or entered into some other type of shenanigans to become that crazy. Luckily, while he may not have come to his senses about the project, he's also no longer involved. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Penn has dropped The Three Stooges as well as his much more desirable project, that crime thriller called Cartel.

Ideally, this would the result of the actor taking a cue from Happy Harry Hard On and saying: "Hey wait a minute, what is wrong with this picture?" But no, this Nicole Kidman-like move has nothing to do with the parts themselves. It turns out that he wants to leave the movie biz for a while to focus on his family. I imagine that he wants to work things out with Robin Wright Penn so that he doesn't have to keep filing and rescinding divorce proceedings. The man is most definitely confused. There's no definitive word on how long this will last, but THR sources say it'll be a year.

One can only hope that this will mean the end of the dreaded Stooges, but hopefully Asger Leth's Cartel won't be as hurt by the sudden decision. What do you think of Penn's sudden au revoir from Hollywood, and can the Farrellys find a suitable Fine replacement? And who should fight Mexican drug cartels?

With never-ending zeal, Hollywood looks back to the good ol' days with remakes and re-imaginings. But it's always the plots; always the stories. What about the actors? If there was any way that looking to the past would be beneficial, it would be grabbing those actors of today and getting them to dip back into the roles of yesterday -- the gigs that made us love them, but were so soon forgotten or cast aside.

Between casting ruts and earnest attempts to foster specific career paths, actors all too often leave their well-loved roots in the past, becoming an entirely different sort of performer. Very rarely do we get glimpses of those early years, and as nice as it is to see glimpses of former glory in a skit that pops up on SNL or Funny or Die, it's not the same as a feature-length, starring gig.

What follows are seven actors and actresses who are ripe for a return to the past. Naturally, this is only the start of a very long list, so be sure to add your picks in the comments.

400 Screens, 400 Blows is a weekly column that takes an in-depth look at the films playing below the radar, beneath the top ten, and on 400 screens or less.

The Oscars are history now and soon people won't even be able to remember the winners. But I keep thinking about that Best Actor race that came down to a near-draw between Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (291 screens) and Sean Penn for Milk (111 screens). My group, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, simply called it a tie. We agreed that both men gave the performance of their lifetimes. Other critics groups and other year-end awards also split between them; there was no clear consensus. For my annual predictions, I went with my gut on this one: I got the vague impression that, just from the cultural temperature, people were really into Rourke. But Penn won. And now that it's over -- with some hindsight -- it makes perfect sense. The Oscars didn't want to ruin The Wrestler for us.

Whenever you imagined a dream cast to play the Three Stooges in a movie, did you ever imagine an Academy Award-winning gay activist would be the first to sign? Sean Penn (?!) has agreed to play Larry in The Three Stooges, according to Variety, and Jim Carrey is negotiating for the part of Curly. Reportedly, Carrey is preparing to gain 40 pounds so he can play the role. And to play Moe? None other than Benicio Del Toro is being targeted by MGM and the Farrelly Brothers.

Jim Carrey would be a natural, of course, but Sean Penn? Does he have a funny bone in his body? His last attempt at a humorous role came in 1989's We're No Angels, a woefully unfunny film in which Penn was teamed with Robert DeNiro. Sure, he made his bones as the stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but it takes a real stretch of imagination to think he can play a Stooge. Stranger things have happened, though, and maybe Penn will pull a rabbit out of his ultra-serious persona and shock us all.

Del Toro doesn't have much of a comedy resume, either, though Variety's article claims he "showed comic chops" in Guy Ritchie's Snatch. Peter and Bobby Farrelly have written the script and will direct. The film is intended to be "not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts." Production is scheduled to begin in the fall for a 2010 release.

Am I underrating Sean Penn's comic abilities? Are you itching to see Penn, Carrey, and Del Toro as The Three Stooges?

If there's a project to watch over the next few years, it's this one.

Variety reports that Sean Penn is in talks to star in a new movie called Cartel. That's noteworthy on its own, but it's downright irresistible when you know who is directing it: Asger Leth -- the man behind the beautifully gritty and stunning documentary The Ghosts of Cite Soliel. This project isn't new, however. This is the La Scorta remake that Leth boarded all the way back in 2007 -- and it looks like things have changed a bit.

The film was originally intended to be a close remake, focusing on cops struggling to guard a prosecutor who is about to go up against the mob. However, it "evolved into an action vehicle for Penn." Now, the Peter Craig script will focus on "Ed Marker as he journeys to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels." It's a bit of a jump, but one that should work well for this duo -- Penn's Oscar winning acting chops merged with Leth's directorial eye -- one that should move smoothly from Haiti's slums to the gritty areas of Mexico. And hey, any diversions from a spot-on remake are a good thing.

If Penn officially signs on, production will start by summer. My fingers are crossed!

Follow me on Twitter!

After leading a new era in San Francisco, Sean Penn is making a mess of Valerie Plame's life. Variety reports that the recent Oscar winner is in negotiations to play Joseph Wilson in the upcoming drama Fair Game -- otherwise known as that Plame project.

Talks haven't been finalized yet, but if everything goes well, Penn will play Ambassador Joseph Wilson, husband to Valerie Plame, and the man who started the whole mess with his op-ed columns about Bush and those infamous weapons of mass destruction.

He's not quite what any of us would expect for the middle-aged man behind the plan, but Sean Penn is known for making the most of his roles, and I bet this wouldn't be any different. This means no Russell Crowe, and teamed with Watts (not Kidman) this could be a sweet gig. Actually, I think there's more of a chance than "could be." Kidman and Crowe might have some acting chops, but for this writer, Penn and Watts sound downright wonderful.

Are you ready for Plame on the big screen, and do you agree with the casting, or are you just mourning Crowe?

Hollywood isn't known as a place for a 'conservative' frame of mind. I think Sean Penn reminded us of that quite nicely during his Oscar acceptance speech when he endearingly referred to the crowd of tinsel-town elite as "You Commie Homo-Loving Sons of Guns". But that doesn't mean our Red-state friends don't like to go to the movies just as much as their liberal brethren -- so what's a Conservative to do? Well, the National Review has come to the rescue and compiled a list of The Best Conservative Movies. And how does a movie arrive on such a list? According to NR, "Conservatives enjoy these films because they are great movies that offer compelling messages about freedom, families, patriotism, traditions, and more" -- because I guess it is impossible for someone with Liberal political views to care about those things. So even though the political leanings of the cast and crew reportedly did not come into play for the list, I'm not sure I believe the addition of David Mamet's The Edge wasn't inspired (if only a little) by the filmmakers political 180 earlier this year.

Now for the list itself, well, there are the obvious choices like Red Dawn, 300 and The Dark Knight that are praised for their themes featuring individuals fighting against a terrorist, invading hoards, and a chorus of naysayers (sound familiar?). But the rest of the list isn't so obvious, and there are some weird selections in the bunch. Juno was noted for being pro-life (but punished for its heroines "unrealistic level of self-confidence"), Brazil for its tale of bureaucracy run amok, Groundhog Day for promoting small town values, and The Incredibles was even noted for bringing a little Ayn Rand back to the kiddie set. Personal politics aside, I have to wonder just what, exactly, some of these people were on when they included Ghostbusters on the list (I know, I know, an EPA guy is a bad guy, but c'mon, leave Dr. Venkman out of this).

It was last night's Meryl Streep chit-chat that got me to thinking; Hell, 15 nominations is impressive enough, and she's even won the dang Oscar twice! For Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice. But while in the lovely land of Hollywood that's a track record to be amazingly proud of, the simple truth is that, in the land of baseball, Meryl Streep would be batting a lusty .133. I've seen American League pitchers who can bat .133!

And that silly thought led to the next logically silly one: If Meryl Streep is batting .133, who ELSE is batting poorly? And conversely ... who's leading the league? Now, I've got to limit eligibility to those who've been nominated at least three times, because otherwise we'd have Anna Paquin as Mickey Mantle. And I'm limiting this project to actors only, because that way one can squeeze another post or two out of this lame concept if people actually like it.

1.000* -- Hilary Swank (2 for 2); Kevin Spacey (2 for 2)
.500 -- Daniel Day-Lewis (2 for 4)
.400 -- Sean Penn (2 for 5); Tom Hanks (2 for 5); Denzel Washington (2 for 5);
.333 -- Maggie Smith (2 for 6); Tommy Lee Jones (1 for 3); Helen Mirren (1 for 3); Philip Seymour Hoffman (1 for 3); Marisa Tomei (1 for 3); Alan Arkin (1 for 3); Renee Zellweger (1 for 3); Kathy Bates (1 for 3); Geoffrey Rush (1 for 3); Julia Roberts (1 for 3); Russell Crowe (1 for 3)
.285 -- Michael Caine (2 for 7)
.250 -- Jack Nicholson (3 for 12); Julie Christie (1 for 4); Cate Blanchett (1 for 4); William Hurt (1 for 4); Frances McDormand (1 for 4); Morgan Freeman (1 for 4); Ben Kingsley (1 for 4); Diane Keaton (1 for 4); Holly Hunter (1 for 4); Jon Voight (1 for 4);

More after the jump

Ladies and gentlemen, may I now present you with the most horrific rumor of the day -- that, according to those super sleuths over at In Touch magazine, Johnny Depp's name is at the top of the list to star in a new Three Stooges film directed by The Farrelly Brothers. And if that's not asinine enough for you, they also note that Sean Penn could join him. Yup. An "insider" says, "They want Johnny to play Moe and Sean Penn will be Larry -- they're still looking to cast Curly." OH, I have an idea for Curly -- how about Frank Langella ... while we're being absurd and unrealistic here.

I can't imagine there being any truth to this rumor -- although stranger things have happened, and Depp certainly knows how to play up the kooky, doofus roles (see: Pirates of the Caribbean). But Sean Penn? I'm sure he'd rather stab himself through the brain with a shotgun smeared in elephant dung ... unless he'd be doing this one "for his kids." This does bring up a good question for you folks, though: Who do you cast in the iconic roles of Moe, Larry and Curly in a 2009 Three Stooges flick? The easy answer, of course, is no one (as in leave the Three Stooges alone), but since they're obviously keen on bringing these characters back to the big screen, who could you see starring?

[via JustJared]

Vanity Fair is known for their ambitious (and sometimes controversial) photo spreads, and whenever one pops up online -- with the exception of those ultra funky Hitchcock recreations -- the name most likely associated with them is Annie Leibovitz. She's worked as the featured portrait photographer for VF since 1983, and some of her most buzzed-about photos include the very pregnant (and very naked) Demi Moore Vanity Fair cover, as well as the sexed-up Miley Cyrus photo that caused quite the stir last year. Some of the more geeky Leibovitz images can be found in her series of Disney photographs featuring celebs recreating classic scenes from our favorite Walt Disney movies (read more about that here and here).

This time around, Leibovitz's Something Just Clicked collection for Vanity Fair features 10 partnerships that helped generate more than four dozen Oscar nods this year. The image above, featuring Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger (The Risktakers), is of course a composite, but it's one of my favorites -- especially the way they position both Nolan and Ledger, with the former quietly sneaking off to the corner away from the spotlight. Other partnerships photographed include Woody Allen and Penelope Cruz (The Odd Couple), Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann (The Colonists), Gus Van Sant and Sean Penn (The Milk Men), Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet (The Partnership) and Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke (The Ringers), among others. Check out a few of our favorites below, then swing over to Vanity Fair to see the rest.