Steven Spielberg Tagged Articles at Cinematical
SXSW Interview: 'The People vs. George Lucas' Director Alexandre O. Philippe
Filed under: SXSW », Interviews »
Those of you who only see the Star Wars fans playing dress-up at premieres and conventions are only seeing one half of the story. A whole generation has grown up, but while they still remain loyal they have a few beefs with the man responsible for framing their childhood. Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary, The People vs. George Lucas, takes a look at the fans behind the masks and why they are so angry. Before the film has its world premiere at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival, Alexandre answered a few questions for this loyalist over the years.
Cinematical: What was the straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back moment that inspired the genesis of this project?
PHILIPPE: I first had the idea of making this film approximately five years ago, but it really came to life during the summer of 2007 while we were in Texas working on several other projects with our crew. Robert Muratore (our Director of Photography and one of our Producers) seemed really enthusiastic about making it, and he's the one who convinced me to move forward with it.
The concept was a no-brainer. Put two Star Wars fans in a room together, and they'll start arguing about the Special Editions, the prequels, who shot first, whether or not George Lucas owes them a DVD release of the restored Original Trilogy... they'll even talk about Indy 4, Howard the Duck, you name it! Fans love to debate and vent about George Lucas. Here's a fun little experiment, which I first attempted when we were developing our film, and tried again today. I just Googled "I hate Gene Roddenberry", and got 61 hits. Then, I Googled "I hate George Lucas", and 112,000 hits came up!
Discuss: Is Performance Captured Acting Really Acting?
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Awards », Tech Stuff », Steven Spielberg »
It's the next evolutionary step. We had Fred Astaire trying to sell us vacuums and John Wayne trying to sell us beer after they were dead. Will we soon have computer-generated actors who were never real people in the first place? An article in the L.A. Times shines a light on a recent debate surrounding the performance captured acting used in James Cameron's Avatar. The filmmaker received nine Oscar nominations for his part animation and part live-action film, but none of them include a nod to his cast. There have been no major critic's awards, no guild prize and according to interviews with several of the other Oscar nominees, what appears to be no respect for Cameron's revolutionary technology which combines real actors with computer-generated animation.
Jeff Bridges, who received an Oscar nom for best actor in Crazy Heart, put a bit of a dystopian spin on the subject. "I'm sure they could do it now if they wanted. Actors will kind of be a thing of the past," Bridges told The Times. "We'll be turned into combinations. A director will be able to say, 'I want 60% Clooney; give me 10% Bridges; and throw some Charles Bronson in there.' They'll come up with a new guy who will look like nobody who has ever lived and that person or thing will be huge," he said.
Cinematical Seven: Unlikely Director Collaborations We'd Like To See
Filed under: Action », Animation », Documentary », Foreign Language », Independent », Steven Spielberg », Quentin Tarantino », Johnny Depp », Cinematical Seven », Michael Moore », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Sadly, the rumored collaboration between Lars von Trier and Martin Scorsese (and Robert De Niro) is apparently not really happening. Despite the entire blogosphere's apparent desire for a Five Obstructions-esque take on Taxi Driver. But occasionally unlikely and bizarre dream partnerships between two unrelated filmmakers do come about, to the surprise and delight of cinephiles. Think of the recent Werner Herzog remake of Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans). Or the fitting yet amazing alliance of Herzog and David Lynch (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done) and the hopefully one-day realized project uniting Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky (King Shot).
What other directorial team-ups do you wish would happen? Below are seven that I'd like to see, off the top of my head. To make it a little more fun, I've chosen odd pairings linked by a commonly employed actor.
Abel Ferrara and Werner Herzog (with Williem Dafoe)
Now that there's strife between these two filmmakers following Herzog's pseudo remake of Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant, it's only more necessary for them to be handcuffed together for a remake of Fitzcarraldo starring Dafoe as the title character, now put with the task of carting a riverboat across the island of Manhattan (the urban jungle) -- up and over the buildings. I'd like to see Christopher Walken in there somewhere, too, but I can't decide in what role. Seriously, though, when are Herzog and Walken going to really get together for a movie?
Olivia Wilde Saddles Up For 'Cowboys & Aliens'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Newsstand », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western », Daniel Craig »
I don't know if the image of Daniel Craig in chaps left too many speechless, or if it was that no one was interested in Cowboys & Aliens once Robert Downey Jr. rode off the range, but few had much to say when the rumor mill put Craig in the saddle. Well, what do you say to the news that Craig is officially in, and that he'll be joined by Olivia Wilde? According to THR's Heat Vision, Wilde will play Ella, a woman who joins Craig's mysterious gunslinger to fight off the aliens. (Is the gunslinger now mysterious and no longer named Zeke Jackson? Curious.) I'm not sure if Ella appeared in the original graphic novel / web-comic. There was a female gunfighter named Verity who traded bullets with the Apache right alongside Zeke. Perhaps she'll be a variation on that character, or she'll be a pioneer woman with a rifle, or she'll be one of the West's soiled doves like Megan Fox in Jonah Hex. (Cue the fervent wishing of many male readers for Wilde in similar attire.)
Jon Favreau is directing, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of every-script-under-the-sun-fame have penned the screenplay with Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer are producing alongside Scott Michael Rosenberg, the author of the graphic novel. Shooting is expected to begin this summer. Between this and Tron: Legacy, I think Wilde may be destined to be summer's geek goddess.
Will Zachary Quinto Play Gershwin for Steven Spielberg?
Filed under: Drama », Music & Musicals », Casting », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
Unlike Captain Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto hasn't gone crazy signing onto action films and franchise characters like Jack Ryan. That probably has something to go with his Heroes commitments, but perhaps he's just picky, or no one has sent him the kind of brawny material they've sent Pine. Or perhaps he was brushing up on his musical skills, because according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Quinto may be playing the legendary George Gershwin in a biopic directed by Steven Spielberg.A Gershwin biopic would definitely be a quiet, melancholy kind of film. The famous composer studied piano up until the age of fifteen, and left school to sell songs on New York's Tin Pan Alley and briefly worked in vaudeville. His songs, classical pieces, and operas like Porgy and Bess are more striking than his life was, which ended at the tragically young age of 38 due to a brain tumor. But his wasn't the kind of dramatic, crazy life that usually produces biopics so it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
As you probably know, trying to guess Spielberg's next project has been a twisty sort of game. He's dropped them as fast as we could write about them, and this one could be no exception. But he's reportedly quite eager to get back into the director's chair, and a Gershwin biopic is one of three projects he's very interested in. The project is basically set to go with a script from Doug Wright, with Marc Platt and Michael Feinstein producing. Apparently, nothing is official, but DreamWorks has been prepping Quinto for the role. They've hired accent and dialogue coaches for the actor, and shooting could begin in April. Providing this actually goes before cameras, do you think he'll be a good Gershwin?
'Pianist' Scribe Writing Spielberg's Martin Luther King Biopic
Filed under: Drama », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
Timely news comes on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: DreamWorks has tapped a screenwriter for its biopic about the civil rights leader. Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar for penning Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama The Pianist, will handle the task of adapting MLK's life once again for the screen, this time with the authorization of part of the King Estate. While other films and miniseries about or involving the Reverend Doctor have been made in the past, none have been approved by any members of his family or had access to his intellectual property (such as the "I Have a Dream" speech). This as yet untitled biopic will also be a bigger deal than past efforts due to the fact it's being produced by Steven Spielberg.Harwood is also a pretty significant player. In addition to winning an Academy Award, he's been nominated for his scripts for The Dresser and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Other films he's written include Australia, The Browning Version and Polanski's film of Oliver Twist. He also has experience with civil rights subject matter. A native of South Africa, Harwood wrote the adaptation for the apartheid drama Cry, the Beloved Country and the made-for-TV biopic Mandela, starring Danny Glover as the anti-apartheid activist (and South African president-to-be). He's also covered the apartheid subject in novels and plays.
Pitch of the Day: I Have a Dream
Filed under: Casting », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
One of the constants of movie blogging is receiving comments from unknown actors (and non-actors) who think they're perfect for such and such part. This is mostly the case with announcements of high-profile biopics and other similar projects based on a true story. For example, last year when news came out that Steven Spielberg is planning a film about Martin Luther King Jr., I wrote on potential casting ideas at another site and got comments from a few people who would rather see themselves in the role of the civil rights leader rather than some A-list actor.One guy included his phone number in his comment, while another man linked to his website. The latter, a "motivational performer" who recites Dr. King's speeches across the nation, does indeed deserve to star in a film. But not Spielberg's. Instead, I propose that he play himself in a meta movie about his wish. It would obviously be called...
I Have a Dream
This movie could work with any kind of biopic, but the MLK angle obviously fits with the holiday. and the title. It'd be kind of a cross between Harmony Korine's movie about celebrity impersonators, Mister Lonely, and that episode of Growing Pains in which Mike and his girlfriend naively hope to be cast in a Broadway revival of Our Town after starring in their high school production of the play.
'Tintin' Lawsuit Inspires Film Boycott?
Filed under: Fandom », Newsstand »
It's time for the latest round of lawsuits and attacks against fandom. As the Telegraph reports, Tintin fan Bob Garcia has been ordered to pay £35,000 -- over $55,000 -- or face the seizure of his house and belongings. Why? Because he has written and distributed (without earning "a single penny") five essays "sparked by his boyhood love for the quaffed reporter and his dog Snowy." The essays reflected on issues like cinematographic references in Hergé's works, and links between Tintin and Sherlock Holmes.The man was sued by Nick Rodwell, a British lawyer who has held the exclusive rights to Hergé's creation since he married the author's widow 16 years ago. "The court ruled that Mr. Garcia had violated the author's moral and proprietary rights." This has infuriated a number of Tintin fans, who are now calling for a boycott of the film if Steven Spielberg does not intervene. Garcia said: "We have nothing against Mr Spielberg even if there is a boycott threat against his film ... but are asking him to intervene in favour of not just me but all people who are being prevented from sharing their passion for Tintin."
Can't see Spielberg interfering, although if enough Tintin fans get riled up, he just might. The production doesn't need any more problems, or a bitter fandom leading up to the film's potential 2011 release. What do you think? Where do we draw the line when it comes to fan-made essays, drawings, trailers or even entire films?
Cinematical Seven: Kids Movies That Won't Drive You Crazy
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Fandom », Family Films », Cinematical Seven »
Now that you have 10 more days until the main event, and the little rugrats are home on Christmas vacation, you have probably been buying (and watching) your fair share of kids' movies. The latest family flick to hit the shelves is G-Force, but don't worry - if you thought that I was about to suggest that movie as part of your family-friendly viewing, think again. But it did get me thinking back to the kids classics that I still watch and love to this day.
Now, I'm a tough audience for family films, because even as a kid I didn't watch that many of them. In most cases my parents just let me watch whatever I wanted, but don't let that scare you off my list. I may have had a varied movie upbringing, but occasionally some family-friendly flicks would make it into heavy rotation -- and if there is one thing about kids and movies, we know it's that they love to watch them over and over again, which brings me to today's Cinematical Seven. That's right; I've decided to put together a list of the kid's movies that (probably) won't drive you bonkers if you are forced to sit through multiple viewings. So if you have to spend the holidays with kid-friendly entertainment on a perpetual loop, here are my seven suggestions for kids movies that won't drive you crazy..
After the jump; my picks for kids flicks that you can watch again and again...
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Filed under: Deals », Newsstand »
Only a few months after we learned the Steven Spielberg was prepping a remake of the classic film Harvey, the famed director is backing out, according to Variety. The piece is strangely vague, and says only that after spending half a year developing the feature, and after 20th Century Fox reserved soundstages for the production, the director announced his withdrawal from the project.From there, they go on to mention the challenges of finding a star. There's no mention of Robert Downey Jr., who was rumored to be circling the project, and just says: "Spielberg's first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star [James Stewart]." First, good. While I like Hanks' work, thinking of him as Elwood P. Dowd breeds flashbacks of Forrest Gump. Second, I might be in the minority, but I liked the idea of a remake, so this is a disappointment. Perhaps this is because I saw it on stage as well, and to me, Dowd is as much Stewart as it is Edward Herrmann. Perhaps it's just because Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role.
Who knows? Maybe it will go on. With Spielberg out, is there anyone else who should take the helm? Me, I'm thinking Wes Anderson for a modern whimsical spin.
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Full-Length 'Predators' Trailer Debuts
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Bryan Singer May Direct 'X-Men 4' and 'Wolverine 2'
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