TimBlakeNelson Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Exclusive: 'Saint John of Las Vegas' Poster Premiere
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Posters »
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Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Saint John of Las Vegas, which stars Steve Buscemi as a recovering gambling addict who ditches Las Vegas (and his problems) for a job with an auto insurance company, only to find himself forced to confront his old demons when he returns to Sin City on a job assignment. With a cast that also includes Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Sarah Silverman, however, that basic plot description barely scratches the surface of this wickedly wild Vegas dramedy that works as a sort of parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy and includes wheelchair-bound strippers, nude militants and a carnival human torch, among other freakishly colorful characters.
Saint John of Las Vegas hits theaters on November 13th. Check out the slick-splattered poster by clicking the image below.
Gallery: 'Saint John of Las Vegas' Poster
Discuss: Should They Make an 'Incredible Hulk' Sequel?
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Poor Hulk! Batman, Iron Man, even Wolverine get more sequel press than he does. But late last week, Tim Blake Nelson revealed to MTV that he had signed for Hulk sequels, with every intention of taking the villainous center stage as The Leader. But like the rest of us, he has no idea whether or not they'll come to be, or whether or not Edward Norton will return. "It's all good, and I really do hope [the sequel] happens, for all sorts of reasons. But yeah, we did, we had a great time on Hulk together. I'm eager to do Hulk 2 if they make it ... I'm signed on to do Hulk 2 and 3 whether Edward's there or not, so it's not even up to me ... I certainly hope Edward is on the sequel - but that's up to Marvel and Edward."
Meanwhile, over in Avengers land, Robert Downey Jr. mentioned again that Hulk is going to show up in that crown jewel of superhero flicks. It's a strange place for the green giant to be in, because he's going forward, yet lost in a land of sequel rumor and leading man drama.
It's a question we've thrown out to Cinematical readers before, but with all this additional info, where do you want Hulk to go from here? Do you think that he should get his planned trilogy, then land with a thunderclap in The Avengers? Should they just leave well enough alone with The Incredible Hulk? And how do you feel about yet another Hulk recast?
My personal take is that if Marvel can't make up with Norton, they should just give up franchising Hulk, and just leave him off the big screen until The Avengers. Theoretically, you could have an all-CGI Hulk in that, thereby sidestepping the need to replace Norton. It would be clunky, though, and might "really really suck." Sigh. Why does there have to be so much drama in the world of Marvel? Earth's mightiest heroes should have a much easier time uniting than this.
Meanwhile, over in Avengers land, Robert Downey Jr. mentioned again that Hulk is going to show up in that crown jewel of superhero flicks. It's a strange place for the green giant to be in, because he's going forward, yet lost in a land of sequel rumor and leading man drama.
It's a question we've thrown out to Cinematical readers before, but with all this additional info, where do you want Hulk to go from here? Do you think that he should get his planned trilogy, then land with a thunderclap in The Avengers? Should they just leave well enough alone with The Incredible Hulk? And how do you feel about yet another Hulk recast?
My personal take is that if Marvel can't make up with Norton, they should just give up franchising Hulk, and just leave him off the big screen until The Avengers. Theoretically, you could have an all-CGI Hulk in that, thereby sidestepping the need to replace Norton. It would be clunky, though, and might "really really suck." Sigh. Why does there have to be so much drama in the world of Marvel? Earth's mightiest heroes should have a much easier time uniting than this.
Telluride Review: 'American Violet'
Filed under: Drama », Telluride », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Cinematical Indie »
American Violet opens in the kitchen of a Texas housing project, as a mother makes breakfast for her children. She pours water into a tea kettle; serves eggs; hurries the kids along – a lovely, peaceful scene. Then the film cuts abruptly to police preparing for a raid: they load their weapons (I believe the first shot is of a gun), put on armor, and pile en masse into trucks. The moment we move from the kitchen table to the police staging area, the soundtrack changes too, from a languid, piano-tinged theme to a percussive arrangement that screams evil.
This approach is representative of much of the movie, which is a strident, aggressive polemic against racism in the justice system, as well as the story of a courageous woman who risked much to sue an all-powerful District Attorney. It is straightforward, unambiguous, and often frankly partisan, hitting its talking points hard without ever really peering under the surface. The tale it tells is reasonably compelling, and as a legal thriller the film more or less works. But much of it is obvious and ham-fisted – the sort of Serious Drama you might expect to see on basic cable. Adventurous moviegoers won't find much of interest here.
News Bites: Buscemi & More Head to Vegas, and More Parkour
Filed under: Action », Drama », Casting », Deals », Scripts »
Some news bites for your Friday:- There's a new drama that's begun production called Saint John of Las Vegas, and Variety reports that it has collected a pretty sweet cast -- Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Emily Mortimer, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Peter Dinklage. Said to be loosely based on Dante's Inferno, of all things, and written by new scribe Hue Rhodes, Buscemi stars as "an ex-gambler who's under the tutelage of a maverick insurance fraud investigator (Malco)." I'm not quite sure how that works, but you can be sure that there'll be a lot of struggle and vice. And John Cho in a drama? Will he finally be breaking out of his usual comedic gigs?
- In other news, that untitled parkour pic that I mentioned back in February of 2007, starring Channing Tatum, is still in the works. Variety reports that New Line is finally shooing the project into production early next year, with Richie Smyth making his feature directorial debut. The film is said to be about a NYC cop who has to infiltrate a group of parkour-loving bank robbers. Does this mean Tatum has to learn himself some parkour? And I still want to know: Will David Belle be involved?
Review: The Incredible Hulk
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Universal », Theatrical Reviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », War »
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Here are a few statistics on the 2003 film Hulk:
- Directed by Oscar winner Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger)
- Written by Michael France (Cliffhanger), James Schamus (The Ice Storm), first-timer John Turman (and maybe 15 other screenwriters)
- Estimated budget: $137 million
- Worldwide box office: $245 million
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 61% positive
- IMDb user rating: 5.8 out of 10
So I ask you this: Are we talking about a failure ... or an underrated movie that's been unjustly labeled a failure? It matters not, I suppose, because the arrival of the all-new The Incredible Hulk, Marvel (and Universal) hopes to leave the first Hulk cowering in a dusty vault somewhere. (Until the next DVD re-release, of course.) So while I felt a strange bit of resentment towards this "forget that first movie, let's get a do-over" procedure, I felt pretty confident about the second Hulk's chances. Director Louis Leterrier has shown some skill with action flicks like Unleashed and Transporter 2, the new cast (which includes Edward Norton, Tim Roth, Liv Tyler and William Hurt) was pretty impressive, and (best of all) the producers were making one simple promise from the outset: More action.
Review: The Amateurs
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Scripts », Distribution », Exhibition », New in Theaters »
Filmed in the summer of 2004, The Amateurs has been in the can for over three years. The movie's title has gone through several changes, and imdb still lists it as The Moguls. The film has had a whopping six release dates going back to 2005, but it finally sputters into theaters today -- in Los Angeles and Dallas, anyway. Movies often have distribution trouble (you can read more about the problems this one faced in the Los Angeles Times), but the struggle of The Amateurs surprised me because it had all the makings of a sleeper hit. It's got a killer premise (think The Full Monty with porno) and an amazing cast. The film's struggle surprised me...until I saw it.
A queasy mixture of Boogie Nights sleaze and Patch Adams sentimentality, The Amateurs takes place in the small town of Butterface Fields (ho-HO!). That's where you'll find Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges, in shaggy dog Lebowski mode), a divorced dad who is down on his luck. His son (Alex D. Linz) is now living with a wealthy stepfather (the typically solid Steven Weber), and this makes Sargentee insecure. He's got to make some money, and fast. So, naturally, he decides to enlist the help of his friends and make an amateur porno flick.
Edward Norton Rolls in 'Leaves of Grass'
Filed under: Comedy », Thrillers », Casting »
Ed Norton's acting career has thrown him into a number of roles over the years, from scary skinheads to his most recent role, a man who turns green and busts sh*t up. But now he's onto something else, courtesy of Hulk co-star Tim Blake Nelson. Variety reports that Norton will play dual roles in the upcoming comedic thriller, Leaves of Grass -- a project Nelson wrote and will act in. I have to admit, I've been a waning fan of Norton's over the last few years, but this could just be the film to amp things up again (in the non-green sort of way).Plot details haven't been released yet, but Ed's roles have: "Norton will play identical twins -- one an Ivy League classics professor, and the other a hedonistic, pot-smoking career criminal." This should be interesting, especially since Norton rocked at portraying inner personality conflict in Fight Club (or Primal Fear for that matter) -- this is just split personalities as two people. The actor says about the role: "The challenge of playing twins for an actor is very special, and I was very flattered that Tim sent Leaves of Grass to me. I liked it so much, and felt so strongly that it was a film Tim understood to his core, that I took it to my partners and suggested we produce it. This is exactly the kind of personal filmmaking that we set out to support.
So, Ed's also on as producer, and will take on the role once he finishes his stint in State of Play. Nelson, meanwhile, has got to be relieved. He said that if Norton had declined, "there would have been no second choice." So, are you ready to see Ed take on dual roles (again), or are you just waiting to see him go green?
Ed Norton and 'Hulk' Co-Star Return for 'Leaves of Grass'
Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Deals »
Well I guess things are going well on the set of The Incredible Hulk because Edward Norton and co-star Tim Blake Nelson seem to have become serious BFFs. Coming Soon.net reports that Norton and Nelson (sounds like a vaudeville team doesn't it?) will work together on the crime comedy, Leaves of Grass. Norton will direct the comedy about twin brothers who get mixed up with "murderous potheads" – which to me sounds like a contradiction in terms. Norton will play both brothers, of which one is a successful professor and the other is a low-life criminal who unfortunately is not exactly a mastermind. Nelson will produce as well as star in the flick, but there is no word on his role in the film.Norton has some experience when it comes to directing comedy, since his first effort behind the camera was the 2000 romantic comedy, Keeping the Faith. Knowing how Norton likes to get involved behind the camera for his films, it wouldn't surprise me if he has some writing in mind for this project as well. Norton's latest project, the political thriller State of Play has hit a snag now that co-star Brad Pitt has left the project (although there is still the chance that Russell Crowe is going to swoop in and save the film by filling in where Pitt left off). So it's probably not a bad idea for Norton to line up another project just in case. Grass is reportedly scheduled to begin shooting on location in New Orleans this March.
Tim Blake Nelson Will Play 'Hulk' Villain
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
With shooting currently underway, The Incredible Hulk has added another cast member, and another villain. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Tim Blake Nelson has signed on to play Samuel Sterns (aka The Leader); archenemy of the Hulk (Edward Norton). Nelson is a great character actor; he's appeared in a number of films, my favorite performance of his being Delmar from the Coen Bros. O' Brother, Where Art Thou. In the comics Sterns is a menial worker at a chemical research factory (always a bad sign), when an explosion causes the man to be hit with some ever-so-wonderful gamma radiation. From there, his skin turned green and he became this super-intelligent criminal with a giant oversized brain.
With Tim Roth (what is it with the Tims?) already signed on to play Emil Blonsky (The Abomination), it looks The Incredible Hulk could be heading in the direction of most comic-related films as of late -- mainly in that the flick will include two villains, instead of just one. Either that, or Sterns will not make his transformation until late in the film setting up a sequel. Folks haven't been too keen on the multiple villain angle, but if it's done well I have no problem with multiple baddies. It keeps the pace fast, and the characters constantly on their toes. But in the case of the Hulk, two villains might be two too much. Keep in mind he'll also be running from the United States Army and General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), not to mention he'll have to find time to woo Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) in his spare time. Louis Leterrier (The Transporter) will direct Hulk this time, so I imagine we'll be seeing a slew of off-the-wall stunt action. If he tones down a little bit of what he did in Transporter, I think we'll be okay. Oh, and Zak Penn wrote the script. Look for more Hulk stuff this weekend from ComicCon, and the movie is set to arrive in theaters on June 13, 2008.
Bloom, Bosworth in Seasons of Dust
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Newsstand », Cinematical Indie »
Screen Daily reported this morning with great glee that Orlando Bloom is going to be appearing in a movie with ... his real-life girlfriend! Can you stand it? For some reason they're very excited about the relationship between Mr. Bloom and Kate Bosworth, with whom he has agreed to appear in Seasons of Dust, an indie drama written and directed by actor Tim Blake Nelson, and produced by the Coen brothers.The movie is set during the Depression, and tells the story of "a young farm woman forced to go on the run." Bosworth, who will play the central character, read the script shortly after she and Nelson finished their work on Wonderland back in 2003 and, she says, immediately fell in love with it: "It's a woman's journey during the Depression and it's one of the most beautiful scripts I've ever read." Bloom's involvement came about more recently; he'll play "a cowboy who steals from bootleggers" who he describes as "a really charismatic character, a real cowboy who loves to be loved by women." You go with your bad, being loved by women self, Orlando.
Production is expected to begin this summer.
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Exclusive: Poster Premiere for 'Extraordinary Measures'
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Jake Gyllenhaal Joins Duncan Jones for 'Source Code'
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