Vera Farmiga Tagged Articles at Cinematical
First Clip from Jason Reitman's 'Up in the Air'
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
Over the weekend, Jason Reitman's Up in the Air premiered at the Telluride Film Festival to some very positive reactions (Cinematical's review upcoming), with some -- like indieWIRE's Anne Thompson -- already talking Oscar buzz. Now, as the film prepares to head on over to the Toronto International Film Festival, the first clip has arrived online over at Apple in advance of the first trailer. Watch it here.In the film, which is loosely based on Walter Kirn's novel, George Clooney plays a corporate downsizing expert whose job it is to travel around to different companies to determine who needs to be terminated. However, his own job soon becomes threatened as he closes in on his goal of 10 million frequent flier miles, while at the same time meeting the female equivalent of himself (played by Vera Farmiga). In the scene over on Apple, Clooney and Farmiga meet for the first time in what looks to be an frequent fliers club, where they try to one-up each other with their extensive frequent flier card collection.
Up in the Air will hit theaters on December 4.
Cinematical Seven: Creepy Kids on Film
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », Warner Brothers », 20th Century Fox », Fox Searchlight », Dreamworks », Cinematical Seven », Remakes and Sequels »
Okay, so I've never been much for the company of kids. which may make me extra-susceptible when it comes to the evil deeds and manipulations of a perfectly precious child on-screen. It's an easy button to push, though -- after all, who would ever suspect, let alone harm a vengeful little moppet?
None of that appeal escapes tomorrow's release, Orphan, and it certainly isn't the first time that horror and horseplay have mixed on film. While I'm tempted to include that little girl from [REC] (and also Quarantine, I suppose) for giving me the willies, I won't because she wasn't the chief antagonist, and the only reason I'm leaving Children of the Corn off the list is, well, I haven't actually seen that yet. And although it doesn't hit Stateside shelves until this October, keep an eye out for the very tense import, The Children.
But worry not: even with the exceptions, there's certainly no shortage of other brats to choose from.
Review: Orphan
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », New Releases », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Theatrical Reviews », Summer Movies »
High-gloss thrillers rarely elicit gales of unintentional laughter. Orphan is so bats*** crazy that it wears you down just enough to accept the lunacy and enjoy the movie for what it is: every parent's worst nightmare, writ large in childish crayon. For more than one reason, adoption advocacy groups can stop worrying. Although it starts off calm and determined, Orphan eventually descends into that weird territory where it might be OK to talk back to the screen.
For the sake of the other patrons in the audience, I don't actually recommend doing so, but it's hard to keep your mouth shut when you see some of the outrageous actions presented on screen. And it's so serious! If every parent frets that one of their children might be a "bad seed," Orphan takes that fear and amplifies it in twisted ways, dramatizing a bad seed gone beyond evil, a character who is gleefully demented and wickedly scheming, far beyond human comprehension in one so little. Yet the opening sequences are so skillfully handled that the film builds up a measure of goodwill, which makes it eminently watchable and keeps it from becoming a complete disaster.
Nearly all of that goodwill is due to the persuasive performances of Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. As Kate and John, parents of two young children, they are still grieving the loss of a stillborn daughter. After two years, John is ready to move forward and wants to adopt a child; Kate is less certain, but wants to please her long-suffering husband. Enter Esther, who they little suspect is the latest edition of the prototypical 'demon child from hell.'
Discuss: Little 'Orphan' Aneurysm
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Celebrities and Controversy », Movie Marketing »
Another day, another snafu on the ol' political correctness front. It seems that adoptive parents and adoption agencies are up in arms because of a line in the trailer for Warner Brothers' forthcoming thriller, Orphan: "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own."A full ABC News report has parents calling for the studio to remove the line from the trailers, which it did, despite the fact that the trailer can only play before other R-rated films. But that's not enough, because apparently, the film itself can be and has been taken as one big campaign playing up the stereotypes and exploiting the fears of adoption.
I can't speak for everyone, but I'd like to think that any potential parent who finds themselves scared off from real-world adoption because of something they saw in a heavily exaggerated movie probably do not have the proper judgment to serve as a parent in the first place. As for the effect that line and the whole premise might have on adopted kids specifically, I really can't speak to that, as I don't know how exposed to the film's marketing they'd be if watching appropriate channels and seeing appropriate movies.
What are your thoughts? Over-reaction? Just right reaction? Or are we simply overdue for this summer's next big controversy?
[Thanks to Shock for the heads-up.]
Oh, The Horror (Trailers): 'Orphan,' 'Sorority Row,' and One Crazy Candymaker
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
It seems that a couple of horror trailers slipped through the proverbial cracks last week, so let's catch up, shall we? For starters, there's the creepy-kid thriller Orphan, in which Vera Farmiga apparently learns no lessons from Joshua and takes in an unusually mature girl with a knack for fatal shenanigans. We've embedded this and the other two trailers after the jump. Orphan opens on July 24th.Next up is October's slasher remake, Sorority Row, in which a prank goes wrong and the girls who covered it up start getting picked off one by one. Come to think of it, I guess some kids haven't grown up on I Know What You Did Last Summer by this point, but hey, the tweens tend to turn out in droves for anything Carrie Fisher touches.
Last and certainly not least (probably my personal favorite of the bunch) is Funny or Die's mock trailer for Gobstopper, in which a crazed candy maker (played by a scary-perfect Christopher Lloyd) terrorizes Martha "Superbad" MacIssac and friends. I'm sorry to report that there's no word on domestic distribution yet, because I'm pretty sure that I'd rather sit through a full version of this than either of the two above.
Vera Farmiga Romances George Clooney 'Up in the Air'
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Casting »
If there's an actress that we should keep our eye on, it's Vera Farmiga. Over the last few years she's gone from The Manchurian Candidate, to Breaking and Entering, to The Departed, to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. And now she gets to romance one of Hollywood's favorite leading men. Variety reports that Farmiga has signed on for Jason Reitman's Up in the Air -- the film that Twilight actress Anna Kendrick just signed onto.Clooney will star in the feature, playing an HR guy whose single joy is nabbing his millionth frequent-flyer mile. While his life falls apart in his frequent-flying absence, Farmiga's businesswoman will keep meeting him in airports and hotels and develop a romance with him.
I'm hoping for big, funky, and unique things from this project, which all comes from the mind of Walter Kirn -- the pen behind the strangely cute Lou Taylor Pucci indie Thumbsucker. There's good subject matter, Farmiga should be a good match to Mr. Clooney, and we have all seen how great he can be in slightly-less-than-normal cinematic endeavors (Burn After Reading, etc). Agree?
TIFF Review: Nothing But the Truth
Filed under: Drama », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Toronto International Film Festival »
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The political drama has a good friend in Rod Lurie, who makes intelligent, earnestly liberal movies that are meaty and watchable, if not always great. He has a thing for strong female protagonists, too. He was first noticed for The Contender, about a female vice-presidential candidate being grilled about her past, and he created the lady-president TV drama Commander in Chief for ABC. His latest, a spiritual sister to The Contender, is the arbitrarily titled Nothing But the Truth, in which thorny ethical dilemmas once again mess up the life of a woman.
She is Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale), a Washington D.C. newspaper reporter who learns that America's recent missile strike against Venezuela may have been unjustified. It was done in retaliation for that country's supposed involvement in an assassination attempt against the U.S. president, but Rachel has learned that a CIA agent filed a report indicating Venezuela was not to blame -- a report that the president ignored, ordering the military strike anyway.
Rachel's news story makes waves in Washington, not just for its damning evidence against the president, but for outing the CIA agent who made the report. She is Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), the wife of an ambassador and supposedly just an ordinary soccer mom. Her undercover profession as a government spy is over now, of course; nobody wants a spy whose name has been plastered all over the news.
Now the question is which high-level government employee leaked Erica's identity to the press? A special prosecutor named Dubois (Matt Dillon) is appointed to find out; Rachel refuses to reveal her sources; Rachel is held in contempt of court and sent to jail; stubbornness and principle-upholding ensue.
A Depressing Trailer for 'The Boy in The Striped Pajamas'
Filed under: Drama », Movie Marketing », Miramax », Trailers and Clips »
We've all sat down to watch a movie that I like to call the cinematic equivalent of 'civic duty'. Sure, it's not going to be a fun night at the movies, but its all for a good cause, so you shell out your hard-earned dollars. That is exactly the kind of film that I think The Boy in the Striped Pajamas will be -- well intentioned, but depressing as hell. The trailer for the Holocaust drama appeared on the net a few days ago, and I have to send this warning before you press play: you might want to keep a tissue nearby. Pajamas was directed by Mark Herman (who also wrote the screenplay) and the film shares a producer with the Harry Potter franchise (David Heyman).
Pajamas is the story of a young boy whose father is a high ranking guard in the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. Through the course of the story, the cost of war and inhumanity is all shown through the friendship between the young German boy, and the boy in the 'striped pajamas' on the other side of the fence. Pajamas stars David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, and Vera Farmiga. The film is based on the novel by John Boyne, who, believe it or not, intended this story to be a 'children's book'. But if I had come across this story as a child, I might have needed some long-term grief counseling.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is expected to arrive in theaters in November; which leaves you with plenty of time to practice sobbing quietly in the movie theater.
Sundance Review: Quid Pro Quo
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Sundance », Magnolia », Theatrical Reviews »
How's this for a premise? A young reporter who lost the use of his legs in a childhood car accident is asked to look into a group of handicap "wannabes" before he falls in love with a physically-abled woman who, yep, desperately wants to be a paraplegic. Sounds pretty outlandish, doesn't it? But the truth is that there ARE people out there who'd prefer to be wheelchair-bound -- as "crazy" as that might sound to you and me. Strange but true, folks, and Carlos Brooks' oddly illuminating Quid Pro Quo does an appreciably good job of delving into some rather arcane issues.
Although he needs a wheelchair to get around, radio journalist Isaac Knot (get it? I Sick. Not.) is by no means disabled. Aside from the fact that he can't stand or walk, Isaac has no problem getting around New York City, chasing down story leads, and handling a fairly normal social life. (Aside from all the skittish single chicks who get freaked out at the sight of a wheelchair, that is, and all those lazy cab drivers.)
But when a decidedly strange story hits the wire -- apparently a man recently walked into a hospital and offered a doctor $250,000 to amputate a perfectly healthy leg -- Isaac becomes intrigued. Professional interest turns into personal business when a mysterious (and sexy!) informant pops up and offers Isaac an odd exclusive: She'll introduce him to the world of "wannabes" if he teaches her what it's like to be stuck in a chair all the time.
Sarsgaard and Farmiga Join 'Orphan'
Filed under: Horror », Casting », Warner Brothers »
Variety reports that Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga (The Departed) have joined the cast of Dark Castle's Orphan. In a nod to Bad Seeds everywhere, the film focuses on a young couple (Sarsgaard and Farmiga) that have recently lost a child and decide to adopt a young girl to fill the void. Of course, nothing is ever that easy and the girl "is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be". David Leslie, a relative newcomer, wrote the screenplay based off an idea by Alex Mace. Already signed to direct is House of Wax helmer, Jaume Collet-Serra. Serra started off directing TV commercials and music videos, and Wax was his first big-budget production. Orphan seems like a definite step up for Serra; when your casting pool goes from Paris Hilton to Peter Sarsgaard you must be doing something right.Sarsgaard has already completed the Philip Roth adaptation Elegy with Penelope Cruz, and is wrapping up work on two more literary adaptations. First up is In the Electric Mist; based on James Lee Burke's novel about "A detective in the deep South is led into a series of surreal encounters with a troop of Confederate soldiers" and Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Farmiga is currently filming Nothing But The Truth, a political drama with Kate Beckinsale and will next star in a literary adaptation of her own called The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas for Mark Herman (Brassed Off). Orphan is set to start shooting next week on location in Toronto and Montreal, Canada.
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