Winged Creatures Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Jennifer Hudson Takes on Winnie Mandela
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Deals »
Jennifer Hudson, the multitalented performer who was once a finalist on American Idol and is now a sought-after Oscar winner, will be starring in a biopic about Winnie Mandela, based on the book Winnie Mandela: A Life. Mandela, the ex-wife of South African President Nelson Mandela, is a controversial figure; although she's a stalwart activist against apartheid, with some calling her the Mother of the Nation, she has also been embroiled in several scandals, both of the personal and political nature. Perhaps most controversial was her association with a former bodyguard who was charged with the murder of a kidnapped 14-year-old. She was also charged with bank fraud in 2001; as the New York Times wrote, "there is no doubt that the woman who was once celebrated as a heroine of the anti-apartheid struggle has become mired in a particularly sticky set of financial and political troubles." According to Variety, the movie will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt, a South African who directed Cry, the Beloved Country, which stars James Earl Jones.
Hudson said, "I was compelled and moved when I read the script... Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I'm honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told."
Trailer Park: Winging It
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Trailer Trash », Family Films »
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Trailers are taking to the air this week as we discuss five previews that make me think of flying.
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This is a real quick little teaser but it makes me smile every time I watch it, and I'm pretty certain that's Ed Asner voicing the single word used. I suspect this brief bit of film will not even end up in the final flick, but it's already sold me through its ability to be charming as hell. This is Pixar's tenth animated feature, though not having seen Wall-E yet I'm starting to fall behind. In addition to Asner the voice cast includes Christopher Plummer and Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger, and is described as "a 'coming of old age' story," in which "a seventysomething hero, alongside his clueless wilderness ranger sidekick, travels the globe, fighting beasts and villains, and eating dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon."
Fireflies in the Garden
If Willem Defoe were my father and he was half as crazed as he looks here I'd be pretty screwed up too. This is a semi-autobiographical feature from director Dennis Lee and deals with a family trying to deal with an unexpected tragedy. Defoe plays the father and presumably the source of much of the dysfunction and Ryan Reynolds is the son publishing his memoirs and stirring up the muck. Julia Roberts is there too, along with Carrie-Anne Moss and Hayden Panetierre. The trailer comes off as fascinating but grim, so if you're looking for the feel good movie of the year you should probably look elsewhere. Here's what Eugene thought.
'Winged Creatures' Trailer
Filed under: Drama », Trailers and Clips »
Last year, bit by bit, we got casting notices for the uber-drama Winged Creatures, which collected a powerful group of actors -- Forest Whitaker, Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning, Jackie Earle Haley, Guy Pearce, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Now a trailer has finally hit the Internet, which you can see above.
As the trailer outlines, the film follows a group of people who suffer post-traumatic stress after a random shooting at a Los Angeles diner. Talk about a soul-sucker. The trailer alone should steal some of the wind from your happy sails, but it looks like it will be in the most worthy way. Initial buzz at IMDb has pegged the film to be a 9.1/10, so this could be one of those heavy, challenging dramas worth our time and energy. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival, but a release date is yet to be set.
Jeanne Tripplehorn will Play Jackie O in 'Grey Gardens'
Filed under: Documentary », Drama », Music & Musicals », Casting », HBO Films »
So while I might not be the biggest Jackie O or Jeanne Tripplehorn aficionado, I will say this: they do look an awful lot alike. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Tripplehorn has signed to play the iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the HBO Films 'remake' of Grey Gardens. Tripplehorn will be joining Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange in the 'true' story of two of the most eccentric women you could ever meet. Back in 1975, Albert and David Maysles, Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer made a documentary about the lives of Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale. They were the aunt and cousin to Onassis and lived a bizarre life in almost total isolation in a ramshackle mansion by the name of Grey Gardens. After trying for years to have the home brought up to code, the two were finally separated when "Big Edie" died in 1977 (Little Edie finally sold the house in 1979 to a former editor for the Washington Post). The documentary inspired an award winning stage musical in 2006 starring Christine Ebersol as Little Edie. The new film from HBO will not be a musical (thankfully, I might add) and instead was based on the original documentary.
The cast also includes Daniel Baldwin as Julius Krug, the former secretary of the interior and true love of Little Edie (Barrymore). Tripplehorn is doing some post-production work for Winged Creatures, an ensemble drama about a group of people who survive a shooting in an L.A. diner (I guess it will be kind of like Crash, but with more gunfire). Grey Gardens is being directed by Michael Sucsy (who also co-wrote the script with Patricia Rozema) and is currently shooting on location in Toronto, Canada. Grey Gardens will hit theaters in 2008.
Jennifer Hudson in Talks to Join 'Winged Creatures'
Filed under: Drama », Casting »
Unlike any of the other American Idol cast-offs, Jennifer Hudson has made quite a name for herself. You really can't do much better than losing that show to go straight into an Oscar win in your first movie. Some say that this is a fleeting blip in the celebrity circuit, but as reports continue to come in, it looks like Hudson is at least here to stay for the next few years. Aside from the possibility of her starring in an Aretha Franklin biopic, she's recording an album for this Fall, and is now in talks to join the talent-heavy Winged Creatures.The film is about a group of people coping with the fact they they've witnessed a murder and suicide in a fast food restaurant, and those that cross their paths. There is no word on what role she'd play in the light and happy feature, which already stars co-Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, nominee Jackie Earle Haley and also the likes of Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Embeth Davidtz. So, while she could have a musical role in the film, there's also a chance that it could be a non-singing part that could further open up her Hollywood possibilities -- if she can find the time in her schedule. Since she's currently recording her album, and shooting starts next week, she might be over-extending herself. Furthermore, I'm not sure if such a star-studded cast will be a curse or a blessing. Putting that much great talent together is usually a crap-shoot.
Jeanne Tripplehorn and Embeth Davidtz Put on Wings
Filed under: Drama », Casting »
Jeanne Tripplehorn (the hottest wife on Big Love? I say yes.) and Embeth Davidtz have joined the extremely talented cast of Winged Creatures, which we brought you a bit of news on last month. Winged Creatures -- is this some sort of badass flying monster fest? Sadly, no. "The story follows the witnesses to a brutal murder suicide in a fast food restaurant as they cope with the aftermath of the incident and how they affect the people who help them along the way." Also in the film: Kate "I'm More Attractive Than You" Beckinsale, Forest "I Have An Oscar Now!" Whitaker, Jackie "Damn you, Whitaker!" Earle Haley, Dakota "Creeps Me Out" Fanning, and Guy "Good Lord, LA Confidential Was Awesome" Pearce. The film will be directed by Rowan Woods.
Not sure what to make of this character description, but Davidtz will play "a wife suffering from migraines who places her husband's needs above hers." Guess that means she doesn't use the old "Not tonight honey, I have a headache" excuse? Tripplehorn is playing Fanning's mother, who tries to help her daughter get over the tragedy. If Dakota Fanning were my daughter, I think I'd be the one asking her for help and advice. She seems a good deal smarter than me. Hopefully we'll get more details on the plot soon, but I will say I'm intrigued as to what could cause a "brutal murder suicide in a fast food restaurant." Must have been that breakfast cutoff time. When you've got Egg McMuffin on the brain, a Big Mac ain't gonna cut it.
Jackie Earle Haley Sittin' On Top of the World
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Casting »
While Jackie Earle Haley's first stint in Hollywood wasn't followed by a crazy, tumultuous life of drugs and tabloids, it wasn't particularly shnazzy either. There's not much that can humble a star more than following fame in The Bad News Bears and one of my most-watched films of the 80's, Breaking Away, with stints that included pizza delivery. I'm sure he didn't think he'd make his way back to Hollywood and get an Oscar nomination almost straight-away. Last September, Scott suspected that we'd be seeing a lot more of Mr. Haley, and that definitely seems to be the case. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he is continuing his impressive return with 3 more, quite varied, features. First, he gets a bit of his sporting past with Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro, the basketball comedy that also stars Maura Tierney, Woody Harrelson and André Benjamin. In the film, he'll be a fan and winner of a basketball-throwing contest. He's topping that role with a part as an abusive husband/angry father in the big-named ensemble piece Winged Creatures with Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Forest Whitaker and Guy Pearce. Then, to continue to change things up, Haley will take a spot in the Buddy Bolden biopic, Bolden!, where he will play a corrupt judge involved in brothels and harsh Battles Royale.
While all of this official word slides in, there are also rumors floating around that he might take a role in the upcoming Zack Snyder film, Watchmen. That's right, it seems that the buzz right now names both Haley and Simon Pegg as possible actors to take on the role of Rorschach -- who happens to be the main character. If the Bad News alum nabs this as well, I have a feeling he won't ever be delivering pizzas again.
Dakota Fanning is a Winged Creature
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Scripts »
We already know that Dakota Fanning is desperate to shed her feel-good, bright and cheery family film image. When the desire led her to Hounddog, it seemed like it could be a brief foray -- an "I've got more to me than laughs and sweetness!" statement. Then, Karina Longworth brought us news that she would star with her sister as a handicapped child in Hurricane Mary. Still drama, but no creepy body sleeves and potential trauma. Now, she's adding a crime victim to the list, and I can't help but wonder -- why is a girl of 12 so desperate to shed her childhood as if she's a 20-year-old who everyone refuses to see as an adult? Is her impending 13th birthday that much of an adult, dark, traumatic cloud over her head? (She turns 13 on February 23.)While I don't have an answer to that, I do have news of the film -- Winged Creatures -- which tells the story of a group of people who survived a vicious restaurant murder and "are left to divine their own individual paths to understanding their mortality and connection to society." The script was written by Roy Freirich, a screenwriter who has danced in and out of the movie news spotlight without his words hitting the screen. In 2004, he was set to write Salvati for Dreamworks, which seems to have sunk into obscurity, and his Creatures script has been cooking on the back burner for years. But now he's got Little Fish director Rowan Woods bringing it to the screen, and a star-studded cast to boot. Aside from the desperate almost-teen wonder, the movie will star Forest Whitaker, Kate Beckinsale and Guy Pearce. It would be hard for this group to make a bad movie, so it should be a winner. However, I really hope that next week doesn't bring word of Fanning signing on to be a drug addicted teen, a prostitute, or anything else of that sort.
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