anna paquin Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Katie Holmes Replaces Liv Tyler in 'The Romantics'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting »
Not too long ago, Katie Holmes was the one getting ousted. After romancing Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, she was set aside so Maggie Gyllenhaal could whip up a much more spot-on Rachel Dawes. Now it's her time to take over a role. It might not be part of a well-established franchise, but Variety reports that Holmes will be replacing Liv Tyler in the romantic comedy The Romantics. As I wrote when Tyler signed on for the project, this film sees Galt Niederhoffer adapting and directing from her own novel, which focuses on a group of college friends who reunite after 6 years for a wedding. The event brings up a rivalry between the groom, the bride, and her maid of honor. Anna Paquin is playing the bride, Josh Duhamel is the groom, and Holmes is stepping in as maid of honor. (Other cast include Malin Akerman, Elijah Wood, Adam Brody, and Jeremy Strong.)
Since its "thin stereotypes" seem to trump the Big Chill feel to the plot, this could very possibly mark another not-so-good turn for the actress. After her 3-year hiatus post-bats and Smoking, Holmes decided Mad Money was the way to go, and we all know that was a crappy choice. But she seems to really like this gig -- Holmes is not only co-starring, she's also executive producing (her first time). Yet, for someone trying to find her place in her adult career, I'm surprised she isn't finding more on the gritty or less mainstreamish end of the indie world. The comedies with recognizable names -- they never seem to do her well. But the drama and dramedy ... ice storms, nights with drug dealers, gifts, singing detectives, Thanksgiving dinners, and smoking are the times she's gotten a solid reception. Will this project get included on the above list? I'm not holding my breath.
Real-Life Romances On The Big Screen
Filed under: Thrillers », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Tom Cruise », Angelina Jolie », Brad Pitt », Lists », Nicole Kidman », Trailers and Clips »
It's not that strange for two people who work together to fall in love, but it does seem to happen an awful lot in Hollywood (although to be fair, most of us don't spend our days rolling around half-naked with our co-workers). So even though it might be easy to fall in love at work, it isn't as easy for a couple to stay in love once they're spending every waking moment together -- and the latest celebrity couple who will put my theory to the test is Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer (better known as Sookie and Vampire Bill) from HBO's True Blood. The two fell in love (and got engaged) while working on the vampire soap, and now they're heading back to work together in the thriller, Open House.
According to IMDB, the story will center on a couple whose marriage is on the rocks, and are trying to offload their palatial home during a weekend 'open house'. But, things start to get a little weird when it turns out one of the potential buyers never left. The film was written by Paquin's brother Andrew (who will be making his directorial debut), and the cast will include Tricia Helfer (BSG), Rachel Blanchard (Spread), and Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker) in unspecified roles while the True Blood stars will play the married couple.
Moyer and Paquin aren't the first real-life couple who like to work together, and over the years plenty of Hollywood power couples have tried and failed to translate that relationship onto the big screen. After the jump: some other famous real-life couples on the big screen...
Scenes We Love: 25th Hour
Filed under: Fandom », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
One of my pet peeves about the movies is that they can never seem to get nightclubs right. Usually, it's too bright, the music isn't loud enough, and you just never feel like you are in a honest to goodness night-spot -- except for Spike Lee's 25th Hour. In today's installment of Scenes We Love, I decided to avoid the obvious choice, and went with one of the many fantastic scenes that take place in the oh-so-hip night club on Monty's (Edward Norton) last night of freedom, and Jacob (as played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) lets his flirtation with his student (Anna Paquin) go a little too far -- and we even get not one, but two of Lee's trademark dolly shots.
25th Hour is easily one of my favorite Spike Lee films, but I chose today's scene for three reasons: first off is the club (as I've already explained), the second is the song from Cymande, Bra (and if this song doesn't make you want to dance, you might want to check for a pulse), and the final reason is what Lee called on the DVD commentary, (I'm paraphrasing, here) the "Oh F**k face". Usually, when you see these sexed-up Lolita scenarios, it's all very erotic and taboo. But in Lee's version the whole thing is just ill-advised, and Hoffman brings that all home in one facial expression. Lee uses Paquin's ability to play a little girl messing with adult behaviors to every advantage, and what might have just been an inappropriate kiss with an 'E'd up teenager becomes something so much worse, and Hoffman makes you feel the panic as reality comes crushing in on him.
After the jump; "But it's all right, we can still go on"...
'Trick 'r Treat' Won't Wait 'Til Halloween
Filed under: Horror », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Distribution », Fantastic Fest »
Mike Dougherty's horror anthology film Trick 'r Treat has been bumped back by Warner Bros. for going on two years now, since its premiere at Austin's Butt-Numb-a-Thon back in December of 2007. We wrote up a piece last December wondering where it was, and we shant need to write one up this December, because not only is TrT scheduled for a home video release in October, but it's working up to a roadshow run starting in July.According to Bloody Disgusting, the film will hit several genre festivals -- from FanTasia to Fantastic Fest (squee!) -- and hopes to be booked in other theaters along the way. Those who know of any ideal venues to show the film have been encouraged to contact Dougherty himself through either his Twitter account or his MySpace page.
Now, I know several colleagues who loved or at least liked it, though one cautions not to get our hopes up too high. I'm all for keeping expectations in check, but if anything, I'm slightly more for supporting apparently good and genuinely original horror offerings. It's like my equivalent of asking you to prevent forest fires, only instead of forest fires, we're talking Prom Night sequels. Ya dig?
(Trailer's after the jump...)
This Decade's Oscar Winner Batting Averages
Filed under: Awards »
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
'X-Men: First Class' Actually Happening
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
The Avengers won't be the only Marvel superteam on the big screen -- the X-Men are returning! According to Variety, 20th Century Fox is kicking X-Men: First Class into gear by hiring Josh Schwartz to pen the screenplay. Schwartz was also offered the director's chair, but he declined, leaving the job open for now. Schwartz's specialty is teen fare -- he's the man behind Gossip Girl, The OC, and Chuck. Happily, Lauren Shuler Donner will be producing, so it should stay on the right track, and not stray too far into silly teen fare.
The studio is keeping quiet on the finer points, but it's unlikely that it will revolve around the teenage versions of Cyclops & Co, as the series X-Men: First Class actually does. Instead, they'll be using the young X-wannabes introduced in the previous three films, like Iceman, Angel, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Jubilee (if you can call her cameo an introduction), and Colossus. I'd love it if they kept it current to the comics by mixing some of the Astonishing students, like Blindfold and Armor in -- especially if Armor replaced Jubilee.
The studio is keeping quiet on the finer points, but it's unlikely that it will revolve around the teenage versions of Cyclops & Co, as the series X-Men: First Class actually does. Instead, they'll be using the young X-wannabes introduced in the previous three films, like Iceman, Angel, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Jubilee (if you can call her cameo an introduction), and Colossus. I'd love it if they kept it current to the comics by mixing some of the Astonishing students, like Blindfold and Armor in -- especially if Armor replaced Jubilee.
Moviefone Ranks the Top 25 Child Stars of All Time
Filed under: Fandom », Images »
With all of the little tykes and tots who have hit the big screen over the years, one would think that it might be one heck of a daunting challenge to narrow the list down to a top 25, but I think Moviefone may have done it. They've posted a list of the Top 25 Child Stars of All Time, and they've hit just about every child star I can think of, including a few I forgot about. The list starts with Kirsten Dunst. She might not have had a lot of movie gigs in her early days, but she certainly wowed audiences with her portrayal of Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. I, for one, was so impressed that I had a much different vision of her future career, and am still waiting for the day that she can tap into what made her shine all those years ago. From there, we've got a collection of old and new names, moms and sons, and all the biggies.
The queen of children's entertainment Shirley Temple meets up with newer talent like Anna Paquin and Christian Bale (remember Empire of the Sun?). There's also some funky trivia tidbits as well. Growing up, I was a rabid fan of Hayley Mills, from her classic In Search of the Castaways, to her brief stint in the first incarnation of Saved by the Bell. But did you know that she was cast to be Stanley Kubrick's Lolita before Disney got her out of the deal?
Check out the list, and weigh in below. Do you think they got it right, and is anyone missing?
Haneke Will Direct Some White Tape & Daniel Bruhl Undergoes a Metamorphosis
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Deals », Cinematical Indie », War »
There is some interesting international news coming from Variety. They're reporting that Cache director Michael Haneke is gearing up for his next film, having just wrapped a U.S. remake of his thriller Funny Games. The new project is interestingly called The White Tape or the Teacher's Tale. Over at Variety, it's all in quotes, so I assume it's the full title, and not two possible titles. Very little is being said about the feature -- it will be co-produced by X-Filme Creative Pool and Les Films du Losange, and will be set in a Northern German village before the first World War. That's the only official news to go on, but there are a few more bits over on the IMDb message boards. It's going to be about the rise of the Nazis, and apparently, actor couple Susanne Lothar and Ulrich Mühe were rumored to be starring. Obviously, with Mühe's passing this week, that won't be the case.The other news bit is of the more classic variety. Daniel Brühl, who starred in Goodbye, Lenin!, is going to head a new adaptation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis as the giant insect previously known as Gregor Samsa. While I'm not a big fan of the story, it's looking to be an intriguing new project as both the ever-creepy Stephen Rea and one of my favorite young actresses, Anna Paquin, are also starring. I presume they will play Gregor's sister and father, which leaves his mother yet to be cast. Metamorphosis will mark the directorial debut for FeardotCom producer Limor Diamant, so hopefully this will be much, much better -- not that it would be hard to improve on the Stephen Dorff flop.
Bryan Singer Reunites with X-Men Cast for Trick 'r Treat
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Deals », New Releases », Mystery & Suspense », RumorMonger », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
While it's pretty old news that Bryan Singer has signed on to produce Trick r''Treat for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. through his own Bad Hat Harry Productions, some new cast announcements in Variety have made the film a mini X-Men reunion.Michael Dougherty, who was a writing partner on Superman Returns and X2 wrote the script and will direct. The plot revolves around a small town one Halloween night, and will throw a bunch of interconnected stories at us, including one that involves a high-school principal-turned-serial killer. Singer must have liked what he saw in Dougherty's script because he not only signed on to produce, but plans on being present on set throughout production. The reunions don't stop there though -- Anna Paquin (Rogue) and Brian Cox (William Stryker) from the first two X-Men films have signed on to star. Leslie Bibb and Dylan Baker round out the rest of the cast thus far
This is Dougherty's first time directing a film, which might explain Singer's close involvement. Singer is also currently busy with the Superman sequel and the upcoming You Want Me To Kill Him? for 2007. Trick 'r Treat has already started filming in Vancouver but a release date has not been set -- gee, a horror movie about Halloween? I wonder what date they will choose to release it?
[via Movie Web]
Quickhits: The Devil Loves Baseball, Williams to Paris, Paquin to Canada, Eckhart to Bill
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Sports », Casting », Deals », Universal », Newsstand », Politics », Cinematical Indie »
More odds and ends than you can shake a stick
at:- I have to admit that I'm sort of amused by this concept: a movie about someone who actually followed through on their threat to move to Canada when Bush was elected. Entitled Blue State, the film stars Anna Paquin as the mover (which is funny, what with her being from Canada and all) and Breckin Meyer as the token male, and will be produced by Paquin Films - bet you can't guess who owns that sucker.
- You know that movie Woody Allen is going to make in Paris? Well, he's taking a Brokeback wife along: Michelle Williams has reportedly agree to star. She'll be playing, well, one of a bunch of Americans. In Paris. For the love of God, Woody -- throw us a plot-bone!
- Because we can never get enough heartwarming stories (Has anyone actually tested that? Personally, I hit my limit about 13 misunderstood youths ago.), Aaron Eckhart has ridden the Thank You for Smoking wave into yet another one. Eckhart's personal story of redemption is called Bill, and he'll star as "a man fed up with his job and marriage who bottoms out when he catches his wife cheating. He finds a catalyst for a resurgence when he reluctantly mentors an unruly teen." Ah, the unruly teen. How many lives have they saved? The movie starts shooting next month.
- When I tell you that Universal has acquired a story about a
small town "saved by baseball," what do you imagine? A touching, period piece? Or perhaps a story about a
town triumphing unspecified tragedy by coming together behind an underdog high school team? Ah, but you'd be wrong --
gloriously, bizarrely wrong! In fact, Time of the Their Lives is about people who literally DON'T DIE because
they play baseball. (I hope this doesn't mean that they actually play 24/7. How impractical would that be? Not to
mention boring.) Then, somehow, a misguided kid gets the town involved in "a winner-take-all game between
townsfolk and the devil's ringers" for his own soul. While I admit the whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense, it
sounds more than weird enough to be interesting. Right?
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