bobby Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I know that there is probably no one who is as sick of the term 'Brat Pack' as Emilio Estevez. Luckily, he has managed to make his mark as a director and not just be the answer to a trivia question, or even worse, a pop culture punch line. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Estevez has chosen the socially conscious drama Public as his directorial follow-up to 2006's Bobby. The story is based on a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece about how libraries were becoming the new shelters for the homeless and the mentally ill now that social programs have been cut to the bone.

Estevez also wrote the script that is, "set in Los Angeles, takes place during a 48-hour period on the two coldest days in the city, with the library overwhelmed by people seeking shelter. After getting rebuffed by the administration to keep the doors open, one librarian stages an act of civil disobedience. He ends up dealing with the library's new inhabitants, many of them mentally ill."

Estevez's inspiration for Public came from an unlikely source; mainly the movie-mogul Harvey Weinstein. A conversation that took place between the two during press for Bobby convinced Estevez to choose something really meaningful for his next project. Well, I guess you can't get heavier subject matter than the abandonment of the homeless and the mentally ill. Estevez has not begun any casting, but he is currently meeting with actors to fill the 15 plus roles in the film. Public is set to begin production on March 26th.

Well, it looks like the studios are hoping to cash in early on the buzz surrounding big-budget musicals like Hairspray and are snagging any property with so much as a single dance number. Variety is reporting that Mary Elizabeth Winstead has just signed to star in the dance film Make It Happen. Written by the same man who brought us Save the Last Dance (or as I liked to call it, White Girls Can Jump) and Step Up, the pic will be directed by Darren Grant (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and will tell the story of a small town girl (Winstead) who heads to the big city for a professional dancing career only to wind up working a Burlesque house. But since the film will be aimed at teens, I'm guessing the burlesque will be more like a Pussycat Dolls routine than anything R-rated.

Winstead's career has been building steam over the past couple of years after some relatively high-profile roles -- including supporting parts in Bobby, Black Christmas, Factory Girl, and Grindhouse -- and while she didn't have the biggest role in Tarantino's Death Proof, I'm sure the sight of her in a cheerleader outfit managed to stick in the minds of a few of the audience members. Winstead will also be back in theaters this summer as John McClane's daughter in Live Free or Die Hard. You may remember that, at the Grindhouse junket, Winstead revealed to us that she'd have some ass-kicking to do in the film -- she won't just be a damsel in distress. Make It Happen looks to be Winstead's first foray into dancing but since she is a child star I'm sure there have been some dance lessons somewhere in her past. Production on Make It Happen is set to start this July, plenty of time to brush on a few steps if need be.

I know you're probably sick and tired of all these guild/critic nominations by now. I mean, we know which movies and actors will get nods, the only fun left is in guessing which order or which category they're being stuffed into. The Screen Actors Guild does something a little different -- instead of awarding a best picture of the year, their big what-to-do is best ensemble cast. Joining the ensemble cast category are best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress. They also delve a bit into boob tube land, but we'll stick with the film side of things.

Not surprisingly, the ensemble cast noms went out to Babel, Bobby, The Departed, Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine. Were there any surprises? Well, Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated twice; once for Blood Diamond (best actor) and once for The Departed (best supporting actor). Will Leo ever win a big award? While this might seem like the year to do so, he's seriously facing some stiff competition. Should we even talk about best actress? Helen Mirren is there (for both The Queen and the TV flick Elizabeth I), of course, and the favorite. She's joined by Meryl Streep (wouldn't it be lovely to see her come in and sneak out a winner?), Kate Winslet (ugh, was I the only one not blown away by her performance in Little Children?), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandel) and Penelope Cruz (Volver).

The fun category to watch this year (as far as acting goes) will be best supporting actor. SAG awarded nominations to Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), Jackie Earle Haley (unlike Winslet, I feel he deserves to be here for Little Children), Leo Di Caprio, Alan Arkin (the man is outstanding in Little Miss Sunshine) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond). In case you're wondering, the winners will be announced on January 28 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Full list of nominees (film only) after the jump.

The cast of Bobby exercised their right to Freedom of Speech at the Dubai International Film Festival where they voiced their discontent with today's political climate. The film, directed by Emilio Estevez, chronicles the lives of 22 people who were at the Ambassador Hotel when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968. The film has been making its way through the festival circuit, as well as a limited theatrical release, and was just recently screened in Los Angeles at the AFI Film Festival. (Oh, and we should also mention that it was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture category.) The film's subject, obviously a political one, has given the actors a platform in which to discuss the world's current political turmoils.

Actors Laurence Fishburne and Joshua Jackson were the most vocal at the Dubai's festival junket. Hollywood Reporter quoted Fishburne and Jackson expressing their embarrassment by the current state of affairs and that the American public needed to be more vocal about their discomfort in these affairs -- much like the public in the sixties -- as demonstrated in the film.

The inspiration for Gary Michael Waters -- executive producer of Bobby -- to make the film was "to revive the Kennedy legacy for a new generation." The legacy isn't a bad one to revive. Robert Kennedy is remembered for his incredible work during a volatile period in America's history. One of his most applauded efforts was his direct contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Bobby isn't the only film with a political agenda; rather it seems making a statement -- even if controversial -- is the inspiration for many films these days; Fahrenheit 911, Syriana and even the surprise hit documentary An Inconvenient Truth have their own agendas. Filmmakers tread in dangerous waters as politics becomes a touchy subject for most...but then it isn't art if it doesn't offend somebody, right?

There are a lot of things I get tired of -- people who spit in the streets, swearing in front of kids, waiting for the cannibalism to break out on Jericho. And one of the things most likely to make me roll my eyes back in my head is the tiresome, never-ending self- congratulation of the Baby Boom generation. Yes, yes, we get it -- you were really special, you truly were. If by 'special,' you mean 'numerous and annoying and in love with your own mythos.' I mean, I saw Bobby at Toronto; I fell into a bored, listless coma, snapped to attention only by the musical-hallucination number (and God, I wish I were kidding) featuring Ashton Kutcher in a bad hippie wig saying 'No, you shut up. ..." over and over to an orange. To an orange. I got up and walked out, figuring that anyone with a shred of self-awareness would recognize it for what it was -- yet another round of Hollywood's aging leftist dinosaurs, Liberalsaurus Rex, dislocating their own shoulders to pat themselves on the back. But then I read San Francisco Chronicle reviewer Mick LaSalle calling Bobby " ... one of the year's best films." (In the interests of disclosure, I know Mick, see him all the time at screenings, and he's one of the warmest, brightest and most considerate guys you could ever meet. But then again, he also thought Click was one of the year's best films.) I don't know if people are flocking to see Bobby -- Rotten Tomatoes has it at a paltry 44% "Fresh" rating, and the box office is abysmal; it's made six million dollars in 12 days on 1,600 screens. At the same time, I know it's going to be crammed down our throats this awards season -- and hey, if everyone who was in it votes for it, it might actually have a shot. That's one good thing about a movie with such a nonsensically huge cast, I guess: When you've made a miserable failure, at least you have lots of company.

Have you seen Bobby?

J.

So, this column thing -- From the Editor's Desk -- is just a sort of way of ... I don't know ... clearing my throat before I write? Letting you know that movie critics are human? Just generally talk about movies and life? All of the above, I guess. The problem is that you can say things -- stupid things, simple things, in-jokes and oblique references -- that may not make any sense, or make sense in the way you'd want them to. Hence my use of the phrase "I'm not a gay communist robot. ..." The joke is, to me, the combination of the three, because then I imagine the actual stereotypical, archetypal robot -- immune to feeling and an enemy of traditional American values. But the phrase itself, on its own, might not be funny, but it might also imply things I don't feel and don't think. So, yeah.

Remember how a few weeks ago, it was all Halloween movies? Well, lately it's about Bond -- when is it, where's the screening, what were your favorites, which were the worst? As if that's not bad enough, the internal editorial e-mail list at Cinematical has now, officially, got me humming both Duran Duran and A-Ha in my head. See, again, an in-joke oblique reference. Not funny. But you know what else isn't funny? What happened to Matthew Broderick? That, my friends, ain't funny. Oh, and Bobby. But that's a story for another day.

J.

Emilio Estevez was a lovable guy in the 80s. He was not only an Outsider, but he also cried at the pressures of his demanding father and his urge to tape butt cheeks together. Yet, the poor guy never became an icon. He had hot co-stars like Patrick Swayze and an estrogen-inflaming brother named Charlie to take those honors. When he was no longer a cute kid, his nice-boy face landed him a coaching job to a bunch of Mighty Ducks.

Then, he faded from view. With no teen angst or young hockey players, Estevez lost his foothold in Hollywood. That is, until he re-invented himself as a writer and director with the soon-to-be-released Bobby. It hasn't gotten critical acclaim, but it seems to be a very solid showing for the newly-revived screenwriter.

Now, Moviehole reports that Estevez is on-track for his next film. Emilio brought up his second feature (post-comeback)* a few months ago at TIFF, which he named Johnny Longshot. There, he equated the new screenplay both with the sports drama aspects of The Mighty Ducks and with his life over the last ten years. It will be a family film about harness racing that he describes as "inspirational."

It sounds like typical Disney-like fare, but I fear this inspiration will translate more into a kid-friendly product than a Seabiscuit hit. Regardless, I'm thinking about creating a game where you pick out the pieces of Emilio's reality in the story. Will there be the famous father whose shoes he must fill? A sister who flies under the radar? Or what about a womanizing brother?

*Thanks to Shawn for pointing other Emilio features. With 16 years since the last feature he wrote and directed, I think I was choosing to forget.

Indie film Smother is getting underway with Liv Tyler, Dax Shepard and Diane Keaton signed to the flick. Inferno Distribution will finance and produce the pic with Jay Roach's Everyman Pictures. The script was penned by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio, and is about a 30-something guy who is fired from his job just as his wife wants to have a baby and his overbearing mother moves in with them. Di Meglio will make his directorial debut with the film. The scribes have another project in IMDb listed as Untitled Rasmussen and Di Meglio Project, about a "Southern father meeting his three daughters ethnically diverse boyfriends for the first time at Thanksgiving." That project has been sold to Warner Bros and David Dobkin (Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers) attached to direct.

The Pleasure of Your Company, which premiered at Toronto, has been picked up by MGM for North American distribution. The romantic comedy, written and helmed by Michael Ian Black, stars Jason Biggs (American Pie) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, I Heart Huckabees). MGM also recently acquired Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn, and is set to distrib The Weinstein Company's Bobby and Harsh Times.

Speaking of the Weinsteins, TWC has also pegged Tony Leondis to helm animated CG pic Igor, which will focus on a mad scientist's assistant. Script is being written by Chris McKenna. Leondis previously scribed other animated flicks including The Prince of Egypt and Home on the Range.

Three-time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont, currently listed on IMDb as writing and directing an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, has optioned rights to the book Rescue Me, He's Wearing a Moose Hat : and 40 Other Dates Over 50, a comedic memoir by Sherry Halperin about her misadventures reentering the dating world after being widowed at the age of 51. Halperin will co-produce on the project.

(Ed's note: All links to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter stories require a subscription to read the full piece, but you can get a free 14-day trial from Variety.)

The Toronto International Film Festival has come to an end, but we'll still be wrapping up coverage with reviews and interviews over the next week or so. In the meantime, I thought I'd peek around and check in on what some of our fellow film journalists and bloggers had to say about the fest.

Over at the Hollywood Reporter, they have a ton of TIFF coverage, including a fest wrap-up by Anne Thompson and Gregg Goldstein. THR is usually pretty smart about the biz side of the film world, and Thompson and Goldstein nicely sum up that side of the fest. Also on her Risky Biz Blog, the erudite Ms. Thompson writes about Mexico's Big Three directors, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu (Babel), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), and has an interesting piece up on Todd Field, writer-director of one of my fave films from Telluride and Toronto, Little Children.

With the overblown media attention given to the Tom Cruise/Paramount story, some outlets have been running pieces on current celebrity behavior in general. Mostly there's been the tying in of Mel Gibson's arrest and anti-semitic rant and of Lindsay Lohan's warning memo from Morgan Creek. For anyone to be asking, "what is up with Hollywood?" seems to be stretching three incidents pretty thin to cover the entire industry, but, hey, when does the media worry about their generalizations?

Anyway, of all the people to chime in on the issue of actor etiquette, William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, are probably the most random. But they have each worked with Lohan recently and must have had a discussion about the difficulties of working with her. Macy co-stars with her in Bobby and Huffman saw the whole Morgan Creek events first-hand by co-starring in Georgia Rule. According to CelebrityWeek.com, Macy is speaking out about Lohan, saying that she and anyone behaving like her should be fired. He also said they should, "have their asses kicked." As for Huffman, she apparently speaks highly of the actress' talents, but agrees that she is, "very, very disrespectful."

I guess if she couldn't act and behaved inappropriately then she really would have no reason to be cast, but behavior has never been a priority over talent in the movie biz. There have been problems with stars since the beginning of Hollywood. Often it is the best actors and actresses who are known for being erratic, reckless, drugged or something else. I guess Macy and Huffman are just unique in that they are great and perfect, too.

[via Fark.com]