brett ratner Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: New York, I Love You
Filed under: Romance », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Shorts »
Armed with a collection of the world's notable directors, Paris je t'aime hit screens with a good deal of impact and buzz. It was to be the first piece in producer Emmanuel Benbihy's "Cities of Love," a collection of films detailing romance and metropolitan life across the globe, a series planning to travel to the likes of New York, Rio, Shanghai, Jerusalem, and Mumbai.
Three years later, the second installment is finally upon us with New York, I Love You. With only minor changes, the film continues the tradition of joining many internationally diverse filmmakers for the journey through a popular city, but the buzz has diminished. The film is slowly making its way across screens in the U.S., and will break into Canada come November 27. But how could one of Hollywood's most beloved cities find its ode so woefully under the radar? It's not an easy question to answer because while New York, I Love You might be flawed, it's also sweet, engaging, and nicely representative of that small island cluttered with millions of people.
Brett Ratner to Americanize Bollywood for Us
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Deals », Distribution »
Variety is reporting that Brett Ratner has been hand-selected by Reliance Big Pictures to re-edit a forthcoming drama of theirs, Kites, in order to make the film more accessible to international audiences. Yes, the man who made the Rush Hour trilogy has been tapped to once again crush cultural barriers (assuming that's what Reliance thinks he did with those films). The production is being filmed in both Hindi and English, so it'll be Ratner's job to make sure that the English-language cut is attractive enough for a sales market outside of India, which will only be getting the Hindi cut.And as odd as this news seems at first, the official synopsis for Kites does seem to fit Ratner's penchant for making broad-appeal films: "In the harsh terrain of the Mexican desert, a mortally wounded man is left for dead in the heat of the desert sun. This is J. Once a street smart, carefree young guy. Now, a wanted man. The only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha. A woman engaged to another man, but surely destined for J. ... Kites is a story of love that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures. It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of a relationship that takes two lovers on a thrilling journey filled with precious moments - and unexpected betrayal."
I say broad-appeal because that pitch reads an awful lot like Slumdog Millionaire, except without the mention of a game show. However it turns out in the end, it looks like this won't be the last time Ratner teams up with Reliance. Variety hints that re-editing Kites comes with the rights for Ratner to direct Youngblood, an adaptation of a graphic novel by Rob Liefeld... Ah, more films from the man who made X-Men 3, isn't that what we all need?
I Knew It! Brett Ratner IS The Anti-Christ
Filed under: Action », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
OK, maybe not literally. I mean, the rise of Brett Ratner probably isn't a sign of the end-times, although anyone who saw Rush Hour 3 might feel a little differently. So say what you want about him as a director, at least he's not deluded about his place in film history. In an interview with Starpulse, the director that everyone loves to hate was promoting his DVD tribute, The Shooter Series, but the conversation soon drifted to Ratner's rep among the comic book crowd where he had a few choice words for his detractors, saying, "You can't make these people happy. I'm kind of the Anti-Christ to these comic book geeks. Every single person that wrote shit went to see that movie multiple times because a movie doesn't gross $200 something million unless people go to see it more than once. Every single person who said, "I'm never seeing that movie," they were the first ones there." It might pain me to say this, but the man has a point.
When it comes to our personal 'kinks' there isn't much that can keep fans away from the theater (case in point: I know I'll be there opening day for a Whedonless Buffy). But let's be honest: getting so-called geeks into the theater for the big-screen treatment of a beloved hero is the cinematic equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. Yet that hasn't stopped Ratner from seeing everything he does as a huge success, telling Starpulse: "Mine [X-Men:The Last Stand] outgrossed the other two by far. Mine was the one that made the most narrative sense." The sound you just heard was my head hitting the keyboard ... repeatedly. But I guess that's one thing about Ratner that will never change: for him, box office will always be in direct proportion to quality.
After the jump: a Beverly Hills Cop IV update...
Brett Ratner's Conveniently Timed Sequel to 'Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired'
Filed under: RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy »
The New York Post is reporting that Brett Ratner wants to make a sequel to Marina Zenovich's documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. The Rush Hour 3 director was talking about the project on "Movie Geeks United" before Polanski was arrested in Switzerland so we can just chalk it up to really serendipitous timing (for Ratner, at least). Ratner and Polanski have worked together before; besides casting Polanski in a small role in Rush Hour 3, the directors went on a road trip that culminated in a visit to Auschwitz for the Notorious Issue of Heeb Magazine, which Ratner guest-edited. Ratner told Contact Music he didn't realize they were headed for the concentration camps; "Little did I know Roman was going to take me to Auschwitz on an incursion through his Jewish history. Roman's mother perished at Auschwitz."
Ratner told Movie Geeks United, "The family has forgiven [Polanski]. The victim has forgiven him. The rest of the world has forgiven him... "The LA judicial system is corrupt. It's horrible."
Ratner also says Polanski has expressed interest in participating in his documentary -- something he didn't do with Zenovich's doc, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2008.
As of this writing, there's no news about the doc since Polanski's arrest.
New 'New York, I Love You' Trailer
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Romance », Shorts », Trailers and Clips »
Everything was in place last year. A good trailer for New York, I Love You hit the waves (which can still be seen here), and the film was primed to take on TIFF before getting an early 2009 release. But it's been almost a year since that trailer appeared, and there's been no movie -- even though the film has an insanely great cast ranging from Julie Christie to Anton Yelchin, with directorial spins that range from Brett Ratner to Natalie Portman.Finally the tide is a-turnin'. The film is now slated for an October 16 release, and Apple scored the latest trailer -- one that makes the project even more interesting. Where the first peek may have been almost two minutes long, it took the teaser approach -- quick cuts, not a lot of details, and just quick, rolling glimpses with only a few longer peeks. This latest release, however, revels more with great moments rather than an inundation of scenes, flushing out just a little bit more of the story -- Ethan Hawke's dashed attempts to pick up, Cloris Leachman's stroll through the Big Apple, and James Caan wishing daughter Drea de Matteo would have a baby.
Here's the kicker. Know how Ratner is one of the directors? Well, ignore the bit on IMDb about James Caan being in the director's blip (since de Matteo is credited to Allen Hughes). The piece Ratner worked on is the "new love" with Anton Yelchin and Olivia Thirlby, where they go to the Prom. How's that for a twist?
Watch This: Michael Jackson and Brett Ratner Dancing to R. Kelly
Filed under: Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
Obviously, when you think of Brett Ratner, the chubby fratboy who made the Rush Hour films and tried to ruin the X-Men franchise, you also think of Michael Jackson. They were like peas in a pod, those two! And on this somber day of mourning we ran across this clip of B-Rat and M.J. car-dancing to an R. Kelly song. Because why not? (Actually, while Ratner has directed music videos for Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, and others, he and Jackson never collaborated on anything. I don't know why they were friends. They probably just liked going out to strip clubs and picking up women together. Anyway, here's the clip. Enjoy.)
[Via BuzzFeed.]
Marcus Nispel Directing 'Conan the Barbarian'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Lionsgate Films », RumorMonger », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
Conan the Barbarian has a director, and it isn't Brett Ratner. That's the story according to CHUD, who reports that horror director Marcus Nispel has signed on the dotted line, and will direct the remake / reimagining for Lionsgate.Remakes are familiar territory for Nispel, who has helmed our latest versions of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. I haven't seen either (though I am sure Scott Weinberg will rectify that soon), but I know they were heavy on the gore and action. With Outlander writers Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain giving the script a rewrite last year, I think you can picture just what Nispel and Lionsgate are aiming for ... lots of pulpy, bloody, R-rated action. While I'll hold out some hope for character development, I'll take comfort in the fact that the Barbarian's sword will meet flesh and bone with a suitable level of blood and crunch.
Now we'll have to see who lands the role (Devin Faraci is hearing that they'll go with an unknown), and whether Ratner left his fingerprints all over the project, as has been rumored every time he was on again, off again with it. But hey, it looks like Conan will make it to the theater before Red Sonja and Thulsa Doom do, which is how it should be.
Brett Ratner's Building a Time Machine ... Out of a DeLorean?
Filed under: Deals », Newsstand »
Before you start twitching and shaking uncontrollably at the thought of Brett Ratner remaking Back to the Future, that's not what's going on here ... thank god. Instead, Variety tells us Ratner is teaming with James Toback and producer Robert Evans on a biopic about the rise and fall of the innovative car designer John DeLorean, whose car is most widely remembered as being used as a time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy.
Oh yes, if you're not a child of the 80s or a car nut, you probably have no idea who John Delorean is or that the Delorean automobile was named after an actual dude ... and that his story is interesting enough to spawn not one biopic, not two biopics, but three freakin' biopics!. The second film, which doesn't seem to have quite the star power as the first, involves producers David Permut and Steven Lee Jones, who are working off the life rights of Delorean's longtime attorney, Mayer Morganroth. The third teams Time Inc. Studios and XYZ Films on a biopic that will come from old magazine articles.
So what's so fascinating about John DeLorean other than the fact that you can turn his car into a time machine by adding a flux capacitor? Well, turns out the guy was busted by the FBI back in 1982 on charges of drug trafficking in an apparent attempt to raise funds for his damaged company, which later went bankrupt that same year. However, DeLorean defended himself in court and won by claiming the FBI tried to set him up. Ratner will direct the film with Toback writing the script, which, from the looks of it, will be very pro DeLorean and simply tell the rise-and-fall story of a great entrepreneur who beat the system, but lost his dream in the process.
Bryan Singer Feels Shame and Wants to Return to 'X-Men'
Filed under: Action », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Poor Bryan Singer. He may have X-Men and X2 under his belt, but a lot of fans will never forgive him for selling out the mutants in favor of Superman ... and we won't go into the Superman thing again. But Singer is sorry. Very sorry. In fact, he told Total Film that he made a terrible mistake and that he regretted not directing X3 "before I was watching it, during watching it, after watching it." (Join the club, Singer.) He was quick to amend his longing with praise for a little praise for Brett Ratner, though. "It's weird for me to watch it, because I'm so close to the universe. And also Brett is a good friend of mine. But, of course, I would love to return to that universe." How to return is a problem now that the series has devolved into spin-offs and prequels, and he's understandably reluctant to return through one of the avenues open to him: a Magneto origin story. "The only thing that concerns me about Magneto is that if the prequel were to follow the track I used in X-Men, which is Magneto's history in the concentration camp, then I've lived in that world. Apt Pupil, X-Men and now Valkyrie ... I've lived in that Nazi universe for quite a while. I just might need to take a little break before I do something like that."
Will Axel Foley Die in 'Bev Cop 4'?
Filed under: Action », Comedy », RumorMonger », Fandom », Newsstand »
Ever since director Brett Ratner accidentally said something along the lines of making a Beverly Hills Cop 4 the kids can all enjoy, folks everywhere cried bloody murder -- afraid this latest installment in the action-comedy franchise would go PG-13 ... or, gasp, PG! But lately all those involved are dancing to a new, much darker tune, and it would appear the sequel will try its best to imitate the heart, soul and badassery of the original ... that is, according to co-writer Michael Brandt. In an interview with Cine Fools, Brandt talks about the new Bev Cop 4 and the different drafts they've gone through, as well as how one of his older scripts, Dying Day, was re-tooled to ultimately become Beverly Hills Cop 4. On that original script, Brandt notes, "It was kind of a buddy cop thing set in LA with buddy FBI agents- but it wasn't jokey at all, it was pretty hardcore. Everybody died in the end and it was the kind of movie/script that everybody who read it really liked but nobody was ever going to make.. Too dark. And [Paramount] said they would like to turn Dying Day into Beverly Hills Cop 4." Everyone dies? Really? Does that mean Axel Foley may finally meet his demise?
Brandt does say that since then they've "gotten farther and farther away from our original script," and these days I can't see a studio killing off a franchise character just in case Eddie Murphy can still play Axel when he's 90. So don't freak out yet. Good news is the sequel will play it rough and dirty, and so long as Ratner doesn't completely muck it up, this is one R-rated cop flick I'm really looking forward to. You?
Uh, my name is Johnny Wish-Wishbone. Johnny Wishbone. And I am a psychic from the island of St. Croix. Yes, I am psychic from the island of St. Croix .. and you can follow me on Twitter.
[via Moviehole]
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