ellen burstyn Tagged Articles at Cinematical

There have been notable women in the world since that first apple-curious gal was made from an extra rib, and Hollywood has even covered many of their stories. But it just can't seem to allow that bubble to burst fully into the X-X spectrum. The lack of female directors has been well chronicled: We've seen the challenge in following the Bechdel Rule, and the list goes on and on. Most recently, we've watched as Catherine Hardwicke earned the best box office opening for a female director ever, only to be axed and replaced by Chris Weitz for the Twilight sequel, New Moon. Not exactly the best way to wrap up 2008 and kick off 2009, but life goes on and so do we.

Hollywood also moves on, and luckily there are still women to watch for. Some are older, and some are quite young; a few have the pressures of sophomore features, and one isn't even real. But they're all women who will mold the face of Hollywood in 2009. Read on and make sure to comment with the woman (or women) of Hollywood that you're waiting to see in the new year!

I can't imagine a more apt title for Lovely, Still than the one it has. This sweet, surprising story about romance between senior citizens is uncommonly lovely, and a serene stillness rests over most of it. Of course, the title works the other way, too: The process of falling in love is lovely, still, even after all these years.

It is Christmastime in an unnamed snowy town, and Robert Malone (Martin Landau) is a lonely old man. He lives by himself in a house that he has occupied for 48 years, a house with minimal furniture and no pictures on the walls. The only gift under his Christmas tree is one he wrapped himself, addressed to himself. He works part-time as a bagger at a grocery store, where the doofy, over-eager manager, Mike (Adam Scott), wants him to invest in the publication of a homemade book of Christmas recipes.

Across the street, a widow named Mary (Ellen Burstyn) and her daughter Alex (Elizabeth Banks) have just moved in. Mary, seemingly smitten upon first laying eyes on the old man, invites Robert to dinner. Delighted by his sudden great fortune, Robert seeks dating advice from everyone he encounters the following day. Has he never even been on a date? Or has it just been too long since the last time?

Soon the two are dating, with Mary taking charge and Robert awestruck by her attention. He cannot believe that love has finally found him, so late in life. For the first time, he will have someone to spend Christmas with.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from The Stone Angel, starring the legendary Ellen Burstyn as a woman looking to resolve the memories of her past as she nears the end of her life. Joining her on this emotional (yet somewhat comedic, as you see above) journey are a cast that includes Dylan Baker, Ellen Page, Christine Horne and Cole Hauser. The film is based on the novel by Margaret Laurence, and is directed (and adapted) by Kari Skogland. In the clip above, Burstyn, who plays a woman named Hagar, is found passed out in a shack on the beach. When her son Marvin (Baker) arrives to remove her from this situation, their exchange is classic. Check it out above, and go see The Stone Angel when it hits theaters on July 11.

A good comeback is like a great third act in American lives; it's the triumphant return, the end of the story. James Cagney retired in 1961, then made a triumphant comeback in 1981 with Ragtime. But a good movie never deals with the aftermath of the comeback. Just as often as not, the comeback leads to nothing. Cagney died a few years after the hubbub. Though we all love a good comeback, the following is a list of comebacks that weren't the end of the story, and didn't provide the inspiring coda that they could have.

1. Sylvester Stallone in Cop Land (1997)
Stallone's is one of the most fascinating, dramatic careers in cinema. His fame is so huge that his name and face -- or at least his characters -- are known the world over. He had a fairytale rise to fame with Rocky (1976), complete with tales of writing it in a weekend. He has a lot of charisma, and earned an Oscar nomination for acting. He has directed eight feature films and contributed to the screenplays for nearly twenty. People whisper about how smart and savvy he is behind the scenes.

Oh Ari Fleischer -- the David Cross of Press Secretaries. Wait a minute -- why didn't they get David Cross for this role? He'd be perfect. Anyway, MTV tells us that Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Semi-Pro ... and a bunch of other random comedies) has signed on to play former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in Oliver Stone's W. Corddry joins a cast that continues to get larger by the minute, and includes Josh Brolin (George W. Bush), Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George Bush Sr.), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), Thandie Newton (Condi Rice), Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair) and 50 Cent (as Colin Powell).

Yes, I'm kidding about that last one.

Earlier today, we clued you into a script review of W currently circulating the internets. According to some, the film seems to be taking the Bush is a moronic alcoholic fratboy route, which, if you watch, well, The Daily Show, is kinda old news. As Eugene put it, "Most people -- whether or not they accept it -- have already absorbed the meme that Bush is an arrogant, reckless, hard-drinking buffoon, and I'm not sure that this perception merits its own movie." I completely agree -- and I'd much rather have watched Stone return to Vietnam with Pinkville than sit down for a feature-length version of a joke that's way past its prime.

So far, there are only a few actors officially attached to Oliver Stone's W., the epic biopic about our current commander-in-chief. Josh Brolin was cast as President George W. Bush back in January, then recently Elizabeth Banks was chosen as his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, and last week James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn were locked into the roles of former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, respectively. Unofficial casting bites, though, include a lot of other big name actors. Jeffrey Wright is reportedly in negotiations to play Colin Powell, Tommy Lee Jones is supposedly being sought for Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Duvall has been rumored to be the choice for Vice President Dick Cheney and now both Paul Giamatti and Toby Jones are being named as potentials for the part of Karl Rove (who Giamatti may have already channeled for his character in Shoot 'Em Up).

Right on the heels of the announcement that Elizabeth Banks would play the First Lady in Oliver Stone's ever-so-timely biopic of President George W. Bush (which is surely, as Erik Davis put it in the above-linked post, "one of the strangest projects in recent years"), Variety reports that James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn have been cast as George H.W. and Barbara. Josh Brolin is already set to play Dubya himself. The film is called simply W.

Cromwell is an expert at playing United States Presidents. He's portrayed fictional heads of state in The Sum of All Fears and an episode of The West Wing, as well as the extremely non-fictional Lyndon B. Johnson in the 2002 made-for-TV movie RFK. He's also played Senators, high-ranking military officials, and WIlliam Randolph Hearst. If anything, I'm worried that he might be too presidential for the role of the folksy George H.W. As for Burstyn, well -- if she can convincingly paint her face blue and run shrieking through the forest trying to kill Nicolas Cage in a bear suit, Barbara Bush should be a cinch.

Stone hopes to have the film ready before Bush leaves office next January, which is a pretty impressive turnaround as presidential biopics go. And while I usually have some sort of conception of what to expect from an upcoming release, I cannot even begin to imagine what W will be like. Can we expect more hysterical conspiracy-mongering à la JFK? The unexpectedly toned-down empathy of Nixon? The excruciating boredom of Alexander? The mind reels.

The strike is over, the Oscars are going on as planned, and there will be inevitable cries of fury and outrage towards at least some of the winners. The Academy always shocks and disappoints us with at least a few of the picks, and no matter how much I prepare myself to be bummed, I still wind up surprised. Honestly, I usually just watch it masochistically to get my fill of obituary sadness.

There have been 79 Oscar ceremonies, and that's a lot of disappointment and upset. So really, you can just zoom into any year and pick a few really worthy losers that should have scored themselves those coveted trophies. Me, I'm picking a few recent ones. One win was sad, and the other was completely infuriating, but both stick with me because of performances given, the actors who gave them, and the wonder of the films themselves. Instead of adding more glory to the winners, we should give the losers the appreciation they deserve. This week -- Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story and Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream.

Check both out after the jump ...

Imagine graduating from high school, making a few short films and music videos in Omaha, Nebraska, and then deciding to write a feature. So far, it seems completely plausible. Now, imagine that you write one with Oscar winner Martin Landau in mind for the lead. Still, it can happen, although it's a pretty optimistic endeavor. Top that off by imagining that he actually agrees to do it, and then you score one hell of a cast to go along with him. It sounds like a fanboy fantasy, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, it's come true for one luck Nebraskan filmmaker.

Nik Fackler wrote up Lovely Still, a "holiday fable," about this old man who works as a bagger in a grocery store when he finally finds his first love. He scored himself a meeting with Landau, spent hours convincing him that he was worth it, and things went on from there. Landau got Ellen Burstyn involved, who will play his paramour, and then Elizabeth Banks (the future porno-making Miri) signed on to play her daughter, and Adam Scott (the jerky husband on Tell Me You Love Me) signed on to play the store owner. Fackler is even getting a score from Nathaniel Walcott and Michael Riley Mogis of Bright Eyes. Talk about a killer first-feature gig. Producer Lars Knudsen says: "It's a testament to his talent, that at such a young age he has wooed actors like Martin and Ellen; he's one of those naturals who never went to film school." Knudsen also wonders if Nik will follow in fellow Omaha native Alexander Payne's footsteps. They're currently filming over there in Nebraska.

I'm completely sold. How about you?

First there is Carla Gugino. My appreciation for her comes mainly for her work with Robert Rodriguez -- Sin City and the Spy Kids series, as I'm actually one of those people who was entertained by the latter. Then again, she was also in the super-awesome Troop Beverly Hills, so how could you knock her? Then, there is Ellen Burstyn. She's a flipping acting powerhouse and Oscar winner for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, although she should be a dual winner for Requiem for a Dream. (Robbery!!!) Finally, there's the overly-pensive vamp and spazzy dancer-turned-Bones loving Special Agent David Boreanaz. Wow. This movie could be about drying paint, and I'd still go see it out of curiosity.

Luckily, it's a bit more interesting than that. The trio are starring in the indie sports drama, Our Lady of Victory. Written by the film's director, Tim Chambers, the movie is about the Immaculata College women's basketball team which flew up the rankings to win the National Women's Collegiate Championship in 1972. They were called the Immaculata Mighty Macs, and they won the first three national titles for women's basketball. Just to give some perspective -- this came just on the advent of letting the women play full-court with more than three dribbles. But that's not all -- at the time, a number of teams still played in skirts, which I imagine was all sorts of convenient for between-the-leg dribbling. Gugino is playing the coach and Boreanaz is playing her husband. There's no word on Burstyns role, but I bet it's safe to say that she will not be one of the players. (Although that would be an interesting twist if she was!) Production has just started, and there is no word yet on release dates or player casting.