gerard butler Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Sundance in 60 Seconds: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Filed under: Sundance », Festival Reports », Cinematical Indie »
Celebrity Sightings: E! got a pic of Gerard Butler (Holy Rollers) during his half-day in Park City. And Radar taped a quick interview with Ricky Lake, who was swag browsing. Movieline overheard a security guard at the CAA party telling Sundance jury member Parker Posey, "I'm sorry. This seating is reserved," referring to a row of empty couches.
Our Coverage: Kevin Kelly interviewed Malin Ackerman, Kate Mara and Zoe Kazan of happythankyoumoreplease and shared a note from Exit Through the Gift Shop star Banksy.
"Wow. Truly, wow ... If Four Lions is not the best film I see at Sundance this year, then that's good news for me: that means I'll be seeing something awesome in the next three days," raves Scott Weinberg on the political comedy. And here's his thoughts on the abortion doc 12th & Delaware: "No bias, no editorializing, no bullshit: just some damn good documentary filmmaking."
Erik Childress writes that Buried "works as an all-out thriller, plus it comes pretty close to becoming a viable anti-war / pro-soldier statement as well ... but it is by far not a perfect film," while Eric D. Snider says Cyrus is "a warm, hilarious story that's as smartly executed as anything I've seen in a while"
As for our leader, Erik Davis attended a bunch of parties last night and gave the most positive buzz of the festival to some delicious-looking shrimp.
Cinematical Seven: The Good and The Bad of Gaming
Filed under: Cinematical Seven », Games and Game Movies »
I think we are all pretty sick of video game movies these days, and whether this is because most of them suck, I couldn't tell you. But like it or not, there is a never ending supply of lazy executives who look no further than their home console for inspiration. But that is a rant best left for another time, because today's Cinematical Seven is all about the movies that aren't based on video games, nope, these are movies all about the cult of gaming.
If you watch enough movies centered on the world of video games you start to notice that a theme emerges: the desire and the peril of getting trapped in your favorite game. Granted it's a theme that isn't much of a leap considering that since the dawn of the gamer, there have been worried parents, teachers, and clergy convinced that those pixels are the work of the devil, and what better place for a cautionary tale than the movies? But, it's not all doom and gloom and there are also stories of how a gamer can save the world -- there really is something for everyone at the movies.
After the jump are seven movies that delve into the pros and cons of gaming...
Gerard Butler is a 'Machine Gun Preacher'
Filed under: Action », Drama », Independent », Casting », Deals », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », War »
Given the rumors that occasionally dog Gerard Butler, I love when the meaty film related ones actually prove true. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Butler will be starring in Machine Gun Preacher, a big screen version of the life and work of Reverend Sam Childers. He has attracted director Marc Forster who is happily taking the helming job.Childers' life story is detailed in his book, Another Man's War. A biker attracted to drugs and violence, he experienced a religious awakening at an Assembly of God church, and actually received a prophecy that he would work in Africa. Whether it was destiny or not, Childers made his first trip to Sudan, and took up what has become his life's work -- protecting children from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. In addition to forming an orphange, he has put together a militia to protect Sudan's children -- hence the Machine Gun Preacher nickname. He even has an official website where you can learn more about his work in Sundan.
Forster developed the screenplay with screenwriter Jason Keller, and Butler will play Childers. He was photographed with the real Sam Childers just recently which gave rise to the speculation he was interested in playing him onscreen. Preproduction is set to start later this year, and if it comes together as well as it looks on paper, it'll make up for the fluffy rom-coms.
Cinematical Presents: The 25 Hottest of 2009
Filed under: Fandom », Lists »
We've arrived at the very end of 2009, which means it's finally time to unveil our hotly-anticipated 25 Hottest and Lamest lists of 2009. Tonight we're kicking things off with our 25 Hottest of 2009 list, which includes a number of movie-related events (films, actors, actresses, trends, scenes) that we all thought were the hands-down hottest things to happen in Hollywood over the past 12 months. Joining us from the Cinematical staff for this year's lists are Eric D. Snider, William Goss, Monika Bartyzel, Dawn Taylor, Elisabeth Rappe, Jen Yamato and Peter Hall. We'll be back tomorrow night with our list of the 25 Lamest of 2009. Enjoy!
25. Up's tear-jerking silent vignette
With each new film, Pixar finds some way to top itself. The marvelous innovation in Up was the wordless sequence near the beginning, set to Michael Giacchino's wistful score, depicting Carl and Ellie's entire life together -- including the sad fact that they can't have children. Who else would dare to try that? And who but Pixar could pull it off so gracefully? -- ES
24. Chris Klein in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (so lame it's hot)
February is traditionally a dumping ground for Hollywood duds, and when watching Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, it's hard to disagree. But then who rises out of the ashes of clunky dialogue and limp fight scenes but Chris Klein, strutting his way into both the movie and my heart with an equal amount of swagger. That greasy hair! That false bravado! Those squinty eyes! The way he screams "Nash out!" into any nearby communication device! Don't let the release date fool you; within this crappy video game movie hides one brilliant audition reel for any coming Zoolander sequel -- WG
'The Bounty Hunter' Handcuffs a Trailer
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Romance », Sony », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
The Bounty Hunter, a movie that sparked a million "Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston Sitting in a Tree!" tabloid covers now has a trailer. It debuted on Yahoo! Movies and wants desperately to be noticed among Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans. So let's notice it!
I have to say this for The Bounty Hunter -- it's not The Ugly Truth. Hunter has guns! Guns that are being fired at people! Such glimpses of semi-automatic bliss are a promise of action beyond "Oh my GOD, I can't believe I ever married YOU" histrionics. The fact that people are waving guns and crashing cars hints that once upon a time, this may have been a script where the heroine had actually committed a crime (a "cool" crime like stealing cars or robbing banks), skipped bail, and crossed paths with a bounty hunter. Love ensued between two sleazy characters. But then rewrites happened, the characters went from the underworld to the suburb, and the heroine became a good girl accused of something bad. Yawn.
But Butler (shirtless!) really does charm his way through every frame. I know you'll put that down to my girlish bias, but it's true! He's got that roguish, Mel Gibson-circa-1987 appeal that begs for a better film and a funnier costar. The game is automatically dragged down by Aniston, who is playing her usual strung out romantic comedy character. But this one is a hard-hitting journalist of some kind, so it's automatically more feminist than the other 159 versions, even if she's dressed in an outfit Lara Croft would call impractical. (Have you ever seen costumes less suited to a bounty hunter and a journalist? Could they not have given him a t-shirt and leather jacket for the sake of sexy?)
Judge for yourself. The trailer is embedded below the jump.
New Remakes: 'Romancing the Stone' and 'Overboard'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Romance », Casting », Sony », James Bond », Remakes and Sequels »
If there's one (living) Hollywood couple I wish was still working together it's Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. If only to make another sequel to Romancing the Stone. Never mind that the first follow-up, The Jewel of the Nile, was a disappointment. There could have been a really great franchise there had its stars not broken up, with subsequent films involving one-off stories set in different, romantic parts of the world. Of course, Danny DeVito would be necessary for each film, too, but really it was the chemistry -- good and bad -- between Turner and Douglas that makes those movies work. Alas, we'll never get that third installment of the original series. But we are, no surprise, getting a remake, as Monika disappointedly told us a year ago. And Pajiba has an update on the project, which appears to be moving forward with Robert Luketic (The Ugly Truth) directing from a script by Dan McDermott (Eagle Eye). Dustin Rowles at Pajiba believes this will be Luketic's next film after finishing the upcoming Killers, rather than the remake of Barbarella. And it's easy to assume the director will cast Katherine Heigl in Turner's role. As for Douglas' adventurer character, perhaps Luketic can go for an Ugly Truth reunion and go with Gerard Butler.
DreamWorks Shows Off 'How to Train Your Dragon'
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Family Films », Newsstand », Dreamworks », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon has been on my radar due to its literary roots (it's based on a 2003 book by Cressida Cowell) and its large and charming cast. But we all know that doesn't necessarily make a memorable animated movie. Too many kid flicks end up flimsy, and feel like extended fast food commercials. I figured Dragon would be one of them.
Happily, I might be wrong. A surprisingly charming trailer for Dragon has debuted at Yahoo! Movies. While I'm an easy mark thanks to a weakness for Scottish accents and Viking villages, the trailer is refreshingly free of Shrek's self-conscious hipness . Why, there's barely any snark to be found! It's all about a gentle lad (you'll recognize the voice of Jay Baruchel immediately) and the most adorable dragon you've ever seen. His limpid eyes and froggy mouth immediately makes the Viking-on-dragon violence rather horrific, and may cause you to feel hatred towards the brogue of Gerard Butler. (I know, I didn't think it was possible either.) Plus, there's a young Viking lass who wields an axe! If this could inspire a few girls to don Viking berserker costumes next Halloween, I will praise it no matter what its flaws and Burger King tie-ins.
The trailer is below the jump thanks to an embed from Yahoo! Movies. Watch it, share your thoughts, and squee over that squishy dragon. If there's a plush version that has that skeptical expression, I want it for my desk.
Will Gerard Butler and Gabriele Muccino 'Slide'?
Filed under: Deals », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
The Scottish sensation otherwise known as Gerard Butler was able to add "successful producer" after his Evil Twins' Law Abiding Citizen enjoyed a fair amount of box office success. Not content to rest on his laurels, he's working on getting several projects off the ground and was happy to describe a few of them to Film School Rejects. While the previously announced Teacher Man and A Hanging Tale remain on his plate, Butler was eager to talk about Slide. Let's let him take it away, shall we? "There's a few different projects that we've been working on, but there's one in particular – it's a movie called Slide about a former baseball player who goes back to try and patch things up with his child and estranged wife and ends up coaching the kid's baseball team," Butler said. "He becomes the subject of fascination and [longing] by every bored housewife in the town. And it's him trying to survive that while trying to patch things up with his kid. I think we're going to have Gabriele Muccino direct the movie. Hopefully. We're in talks with him, and he's very much up for directing it so we'll what happens there."
Butler isn't saying whether he's planning to star or simply act as producer, but the Hottest Guy of the Town angle would suggest that it's being shaped for him to take the lead. Still, one can hope that he remains behind the camera, as Slide
sounds like it veers dangerously close to the rom-com territory he's already spent too much time in. While it's important to remain open-minded (this is obviously in a very early stage, and could strike out altogether), it's not exactly Shakespeare. The world needs more of that, Evil Twins.
UPDATE: Keira Knightley Officially 'My Fair Lady' for Joe Wright
Filed under: Classics », Music & Musicals », Romance », Casting », Sony », RumorMonger », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », Daniel Craig »
Last summer, it was reported that Columbia was setting up a remake of My Fair Lady and that Keira Knightley was pursuing the iconic, Cockney role of Eliza Doolittle. While Knightley has been "attached" ever since, The Telegraph reports that Scarlett Johansson was also vying for the role. But Knightley won out, and the Telegraph not only confirms that she's got the role, but that Joe Wright will be directing. Emma Thompson is writing the script. Knightley has been taking singing lessons ever since the possibility came up (and I actually think she proved she had a good voice in The Edge of Love), and I think she'll be absolutely charming as Doolittle. But then I'm biased towards her. Even if you aren't (and I expect many "too skinny!" comments), I think the combination of Wright and Thompson pushes this into very, very promising territory. Thompson can do no wrong by me.
What will really tip the balance is who they cast as the grumpy, misogynist Professor Henry Higgins. The Telegraph reports that Daniel Craig is being considered, and he'd certainly be ideal as the grim Higgins, probably moreso than the dapper Hugh Jackman. I wouldn't mind seeing Patrick Wilson become a contender, and I half wonder if Gerard Butler's vocal chords were trotted out on Saturday Night Live as an audition. Just you wait, and practice your R's, and we'll see whose face Knightley must become accustomed to.
UPDATE: Screenrush caught up with Joe Wright, who says he never signed on, and is uninterested. Given the shakiness of the initial report, it's unclear whether Knightley's casting is official either.
Gerard Butler Goes Shakespearean in 'Coriolanus'
Filed under: Classics », Drama », Independent », Casting », Newsstand », War »
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, many of you feel my client Gerard Butler should be placed on movie star probation. In the light of new evidence, I plan to petition for a retrial as it would appear that Mr. Butler has abandoned romantic comedies in order to accept a role from England's greatest playwright. Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Butler is taking a role in William Shakespeare's Coriolanus alongside Ralph Fiennes, William Hurt, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jessica Chastain. Fiennes will be playing the lead and will be helming the adaptation in his directing debut, which was adapted by John Logan. On a very awkward appearance on Baltimore WJX, Butler revealed that his next role would be in Fiennes' adaptation, and he described it as "a passion project" for them both. He didn't specify which role he would be taking on, but I'm hoping it's Coriolanus' sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. He always looks so good with blood on him, and it would be glorious to watch him fight Fiennes.
Of course, this is Shakespeare and financing could be difficult even with Fiennes at the helm, though a solid cast should help with that. It was one of the projects at the IFF this September, and I hope they found someone to give them some money. Not only does the world always need more Shakespeare, but Butler needs a meaty role now. Seeing as it was Steven Berkoff's Coriolanus was what ushered Butler into acting, I can think of no better production (save perhaps The Scottish Play) that could wrangle him another plea bargain.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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