natalie portman Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Ivan Reitman + Ashton Kutcher + Natalie Portman = 'Friends with Benefits'
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Casting », Scripts »
I don't think there is anything that could keep Ashton Kutcher down, or out, or away from the world of crappy romcoms. It doesn't matter if they're successful or a mess, he just keeps getting more and more. (Oh, the power of the producer!) After being the main, flower-centric dude of Valentine's Day, we've got Killers on the way with Katherine Heigl, and now, Variety reports that he's gearing up for romcom currently titled Friends with Benefits. (No link to this 2006 project.)Ivan Reitman will jump behind the camera for his first feature since My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Ghostbusters III aside), and Natalie Portman will co-star. Written by Elizabeth Meriwether, the plot is under wraps, but "generally revolves around the ease with which men and women become sexually involved, but have a far more difficult time establishing emotional bonds." Reitman says: "It's an issue ripe for discussion."
A discussion-worthy issue + romcom aren't ideas that usually get merged, so that has me minimally intrigued. I'm more, however, wondering about Natalie Portman. Just when it seems like she's solidly in the plus column, she picks a terribly random, or just plain terrible role. With Hesher out this year, two more in post-production, one filming, one in pre-production, and another five movies on her plate ... it's not like she's hurting for work. But maybe, with all it's ripe discussion, this flick will pack more of a punch than we can imagine. ...or maybe not. Stay tuned! Production is scheduled to kick off this May, and a release date is already set -- January 7, 2011.
Casting Bites: Strong is Sinestro, Natalie Portman Smokes Up & More
Filed under: Comedy », Thrillers », Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
To get you started on this dreaded Monday:Natalie Portman is putting out her own stoner comedy. Pajiba reports that the actress is searching for a director for the upcoming Best Buds, which she will star in and produce with her company Handsome Charlie Films. The film is being compared to the likes of Harold and Kumar and Half-Baked, and will focus on two best friends who road trip to another friend's wedding "in order to save her by bringing her weed." Can Portman pull off an Anna Faris? In fact, will Faris sign on to play the other friend?
While Portman gets high, Leonardo DiCaprio is still loving the thriller world. Deadline Hollywood reports that the actor is interested in Prisoners, a film that, just last year, had Bryan Singer directing Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. DiCaprio is looking to play "a small-town carpenter who takes matters into his own hands when his daughter and her friend are kidnapped." It's a Black List script, which suggests good things, but it should be a while before we hear more. Deadline hears that he'll probably make another film before he gets to Prisoners.
Meanwhile...
Coming Soon has spotted that Green Lantern's
Hall Pass, the Farrelly Brothers' film, has grabbed Stephen Merchant and J.B. Smoove to work alongside Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, and Jenna Fischer. They'll play friends of Wilson and Sudeikis' characters in the film about a married man who's allowed to have an affair. (THR)
Sundance Review: Hesher
Filed under: Sundance »
Hesher is not a nice guy. He is rough with children, views women only in terms of whatever sexual pleasures they can provide and is a moocher with no jobs who has no qualms about destroying private property. On the other hand he might just be the homeless rocker equivalent of Mr. Miyagi, noisily allowing situations to unfold that will teach the new people in his life something about letting go. It is a risky balance for Spencer Susser to undertake in his feature debut and, against all odds, it manages to succeed with a pastiche of great casting and an unapologetic slant towards being anti-touchy-feely. Until it needs to be.
Young T.J. (Devin Brochu) is living in a house of sadness. And it's no wonder since when we first see him he's chasing down a tow truck to a junkyard where the remains of the family car will eventually be put to rest. His mom once sat in that vehicle. His dad, Paul (Rainn Wilson), sits in a funk all day, unshaven since the accident and only leaving the house to pick his boy up from school while his mom (Piper Laurie) quietly fixes their meals. Shortly after getting his cast off, T.J. has another accident and, in his frustration, awakens the sleeping shirtless giant of the unfinished housing complex. Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), with his cover blown, begins following around T.J. and soon settles into his house, washing his clothes and eating their food to almost no resistance from the nearly catatonic inhabitants.
The Top 10+ Sundance Movies to Watch
Filed under: Sundance »
Sundance is so close you can almost smell the slush-stained Uggs. Even if you can't make it to Park City - although you can watch some of the Sundance features on VOD! - we've cobbled together a handy guide to the movies that look the most interesting, have the most buzz, and are the most drool-worthy for us film nerds. For all your Sundance needs, you can hit up any of Cinematical's conveniently tagged articles here.
HOWL
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Stars: James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn
This might be one of the hottest tickets at Sundance. Jam-packed with big names, including that body-pillow loving rapscallion Franco, HOWL zeroes in on one of America's most famous poets, Allen Ginsberg. With episodes from the poet's early life and his blossoming as a poety, from the trial itself, to the dramas he faced afterward, the story of HOWL sounds engrossing and illuminating. Plus, director/producer Gus Van Sant (Milk, Paranoid Park) is one of the exec producers.
'Thor' Will Have Regular People, Too
Filed under: Action », Casting », Paramount », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
The latest Marvel epic may begin shooting next week, but there's still room for a Thor casting announcement or two. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adriana Barraza will join the already considerable cast, but she'll be staying on the mortal side things. Though her role is unspecified, THR says she'll be playing a human. So far, Thor only has three of those: Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, and now Barraza. Trust Thor to encounter not one, but three nice ladies when he's banished to Earth. Hollywood logic would suggest that Barraza would be playing the mother of Portman's Jane Foster, but I can't believe Thor would really take time to meet Foster's family when a war rages on Asgard. But who knows? Our exiled God of Thunder has to take refuge somewhere, and I could see this being some kind of peaceful parellel to his rather threatening Asgard family.
Of course, if Thor's human alter ego Dr. Donald Blake is in the film, then Barraza could figure into that as a fellow doctor or something like that. I certainly hope she has somethign cool to do. After seeing her fight the Lamia in Drag Me To Hell, I'm convinced she could leave Loki a little winded.
David O. Russell Directing Natalie Portman's 'Zombies'?
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Lionsgate Films », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
If you were like me, and hoped that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies would be adapted as a straight-up period piece with a dash of Zombieland-meets-Mel-Brooks, prepare to have your hopes dashed. Pajiba is reporting that David O. Russell is set to direct the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's "book."Russell doesn't have any period pieces or horror films on his resume, but I'm not going to hold that against him. Instead, I'm going to bang my head against the desk because the combination of Natalie Portman and Russell is sending Zombies straight into smirking hipster territory. Yes, it's a knee jerk reaction. Russell could totally surprise us all, and take a traditional turn. But considering the whiff of self-aware geekery that already pervades this literary trend, I can't see it going any other direction but deliberately quirky. Can you?
Oh well. It was an amusing prospect while it lasted, and I suppose it was wishful thinking to hope that a Masterpiece Theater alumni would come aboard, anyway. At least this adaptation will provide analytic fodder for a few English literature students to come, since Zombies will probably feature the first and only interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
Cinematical Seven: The Coolest Jewesses On Film
Filed under: Fandom », Quentin Tarantino », Cinematical Seven »
Hanukkah is upon us, but before I go steal gelt from small children and bet money on the dreidels before passing out into a latke-induced coma, I've cooked up a small slice of Jewy goodness for you to enjoy and/or argue about. Although it's apparently cool to be Jewish these days, some of these ladies made it work even when it wasn't, bringing their savvy and sexy ways to the screen one way or another. While some particular laddy mags point out that Jewesses are so hot now because of more "exotic"-looking ladies like Mélanie Laurent (she's blonde!), I think they're just behind the times. But no matter how hard or easy the road to fame was for them, all of these ladies make me wanna bust out a giant gold Chai necklace and drink some Manischewitz in their honor. There are plenty I had to leave out for the sake of time and space, so add your faves in the comments.
Natalie Portman Takes Tea With 'Pride & Prejudice and Zombies'
Filed under: Action », Classics », Comedy », Romance », Casting », Deals », Lionsgate Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen book in possession of zombies must be in want of a cinematic adaptation. After months whispering about big names and studios, Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies finally has its A-List attached. Variety reports that Natalie Portman has signed on produce and star in the big-screen adaptation of Zombies. She'll be joined behind the scenes with Richard Kelly and his Darko Films shingle, and Lionsgate will distribute. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is the classic Austen romance with a few extra pages that reveal the "hidden" story of England's zombie invasion. Elizabeth Bennet is reimagined as a zombie huntress of great skill, renown, and Shaolin training. The bloodthirstiest of the Bennet sisters, she catches Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy's eye, despite that he is proud and favors the Japanese school of martial arts. I reviewed the book back in February and thought it might be more amusing on the big screen than on the page. I hope that holds true. I've since cooled on the concept, mostly because it's such a forced trend. The publishers hire a writer, hand them a work of classic literature, and tell them to put monsters in it. Even Zombies was created this way, which explains its quick-and-dirty zombie additions.
Portman's involvement makes it promising, if only because of how much she resembles Keira Knightley. With Portman as Elizabeth Bennet, it'll actually play out like a horror remake of Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice. That's exactly what I wanted. So maybe this will be as delightful as a brisk walk to Netherfield, and the wet shirt of Colin Firth.
Review: Brothers
Filed under: Drama », New Releases », Lionsgate Films », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels », War »
Susanne Bier's 2005 melodrama, Brothers, was just that, a simple soap opera between a war vet, his wife and his brother, and while Jim Sheridan's update isn't terribly different at its core, its all-American setting quietly places a firmer emphasis on the toll of our current war at home.
Just as Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) is getting out of another stint in jail, his brother Sam (Tobey Maguire) is about to ship off to Afghanistan for another tour of duty. His wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), wishes him well, as does everyone, but soon enough, his helicopter is taken down by enemy fire and news comes that Sam was among the casualties - although he is actually a prisoner of war. Tommy, out of guilt, and Grace, out of need, draw closer to one another, close enough to rile up the suspicions of a changed Sam once he returns home...
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.
When Netflix Isn't Enough
Full-Length 'Predators' Trailer Debuts
Frankenstein is 100 Years Old! Watch His First Movie Now!
Bryan Singer May Direct 'X-Men 4' and 'Wolverine 2'
UPDATE: Tim Burton Making 3-D Animated 'Addams Family'
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
