nick cassavetes Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm not ashamed to say that I cry at the movies. Not frequently, but occasionally a story and its characters will grab hold of me to the extent that I'm completely caught up in the emotions and feelings being expressed. Films as disparate as John Ford's The Searchers and Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express have caused me to weep with joy, relief, and sorrow.

Despite a relentless barrage of scenes evidently designed with the sole goal of jerking tears, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper did not make me cry. It is, however, one of the most glorious-looking terminal cancer pictures I've ever seen. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The Black Stallion, The Natural) paints the oft-mundane proceedings in an otherworldly glow, as though the transition to the next life had already begun. That's the guiding principle of the movie as a whole; even though an inflammatory and emotionally wrenching issue serves as the linchpin for the plot, great pains are taken to soften the blows so as not to inflict lasting damage upon the viewer.

Frankly, that latter point, much more than whether I personally shed tears, is what prevents My Sister's Keeper from escaping middlebrow territory. Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric are splendidly noble as Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, whose daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed at a young age with leukemia. Brian and Sara conceive another child with genetic modifications so she can serve as a donor to her sister. Anna (Abigail Breslin) (*) seems fine with all the body part donations until Kate's condition worsens to the point that she needs a kidney transplant. Then 11-year-old Anna marches into the office of well-known lawyer Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) and demands medical emancipation from her parents.

'Tear-jerker' is a loaded term; I'll admit as much. Like any number of other labels, it's largely used in a dismissive regard, but I could either tell you that My Sister's Keeper is about a precocious girl (Abigail Breslin, clearly changing things up) who decides to sue her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) for having been grown in the name of organ transplants for their ailing oldest daughter (Sofia Vassilieva), or I could tell you that My Sister's Keeper is the latest tear-jerker from the director of The Notebook. You get the idea.

Either way, the trailer is up at Yahoo! Movies (or watch it below), and it sells exactly the type of weepie that I predicted in a piece last February regarding some of Warners' upcoming releases. The film is still scheduled to contend with indie drama Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and while it makes sense on paper as ideal counter-programming, I'd still argue that if the star-packed Evening couldn't rake in much at all against that film's predecessor, what chance does something like this stand?

As I admitted in another piece from late last year, I'm not completely immune to the occasional tear, and I honestly won't be above watching this when it does come out in late June, but am I the only one put off by the sheer treacle on display here? On the flip side, can any of you vouch for the Jodi Picoult novel of the same name?

Just when it seemed like Keira Knightley might take a break from period pieces, she signs up for one more. The young gal just can't get enough of them, and at least this time around it isn't a costumed drama full of big hair and big dresses. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Nick Cassavetes has signed on to direct The Beautiful and the Damned, with Knightley in talks for the lead.

Written by Hanna Weg, the film focuses on the love story between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre, which means that Keira would play the doomed lover. So this time around, the corsets will be turned in for flapper dresses. In a time before the proliferation of gossip rags and celebrities, the couple were icons of the roaring twenties. The romance of the union, however, was short-lived, and as their marriage began to fail, both used the material for their own novels. Zelda grew increasingly unstable, was admitted to a sanatorium, and diagnosed with schizophrenia. It's not the most uplifting story.

Now I'd love to see more Fitzgerald on the big screen, and their lives should provide a lot of material for a film. However ... 1. Could we PLEASE have a based-on-truth story that is not focused on romance? Amelia, now Zelda. These people were more than just romantic figures. 2. Keira does a decent job with these sort of roles, but Zelda was not a waif. I hope, at the very least, she tries to get that cherubic flapper look for the role. Otherwise, it's just all wrong and maybe Coco should've gotten it.

Remember that mushy-sounding, Irreconcilable Differences-esque movie starring the Fanning sisters that's in the works? About a little girl who sues her parents for divorce after finding out she only exists to serve as a genetic match for her dying sis? It's called My Sister's Keeper, and it just got a whole lot better-sounding. According to Variety, Alec Baldwin has joined the cast, which also includes Cameron Diaz as the mother of Dakota and Elle Fanning. Baldwin fortunately won't be playing the girls' daddy; instead he's set for the role of an attorney representing the younger, wrongfully-conceived sister. He will be going up against Diaz, whose mom character is also a former trial lawyer and will be defending herself. It's still unclear if the father role will be significant, or if the parents are now divorced, separated or simply not cinematic equals. Of course, the production has until its February start date to let us know the actor for that part.

Baldwin, who previously worked with Dakota Fanning on The Cat in the Hat, was able to sign on to My Sister's Keeper thanks in part to the writer's strike, which has halted the shooting of Baldwin's hit TV series 30 Rock (though Variety points out he is contractually allowed to schedule a movie, who's to say it would have happened with this, at this time?). I've just recently become addicted to the show specifically because of him, and hope his attorney character is close in tone to his NBC executive character, Jack Donaghy. Yet something -- perhaps the subject matter of the film -- tells me that won't be the case. Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) will be directing from a script by Jeremy Leven (The Notebook), which was adapted from the novel by Jodi Picoult, while Mark Johnson (The Notebook) produces.

The last time the Fanning sisters were in the same movie (I Am Sam), they played the same character at different ages. Now they've been cast in a new movie in which they both exist for the same character. Confused? Hold on. According to Variety, Elle and Dakota, who are now 9 and 13 respectively, will star in Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of My Sister's Keeper alongside Cameron Diaz. Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, it's the story of a young girl who was conceived solely for the purpose of being a genetic match for her older sister, who is suffering from cancer. So, basically, Elle's part is that of a literal tool, existing only for the extension of Dakota's character's life. And I guess the parents don't treat the younger enough like a real, intentional child, because she ends up suing them for divorce -- kinda like little Drew Barrymore does in the largely forgotten gem from my youth, Irreconcilable Differences. Cassavetes' partners from The Notebook, screenwriter Jeremy Leven and producer Mark Johnson, are also on board, and production is set to begin in March.

If there's any competition between the Fannings for who will be the first to score an Oscar, this could be the movie in which to really shine. For the older Dakota, we've got a character dying of a disease, which at least used to be an Academy favorite for recognition (maybe if she was also mentally handicapped, she'd have more of a chance). Then for little "Sweetie Pie" (I'll never stop calling Elle that, even when she's 30), there's the strong court-battle role, which typically serves up meaty performances. And with Diaz in the movie, the sisters are sure to appear even better actresses than they are. As we told you in July, Diaz will play the girls' mother, who was cast first and then required the lowering of the sisters' ages from 13 and 16, as they are in the book (what, we can't believe Diaz had a daughter when she was 19?). Although this will be the first movie Elle and Dakota appear in together as sisters, they did play sisters in the American dub of My Neighbor Totoro -- which only used their voices (you should really watch the subtitled version; it's so much cuter). So, will the Fannings compete too much and end up giving us over the top delivery? Or could they both be good enough to further compete come awards time? Or will we be so over them by the time this movie comes out and not care either way?

Over at CHUD, they're reporting that acclaimed actress Gena Rowlands was on television recently and mentioned that "her son was originally going to direct an Iron Man movie...he's now instead thinking of doing Captain America." Rowlands' son -- with legendary actor/director John Cassavetes -- is Nick Cassavetes. Nick doesn't really have any projects of this type on his resume, but he was attached to the awesome-looking Iron Man for quite a while before Jon Favreau took the reigns. Not to suggest that Rowlands is unreliable by any means, but for now just chalk this up as a tasty little rumor.

Nick Cassavetes has a pretty diverse filmography. Like his father, he was an actor before he started directing -- you might remember Nick as Dietrich Hassler in Face/Off -- a movie with some of the greatest character names of all time. He started his directing career with smaller films like Unhook the Stars and the interesting She's So Lovely, with John Travolta and Sean Penn. From there, he jumped to more commercial fare like the decent Denzel Washington flick John Q and the favorite movie of pretty much every female I know -- The Notebook. Most recently, he gave us the kinda ridiculous Alpha Dog, which featured an unintentionally hilarious performance by a fat-suit clad Sharon Stone. So the guy can do a lot of different kinds of material, sure. But do you think he'd be a good choice for Captain America? And we still don't have a cast for the thing -- who do you want to see step into the tights? This guy?

I've been continually impressed with Nick Cassavetes as a director ever since he managed to make a whole lot of men cry with The Notebook. His last film, Alpha Dog, was pretty good too -- not only did it prove that Anton Yelchin is an actor to watch out for, but Justin Timberlake also showed up in fine form. Now, Variety tells us Cassavetes is looking to pull another Timberlake with that dude's ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz. She'll be starring in a rare drama as the mother of a girl who brings her parents to court with hopes of emancipation. Oh, but she ain't some spoiled girl who thinks she's better than mom and pops -- there's a whole lot more to the story, and it involves the touchy subject of conceiving a child so that said child can save a fellow sibling.

New Line will shell out My Sister's Keeper, based on the book written by Jodi Picoult. Aside from coming from the same studio, pic will also reunite The Notebook team of Cassavetes (director), Jeremy Leven (screenwriter) and Mark Johnson (producer). In the film, Diaz will play a former defense attorney who heads back to the courtroom to defend herself and her husband when they're sued for emancipation by their 13 year-old daughter. Thing is, the reason the daughter was conceived was because she'd be a genetic match and help provide organs to hopefully save her cancer-ridden sister's life. The girl sues for emancipation because she feels she should have the right to her own body. Oh the nerve! Diaz in a drama as a lawyer? I'm not so sure I see it yet, but if Cassavetes can somehow make me cry while the Charlie's Angel is on screen, I would hope the Academy would create a special category just for that. My Sister's Keeper begins shooting this fall; currently, Diaz is the only one signed on.

It's been almost a year since Alpha Dog first premiered at Sundance, and since then it's had to face a very real battle inside the courtroom as lawyers and criminals fought hard to block its theatrical release. On the surface, Alpha Dog presents itself as an ensemble gang-bang full of pretty faces, sexy bodies and hard drugs. Dig a little deeper and you'll find a painful real-life story that's almost impossible to believe and, at times, just as impossible to sit through, save for dazzling performances from Ben Foster and -- whaddya know -- Justin Timberlake.

Remember that warning your parents would always give you whenever a situation was just about to spill over into punishment land? It went something like, "Keep horsing around and someone is going to get hurt." Well that never applied to Johnny Truelove (Emil Hirsch) and friends, as horsing around and getting hurt were one in the same. Rich punks with rich parents, all caught up in the world of selling dope as if it were the perfect after-school job for a kid trying to make something of himself. Although that something always amounted to nothing, yet it's hard to see that when every day is a rowdy party -- complete with sex, drugs and just a twist of violence -- enough to whet the appetite of any moviegoer on a cold winter's night.

Alpha Dog sways the court! No, no, it hasn't yet. I don't want to be spreading rumors here -- although the defense is afraid it might. Nick Cassavetes' film Alpha Dog is based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood. Hollywood is strikingly singular in Los Angeles and criminal history. He is -- or rather, was -- one of the wealthiest and youngest drug dealers ever. He set records -- although not an impressive one -- by being the youngest individual, only 20 at the time, to be wanted by the FBI. The young man reportedly abducted the younger brother of a career-threatening client. Later, instead of serving life in prison for kidnapping he had the 15-year old young man shot to death. Go figure. And the new film Alpha Dog -- based on Hollywood's life and crimes -- may actually face a court injunction blocking it from release. ...

The film changes Jesse James Hollywood to the fictional character Johnny Truelove, played by Emile Hirsch. In fact, all the characters are changed although the story is strikingly similar to the real-life happenings of Mr. Hollywood's frightening choices. Although fiction, the defense still is concerned that there isn't enough separation from truth to not sway a jury. Therefore the judge will view the film before it receives wide release in January 2007. The film has already had its U.S. debut last January at Sundance to less than desirable reviews.

I can understand where the defense is coming from. After rewatching Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy just recently I found myself terrified by director Alex Cox's choice in crafting the ending. It's well known that the relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen was a volatile one but there was never any solid conclusion as to who actually murdered her. According to close confidants in the book Please Kill Me it is believed that it was a drug dealer that did her in, and not her beloved Sid in a heroin haze. It is also believed that if the police thought Nancy to be a positive member of society, they would have found that out on their own.

Unfortunately, Sid died of an overdose before anything would ever be resolved. But perhaps if he were alive and Alex Cox were able to make the film during Sid's trial his defense would ask for the release to be halted as well. And, by God, I would beg for them to grant it! It's not because I like my men corrupt, heroin addicted and bloody it's because everyone deserves the right to a fair trial...right?

I knew I should have caught Alpha Dog at Sundance. If it feels like we've reported more on the controversy surrounding the film than on the film itself, well, we probably have. While the movie was filming, Jesse James Hollywood, otherwise solid citizen who just happened --oops! -- to end up on the FBIs Most Wanted List as the suspected ringleader in the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz, was tracked down in Brazil. Hollywood is fictitiously portrayed in the film by Emile Hirsh. Hollywood, living up to his name, promptly made headlines for considering legal action to stop the film's distribution on the grounds that it might portray him in a negative light. I don't know about you, but I hate it when I kidnap and murder someone and then people take that the wrong way.

Then there was the whole drama around distrib, with New Line wanting to roll the film out slowly, and director Nick Cassavetes wanting the big-time treatment any film starring Justin Timberlake surely deserves, and taking the film to Universal instead. Now, just a little over a week after the full trailer for the film was released, comes word that one of Hollywood's attorneys last Friday filed a lawsuit against Universal in federal court, seeking a court order that the film not be released until after Hollywood's trial.

The suit raises interesting legal questions, pitting Hollywood's right to a fair trial squarely against the First Amendment. Lawyers of murder defendants have tried unsuccessfully in the past to block made-for-television films from airing before their client's trials. Heck, you'd think Hollywood would be grateful -- O.J. Simpson and the Menendez brothers only had made-for-tv movies to complain about; his is getting a theatrical release starring a former boy-band frontman. Geez. Hollywood's attorney, James Blatt, says, "I've seen this movie, and it depicts Mr. Hollywood in an extremely negative light." Well, duh. Would you expect a film about the murder and kidnapping of a teenager to portray the alleged bad guys as misunderstood Boy Scouts? Hollywood and his attorney might worry more about the actual quality of the film -- it didn't get glowing reviews at Sundance.

What do you think about all this controversy around Alpha Dog? Does it make you want to see the film that much more? Chances are good you'll still get to see it in early 2007; it's pretty unlikely that a federal judge is going to block it. But how do you feel about movies being made about murder cases that haven't gone to trial yet? If Alpha Dog does, in fact, create the impression that Hollywood isn't a good guy, is that unfairly judging him before his trial, effectively painting him as guilty without benefit of a trial?