rachel bilson Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We seem to be moving into the season of the Nicolas Cage. The actor has a slew of projects cooking up, and has just added another to the mix. The Hollywood Reporter posts that he's going to work with helmer Dominic Sena (Gone in Sixty Seconds) again on a new film called Season of the Witch. But this isn't a tale of pointy hats and black cats. Cage will be a "14th century knight transporting a girl suspected of being the witch behind the Black Plague" to some monks that can exorcise her demons. So basically, he's going to be all armor-clad in an on-the-ground version of Con Air. The new bad lieutenant in the 14th century! Can you dig it?

Meanwhile, Variety reports that ex O.C. star Rachel Bilson has signed on for a stalkeriffic-sounding indie romance called Waiting for Forever. The film will focus on "a young man who's happy without a job and decides to spend the rest of his life with his love -- a 25-year-old TV actress living in Hollywood." Will he be creepy like the dudes in I Think We're Alone Now, or be cute, get the girl, and give stalkers everywhere the false hope and courage that it's okay to fulfill their stalker tendencies?

Finally, after jumping from the world of Harry Potter to Appaloosa, Timothy Spall is taking on some horror. The Hollywood Reporter posts that he, along with Aidan Gillen and Eva Birthistle, will star in a new horror flick called The Wake Wood. Instead of crazy killers, this flick will be about some "grieving parents who are given the opportunity to spend three more days with their only daughter after she is killed by a savage dog." I guess the horror comes in with the attack and trying to spend time with a girl who is ripped apart and, perhaps, rotting?

"A guy can teleport."

That's the basic plot of Doug Liman's alternately dry and ridiculous new action thriller Jumper, and the film takes great pains to NOT introduce anything that might distract from that one paltry premise: One really uninteresting guy can teleport wherever he wants (including bank vaults, beaches, and the head of the Egyptian Sphinx) -- up until the day that a ferocious (but also ridiculous) villain shows up to ruin all the teleport-y fun. And then we get a half-decent chase, a bunch of hyper-kinetically edited action, and a sequel teaser. For a 90-minute flick that focuses on a guy who moves real quick, it sure doesn't move all that slick.

Frankly, I expect a little more creativity from Doug Liman at this point, who seems to be coasting on fumes after delivering rock-solid action flicks like The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Jumper feels like it was made with a test-screening audience in mind, and those who consider themselves fans of the source material -- a series of novels by Steven Gould -- will probably find themselves sorely disappointed in the movie version.

The screenplay (which was cobbled together by professional script surgeons Jim Uhls, David Goyer, and Simon Kinberg) feels like 11 or 12 isolated sequences that were simply lifted from Gould's books, regardless of how well they actually mesh together into one cohesive movie. Once the heavy-handed voice-over narration subsides ... just give up. The movie stabs wildly at a small collection of plot points, finds none to its liking, and then just keeps on chugging towards the end credits.

You would have thought that if 20th Century Fox was going to go to all the trouble of staging a Jumper press event on top of the Luxor Hotel, then they might have at least included their latest international poster. But they didn't, and now Empire Online has the new poster for Doug Liman's film adaptation of Steven Gould's young adult sci-fi series. Jumper stars Hayden Christensen as David Rice, a young man with the ability to teleport himself. So of course, he catches the attention of a secret society that wants to kill off 'jumpers' everywhere, and he is dragged into one of those eternal battles -- the kind that always seems to be going on in the movies. Rachel Bilson also stars as Christensen's childhood love, and Samuel L. Jackson plays the head baddie.

The first poster for the film was definitely a little more 'kid friendly' but now it looks like they are definitely pushing the action angle again. Some of the more obvious tricks include name dropping The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They have also thrown a leather coat into the mix, and suddenly Christensen has morphed into Neo -- and it's not like I'm the only one who has noticed this. Since I haven't read the original novels or obviously seen the movie yet, I'll have to reserve judgment on what Liman has planned. However, it always makes me a little nervous when it seems like the people who made the movie aren't even sure what the film is supposed to be. Jumper hits theaters on February 14th, 2008.

Ever since I decided to watch all 8 episodes of the HBO show Tell Me You Love Me this weekend (not the greatest idea, mind you), not only am I searching for a therapist but I also have sex on the mind (how could you not after watching that show?).Over at Nerve, they've gone ahead and satisfied their ever-growing sex addictions by putting together a list comparing the sex scenes in a number of films that have been fortunate enough to undergo the remake treatment over the years. This list is part of their new Film Issue, which happens to contain a plethora of sex-related stuff like sex advice from movie extras, a piece on Fast Times at Ridgemont High as it relates to teenage lust, and something on Ken Russell's phallic fixation ... among other things. But it was this list -- on sex scenes -- that I found the most interesting.

For example, you'd think the obvious choice would be to always side with the original, not the remake. But when it comes to L'Ultimo Bacio, otherwise known as The Last Kiss when it was re-made here in the states starring Zach Braff, it's the remake's sex scene that ultimately wins out. Yes, Zach Braff managed to provide a hotter, steamier sex scene than the very sexy Italian actor Stefano Accorsi (oh, and Rachel Bilson ... words cannot express the thoughts I had while, um ... nevermind). Among some of the films discussed are Swept Away (1974) vs. Swept Away (2002), The End of the Affair (1955) vs. The End of the Affair (1999), Alfie (1966) vs. Alfie (2004) and Open Your Eyes (1997) vs. Vanilla Sky (2001) -- both of which featured a very topless Penelope Cruz. Of course, the folks at Nerve do help you out a bit by providing clips of each sex scene so that you, at home, can decide which was better: the original or the remake. Yes, and that also means there is some NSFW nudity, so keep that in mind before you go clicking like a mad man (or woman).

[Thanks Lauren]

Now that The Bourne Ultimatum has broken box office records, I have to say again that I like Doug Liman's Bourne Identity -- the first of the trilogy -- best. Still, I don't mind that he left the franchise in the hands of Paul Greengrass, because it allowed him to make the brilliant Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the upcoming Jumper, which I'm really looking forward to. I've loved everything directed by Liman since Go (yeah, Swingers was fine but nothing great), and I hope Jumper continues the streak. Based on a series of young adult novels by Steven Gould, is a sci-fi adventure thriller about a teenage jumper -- or someone with the power to teleport -- in search of his mother's killer while also being tracked by the NSA. It has a script from David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) and Jim Uhls (Fight Club), and a great cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane, Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) , Rachel Bilson (The O.C.), Tom Hulce (Amadeus), Michael Rooker (Slither) and Hayden 'Anakin Skywalker' Christensen. The movie now also has a website.

The thing I love best about the Jumper site is that it's easy to navigate. It's one of these websites that pans through a location (here someone's room/office) where certain objects can be clicked on to reveal things like a synopsis, a cast, etc. But for those of us who are impatient or have slow computers, or just simply aren't good at finding every last hidden link, there's a menu at the top of the screen that gives us pretty much the same stuff the link-objects do. Well, it doesn't include the site's clock links, which go to a site that gives us the exact time in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, St. Petersburg (Florida), Tokyo and ... Tokyo (because the New York one also accidentally links there, too). I'm surprised that Rome isn't one of those provided, since the city features prominently in the movie. The in-site links include a back story about jumpers and Paladins, who hunt and kill jumpers. There's also a photo gallery, a wallpaper download and a character guide. One of the link-objects, a group of video cassettes, don't really give us anything special, so I'm guess that's where the trailer will appear once it is available. I guess the site isn't too amazing, but it's given me some more background, and I'm now even more interested in seeing the movie. Jumper hits theaters on February 18, 2008.

20th Century Fox looks to be pulling out all the stops on Jumper, a sci-fi thriller that stars Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson, and comes from Doug Liman, director of Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Not only is the teleportation-centric project shooting in places like Paris, Egypt, New York, Toronto and China ... they're shooting a few scenes inside the Roman Colosseum, too!

According to The New York Times, the unprecedented access has been granted by a Roman mayor who simply adores the Hollywood glitz -- but don't for a second think that the city officials are handing out free passes to the ancient arena. Seems that the filmmakers have been forced to use mega-small crews and a bare minimum of equipment while shooting inside the Colosseum ... plus there's all those tourists to deal with.

But for all that time, care and effort, screenwriter Simon Kinberg delivers an amusing punch line. Apparently the scene didn't even need to be shot at the legendary amphitheater; it was originally written to take place in The Pantheon!

Based on the novel by Stephen Gould, Jumper won't hit theaters until 2008 -- but I gotta admit the project sounds pretty intriguing. Plus I hear Samuel L. Jackson is in it. (Hey, maybe I'll actually read the book.)

Odds and ends from Monday:

• I'm not sure how many times we've talked about the film Jumper here on Cinematical, but trust me -- if they jump, we write about it. Rachel Bilson is now set to jump in and replace Teresa Palmer in one of the film's starring roles opposite Hayden Christensen. This marks the second swap-a-roo for Jumper, as earlier this year Christensen (who's more well-known) took over the lead from Tom Sturridge. In the pic (which may or may not turn into a trilogy), Samuel L. Jackson plays an NSA agent placed in charge of tracking a boy with the ability to teleport places. Sweet! Looks like Jackson finally managed to teleport himself into a good role.
• Wayyy back in August of 2005, we told you about Dirty Tricks -- a pic based on the play by John Jeter. The real-life story revolves around the wife of Richard Nixon's attorney general and how she defended her husband following the Watergate scandal. Oh yes, Capote had his turn and now the flavor of the year is Dicky Nixon. Well, director Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, anyone? Running with Scissors?) recently spilled some casting tidbits, noting that Brad Pitt, Sharon Stone and Jim Broadbent will now star alongside Meryl Streep, Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jill Clayburgh. Beat that cast Ron Howard! Murphy hopes to begin shooting next fall with plans to release the film at some point during the fall of 2008.
• [In my best Sly Stallone impersonation]: "Um, yo -- like why you wanna go and sue me? What I ever do to you, huh?" That's right, Rambo is set to face off against his toughest (and dare I say, largest) opponent yet -- those dangerous Weinstein boys. In a suit filed Friday, The Weinstein's contend that they've owned distribution rights to a Rambo sequel since 2004 and, supposedly, producers Nu Image had recently offered distribution to Lionsgate instead. This one looks hot and heavy folks, and we'll be sure to let you know what happens at the next rose ceremony.

Perhaps I'm just tired of watching films about whiny almost-30-year-old guys who don't want to grow up, or perhaps it's just that I'm tired of seeing Zach Braff do the angsty, existential thing. Whatever the case, Braff can't be solely blamed for The Last Kiss. Unlike Garden State, which he also wrote and directed, in The Last Kiss Braff only wears his acting hat. The film, directed by Tony Goldwyn off a screenplay by Paul Haggis (who's capable of much better), is a remake of 2001 Italian flick L' Ultimo bacio.

In The Last Kiss, Braff has the misfortune to play Michael, an architect with a gorgeous, perfect, long-time girlfriend, Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), who has just found out she's pregnant. The unexpected pregnancy sends Michael into a quiet state of freak-out which he carefully conceals, pasting on enthusiastic smiles for Jenna, her parents and their friends. He assures Jenna he's happy about the pregnancy (although impending fatherhood isn't quite enough to boost him past his marriage phobia), and that he'll love her pregnant body. Meanwhile, under the surface, he just wants to run screaming for the nearest exit back to adolescent freedom.

Back on Thursday, Erik told you about a new Wonder Woman casting rumor focusing around Rachel Bilson, and warned you to take it with a "huge grain of shady salt." As per standard, Erik was right on the money, and the crazy rumor has already been debunked by none other than Rachel Bilson herself. When asked about the rumor by IESB, Bilson was "genuinely shocked," and said it was the first she'd ever heard of any such rumors. As a followup, they placed a call in to a "studio insider" and were told Bilson was both "slightly too old" and "slightly too short" for the parameters of director Joss Whedon.

If the "studio insider" is correct, this puts several of the previous rumors (and some fan favorites) out of the running. Bilson is only 25 years old, and if 25 is "slightly too old," this would be particularly bad news for older candidates championed by the fans -- Charisma Carpenter comes to mind, for one, as she has a good ten years on Bilson. What do you think, fans? Is this early twenties age limit a wise decision, or does it just artificially exclude some great actresses?