Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gif Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Steven Spielberg To Finally Make 'Lincoln'?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/12/steven-spielberg-to-finally-make-lincoln/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/12/steven-spielberg-to-finally-make-lincoln/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/12/steven-spielberg-to-finally-make-lincoln/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

While doing publicity rounds for a certain fedora-wearing adventurer, Steven Spielberg told German magazine FOCUS that he intends to return his focus to his long delayed biopic of Abraham Lincoln.

According to Variety, Spielberg is shelving the Aaron Sorkin-scripted Trial of the Chicago Seven because he is dissatisfied with the script, and could not get the rewrites he wanted due to the WGA strike. Though that is over, it apparently needs some development time not even Tintin will provide.

And yes -- Tintin is still scheduled to begin shooting in early fall, though we still are lacking any casting confirmations. Spielberg says the actor's strike will not delay it, because the film is motion capture.

But back to the Lincoln biopic! It has been kicked around so long that Spielberg's decision is almost a nonevent, but it is still all kinds of exciting because it could begin shooting early next year. Liam Neeson is still attached and has been for the past three years, reportedly amassing research all this time. It will still have that Tony Kushner script, and it is still based on The Uniter: The Genius of Abraham Lincoln, the brilliant biography by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

I really want this to finally come together. Neeson is due for another meaty role like Abraham Lincoln, and there has never been a proper movie made about such an iconic figure. Actually, I don't really think there has been a movie that truly dug into the Civil War, not in the way that can really attract and educate an audience. If anyone is up to the challenge, it's Spielberg.

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]]>Liam NeesonLiamNeesonLincoln biopicLincolnBiopicsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergElisabeth Rappe2008-05-12T09:32:00+00:00New Indiana Jones Trailer Plus Two TV Spots!http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/05/new-indiana-jones-trailer-plus-two-tv-spots/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/05/new-indiana-jones-trailer-plus-two-tv-spots/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/05/new-indiana-jones-trailer-plus-two-tv-spots/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



It was briefly leaked online last week, but now the new official trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is online ... and you can watch it above or over on IndianaJones.com. This is the trailer that begins to explain the story; how, as per usual, Indy is off in search of some artifact (the crystal skull) which comes with a spooky-cool story (the person who has possession gains great powers), but there's an evil group (the Russians) who want to use said artifact to their advantage. Sound familiar?

But it's cool, because Indiana Jones is back. And Marion Ravenwood is back. And a whole new generation now gets a chance to enjoy one of my all-time favorite movie characters on the big screen for the first time. And, well, you got Steven Spielberg who, last I checked, makes some pretty good films. What's not to look forward to? In addition to this new trailer, you can check out two new TV spots for the film here and here -- both of which use a combo of footage we've seen previously, and there may even be some new stuff thrown in too.

With all this Iron Man talk, did you realize we're only a couple weeks away from Indy? May 22? C'mon! Am I the only one excited about this?

Gallery: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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]]>cinematicalindiana jonesindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullindiana jones trailerIndianaJonesIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullIndianaJonesTraileriron manIronManmarion ravenwoodMarionRavenwoodsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergsummer2008Erik Davis2008-05-05T14:32:00+00:00New 'Indiana Jones' Images and the First Review Arrives Online?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/21/new-indiana-jones-images-and-the-first-review-arrives-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/21/new-indiana-jones-images-and-the-first-review-arrives-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/21/new-indiana-jones-images-and-the-first-review-arrives-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



Take from this what you will, but Jeff Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere claims to have heard from a "guy who knows a guy on the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull team" that Ferris passed out at 31 flavors last night. Okay, actually, this person claims to have watched a cut of the new film and Wells is flying with a bunch of quotes this morning that he's not "100% comfortable running," but knows they'll bring in about 100% more traffic for his site. Among the non-spoilerish highlights:

  • Crystal Skull is "the best of the Indy sequels." "Steven Spielberg's helming puts the imitators (The Mummy, National Treasure) to shame. There are many breakneck set pieces, with a protracted jungle chase being particularly memorable. As well as being evocative of the truck chase from the first movie."
  • Harrison Ford "gives his best performance in the role, not only physically belying his age but layering in welcome poignancy. More than before, audiences will be rooting for Indy."
  • "The film has the strongest supporting cast of the sequels."
  • Apparently, the film also includes an "ending that any longtime diehard fan of the films could only dream about."
Really? Dream about? I can dream about a lot of things. Once again, we have no idea who this person is and whether or not they have an "agenda,", but here's hoping they're 100% right on the money. A few new photos from the film have also hit the internets (via Slashfilm via some foreign mag), so check those out in the gallery below. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrives on May 22.

Gallery: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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]]>cinematicalharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jonesindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull reviewIndianaJonesIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullReviewsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergErik Davis2008-04-21T11:02:00+00:00The Exhibitionist: Film Appreciation in the Digital Agehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/20/the-exhibitionist-film-appreciation-in-the-digital-age/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/20/the-exhibitionist-film-appreciation-in-the-digital-age/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/20/the-exhibitionist-film-appreciation-in-the-digital-age/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Is film really better than digital? Or vice versa? Following the news that Steven Spielberg is allegedly to blame for the slow rollout of digital projectors into cinemas, I've been thinking about the questions all week. And I have no idea. But not because siding with Spielberg, just because he's Spielberg, is difficult when he suddenly announces a new digital 3-D project (Ghost and the Shell) he'll be producing. The reality is that I'm not technologically informed enough and, more importantly, my eyesight isn't good enough for me to really make the distinction anymore.

That isn't to say I can't tell if I'm watching film or digital. I definitely can. Especially when it's digital 3-D, or when it's an incorrectly projected HD copy of The Wackness, which looks very crisp but also very dark (for the purpose of this week's column, it's not important to point a finger at the cinema responsible). What I can't tell is which format is better. And I mean better in a sort of ideological mixed with functionality context. If just going by ideals, I have to keep pledging allegiance to film, but perhaps only as a traditionalist. Yet if going by functionality, I have to swear by digital, from DVD to DLP to 4K to whatever (again, I just can't keep up tech-wise), but perhaps only as a futurist.

A long time ago, when I first went to film school at a private institution that had to make use of the pile of money we students paid them, I was taught to really appreciate film. Our studies classes featured actual film prints, supplied by an archive either owned by the school or the film history professor, and only in an extremely rare circumstance did we watch a projected Laserdisc. So, I grew to really appreciate the quality of film. Mainly because that's what we were taught with, what we were taught to appreciate, and what we were able to properly appreciate.

But that was a time before DVDs went on the market; the closest thing to digital filmmaking on campus was Hi8, which we then had to transfer to Beta in order to edit the footage, and the single videomaking class utilizing these technologies was treated as kind of a new frontier; most of us still edited our film stock on Moviolas, with special reservations (and upperclassman status) needed to get onto the Steenbeck. Maybe we'd heard of AVID, but certainly not such a thing as Final Cut Pro.

I ended up dropping out of that school after two years. And, finally, after ten more years I returned to finish my degree, this time at a public college and majoring in film studies instead of production. While I'm not sure what kind of digital filmmaking tools the production students were using these days, I did quickly notice a significant difference in the digital materials used for studies classes, which primarily consist of watching and discussing movies. At first I thought, well, this is a tax-funded city school and they probably don't have the budget for film prints, so it makes sense that we're watching projected DVDs and Laserdiscs (and in extremely rare circumstances, mostly because a lot of classic foreign films still aren't available on better formats, VHS). I'll just have to get used to the poor quality image and the feeling that I should just ask Netflix to start handing out diplomas.

But eventually I really came to appreciate the benefits of working with digital in a studies class. Mostly I learned that it's a lot easier to appreciate film, if not film, in having a means to go back and really dissect and discuss it. With projected DVDs, you can watch the movie, then afterwards return to specific scenes and shots with the use of rewind, fast forward, pause, etc., in order to spotlight things maybe not seen by students during the first run. It made me laugh coming from years of working in cinemas, where I'd constantly be asked by customers why the film couldn't be rewound if they were late -- and the only ones in the auditorium. Of course, I have no idea if projectionists are permitted to do that now with digital "prints", nor do I really know what kind of functionality digital cinema has that would parallel the employment of (appropriately named in this regard) digital versatile discs in the classroom.

This past week, amidst my contemplation of the differences between film and digital, one of my current film studies professors (no, I haven't yet finished my degree) coincidentally brought to my attention a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education by Brandeis professor Thomas Doherty entitled "Celluloid Under Siege: The Future of Film Studies After the Digital Deluge." The subject was exactly what I was already thinking about writing on for this week's column:

No less than technology, the morphing of the discipline is a story of generations. Just as the reigning graybeards in Hollywood represent the last generation of moviemakers to cut their teeth on the photographic grain, the tenured professoriate in film studies makes up the last class of Ph.D.'s schooled in a canon of cinematic masterpieces gleaned from repertory screenings. Reared on video-editing software like AVID or peer-to-peer sharing, their sons and daughters have never spliced together actual film while hunched over a Steinbeck editing table, or known a world without an accessible back catalog of motion-picture classics.

Doherty discusses the difficulty of studying and appreciating actual film when film studies programs are becoming more inclusively titled media studies programs and when the Society for Cinema Studies has long since (five and a half years ago) changed its name to the Society for Cinema & Media Studies. I often wonder if any of my fellow students would really care or notice if film stock were to disappear completely, especially when few of them are even conscious of the benefits of being a mere few train stops away from places like Film Forum and Anthology Film Archives, two non-profit, non-museum arthouses that will likely be among the last remnants of film appreciators when such a concept is deemed mostly a curiosity for the historically enthusiastic. Doherty offers hope in the form of a seemingly hopeless expert:

So while waiting for the vandals to storm the projection booth, wither film studies? In The Virtual Life of Film (Harvard University Press, 2007), D.N. Rodowick, a professor of visual and environmental studies at Harvard, issues a post-mortem that confirms the cause of death and then offers a prescription for revitalization. "Does cinema studies have a future in the 21st century?" he asks. Only if cinema means more than public exhibition in the material world, he answers. "Film has already disappeared as a phenomenological experience - of this there is no doubt," he asserts with alarming matter-of-factness.

Apparently, the main saving grace for film's continuation is indeed it's "nostalgic affectation". Yet Doherty also maintains the argument that celluloid's benefits are "right before the eyes," and even references Jon Stewart's iPhone joke from this year's Academy Awards ceremony, which only somewhat celebrated the quality of ancient cinema of forty-five years ago (specifically Lawrence of Arabia) without really hailing anything so sufficiently relevant produced of late.

Meanwhile, Doherty also addresses the very benefits of digital for studies programs that I have experienced firsthand these past two years: "Wired classrooms also encourage a more relaxed, student-friendly lecture style: For the first time in media pedagogy, a film reference that comes up unbidden in discussion can be downloaded on the spot for a close textual once-over."

And finally, perhaps to be ironic, Doherty concludes by linking to the YouTube clip featuring David Lynch, whose last "film" (Inland Empire) was shot on digital video, chastising the idea of watching movies on a cell phone. The reference pretty much sums up my belief that neither film nor digital is necessarily better than the other, that we must simply accept the future while appreciating the past and hopefully the two can continue living simultaneously, in whatever sort of arena and with whatever sort of function they may do so in.

(Photo courtesty Christian Razukas, aka hellochris, from his flickr page)

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]]>film schoolfilm studiesFilmSchoolFilmStudiessteven spielbergStevenSpielbergthe exhibitionistTheExhibitionistChristopher Campbell2008-04-20T09:32:00+00:00Harrison Ford Wanted to Kill Han Solo!http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/18/harrison-ford-wanted-to-kill-han-solo/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/18/harrison-ford-wanted-to-kill-han-solo/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/18/harrison-ford-wanted-to-kill-han-solo/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Say it ain't so, Dr. Jones! Entertainment Weekly continues their coverage of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with a very in-depth four-page spread on the film; including interviews with most of the cast, as well as this little nugget from Harrison Ford with regards to the death of Indiana Jones: "A death scene for Dr. Jones? That would never happen, Harrison Ford assures us. He remembers trying to persuade Lucas to kill off his Han Solo character in the second or third initial Star Wars movie, insisting it'd make for a better story. ''You don't need him,'' says Ford. ''He's got no mama, got no papa - out there all by himself. He's a piece you can move around or get rid of. But I couldn't get George to go along with that. He didn't want to stop making the toys.''

George didn't want to stop making the toys. I love it! In addition to fun little facts like that, EW has revealed two new photos from the film (included in the gallery below). The entire article is definitely worth a read, though Lucas still sounds like an old bitter dude when it comes to films that are overly-hyped: "All I'm saying is, I have been there, and I have walked through the valley of death on highly anticipated sequels." Always the negative one ...

May 22. Indiana Jones. Are you there opening night ... or what?

Gallery: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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]]>cinematicalgeorge lucasGeorgeLucashan soloHanSoloharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullstar warsStarWarssteven spielbergStevenSpielbergErik Davis2008-04-18T15:32:00+00:00Video of the Day: Close Encounters of the South Park Kindhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/video-of-the-day-close-encounters-of-the-south-park-kind/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/video-of-the-day-close-encounters-of-the-south-park-kind/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/video-of-the-day-close-encounters-of-the-south-park-kind/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



We'll be talking a bit more about last night's South Park episode a little later on, but before we go there, you should definitely check out the above clip. Well, if you didn't see the episode, you might not want to watch -- but if you did see the episode or don't care much about South Park spoilers, then do click on the little play button up top. It's shiny. It likes you.

This season, the boys from SP seem to be doing a lot with the internet, and last night's episode was no exception. When the internet goes down in South Park, the town doesn't know how to handle it. Chaos and hilarity ensues. Easily my favorite episode from this season so far, toward the end we also got a nice, hysterical homage to Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- except, instead of aliens, the government was trying to communicate with a giant internet router thingy. Classic.

My favorite line from last night (which I've been repeating, to myself, all day long for some odd reason): "We're headin' out Californee way -- rumor has it they may have some internet out there."

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]]>close encounters of the third kindCloseEncountersOfTheThirdKindsouth parkSouthParksteven spielbergStevenSpielbergErik Davis2008-04-17T14:02:00+00:00Ford, Spielberg and Lucas Talk 'Indiana Jones'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/ford-spielberg-and-lucas-talk-indiana-jones/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/ford-spielberg-and-lucas-talk-indiana-jones/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/17/ford-spielberg-and-lucas-talk-indiana-jones/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



With a little over a month left before Indiana Jones hits theaters for a fourth time, it's time to hear from its creators. First up, USA Today revealed a new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull photo (see above) along with their interview with Harrison Ford. An interesting note from that interview is Ford does not rule out an Indiana Jones 5, except he'd prefer that it not take another 20 years to come together. On the character, Ford says, "He's a guy who is pretty clear from the beginning. He has not changed so much between films. But we've learned more about him, through various plot devices, such as the introduction of his father. And we'll learn something more about him in this film. I think it's required. If you're going to bring back a character, you'll have to supply the audience with something more and different. The adventure is very, very important. But it's interesting to discover a facet of the character that perhaps you hadn't explored before."

Additionally, Entertainment Weekly sat down for a very informative interview with both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Their talk is extensive and very fun to read (if you're a fan of either man or both); topics covered include, of course, the entire Indiana Jones series. On the Russian villainess Irina Spalko (as played by Cate Blanchett), Lucas calls her an "uber-villain," while Spielberg says, "Of all the villains I've been able to work with in the Indiana Jones movies, I can say she's my favorite. And I think Cate made her that way."
From there, they talk about Shia LaBeouf's character and how the kid didn't even know what a greaser was. Lucas says, "I had to train him. Shia got sent to the American Graffiti school of greaserland. And I became the consultant on his comb." The conversation begins to get a tad more interesting when they start talking technology. Spielberg points out that he wished he could've used the same old matte paintings in this film like he did in the others, instead of creating the backgrounds digitally. "For a while, I wanted to make them look bad, so they looked exactly like they did in the other movies."

And hey, the boys even go into a lengthy discussion on blogs and the nature of spoiling content on the web prior to a film hitting theaters. It's fascinating because clearly Spielberg is more against this than Lucas. Here's a nice quote from George: "Y'know, Steven will say, ''Oh, everything's out on the Internet [in terms of Crystal Skull details] - what this is and what that is.'' And to that I say, ''Steven, it doesn't make any difference!'' Look - Jaws was a novel before it was a movie, and anybody could see how it ended. Didn't matter."

I strongly suggest checking out both interviews, especially the EW one with Spielberg and Lucas, as they're both fun, engaging reads. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull touches down on May 22.

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]]>cate blanchettCateBlanchettcinematicalgeorge lucasGeorgeLucasharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergsummer2008Erik Davis2008-04-17T10:02:00+00:00'Ghost in the Shell' is Next in the 3-D Pipelinehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/15/ghost-in-the-shell-is-next-in-the-3-d-pipeline/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/15/ghost-in-the-shell-is-next-in-the-3-d-pipeline/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/15/ghost-in-the-shell-is-next-in-the-3-d-pipeline/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There's been a flurry of buzz around theatrical 3-D lately, perhaps because James Cameron has come out of hiding to talk a bit about Avatar. (If you haven't yet read this interview with the King of the World, do so immediately.) The last thing we heard was that exhibitors have ganged up on Steven Spielberg for apparently standing in the way of the digital revolution. But Spielberg seems to have seen the light: he's acquired the rights to the Japanese manga Ghost in the Shell for Dreamworks, which plans to film it in -- you guessed it -- digital 3-D. A Dreamworks suit boasts that the story "epitomizes 3-D live-action motion picture possibilities."

If that title sounds familiar, it's because the manga has already been adapted into one of the most celebrated anime films of all time. The story involves an attempt to fight cyber-crime by creating a breed of ultra-powerful cyborgs, which strikes me as a terrible idea. I found Mamoru Oshii's movie visually spectacular but impenetrable -- I'm not an anime buff, and it confused the hell out of me. I'm sure that if nothing else, Dreamworks will find a way to solve that problem. Jamie Moss (Street Kings) is taking a crack at writing the adaptation.

3-D still has its naysayers and its crusaders: in the interview I linked above, Cameron announced his intention to make an ordinary, small-scale drama in 3-D just to demonstrate that it's a broadly viable format. But you don't have to listen to either of them. The extent to which Hollywood is investing in 3-D productions speaks volumes on its own.

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]]>avatarghost in the shellGhostInTheShelljames cameronJamesCameronsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergEugene Novikov2008-04-15T10:32:00+00:00Spielberg Blamed for Digital 3-D "Train Wreck"http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/14/spielberg-blamed-for-digital-3-d-train-wreck/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/14/spielberg-blamed-for-digital-3-d-train-wreck/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/14/spielberg-blamed-for-digital-3-d-train-wreck/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

There's currently a crisis in the theater industry and apparently it's all Steven Spielberg's fault. According to Variety coverage of Sunday's National Association of Broadcasters Show's Digitial Cinema Summit, the filmmaker was named as a constant obstacle in the transition to digital cinema.

Spielberg's insistence against releasing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull digitally was overruled last month when Paramount announced that it would indeed open the summer blockbuster on some digital screens, but the fact that it won't be a full digital release, coupled with the fact that Spielberg still doesn't "get" the fact that digital is superior to film, is a problematic issue for an industry having difficulties installing a necessary amount of digital projectors by 2009.

John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners spoke at the summit, warning of a "potential train wreck" next year when all those monumental 3-D releases we've been hearing about (James Cameron's Avatar; DreamWorks' Monsters vs. Aliens; Pixar's upgraded rereleases of Toy Story and Toy Story 2) are met with an inadequate amount of 3-D-equipped screens. For more than a year now, both Hollywood and NATO have been in agreement that by 2009 there will need to be anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 screens with 3-D capability in order to handle the full-digital-3-D releases, beginning with the March 27 opening of Monsters vs. Aliens. Unfortunately, since this time last year, the reality has been a mere doubling from around 500 screens to slightly more than 1,000.

The main issue is that while studios and theater owners are in agreement about the need for so many digital projectors (which then also need to be equipped with digital 3-D add-ons), the two parties still can't agree on the deals that will put such substantial upgrades in place. Fithian said that if these deals aren't finalized in the next month or two, there won't be enough time for the transition to occur before the 3-D movies start coming out (Fithian claims there are currently 10 3-D films scheduled for 2009).

Obviously the studios will be in as much trouble as the theater owners, so making quick arrangements would seem to be a major priority. Yet they still can't seem to agree on fair Virtual Print Fees, which have to do with how much studios will contribute to the theaters' costs in upgrading to the digital projectors. Fithian also noted the need for more of Hollywood's elite to be on board with the transition, which is where Spielberg's name came in, mainly because his DreamWorks partner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is "one of the great priests of digital cinema."

So, what I'm wondering is, if Spielberg is directing the first Tintin movie, and the whole trilogy is expected to be shot digitally and shown in 3-D, shouldn't the man "get it" already?

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]]>3davatardigital 3-d theatersdigital projectionDigital3-dTheatersDigitalProjectionjames cameronJamesCameronjeffrey katzenbergJeffreyKatzenbergjohn fithianJohnFithianmonsters vs. aliensMonstersVs.Aliensnational association of theatre ownersNationalAssociationOfTheatreOwnerssteven spielbergStevenSpielbergtintintoy storytoy story 2ToyStoryToyStory2Christopher Campbell2008-04-14T13:31:00+00:00Steven Spielberg Dumps 'Chicago 7?'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/22/steven-spielberg-dumps-chicago-7/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/22/steven-spielberg-dumps-chicago-7/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/22/steven-spielberg-dumps-chicago-7/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

There are two reasons I find this (as yet unconfirmed) story interesting. One is that I'll soon be writing my review of Brett Morgen's new documentary Chicago 10, which comes out next week. The other is that I've been thinking about the 2009 Oscars (I like to jump ahead), which I presumed would include a number of nominations for Steven Spielberg's next film. For a few months now, we've believed that film would be, like Morgen's, about the trial of the "Chicago 7" and would be fittingly titled The Trial of the Chicago 7. First we heard the director was interested in the script, written by Charlie Wilson's War scribe Aaron Sorkin. Then we got that crazy news that Sacha Baron Cohen would play Abbie Hoffman. Finally we heard more people, specifically Colin Hanks, Jeff Daniels and Philip Seymour Hoffman, were joining the cast. However, now we have word from Collider that Spielberg "has decided to move on and will not be making the movie."

Note: It has since come out that the film has been delayed, not completely dumped.




Like "Frosty" at Collider, I am glad about this may-be-true turn of events. And I too hope that Spielberg finally locks down on that Abe Lincoln film (Lincoln), especially now that Frosty has pointed out the significance of next year (unfortunately a February release is bad for Oscar dreams). Comparatively, the Chicago 7 movie has little significance or relevance to anything. I could see where someone might want to try to parallel the trial and the 1968 Democratic National Convention in general with this year's election, but I think it's already been done too much (in Chicago 10 for example). So, perhaps Spielberg ultimately realized this, or at least figured out that he wouldn't get the film done in time for the November election. Of course, we're not certain that the guy has officially dropped the project, but we should hear something definite soon.

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]]>aaron sorkinAaronSorkinabbie hoffmanAbbieHoffmanbrett morgenBrettMorgenchicago 10Chicago10cinematicalcolin hanksColinHankselectionfilmjeff danielsJeffDanielslincolnphilip seymour hoffmanPhilipSeymourHoffmansacha baron cohenSachaBaronCohensteven spielbergStevenSpielbergthe trial of the chicago 7TheTrialOfTheChicago7Christopher Campbell2008-02-22T19:32:00+00:00American Flag Removed From Intl. 'Indy 4' Trailerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/16/american-flag-removed-from-intl-indy-4-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/16/american-flag-removed-from-intl-indy-4-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/16/american-flag-removed-from-intl-indy-4-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

There's been a lot of talk about Ray Winstone's magical pants since the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull first appeared on February 14. At around the one minute mark, we see Winstone and Indy surrounded by Russian soldiers and Indy utters his line "Not as easy as it used to be," and if you look closely you can see some CGI weirdness going on there, as if something has been cut out of the scene. Well, turns out it was -- in the international trailer for the film, now available online, the Russian heavies are pointing some giant machine guns at our heroes, not just standing there giving them dirty looks. Also, when the trailer transitions from the (too long) memory lane montage to the original footage, the American trailer shows an American flag fluttering in the breeze, with May 22 overlapped. The international trailer still has the May date titled on there, but there is no flag to be found. I find this offensive not for any patriotic reason, but only as someone who doesn't appreciate such crass, Spielbergian manipulation.

In other news, Winstone is out doing some talking about the film -- according to Showbiz Spy, he recently praised Cate Blanchett's performance in the film, saying "To me she's the greatest actor in the world. She really pushes the boat out in this one. She looks great." He also complains about pulling a hamstring during the making of the film when he had to run up and down the stairs of that giant temple, and he says that he's tiring of the action parts he's receiving as he gets older, and he'd rather take on more romantic parts. When other, more substantial news on the film comes along, you'll know where to find it.

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]]>george lucasGeorgeLucasharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergRyan Stewart2008-02-16T14:02:00+00:00Poll: Should Celebs Take on Politcal Causes?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/poll-should-celebs-take-on-politcal-causes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/poll-should-celebs-take-on-politcal-causes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/poll-should-celebs-take-on-politcal-causes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Here's something interesting ... Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere posted a "salute" yesterday afternoon to Steven Spielberg, who announced yesterday that he's withdrawing as an artistic advisor to the Beijing Summer Olympics. Here's the kicker though ... Spielberg didn't pull out because of the Chinese government's continued human rights abuses within its own borders, or for its oppression in Tibet, but over Darfur.

According to this piece over on Variety, which broke the story, "I have made repeated efforts to encourage the Chinese government to use its unique influence to bring safety and stability to the Darfur region of Sudan," Spielberg wrote. "Although some progress has been made ...the situation continues to worsen and the violence continues to accelerate."

As Wells noted, Spielberg's "enlightment" about China may be due, at least in part, to Mia Farrow's ripping him a new one over China's human rights issues (and bankrolling of the genocide in Darfur) back in March. So kudos to Spielberg for finally getting on the human rights bandwagon here, but geez, how about getting on China for all its human rights issues, while you're at it? And while we're on the subject, how do you feel about celebs and political issues?

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]]>beijing olympicschinadarfurgenocidehuman rights abusessteven spielbergStevenSpielbergsudanKim Voynar2008-02-13T16:02:00+00:00Indy in Quicksand, Spalko Does More Pointing: New 'Indy 4' Picshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/indy-in-quicksand-spalko-does-more-pointing-new-indy-4-pics/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/indy-in-quicksand-spalko-does-more-pointing-new-indy-4-pics/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/02/13/indy-in-quicksand-spalko-does-more-pointing-new-indy-4-pics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

What is it with Agent Spalko and pointing? We've already seen pictures of her brandishing her sword at Indy, at Mutt and now here comes a new picture of her pointing her finger directly in Indy's face, or else just past his line of sight towards something off in the distance -- to be fair, I think it's the latter. That's just one of three new pictures from the forthcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that have popped up in an Italian magazine, L'espresso. Another of the pics is intriguing because it seems to show us Indy with a giant sword tucked into his trousers -- has he vanquished Spalko and taken her pointy stick by this point in the film? Will Indy have a sword battle in this film? Boy, I hope not. Also, we get our first look at the much talked-about 'quicksand' scene, although it's too much of a close up to give any real detail. We see Indy coming face to face with a snake just as he's seemingly about to sink into the sand. I think I get the idea here -- he'll have to grab onto the snake in order to get out of the sand, so it's a bad choice either way.

I can't imagine I'll be up early enough tomorrow to catch the premiere of the trailer on Good Morning America, but on the subject of 'Indy and publicity',' producer Kathleen Kennedy recently made the rather eyebrow-raising statement that the film would hit theaters in May without the accompaniment of a press junket -- what's that all about? I know The Beard is prickly when it comes to interviews, but as Jeff Wells pointed out, how hard could it possibly be to get Karen Allen and Shia LaBeouf to free up some time to actually do some press for their movie? I'm thinking Kennedy was probably speaking without thinking, since Paramount probably wouldn't stand for such a thing.

Additionally, after the jump check out another, more revealing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull cover for the upcoming Dark Horse comic due out this May. This will be part of a two-issue comic book adaptation, and the second issue reveals a bit more ... skull on its cover.

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]]>cate blanchettCateBlanchettgeorge lucasGeorgeLucasharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullkaren allenKarenAllenshia labeoufShiaLabeoufsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergRyan Stewart2008-02-13T09:02:00+00:00Indiana Jones Trailer Will Screen on Valentine's Day?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/20/indiana-jones-trailer-will-screen-on-valentines-day/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/20/indiana-jones-trailer-will-screen-on-valentines-day/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/20/indiana-jones-trailer-will-screen-on-valentines-day/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We're all wondering what Steven Spielberg cooked up for this fourth installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, almost 20 years after the so-called Last Crusade. Can Harrison Ford stay up to the Indy challenge, being in his 60s and all? Will we buy Shia LaBeouf as his Mutt son? Will Cate, Ray, and Jim make this puppy worth it, or are some much-loved, mega-blockbusters better left in the past?

Well, we won't find out for sure until May 22, when the film is released. However, the days are ticking away, and a trailer has to be on its way. According to the folks over at CHUD, it will be the day of love, February 14 -- on Entertainment Tonight. At least, they'll be teasing it. It's also said to be popping up in theaters that day. For folks adamant that they don't want to watch ET, or brave the theaters full of people smooching, you can stay up late and get ready to hit refresh as the 14th slides into the 15th and the trailer pops up on the film's official website.

For now, you can check out a tour of Indy's home over at the film's website. It's just a brief featurette where production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas takes you through the new home, and how things have changed since Raiders of the Lost Ark. [via Coming Soon]

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]]>Harrison FordHarrisonFordIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullIndiana Jones trailerIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkullIndianaJonesTrailerSteven SpielbergStevenSpielbergMonika Bartyzel2008-01-20T12:02:00+00:00Steven Spielberg to Get His Special Golden Globe Award Next Yearhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/09/steven-spielberg-to-get-his-special-golden-globe-award-next-year/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/09/steven-spielberg-to-get-his-special-golden-globe-award-next-year/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/09/steven-spielberg-to-get-his-special-golden-globe-award-next-year/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Sure, in the grand scheme of things they're kind of meaningless, but I'm pretty bummed out about the cancellation of The Golden Globe awards this year. A few of us here at Cinematical were going to live-blog the ceremony, and we always have a ton of fun ranking on all the stars via IM conversations and, well, I'll miss that. We'll still live-blog whatever awkward news broadcast they're going to hold, but it won't be the same. One of the things I was actually looking forward to was this year's Steven Spielberg tribute. Call me a sucker for all those montage sequences, but when you're talking about Spielberg, I'm sure it would've been pretty fun to watch. Others are more jaded when it comes to tributes and Hollywood ass-kissing. Me? I like it because it reminds me of films I need to re-watch or still need to sit down with for a first time.

The good news is that Spielberg's tribute has been postponed a year and, instead, will air during the 2009 Golden Globe awards. Hey, at least they'll be able to utilize clips from this summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As far as this "news broadcast" goes, I imagine it will turn out to be the oddest thing ever. Though they're calling it a news conference, no other networks (aside from NBC) are allowed to show up. The WGA considers the whole thing "struck work," so I wouldn't expect to see any stars. Oh well. We'll have more fun with it over on Cinematical, so feel free to stop by here and get the scoop from us. Last I checked, no writer was standing behind me with a picket sign.

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]]>cinematicalgolden globe awardssteven spielbergStevenSpielbergErik Davis2008-01-09T16:32:00+00:00Jeffrey Wright Will Return in 'Bond 22'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/03/jeffrey-wright-will-return-in-bond-22/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/03/jeffrey-wright-will-return-in-bond-22/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/03/jeffrey-wright-will-return-in-bond-22/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Variety is reporting that Jeffrey Wright will reprise his role as CIA operative Felix Leiter in Bond 22, after first putting his stamp on the popular supporting character in Casino Royale. I say 'popular' only in the sense that Leiter has been recreated innumerable times in the Bond films and novels -- if you go to the Wikipedia page for the character you'll see an entire picture set of different actors, of different ages, builds and races, who have portrayed him through the years. I personally find it stupid and distracting to keep shoving some new, completely different character in our faces every few years and have him simply be referred to by the same name as the last guy. And yeah, I know, you could say the same thing about James Bond himself, but that's sort of a necessity. Just because Bond must be played by a new actor every once in a while doesn't mean that his supporting cadre of sidekicks are owed the same kind of longevity.

In other Bond news, the Vanity Fair spread on Indiana Jones -- specifically the Q&A with Spielberg -- contains some interesting musings by The Beard on what separates Bond from Jones and vice versa. I especially liked the interviewer's noting that Alison Doody's character in the third Indy was a lot more in the mold of a traditional Bond girl than a Jones woman. Spielberg agreed, noting that "She was more like a Bond girl, but she was also a betrayer. She betrays Indy, but she's more like a Bond girl. But not Kate. Kate wasn't a Bond girl at all. When push came to shove, she could stand alongside Indy and knock out thuggies." He actually said thuggees! Too bad VF spelled it wrong.

UPDATE: Variety has also just confirmed that Mathieu Amalric has been cast as the Bond 22 villain (as previously rumored), meanwhile Variety also claims producers and the studios are on the verge of casting a female lead with an announcement coming within the next two weeks.

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]]>daniel craigDanielCraigindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkulljames bondJamesBondjeffrey wrightJeffreyWrightsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergRyan Stewart2008-01-03T10:02:00+00:00Sacha Baron Cohen Signs to Play Abbie Hoffman for Spielberghttp://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/30/sacha-baron-cohen-signs-to-play-abbie-hoffman-for-spielberg/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/30/sacha-baron-cohen-signs-to-play-abbie-hoffman-for-spielberg/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/30/sacha-baron-cohen-signs-to-play-abbie-hoffman-for-spielberg/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Well, Sacha Baron Cohen has already made sure that he won't be haunted by Borat jokes for the rest of his life, so it was only a matter of time before he started to branch out. First was his foray into musicals, and now it's time for something just a little more 'serious'. Once again Cohen has gotten lucky and he's caught the eye of another great director. The Times Online has reported that Cohen signed to play 60's counter-culture icon Abbie Hoffman for Steven Spielberg. Cohen is the perfect choice to play the self-described "Jewish Road Warrior, communo-anarchist". They both seemed to appreciate a good prank, and hey -- the two even look alike.

The film will be called The Trial of the Chicago Seven and was written by Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson's War) with presumably Spielberg directing. The story will center on the infamous trial of seven men for riots at the 1968 Democratic convention. Hoffman was an activist and author who, along with Bobby Seale and Jerry Rubin, were put on trial for conspiracy and inciting to riot. He was eventually cleared of the charges and was still a celebrity at the time of his death in 1989.

According to the Times, Cohen is set to receive five million dollars for the role that he had to be "talked into" by Spielberg. It was probably wise for Cohen to say yes, since apparently some have lived to regret turning down the directing legend. Cohen already has Brüno lined up as his next film. It will be another 'character' comedy; about a gay, Austrian fashion correspondent. As for Spielberg, he has already started wrapping up work on Indy 4 and there is still the Lincoln biopic with Liam Neeson. Plus, he has already lined up the sci-fi film, Interstellar. So it could be some time before The Trial of the Chicago Seven makes it's way to production. If you can't wait to get your fix of civil disobedience though, you can always check out the animated documentary Chicago 10 when it opens in March 2008.

[via The View From Here]

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]]>Aaron SorkinAaronSorkinAbbie HoffmanAbbieHoffmanBoratBrunoChicago 10Chicago10InterstellarLiam NeesonLiamNeesonLincolnSacha Baron CohenSachaBaronCohenSteven SpielbergStevenSpielbergThe Trial of the Chicago SevenTheTrialOfTheChicagoSevenJessica Barnes2007-12-30T18:02:00+00:00John Hurt Talks 'Indy 4' In-Depth, Calls Film 'Lightweight,' Says George Lucas Is Anti-Socialhttp://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/20/john-hurt-talks-indy-4-in-depth-calls-film-lightweight-say/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/20/john-hurt-talks-indy-4-in-depth-calls-film-lightweight-say/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/20/john-hurt-talks-indy-4-in-depth-calls-film-lightweight-say/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Matt from Premiere.com has landed a whopper of an interview, talking to John Hurt at length about his role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hurt is, of course, playing Abner Ravenwood, father of Marion, in the film and his part is thought to have been a small role that was cooked up after Sean Connery decided not to partake in the fourth film. Although Hurt is contractually prevented from saying anything specific about what will happen in the movie or who he's even playing -- he just smiles when asked the question directly -- he does have some hilariously unscripted things to say about the film in general. For one thing, he wasn't terribly impressed with it, or at least his part, it seems. He describes the role as "lightweight for me, at least for that sort of time commitment" but says "I enjoyed working with Steven hugely, and we had a great cast. I just wish we'd had something of fabulous interest between each other to act!"

Hurt also says that he simply refused to do the film unless they sent him the script in advance and they blinked, sending it to him with a courier who waited around to snatch it back after he was done reading. He also says that despite what Spielberg says, there is CGI work in the film -- "they had some massive blue screens" he notes -- and he also apparently didn't connect with George Lucas. "George is a bit socially crippled, really. Not good with people. So I just left him alone." Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- nope, still don't like that title -- is opening Memorial Day, 2008.

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]]>george lucasGeorgeLucasharrison fordHarrisonFordindiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skullIndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkulljohn hurtJohnHurtsteven spielbergStevenSpielbergRyan Stewart2007-12-20T13:02:00+00:00Andy Serkis Reteams with Peter Jackson on 'Tintin'http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/15/andy-serkis-reteams-with-peter-jackson-on-tintin/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/15/andy-serkis-reteams-with-peter-jackson-on-tintin/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/12/15/andy-serkis-reteams-with-peter-jackson-on-tintin/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Dreamworks is not confirming, but The Hollywood Reporter feels pretty certain that Andy Serkis has been added to the cast of Tintin. Tintin is a planned movie trilogy with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg, and each is expected to direct one of the installments. The director of the third movie has not been announced. Both filmmakers certainly know their way around a successful trilogy, so this is a project I'm excited about. Tintin is an adaptation of a European comic strip created by Georges "Herge" Remi, and Serkis is expected to play Captain Haddock, "a temperamental sea captain." (Really, is there any other kind of sea captain?)

In the comics, Tintin is "a young Belgian reporter and world traveler who is aided in his adventures by his faithful dog Snowy and later accompanied by characters like Haddock, Professor Cuthbert Calculus and bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson." The script for the first picture is being written by Steven Moffat, a British television writer responsible for episodes of Coupling, Doctor Who, and Jekyll. Serkis of course "played" Gollum in Jackson's Lord of the Rings series, as well as Kong in King Kong -- both using a type of performance capture technology. Tintin will use performance capture as well, and the movie will be produced in Digital 3-D a la Beowulf. The first film in the series is expected in 2009.


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]]>andy serkisAndySerkispeter jacksonPeterJacksonsteven moffatsteven spielbergStevenMoffatStevenSpielbergtintinPatrick Walsh2007-12-15T18:02:00+00:00More Casting for D.J. Caruso's 'Eagle Eye'http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/24/more-casting-for-d-j-carusos-eagle-eye/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/24/more-casting-for-d-j-carusos-eagle-eye/http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/24/more-casting-for-d-j-carusos-eagle-eye/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I have to be honest with you: probably the only reason I will watch the upcoming thriller Eagle Eye can be summed up in one word (well, possibly two): LaBeouf. Moviehole reports that the D.J. Caruso film currently filming in Chicago has added Ethan Embry to their growing cast. Eagle Eye was based off an idea by Steven Spielberg about "a young slacker whose overachieving twin brother has died mysteriously. When the young man returns home, both he and a single mother find they have been framed as terrorists. Forced to become members of a cell that has plans to carry out a political assassination, they must work together to extricate themselves". Spielberg had originally intended to helm the project but instead he headed off to work on Indiana Jones 4. Instead, the film has become a 'Disturbia reunion' with both director and lead together again.

If you watched a lot of teen flicks in the '90s, chances are Embry is a familiar face. Some of his credits include Can't Hardly Wait, Final Destination, Empire Records, and Disturbing Behavior. Now that he's all grown up, he has started to take on slightly "grittier" parts, most recently starring in Vacancy alongside Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson. In Eagle Eye, he will play agent Toby Grant, a government agent who is partnered with Rosario Dawson. The cast also includes Billy Bob Thornton, Michelle Monaghan (MI3), as a single mother on the run, and Madelyn Sweeten (who TV trivia buffs might recognize as Allie from Everybody Loves Raymond). Eagle Eye is set for release on August 8th, 2008.

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]]>Billy Bob ThortonBillyBobThortonEthan EmbryEthanEmbryMadylin SweetenMadylinSweetenMichelle MonaghanMichelleMonaghanRosario DawsonRosarioDawsonShia LaBeoufShiaLabeoufSteven SpielbergStevenSpielbergJessica Barnes2007-11-24T14:02:00+00:00