terry george Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Considering how hard it is to get people to go see a Tom Cruise movie these days, it wouldn't be surprising if it was also hard to get a director who'll work with the guy. Of course, Cruise's waning bankability isn't the reason that his spy movie, the weakly titled Edwin A. Salt, has already lost Terry George and Michael Mann as potential directors. I'm not sure why they aren't doing the film (Mann apparently picked Public Enemies instead), but it can't be fears of a potentially low gross. No matter; they are out and Peter Berg (The Kingdom) is in, according to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider Blog. Well, he's not quite in yet; Columbia Pictures is only reportedly wooing the guy, though in the end it's supposedly up to Cruise's approval whether or not he gets the gig. Interestingly enough, Berg can almost be viewed as a Mann protégé, since he produced The Kingdom and Berg's follow-up, next summer's Will Smith vehicle, Hancock (the trailer of which hit the net this week). However, it doesn't appear that Mann will have any involvement with Edwin A. Salt.

I won't admit to being the biggest fan of Berg's work (who could, really?), but I will admit that The Kingdom was one of my top ten movies of 2007. Though it's mainly on my list because all critics have to have that one obligatory mainstream Hollywood pick, I do think it was directed quite well, with a tone that perfectly suited what it was really about (American dreams of an '80s action-movie-type response to 9/11). Also, his Friday Night Lights (the film; I haven't seen the TV pilot he did) was better than most high school football movies. So, I'm excited to see what he can do with Cruise, a script from Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) and the beginning-to-get-tired world of spies.

Specialty distributors scrambled to find enough screens to accommodate their titles as a flock of adult dramas expanded into the hinterlands. When the dust settled, Wristcutters: A Love Story emerged victorious among new releases, averaging $12,800 per screen at three locations, according to estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo. When it played at Sundance in 2006, Karina Longworth called it "a bold first effort, with a distinct, swaggering sense of style and humor that's hard – even for a cynical blogger sick to death of indie 'quirk' – to resist."

The much-more heralded Reservation Road, directed by Terry George, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino, came a cropper, averaging just $2,830 per screen at 13 locations. Considering the high-profile talent, that's got to be considered a major disappointment for distributor Focus Features. Nick Schager felt the film "seems determined, whenever possible, to resort to preposterous plot twists at the expense of actually plumbing its grief-stricken characters' anguished psyches."

Earning just a little bit more per screen, but without star wattage and very many advertising dollars behind it, the performance of O Jerusalem, about the birth of the modern state of Israel, can be considered satisfying to distributor IDP. Unfortunately, the reviews so far -- at least as indexed by Metacritic -- are far from enthusiastic, which doesn't bode well for future word of mouth.

Ian Curtis biopic Control added one theater and increased its take to $18,250 per screen, the highest average for the week, while the reissue of Blade Runner: The Final Cut fell 60% yet still made $13,00 at each of its two screens. Lars and the Real Girl added 14 theaters and continued its good performance, taking in $8,809 per screen. The remake of Sleuth added 12 theaters but declined to an average of $1,880.

Among the September holdovers that expanded, The Darjeeling Limited ($6,534 each on 202 screens), Lust, Caution ($4,688 each on 125 screens), Into the Wild ($3,267 each on 658 screens) and Across the Universe ($2,812 each on 960 screens) performed well.

Director and writer Terry George may best be known for his Oscar-nominated work on Hotel Rwanda; Reservation Road, his new film at the Toronto International Film Festival, may very well earn a few Oscar nominations of its own. George spoke with Cinematical in Toronto about working with an impressive group of actors (including Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mia Sorvino), the challenges of adapting John Burnham Schwartz's novel and the difference between simple villains and complex characters; you can download the entire interview right here.

Late one night, a family stops at a gas station as they return from a recital; another man drives his son home from a baseball game. A young boy steps too near the road; a father swerves his SUV to avoid oncoming traffic.

And hits the boy. And keeps going.

Reservation Road, the new film from Hotel Rwanda director Terry George, doesn't deal in the clashing of mighty armies or the conflict between nations; it looks at a smaller slice of the world. At the same time, the themes here -- guilt, sorrow, anger, forgiveness -- are explored with power and passion thanks to two extraordinary lead performances. Joaquin Phoenix plays Ethan, a college professor dealing with the sudden death of his son and how that's affecting his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and daughter (Ellie Fanning). He can't go on. He has to go on. Mark Ruffalo plays Dwight, a lawyer who's just drifting through his life -- his job, his shabby apartment, the ruins of his marriage -- and trying to be a good dad to his son (Eddie Alderson). When Dwight strikes and kills Ethan's son, he keeps going -- a single moment of weakness that comes to devour him. He didn't do anything deliberately. But that's no excuse. It was an accident. But it killed someone.

If you've been a steady reader of this blog for at least four days, then you know I have a strong affection for the complete works of Ms. Jennifer Connelly. And by complete works, I mean her talent, her face, her body of work AND her body, thank you very much. (Plus she's still so beautiful...) Anyway, as I was perusing through the Toronto Film Festival titles and jotting down which flicks I wanted to see ... there it was: Jen's name! She's got a movie called Reservation Road at Toronto ... and it looks pretty good!

From writer/director Terry George (In the Name of the Father, Hotel Rwanda) comes the story of ... well, I'm trying to remain relatively 'spoiler-free' for this movie, but the IMDb tells us it's "a drama that revolves around two fathers whose families and lives tragically converge with the death of a child." Sounds like your typically uplifting festival fare, but with Mr. George's track record -- and a cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Mira Sorvino and the aforementioned mega-goddess -- it sounds like a title I'll definitely be taking in next month. Plus the film was co-written by the author of the novel, which in my opinion is always a positive sign.

Focus Features will release Reservation Road on October 19, but if you're as intrigued as I am, you can check out the new trailer over at IGN Movies. I however will NOT be watching the trailer, so please let me know what you think of it. (Without spoiling anything.)

This past weekend, while hunting for movies I never had a chance to see, I decided to pick up Breach on DVD. Inspired by the real-life story of FBI Agent-turned-Russian spy Robert Hanson, the film is one of those rare spring gems that went fairly unnoticed when it hit theaters. Those looking for an excellent drama should definitely check this out and -- wow -- though I never thought it was possible, I might be starting to actually like Ryan Phillippe. I mention Breach because this spy stuff is pretty hot right now, and Variety reports Tom Cruise might be looking to get this feet wet in a film that sort of reminds me of a mix between The Fugitive and The Bourne Whatever. Columbia Pictures is in talks to have Terry George (who helmed the magnificent Hotel Rwanda) direct Edwin A. Salt, with Cruise potentially playing the lead character.

The film follows a CIA officer (Cruise) who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy, and subsequently sets out on a mission to not only prove his innocence, but also reunite with his family -- all while attempting to elude those who want his head on a silver platter. The script was penned by Kurt Wimmer (The Recruit, Ultraviolet), while Lorenzo di Boneventura and Sunil Perkash are producing. Personally, this looks to be the perfect role for Cuise, who I've always found shines in parts that rely more on drama than non-stop action. And it also goes to show the man is looking to lose himself in some nice-looking films (Lions for Lambs, Valkyrie) instead of opting to jump on couches and offend depressed mothers. No word yet on whether Cruise will take on this film before those other two comedies (Men, Hardy Boys) he has planned, but here's hoping this film adds to a long line of upcoming Cruise vehicles that will definitely be worth our time.

With a handful of roles full of Oscar potential, Reservation Road is putting together a decent little cast to go along with its powerful storyline. Mira Sorvino has signed on to star opposite Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Connelly (yes, it appears she's now officially attached) in the pic, which will be directed by Terry George and begin shooting sometime this fall.

Road, which is based off the novel written by John Burnham Schwartz (who also penned the script) tells the story of two families who collide when one father (Ruffalo) accidentally kills the son of another (Phoenix) in a tragic hit-and-run accident. Things heat up when Ruffalo battles with the decision to either turn himself in or quietly disappear, while Phoenix makes it his mission to find the man who killed his son. Sorvino will play Ruffalo's ex-wife, with Connelly playing Phoenix's wife. Sounds like a real upper, huh?

Related Posts:

Ruffalo Joins Phoenix on Reservation Road

George Has Reservations

A Reservation for Phoenix

We reported at the end of June that Joaquin Phoenix had agreed to star in the screen version of John Burnham Schwartz's novel Reservation Road. The novel, which was adapted by Schwartz himself, tells the story of a college professor whose young son is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The event (quite understandably) sends the man into a tailspin, and he heads out to track down the driver of the car -- who, meanwhile, has gone into a tailspin of his own, trying to decide if he should turn himself in or maintain his self-loathing freedom. Whew.

When the casting news first came out, it wasn't known which role Phoenix would play, but Variety reported this morning that he'll be the father, a gig that should allow him lots of room to work his patented Phoenix-agony. (I think I'm tearing up a little bit at the mere thought of watching him.) Appearing opposite Phoenix -- and, based on the plot summary, matching him angst-for-angst -- will be Mark Ruffalo as the tortured/hunted driver.*

The film, the first to come out of a new deal between Focus Features and Random House, will be directed by Terry George, who also did some late work on the screenplay. Production begins this fall.

*The IMDb also lists Jennifer Connelly in the cast, but that's not been confirmed by any industry sources.

Odds and ends from Wednesday:

• In what's sure to be a powerful follow-up to 2004's Hotel Rwanda, director Terry George is set to take on the story of a different battle. This time, instead of traveling to war torn Rwanda, he's visiting any town USA. George has signed on to direct Reservation Road, an adaptation of Jonathan Burnham Schwartz's novel. Pic, which was also penned by Schwartz, surrounds two families who collide when one father accidentally kills the son of the other father in a horrible hit and run accident. While one father tries to hide from the event, afraid of facing the harsh consequences of his actions, the other makes it his mission to find the unknown man who killed his son.
• Hey look, Ryan Reynolds is still acting! Shouldn't there be a petition online by now preventing him from scarring us any further? If not, can we start one? Universal Pictures have just picked up Adam Brooks' script Definitely, Maybe, lining up Reynolds, Derek Luke and Isla Fisher to star in the romantic comedy. Reynolds will play a soon-to-be divorced political consultant who struggles to answer some hard questions from his 11-year-old daughter about his past relationships. Politics and fatherhood? This one should be easy for Reynolds to screw up.
• While doing press for the upcoming My Super Ex-Girlfriend, director Ivan Reitman talked a bit about his first directorial effort in five years, while also dishing out some info about the highly anticipated Old School 2. That's right, they're back ... and they're even older! While Reitman will once again be producing the sequel, he did say Scott Armstrong and director Todd Phillips were currently working on the script. However, since the three lead actors (Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson) have come a long way since then, substantially increasing their price tag, Reitman said the whole thing comes down to whether Dreamworks can afford it. Personally, I see no need for an Old School 2. The first one was fine, leave it alone. Spend the money on something more original for once. Please. For the sake of comedy, I beg you.

You know the rule: If a film has the word American in its title, then that means it's going to kick ass. C'mon, you've got American Pie, American Beauty, American History X, American Splendor...oh, it is so a rule. If that's the case, then Universal's American Gangster should thrive, assuming this time it's finally moving forward.

Awhile back, Steven Zaillian wrote a script for Gangster that was to star Denzel Washington and Benicio Del Toro, with Antoine Fugua (Training Day) attached to direct. However, feeling the story was a bit too edgy and afraid the budget would soar to over $100 million, the studio put the project on hold.

Afterward, Terry George was brought on to re-write the original script and tone things down, though producer Brian Grazer was having a hard time letting go of Zaillian's version. That's when Ridley Scott became interested in directing and, after convincing Russell Crowe to jump on-board, Universal decided to go back to Zaillian and pay him a sweet seven-figure deal to, well, re-write his own damn script. The good news is that the film is now on the move and Washington is still attached - and the budget will remain the same as it was before. Yeah, you figure it out - because I sure as hell can't. That's Hollywood for ya.