Monika Bartyzel
Toronto - http://
Howard Stern's Time on the SAG Nomination Committee
Filed under: Awards
Back in April, shock-jock Howard Stern was one of the random SAG members picked to be a part of the guild's nominating committee for their award ceremony. As The Wrap reports, approximately 4,200 members get picked (about 10% of the membership), and this year, Stern found his way in 12 years after he starred in the movie of his life -- Private Parts. Not surprisingly, Stern has made a show of it, saying: "I'm going to take this seriously, and reward our friends. I don't give a s*** if they were good or not." SAG spokesperson Rosalind Jarrett reiterates that the committee is "charged with nominating what they believe are the outstanding performances of the year," but Stern has other plans."I don't care if they're good actors, who gives a f*** if someone can pretend to be somebody?" So, Stern's picks include Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes, Kevin Bacon and Renee Zellweger for My One and Only, and Jimmy Fallon for his stint as Hot Tub Johnny Rocket in Whip It. His criteria -- they've either been on the show or been nice to him in some way. No concern over the role or how well an actor pulled it off.
It's annoying, sure. But the annoyance comes from the straightforwardness more than an act, because let's be honest -- these things are absolutely subjective, and if everyone was completely forthright about their reasoning, there would be annoyance up the wazoo. Perhaps the other voters are not as stringently anti-talent, but there's always subjective rationale in play, whether it's simply preferring a certain style of acting or wanting to support a beloved friend.
The big question: Will SAG now reconsider their members, or at least, who can be part of the nominating committee?
Free Flick of the Day: See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Without a doubt, one of the greatest comedic pairings of all time was Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Stir Crazy, Silver Streak, Another You ... each had its charm, ranging from the story of a runaway train to a comedy directed by one Sidney Poitier. But my favorite has always been See No Evil, Hear No Evil -- a ridiculously plotted ball of laughs that allowed Wilder and Pryor to be their perfect -- and ultimate -- dysfunctional duo selves.The film revolves around an unlikely friendship between a blind man named Wally (Pryor) and a deaf man named Dave (Wilder). They meet, become friends, and then find themselves embroiled in a messy murder. The cops don't believe them, and the crooks want them dead. Innocent yet desperate bystanders, they set out to stay alive and bring the bad guys to justice -- one of whom just so happens to be Kevin Spacey.
While the movie is an action crime thriller, See No Evil, Hear No Evil's charm rests solely on the banter that always erupted between Pryor and Wilder, and the ludicrousness of having an action film's heroic acts be led by one man who can't see, and another who can't hear.
Head over to SlashControl to watch See No Evil, Hear No Evil!
Scenes We Love: Immortal Beloved
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Scenes We Love
I've written briefly about this scene before, a few years ago, when I retro reviewed Immortal Beloved. Gary Oldman plays a young Beethoven, struggling to keep his descending deafness a secret from those around him. Unbeknownst to him, his student and passion, Guilietta, has schemed up a deal with her father so that he will accept Beethoven's proposal of marriage. A piano will be placed into the room, and while the composer thinks everyone is away, father and daughter will hide and listen to see if there is still music left in the man. If there is, Guilietta can marry Ludwig.
While they hide behind a wall, Beethoven walks over to the piano with trepidation, sits down, and hammers out some jarring notes. It looks like he has, indeed, lost it -- that her father was right. But then a few notes hesitantly flow from Beethoven's fingers. He rests his head on the piano, and "Moonlight Sonata" pours forth. Giulietta comes out from her hiding place, and when she rests her hand on his shoulder, Beethovan is shocked and angered that he's been deceived -- that his most intimate feelings have been spied upon. "Moonlight Sonata" was Beethoven's private journal ripped open and read.
As much as we all have favorite scenes, I find that there are few that always evoke the same reaction and feelings, and this moment from Immortal Beloved is one of them, ripping out sadness, understanding, and chills every time. Check it out after the jump.
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Only a few months after we learned the Steven Spielberg was prepping a remake of the classic film Harvey, the famed director is backing out, according to Variety. The piece is strangely vague, and says only that after spending half a year developing the feature, and after 20th Century Fox reserved soundstages for the production, the director announced his withdrawal from the project.From there, they go on to mention the challenges of finding a star. There's no mention of Robert Downey Jr., who was rumored to be circling the project, and just says: "Spielberg's first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star [James Stewart]." First, good. While I like Hanks' work, thinking of him as Elwood P. Dowd breeds flashbacks of Forrest Gump. Second, I might be in the minority, but I liked the idea of a remake, so this is a disappointment. Perhaps this is because I saw it on stage as well, and to me, Dowd is as much Stewart as it is Edward Herrmann. Perhaps it's just because Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role.
Who knows? Maybe it will go on. With Spielberg out, is there anyone else who should take the helm? Me, I'm thinking Wes Anderson for a modern whimsical spin.
Finally! A Peek at James Franco's Allen Ginsberg
As we learned yesterday, Sundance has revealed the first chunk of its lineup, which included Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's Howl. In other words, the film that has James Franco starring as Allen Ginsberg -- when the iconic poet faced an obscenity trial for his poem "Howl." The above picture is one of the first images of the film, released by the Sundance Film Festival, showing Ginsberg and lifelong partner Peter Orlovsky (Aaron Tveit). (Here's a picture for reference.) Pretty darned good, eh? But wait. It's easy to think OMG Perfect! and rush over there with high expectations.
Unfortunately, the above image is definitely the best of the bunch, with the others (see below gallery) looking like Franco in glasses (plus one more image of Jon Hamm in his best court duds). That makes me half excited and half disappointed, but it will all come down to how it works in moving, talking action, and whether Franco can make the poet come to life with inflection and mannerisms. There's still a chance, and it's hard to gripe about the rare wordy projects that make it to the big screen.
What do you think of Franco's Howl look?
Robert Duvall as Don Quixote?
Filed under: Casting, RumorMonger
At the beginning of the year, we heard what many thought was impossible: Terry Gilliam was able to get the rights back to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and he was going to do some rewrites and get the project back on track. Some Quixote nibbles hit here or there, but there wasn't a lot of buzz even with Gilliam back at the reigns.But at least we now know who will (we hope!) star. While talking to Robert Duvall about Crazy Heart, Collider learned that the actor is set to play Don Quixote de la Mancha. Don't believe it? It's on video, with Duvall saying that it would be "totally amazing to work with Terry Gilliam. But, once again, the money. It's so difficult to get the money. He saw me play a Cuban barber one time with Richard Harris and that's what gave him the idea to cast me as Don Quixote."
It would be Gilliam's luck -- just as the steam picks up, the coffers recoil in the cinematic world, leaving little chance for an epic and plagued project. Someone cough up some dough for Terry already, okay? I'm sure that I'm not the only one who would love to see Duvall dig into the project. Blockbusters and sure bets are good and all, but Hollywood is only as great as the films it dares to make against all odds.
Paul Thomas Anderson Announces Next Film, Starts His Own Religion
Filed under: Casting, RumorMonger, Scripts, Religious
Rejoice! It's time for Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman to work together again. After Sydney, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love, Variety reports that the two are teaming up for a new feature about a man who creates his own religion. But don't celebrate too much -- this news is still in the early stages. Anderson is said to be planning to submit a finished script to Universal, who will then decide whether or not they will greenlight it (um, yes please). AND, the trade couldn't get comment from the studio, or either man's reps.But here's what we do know. Should this go into production, there will be a $35 million price tag with Hoffman finally getting center stage playing "the Master" (as in master of ceremonies), a charismatic man who starts "a faith-based organization" in the 1950s. He teams up with a twentysomething drifter named Freddie who becomes his "lieutenant" until the kid finds himself questioning the faith he's gotten himself involved in.
For those of you foaming at the mouth at the thought of a Scientology/Mormon critique, hold on. Variety says: "The drama does not so much scrutinize self-started churches like Scientology or the Mormons, as much as it explores the need to believe in a higher power, the choice of which one to embrace and the point at which a belief system graduates into a religion." Nevertheless, it's about time PTA let PSH grab the full reigns of his vision. Let's hope the whole thing comes to fruition.
The Kinks Get a Biopic
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Scripts
The Kinks will soon have us! The English rock band (aka the dudes behind the song "You Really Got Me") are getting a feature biopic. ScreenDaily reports that British director Julien Temple is collaborating with frontman Ray Davies on a film that will focus on the relationship between Ray and fellow bandmate and brother Dave Davies. The two were the only steady members of the band, and as Temple explains: "At the heart of [the feature] is the extraordinary love-hate relationship between these two brothers: love/hate, sibling rivalry is at the core."Right now Temple and Davies are sussing out the approach before any screenplay is started. Of course, that also means that there is no cast yet, but Temple will require the actors to be able to play The Kinks music: "I think you would want to have the music played by the actors ... that is believable and real while miming is problematic." His words to Hollywood god's ears! On that basis alone, I'm psyched to see this come together. (She writes, while trying not to eagerly expect another perfect beauty like Control.)
But there is a reason to anticipate this, besides the subject, since Temple is the man behind flicks like The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, plus a whole bunch of music videos, like, oh, Van Halen's Jump. But who could possibly pull off the acting and music chops of The Kinks? Sound off below with your casting choices ...
Summit Moves From Sparkly Vamps to an Assassin's 'Alibi'
Filed under: Action, Deals, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Back in September, I wondered what Summit would spend their big wad of Twilight cash on. They're primed to rake in a couple billion by the time this is all over. The company made almost $385 mil at the box office with the first installment (having spent only $37 mil), and so far $476,334,668 with the second (having spent only $50 mil). And now they're turning their attention toward assassins. Variety reports that Summit Entertainment has signed on to bring the comic Alibi to the big screen -- a production that kicked into gear back in August. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Jeremy Haun, Top Cow's Alibi focuses on the classic socialite-with-a-secret-job scenario. But instead of just putting on a flimsy mask and getting to work, this assassin's got the perfect cover -- a secret twin brother. See, one is the assassin and one is the socialite, and they both work under the same identity. John Hlavin, who will write the next Underworld installment, has been tapped to pen the script.
I think Summit is on the right track -- grabbing a big action film that is in high contrast to the teen-led vampire and werewolf world, and also has the ability to make some good cash. And, let's hope, they continue to find the ways to make big movies cheaply, rather than soaring to new heights with a franchise before seeing it all wash away (yes, I'm thinking about New Line).
Free Flick of the Day: The Pirates of Penzance
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Forget Pirates of the Caribbean. Forget musicals like My Fair Lady. My favorite swashbucklers don't have an Aerosmith swagger or terrible speech troubles. They hold their own against the very model of a modern major general. In 1980, theatrical producer and creator of the New York Shakespeare Festival Joseph Papp brought Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance to the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. It was so popular that it ended up making its way to Broadway, won a bunch of Tony Awards, sailed away to London, and then got turned into the film in 1983.The movie starred Kevin Kline, Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt, and Angela Lansbury, and detailed the life of Frederic (Smith), a boy who was supposed to become a pilot, until his hard-of-hearing nurse (Lansbury) misheard her instructions and apprenticed the kid to a pirate (Kline). On his 21st birthday, he's finally released, and soon falls for a saucy daughter (Ronstadt) of Major-General Stanley (George Rose), sparking a stand-off between the good Major-General and noble life and the swashbuckling ways of unlawful pirate life.
The feature is silly, wordy, and best of all, allows Kline to be charismatic, sexy, and whole lot more lively than most of his more recent work. After the jump, you can watch the excellent and most impressive "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," and then:
Head over to SlashControl to watch The Pirates of Penzance!
Note: If you're curious about the stage production, a recording is available on DVD as well.
Is Taylor Lautner Our Next Superhero?
100 Greatest Films Beyond the Canon
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
