In Contention

Category: Daily

  • New ‘Public Enemies’ trailer

    Last month the first materials for Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies,” starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, finally hit the net.  At the time I thought the trailer (and certainly the poster) had something of a sheen to it, a high-gloss studio vibe that didn’t say “Mann” to me.

    Well this new trailer is a bit more slap-dash, less contrived and starts to dig into the characters with a little more grit.  It seems to be more of a trademark Mann construction to me, and I just love the eerie opening moments with the strings.

    (I believe MSN had the exclusive on this, so I’ll link there.)

  • ‘Departures’ trailer debuts

    Remember “Departures,” that little Japanese film that everyone (almost everyone) expected to be an also-ran for the foreign language film Oscar last year?  Well the film is finally going to see a domestic limited release on May 29.  The new trailer has premiered over at Apple.  Here’s an embed:

    “[‘Departures’] deals with death in a really affecting way, at once eerie, humorous and, ultimately, moving,” I wrote of the film back in February.  “When it threatens to pass into trite territory, it finds a way to stay fresh and alive, very human and absolutely satisfying.”

    “Departures” is also set to play the Tribeca Film Festival later this month and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in May.

  • Liam Neeson = Hollywood’s go-to mentor

    Liam Neeson in Batman BeginsCan we just assume that whenever the Hollywood moguls in all their infinite, maniacl wisdom decide to actually film an unending epic based on the Bible, Liam Neeson is likely to get the role of God?

    We’re already talking about the guy who mentored both Batman and Obi Wan Kenobi, who starred as the magical authority figure of “Chronicles of Narnia” series, who brought inspiration in the early 20th century to those seeking a free Irish state and, of course, saved a bunch of Jews.  Let’s not forget he’s also set to play probably the country’s most universally praised president of all time whenever the filmmakers decide to light that fire.

    Now, naturally, Neeson has been cast as Zeus in Louis Letterier’s “Clash of the Titans” remake.  The role was originally played by Laurence Olivier, which surprised many filmgoers back in 1981, that the celebrated film and theatre actor would stoop to genre depictions.  Ralph Fiennes is reportedly in talks to play Hades, making for an irresistible showdown of good versus evil.

    But back to Neeson, Hollywood’s go-to guy for mentor types and overall heroic displays, I’m very happy to see him hit the ground running and keep his chin up after the awful tragedy he and his family endured last month.  Keep working.  It’s all you can do.

    And regarding the “Clash” remake: part of me wishes it wouldn’t happen, because I love the original so much.  But part of me REALLY wants to see this thing, too.

  • WB soundstage mural before and after

    Warner Bros. mural before

    Warner Bros. mural after

    Brooks Barnes has a detailed write-up on the studio’s updated Burbank facade here.  For obvious reasons, I love it.

  • One from the vault

    No, it’s not a vintage Grateful Dead gig poster, but it’s close enough. I love that this new one-sheet for Ang Lee’s upcoming “Taking Woodstock” made its first appearance on the Rolling Stone site. I love that they’ve fully embraced the fabulous-slash-hideous design possibilities of its era. And I love that a relative prestige picture isn’t disguising the tongue-in-cheek element in its marketing approach. Good work.

    Taking Woodstock

  • Under the radar: ‘Song of Sparrows’

    Song of SparrowsAs the box office charts reveal, spring can be a harsh season for the discerning filmgoer — with the industry shifting its focus from prestige product before February’s Oscar winners can even shake off their hangovers, we have to dig deeper than usual for fare with more on its mind than monsters, aliens and petrol.

    The good news is that this fallow period affords a few miniature gems more breathing room than they would otherwise receive in the crush of awards season. With so little else to entice them, more adventurous viewers may be inclined to take a chance on a range of challenging stragglers from last year’s festival circuit, the brilliant “Hunger” and “Sugar,” and the much-acclaimed “Goodbye Solo,” among them.

    Joining this selection of specialist titles in New York last week (and in LA this Friday) is “Song of Sparrows,” an unusual and thoroughly winning comedy-drama from Majid Majidi, the veteran Iranian auteur best known for such gently humanist works as “The Colour of Paradise” and “Children of Heaven.”

    The latter film made him the only Iranian filmmaker to date to receive an Oscar nomination — no minor distinction considering his compatriots include Abbas Kiarostami and Samira Makhmalbaf. Though “Song of Sparrows,” Iran’s official 2008 Oscar submission, fell short of repeating that feat, it displays many of the same aesthetic and thematic principles — its mellow, deliberate pacing, its observational, sentimentality-skirting use of child’s perspective, its unwavering concern with issues of faith and community — that distinguished his earlier works.

    (more…)

  • Is Billy Bob Thornton smoking Joaquin’s stash?

    Jeez. What an ass. Saw this over at Hollywood Elsewhere:

  • ‘The Matrix,’ 10 years later

    The MatrixLots of reminiscing going on this year.  After all, it was 10 years ago that Hollywood unleashed its most creatively exciting batch of domestic product in, some would say, 60 years.  A master filmmaker, some might call him the greatest to ever try his hand at the cinema, passed away just before leaving us his swan song.  Soon enough, those “best of the decade” lists will be unveiled.

    And once upon a time, “The Matrix” was a brilliant accomplishment unphased by hackneyed revisitation and bloated sequelitis.  Things change, I guess.

    Anyway, Shawn Levy, film critic for The Oregonian, has blogged the occassion of the film’s tenth anniversary (it first bowed on screens April 2, 1999).  Here’s what he has to say:

    I remember the press screening of the film — or, rather, the screening that would’ve been the press screening had much of the Portland film press bothered to show up. It was held at the (then new) Eastport multiplex on a Monday or Tuesday night and it was nearly empty of both critics and the usual horrifying screening rats. It was, after all, a science-fiction film starring Keanu Reeves — his first since “Johnny Mnemonic”! — and written and directed by a pair of brothers whose debut, “Bound,” was a terrifically good noirish chamber drama that did little business. If ever a movie had a pedigree that said, ‘you can catch it in three weeks at a brewpub,’ this was it.

    “But walking out of that theater after that screening in the thrall of the wire-fu, the stop-motion FX, the mind-blowing script, the wicked-cool look-and-feel and breakneck pace, well, I was abuzz. It was the edge of Y2K, remember, and even if you knew enough not to fear the computer changeover that was approaching, there was an electric sense of possibility — and not entirely positive — in the air. Somehow “The Matrix” crystallized that energy, packaged it in superb visuals and a crackerjack story, and turned angst and giddiness and trepidation and exultation into brilliantly entertaining popcorn art.”

    I still remember the trailer hooking me immediately:

    Warner Bros. recently released the film as a stand alone on Blu-ray (though it has that lame-ass book style packaging because Warner Home Video, as usual, has to be so different form the standard). And there’s always The Ultimate Matrix Collection for the die hards.

  • Tweet of the day

    Diablo Cody tweet

  • Oh yeah…reactions to those ‘Star Trek’ screenings

    Star TrekJ.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” is pretty low on my “to-do” list, I have to say.  Ever since the CW/Young Guns approach was announced (not to mention an underlying disinterest in the material that goes back decades), it’s been a bit difficult to keep the yawns down.  What can I say?  I’m no Trekkie.

    But even I have to admit the positive notices, coming out of screenings in Austin (where Paramount has AICN in its back pocket and can offer up the goods in fanboyland) and Sydney (where the film held a world premiere at the Sydney Opera Hosue) have been getting my attention.  Here are a handful of reactions…

    Moises Chiullan, Hollywood Elsewhere:

    …an unrelenting, slam-bang naval war movie that rarely catches its own breath.  Shades of swashbucklers and submarine thrillers alike are all over the storytelling and smash-bam-kaboom stuff going on throughout. It’s packed to the gills with escapist heroism with a healthy dose of optimism. There’s plenty of room for interpretation for those who want to look for some allegory that is or isn’t intended. The key is that Abrams and his team have bottled that ’77 stuff of legend.”

    Harry Knowles, Ain’t It Cool News:

    There’s some powerful thoughts about the future of our people in STAR TREK. That we as a people could be those people in a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years. If we can put away childish notions of borders and differences. If we can culturally keep our differences and celebrate our commonalities. At our best, STAR TREK is our future. Not BLADE RUNNER. Not TERMINATOR. Not any other Science fiction that I’ve seen, but STAR TREK. It’s where I HOPE we’re headed.”

    Neil Miller, Film School Rejects:

    This is a big, fast-paced, sleek version of Star Trek that is unlike anything we’ve seen before — a new brand of space film that stretches what we thought possible in the realm of visual effects, and I don’t think that’s going to bother anyone.”

    And Peter Sciretta at /Film wrangled up some early Twitterers on the Austin occasion.  Dare I say it, my interest is piqued on a “Star Trek” movie.

  • Must-read

    The usual circles are running dry on this one and I rarely have such a determined desire to spoil myself by reading a screenplay, so if anyone — ANYONE — has gotten their hands on Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and wouldn’t mind passing it along, shoot me an email.  Final Draft, PDF, whatever you got.

  • ‘Julie & Julia’ teaser poster

    I’m still hearing supporting from pretty much everyone on Meryl Streep’s awards hopes here, by the way.  One of three Scott Rudin projects that could find itself in the running this year (the others being “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and the new Nancy Meyers flick — four if “Margaret” ever finds its way to the screen):

    Julie & Julia

    (Courtesy: First Showing)

  • Sort-of-new ‘Brothers Bloom’ trailer

    Not significantly different from the one they put out way back in the mists of 2008, this one comes with not one, but two ringing critical endorsements from AICN. Make of that what you will.

    From what I remember of my now 6 month-old viewing of the film, it’s a nice enough little trifle, elevated by a sly pair of comic turns from Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz. (Adrien Brody, by contrast, looks a little uneasy with this sort of gossamer material.) And it looks terrific, with some award-level costume design in particular — but I found the film’s overriding tweeness a little oppressive.

    All of which is to say I fear it might still struggle to find an audience, so I’m unsure if it stands to benefit from being pushed back so far. We’ll know next month.

  • Take the money and run

    Jackie Earle Haley in Little ChildrenJackie Earle Haley’s recently resuscitated career is a textbook example of how true the banal platitude “the nomination is the reward” can sometimes be. Prior to 2006, the former child star hadn’t made a film for 13 years; one devastating performance (in Todd Field’s undervalued “Little Children”), a smattering of critics’ awards and a richly deserved Oscar nomination later, he’s a steadily working character actor with a reasonably high-profile slate of projects to his name.

    Sure, “Watchmen” may not have panned out all that well, but it was a pretty amazing get for a 47 year-old non-star — and his performance is deemed by many to be the embattled film’s brightest spot. And getting to work with Scorsese in “Shutter Island” is none too shabby either, I would imagine. So when people say that awards are inconsequential, I’m sure the likes of Haley might beg to differ.

    So it was with mixed feelings that I read the news that Haley is taking on the role of Freddy Krueger in New Line’s upcoming reboot of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise. On the one hand, it’s nice for the thesp to get to be the centrepiece of a project for a change, and a potentially profitable one at that; on the other, surely yet another remake of an iconic horror title is good news for precisely no one else. When will this particularly lazy trend run out of steam?

    I understand that an actor of Haley’s age, appearance and profile probably doesn’t have a wealth of tempting projects to choose from, but it’s a little grim that a gifted actor has to resort to this. Here’s hoping there are more  Fields and Scorseses in his future yet.

  • New ‘Wild Things’ poster

    A nice companion to the previously released one-sheet:

    Where the Wild Things Are

    (Courtesy: Yahoo! Movies)

  • ‘Iron Man 2’ insurers kept Rourke out of the ring at WrestleMania

    UPDATED (4/7): An interesting story out of the UK’s Guardian newspaper today:

    The flesh was willing, but the insurers were weak. Mickey Rourke, star of The Wrestler, was forced to abandon plans to enter the ring for real after being vetoed by the insurance company working on his new film Iron Man 2.

    Rourke, 56, had been expected to display his acting, sorry, sporting prowess by taking part in yesterday’s WrestleMania 25 extravaganza in Houston, Texas. In the event, however, he was reduced to simply explaining why he couldn’t.

    “My agents said it would be detrimental to my career to take the focus off of acting after making a comeback in The Wrestler,” he told reporters at the show. “Also, I’m doing Iron Man 2 now, and the insurance company said under no circumstances could I get into the ring.”

    Here’s a clip of the showdown:

    Covered in detail here.

  • No comment on the tragic irony

    Eugene (KMTR) – A man shot himself to death in a Eugene movie theater just after midnight Monday morning.

    Police say about 10 patrons were in an auditorium at Regal Cinemas watching the movie “Watchmen.” About midway through the film some of the moviegoers told the manager they heard a “popping” noise like a gunshot. A 24-year-old man was found in the rear of the auditorium with a gunshot wound to the head.

    Police say the man shot himself and was dead when they arrived.

    (Courtesy KMTR via /Film)

  • ‘Sugar’ deserves a look

    Algenis Perez Soto in SugarChad didn’t bring up Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Sugar” in this weekend’s Sunday Cents column because, on 11 theaters, the film brought in a modest $71,000.  And it probably won’t move the needle much throughout its run where box office is concerned.  But I felt a need to put it back up on the radar since it will start expanding throughout the spring and hopefully find an audience of some sort.  By year’s end, I expect “Sugar” to still be lingering as one of 2009’s finest offerings.

    Here is my short reaction to the film when I saw it at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in January:

    Even though I never fully understood what it was trying to say, I fell in love with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Half Nelson” follow-up “Sugar.”  I missed the film at last year’s AFI Fest in Los Angeles, and it received a world premiere over a year ago at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, but a day after catching it at the Lobero Theatre here in Santa Barbara, I still find myself turning it over in my mind.  It’s the lingering sort of cinema that I’m tempted to say will mean something different to you every time you watch it.

    Algenis Perez Soto is the film’s revelation, a tender first-time performer who excels under the direction of Boden and Fleck, two filmmakers who have cornered the market on intimate indie filmmaking that actually resonates.  The duo isn’t afraid of the natural awkwardness of relationships, but not in the pretentious sort of way that leaves you reaching for a barf bag at every step of the way.  They trust their characters to be honest first, dramatic second.

    That can also be a hindrance for obvious reasons.  The narrative rarely escapes a sense of safety.  Nothing is ever threatened along the way.  Nothing ever seems truly at stake.  But, in a sense, such is life.  But “Sugar” is as much a departure from the themes of “Half Nelson” as it is an extension of them, and to be such drastically different films, that is fascinating.

    Give this one your 10 bucks, not the car movie.  Please.