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  • ‘The Cove’ claims another small victory

    The Cove

    Broome Shire will sever a sister city relationship with a Japanese town that hosts the killing of more than 2000 dolphins a year after an emotion-charged special council meeting this afternoon.More than 50 people, who packed the council chambers’ public gallery, greeted the decision with a standing ovation.

    Broome Shire president Graeme Campbell said council’s unanimous decision was to “respectfully advise” the town of Taiji that Broome would be unable to fulfil its obligation as a sister town while the dolphin killings continued.

    But he said the shire recognised the role Taiji played in developing Broome’s pearling industry in the 19th century.

    As part of a raft of council resolutions, councillors noted the national and international pressure placed on the shire to end the relationship.

    The council also resolved to it would like to commit to developing alternative economic opportunities with the Japanese town.

    From this piece in The West Australian.  That last bit was, frankly, unexpected.  But welcome nevertheless.

  • New tune contenders from ‘2012,’ ‘Wild Things’ — what else?

    Adam LambertBoy, the “Where the Wild Things Are” items are coming fast and furious this morning.  I didn’t plan it this way, I swear.

    Anyway, generally around late August I begin to start compiling a list of the original song contenders.  It’s generally the last category that begins to fall into place after all, so it’s folly to speculate from too far out (which is why you’re greeted with the “coming soon” note in the sidebar for seven months out of the year).

    A potential nominee could be in our midst with Karen O’s “All is Love” from “Where the Wild Things Are,” which you can listen to over at MySpace.  Any fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is bound to enjoy this bouncing little ditty.

    Meanwhile, Queen guitarist Brian May was apparently “blown away” by Adam Lambert’s original song for Roland Emmerich’s “2012.”  I’m sure that combination is nails on a chalkboard for more than a few people.

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  • Obama reads ‘Wild Things’

    Speaking of “Where the Wild Things Are,” I’ve been looking for a reason to post this video of President Barack Obama reading the book to a group of children on the White House lawn for some time, but never really found an opportunity.  Take a look:

  • Dave Eggers talks ‘Wild Things’

    Dave EggersI think it’s pretty safe to say that, with “Avatar” proving to be disappointing in the face of impossible expectations, “Where the Wild Things Are” has moved up as the fanboy Oscar film of choice and a hotly anticipated one at that.  The film could perfectly blend fantasy and profundity, as the trailer suggests.  Then again, it could be waiting to disappoint like so many heavily anticipated projects.  Time will tell.

    One of the elements of the film that has helped to sustain interest is Dave Eggers’s involvement.  The author tried his hand at screenwriting for the first time earlier this year with Sam Mendes’s “Away We Go,” which yielded some troubling results as far as I’m concerned.  But I’m holding out hope that “Wild Things” will be a different beast altogether (no pun intended).

    Eggers recently sat down with Logan Hill at New York Magazine to discuss the project.  Among other things, he talks of sending a fan letter to director Spike Jonze after seeing “Being John Malkovich,” the fact that he adored “Wild Things” author Maurice Sendak from an early age (and even wanted to write children’s books for a time) and the changes that were necessary translating the work from page to screen.

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  • Prescient

    (Courtesy: Media Decoder)

  • Alec Baldwin on ‘Taking Woodstock’ and the event itself

    Taking WoodstockI saw Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” some weeks back and it landed okay for me.  It’s not top tier Lee, it’s not a powerful piece of work.  It features a rather over-the-top supporting performance from Imelda Staunton that, had it been reined in a bit, could have been in the awards discussion.  But on the whole (despite being too long — like most movies these days) I was taken in by its atmosphere.

    I don’t hold Woodstock in any real reverential light, of course.  I wasn’t there.  I don’t know the impact.  And I in fact find myself relieved to read some revisionist reactions to the event that have attempted to shake some of the poignancy out of the thing.

    But still, Lee captured something with the film and I think it was brave to willfully ignore the concert itself and focus on the way a moment affected one guy and his family.  That’s what Lee is best at, after all.

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  • ‘Inception’ trailer

    Leonardo DiCaprio in InceptionI steered clear of all bootlegs of this throughout the weekend and I really didn’t want to go see “Inglourious Basterds” again, so this morning I got my first peek at the “Inception” teaser trailer.  I like.

    In fact, it reminds me of a time when trailers did what they were originally supposed to do: pique a viewer’s interest without giving away the plot.  And that’s what this discombobulated series of images and sounds does.  In fact, I almost wish I didn’t know as much about the plot as I do, because the disorienting action sequence at the tail end of the trailer makes a certain kind of sense that it wouldn’t make if I knew nothing, making the “WTF” moment that much more resonant.

    I’m also happy there is excitement around trailer debuts again.  It’s a real art form, I feel.  And it’s come to a point of numbing the populace with the standard paint by numbers, three acts in two minutes structure.  Whatever you had to say of the look of “Avatar” in the recently released trailer, you can’t say it spoils the story.  And that’s certainly true of “Inception.”

    Check out the trailer, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies after the jump.

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  • ‘Avatar’ action figures unveiled

    Avatar toys

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  • 8/24 Web Round-up

    Carey Mulligan in An Education• Carey Mulligan praises “An Education” writer Nick Hornby for being objective with her character. [New York Magazine]

    • Gene Simmons tapped to vocalize Del Toro’s “Wolf Man.” [Contact Music]

    • Fear not, there’s hope for more “Beavis and Butt-Head” on the horizon. [Collider]

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  • ‘Basterds’ box office owed to Pitt?

    (from left0 Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the Los Angeles premiere of Inglourious basterdsBuried at the bottom of this Independent study of the diminishing star factor in Hollywood was a nugget about Weinstein Company honcho Harvey Weinstein’s marketing strategy for “Inglourious Basterds,” which had Brad Pitt front and center (and, in a way, made the actor appear to be a bigger element of the film than he in fact was).

    Defending the star mold to an extent, Weinstein is quoted as saying “Pitt is a super-superstar at the apex of his popularity and he is a large part of why people want to see this movie.”

    So I’ll put it out to the readership.  With films like “Land of the Lost,” “Duplicity,” “Funny People” and “Public Enemies” coming up short at the box office despite starring popular actors and actresses, is it fair to chalk the “Inglourious” take up to star appeal?  Is it a Tarantino attraction?  Is it the subject matter of the film?  Is it a combination of all?  Probably the latter, though I think the perfect storm of Pitt and Tarantino made more than a few people curious.  It’s a powerful pairing after all.

    Your thoughts?

  • ‘Basterds’ threads on display at LA area theaters

    So Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” has opened and made a dent in the box office.  Go team.  The Oscar discussion ranges from “It could get in with 10 nominees” to “Maybe something in the techs,” and you can count me in the latter camp.  In fact, as usual, Tarantino assembled a talented below-the-line team for his latest film, not least of them being costume designer Anna B. Sheppard.

    Here in Los Angeles, Sheppard’s work is getting its day in the sun with a displays at the Arclight Hollywood, Arclight Sherman Oaks and Landmark Theater.  Personally, I see this as the film’s best shot at an Oscar nod, and given that the Hollywood Arclight is a hub of sorts for industry types when they go out and pay with the masses, this set-up could go a long way toward securing a notice this season.  (Two more pics after the jump.)

    Inglourious Basterds costume design display

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  • Number nine, number nine…

    $9.99Many of you have already spotted an interesting trend in a number of 2009 films this year: the proliferation of the number nine.

    There is, of course, “District 9,” which is already in theaters.  Any good Oscarwatcher knows about the forthcoming musical adaptation “Nine” from The Weinstein Company and Rob Marshall, a film that could stir confusion when its released three months after Shane Acker’s animated feature “9.”

    Elsewhere, there’s “Cloud 9,” from Andres Dresen and about a golden years affair between a sexagenarian and a septuagenarian.  And one that tends to slip through the cracks in conversations about the trend: “$9.99,” which I saw at the Santa Barbara fest back in January and quite liked.

    With all these nines running around (hey, there’s another one — John August’s “The Nines,” though that released two years ago), some intrepid reporter was bound to cook up a piece.  And so Ari Karpel has in the pages of the Los Angeles Times.

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  • SUNDAYE CENTZ: Glory for ‘Basterds’

    Inglourious Basterds*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    An advertising campaign built around aggressive violence and the reputation of a polarizing director, a late August release date and mixed early word coming out of Cannes were all factors working against “Inglourious Basterds” leading up to its release. All for naught, however, as the film took in a fantastic $37.6 million, marking a new career high for the director.

    Films opening at this point in August simply aren’t supposed to do this well, with the previous high debut on this particular week in the year belonging to “Blade” with $26.1 million in 1998. For The Weinstein Company, this is very welcome news and serves as only the company’s second number one film and first since “Scary Movie 4” in 2006. It is bad news, however, for 2nd grade spelling teachers.

    Interestingly enough, the debut is a near mirror image of last week’s “District 9,” which dropped a very respectable 49% to $18.9 million and second place. The running total stands at $73.5 million and the film continues to generate talk around the water cooler. And by water cooler, of course I mean anonymous virtual chat rooms.

    “The Time Traveler’s Wife” dipped 46%, probably because people realized that a movie about the person who travels through time would have been way more exciting than the movie about the person who sits around waiting for him to come back.

    Tarantino’s old partner in crime, Robert Rodriguez, tried to one-up him with pandering children’s fantasy but “Shorts” came up short (ba-zing!) at $6.6 million and sixth place. Rodriguez loves to throw one of these kids movies in every few years or so and that’s cool, but maybe he should come up with something a little more clever than a rock that grants wishes next time.

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  • ‘Wizard of Oz’ sequel in the works?

    The Wizard of Oz“The Wizard of Oz” is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its US theatrical release on Tuesday.  Today, the UK’s Sunday Express is reporting that a sequel set in the present day starring Dakota Fanning as Dorothy’s granddaughter could start filming as early as next year and quotes a Warner exec as saying the film will be “darker and more action packed.”

    Basil Iwanyk is apparently on as a producer.  And this, for me, is the money quote, from co-producer Todd McFarlane (yes, that Todd McFarlane):

    You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley character from Alien [Sigourney Weaver] than a helpless singing girl.

    Everything’s getting re-imagined these days.  Your thoughts?

  • Twitter a la carte: future marketing tool?

    I was watching the Redskins game this afternoon, doing some work on my computer, and the announcers mentioned something called Redskins Twackle.  I was already on the net so I figured I’d give it a look, and this is what I got:

    Redskins Twackle

    In a nutshell, it’s a Twitter interface for Redskins fans.  Obviously something like this would heat up around key moments (games, draft, etc.), but it got me thinking about the on-going concern studios have with finding audiences for their movies and sustaining that interest in any way possible, maximizing the income on their product.

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  • It’s not so dire, Mr. Friedman

    Shohreh Aghdashloo in The Stoning of Soraya MObviously Hollywood Reporter gossip hound Roger Friedman hasn’t been reading our Contenders section, or else he’d know there are plenty of lead actress hopefuls out there, not the dearth he apparently perceives.

    Friedman rattles off 12 contenders in a recent piece titled Shortage of “Best Actresses in the Coming Oscar Season,” but he misses some key possibilities.  Abbie Cornish in “Bright Star,” for one, who didn’t necessarily impress me much, but could certainly be in the hunt.  “Precious,” meanwhile, is considered a ripe opportunity for supporting contender Mo’Nique, but lead Gabourey Sidibe could certainly find her share of notices.

    Gwyneth Paltrow in “Two Lovers” and Zooey Deschanel in “(500) Days of Summer” are two extreme longshot contenders whose films have already been released, but Penelope Cruz deserves to be in the discussion for “Broken Embraces,” surely, as does Tilda Swinton in “Julia.”

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  • Hanks was AMPAS’s first choice for President, search is on for telecast talent

    Tom HanksI stumbled onto this item over at Deadline Hollywood Daily earlier this afternoon.  Apparently Tom Hanks, who was elected First Vice-President of the Academy earlier this week, was the group’s first choice for the top spot.  In fact, Tom Sherak, who was ultimately elected president, is the one who nominated Hanks in the first place.

    Here’s what Nikki Finke dug up:

    Sherak…thought Hanks could be a “Gregory Peck-type” AMPAS leader. But insiders tell me Hanks declined, saying he “didn’t feel he could put the time in”. So his name was withdrawn, and that’s when Sherak got the gig. At least it’s comforting to know that AMPAS’ and Sherak’s heads were in the right place by wanting an actor instead of two back-to-back studio shills.

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  • ‘Inception’ official site

    Nothing there yet, but have a look.  The trailer is attached to some prints of “Inglourious Basterds” and I’ve heard it looks “Matrix”-like in the action.  But it looks that way for a reason, plot-wise, so if you see it, don’t start thinking Nolan lost his marbles and went full blown Wachowski.