In Contention

Tag: Sam Worthington

  • VENICE: ‘Texas Killing Fields,’ ‘Faust,’ competition stragglers

    After a ten-day, 23-film Venice Competition that started slowly but respectably, hit a healthy stride midway through and began wheezing with exhaustion in its closing stages, things have finally ground to a permanent halt with “Texas Killing Fields” (**), the sophomore feature from Ami Canaan Mann — daughter of Michael,  who predictably takes a producer credit here. Mann fille arrived on the Lido a mostly unknown quantity — her debut feature dropped 10 years ago, and appears to have been by precisely nobody in that time — and I’d love to say she proved to be something of a secret weapon up festival director Marco Mueller’s sleeve.

    Alas, the only weapons brandished by this color-by-numbers tumbleweed policier are those belonging to the dutifully scowling small-town cops played by Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and one of Jessica Chastain’s recently minted clones — the ones to whom she now hands the second-string scripts that don’t quite merit her personal attention.

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  • 8/31 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Social media boost ‘The Help,’ actress Oscar plays, Bird Flu back ahead of ‘Contagion’

    • Anne Thompson talks to “Warrior” stars Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy and director Gavin O’Connor. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Lucas Kavner on the debt “The Help” owes to social media for its box office staying power. [Huffington Post]

    • Louis Virtel looks shines a light on five female roles that seem to have the right Oscar stuff. [Movieline]

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  • 1/6 Oscarweb Round-up

    Sam Mendes• Sam Mendes could clearly use a paycheck, signs up for the new Bond. [Heat Vision]

    • Navigating the season in “For Your Consideration” ads. [Vulture]

    • Rodrigo Perez points out some buried points in another outlet’s coverage, namely that Apparition is aiming for a Cannes bow for Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” [The Playlist]

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  • Playing up the humanity of ‘Avatar’

    Sam Worthington in AvatarAll eyes on on the big four, films that have yet to screen but expect to play a heavy hand in the Oscar race: “Invictus” (which debuted a poster and a trailer recently), “The Lovely Bones” (which has screened internally at Paramount and is almost finished), “Nine” (which has been beginning to get a look from publicists involved, who have nothing but ecstatic things to say, of course) and “Avatar” (which no one has seen).

    It is interesting to note the latter’s intriguing grip on the anticipation.  I just had a conversation yesterday with a studio head who expects it to go pretty far in the race.  The overall feeling seems to be, unless it’s a stone-cold turkey, it will be a formidable contender, genre be damned.  “I wouldn’t bet against that guy,” the studio head said of director James Cameron (who was recently profiled at great length in the pages of The New Yorker).

    It is also interesting to note that, as a new trailer for the film that highlights some of the more dramatic moments of the film plays in theaters, this LA Times piece (sneaked on writer Geoff Boucher’s Hero Complex blog) has quotes from both Cameron and star Sam Worthington announcing a desire for story over substance.

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  • First official image from ‘Avatar’

    Peter Sciretta at /Film woke up to a nice surprise in his inbox this morning: the first official image from James Cameron’s “Avatar” (which will be appearing in magazines shortly).  You’ve got Sam Worthington in front of a tank containing one of the avatars with that cool Cameron blue.  Very beautiful.  For more on “Avatar” (and the avatars, in fact), check out my coverage of the Comic-Con footage here.

    Sam Worthington in Avatar

  • COMIC-CON: James Cameron unveils impressive ‘Avatar’ footage

    AvatarJames Cameron made his long-awaited trip to San Diego this afternoon for the world premiere of 25 minutes of footage from his upcoming film “Avatar,” and the reaction was as enthused as it could have been.  A scene-by-scene description is probably the best way to go about this, so first that, then quotes from the post-screening discussion.

    If you’d prefer to stay pure on this film and would rather skip the scene descriptions, go ahead and scroll down to the quotes section, indicated in bold below.  Also, for those hungry for any and all info, before I dig into the specifics of the presentation, you should really read through Cameron’s E3 address to get an idea of the film’s plot, or else you’ll be quite lost.

    Seven sequences were unveiled, beginning with a “Full Metal Jacket”-like military briefing with actor Stephan Lang front-and-center.  The scene also introduces us to the central character in the film, Jake Sully, a crippled former military officer himself with an eye toward the cosmos and the planet Pandora.

    The next scene reveals the avatars, genetic bio-suits constructed from the DNA of the Na’vi, tall, blue-skinned warrior natives of Pandora.  Floating in a tank of fluid, being prepped for integration with human consciousnesses, the imagery is quite beautiful in this scene, the avatars in a docile, tranquil state, Sully peering at them, recognizing in them the chance to walk, however virtually, once again.

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  • Sam Worthington is Perseus

    Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans

    (Courtesy: /Film)

  • SHORT TAKE: “Terminator Salvation” (*1/2)

    Terminator SalvationI knew five minutes into McG’s cumbersome, misguided, lifeless “Terminator Salvation” that I would be writing a short take rather than a full review.  The film sucks inspiration out of the viewer in a staggering fashion.  It disavows intriguing ideas explored in the franchise to date and renders a potentially exciting re-launch of the material impotent and meaningless.  It is frankly difficult to give the film a whole lot of thought.

    This glossy new installment is splintered with the shrapnel of smart and at times visionary ideas, both narratively and visually.  But it has no idea which way is up.  It is a video game, not a piece of cinema.  It is the accomplishment of a filmmaker smitten with the work of people far more talented and far more dedicated to realizing something that endures, rather than something that capitalizes on pre-existing framework.  And it is a nightmare to anyone who cherished James Cameron’s now 25-year-old creation.

    And that might be a key statement.  Not everyone holds that creation dear.  And for them, a compelling film might be in store.  But I wanted more.  I certainly wiped my brow with relief in the summer of 2003 when Jonathan Mostow’s largely misunderstood “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” managed to bridge two philosophies under the same umbrella, but I knew something bigger and more thematically powerful was needed to recharge the dimming light on the “Terminator” series.  Something with a particular blend of creative ingenuity and allegiance was necessary.  “Terminator Salvation” substitutes confused storytelling for the former and eye-rolling winks and nudges for the latter.

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  • Danny Huston to play Poseidon in ‘Clash of the Titans’

    Danny HUstonBoy, Danny Huston sure does seem to be going for the cash grab lately.  He’s a talented actor, so I sure wish he’d try to expand beyond the creative rut he’s in right now.  First “30 Days of Night,” then “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” now this?  We’re a long way from “The Proposition.”

    All that said, I’m strangely looking forward to the “Clash” remake, which has already landed Liam Neeson in the role of Zeus and Sam Worthington in the role of Perseus.  Ralph Fiennes is also set to star as Hades and one of my favorite young actresses, Alexa Davalos, has been cast as Andromeda.

    Here’s the Hollywood Reporter brief, fit with an unfortunate lede:

    Danny Huston is getting wet for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

    Huston has been cast as Poseidon in “Clash of the Titans” opposite other Mount Olympus power players Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. Sam Worthington, Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng and Alexa Davalos also are in the cast.

    The retelling of the Perseus myth, directed by Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk”), began shooting Monday outside London.

    The question remains. Who’s gonna play Medusa!?