Tag: Steven Zaillian

The writing shines in dense and rewarding ‘Moneyball’

Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” is a tightly constructed piece of work, thematically layered, rich in substance, hard work from two of the best writers in the business clearly evident. And the last thing it is is a sports movie.

The film is about so much. It’s a David vs. Goliath story of changing the status quo. It’s a journey through the hardship of self-confidence. Most importantly, though, for me, it’s a story about the quest for the unattainable being the reward.

Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, a former hot baseball prospect out of high school who passed on a Stanford scholarship for a chance to go pro. He was smooth-talked by scouts who knew, with every fiber of their being, that this guy had what it took. And anyone in their right mind would have paid handsomely for him to come to their team and prove them right. But Beane’s journey through the sport became one of understanding that no one knows anything about another man’s destiny.

(more…)

September 13, 2011
INTERVIEW: ‘The Town’ screenwriter, director and star Ben Affleck

Actor — and as of late, filmmaker — Ben Affleck makes his way to a cozy corner of Santa Monica’s Casa Del Mar hotel restaurant. He’s coming from a “Dad’s event” at his daughter’s school, he says, propping his feet up on a nearby chair.

Currently shooting Terrence Malick’s latest film in Oklahoma, the multi-hyphenate has a window for awards season publicity and Warner Bros. seized the opportunity. Affleck’s second directorial effort, “The Town,” has kicked up enough buzz to legitimize an all-out Oscar push, and judging by most reactions to the film, it could be an effort well-rewarded.

I pass along one such reaction — from actor Robert Duvall, who greatly enjoyed the film — and Affleck’s eyes light up. “Wow, really? That’s great to hear.” He playfully riffs on Duvall’s characteristic voice, adding, “He’s a spectacular personality. A genius.”

That mixture of humility and humor highlights the majority of our conversation. Affleck is as affable as they come. Perhaps it’s years of navigating the game and knowing how to put his best foot forward with a journalist, but it rings through with authenticity. He’s a guy’s guy with a thoughtful charisma that has served him well over the years, but now he finds himself putting it all to use in the director’s chair. And while he is very appreciative of the success his latest film has achieved, he notes that he came to it apprehensively.

(more…)

November 10, 2010
Fincher and Mulligan for ‘Dragon Tattoo?’

As hard as it is to imagine the button-cute Carey Mulligan festooned with body art and facial piercings, kicking all kinds of corporate ass, it’s an intriguing possibility we must now consider.

Over the past few days, the newly-minted Oscar nominee’s name, along with that of director David Fincher, has been connected with the much-fancied Hollywood remake of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Nothing has been confirmed, but Fincher and Mulligan would be a suitably A-list fit for a project that already boasts Scott Rudin as producer, with a script by Steven Zaillian.

The original Swedish thriller, based (in case you’ve been living under a rock these past few years) on the first part of Stieg Larsson’s bestselling “Millennium” trilogy, just opened in the UK to sturdy business for a foreign-language title, and lands Stateside on Friday.

(more…)

March 15, 2010
Ridley Scott takes on ‘Red Riding’ remake

You may remember that back in March I raved about “Red Riding,” the British TV adaptation of David Peace’s quartet of Yorkshire-set crime novels that IFC will soon be distributing theatrically in the U.S.

Specifically, I flipped for the first installment of the three-film series, Julian Jarrold’s “1974” — an exquisitely textured mood piece, with vivid turns from Andrew Garfield and Rebecca Hall, that remains one of the best films I’ve seen this year on any size screen.

Six months later, Americans got to see what British critics had been gushing about since the spring (David Thomson overexcitedly stated that the films excelled “The Godfather” in the pantheon of crime cinema), as “Red Riding” played to a very warm reception in Telluride. (Even if Kris wasn’t entirely won over.)

Now the buzz continues with the announcement that Columbia has acquired remake rights to the project, with director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steven Zaillian in line to compress Peace’s mammoth narrative into a single feature film. (As a feat of adaptation, expect comparisons to what Curtis Hanson and Brian Helegeland took on James Ellroy’s L.A. Quartet.) Scott will also produce via his Scott Free production company.

(more…)

October 15, 2009
A night at the Scripter Awards

USC’s Scripter Awards ceremony is moving on up. It’s evolved form an intimate gathering to a full spread awards dinner over the years, and last night’s festivities marked the first time the Scripter winner was unveiled at the show rather than beforehand.

It gave the atmosphere a tinge of anticipation. Even with the “Slumdog” writing on the wall, the Scripter is a place where the adapted screenplay race can at least find some variety. Or at least it used to be. Like any precursor as of late, it seems the Scripter might be bent on predicting Oscar. So of course, Simon Beaufoy’s name was called (along with “Q&A” author Vikas Swarup) for “Slumdog Millionaire,” and the steamroller keeps moving.

Jamie Lee Curtis was a nice enough emcee, bringing her signature brand of dry, slightly crazy humor to the table (a slight shift from Jason Alexander last year). Earlier in the evening, Michael Chabon accepted the Literary Achivement Award (not a Lifetime Achievement Award, as last year’s introductory recipient Steven Zaillian made loudly clear). Zaillian was on hand to present the honor and Chabon’s speech was touching, funny and certainly humble. The best line: “I think it was Vladimir Nabokov who said, “Keep giving me prizes. Prizes are awesome. (Laughter spreads throughout the room.) He had the Russian accent, so…”

Chabon was also quite self-deprecating, noting that he had no creative input into the screenplays adapted from his work that seem to be met with success or at the very least production (2000’s “Wonder Boys” and the upcoming “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh”). But five years of his toiling away at an adaptation of his own “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” has not even yielded a green light, he said. “I was lucky enough to work on the second ‘Spider-Man’ film,” he said. “You know the part where Spider-Man is holding up that big wall at the end and he says, ‘Hi,’ and Mary Jane says, ‘Hi,’ and Peter says, ‘This is really heavy’? That was me.”

(more…)

January 31, 2009
Michael Chabon to receive Scripter prize

The USC Scripter awards go down next Friday, Jan. 30 (right in the middle of the Santa Barbara Film Festival…I’ll be driving back down for the show). The USC Libraries introduced a new award last year: the Literary Achievement Award, which went to Steven Zaillian in 2008. This year, the group has tapped “Wonder Boys” scribe Michael Chabon for the award.

Here’s a bit from the press release:

“I am delighted to have been singled out for this honor,” said Chabon. “I consider myself fortunate to be able to share in the great tradition that the Scripter Award both recognizes and exemplifies.”

Dean Catherine Quinlan and the Friends of the USC Libraries established the Scripter Literary Achievement Award in 2007 to recognize writers who have made a significant and lasting impact on the art of cinematic adaptation…

“Michael Chabon works with equal measures of inventiveness and emotion,” Quinlan said. “His fiction is intellectually playful and transforms history into new worlds. The USC Libraries are proud to honor Mr. Chabon’s ingenuity, his accomplishments in many literary forms and his clear respect for uncovering new ways of knowing.”

Also remember, this will be the first year the Scripter winner is revealed at the show rather than via press release beforehand.

January 14, 2009