I guess “Lunch with David” has morphed into DP/30. I’m never quite sure what’s going on over there, but in any case, this video interview with “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” star Rebecca Hall is totally worth a look. She’s an intoxicating beauty and, as noted, she does a lot of the heavy lifting in the film while being surrounded by an intimidating amount of beauty and talent.
Also, from a while back, DP chats up director David Gordon Green.
In my review of “Pineapple Express” yesterday, I mad it a point of mentioning director David Gordon Green’s salute to the greatest (or worst) of 1980s action cinema. At the time I wrote:
Green’s obvious devotion to the action epics of the 1980s that his generation grew up on makes its way to the surface more than a few times (I swear I’ve seen that knife toss before…can’t place it). He makes no bones about an affinity for Steven Seagal and lord knows he found a proper outlet to show his respect for what I like to call the “Steven E. de Souza subgenre” of actioners. But to mix it in with a pothead extravaganza…absolute genius.
And today, it looks like the ever-insightful writers of New York Magazine’s Vulture blog have taken it a step farther, asking with the utmost sincerity, “Who’s the better action director: David Gordon Green or Christopher Nolan?”
Take a look:
Obviously Green is no John Woo, but the [finale] is lucid, well paced, and nowhere near as stupid-looking as one might reasonably anticipate, especially considering that it includes shots of Rogen firing an automatic weapon. There are explosions, bleeding injuries, and some passably impressive stunt work, not bad for a freakin’ Judd Apatow movie.
They then go on to point out the problems with Nolan’s handling of action sequences in “The Dark Knight” that have been mentioned in a number of mixed or negative reviews of the film. “Sure, the action in Nolan’s film is more ambitious,” they write, “but the fact that Green’s is infinitely more coherent and suspenseful is…well, sort of funny, right?”
Gotta love those caljones. And it’s not exactly an out-of-bounds observation. Read the full post here.
One of our readers reminded me in the comments section of yesterday’s review of “Pineapple Express” that I failed to spotlight one of my favorite performances in the entire film, and a character actor who has quickly become one of the best go-to guys for comedic value.
Craig Robinson is probably most often associated with his Darryl Philbin stockroom character in television’s “The Office.” His matter-of-fact attitude and cadence go a long way whenever his character is utilized and never fails to make me smile. But he’s also begun making quite a mark on the big screen as of late.
It reall started with Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up,” in which Robinson stars as a steadfast but introspective nightclub security guard. You’ll recall the laugh-out-loud dialogue that Robinson handled so perfectly:
I know… you’re right. I’m so sorry, I fuckin’ hate this job. I don’t want to be the one to pass judgement, decide who gets in. Shit makes me sick to my stomach, I get the runs from the stress. It’s not cause you’re not hot, I would love to tap that ass. I would tear that ass up. I can’t let you in cause you’re old as fuck. For this club, you know, not for the earth. You old, she pregnant. Can’t have a bunch of old pregnant bitches running around. That’s crazy, I’m only allowed to let in five percent black people. He said that, that means if there’s 25 people here I get to let in one and a quarter black people. So I gotta hope there’s a midget in the crowd.
Absolutely brilliant.
Robinson also starred in the Apatow-produced “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” but I can’t comment on the performance because I ejected that piece of shit ten minutes into it. HOWEVER, I’m sure he was a diamond in the rough.
Well in “Pineapple Express,” Robinson hits consistent high marks as Matheson, one of Gary Cole’s two henchman hunting down Seth Rogen and James Franco’s bumbling stoners. As usual, he holds court on the screen with specific and hilarious line readings. His exit from the film is one of the funniest scenes of the piece and he plays it up for all it’s worth.
I’m frankly ashamed that I didn’t mention this cat in the review. So I felt compelled to dedicate a post to what I hope is a prolific new comedic talent.
Robinson has a number of films on the horizon, including Kevin Smith’s controversial “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” and as one might expect, the roles all seem to be supporting ones. But I’d like to say it now and say it proud: give this guy his own stage! Robinson needs his own show, his own starring role, SOMETHING!
Heck, I’m tempted to write something for him right now, dust off the screenwriting software and be inspired because he’s going places. He can’t just wither away just outside the spotklight, he has to shine, and someone, somewhere, better be of the same mind or it’ll be our loss.
Our friends at Cinematical point us this morning to six new images from John Hillcoat’s “The Road,” debuting over at USA Today with a nice accompanying story from Scott Bowles.
I didn’t realize Hillcoat was filming this in Pittsburgh, probably one of my favorite sleepy cities in the entire country. Bowles quotes the director as follows:
It’s a beautiful place in fall with the colors changing…But in winter, it can be very bleak. There are city blocks that are abandoned. The woods can be brutal. We didn’t want to go the CGI world. We wanted the heightened reality in the book.
Very cool. Star Viggo Mortensen is also quoted. You can read the rest here.
I’m currently thumbing my way through Cormac McCarthy’s book. I’ve told a few friends who loved that it hasn’t exactly blown my skirt up yet, though more often than not the answer is, “Finish it and we’ll talk.” Fair enough. I do love the atmosphere McCarthy creates, more so than any of his other works.
Dimension Films will be releasing “The Road” on November 11. The film will have its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival on Steptember 11.
Stealing this from Jeff Wells, but Kristin Scott Thomas’s performance in the upcoming “I’ve Loved You So Long” has made an early splash in the industry as the awards season looms on the horizon.
Here’s a look at the new trailer:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlMPS_qcRaM
Just in case you guys missed the show tonight, John has it up at The Movie Blog. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel on Friday, so be sure to check us out then.
Just caught this at Hollywood Elsewhere. Our good friend David Carr (a.k.a. The Carpetbagger) stopped by “Morning Joe” this morning to talk about his new tell-all “The Night of the Gun.” I’ve been dying to read this ever since I heard about David hoofing it to commit this stuff to paper — the concept behind the self-reporting has fascinated me from day one.
Take a look:
The dust will settle on a record-breaking summer movie season and much will be made of super heroes and unexpected, makeup-infested comedic portrayals. But an unassuming stoner comedy that breaks free of the mold and becomes something akin to sheer film-going bliss will be one of the few left standing.
A truly side-splitting yarn that takes its lead from Cheech and Chong and the greatest (or worst) of 1980s action and comedy standards, the film carves its own spot as a new staple. And going into an Oscar season that looks a bit shallow from afar, “Pineapple Express” seems to be the best film 2008 has had to offer so far.
Hell of a thing.
Fresh, authentic, appreciative of its lineage and rife with absolute truths of the stoner way, this one was always guaranteed to leave your gut cramped from unyielding laughter. At the center, however, is a strange thread of realism that is incredibly intriguing. No matter the level of absurdity this sequence or that may reach, on some level, one can’t shake the sense that if these things were going to happen…this is exactly how it would go down.
It’s an odd characteristic that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen out of a film such as this, and all the credit in the world seems to belong to filmmaker David Gordon Green. After making his way in the indie sector on his own terms, his marriage to this material becomes the most natural fit to date.
Here’s what I love about Ang Lee: there is simply no way of anticipating what his next project is going to be. So far, the decade has seen him bounce from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to “Hulk” to “Brokeback Mountain” to “Lust, Caution” – a group arguably linked by thematic concerns of outsider identity, but with precious little in common besides. If there’s a more adventurous filmmaker at work these days, I don’t know his name.
Now Variety confirms that his next project sees him revisiting Nixon-era America, the period having served him well in “Brokeback” (part of it, at least) and what I believe to be his finest work, “The Ice Storm.” Not that “Taking Woodstock” – Lee’s third film in a row for Focus Features – sounds like anything he’s done before either.
The project, which enters production this month, has been adapted by James Schamus, Lee’s regular cohort, from the memoir of Elliot Tiber, a Greenwich Village interior designer who wound up in the creation of the biggest rock concert of all time when he lent his family’s motel to the event organisers.
In an inspired piece of casting, Tiber will be played by “The Daily Show”‘s Demetri Martin, while other members of an interesting, and evidently complex, ensemble include Imelda Staunton as Tiber’s mother, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Tiber’s closeted lover, Emile Hirsch as a Vietnam vet, Paul Dano as a hippie concertgoer, Liev Schreiber as a transvestite, and Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur, the owner of the farm where it all took place.
Sounds like a suitably broad canvas for Lee to paint on – this should afford him plenty of room for a typically nuanced investigation of class, sexuality and popular culture, while offering him another completely new story world to explore. I can’t wait.
I want to properly review “Pineapple Express,” which I saw this evening at a packed and boisterous screening at the Mann Chinese Theater. But I can’t get to it just yet. Suffice it to say it’s a gem of comedic and absurdist perfection, yet thriving inside a strikingly odd sort of reality (seriously). I also don’t believe any director other than David Green could have elevated the material to this unexpected level. What a strangely comfortable fit!
The best movie of the year? Definitely.
More tomorrow.
The cover of “The Invincible Iron Man” #9 with Stark duking it out with The Incredible Hulk and the cover of “Detective Comics” #583, the Dark Knight himself drawn by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola:
This looks awesome. Old fashioned, unassuming, shades of the simplicity Kevin Costner brought back to the genre with “Open Range” five years ago. And I just realized Groundswell and Michael London are behind this. Very nice. Anyone with the balls to pump money into westerns at this stage and continue to breathe life into their potential is A-okay with me.
The film makes its world debut at Toronto in a month. Can’t wait to hear the reaction.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg3TaAPELkQ
Just a quick reminder, to anyone interested, I’ll be filling in for my friend Doug Nagy alongside John Campea of The Movie Blog tomorrow and Friday for their live Movie Blog: Uncut video podcast. It’s generally a breezy good time, just chit-chatting about the week’s movie news and a good bulk of time devoted to live questions from readers and viewers.
If you’re around the ole’ computer tomorrow at 9pm EST/6pm PST, be sure to give us a look.
It is difficult to argue against the notion that filmmaker Woody Allen has been showing signs of tiresome decline. Successes have been few and far between for a number of years, while his recent failures pale next to the interesting missteps of his early career. His work has become, more often than not, a paint-by-numbers imitation of his former self.
The real fear that has set in for this viewer has been that his comedic gem of a mind has slowed down to the point of auto drive. But the director’s latest foray across the pond,”Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” quells any such notion with the revelation of a spry Allen as insightful as ever. It is sharp and witty, expertly constructed and cleverly rendered.
The film begins with the Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) of the title arriving in Barcelona for a summer of graduate studies and free-spirited Bohemia, respectively. Vicky is engaged and locked in to the life she sees for herself, while Cristina is ever the romantic, a nomad of the heart, searching for love and inspiration at every turn.
After an art gallery opening the two unassuming ladies find themselves chatted up by an incredibly persuasive Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). “We’ll eat good food, drink lots of wine, make love…hopefully the three of us,” he says with a confidence that will make any male feel a sudden need to take notes. A quick plane ride to the quaint Spanish burg of Oviedo is out of the question for Vicky, though Cristina is predictably swept away by Juan Antonio’s charms.
The girls learn of Juan Antonio’s ex-wife, Marie Elena (Penélope Cruz), and the fiery passion that seared through their relationship. Naturally, Marie Elena attempted to murder Juan Antonio in a fit of impassioned rage. She put a knife into him, to be precise. No matter the devotion, there was always an element missing in their marriage, but they remain two parts of an impenetrable kindred nonetheless. “Marie Elena always said unfulfilled love is the only romantic love,” Juan Antonio says over one of many candlelit dinners.
With the recent release of a spiffy new trailer and plenty of attention geared toward a potential return to form for director Jonathan Demme, the Oscar prospects of “Rachel Getting Married” have gone into hyperdrive. In the midst of all this sight-unseen speculation, a number of eyes have been turned toward the supporting actress hopes of three-time nominee Debra Winger.
Winger popped up as a possibility in early 2003 when the eventual flop “Radio” was coming down the pike, largely because Oscarwatchers were anticipating a new dawn for the esteemed actress. That seems to be the case with “Rachel,” but the blind stabs of good intentions are ignoring the true prospect of the film, “Mad Men” star Rosemarie Dewitt.
Word on the performance is that it might have the stuff to grab a supporting nomination and that Winger isn’t really in the film enough to make a real impact on the awards season. The real angle of interest, however, is that Dewitt has an amazing story, one that I didn’t even realize until recently sifting through her bio.
Turns out Dewitt is the granddaughter of Jimmie “Cinderella Man” Braddock. Yes, that “Cinderella Man.” She even had a role in the Ron Howard film from 2005 (I missed her completely). And of course, with “Mad Men” being the new darling on the small screen (gotta finish that first season soon), there are plenty of ways “in” to the circuit for this young lady.
So take it for what it’s worth, take it with a grain of salt if you want, but it looks like Ms. Dewitt is the name to watch out for right behind sure-to-be electric Anne Hathaway in “Margot at the Wedding 2” — I mean, “Rachel Getting Married.”
“As far as con man stories go, I think I’ve heard them all. Of grifters, ropers, faro fixers, tales drawn long and tall. But if one bears a bookmark in the confidence man’s tome, it would be that of Penelope, and of the brothers Bloom.”
So begins Ricky Jay’s narration of Rian Johnson’s “The Brothers Bloom,” his follow-up to 2005’s “Brick.”
I loved “Brick.” it was arguably my favorite movie of 2005, but I couldn’t help but be nervous when I sat down to read this script. It seems that there are typically two things that happen to promising indie writer/directors.
Sometimes, they just disappear (Phil Morrison of “Junebug” fame). Sometimes, they get stuck basically making the same movie in the same genre over and over again (looking at you, Wes Anderson!). Sadly, it seems that we rarely get a newbie with a real vision, someone who really has the balls to change things up and do something different than what he’s already given us so early in his career.
Against all odds, this is the case with Rian Johnson,and “Brothers Bloom” — and God bless him for it.
(Note: To talk about any of the twists and turns at this early stage would really be punishable by any means you, dear readers, would suggest, so rest assured I will not be saying one single word about them.)
“Brothers Bloom” is, as the opening narration says, the story of two con men. The elder, confident Stephen (to be played by Mark Ruffalo) and the younger, insecure Bloom (Adrien Brody). Bloom hates the con man life, despite the duo being particularly gifted at it. And, like we seen many times early on, he wants out.
But Stephen is able to convince Bloom to participate in just one more con: Penelope (Rachel Weisz), a rich young lady desperate for adventure. “The perfect con is one where everyone involved gets the thing they wanted,” says Stephen tells his brother, who reluctantly agrees.
Just a friendly FYI to the readership. Brian kicks off the “Page to Screen” screenplay review column here at In Contention tomorrow with a look at Rian Johnson’s eagerly anticipated “Brick” follow-up “The Brothers Bloom.” I’m joining in on the gig with Brian last year and will offer my look at Eric Roth’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” next week, August 12. The column will hit every Tuesday as we plow toward the Oscar season and should wrap up some time in September.
It’s been a couple of weeks since we introduced a new sidebar poll — tons going on, apologies. But suffice it to say, “The Dark Knight” beat out eight other highly regarded comic book films to be the readers’ choice for best all-time in the genre. No shock there, though it took more votes than I anticipated overall.
This week, with the rush to anoint Jonathan Demme a prodigal son returned following the debut of the “Rachel Getting Married” trailer, I thought it would be fun to suss out what readers think of a few filmmakers testing the awards waters with new product this season after a number of missteps in recent memory.
The aforementioned Demme is coming off of a couple of largely ignored documentaries and forgettable narrative entries such as “Beloved,” “The Truth About Charlie” and, to a lesser extent, “The Manchurian Candidate.”
Woody Allen, meanwhile, is stepping up to the plate with “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” a critical fave out of Cannes following years of missteps since “Sweet and Lowdown” (save for “Match Point,” which had its followers).
Spike Lee hasn’t exactly turned the heads of awards-giving bodies all that much for some time, though he looks to dive back into the fray with “Miracle at St. Anna,” and Jim Sheridan is coming off the miscalculation of “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” with the Susanne Bier remake “Brothers.”
So…tell us in the poll. Which of these recently off-the-mark helmers has the best shot at reclaiming former glory with his resepective awards hopeful this season?