Frickin' Eh Movie News 4.28.08: Previously Recorded Edition
Posted by Matthew Motiuk on 04.27.2008
Heretics, angels, demons, trains, dark knights, smoking, and more this week!
I am finished exams, and officially done my first year of university. It feels good . . . although I think I will miss it over the summer. But rest assured, it will be there come fall. This weekend, in celebration (and the fact that I am currently in a transitional period between school and finding a job) I have returned home to little ol' Lamont, Alberta. The plan is to head into town and hit the hotel tonight, and then the second biggest drunkfest of the year, Bull-a-rama, where you watch bull-riding, drink, and dance (not all simultaneously . . . usually). To accomplish this, I will be staying in town with a friend and as such will not be able to deliver this article on the usual day, so I've written it up a little early, with the news available. But anyone, here is the news as of Friday.
Phoenix Pictures Picks Up Heretic
Phoenix Pictures has bought Javier Rodriguez's spec script The Heretic and is fast-tracking the Renaissance-era action-adventure thriller, says Variety.
The story revolves around a fallen priest-turned-hitman sent by a rogue archbishop to assassinate Martin Luther, only to discover that not everyone is telling the truth.
Phoenix's Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer and David Thwaites will produce. Michael Connolly of Mad Hatter Films, which manages Rodriguez, will executive produce.
Phoenix plans to start production by the first quarter.
This is kind of right out of left field . . . a fairly random story in a fairly random time period. That said, it could be pretty good. You don't see a lot of priest-turned-hitman movies out there. This could be a pretty good action flick with a nice backdrop in the Renaissance. Of course, they'd have to do it right, and obviously we won't know that until it comes out. But for now, it sounds like one to watch out for.
Miramax Bringing Us a Man on a Train
Miramax is producing an English remake of Patrice LeConte's French drama Man on the Train with writer Daniel Taplitz and producer Bob Cooper.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) is in negotiations to direct the story of a drifter casing a conservative small town for a bank robbery. The man befriends an elderly professor who seeks to energize his life by becoming his partner in crime.
Billy Bob Thornton is said to be circling the project, but no actors have been set. It's hoped that production will begin this year once a cast is locked down.
Taplitz (Chaos Theory) is adapting Claude Klotz's original screenplay to the 2002 film, which was released domestically by Paramount Classics.
By the looks of it, this movie was fairly popular in its original form, but the translation across to Hollywood is never a guaranteed thing. It has to be handled carefully. Billy Bob would be a good fit for the film, I think. The story actually sounds really intriguing, and I'm interested to see how this turns out.
Cruise's Son in Seven Pounds
Connor Cruise, the 13-year-old adopted son of Tom Cruise and ex-wife Nicole Kidman, has a minor, non-speaking part in the upcoming Will Smith drama Seven Pounds.
Connor Cruise shot his part over two days more than a month ago, playing Smith as a young man and mostly shown in photographs.
The movie, which is still in production, co-stars Rosario Dawson and is directed by The Pursuit of Happyness filmmaker Gabriele Muccino. The drama follows the story of a man who affects the lives of seven strangers.
Oh dear lord, why is this news? (I suppose I am perpetuating it as news, but I felt the need to make fun of it.) I suppose it won't be that hard of a role, just take some pictures. Plus, Connor Cruise is not related by blood to Tom Cruise, so there is a chance he is semi-normal. But then you've got the nurture-nature argument . . . but Cruise himself probably doesn't believe in one of those, so it's just going to be trouble all around. Anyhow, as for the movie itself, it sounds like another of Will Smith's 'deep' experiments. I kind of wish he was back saving the world. I miss those days.
Prince Caspian Hits the Internet Again
Walt Disney Pictures has revealed a second full trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
Opening in theaters on May 16, the Andrew Adamson-directed sequel stars Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Vincent Grass, Ken Stott, Pierfrancesco Favino, Sergio Castellitto, Liam Neeson and Eddie Izzard.
I thought the first Narnia movie was pretty good, a youth version of Lord of the Rings with more action, and it looks like it's going in all the right directions. With the back story out of the way, they'll be able to jump right into things, and it looks like they've gone all out with the war sequences and special effects. I'm looking forward to this. Check out the trailer.
Eli Roth Now PG-13
Eli Roth, the director of the "Hostel" movies and Cabin Fever, is aiming for a family crowd with his next project.
Reuters says Roth is two weeks away from finishing a script for a sci-fi action film inspired by the mainstream hits Cloverfield and Transformers.
"This will be my first big-budget, PG-13, mass-destruction movie," he said Wednesday. "I went total chaos and pandemonium."
He declined to detail the plot ahead of a "big announcement" next month.
"I feel like I pushed the violence in R movies about as far as I can push it. I feel like I'm bled out. I wanna switch it up," added the 36-year-old.
"Everyone I know has been saying 'When are you gonna do a movie my kids can see?' And finally, I'm gonna make a movie that 13-year-old kids can see."
What? Does this make sense at all? The man is responsible for the Hostel movies - two very, very gory pictures. This is definitely a switch of direction in several ways. The content will now be completely different, and it will be toned down for younger audiences. The problem is Roth's actual skill. I have heard very few good things about Hostel, and those movies seemed to be largely in response to Saw. Now he's making this after Cloverfield and Transformers . . . he's just riding everybody's coat tails, and I'm very wary of that. Also, who would watch Hostel and say "Oh, wow, do you have something for my kids, too?"
Two New Angels & Demons
Entertainment Weekly reports that Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer has landed the role of Vittoria Vetra in Columbia Pictures' "Da Vinci Code" prequel, Angels & Demons.
Zurer, who has appeared in Munich and was last seen in Vantage Point, will star opposite Tom Hanks in the Ron Howard-directed film. Naomi Watts was previously reported as being attached to the role.
Zurer's character is the daughter of CERN physicist Leonardo Vetra. Following her father's death, Vittoria pairs with Robert Langdon (Hanks) on a journey to uncover the mystery behind her father's murder and stop a terrorist plot.
Filming is set to begin in Europe in June for a May 15, 2009 release.
Now, we've learned that Ewan McGregor is in talks to join the film as well.
In the thriller, based on the Dan Brown best-seller, McGregor is set to take on the role of a powerful Vatican insider who assists Langdon.
The story centers on religious art scholar Robert Langdon (Hanks), who once again finds himself entangled with powerful forces with ancient roots: the Illuminati -- the most powerful underground organization in history -- and the Catholic Church.
Ron Howard is directing from an Akiva Goldsman script.
I combined those articles for conciseness. Now, I was excited for this movie before. I loved The Da Vinci Code, and in terms of the raw material, Angels & Demons is probably the stronger story. But now I am really, really excited. First off, Zurer had a strong role in Munich, which means she'll be well-suited to this movie, and she's not a big-name Hollywood actress, which is nice in a movie like this. And second, Ewan McGregor as the Vatican insider (I can't remember his name off-hand)? Yes!!! I cannot wait until this comes out.
Date Set For the First Deathly Hallows
When Warner Bros. Pictures made the big announcement that the studio was splitting up J.K. Rowling's final "Harry Potter" book into two parts, they said that "Part I" would open Holiday 2010, with "Part II" to be released in Summer 2011.
We now have an official date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and it's November 19, 2010. So far, it's the only movie scheduled for that date.
To be directed by David Yates ("Half-Blood Prince" and "Order of the Phoenix"), the Steve Kloves-scripted adaptation will again star Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
All Harry Potter fans, mark your calendars, this will be the beginning of the end. Other movies choosing that weekend will find themselves in a corner, I expect, because this will likely be a force to be reckoned with. The separation between the two movies isn't bad, either, but as I've said before, this has backfired before. I don't think this one will, because this is probably the right move, and maybe should have been the move after about the fourth book/movie. But they'll do something right, that's what counts.
The Dark Knight Appears
They've done it again! The fans have uncovered the official new poster for The Dark Knight. Where was it found in the viral marketing? On the Joker's WhySoSerious.com, of course! The page that lead to the poster also says "Four days," presumably how long we have to wait for the new trailer?
Oh, we can only hope four days means we'll be getting a new trailer soon, but I wouldn't count on it. The poster is pretty awesome, and it definitely sets the tone for the direction this movie is heading in. The tone is almost overly serious, but I expect that will be a good part of the fun. Another one I cannot wait for.
Rapid-Fire: Thank You For Smoking (2005, starring Aaron Eckhart, J.K. Simmons, Katie Holmes)
It's always nice to find a movie that is so completely different from everything else, and has fun doing it, too. There are very few of these, fewer still who can do it while being funny, but this is one of them. This week on Rapid-Fire, I present:
The title gives away that this movie is not going to be your average fare. It takes a light-hearted look at smoking, but the bigger picture here is the power of argument. Every word Eckhart's character speaks about argument is true. It's amazing to see a film that can put the philosophy of argument into such an entertaining form. Of course, it's also got those feel-good moments about family and doing the right thing, but the smooth tongue of Nick Naylor blows me away every time.
Eckhart is a born natural for the role, and he carries it with absolute precision. Simmons fills the usual role as the quirky boss and Robert Duvall is good in his small role as the Captain. The Merchants of Death are all great, and those scenes are all great. Cameron Bright as Joey Naylor, as creepy as he sometimes looks, is damn good at being the son of a man with a silver tongue. Holmes makes you feel exactly what you should feel toward a reporter – utter hatred – and you've got to admire her for the accurate portrayal.
There's very little to say bad about the movie. Rarely does the movie dip, as it is either dishing out wisdom or wit, and the actors never let down their guard for a second. It's amazing how well they can make you love a man who represents companies responsible for the deaths of millions.
This is a bit offbeat, and might not be for everyone, but if you can appreciate some darker, more subtle humour, this is definitely worth your time. If you feel very strongly against smoking, this also may not be the movie for you, although it's hard to tell what the movie's final stand is. Seriously, though, give this one a drag and see what you think.
Closing Time . . .
By the time you all read this, I will most likely be either extremely tired or trying to sleep off a night of small-town-level drinking, either one of which will likely not be that fantastic. That is, however, the price of a fun night. Anyway, enjoy the week, watch some movies, and I shall meet you back next time.
