Furious on Film Movie News 06.11.08

Posted by Arnold Furious on 06.11.2008

Jon Favreau’s Ironman worries, Hugh Grant falls for Ziyi Zhang, Eastwood’s latest, Smurf movie due, plus Charlie Wilson’s War and Milla Jovovich!

Furious on Film Movie News 06.11.08

Jon Favreau's Ironman worries, Hugh Grant falls for Ziyi Zhang, Eastwood's latest, Smurf movie due, plus Charlie Wilson's War and Milla Jovovich!

Issue 143

HERE IS THE GNUS



Favreau concerned about quick Ironman sequel

Credit: Jon Favreau's MySpace.

"It's been five weeks since the one and only phone call my reps have gotten from Marvel. I know their hands are full with the Hulk and I'm sure they will get into it shortly, as they tell me they intend to. I ran into the Marvel guys at the Hulk premiere and everyone sounded eager to get to work on IM2.

I am concerned, however, about the announced release date of April 2010. Neither Robert nor I were consulted about this and we are both concerned about how realistic the date is in light of the fact that we have no script, story or even writers hired yet. This genre of movie is best when it is done thoughtfully and with plenty of preparation.

It might be better to follow the BB/DK, X/X2 three year release pattern than to scramble for a date. It is difficult because there are no Marvel 09 releases and they need product, but I also think we owe it to the fans to have a great version of IM2 and, at this point, we would have less time to make it than the first one"



I agree. I know exactly WHY Marvel wants to rush Ironman 2 and aim for summer 2010 but rushing a movie is asking for trouble. They've been so patient so far. Jon Favreau knows a lot about making movies and doesn't want to endanger the quality of the sequel. It's worrying Marvel haven't called Favreau back in five weeks when they know they'll be working with him very shortly to push through an Ironman sequel. And if they're to get the film right they need to get to work on it two months ago. Of course Marvel needs a release for summer 2010 with so much planned for 2011 but it does worry me that they have this much on their plate. Could it all be getting too much I wonder? Perhaps their staff are stretched a little too thin by their own ambition? Those movies will still draw regardless of when they come out. Although Ironman is already a proven commodity and perhaps that's why the sequel is due so soon. The downside however is potentially huge. They get it wrong they piss off a lot of fans and endanger their Avengers movie in the process. They have to get it right. That means hiring writers, getting the script right and then pre-preparing and getting the work done to get Ironman 2 done right. Listen to your director chaps.

Lost in Translation

Credit: Variety.

"Hugh Grant and Ziyi Zhang will star in "Lost for Words," a comedy that Susanne Bier will direct for Universal Pictures in September. Working Title partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce with Jonathan Cavendish. Grant is in discussions to play a British film star approached to topline a pic by a Chinese femme filmmaker. He falls for the charms of the helmer's flirtatious translator, but soon sees the object of his true affection is the director (Zhang). Unfortunately, his translator is the only person who can communicate his feelings, and she has her own motives. Comedy was scripted by Jamie Curtis and Dan Mazer ("Borat"). Richard Curtis, who is Jamie's brother and a regular collaborator with Grant, will executive produce. Bier last directed "Things We Lost in the Fire" for DreamWorks."



Well, I don't like Richard Curtis movies. Take every British movie I've hated in the past decade and he's usually in there involved somewhere. Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones' Diary, Bean etc. I also loathe Hugh Grant. I think he's unwatchable and awful in everything. I think he's wooden, predictable and in need of a good slap. On the other hand Ziyi Zhang is quite magnificent in most of her films. She's really very beautiful and has a certain grace and majesty that won't be apparent in this film at all. I think there's every chance this will be complete dogshit and I have no interest in seeing it. But then it's a chick flick. It's pretty much a chick flick by default thanks to Hugh Grant who seems to appear in nothing but chick flicks.

Another Jolie baby due in October

Credit: Dark Horizons.

"Clint Eastwood's thriller "Changeling" starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich will go into limited release on October 24th before opening wide a week later reports the trades.

Angelina Jolie stars in the true story of a single mom in 1920s Los Angeles whose son goes missing; when the police return her son to her, she insists they've found the wrong boy, and her case becomes a cause celebre.

This release pattern follows the same pattern of Eastwood's "Mystic River" in 2003. Universal Pictures also confirmed that they're sticking with the original title, and not the French title "The Exchange" used at the Cannes Film Festival."



I like the idea at play behind this one. Jolie is actually capable of acting when people remember she's an actress and not just Brad Pitt's wife. There seems to be a somewhat limited view of her career. Some people seem to think she's only made Mr & Mrs Smith and Tomb Raider. It is true that she's been in some pretty bad movies but that doesn't mean she isn't talented and I'm hoping she'll be trying to use her talents more often. Although I don't hold much hope while she's still hot because she'll still get cast as a lead in dumb movies. This is a nice change of pace and Clint Eastwood is one of those rare guys who has so much integrity that he isn't going to sell out or make something he doesn't believe in. He's too old and rich to care about that and just wants to make good films. I'm anxious to see this as its Clint's first film since his WW2 Iwo Jima double shot in 2006. Both very good movies.

Oh, and rumour killer regarding 2008's Gran Torino. It's NOT a Dirty Harry movie as was at one point suggested. I believe I carried the story myself. In recent interviews Clint has rebuked the very idea of returning as Dirty Harry because he's just too old to play the part. He will be acting in Gran Torino though. His first onscreen appearance since Million Dollar Baby in 2004.

Well, Smurf me!

Credit: Variety.

"Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation are bringing a live-action/animated "Smurfs" project to the bigscreen. Sony obtained film rights to the blue-colored characters from Lafig Belgium via Jordan Kerner ("Charlotte's Web"), who is producing. David Stem and David Weiss, who wrote the second and third instalments in the "Shrek" franchise, are in negotiations to pen the screenplay. Kerner secured film rights to the Smurfs property in 2002 and had been developing a 3-D CGI feature at Paramount/Nickelodeon, which has an option to co-finance the Columbia/SPA incarnation and distribute internationally.



Wow.

Unless they make Smurfette ridiculously hot like Jessica Rabbit I'm just not seeing this. I assume it'll be aimed entirely at children regardless of what I want. I would hope so. It has the potential to be ghastly. The visual equivalent of being sick in a washing machine. Just garish colours and…well, like Speed Racer! Only without the excitement. Kids should dig it anyway. Lots of bright colours and such.

That's the news for this week.

SHILL – I've spent several weeks compiling something that was going to be serialised in Furious on Film called Series Link. I ended up writing way too much material so I had to give it a separate column. You can find #1 here. Where I take a look at the Pink Panther series. More to come. I intend to do one of those every couple of months. Please drop me a line or fill in a comment box with suggestions as to which series get coverage. Try for the more obscure ones as I'm sure everyone has heard plenty about James Bond, Indy and Rocky. I appreciate any suggestions.

What do you mean you've never seen…?

Remember in High Fidelity where the potential record buyer is confronted by Jack Black? "Don't tell anyone you don't own Blonde on Blonde?" Well, if you were to enter a serious film buff's rental place, which sadly doesn't exist nowadays thanks to Blockbuster and online rentals, and happened to make a comment about liking movies then I like to think somewhere out there that a clerk still exists who would chastise you for not having seen certain movies. Seeing as that place doesn't exist you'll just have to imagine you're walking into my rental place and happened to mention Rita Hayworth. Looking for a recommendation based solely on her poster appearing on the cell wall in the Shawshank Redemption. But what's that? You've never seen…

#13 Gilda (1946)



Rita Hayworth is one those beautiful women that stay attractive over time. What's considered attractive may change but some women are forever beautiful. Rita Hayworth is one of Hollywood's best looking leading ladies, ever. It takes Gilda 17 minutes to introduce Rita to her audience but it's worth the wait. The opening plot deals with small time card shark Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) and how a cheated casino owner Ballin Munson (George McCready) takes him under his wing. Things take a turn for the worst when Ballin falls for singer Gilda (Rita Hayworth) and brings her into his world. Turns out she's nothing but trouble. There are several scenes during Gilda where Rita Hayworth performs on stage and at times it's dated and frankly not worth watching. But the final time she performs it's "Blame it on Mame" where she seductively strips off her gloves while wearing a figure hugging black dress. Yowser! The film, from director Charles Vidor, hasn't aged terribly well although the central characters and performances work regardless of how dated everything else feels. Buenos Aires is the location and although it's constantly alluded that its hot down there the atmosphere never really gets to a level like in A Streetcar Named Desire (which had a far better leading man & director) did for New Orleans. Or the bar by the jungle in Only Angels Have Wings. But Gilda is all about Rita Hayworth looking gorgeous from scene to scene. And what a beauty she is.

BEST BIT – Blame it on Mame, naturally.



I was really tempted to do another one this week after I saw the Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension. Yes, it's pretty terrible but it does have a superb cameo from Christopher Lloyd (BIG BOO-TEY). The bit where he flips off John Lithgow is awesome. If you like sci-fi, and frankly even if you hate sci-fi, I think this is probably something you should have seen. It has the "cult classic" tag because it did so badly commercially but it also has more than a touch of Ed Wood about it. The director not the movie.

THIS WEEK'S REVIEW

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)



EXPECTATIONS – I find Mike Nichols work very hit or miss. If you look at his resume it looks like the work of two separate directors. For every the Graduate or Biloxi Blues there's a Closer or The Birdcage. That said I went into Charlie Wilson's War very upbeat. I really like Tom Hanks. He's been great in so many movies the list is now too long to reel off. He also has a knack of playing a wide range of parts. From simpleton Forrest Gump to astronaut in Apollo 13 to aging hitman in Road to Perdition to washed up former baseball player in a League of Their Own. Not to mention an array of comedies and several Oscars. Also the script comes from the witty pen of Aaron Sorkin, creator of the West Wing and also the writer of A Few Good Men and the American President.

TRAILER –



PLOT – Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) a whisky drinking congressman from Texas gets involved in funding and arming Afghanistan in their fight against the Soviet Union. He's aided by CIA wiseass Gust Avrakotos (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Houston based socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts).

OPINION - The startling thing about Charlie Wilson's War is it actually happened. One congressman from Texas, up to his eyeballs in partying, just happened to be in the right place at the right time to help the CIA launch a covert war on the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The war that cost the Soviets so much money that it eventually lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Charlie Wilson was the man behind the money that went into Afghanistan and bought the weapons that won that war. And sometimes there's nothing stranger or more entertaining than reality. Not reality TV obviously. Charlie Wilson's War benefits from several heavyweight performances in a surprisingly lightweight script. Sorkin's dialogue is quick witted and allows Hanks and Hoffman to amble into gear. Hoffman is particularly engaging as Gust. His no nonsense CIA operative has a whale of a time. The biggest issue with Charlie Wilson's War is how worryingly lightweight the plot is. While Wilson's funding creates the Mujahideen an opportunity there's not much in the plot about what happened after the war finished. The various Mujahideen ended up fighting each other and causing more misery for the Afghani people. This eventually led to the Taliban. That created the different view of the Afghani warriors. They went from freedom fighters to terrorists (remarkable how your point of view can change). This part of the story isn't really touched on. Charlie Wilson is also a touch one dimensional to begin with. The leap from drunkard to hero happens a little too quickly and some of the earlier scenes, which are the most fun Hanks has with the character, are too short and we're flying into the business end of the movie before it's even got going. Of course this does bring Hoffman into play and as soon as he's interacting with people the film has its best moments. On the flipside Julia Roberts is mildly irritating and the scene where she's applying mascara is borderline repulsive. The film could also have benefited from a little more cynicism considering it's subject matter.

BEST BIT – "You know you've hit rock bottom when you're told you have characters flaws by a man who hung his predecessor in a military coup" – Charlie Wilson waxes lyrical about his meeting with Pakistani president Zia.

RATING - ****. A charming, funny and entertaining film that showcases the talents of both Tom Hanks & Philip Seymour Hoffman. Whether you think Charlie Wilson is a hero or not is open to debate and the viewpoint of the script is fairly biased. Of course that's their decision. It does make for an entertaining film but I think it could have covered more ground.

HOLLYWOOD WHORES

Milla Jovovich. He Got Game.



Spike Lee knows a fine looking whore when he sees one. That's why he cast Milla Jovovich as a hooker in his basketball movie He Got Game. The film sees crook Denzel Washington released from jail to persuade Ray Allen to sign for a specific basketball team.



Rosario Dawson is also in He Got Game and although she does get naked that doesn't really qualify her for an entry and besides she's already been inducted for her part in Sin City.



Milla Jovovich, ladies and gentlemen.




You stay classy…Planet Earth.