Ever the astute observer, both of movies and of real life, Roger Ebert posted on his shiny new blog today a great post wondering what Hillary and Bill: The Movie might look like. Ebert talks about great political movies of the past, especially noting two of my own faves, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog and Warren Beatty's fantastic Bulworth (two of the best political movies ever made). He ponders what a movie -- a narrative, not a documentary -- following the private moments of Hillary and Bill Clinton, during the last days of this seemingly endless primary campaign, might look like. Ebert writes:
Yet there must have been private moments of despair. The two realists, as able as anyone to read the trends, must have spoken privately about their shrinking options. And on Tuesday night, as Hillary's double-digit lead in Indiana dwindled to very small single digits, there must have come a time when one of them said, "We've lost this thing."
What were those moments like? What kept them going between themselves? Did they encourage one another, or was there an unspoken pact not to voice the unspeakable? Was there blame when Bill had one of his unwise moments? Did their shared past, of success and scandal, enter into it, or were they absorbed in this moment?
In answering those questions, there you would find the movie.
Hmmm ... well, file this one under "this could be an interesting casting decision." Variety reported yesterday that Ellen Page, who's been one of my favorite young actresses since I saw her in Hard Candy, has signed on to play one of classic literature's greatest (and most adapted) heroines, Jane Eyre, in an adaptation for BBC.
On the one hand, I can see Page physically in the role -- she looks very like the waif-like Jane in the ancient hardcover edition of the book I inherited from my great-grandmother, all narrow-faced and doe-eyed. And she's certainly proven that she has the acting chops to take on a serious role (see her performances in both Hard Candy and An American Crime).
Of late, though, she's become so identified with the snarky, wise-cracking teenagers she played in Juno and Smart People, that it may be a bit hard now to wash the modern, smart-mouthed teen out of our collective viewing palettes. I say this as a fan of both Page and Juno -- and Lord knows, I've taken enough crap here and elsewhere for loving Juno over the last year -- but I'm trying to wrap my mind around Page as one of the most depressing heroines in literature (all right, Wuthering Heights' Cathy is perhaps more depressing, but until the very end of the book, Jane Eyre isn't what I'd call cheery and uplifting).
The Twilight teaser trailer is up over on MySpace, and it's short (oh, so short!), but pretty damn sweet (you can watch it above as well). What we do see of Bella and Edward, and the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson looks good. We get a feel for how Catherine Hardwicke is handling the vampires' ability to move faster-than-life, and see a snippet of the scene where Tyler nearly runs over Bella with his van, only to have Edward zip in out of nowhere and save her. It's one of my favorite scenes from the book -- it's really the first moment when Bella comes to realize that there's more to Edward than what she sees, and it looks like Hardwicke has captured that moment well.
My only real complaints are that it's short (I want more!) and that we don't see Alice or Jacob, or the trio of bad vampires. I know, I know, more will be coming, but I'm impatient. Oh, and also ... is it just me, or do Edward's eyes look too normal? I want to see golden eyes, topaz eyes ... "good" vampire eyes!
Alright, Twilighters, I know you're out there, and you always have plenty to say on everything Twilight. What do you think of this teaser-trailer? Are you liking the look and feel of what you've seen so far? And most importantly, how, oh how, are you going to wait until December 12, when the movie finally hits theaters?
Last night we took the crew to see Iron Man. You can read James's and Scott's reviews of the film, but I'll just add that this movie ROCKS, and in case you're a parent debating whether to bring your kids to see it, I felt that what violence is in the film is mostly cartoonish, Indiana Jones-level stuff, so if your kids can handle those films, they'll be fine. All of my kids were engaged in the film from start to finish, and there was nothing in it that scared them as much and that damn sea lion in Happy Feet.
But I digress. Before the film, of course, they had the usual array of trailers (Speed Racer, Indy 4, Prince Caspian), and one of them was for The Dark Knight. Now, I've generally been avoiding seeing or reading too much about The Dark Knight, so this was the first time I'd seen the trailer. And my reaction to it was ... I don't know if I want to see this film. Much as I love Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, I just found the scenes of Heath Ledger as the Joker oddly painful to watch.
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Sugar, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Half Nelson, has finally been picked up for distribution. Variety's Mike Jones reports the film has been acquired for theatrical distribution by Sony Pictures Classics, which seems like a good fit for the film. HBO Films, which financed the film, retains television rights.
Sugar, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, felt at the time like a tough sell after Half Nelson; it still does. The film, which is subtitled, tells the tale of a young baseball star from the Dominican Republic who crashes after getting moved up to the big leagues. It's really very much a coming-of-age kind of tale about this young boy who grew up poor but talented, always believing baseball to be his one ticket out.
Holy Cullens! Hold onto your seats, all you Twilight fanatics. This is the first official ensemble piece with final hair, makeup and costume (those other photos, we believe, were test shots, but this one gives our first official look at the characters inside the Twilight universe) Click on the image for a larger view -- you know you want to -- then let's take a moment to dissect the loveliness, shall we?
We've been covering the various bits of Twilight news, set visit write-ups and behind-the-scenes goodies extensively here, but this is the first time that we've seen the cast in character like this. Aside from the fact that the image looks totally cool and perfectly captures that "Twilight-vibe," can I just say that any doubts anyone out there is still harboring about Robert Pattinson as Edward should be totally laid to rest by this picture?
Who's excited about Iron Man? We are, we are! And we know you, like us, are counting the days -- nay, the hours -- until May 2, when Iron Man hits the big screen. In the meantime, though, we have this little behind-the-scenes tidbit from Moviefone's recent Unscripted interview with the Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr., Jon Favreau and Terrence Howard, interviewing each other with your questions.
The clip above (which is not included in the full interview over on Moviefone) is short, but funny -- how can you not like a video that includes Robert Downey, Jr. talking in a Jersey accent and saying, "What?! You feeling froggy, bitch? Jump!" Oh, yeah. If only I'd been there myself for this, perhaps Downey, Jr. would finally recognize his long unrequited love for me. Oh, wait, I'm the one who's had a crush on him forever ... ah, well.
Oh my, oh Miley. Blogs around the internet are buzzing over these photos of 15-year-old Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair. Movie City News' David Poland, writing about the pics on his Hot Blog, said, "People do know that 15-year-old breasts, while they really have no business being shown in public, do exist, whether covered in a sheet or a t-shirt, right?" (Poland has the full picture up on his website, I'm not going to put it up here. You can see it there or on Vanity Fair.)
Well, yes, we know that 15-year-old girls have 15-year-old breasts, but that does that make it appropriate for a magazine to publish photos of a half-naked teenager? Whether because the folks over at Disney, where Cyrus's show Hannah Montana is one of its biggest properties, pitched a bitch about the photos, or because she's genuinely mortified by the photos in retrospect, Cyrus issued a statement to fans that said, in part, "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed."
I said goodbye to Urbana Sunday, after a fun-filled time at the 10th annual Ebertfest. Saturday's schedule was packed with a marvelously diverse slate of films, starting off with Ang Lee's Hulk. Now, I am admittedly not a comic geek, and I like smart, artsy films, which is probably why I'm in the minority in enjoying Lee's take on the Hulk story.
I've never understood the hate for this film; there are some great shots in the film and it's artistically beautiful. Plus, I like how Lee explores the father-son and anger issues underlying the origin story in the film. The audience at Ebertfest, at least, was very enthusiastic in their response to Lee's film; it may well have been the most positive audiene reception he's had for Hulk since its inception.
Here are a few pics from the fest, more after the jump ...
Boy, you're gone for a few days to cover a film festival, and you miss all kinds of new Twilight news. Here's a roundup of the most recent Twilight goodness:
Over on the Twilight Lexicon blog, they've posted several of new pics from the Twilight set from Twilighter Janae, who's town was used as the stand-in for Forks.
Also on the Lexicon, more set photos, these from Indian Beach, the stand-in for La Push. These have been edited into a nice little video, for your viewing pleasure. And this is just a preview, they're editing more as we speak. Nice job, guys.
I missed out on the first film of yesterday's slate, Shotgun Storiesby Jeff Nichols, because I wanted to get my first dispatch up before I left the hotel for the day. By the time I made it over to the Virginia Theater and found parking (a feat almost as difficult as finding parking in New York City -- okay, not quite, but it is a bit of a challenge) the screening had started already.
Fortunately, I've seen the film already on a screener, and though I would have liked to have seen it on a big screen, I can tell you that this tale of brothers in rural Arkansas coming to terms with the death of their abusive father is an excellent little indie film, and very deserving of the Independent Spirit Award it won earlier this year. Hanging out outside the theater throughout the day, I kept hearing fest folks talking about this film and how much they loved it, and I'm glad Roger added it to this year's program.
I arrived in lovely Urbana, Illinois late Wednesday night after being grounded by a thunderstorm and missing my connection in Chicago, but all is well now that I'm here for this lovely little fest. The heart and soul of Ebertfest, of course, is Roger Ebert, who is sadly absent this year due to fracturing his hip while doing physical therapy trying to get strong enough to be here.
Roger has written on his own blog about his sadness at not being able to be here to enjoy the films he programmed and to see his many friends. Those of us who are here for the fest feel his absence. Last year, he sat in the back row of the Virginia Theater, ensconced in the recliner brought in for him, where he sat flanked by his nurse on one side and wife Chaz on the other, and his warmth and enthusiasm radiated through the stately theater. This year, the chair sits empty, and though he is here in spirit, that gentle, humble presence and ever-ready smile are keenly missed, though everyone here, of course, is more concerned about his health than anything else.
Why We Can't Wait to See It: After waiting for years for a quality theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis's beloved Narnia series, the first film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, didn't disappoint. Will the darker, more action-packed tale of Prince Caspian continue to impress fans of the books?
Why It Might Do Well: The best-selling series has a built-in fan base with families, Christians, and fantasy fans. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe grossed over $740,000,000 worldwide off an estimated $180,000,000 budget. This installment also boasts the addition of Ben Barnes as the handsome Prince Caspian, which could draw in the tween and teen market.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Producer Mark Johnson confirmed at the Narnia panel at New York Comic Con that the Mouse House plans to stop the franchise after filming Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- news that might not sit well with hardcore Narnia fans who were hoping to see all of the series brought to life. Also, the kid market has been rather flooded with fantasy films of late; The Spiderwick Chronicles brought in a dismal $70 million domestically off a $90 million budget, and Abigail Breslin starrer Nim's Island just over $32 million off a $34 million budget. Could interest in fantasy films be waning?
Fun Fact: Work on the script for Prince Caspian was started during the shooting of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so filming on the sequel could begin as soon as possible, before the four children playing the leads visibly aged. Prince Caspian starts just one year in "Earth time" after the end of the first book.
Roger Ebert is, by far, the most recognized name in film criticism. He started writing about film for the Chigaco Sun-Times the year before I was born, won the Pulitzer the year I turned eight, and he's been at it prolifically ever since. The man sees more movies and writes more reviews than just about anyone I know, and he's barely let the past year-and-a-half or so of illness and rehabilitation put a dent in his workload.
Monday, with typically little fanfare, Ebert took on even more work, this time in the form of a blog added to his website. He's calling it "Roger Ebert's Journal," and his first entry is about leading a delegation of the Urbana High School Science Fiction Club to a speech by Sir Arthur C. Clarke at the University of Illinois. (Can't you just picture him as the leader of a sci-fi club? I can.) Ebert shares a little slice of movie history in the post, talking about the Cinenamia CD-ROM (kind of a precursor to IMDb), of which Clarke was apparently quite fond.
The best part for Ebert's fans is that, in addition to being able to read more of his excellent writings, he's left comments open on the blog. So pop on over there, read his inaugural post, and give him a warm shout-out in the comments. Welcome, Roger, to the fast-paced world of film blogging. We at Cinematical give you our warmest welcome, and we'll be keeping an eye on your journal to see what you're writing about, in between churning out all those reviews.
I opened my email this morning, and had an update on the Steve Kurtz case that made my entire day. Kurtz, as you may recall, is the subject of the film Strange Culture, which has been on the fest circuit since Sundance 2007. Kurtz and his wife, Hope, had been involved in a group called the Critical Art Ensemble, which had won numerous awards for its bio-art exhibits, and has been commissioned to perform in prestigious cultural institutions around the world.
The nightmare started for Kurtz when Hope, his wife of 27 years, died suddenly of heart failure while they were in the midst of preparing for an exhibit on GMOs in the food supply. As a part of the exhibit preparations, they had some harmless bacteria in petri dishes, microscopes, and other scientific materials (all of which are commonly found in college and even high school labs) in their home.
Ever the astute observer, both of movies and of real life, Roger Ebert posted on his shiny new blog today a great post wondering what Hillary and Bill: The Movie might look like. Ebert talks about great political movies of the past, especially noting two of my own faves, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog and Warren Beatty's fantastic Bulworth (two of the best political movies ever made). He ponders what a movie -- a narrative, not a documentary -- following the private moments of Hillary and Bill Clinton, during the last days of this seemingly endless primary campaign, might look like. Ebert writes:
Hmmm ... well, file this one under "this could be an interesting casting decision." .jpg)
Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Sugar, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Half Nelson, has finally been picked up for distribution. Variety's Mike Jones 
Oh my, oh Miley. Blogs around the internet are buzzing over these photos of 15-year-old Hannah Montana star 
Boy, you're gone for a few days to cover a film festival, and you miss all kinds of new Twilight news. Here's a roundup of the most recent Twilight goodness:
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Roger Ebert is, by far, the most recognized name in film criticism. He started writing about film for the Chigaco Sun-Times the year before I was born, won the Pulitzer the year I turned eight, and he's been at it prolifically ever since. The man sees more movies and writes more reviews than just about anyone I know, and he's barely let the past year-and-a-half or so of illness and rehabilitation put a dent in his workload. 
I opened my email this morning, and had an update on the Steve Kurtz case that made my entire day. Kurtz, as you may recall, is the subject of the film 
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Cinematical Seven: When an Animated Series Goes Live Action ... and Gets it Right_thumbnail.jpg)
Full 'G.I. Joe' Cast Photos!
