Theater and Acting

Nearly 30 years ago, Dustin Hoffman played a trouble-making actor who had to pretend to be a woman to get a job. Tootsie played on Hoffman’s reputation as an extremely precise professional (AKA a pain in the butt), insisting to his agent that he set a new standard in playing real-life vegetables. My memory’s a bit hazy on the details, but you get the idea. Hoffman has been a hero to many in the acting profession for insisting on such verisimilitude, for walking the extra mile in worn shoes to capture the peculiar gait of a particular character.

And now he’ll get to tell other actors what to do. The Daily Mail reports that Hoffman is in advanced negotiations to direct Quartet, based on a stage play by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist). The comedy revolves around a trio of elderly opera singers, now living in a retirement home. Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, and Albert Finney are set to play the singers.

Now 72 years of age (?!), Hoffman has never officially directed before, though he intended to direct Straight Time in 1978. The burden of being both star and director proved to be more than he wanted to take on, so he brought on Ulu Grosbard to handle directing duties on short notice, and the result is one of Hoffman’s best performances. By the way, rest assured that Quartet is not a prequel to Robert Altman’s disastrous sci-fi drama Quintet, starring Paul Newman. We’ll see Hoffman what does with opera singers; filming is scheduled to begin later this year.

Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Deals, Cinematical Indie

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If you’re one of the 1 million + people who follow Heidi Montag on Twitter, you saw her March 10th tweet: “I was just cast in my first feature film comedy! I start filming Monday!!!!!” A few hours later, she talked about it being one of the best days of her life. No doubt — this is the young woman who had 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day because she wanted to be a “better” Heidi, and thought it was necessary for her career. Looks like she was right; she’s been busy memorizing her script, and experiencing her first day on-set. The movie in question — Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s Just Go with It, where she’ll play Kevin Nealon’s wife. (This is the project that used to be called The Pretend Wife.)

While we might beg to differ on the facial reformation Heidi underwent, and the large breasts she added to her slight frame — all in the name of professional success and physical obsession — Hollywood has bought into her notion hook line and sinker. Or, at the very least, Tinseltown is willing to cash in on her current fame as the cute girl who thought she wasn’t cute enough, sending the message that plastic surgery is important, or at the very least, that it will help you get 15 minutes of fame.

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Columns, Girls on Film

Continue reading Girls on Film: Hollywood, Image, and Responsibility

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Much more than a simple collection of clips, Reel Injun proves to be an illuminating semi-personal essay as well. Filmmaker Neil Diamond travels across North America as a backdrop for his exploration of Hollywood’s heritage in depicting Indians on the big screen. Hint: It is found severely wanting.

Reel Injun features interviews with Clint Eastwood, directors Jim Jarmusch and Chris Eyre, actor Adam Beach, and comedian Charlie Hill along with the multi-talented and influential Russell Means and John Trudell. Sacheen Littlefeather recounts her life leading up to the memorable night in which she declined the Academy Award for Marlon Brando; Means and Trudell recall what that meant, coming as it did in the midst of the takeover in Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

Filed under: Documentary, Independent, SXSW, Theatrical Reviews, Cinematical Indie

Continue reading SXSW Review: Reel Injun

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We interviewed Edward Norton at SXSW for the Tim Blake Nelson directed Leaves of Grass, in which he plays straight-laced philosophy professor Bill, and then his redneck, pot growing twin brother Brady. It’s a great movie, and Brady deserve to stand alongside lovable stoners like Jeff Lebowski and Spiccoli. Look for a review later.

Anyhow, you can read the full interview with Norton and Tim Blake Nelson soon, but in the meantime, he did give us a nugget of info on The Incredible Hulk sequel, which he and Tim Blake Nelson were both attached to. As in, is it happening?

“I don’t think so. I think it has got more to do with what Marvel is doing. I get the sense they have this grand vision of unspooling a lot of their characters and then starting to put them together. I think they can only do so many at a time. Obviously, they are doing Iron Man 2 and then getting some of the new ones out.”

Which isn’t great news, considering how much I enjoyed The Incredible Hulk. How are they going to make an Avengers movie without the Hulk? Me smash.

Filed under: Festival Reports, Fandom, Interviews, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

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A few brave souls use their fierce talent to recreate beloved works of art page by page or scene by scene. One such artist is Zak Smith, whose impressive book — Pictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon’s Novel Gravity’s Rainbow — does just that. There have also been plenty of cartoons of bunnies acting out movies like The Shining, Alien, and even Brokeback Mountain in 60 seconds, but I am fairly certain I’ve never seen anything quite like this panel-by-panel recreation of The Wicker Man with the Muppets.

Kermie plays naive Sergeant Howie, while Miss Piggy is naturally the sexy gal Willow, played originally by Britt Ekland with butt-slappin’ zest. (There’s even a shot of Ekland’s nude torso with Miss Piggy’s body attached. Gasp!) The best part? Gonzo takes over from Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. This is some truly inspired stuff, folks.

Unlike, say, the Nicolas Cage remake. Embedded after the jump is both the entire comic (!) and the best scenes from Nic Cage’s version of The Wicker Man, which apparently consists of him punching a woman while dressed as a bear. “Not the bees!”

Enjoy and TGIF.

[Via the always-awesome Dangerous Minds]

Filed under: Fandom, Trailers and Clips

Continue reading The Muppets Do ‘The Wicker Man’

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Away We Go. The Hangover. Up in the Air. Jennifer’s Body. Whip It. Gentlemen Broncos. Fantastic Mr. Fox. What do these 2009 films have in common? Randall Poster.

Poster, for folks who don’t pore over the below-the-line folks who are as much if not more responsible for the artistry that goes into the films we watch and love, is a music supervisor. The producer and developer of the musical backdrops, if not backbones, of countless films over the past two decades, he’s responsible for pairing some of the movies’ most indelible images with its most unforgettable songs, from Kids to Rushmore to School of Rock to virtually any scene in the above films in which music is played. He’s worked with Wes Anderson and Todd Haynes; Harmony Korine and Martin Scorsese; Todd Phillips and David Fincher.

Two of Poster’s most acclaimed films from last year arrive on DVD and Blu-ray this month: Up in the Air debuted March 9, while Fantastic Mr. Fox is being released March 23. Cinematical was lucky enough to speak to Poster earlier this year when the native New Yorker was visiting Los Angeles for work. In addition to talking about his collaborations with directors Jason Reitman and Wes Anderson on these two particular projects, Poster discussed the process of cultivating long-term relationships with various filmmakers, and reflected upon the work – and the way of working – that he’s found most satisfying during the course of his accomplished and remarkably eclectic career.

Cinematical: Just to get started, how did you get started as a music supervisor and what’s involved in it as a job?

Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment, Interviews

Continue reading The Keeping Score Interview: Music Supervisor Randall Poster

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I knew Alice in Wonderland was going to do well but I seriously underestimated just how well. Alice had the biggest March opening ever, as well as the strongest opening for a 3D movie and had the best opening in history for a non-sequel. Here’s the top five:

1. Alice in Wonderland: $116.1 million
2. Brooklyn’s Finest: $13.4 million
3. Shutter Island: $13.2 million
4. Cop Out: $9.2 million
5. Avatar: $8.1 million

We’ve got a whopping four new releases this week:

The Green Zone
What’s It All About: Based on a novel by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, this one is about a U.S. soldier’s hunt for weapon’s of mass destruction in Iraq during which he learns that factions on both sides of the issue are spinning the truth for their own ends.
Why It Might Do Well: Matt Damon stars, United 93’s Paul Greengrass is directing and the film is getting a 71% Fresh rating over at Rottentomatoes.com.
Why It Might Not Do Well: There are still enough strong movies in release to keep this one from climbing too high.
Number of Theaters: 2,900
Prediction: $16

Our Family Wedding
What’s It All About: When a young couple announces their plans to wed, their respective fathers (Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia) immediately lock horns.
Why It Might Do Well: America Ferrera stars as the bride and despite Ugly Betty’s recent cancellation I always liked her.
Why It Might Not Do Well: WIth or without the ethnic spin, the “families-butt-heads-before-the-wedding” story has been done to death. Also, I so can’t stand Carlos Mencia.
Number of Theaters: 1,500
Prediction: $6 million

Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Box Office Predictions

Continue reading Box Office: The Green League Rembers Our Wedding

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Did the Academy Awards sap your movie love? Reduce you to bitter rantings? Make you want to bask in old, beloved favorites? While Hollywood was getting their glitz on, our movie clubs are still going strong.

Over at SciFi Squad, Peter Hall has picked Right at Your Door – a film that delves into a post-bombed Los Angeles, without the usual disaster wasteland. Chris Gorak’s 2006 film stars Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane as a “dirty bomb” goes off in the city, releasing a toxic cloud. Check out the discussion right here.

Meanwhile, Horror Squad’s Brad McHargue dug into Ils (Them), “pure, unbridled tension” surrounding a couple terrorized in their isolated country house. It’s one McHargue feels was “overshadowed by what I felt was the utterly predictable The Strangers.” You can read his commentary on the film right here.

Finally, I dug into the lascivious interludes between Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson in Mike Nichols’ classic, The Graduate, choosing to focus on the unseemly story made epic and classic by its stars, music, and look. You can join in on the discussion right here.

The Squads will offer their next picks this Friday, and meanwhile, you can join me and watch Cinematical’s next pick, The Deer Hunter, as I livetweet it this Wednesday, 10 P.M. Eastern time. You can follow me @MBartyzel, and join in on the discussion using both #cinemovieclub and #thedeerhunter.

Filed under: Fandom, Home Entertainment

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I say it year after year, but I think I’m finally done with the Oscars. I know, it’ll never really happen. Not only because I write about movies professionally and the Academy Awards are a necessary part of this job but also for the same reason that I’ll never quit messing with that scab on my arm or slowing down to stare at highway accidents. I may be a film cynic, but I’m also a film masochist, and some of why I keep watching the Oscars is just part of my addiction to the pain of being a cinephile in the 21st century.

Of course, it’s also part of the tradition. Like all of you, I grew up an Oscar zealot. I tuned in annually as if it were a yearly religious event, like midnight mass at Christmas or something. And I can’t pull on the perspective cloak or go back in time to determine if the ceremony has truly gotten worse or if I’m simply less tolerant of decisions made by both the Academy and the telecast’s producers in my old age. But I will say this much: to me, at this moment in my life, I do believe the marginalization of the deceased who didn’t receive a lengthy tribute as did John Hughes is far more despicable than Rob Lowe grinding with Snow White 21 years ago.

Filed under: Awards, Obits, Fan Rant

Continue reading Fan Rant: I’m Done with the Oscars

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Cinematical is live-blogging the Academy Awards! Follow along down below, and don’t forget to keep refreshing this page. Head over to Moviefone for additional Oscar coverage, and check out the most recent red carpet photos right here.

Click here for a full list of Academy Award winners updated in real time

9:12 PM – Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. (hilariously) pair up for Best Original and Adapted Screenplays: The Hurt Locker (first of many tonight, I suspect) and something else TBA momentarily.

9:06 PM – Monika wanted to know why nobody brought any “fookin’ prawns.” Got a big laugh here.

9:05 PM – Having Chris Pine of Star Trek fame explain how District 9 essentially took their populist genre nod seems fitting.

9:01 PM – Hey, Amanda Seyfried and Miley Cyrus of this year’s Nicolas Sparks adaptations are reading off Best Original Song, which is… deservedly “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart.

Filed under: Awards, Fandom, Oscar Watch

Continue reading Oscars Live Blog — First Hour

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