When Heath Ledger passed away earlier this year, he left the planet as one of this generation's great actors; a guy who battled many personal demons off the screen, for sure, but one who gave everything to the role. And while we won't get to see his latest creation on the big screen until July 18th, early footage shows Ledger's version of Batman's arch-nemesis could go down as the darkest, baddest and craziest we've ever seen. My question to you, then, is: Will it be enough to land Ledger another Oscar nod come next year?
Sure, the Academy isn't all too keen on recognizing superhero movies unless we're talking about special effects or sound editing, but with bigger actors taking on riskier comic-related roles, isn't only a matter of time before one of these guys (or girls) turns out a performance worthy of a gold statue? Are these characters not meaty enough; are they not conflicted, troubled and crying out for a hug? If an Oscar can go to Javier Bardem for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer in No Country for Old Men, and Johnny Depp can be nominated for playing a sadistic, calculated murderer -- both in the same year -- I see no reason why Ledger's Joker can't be taken into consideration.
It's early still, I realize that -- but should this guy turn in the kind of performance we're all expecting, shouldn't he be recognized with an Oscar nomination? What are the chances here, folks?
On this side of the Atlantic, there has always been the Trapp Family Lodge. Nestled in Stowe, Vermont, you could go there, ski, get fat on maple sugar, and revel in all things von Trapp. However, being in Vermont, and not Austria, it can't immerse The Sound of Music fans into the Austrian experience of the uber-popular film.
And now there's a new vacation spot to steal the Vermont Lodge's thunder. Reuters reports that the original family villa near Salzburg, Austria, is going to open as a hotel this July. I kinda feel bad for the US lodge, because what can compete, for fans, with sleeping in their rooms, or getting hitched in their chapel? You can even sing "Sixteen Going on 17" in Liesl's gazebo (a "self-assembly construction set"). To make things even more appealing, there are no large-scale renovations in store. The plan is to make minimal changes, like paint and rewiring, before the hotel opens and masses of fans can step back into time for a quite reasonable 100 euros a night. I wonder if the halls will be alive with music, and how long it would take to drive a normal traveler mental?
Ever since director Jason Reitman knocked one out of the ballpark with Juno, folks have been itching to see what the man takes on next. Yes, he's taken to producing a few things (like the Diablo Cody-penned Jennifer's Body), but what, exactly, will be his next directorial project. Well, according to Latino Review, they've heard from a source that the younger Reitman will direct an adaptation of the novel Up in the Air, written by Thumbsucker author Walter Kirn. Apparently, some digging reveals that Jason's dad Ivan Reitman is already executive producing the film after picking up a script from Sheldon Turner back in 2003.
Recently, Reitman told MTV that he was "writing something" and would "direct it at the end of the year." When pushed to reveal something, anything, Reitman said "it's a comedy and a drama [book adaptation]. Think Thank You For Smoking, but instead of political it's corporate." And if you look at the synopsis for Up in the Air over on Amazon (I've never read the book personally), it fits right into the above description.
Here's a taste: "Officially, Bingham is a management consultant, specializing in the lugubrious field of career transition counseling (i.e., he fires people for a living). But what Kirn's airborne protagonist is really doing is pursuing his own private passion, his great white whale: accumulating one million miles in his frequent-flyer account. As Up in the Air opens, Bingham has set out on a final, epic traveling jag. He intends to visit eight cities in six days, thereby achieving his own vision of Nirvana somewhere over Sioux Falls, South Dakota."
No official word on this one yet, but the pieces definitely seem to be coming together. Anyone read the book? Is it a good fit for Reitman?
UPDATE: LR provides the following update: I just got off the horn with Jason Reitman's publicist. She did in fact confirm that Jason is adapting the book but that no deal is YET in place for him to direct.
Yup, she's at it again. Not long ago, Jessica Alba recreated several memorable scenes from classic horror movies for Latina Magazine. Now she's back, and in honor of her upcoming comedy The Love Guru, the actress posed for a photo as comedy legend Charlie Chaplin for the June issue of Allure magazine. It's actually a pretty funny photo, considering Alba's pretty pregnant under all those clothes. Definitely not as bad as those horror shots; in those pics, the gal barely looked like she was trying. Here, at least, she widens her eyes and does a little something with her mouth. Eh? Can you tell I'm reaching here? Let's not even touch the fact that she's posing as Chaplin to promote The Love Guru. I think we should make a rule right now: No one is allowed to pose as a comedy icon unless, ya know, that person also happens to be kinda funny on the big screen.
Check out Alba's last "recreation stint" in the gallery below.
Get what you can through older clips like the one above, because it looks like Moaning Myrtle is getting more to moan about. Snitch Seeker, a Potter fan site, contacted Shirley Henderson's agency, and they confirmed: "I'm sorry to report that Moaning Myrtle has not made it into the latest film." That's right -- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will get none of the moaning cutie. In the realms of the plot, this means that Myrtle won't be able to console Draco Malfoy after Harry performs the Sectumsempra spell on the tow-headed wannabe baddie.
I'm beginning to wonder if the final two-parter announcement is not only to handle all that's packed inside the last installment, but to have enough room to give all the beloved characters their time on screen. At least, with two films, I would hope that they wouldn't have to cut anyone completely out. The only thing that sucks more than a character cut for time, is a character cut when the time is already doubled.
What say you, Potter fans? Is Myrtle an okay exclusion?
A new trailer for The Incredible Hulkhas just arrived online, and I'm definitely diggin' it. This is the trailer currently playing before Speed Racer, and, is it just me, or is that a little tease of the classic TV show's music there at the end. Have we heard any of that yet? Maybe I missed it in another trailer, but I first noticed it just now -- and, man, did it take me back.* This new preview gives us a whole lotta Hulk and no Abomination -- just Hulk running and smashing things, like those two cars he's holding up at the end. (Does insurance cover a monster destroying your automobile?) The Incredible Hulk stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson. The film marks Marvel's second self-financed flick, following the very successful Iron Man, and it was directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Transporter 2). So now that you've gotten a good look at three trailers and tons of images from the film, whaddya think? Worth a shot? As good or better than Iron Man? Check our our pretty massive Incredible Hulk gallery, and sound off below ...
*The music is also featured at the end of the second trailer; thanks to Peter for pointing that out.
Cinematical has received two brand new exclusive Blindness images ahead of the film's world premiere tonight at the 2008 Festival de Cannes. Directed by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener), Blindness was selected as the opening night film for this year's Festival de Cannes, and it stars Julianne Moore as the wife of a doctor (Mark Ruffalo) who suddenly becomes the only one who can see in a town where everyone is struck with a mysterious case of blindness. Based on the novel by José Saramago (adapted by Don Mckellar), Blindness also stars Gael García Bernal, Alice Braga and Danny Glover.
Cinematical is on the ground in Cannes, and both James and Kim have already seen Blindness. We'll have our review of the festival's opening night film later on in the day. Check out our second exclusive photo below, then head to the gallery for more. Blindness arrives in theaters on September 19.
We've been hearing about a possible 21 Jump Street movie for awhile now, and if Entertainment Weekly is to be believed, it looks like that film might be happening with Apatow love child Jonah Hill, who's in negotiations to work on the screenplay and executive produce. We assume Hill would also star in one of the lead roles, though that probably depends on whether they go the strict comedic route with this. 21 Jump Street, the TV show, was a pretty big hit during the '80s, and it starred Johnny Depp as one of a group of young cops who went undercover in high schools to help troubled kids.
I dig it. Something like this would only work today if it was done with a sense of humor, I think, and so bringing in Hill to sprinkle on some Superbad-ish jokes might work well for the film ... even though all the raunchy stuff would make it a completely different monster, and when it was all said and done, would probably have nothing whatsoever to do with the original TV show (besides the name and the premise). Could you see 21 Jump Street: The Movie working as an Apatow-esque comedy? Does it work better as a drama? And who would you like to see joining Hill as a fellow undercover officer?
George Roush over at Latino Review grabbed one crazy exclusive. While touring the creature effects shop for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, he spotted a photo of a familiar X-Man: Hank McCoy, aka Beast. (Non comic book nerds may remember him as Kelsey Grammar with blue fur.)
It was not a drawing, but an actual photo, possibly computer generated. (Roush thinks it was an actual person in a Beast getup, though.) It was unmistakably of a young Beast, leaping through the air. And it was tagged Magneto.
Roush casually asked what the heck that was all about, and was told in a "isn't it obvious" way, "This is young Beast from the prequel they're gonna be doing. Magneto."
There's no real explanation as to what McCoy would be doing in a Magneto storyline, or how they would meet up. It is as random a choice of mutant as we're seeing with another X-Men: Origins film. I don't get it. Both Magneto and Wolverine are strong enough to stand on their own two storylines, which is why they were chosen for origin films in the first place. Is there some studio clause stipulating that they must choose a certain number of mutants to accompany the title character? It cannot be coincidence. I am willing to bet it means there will never be an X-Men 4, and that they are using these guest-star appearances to float more spin-offs. I'm probably overthinking that, and it is just a way to make more action figures.
As soon as this story hit, I had to check to make sure a) it wasn't April 1st, and b) we all still lived on the planet Earth. Yes, I'm not kidding about this one -- The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Werner Herzog is remaking Abel Ferrara's gritty, NC-17-rated cult classic,Bad Lieutenant, and none other than Nicolas Cage is going to star. Nic Cage! Werner Herzog! Am I the only one who's completely blown away by this bizarre news? (Though, to be fair, we did kinda see this coming ...)
Cage will take on the role originally played by Harvey Keitel; he'll slip into the part of a drug and sex-addicted corrupt cop, though there's no word on how far they'll take this version of the film. However, exec producer Avi Lerner did promise this new take will "deliver as much filth as the original." Wonderful! We'll look forward to it Avi! Nu Image/Millennium Films will finance, with Pressman Film Corp. producing. When asked about his opinion on this new project, Cinematical snark expert Scott Weinberg said "Awesome, let's hope it's as funny as his last remake. The Wicker Man as a comedy ... brilliant!" (Oh man, this is such a nasty, nasty film.)
Okay, now it's your turn: I know you folks are dying to sound off on this one below ...
When Marvel officially announced the release date for Thor last week (June 4, 2010), news quickly followed that Matthew Vaughn was no longer directing, a script was being fine-tuned and Marvel was in search of an actor to fill Thor's mighty shoes. Seeing as he's blonde, a very popular actor and has starred in films like Troy, the first name to pop into the minds of fanboys (and girls) everywhere was Brad Pitt. And whaddya know: Latino Review is saying this week that Pitt is at the top of Marvel's wishlist. Who woulda thunk it?
On paper, this does seem like a logical -- and realistic -- choice. Pitt is at a similar point in his career as Robert Downey Jr., Edward Norton and even Johnny Depp (who surprised fans by starring in three Pirates of the Caribbean films for Disney). If there ever was a right time for Pitt to take a leap and "do one for his kids," Thor would be that project -- especially since his gal Angelina has already starred in two Tomb Raider flicks. But then the guy would have to sign for at least three films (most likely), not to mention the fact that he'd need to be in phenomenal shape. Plus, perhaps Troy was Pitt's Thor, and maybe he's tired of all those giant blockbusters; maybe he'd rather do some smaller stuff.
However, then you look around Hollywood and, honestly, who else could play the Marvel superhero? Taking into consideration the move by Marvel to hire bigger names for their films, is there anyone else who could muscle-up and play Thor? Or is Pitt the only name that could truly bring this project to the next level?
Those crazy cats from The Onion are back with a news story that takes a look at a new tour which gives folks a chance to check out the archaic system that was renting movies. Yes, it's a joke, and your local Blockbuster store is still around (and open!), but I could totally see something like this existing in, say, 10-20 years from now. Follow their news reporters inside an actual Blockbuster store, where they find actors playing Blockbuster employees, as well as actual renters. Real renters! I love the couple who say they can't believe how people used to live like this. Then you get the tourists with cameras taking shots of two "historical performers" having a conversation about a video. Love it!
What do you think? How far are we away from something like this existing in real life? And would you pay a visit? Take the kids?
If I had one wish and one wish only, I think I'd like to be Javier Bardem throughout the duration of filming Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the latest film from writer-director Woody Allen. A new trailer for the flick has just debuted over at Moviefone, and while it's kinda hard to make out what's going on in the movie (there's no dialogue; just music), this definitely looks steamy, romantic, dramatic and, ahem, hot. Starring Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelonamarks Allen's first film shot in Spain and it revolves around a painter (Bardem) who winds up "involved" with two American tourists (Johansson and Hall). Cruz plays Bardem's jealous ex-girlfriend, and if the final shot of the trailer is any indication, she definitely takes her jealousy to the next level.
Based on early buzz, there's apparently a sexy threesome scene between Bardem, Johansson and Cruz in the film, as well as a little back-and-forth kissing between Johansson and Cruz (which is teased in the preview). Needless to say, the 2008 Festival de Cannes is the perfect place to premiere such a film -- and our own James Rocchi and Kim Voynar are currently on the ground in France, itching to bring you tons of coverage later this week (including a review of this seductive-looking film).
Check out the trailer above (or over on Moviefone) and let us know what you think below. Vicky Cristina Barcelona arrives in theaters on August 29.
Finally! I know there's a ton of you waiting patiently for release dates on Street Fighterand Alvin and the Chipmunks II-- and after spending all night making phone calls, while watching the wire, Cinematical can confirm that the new live-action Street Fighter flick will debut on February 27, 2009. But that's not all! (I know, it was a busy night at headquarters; the boss had us all working double shifts.) 20th Century Fox has also scheduled Alvin and the Chipmunks II for release on March 19, 2010. There's no script yet, and Jason Lee is not signed on to star, but the first one took in a ridiculous $358.4 million worldwide -- so, I mean, they could have these little guys talking Yiddish for a couple hours in part two and the thing would still make over $100 million.
Other announcements in Release Date Land include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africagoing day-and-date on November 7, and Universal has taken Wild Child off its calendar. That film, starring Emma Roberts as a rebellious Malibu teenager who gets shipped off to a British boarding school and learns that afternoon tea is the answer to all of life's problems, was originally scheduled for August 22. No word on why it was yanked, but I'm sure you folks could come up with several positive reasons. To make up for the removal, however, Universal has moved Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race up from September 26 to August 22. Good thing, too, because I like my death races at the end of summer and not at the beginning of fall.
Mother's Day was Sunday, making this a little late. But come on – one day out of the entire year for Mom? That's still 364 that she spends worrying about us, so I think it's safe to say that she deserves an extra nod past the official holiday. Mine certainly does, because as a geek mom, she works overtime. All moms do, but geek moms have it a little harder since their children are usually oddballs. So while this column is about my mom, I really want to salute all the geek moms out there. From the ones who didn't protest when you wanted to be MadMartigan, to the Sarah Connors and Maria Starks who inspire heroic offspring, they deserve our undying thanks.
My mom hails from the first generation of geeks. Her yearbook makes mention of Star Wars. She lined up with her then boyfriend (and my future dad) to see The Empire Strikes Back, and remembers discussing "What did Yoda mean when he said 'There is another?'" with people in line for Return of the Jedi. (For the record, she thought Han Solo would be the other Jedi.) She is the only "older" woman I know who is actually incensed by the idea that Greedo shot first.
On this side of the Atlantic, there has always been the Trapp Family Lodge. Nestled in Stowe, Vermont, you could go there, ski, get fat on maple sugar, and revel in all things von Trapp. However, being in Vermont, and not Austria, it can't immerse 
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Cannes 2008 in Pictures: Day One -- Movie Posters Everywhere
