In an interview I just found from a few days ago that John Cusack gave with The Guardian UK, he claims he’s only made 10 good movies. He doesn’t list what they are, but he says, “I’m sure you know which ones they are. The ones that suck I tend to blank out. It’s like I never even made them.”

     First off, I love John Cusack. Even if the film he’s in sucks, I like him in them. Here’s a list of movies I like that star (or at least co-star) John Cusack. Let’s see if it’s more than 10.

Better off Dead
Eight Men Out
Say Anything
Grosse Pointe Blank
Con-Air (guilty pleasure)
The Thin Red Line
Being John Malkovich
High Fidelity
1408

And these films rocked, but don’t really count because he was barely in them: Stand By Me, Sixteen Candles, Broadcast News and The Journey of Natty Gann.

     So that’s nine on my list, wow. He’s about right with his 10 number! Of course he knows his career better than anyone I suppose. Still, there are a few movies in his filmography I have yet to see (e.g. Bullets Over Broadway or The Grifters, is that any good?). So I’m sure there are some more films that are maybe decent. Plus, I suppose cases could be made for films like City Hall, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or The Road to Wellville. But even so, give or take a couple of films, he pretty much hit the nail on the head with 10 good films (out of about 40 starring roles). “But that’s fine. Ten is a good batting average, don’t you think?” he said.

     Basically the interview is him discussing 1408 (MP review), since that was recently released in he UK. Putting all that info aside, here are some other interesting tid-bits Cusack had in the interview regading his career in general:

“I suppose I have a certain thing I do well that people seem to like. Not everyone likes it, of course. The guy in the Guardian last week certainly didn’t. So there you go,” he smiles. “Some people like it, other people don’t.”

re: Sure Thing, Say Anything, High Fidelity: “I’m aware of the affection those characters inspired. I feel close to Lloyd in Say Anything. He was like a super-interesting version of me. Only I’m not as good as him. Whatever part of me is romantic and optimistic, I reached into that to play Lloyd. Of course, now it’s all gone. Now I’m just bitter.”

“People who offer me work,” he says. “There’s this brand that they think I am, and I get sent stuff that corresponds to that. I have to do it. It’s not like there are 10 projects on offer at any one time, and six of them are brilliant. No one cares. The movies have got more corporate, they’re making fewer movies in general, and those they are making are all $200-$300m tent-pole releases that eat up all the oxygen.”

Then he says seriously, “I think I’m pretty brave, I’ll take risks. I can look at my career and point to the movies that were risky. Being John Malkovich worked out great, so people tend to forget what a risk it was - first-time writer, first-time director and so on. I read that screenplay four years before it got made. I’d said to my agents: ‘Show me scripts that are fantastic and crazy.’ I love getting up on that tightrope. I wish I could do it more, but I have to balance what I want to do with what people want me to do.”

     After all that, there’s another “risk” movie Cusack has coming that should gain him some attention in the actors critics circles out there. It’s called Grace is Gone and not only won the audience choice award at Sundance this year, but looks extremely emotional, heartfelt, beautiful and best of all, Cusack looks to be amazing in it. You can check out the trailer below.

 

     We’ve mentioned this film before, but it bears repeating now that it has screened for some critics. The Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There premiered yesterday at the Venice Film Festival and apparently has critics raving. Consider this on my most anticipated list for fall 2007. It’s got Oscar bait written all over it and most inviting for me, is the unorthodox cast of characters to play Dylan at various stages of his life: Bale, Ledger, Gere, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin.

…a black actor in his early teens, Marcus Carl Franklin, plays the musician as he arrives as an unknown in New York at the age of 20, while 57-year-old Richard Gere represents him at the age of 32. Heath Ledger and British actors Christian Bale and Ben Whishaw take on other periods.

     Most intriguing to me of the six actors to play Dylan in the film, is the spectacular Cate Blanchet. There is some early Oscar talk already about Blanchett’s performance and of that I have no doubt. The director, Todd Haynes, recently did a press interview, and here are a couple things he had to say via The Guardian:

…the representation of Dylan in the mid-60s was always meant to be played by a woman. “I felt it was the only way to resurrect the true strangeness of Dylan’s physical being in 1966, which I felt had lost its historical shock value over the years.

Cate was scared; she told me many times that this was a very scary challenge for her. It took her a long time to commit to it … I told her it’s good to be terrified, that you’re taking a risk and sometimes that’s really when the surprises happen. I guess it at least convinced her to give it a shot.”

     The film mixes black-and-white footage with colour sequences and real news footage of American protests in the 1960s and scenes from the Vietnam war. Richard Gere (57), who is playing Bob Dylan at age 32, describes the script as “bizarre.” Sign me up! Here’s a clip of Blanchet as Dylan (followed by the teaser trailer in the unwrap link):

for the teaser, click here…
UNWRAP TEXT or SHOW **SPOILER**

     Normally I don’t go for these pre- released clips of a movie, as I like to walk into a theater totally fresh. But since I don’t give a wet fart about the plot or story of the Saw franchise anymore, I took a gander at this obviously illegal, online, 5 minute clip of the movie that was shown at comic-con a couple weeks back. Because I’m a sick little boy, I just like to see the individual kill scenes in the movies, so I had no problem watching this one. Sorry if this is old news, but I thought you might think it’s worth a look.

this clip has obviously not passed post production yet, but you get the idea.

 

     I had heard of this film a long time ago but had totally forgotten about it. Then I came across the poster for it (shown below) and decided to see if there was anything else released for it. And sure enough there is already a trailer online (also shown below). I think this looks like a lot of fun, check it out:

     Like I said I think this looks like a lot of fun. Everything about it is just so cute and adorable (I’m guessing that’s what they are aiming for) and the trailer put a big smile on my face. This is now firmly on my most anticipated list, it’s nice to see a film like this every once in a while (I really hope they don’t go too far down the cheesy, “aimed totally at the kids” road). I hope it’s one that all age groups can appreciate in different ways.

On a side note does anyone else think these two things?:

1. This should be directed by Tim Burton.

2. The character Hoffman plays, looks more suited to someone like Christopher Walken.

Anyway I can’t wait for this.

     I just came across this interview, over at MTV.com, with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe where they talk about the very much anticipated movie 3:10 To Yuma. The interview is insightful, particularly into the relationship between the two actors and why they decided to do this film in particular. Here is a excerpt, which is the funniest part of the interview:

MTV: I can only assume that the two of you are as fascinated watching each other act as we in the audience are …

Crowe: [He glances at Bale with a grin.] I was fascinated watching you work!

Bale: We would just be stunned! Stunned into silence looking at each other!

Crowe: I was a stunned mullet.

Bale: [Sarcastically pretending he’s on set] “Oh, I’m sorry, was that my line? I didn’t realize. I was so stunned by your performance.”

You can read the rest of the interview here 

     Stephen King is a guy who writes some masterfully intense stories. The film adaptations of these great stories, on the other hand, can be very hit or miss. And when I say very hit or miss, I mean VERY hit or miss. The films are either completely amazing (Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me, The Shining) or they can be total crapola (Sometimes they Come Back, Langoliers, Secret Window, Needful Things, Thinner).

     I read The Mist as part of a collection of short stories back in high school and remember loving it; but with King’s catalog of films, I’m not holding my breath for anything too great with the film version. Still, it has possibilities. Anyway, the trailer hit the web recently and we’ve got it here for you to check out…

     This looks like it could be okay, but to be honest, I’m MUCH more interested in seeing the film adapation for “The Long Walk.” King’s most intriguing story to date that has yet to be made into a movie - in my opinion.

     Sin City was one of my favorites of 2005, certainly the most entertaining. I absoluetly loved it. With Sin City 2 on the way in 2009, I am very much anticipating it already. Along with the huge cast already on the bill, according to IMDb (which is notorious for getting it wrong quite often), including many of the actors from part 1, is rumored to be none other than Johnny Depp; who is, in my opinion, one of the top 3 actors of his generation. During a VH1 interview, director Robert Rodriguez had this to say:

“[Depp] was interested in doing the Jackie Boy character that Benicio [del Toro] played [in the first one], but he was doing that movie Libertine (MP review) in Europe and it just kept getting pushed and delayed and went right through our shooting schedule. But there is a better role for him in [’Hell and Back’]. I kept going, ‘Gosh, Jackie Boy is a small part, he could be really good [as Wallace].’ When he wasn’t available, I thought maybe it was meant to be.”

     I don’t know (or can’t remember) who Wallace is, but this sounds good to me. With the already stellar cast (Clive Owen, Banderas, Rosario Dawson, Madsen, Trejo, Rourke, Powers Boothe) Depp should fit into Rodriquez’ and Frank Miller’s vision quite well I should think. Color me excited.

source: MoviesOnline.ca

 

     I was just reading over at comingsoon.net (via Screenrant) about a story in which Paul Haggis has said that the next Bond film will start about 2 minutes after where Casino Royale left off. I think this is an excellent idea; not to mention fairly original. Especially in the Bond universe.

“My Bond is an actual assassin; when he kills someone, he kills them with a knife, they’re bloody and he pays a price. He denies that he pays a price, but he does. When he sees a woman who witnesses something horrific, and he sees her taking a shower, he doesn’t just go in there and f*ck her, like the old Bond would have done. He sits there with her, and she says, ‘I can’t get this blood from my fingernails.’ So he helps her get the blood from her fingernails; that’s what he does, that’s my Bond. So it’s a different guy… [the next film] picks up 2 minutes after the last one, and it’s going to be fun.”

     What I liked about Casino Royale (MP review), was how unseasoned Bond was and the whys and how of his evolution into what we know as the Bond today. Bond learned a serious life lesson (more than one actually) at the end of Casino Royale. It will be fun to see how that shapes his character almost immediately in the next installment in the Bond saga.

     Hollywood seems to really be into this Apollo series. First was the Ron Howard directed, Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Bill Paxton. Then a collaboration with Ron Howard and Tom Hanks for the HBO mini-series, “From the Earth to the Moon.” Now Hollywood has a new documentary being released that looks like it could be the best yet.

     In the Shadow of the Moon brings together, for the first time (and maybe the last), all the surviving astronauts of the Apollo moon mission to discuss their experiences, thoughts and dreams on what it was like and what it meant to themselves and indeed the world to visit our nearest neighbor, la luna.

     As much as I love Apollo 13, the best thing about it is the included commentary track by the real Jim Lovell and his wife on the DVD. Hearing their thoughts on the experience is interesting as hell and still the best commentary track I’ve yet to see. “From the Earth to the Moon” was a little on the slow side and a little too drawn out for me, but it was decent.

     What makes this particular film look so inviting, is to hear the stories straight “from the horse’s mouth” so to speak. When you hear the voices of the actual guys who really did it, it is ten times more fascinating and heartfelt than a bunch of Hollywood super-stars. With newly restored, remastered and never before seen, archival footage from the entire Apollo era, this film looks unbelievably brilliant and emotionally stunning. A rare case of a documentary really having me excited. If ever I want to pay double movie prices for the IMAX experience, this film is it.

check out the embedded trailer below, or see it here in glorious Quicktime.

 

     At Toronto After Dark, there have been two zombie films announced already to take place as a double bill immediately following the zombie pub crawl. Both look fairly good. Although let’s be honest, any zombie movie is a good zombie movie. So to my delight, a meesage in my inbox tonight from John Allison alerted me to a zombie trifecta!

     The Zombie Diaries looks to be shot totally on hand held, shaky cam (which could be a problem) in sort of a documentary style; much like Blair Witch Project. A virus has engulfed the planet and when people die, they are reanimated as zombies. Sounds like fun to me. In fact, over on facebook, I just joined the group, “The hardest part of a zombie apocalypse is pretending I’m not excited.”

click for hi-res

     I like the poster. With the motion blur, it appears to be a fast paced film (is that Tom Cruise?). If the poster and synopsis doesn’t convince you, have a look at the trailer. It’s pretty intense with a nice visual style…

     I wasn’t able to track down exactly when The Zombie Diaries is due to hit theaters or DVD. My guess is though that it will be difficult to track down as it is fairly independent. Look for it on the festival circuit though - I know it’s playing in Austin at the fest down there and those of you in the UK can already pick up the DVD at amazon.co.uk. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more local screenings. If I learn anything I’ll let you know.

     Personally I think the idea of a Justice League movie is such a stupid idea. To me it’s just not something that can work on the big-screen. But despite my feelings about it it looks like they are going ahead and making it anyway. Well the big question on everyone’s mind is, “will Batman and Superman be making an appearance and if so will it be Bale and Routh who will be playing them?” Well according to IESB.net in an interview with Bale about a 3:10 To Yuma he has some answers. The following is from that interview:

Q: Are you doing Justice League after TDK?

A: No

Q: Have you been approached about it?

A: No

Q: How would you feel about the studio recasting Batman for Justice League?

A: It’d be better if it doesn’t tread on the toes of what we’re doing, though I feel that it would be better if it comes out after Batman 3.

     I think Bale is absolutely right. As I said the idea of doing a Justice League movie is just plain stupid. I can tell that if Batman and Superman (there is no info on whether or not Routh is planning on doing it) were to make an appearance that it would be very small ones and the whole JA movie would just to build up the lesser known characters so that they can have their own spin-off franchise.

     

     As always, I never watch these things before I see the movie because I like to go in fresh, but the interview ones are cool. The first is my boy Paul Giamatti (he likes it when I call him “G thang”) talking about his character and the weapons he gets to use and more. The rest are more interviews from the other stars (Belucci and Owen) and the director and a few clips from the movie.

Can’t wait for the film which opens wide release on September 7th. See you at the theater!
Thanks to movieweb for the embeddable code.

Paul Giamatti:

See the rest of the clips after the unwrap by clicking below…
Read the rest of this entry »

     I‘ve just learned that one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time is being made into a feature length film starring Moragan Freeman and tentatively directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac).

     Rendezvous with Rama is the story of a mysterious ship (nicknamed Rama) that enters our solar system out of the blue (or black, as the case is) and Earth happens to have a spacecraft close enough that it is able to make physical contact. The astronuats on board have just a few hours to investigate what is Rama and maybe where it came from and what secrets it may be hiding.

     This is not an alien attack flick or a deadly space virus or apocalyptic sort of story. It is true science fiction that is meant to be wondrous and mysterious (much like the glory that is Carl Sagan’s Contact starring Jodie Foster).

     Fincher could very well be a great fit for this film (I have no doubt that Freeman will be) and do hope the film makers don’t muck it up by making the movie more than it should be; i.e. a relatively quiet picture that should be nothing more than fascinating and beautiful. If ever a movie was made for an IMAX experience, Rendevous with Rama is it. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

source: MadAboutMovies

     There has certainly been more than one poster released for 3:10 To Yuma and here is another one to add to the pile.

     Personally I don’t think any matches this one but I still really dig this poster none the less. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first where we actually see the actors faces, what do you think?

     Grindhouse was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a theater in a long time and will undoubtedly crack my top ten of the year come December. A big part of that success was the greatness that is Death Proof (MP review); the second in the two features enclosed within Grindhouse. And then, part of the fun of Death Proof, was the inclusion of a stunt woman playing herself in the movie.

     Zoe Bell played Zoe, an adrenaline rush junkie who will do anything for a thrill. As someone who had never really acted before, she pulled off her lines and her acting as well as anyone else on screen and was not only a delight, but also a big surprise.

     Today, I read good news over at Variety (via ObsessedwithFilm) that Bell has landed another role, this one in the leading lady position in an as of yet untitled film about Iraq war veterans.

from Variety:

Bell will play a U.S. soldier adrift after returning home from a tour of duty in Iraq who decides to help a young girl in trouble. The project is based on an original idea from Weber (producer) and screenwriter Sarah Thorpe (”Twisted”).

“This film is a big challenge for me, especially the American accent, which I have to work on,” New Zealand native Bell said in an interview. “But one thing is certain: I will be doing all my own stunts on the film.”

“When I saw Zoe in ‘Death Proof,’ I was immediately drawn to her ability and acting talent,” Weber said. “Her background and likability made her a perfect choice for our lead.”

     I thought Bell was great in Death Proof and I look forward to see if she can pull off more great roles. This movie sound interesting at the very least. We’ll have to see what kind of budget it is given and who they get to direct; but as it stands now, I’m in.

     I just love when new posters for films are released, especially for films I am looking forward to. Here are a few I have just found (click to enlarge):

Eastern Promises - I did a post about this a few weeks ago (view it here) and finally the poster has arrived. And I personally absolutely love it. It’s one of those that gives you a feeling for the film but doesn’t tell you that much about it.



Grace Is Gone - You’d have to be made of stone not to think the storyline of this movie is sadder than a three-legged puppy (look around, the given imdb link gives a much too general outline). The poster I think is very fitting as far as what the film’s about - very elegant and peaceful in my opinion.



Semi-Pro - This, in case you haven’t guessed already, is the new “wacky and zany” sports comedy from the ever-popular Will Ferrell. Personally I think he should cut down on these and try his hand at more serious roles (he did very well in the “straighter than usual” Stranger Than Fiction). But going along with yet another comedy of his I have to admit the poster is pretty funny. I just hope the film turns out to be at least worthwhile.



Dan In Real Life - After getting the “grab for the big bucks” movie out of the way (Evan Almighty - which I avoided for obvious reasons) Steve Carell is now returning to a more independent film. Personally I think this movie is going to be great…although Dane Cook is in there…..

     As Kurt and I discuss in this week’s Cinecast, The Invasion is out next week and all of the previous versions of this film are now out on DVD. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of those stories that can be told and retold every 15 to 20 years and its exciting everytime.

     Anyway, thanks to MovieWeb, there are six small clips of the newest incarnation starring Nicole Kidman. I don’t like to watch these clips that get released (I like to go into the movie completely fresh) so I haven’t seen any of these. But anyone who is interested, take a look and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section.

see the other five after the unwrap…
Read the rest of this entry »

     Since we are just about to leave all the big summer Blockbuster films behind (most of which have been crap) I thought I would do a post on the films that are coming soon to our theatres and that look as promising as a film can be. Here are some of the one’s I am eagerly anticipating:

3:10 To Yuma - Christian Bale is one of my favourite and also best actors working in film today. Russel Crowe is also up there with the best at the moment. And director James Mangold showed his skill with 2005’s Walk The Line. C’Mon - who wouldn’t give their right arm to see this?

Superbad - I think this will be the sleeper comedy hit of the year. Everyone was so caught up in anticipating Knocked Up (which turned out to be a hell of lot less funny than I was hoping) that they have kind of put this to the back of their minds. I think this is going to be hilarious.

Shoot ‘Em Up - This flick looks absolute kick ass! Clive Owen is always great and Paul Giamatti as a bad guy?! - Hell yes!

Hallam Foe - Headlining this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival this looks like a very interesting film indeed. I think this may not get a theatrical US release, probably because of it’s low budget and in-depth Scottish setting. But who knows it may be a success and gradually make it’s way over seas.

Death Sentence - I am a big fan of James Wan as a director solely because of the skill he showed with Saw (and I seem to be the only one). Kevin Bacon is always interesting and the storyline, although a bit cliched, looks like it could be done in a unique way here.

     Strolling around the internet a bit today I came across this trailer for King of California; a trailer I had not yet seen, but I guess it’s been out for a while now. Apparently it’s by the same producers that did Sideways - which is easily in my personal top 100 favorite films of all time.

     According to the IMDb profile for this film, this is a first time writer/director by the name of Mike Cahill. And I gotta tell you, judging by this trailer alone, this looks to be a fantastic little film. It looks to be kind of a similar style to Sideways and it stars one of my fav’s, Michael Douglas, in a quirky, untypecast sort of role. I love this trailer from beginning to end and can’t wait for the full feature. It doesn’t hurt that “The Flaming Lips” are on the soundtrack. Check it out:

     There’s another slightly different variation on this trailer (which I actually like a little better) over at Access Hollywood

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     Just a post to let you all see some of the new trailers I have come across over the past few days:

“Things We Lost In The Fire“

Directed by Susanne Bier

Starring Halle Bery and Benicio Del Toro

Trailer verdict - Looks like it could be very heartwarming.

“Lust, Caution”

Directed by Ang Lee

Starring Tony Leung and Joan Chen

Trailer verdict - Looks like it could be “Best Foreign Language Film” material.

“10,000 BC”

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Starring Cliff Curtis and Camilla Belle

Trailer verdict - Looks cool but I have a feeling it is going to be cheesy as hell

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