Through varying periods of the 70's, 80's and 90's, Giulio Andreotti was the Prime Minister of Italy. That recognition came with a large boat of scandal and accusations. He used the Mafia to further his political career, and possibly be a member himself, but he slipped through that accusation due to statutory limitations. The man was also convicted in 2002 of ordering that journalist Mino Pecorelli be murdered -- the man had published allegations about his Mafia ties. However, the next year the appeals court overturned this decision. To top that off, rumors say that Don LIcio Lucchesi in The Godfather Part III is based on him. So, obviously, this could make for a tasty biopic.
Well, it could if Andreotti could remember that it exists. Director Paolo Sorrentino said recently that he was going to make a film about the ex-PM, that he had met with Andreotti twice. Last Friday, however, Andreotti refuted the claims: "I don't know anything about this, and I've never met this person. If I had, I would have helped him to understand his subject better. But I hope he doesn't make this film because that's what they do at the end of someone's life, and I have a ways to go." Was Sorrentino lying? The director responded to Andreotti's response, saying: "It's hard to believe the senator's words... maybe his memory is failing him." Is Sorrentino lying? Did Andreotti have a change of heart and decide to feign innocence? Or, does he need to look into memory problems? If it's the latter, Sorrentino might want to hurry up before the ex-PM forgets more!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The focus of this week's Trailer Park is going to be a bit more self-indulgent than usual. If you've read previous installments, you've seen how I usually discuss several trailers that can be grouped together under a common theme. Sometimes, though, as I look at all the new previews no pattern emerges, so the trailers I'm focusing on this week are mentioned here purely because they appeal to me personally. It's "what looks good to me" week on Trailer Park.
Run Fatboy Run Based on the fact that Shaun of the Deadis one of the funniest films of all time, and Hot Fuzz, which I haven't had a chance to see yet, looks quite awesome as well, anything starring Simon Pegg will grab my attention. Pegg's co-star from Shaun, Dylan Moran, also shows up in this trailer. Unfortunately, this preview suffers from one of my pet peeves: it doesn't actually tell you what the film is about. According to the synopsis on IMDB, Pegg is training for a marathon to win back the woman he dumped ten years earlier. What we do get, however, is Pegg running around in a pair of shorts even shorter than the ones Lieutenant Jim Dangle wears on Reno 911. Who knew that was even possible? There's some pretty good physical comedy on display here; like when Pegg takes a dive down a flight of stairs (yes, grievous bodily harm can be hilarious in the proper setting) and the bit with him drinking the raw eggs made for a pretty good laugh. This film marks the feature directorial debut of Friends star David Scwhimmer from a script by Michael Ian Black. Here's Erik Davis's take on the trailer. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Obviously this is one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the summer, and I'm just as excited about it as anyone. I've read all of J.K. Rowling's Potter books, and like the films, each one has been better than the last. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is loose once again, Dolores Umbridge, has been appointed Grand Inquisitor of Hogwarts School, and having read the books I couldn't help smiling when the trailer showed a bit of the Weasley twins laying mischievous waste to the school. The preview is flat out spectacular and I can't wait for this one. See for yourself:
Last night, I had a chance to see my first film of the Tribeca Film Festival, Charlie Bartlett. While I'll save plot details and the like for my review, I will point out that, in the film, Robert Downey Jr. plays a high school principal who's also a recovering alcoholic (though he's not doing so good with the whole "recovering" part). I point this out because it's been awhile since I've seen Downey Jr. on the big screen; I'm waiting to watch the majority of his recent roles on DVD. And though Charlie Bartlett certainly had a few flaws, I couldn't help but lose myself in Downey Jr.'s acting -- and all he's playing is a damn high school principal! Imagine how I'll feel when I see him as Iron Man. As I left the screening room last night, I couldn't help but thank God that this guy got clean. It is my opinion that he is one of the best actors working today, and to lose him to a drug would've been a damn shame.
That said, USA Today has a whole article on the Iron Man production which includes a brand new pic of Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark) forging the Iron Man suit. As you can see above, the dude looks pretty badass. Apart from the pic, the article delves into some of the training that Downey Jr. had to endure in order to get in shape for the role. Apparently, he's been lifting weights five days a week, while also practicing a good amount of martial arts. Says Downey Jr. about the role: "I'm more diligent than I used to be. I want to show Jon he was right to have faith in me. Whatever questions might have arisen about my life weren't issues with him." Though substance abuse is fairly common among actors and actresses, it has to be tough to play a role that's so close to the man you were (or are); to share your personal demons with the world, instead of just some therapist. I applaud Downey Jr. for taking the risk, and I cannot wait to see him play Tony Stark. Iron Man will hit theaters next May.
Here's a little controversy and rumor reaction for your Thursday:
I recently posted about Richard Gere inspiring burning effigies in India when he dipped and kissed Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty while promoting AIDS awareness. Now Guardian Unlimited reports that an Indian judge has issued arrest warrants for the actors, citing the country's public obscenity laws. Considering the fact that the UN AIDS agency says that India has the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases (5.7 million), perhaps it's time to focus on education, and not putting an actor up for a possible three months in prison, and/or a fine, for a cheek kiss. If the matter is not resolved, this could interfere with Gere's causes -- he has often visited Tibetan exiles in Dharmsala to offer support.
If there is any truth to the rumor that Kate Beckinsale could be the next Barbarella, I bet she will be cast. According to IGN, they've talked with the actress, who has confirmed that no one has approached her about the film. However, she doesn't seem to be averse to the idea: "It's thrilling! I've never heard anything about it before today." She continued on to joke about a name change: "Beckinsale-arella! It's gotta happen!" With her positive reaction to the idea, we might just have Beck-Barb confirmation in no time.
Alec Baldwin has been all over the news lately. If you haven't been following -- his ex-marital woes recently fueled him to leave a nasty message for his daughter, calling her a "rude, thoughtless little pig." Now CNN has reported on Baldwin's disdain for his business, which obviously stems from the never-ending custody suit with Kim Basinger over their daughter Ireland. He's tried to get out of his contract for NBC's 30 Rock, which was refused, and in a pre-taped interview for The View, he said: "If I never acted again, I couldn't care less." He continues: "I've had enough of this quite frankly to last me a lifetime, especially in the modern tabloid world." Whether these are words uttered in the heat of his distress, or firm feelings, remains to be seen.
When we first brought you pics from the set of Cabin Fever 2, it was kind of hard to make out what was going on. We knew some sh*t was going down at a prom, but we were unable to clearly see with our own eyes what sort of madness director Ti West was cooking up for the sequel. As you're probably already aware, the first Cabin Fever featured the directorial debut of Eli Roth. For practically no money (something like $1.5 million), Roth managed to scrape together a pretty decent horror flick; it went on to do good business at the box office, earned Roth a gig helming Hostel and the rest is history. Now, almost four years later, a second Cabin Fever is heading our way -- but this time, Roth handed over the reigns to West and newbie scribe Joshua Malkin.
Like Dread Central before, it appears Fangoria was at the same set visit, on the same day, while they were shooting the same scene. However, Fangoria has some much better images of the action taking place -- pics that include a group of prom patrons sprawled out on the floor, while a bucket full of red stuff is thrown all over them. God only knows what's going on in this scene (the folks from Fangoria aren't allowed to say), but I think it's safe to say no one is getting lucky after this dance. As far as plot goes, we're being told the flesh-eating virus from the first film returns; only this time, it decides to throw on a suit and party it up with a bunch of unsuspecting teens. Says West about the sequel: "Everything is quite gross and pushes the limits as far as they can go at times. It will be interesting to see what people think, because it's nothing like the first." Yum, looks delicious.
Welcome back to Eat My Shorts, where Cinematical regularly highlights short films that you can watch from the comfort of your nice warm computer. I'm going to try to fill Erik Davis's shoes, or rather -- well, if I said "shorts" there, I'd probably get reprimanded for harassment. At any rate, Erik's a tough act to follow. Since I'm just starting, of course I am looking for shorts to feature -- if you've made a short film yourself, or seen one online that you've enjoyed, please email shorts AT cinematical DOT com with a link. The entire short must be available for public viewing online. I love watching short films so writing this column is going to be a real treat for me.
On my first week, I thought I'd start with some shorts that I've seen at film festivals recently and have found online. The shorts all have been featured at Texas film festivals (what can I say, I rarely get to leave the Lone Star State), where most of them won awards ... or should have. Short films usually don't play many theaters, and few end up on DVD, so normally when I see something good at a film festival, it's frustrating because other people don't usually have the opportunity to see the film I'm gushing over. Fortunately, the miracles of the Internet mean that I can share some of these festival favorites with you.
When telling you about Jackie Earle Haley last month, I mentioned one of his upcoming films, the biopic of Charles (Buddy) Bolden called, aptly, Bolden. Now The New York Times published a piece that gives some background into this ambitious indie project. Basically, there are two features, all sibling-like. The first is the Bolden biopic, which will try to delve into Buddy's world, even though most of the details surrounding him are myth. (The jazz performer was a big draw from 1895 to 1907, but was never recorded and ended up being sent to an institution after a bout of acute alcoholic psychosis, which ended his career.) The second is an hour-long silent film called The Great Observer, about a young boy named Louis (recalling Louis Armstrong) who dreams of playing the horn, while getting entangled in New Orlean's red-light district.
The pair of films are the project of Dan Pritzker, who is a billionaire's son and musician, and now, director. His plan is to debut the movies in tandem, and have the silent film play with a live performance by Wynton Marsalis. I have to say that I'm really happy and amped to see more being done with silent film, especially after how phenomenal Guy Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain! was when it was teamed with live performances. But first, Pritzker's team, which includes Derick andSteven Martini as screenwriters and Vilmos Zsigmod as the director of photography, has to get past the hurdle of piecing together the bits of Buddy's life that can be siphoned from references and oral storytelling. According to the Times, the film will imagine the musician "in the last year of his life, hearing a radio broadcast in which Artmstrong, who became the public face of New Orleans jazz, paid tribute to the music's supposed birth with Bolden."Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
I've always been a big Edward Norton fan; I've seen all his films, and even watched him perform in an off-Broadway play, Burn This, when he starred opposite Catherine Keener. For someone that's been dabbling in the indie world as of late with films like The Painted Veil, The Illusionist and Down in the Valley, hearing that he's just been cast as Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk re-do came as quite the surprise. I mean, in order to catch his last "commercial" hit, you have to go all the way back to 2003 for The Italian Job. Eric Bana, I could see. Jason Statham would've been completely wrong for the role. And Norton? As The Hulk? I don't know.
On one hand, the guy is a fantastic actor who's already played a character with duel personalities more than once (Primal Fear, Fight Club). And if you're wondering what Norton looks like when he's angry, then I highly suggest checking out American History X. On the other hand, part of me feels like Norton is too good for this material -- especially seeing as this new version of The Hulk will be less serious and more comic book-based. With Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Iron Man and Christian Bale playing Batman, it goes to show that Hollywood is taking some risks when it comes to casting these new superhero flicks; bringing on the types of people who you would never expect in a big-budgeted, CG-filled fanboy extravaganza. With Norton onboard, I expect they'll be targeting some A-listers for the remaining cast, bringing us a balls-to-the-wall re-vamped Hulk flick with style. But do you think Norton can pull it off, and spin his performance into another successful franchise for Marvel? And, who do you think has the better shot at succeeding: Norton or Downey Jr.?
They keep telling us a Superman Returns sequel is right around the corner, but at the same time director Bryan Singer keeps moving ahead with a different gig. Though he's been attached to The Mayor of Castro Street for two years now, it appears development on the pic has picked up steam after it was revealed that Gus Van Sant had begun work on a similar project. Based on the book by Randy Shilts, Castro Street will tell the real-life story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the U.S. Milk's life was tragically cut short when he -- and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone -- were assassinated by Supervisor Daniel White in 1978.
Variety tells us that Van Sant has attached himself to another Milk-related script; this one was written by Dustin Lance Black (Big Love). That project is set to be shopped around town early next week. At the same time, Warner Independent Prods. is close to a deal with Participant Prods. to co-finance Singer's Castro Street, and Chris McQuarrie (who teamed with Singer on The Usual Suspects and the recent WWII thriller, Valkyrie) will pen the final draft. We all know what happened with the whole "Capote Incident" -- how two pics, Capote and Infamous, hit theaters roughly one year apart with the former gaining a lot more recognition than the latter. Since The Mayor of Castro Street has been in development for 15 years, I assume Singer and Co. will fight tooth and nail to get their Milk story in theaters faster than Van Sant can say, "Got Milk?"
But what about Superman: The Man of Steel? We already know that Singer will helm Valkyrie (with Tom Cruise attached to star) before the Supes sequel (currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2009). Is it possible for him to fit in another film, and still be able to deliver the superhero flick on time? Is Bryan Singer faster than a speeding bullet? I guess we soon shall see ...
Picture this one: This year's Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and a ton of stuffy critics anxiously wait in line to catch the world premiere of ... Illegal Aliens, starring Anna Nicole Smith and Joanie "Chyna Doll" Laurer. Yes, Smith's last film will be getting the red carpet treatment over there in France next month when it (thankfully) screens out of competition. (Could you even imagine asking judges to consider handing this atrocity an award?) While the DVD is set to hit the States on May 1, Cannes ultimately decided to shine a deserving spotlight on this mega-masterpiece. Why? Well, to capitalize on Anna Nicole's death like everyone else. Duh.
What's it about, you ask? In the pic, three aliens (and I've decided to use the description off IMDb here because it's too good to pass up) "morph into super-hot babes and arrive to protect the earth from the intergalactic forces of evil. Guided by Syntax, their holographic mentor, these Illegal Aliens are willing to use every trick in the book and every sexy outfit in their wardrobe to accomplish their mission!" Oh, those dirty French -- what will they come up with next? Since our own James Rocchi will be attending the Cannes fest on behalf of Cinematical this year, should we be bastards and actually make him cover this Oscar contender?
Personally, I think it's pretty absurd that they're actually screening this film. And for what reason? So people can sit there and say, "Wow, there's Anna Nicole. She's dead now. And this is how people will remember her." What do you think -- should a film festival as prestigious as Cannes screen a direct-to-DVD piece of crap like Illegal Aliens?
Through varying periods of the 70's, 80's and 90's, Giulio Andreotti was the Prime Minister of Italy. That recognition came with a large boat of scandal and accusations. He used the Mafia to further his political career, and possibly be a member himself, but he slipped through that accusation due to statutory limitations. The man was also convicted in 2002 of ordering that journalist Mino Pecorelli be murdered -- the man had published allegations about his Mafia ties. However, the next year the appeals court overturned this decision. To top that off, rumors say that Don LIcio Lucchesi in The Godfather Part III is based on him. So, obviously, this could make for a tasty biopic.
Last night, I had a chance to see my first film of the Tribeca Film Festival, 
Here's a little controversy and rumor reaction for your Thursday:
When we first brought you pics 
When telling you about Jackie Earle Haley 
I've always been a big 
They keep telling us a Superman Returns sequel is right around the corner, but at the same time director 
Picture this one: This year's Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and a ton of stuffy critics anxiously wait in line to catch the world premiere of ... 
