Starring 5 Oscar winners, 2 previous nominees and, uh, Fergie
Synopsis This tuner is an adaptation of the 80s Broadway musical which was itself an adaptation of Federico Fellini's autobiographical fantasia 8½, which concerns a movie director who is creatively stuck. He seeks inspiration as his various female muses circle and/or compete for his attention
Brought to you by Oscar seeking mad man Harvey Weinstein and Rob Marshall's hefty pair (seriously, he's taking on memories of a Broadway classic AND the ghost of Fellini? Good luck with that, sir)
Expected Release Date Thanksgiving
Nathaniel: I'm a sucker for a big movie musical and I think this is the rare stage musical that might be improved by bringing it to the screen. It is about the cinema after all. And since it's also about the siren call of sensationally attractive women (Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard chief among them) I'm salivating and assuming the best.
I couldn't help but notice that this wasn't on JA's list but I think he doth protest too much. I bet he laughs heartily when Cruz does "A Call from the Vatican", cheers when Judi Dench reminisces about the "Folies Bergere" and weeps when Sophia Loren sings "Nine" to her baby son in grown man's body (Daniel Day-Lewis).
JA: Did I just get called out? I think I just got called out. It's not like I have a secret Fosse closet at home where I sneak every night like Carrie with her St. Sebastien statue and pay to the gods of jazz hands for some sassy forgiveness for my musical bashing sins, Nathaniel. No... not like that at all. La la la... hey, look, there's a big gory slasher movie!
Anyway, the cast is terrific - though I'm mostly curious about seeing Daniel Day Lewis hoof it - and I will probably watch this at some point. I don't think it'll be opening weekend at the Zeigfeld though because I still have traumas from seeing Chicago that way and dodging the audience's enthusiastic in-time dance-steps. Shudder. That so was not my scene.As a side-note I need to admit that I have a deep irrational fear of Sophia Loren - when I was a little JA my grandmother told me that Loren was a witch and it terrified me; I've never seen her in a movie because of it. This movie will probably bust my Loren cherry.
Joe: This movie is yanking me in all directions. On the one hand, sprawling casts full of accomplished "name" talent like this are catnip to me, and Rob Marshall did a fine job with his last Broadway adaptation. But this particular cast? I can't argue with the talent, but none of them are actors I get excited about. The closest I get is probably Judi Dench, and I'm kind of fascinated imagining just what she'll do in this kind of movie. Of course, the fact that the Kidman, Day-Lewis, Cruz, and Cotillard fanbases will all be converging at once almost guarantees that I'll be turned off by the time opening weekend comes. In the meantime, I'll occupy myself imaging the conversations Nicole and Penélope got up to over lunch.
Fox: This is kind of one of those bizarre screen -> to stage -> to screen transmorphations a la Hairspray, yes? I would hate to see 8½ get buried somewhere under the two new layers on top of it. Though, kudos to the playwright for at least rounding the title up to 9 (Nine) so the young ones don't get confused.
Whitney: I always think I don't like musicals, and then I go and see something like Chicago and go on a "He Had it Comin'" kick that lasts three weeks. Oh, and I really like The Wiz. Daniel Day Lewis should star in a new remake of The Wiz.
Nathaniel: Readers, your turn. Will you ease on down this road for DDL and assorted goddesses... or maybe one in particular? Do tell in the comments. [see also: several previous posts]
In case you missed any entries they went like so...
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We Can't Wait:
#1 Inglourious Basterds, #2 Where the Wild Things Are, #3 Fantastic Mr. Fox,
#4 Avatar, #5 Bright Star, #6 Shutter Island, #7 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
#8 Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, #9 Nailed, #10 Taking Woodstock,
#11 Watchmen, #12 The Hurt Locker, #13 The Road, #14 The Tree of Life
#15 Away We Go, #16 500 Days of Summer, #17 Drag Me To Hell,
#18 Whatever Works, #19 Broken Embraces, #20 Nine (the musical)
intro (orphans -didn't make group list)
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Posts
48 comments:
Weinstein is also producing Judy Garland movie.
From WENN
4 February 2009 8:05 AM, PST
Hollywood bosses are set to turn the life of tragic star Judy Garland into a major movie. Film mogul Harvey Weinstein's company has acquired the rights to Gerald Clarke's biography of the singer/actress, Get Happy: the Life of Judy Garland.
The book, published in 2000, details Garland's many personal problems, including her long running battle with drug and alcohol addiction, money woes and her string of divorces.
Clarke's biography of Truman Capote served as the basis for Dan Futterman's Oscar-nominated 2005 picture Capote.
Garland died of an accidental overdose in 1969 at the age of 47.
Looks like someone is gonna get an Oscar nomination.
http://www.imdb.com/news/ns0000002/#ni0668834
Do we really need another Judy Garland movie? They already made one not so long ago with Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard.
What about that Hedy Lamarr project starring Charlize Theron and ''Stompanato'' with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Lana Turner.
i can't believe this was only #20
abso-fucking-lutely!
D-day is my favorite actor and the fact that he goes from daniel plainview to guido just shows his range and the risks he goes to for his craft. AND he can cobble shoes?!? what can't he do?
and if penelope wasn't winning best supporting actress this year (you know that unspoken oscar rule of no back to back oscars...unless you are lovable tom hanks), she would totally be winning next year as carla!
plus nic, marion, judi, sophia...my head is dizzy… i think i need to hyperventilate into a paper bag....i'll be fine…NINE!
anon 12:24... i couldn't believe it either!
i was the only one who voted for it! (but i had it at #1 so...)
It's my # 1 too, that cast, a musical, based on a Fellini pic, and no Zellweger in sight this time - I'm sold
It was between this and Public Enemies, but that won't have song and dance
http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/this-time-theyve-gone-too-far/
wha?!? NO ONE else had it? that's crazy talk. AND they didn't get CHERI in the 20 either?
nathaniel, do you need to borrow my paper bag? you doing okay?
for those who have seen the musical: which one(s) of the supporting actresses is(are) most likely to get an Oscar nom?
Penelope? Judi? Sophia? Marion? Nicole?
how big do you anticipate Sophia Loren's role to be?
I think Nine is #2 for me. After AVATAR. cause you just know James Cameron does the best sci fi.
Thank you so much for putting this movie in, Nat! I can't wait either. I don't actually know the plot of "Nine", so: who will make out with whom? I'm EXCITED, baby!!
I like to think about Nine during the day. All these actresses I love (and Kate Hudson) singing and dancing. Give it to me.
I can't believe nobody else voted for this, Nat! I mean, I understand why I didn't... ;-)
Seriously, this and the Cheri oversight! I have a feeling that right now somewhere uptown you're constructing a mini-me to poke pins into. If you snatch a strand of my hair the next time I see you I'll know what's up!
For the record, this was my #21. I'll totally bite the bullet on Cheri, though.
If that's #20, then what's #1?
A la Ellen Burstyn's "If that's red, what's orange?"
e dot. you win a prize for the best use of the Burstyn quote yet!
Lisa everyone makes out with everyone.
not really but everyone makes out with daniel ;)
abstew you're always there for me!
alex cotillard has the most Oscary role (long suffering wife), then Cruz or Dench (showstoppers with comic relief) but Nicole might be too glam goddess (it's not really their thing... it's MY thing) and Sophia will be kind cameo'ish i suspect. JUST SUSPICIONS. movies often change the material
ja if i ever figure out how to extract DNA from text messages emails or blog scribblings my powers will be LIMITLESS [insert evil laugh here]
I'm more interested in the other 9 coming out this year, but this one looks pretty cool. I'm definitely not a big fan of Rob Marshall, who I think is a fairly middling director, but I am fascinated by the wonderful cast and the overall pedigree. Whether I see this one is really dependent on what the reviews will be.
I'm very much looking forward to this,probably my #1 too.A musical!With Nicole!And those other actresses!I can't wait,and I really really hope it will be good.
it's my Number Two (The Wolf Man is Numero Uno for this horror fan). but my oh my, the prospect of Dame Judi singing onscreen gives me goosebumps. do you think she and Daniel Day-Lewis reminisced about their snog in Hamlet?
One word that makes me nervous: Fergie.
I have nothing in the way of solid information, but I'd guess that Fergie in Nine = Mya (or Lucy Liu?) in Chicago. I wouldn't worry.
Oh, I'll be first in line for this one!
I can't believe no one else voted for it. It's easily in my top 20, as well as Cheri.
I hope, I hope, I hope Kidman can gain some acclaim for her role.
Nathaniel, thanks for the answer.
as crazy as it sounds, I'm doing my Oscar predictions for next year :P just for fun.
for now, Nine is in the BEST PICTURE line-up, next to Inglorious..., Lovely Bones, Shutter Island and (probably) Cheri. I wish we'd know more about Tree of Life, though.
prolly around # 10ish for me
I don't really care about hearing the music first, because I trust Marshall and the cast, I just want to salivate over Kidman/Cruz/Dench/Fergie. this films gonna give me a cinematic erection.
In my Top 10 of the most anticipated.
I also got a nice kick out of the Tom Cruise advertisement after reading the post. Now he's trying to steal Kidmans spotlight...
I will be at Nine, day one, despite my worries. Only number twenty? Say it ain't so! Also, Will, I can't wait to see Chalize Theron as Heddy Lamar. That would be my number one if I knew about it before this.
DDL is terribly miscast for his role.
Saying not to worry about Fergie because she has a small role is like saying its ok to eat pancakes with only a little turd on it.
Who are these people you recruited? Nine is also #1, so I am obviously partial, but to not include it even in the Top 20? Madness.
BBats... there's a TASTE TEST for you. My blog is so inspirational. Give me credit when you start gagging!
anon 6:50 i worry about that too. I kinda don't understand why it's not Jackman or Banderas
Brodie how is a cinematic erection different than a real one?
Nine is a favorite musical of mine and frankly, I don't see how Rob Marshall is going to improve upon the original Tommy Tune production. I've seen no proof yet that Marshall can be elegant. And though the cast is certainly intriguing there are some actresses I wouldn't have cast in one of my favorite musicals--Fergie, Nicole and Marion all come to mind. But hey, I never thought Mary Stuart Masterson would work in Nine but she was great so who knows?
well think of it this way.
would you rather jerk off looking at a picture of ewan macgregor, or jerk off watching velvet goldmine (oooh im so crass!)
cinematic erections lead you to a better climax.
i loved nicole kidman so much in moulin rouge! that whenever it's said she'll be singing somewhere i get all excited. i even loved that silly cover of "something stupid" she made with robbie williams [they're smoking HOT on that video?!].
a couple months ago i rented 8 1/2 and couldn't watch cos... well i'm still not that mature for a fellini, although la dolce vita was soooooooooo inspiring that last year on my trip to rome, i just didn't throw myself into the fontana di trevi cos the taxi driver who got us there told us we could get arrested.
u.u
Just #20, ha?
I'm now oficially dying to know your #1
luca this was my personal #1
as i'm sure all of you could have guessed being a
1) musical
and
2) filled with actresses
Surely #1 is Avatar? If it's not then colour me surprised. Although I suppose it could also be The Tree of Life, Inglorious Basterds, Coraline or Shutter Island.
we didn't include Coraline since it was coming out while we were publishing the list.
I'm excited. Cotillard, Kidman and Cruz are all really good singers. Dench is a theatrical legend. Fergie... we'll just forget about Fergie.
I really hope Daniel Day-Lewis can sing. He may be my favourite actor, but... if he's the Johnny Depp/Helena Bonham Carter element (with their singing ruining Sweeney Todd) he and I will be having a serious talk.
I actually just closed tonight on a production of NINE.
I'm always skeptical on stage to musical movies. Aside from how somethings translate, there is the actual element of singing talent involved. Most people you see in these shows are trained singers. Hollywood tends to cast whomever it wants and hopes for the best where singing is concerned. We saw this with Sweeney Todd, another show I loved and was excited for but was completely let down by because Depp and Carter couldn't sing.
Will I see NINE? Absolutely.
Do I think it will be amazing and spectacular? It'll be a tough call.
Kayla -- exactly. that's exactly it. they cast who they want and hope for the best. I think they assume that hiring a vocal coach will do the trick.
and obviously that will help. but musicals need great singers to achieve their full potential
Hmmm I'm totally looking forward to this one. I'm worried about a musical adaptation these days, since there haven't been any eveb mildly good ones recently. Will this be the next Moulin Rouge or the next Mamma Mia? the next Hairspray???
I also hope Nicole Kidman gets some awards for her performance. She has gone unrecognized ever since 2002. I also hope this gets rid of the 'boxoffice poison' nickname...
The scoop is Day-Lewis sent tapes of himself singing and Marshall and producers were very impressed. Also a meticulous filmmaker like Rob Marshall, and a actor who gives 110% of every role he takes on with DDL, they wouldn't have even attempted it if they couldn't pull it off.
2009 Oscar nomination leader with no less than 10 nods.
DDL sent tapes of his singing to Marshall and Weinstien and they were very impressed. Plus Daniel wouldn't even attempt it if he didn't think he could be good and pull it off.
The 2009 Oscar nomination leader with no less than 10 nods.
Picture, Actor, Possible two supporting actresses, director, adapted screenplay, art direction, cinematography, costume design, original song, original score, sound editing.
I agree DDL is mis-cast. Also don't think Kidman gets to show off her singing talent much. Cruz had the most scenes with DL, and I read that she tried to make their love scenes less awkward by injecting some humor in between takes, but that DL stayed in character - the whole movie, for that matter. I think he's much too cerebral for this role. Javier should have done it (he bowed out), or Antonio Banderas. Just my 2 cents.
HighVoltageBlond
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