Mr Dan Zak wants Angelina Jolie to adopt him, loves her in Salt.
The Observer top 10 movie cameos. Wide range of years here, so, yay.
Totally Looks Like Whoa. Keanu Reeves & Tchaikovsky.
In Contention Wait. What's this? Fresh rumor hell that Margaret (2005) starring Anna Paquin might finally see release. I'd rather not hope again given that they're saying 2011.
i09 okay I kind of think this Green Lantern movie is going to be terrible. BUT. This is so sweet/adorable: Ryan Reynolds reciting the oath for a kid at Comic Con.
Playbill the musical adaptation of Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is getting a starry cast for Broadway: Patti Lupone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott. Yay and also yikes. How can it live up to the film? A lot will depend on how strong the musical score is. And unfortunately film-to-stage transfers haven't seem to view the song score as that important, trusting on name brands to sell the show (see also: Addams Family, Legally Blonde, etcetera)
Finally, let's wrap up with Caroline O'Connor ("Nini" from Moulin Rouge!, don'cha know) performing Chicago's Velma Kelly intro "All That Jazz"
Yes! Caroline is bringing her all singing all dancing one-woman'ish show (there are back up dancers) "The Showgirl Within" to London this fall. Wish I could see it. (I expect a full report from at least one of you Brits reading The Film Experience in the dark out there.) I once had hoped to interview all 'Four Whores of the Apocalypse' from Moulin Rouge! (2001) though I never got very far. My favorite film of the Aughts celebrates its 10th anniversary next year, so I'll have to return to it in a big way. It's been a few years since I last watched it now.
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15 comments:
Come on, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is awful, onde of Almodóvar's worst movies. A Broadway adaptation may turn it into somthing actually funny, with real comic timing. Even Almodóvar knows this was one of his worst efforts: no wonder why Harry Caine would like to re-edit it.
You know, I think Almodóvar has an unique sense of humor, but he's no good when he tries to make pure comedies. He's better when he puts funny parts in melodramas, that is the genre in which he really excels.
Women on the Verge, Kika and fist first movies are so embarrassing!
yikes. we will have to agree to disagree. I haven't seen all of the first five but he's been totally interesting from the start. And Women on the Verge is hilarious. You just have to key into its gradual deadpan build into people start dropping "GAZPACHO!"
Of course he's interesting from the star, but not exactly good. In his first movies, he shows he would be the great director he is today when he tries his hand at darker themes: Law of Desire and Matador are his best movies until we see Live Flesh.
I don't think the gazpacho thing is that exceptional. He was obvious trying to show off influences from American absurd comedies, but if we tried anything by Howard Hawks we see how flawed his tentative of fast paced comedy is. Its grace comes from people trying to look exuberant (that easy and bad joke with the cab driver), not from good gags and killer lines. Of course it is an "interesting" movie, but it's very far from the first class cinema Almodóvar has been doing lately.
Green Lantern could go either way, but nothing will be as awful as Thor is going to be. Everything about it reminds me of the film version of Masters of the Universe.
If there was an MVP in "Inception," it was Marion Cotillard. But I do really want to see Tom Hardy's performance in "Bronson." Heard it's pretty awesome in that method sort of way. A "Mad Max" remake? No thanks.
A bit off-topic, but did you hear about Alan Ball's new project? The details are pretty exciting.
I have to ask. How long until it's OK to say Hardy is hott? I mean, I know we should not be shallow and start by recognizing his talents (I haven't seen him in anything yet) but come on! ;)
Bite your tongues...I hope and pray Thor and Green Lantern are fun, pop entertainments.
And why do we have to pick "best in show" from Inception? Although the ensemble is strong and of equal caliber, the movie is just not going to snag any acting Oscar noms. The movie and the director are the stars here. Personally, I dont think anyone stands out in particular...maybe Marion, but that, most likely, will not happen. Correct me if I 'm wrong, but didn't she have to say the line, "I'll tell you a riddle." God bless her for having to say that line! I vote Marion for the Riddler in Batman 3.
I just realized you have previously mentioned what I said, sorry.*blushes*
It's just that Ben Whishaw has been casted and I'm currently on the fifth season of 6FU, so I'm ridiculously excited.
SoSueMe -- well that's the concept of the column. Picking a best. And I'd disagree that everyone is equal in INCEPTION. For me the acting is highly uneven in that movie from terrific (Hardy) to does what he/she can with the role (Levitt/Cotillard) to passable/solid (Murphy/Watanabe/Haas/etcetera) to problematic (Leo... personal thing but I just can't see him do that pained boyman with psycho wife thing a fourth time. Please no. Please somethign else.) to phoning it in but the character is ridiculous so who can blame her because the character has no character (Page).
I like a lot of things about INCEPTION but the acting is not high on the list. For me Hardy is the only one that managed to sell exposition like it wasn't just exposition.
exposition is a real problem in that movie.
James --it's ok to start calling Hardy "hot" now. It was ok to start doing that 9 years ago with Black Hawk Down ;). Just look him up on google image search and need a cold shower afterwards. BUT. i have to say that i'm sad he's never going to lose all the Bronson muscle. He clearly likes it but to me he looked better before with slim body and solid muscles but not beefiness.
I have a lot of faith in the quality of Women on the Verge. David Yazbek has been pretty reliable, and doesn't pick source material that will float on name alone. The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels were both pretty great. Plus, that cast! LuPone originating a role again!
Not related to any of the links, but I thought you, as a confirmed biopic skeptic, would appreciate this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2261374
(it's more focused on why biopics of artists don't work, but still has some pretty astute observations.)
Nathaniel, no disrespect (and no intended blog bitchery) in regards to the concept of your column...it's a great idea...and I'm glad your giving props and publicity to the talented (and handsome) Tom Hardy...I understand the article was conceived to highlight a specific performance, but in the case of Inception, I have to turn the concept on its head and go with Christopher Nolan's imagination and ambition as best in show.
SoSueMe -- agreed that ambition is its best element :) Right you are.
but i'm just talking about acting in this series.
Anon 12:29 -- hmmm. i thought both of those were good musicals, yes, but well short of greatness. i barely remember the songs but for one or two from each. And it's probably my biggest issue with contemporary musicals that they just don't have the reach that the older ones do. It's like they come up with one or two great songs and think WE HAVE A MUSICAL (i think i blame Andrew Lloyd Webber for this trend) When the older musicals -- the ones people are always reviving ... it's like their weakest songs would be the standouts in contemporary musicals and it's just one "hit" after another... like they were never holding anything back. Greatest Hits Albums rather than uneven albums with filler ;)
I really hope he does his best work here.
Nat, I'll have to be on your side of the line as far as Women on the Verge goes. It is his best? Not by a long shot (but my god, given his filmography...) But it's not his worst or one of, not by a long shot. (I've seen a couple of the VERY early ones. One of which I had to turn off a few minutes in, it was unwatchable.) Women is hilarious - and I love Carmen Maura so much, I admit I don't want to see anyone else in the role.
as for doing Moulin Rouge "big time" for it's tenth anniversary next year? Don't be a tease. I beg you.
Would have loved to have seen O'Connor enjoy more of a film career after MR, but maybe she preferred the stage? Or maybe she wasn't a big enough "name" to get any further in Hollywood. She does so much with so very, very little in MR.
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