Tag Archives: artists-alley

Is John Cusack The Next Mo’Nique?

Director Lee Daniels made Oscar magic tapping Mo’Nique for Precious ; the comic and talk-show host took the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that year in addition to a slew of festival awards (including an acting prize at Sundance, where the film premiered in 2009). Now, Daniels has asked John Cusack to join his anticipated The Butler , playing the role of Richard Nixon. What does Cusack have in mind, and does his own masterpiece await? Good question, as the actor explained to Vulture at Monday’s premiere of The Raven . “I don’t know yet,” Cusack said. “I haven’t figured it out yet. We’re still working on it. You can never really do one definitive thing on a person. Not one movie or even one novel can really sum up a person — it’s just one angle. So I need to get in Lee’s head about what he has in store, because the perspective on [the movie] is people who worked for the president, so it’s a different angle, you know?” Cusack will join Forest Whitaker, who will play the White House butler who served eight U.S. presidents, while Jane Fonda will portray Nancy Reagan (gasp!). Cusack, who will be seen in the upcoming Adult World , is also set to star in another Lee Daniels project, The Paperboy , along with Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey. [ Vulture ]

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Is John Cusack The Next Mo’Nique?

Michael Haneke’s Amour Coming to U.S.

Good news for Michael Haneke fans, which, of course, means everyone : Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Amour , the new film by the director behind Cache , Funny Games and the Cannes-winning The White Ribbon . The brief description, as provided by SPC: “In the film, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter (Isabelle Huppert), who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.” Fantastic. Expect Amour to premiere in competition next month at Cannes; visit Movieline on Thursday for the full lineup. [Press release]

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Michael Haneke’s Amour Coming to U.S.

Bikers and Sombreros and Boogeymen, Oh My: The Work of Shia LaBeouf, Comic Book Artist

Shia LaBeouf popped up on a whim last weekend at Chicago’s C2E2 to peddle three original comic books he created, and thanks to the lucky and enterprising comics fans on the ground the internet now has a look at the imagery and philosophical musings whirling around in Shia’s brain. Like: Random thoughts on poets (they bore him), someone who looks an awful lot like the boogeyman (okay, LaBeouf pal Marilyn Manson ), and the adventures of a canyon-jumping biker and his sombrero-wearing pal. Comics Alliance got their hands on two of the three books LaBeouf flew into Chicago to sell and sign (entitled “Let’s F****** Party,” “Stale N Mate,” and “Cyclical”) and shared a few pages, along with this critique: “I’d be lying if I said LaBeouf’s comics — if you can call picture books consisting entirely of splash pages and only the occasional word balloon comics — are any good. They aren’t.” Way harsh, guys! Take a look for yourself: Art by Shia LaBeouf via Comics Alliance Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune was just as surprised to find LaBeouf in C2E2’s Artists Alley: During a rare break in the line, LaBeouf, in a booming, quasi-mock arrogant voice, explained that this comic here — titled “Let’s … Party” — is an illustrated book of his thoughts and that this comic book here — titled “Stale N Mate” —is about an incarcerated man who really just wants a smoke. Asked if he wanted to be a comic book artist now, he replied: “I didn’t think I wanted to, but I love this, man. I’m so used to working in a room with 50 people looking at me. Doing these books are like singing in the shower.” Honestly, I’ve seen far cruder art work and pretentious conceptual-philosophical doodlings among the self-published books you can find in any hipster bookstore in Los Angeles. Forget the mainstream, Shia. Sell your books in Silverlake and you’ll be anointed an indie comics celeb wunderkind in no time. [ Comics Alliance , Chicago Tribune ]

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Bikers and Sombreros and Boogeymen, Oh My: The Work of Shia LaBeouf, Comic Book Artist