Alec Baldwin will reportedly head off to Cannes as part of James Toback’s next project, an unscripted slice of life featuring the actor as himself, doing all the things Alec Baldwin might do at the world’s most venerated, glamorous film festival. Neve Campbell, who will not travel with the team, is said to star as Baldwin’s wife; she shot material in New York last week. Sounds great! Though if this just turns out to be a long-form Capital One commercial , I’m going to be pretty pissed. [ Forbes via VF ]
Jean-Luc Godard may not care about Hollywood or its Oscars , but we have apparently found some hardware he is into: The 3-D camera. This calls for a comeback! The celebrated auteur, who was thought to have retired from filmmaking with his polarizing 2010 effort Film Socialisme , has reportedly undertaken another “last” project that he will shoot in three dimensions. Farewell to Language ( Adieu au Langage ), which he teased two years ago but only now has commenced production on, tells the story of “a man and his wife who no longer speak the same language. The dog they take on walks then intervenes and speaks.” Naturally. Héloise Godet, Zoe Bruneau, Kamel Abdelli, Richard Chevalier and Jessica Erickson star; European sales and production powerhouse Wild Bunch will take the project to the Cannes market next week. Here’s a not-very-good working version of its poster . Keep an eye on Movieline for more on when Farewell to Language might yield to a defective 3-D viewing experience near you. [ The Film Stage ]
Also in Wednesday afternoon’s Biz Break: A Taken star takes on another thriller in L.A., Logan Marshall Green gets set to play Tennessee Williams, and Matthew McConaughey and Cuba Gooding, Jr. take a look at White House historical drama. Elizabeth Olsen Begins Production on Erotic Thriller Thérèse Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton and Jessica Lange join Olsen who plays Thérèse Raquin, a sexually repressed young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin and domineered by her aunt. She meets her husband’s alluring friend (Isaac) and embarks on a dangerous affair. The film is set in 1860s Paris. Shooting is taking place in Belgrade and Budapest. Director John Suits Begins Thriller The Scribbler Katie Cassidy ( Taken ) stars in the feature, adapted from the U.K. graphic novel. Produced by New Artists Alliance and Caliber Media, the film also stars Garret Dillahunt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Eliza Dushku, Gina Gershon and Michael Imperioli about a a young woman confronting her destructive mental illness using “The Siamese Burn,” an experimental machine designed to eliminate multiple personalities. But the closer she comes to being “cured,” what if the last unwanted identity turns out to be her? Production begins this week in L.A. Logan Marshall Green Set to Play Tennessee Williams He will portray the playwright in Lonely Hunter by director/writer/producer Deborah Kampmeier, a feature based on the life of Southern gothic writer Carson McCullers, which Jena Malone is already attached to play. Williams was McCuller’s longtime confidant. Shooting will begin this year with Troy Johanson and Blair Breard as producers. Green stars in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus . Holly Herrick Named to Austin Film Society Post Herrick will serve as Associate Artistic Director of the organization founded by filmmaker Richard Linklater. Her background includes work at the Hamptons, Sarasota and Newport film festivals. She succeeds filmmaker Bryan Poyser, who is currently in production with his new indie feature The Bounceback . Around the ‘net… Roman Polanski To Direct D The political thriller is based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the most sensational political scandals in history. The project reunites the team behind Polanski’s previous film The Ghost Writer , Deadline reports . Universal to Open Harry Potter Theme Park in Japan The first Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction overseas will open at Universal Studios Japan in 2014 at its Osaka facility,” Variety reports . Matthew McConaughey, Cuba Gooding Jr. Circle The Butler Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack and Jane Fonda are already set for director Lee Daniels’s White House historical drama headlined by Forest Whitaker. The film will be at the upcoming Cannes Film Market where IM Global will sell international rights. Daniels’s The Paperboy will have its world premiere in competition in Cannes. THR reports . Revenge Actor Gabriel Mann Boards Chavez Mexican filmmaker/actor Diego Luna will direct the indie biopic — not to be confused with Luna’s 2007 boxing documentary Chávez &mdash this summer, featuring Michael Pe
And now the latest sequel call from Movieline Central Casting: “So, what do you need to do to get on set? You need to get busy… 1. Follow us on Twitter and retweet any of our tweets. 2. Like us on Facebook and share any of our posts. The more you tweet and share, the more chance you have to be cast so, tweet and share early and often. We’ll be selecting an extra this Friday afternoon and flying the selectee and a guest to LA this coming Monday, May 14th – all expenses paid. Or, most expenses anyway – flight and hotel for two nights. By the way, while you’ll definitely be an ‘extra’ on set, we can’t really guarantee you screen time. But… we can certainly guarantee you a good time. We’ll make sure you get some cool swag too.” Whatever, just give me one of those smoldering hats. [ Atlas Shrugged ]
Ben Affleck , director, makes his most ambitious movie yet in this fall’s Argo , the crazy true (and until recently, secret) story of how the CIA attempted to rescue six American diplomats during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis by disguising them as a film crew working on a science fiction movie. The first trailer for Argo ranks up there with the best we’ve seen all year, setting up the stranger-than-fiction premise with juicy moments from veteran thesps (John Goodman! Alan Arkin!) and up-and-comers (ladies and gentlemen, Scoot McNairy) alike as Affleck serves up a bizarre slice of history. Affleck directs from a script by Chris Terrio (based on Joshuah Bearman’s engrossing 2007 Wired article “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran”), casting himself as CIA officer Tony Mendez, the orchestrator of the so-called “Canadian Caper.” He’s joined by Goodman as Planet of the Apes Oscar-winner John Chambers, the Hollywood make-up artist who helped Mendez set up the operation, and Arkin as a producer delivering choice zingers (“If I’m doing a fake movie, it’s going to be a fake hit!”). In addition to folks like Goodman, Arkin, Victor Garber, Bryan Cranston, Michael Parks, Zeljko Ivanek, Affleck tapped a few rising actors to fill out his cast: Scoot McNairy ( Monsters ), Christopher Denham ( Sound of My Voice ), and Kerry Bishe ( Red State ) join Tate Donovan, Clea Duvall, and Rory Cochrane as the six imperiled diplomats. Add in the muted ’70s palette and sense of humor tempered by life-and-death stakes and you’ve got what promises to be an intriguingly layered ride, if Affleck the director can pull it off. Argo is slated for release on October 12, gunning for awards season. Verdict: If it measures up to the true story and the article it inspired, this could be great. Thrill me, Affleck.
Speculation has swirled for a while now about whether or not Fox and Ridley Scott would pursue a PG-13 rating for its blockbuster hopeful Prometheus , which, if previews and disgusting animated GIFs are any indication, has plenty of raw sci-fi terrors to back up an R. But one fan who locked up an advance ticket to the film might have unintentionally solved the ratings puzzle. Collider passes along the accompanying photo, which an IMDB user apparently nabbed in advance over the weekend and passed along with the giddy declaration: “AS PROMISED!! CHECK THE LINK ABOVE, PROMETHEUS IS RATED R!!!!” ZOMG, etc. Sorry, kids! May I suggest Bully ? [ IMDB via Collider ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
While Think Like A Man may have conquered the domestic box office two weekends in a row – an impressive feat for what Hollywood execs refer to as an “urban comedy” – there’s no question that the film’s success is as much due to the popular self-help book on which it is based as it is to its comedic merits. Roger Ebert hit the nail on the head in his review , remarking: “The movie’s mistake is to take the book seriously. This might have worked as a screwball comedy or a satire, but can you believe for a moment in characters naive enough to actually live their lives following Steve Harvey’s advice?” The funny thing is that the screwball version film Ebert would have liked to see actually exists — and is infinitely superior to the more dramatic, contemporary incarnation. That film is Two Can Play That Game , Mark Brown’s hilarious entry in the battle-of-the-sexes subgenre. A distant descendant of true screwballs (most notably The Awful Truth , which depicts a recently divorced couple’s attempts to derail one another’s new romances), Two Can Play That Game is, like Think Like A Man , anchored by a character explaining dating rules and philosophy to the audience. However, in this film that character actually has skin in the game – in fact, she’s its heroine: Shante Smith (Vivica A. Fox) is an ad agency exec who dispenses advice to the audience (and her girlfriends) about her seemingly perfect “Ten Day Program” for keeping a straying boyfriend in check; when her own boyfriend Keith (Morris Chestnut) begins to stray, a battle of wits ensues. The Kevin Hart comedic-sidekick role is played here by Anthony Anderson, as Keith’s relationship consigliore. Anderson knocks the role out of the park, with a performance that easily steals the entire film. It’s true that the most dramatic moments of Think Like A Man – when the characters try to level with each other and Own Up To Their Mistakes – are the moments in which it feels the most deadened. Two Can Play That Game , alternatively, embraces its absurdity; like its finest performance, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. In one scene, when Anderson seconds the points Keith makes by shouting as if he’s at church, an organ and chorus suddenly appear on the soundtrack to emphasize the revelations the men are coming to about women. The film, at various points, informs us that the first law of thermodynamics explains how best to manipulate your partner; has Vivica A. Fox punch Gabrielle Union in the face; and, in the funniest scene, puts forth the theory that church is a better place to pick up promiscuous women than a nightclub. And while the film understands that it’s a light comedy, it’s not lacking for bombast. “This is way bigger than you,” Anderson tells Chestnut late in the film. “You’re doing this for all men across the country. You’re doing this for men all around the world!” With increasingly deranged anxiety, Anderson goes off the rails: “Pretty soon women are gonna be pulling these head trips on us, dog, and you know what’s gonna happen? We’re gonna be the ones cooking dinner! We’re gonna be the ones changing the diapers! We’re gonna be the ones washing the dishes! And you know what they’re gonna be doing? They’re gonna be sitting on our couches, watching football on our Sunday!” Between putting forth the misguided belief that people need to engage in psychological warfare to keep their partners in line and the propagation of all kinds of stereotypes and clichés, no one’s going to accuse either of these movies of responsibly depicting gender relations. But when choosing one to watch, a viewer is well-advised to pick a film that is fully aware of – and complicit in – its own absurdity. Zachary Wigon is a writer based in New York. His work has appeared in the New York Press, NYLON, and Filmmaker Magazine, among many other outlets. He tweets @zachwigon .
As a new helmer takes over ‘The Hunger Games,’ Hobnobbing examines the challenges (and opportunities) that lie ahead. By Amy Wilkinson Francis Lawrence Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images The reaping has concluded, with Francis Lawrence officially named victor in the contest to direct “Catching Fire,” according to a release from Lionsgate. It’s been a fraught few weeks for fans following director Gary Ross’ announcement that he would not helm the series’ second installment. Numerous directors were reportedly in contention for the coveted position, including Alfonso Cuar
Because nothing says “blockbuster of the season” like angsty daddy issues — mingled with a barrage of cool CG-tastic effects and action shots and nerd bait — Sony’s unveiled the latest official trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man , due in theaters July 3. Emphasis this time around is on what made emo-snarky Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) the super-powered jokester hero he is: Namely, losing Ma and Pa Parker as a kid. This is the most complete-feeling trailer we’ve seen so far, with Parker’s voice over literally explaining his character struggle to us over a melange of intriguing action-y bits, interspersed with the mushy stuff with Emma Stone. Photorealistic Lizard eyeballs! Ceiling chases! Web-slinging gone wrong! Most importantly, the effects here show more detail and look much more complete than in trailers and teasers past. Check it out and chime in below. The Amazing Spider-Man hits theaters July 3. [via Apple ]
The San Francisco International Film Festival honored its winners and two first-ever celeb-filled bashes are planned for Cannes (or Cannes adjacent). Also in Thursday morning’s Biz Break, a list of way overpaid media heads, Ashton Kutcher lands in hot water, a cinema chain goes up for sale, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk moments, a ‘Screamin” sale and more. 55th San Francisco International Film Festival Prize Winners Portuguese director Gonçalo Tocha’s It’s the Earth Not the Moon won best documentary feature at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival Wednesday night, while Israeli director Nadav Lapid ( Policeman ) won the festival’s New Directors Prize and Eran Kolirin won the critic-centered FIPRESCI award for The Exchange . SFIFF, the oldest film festival in the Americas, awarded over $70,000 in prizes to its winners. For a full list of winners, visit their site . President Clinton and Prince Albert’s Big Bash Headed to Cannes this year? If so, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the William J. Clinton Foundation are throwing a benefit ball at the Hotel de Paris in the principality on May 23. The party, titled “Nights in Monaco” will “transport guests back to an era of allure and prestige – an era known as the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood,'” organizers said. The ball will be a fundraiser for both foundations. Cannes to Honor Sean Penn and Others for Haiti Charity Work If you can’t make the Prince Albert/President Clinton soiree, then perhaps check out a Cannes-sponsored fund raising event (a festival first). “Haiti: Carnival in Cannes” will support charities in the earthquake- and cholera-ravaged Caribbean nation supported by Sean Penn (J/P HRO), Paul Haggis (Artists for Peace and Justice) and Czech supermodel Petra Nemcova (Artists for Peace and Justice). Around the ‘net… Ashton Kutcher’s ‘Racist’ Ad Dropped An online potato chip advertisement featuring the 34-year-old actor in brown make-up portraying a Bollywood film producer was removed from YouTube and Facebook following viewer complaints, BBC reports . Cablevision Puts Clearview Up for Sale The company plans to sell its Clearview Cinemas which includes 45 locations and 230 screens, Variety reports . Media Moguls with “Out-of-Whack” Compensation Deadline has released its second annual list of media CEO’s who receive disproportionately high salaries compared to other top execs at their companies,and those riding high include Discovery Communications’ David Zaslav, AMC’s Joshua Sapan, Dish Network’s Joseph Clayton, Martha Stewart Living Optimedia’s Martha Stewart and CBS’ Leslie Moonves. See the full list for more details. Avengers star Ruffalo Claims to Having ‘Hulk Moments’ It’s never a bad marketing plan for actors to claim a likeness to their characters, especially in the superhero department. Mark Ruffalo told the AP “When I was a young actor, if you came to my apartment, you would have seen pictures and photos hung in the most bizarre places, where they were covering holes in the wall from auditions that I didn’t get…” The Scream Fetches $120M Norwegian painter Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ sold for $119,922,500 at Sotheby’s on Wednesday. Only eight other works have sold at auction for more than $80 million, the AP reports .
