Look out world, Katherine Heigl is blogging! At least she’s realistic about the years of counseling her daughter will probably require after growing up with famous parents: “Now when I take a job, I look my daughter in the eye, screw up my courage and try to explain to her that Mommy has to go to work. And when she looks back at me and says, “But why?,” I tell her the truth: that work makes me a better person, a better woman, a better mother. Then I pray to God that she will understand one day and that my example will encourage her to find and follow her bliss as well … after I’ve paid for all the therapy, of course.” [ iVillage ]
Director Mark Romanek ‘s dystopian sci-fi romance Never Let Me Go never seemed to quite receive its due when it was released in 2010 and subsequently written off as a commercial disappointment. But many found the restrained Kazuo Ishiguro novel adaptation gorgeous and hauntingly heartbreaking, among them New Beverly Cinema programmer Julia Marchese, who recently wrote about her quest to bring Romanek and his film to screen in Los Angeles for a two-night engagement that starts Wednesday, January 11. For Marchese and fans of the film, the booking is more of a coup than it may seem at first glance; deemed an underperformer weeks into its original domestic limited run, Never Let Me Go wound up floundering in subsequent weeks despite its built-in literary audience and roster or rising stars (Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, and Keira Knightley), to the dismay of distributor Fox Searchlight. (The film exited theaters with a $2.4M domestic total, though it tallied another $7M worldwide.) Still, it’s a bit of a shock to hear of the difficulties Marchese encountered when she tried to book a print of the film for the New Beverly (which, recall, remains dedicated to screening 35mm ) only a little over a year after its initial release. From Marchese’s blog : I have been championing the film since its release, begging friends and neighbors to see it. I wanted to play it at the New Beverly as soon as possible, but Fox Searchlight told me that out of all of the hundreds of prints made, only two remained. One was irreparably damaged, and the other on long-term loan to a cruise ship. Whether they were telling the truth or not, I can’t say, but I will say that I am completely overjoyed that we will finally be showing it at the New Bev on January 11th and 12th with (schedule permitting) director Mark Romanek in attendance both nights. Fox at large is one of the studios pioneering the obsolescence of film prints in favor of digital, but the reality is still startling. Two remaining prints, and one damaged beyond repair, for a film shot deliberately on film that possesses such a romantic visual world, even in its careful austerity. Luckily, it seems that only intact print has finally departed its cruise ship confines and will screen Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 11-12) with Romanek in person. Romanek, meanwhile, has chosen another ascetic but moving sci-fi romance to play in a double feature with his film: François Truffaut’s 1966 film Fahrenheit 451 . A great pairing if you ask me, and with Romanek in person there should be ample opportunity to ask how much he sees in the juxtaposition of not only the films’ surface commonalities but in the idea that to some devotees, the phasing out of celluloid might be only a few shades removed from the burning of books. Visit the New Beverly website for more information; for Julia Marchese’s full blog entry, head here . Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter . [ Julia Marchese’s Blog , New Beverly Cinema ]
Are you worried about Andrew Garfield’s ability to play all-American now that the British Never Let Me Go star has been cast in the title role of Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot ? Until Garfield can convince you himself with his U.S. accent in The Social Network , allow him to show off his grasp of American pop culture in this ABC News interview, where he sings the entire chorus of the viral video hit “Bed Intruder.”
Fox is marketing their new buzz-y new series Lone Star in increasingly mysterious ways. Jon Voight — who plays Lone Star ‘s patriarch — appeared on the Fox News Channel show Huckabee over the weekend and laid into Time Magazine because of a recent cover story titled, ” Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace .” Wondered Voight: “Who are the anti-Semites who are running Time Magazine ?” Lone Star , premiering on Fox next week! [ THR ]
It took a while (and a studio debacle over The Wolfman ), but Mark Romanek finally has a second feature under his belt. And it’s not wanting for prestige: Opening today in limited release, Never Let Me Go features Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield as a trio of school friends turned romantic rivals turned… well, it’s complicated. And, as Romanek sympathized, worth keeping on the downlow for folks unfamiliar with Kazuo Ishiguro’s celebrated, genre-bending source novel. The director spoke further with Movieline about the variety of his young cast, the perils of marketing, and the pop star who might have the sway to draw him back to the music-video form that made him legendary.
Fall is the best time for movies. All the serious awards-contenders strut their stuff, the thrillers are darker and grittier, and the romances tend to be weepies. Here’s a guide to what’s coming out from now until the new year. More
Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite books of all times, a subtle but powerful story about love and loss and humanity. And even though the movie version was packed with powerhouse actors like Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, and Carey Mulligan, I was still nervous. After watching this clip, I’ve got no reason to worry — Keira & Carey, I hope you two are already picking out dresses for the Oscars.
Slllooowwww clap for CBS News, which today capitalized on Sunday’s controversial Mad Men episode in a most inspired and… well, godawful fashion. “What Can Mad Men Teach Parents About Childhood Masturbation?” reads an actual headline on a story posted today, followed by nuggets of professional wisdom to help vexed parents who’ve apparently never masturbated themselves get over the, er, hump. Let’s break it down scientifically — and through the application of Mad Men ‘s own child-rearing practices:
