Deadline reports that Laura Linney will play Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s mistress (and cousin) Daisy in Hyde Park On The Hudson , the story of George VI’ s 1939 visit to the Roosevelts in their upstate New York home. Bill Murray is slated to play FDR, and I’m slated to cast Eleanor right now — Kathy Bates, anyone? Not that she wants another mid-century period piece after the creative nadir of Revolutionary Road , of course, but she has command that defies Harry’s Law ! [ Deadline ]
Ben Affleck may have transitioned his Oscar win into a successful directing career but his Good Will Hunting star and co-writer has been content with leading big-budget pictures and producing the odd project. Until now that is. According to Deadline , Damon is seriously considering directing and starring in Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses — provided he can get his hands on it.
If Jessica Alba and Joel McHale aren’t enough to convince you to sit through Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids: All the Time in the World this summer, maybe the latest casting development will change your mind: Ricky Gervais has agreed to voice a robotic spy dog in this summer’s 3D Spy Kids: All the Time in the World . “Not only am I lending my voice to Spy Kids but they can keep it,” said Gervais. “I’m sick of it.” [ THR ]
Some might argue that one trip to the wild, wild West was enough for Will Smith. Quentin Tarantino is, it seems, not one of those people. According to a report which you should take with a generous heaping of salt, QT wants Smith for the lead in Django Unchained , his buzzed-about next film which may co-star Christoph Waltz and Sam Jackson. Cue the Stevie Wonder riff!
What do critics think of Robert Pattinson’s non-‘Twilight’ acting? Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson in “Water For Elephants” Photo: David James/FOX “Twilight” films are never highly praised by critics. “New Moon” wallows at just a 29 percent approval rating at the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, and yet that film (like all in the franchise) has gone on to gross hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Robert Pattinson’s latest offering, the romantic drama “Water for Elephants,” is similarly seeing mixed reviews thrown its way. And while, again like “Twilight,” the film is based on a best-selling novel, “WFE” isn’t expected to open with anything like the box-office bang Pattinson’s vampire flicks have. Yet his performance is garnering much critical praise. Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, too, is being lauded for his villainous turn. Reviews have also applauded the film’s lush visuals, though they’ve also criticized it for subpar character development and an attempt to pack too much of the novel’s story into the film. For those critiques and more, read on for what the pros are saying about “WFE”: The Story ” ‘Water for Elephants’ is partly a sawdust love story, partly a survival story. It opens with an old man’s reminiscence, as Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) tells a young circus hand about his own Depression-era adventures under the big top. He didn’t join the show out of any romantic impulses about carnival life. The well-planned veterinary career he expected was torpedoed by a family tragedy. And the first train he could hop just happened to be carrying roustabouts, a menagerie, a gorgeous trick rider, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), and her possessive husband, the circus’ owner and ringmaster, August (Christoph Waltz). That’s where the romance enters in. And the survival drama, too.” — Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune The Performances “Pattinson and Witherspoon, despite the limits of their earnest and fairly foolish characters, eke out a real spark of romance between them; several slow dances between them crackle with unspoken feelings, and even their lame flirty jokes feel genuine. Lurking over them both like some ghoul of violent circuses past is Waltz’s August, essentially Hans Landa in the big top but less fun to be around. Waltz brings shades of honor and even pity to August, but the movie is written in such broad strokes of right and wrong that from the moment August beats Rosie with an iron bar, there’s nothing to do but root for his inevitable downfall.” — Katey Rich, Cinema Blend The Visuals “Visually, the film is a handsome thing. With the help of production designer Jack Fisk (‘There Will Be Blood’), filmmaker Francis Lawrence (‘I Am Legend’) conjures a mostly believable world, circa 1931, of acrobats, sideshow entertainers, clowns and roustabouts down on their luck. You won’t ever forget that you’re watching a show, but it’s a highly watchable show nonetheless.” — Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post The Adaptation “Mr. Lawrence is so busy awkwardly jamming the novel’s minor events together and introducing (before dropping) colorful minor characters who have so little screen time that they barely register, that the movie fails to develop a sense of wonder. … As a piece of storytelling, the film displays its most disastrous choice when it makes the book’s climatic rampage seem perfunctory. This sloppily directed scene, which ends almost as soon as it begins, leaves you feeling cheated out of a necessary cathartic release.” — Stephen Holden, The New York Times The Final Word ” ‘Water for Elephants’ is one of those big, extravagant-looking romances that you might automatically deem ‘conventional’ — except for the fact that almost nobody makes big, extravagant-looking romances anymore. That’s the elephant in the room that the movie’s director, Francis Lawrence, faces head on. Whatever his movie’s flaws may be, he’s alive to the wonder of spectacle, and he still believes in the old-fashioned idea of movie stars: Those with two legs, and especially those with four.” — Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline Check out everything we’ve got on “Water for Elephants.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV First: Robert Pattinson ‘Water For Elephants’ Red Carpet Premiere MTV Rough Cut: Reese Witherspoon Related Photos Robert And Reese Shine At The ‘Water For Elephants’ Premiere Robert Pattinson’s 10 Smoldering Looks In The ‘Water For Elephants’ Trailer The Evolution Of: Reese Witherspoon ‘Water For Elephants’
It’s Brit Marling Day at Movieline! Since you’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the near future , take a gander at the new trailer for Another Earth , the first of two Marling-starring Sundance flicks coming to theaters courtesy of Fox Searchlight. Alternate planets, tragedy, romance, and Marling’s captivating screen presence — it’s all here. As a bonus, it’s also got Ethan from Lost ! Bet this ends better.
Water for Elephants is one of those big, extravagant-looking romances that you might automatically deem “conventional” — except for the fact that almost nobody makes big, extravagant-looking romances anymore. That’s the elephant in the room that the movie’s director, Francis Lawrence, faces head on. Whatever his movie’s flaws may be, he’s alive to the wonder of spectacle, and he still believes in the old-fashioned idea of movie stars: Those with two legs, and especially those with four.
Water for Elephants is one of those big, extravagant-looking romances that you might automatically deem “conventional” — except for the fact that almost nobody makes big, extravagant-looking romances anymore. That’s the elephant in the room that the movie’s director, Francis Lawrence, faces head on. Whatever his movie’s flaws may be, he’s alive to the wonder of spectacle, and he still believes in the old-fashioned idea of movie stars: Those with two legs, and especially those with four.
Actress talks to MTV News about fans’ dedication to co-star Robert Pattinson. By Aly Semigran, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon at the New York premiere of “Water for Elephants” Photo: Matt Harper/ MTV News Reese Witherspoon is certainly no stranger to dealing with the mass hysteria that Robert Pattinson — with his devoted “Twilight” fanbase — brings with him. While filming “Water for Elephants” in Tennessee last year, the Oscar-winning actress recalled to MTV News, “The women lining up outside the set — it was just unbelievable — till 5 o’clock in the morning waiting to just glimpse him.” So it must have felt a bit like d
‘It was a mad rush to get here,’ actor tells MTV News. By Aly Semigran, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon at the New York premiere of “Water For Elephants” Photo: Matt Harper/ MTV News The stage was set on Sunday (April 17) on a beautiful spring evening in New York for the world premiere of “Water for Elephants.” The stars of director Francis Lawrence’s highly anticipated period drama, adapted from Sara Gruen’s best-selling book of the same name, arrived at the famed Ziegfeld Theatre to debut their film and greet hundreds of excited fans. Early to arrive at the premiere of “Water for Elephants” — which streamed live on MTV.com — were castmembers such as Christoph Waltz and Hal Holbrook. Of course, no one was a bigger draw than the film’s leading man, Robert Pattinson. Though, truth be told, many on the red carpet were hoping to get a glimpse of his larger-than-life co-star, Tai the elephant . No stranger to the mass hysteria he brings everywhere, Pattinson, looking dapper in a suit and tie, signed autographs and posed for pictures with the fans lined up across the even-busier-than-usual Manhattan street, many of whom had waited outside in rainy weather the day before. After RPattz spent ample time with frenzied fans, he — alongside leading lady (and newlywed) Reese Witherspoon — found a moment to chat with MTV News on the red carpet. When asked if this premiere felt different from the “Twilight” series premieres, the actor said with a laugh, “Well, not that different.” But despite their enthusiasm for the 24-year-old star, it seems the “Water for Elephants” groupies have been much more subdued than the Twi-hards throughout the whole process. While many fans waited near the set throughout filming, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, Pattinson told us, “They weren’t very scream-y,” adding, “They were very nice fans.” The cries of the very vocal “Twilight” fans will no doubt be heard now that the franchise has completed wrapping. The actor — who also told us that glitzy red-carpet premieres like these can feel like work but still be “kinda fun” — revealed he was whisked away from the last day of filming “Breaking Dawn, Part 2” to make it to New York for his new film’s big night. Pattinson, who said he left the “Breaking Dawn” set in Vancouver around 1 a.m. on Sunday, told MTV, “It was a mad rush to get here.” It was so tight, in fact, that the superstar was still filming some of his very last scenes as Edward Cullen. Pattinson said that while he was being taken away to go to NYC, the “Breaking Dawn” crew was pleading, ” ‘Come on, we need, like, one more shot!’ ” Still, despite wrapping up “Breaking Dawn” and premiering “Water for Elephants” within just a matter of hours, Pattinson called the whole whirlwind experience “very exciting.” “Water for Elephants” arrives in theaters on Friday, April 22. Check out everything we’ve got on For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos ‘Water For Elephants’ Red Carpet Premiere Related Photos Robert And Reese Shine At The ‘Water For Elephants’ Premiere Robert Pattinson’s 10 Smoldering Looks In The ‘Water For Elephants’ Trailer
