Reviews are forthcoming, I swear. Look for Inland Empire, Ratatouille, and Stardust very soon.
In stunning news, fantasy author Robert Jordan has passed away from a rare form of cancer called cardiac amyloidosis. I'd known that Jordan (whose real name is James Rigney Jr.) had been diagnosed with the disease early last year, but was under the impression that his health was improving. Tragically, it has not, and both the man and his series have been lost. Jordan was working on the twelfth and final volume of his Wheel of Time series, which began in 1990 and was set to conclude in 2009. Understandably, no plans have been announced yet for how the series will end, but perhaps an acceptable conclusion can be offered given his progress with A Memory of Light. But of course, condolences first and foremost to Mr. Jordan's family and friends at the end of a courageous and debilitating fight.
Although I parted ways with the series after the ninth volume, I hoped to one day catch up with the grand conclusion of a story I had invested so much time in. Maybe that can still occur, eventually.
The Emmy Awards have been announced, and the results have been as mixed a bag as the nominations. I failed to vent my anger at the noms in July, both because I would be beating a dead horse and because I feel that I should be accustomed to the Television Academy continually failing to see further than its own nose. It can't be blamed, as the system is inherently flawed: to entrust the adjudication of a medium's best to a body of busy voters who cannot possibly see everything there is to offer - either more than a sample episode or at all - is akin to ignoring half the lanes in an Olympic swimming championship. Emmy voting is a grotesque hybrid of a popularity contest and deranged idiosyncrasy. Whereas handing the awards over to TV critics would be a decidedly problematic idea for an academy designed to bestow industry recognition of its own, at least they have the time and critical faculties to evaluate the majority of what's out there.
As it stands, Deadwood, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and The Shield continue to be shut out of virtually all major categories (the former two completely, despite being by far the best television had to offer in the last or any year). In the meantime, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, House, and Boston Legal hog the limelight with demented grins as if they've just successfully bribed every single Emmy voter, while The Wire, the most acclaimed show in a decade, receives nothing, and the cancelled Deadwood - abandoned in the awards campaign by HBO following its cancellation - follows up a Best Drama and Actor nomination for its second season with sweet FA despite no drop in quality.
No doubt this just sounds like bitter whining that my favourites didn't get any attention from the grown-ups, but a quick survey of critical response to the Emmys shows that I'm not alone. And even if you're not impassioned about them, I utterly defy you to tell me that Grey's Anatomy is more worthy of recognition as a drama series than The Wire, or even that Heroes is better at what it does than Lost. Heroes is the zeitgeist, so it gets the nom - that doesn't make it right or worthy, especially since if the Emmys are about rewarding quality, then it should be implicit that such a goal entail shining a spotlight on underappreciated shows of quality. It occasionally does - the first season win by Arrested Development for Best Comedy, for example - but most of the time this farce is, as I said, a popularity contest.
Oh well, we know better. And at least one Best Drama nomination was semi-deserved: The Sopranos. Its final season was the best since its third, and its win on Sunday night was at least the best of a not-so-great bunch. And in a lovely twist, Terry O'Quinn won Best Supporting Actor for his role of John Locke in Lost, which felt like lovely vindication that genre shows can indeed have good actors, and Ricky Gervais won Best Comedy Actor for Extras!
And the very presence of creative nominations for Battlestar Galactica - Best Writing in a Drama Series for Ron Moore for the two-hour season premiere, and Best Directing for Felix Alcala for the jaw-dropping "Exodus Part 2" - was a wonderful surprise back in July and a kernel of hope for the institution that it can hear what's going on outside for time to time. Could Battlestar's final season yield a cathartic Emmy blitz? Doubtful, but we can hope, or perhaps the point is, it doesn't matter.
The Southland Tales trailer is finally here, and it’s an intoxicating if impenetrable melange of imagery and ideas. The editing is stunningly good, and hopefully master trailer-makers aren’t being employed to dress up a failure. There has been much speculation about whether Kelly’s extensive work on the film could possibly redeem a film regarded as unsalvageable at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where a workprint was screened to the derision of most. A round-up of the response can be read here.
However, prolific and savvy Village Voice critic J. Hoberman lavished praise, and Donnie Darko was slammed at Sundance too. Hopefully Southland Tales is an underappreciated gem, or if it was dross at Cannes, that Kelly has saved it. Whatever happens, this looks to be a film of uncommon ambition and vision, and should be given a break on those terms alone.
Also, as you'll have seen above, Cinematical premiered the final one-sheet for Southland Tales too a couple of weeks ago and it’s a nifty bit of art. It’s floating heads yet again, but at least does something a little more creative with them, and the whole thing is a nice symbolic distortion of the American flag, which is allegedly the film in a nutshell. At least some thought went into this one.
And the LA Times has a terrific article on Kelly’s post-Cannes travails with the film.
There’s been ominous talk that Sci-Fi will split up the 20-episode fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, not with a month or two hiatus, but a year, with the second half being held over for early 2009. Ron Moore has confirmed that executives are discussing the option, and the combined factors of their sole prestige project soon departing and the imminent talent strike would certainly make stretching out Battlestar an attractive prospect. But a ten-episode season is pretty measly even by cable standards, so let’s hope they don’t.
James Hibberd of TV Week (not the Aussie rag of the same name, thankfully) has a good piece covering virtually all matters Battlestar with comments from Moore, where he confirms the discussions. Hibberd also reveals that Sci-Fi are considering bringing the Caprica spin-off out of mothballs. So keen are they to maintain their relationship with the in-demand Moore – who recently signed a huge deal with NBC Universal and has a couple of movie scripts in development - that they may greenlight the prequel drama set before the first Cylon War. They also speculate that its earthbound setting (pardon the irony) and lighter tone may attract a bigger audience than the original series.
SyFy Portal's Michael Hinman writes further about the strike's impact on Galactica and Caprica, and quotes a source's very salient point: delaying a show despite irritating its fans and filming a completed script (as Caprica's pilot is), however risky both moves may be, is better than having nothing to broadcast that year at all.And Entertainment Weekly has a preview article of Battlestar Galactica: Razor.
The inevitable film version of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel The Road is gaining traction, with previously announced director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and his producers in talks with Viggo Mortensen to star and Dimension Films to distribute. Mortensen hasn’t yet signed, but he’d be absolutely ideal for the part, although I fear for Hillcoat in having to make such a rigourously non-commercial film for the Weinsteins (they took their Dimension imprint with them from Miramax to The Weinstein Company).
But the stories of interference emanating from their new company have been slim to nil; even Todd Haynes is working with them again on I’m Not There after being shamelessly messed about on Velvet Goldmine. Perhaps being the underdog once again has mellowed them, and their promotional savvy could help a movie so bleak that it may struggle even to gain kudos from more conservative critics. But if Hillcoat and Mortensen make it – and they are both perfectly suited to it – then it has a good chance of being a seminal film.
Shooting for The Road will begin in January, so it’s snuck in as pre-strike project. In that vein, FilmJerk published a very interesting list that has been circulating Hollywood of 300 projects that the various studios are endeavouring to get made before the curtain falls on the industry for a while next June (and who knows for how long...). Some notable flicks that either haven’t been mentioned at all or for a while:
- Torso, directed by David Fincher, based on Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko’s graphic novel about Elliot Ness investigating the true-life Cleveland Torso serial murders (I know, I’m mystified why Fincher would tackle serial killers yet again after providing two such worthy and distinct takes on the topic in Seven and Zodiac. Perhaps he’s found a third. Fincher doing 1930s noir is a delicious prospect though).
- a new Gulliver's Travels films? Would that play?
- Life of Pi, a film of Yann Martel's novel directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie).
- a new Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) film, currently untitled.- The Birdcage 2? I Dream of Jeannie? Ugh...
- Scott Pilgrim, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), based on Bryan O'Malley's comic. Haven't heard about this for a while.
- both The Voyage of the Dawn Treader AND The Silver Chair before the strike? Seriously?
- Brad Bird moves into live action with 1906, about the San Francisco earthquake of that year, based on the fictionalised account by James Dalessandro. Bird is brilliant - sign me up. Didn't know this was coming so soon.
The worst-kept secret is out: George Miller will be directing Justice League (although Variety says he's only in final talks) and Batman and Superman will be recast. Motion-capture was considered, but they likely won't go that way. IESB says that Tom Welling is now out of the running to graduate to full Superman status - no tears here - and that Ryan Gosling is much desired for Batman - good bloody luck though. Plus, they hear that Superman: The Man of Steel has been postponed indefinitely. That makes more sense than whatever else we were hearing.
YES! Cynthia Watros will be making multiple appearances as Libby in the fourth season of Lost, presumably in flashbacks. The recurring status presumably means that her intriguing habit of popping up in completely unrelated backstories will continue. It's terrific that the writers will be able to resolve this particular A-bomb of mystery from the show's past (and hopefully they can justify why she was written out so suddenly with so little exposure up to that point, but I doubt it). With the return of Harold Perrineau's Michael too, there seems to be much t crossing and i dotting happening in the Lost offices. Thank goodness again for the end-date declaration.
While reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I was utterly convinced that Jim Broadbent must play Slughorn. Rarely have I been do determined to see an actor be cast in a role - he was just too perfect. I didn't see it mooted elsewhere - Bob Hoskins was linked to the role a while ago. And who will be playing Slughorn? Jim bloody Broadbent!! Ah, sweet vindication. Gloating has occurred offline.
Check out the gorgeous poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The full trailer was also prematurely put on MySpace before being yanked, but a copy managed to get on to YouTube. There are a couple of copies of not great quality, so check them out if you're really keen. Expect an official Quicktime version soon-ish. It's not an earth-shattering trailer, but it is enticing, and it's so nice to have Day-Lewis back, and in such a meaty role. Plus, the material seems wonderfully timely.
Giovanni Ribisi has joined James Cameron's Avatar. I like that Cameron hasn't had to cast big names for this. The studio is sensibly relying on Cameron's name to draw the crowds (although I'm sure they had to be coaxed into that though, as ever).
Full circle time: Brad Pitt will be replacing the very busy Matt Damon in Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter, playing Mark Wahlberg's brother in the period boxing drama. Pitt famously left the first incarnation of The Fountain, which led the studio to abandon the project and production having to be shut down. Pitt and Aronofsky are presumably on good enough terms to reunite for this, and expect Pitt to stick around this time: walking out on a director twice is bad press that any star would want to avoid.
Matthew McConaughey will replace Owen Wilson in comedy Tropic Thunder following the actor's recent suicide attempt. He joins an amazing cast, including Stiller (who is also directing), Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Justin Theroux, Steve Coogan, and Nick Nolte.
Zoe Saldana will play Uhura in JJ Abrams's Star Trek. With this and Avatar, she's got some big projects coming out. Ironically, Star Trek will be released first, despite Saldana having been filming Avatar for months.
Brad Pitt and Edward Norton will reteam for State of Play, director Kevin McDonald's (The Last King of Scotland) adaptation of the massively acclaimed BBC political mini-series starring David Morrisey and John Simm and written by Paul Abbott (Shameless). Pitt and Norton were a dynamite on-screen team in Fight Club, so this has gone from very promising to must-see status. The script is by the suddenly ubiquitous Matthew Michael Carnahan, writer of The Kingdom, Lions for Lambs, and brother Joe's forthcoming White Jazz.
The Steven Spielberg-produced TNT mini-series version of Stephen King's fantasy novel The Talisman has been put on hold due to budgetary issues. Will it be made? And if not, will it return to film development where it originated?
Jon Stewart will host the 2008 Academy Awards.
It just had to happen: Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal will play siblings in Jim Sheridan's Brothers, the remake of Susanna Bier's Danish film about a man sent to fight in Afghanistan and his prodigal brother caring for his family. After Get Rich or Die Tryin' bombed, Sheridan could use a break, and it's nice that he was able to snag two such big stars, even if it is for another bloody remake. But setting the story in America will naturally add an interesting new dimension to the story.
This is GOLD. Mark Romanek is finally following up One Hour Photo with a new version of The Wolf Man for Universal, with Benicio del Toro in the lead and Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) penning the script. Romanek says in an email to Harry Knowles (at the below link) that this project and Ed Wood are the two that makeup supremo Rick Baker has wanted to see made in his career, so naturally he's on board to transform del Toro into the monster.
Check out this picture of Del Toro play-throttling Baker at AICN. Note that this is without makeup or hair extensions.
WOAH!
Il est perfect, non? That is a staggeringly cool expression - del Toro was clearly born for this role. As Knowles says, imagine what he'll look like with makeup! I was wondering how this film will differ from An American Werewolf in London, which Baker also provided makeup for, but a quick search reveals that it will be set in Victorian England.
Holy cow - Victoriana + del Toro + Romanek + Baker + Walker = a monster movie I'm actually rabid for. It comes out in early 2009. With Watchmen, Avatar, and this, the first half of that year is looking incredible.
Not satisfied with the obnoxious glut of medical and legal shows on TV? Law and Order mogul Dick Wolf is here to help, with a new "medical-legal hybrid"! Oh WHEE!!
Not deterred by Pathfinder's implosion, Hollywood is giving the Vikings another go. Ryan Phillipe, Abby Cornish, and Sean Bean will star in Menno Meyjes's Last Battle Dreamer, about the Viking invasion of Britain. I have trouble picturing Phillippe as a Viking, but this could be cool. Could be woeful.
AMC has renewed the excellent Mad Men, about advertising executives in 1960 (it's much more interesting than that sounds), for a second season. Good news, since this is the closest that basic cable has come to the tone and sensibility of an HBO show. No surprise that Sopranos veteran Matthew Weiner is the creator.
I missed this when it was put up in July: Wizard Magazine arranged a roundtable conversation about Watchmen between Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, comic movie veteran David Goyer, and comics writers Brian K. Vaughan and Ed Brubaker. Great reading.
The second season Twin Peaks soundtrack is finally on its way. To be released on October 23 (the same day as the Galactica season 3 soundtrack - a good day or what!), it reportedly features unreleased cues from the pilot, season one, and Fire Walk with Me. A nicely lengthy track listing can be seen at Dugpa.
Pissed off with Warner's disinclination to do much for the DVD of The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky has released his own commentary track on his website, which should be a very insightful listen. It's already proven massively popular. Yet another reason for me to get the Fountain DVD when it finally comes out to buy in Australia next month.
And lastly, things may be happening with the HBO Preacher series. The last we heard, the uninspiring team of Mark Steven Johnson (Ghost Rider) and Howard Deutch (Grumpy Old Men) were at the helm. Then recently, there were whispers that Robert Rodriguez had been approached to direct the pilot and perhaps subsequent episodes. Now CHUD is reporting that HBO may be looking for an all-star roster of major directors, and that Deutch is out but Johnson is still in (writer Garth Ennis is apparently happy enough with his work so far though).
Check out who they're looking to attract to helm episodes: Brian de Palma (!), David Cronenberg, Danny Boyle, Alex Proyas, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later), plus Rodriguez.
Wowzers... will they succeed? The series has yet to be greenlit even for production of a pilot, but things are happening. HBO seems to want to do this. I'm still struggling to see the point of a rigourously faithful remake though, and am baffled as to how they plan to avoid the shitstorm of controversy they'll attract if they throw everything in there - this comic is often just FILTHY. Perhaps the all-star director roster is an attempt to convey its respectability despite appearances that may be to the contrary.
Plus, I don't think this is the kind of shows that critics will go for, in which case they wouldn't have that line of defence for the content. It will be a major love it or hate it proposition, especially since the pathos and heart of the series doesn't really kick in until the second half of the comic's run. We shall see.
TRAILERVILLE
- Iron Man!!!! This is essentially the Comicon preview, and it looks fantastic. A great cast and a nice take on tricky material. And seeing Iron Man fly is the kind of thing that makes comic-book movies worthwhile - it looks far more interesting and exciting in motion than on the page.
- the second non-redband Beowulf trailer.
- indie drama set in a very dull afterlife, Wristcutters: A Love Story. Looks just great.
- Jason Reitman's follow-up to Thank You for Smoking, Juno, starring Ellen Page (Hard Candy), Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Garner. This looks really nice.
- a tantalising trailer for Heroes season two, which starts on Monday.
