Monika Bartyzel
Toronto - http://
David Lynch Finds His Next Red Curtain Singer
Filed under: Trailers and Clips
David Lynch is a filmmaker known for the strange and endearing worlds and characters that he creates, but he's not only a master of fantasy, he's also a master at blending sound and image. A lot of it is due to his work with Angelo Badalamenti, and how a simple conversation between the two can lead to a haunting and iconic theme. But the filmmaker also has an eye for musical talent. Julee Cruise quickly became an essential part of Twin Peaks' universe (her music even inspired Lynch to create an Industrial Symphony), he helped usher in a renaissance for talented jazz singer Jimmy Scott, and now he's promoting the music of singer Ariana Delawari.
DLF.TV (David Lynch Foundation TV) has shared a promo reel for the artist, where Delawari sings small segments of her music for Lynch's camera. While some of it stretches the boundaries of the Lynchian music we've grown accustomed to, his classic style is there in full as the singer croons into a microphone in front of a red curtain, with background music bringing to mind the old days of Badalamenti and Cruise. (Delawari recorded the album -- Lion of Panjshir -- in Afghanistan and LA, with Lynch mixing the tunes and producing the track "Suspend Me.")
It's quite beautiful music, which should come to no surprise for any Lynch fans -- the man's got a great ear. Check out the video after the jump (plus embeds of Cruise and Scott) and head to the DLF link above to grab the album for yourself.
[via dugpa]
Zooey Deschanel Gets to Finally Be a Groupie on TV
Filed under: Casting, Home Entertainment
On the heels of the disappointing news that (500) Days of Summer couldn't get itself an Oscar nod, Deadline Hollywood reports that Zooey Deschanel is heading for the small screen -- not for another Bones visit, but rather her very own show that will finally allow her to be a groupie. She's set to executive produce and star in a new HBO half-hour dramedy based on Pamela Des Barres' I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie.In other words, she's not going to be the sage sister this time around, but play Des Barres -- one of the inspirations for Penny Lane, Kate Hudson's memorable role in Almost Famous. The woman is said to have had sex with the likes of Jim Morrison, Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, and Don Johnson (although, presumably, not because of "Heartbeat"). Considering Deschanel's musical talents, I wouldn't be surprised if the show also delves into her Zappa connections. Des Barres was a Zappa babysitter, and when Frank formed the all-girl band The GTOs, she was a member. Then again, since none of them had musical talents, and it was considered more performance art, Zooey's musical talents would be moot. As for the drama, Deadline states, "along the with excitement of rolling with famous rockers, there was also the emptiness and heartbreak of being demeaned and discarded by stars once the next pretty young thing came along."
I'd rather have her rocking on the stage than between the sheets, but it will definitely be interesting to see how her groupie differs from Hudson. Here's to hoping they give the project some meat, and don't just make this a light, groupie boinkfest with many walks of shame.
Amelia Earhart Returns to the Big Screen for an Air Race
Amelia Earhart is one of the kickass women of history. Unfortunately, her recent Hilary Swank biopic (which hit DVD shelves today) was anything but, reducing her to a pile of romance and a film that came up quite short. But could a new indie in the works show how it should've been done, even if she isn't the lead?Variety reports that producers James Moll and Brian Terwilliger have snagged the rights to aviation pioneer Louise Thaden's life in order to develop a feature about the Women's Air Derby -- an all-female transcontinental air race that flew across the skies in 1929. The showdown featured 20 female pilots, including Thaden, Earhart, Pancho Barnes, and Blanche Noyes. The race stretched from Cleveland, Ohio to Santa Monica, California over 8 days, and Ms. Thaden came in first. (Earhart's plane was damaged, Barnes got lost and flew into Mexico, Noyes had an in-flight fire...)
Okay, so sure, Earhart will be only one piece of the film, but even as a side contender who doesn't win, it's a lot truer to her character and legacy than a historical romance. Racing, excitement, in-flight intrigue, plus a chance for the other impressive female faces of aviation to shine? I'm in.
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/2
Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home Entertainment
Zombieland
Jesse Eisenberg teams up with Woody Harrelson to survive the zombie apocalypse, as the latter sets out to find the last Twinkie on Earth. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin enter the fray, and, well, as William Goss wrote in his review: "It's a constantly clever comedy whose characters have amusingly direct motives (i.e. Tallahassee wants a Twinkie above all else) that disguise some genuine losses, and most of the gags stem from their relationships -- coward vs. cowboy, gals undermining guys -- above general (albeit welcome) irreverence." Buy it.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Amelia
Hilary Swank's Amelia Earhart biopic is now hitting the shelves, detailing her love of George Putnam (Richard Gere), and the advances of one Mr. Gene Vidal (Gore Vidal's dad, played by Ewan McGregor). Jette Kernion wrote that the film: "succeeds in portraying the famous aviatrix in a whole new light ... as a mundane soap-opera character with relationship issues." Skip it.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Love Happens
A fairly forgotten 2009 romcom, Love Happens stars Aaron Eckhart as a grieving widow who falls in love for student Jennifer Aniston. In her review, Jenni Miller wrote that it was "boring and lazy," and Eric Snider wondered what they were thinking including a classic slow clap. Skip it.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Also out: Universal Soldier: Regeneration, The House of the Devil, Triangle, Whatever She Wants, Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning
Girls on Film: Kathryn Bigelow Becomes First Female DGA Winner
Filed under: Awards, Girls on Film
History was made on Saturday night when Kathryn Bigelow became the first female director to win Best Direction in a Feature Film from the Directors' Guild of America. While not an upset or out-of-nowhere win -- every awards follower and pundit wondered about The Hurt Locker and Bigelow's chances -- it's a stunning victory, and one that has every eye looking towards the Oscars.
Bigelow will, most definitely, receive an Oscar nomination tomorrow morning, and she has a really good shot of taking home the Academy's top honor as well. In the last 61 years, over 90% of the DGA winners went on to receive that gold statue, the only upsets being Anthony Harvey in 1968, Francis Ford Coppola in 1972, Steven Spielberg in 1985, Ron Howard in 1995, Ang Lee in 2000, and Rob Marshall in 2002.
It's so close, but yet so far -- an almost-sure course to the Oscars, but one that could still go either way. So close, but so far ... really, that's been the theme of this year's awards circuit, especially when it comes to Bigelow and The Hurt Locker. The DGA Award is, at once, both a wonderful achievement and an emblem of how far we have to go.
Let the Bidding Begin on the Miramax Library
Filed under: Executive shifts
With the doors closed, Disney is trying to get rid of Miramax's merchandise. In other words, the library that boasts 700 films and brought in over 200 Oscar nominations, shelves that include titles like Pulp Fiction, Chicago, No Country for Old Men, and Shakespeare in Love. According to The New York Times' Media Decoder, there are roughly 7-10 interested bidders willing to pay over $700 million for the name and its films -- one of whom, so far, doesn't include The Weinsteins.
The pack does include, however, Summit Entertainment -- the small little studio that grabbed a tossed-off Twilight Saga and made themselves a mint. Decoder notes that the company doesn't have its own large library to bring in extra coin, and "could use the steady if diminishing DVD and television-resale income that comes from one."
Analysts think that old-title income is over $300 million per year, although Disney has never released a number. However, that $300 might be very, very off. Wax Word at The Wrap notes that "According to two individuals who have had access to the financials, the library threw off about $100 million in net cash flow for the year according to the latest available figures." They also report that billionaire Nelson Peltz is interested -- the man who once owned Snapple, who now owns part of Cadbury-Schweppes, and currently has no hands in the movie business.
Should that $100 million be right, it's doubtful that many would be willing to wait 7+ years to make their money back, and if some interested parties start backing down, maybe The Weinsteins will be able to dance in and grab control of their studio once again.
'Conchords'' James Bobin Will Direct Jason Segel's Muppet Movie
Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
While I am still wishing for an epic Muppet Rock Opera, Jason Segel's more traditional The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time has moved one step closer to fruition. Variety reports that James Bobin has agreed to take the helm, passing on the chance to direct the Judd Apatow comedy Bridesmaids and winning over Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. With a director in place, the project is expected to be one of the first greenlit by Disney's Rich Ross.The Muppet film will be Bobin's first major feature, but he's no newcomer to the industry. He's the co-creator of Flight of the Conchords and writer/director of Da Ali G Show -- otherwise known as the series that brought us Borat and Bruno. (Plus Ali G videos and shorts.) With that resume, Bobin is definitely a good fit for the manic world of Muppets, and considering the music flavor in Conchords, maybe we can expect at least a little rockin' goodness to the film.
Variety notes that the plot is being kept under wraps, but back in 2008, Segel was talking about how it would be "a classic story," with "the Muppets needing to get back together to save the show...It's going to take place all over the world." It's been almost two years since that description, so there is a chance things have changed.
Bobin, Segel ... How do you think this Muppet feature is playing out? Is it time for a Muppet Renaissance?
Sundance in 60 Seconds: Friday, January 29, 2010
Filed under: Sundance, Slamdance, Festival Reports
Celebrity Sightings: The sightings become slim to none when any festival rounds up, so I'll leave you with just two: First, Kevin Zegers -- the Transamerica star is one of the leads in the stuck-on-a-ski-lift flick Frozen. And second, E!Online pits Naomi Watts and Katie Holmes in a winter fashion showdown.
Deals: Even though the celebs wave sayonara, the money is still changing hands. With the deal silence broken, Variety reports that The Weinstein Co. has grabbed Blue Valentine and is zeroing in on The Tillman Story. And according to Screen Daily, Michael Winterbottom's The Killer Inside Me should get bought soon.
Our Coverage: On Friday we got a new review and interview. First up, Kevin Kelly reviewed Exit Through the Gift Shop and wrote: "this is a film I wouldn't have missed for the world, and it was my favorite documentary at Sundance this year, even if we didn't get a hint as to Banksy's real identity." Kevin also sat down with the Duplass Brothers for a video chat about their Sundance pleaser Cyrus.
It might look like we're slowing down, but there's a slew more on the way -- lead by a nice video chat with Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine -- you know, the guys from Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and the men from Firefly/Dollhouse and Repear, respectively.
Seth Rogen + Michelle Williams = Sarah Polley's Next Feature!?
Filed under: Romance, Casting, Deals, Scripts
Sarah Polley's influence on Hollywood is nothing short of stunning, from her strength as a child actor fighting against Disney, to the prime roles she plays (The Sweet Hereafter, The Weight of Water), to the surprising pulp she picks so well (Dawn of the Dead). But she really made her mark when she slipped into the directorial chair for her first feature, Away From Her. Adapted from an Alice Munro story, the film earned not only critical success, but also two Oscar nominations. And now -- no joke -- she's gearing up for a feature with Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams.Deadline Hollywood reports that she has secured financing for her 2009 Black List script Take This Waltz, with Rogen and Williams starring alongside one more, yet unpicked, actor. Centering on a romantic triangle, Williams will play a 20-something woman whose eyes wander towards her neighbor after 5 years of marriage. "The two begin an awkward flirtation, which soon threatens to blossom into something more."
The project is zooming forward quite quickly, and Polley plans to start production this July in Toronto -- with, one would assume, the classic Leonard Cohen song leading them along. It might be another romantic triangle for the director, but they still sound worlds apart. Gordon Pinsent to ... Seth Rogen? I don't know about you, but I'm dying to hear her elaborate on that choice. Do you think Rogen can pull off an indie romance?
Quick Hits: Van Damme Kickboxing, Cleese Brains, and Pig Slapping
Filed under: Lists
There have been a lot of little strange and fun nibblets on the web this week while folks were busy in Sundance:
If you're a fan of Harry Potter, just wait -- Warner Brothers is planning to leave itself a permanent studio in the UK, where you can take tours of areas like the great hall. [Leaky Cauldron]
Do you think you could learn more about inner workings of the brain if it came directly from John Cleese? [Boing Boing]
If the whole muddled world of vampire lore has got you confused, Geeologie found Wikipedia's comparison chart of vampire characteristics, from Dracula down to fang-free Edward.
Jean Claude Van Damme is returning to Kickboxer! Okay, not quite. Instead, it turns out that the Muscles from Brussels wants to unleash his moves on "Olympian gold medalist Thai boxer Somluck Kamsing, age 37 who supposedly holds over 300 bouts under his belt. Some may recognized him for his film appearances in the Thai actioner Born to Fight and the Director's cut of Fearless with Jet Li." How will he fare all these years later? He's still tough, but those muscles aren't as ... robust these days. [Twitch]
Finally, I don't know about you, but I always wanted to see Susan Sarandon slap a pig on stage. Hit the jump to watch her law down the law to the porcine population.
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
Tim Robbins Joins 'The Green Lantern'
