Beyonce In Cadillac Records

The more I see of 'Cadillac Records' the more I like it.

Rourke Write-Up

Here's a cut from a beautiful write-up about Mickey Rourke by NYT:

Rourke knows about being hit in the head because, he claimed, he was a Golden Gloves boxer in his teens. He said he had 26 fights and won 20, 17 by knockouts. He planned on making a career of boxing until he suffered a concussion in the ring and "they wouldn't let me fight anymore." So he turned to acting, on a whim, because "I liked that you could escape who you were and be someone else, someone smarter, tougher." When Rourke's movie career tanked in the '90s, he turned back to boxing in his late 30s because, he said, "I'd be less of a man if I didn't react violently to the war in my head."

Photo by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

What Just Happened

This is by far the best trailer I've seen for this movie. If you're in the UK, 'What Just Happened' opened today.

Nobel Son

This is pretty mesmerizing. Opens December 5.

What Doesn't Kill You

If the ending justifies the set-up this one will be good.

What Just Happened

I found an exclusive clip from 'What Just Happened' over at Telegraph. Love the feel.

Adventureland Rollout

The Wrestler Trailer

Anne Thompson has 'The Wrestler' trailer. I've been waiting. Looks fantastic. Rourke is truly a force. Thompson includes a beautiful write-up that's worth a look:

..."I'm thankful to get this second chance. When you were as bad as I was, out-of-control and unprofessional and scary, more so than I realized. I didn't realize the degree to which I frightened people in the business."

Can't wait to see this movie.

Daniel Radcliffe Talks Equus With Charlie Rose

Coraline Code Keys

The 'Coraline' site has a cool feature where you can watch videos if you have the right code key. Keys are available here.

Nothing But The Truth

What a cast. Vera Farmiga and Kate Beckinsale are the principals supported by Matt Dillon (where's he been?), Angela Bassett, and Alan Alda. Should be sought after on disc.

Coraline Trailer

Want to see this.

Not So Special Effects

Over at NYPost I saw Lou Lumenick's write-up re: Michael Phillips' write-up re: the not-so-special effects in 'Twilight'. Phillips says:

5. If "Twilight" performs below expectations at the box office, it may have something to do with...the special effects, which are not special. They are, in fact, on the cheesy side.

Agree. I noticed that from the first trailers. Effects are very low-end -- what you would expect from a shoe-string budget movie. Of course, nobody will care. 'Twilight' is a sweeping romance for today's kids. It's about desire, pursuit, the rules of attraction, and surrender. Audiences will not be watching the effects, they'll be falling in love.

NPR Watch

Terry Gross talks with Danny Boyle about 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Kim Masters on the three endings for 'Australia' shot by Baz Luhrmann (with comments from Bill Mechanic and Anne Thompson).

Glenn Kenny On Revolutionary Road

The most striking thing about Glenn Kenny's review of 'Revolutionary Road' is him calling it 'far and away the best Mendes has made'. Pretty high praise considering Sam Mendes gave us the brutal and poetic 'American Beauty'.

My attempts to read the novel by Richard Yates have been interrupted again and again, but so far it's a precise and uncomfortably honest examination of an unhappy marriage. It's that rare novel that is both a page-turner and written on the highest level.

Race To Witch Mountain

Very nice looking trailer. Kids with special talents must save the Earth (with the help of an adult). Should go over well.

Foggy Morning

The Wrestler

From the moment I heard of this movie I thought it couldn't possibly work. How could a movie about a pro wrestler be of any interest to anyone? But, everything I've seen from 'The Wrestler' not only speaks of quality but puts this picture on the must-see list. Between this and 'Killshot' (see the poster below) Mickey Rourke looks to be back in a big way. Hats off.

Killshot Poster

Nicely done. Coming early 2009.

Coraline

Author Neil Gaiman tells us a bit about his life and the movie adaptation of his novel Coraline. I'm looking forward to this one. Wired has more.

"It's the biggest, most strange, expressive, peculiar, enormous stop-motion film I think that's ever been made," Gaiman told Wired.com. "Everything is created, everything is handmade."

Changeling Featurette

Here's an exclusive 'Changeling' featurette.

Revolutionary Road

Anne Thompson has an exclusive preview of 'Revolutionary Road'. Looks better all the time.

2012

Indy's Indies

Harrison Ford's days as an action star probably ended with Crystal Skull (and that wouldn't have gone over if it wasn't a sequel to the beloved Indy series). Ford is doing the smart thing with 'Crossing Over' -- maintaining a presence with smaller indie films. This one looks like a tough sell, though. The same may hold true for 'Crowley', a drama about a scientist who searches for a cure for his children's genetic disorder.

But, while 'Crossing Over' and 'Crowley' won't draw huge audiences, anything is better than seeing Ford struggle to convince us he can still carry an action movie by portraying a geriatric hero defending family and society against all manner of bad guy(s). That's just too embarrassing for everyone involved.

The last I heard 'Crossing Over' is set for release in early 2009.

Klaatu vs. Gort?

This trailer is the first one to suggest Klaatu is at odds with Gort. Also suggests destruction of Earth gets underway and Klaatu, seeing the error of his ways, attempts to stop it. It's been quite a while since I saw the original 'The Day The Earth Stood Still', and can't remember this element. Seems like they decided to spice things up. I like it, though. Clicks. Holding my breath.

Cadillac Records

Seems like this one is a bit different than the first trailer. Not sure, though. Doesn't matter. Too good not to play. Looking forward to the rising energy and slow build until, finally, when we can't take anymore, this one releases on December 5.

Marathon Behind The Scenes Twilight Shoot Footage

From Vanity Fair's 'Twilight' cast shoot. I'm sure we'll see a spread when picture opens. At over an hour this is the longest behind-the-scenes feature I've seen.

Twilight B-Footage

YouTube To Show Complete Movies

According to NYT, YouTube will show selected TV shows and movies from MGM, like 'The Magnificent Seven'. From NYT story:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios will kick off the partnership by posting episodes of its decade-old "American Gladiators" program to YouTube, along with full-length action films like "Bulletproof Monk" and "The Magnificent Seven" and clips from popular movies like "Legally Blonde." These will be free to watch, with ads running alongside the video.

Homeless Sarah Silverman

Figuring Charlie Kaufman

Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon and film critic Desson Thomson do their best to find a path through the internal landscape of Charlie Kaufman's 'Synecdoche, NY'.

Valkyrie Featurette

Monsters vs. Aliens Featurette

Wired takes a look at the making of 'Monsters vs. Aliens', including the 3-D technology.

Up

With Pixar lately I've caught myself wondering how they'll make it work. I didn't see how they could keep 'Wall-e' going for 90 minutes. Didn't get how a story about a rat that wanted to be a chef could possibly click. Now comes 'Up' about a house that flies around hooked up to a bunch of balloons. How do you keep that interesting for more than five minutes? Latest teaser feels like watching paint dry. I'm sure they'll deliver, though.

Gran Torino Poster

I like this one much better than the first. It simply sells Eastwood's icon status.

Twilight Cast Shoot

Twilight Cast Interviews

VF has interviews with the cast of 'Twilight'. This from Kristen Stewart's:

What was your initial impression of the project?

I thought it was really ambitious, this portrayal of the ultimate, most epic love story that could be. Also, Bella is not a typical female lead. The power balance between her and Edward is really skewed. Edward is this confident, perfect, idealistic man, although deep down he's actually really afraid. Bella is naive but also sure-footed. Whatever it is inside of her that drives her is stronger than she is. She just trusts the shit out of herself.

Cadillac Records

Etta James' At Last is one of my favorites. This one will rock the house.

Soul Men Red Band Trailer

Warning: May contain various f-words, p-words, mf-words, fsafpos-words, and/or other offensive references.

Monsters vs. Aliens

Dark Streets

Seems like these highly-stylized song and dance pieces usually attract light audiences but this one seems a cut above.

Halloween 2008

Photos by Alan Green

The Boat That Rocked

This looks like quality. Due spring 2009.

The Future Of Indies

Mark Gill, former president of Miramax and head of Warner Indy, talks with Claude-Brodesser Akner about the future of indy movies. Gill explains why there will be massive cuts in the number of movies released each year.