Interviews with Viggo Mortensen are a rather rare and wonderful thing — or at least ones that don’t get all coy and snarky over his remarkable intelligence and publishing company. So, when I saw Capone’s interview with Mortensen over at Ain’t It Cool News, I had to share it with you all.

His thoughts on the upcoming Good are too long and interesting to crop and paste here — but what I will post is his disappointment over The Road being delayed. Despite starring in the film, he is unsure what’s going on with it. “My understanding is that they know that they’ve got a story that a lot of people want to see, because of the book. And, the people that read the book, which are many, were very moved by it and by this relationship between this boy and this man, in particular, in that setting. And, I think that they are really aware of the fact that they’ve got one chance to do it, and if there’s any little things that they still want to work on a little more, to get it just right, whether it’s the music –I don’t know what it is — a variety of things, they want to do it right. And, if you rush it out before you feel in good conscience it’s there … So, I am disappointed. I wanted to see it. I want to see how it is.”

He’s also concerned that the film might be released at the wrong time of year, and is hoping for a fall release. “What I hope they don’t do is then just put it out in February or something. I hope they wait and do it at the right time. I don’t know.” (Yes, Weinstein Co. Release The Road in the fall, please. No February or March dump!)

Continue reading Viggo Mortensen On ‘Good’, ‘The Road’, and ‘The Hobbit’

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Our pal Christopher Campbell has put together a pretty cool top ten list over at Spout Blog. Inspired by the frenzy surrounding Paramore, who has been fortunate enough to land two songs on the Twilight soundtrack, he’s put together a list of one hit wonders made by the movies. As memorable (and impossible to eradicate from easy listening stations) as Lookin’ For Love, King of Wishful Thinking, and Stay (I Missed You) are, they’re really just that one song from that one movie — you know the one … yeah, that movie! (By the way, the above three are from Urban Cowboy, Pretty Woman, and Reality Bites, respectively.)

The best thing about these lists is the debate they inspire. I disagree that Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game fits the mold, as I think it’s associated less with Wild at Heart than with a sandy and sexy Helena Christensen. In coming up with nominations of our own, Scott Weinberg and I immediately disagreed on whether Peter Cetera and Glory of Love from Karate Kid II qualified, or if Cetera being in Chicago was an automatic pass. (I say no, Scott says yes.) But we did manage to nominate Better Than Ezra’s Circle of Friends from Empire Records, Gerard McMann’s Cry Little Sister from The Lost Boys, and Chris DeBurgh’s Lady in Red from Working Girl. Campbell, with his vast knowledge, could veto all three. What about you, readers? Give us some of your nominations, debate the popularity of Chris Isaak, or at least help us decide whether Glory of Love qualifies.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Having already made my love for her comedic talents quite pronounced, it only heartens me to hear that Anna Faris is up for more antics in the genre. Her next two projects, according to the Hollywood Reporter, are an untitled pitch involving the House Bunny team in which “two estranged sisters team up to land a husband” and something called 20 Times a Lady, based on Karyn Bosnak’s novel, in which her protagonist goes through all her past sexual conquests out of hopes of finding Mr. Right among their number.

Okay, so they both sound like somewhat gimmicky rom-com fodder that Kate Hudson probably passed on at some point, but if anyone has proven themselves capable of working wonders with next to nothing, I remain convinced it’s this here comedienne. By IMDb’s count, Faris has at least four other comedies due out next year (none of which, thankfully, are Scary Movie 5), and hey, if it ain’t broke…

Permalink | Email this | Comments

OK, I’ll admit it: I couldn’t be happier that that the long-planned remake of the vamp classic Near Dark will not be happening any time soon. Producer Brad Fuller recently spoke with Empire magazine about the just-announced Twilight sequel, when Fuller brought up the remake, telling Empire, “Near Dark is probably not going to happen, I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that.” And if you have seen the original Near Dark, you know that “darker” is a nice way of putting it (anyone remember that scene in the bar? I’d like to see The Cullens top that).

Originally released in 1987, Dark was written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and centered on a small town boy (played by Adrian Pasdar) who is roped into a vampire gang when he falls in love with one of its members … and this is probably where Fuller started noticing some comparisons with the ‘Bella and the Gang’. Fuller went on to explain Dark’s delay was a direct result of Twilight’s release, saying, “For now, that movie is on hold. The concept of ‘one person’s a vampire, the other person isn’t and they’re in love, with the success of that film, we would not measure up, It’s not the right time to make that.” That does seem like a flimsy excuse once you consider that “star-crossed lovers with fangs” isn’t exactly a new idea.

But, no matter what happens, it seems like Dark is the remake that will not die, so I would expect that for now the film is simply down … but definitely not out.

UPDATE: Speaking of Twilight, it’s just been announced that New Moon will arrive in theaters on November 20, 2009.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Looks like next month’s Sundance Film Festival is offering four films that could accurately be labeled as “horror,” which isn’t a whole lot — but of course it’s all about quantity over quality. The quartet of creepy flicks are Paul Solet’s Grace; Jonathan Liebesman’s The Killing Room; Duncan Jones’ Moon; and a Norwegian import called Dead Snow. All four sound intriguing enough, but I’m particularly looking forward to Grace and Moon, because I’ve been hearing stuff about both since, like, pre-production. Check out Dread Central for a handy little recap of these four movies, and of course keep your browser set to Cinematical once Sundance hits. Looks like it’ll be Erik, James and myself causing all sorts of cinematic damage.

Shameless plug: Remember that British mini-series (I will forever call it a movie) that I raved about last week? Well, I penned a full review of Dead Set for my pals at FEARnet. Check it out. Plug for a pal: The gore-drenched Stacie Ponder recently tossed together a nifty horror-centric Amazon store, and I recommend it for purchases OR just as a solid little reference guide. Grab your PayPal debit card and click here. (I bought the Val Lewton box set and a new copy of Inside.) Doubly shameless plug: I sifted through almost ten years’ worth of reviews, pulling only the horror ones. (Enjoy!)

One of history’s biggest horror geeks, the ever-lovable Forrest J. Ackerman, died a few days ago at the awesome age of 92. (Good lord would I like to see nine decades’ worth of new horror movies.) Known mainly for his stellar Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, Ackerman did what every horror fan would love to do: Spend a long career surrounded by his favorite creeps ‘n’ killers. Check out the AP report at Shock, and of course we send our condolences to Mr. Ackerman’s family.

Recently on Cinematical: Erik takes a look at that Dead Snow flick, the first full Friday the 13th trailer hits the scene, and Tim Burton and Johnny Depp consider Dark Shadows.

Final tidbit: Photos, synopses, and a DVD cover for Feast 3: The Happy Finish. Bring it on!

Permalink | Email this | Comments

This had been hush-hush for a mild while now, but it looks like Rian Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom has been bumped back yet again to next May. Back in September, I had mentioned that the crime caper had moved from October to a NY/LA qualifying run next week and a wide release in January. The difference between that post and this one is that I was fortunate to see the film at Fantastic Fest a couple of months back, and it was good enough to make me equally anxious to just see the film again.

Writer-director Johnson confirmed the rumor on his message board, then joking that his own December birthday had been pushed back by Summit to May, when there are less of them to contend with. All kidding aside, Bloom is now scheduled to bow in limited release on May 15th — opposite DaVinci Code sequel Angels & Demons and Borat follow-up Bruno — and then wide on May 29th, up against Sam Raimi’s return to horror Drag Me To Hell and Pixar’s anticipated-by-default Up.

It’s tough competition, to be sure, but believe me (and Eugene, and James) when we say that The Brothers Bloom will be well worth the wait.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

We know that Terrence Howard was upset and confused about being dropped from Iron Man 2. Robert Downey Jr. admitted he was in the dark about the decision. Guess who else was perplexed by it — the new Rhodey himself, Don Cheadle.

IGN caught up with Cheadle, who was quick to describe the sudden and surprising offer from Marvel: “I got a phone call from my agent saying they were offering me the part. That was kind of it. It happened very fast, and I had a very short time to answer. Literally, overnight. I was unaware of what was happening with Terrence. And when they called me I asked what was going on with Terrence. I’ve worked with Terrence, I’ve known Terrence for a long time. And they said they were moving away from him. So it’s not like I was taking Terrence’s job, because the job was already gone. Someone else was going to do the part. I don’t know who the next person in line was, but that’s who they were going to. And I literally had a few hours to accept the job or not. “

Continue reading Don Cheadle Talks ‘Iron Man 2′

Permalink | Email this | Comments

This first bit might be a bit off the cinematic path, but it’s something strange enough to rival those stories of a frozen Walt Disney. You might have heard that David Tennant (our latest Doctor Who) is starring in a stage version of Hamlet over in the UK. Well, it seems that he wasn’t using a fake skull — in fact, it was the skull of a Shakespeare enthusiast, concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Andrew Tchaikowsky. Tennant leaked the information, and now the BBC reports that it will no longer be used so that the audience wouldn’t be distracted. Bummer for Tchaikowsky’s dying wish, but imagine the possibilities. Is bone donation the next wave in creative appreciation?

In other dark news, Variety reports that the classically creepy Michael Wincott (Top Dollar from The Crow) is teaming up with Swedish actor/director Rafael Edholm for an untitled Sweden-set drama. According to Wincott: “Three people meet, something may have happened in their teenage years, and this will now result ín one death. It is drama, thriller and dark comedy.” Unfortunately, we won’t learn what that all means for a while — production isn’t slated to start until February 2010.

Finally, we’ve got a scribe for the upcoming remake of Captain Blood. The Hollywood Reporter posts that John Brownlow, writer of 2003’s Sylvia, has grabbed the gig. If you’re not familiar with the Oscar-nominated original, Errol Flynn starred as a doctor convicted of treason who is sold into slavery only to escape and become a pirate. This whole thing makes me itch for Cary Elwes to return to his escaped prisoner-turned-pirate roots. Who’s with me?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Today the Danny Boyle inspirational picked up it’s umpteenth BP win from Florida’s Critics. I was born in Florida so I perk up whenever I hear “Florida” though what follows those three syllables is almost never something I want to hear what with Bush dynasties, hanging chads, anti-gay legislation and hurricanes as frequent chasers. The good news: The Wrestler picked up both Actor and Supporting Actress and it probably needs whatever teensy attention it can muster at this point. They so miscalculated with the mid December release date for such a small and seemingly modest movie. It needed time to sink in as a contendah. Full list of Florida winners here. On a ‘they clearly don’t take this too seriously’ note, the Florida Film Critics web page hasn’t been updated since 2006. If they don’t care why should we?

I’ll try to post a smidgeon about the other critics awards tomorrow… but I’ve updated my Oscar pages to reflect all the wins in the top eight categories. Thank you to Scene Stealers for an updated chart of winners thus far.
*

…like how big their toolbox is.

Heh. What an odd sentence to wake up too. So why not carry this opening line over into a quiz for you. Can you guess which films these first lines of dialogue are from? Highlight under the quote to see the correct answer and who first guessed it. Everything has been identified now. You didn’t even need any clues. Well done!

01 “Did that bad monster try to fight with Muddy’s little baby? My darling!”
The Women (1939) was guessed by Ben. It’s about 1,000,000 times better than the new one.
02“The Road to Reality. Don’t wanna be going there”
Jeff GP is Happy-Go-Lucky
03“Where’ve you been? I’ve been waiting since 7:00″
The Z knew this was Zodiac. The young couple is off to buy fireworks after this sentence
04“What do we care if we were expelled from college? The war is gonna start any day”
It’s Gone With the Wind. David C loves that movie
05 “I shall tell you of _____. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes.”
Braveheart. Guessed by Chris
06 “Forget it. It’s too risky. I’m through doing that shit”
It’s Pulp Fiction, honeybunny. Correctly guessed by Remy
07 “In a far away land long ago lived a King and his fair Queen. Many years had they longed for a child…”
Sleeping Beauty guessed by Garen
08“Craig, honey, it’s time for bed” “Craig, honey, it’s time to wake up.”
Being Joe Reid… I mean Being John Malkovich.
09 “Have you ever seen so many gulls?”
Alice knows about The Birds
10 “Get that thing away. Has that ugly mutt had its shots?”
Satlure recognizes The Women (2008)

thanks for playing…
*