Movie News: Friday, October 13

The King
    ( Released: 10/10/2006   Rated: R   Avg. Score: 3.5/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — Elvis Valderez (Gael García Bernal) is a 20-year-old who's just been discharged from the Navy. He heads back to his hometown, Corpus Christi, Texas, with few possessions. He intends to find his estranged father, a man he's only heard about from his Mexican mother, who's recently passed away. Elvis discovers that his dad has remarried and has a new family, including a 16-year-old daughter, Malerie (Pell James).

Mr. Woodcock - Trailer 2
   Scott stars as John Farley, a self-help author who returns to his hometown only to discover that his mother (Sarandon) has fallen in love with his old high school nemesis, Mr. Woodcock (Thornton) - the gruff, no-nonsense gym teacher who had put him through years of mental and physical humiliation.

Perfume - Trailer 1
   No synopsis provided by the studio.

Tideland - Trailer
   Jeliza-Rose is a young girl in a very unusual situation both of her parents are junkies and she is usually left to her own devices for entertainment. When her mother dies, her father takes her to a remote farm in the country, she escapes the vast loneliness of her new home by retreating into a world that exists only in her mind. Here, fireflies have names, bog-men awaken at dusk, and squirrels talk. And the heads of her four dolls Mystique, Baby Blonde, Glitter Gal, and Sateen Lips long since separated from their bodies, keep her company.

Freedom Writers - Trailer 1
   Erin Gruwell’s passion to become a teacher is soon challenged by a group of Black, Latino, and Asian gangbangers who hate her even more than each other. When Erin begins to listen to them in a way no adult has ever done, she begins to understand that for these kids, getting through the day alive is enough they are not delinquents but teenagers fighting a war of the streets that began long before they were born. Erin gives them something they never had from a teacher before respect.

Art School Confidential
    ( Released: 10/10/2006   Rated: R   Avg. Score: 3.5/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — A young artist named Jerome (Max Minghella) escapes from his boring high school to a prestigious East Coast art school. His ambition: becoming the next Picasso. But the pretentious wannabes don't exactly take to Jerome's sincerity or talent. In fact, everyone shuns him except Audrey (Sophia Myles), the daughter of a celebrated artist. So it crushes Jerome when Audrey's affections are stolen by the local star artist, Jonah (Matt Keeslar). To win her back, he seeks the advice of a quirky professor (John Malkovich) and a drunken failure (Jim Broadbent).

Waist Deep
    ( Released: 10/10/2006   Rated: R   Avg. Score: 2.25/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — Ex-con O2 (Tyrese Gibson) is trying to go straight for the sake of his young son, Junior, but he's forced to go back outside the law when the boy is kidnapped in a carjacking. Junior is taken to a vicious criminal leader, Meat (The Game). O2's shady cousin Wanna Be (Larenz Tate) and street-smart hustler Coco (Meagan Good) must decide whether they want to help O2 get his son back.

A Prairie Home Companion
    ( Released: 10/10/2006   Rated: PG-13 - for risqué humor   Avg. Score: 5/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — A radio variety show that's managed to survive the age of television faces its last performance when home station WLT is sold to a Texas conglomerate. On a rainy Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., fans crowd the Fitzgerald Theater to see "A Prairie Home Companion" for the final time. Starring in the show are the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin); Yolanda and Rhonda, a country duet act; Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two cowboy singers; and more. Meanwhile, the backstage doorkeeper (Kevin Kline) and a pregnant stagehand (Maya Rudolph) have plans of their own.

Click
    ( Released: 10/10/2006   Rated: PG-13 - for language, crude and sex-related humor, and some drug references   Avg. Score: 2/5     | Trailers | Photos | Reviews  ) — A workaholic architect (Adam Sandler) is faced with a dilemma: go on a vacation with his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and kids or work overtime to land a high-profile design job. Saving him from making this choice is an eccentric Bed, Bath & Beyond product developer (Christopher Walken), who gives him a universal remote that allows him to rewind, fast-forward, slow down and pause his own life.

Ebert Hopes to be Back at Work by Oscars and Cannes
   

Roger Ebert, half of the famous film critics Roper and Ebert, is recovering well and looks forward to returning to work. USA Today has an idea of when.

USA Today wrote:

Roger Ebert hopes to be fully recovered in time for the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival.

In a letter published Thursday in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and co-host of the Ebert & Roeper TV show says he's looking forward to getting back to work full time early next year.

"One thing I've discovered is that I love my job more than I thought I did, and I love my wife even more!" he wrote.

Now with a new lease on life he is clinging to the things that gave him the most pleasure. Reviewing movies, and loving his wife.

Truly words to live by.

Freeman and Intel prepare to Launch ClickStar
   

Morgan Freeman challenges the age old format of movie releases with his new web venture. We talked about Freeman doing this back in July and now it looks like the deal is done and scheduled to launch.

Yahoo News reports:

ClickStar, a venture of Intel, Freeman and his producing partner Lori McCreary's Revelations Entertainment, will launch its new Web site on December 1, the same day Freeman's low-budget movie, "10 Items or Less," is expected to land in theaters.

Two weeks later, "10 Items" can be downloaded at cstar.com, and while that is not exactly a simultaneous release, Clickstar Chief Executive James Ackerman said his goal is "day-and-date" downloads. Even the 14-day gap flaunts the Hollywood convention of having DVDs and downloads follow theater releases by months. The price for each movie download is not yet final.

Intel's own ViiV technology is being built around this sort of media sourcing, linking your computer to your home theatre, streaming content you get from the internet and viewing it on your expensive overcomensating home theatre system.

Movies seem to be released in theatres and though the gap is shortening, an average of 4 months pass before we are able to own the movie on dvd. Now if this venture proves to offer some incentive to take blockbusters to download much sooner, it could SERIOUSLY improve the amount of downloads they might have received.

But will it be at the cost of people going to the movies if they can wait a mere 14 days and have it at home? I mean we wait on average 1.5 years between hearing about a movie, seeing the teasers, watching the commercials and full trailers, before it comes out in theatres. If you could wait another 2 weeks to just download it (legally) and watch it at home, would you even bother to go to the movie?

What if they just eliminate theatres altogether? Could that happen? Just make the movies and release them to disc? It would change the stigma of movies we mock for going "direct to video".

Is it even possible to threaten the age old tradition of going to the movies? Or is this something we will only see on low budget films as a viable venue to recoup their costs?

Will Smith in a Superhero in Tonight, He Comes
   

I do enjoy Will Smith a lot, and news that he is to star and produce in a SuperHero movie is just awesome. He is pretty much superheroic in most of his action films anyways!

Movie Web reports:

Peter Berg is close to a deal to direct the superhero drama Tonight, He Comes, which Will Smith is toplining and producing.

Production Weekly reports that Smith will play a tortured superhero who crash-lands in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and tries to transform himself by romancing an alluring housewife, causing chaos in the city.

Is it just me or is that the most VAGUE movie synopsis you have ever heard? Its almost as vague as the title.

I dont even know what this is about. Apparently the script is something people are buzzing about, calling it "one of the best unproduced scripts in town" I am hoping some of this buzz clears up this storyline a bit more before a trailer comes out.

Capsule reviews of arriving films (AP)
   AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

The Marine
    ( Release: Oct. 13, 2006   Avg. Score: 2.5/5     Details | Trailers | Reviews  ) The Gist — John Cena aims to be The Rock

Photographer: I was punched on Jolie set (AP)
   

AP - An Associated Press freelance photographer says security guards protecting a movie set where Angelina Jolie is shooting her latest film punched and threatened him at gunpoint Friday, in the second run-in between the star's security and the news media this week. Jolie is in the western Indian city of Pune to film scenes for "A Mighty Heart," a movie about the life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.

Cindy Lauper auditions for Tim Burton's *Plus* Sacha Baron Coen to star opposite Johnny Depp all in Sweeny Todd!
   

Hopefully Cindy Lauper let her true colors shine through at her recent audition for Tim Burton's Sweeny Todd. And I bet that Borat isn't helping with any negotiations that are going on between Ali G's Sacha Baron Coen and Burton's handlers. Few! Ok Nathan over at filmexperience give us this on Lauper:

Breaking Exciting News: Cyndi Lauper let slip on her blog that she recently auditioned for Tim Burton. In her own words "I went in to audition for Tim Burton for a movie which was exciting..,"
This can only mean Sweeney Todd! The Tim Burton adaptation will star Johnny Depp as "the demon barber of Fleet Street" and is scheduled to start filming soon. Jim Broadbent has been widely reported as tapped to play the role of Sweeney's nemesis, Judge Turpin. As of this writing, to my knowledge no female cast members have been announced. For those unfamiliar with the mindblowing brilliance of Stephen Sondheim's musical classic, there are three female roles.

The fact that this movie already has Johnny Depp is a draw, what makes me even more interested is that Burton have ever been involved in a musical before and Depp hasn't done one since Cry-Baby

To be honest I think Lauper and Coen would be large assets to this film. She is a name, he is a name (or is fast becoming one). And with Lauper, unlike with many other singers hearing that she is in a movie doesn't make me want to turn and run the other way, it perks up my curiosity. She has been involved in acting and music (obviously) for a while, just recently she was in the musical The Threepenny Opera with Alan Cummings.

More than anything Coen and Lauper are very interesting characters. Coen is on his show and Cindy is in real life, this is a person who at nine months pregnant dressed up as a belly dancer and went to the Hollywood ball. And we all know how crazy Borat can get. These people would be, besides everything else, great publicity for the film.

I'm hoping Cindy Lauper makes it into this movie. And my fingers are crossed for Sacha as well. What about everyone else?

Madonna Calls in Babysitter (E! Online)
   

E! Online - There's nothing like family bonding--and, believe us, this is nothing like family bonding.

Audio Edition Guys at Jesse Bonner Party
   

Hey guys. Ok, so a few of you emailed me to remind me that I didn't post those pictures I was talking about from Jesse Bonner's Birthday party the other night. For those of you who missed the last Audio Edition, this past weekend was Jesse Bonner's birthday. Jesse is a Comedian and has been a guest on the Audio Edition on a number of occasions and is also a good friend of Doug and I.

So there was a big party for Jesse. About 15 of us started at his place, that he remade to look like a stand up comedy club... it was amazing. Then we all headed over the the club where we had a booth booked with bottle service for the night. Nice.

Jesse asked us all to wear black... so what did Doug do? He dressed like a PRIEST!!! And I swear, I've never seen more women hit on him. I'M NOT KIDDING! Doug and I were there for no more than 10 minutes when we had these 3 women trying to get us to go home with them. HILARIOUS. Another guy who has been mentioned on The Audio Edition, Manolis Zantonis, used Doug to hit on women all night. He would approach a girl and ask them if Doug could marry them right there. It was too funny.

Anyway, too many pictures to post... here are a couple of them.

Here's Manolis with one of the girls he proposed to. I think he got like 6 women that night.

This pic just cracks me up

Yeah I'm a player

Such a damn player

Jesse with his girlfriend

The venue for the evenings festivities. A club in Hamilton called "Sizzle"

People in the news (AP)
   AP - Nicole Kidman premiered her movie "Fur" — based loosely on the life of photographer Diane Arbus — at the inaugural Rome Film Festival, which opened Friday.

Inaugural Rome Film Festival opens (AP)
   

AP - Nicole Kidman premiered her movie "Fur" — based loosely on the life of photographer Diane Arbus — at the inaugural Rome Film Festival, which opened Friday.

Jack Palance auctions items from farm (AP)
   

AP - Potential bidders browsed through collectibles from books and art works to saddles and vintage cars at an auction of items from Jack Palance's farm.

Thomas Jane Talks Punisher 2
   

Yeah I know... The Punisher wasn't all that good... but you know what? I liked it. What can I tell ya? I can't explain it, but I had fun watching The Punisher. Enough fun that I actually saw it in theaters twice. Gluten for punishment I guess (hehe... get it? gluten for PUNISHMENT? Get it!?!?! HAHA!! Oh shut up).

We've already talked a bunch here on The Movie Blog about the fact that there is going to be a Punisher 2 movie, which I think is great news if they're committed to improving on the first... and most people seemed to like Thomas Jane as The Punisher even if they didn't like the movie so much. Well now Jane is talking about the film. The good folks over at Comic Book Movie give us this:

According to series star Thomas Jane, the wheels are in motion for him to slip that trademark skull onto his chest again soon for "The Punisher 2." "The script comes in a couple of weeks, and it's going to be darker, bloodier and more unfriendly than the first one," Jane confirmed.

Man, love or hate the movie you've got to agree that fight Jane had with Kevin Nash as the Russian was just CRAZY!

Review: Still holding a 'Grudge' (AP)
   AP - The tormented souls from "The Grudge" are still tormented, but they're taking their pain on a world tour in "The Grudge 2."

Kidman opens Rome film fest with photographer tale (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Nicole Kidman opened Rome's first international film festival with an intense portrayal of photographer Diane Arbus, who shocked America in the 1960s with her disturbing pictures of people on the fringes of society.

Gibson says he's 'ashamed' of remarks (AP)
   

AP - Mel Gibson said in an interview his anti-Semitic tirade last summer may have been set off by criticism of his 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ" even before its release and by Israel's war in Lebanon.

Director Gillo Pontecorvo dies at 86 (AP)
   

AP - Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo, who directed the black-and-white classic "The Battle of Algiers," has died in Rome at age 86, hospital officials said Friday.

1st Rome film festival opens with 'Fur' (AP)
   

AP - Nicole Kidman launches her movie "Fur" — based loosely on the life of photographer Diane Arbus — at the inaugural Rome Film Festival, which opens Friday.

"Miami Vice" loses sex scenes in China version (Reuters)
   Reuters - Twenty minutes, including steamy sex scenes between Gong Li and Colin Farrell, will be cut from "Miami Vice" before it opens in China at the end of October, a Beijing newspaper reported Wednesday.

"Battle of Algiers" director Pontecorvo dies (Reuters)
   Reuters - Gillo Pontecorvo, the Italian film director famous for "The Battle of Algiers," a starkly realistic depiction of Algeria's war of independence from France, has died in Rome, aged 86.