Inside the Gold

Cemetery Junction: behind the scenes

2009-07-11T11:51:00.003-04:00

The BBC has some behind the scenes footage of the upcoming Ricky Gervais-Stephen Merchant film, Cemetery Junction. (Starring Chuckles.)

Cemetery Junction teaser

2009-07-08T11:14:00.003-04:00

The first teaser for Cemetery Junction has been released. It's not much, but it's something!

&amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-GB&amp;amp;amp;amp;vid=c88c1f12-a2fa-45ec-90b5-7395f3a20bab" target="_new" title="Cemetery Junction - Exclusive Teaser"&amp;amp;gt;Video: Cemetery Junction - Exclusive Teaser&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Short Takes: Public Enemies (2009)

2009-07-05T17:28:00.012-04:00

Dir. Michael Mann
Grade: A-

Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” is a terrific accomplishment. The film tells the story of notorious gangster John Dillinger, focusing on his last few months. But this is not a straightforward biography and, at its most effective, works as a throwback to the 1930s crime pictures, together with the determined G-men, tragic moll and doomed protagonist. While the film does have its flaws, it makes for intelligent entertainment and a treat for inquisitive moviegoers.

More after the jump.

The film stars Johnny Depp as Dillinger. Depp is the premier actor in cinema right now and it shows. Depp’s Dillinger is controlled but charming, intense but accessible, you believe his every word. While Depp carries the film, he does have a lot of help.

Christian Bale plays G-Man Melvin Purvis with a haunted aura that becomes that much clearer during the final credits. There’s an exchange between Dillinger and Purvis relatively early in the film. Dillinger advices Purvis to look for a new line of work. Purvis walks away, his face the most vulnerable we will ever see it. Dillinger understood something about Purvis which he didn’t understand himself. It is a great moment.

Billy Crudup almost steals the show with his brief but highly effective turn as the young J. Edgar Hoover. Crudup not only looks the part, but he sounds like he stepped out of a 1930s Hollywood soundstage. Marion Cotillard, in her first film since making history with her lead actress Oscar win for “La Vie En Rose” plays Billie Frechette, Dillinger’s love interest. As the film will have us believe, these two were soulmates that complimented one another. Cotillard’s Frechette is loving and vulnerable, but never submissive. In true Hollywood fashion, the sole female character is almost short changed by the script, but Cotillard imbues Frechette with layers of emotional conflict and longing. In a particularly difficult sequence, Cotillard, head bowed down, shaking in utter desperation, reminds us why she is truly one of the best actors working today.

Mann is a visual artist and it is obvious that he reveres classical Hollywood. He took a daring chance by shooting the film digitally, and it was absolutely the right choice. It is almost unnoticeable for the most part, but it allows for fluidity that traditional celluloid may not have provided. The sound of machine guns has never been more terrifying, and the tension he manages to build up in several sequences is the stuff of Hitchcock. The music, however, is another story. While the script makes good use of “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and some Billie Holiday classics, the score by Elliot Goldenthal almost drowns the film with its bombastic shtick. Intimate moments between Dillinger and Frechette are practically ruined by the unnecessary crescendos Goldenthal seems to be so fond of. More is less, Mr. Goldenthal, more is less.

I don’t remember seeing many films where a lot of the monumental sequences take place in movie theaters, but it happens quite often in “Public Enemies.” There is a sequence in a particular where Dillinger sits with his gang in a movie theater. A newsreel flashes Dillinger’s image on the screen; he is Public Enemy No. 1. The narrator asks the audience to look to their right, then their left, because Dillinger may just be sitting next to them. Dillinger sits there, not fearful but almost tickled by the spectacle. Mann holds his camera on Depp’s face and the result is movie magic. It is an indelible image from a memorable film.

New character images for Alice

2009-07-05T11:58:00.008-04:00

ONTD points us to a new series of Alice in Wonderland images from Vanity Fair. Some new information:

The news over the new Disney production, “Alice in Wonderland”, from director Tim Burton, aren't only the photos released last week. Disney Brasil has released for the national press, 3 photographs from the August issue of Vanity Fair. The images present Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

On the new version of this classic story, Alice is currently 17 years old. Attending to a Victorian party she finds out that a man will propose in front of hundreds of nobles. She runs away - following a white rabbit - to Wonderland, a place she had already visited ten years earlier, but couldn’t remember.

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HBO First Look: Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

Yes, I like Harry Potter. Here's the HBO First Look at the new film.

Official trailer for Brothers

2009-07-03T11:17:00.004-04:00

ET has the official trailer for Jim Sheridan's Brothers, a remake of a 2004 Danish film of the same name, starring Natalie Portman, Jack Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire.

Unfortunately, there's no way to embed, but you can watch it here.

Thoughts?

for glim

2009-06-29T07:57:00.003-04:00

A little late, but here it is: the U.S. Invention of Lying trailer.

Where was this rule when Enchanted got 3 nominations?

2009-06-26T21:30:00.007-04:00

Hollywood Reporter writes about adjustments made for Best Original Song for this year's Oscars (although, maybe I'm stupid, but I thought they did this last year):

No Academy Award will be presented for best song at next year's ceremony if none of the tunes is considered good enough, Oscar organizers said Friday.

Rules for the 82nd Oscar show next March will require that at least one song must achieve a minimum score of 8.25 on a scale of 6 to 10 in voting by members of the academy's music branch.

"We're trying to improve the quality," said composer Bruce Broughton, who heads the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "There's been a lot of talk about the songs in films, the lack of memorability compared to songs in the past, the almost forgetability of some of them. ... This is an attempt to really make the songs as good as possible."

OH and by the way...

The Honorary Oscar won't be presented at the ceremony this year. Fuck honoring lifetime achievement -- they've got musical montages and 10 minute Best Actor introductions to air.

LAT is still ridiculous

2009-06-25T16:58:00.009-04:00

DP has just linked me to this article, where writer Meg James introduces the world to "The Marion Cotillard Effect":

Few American moviegoers had heard of the French actress before she won the Academy Award last year for her performance in the art-house film "La Vie en Rose." That year also marked the lowest ratings ever for an Oscar telecast.

COINCIDENCE?

Think again.

It's not as though 2007 had A-List nominees like Johnny Depp or George Clooney in attendance to draw in viewers, or equally as obscure (for lack of a better word) acting winners and nominees like Tilda Swinton and Saoirse Ronan to leave viewers scratching their heads in confusion. No, Marion Cotillard is the reason 2007 had the lowest ratings in Oscar telecast history, and she is the reason the number of viewers has been steadily declining since the late 90s.

Just know that if introducing 10 Best Picture nominees fails to bring in viewers, we'll know why: it all comes down to The Marion Cotillard Effect.

Breaking News: Oscar Best Pic Race Doubles!

2009-06-24T13:52:00.005-04:00

I have no idea how I feel about this . . . must compute, but thought I'd share with you:

The next Oscars derby will be more heated – and crowded. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences just announced that the best picture race will now include 10contenders instead of the usual five.

Is this real life? What are your thoughts on this? My thoughts after the jump.

I think it's a good thing -- it opens the race up to more contenders and thereby there will be less sore feelings when the announcements are made. Still, a part of me cherishes the bitching that goes on when favorites are slighted. But that tells you more about me than about the Oscar race!

Source

First look at Burton's 'Alice': It has been "Burton-ized"

2009-06-22T00:24:00.013-04:00

The critter (voiced by Welsh actor Michael Sheen of Frost/Nixon) checks his timepiece while Alice (Australian actress Mia Wasikowska) takes in the view, one that she has seen before. “The rabbit is convinced he has the right Alice,” says producer Richard Zanuck. “He has been looking for her for years.” And – shades of Burton's Edward Scissorhands – topiaries in the shape of a giraffe, a dodo and other creatures fill the garden.

USA Today gives us a look at Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Click on the link to read the entire article.

Just as the trees talked in Oz, the roses that blossom in Wonderland can hold a conversation. Alice greets them along the entrance to what appears to be a forest of giant mushrooms. But as in the book, her size shrinks and grows throughout her journey. Burton has said of choosing Wasikowska, 19, to play Alice, “We met a lot of people, but she just had that certain kind of emotional toughness, standing her ground in a way that makes her kind of an older person with a younger person’s mentality.”

Egg-shaped Tweedledee and Tweedledum, who are created through motion-capture technology, are among the first characters to greet Alice. They take her to meet the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). The twins are played by popular British comic Matt Lucas, best known for the TV series Little Britain.

"Off his rocker": Johnny Depp concocts another memorably trippy character as the Mad Hatter. Besides his Carrot Top mop, Depp undergoes a transformation with the addition of enlarged eyes tinted yellow. "He is so much fun and so nutty, I can't imagine anyone else doing it," says producer Richard Zanuck. The actor also employs an accent that Zanuck can only describe as indescribable.

Wonderland was a peaceful kingdom until the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) took power. "The creatures are ready to revolt and waiting for Alice to help them," says Zanuck. Bonham Carter has a digitally enhanced swelled head to play the domineering crimson ruler, who likes nothing better than to scream "Off with their heads!"

The White Queen (Anne Hathaway), who was overthrown by her sister, "is beautiful but over the top. She doesn't walk. She floats. She's very eccentric," Zanuck says.

Public Enemies: HBO First Look

2009-06-21T19:18:00.005-04:00

Must see. Oh yes. Picture opens July 1. Check out part two after the jump.

The Brothers Bloom: Opening Sequence

2009-05-31T19:36:00.010-04:00

I must admit, I've been awaiting this for a while. Writer-Director Rian Johnson ("Brick") brings us The Brothers Bloom stars Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz.

IMDB describes the premise thus: The Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.

Check out their humble beginnings:

I'm kind of sold...

Haneke's The White Ribbon Triumphs at Cannes

2009-05-24T23:16:00.010-04:00

From the NYT:

“The White Ribbon,” a meticulous examination of patriarchal domination, won the Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. Directed by the Austrian-born Michael Haneke and shot in black and white, the much-admired film — a foundation story about National Socialism set in a rural pre-World War I German community — turns on a series of violent events that appear to be the work of some children. In 2001 Mr. Haneke won the Grand Prix (effectively second place) for his harrowing drama “The Piano Teacher,” which starred Isabelle Huppert, president of this year’s competition jury.

By the way, you can watch the closing ceremony here. More after the jump.Other winners included:

Grand Prix: Jacques Audiard's "A Prophet"
Best Director: Brillante Mendoza for “Kinatay”
Best Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg for "Antichrist"
Best Actor: Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds"

Ryan Adams over at Awards Daily just posted this lovely scene from the top film:

Source

New Invention of Lying stills

2009-05-23T15:29:00.004-04:00

Invention of Lying co-writer and -director Matt Robinson shares some new stills from the film.

Click the thumbnails to see the full photos.

He also writes about the latest test screening for the film:

Been a good week on the movie front. Our test screening went very well. It was great to watch a live audience of nearly 300 watch the film for the first time. There were laughs in the places I wanted laughs. Even a few laughs in places I didn't expect laughs. But most importantly (and trust me this really is the most important thing), no laughs in places where you don't want laughs. Warner Bros is very happy. We're all very excited for the release. And like that.

Campion Takes On Hollywood

2009-05-16T23:45:00.008-04:00

Via ONTD, here's an interesting article featuring Jane Campion, only one of the three women ever nominated for a directing Oscar (the other two being Lina Wertmuller and Sophia Coppola) and the only female director to take home the Palm D'Or. Campion has directed some excellent films ("An Angel At My Table", "The Piano", "The Portrait of a Lady") some interesting fare ("Sweetie" and "Holy Smoke" ) along with some plunkers that shall not be mentioned. She has a unique perspective, both on screen and off, and her voice has been sorely missed for a while now. Her latest stint at Cannes, with her new film Bright Star, may be a harbinger of more good things from Campion but also an illustration of the dearth of recognition given to female directors throughout history:

Jane Campion, the Oscar-winning director [Ed. Note: Her Oscar came in the Best Original Screenplay category], has told the Cannes Film Festival that female directors need to toughen up if they are to overcome Hollywood’s sexist “old boys’ system”.

Campion, who is a contender for this year’s Palme d’Or with Bright Star, said women find it difficult to cope with the film business because they are too sensitive.

Asked about the dearth of female directors, the New Zealander, who won an Oscar in 1993 for The Piano, said there was an ingrained sexism in the industry.

“The studio system is kind of an old boys’ system and it’s difficult for them to trust women to be capable,” she said. No woman has ever won the best director Oscar, and Campion is the only women to win the Palme d’Or.

“I would love to see more women directors because they represent half of the population – and gave birth to the whole world. Without them writing and being directors, the rest of us are not going to know the whole story.

“I think women don’t grow up with the harsh world of criticism that men grow up with, we are more sensitively treated, and when you first experience the world of film-making you have to develop a very tough skin.

"My suspicion is that women aren’t used to that. They must put on their coats of armour and get going.”

See some jaw-dropping statistics after the jump.
Celluloid ceiling: Awards for directors

*Academy Award for Best Director

Total awards: 84

Women: 0 Men: 84

*Golden Globe for Best Director

Total awards: 66

Women: 1 (1983, Barbra Streisand – Yentl) Men: 65

*Palme d'Or

Total awards: 68

Women: 1 (1993, Jane Campion – The Piano) Men: 67

*Bafta for Best Direction

Total awards: 41

Women: 0 Men: 41

*Silver Bear Best Director (Berlin)

Total awards: 51

Women: 1 (1979, Astrid Henning-Jensen – Vinterborn) Men: 50

Trailer: Nine

2009-05-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

How...delectable [here's the HD version, thanks for the heads up to Amy!]

Trailer: Precious

2009-05-14T00:07:00.002-04:00

This looks fantastic. A great trailer and a lot of buzz from Sundance makes this one to keep on the radar. I'm very much looking forward to the release.

Dahan and Cotillard Reunite

2009-05-13T18:31:00.001-04:00

This project reunites Marion Cotillard and "La Vie En Rose" director Olivier Dahan. According to the preview, the six-minute short should premiere next Wednesday.

A short Cemetery Junction/Flanimals/The Invention of Lying post

2009-05-12T20:04:00.009-04:00

First, if you haven't heard, Flanimals, the series of books by Ricky Gervais, is being adapted into a film. Already on board to provide their voices? Joining Gervais are Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Danny McBride, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews. The script will be written by Matt Selman, who works on The Simpsons.

The four-volume series, illustrated by Rob Steen, encompasses a world inhabited by 50 species of creatures so ugly and misshapen they become cute and endearing. Gervais' character, a pudgy, perspiring purple creature, goes on a mission to change the world. "It will be great to play a short, fat, sweaty loser for a change," Gervais said. "A real stretch."

We should also shortly be expecting the trailers for The Invention of Lying (formally known as This Side of the Truth), a feature out later this year written and directed by Gervais and Matt Robinson. Co-director Robinson keeps a very entertaining blog, where he has been writing about (among many other things) post-production on the film, so if you're interested, the blog is here.

Reuters also reports that Matthew Goode has joined Ralph Fiennes, Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes and Jack Doolan in Cemetery Junction, the new film by Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant.

And Ricky has blogged about Ralph Fiennes and scouting locations for Cemetery Junction:

Spent the day scouting locations. Saw some amazing stately homes and mansions. (I immediately bought them and turned them into Nandos just for a laugh.)

Had a meeting with Ralph Fiennes. I'm always impressed with his questions and thoughtfulness about the part. That's why he's one of the greatest actors in the world I suppose.

...

Found the perfect house for Ralph Fiennes' character in Cemetery Junction. (Mr Kendrick by the way.)

It's so austere and imposing with a hint of irony. Like Hitler. (Although unlike a lot of comedians doing sexist, racist, crowd-pleasing "acts", Hitler never actually claimed irony.)

West Side Story Revival

2009-05-06T15:23:00.007-04:00

Although this blog focuses on the film medium, I just had to make an exception to highlight the work of a particular actress in the Broadway revival of "West Side Story." Her name is Karen Olivo, and she plays the role of Anita (previous Anitas include legends like Oscar-winner Rita Moreno, and Chita Rivera). I first saw Ms. Olivo in last year's fantastic show "In The Heights", so my expectations were already high. She exceeded them and turned in a performance that far outshone the rest of the company. I'll have more thoughts later (ItG's first theater review!).

Ms. Olivo, by the way, was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical, among a few other nominations that went out to the show yesterday morning. In the meantime, if you're not in NYC, check out the following video:

More to come soon.

Cotillard Flies

2009-05-04T20:19:00.005-04:00

Big news for ITG favorite Marion Cotillard (courtesy of ONTD): behold the first image for Le dernier vol de Lancaster (The Last Voyage of Lancaster), which co-stars Guillaume Canet. More after the jump.

Marion Cotillard is trading her aviator look for belle of the ball. The Oscar-winning actress, who just returned from Morocco where she wrapped filming “The Last Voyage of Lancaster,” in which she plays an aviator, was on her way to Christian Dior on Friday morning to meet couturier John Galliano for a fitting ahead of Monday night’s Costume Institute ball at the Met. “I’m about to leave and get that dress,” she said, after a screening of a seven-minute film in support of the Lady Dior handbag that will debut on the Internet. Not that Cotillard was eager to dump her flight gear. “I love that look: the helmet, the goggles, the jacket, everything. It’s very masculine. You feel confident,” she said.

Next up for the actress is a role in Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and a French film by her boyfriend — and “Lancaster” co-star — Guillaume Canet.

Goonies Revisited

2009-04-29T11:39:00.007-04:00

How fantastic is this? Let's just look at the picture and reminisce. Good times.

I remember seeing this film as a wee lass and absolutely loving it. Unfortunately we didn't see it in a proper movie theater, but on VHS. Still, my brother and I probably saw it 20 times. I really enjoyed Sean Astin, and especially Martha Plimpton -- to me, she was the coolest girl I had ever seen.

Source

Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones - New Images

2009-04-26T17:50:00.009-04:00

ONTD (via Ain't It Cool) just published some new images from the upcoming Peter Jackson release "The Lovely Bones." I'm very excited about this project, not necessarily because of the source material, but because of the talented cast Jackson put together for the adaptation (although I'm still upset that Ryan Gosling stepped down, for whatever reason). In any case, new pics after the jump.

Saoirse Ronan as protagonist Susie Salmon

Saoirse Ronan and Susan Sarandon (as Grandma Lynn)

Mark Whalberg (as Jack Salmon) and Saoirse Ronan

Behold: New Bruno Poster

2009-04-24T19:41:00.003-04:00

The poster alone cracks me up. Oh, Sacha. Bonus: Go here for an *amazing* website. Source