Caffeinated Clint
Howdy. Now before we get onto today’s bits I wanted to let you know a terrific new film coming out – produced for about a fifth of what “The Dark Knight” cost – called “A Lonely Place for Dying. The film, starring James Cromwell, plays at the Delray Beach Film Festival on Wednesday May 20th at 1:00 PM in the Crest Theater, if you’re interested. The film, which has already won awards including the Heineken Red Star Award For Best Feature Film, tells the tale of Nikolai Dzerzhinsky (played by Ross Marquand), a KGB turncoat who is forced to leave Hanoi after his cover has been blown. He pleads with his CIA handler, Anthony Greenglass (played by the always impressive Michael Wincott) to extract him before he is killed. Mr. Greenglass turns him down and Nikolai is left with only one option…to deliver proof of CIA-sponsored war crimes to the Washington Post in exchange for asylum in the United States. Cromwell says, “What’s unusual about this movie is the quality of the screenplay. The screenplay is exceptional work.” This is a common theme evoked by everyone involved with the project. Actor Mike Peebler, who recently acted in Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie, said “I was compelled to be in this film because of the script and the passion of the director.â€- Clint Morris, Editor
– In a high-six-figure deal, Warner Bros. has acquired the screen rights to the Brit series “Primeval”. The sometimes-talented Akiva Goldsman (“The Da Vinci Code”, “Batman & Robin”) and Kerry Foster will produce through Goldsman’s WB-based Weed Road banner. (Variety)
– Mickey Rourke has signed on to star in a remake of the classic 1980s Bob Hoskins/Cicely Tyson gangster pic “Mona Lisa.” Rourke will play an ex-con who takes a job as a chauffeur for a high-class escort. 007 babe Eva Green is in advanced negotiations to star opposite him. Jesus, is Rourke on a roll or what!? (Variety)
– Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth (brother of “Star Trek” star Chris Hemsworth) has been cast as Miley Cyrus’ love interest in “The Last Song,” Disney’s adaptation of the upcoming Nicholas Sparks novel aka the next movie my wife will likely cry in. The story centers on a rebellious teenager (Cyrus) who is forced to spend the summer with the father who left her years earlier. (The Hollywood Reporter)
– Sexy Monica Bellucci (“Matrix Reloaded”) has joined the cast of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” She will play Veronica, a sorceress and the long-lost love of Nicolas Cage’s character, Balthazar Blake. Hopefully there’s no smooch. (Variety)
– Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp look set to return to the seemingly-cursed “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”. Instead of an ad-exec, the script will be re-written so that it’s a filmmaker that travels back in time to the 17th century. (Variety)
– Zack Braff has agreed to appear in six new episodes of “Scrubs”, should ABC decide – and it looks like they will – to bring the show back for a ninth season. Donald Faison, John C. McGinley and Neil Flynn have all closed deals to continue as regulars, unfortunately Sarah Chalke will only be back for 6 episodes, whilst Judy Reyes has not been approached for a deal. (The Hollywood Reporter)
– Speaking of in-demand actors, Jason Statham will star in the $40 million action thriller “The Killer Elite.” Gary McKendry directs the flick, based on Ranulph Fiennes’ bestseller “The Feathermen.”
Based on real events, the story follows a group of former British special forces members who are being hunted by assassins. Statham, currently donning protein shakes on the Louisiana set of Sly’s “The Expendables”, will play a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to save his closest friend. (Variety)
– Australia’s Cinema Nova cinema chain has enjoyed an outstanding opening week for Warwick Thornton’s acclaimed indigenous romance “Samson & Deliah” with a box office take of more than double the national screen average for the film. Opening on three cinema screens across Melbourne on May 7, Cinema Nova’s commitment to Thornton’s film paid off with an enormous audience response of over 4,400 admissions in 7 days.
– “I haven’t seen the final edit, but we did do a version that leaves the door open for a potential sequel” – that’s actress Debbie Gibson in an interview with MTV for – snigger – “Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus”.
– Bloody Disgusting has the official poster for the remake of “Sorority Row”.
– Former “JAG” star David James Elliot has been cast as an Internet millionaire in the feature “Bed & Breakfast,” directed by Dan Garcia. (Hollywood Reporter)
– Fox has added the Warner Bros. TV drama “Past Life” to its tally of 2009-10 season pickups as it preps for Monday’s upfront presentation in Gotham. (Variety)
– The Trailer for Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” is up at the filmmaker’s official site. When Madea, America’s favorite pistol-packing grandma, catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. Initially wanting nothing to do with the kids, April learns along the way that she can change her old ways and become a better person. But it takes a lot of work and the help of a handsome Mexican immigrant who moves in with April to push her to change.
– According to Arrow in the Head, “Friday the 13th” star Derek Mears (‘Jason’) may be playing one of the title characters in Robert Rodriguez’s “Predators”.
Film Reccomendation of the Day
X-Men (2000) – A brilliant start to a series that quickly dipped, Bryan Singer’s feature-film adaptation of the long-running Marvel comic series was the first of a new breed of superhero movie to put as much emphasis on the characters, and therefore performances, as it did special-effects. The sequel is just that tiny bit better (this doesn’t feel as epic), but compared to say, “The Punisher” or “The Fantastic Four” this is an absolute masterpiece. Trivia bit : This was one of the first films I saw as a journo.
