the most anticipated...

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DiCaprio


Pitt

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Weinsteins set 'Shanghai,' 'Samurai'Quentin Tarantino's Weinstein Co. film "Inglorious Bastards," which has already garnered plenty of media coverage, is about to get more interesting.
The producers are searching for a co-financing partner to handle offshore territories for the WWII drama with intersecting storylines. Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein will meet with five studios from Friday through Tuesday.

After the director met Brad Pitt in France on Tuesday, those studios are already salivating over the expectation that Tarantino will land Pitt to play the key role of Aldo Raine. They'll be even keener if Tarantino's plan to meet Leonardo DiCaprio for another lead role goes well Thursday. Tarantino wants DiCaprio to play the role of Hans Landa.

Several studios said the script is vintage Tarantino and they're eager to be in business with him at a reasonable price. DiCaprio and Pitt would be appearing in a Tarantino-helmed project for the first time, though Pitt previously spoke Tarantino-scripted dialogue in a small but memorable stoner turn in the Tony Scott-directed "True Romance."

Pitt, who read "Inglorious Bastards" before studios, seems a strong logistical fit for the project. The film will shoot this fall in Germany and also in France, where Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been residing.

[crippled_avenger]

Ferrell finds 'Face' time
Actor to star in Gilligan-scripted film for Sony
By MICHAEL FLEMING
years of toying with the project, Will Ferrell is getting serious about "Two Face," a Vince Gilligan-scripted drama-comedy for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Mark Johnson and Jimmy Miller are producing.

Ferrell is attached to play the title character, a racist who, after a prank gone awry, develops a split personality.

Ferrell has been intrigued by the script for three years, but the project has gained momentum over the past year. Johnson and Gilligan previously worked together on "Home Fries," and Gilligan's more recent credit is the Sony hit "Hancock."

Johnson and Miller are looking for a director, with an eye toward making the film early next year -- before Ferrell's planned stint starring with Sacha Baron Cohen in the Etan Cohen-scripted comedy about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, which Miller and Judd Apatow will produce for Columbia.

[DušMan]

Back to the Music: Joss Whedon on Dr. Horrible


By Matt Brady
posted: 2008-07-14 16:37:00 ET
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It's been just under seven years since "Once More, With Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired, and this week, Joss Whedon (and friends) enter the realm of musical drama with Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog.

The three-part online event begins tomorrow, Tuesday July 15th, with Act One. Act Two goes up on Thursday July 17th, and Act Three will go up Saturday July 19th at http://www.drhorrible.com/. The streaming video will all be online and free through midnight July 20th, when they come down...but more on that later.

The short film got its roots, Whedon tells Newsarama, thanks to a limited amount of idle time during the recent Writer's Strike, and a suddenly wide-open field to do whatever you wanted to do.

"We were all a lot busier than we thought we were going to be, with picketing and trying to make deals to create internet content, and doing everything we could to fight the cause, but the fact is, eventually, we realized the best way to make something was going to be to make it ourselves," Whedon says. "It turns out that this was the thing that if you had asked me, 'What in the world would you like to do the most?' I would have said, 'A musical with a supervillain.'"

The short version of Dr. Horrible - Dr. Horrible is trying (and failing) to be awarded membership in the Evil League of Evil, while being thwarted by Captain Hammer, and his own lack of confidence when it comes to winning the affection of the beautiful Penny.

Whedon originally conceived of Dr. Horrible as an podcast, something almost like a concept album of yore, to be an outlet for him to write more songs. The story – something the Buffy creator said he can relate to – "A supervillain who just can't get a break...I don't want to say he's a loser, buuuut... It's the sort of thing that appeals to me – it's very personal, it's about loneliness and who we are, but it's all wrapped up in the skin of silly."

The character and the beginnings of the first song sat in Whedon's head for close to a year as things like his new Fox series, Dollhouse and writing the Buffy, the vampire Slayer comic for Dark Horse kept him busy. When circumstances led him to think about creating online content, the podcast got a kick, and Whedon began thinking about doing it visually, with people that could, in his words, "actually sing."

Whedon says that, from the start, he wanted Dr. Horrible to be smaller, and inexpensively produced, but at the same time, professional – something which meant Rolodexes started whirring, and friends and family were corralled.

"It really just started with getting Jed, Zack [two of Whedon's brothers] Maurissa [Tancharoen] on board as writers, and saying, "Let's create this thing and see what we can do with it,' and then realizing that we knew the people that needed to play these roles. So we gave them a call, and it snowballed. The more people we brought on, the more people they knew, and everybody had a love for the idea.

"A lot of these people do work on smaller projects in between their studio gigs just because they love the art itself. Some people are all, 'I gotta get paid,' and are completely career oriented, and some people live for the love of the craft, and those are the sort of people I'm drawn to in the first place.

Cast as the lead as Dr. Horrible, Neil Patrick Harris. Sure, the vast majority of his fans remember him from Doogie Howser M.D. or currently, How I Met Your Mother, but as a supervillain? Really?

"I'd seen him in Assassins, not only where he played the Balladeer, but also Lee Harvey Oswald," Whedon says. "I've seen him in All My Sons. I've seen him do comedy, drama, musicals – he's extraordinarily precise, extraordinarily gifted, and he has the best voice of anybody I know. He actually turned out to be more perfect that I could have realized because he has awesome cheekbones."

And on the flipside as Dr. Horrible's nemesis, Captain Hammer is played by Nathan Fillion, Whedon's Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly.

"I believe that at night, Nathan dons and cape and fight crime," Whedon says. "He's playing the villainous character – he's the foil for the person we care about, so he was able to bring on the smarm, which is something else I can say about Nathan – he is hilarious when he does his smarmy guy act."

As for putting the words in Harris and Fillion's mouths, it's harder when the actors have to sing their lines rather than say them, Whedon says.

"Writing lyrics is much harder than writing dialogue, not just because of the rhymes, but because you basically have a set space within which you have to fit something, and you've got to find a tune and a tempo which allow the lyrics to do more than explain something in a sing-song way," Whedon says. "Building a song is its own little art, and while it exists inside a musical, it also has to flow within itself. It's very, very labor intensive, and sometimes it does come quickly, and sometimes you can just kill yourself for weeks on a lyric."

Whedon shares the lyric writing duty on the musical with brother Jed and Tancharoen, and the two brothers split the songs pretty much in half when it came to writing the music, though they did work on some together.

More on the business side of things, Whedon confesses that, even though Dr. Horrible was done largely as a labor of love by all involved, the 40-minute musical was run as a normal production – from budget and pre-production through to post-production.

"I had a budget in my head and money of my own put aside for me being an idiot," Whedon says of the funding. "David Burns came in - he's an experienced line producer, and he budgeted the whole thing and figured out contracts; and Michael Boretz came in a producer and he had connections with people in post, so between the two of them, they did all the real, actual nuts and bolts producing, which I am not so great at.

"I was able to bring in a lot of talent and call in a few favors and a few things like that – but we wanted to everything very strictly above board, so we needed contracts and waivers and location permits. We wanted to have a slight guerilla feel, but not so much if it became a success people would point out something and say, 'Well, how come you did this bad thing here? Why did you steal?'"

Once Dr. Horrible has completed its online run, Whedon says that the plan is to have it return online in a pay-per-download format. The film will be shown in its entirety during the Dr. Horrible panel at next week's San Diego Comic Con International on July 25th, with the film's cast in attendance.

"We're looking at having a download window and some ad-supported streaming and we want to release it as a DVD with extras [reportedly a musical commentary]," Whedon says. "We're looking at ways to monetize it. Again, part of the ethos of the whole thing – part of it was to do something for the love of it, but it was also to see if we can monetize something on the internet, without the studios. If we can, then...that was the point of all those long meetings I went to during the strike."

And while a sequel is something Whedon says he and the rest are considering, Dr. Horrible's nemesis, Captain Hammer, is already branching out on the internet, and can currently be found at Dark Horse Comics' Dark Horse Presents MySpace Page , in a story written by Zack Whedon.

"We've had this great relationship with Dark Horse, and while some of the things I do like Dollhouse don't really lend themselves to comics, but this one did, and they said that they could do an eight page comic, and Zack jumped on the idea of doing an Captain Hammer comic, just to flesh out how ridiculous Nathan's character is. It was another relationship where everybody wins."

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuwIpihrFUc
u s p o r e n o?

[crippled_avenger]

Story  

Verhoeven attached to direct The Forgotten Soldier
Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles
21 Jul 2008 06:00

 

Paul Verhoeven, whose last film Black Book was one of his most acclaimed in years, has become attached to another World War II story The Forgotten Soldier based on the memoir by Guy Sajer.

The story follows Sajer's harrowing experiences as a teenager as a French recruit in the German army on the eastern front during the war.

Michael Frost Beckner, whose writing credits include Spy Game, has written the screenplay for the project and will produce alongside his brother John Beckner and Verhoeven. The producers plan to shoot in 2009 on location in eastern Europe.

Financing and worldwide distribution is being arranged by LA-based executive producer Thomas Augsberger of Eden Rock Media.

The novel is a French classic and was recently cited as one of prime minister Nicholas Sarkozy's favourite books. Sajer, who is still alive, has never optioned the rights to the book despite strong interest, but is said to have been won over by Verhoeven.

Verhoeven has been attached to several other projects since Black Book including The Thomas Crown Affair 2 for MGM, a film of Pete Dexter's novel The Paperboy which Jan De Bont is to produce, Tsarist crime romp The Winter Queen aka Azazel which has Milla Jovovich attached to star and a Dutch-language adaptation of Jan Siebelink's biography Kneeling On A Bed Of Violets.

Michael Frost Beckner is represented by Endeavor. Manager Marion Rosenberg represents Verhoeven.

[crippled_avenger]

No doubt more details of this will be unveiled at Comic Con later in the week, but the trades reported today that Djimon Hounsou ("Never Back Down", "Blood Diamond") has signed to play comic-book character Thulsa Doom, a central figure in the Conan the Barbarian and Kull comicbooks, in a big screen flick.

You may recall that James Earl Jones played the character of Doom in 1982's "Conan the Barbarian".

Doom was an opponent of both Conan and Kull's. A powerful necromancer, not to mention snake lover, the character – via his unorthodox ways - can be credited with turning Conan the Barbarian into the warrior he was. Apparently he started out as a much noble person... but took a few wrong turns and ended up batting for the bad team.

The Dynamite Entertainment production will showcase the origins of the flawed hero and show how his road to hell was paved with good intentions.

No studio is on board yet.

The chaps over at Dynamite are also prepping a remake of "Red Sonja", to be directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starring Rose McGowan.

In addition to a starring movie, the character of Doom will also be featured in his own comicbook series, published by Dynamite, an imprint of Dynamic Forces, next year.

[crippled_avenger]

Berg to direct 'Hercules'
'Hancock' helmer takes on film for Universal
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Berg

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XBox 360 to premiere short films"Hancock" director Peter Berg is spearheading a fresh take on Hercules for Universal.
Berg will produce and will develop to direct "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," a co-production of Spyglass Entertainment, Berg's Film 44 and Radical Pictures. Spyglass and Universal will co-finance the film.

Ryan Condal will write the script, based on a five-issue comicbook series by Steve Moore that debuted in May through Radical Publishing.

Spyglass' Jonathan Glickman, Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber will produce with Berg and his Film 44 partner Sarah Aubrey, with Barry Levine producing for Radical. Jesse Berger will exec produce.

Levine said the creative partners came together because Glickman, Berg and Aubrey wanted to develop a film that stayed true to the comicbook.

"What resonated for them was that this was character driven, about a character who's more man than god, with conflicts and redemption," Levine said.

Radical's the most recent company making an aggressive push for its comicbook properties in motion pictures. Radical Pictures is also teamed to produce "Caliber" with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil and John Woo's Lion Rock, with Woo attached to direct. The publishing company recently closed a funding deal through a privately held company called Lacho Calad, with coin coming from Singapore. The money includes a discretionary fund for script development of Radical comicbook properties.

Berg is also set to direct and produce a new version of the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures.

[crippled_avenger]

'Capeshooters' finds home at Warners
Bryan Singer in talks to produce the superhero project
By Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit

July 22, 2008, 08:51 PM ET
With one comic superhero lighting up its boxoffice, Warner Bros. is trying to develop another potential comic franchise by acquiring the superhero project "Capeshooters," with Bryan Singer in negotiations to produce.

J.P. Lavin and Chad Damiani will write the screenplay, which follows two down-on-their-luck slackers who specialize in shooting videos of superheroes. They find themselves on the run when they uncover evidence that a legendary superhero actually is evil.

The story is based on an upcoming graphic novel by Rob Liefeld, who was one of the founders of Image Comics and at one point one of the hottest artists in the comics arena.

Singer will produce via his shingle Bad Hat Harry. The company's Alex Garcia is executive producing.

Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment and Liefield also will produce in some capacity. Matt Reilly and Matt Milam are overseeing for the studio.

The news comes on the eve of Comic-Con in San Diego, where film and TV studios will roll out such fare as "Watchmen," "The Spirit" and "Fringe" for thousands of salivating genre-lovers while execs will troll for other hot comic properties.

WMA-repped Singer has a soft spot for costumed creations, having helmed two "X-Men" movies and "Superman Returns," Warners' reboot of the franchise in 2006.

Damiani and Lavin, repped by WMA and Luber Roklin Entertainment, are writers on Ryan Seacrest's KISS-FM morning show and also work on "American Idol." The first feature script, "Kamikaze Love," was on the Black List last year and is set up at Screen Gems.

[DušMan]

Marvel's Ant Man may scurry to the holidays

By Georg Szalai


We've been wondering how Marvel, which is taking a pass on 2009 releases to concentrate on 2010, is going to cram in all its movies -- "Iron Man 2," "Thor" and Ant Man" in the spring/summer of that, the second year of the Barack Obama administration. After all, the studio already has "Iron Man 2" and "Thor" set (in April and June, but still). Can it really pull off a third tentpole in a three-month span?

Edgar Wright, currently penning the potential (ant) man out, offered a little hint of how it might work this past weekend at the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy fest: as a holiday release. Marvel execs are on the record as saying they tend to prefer the warm months for their releases. But "Ant Man" is a bit of a different breed -- the lesser-know character who can turn into an ant and also control insects with his mind plays more tongue-in-cheek than some of the company's other properties.

Wright said he's in the middle of a second draft on the script, and of course is set for another graphic novel adaptation, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," for Marc Platt and Universal ahead of "Ant Man" But don't be surprised to turn on the light during Christmas of 2010 and find a head peeking back from behind a few antennae.

[DušMan]

Wright: ...It looks likely that I will do "Scott Pilgrim" next and then "Ant-Man" straight afterwards.

CS: You have a great cast that's been announced for "Scott Pilgrim" so far.
Wright: There's some more interesting people buzzing around as well. It's going to be a big ensemble, that film, and there's a lot of fun people we've already been talking to, so there's more to come with that.

CS: [Bryan Lee O'Malley] still has a couple more issues of the story to finish, so have you talked to him about where the story is going to go so you can include some of that in the movie?
Wright: The only book that isn't written is the sixth, but our film takes on a slightly different trajectory after the second book and it includes elements from books three, four and five. In some cases, Bryan has used lines in his books from our first draft of the screenplay (chuckles) which is like strange performance-style transference, and it's been brilliant being able to pick his brains throughout this. On one hand, it's a very very faithful adaptation and on the other hand, it definitely molds events from those books into a three-act movie structure, so that's been interesting.

CS: And you know that Mike Cera has this insane fanbase of women, which you might have seen at Comic-Con last year, but it's gotten even bigger since "Superbad" came out. Essentially, every single woman wants him.
Wright: Michael Cera? Yeah. I know he's got a lot of growing up he can do if he wanted to.

CS: Once you figure out if the strike is happening, do you know where you'll shoot the movie? Would you go back to the U.K. for it or do it here?
Wright: No, it wouldn't be in the U.K. It'll either be here or Toronto. It would be really crucial to kind of shoot in Toronto, so that's what I'm aiming to do.

Ceo intervju sa Edgarom Wrightom na: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=47114

[crippled_avenger]

Phillip Noyce ("Catch a Fire," "Clear and Present Danger") will develop a remake of the 1935 Errol Flynn pirate feature "Captain Blood" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety.

Flynn starred as a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, where he and his comrades become avenging pirates.

The potential U.K./Australian co-production could be helmed by Noyce who's already linked to two other thrillers - "25th Amendment" and most likely Sony's "Edwin A. Salt".

[crippled_avenger]

John Waters will write a treatment for a sequel to last year's hit musical feature "Hairspray" for New Line reports Variety.

The aim is to pick up the Baltimore saga of the Turnblad family after the resolution of the first film set in 1962.

Director/choreographer Adam Shankman, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and Tony-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman will all return in the same capacities.

No cast has been set and none of the stars of the first such as John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeiffer had sequel options.

The studio plans to reunite the original cast and have the film out mid-July 2010.

[crippled_avenger]

'Junkers' not junk to Fox
Gil Kenan and John Glenn sell pitch to studio
By Leslie Simmons

July 24, 2008, 06:19 PM ET
Gil Kenan and John Glenn have some junk to sell.

The duo has sold their original pitch "Junkers" to 20th Century Fox for an undisclosed amount.

Mark Gordon ("10,000 BC") is attached to produce.

The action adventure had several studios lining up, with Fox taking a pre-emptive strike and securing it, according to those involved in the deal.

Kenan and Glenn will share story credits, with Kenan directing and Glenn penning the script.

Kenan made his directorial debut with the Oscar-nominated animated feature "Monster House" and is postproduction on "City of Ember" -- based on the Jeanne DuPrau adventure novel -- for Walden Media and Fox and produced by Tom Hanks' Playtone.

Glenn recently completed his directorial debut on the thriller he wrote, "The Heaven Project," for Sony Pictures. He recently sold his script "Lailoken" to Warner Bros. and penned the screenplay for the upcoming DreamWorks thriller "Eagle Eye," staring Shia LaBeouf.

Kenan, Glenn and Gordon are repped by ICM.

[crippled_avenger]

Former New Line bosses Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will produce "Foundation", based on Asimov's 'Foundation Trilogy', for their Unique Features production company and Warner Bros. Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.

The futuristic sci-fi epic centers on a society that has figured out how to predict the future based on a method called psychohistory and sets up a foundation devoted to scientific research to protect itself and ensure its survival.

The plan is to adapt the first book for now, and if successful, developing adaptations of the other two books later.

[crippled_avenger]

British director John Boorman ("Excalibur," "Deliverance") has revived his previously canned $50-60 million biopic of the Roman Emperor Hadrian reports Variety.

Handmade Films and Olympus Films will finance and produce the the film based on Marguerite Yourcenar's bestselling novel "Memoirs of Hadrian" about the ruler most famous in Britain for building the eponymous wall that separated England and Scotland.

Casting is underway for the lead role and Boorman is co-writing the script with Rospo Pallenberg. Shooting starts next spring in Morocco, Rome and Spain.

[Kunac]

Ha, ha... Tek sam sad ovo video... Šteta što je film dosadan...

[crippled_avenger]

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Story
Universal to partner with TWC on Inglorious Bastards
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles
29 Jul 2008 23:39


The Weinstein Company and Universal are nearing a deal to partner on the release of Quentin Tarantino's World War II drama Inglorious Bastards.

Sources stressed the deal points had not been concluded at time of writing, however it is understood TWC would handle the North American release and Universal would oversee the international roll-out through UPI.

Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein met with five US majors last week on the director's Dirty Dozen-style tale of condemned US soldiers given a chance of redemption on a suicide mission in France.

Tarantino has reportedly met with Brad Pitt to play a leading role and is preparing an autumn shoot in Germany and France in time for a Cannes 2009 slot.

[crippled_avenger]

Warner Bros. Pictures and Alcon Entertainment are developing a "Marvin the Martian" feature reports Variety.

First appearing in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948, the Chuck Jones-created character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.

The new story will have a Christmas theme with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he's trapped in a gift box.

The project will blend live action and CGI. Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove and Steve Crystal will produce.

[crippled_avenger]

iF Magazine reports that legendary genre helmer John Carpenter will direct "Scared Straight" for Nu Image/Millennium Films.

The story follows group of juvenile delinquents are trapped inside a prison as part of the "Scared Straight" program when a large-scale riot breaks out, and it is up to inmate Karl Rix to save the kids.

Nicolas Cage will play Rix and shoting begins in the Fall. The project was previously set up at New Line Cinema with Rob Cohen attached to direct.

[crippled_avenger]

Sony Pictures is adapting a 2,400 year old memoir by a Greek soldier into the new feature "Anabasis" says Variety.

Xenophon was among 10,000 elite mercenaries who attacked the Persian Empire and who led them back through hostile terrain after their leader was betrayed and slain in 400 B.C.

Xenophon penned the ancient work right after his ordeal. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan will adapt it into a script.

[Cornelius]

The Sunday Times
July 27, 2008
George Lucas: Mr Emperor strikes back

Lucas is also considering what to do about the fifth instalment in the Indiana Jones franchise, which he has produced from the outset. The most recent film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has taken almost $750m (£375m) at the international box office, and the whip-snapping archeologist remains in high demand, even though his own days as a whippersnapper are behind him (Harrison Ford is two years older than Lucas).

"We were hoping for box-office figures like that, which is, ultimately, with inflation, what the others have done, within 10%," Lucas explains. "So, we squeaked up there. Really, though, it was a challenge getting the story together and getting everybody to agree on it. Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying 'I want it this way' and 'I want it that way', whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, 'We'll do it this way' — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it's a little hard on a practical level.

"If I can come up with another idea that they like, we'll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn't that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we'd like to take. I'm in the future; Steven's in the past. He's trying to drag it back to the way they were, I'm trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It's kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we'll see where we are able to take the next one."

[crippled_avenger]

Quint chats TERMINATOR: SALVATION with McG!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here getting caught up on my Comic-Con interviews. Got quite a few to go, but up first is McG. From what I gather this was the only 1:1 interview he gave to an online outlet. I saw him sitting down 1:1 with Anne Thompson from Variety, so believe me when I say I don't view myself as special because of it, but it should be a unique chat with him since it wasn't part of a roundtable.

I wasn't sure how this interview was going to go. I had heard he wasn't happy about the ending spoiler that ran on the site and that he was even less happy about the McSpaced articles.

Yet he still sat down with us. Immediately I got the same feeling as I did watching him speak during the panel. He seemed to be trying really, really hard to say the right things and prove himself to the fans. Does he succeed? Well give it a read and let me know.








Quint: I think TERMINATOR 2 was the first movie I saw more than once in the theater. I dragged my parents to go see it again and again. So you grow up and you have that world in your mind, but I actually do like the idea that something is off and that it's not exactly what John Connor was told, that they changed something within the line up.

Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Oh yeah, I mean to me that is what makes it worthwhile. Things have changed and the future that his mother has told him about is not the future that he is presented with today and that is in the spirit that the future is indeed malleable, which was established very cleanly in the first and second picture, so yeah we just wanted to create a world that was credible and felt properly post apocalyptic, but listen; no two films shaped my life more than the first two TERMINATOR pictures. The first one scared the shit out of me and the second one made me want to be a director. I mean when Robert Patrick's head came apart and the T-1000 liquid metal coming back together and doing what it does... Shit, I put Robert Patrick in two out of the first few movies I made. It was that big of an influence on me, so I'm really passionate about that whole idea.
Quint: Now this is supposed to be setup like the beginning of a series of films, right?
McG: Well naturally, but I would never presume that this would be so well received to warrant a sequel. That's the idea and Christian (Bale) and I have arched out three movies and what we want to do with it, but...
Quint: So do you see it progressing as they get closer and closer to the year that we have seen, that it looks more like what we know of the future war?
McG: As they get closer to 2029, it starts to look more like that indeed. This is 2018, so we studied Chernobyl... We talked to the scientists. We talked to the futurists. We talked to the environmentalists. "What does the world look like after it has destroyed itself?" "How long do you need to be under ground?" "What did the Geiger meter say?" "What are the hot zones?" "What are the cool zones?" "What is nuclear winter all about?" That's the world we came up with and we developed our own film stock, we are treating it with three times as much silver as color film is traditionally treated with and the interest of giving it that ethereal look that... I'm hoping to capture the visual language of the Cormack McCarthy book THE ROAD.

I gave it to all of the actors and said, "Get your head right, this is an existential experience walking through these David Lean landscapes where it's strange and you can't quite shake the fog out of the cockpit," so that what certainly the goal, but it felt pretty damn good to show it to a literate discriminate crowd and see them stand up and cheer and hoot and holler and make noise to that degree, because it's certainly their privilege to reject you. It was very, very rewarding and my style on this picture has been very transparent, I wanted to have a look at that future war that you speak of, probably just like you, there was no reason to make TERMINATOR 4. I just wanted to go after judgment day to see Connor fighting that war itself, because it's only ever alluded to in such small snippets.

Quint: Yeah.
McG: I wanted to get after that and who better than Bale, who I regard as the most professional, talented actor of his generation to lead the way.
Quint: Well not only that, but he also shares a little bit of the continuity with TERMINATOR 2, because he looks a lot like the actor...
McG: Yeah, it's not such a big stretch.
Quint: When you see him, at least in this one, I can see him as that guy, so if you are watching the Terminator films...

Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Well the funny thing is that we go to such great lengths to show where all of this came from. I mean we literally have Connor using the same computer device that he hacks an ATM machine, hacks the door at Cyberdine, he uses to hack SkyNet, you know what I mean? Its little things like that that show you not only is he a physical guy, he is also a clever guy.

Also the Kyle Reese bits and pieces... Kyle Reese in his string shoulder holster for his shotgun... Where did that come from? It actually came from the Marcus character and every thing that goes with that and some of the lines of "Pain can be controlled, you just disconnect it." The genesis of that line and where it went when Reese said that to Sarah Connor.

As much story density as possible, just lots and lots of conversations with Jim Cameron... Lots of conversations with Arnold Schwarzenegger, obviously brining in Stan Winston and even in his passing keeping his core guys like John Rosengrant and everybody else as close as possible to the picture in the interest of honoring the passionate fan base, because... you know, I get it, I'm not the natural choice to make this film and I really want to shed myself of the past and show growth and grow as a film maker and use a completely different cinematic language, really really study the mythology and make sure that I was coming from a place of responsibility as to deliver and you know, you do that by hiring Christian. You do that by having Jonah Nolan write the picture and hopefully you take steps in the right direction and it certainly felt like today was a big shot in the ass as far as getting it right.








Quint: So much is really contingent upon the visual landmarks and by bringing in Winston... I can't imagine that there is even a consideration of going somewhere else, because he is...
McG: There wasn't for me, yeah and it's just so funny, because he and I went through so much and he did the Superman suit when I was doing SUPERMAN and I was afraid of flying at the time and I couldn't fly down to Australia and I got thrown off of the movie. He and I bonded over that really extensively and then he and I had a movie called ME AND MY MONSTER, which was about Stan as a kid and his imaginary monster friends and we connected very deeply over that and then of course this.

He was around for the first year of prepping it and his passing was just crushing, but strangely poetic and beautiful and it is my intention to dedicate the picture to his memory, certainly. He is everywhere and it's really his picture in that respect. How are you feeling about Sam Worthington?

Quint: Well, it's hard to tell from the clips. I really want to see him in a big meaty scene, but I can't believe that James Cameron would be wrong casting him in a lead, so I have so much faith in that and I don't know if I have seen anything else that he has done.
McG: He did a picture called Somersault, which I like very much.
Quint: Oh, yeah.
McG: But it was my going down and working with him on AVATAR that really brought the confidence required to make the move and talking to Jim about it and away we go, but yeah I mean the interesting thing is also just the tactile reality of the world. In that whole thing we showed there was one visual effects shot. In four minutes of film and the cut was moving pretty quickly, it felt like a trailer and there is one shot with visual effects. Every single thing is practical and in camera. I don't want my actors talking to C stands with tennis balls on them.

I want everything to feel real and be emotional and I give you my world, Bale could give a frog's fat ass about explosions and visual effects, he wants it to work if as if he went with you across the proscenium on a naked stage and just read it. He needs to work from a place of character and "How is this character different at the end of the picture than he was at the beginning of the picture?"

Quint: I can tell you from the fan perspective, getting Bale to be in the movie gave it such a vote of confidence almost.

Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: Yeah, I thought that was required, because I certainly didn't bring that on my own and that doesn't bother me, because I have talked before about how you have to be Spicoli before you can become Sean Penn and you have to be on HAPPY DAYS before you become Ron Howard and on and on and on. You have to be on 21 JUMP STREET before you become Depp and do what you do and show people what your true colors really are and I'm willing to pay my dues and keep my nose to the grindstone, but the McG of yesterday is dead.

I'm just looking forward to making this picture that poses ethical challenges to the audience without being preachy, but in the spirit of the first MATRIX picture or BLADE RUNNER, where yeah it was enjoyable on a "Let's watch it level and then you and I can go spend four years in a graduate class talking about it."

Quint: Or write books about it...
McG: Right on and that's the intention of this movie and we will see. I think that Charlie Gibson is going to bring the machines to life in a way that you would never imagine. We have machines on the scale of TRANSFORMERS, you know what I mean, but they look like they Giger machines from ALIEN and I think that can be incredible if done properly, it's just too early to talk about it, because we haven't rendered all of that stuff yet, but Charlie is a pretty capable guy and we will see what he comes with.
Quint: It's all about... Listen, fans are a little gunshy, we keep seeing the stuff we have grown up with done into haphazard or down right shitty movies... The prequels or even INDY 4 to an extent... We see things like ALIENS VS. PREDATOR...
McG: Bastardized!
Quint: Or it's just tainted.








Click it here to listen along with the next bit in amazing Sound-O-Text!
McG: I accept that completely. You have got to understand, I am the fan. I am that guy, too. I'm not some other guy on the other side of the line. I'm the guy in the movie theater. I don't have a screening room, I go to the theater every Friday night to see the opening pictures and that's just who I am. I spent my entire childhood in and out of the theaters and I am that guy and I don't like feeling ripped off and I think in the time of Alfonso Cuaron and Del Toro and certainly Chris Nolan and David Fincher, we are living in a great time for filmmaking and there is a chance for the biggest movies to be the best movies, like when I was a kid and you were a kid and you saw STAR WARS and it changed your life.

You realize the Joseph Campbell components and the depth of the film, but the fun of the film and the originality of the film. Let's return to that where you don't have to apologize for a summer movie. That's certainly the goal, but I mean who is to know? We are only halfway through photography, but I've been burned just like you and I am very very aware of that and I'm not jumping up and down saying "We have done it! It's in the bag!" I am saying though however "It seems to feel quite good." It feels quite good and just to get that response that we just got...

People aren't looking to give you that, especially me. Everybody is so hung up on my fucking stupid name, "What kind of a faggot calls himself "McG?" "I hate this guy, I'll never get behind him." Stuff like that is difficult to take, because I would be false if I went back on that and I've been called that since the day I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I can't change that now...

Quint: I mean, you just have to understand that it's the knee jerk when we hear stuff like the rumors of the PG-13 and people are looking for any excuse to go "This is going to be another AVP. This is going to be another something that ruins what I grew up with."
McG: I get it and you know, listen AVP could have been great, whatever, I'm not here to talk about that, but I meant what I said about... There are two people in this world that care about the rating, Jeff Robinoff, who was sitting in the front row who runs Warner Brothers and Jeff Blake, who was sitting in the front row, who runs Sony. Sony is releasing the picture internationally, Jeff's releasing it domestically and both of them are like "Let the rating be what the rating is."

Having said that, I'm not going to back off the notion of "Should it be PG-13?" Who gives a shit? I thought THE DARK KNIGHT was made without compromise. It got a PG 13 rating. If there were more gore or more horror to some respect, I don't know if the picture would be more desirable to me and you. I thought it was a master work and I walk away...

Quint: It's true to that story. I think that the worry is that this movie is a future war film that is worried about a rating, but if you are not worried about the rating, that might be a different story.
McG: We are not worried at all about the rating and like I said, the only two people that would be were here today and they are not either. They're the only ones who would be busting my chops going "Hey, we have got to hit that number. We have got to hit that rating" and they don't care.
[The PR woman walks up and end the interview.]
Quint: I really appreciate you sitting down and...
McG: I'm delighted. I really enjoy the site. I read you all of the time everyday. I mean every column, you know how it is like everybody does. JJ and I talk about it all of the time, the whole thing and just it's my favorite site, what can I tell you, so enjoy!
Quint: Thank you!
McG: Whenever you want, come out and watch the movie.
Quint: Really?
McG: Yeah, let's look at some scenes, I agree trailers are bullshit, anybody can cut a good trailer, but come on and check it out. You are more than welcome whenever you want and I'm not kidding.
Quint: Alright. I just might take you up on that.







As you can see (and hear) McG is trying his hardest to prove his worth to us, the fans. It felt sincere to me, but as the old-timers say the proof is in the pudding. I want him to make an awesome movie and he's got himself a great crew to achieve that goal, but we won't know if he has it in him until we see the picture.

The only thing he said in the interview that put me off was comparing TERMINATOR: SALVATION to THE DARK KNIGHT in terms of rating. I agree that THE DARK KNIGHT didn't need anything else to push a higher rating, but at the same time it wasn't built on a successful R-rated franchise. Plus a PG-13 rated Future War Terminator movie just doesn't feel right to me.

But I meant what I said when I told him that if he truly is making the film without a rating in mind then that's a different story. I don't know how possible that is, to not know if your film is possibly going to be rated R by this point, but it's all conjecture at this point.

We have to see more. I think Moriarty did a set visit, so I don't know if I'll take him up on his offer, but it'd be an interesting set to visit, I'm sure... especially if it was to actually watch some of the dramatic scenes put together.

What are your impressions?

-Quint

[crippled_avenger]

"Hostel" director Eli Roth is on deck to play a baseball bat-swinging Nazi hunter in "Inglorious Bastards," the Quentin Tarantino-directed drama that begins production this fall in Europe for the Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures.
Brad Pitt is in talks to play Aldo Raine, leader of a rogue band of Jewish-American soldiers who wreak havoc on the bad guys in Nazi-occupied France.

Roth is in talks to play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz.

Roth played a small role in Tarantino's "Death Proof" segment of "Grindhouse" and directed one of the fake movie trailers that played during the film. Tarantino was an executive producer and lent his name as a presenter on Roth's breakout directing hit, "Hostel."

Tarantino is expected to formalize his cast shortly.

Tarantino had planned to meet with Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of SS Col. Hans Landa, only to decide that the role should be played by a German actor.

[crippled_avenger]

Former Terminator turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seems unsure about the next "Terminator" movie.

Talking with The Los Angeles Times, Schwarzenegger revealed he was given a private screening of early footage from "Terminator Salvation" by producers of the franchise reboot directed by McG.

Arnie says "I still don't know how it will play out with this one. They showed me some footage, but I don't have a feel for the movie. I didn't see enough. I wasn't sure who the Terminator was. I don't know if there is one or if he's the star or the hero. These are the things that determine the success and how the strong the movie will be."

Big special effects are what he thinks will lead to the film's success, saying that "If [director McG] has the T4 and the kind of shots that has the audience thinking, 'Now how did he do that?' -- then it is 'Terminator' and you can blow everyone away and every record at the box office."

He does however hope that those involved are successful - "I've seen very little footage so I don't really have a feel for it. I hope they do well, and I hope it is a huge hit. I do hope it creates a spectacle on the screen. That is what James Cameron created."

"Terminator Salvation" is currently being filmed in New Mexico.

[crippled_avenger]

"The Office" and "Knocked Up" star B.J. Novak is in talks to play one of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" says The Hollywood Reporter.

The long-gestating film about a band of Jewish resisters in Vichy-era France stars Brad Pitt, while Eli Roth was announced yesterday to play one of the soldiers.

Novak is expected to play PFC Utivich, described as a soldier of slight build who comes from New York. Casting is being finalized for a Fall shoot in Europe and wrap time for a debut in May.

[crippled_avenger]

Warner Bros. Pictures and Lin Pictures have picked up Robert Whiting's true-life crime tome "Tokyo Underworld" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Frank Baldwin ("The Art of Making Money") will adapt the story of Nick Zappetti, an Italian-American from East Harlem who was part of U.S. forces sent to Japan after World War II.

After a failed stint as a wrestler and a fumbled diamond heist, he opened a pizza joint in the mid-'60s which became the center of Tokyo's nightlife and made him an integral part in the yakuza's rise to power.

[crippled_avenger]

Brad Pitt is officially a 'Bastard'
Pegg, Kinski, Krumholtz in talks to join film
By MICHAEL FLEMING, TATIANA SIEGEL, TATIANA SIEGEL
Pitt


Pegg


Brad Pitt has closed his deal to star in "Inglorious Bastards," the WWII drama that Quentin Tarantino will direct for the Weinstein Co. and Universal.
Additionally, Nastassja Kinski is in early talks to play one of the sole female roles in the film. Casting the German-born actress jibes with Tarantino's habit of resuscitating dormant careers. Kinski, who has stayed away from mainstream American films for nearly a decade, would play a German movie queen.

Much of the pic's dialogue is in French or German, and subtitles will be used, though Pitt will speak English in his role as a Tennessee hillbilly who assembles a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to take on the Nazis.

Simon Pegg, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak are also in talks to join the project. Pegg would play a British lieutenant, while Krumholtz and Novak would play Pitt's underlings.

Pic begins production Oct. 13 in Germany. Tarantino, who wrote the script, is aiming to complete the film and have it ready for next year's Cannes Film Festival. Lawrence Bender is producing, with Erica Steinberg and Harvey and Bob Weinstein as executive producers. Pilar Savone is associate producer.

Deal puts Pitt back in business with Universal; apparently he and the studio have patched things up following his last-minute exit from "State of Play" late last year.

Under the terms of Tarantino's deal, he receives 20% of first-dollar grosses. That percentage can be reduced if a first-dollar gross star like Pitt joins the cast, though it's unclear if Tarantino is ceding any of his points to the star.

Bender said casting should be complete in about a week or two. Eli Roth will play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, and Tarantino is locking in the other actors to play the soldiers who make up the Bastards team. Tarantino regular Tim Roth had been in contention to join the cast but couldn't work out the scheduling because of his upcoming TV series "Lie to Me."

While Pitt will be working for the first time with Tarantino as director, he does have on his resume a small but memorable turn as a stoner in the Tony Scott-directed "True Romance," a script that Tarantino wrote between "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction."

[cutter]

AICN Anime-Murmurs of Ninja Scroll 2 and Live Action Evangelion
Column by Scott Green

   For those holding out hopes for more Ninja Scroll or a live action movie Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's not time to get too excited yet. However, in both cases, news coming Baltimore's Otakon pushes the probability meter's needle a little deeper into "maybe" territory.

   Appearing at the US East Coast's largest anime convention, Madhouse Studios (that animators of Ninja Scroll, Paprika, the Girl Who Leapt Through Time) co-founder and CCO Masao Maruyama stated that Ninja Scroll writer/director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is involved with a script for a sequel to the big-in-the-US bloody affair. Maruyama also mentioned that, like Kawajiri, he has script approval for the sequel. The 1993 anime-movie previously spawned a 13 episode TV series in 2003.

Neon Genesis Evangelion distributor ADV Films is still promising that substantial news concerning a live action adaptation of the existential giant robot anime is on the horizon, but they also threw out that Appleseed: Ex Machina producer Joseph Chou is attached to the project.

[crippled_avenger]

Alexander Nevsky to play 'Hercules'
Russian actor will also produce the film
By Jay A. Fernandez

Aug 8, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
Russian action star-producer Alexander Nevsky is laboring to launch "Hercules: The Beginning." Nevsky's Hollywood Storm will produce the feature on a $12 million budget.

In a move reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger's role as mythical strongman Conan the Barbarian, Nevsky will play the classic Roman hero adopted from Greek legend (where he's called Heracles).

An oft-used hero of film and TV, Hercules also will star in a competing feature project that Millennium Films is developing.

Tate Donovan voiced the hero in the animated 1997 Disney feature, and Lou Ferrigno and Steve Reeves played Hercules in live-action film versions over the decades. Universal TV also produced a popular series in the '90s starring Kevin Sorbo.

Nevsky is a bodybuilder, author and movie star in his native Russia and has spent the past decade making his way in Los Angeles as a writer, producer and actor. Hollywood Storm just wrapped the thriller "Magic Man." "Treasure Raiders," his previous film, will get a stateside release through Maverick Entertainment.

[crippled_avenger]

Channing Tatum is set to star in an untitled drama about the free-jumping extreme sport Parkour for New Line reports Variety.

Written by Kevin Lund and T.J. Scott, the drama revolves around a pair of jumpers who use their skills in heists.

Richie Smyth will make his feature directorial debut and shooting will begin early next year.

[crippled_avenger]

The Sony Pictures espionage thriller "Edwin A. Salt" is being retooled from a Tom Cruise vehicle into an Angelina Jolie one reports Variety.

Original scribe Kurt Wimmer ("Equilibrium") will redraft his well-received script about a CIA officer who's accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy and must elude capture long enough to establish their innocence.

Cruise had long been circling the project but departed recently. Several male stars took a shine to it, as did Jolie which prompted Columbia to overhaul it to suit her (only a few changes are expected). A posting at Hollywood Elsewhere indicates the Jolie deal came together in a super quick three days.

The film is expected to be her first film after recently giving birth to twins. Philip Noyce remains attached as director and Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash are producing, however "Edwin A. Salt" will undergo a title change.

[crippled_avenger]

The last time we checked in with the production of The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film that was once in the hands of Steven Spielberg, it was currently on the back burner over at Dreamworks. Back in February, Spielberg was rumored to be putting the project on hold so that he could pursue both the comic strip adaptation Tintin and the period biopic Lincoln. This information was confirmed by the folks over at MovieWeb, who caught up with producer Walter F. Parkes just last week. It appeared, at least for the time being that the project was dead in the water, at least for the moment.

Then this evening, out of almost pure chance, I was skimming through the pages of Production Weekly, checkout which productions are currently in active development when I ran across an updated listing the The Trial of the Chicago 7. After cross checking some other participants, including writer Aaron Sorkin and Producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, I deduced that this was the same production. The only odd part was that instead of listing Steven Spielberg or no director at all, the production listed a different director: Paul Greengrass.

Yes, it would appear at least according to this report that not only is the film back in active development, but that United 93 and Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass is going to be taking over the helm for Mr. Spielberg.

As you may or may not remember, this is a project that Spielberg was working on for quite a while just after he finished work on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In an interview back in February, Vanity Fair's Jim Windolf visited Spielberg at his Amblin Entertainment office, during which he spied some early production work on Chicago 7:

My glance strays to a side table, where headshots of actors under consideration for his likely next directing project, Chicago 7—about the conspiracy trial that grew out of protests at the 1968 Democratic convention—lie on the surface. Among them I spy Will Smith, Taye Diggs, Adam Arkin, and Kevin Spacey; Sacha Baron Cohen (as Abbie Hoffman) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (as William Kunstler) are also linked to the project, which has a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.

That said, it would be easy to assume that the pre-production could have been moving along, but reportedly script delays have kept it off of Mr. Spielberg's schedule since early in the spring. As for Greengrass, he is currently finishing up post production on the espionage thriller Green Zone, which stars Matt Damon. That is due out sometime in 2009. As well, Greengrass has been courted by Universal to work on a fourth film in the Bourne franchise, but no hard details have been ironed out yet.

The replacement of Spielberg with Paul Greengrass seems like a logical one, at least from the standpoint of scheduling. Greengrass appears to have a little bit more time, as he is already in post-production on his 2009 film with no other immediate projects to speak of, whereas Spielberg has a full boat. And of course, it being the weekend and all, it is going to be hard for us to get any confirmation on this — but don't be surprised if you see a story in Variety sometime next week announcing Paul Greengrass as the new director of The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Also, for those not completely familiar with the project, here is the official synopsis:

Based on the 2007 documentary "Chicago 10," by Brett Morgen. At the 1968 Democratic Convention, protesters, denied permits for demonstrations, repeatedly clashed with the Chicago Police Department, who waged a week-long terror campaign that resulted in riots witnessedlive by a television audience of over 50 million. The events had a polarizing effect on the country. Needing to find a scapegoat for the riots, theGovernment held eight of the most vocal activists accountable for the violence and brought them to trial a year later. The defendants representeda broad cross-section of the anti-war movement, from counter-culture icons Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin to renowned pacifist David Dellinger.Seven of the defendants were represented by Leonard Weinglass and famed liberal attorney William Kunstler, who went head-to-head withprosecution attorney Thomas Foran. The eighth defendant, Bobby Seale, co-chair of the Black Panther Party, insisted on defending himself andwas bound, gagged and handcuffed to his chair by Judge Julius Hoffman. From the start, the trial was a circus with the eight defendants on acollision course with the governmental authority.

[crippled_avenger]

George Clooney is taking a taxi to the dark side.
The multi-tasking thesp has bought the rights to Jonathan Mahler's legal thriller "The Challenge," about the long campaign waged by U.S. Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown law professor Neal Katyal to ensure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, the bodyguard and driver of Osama bin Laden.

Project will be developed through Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smoke House shingle. Deal is believed to be in the low-seven-figure range.

As with any Smoke House project, "The Challenge" remains a potential directing, writing and starring vehicle for Clooney.

Ross Katz will be a producer on the pic.

A spokesman for Clooney confirmed that no decision had been made yet on what exact role Clooney would take on the project, although some are already speculating that the role of idealistic lawyer Swift may prove a fit for the thesp.

Clooney had been tracking Mahler's story for some time, and Smoke House execs met with the writer months before the book's recent publication. While there had been interest from other potential buyers, Clooney's persistence is believed to have played a key role in persuading Mahler to sign with Smoke House.

Hamdan was sentenced Aug. 7 by a panel of military officers at Guantanamo Bay to a prison term of 66 months, including time already served. The Yemeni-born convict was found guilty of material support for terrorism but cleared of the more serious charges of conspiracy to commit murder, seen by some analysts as a victory for retired naval officer Swift's efforts.

Mahler's book ends with the landmark 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the military tribunals ordered for Hamdan and other Guantanamo Bay detainees violated the Geneva Convention and the Uniform Code for Military Justice. While Mahler is planning to update the paperback edition of his book to include Hamdan's trial verdict, it is unclear when Clooney's bigscreen adaptation of "The Challenge" will end.

Project is the latest in a series of politically charged projects being developed by Smoke House.

Also in the pipeline are dramedy "Escape From Tehran," recounting the CIA's attempts to use a fake movie project to smuggle a handful of Americans out of Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis; "Men Who Stare at Goats," based on Brit author Jon Ronson's book about the U.S. Army's 1st Earth Battalion, which was authorized to use paranormal powers; and "Our Brand Is Crisis," an adaptation of Rachel Boynton's doc about the 2002 Bolivian presidential election, when candidate Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada hired James Carville's political consulting firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner to help him win.

[crippled_avenger]

The Big Picture
Patrick Goldstein on the collision of entertainment, media and pop culture
« Bill Hader: Crazed movie fan? | Main | Tom Cruise in 'Tropic Thunder': Not 'retarded' »

Warners' films: Movie overboard!
02:59 PM PT, Aug 12 2008
Guy Ritchie's upcoming gangster film, "RocknRolla," is due to be released by Warner Bros. in early October. So why was the film's producer, the inimitable Joel Silver, showing the film to executives at Lionsgate and Sony Pictures?  According to my colleague John Horn, Silver said he was screening it for other studios to get their advice about marketing and release plans for the picture. You can imagine how tickled Warners' marketing staff must've been, hearing the news that the studio's top producer was out soliciting ideas about how to sell his picture from rival studios.

A more likely scenario is that Silver is looking for a new home for the movie; a top executive at one of the studios said it was clear Silver was looking for a buyer for the film. People who've seen the film say it's not bad at all. But as Warners goes through the arduous process of absorbing two dozen or so New Line films into its distribution system, the studio simply has too many movies to release, so it's starting to pick out the weak calves from the herd.

Sources say Warners has also been shopping around "Slumdog Millionaire," a Danny Boyle-directed drama about a kid from the slums of Mumbai who has an amazing run on an Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The film, whose U.S. rights were acquired for $5 million by Warner Independent Pictures, is good enough to be accepted at this fall's Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals. But Warners is unsure of its commercial prospects. The film, originally slated for release Nov. 7, has now quietly been bumped to next year. Warners is also open to offers on a third film, "Pride and Glory," an Edward Norton and Colin Farrell-starring drama about NYPD officers made by New Line that was initially slated for release by New Line this spring but bumped from the schedule.

What's going on here? I went to Warners chief Alan Horn for some answers:

"RocknRolla" was financed by Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment, which has delivered a series of low-budget horror films to Warners, including "The Reaping" and "House of Wax." Silver's deal entitles his films to a 800-screen wide release, but Warners ultimately decides how much of a marketing spend it's willing to risk on the film. In the past, when Warners had concerns about a film's commercial prospects, it has tried a limited three-city release, supported with TV advertising, to gauge a film's reception in the marketplace. The results are rarely encouraging, which Silver knows all too well; Warners did a similar release in 2005 with the Shane Black-directed "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," a Silver-produced comedy thriller that got good reviews but never won a broader national release. It's no wonder a savvy producer like Silver would be approaching a studio like Lionsgate, which makes its living releasing edgy films like "RocknRolla."

Horn was honest about his assessment of the film. "I think it's a well-made picture, but while it's funny in spots, it's very English," he said. "I don't think it's broadly commercial. It feels like a film that deserves a spirited release, but not a wide one. Joel has an 800-screen deal, which we'll honor, but we might not be willing to spend the marketing money he wants us to."

Horn shrugged. "I guess I'm in a shocking state of equanimity," he said. "The filmmakers have every right to do what they think is best in support of their movies. But we have the right to do what's best for Warner Bros. Sometimes the pursuit of those interests results in a disagreement. For now, we're preparing to release the film in October, but I don't see it starting out on 800 screens. If Joel is thinking there is someone out there willing to spend twice as much money as we're willing to, I'm sure he will pursue that."

Horn acknowledged that the studio is also open to offers on Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire," but he said the studio isn't having a fire sale. "We're not going to give it away. If we can't find a buyer, then we'll put it out in a few markets--perhaps Chicago, New York and Toronto --and see if it works. I'm a big believer in letting the audience decide what it thinks. I like the movie. I just don't know how big the audience is for it."

Warners' overriding issue is that it simply is overloaded with pictures. As distribution chief Dan Fellman put it: "We're distributing more movies from September to the end of the year than most studios do in an entire year." Horn is trying to find the right number of pictures that the studio can handle without putting an unacceptable burden on its marketing and distribution staff. With New Line now slated to make six-or-so films a year, Warners will be cutting back on its releases so it would release no more than 25 or 26 films in a calendar year. It's a delicate balancing act, especially for a studio that is better built to release "Dark Knight" and "Harry Potter"-style blockbusters than small dramas or quirky comedies.

"I think having a new movie coming out every two weeks is plenty," Horn said. "Any more films than that and we're putting too big a strain on the system. It's just too crowded in the marketplace these days. I'd like for us to find a way to release movies like 'Slumdog Millionaire,' but we keep coming back to the same question--can we really do it justice?"

Warners is willing to try to find a happier home for some of its smaller-scale films. But with so many specialty divisions going out of business or in disarray, the list of happy homes is few and far between. A lot of good little movies are going to be packed off to the orphanage.

[crippled_avenger]

Cruise To Become TOURIST As Paula Wagner Chooses Her Own Path??


Merrick here...



An Americanization of a 2005 French thriller called THE TOURIST seems a likely Tom Cruise vehicle in the near future.

Bharat Nalluri will direct screenwriter Julian Fellowes' adaptation of the 2005 feature, which follows an American tourist used as a pawn in a spy game by a female Interpol agent.


...says THIS ARTICLE in Hollywood Reporter.

Nalluri directed episodes of SPOOKS (aka MI-5) and LIFE ON MARS in the UK, the feature film MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, the intended feature film THE CROW: SALVATION and was Second Unit Director on AV P and RESIDENT EVIL .

This news comes on the heels that long-time Cruise producer and associate Paula Wagner may be heading off to produce movies on her own...leaving United Artists and (apparently) Tom behind.

You can find more details on the split in THIS Hollywood Reporter summation.

[crippled_avenger]

Paula Wagner looking to exit UA
In talks with MGM to leave post as co-owner, CEO
By Jay A. Fernandez and Leslie Simmons

Aug 13, 2008, 06:03 PM ET

Updated: Aug 13, 2008, 10:05 PM ET

Paula Wagner, left, and Tom Cruise (Getty Images photos)

In a move that ends her longtime business partnership with Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner is stepping down from her post as co-owner and CEO at United Artists.

Although she and Cruise were brought aboard to revive UA in November 2006, she encountered difficulties in jump-starting MGM's specialty label. Once she negotiates her exit, Wagner plans to return to producing full time.

Moving forward, though, she won't be partnered with Cruise, whose career is looking as if it needs a makeover of its own.

Wagner's move comes just two weeks after her husband, Rick Nicita, who had been Cruise's longtime agent, exited CAA to join production company Morgan Creek.

With Wagner's departure so closely following Nicita's, many in Hollywood read the power couple's moves as a reflection of Cruise's unhappiness with key lieutenants in charge of his career.

While CAA's Kevin Huvane is now the lead agent at CAA overseeing Cruise's career, the actor has been actively considering projects that have no connection to UA. It's unclear whether Wagner will be replaced at the storied shingle or whether Cruise's role in the company will change. MGM reps pointed out that key personnel -- COO Elliott Kleinberg, production head Don Granger and newly hired marketing maven Mike Vollman -- will remain in place and steer the ship in the interim.

A joint MGM-UA statement late Wednesday said that Wagner will continue to be a part owner of UA and hold a significant stake in the company's future success.

"Nothing will change in regard to Cruise's involvement with UA, and he continues to have a substantial ownership interest in the company. Furthermore, Cruise and Wagner will continue to work on film projects together."

Wagner and Cruise managed to produce and release just one project together at UA, last year's "Lions for Lambs," which featured Cruise as a Republican operative. It grossed a measly $15 million domestically.

Their second UA project "Valkyrie," in which Cruise plays the anti-Nazi Claus von Stauffenberg, has been bouncing around the release calendar. Originally set to open in the fall, the film was postponed until February. But in the latest twist, it has just been rescheduled for a wide release Dec. 26.

MGM-UA distribution president Clark Woods said the return to a 2008 release date was strictly for commercial reasons.

"We've now completed the movie, and it's fantastic," Woods said. "Until now, we didn't have a movie that was done. But now we have a movie starring Tom Cruise that deserves the best possible playtime."

Cruise, disguised as a vulgar studio exec, also shows up on screens this week in a small role in the new DreamWorks comedy "Tropic Thunder."

Still, the once-reigning superstar does appear to be casting about for a new screen image. He has stepped away from the spy thriller "Edwin A. Salt," which is undergoing a sex change to accommodate Angelina Jolie in the lead role.

Instead, Cruise is considering a comedy called "Food Fight" for Working Title and has entered into negotiations for the thriller "The Tourist," a remake of a French film, which would be produced by Spyglass Entertainment and Canal Plus. Bharat Nalluri is to direct screenwriter Julian Fellowes' adaptation of the 2005 feature, which follows an American tourist used as a pawn in a spy game by a female Interpol agent.

With Wagner leaving and Cruise considering other options, the future of UA as a strong, independent label within the MGM fold is in question for the umpteenth time.

During her brief tenure, Wagner helped pull together projects with heavy hitters Paul Haggis, Steven Zaillian, Christopher McQuarrie, Ron Moore and Guillermo del Toro. She also was instrumental in raising UA's $500 million revolving film fund spearheaded by Merrill Lynch.

But given the underperformance of "Lambs," the recent resignation of marketing head Dennis Rice, the dearth of greenlights and the PR quagmire enveloping "Valkyrie," the studio has had a difficult time engendering confidence.

Political rumblings within the MGM-UA relationship suggest a struggle over financial resources and focus as part of the reason for Wagner's exit. As newly installed chairman of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group, Mary Parent quickly has ramped up executive hirings and snapped up script material; UA's momentum has simultaneously stalled. With MGM's need for production cash to make movies and also pay down hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, some suggest it had begun eyeing the UA fund.

Rice reportedly left his position at UA for similar reasons -- resources were hamstrung by MGM needs. Whatever autonomy Wagner, Cruise and company thought they had might have turned out to be a mirage.

MGM still is searching for its own next tranche of financing but strenuously denies it's planning to bite into the UA coffers.

In her new guise, Wagner will produce independently as well as with UA on several projects still in development, including del Toro's "Champions." She and Cruise will retain an ownership interest in the studio -- which began as a minority stake of a reported 30% -- once she leaves following the completion of the Bryan Singer-directed "Valkyrie."

"I've truly relished working with my longtime partner Tom Cruise to revitalize United Artists, and I am proud of all that we've accomplished in the past two years, reinvigorating the brand and developing such a strong slate of films," Wagner said. "But I always tell my sons, 'Follow your passion' -- and I've got to follow that advice myself. As much as I've enjoyed my time as an executive, I have longed to return to my true love, which is making movies, so that's what I've decided to do. I still believe in our vision for UA, and I am confident that Harry Sloan and our colleagues at MGM will see that vision through to reality."

Wagner worked at CAA for 15 years before launching Cruise/Wagner Prods. with Cruise in 1993. They went on to produce $3 billion worth of global boxoffice revenue from a slate that included the three "Mission: Impossible" movies, "Shattered Glass," "Narc," "Vanilla Sky," "The Last Samurai" and "War of the Worlds." Wagner recently produced "The Eye" and "Death Race," which releases Aug. 22.

[crippled_avenger]

My name is Mr. Beaks, and I've been a fan of Joe Carnahan's dating back to 2002's NARC. Why I've had to settle for one whole Joe Carnahan movie since then... eh, let's not relive the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 horror stories, the WHITE JAZZ scheduling snafus or the $2 million, multi-state skee-ball scam. Let's look forward to KILLING PABLO.

If you click on the above link, you'll read a scoop from CHUD's Devin Faraci, who got word straight from Carnahan that Ramirez is taking over the coveted role of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar from Javier Bardem. While it's bummer to lose one of the greatest actors working today, Ramirez has been building up a fairly impressive resume over the years with supporting turns in Soderbergh's CHE movies (as Ciro Redondo), THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and Tony Scott's bug-fuck DOMINO. If Carnahan says the Venezuelan star is fully committed to playing one of the most feared crimelords of the twentieth century (which means he'll be packing on "anywhere from 35 to 40lbs"), then I'm in. Let's hurry up, and get the financing and the dates set before it all goes away!

And if you're wondering why this monster's story is worth telling, Mark Bowden has the answer.

Principal photography is still scheduled to begin in the fall (according to this July 28 article from Variety). Yari Film Group will produce.

[crippled_avenger]

Mike Myers has been recruited by Quentin Tarantino to join the ensemble cast of "Inglorious Bastards," the Tarantino-scripted pic that the Weinstein Co. and Universal will put into production Oct. 13 in Germany.
Myers will play British Gen. Ed Fenech, a military mastermind who takes part in hatching a plot to wipe out Nazi leaders.

Brad Pitt recently committed to star in the film, along with Eli Roth, and Tarantino is also courting Simon Pegg, Nastassja Kinski, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak.

[crippled_avenger]

A Geek Goes To War! Samm Levine Reports For BASTARDS Duty!
Beaks here...

First, the bad news: there will be no David Krumholtz in INGLORIOUS BASTARDS.

Now, the good: there will be Samm Levine!

Hopefully, you don't need a refresher on Samm Levine, but in case you've somehow avoided FREAKS AND GEEKS for the last eight years, he played Neal Schweiber, the best friend of John Francis Daley's Sam Weir. Levine's always been tough to cast because he still looks a good eight years younger than he really is (if not more). But since war movies are constitutionally required to feature at least one baby-faced soldier, why not go with Levine as one of Pitt's Nazi-killing bastards? I think it's an inspired choice.

Meanwhile, the hunt is still on for the pivotal roles of Col. Landa and Shosanna.

[crippled_avenger]

Simon Pegg Reluctantly Bows Out of INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, Announces Greg Mottola As Director of PAUL!
Beaks here...

While most of us are excited at the prospect of Quentin Tarantino rushing into production on INGLORIOUS BASTARDS so that he can screen the finished movie at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, this tight time frame has cost him some talent. Last week, we learned that David Krumholtz was forced to decline a part in the picture due to prior commitments (he's since been replaced by FREAKS & GEEKS' Samm Levine); now, we've news that "insurmountable scheduling difficulties" will keep Simon Pegg from kicking Nazi ass.

How's Pegg taking it? According to his "Peggster" blog, "I'm trying to remain upbeat, as Tom Selleck said 'Who the hell is Indiana Jones anyway?'"

Despite this heartbreak, Pegg does have reason to be upbeat. Per his blog again, some "Superbad" news:

But "superbad" as in really good, as in the the film, Superbad, directed by Greg Mottola who, coincidentally will be directing mine and Nick's new movie, Paul. So there it is, the superbad, good news...

GREG MOTTOLA WILL BE DIRECTING PAUL!!!!!

For those of you wondering "Why the hell not Edgar?", this has nothing to do with the "Three Flavors" trilogy (slated to close out at some point with the enticingly-titled THE WORLD'S END). Written by Pegg and Frost, PAUL has been described as a "road movie about two British geeks in America," which is phenomenally vague, but who cares? I'm just excited by the idea of the very talented Mottola collaborating with these two maniacs. It's also cool that he's building on the momentum of SUPERBAD to finally make good on the promise of 1996's THE DAYTRIPPERS (he's currently putting the finishing touches on ADVENTURELAND). He's got a decade's worth of filmmaking to catch up on.

Will I miss Pegg as Lt. Hicox in INGLORIOUS BASTARDS? Absolutely. But this is a more than acceptable trade-off.

[crippled_avenger]

Danny Huston, Shawn Roberts and Bojana Novakovic have joined the Mel Gibson thriller "Edge of Darkness" says The Hollywood Reporter.

"Darkness" centers on a veteran cop (Gibson) whose only grown-up child (Novakovic) is murdered on the steps of his home.

The cop unearths his daughter's secret life and discovers a world of corporate cover-ups and government collusion.

Huston takes on the role of a shady businessman while Roberts will play the role of the daughter's distraught boyfriend.

Robert De Niro is also in the film as a CIA cleaner. William Monahan and Andrew Bovell penned the script base on the original BBC mini-series.

Martin Campbell ("Goldeneye," "Casino Royale") is directing and shooting begins later this month on location in Massachusetts.

[crippled_avenger]

Liam Neeson will star in and Javier Bardem is in talks for a supporting role in the film adaptation of Bill Carter's book "Fools Rush In" says Variety.

Carter wrote the book about the period of time when he lived and worked as an aid worker in Sarajevo during the bitter Balkans war siege that lasted 43 months.

Orlando Bloom announced his intention to co-produce and star in a supporting role in the project on Tuesday. Elliott Lewitt and Julie Kirkham will also produce.

Brazilian helmer Andrucha Waddington ("Me You Them") will direct and shooting will begin in Sarajevo at the end of the year.

[crippled_avenger]

The Coen brothers have tapped a pair of relative unknowns to star in their next pic, "A Serious Man."
Michael Stuhlbarg, a Tony-nominated actor with little experience in front of the cameras, and Richard Kind, a character actor best known for his role on ABC's "Spin City," will star as brothers in the period black comedy.

Set in 1967, story centers on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor whose life begins to unravel when his wife sets out to leave him and his socially inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house.

Shooting is set to start at the beginning of next month in Minneapolis.

Working Title is producing, and Focus Features will distribute.

Joel and Ethan Coen, whose George Clooney-Brad Pitt starrer "Burn After Reading" will open next month, penned the screenplay for "A Serious Man" and are sharing producing duties. Working Title's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner exec produce.

Stuhlbarg, who has made guest appearances on "Law & Order" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," was nominated for a Tony for his role in "The Pillowman" and starred in the title role of this summer's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Hamlet."

He is repped by manager Lisa Loosemoore.

Kind's credits include "For Your Consideration," "The Station Agent" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the TV series "Mad About You."

He is repped by Innovative Artists and manager Arlene Forster.

[crippled_avenger]

As Tom Cruise goes about writing the next chapter in his career, he's developing an interest in comic book movies.

Together with Sam Raimi, he is setting up "Sleeper" at Warner Bros. Cruise is loosely attached to star in the adaptation of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic that Raimi would produce with his Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen.

Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, "Sleeper," which ran from 2003-05, centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group, named Miss Misery.

Although he remains a co-owner of United Artists -- from which his longtime producing partner Paula Weinstein resigned last week -- he's not tied exclusively to that company. It now looks as if his next acting gig will be the Spyglass thriller "Tourist," as if to counter the more cerebral role he played in the UA boxoffice failure "Lions for Lambs" and the upcoming UA WWII period pic "Valkyrie," in which he plays the anti-Nazi Claus van Stauffenberg.

"Sleeper" is the third project that Cruise has become associated with over the past two weeks --all three separate from his commitments at UA. In addition to "Tourist," the actor has expressed interest in the Working Title-Universal comedy "Food Fight."

Also apart from UA, the actor picked up some good notices last week for his uncharacteristic turn as a bald film mogul in DreamWorks-Paramount's "Tropic Thunder."

Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it forward, despite complicated rights issues that must be sorted out. Raimi and Donen have long been fans of the book, and the project could have found homes at Sony and Regency if those issues hadn't been so complex.

"Sleeper" is a spin-off book from Wildstorm flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" and features characters from another spin-off book, "Gen 13."

Both books had been set up at different places around town and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.

Warners, now involved in a legal wrangle with Fox over the rights to "Watchmen," appears determined to cross all the t's and dot all the i's in its contracts for "Sleeper."

The project is being eyed not only as a starring vehicle for Cruise but also as a possible franchise for the studio.

Matt Reilly is overseeing the project for Warners while Russell Hollander shepherds for Star Road. Gregory Noveck oversees for DC. No writer is attached.

"Sleeper" sees Raimi and Donen continuing their company's superhero, which began when they recently set up the superhero story "The Transplants" at Disney.

[Meho Krljic]

Uh... now this is personal. Imam utisak da ću da odem u Kaliforniju i da im jebem lično mater zbog ovoga.

Ali, drago mi zbog Brubejkera i Filipsa... Koji verovatno neće dobiti ni dinara jer je strip u vlasništvu DC-ja.

[crippled_avenger]

With Ridley Scott's Robin Hood project "Nottingham" postponed for seven months, Oscar winner Russell Crowe is taking a much needed break.

Talking with Aussie newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, Crowe revealed that he has a project based on the life of comedian Bill Hicks.

Crowe is considering playing the main role of Hicks - the controversial American comedian who battled drug and alcohol abuse before dying from prostate cancer at 32. The project "is going from treatment to draft stage with Kiwi writer Mark Staufer" at present so no dates are yet set.

Crowe says that "My Brother's Keeper", his feature film based on the Maroubra Beach surfing gang the Bra Boys, is in second draft stage with Australian writer Stuart Beattie. He's also involved in a new documentary but won't reveal the title just yet. Crowe remains attached to produce Staufer's script "Dolce's Inferno" about a gossip columnist.

Nottingham is scheduled to begin shooting March next year.

[crippled_avenger]

Ben Affleck is in negotiations to join the Mike Judge comedy "Extract" for Miramax Films and Ternion Productions reports Variety.

Affleck will play an ambulance-chasing lawyer in the film, which centers on a flower extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who's dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife's affair with a gigolo.

Clifton Collins Jr. is also joining the cast as a factory worker who loses a body part in a freak accident and is now due for a huge settlement. Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig have already boarded the project, which begins filming Monday in Los Angeles.

Judge wrote the screenplay and is producing with John Altschuler.

[crippled_avenger]

Story  


Religulous
Religulous
Tim Grierson in Los Angeles
22 Aug 2008 11:13

 

Dir: Larry Charles. US. 2008. 100mins.

A blunt satiric object applied to delicate subject matter, Religulous is a consistently funny if one-sided putdown of society's blind devotion to its many religious faiths. In the hands of Borat director Larry Charles and American political comedian Bill Maher, the documentary occasionally scores easy laughs by catering to its audience's liberal prejudices, but there's no disputing that this irreverent survey of weak-minded followers and manipulative spiritual leaders raises upsetting questions about the influence that faith has in shaping the future of the planet.

Religulous opens in the US October 3 after its Toronto premiere and Lionsgate is no doubt hoping the film will be a cause célèbre in this contentious presidential election year. Maher, best known for hosting the US cable roundtable show Real Time With Bill Maher, will attract the Michael Moore crowd, while director Larry Charles's connection to the outlandish Borat could rope in adult audiences hoping for similarly edgy humour. But considering the low commercial ceiling for political documentaries, expectations should be severely tempered – mainstream crossover success might require a miracle.

Maher, who grew up with a Jewish mother and Catholic father, long ago renounced any belief in a higher power, a subject he tackled in his standup comedy during the 1980s. Followed by director Larry Charles and a camera crew, Maher travels across the globe, including stops in Amsterdam, the Vatican and Jerusalem, interviewing different religious figures to question their belief systems.

Arguably, audiences going to Religulous don't want to learn more about the interconnection between different faiths but rather want to validate their own suspicions about organized religion. And Maher and Charles, to the documentary's detriment, sometimes are too happy to oblige, resorting to comedic cheap shots with their interviewees. The film-makers wield two of the most overused staples of modern-day comic documentaries: cutting away to random gags that mock their subjects' serious words and holding on their subjects' faces long after they've stopped speaking, making them look foolish.

Granted, some of these talking heads are hypocrites deserving of scorn, but while Maher insists at the film's outset that he's just looking for answers, what comes across pretty quickly is that Maher already knows how he feels about this subject.

Like last year's controversial abortion documentary Lake Of Fire, Religulous is best when it allows some gray into its black-and-white debate, showing how some believers struggle with the discrepancies in their faith. A retired priest and a Vatican astronomer are two of the film's best interviewees, as the men eloquently discuss how the Bible isn't a historical document but rather a guide to a moral life – a reasonable notion that has been ignored by organized religion in order to discourage scientific discovery and promote destructive agendas, such as the vilification of homosexuals.

While part of the fun of Maher's approach is to watch him take out targets like an evangelical US senator, Religulous is a lot more interesting when Maher talks to a group of religious truck drivers, whose faith is sincere and touching, allowing for a real exchange of differing opinions.

Despite its limitations, Religulous overwhelmingly makes the argument that organized religion has by and large caused more harm than good. Though Christianity receives the majority of the brickbats, Mormonism, Islam, Judaism and Scientology are not spared Maher's treatment. While it would be too much to ask a 100-minute movie to be authoritative on such a nuanced topic, the film's willingness to wander from joke to joke sometimes stalls the film's intellectual momentum.

And though Religulous is a comedy first and foremost, Maher's impassioned closing speech about the need to abolish religion as the only way to save humanity indicates the serious intention beneath the humour. He may be preaching to the converted, but unlike some of the self-serving religious leaders he comes across, at least his sermon is entirely heartfelt.

Production companies
Thousand Words

Domestic distribution
Lionsgate

International sales
IM Global

info@imglobalfilm.com

Executive producers
Charlie Siskel

Producers
Bill Maher
Jonah Smith
Palmer West

Cinematography
Anthony Hardwick

Editors
Jeffrey M Werner
Jeff Groth
Christian Kinnard

[Tex Murphy]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0852713/

Ako se mnogo ne varam, Ana Feris bi trebalo da je gola ovde!