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Acting
Christina Ricci Goes Hollywood with Speed Racer
A seasoned moviemaker at the age of 28, Christina Ricci has never been one to play by the rules. Ricci is surprising Hollywood again by starring in Speed Racer, her first big summer blockbuster, nearly two decades into her career.
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Dennis Farina Reveals What Happens in Vegas...
He’s been a part of some of the most critically acclaimed movies (Saving Private Ryan) and popular television shows (“Miami Vice,” “Law & Order”) of the past 30 years. But for Dennis Farina, the notion of making a living as an actor was not the first one that occurred to this son of blue-collar Chicago; his first career was as a beat cop in the City of Broad Shoulders. It was only after meeting director Michael Mann through a mutual friend that the actor best known for his wiseguy roles (Midnight Run, Get Shorty) and the occasional unorthodox ladies’ man (Sidewalks of New York, “Empire Falls”) landed his first role in the 1981 thriller, Thief. While Mann helped launch his career, Farina has gone on to work with a number of other strong auteur directors, including Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight), Guy Ritchie (Snatch) and John Frankenheimer (Reindeer Games).
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Harry Potter’s World Comes to a City Near You
It’s really impossible to hear something like “sorting hat” or “invisibility cloak” and not feel at least a little of the allure of Harry Potter's universe. When the films brought the J.K. Rowling books to life, it was through the costuming, set design and props. In 2009, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” will bring 10,000 square feet of artifacts from the enchanting films to 10 or more cities around the world over a five-year period.
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Iron Man Comes Out Fighting in London
As U.S. audiences start counting down the days until Iron Man, one of this spring's most anticipated movies, is released in theaters on May 2nd, film fans across the pond got a sneak peek at hero in action when the film premiered yesterday at the Odean in London's Leicester Square.
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She’s The Boss
The rise of the actress-director
Two of last year’s more critically acclaimed films—Sarah Polley’s Away from Her and Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris—were directed by women who first gained renown for their on-screen performances. Now, a new pair of films—Helen Hunt's Then She Found Me and Jada Pinkett Smith's The Human Contract—also happen to be made by actress-turned-directors.
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The Dark Knight Wins MovieTickets.com Challenge
This summer is unusually packed full of comic book and graphic novel adaptations, starring old favorites and some fresh faces. In light of this trend, MovieTickets.com ran a poll asking which superhero will win the summer's number one spot. Here’s what the online community had to say:
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Jason Segel Takes the Lead in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Jason Segel isn’t a typical Hollywood leading man—especially not for a romantic comedy. But then again Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the movie in which the 28-year-old has his first leading role, is not your typical romantic comedy. Inspired by the likes of Albert Brooks and Woody Allen before him, Segel wrote a script that turns convention on its head.
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Tanna Frederick Lives the Hollywood Dream
It seems appropriate that actress Tanna Frederick's breakthrough came in a film called Hollywood Dreams, Henry Jaglom's tale of an aspiring actress who takes Hollywood by storm. With absolutely no connection to the movie business, the Iowa native has proven herself a force to be reckoned with—"determined" would be an understatement—and has found a kindred spirit in Jaglom, who can't say enough kind things about his new muse.
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Independent Spirit
Independent moviemakers explain the inspirations behind their most recent films.
Six independent moviemakers talk of the state of independent moviemaking today and explain the inspirations behind their most recent films.
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Remembering Charlton Heston
Back in the early 1980s, at the time when he and Ed Asner were very publicly clashing over matters concerning the Screen Actors Guild (and, yes, their diametrically opposed political leanings), Charlton Heston visited Houston to promote a new movie—Mother Lode (1982), I think—so, naturally, I agreed to interview him. But here’s the thing: Even though this wasn’t our first professional encounter, and even though he was the epitome of graciousness, I nonetheless felt slightly intimidated while in his formidable presence. So it was more than a little awkward for me to politely phrase a question about... well, about certain incendiary language Asner recently had used…
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Jared Leto Throws His Weight Behind Chapter 27
For all the girls wondering how to get the key to Jared Leto's heart, here's part of the answer: Write an intriguing screenplay that allows him to spread his wings. That's all it took for writer-director Jarrett Schaefer to persuade Leto to star in his independent drama, Chapter 27, and throw his weight behind the film (quite literally) as an executive producer as well.
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Football Hits and Misses—Hollywood Style
Ah, springtime. That special time of year that can mean only one thing to all of you inveterate sports fans out there in movieland... Football season? Okay, so maybe spring is usually reserved for a sport of a more bucolic and placid nature, but so what? We here at MM rarely conform to the demands of the calendar—and neither does George Clooney, whose latest directorial effort, Leatherheads, hits theaters today. In honor of this latest entry into the football movie genre, we're revisiting some of the genre’s hits, misses and fumbles.
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Paul Giamatti Takes 10
Sooner or later, when cruising late-night television, you’re going to catch a glimpse of a no-name character actor who looks an awful lot like the famous thespian, Paul Giamatti. That’s because before he became famous, Giamatti made his living playing parts like “Heckler #2” and “Kissing Man.” Characters with no names. But along came a romp through California’s wine country in Sideways and the Sundance hit American Splendor and suddenly the one-time bit player was a leading man and Oscar nominee.
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David Schwimmer Makes Fatboy Run
It’s impossible to talk of David Schwimmer and not mention "Friends", the ‘90s sitcom that helped to define the decade’s comedic expectations and much of its sensibility. But it’s been four years since Ross Gellar stopped paying weekly visits to audiences around the world and Schwimmer is on to bigger things.
For years now he has toiled away in theater (co-founding Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company) and television, both in positions seen and unseen. Over the course of the ten years "Friends" was on the air, Schwimmer directed 10 episodes of the hit series, but in ways similar to his theater directing credits, it was always a “controlled environment. You never have to worry about sound, for instance, or changes in the weather—it suddenly raining for two hours after you start filming.” Yet, on the set of his feature directorial debut, Run, Fatboy, Run, Schwimmer encountered that and much more.
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MM Remembers Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark ensured his immortality as a giggling psycho killer (Kiss of Death), a cynical pickpocket (Pickup on South Street), a member of John Ford's version of the U.S. Cavalry (Two Rode Together), a wary but not sufficiently watchful N.Y. cop (Madigan)...
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Owen Wilson’s Alter Egos
It would have been the rare critic that could have predicted Owen Wilson would be an Oscar nominee just six years after his debut in the 1996 film Bottle Rocket. But in fact, in 2002, the blondest of the Wilson brothers was nominated alongside his Bottle Rocket co-writer and longtime collaborator, Wes Anderson, for their original screenplay, The Royal Tenenbaums.
Together the duo has worked on five features including 1998's Rushmore and the The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), but it is for his work with Ben Stiller and other members of the "Frat Pack" that Wilson is known best. Whether he's trying to play it straight in Meet the Parents, or hamming it up in the film adaptation of Starsky & Hutch, Wilson's on-screen alter egos have provided audiences with years of laughter, tears, heartache and even more laughter.
Before Drillbit Taylor makes a splash at the box office this weekend, MM takes a look at Wilson's on-screen personas past and present.
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Anthony MInghella: 1954 - 2008
Sometimes an artist creates a work you love so much that he or she just become an integral part of your life, etched in your psyche and on your heart, without your ever even having come into actual contact with the person. That is an artist's job—to move and in many ways define you—and when you have a true artist, as Anthony Minghella was, they leave an imprint on your life that never fades.
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Steve Carell’s Hits and Misses
In honor of this week's release of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, MM takes a look at the hits and misses of Carell's feature film career thus far.
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David Gordon Green Makes Snow Angels
Exploring the unique collaboration between director and actor
When i began working with Kate Beckinsale on Snow Angels, we were trying to find elements rooted in reality that could give her character of Annie anchors of emotion—humor, frustration, aggression and sympathy. I knew that once cameras were rolling, we wanted a high degree of improvisation, particularly when it came to confrontational scenes with her estranged husband, Glenn (played by Sam Rockwell). So we needed to design as much background for her as time would allow.
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Double Indemnity to Along Came Polly: The Greatest Insurance Films
As the world continues its discussion of this year's Oscar winners and losers, the Insurance Information Institute has put together its own list of movies worth celebrating—those film in which insurance plays a starring role (a couple of them have even garnered Oscars of their own). Over the past 65 years, these films have featured Hollywood legends including Edward G. Robinson, Cary Grant and Faye Dunaway and in more recent years, popular actors such Jack Nicholson and Jennifer Aniston.
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Oscar’s Biggest Winners
On Oscar night, it's when the telecast ends that the real fun begins. MM catches a glimpse of some of the night's biggest winners—Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, Diablo Cody and Joel Coen—at Oscar night's biggest event, the Governors Ball.
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Juno Storms the Spirit Awards
Juno cleaned up at Film Independent's Spirit Awards last night, taking home awards for Best Feature, Best First Screenplay for Diablo Cody and Best Female Lead for Ellen Page. Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Best Male Lead award for Tamara Jenkins' The Savages, with Jenkins herself taking the Best Screenplay Award. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly claimed two of the night's top honors, including Best Director for Julian Schnabel and Best Cinematography for Janusz Kaminski. Irishman John Carney's Once won for Best Foreign Film and Cate Blanchett matched director Todd Haynes' Robert Altman Award with her own for Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There.
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MovieMaker Goes for the Gold
Academy members may have the final say on who will walk away with the gold at this Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. But that doesn’t mean that we here at MM can’t have a little fun getting in on the action, too. Here, five editors and longtime contributing writers weigh in on Oscar’s hits, misses and most egregious snubs!
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Javier Bardem Breaks Big
Though he's best known to American audiences for his Oscar-nominated role in Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls, Javier Bardem is redefining audience expectations with starring roles in two of this fall's most anticipated movies, Mike Newell's Love in the Time of Cholera and the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men.
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Biopics Trend Towards Oscar Glory
Looking for a trophy? Try art that imitates life.
One might say the bottom line is: If you’re looking for Oscar glory, look no further than the larger-than-life tale of a legendary figure. Take a cue from Cate Blanchett. Or Will Smith. The summer blockbuster king earned both of his nods by playing real-life characters Muhammed Ali and Chris Gardner (The Pursuit of Happyness). Even industry stalwarts like Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Jim Broadbent (Iris) have found themselves in a renaissance of awards when turning their sights to this biopic trend.
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BAFTA Award Winners Announced
This year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award winners are official. In addition to the results that have become commonplace this awards season (Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively), there were a few surprises, namely Atonement’s win for Best Picture. The British romance certainly benefited from a little home field advantage, beating out consistent frontrunners No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood to reclaim some of its post-Golden Globes momentum, right in time for the Oscars.
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Eleni’s Famous Oscar Cookies
New York bakery releases another batch too appealing to eat
Every Best Actor and Best Actress Oscar nominee knows that his or her on-screen performance is now not only a part of movie history, but a part of a distinguished and select group of movie history. It's inevitable the characters these actors played will be immortalized and studied in classrooms and living rooms across the country. As if that weren't enough, the Best Actor and Actress nominees have also been immortalized in edible form.
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The Voice of La Vie en Rose
It took more than an on-screen performance to bring Edith Piaf to life
Parisian actress Marion Cotillard has been the toast of Tinseltown since her Oscar-nominated turn in the Edith Piaf biopic La Vie en Rose. Aside from her physical transformation, Cotillard is praised for her effortless lip-synching throughout some of Piaf’s most memorable performances. What audiences might not know however, is that it wasn’t the voice of this famous French songbird that was heard in the movie, but that of another experienced French chanteuse: Ms. Jil Aigrot. Together Cotillard and Aigrot brought Edith Piaf to life on-screen.
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Hollywood Extras Are Front and Center in Strictly Background
According to documentarian Jason Connell, there are over 45,000 background actors living in Los Angeles at any given time. Some are content to always be the hand you see in the back of the room, while others long for their moment in the spotlight.
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Top 10 Movie Cities 2008
MM’s eighth annual countdown of the best places to live, work and make movies
From Austin to Albuquerque and plenty of places in between, MovieMaker's eighth annual countdown of the 10 best places to live, work and make movies in the U.S.
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Geena Davis Talks Gender in the Media
Oscar-winning actress has devoted her life to defining and correcting a media imbalance
Whether intentionally or not, actress Geena Davis has taken on many a female character with strong ideas and values. Her most iconic roles in recent years have included the vulnerable-turned-resolute Thelma Dickinson in Thelma & Louise, the independent, motherly figure Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own, the first American woman to become the “Commander in Chief” and the role that won her an Academy Award, the complicated dog trainer Muriel Pritchett, a woman who isn’t shy when it comes to what she wears or getting what she wants, in The Accidental Tourist
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Olivia Wilde Gets Her Fix in Park City
Being an actress is hard work. But being the star of your husband's feature directorial debut is a different kind of challenge altogether. Luckily for Olivia Wilde, who stars in hubby Tao Ruspoli's Fix, the task was an enjoyable one from beginning to end.
Inspired by real events, Fix tells the story of two documentarians, Bella (Wilde) and Milo (Ruspoli), as they race around Los Angeles' many enclaves to get Milo's brother Leo (Shawn Andrews) from jail to rehab—or risk Leo going to prison for three years. Filling the roles of co-writer, director, actor and cinematographer, Ruspoli set the stage for a production where the actors were expected to do more than just deliver their lines. Taking a break from their Slamdance premiere, Wilde spoke with MM about the fast-paced nature of shooting Fix and why it was always destined to play in Park City
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Ellen Page's Not So Still Life
Canadian newcomer gets Oscar buzz Juno
Don’t misunderstand: It’s not like Ellen Page is hiding out or lying low. But even as the Oscar-hype machinery is revving up to push her toward a well-deserved nomination for her star-making performance in Jason Reitman’s Juno—well, she’d simply prefer to be on the other side of the continent, far away from Hollywood, on this particular October afternoon.
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Colleen Foy Hits the Big Time in There Will be Blood
For most aspiring young actresses, that first glimpse of success comes in the form of some sort of low-budget horror flick where the only job requirement is the ability to scream a piercing scream. But not Colleen Foy. For her feature film debut, she’s starring opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and working under the tutelage of director Paul Thomas Anderson in There Will be Blood. While many still believe that it takes a hustler to make it in Hollywood, Foy is proving that a little good nature can go a long way.
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John C. Reilly: Things I’ve Learned
"If you take parts that are the same as other stuff you’ve done, then you’ve only got yourself to blame," "Shoes and costume are a quick shortcut to feeling like the character" and other lessons from the star of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
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Kodak at Cannes
Since 1987 Kodak has been the official partner of the Cannes Film Festival, sponsoring the Camera d’Or prize that is awarded yearly to the best feature film by a first-time director. The tradition continues in 2008 when, for the fifth consecutive year, the festival will also hand out the Kodak Discovery Prize for Best Short Film.
“Cannes draws a huge number of filmmakers from all over the world every year, which gives Kodak a great opportunity to host our customers and show them how committed we are to the industry and to motion picture innovation,” says Kim Snyder, Kodak’s president and general manager of the Entertainment Imaging Division.
Posted 05.8.08 | News/Commentary | No comments yet...
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