Father Geek Here... As I explained in my intro to the Africa-AICN column,I'm running behind on posting my normal columns because of this past weekend's Butt-Numb-A-Thon, not only did the event have me, and Harry locked in a theater away from our keyboards for the better part of 2 days(Saturday & Sunday), but Harry and I were then confined to the AICN Screening Room at the Geek Headquarter's Compound most of the rest of the time on Thursday, Friday, and Monday hosting many of the out of state (and out-of-country) guests/attendees that flew in beginning Wednesday night with a visitor from New Zealand, another from Canada, several from Hollywood, and continuing through the early morning hours today. At one point we had 10 geeks (4 male 6 female) from the Minn./St.Paul area over for about 5 or 6 hours starting at 11am Monday. No sooner had they left than the owner of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Tim, showed up and we started planning next year's BNAT. Then about an hour later some attendees from Canada and California dropped in and the 8 of us talked and watched film until about 2am this morning(Tuesday). Anyway that's the way its been here at Geek Headquarters for the last 5 days. I'll be all caught up by tonight... hopefully before Harry's actual Birthday B-Day Party this evening ... Now here's our man in Rome, Robert, and his regular Euro-Column...
Hi people. As with 99% of you, I’m looking forward to LOTR. Unfortunately, I will wait longtime, since the opening day here will be january, 18. Thus, Italy will be the last western european country to see the movie, which is probably a wrong decision, considering the buzz worldwide now. Another reason I want to see LOTR soon is because of the huge disappointment I had with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone", which, IMHO, was much too faithful to the book. I know, many people liked it because it was VERY faithful, but I didn’t enjoy the first book of the series, whereas I started enjoying since the second book. Moreover, I didn’t like the acting (Daniel Radcliffe is fairly good, but Haley Joel Osment would have been a perfect choice; Rupert Grint performance is poor; the adults seemed more interested in the money than in the movie), the F/X (the flying scenes were ridiculous) and the work done by Chris Columbus (it’s an understatement to say he is not among my favorite directors). Anyway, while waiting for LOTR, I tried to follow the latest news of these two blockbusters. Moreover, this column has interesting information about Futurama, Tony Clifton, Robert Carlyle’s The 51st State and, last but not least, a great review of Ridley Scott latest Black Hawk Dawn. Enjoy…
Harry Potter
Chamber of Secrets Casting News
Madame Pince will be played by Sally Mortemore.
Manchester Online reports: " As soon as she finishes her stint at the Octagon in mid-January Sally is off to join the filming of the second Harry Potter film, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, in which she will play Madame Pince. "I'm so excited," she blurts out, "it's the sort of opportunity I just never thought would come my way. I've never really been up for a proper feature film, let alone something as big as Harry Potter. More information by clicking here: Just Click
Harry Potter has met his match in South Africa. A local
film about a witch doctor has achieved the seemingly impossible
feat of displacing Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone
from its pole position immediately upon release - as well as out-
performing Potter's opening gross of one week earlier.
http://www.screendaily.com/index.pl?6672
Conjuring a total of 475,000 tickets sold in France on its open-
ing day (Dec 5), Harry Potter has become the second
biggest opener of 2001 - behind another Warner release, French
comedy La Verite Si Je Mens 2 (503,000 admissions) - and
(despite or because of the hype), the eighth all-time biggest
opener.
http://www.screendaily.com/index.pl?6709
LOTR
If you are not too tired (can you really be?) of reviews, previews and special stuff regarding this movie, just take a look at the BBC Online by clicking here: Do It Now. You’ll get many interviews (including the director Peter jackson and the Ringbearer Elijah Wood), the trailer, a photo gallery and a guide to main characters.
From ShowbizIreland (http://www.showbizireland.com/)
Trainspotting's Robert Carlyle talks about his new movie, The 51st State, he made in Liverpool with Samuel L Jackson.
Q: Having made such an impression in Cracker all those years ago, here you are playing a fanatical Liverpool fan again?
A: "It's the second time I've played a Liverpool supporter. I'm very lucky actually, in the cities that I've been to and the teams that I've been affiliated with."
Q: But you seem able to ring the changes in the type of characters you play, does that make it hard for Hollywood to pigeonhole you?
A: "I suppose in Hollywood they're probably not quite sure what to make of me, where to place me. But that's always been my goal, to try and remain floating. It's very difficult not to be pigeonholed, though every actor is to a greater or lesser extent."
Q: The 51st State manages to combine toughness with comedy, does that balance cause you any problems?
A: "The older I get the more concerned I get about violence in films. It gets tedious, but I can't complain, I don't have much to say because I've made a living from it. There's violence and there's violence. I don't think there's anything in this film that is beyond peoples comprehension. Certainly not with my own character."
Q: More surprising, perhaps, is the sight of Samuel L. Jackson, in a kilt.
A: "That was very strange, his bravery knows no bounds. By the time we finished it was December in Liverpool, so it was freezing. I didn't ask what he was wearing underneath, I presumed it was what you were supposed to wear underneath. He liked it I think, the whole look was great for him, he enjoyed the big sweaters and big socks and boots and stuff. The golf bag fitted very well on his shoulder, because he's a golf fanatic, a real golf addict."
Q: Is it fun going toe-to-toe with actors like that?
A: "You've got to know what you're doing with these guys, because they're very powerful. He's physically very strong and very tall. Of course you play on that too, I'm not as small as people think I am, but you play on it. In those sequences, I think the one in particular I remember is on the barge where we're bawling at each other. I really enjoyed it, I got off on that."
Q: Did he enjoy being part of a British film, shooting in Liverpool?
A: "Well I don't think he had any problems fitting in. He wouldn't go out that often, but occasionally you'd hear he'd been out on the town. But I like Liverpool a lot, I always feel welcome there and Cracker is what most people there remember me from I think. There's been a real bond to the city since that time."
Q: What are the principles behind you taking on any role?
A: "My relationship is with the director or producer, on any film. That's the same, or it should be, for any actor. The priority is with the director and the cast you've got about you, and the first thing that should have attracted you all is the script. If you can get those three elements in place, you've got a chance. It's not always foolproof. Another element is the whole marketing of the film, and how that then affects it. But in the beginning you can only cover so many bases. The prime thing is always the script, the director and the cast."
Q: While you have made your fair share of art house successes, and small British films that have broken out people sometimes forget The Full Monty has a sharp political edge this is unashamedly commercial, isn't it?
A: "Obviously I knew The 51st State was a commercial venture, but my main reason for doing it was a desire to work with Sam. If you're going to go into the American film world it's great that it's in Liverpool fantastic, my turf and in Sam Jackson you've got a smashing actor. It's tailor made. And I thought the script was genuinely funny. These sort of things combine, and I felt I could handle it."
Q: Do you enjoy doing your own stunts?
A: "They're boring for me really. It doesn't amuse me, guns and all that stuff. And I don't touch stunts. I defy any actor to sit in this room and tell me he did his own stunts. I don't believe it because I've not seen it.
News
from Screendaily (http://www.screendaily.com/)
Catherine Breillats latest project, Scenes Intimes, which
started shooting on Nov 19, has already attracted the attention
of foreign distributors on the strength of the successes of
Romance and A Ma Soeur! (Fat Girl).
http://www.screendaily.com/index.pl?6686
Greig send me this tidbit about scottich actor Douglas Henshell...
Scottish actor Douglas Henshall has picked up the rights to Christopher Brookmyre's novel One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night. The actor is said to be lining up funding for a £15 million adaptation. The story revolves around terrorism, a school reunion and a retired police inspector and features a huge amount of action film referencing. Scotsman Brookmyre is one of Britain's best satirists and the article in the Sunday Herald newspaper reported that Henshall would be looking to recruit other high profile Scots (Ewan McGregor, Dougray Scott, Billy Connelly, Sean Connery) for some of the roles.
Cheers
Greig
Futurama Details (by Luke Nicholas)
Here are the final details on whats on the uk futurama season 1 dvd box set.
Price: £39.99
Disc 1
'Space Pilot 3000', 'The Series Has Landed', 'I, Roommate', 'Love's Labors Lost In Space'
Commentary for each episode (doesn't say by whom, though)
4 deleted scenes
Script and storyboards for 'Space Pilot 3000'
Disc 2
'Fear Of A Bot Planet', 'A Fishful Of Dollars', 'My Three Suns', 'A Big Piece Of Garbage', 'Hell Is Other Robots'
Commentary for each episode
Season 1 trailer
2 deleted scenes (Amy fans note that neither is from 'Garbage', so Lauren Tom's credit for that episode - where Amy appeared but never spoke - will remain a mystery forever...)
Disc 3
'A Flight To Remember', 'Mars University', 'When Aliens Attack', 'Fry And The Slurm Factory'
Commentary for each episode
'Special featurette' (no details given - Matt Groening/David Cohen interview?)
1 deleted scene
Stills and concept art - 44 pics and 4 video segments
The Tony Clifton Story (by Custom Van Clan)
I think Universal should have made "The Tony Clifton Story" instead of "Man
On The Moon." I have attached the story synopsis from Bill Zehme's book
"Lost In The Funhouse" so that you can see what I mean (you can read it by clicking here: That's right... Click Here
The best director for the job is Louis C.K. (www.louisck.com)
This story needs a low budget comedy director such as Louis. He had Pootie
Tang taken away from him so MTV could jazz up the editing. He is best known
from his stand-up appearances at his former place of the employment, Late
Night with Conan O'Brien. Go to his website and get his dvd of shorts and
you will see his wonderfully quirky writing and direction.
It will be easy to get Jim Carrey to come back since he is such a huge
Kaufman fan, and he could actually work for scale to keep it as low budget as
possible. Kaufman's writing partner and sometimes Tony Clifton, Bob Zmuda,
would be down for anything. They should also throw in a zinger with Wally
Wingert: http://www.wallyontheweb.com/andykaufman2.html
Plus Rhino could release the dvd of ABC produced "The Andy Kaufman Special"
which was released as an edited home video(missing 30 minutes) in 1985 as
"Add the Word Special." The dvd could have so many extras that the 3 other
dvds that were rushed out to cash in Man On The Moon did not have. There is
actual video from Andy's tribute/wake, a black and white public access
appearance, countless main stream talk shows, and his college television
shows: http://caks.netfirms.com/world.html
La cicala
A female character is removing some posters from the background of a stage, a noise coming from a slit gets louder and louder, finally a blade puts an end to the torture.
This is the Mini synopsis of a fascinating animated short movie called La cicala (The cicada), that you can see in Windows Media Player by clicking here: That's Right Here
Firecracker
Firecracker is a movie in production with a rave cast: Edward Furlong, Dennis Hopper, Karen Black, Mike Patton, Brooke Balderson, TheEnigma, Selene Luna, Susan Traylor, James Russo, Jane Wiedlin and Deborah Harry. I’m pointing out this title because his site is one of the most interesting around, with a Blair-Witch-Project-kind-of-style which I find very intriguing. See it by yourself by clicking here: Right Now
This is the synopsis:
Firecracker is a bold and shocking true-to-life tale of murder in small town Kansas. Set against the stark beauty of Middle America, this astonishing story of abuse, suffering and denial reveals dreams of escape. The inevitable confrontation unleashes the truth concealed behind the pleasant façade of small-town U.S.A.
Meek, reclusive and talented Jimmy is emotionally imprisoned by his abusive, alcoholic older brother David – and fanatically religious mother Eleanor. With evil lurking in the shadows, the setting sun gives way to the blue of evening and Jimmy finds escape in the neon glow of a traveling sideshow carnival. Unlike its drab, depressing daytime reality, the carnival becomes a nightly glittering solitaire on the prairie, beckoning all around to its illusions and make-believe. With a guise of red satin and the lure of a heavenly voice, Sandra, billed as an “oddity of nature,” is the carnival’s premier attraction. Yearning for a way out, Jimmy befriends Sandra, unaware that her imprisonment and degradation, at the hands of Frank, the carnival owner, mirror his own. Sandra, taken by his innocence, finds her own inner strength and suppressed dreams. When David disappears, the metaphorical white-picket fences collapse, leaving raw emotions exposed to the spark of truth.
Throughout it all Police Chief Ed searches for truth, uncovering bits of evidence suggesting deceit, abuse, murder and cover-up. As her investigation leads her closer to the truth, the lives of those involved become lit fuses – until they explode, one-by-one, in a dramatic and harrowing conclusion.
Firecracker pulls no punches nor hides from the ugliness that mars reality. It also reveals in its imagery a vividness and majesty that transcends mere mortality, exploding the myth of Middle America’s sanctity and piety, while opening the door to atonement.
BlackHawk Down Review
Love your site. Gets me through the working day.
I saw Black Hawk Down in London last night, presented by Ridley Scott who said it was 95.8% finished (he really was that precise) so I thought I'd send you my thoughts. Thandie Newton was there too so I was distracted but this is what I think I saw.
I'd been looking forward to this for ages having read the amazing book and seeing it billed as the Private Ryan of our times. I'm not a massive fan of Ridley Scott though. I think his movies are overblown - all that smoke and slow mo...
Fortunately this one doesn't suffer from that. Unfortunately it has other problems.
The movie it most reminded me of is The Perfect Storm. Men go into dangerous place - some survive, some don't. You watch. That's it.
It's missing characters that you care about so you never really get to feel for them and fear for them.
Get ready to experience death and destruction unfold in front of you in such a detached way it gets boring like porn gets boring.
The book introduced characters in the midst of the action and this should have been repeated. The directors ability to pull this off would have distinguished him as a great director rather than a good one.
The whole movie has been very faithful to actual events. The US Army will be happy about this but most of us will just be wondering where the plot went. In my view stretching the truth a bit by adding moments of dramatic tension would help us understand better what it was really like. The important thing is to capture the spirit, the stuff that bonds men under extraordinary circumstances, and this movie fails to do that.
Besides knowing how you hack up our history I'd have like too see the Rangers be rescued by the charge of light brigade or something.
I know you're going to see it anyway so I'll tell you what I liked - amazing action, amazing cinematography, Eric Bana and Tom Sizemore.
Eric Bana is made to look cool as fuck (no wonder he loves this movie) and I had no problem believeing he was a professional killer.
Tom Sizemore is always ace and totally convinces as a professional soldier.
I also liked the music - unfortunately it was just a temp: it was the music from the Thin Red line, my favourite soundtrack ever.
Just one more thing: The 'Stay away from the cans' joke. Anybody whe has read the book will have laughed at that and it seemed like a very real moment in all that chaos. Well, they set it up by showing the clip from 'The Jerk' back at base and then they don't bring on the punchline. Huh? What the fuck?
Maybe its in that missing 4.2%
Stay away from the cans Harry. Fresh fruit and vegetables only.
TJ Laser
Robert Bernocchi
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