Sex and the City Cast: Hey, Where'd Our Clothes Go?
Not so fast! Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall were shocked—shocked—when they actually couldn't collect their fashionable duds.
"It's in the contract that we get to keep our outfits, which is a fantastic thing, except that, for me, all of my outfits were samples," Davis told E! News this week, at the movie's press day. "I kept my running pants, which I love and wear them a lot, but I was like, Where are my clothes?"
She also kept some shoes and a yellow Biba dress, and the wardrobe department, feeling guilty, snagged her a Chanel bag.
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Craig Cove
Iron Man kicks off summer action movies
The summer movie season arrives with a clang as “Iron Man,” a second-tier superhero from the Mighty Marvel Comics universe, receives a first-rate film adaptation courtesy of director Jon Favreau (“Elf,” “Zathura”) and his perfectly-cast leading man, Robert Downey, Jr.
A standard origin story, “Iron Man” stays faithful to its comic-book roots while making necessary upgrades that enhance the characters’ rich history. Favreau and his screenwriters follow shortcuts instituted by the superior “Batman Begins” and the inferior “Spider-Man.” The first half establishes our hero outside of his costume. The second half ramps up the action as it confronts a central villain and lays groundwork for potential sequels.
Iron Man's true identity is Tony Stark (Downey), the genius son of a renowned weapons manufacturer whose family business, Stark Industries, provides cutting-edge technologies for our military's defense systems. In the comics, Stark was wounded while attending an armed-forces demonstration in Vietnam. Favreau comments on our current political landscape by shifting his action to Afghanistan, but he keeps the outcome the same. When Stark's convoy is attacked, he catches a near-fatal chunk of shrapnel with his chest. While detained by terrorists, the inventor builds an armor-plated suit that simultaneously keeps the metal away from his heart as it assists in his escape.
Casting makes or breaks a superhero movie — Christopher Reeve embodied Superman's hopeful ideals, but Ben Affleck made for a dull Daredevil. “Iron Man” gets off on the right foot because Downey is Stark. The actor comes equipped with a billionaire's unchecked self-confidence. And while Downey hedges when conveying the role's heroics, that uncertainty actually reflects Stark's own hesitancy embracing his newfound calling.
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Movie Review: Iron Man Marks the Return of First-Rate Superhero Movies
Thank you, Marvel Studios. Thank you, Jon Favreau. Thank you, Robert Downey Jr. Thank you for not only making the first good comic book superhero movie since 2005's Batman Begins, but also for restoring my dormant enthusiasm for what had become a favourite sub-genre of mine. I grew up reading comic books, so once they started coming out with quality adaptations of comic book heroes, beginning with 2000's X-Men, I generally had a few movies a year to get geeked up about in anticipation.
I loved the first two X-Men films, the first two Spider-Man films, and even the underappreciated Hulk film. But following the triumphant Batman Begins, the genre spit out three years of dreck, beginning with the mediocre but fun Fantastic Four, followed by the abysmal X-Men: The Last Stand, the bloodless Superman Returns, the embarrassing Ghost Rider, and the disappointing Spider-Man 3, which became a microcosm of the genre as a bloated mess that drowned in its own excesses.
The result was that I no longer greeted the announcement of a new superhero adaptation with excitement, but instead dreaded what Hollywood had in store (with the lone exception being this summer's The Dark Knight). If they could screw up the Spider-Man franchise with the same players in place from the earlier two films, there wasn't much reason to suspect that they'd get new franchises right, particularly since the properties were being handed over to hacks like Brett Ratner and Mark Steven Johnson, and roles being populated by affordable non-stars like Brandon Routh.
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A whole summer of movies
Here are the release dates of upcoming movies. Remember: These dates are like long-term weather forecasts - subject to change.
May 9
"Redbelt" Writer-director David Mamet continues to assay the male psyche with a mixed martial-arts drama, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.
"Speed Racer" Film of Japanese cartoon series about a boy race-car driver. With Emile Hirsch. By Larry and Andy Wachowski, writer-directors of the "Matrix" films.
"What Happens in Vegas" Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as strangers who wake up to find they are married and that one of them has won a jackpot.
May 16
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis. Sequel to "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."
"Midnight Meat Train" Based on Clive Barker horror story about a photographer tracking a serial killer.
"My Blueberry Nights" A woman takes a road trip across America. By Wong Kar-wai, director of the visually stunning "In the Mood for Love." With Norah Jones, Natalie Portman, Jude Law.
"Son of Rambow" The life of a sheltered youth is changed when he is exposed to "Rambo: First Blood."
"Standard Operating Procedure" Errol Morris pushes the boundaries of the documentary with dramatic re-creations of events in Abu Ghraib prison.
"Redbelt" Writer-director David Mamet continues to assay the male psyche with a mixed martial-arts drama, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.
"Speed Racer" Film of Japanese cartoon series about a boy race-car driver. With Emile Hirsch. By Larry and Andy Wachowski, writer-directors of the "Matrix" films.
"What Happens in Vegas" Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as strangers who wake up to find they are married and that one of them has won a jackpot.
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The rust beneath the summer-movie sheen
THE SUMMER of 2008 is shaping up as an unusual one for me. I'm actually
looking forward to seeing several of the films on offer.
After all, who wouldn't want to see the first Indiana Jones film in nearly 20 years, the wonders the gifted Guillermo del Toro has cooked up for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," Russian director Timur Bekmambetov's American debut in "Wanted" or what director Christopher Nolan and Batman Christian Bale have in store for "The Dark Knight"?
Even comedies are looking more promising than usual. Will Smith as a terminally grumpy superhero in "Hancock," Steve Carell as secret agent Maxwell Smart in "Get Smart" and Adam Sandler as a Mossad assassin turned Manhattan hairdresser in "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" look to be ideally cast (fingers crossed, of course, about the movies themselves). And a new picture from Pixar (this one's about a robot named WALL-E) is always the best bet of any season.
It used to be that every summer held this high degree of anticipation for me. In fact, I used to look forward to everything coming out, no matter what the season. Though critics are often derided as people who don't like films, the truth is you couldn't have this job unless you cared passionately enough about movies to sit through the waves of nonsense that routinely get tossed at today's audiences.
But over the last few years, I've noticed a change in what the studios were doing with the summer, the season Hollywood counts on for making most of its money. In a business in which the average cost of making and marketing a studio film is more than $100 million, the summer movies have been tailored more and more to the mindlessness often associated with the tastes of young males, still Hollywood's most loyal audience.
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Motherhood is Paltrow's big priority now
Gwyneth Paltrow isn't used to signing up for an acting job, sight unseen.
But that essentially is what happened to her with Iron Man.
She knew the film opening Friday was based on a Marvel Comics comic strip about a billionaire weapons manufacturer named Tony Stark -- an eccentric genius who builds himself an iron-plated suit which also contains a lethal armoury capable of vanquishing the most vicious of adversaries. She knew she would be playing Pepper Potts, Tony's superbly efficient secretary who has unfulfilled romantic yearnings for her unpredictable boss. And she knew she would be playing opposite Robert Downey Jr. and that Jon Favreau would direct.
But that's about all she knew."It was weird signing up for something and thinking: wait a minute -- I have to sign for three at a time? It was such a very new experience for me."
But it was weirder not knowing anything about the story line.
"I'm
so glad I did it because even though it was a genre I had never done
before, I was curious about how it was all going to work -- especially
since Jon wouldn't let me read the script."
Instead, Paltrow had to sign on the basis of a few pages.
"It was terrible because he would not let me read it," she giggles. Then Favreau muddied the waters even more, telling her the script that did exist at this point was not the movie he intended to make. He did pledge that the characters would be "specific and well-drawn" and that she would have a lot of fun making it. Which she did.
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Up, up and away! Inspired superhero casting
Poor Brandon Routh. He actually made a pretty good Superman in “Superman Returns”; he just had the misfortune of following the greatest superhero casting ever. One imagines the disaster if one of the producer’s original choices — Robert Redford or James Caan — had gotten Reeve’s role. Instead Superman came to us, as he should come to us, fresh-faced and innocent and steely. Reeve as Superman is shockingly handsome, with a jawline straight out of the comic books, and yet he’s actor enough to make us believe in the worst secret-identity subterfuge ever: “Yeah, I’ll put on these glasses and no one will know the difference.” He’s also actor enough to say lines like “I’m here to fight for truth, justice and the American way,” make them work, and, at the same time, through this boy-scout persona, flirt with Lois Lane. That ain’t easy. In a way Superman is the straight man in his own film — the yuks are provided by Luthor, the cynicism by Lois, and both act more knowing and worldly than Supes — but then he knows something they don’t, and, more than his powers, you could say it’s the reason he’s as serious as he is. He knows what it’s like to lose a planet. Rest in peace, Superman. You made a cynical time believe a man could believe.
I remember casting a “Spider-Man” movie in my head about 1998 and thinking Leo DiCaprio would make a perfect lead. When friends objected, I said, “Listen, he’s young, thin and bankable. Beats the muscleman Hollywood will choose.” Oops. As soon as I heard their actual choice, I knew they were on the right track. You mean the nerd from “Ice Storm” who reads “Fantastic Four,” quotes the Human Torch and can’t get to first base with Katie Holmes? It was as if they’d cast some geek friend of mine in the role. It was as if they’d cast me. Although in his mid-20s, Maguire still looked like a high school senior, not to mention a science nerd. He looked like Peter Parker from the classic Steve Ditko era. He gave us PP’s wide-eyed sincerity, his general sweetness, which can disappear into a thousand tics when Mary Jane poses a direct question (“Why so interested?”). Peter Parker is the most internal of alter-egos, and Maguire lets us see his thoughts. “(Uncle Ben) never doubted the man you’d grow into,” Aunt May consoles him. “How you were meant for great things.” At first her words are salve for his guilt for letting the Burglar go, and thus, inadvertently, causing Uncle Ben’s death; then, without a word, you see him going deeper into what he must do.
If you’d told me that Wolverine would be played by a 6-foot-2 1/2-inch song-and-danceman who would win a Tony for playing Peter Allen in “The Boy from Oz,” and was actually a last-minute replacement anyway (for Dougray Scott), I would’ve thought “Worst casting decision ever.” Instead, it’s one of the best. Jackman readily displays his heart of gold so he just needed Wolverine’s crusty outer layer. He got it. His looks, body and make-up were all perfect, but the key to the performance is in the eyebrows. He furrowed them throughout as if he were perpetually annoyed with the world. He kept them furrowed, forever dubious, forever watchful, even as he warmed up to Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and especially Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Plus Jackman’s one of the few guys who can smoke a cigar and not look like an ass. Oh, and that song-and-dance grace actually came handy for those battles atop the Statue of Liberty. Snikt!
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Craig Cove
Frickin' Eh Movie News 4.28.08: Previously Recorded Edition
I am finished exams, and officially done my first year of university. It feels good . . . although I think I will miss it over the summer. But rest assured, it will be there come fall. This weekend, in celebration (and the fact that I am currently in a transitional period between school and finding a job) I have returned home to little ol' Lamont, Alberta. The plan is to head into town and hit the hotel tonight, and then the second biggest drunkfest of the year, Bull-a-rama, where you watch bull-riding, drink, and dance (not all simultaneously . . . usually). To accomplish this, I will be staying in town with a friend and as such will not be able to deliver this article on the usual day, so I've written it up a little early, with the news available. But anyone, here is the news as of Friday.
Phoenix Pictures Picks Up Heretic
Phoenix Pictures has bought Javier Rodriguez's spec script The Heretic and is fast-tracking the Renaissance-era action-adventure thriller, says Variety.
The story revolves around a fallen priest-turned-hitman sent by a rogue archbishop to assassinate Martin Luther, only to discover that not everyone is telling the truth.
Phoenix's Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer and David Thwaites will produce. Michael Connolly of Mad Hatter Films, which manages Rodriguez, will executive produce.
Phoenix plans to start production by the first quarter.
This is kind of right out of left field . . . a fairly random story in a fairly random time period. That said, it could be pretty good. You don't see a lot of priest-turned-hitman movies out there. This could be a pretty good action flick with a nice backdrop in the Renaissance. Of course, they'd have to do it right, and obviously we won't know that until it comes out. But for now, it sounds like one to watch out for.
Miramax Bringing Us a Man on a Train
Miramax is producing an English remake of Patrice LeConte's French drama Man on the Train with writer Daniel Taplitz and producer Bob Cooper.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone) is in negotiations to direct the story of a drifter casing a conservative small town for a bank robbery. The man befriends an elderly professor who seeks to energize his life by becoming his partner in crime.
Billy Bob Thornton is said to be circling the project, but no actors have been set. It's hoped that production will begin this year once a cast is locked down.
Taplitz (Chaos Theory) is adapting Claude Klotz's original screenplay to the 2002 film, which was released domestically by Paramount Classics.
By the looks of it, this movie was fairly popular in its original form, but the translation across to Hollywood is never a guaranteed thing. It has to be handled carefully. Billy Bob would be a good fit for the film, I think. The story actually sounds really intriguing, and I'm interested to see how this turns out.
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Akin film big winner at German awards
A film by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin won top honors at the $5 million German Film Prize on Friday, taking best picture and three categories of the world's most lucrative film awards.
Akin's ensemble drama "Auf der anderen Seite" (The Edge of Heaven) -- a story of loss, mourning and forgiveness set in both Germany and Turkey -- also won three further "Lolas" for best director, best original screenplay and best editing.
"Danke, danke, danke," said a grateful Akin, a Hamburg-based director of Turkish descent whose hard-hitting films about the struggles and confusion of Turkish immigrants in Germany have won also honors at the Berlin and Cannes film festivals.
"It's extraordinarily difficult to measure art in any way," said Akin, 34, whose 2003 film "Gegen die Wand" (Head-On) also drew international accolades.
"So I'm delighted. We don't make films for prizes but rather for life," he said at a gala with more than 1,500 spectators and a national television audience.
Akin's newest film tracks the fragile lives of six people -- four Turks and two Germans -- who connect on emotional voyages toward reconciliation in Germany and Turkey. Their lives criss-cross through love and tragedy in both countries.
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Superman: The Movie Blu-ray Review
Superman: The Movie Blu-ray Review
Look! Up in the sky…it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Man of Steel on Blu-ray! The movie that made the superhero genre more than just filler for weekend matinees at theaters for the kiddies has hit the high definition home video market: Richard Donner’s original 1978 classic, Superman: The Movie.
I remember seeing the original Superman with my father back in December of 1978 for my 10th birthday. Much like my first viewing of the original Star Wars a year and a half prior, my initial screening of Superman was an overwhelming experience that felt like it lasted two and a half minutes instead of two and a half hours. A visual and audio assault brought to life on a giant 70mm screen; it was easy as a child to become wrapped up in the glory of big-budget Hollywood.
Many films from the late 70s and 80s made similar impacts, yet a lot of them have not held up as well as I had hoped they would. Blame years of watching too many films and analyzing them too closely, or just the simple fact that I was young and impressionable, but films such as Batman (1989), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (and to a lesser extent, Temple of Doom), Gremlins and even a large chunk of Return of the Jedi have aged about as well a cheesecake under a tanning lamp turned on full blast.
So what is it about the original Superman that has made it stand the test of time? What makes this particular movie the Citizen Kane of the cinematic comic-book set? What elements make me and countless others hold this so dear to our cinematic-geek hearts? In trying to come up with one particular reason, I discovered ten (actually, 11) reasons why I think Donner’s film is still the best of the bunch, despite efforts by such greats as the first two Spider-Man films, X2, The Crow and Batman Begins to dethrone it:
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Hurricane Hetta said:
Hmmm...this may be one I need to look into. I lived in Turkey for a while. read more
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i have kids at the house (they're not my kids), and they were interested in alvin since they saw advertisements... read more
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[참 좋습니다]Craig... I wonder if people pay taxes the way they spend their money on movies or if they give to... read more
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Too bad for them. Guess they'll have to take their paycheck, or unemployment check, and buy some clothes. I recommend... read more
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