Big Screen Little Screen

Spike Jonze’s live action adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s children’s book for the ages, Where the Wild Things Are, finished shooting in December of last year, but details on the production have been kept tight to the vest. MTV posted the first still (above) online back in June, but that’s just about all there’s been to consume.

Last week, The New York Post’s Vulture blog learned that author Dave Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jonze, will be releasing an adult novel based on Wild Things, and the release would coincide with the film’s debut in October of 2008. Now they’ve copped a version of the script written in October of 2005, and have posted a review. Bottom line is that Eggers penchant for nailing “the excitement, small joys, and great disappointments of childhood,” in tandem with Jonze’s well established eye for absurd, visual decadence could cook up something that rivals the impact of its source material. Here’s an excerpt from their review:

Max, the hero of Wild Things, is now an 8-year-old with an absent father, an older sister who’s drifting away from him, a mother whose personal and job concerns leave her little time or energy for the rambunctious boy she dearly loves. Eggers and Jonze — mostly, we suspect, Eggers — touchingly sketch this troubled family unit and carefully track the rising frustration and alarm Max feels as his world becomes darker and more unhappy, until, on page 21, he runs away, climbs aboard a boat, and sails to the island of the Wild Things.

There Jonze’s influence begins to be felt, as the enormous creatures — with names like Carol, Alexander, and K.W. — look to Max as their King, and in a series of marvelous adventures, wrestle tornadoes, eat mud, and tame hawks. Always, though, there’s a subtle undercurrent of menace, and it becomes clear that while spinning a yarn, Jonze and Eggers are also taking us on a tour of Max’s psyche, as he works out so many of the issues that plague his young life.

A mix of live action, “Big Bird sized” monster costumes, and CGI - Wild Things employs the vocal talents of Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, Michelle Williams, and Catherine O’Hara, and also featuers Catherine Keener, as Max’s mom on-screen. A heretofore unknown, Max Records (seriously?), was cast as Max, the fictional.

Previously: Katherine O’Hara talked about voice work for the film and iChatting with Maurice Sendak. Also, an on-location report from Melbourne.

Tags: spike jonze, where the wild things are

For those who’ve slept through Sundance and it’s 125 entries this year, or would rather the wheat be separated from the chaff, so to speak - check the winners list and then proceed at your leisure, from the executive summary material, to the day by day minutiae.

– Karina Longworth offers three overlooked gems, and five films most likely to hit your local theater. Bonus: a video exit poll of moviegoers that had just watched Dakota Fanning in Hounddog, on whether the rape scene controversy was much ado about nothing. Keep in mind though, those Sundance cats are largely NPR listening flag-burners anyway

– A mixed bag it was, but the Sundance Channel on YouTube provided the most comprehensive video coverage within the festival, with over 80 selections to choose from. And Zoom In’s video dispatches were nothing to sneeze at either.

– Not enough? IndieWire set up camp for the duration of Sundance, and compiled over 90 interviews, reviews, and features.

– Finally, David Hudson’s tireless coverage of the coverage, over at GreenCine Daily. If you can’t find your Sundance news there, it never happened.

Rounding up a few forward looking pieces - some early, pre-Sundance buzz for the new year:

• The L.A. Times gathers 2007 prognostications from 17 entertainment writers and industry types. Within, Cinematical declares Black Snake Moan, Grindhouse, Hot Fuzz (Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright), Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry to be the most talked about films, while Hollywood Elsewhere predicts that at least one of three Iraq/Afghanistan films will make it to the big Oscar dance: Charlie Wilson’s War (Mike Nichols) with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams - Lions for Lambs (Robert Redford) Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep - In The Valley of Elah (Paul Haggis) with Tommy Lee Jones, James Franco, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon. Also of note is The Squid and the Whale director Noah Baumbach’s next picture - Margot at the Wedding (formerly referred to as The Untitled Noah Baumbach Project), featuring Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, John Turturro and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
• Upcoming releases Grindhouse, Black Snake Moan and Jeremy Piven’s Smokin’ Aces all bear the markings of 60’s and 70’s exploitation. Call it a comeback?
• Salon’s Beyond the Multiplex adds 11 independent-leaning films to their to-see list, including Steve Bucemi’s Interview and Jia Zhang-ke’s Still Life.
• And while everyone is in the mood to tout their early favorites and making mental notes on the unfolding release calendar, I’ll drop a few titles: I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-Liang), Daniel Day Lewis in P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, suicide bomber drama Day Night Day Night (Julia Loktev), Wong Kar-Wai’s American invasion - My Blueberry Nights (assists from Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Norah Jones), Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (Chan-Wook Park), plus the aforementioned Black Snake Moan (Craig Brewer)and Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach). More on all of these over the coming months.

1: Andre Benjamin, Martin Henderson, and Michelle Rodriguez between takes during shooting for The Battle in Seattle. First photo, graciously provided by Tamara (more great on-the-scene shots via her blog and Flickr page. All others by Ted Z., if the lower quality didn’t tip you off.)

2: Andre and Michelle (at right) direct protester traffic.

3 and 4: March until you hear “cut”, back to starting positions.

5: Andre 3000 - turtle with bullhorn privileges. 6: Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter, a stealthy addition to the cast-list. 7: A special message from Seattle’s historic Cinerama, across the street from another scene shot on Sunday afternoon.

“Turtles and Teamsters unite!” was the battle cry, via bullhorn by Andre 3000, with Michelle Rodriguez by his side, on a shoot for Stuart Townsend’s directorial debut - The Battle in Seattle, based on the 1999 riots and protests that overtook the downtown area (a reported 50,000 plus demonstrators over 5 days), rallying against the World Trade Organization’s first ministerial meeting in the U.S. The protests, pushed on by a brutal show of force by authorities looking to stem the tide (and local civic leaders woefully unprepared for the quickly escalating violence) eventually led to areas of the city being put under martial law until order could be restored.

The 10 million dollar budget for the film is paltry, especially when you consider the names involved (Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Susan Sarandon, along with Benjamin and Rodriguez) and the scope of the events that Townsend is aiming to re-create (1999 footage - YouTube). Already having filmed much of Battle in Vancouver (which has doubled for just about any city, and where unforeseen snow days required rewrites), the cast and crew finally made it to Seattle proper this past weekend, with scenes shot in the Capitol Hill area (in front of The Paramount Theater) and the Seattle Center (the Seattle P.I. notes a rumor that Charlize Theron bared all there) on Saturday, then the Belltown area on Sunday, where passersby could spend the better part of a morning eyeing the extras (some of them were legitimate participants in the real thing) and stars marching, adorned in different gear to represent their respective causes and factions.

In Townsend’s words, The Battle in Seattle features “protestors, pedestrians, politicos, police, delegates and doctors” as the central characters, where “no perspective is left untold.” Battle is scheduled for release in late 2007.

Tags: the battle in seattle, wto riots, andre 3000, michelle rodriguez, dexter

Jack Black recently shared some stories on The Science of Sleep director Michel Gondry’s next bit of playfulness, Be Kind Rewind, shot in Passaic, N.J. In the film, Black’s brain is magnetized in an accident, and he subsequently erases all of the tapes in his friend’s (played by Mos Def) local video store. In order to appease the store’s one loyal customer (a senile Mia Farrow), the two must re-create and re-shoot an assortment of Hollywood hits. In the process, Black finds himself starring in such appropriately cast roles as a Thrilla in Manila era Muhammad Ali and the chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy.

“There [were] tons of movies that we did,” Black said of the upcoming Michel Gondry-directed film. “We did ‘When We Were Kings,’ the documentary about Muhammad Ali — I play Muhammad Ali, strangely. We did ‘Superman.’ I probably shouldn’t say that … we had to change the name of it to something else — ‘Incredible Flying Man,’ I think. We did ‘Ghostbusters,’ we did ‘Robocop,’ we did ‘Driving Miss Daisy,’ just to name a few…We were under strict orders not to watch any of the movies again, and if we had not seen it, [not to] see it,” he explained. “[Gondry] wanted it to look that way, [like it] was based on the commercials that you had seen of the movie. Because there was no time in the movie for us to do any research, he wanted to keep that consistent with us as actors — to not have time to research the movies we were remaking.”- via VH1

From Gondry, on the re-creation process:

“…They are doing all the effects themselves. They take the tapes that have been erased, the VHS, they re-shoot them on top. Say it’s an old movie they shoot through layers of hanging string to pretend it is scratchy. They shoot through a fan to make it flickering. They use firecrackers for sound. It’s very fun. After all, I don’t do movies to get bored.” - interview via Ropes of Silicon

And if Gondry were to somehow get bored with film, there’s always the lucrative music video business as a fall-back, or cornball ad spots even - such as this gem of a collaboration with George Clooney, for Nespresso coffee machines (video from film ick.) Of course, this is hardly new territory for Gondry, or other top-tier directors - just ask Syriana writer/director Stephen Gaghan (for Heinecken, in a Casino Royale spoof), or Wong Kar-Wai (BMW).

Previously: Review Roundup - The Science of Sleep

Tags: michel gondry, be kind rewind

Airing last night at the Spike TV Scream Awards, a sneak peak from the Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez production - Grindhouse. As Quentin said back in July, “This is not a faux double feature. This is two f*cking movies for the price of one! Your $10 will be well spent at the Grindhouse, baby!”

Via Twitch

Tags: grindhouse, spike tv, tarantino, rodriguez

Filed under website recommendations I’ve meant to write months ago - for those among us who’ve been waiting on P.T. Anderson’s next cinematic foray since Punch Drunk Love (the cardiganed Emily Watson, sigh) please give your utmost attention to Cigarettes and Red Vines - it’s a labor of love, and a comprehensive online guide to all things P.T.A. They’ve been tracking the progress of Anderson’s next project (not including help lent to Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion), There Will Be Blood, since it was a tiny glean in his eye. Based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! (also responsible for The Jungle, which turned the meat-packing industry on it’s ear), set during the 1920’s oil boon in Southern California, the film stars Daniel Day Lewis as an oil developer whose greed and corrupted disposition has turned his son, and the town full of disfranchised workers his own flesh and blood has backed, against him.

Cigarettes has a dedicated There Will Be Blood section with script impressions, a production timeline, and all other available details, including an attached actors list - conspicuously devoid of P.T.’s mainstays - the Philip Seymour Hoffman’s, the Luis Guzmán’s, or John C. Reilly’s.

Having just wrapped shooting last week. Anderson will take a month or two off before beginning post-production. In the meantime, enjoy this YouTubed P.T.A. interview on The Henry Rollins Show, wherein the two discuss the upcoming film while still in the pre-production phase.

Tags: there will be blood, paul thomas anderson, henry rollins

Along with the emergence of the “official” trailer (in Quicktime), as opposed to the murky clip we’ve posted earlier, The Independent (via IFC blog) digs a little dirt on director Michel Gondry, who seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to former collaborators. One such man is Eternal Sunshine writer Charlie Kaufman. It’s apparent that Gondry desperately wants to walk from beneath his shadow. Nonethless, even Sleep actress Charlotte Gainsbourg makes comparisons to Sunshine. Ouch. Michel has a beef with Chappelle’s Block Party musical guests and industry types as well, saying “Every time you deal with music you deal with such an immense number of assholes, who don’t care if the project happens or not. They have no artistic interest.”

Science of Sleep should see a wide release in September. I would have loved to give you a heads up review from SIFF, but the 40 dollar price tag on an advance screening ticket was a bit much. If any Seattlelites have the scoop firsthand, pass it on.

Michel Gondry: No More the Dreamer - The Independent

tags science of sleep gondry

Feaured in the July edition of Premiere magazine’s “Comedy issue” are details of Christopher Guest’s new movie For Your Consideration. The comedy follows the cast of a miserable little indie flick whose expectations and egos have been tainted by award nominations gossip and internet rumors about the film.

All of the usual suspects are in attendance (Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Catherine O’hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard) as well as some recruits from The Office (UK/US), Ricky Gervais and John Krasinski. Although most of the film is improvised, as per usual with Guest’s films, he has dropped the “mockumentary” aspect. Instead there are scripted “movie within a movie” scenes of the group’s project, Home for Purin. Guest dropped his usual format to add more serious overtones to the film, saying “It’s a sad subject, and this movie is in many ways very dark.”

But don’t count on this being a great departure from Guest and company’s comedic roots. I mean, Fred (Wha Happen?) Willard is involved after all. Willard has become notorious among the normal players for scene stealing and shutting down any normal sense of decorum. He’ll be hosting an Access Hollywood type show, which should allow for plenty of celebrity insults by Fred and his rapid fire improvisations. Guest says of Willard, “We very carefully write situations for Fred so he can do what he does that no one else can do. I’ll say cut and he’ll say, “I’m not finished”

Ricky Gervais, who in this interview reveals, suprisingly, that this is the first role he’s accepted, says “It’s probably because Christopher Guest is the single biggest influence on my comedy.” Gervais will be paying a head of a movie studio’s specialty division. Comparing aspects of the film to his current series Extras, Gervais adds, “I suppose it’s all about actors’ egos; it’s very much the sort of thing that I’ve explored in Extras, how whatever they say, their monstrous ego overwhelms them.”

For Your Consideration is scheduled for release in November.

tags for your consideration christopher guest gervais

From right to left: Antoinette star Dunst, Sofia Coppola, and a man who may have peaked at cinematic inception

Sofia Coppola went from famous director’s daughter, to wife of that Being John Malkovich guy, to an emerging young talent in her own right, making her way by earning Bill Murray (with help from Wes Anderson, to a lesser degree) the critical acclaim he’s long overdue, as well as putting two young blondes in the spotlight. While Lost in Translation was almost universally praised by critics (in fact the DVD boasts that it’s received over 80 four star reviews), her third film, Marie Antoinette, has not garnered the same warm welcome in reviews of it’s premiere at the Cannes film festival. The film, starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, received a smattering of boos by the press after the screening, who may have been turned off by the “Coppolification” of the tale. Apparently the French in Antoinette’s days didn’t actually speak in English or listen to the Cure or Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy”. Why New Order instead of Cindi Lauper in the trailers? Comment dites-vous “historical accuracy” en francais?

Coppola defended her cotton-candy like approach to the material after the screening, saying “My biggest fear was making a ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ kind of movie…..I didn’t want to make a dry, historical period movie with the distant cold tableau of shots…In the same way I wanted ‘Lost in Translation’ to feel like you had just spent a couple of hours in Tokyo.”

Prediction: Despite mixed reviews, this film will do just fine at the box office with all the looky-loos and young’uns just dying to feast their eyes on Coppola’s new project. Make your own decision once Antoinette hits
the states in October. More coverage than you can handle below:

U.S. Trailer
“International” Trailer
Cannes Review: Marie Antoinette - Cinematical
This Marie Antoinette Has Her Head in a Totally Different Space
- Washington Post
Re-Imagining Marie Antoinette - IndieWire

Tags: sofia coppola, kirsten dunst, marie antoinette