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Danny Boyle’s “Frankenstein” to play on American screens

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Danny Boyle is best known for directing films like "Slumdog Millionaire," "28 Days Later," and "The one where James Franco cuts his own arm off." But did you know the Brit also does plays back in his hometown? Like directing an adaptation Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" for a run at the National Theatre, which won rave reviews from critics for its daring choice of casting two actors to alternate the roles of Frankenstein and the creature. And for two nights only, Americans can see the play on big screens round the country, thanks to a special live broadcast performance set.

Tonight and tomorrow, movie theaters in New York, LA, Connecticut, Massachusetts, DC, and several other states can buy a ticket and be transported to London, where Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will take turns in the two roles in the Gothic production. From the trailer, it looks pretty amazing:

The Oscars’ black hole of boredom

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:01:00 +0000

Oscar has fallen, and he can't get up. Now, if you get that reference, you're probably: A) too old to belong to the demographic that was supposedly being hunted by the producers of Sunday night's dreary and confused telecast, and B) too young to have written most of the shtick. Presented with one of the most varied and interesting lists of nominated films in recent memory -- many of which had actually been seen by large numbers of paying humans -- the academy managed to screw up its messaging totally and create a soul-sucking black hole of boredom.

One way of explaining what happened last night is that the Oscar producers tried to tack young and hip, just as academy voters tried to tack mass and mainstream, correcting for several years of more audacious indie-style winners like "The Hurt Locker," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "No Country for Old Men." The result was a great big middle-of-the-road splat, presided over by a monumentally uncomfortable pair of stars, the miffed-looking James Franco and the perky-like-a-little-coffeepot Anne Hathaway.

“Sanctum”: James Cameron presents an underwater cave thriller

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:31:00 +0000

As you may have heard, Werner Herzog's forthcoming subterranean documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" strives to push 3-D technology in new and more adventurous directions. James Cameron -- or his company, or at least some people he's presumably met -- tries to steal a march on Herzog with the far more conventional 3-D action saga "Sanctum," which could also be titled "The Cave of Aussie Arse-Kickers" or "The Cave of Holy Crap That's a Lot of Water" or "The Cave of I Love You Dad You Impossible Bastard."

In one of those Hollywood marketing gambits that's simultaneously truthful and intended to spread confusion, "Sanctum" is described as a film "from executive producer James Cameron, the creator of 'Titanic' and 'Avatar.'" In some ad copy, the words "executive producer" are omitted, and in all cases they're in teeny little letters. And then there's the fact that nobody knows what an executive producer is or does. I don't just mean that nobody in the general public knows, although that's true; nobody in the movie industry really knows either, except that it almost never describes anyone who played a hands-on role in making a film. Most likely, Cameron served as an investor and consultant to "Sanctum" director Alister Grierson, lending the project his imprimatur, his expertise in underwater photography and his 3-D digital technology.

Winners and losers of today’s Oscar noms

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:20:00 +0000

If the Kabuki theater of the 2011 Oscar race is to yield any major surprises -- let alone any of the half-baked sociological talking points so beloved by the media -- that wasn't evident in Tuesday morning's nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards. In fact, if there's anything strange about this year's Oscars, it's how predictable they appear.

Conventional wisdom has held for months that "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network," a pair of handsome and talky comedy-drama blends with biographical and historical roots, were the best-picture front-runners, and so it appears. (Furthermore, the latter will win, and I don't care how much tea-leaf reading to the contrary you hear in coming weeks.) Best actress is perceived as a race between Annette Bening's lesbian mom in "The Kids Are All Right" and Natalie Portman's demented ballerina in "Black Swan," and best actor as a race between Colin Firth, for his richly sympathetic portrayal of the stuttering King George VI in "The King's Speech," and, well, nobody in particular. Done and done.

Spirit Awards nominees announced

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:55:00 +0000

James Franco's survival story "127 Hours," Natalie Portman's ballet drama "Black Swan" and Ben Stiller's dark romance "Greenberg" are among best-picture nominees for the Spirit Awards honoring independent film.

Also competing for the top honor at the Spirit Awards are Annette Bening's lesbian family drama "The Kids Are All Right" and the rural crime thriller "Winter's Bone."

Bening, Franco, Portman and Stiller also are among lead-acting nominees.

Presented by the cinema group Film Independent, the Spirit Awards will be handed out at a ceremony Feb. 26, the day before the Academy Awards. Joel McHale, star of the TV comedy "Community," will host the show, which airs on IFC.

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Online:

http://www.spiritawards.com

“127 Hours”: James Franco’s head-trip thrill ride

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:30:00 +0000

Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" presents itself to the public as Oscar-worthy independent cinema, a movie that bridges the gap between art-house drama and pure pop escapism. At least, I guess it does; Boyle and his collaborators have gone further than almost anyone else in contemporary film in erasing those boundaries. What I admire about "127 Hours" -- and at the same time, what makes me mistrust it -- is that it's a full-on thrill ride, meant to put its audience through an intense and even physical ordeal that parallels the one its main character must endure. It has more in common with "Resident Evil 3-D," or with a CGI-driven theme-park attraction, than it does with a sincere indie dramedy like "The Kids Are All Right." It's the only plausible Oscar nominee among this year's crop that's going to make people pass out during screenings -- a ritual celebration that began at Telluride and Toronto and shows no signs of abating.

Toronto: Trapped with James Franco for “127 Hours”

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:11:00 +0000

TORONTO -- Even as loaded with fall Oscar bait and potential art-house hits as this festival is -- and Toronto has blown Cannes out of the water, at least this year -- there was tremendous anticipation around "127 Hours." It stars James Franco, an enormously talented young actor who seems primed to become a major star, in a demanding role that has him on screen for nearly the entire film. And it's directed by Danny Boyle, who went from hit-and-miss British oddball to major Hollywood player after his Oscar-winning surprise with "Slumdog Millionaire."

I'm not sure whether it hurt or helped that a series of technical mishaps kept the press corps waiting in a corridor of the Scotiabank Theatre for much longer than the film's running time. (Q. What do I have to read on my iPod for such emergencies? A. John Henry Newman's "Apologia Pro Vita Sua." I guess I really am that weird.) When we finally got seated, a Toronto International Film Festival official sent to mollify us quipped, "I look forward to all your '127 Hours' jokes. You've had time to sharpen them."