Ok, let's talk film. Great article in LA times today about screenwriting segwaying into that subject from talking about Leonardo's in the works bio pic on Ian Fleming. Now, I have never known Leo to be a bottom feeder of ideas in Hollywood, as in if you can't make a Bond film cause you're too American like Leo or you can't make Borne film because Matt beat everyone to that franchise, you might as well look the part and be "the real James Bond" as the Article says. Well with so many James Bonds out there I say can the real James Bond please stand up, please stand up! But Leo it seems is going for a Shakespeare in Love story with Ian Fleming, delving into how the Bond creator wrote the stories from life experience. According to the article it seems Moneypenny and M are based on real characters. Maybe we will finally get to know what M stands for. He apparently like biopics now that he has freedom to produce scripts.
His Howard Hughes stint was delectable to watch, yet Leo is at his best playing the young desperate character fighting for something, like in the Departed, Gang of New York and Baskeball Diaries. I am sure he will return to those roles, but he is diverse and a good actor to watch on screen. So the point, it will enjoyable to watch this film with a good director attached, Scorsese? Maybe? I dunno, but Leo has the pull to get a good one.
The article continues to talk about the fact that scripts do not sell in Hollywood, directors do. It talks about how scripts do not sell unless it is based on a comic or novel. Apparently if you want to be a story writer, you need to write books. I have known this for a while, in fact I talk about it often. Original ideas are dead in Hollywood. They died out in the 80's, which is why we remake 80's film. Cause we have to revamp the mediocre ideas of that decade. I have said this many times before that films will eventually be like Plays. Film makers will redo scripts like Broadway re-does Plays. Eventually we will be saying have you seen the Karate Kid with Jude Law? or wasn't Pretty in Pink better with Gweneth Paltrow than Sofia Bush? It will get to that point. Film will eventually be like a broadway play. Definitely. A sad day that will be. I am sure it will all begin with the Breakfast Club being remade ten times.
For now, everthing must be based on a Novel or Comic. Well we won't run out of novels, but comic heroes will get slim. I mean we've already redone Batman and Superman twice, so the repeat of the others will be happening soon I am sure. Batman Begins Again?
Yes I run out of faith in Hollywood especially since a lot of ideas are driven to the ground, this good article speaks of that also, for instance what I said yesterday about Vampires! I am tired of being right all the time! The day I published my mediocre blog about Vampires being overcooked ideas Jay A Fernandez wrote the same thing today in his article. "Cooper echo" here as it seems. Vampires are over over done and "Blood sucked" as Jay's article put it. So why all the hype for Twilight? Why the back to back sequels for a film that has not been released and is about a genre that has been trampled to death? I dunno, but someone is still addicted to coke in Hollywood for thinking this. Anyway read the article linked below.
So according to Rotten Tomatoes Narnia has recieved a 88% thus far. Interesting yet necessary response to ingite the series. I figured they would have cancelled everything when the first one got bad reviews, yet it made over 300 mil worldwide, so I guess Walden Media is in it for the long haul. I hear the next one "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" coming May 7 2010 is a better story. It has a better director, Michael Apted, a James Bond director. So that shows promise. One reviewer states that Caspian may be an Empire Strikes Back. I will believe that when I see it.
Another article in the LA times speaks of once lengendary (and still so) actresses Cameron Diaz and Gweneth Paltrow accepting accessory roles now that they are older and not leading lady roles like their acting chops call for. I agree that they are too talented to play roles reserved for "Brittany Murphy" as the article says, or Sophia Bush as I say, but what's the saying...No such thing as small roles... As a college actor, I used to love the small roles I got cast in. They were the most fun. The leading roles were a lot of pressure. I am sure these two actresses are having a blast with the small roles. I am sure if these actresses wanted to they can find a role and make it happen like Leo does. What is Joe Wright doing these days after Atonement, get him on the phone with Gwen! Well Sex and the City will add the Y chomosone to the box office! The article says x chomosone A typo by the LA times Writer, Abromowitz. Fruedian slip maybe? Or maybe it was just a college experiement Ms. Abramowitz of the LA times? Anyway I will make many mistakes also in writing. Though I do know my chromosones, some people say I have extra ones. :)
There is a Point Break sequel in the mix, not to be surprized with Die Hard 4 and Indy 4 and Rocky and Rambo 4 or 5, this time instead of the talented Kathyn Biglow we get the equally talented Jan De Bont -Look him up, IMDB.com. I can handle that trade. Seems like one of the only trades of director that is Apple for Apple. Unlike the horrid decision to remove Alfonso Cuaron from directing Harry Potters. Hollywood also suffers from Down's syndrome at times. Extra chomosone thing.
Cannes begins next week, read up on that.
Mtv movies awards are coming up. Why bother with such a disaster of bad taste as in nominating Transformers as best movie? Might as well nominate Michael bay as best screenwriter. I call it the ADD Movie awards instead of MTV movie award since all the nominess are films that require little taste in film. They are for the people that Call Atonement boring, There Will Be Blood stupid, and No Country for Old Men that wierd movie with the stupid ending. If you this person that's cool. No I am not being elitist! I am just keeping it real! I love bubble gum popcorn film very much, but just call it that! Best Summer Blockbuster! Not Best Movie! Best Movie was No Country For Old Men, I agree with that. Best Blockbuster was Borne Ultimatum. Just call it what it is. Don't insult us any more MTV, you suck the IQ points out of our heads anyway with putting Heidi Montag on the air, making such women drolling baffoons falling over emotinally constipated men like the boring Spencer. Don't you worry that you may be sending the wrong message to your target audience? I guess it doesn't matter, its all about being "cool" anyway. Being cool is not really that cool anyway. Just ask Diablo Cody. Until Tomorrow, Let's Talk Film!

Bib-blog-ography

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/05/21-jump-street.html

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-scriptland14-2008may14,0,786641.story?track=rss

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-brief14-2008may14,0,489942.story