The coltish Gossip Girl actress will star alongside Ryan Reynolds in the Warner Bros.’ film based on the DC Comics hero, according to Variety. Production is scheduled to begin this spring with Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) at the helm.
Archive: January 2010 (81-90 of 98)
Jan 9
2010
09:34 AM ET
Jan 8
2010
05:06 PM ET
Michael Cera, old soul
Just because I think Youth in Revolt is less than daisy fresh as a coming-of-age story doesn’t mean I don’t dig the unique comedic talents of the movie’s star, Michael Cera. And in thinking about what makes Cera so arresting a screen presence, I keep coming back to the notion of contradiction: He looks so young (he is so young) and vulnerably, virginally mid-chrysalis, with that pale skinny bod and cute chickpea head. Yet Cera possesses the expert comic timing and physical stillness of a man of experience. And certainly of a seasoned character actor. Very few young performers know how to convey hormonal frenzy and accompanying romantic confusion as well as he does, just by standing still and speaking in a soft, clear voice; even fewer know how to demonstrate what’s simultaneously funny and tender about such male emotional disarray.
Cera’s got that going on. The challenge, should he care to rise to it as he enters his 20s, is how to play guys who are no longer stuck pining for young women – they’ve Done It – but now face the (inevitably hilarious) challenges of sustaining relationships with chicks.
Your turn: Do you like the species known as Michael Cera Dude?
Image credits: Doane Gregory (l); Bruce Birmelin
Jan 8
2010
01:19 PM ET
Art Directors Guild nominees announced
Unlike the critics awards and the Golden Globes, the guild awards really give you a strong idea of where the Academy is heading since there’s a considerable overlap among the voting bodies. Here are the nominees for the Art Directors Guild awards; they’re broken up by genre, which means there are 15 nominees, so they’re not exceedingly selective. But most of the top overall contenders (with the exception of Precious and Invictus) are included. The omission of Nine is not a good sign.
Period Film
A Serious Man
Inglourious Basterds
Julie & Julia
Public Enemies
Sherlock Holmes
Fantasy Film
Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
Contemporary Film
Angels & Demons
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
The Lovely Bones
Up in the Air
Jan 7
2010
06:57 PM ET
A director royale? The James Bond series may just get handed to Mendes, Sam Mendes
If you asked me to name the half dozen filmmakers I would most love to see take a stab at directing a James Bond movie, I seriously doubt that I would have put Sam Mendes on the list. My first choice would probably be Quentin Tarantino, if only because I’ve long nurtured the fantasy that if QT were ever to set aside his highly specialized ’70s pulp fetishes and sign on to make, you know, a mainstream Hollywood movie, it could be a spectacular thing to see. There are other directors who would be obvious choices to helm a Bond extravaganza: Paul Greengrass, with his Bourne-again whipsaw extravagance, or Christopher Nolan, who with his two Batman movies proved that he’s exactly what a great Bond filmmaker (at least in my eyes) needs to be — a fantasist rooted in the real world. I’d also love to see what Kathryn Bigelow could do with an 007 installment. Beyond her pyrotechnical action chops, surely she would offer a novel angle on the ultimate big-screen ladies’ man.
Yet when I read that Mendes, the doomy poet of suburban distress (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road), was in talks to direct the 23rd Bond adventure, with a script co-written by the deviously clever Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) and Daniel Craig once again cast as the fabled superspy, my gut instinct said: Inspired choice! Mendes may be far from my favorite filmmaker (is he anyone’s?), but he’s a director of sharp personality and stately visual dazzle (he’s also British, which means that he’s got those posh and dagger-sharp Bond manners wired into his DNA), and as he proved in Jarhead, he can bring off massively scaled feats of logistical action as well. What Mendes brings to the table is just what the Bond series needs right now: not wilder gadgets or more caffeinated editing or bold new ways to order a cocktail, but a laser-like fixation on the cool dark interiors of outwardly slick and seamless characters. READ FULL STORY »
Jan 7
2010
01:06 PM ET
Directors Guild nominees announced
The directors of the five top Oscar contenders have been nominated for the DGA award: The Hurt Locker‘s Kathryn Bigelow, Avatar‘s James Cameron, Precious‘ Lee Daniels, Up in the Air‘s Jason Reitman, and Inglourious Basterds‘ Quentin Tarantino. It’s the biggest boost for Daniels, who was left off the Golden Globes’ list (Invictus‘ Clint Eastwood scored a nomination instead). Could Daniels now trump Eastwood for the fifth slot at the Oscars? I’d say they’re now equal contenders for the nomination.
Check out my updated precursor tally: With today’s news, Avatar has now jumped up a few notches. And follow me on Twitter (@davekarger) for all the Oscar-related news.
Jan 6
2010
02:08 PM ET
'Precious,' Sandra Bullock earn NAACP nominations
It should surprise no one that Precious scored the most nominations from the NAACP Image Awards today. (For once it’s nice to see Mariah Carey and Paula Patton recognized alongside Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique.) But I’m not sure anyone expected a Best Actress citation for The Blind Side‘s Sandra Bullock. So is this a sign that Bullock’s momentum is continuing to increase? Or does it just mean that black actresses are given so few lead roles in films these days that two of the NAACP slots have to go to a white woman and a cartoon?
The full nominees’ list is below.
Motion Picture
The Blind Side
Invictus
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Precious
The Princess and the Frog
Actor
Denzel Washington, The Taking of Pelham 123
Idris Elba, Obsessed
Jamie Foxx, Law Abiding Citizen
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Quinton Aaron, The Blind Side
Actress
Anika Noni Rose, The Princess and the Frog
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Sophie Okonedo, Skin
Taraji P. Henson, Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Supporting Actor
Adam Rodriguez, Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2012
Danny Glover, 2012
Lenny Kravitz, Precious
Supporting Actress
Alfre Woodard, American Violet
Mariah Carey, Precious
Mo’Nique, Precious
Paula Patton, Precious
Zoe Saldana, Avatar
Independent Motion Picture
American Violet
Amreeka
Endgame
Medicine for Melancholy
Precious
Foreign Motion Picture
The Maid
Rudo y Cursi
Sin Nombre
Skin
The Stoning of Soraya M.
Documentary
Capitalism: A Love Story
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Crude
Good Hair
More Than A Game
Jan 6
2010
10:15 AM ET
Movie critics: Our advice to friends when we're not on duty
In January, a time warp separates me from my friends and family. I’ve seen everything big now playing at the multiplex; sometimes I’ve seen a movie months ago, and sometimes twice. But everyone else who’s not in the same business as I am is just beginning to have access to those movies, many of which are just going wide now. So, my movie-loving friends and family ask me, “How’s It’s Complicated? What about The Hurt Locker? Have you seen Avatar?” A parent asks, “Can I take my daughter to Fantastic Mr. Fox?” My dentist asks, “What’s worth seeing?”
Thing is, at this time of the year, my own critical assessment has little to do with how I respond. Instead, I become a little bit of a matchmaker, a little bit of a shrink, and a little bit of a listings guide. I mean, I know the value of when to let go of my brilliant argument that Invictus is square and lazy filmmaking, and instead let the cousin who’s a big Matt Damon fan know that she’ll like him as a rugby player. I can talk until I swoon about how much I love The Hurt Locker, but I would never urge it on the friend who hates war pictures and flinches at all scenes of violence; for her, instead, I suggest It’s Complicated — a movie I know she’ll enjoy, much as I harrumphed at it in my review.
So as a service to moviegoing friends everywhere in these first days of the new year — and to my dentist, too — I offer Lisa’s Mild Guide to the Megaplex. And yes, by all means, take your daughter to Fantastic Mr. Fox — it’s great.
Avatar: Big! Blue! Looks great! Forget the script and story!
Crazy Heart: It’s all about Jeff Bridges. Nice music.
Invictus: Morgan Freeman and guys in sports shorts save South Africa!
The Lovely Bones: Have you read the book? Then definitely skip the movie. If not, well, it’s still meh.
Nine: A crazy dull mess. Oh, but you say you liked Chicago? Well, it’s still a crazy dull mess.
The Princess and the Frog: Love it.
A Single Man: Love it. It’s a about a gay man whose lover dies, by the way, whatever the posters suggest.
Up in the Air: Love it. Yes, George Clooney is good.
The Young Victoria: Nice.
The Last Station: Nice, especially for Mom.
Did You Hear About the Morgans?: Awful, especially for humans.
Want to add to my Mild Guide? Here’s your chance.
Image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon
Jan 5
2010
01:36 PM ET
'District 9' + 'Star Trek' = An 'Avatar' loss at the Oscars?
It’s often said that the Oscar race always changes once the nominees are announced. And the science-fiction heavy Producers Guild of America’s top 10 list, announced earlier today, raises an interesting question: What if Avatar, District 9, and Star Trek all repeat and score Oscar nominations for Best Picture? Could Avatar, which is widely considered to be the frontrunner at this point, actually be hurt by all the sci-fi love? It certainly seems logical that James Cameron’s opus would lose more votes to District and Trek than it would to, say, smaller indies like A Serious Man or The Messenger. In such a tight race as this year’s, something like that could make all the difference.
Cameron himself acknowledges the three films will affect each others’ chances. As he told my colleague Carrie Bell at the Avatar premiere: “I hope the existence of Avatar doesn’t negate the hard work of a few other directors on some really great genre films this year, like District 9 or Star Trek. But I fear that if [Oscar voters] do get over the historical bias once, they won’t feel the need to do it again in the same year.” So should Avatar fans now be praying that District 9 and Star Trek don’t make it in to the Academy’s top 10? Or is Avatar so far ahead of Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker that one or two other action flicks won’t make a significant enough dent in its lead? I’m thinking the Na’vi can handle one other sci-fi competitor. But if both District and Trek make it in, there could be a problem.
UPDATE In response to several commenters who are mystified by my calling Avatar the Oscar frontrunner of the moment: Believe it, folks. I’ve been resistant to the idea over the last few weeks, but nearly every Academy member I’ve talked to is calling the race over already. As a big fan of The Hurt Locker, Precious, Inglourious Basterds, and Up in the Air (not to mention someone who isn’t a fan of boring, predictable Oscar seasons), I’d like to think it’s closer than they say, but I’m just here to report to all of you what’s going on in the awards battle.
Tweet me @davekarger.
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