Unfortunately, I did not manage to catch this extended TV spot for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button during NBC's Olympic coverage, though, luckily, one person did. I imagine this will eventually become the film's second trailer, and it'll hopefully arrive online in a higher quality at some point this week, but for the time being you can scope out a somewhat decent (except for the annoying beeps here and there) video of the spot above (courtesy of The Tube).
Some of what's included here is also in the film's first trailer (catch that in HD on the flick's official website), but we also have a bunch more dialogue, tons of amazing visuals and .... well, watch for yourself. While you never know what the final product will deliver, I can say this film is showing some tremendous, buzz-worthy promise right now -- especially with a director like David Fincher and a cast that includes Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (last time these two shared the screen, Babel was nominated for seven Oscars). Needless to say, I'm preemptively putting this on my top ten list for 2008 and crossing my fingers at the same time. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button arrives in theaters on December 19.
The cover for the spiffy new movie edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button reads: "the inspiration for the upcoming major motion picture." Anyone who reads the famous 1922 short story, about a man who is mysteriously born a septuagenarian and begins to age backwards, will immediately realize that it can't be any more than that. My copy is about fifty small, large-print pages, and it takes no more than twenty minutes to read. There are only about four characters of any note, and each of their relationships is bitter and hollow; the whole thing is a quick, moody burst of melancholy, a high concept on which Fitzgerald had no interest in lingering.
The anxiously awaited movie is directed by David Fincher – his follow-up to Zodiac -- and written by Eric Roth (the IMDb doesn't list a credit for Fitzgerald), whose resume includes Forrest Gump, The Insider, and Munich. Compared to the source material, the film has virtually a cast of thousands. Benjamin's love interest is renamed Daisy – the story's "Hildegarde" just doesn't have the same ring to it – and is played by Cate Blanchett. "Daisy age 6" is played by Elle Fanning (a.k.a. Little Dakota), though it's hard to imagine what use the film will have for a Daisy age 6: do she and Benjamin now meet while the latter is an "old man" and she a toddler? President Theodore Roosevelt shows up, for some reason. And, at least according to this Ain't It Cool test screening review, the current incarnation of the movie clocks in at three hours.
There may not be much footage that we haven't already seen in either the original red-band trailer or the international teaser for the Coen brothers' Burn After Reading, but I noted enough bits and pieces to feel these two new videos worthy of sharing. Plus, for those of you who have a preference, George or Brad, you now have a trailer that fits you best. Personally, I'm hoping that the ladies, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, get their own character-centric trailers. And while Focus Features is at it, how about individual spots for John Malkovich? Heck, give Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons and David Rasche each their own, too. I'm that excited about this movie that I want more, more, more.
Fortunately, we've only got about a month until Burn After Reading opens on September 12.
UPDATE: Variety confirms today that Brad Pitt has officially signed on to star in Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards. In the flick, Pitt will play a "Tennessee hillbilly who assembles a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers." Eli Roth and BJ Novak are also signed on to star.
Originally posted July 7, 2008 ...
Quentin Tarantino is wasting no time getting Inglorious Bastards into production -- it may make Cannes 2009 after all! He's aiming now for an October shoot, his screenplay is apparently done, it's out to studios for financing, and now all he needs is his cast.
As of yet, there have been no official casting announcements, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, rumors are currently circling Brad Pitt's name. Frankly, the thought fills me with delight! Pitt does his finest work in edgier fare, and an appearance in a Tarantino-helmed movie (remember he played a role in True Romance, off a script written by Tarantino) seems long, long overdue. It would also bring his eerie career synchronicity with George Clooney full circle, wouldn't it?
The biggest question seems to be his schedule, which is jam packed with new babies, movies ( three of which he's starring in, eight that he is producing), publicity obligations, and his charity projects. I mean, he's trying to help rebuild New Orleans! Can he fit Inglorious Bastards in? October is not that far away.
Tarantino standbys Tim Roth and Michael Madsen have long been unofficially attached, and I have no doubt they'll make it legal before too long. I'd would love to see Harvey Keitel make an appearance too. And to have Pitt in the inglorious bunch seems so right.
Now this is the kind of offbeat casting you expect out of Quentin Tarantino -- except that, really, it's not that unusual for him to cast his pals, so it makes a guy like Leonardo DiCaprio an edgier pick. Oh, that crazy Tarantino!
According to Variety, Eli Roth is set to play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, "a baseball bat swinging Nazi hunter" in Tarantino's already much-discussed Inglorious Bastards. Brad Pitt is still "in talks" for Aldo Raine, but it would be a shocker if it wasn't official. Pitt and Roth, together at last, the pair-up the world never knew it wanted.
DiCaprio has gone from "in talks" to "eliminated." He was being considered for the part of SS Col Hans Landa, but Tarantino has decided that part should be played by a real live German. This is probably a good idea, as the last thing any film needs is a wonky accent. I do find it funny that when it comes to accuracy, this is one movie that is determined to have a real German, as opposed to the dozens of films that ignore portraying race, ethnicity, and culture!
The cast is expected to be formalized shortly, and filming to begin in Europe this fall. Given that Tarantino is looking to his friends to fill the empty slots, I am still betting Tim Roth and Michael Madsen will pop up somewhere. Who else do you expect to pop up in Bastards, readers? And what do you think of Roth's addition?
At the rate Brazilian filmmaker José Padilha (Tropa de Elite) is becoming attached to projects, I might need to start another annex called Cinematical Padilha. Earlier this week, I posted info about his latest documentary, Garapa, and prior to that I had written about his transfer to Hollywood for a South America-set action movie formerly (and maybe again?) called A Willing Patriot. Of course, I don't mind writing so much about the guy; Padilha is one of the most exciting new talents, and it's cool to see his career exploding.
Today's Padilha news is that he'll be writing and directing the based-on-a-true-story drama Marching Powder. Again, this one's set in South America (good to see a foreign filmmaker making such a gradual move to Hollywood), and if it sounds familiar, that's because we've seen Don Cheadle linked to it for awhile. The Oscar-nominated actor will reportedly still produce (along with Brad Pitt and others) and star as a British drug dealer serving time in a Bolivian prison, of which he eventually gives illegal tours to travelers (he became popular enough to be featured in Lonely Planet guides).
The casting rumors for Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastardsjust keep circulating -- I'm dying for something to be confirmed, already! Brad Pitt was rumored to be in talks for the key role of Aldo Raine, and given that Tarantino flew all the way to France to meet with him suggests it's more than idle talk.
Now, according to Variety, Tarantino wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play Hans Landa, and is meeting with the actor on Thursday to discuss the part with him. This would be DiCaprio's first time working with Tarantino, and frankly, it would be a nice break from his Martin Scorcese trend. DiCaprio is another one of those actors with a pre-production list a mile long, so a scheduling conflict could manage to keep him out of the movie.
While I was really behind the idea of Pitt, I'm not sure how I feel about DiCaprio. Don't get me wrong, I really like him, but he's becoming the go-to guy for just about every film that's in production. Plus, Tarantino is pretty famous for his inspired and offbeat casting. Hiring two of Hollywood's golden boys (and I mean that in a nice way) seems a little pedestrian. But Tarantino is anything but predictable, and he can coax surprising performances out of all sorts of actors. What looks rather uninspiring from the outside could be one of his best ensembles yet. What do you think?
This past Sunday, The New York Times featured a popular City-section story about the first-ever prom held for students of Brooklyn's International High School. In case you don't like to read, you can simply watch the video accompaniment here. And if you don't like to read and you don't like documentary-style videos, and have a lot of patience, you can wait for the feature film, which will apparently be hitting theaters some time in the future. According to New York magazine's Vulture blog, a number of producers are interested in optioning the article, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have personally brought it to the attention of Paramount Pictures, where Pitt's Plan B Entertainment has a first-look deal. Supposedly an unnamed non-Paramount studio exec beat us all to the punch by joking that "maybe Maddox and the twins can star in it." Of course, he forgot about Pax and Zahara (and the twins aren't really international).
Actually, the first joke I thought about was the running gag on TV's The Criticabout the kid from Easter Island who attends the United Nations School. Then, the second joke I thought of was about Brangelina's adopted children. Then I kept thinking of other things, such as how thanks to Prom Nightpeople might assume this other prom-themed movie is also a horror flick. But that's not so much a joke as it is me trying to think on a studio exec's level (hey, we were synchronous with the Maddox bit) in order to contemplate what they'd call the thing. International Prom? A Prom for All Nations (ala the video's title)? Or will Hollywood appropriately go for one of those song-based titles? Been around the World, perhaps?
Apparently made available only in the HD format to correspond with Fincher's expectedly demanding standards, the trailer is indeed that much more striking for it. To borrow my own words for it:
"...while the sparse dialogue clues us in on the surreal nature of the events unfolding, the bigger selling point is the scope with which director Fincher and star Brad Pitt find themselves working. It's as if Fincher tapped into his inner Jeunet, and as for Pitt... well, between this and that Burn After Reading trailer, the man's looking to have one hell of a year, and with any luck, so will audiences."
Benjamin Button is scheduled to hit theaters this Christmas, and when the next trailer for it comes around, we'll be sure to make mention of it once we're certain that everyone can actually watch the thing.
The consensus I've gotten from people after they've seen the red-band trailer for the Coen brothers' Burn After Reading is that nobody understands what it's about, and nobody cares, because everybody thinks it looks awesome. Well, if you thought that trailer was confusing, or at least lacking in plot synopsis, just imagine how moviegoers outside the U.S. feel after seeing this new international trailer.
As you can see, marketing to international audiences is more about selling the stars. Hence the CLOONEY, the McDORMAND, the MALKOVICH, the SWINTON and the PITT titles. As for story, there's even less revealed here than in the red-band trailer. In fact, it's almost a joke how little is said about the movie. Each actor/character maybe gets to slip in one or two words, which actually just serve as response to more intertitles telling us about the other major stars of the film: the Coens.
Cinematical is absolutely stoked to be premiering this exclusive poster for Burn After Reading (click to enlarge), written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen -- whose last film, No Country for Old Men, caused quite the stir last year online, in theaters and at the Academy Awards. Not sure if you heard of it ... something about a cowboy and a weird haircut? Yes? Maybe? Anyway, one thing the Coen boys are known for are their casts, and Burn After Reading is no exception; this flick boasts appearances from, well, read the poster. You've got Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton. Need I say more? Or less? (Will this post self-destruct in sixty seconds?)
What's being touted as a "dark, spy-comedy," Burn After Reading looks to return the brothers to the kind of humor that was found in films like Raising Arizona or The Big Lebowski (two of my personal favs). The synopsis goes a little something like this: An ousted CIA official's (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find. Burn After Reading will premiere at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before arriving in theaters on September 12th.
He's portrayed a few iconic characters, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Howard Hughes, but could Leonardo DiCaprio be taken seriously as an iconic superhero? Specifically the Sentinel of Liberty -- Captain America? According to Latino Review (a site well-known and typically respected for its accuracy with rumors of this sort), Marvel Studios has placed Leo on the top of their list of candidates for the role. Of course, there's been no offer made yet, and this is simply the same sort of wish list we heard about for Thor(Brad Pittis the top of that list), so there's no need to get crazy over the possibility ... yet.
Speaking of Pitt, Marvel apparently has placed him as second on their list for Cap. They either want him for The First Avenger: Captain Americaor Thor. Maybe they'll even offer him the roles of Ant-Man and everyone else in The Avengers (it would be like this, but with Pitt playing all the roles instead of Johnny Depp). There's no mention of who is #3. It could be Matthew McConaughey, who was rumored to be considered before. Or, it could be George Washington. Yes, the real G.W., first President of the United States. Not only is he perfectly relevant for the part, but I think Marvel has as good a chance of casting him as they do of casting Leo.
UPDATE:Scratch that, folks. According to JoBlo.com, the trailer has been taken down at the request of the studio and "Fincher himself." Paramount has then assured the site that the trailer will be officially posted - in all its HD glory - on Apple's trailer site in the very near future. Sorry about that, guys, but we'll keep you posted once they get it posted.
Naturally, it still stands that, while the sparse dialogue clues us in on the surreal nature of the events unfolding, the bigger selling point is the scope with which director Fincher and star Brad Pitt find themselves working. It's as if Fincher tapped into his inner Jeunet, and as for Pitt... well, between this and that Burn After Reading trailer, the man's looking to have one hell of a year, and with any luck, so will audiences.
It 's also worth noting that adapting this F. Scott Fitzgerald story for the big screen is screenwriter Eric Roth, whose own Forrest Gump similarly chronicled the life of a man whose presence managed to manifest itself across several eras of American culture and history.
In what is perhaps a fitting sense of time, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button doesn't open until this Christmas, and yet it suddenly can't seem to get here soon enough.
No, I'm not talking about Paul McCartney and Wings' "Venus and Mars" (though that is a pretty awesome tune). I suppose you would be hard pressed to find a movie with no romantic angle at all, but these five trailers focus specifically on male/female relationships. Nights in Rodanthe No, this doesn't have anything to do with that radioactive pterodactyl occasionally seen hanging out with Godzilla (that's Rodan to the uninitiated). Actually this one (which Erik first posted about here) stars Richard Gere as a doctor on his way to reconcile with his son. His trip takes an unexpected turn when he begins a love affair with an innkeeper whose loveless marriage is on the skids. Christopher Meloni plays the estranged husband, which doesn't seem all that different from his role on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. It looks like a competent production, but it just reeks of Bridges of Madison County. There may be something worthwhile here, but it's not my cup of tea. He's Just Not That Into You If nothing else, the cast of this adaptation of the novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo will make you sit up and take notice. Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, and Justin Long star with Barrymore also producing. The film follows several interconnecting stories, with the trailer showing us several romantic missteps that could easily come from any romantic comedy, but the cast is so top-notch that I find myself wanting to see more. This one hits theaters on October 24. Here's Elisabeth's take on the trailer.
As if he didn't have enough to do, what with all the films he's signed on to and with all the goodwill he's involved in with partner Angelina Jolie and, most importantly, with twins on the way, Brad Pitt will be co-designing a hotel and resort to be built in Dubai. According to Bloomberg, the actor will be a consultant with L.A. architecture firm Graft LLC, which is designing the 800-room hotel-resort for developer Zabeel Properties. Pitt said in a statement: "Acting is my career; architecture is my passion." He also noted that the hotel will feature environmentally friendly architecture, and will also "embrace [his] career in entertainment," whatever that means. Pitt has already been associated with Graft, which is working with the actor on plans to rebuild a Katrina-devastated neighborhood in New Orleans with 150 environmentally friendly homes.
I was never aware of Pitt's interest in architecture (apparently he's a huge admirer of the work of Charles Rennie MacKintosh and Frank Lloyd Wright and is even friends with Frank Gehry), but if Marvel Studios is still interested in the actor for the role of The Mighty Thor, they might want to alter their plans and focus the superhero film on temporary- Thor-replacement-turned-independent-superhero Thunderstrike, whose alter ego is an architect named Eric Masterson. And Marvel might want to also remind Pitt that Dubai is also the future location of a Marvel theme park, too. Surely there could be some sort of tie-in with the planned hotel-resort.
UPDATE: 
Now this is the kind of offbeat casting you expect out of Quentin Tarantino -- except that, really, it's not that unusual for him to cast his pals, so it makes a guy like 
At the rate Brazilian filmmaker 
The casting rumors for Quentin Tarantino's I
This past Sunday, The New York Times featured a popular 
After enduring 
He's portrayed a few iconic characters, including Shakespeare's Romeo and Howard Hughes, but could 
As if he didn't have enough to do, what with all the films he's signed on to and with all the goodwill he's involved in with partner 
