ANOMALOUS MATERIAL

Mark Ruffalo to Co-Star with Scarlett Johansson In John Carney’s ‘Can A Song Save Your Life?’

Castor — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:16 +0000

Six years ago, writer/director John Carney surprised the film world with his wonderful music drama Once which he made on a tiny $160,000 budget. The filmmaker is back at it again with another intriguing music-oriented film, Can A Song Save Your Life? which already has Scarlett Johansson on board for the female lead. We have now received word that Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo has signed up to co-star.

The story would center on Gretta (Johansson), a young singer with big dreams of making it in the big city. She moves with her long-time boyfriend to New York so they can pursue their passion for music. She’s heartbroken when he dumps her for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, leaving Gretta all on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) stumbles upon her singing in a local bar and is immediately captivated by her raw talent and inspiring authenticity — they may be each other’s last chance to turn their lives around. Somewhere between friendship and their love of music, the two strangers strike a chord that captures the hearts of everyone around them, proving that every great story has its own soundtrack.

My interest for this movie is quickly rising. Ruffalo is an inspired choice for the role of the producer. He is excellent at playing these beaten-down yet likable characters. As for Johansson, you should probably expect the actress to do all her own singing, given that she has recorded Anywhere I Lay My Head, an album composed of one original song and ten cover version of Tom Waits songs. She also recorded a collaborative album, Break Up with Pete Yorn in 2009. While I’m not too familiar with her vocal talents, she seems to have a pleasant enough voice in the song below.

Interestingly, Judd Apatow will produce the movie, which has an estimated production budget of $10 million. Production will start in June.

‘Suburgatory’ Star Jane Levy Replaces Lily Collins In ‘Evil Dead’ Remake

Castor — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:30:56 +0000

Last month, we got wind that Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror) had to drop out of the Sam Raimi-produced Evil Dead remake. It seems as if director Fede Alvarez isn’t wasting any time finding a replacement as Deadline reports that Emma Stone-lookalike Jane Levy (ABC’s Suburgatory) will join the recently cast Shiloh Fernandez in the upcoming horror film.

The script by Diablo Cody will center on a young woman named Mia (Levy), who is recovering from a recent drug overdose and heads to a remote cabin in the woods to detox. As she struggles with her new-found sobriety, the other members of her group don’t immediately believe her when she claims that some really evil shit is happening around the place.

I’ve never heard of the TV show Suburgatory so I’m not too well-versed with either Levy or Fernandez as actors. Given that Sam Raimi directed the original film and is involved as a producer in the remake, I would imagine that he saw something he liked in both actors.

Production will take place in New Zealand in March. Evil Dead will visit movie theaters across the land on April 12, 2013.

Any thoughts on Jane Levy and the Evil Dead remake?

Review: ‘Big Miracle’ is a Heartwarming Crowd-Pleaser

Sam Fragoso — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:10:59 +0000

“Sometimes the best stories come from the most unexpected places”

To much disbelief, the quote above surprisingly fits Ken Kwapis’ family-friendly drama Big Miracle. While it’s nothing to write home about, here is a gentle and heartwarming film that displays warm affection for its subject matter without becoming unbearably sentimental or clichéd.

Inspired by a true story — a tagline that has about as much sincerity and validity as a Jerry Bruckheimer production — Big Miracle recreates a unique event that took place in 1988 Barrow, Alaska where three grey whales were trapped by impenetrable ice in the Artic circle.

Screenwriters Jack Amiel and Michael Begley, adapting Thomas Rose’s novel Freeing the Whales, recreate the whole atmosphere surrounding the rescue effort of the three beautiful beasts.

Our leading man is Adam Carlson (played by The Office’s John Krasinki), a small-time Anchorage news reporter who dreams of making it big on a network newscast. Adam discovers, with the help of some locals (including a Inuit kid named Nathan who looks up to Adam), the whales fighting for their lives in this seemingly unbreakable ice prison.

With the help of the media running Adam’s story worldwide, help to save the desperate whales arrive from all corners of the world. In particular, Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore), an environmental activist who happens to be Adam’s girlfriend once upon a time, shows up. We have other key players as well such as J.W. McGraw (Ten Danson), a typical moneymaking corporate executive who has big plans drilling oil in Alaska and Jill Jellard (Kristen Bell), a Barbie blonde newscaster who Adam is smitten with.

Using the Reagan presidency as a backdrop, Big Miracle’s recollection of history appears to be accurate. I won’t spoil if the whales live or die. It’s a Hollywood, commercially calibrated family film. You probably already know the outcome.

Ken Kwapis’ cinematic direction in Big Miracle is rather irrelevant: the story plays itself out. The heavy lifting is done by our central performers. Krasinski is note perfect as the charming and pragmatic reporter who cares about helping the native citizens of Barrow more than getting a hit story. Barrymore is second tier in comparison. Her character is annoying – a tree hugging activist who listens to no one and moans when decisions don’t go her way.

I suppose what keeps this film entertaining and watchable is its depiction of the global effort to save these whales. The joining of countries – if just for a second – symbolizes a global unity that is refreshing to witness. The behind-the-scenes reporting aspect of the film is fascinating as well, most specifically a few of the pan shots in which the camera shifts side to side from news outlet to news outlet.

While Big Miracle is wholly disengaging in its mid section, too long by a mile, and devoid of any truly memorable scenes, Kwapis’ has still concocted a crowd-pleasing film that will have its younger audience swoon in jubilation.

B-

Top 10 Movie Quarterbacks

Nick Prigge — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:05 +0000

Ah, and so it comes to pass – Super Bowl weekend. This Sunday people will take to their couches to eat chili and cold cuts, imbibe adult beverages in the afternoon, watch Madonna gallivant to a medley, and, of course, most importantly, see Tom Brady and his immaculate hair clash with Eli Manning and his confused expression masking a Lee Marvin-esque mercenary streak. (Important Note: The Giants will win. Why? Simple. They have an ex-Nebraska Cornhusker and the Patriots don’t. Game over. I don’t make the rules, people, that’s just how it works.) One can only hope the game provides a bit of drama worthy of the cinema, which, as it must, got me to thinking.

Over the years there have been numerous gridiron-set movies and, in turn, many dudes to helm the teams presented within. Thus, of all the movie quarterbacks presented to us, who are the ten best? In my humble estimation, it’s these.

10. Cappie (Charlie Sheen), Lucas

Although he’s rarely glimpsed in action with a pointed prolate spheroid in his hand, Cappie gets bonus points for playing against type and befriending Corey Haim’s loser/loner of the title and for being so nice to the kind-hearted Kerri Green’s cheerleader. He’s essentially Bizarro Ben Roethlisberger. If only this was Sheen’s legacy. Alas.

9. Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans), The Last Boy Scout

Tom Brady might be all this and Eli Manning might be all that but riddle me this: have either of those supposed hotshots rifled a tight spiral to save a man’s life while simultaneously riding a freaking horse? Didn’t think so. Let’s cool that Canton talk, guys.

8. Mike Winchell (Lucas Black), Friday Night Lights

Forced to deal not only with a stir crazy town that unfairly over-judges his every move, he also must overcome the loss of star running back Boobie Miles to guide his team to the state playoffs and the championship game. Respect.

“Everyone remembers Rod Tidwell. No one remembers who threw him the ball.”

7. John Swenson (Rick Johnson), Jerry Maguire

Oft-forgotten in the face of the diva antics of his star wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), let us not forget that Swenson quarterbacked the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs 13 years before Kurt Warner arrived on the scene and led his upstart squad to a Monday Night Football upset of the Dallas Cowboys at the peak of their Troy Aikman-led dynasty.

6. Paul Blake (Scott Bakula), Necessary Roughness

In spite of a team so motley it includes Sinbad, Kathy Ireland and Michael Bluth, the 34 year old Blake, who is granted to an opportunity after so many years to finally attend college and play ball, leads his porous Texas State squad to a stunning upset of the necessarily vaunted and top ranked University of Texas Colts, thereby re-proving why college football is the greatest sport in the world – even if your team sucks and only wins one game, that one game can make a whole season.

CONTINUE READING TOP 10 MOVIE QUARTERBACKS >>

Three New Images from ‘Snow White and The Huntsman’

Castor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:37:22 +0000

Rupert Sanders’ directorial debut Snow White and the Huntsman continues to look promising as Universal released three more stills to promote the film as a darker, grittier adaptation of the fairy tale. We are cautiously optimistic that Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and most particularly Charlize Theron will be able to make this a lot more badass and grown-up than you would expect from a traditional Snow White movie.

Adding more intrigue is the fact that the script was co-written by Evan Daugherty and Hossein Amini, who is behind the screenplay for Drive as well as a superb supporting cast that includes Nick Frost, Sam Claflin, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Lily Cole, and Bob Hoskins. In any case, below are three new stills, just released on the film’s Facebook page.

Snow White and the Huntsman will hit theaters on June 1.

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.