list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Walk the Line on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Walk_the_Line/245042/default.aspx Title: Walk the Line
Year: 2005
Director: James Mangold
Plot: James Mangold's Walk the Line tells the life story of country music legend Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), focusing primarily on the long courtship he had with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). The film is structured as an extended flashback opening with Cash readying to take the stage at his historic Folsom Prison Concert. The film touches on his childhood, relating a horrific early incident from his life and establishing the troubled relationship he would have with his father (Robert Patrick). Cash joins the military and leaves home. During his time in the armed services he begins writing songs and romances a hometown girl (Ginnifer Goodwin). After the end of his duty he settles down and attempts to begin a music career, but his wife has trouble adjusting to his dreams. Cash auditions for Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts), signs to Sun Records, and soon finds himself on tour with a roster of young soon to be legends that includes Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne). On this tour he meets June Carter, the daughter of the famous Carter family, and they take a liking to each other although she refuses any serious advances from him. Cash gains world wide fame thanks in part to the inspiration he gets from June, but eventually his marriage crumbles and he develops a serious drug addiction. The film is based on Cash's autobiographies. Phoenix and Witherspoon performed all of their own singing in the movie, just as Sissy Spacek and Beverly D'Angelo did in Coal Miner's Daughter a quarter-century before. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 166
Number of Lists: 90
Number of blog posts: 12
Number of discussion threads: 9
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:09:59 GMTWalk the Line2005James Mangold<a href="/players/P___101021/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>James Mangold</a>'s Walk the Line tells the life story of country music legend <a href="/players/P____84394/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Johnny Cash</a> (<a href="/players/P___199220/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Joaquin Phoenix</a>), focusing primarily on the long courtship he had with June Carter (<a href="/players/P____77086/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Reese Witherspoon</a>). The film is structured as an extended flashback opening with Cash readying to take the stage at his historic Folsom Prison Concert. The film touches on his childhood, relating a horrific early incident from his life and establishing the troubled relationship he would have with his father (<a href="/players/P___105784/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Patrick</a>). Cash joins the military and leaves home. During his time in the armed services he begins writing songs and romances a hometown girl (Ginnifer Goodwin). After the end of his duty he settles down and attempts to begin a music career, but his wife has trouble adjusting to his dreams. Cash auditions for Sam Phillips (<a href="/players/P___343925/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dallas Roberts</a>), signs to Sun Records, and soon finds himself on tour with a roster of young soon to be legends that includes Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne). On this tour he meets June Carter, the daughter of the famous Carter family, and they take a liking to each other although she refuses any serious advances from him. Cash gains world wide fame thanks in part to the inspiration he gets from June, but eventually his marriage crumbles and he develops a serious drug addiction. The film is based on Cash's autobiographies. Phoenix and Witherspoon performed all of their own singing in the movie, just as <a href="/players/P____67043/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sissy Spacek</a> and <a href="/players/P____16443/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Beverly D'Angelo</a> did in <a href=/films/6507/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Coal Miner's Daughter</a> a quarter-century before. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide166Tag Target (>10)901293http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u51706zp8hu.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Walk_the_Line/245042/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_mow/archive/2009/5/7/42171.aspx Post By: The_MOW
Post To: The_MOW Blog
Post Date: 5/7/2009 10:31:22 PM
Body: This is the true story of one of the most beloved acts and couples in Country music -- "The Man in Black" Johnny Cash and the love of his life, June Carter-Cash. I have to admit, biographical movies are not my favorite types of films. I watched this just because it was on my Yahoo Movies recommendation list, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with it. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are excellent as Johnny and June. Phoenix nails Johnny's mannerisms on stage, and starts to really look like "The Man in Black" as the movie progresses. Witherspoon was so good at her performance that she won the Oscar for Best Actress in this film. You hear some of Johnny and June's biggest hits from early in their careers together and as solo artists. What should surprise you is that they aren't lip-syncing, but each actor is singing the songs themselves. In my opinion, Phoenix sounded the most like who he was portraying, although Witherspoon does some pretty impressive vocals. The supporting cast was pretty weak. Most of the time, especially with those who portrayed famed music performers like Jerry Lee Lewis and "The King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley, I felt that they were there just to advance the story. One thing that surprised me was this was not the full story. We only get to see the very beginning of one of the greatest love stories in Country music. One thing I was kind of surprised was not touched upon was Johnny's journey to Christianity, but since this movie was targeted to the general audience, I kind of understand why this was not touched. The wardrobes and automobiles in this movie look very authentic, and help set the time perfectly. If you, like I am, are not a fan of biopics, I have to recommend this based only on the music and the strong performances of the lead actors. This might be a good rental for you to check out.
]]>Fri, 08 May 2009 02:31:22 GMTThe_MOWThe_MOW Blog5/7/2009 10:31:22 PMThis is the true story of one of the most beloved acts and couples in Country music -- "The Man in Black" Johnny Cash and the love of his life, June Carter-Cash. I have to admit, biographical movies are not my favorite types of films. I watched this just because it was on my Yahoo Movies recommendation list, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with it. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are excellent as Johnny and June. Phoenix nails Johnny's mannerisms on stage, and starts to really look like "The Man in Black" as the movie progresses. Witherspoon was so good at her performance that she won the Oscar for Best Actress in this film. You hear some of Johnny and June's biggest hits from early in their careers together and as solo artists. What should surprise you is that they aren't lip-syncing, but each actor is singing the songs themselves. In my opinion, Phoenix sounded the most like who he was portraying, although Witherspoon does some pretty impressive vocals. The supporting cast was pretty weak. Most of the time, especially with those who portrayed famed music performers like Jerry Lee Lewis and "The King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley, I felt that they were there just to advance the story. One thing that surprised me was this was not the full story. We only get to see the very beginning of one of the greatest love stories in Country music. One thing I was kind of surprised was not touched upon was Johnny's journey to Christianity, but since this movie was targeted to the general audience, I kind of understand why this was not touched. The wardrobes and automobiles in this movie look very authentic, and help set the time perfectly. If you, like I am, are not a fan of biopics, I have to recommend this based only on the music and the strong performances of the lead actors. This might be a good rental for you to check out. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/4/37942.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/4/2008 2:01:09 PM
Body: Who would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:01:09 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/4/2008 2:01:09 PMWho would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Games/Re_The_meeting/598/37807/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: csprague
Post To: Movie Games
Post Date: 12/1/2008 4:21:02 PM
Body: [quote user="Ravie13"] Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." [/quote] wow. that was impressive :) I want a divorce. lol. I can't believe that's a movie title.
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:21:02 GMTcspragueMovie Games12/1/2008 4:21:02 PM[quote user="Ravie13"] Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." [/quote] wow. that was impressive :) I want a divorce. lol. I can't believe that's a movie title. http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/11/30/37770.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 11/30/2008 8:19:41 PM
Body: Someone should alert that bloviating Bill O'Reilly that, between this film and last year's "Fred Claus," Vince Vaughn is launching his own one-man attack on Christmas. In "Four Christmases" he stars as Brad, a self-involved yuppie who marks the holiday by lying to his family about helping the underprivileged so that he and his live-in girlfriend Kate (played by Reese Witherspoon) can jet off to a tropical paradise. When a dense fog blankets the airport, their cancelled flight leads them into the homes and hearths of their various families. It follows the standard "Meet the Parents" formula, as their numerous familial oddities are trotted out and past skeletons unearthed, much to the cutesy couple's dismay. Each scenario is less amusing than the last. And, as Robert DeNiro demonstrated in the above-mentioned film, “Christmases” is quick to populate former serious actors in the wacky parents' roles (Look, it's Robert Duvall as a beer-swiggin' redneck! Sissy Spacek as a new-age hippie, Mary Steenburgen as a Jesus freak!) As we are forced to travel with them, countless questions arise (beyond the typical "how did this film get greenlit?" "who's this hard up for cash to accept a paycheck for this."). 1) Just how close do these families live to each other? Seriously, this is Jack Bauer territory, for only "24's" super-agent is capable of accomplishing so much in the course of a day. By the film's end, the two have sat through several holiday meals, installed a satellite dish on a roof, rehearsed and performed in a nativity play, stroll down memory lane with various family members, wash and dry clothes vomit-stained clothes, swear off children, want to have children, break up and make up (and please don't give me grief for ruining the end, you know exactly what you're getting in a film like this. 2) If they are skilled enough at lying to learn the Burmese saying for “Merry Christmas,” they certainly could have come up with a whopper to save them the time with certain members of the family, couldn't they? Brad's family alone has to be the most obnoxious clan of mouth-breathers (with Duval as his cruel, selfish dad and Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw as his loutish siblings), that any woman with half a brain would be hitchhiking her way back to San Fran. The film never gives us a sense that there is anything but contempt from any part of this clan. 3) After stridently defending their relationship at the beginning of the film, why change what ain't broke? Seriously, if they were content in their own little hermetically sealed relationship, there is little provided in this film for a persuasive argument to the testament of marriage and family? Just what happens with Kate when one minute the mere mention of children curls her lips as though she just sucked a lemon, to suddenly longing to have a child herself. Was it the scene when she's asked to look for poop in a diaper? Or perhaps it was the stench of curdled breast milk her little nephew spews on her. Either way, the transition was not once believable. 4) Just how large was that crafts services table to keep Vaughn happy? OK, I realize that this one is just plain mean, but really, he does not look healthy, resembling an older brother of Kevin (“King of Queens”) James with perhaps a chain-smoking problem. Vaughn does his shtick that has carried him through many a film, firing off lines as though it was an Olympic event. And while that works in more zany or sophisticated comedies (like “Old School” and “Swingers,” respectively), he's out of his element in sweet romantic comedies. His aggressive banter worked much better in "The Break-Up"," where he played a total ass in what can only be described as an anti-romantic comedy. Witherspoon is a non- entity here, in a role that any number of blondes could have filled. The sass so professionally shown in "Election," Legally Blonde and Walk the Line is tucked behind her perky Jennifer Anniston haircut. So, fruitcake, take a breather, you're about to be replaced. That oft-chided holiday gift tradition that is so spurned by recipients now has a cinematic substitute . The "Four Christmases" DVD should in the coming years be the one item recipients are loathe to get.
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:19:41 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog11/30/2008 8:19:41 PMSomeone should alert that bloviating Bill O'Reilly that, between this film and last year's "Fred Claus," Vince Vaughn is launching his own one-man attack on Christmas. In "Four Christmases" he stars as Brad, a self-involved yuppie who marks the holiday by lying to his family about helping the underprivileged so that he and his live-in girlfriend Kate (played by Reese Witherspoon) can jet off to a tropical paradise. When a dense fog blankets the airport, their cancelled flight leads them into the homes and hearths of their various families. It follows the standard "Meet the Parents" formula, as their numerous familial oddities are trotted out and past skeletons unearthed, much to the cutesy couple's dismay. Each scenario is less amusing than the last. And, as Robert DeNiro demonstrated in the above-mentioned film, &ldquo;Christmases&rdquo; is quick to populate former serious actors in the wacky parents' roles (Look, it's Robert Duvall as a beer-swiggin' redneck! Sissy Spacek as a new-age hippie, Mary Steenburgen as a Jesus freak!) As we are forced to travel with them, countless questions arise (beyond the typical "how did this film get greenlit?" "who's this hard up for cash to accept a paycheck for this."). 1) Just how close do these families live to each other? Seriously, this is Jack Bauer territory, for only "24's" super-agent is capable of accomplishing so much in the course of a day. By the film's end, the two have sat through several holiday meals, installed a satellite dish on a roof, rehearsed and performed in a nativity play, stroll down memory lane with various family members, wash and dry clothes vomit-stained clothes, swear off children, want to have children, break up and make up (and please don't give me grief for ruining the end, you know exactly what you're getting in a film like this. 2) If they are skilled enough at lying to learn the Burmese saying for &ldquo;Merry Christmas,&rdquo; they certainly could have come up with a whopper to save them the time with certain members of the family, couldn't they? Brad's family alone has to be the most obnoxious clan of mouth-breathers (with Duval as his cruel, selfish dad and Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw as his loutish siblings), that any woman with half a brain would be hitchhiking her way back to San Fran. The film never gives us a sense that there is anything but contempt from any part of this clan. 3) After stridently defending their relationship at the beginning of the film, why change what ain't broke? Seriously, if they were content in their own little hermetically sealed relationship, there is little provided in this film for a persuasive argument to the testament of marriage and family? Just what happens with Kate when one minute the mere mention of children curls her lips as though she just sucked a lemon, to suddenly longing to have a child herself. Was it the scene when she's asked to look for poop in a diaper? Or perhaps it was the stench of curdled breast milk her little nephew spews on her. Either way, the transition was not once believable. 4) Just how large was that crafts services table to keep Vaughn happy? OK, I realize that this one is just plain mean, but really, he does not look healthy, resembling an older brother of Kevin (&ldquo;King of Queens&rdquo;) James with perhaps a chain-smoking problem. Vaughn does his shtick that has carried him through many a film, firing off lines as though it was an Olympic event. And while that works in more zany or sophisticated comedies (like &ldquo;Old School&rdquo; and &ldquo;Swingers,&rdquo; respectively), he's out of his element in sweet romantic comedies. His aggressive banter worked much better in "The Break-Up"," where he played a total ass in what can only be described as an anti-romantic comedy. Witherspoon is a non- entity here, in a role that any number of blondes could have filled. The sass so professionally shown in "Election," Legally Blonde and Walk the Line is tucked behind her perky Jennifer Anniston haircut. So, fruitcake, take a breather, you're about to be replaced. That oft-chided holiday gift tradition that is so spurned by recipients now has a cinematic substitute . The "Four Christmases" DVD should in the coming years be the one item recipients are loathe to get. http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Games/The_meeting/598/37562/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Ravie13
Post To: Movie Games
Post Date: 11/23/2008 4:54:31 AM
Body: Sid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce."
]]>Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:54:31 GMTRavie13Movie Games11/23/2008 4:54:31 AMSid and Nancy were sitting in a delicatessen looking rather dazed and confused. Walking the Line between the good, the bad and the ugly they sipped on ther cocktails. It was the point of no return between them. They knew what they wanted and this meeting was the last resort. Nancy looked at him. She was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown but she kept up the charade of a happy-go-lucky valley girl. But, nervously, she pushed the drink away and looked into his tired eyes. "Sid, I want a divorce." http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/10/37156.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/10/2008 4:01:13 PM
Body: It happened last year for Cate Blanchett. The actress starred in a biopic that critics ripped to shreds, a film that basically bombed at the (American) box office, and yet she managed to score a Best Actress nomination for her reprised performance as the titular monarch of Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Additionally, Blanchett earned another nomination for Best Supporting Actress the same year, for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. Now Josh Brolin could achieve a similar feat this year, not just by earning separate nominations for playing the titular president of W. and portraying politician-turned-assassin Dan White in Milk, but also by overcoming the difficulty of earning recognition in a lead category for a film that otherwise is not very well regarded. Are Brolin’s hurdles higher than Blanchett’s, though? With all the praise he’s received for W., he’s still far from being considered a sure thing candidate, regardless of his worthiness or the Academy’s history of oftentimes ignoring the critics and the grosses when nominating dependable, standout actors. And boy, does Brolin stand out. Despite giving a strong, surprisingly grounded performance in W., the actor is almost in a world of his own in the film. The supporting players mostly miss their marks, whether through overshot caricature (Thandie Newton’s stroke-faced, alien-voiced Condoleeza Rice) or an apparent lack of effort (Scott Glenn looks bored and unrecognizable as Rumsfeld, while Toby Jones for some reason offers a Karl Rove who’s more huggable than slimy). Both problems may have been due to an unclear decision on the film’s intended tone, but regardless, the script is way too simpleminded, as if adapted from the sitting president’s Wikipedia page. Brolin is the only person who keeps the film interesting and engrossing by making the character his own rather than going for total impersonation. Some of his movements and inflections consist of outright aping, but his personalization allows for unpredictability in much of his execution. Certainly it’s a performance as good as Joaquin Phoenix’s in Walk the Line and Jamie Foxx’s in Ray. Perhaps if W. were about a musician-turned-president, with Brolin offering his own singing voice, his nomination would be more assured? So far it seems he’s hardly being considered. Sites ranking the actor’s chances in chart form include And the Winner Is…, which places him tenth in the running, Entertainment Weekly, which puts him alphabetically somewhere between ninth and thirteenth while calling him a long shot, Movie City News, which lists him seventh with a comment that he deserves the nom “111%”, and In Contention, which also puts him at seventh place. Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeff Wells merely includes him as one of eight contenders for the lead actor category, which is at least more of an approval than the others. So what are those hurdles that are keeping him out of the fortunate five? As of this past weekend, W. is down to 17th place in its fourth weekend at the box office, and it hasn’t yet even passed the $25 million mark domestically. Not that a film needs to be a hit with moviegoers to make a difference with the Academy, though, right? This time last year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age was similarly fading from the interests of ticket buyers in its fifth week, having made a meager $16 million. And of the ten Best Actor nominees of the last two years, half came from films that grossed less than W. Then there are the film’s poor reviews, which have earned W. a Metacritic score of 56. Compared to Elizabeth: The Golden Age’s score of 45, that’s not actually too much of a drawback. And if the Academy can nominate Sean Penn for I Am Sam in spite of that movie’s reception (Metacritic score of 28!), it shouldn’t have any problem with a performance from a picture that at least somewhat pleased more than 50% of critics. Of course, Penn was and is an Oscar vet. So was Blanchett, who had already been nominated for the same role in the first Elizabeth. It wouldn’t be surprising if some Academy members voted for her Elizabeth: The Golden Age performance without even having seen the movie. Meanwhile, Brolin’s greatest film honor as of yet is being one-seventh of the SAG Award-winning ensemble cast of No Country for Old Men. Last year he may have deserved a double nomination for his lead performance in that film and his supporting bit in American Gangster, but he failed to garner the Academy’s notice. Though some people see Brolin garnering two nominations this year as a way of making up for his prior snubs, the actor’s lack of past favor shall also be a disadvantage for him. The best way for him to be locked for a nomination is to receive some tremendous love from the early determining critics circle awards. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen, because actors like Penn and Mickey Rourke are bound to fill the hearts of those awards’ voters. Another hurdle seems to be the role Brolin plays, though not necessarily due to the focal figure being so contemporary. The portrait of President Bush is indeed one of the most present-minded biopics in years. However, with a retrospective window of only five years in its most recent setting, W. is hardly any different than The Queen, a not-quite-biopic film that presents an Oscar-winning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II set only nine years in the past. W. deals with a more touchy subject for Academy members, though, it being about a more disliked and derided leader who has actually been the president of most voters for the past eight years. And the same factors that are keeping audiences away from the film in theaters, regardless of what their politics may be, will probably similarly affect Academy voters’ hesitance to put on that screener DVD. If Academy voters aren’t willing to watch the performance now, though, perhaps they can give it the same twenty years they had between Nixon’s presidency and Oliver Stone’s biopic of that other unlikable president. Maybe in 2028 W. could be the innaugural film nominated in a much-needed future category that retroactively honors should-have-been-awarded performances? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:01:13 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/10/2008 4:01:13 PMIt happened last year for Cate Blanchett. The actress starred in a biopic that critics ripped to shreds, a film that basically bombed at the (American) box office, and yet she managed to score a Best Actress nomination for her reprised performance as the titular monarch of Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Additionally, Blanchett earned another nomination for Best Supporting Actress the same year, for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. Now Josh Brolin could achieve a similar feat this year, not just by earning separate nominations for playing the titular president of W. and portraying politician-turned-assassin Dan White in Milk, but also by overcoming the difficulty of earning recognition in a lead category for a film that otherwise is not very well regarded. Are Brolin’s hurdles higher than Blanchett’s, though? With all the praise he’s received for W., he’s still far from being considered a sure thing candidate, regardless of his worthiness or the Academy’s history of oftentimes ignoring the critics and the grosses when nominating dependable, standout actors. And boy, does Brolin stand out. Despite giving a strong, surprisingly grounded performance in W., the actor is almost in a world of his own in the film. The supporting players mostly miss their marks, whether through overshot caricature (Thandie Newton’s stroke-faced, alien-voiced Condoleeza Rice) or an apparent lack of effort (Scott Glenn looks bored and unrecognizable as Rumsfeld, while Toby Jones for some reason offers a Karl Rove who’s more huggable than slimy). Both problems may have been due to an unclear decision on the film’s intended tone, but regardless, the script is way too simpleminded, as if adapted from the sitting president’s Wikipedia page. Brolin is the only person who keeps the film interesting and engrossing by making the character his own rather than going for total impersonation. Some of his movements and inflections consist of outright aping, but his personalization allows for unpredictability in much of his execution. Certainly it’s a performance as good as Joaquin Phoenix’s in Walk the Line and Jamie Foxx’s in Ray. Perhaps if W. were about a musician-turned-president, with Brolin offering his own singing voice, his nomination would be more assured? So far it seems he’s hardly being considered. Sites ranking the actor’s chances in chart form include And the Winner Is…, which places him tenth in the running, Entertainment Weekly, which puts him alphabetically somewhere between ninth and thirteenth while calling him a long shot, Movie City News, which lists him seventh with a comment that he deserves the nom “111%”, and In Contention, which also puts him at seventh place. Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeff Wells merely includes him as one of eight contenders for the lead actor category, which is at least more of an approval than the others. So what are those hurdles that are keeping him out of the fortunate five? As of this past weekend, W. is down to 17th place in its fourth weekend at the box office, and it hasn’t yet even passed the $25 million mark domestically. Not that a film needs to be a hit with moviegoers to make a difference with the Academy, though, right? This time last year, Elizabeth: The Golden Age was similarly fading from the interests of ticket buyers in its fifth week, having made a meager $16 million. And of the ten Best Actor nominees of the last two years, half came from films that grossed less than W. Then there are the film’s poor reviews, which have earned W. a Metacritic score of 56. Compared to Elizabeth: The Golden Age’s score of 45, that’s not actually too much of a drawback. And if the Academy can nominate Sean Penn for I Am Sam in spite of that movie’s reception (Metacritic score of 28!), it shouldn’t have any problem with a performance from a picture that at least somewhat pleased more than 50% of critics. Of course, Penn was and is an Oscar vet. So was Blanchett, who had already been nominated for the same role in the first Elizabeth. It wouldn’t be surprising if some Academy members voted for her Elizabeth: The Golden Age performance without even having seen the movie. Meanwhile, Brolin’s greatest film honor as of yet is being one-seventh of the SAG Award-winning ensemble cast of No Country for Old Men. Last year he may have deserved a double nomination for his lead performance in that film and his supporting bit in American Gangster, but he failed to garner the Academy’s notice. Though some people see Brolin garnering two nominations this year as a way of making up for his prior snubs, the actor’s lack of past favor shall also be a disadvantage for him. The best way for him to be locked for a nomination is to receive some tremendous love from the early determining critics circle awards. Unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen, because actors like Penn and Mickey Rourke are bound to fill the hearts of those awards’ voters. Another hurdle seems to be the role Brolin plays, though not necessarily due to the focal figure being so contemporary. The portrait of President Bush is indeed one of the most present-minded biopics in years. However, with a retrospective window of only five years in its most recent setting, W. is hardly any different than The Queen, a not-quite-biopic film that presents an Oscar-winning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II set only nine years in the past. W. deals with a more touchy subject for Academy members, though, it being about a more disliked and derided leader who has actually been the president of most voters for the past eight years. And the same factors that are keeping audiences away from the film in theaters, regardless of what their politics may be, will probably similarly affect Academy voters’ hesitance to put on that screener DVD. If Academy voters aren’t willing to watch the performance now, though, perhaps they can give it the same twenty years they had between Nixon’s presidency and Oliver Stone’s biopic of that other unlikable president. Maybe in 2028 W. could be the innaugural film nominated in a much-needed future category that retroactively honors should-have-been-awarded performances? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Cast_BATMAN_3/563/33491/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: forticus
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 8/3/2008 7:38:52 PM
Body: Dear Mr. Nolan or To whom it may concern, The Dark Knight Returns. While a man hunt is issued for Batman’s capture his crusade for Gotham continues. I want to begin by keeping the realistic, post 911 world that Christopher Nolan has created in Begins and Dark Knight, by continuing to instill paranoia and chaos, the Joker created, thru new characters introduced in Batman 3 (The Dark Knight Returns). It's open season! In my version of Batman 3, I would introduce my spin of the Holiday Killer (son of Carmine Falcone). The Holiday Killer (Joaquin Phoenix) is a mysterious serial killer that begins murdering the helpless citizens of Gotham at random . The HK remains a mystery for most of the comic book stories, but his method is always the same. The HK's weapon is a .22 caliber pistol (using a rubber baby bottle nipple as the silencer) with the handle taped and the serial number filed off. Also, every crime takes place on a holiday and a small trinket representing each holiday is left behind at the crime scene. Beginning on Halloween and continuing for a full year until the next Halloween. There are red herrings that appear to deepen the mystery of the HK making it almost impossible for Gotham's finest to figure out who he is, pushing Gotham's Dark detective (Batman) to further evolve his detective skills that Nolan established in Dark Knight. Edward Enigma (Guy Pearce) , a paranoid, OCD employed by Wayne Enterprises becomes fixated on solving the mystery of the Holiday Killer. He deduces who the Holiday Killer is but every one ignores him. The longer the HK is left free the more Enigmas’ paranoia of becoming a victim grows. Enigma’s investigation of the HK Leads him to the underbelly of Gotham City where he witnesses a masked vigilante who shoots and kills a petty criminal. Enigma thinks the HK is Batman; he also thinks that Batman has seen his face. Enigma creates a disguise to protect his identity and vows to make Gotham citizens safe from the big bad bat once again. A lover of games he starts leaving Gordon riddles to help capture Batman. Gordon discards the riddles knowing Batman is not the Holiday Killer. Edward learns of this and forms the notion that there are two HKs working together and that they are Gordon and Batman . After the capture of the real Holiday Killer Batman's image is restored in the public eye. Edward believes that everything is a farce and that the American people have been lied to and demands justice on a grand scale. Edward vows once again to capture Batman and make him tell the truth. Let the games begin. Gregorian Falstaf ( Michael Keaton) is a reclusive billionaire and business rival of Bruce Wayne who time and again tries to put Wayne Enterprises out of business. I love the speculation of Philip Seymour Hoffman being approached for the role of a British Arms dealer AKA the Penguin ,since he would be perfect for the role.This makes sense because in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight, Batman dealt with the mob now let’s take care of the guns the criminals use. The chain smoking ,social elite Penguin, would make a cameo role in Batman 3 when Batman goes over seas to Europe. Doing this would open up a number of areas, it would allow Batman his James’s Bond moment like he had in Hong Kong (Dark Knight), it would introduce the Penguin for a future role, and it would further establish Gotham City as a real city and part of "our" world. I can imagine them calling him the Penguin because of his savvy tux, because of the way he walks and the black shiny gloves he wears to cover the disfigured shape of his hands both a result of a gun deal gone bad compliments of Batman. A further connection between the Penguin and Gotham City could be established by the viral marketing done for the Dark Knight. The marketing included a Gotham Times Newspaper Ad for the Iceberg Lounge, one of the Penguin's many establishments. You could provide the idea of Penguin owning the night club in which Batman confronted Maroni (Eric Roberts) in the Dark Knight. Penguin has established the club as a legitimate business front for his real operation of gun running for the criminals of Gotham. With the loss of Rachel Dawes, you would need to fill the role of the love interest, a character that not only Bruce Wayne desires but Batman can relate to. A woman that has her own dark secrets. Up curtain on Selena Kyle (Amy Adams), an ex-patient of Arkum Asylum. Selena is one of the many escapees at the end of Batman Begins. Selena already a head case was further traumatized during the escape when she was shot and left for dead in the alleys of the Narrows by frantic police officers. (lending to her dislike of guns) Selena is awed by the power and attention the masked bat commands from Gotham City‘s criminals. Selena becomes inspired by Batman to create a persona of her own with a taste for the theatrical. No respecter of person, Selena prowls through the night streets as a cat burglar terrorizing the police and stealing from the rich in order to feed her addiction to the Fear-toxin based drug Scarecrow was selling to the Russians at the beginning of Dark Knight. By day Selena poses as Vicki Vale a Psychiatrist at Arkum. Sickened with herself and the inadequate capture of her fellow inmates, Selena takes justice into her own hands and becomes the self proclaimed doctor of the “sick” prescribing her own version of medicine. Thus Cat woman is born. Scarecrow can still remain as a lesser villain confined in the walls of the newly established Arkum Asylum (for now). The character of Harvey Dent AKA Two-face will remain pending for future installments. (or are there two Holiday Killers?) Not enough praise can be given to Heath Ledger for the role he portrayed as Joker in Dark Knight. The essence of Heath Ledger’s Joker could never be created the same. With that in mind, the Joker character would not be re-invented or used for this movie. The greatest trick the devil ever played, was convincing the world he didn't exist. A scene at the end between Gordon and Batman would tie up any loose ends concerning the Joker. A prison break? Something like, With the help of a crooked cop (Harley Quinn) Joker escaped and vanished with out a trace except for leaving behind a harlequin jester card pinned to the cell wall by one of his knives. It's too soon to have a "new" joker like character. This leaves open the option of Harley Quinn being used in a 4th Batman movie as a copycat joker.Do you wanna know how she got those scars? Go filmspotting! New Roles played by: Holiday Killer…Joaquin Phoenix Edward Enigma…Guy Pearce Penguin…Philip Seymour Hoffman Cat woman…Amy Adams Gregorian Falstaf...Michael Keaton Honorable Mentions Holiday Killer...Jason Stratham ...Elias Koteas Edward Enigma...David Tennant ...Sam Rockwell Penguin...Albert Finney ...Stephen Graham Catwoman...Angelina Jolie...Sienna Miller Gregorian Falstaf...Tim Curry ...Chris Sarandon Sincerely, Brad Hawkins
]]>Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:38:52 GMTforticusFilmgaming8/3/2008 7:38:52 PM Dear Mr. Nolan or To whom it may concern, The Dark Knight Returns. While a man hunt is issued for Batman&rsquo;s capture his crusade for Gotham continues. I want to begin by keeping the realistic, post 911 world that Christopher Nolan has created in Begins and Dark Knight, by continuing to instill paranoia and chaos, the Joker created, thru new characters introduced in Batman 3 (The Dark Knight Returns). It's open season! In my version of Batman 3, I would introduce my spin of the Holiday Killer (son of Carmine Falcone). The Holiday Killer (Joaquin Phoenix) is a mysterious serial killer that begins murdering the helpless citizens of Gotham at random . The HK remains a mystery for most of the comic book stories, but his method is always the same. The HK's weapon is a .22 caliber pistol (using a rubber baby bottle nipple as the silencer) with the handle taped and the serial number filed off. Also, every crime takes place on a holiday and a small trinket representing each holiday is left behind at the crime scene. Beginning on Halloween and continuing for a full year until the next Halloween. There are red herrings that appear to deepen the mystery of the HK making it almost impossible for Gotham's finest to figure out who he is, pushing Gotham's Dark detective (Batman) to further evolve his detective skills that Nolan established in Dark Knight. Edward Enigma (Guy Pearce) , a paranoid, OCD employed by Wayne Enterprises becomes fixated on solving the mystery of the Holiday Killer. He deduces who the Holiday Killer is but every one ignores him. The longer the HK is left free the more Enigmas&rsquo; paranoia of becoming a victim grows. Enigma&rsquo;s investigation of the HK Leads him to the underbelly of Gotham City where he witnesses a masked vigilante who shoots and kills a petty criminal. Enigma thinks the HK is Batman; he also thinks that Batman has seen his face. Enigma creates a disguise to protect his identity and vows to make Gotham citizens safe from the big bad bat once again. A lover of games he starts leaving Gordon riddles to help capture Batman. Gordon discards the riddles knowing Batman is not the Holiday Killer. Edward learns of this and forms the notion that there are two HKs working together and that they are Gordon and Batman . After the capture of the real Holiday Killer Batman's image is restored in the public eye. Edward believes that everything is a farce and that the American people have been lied to and demands justice on a grand scale. Edward vows once again to capture Batman and make him tell the truth. Let the games begin. Gregorian Falstaf ( Michael Keaton) is a reclusive billionaire and business rival of Bruce Wayne who time and again tries to put Wayne Enterprises out of business. I love the speculation of Philip Seymour Hoffman being approached for the role of a British Arms dealer AKA the Penguin ,since he would be perfect for the role.This makes sense because in Christopher Nolan&rsquo;s Dark Knight, Batman dealt with the mob now let&rsquo;s take care of the guns the criminals use. The chain smoking ,social elite Penguin, would make a cameo role in Batman 3 when Batman goes over seas to Europe. Doing this would open up a number of areas, it would allow Batman his James&rsquo;s Bond moment like he had in Hong Kong (Dark Knight), it would introduce the Penguin for a future role, and it would further establish Gotham City as a real city and part of "our" world. I can imagine them calling him the Penguin because of his savvy tux, because of the way he walks and the black shiny gloves he wears to cover the disfigured shape of his hands both a result of a gun deal gone bad compliments of Batman. A further connection between the Penguin and Gotham City could be established by the viral marketing done for the Dark Knight. The marketing included a Gotham Times Newspaper Ad for the Iceberg Lounge, one of the Penguin's many establishments. You could provide the idea of Penguin owning the night club in which Batman confronted Maroni (Eric Roberts) in the Dark Knight. Penguin has established the club as a legitimate business front for his real operation of gun running for the criminals of Gotham. With the loss of Rachel Dawes, you would need to fill the role of the love interest, a character that not only Bruce Wayne desires but Batman can relate to. A woman that has her own dark secrets. Up curtain on Selena Kyle (Amy Adams), an ex-patient of Arkum Asylum. Selena is one of the many escapees at the end of Batman Begins. Selena already a head case was further traumatized during the escape when she was shot and left for dead in the alleys of the Narrows by frantic police officers. (lending to her dislike of guns) Selena is awed by the power and attention the masked bat commands from Gotham City&lsquo;s criminals. Selena becomes inspired by Batman to create a persona of her own with a taste for the theatrical. No respecter of person, Selena prowls through the night streets as a cat burglar terrorizing the police and stealing from the rich in order to feed her addiction to the Fear-toxin based drug Scarecrow was selling to the Russians at the beginning of Dark Knight. By day Selena poses as Vicki Vale a Psychiatrist at Arkum. Sickened with herself and the inadequate capture of her fellow inmates, Selena takes justice into her own hands and becomes the self proclaimed doctor of the &ldquo;sick&rdquo; prescribing her own version of medicine. Thus Cat woman is born. Scarecrow can still remain as a lesser villain confined in the walls of the newly established Arkum Asylum (for now). The character of Harvey Dent AKA Two-face will remain pending for future installments. (or are there two Holiday Killers?) Not enough praise can be given to Heath Ledger for the role he portrayed as Joker in Dark Knight. The essence of Heath Ledger&rsquo;s Joker could never be created the same. With that in mind, the Joker character would not be re-invented or used for this movie. The greatest trick the devil ever played, was convincing the world he didn't exist. A scene at the end between Gordon and Batman would tie up any loose ends concerning the Joker. A prison break? Something like, With the help of a crooked cop (Harley Quinn) Joker escaped and vanished with out a trace except for leaving behind a harlequin jester card pinned to the cell wall by one of his knives. It's too soon to have a "new" joker like character. This leaves open the option of Harley Quinn being used in a 4th Batman movie as a copycat joker.Do you wanna know how she got those scars? Go filmspotting! New Roles played by: Holiday Killer&hellip;Joaquin Phoenix Edward Enigma&hellip;Guy Pearce Penguin&hellip;Philip Seymour Hoffman Cat woman&hellip;Amy Adams Gregorian Falstaf...Michael Keaton Honorable Mentions Holiday Killer...Jason Stratham ...Elias Koteas Edward Enigma...David Tennant ...Sam Rockwell Penguin...Albert Finney ...Stephen Graham Catwoman...Angelina Jolie...Sienna Miller Gregorian Falstaf...Tim Curry ...Chris Sarandon Sincerely, Brad Hawkins http://www.spout.com/blogs/gambrel83/archive/2008/7/29/33240.aspx Post By: gambrel83
Post To: gambrel83 Blog
Post Date: 7/29/2008 2:54:43 PM
Body: Director: James Mangold Writer(s): Gill Dennis & James Mangold Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, & Robert Patrick Synopsis: An autobiographical look at the life of Johnny Cash. Looks at his family life, how he began his music career, his drug problem, and his love for June Carter. From a poor country life to his early recording sessions, to his performances in Folsom prison, his early life is filmed in vivid detail. Review: I was not a country music fan going into this movie, but I gained an appreciation for old time country and the man who defined it after I saw Walk the Line. Phoenix and Witherspoon are wonderful as Johnny and June Cash; they both sang all of their music and had wonderful chemistry on stage. The film highlights significant events in his childhood and early adulthood, and how they shaped him into the legend he would become later in life. The music itself was exciting and really drove the film. While the film perhaps dragged in some places, overall it was really well done and really captured the man in black.
]]>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:54:43 GMTgambrel83gambrel83 Blog7/29/2008 2:54:43 PMDirector: James Mangold Writer(s): Gill Dennis &amp; James Mangold Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, &amp; Robert Patrick Synopsis: An autobiographical look at the life of Johnny Cash. Looks at his family life, how he began his music career, his drug problem, and his love for June Carter. From a poor country life to his early recording sessions, to his performances in Folsom prison, his early life is filmed in vivid detail. Review: I was not a country music fan going into this movie, but I gained an appreciation for old time country and the man who defined it after I saw Walk the Line. Phoenix and Witherspoon are wonderful as Johnny and June Cash; they both sang all of their music and had wonderful chemistry on stage. The film highlights significant events in his childhood and early adulthood, and how they shaped him into the legend he would become later in life. The music itself was exciting and really drove the film. While the film perhaps dragged in some places, overall it was really well done and really captured the man in black. http://www.spout.com/blogs/mckinneyn/archive/2008/7/4/32147.aspx Post By: mckinneyn
Post To: mckinneyn Blog
Post Date: 7/4/2008 9:26:25 PM
Body: Being a huge Johnny fan I had high expectations for the movie and it still blew them out of the water. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were both phenomenal . They definitely deserved the nominations and awards that they received. I was amazed at how they sounded when they sang together. I had a hard time believing it was actually them performing all the songs. But not only that, but the story was amazing. I love any story that portrays humans as they really are: flawed but forgiven. It didn't bother me for a second that they didn't portray him as a great moral man and that they only alluded to his conversion to Christianity. Because the story they told was real. They didn't shy away from his mistakes, yet they still did a great job of showing many of great qualities that drew people to him. Overall a fantastic movie. A must see.
]]>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:26:25 GMTmckinneynmckinneyn Blog7/4/2008 9:26:25 PMBeing a huge Johnny fan I had high expectations for the movie and it still blew them out of the water. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were both phenomenal . They definitely deserved the nominations and awards that they received. I was amazed at how they sounded when they sang together. I had a hard time believing it was actually them performing all the songs. But not only that, but the story was amazing. I love any story that portrays humans as they really are: flawed but forgiven. It didn't bother me for a second that they didn't portray him as a great moral man and that they only alluded to his conversion to Christianity. Because the story they told was real. They didn't shy away from his mistakes, yet they still did a great job of showing many of great qualities that drew people to him. Overall a fantastic movie. A must see. http://www.spout.com/groups/Directors/Directors_and_remakes/406/18758/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: ShaunHuston
Post To: Directors
Post Date: 8/25/2007 2:50:00 PM
Body: Over on the Top 5 group, tmoney mentioned the forthcoming remake of 3:10 to Yuma in one of his contributions to the Westerns thread. This got me thinking about other directors who have, seemingly at least, chosen to cash in their chips from a particularly good year or stretch of years on a remake. In this case it looks as if James Mangold is turning Walk the Line around into 3:10 to Yuma. I also thought of Peter Jackson and King Kong, Gus Van Sant and Psycho, and Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's 11. This got me wondering if there are other examples of filmmakers choosing this path, and, if so, who and what was the film, and also why a director might choose to do this. Remakes are, more often than not, greeted with growns and skepticism, even though the record is actually mixed (Soderbergh's Ocean's 11, for example, is a much better film than the original, which is almost painfully bad and boring). But, given the widespread perception that remakes are jokes or wrong somehow, what is the attraction for the filmmaker?
]]>Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:50:00 GMTShaunHustonDirectors8/25/2007 2:50:00 PMOver on the Top 5 group, tmoney mentioned the forthcoming remake of 3:10 to Yuma in one of his contributions to the Westerns thread. This got me thinking about other directors who have, seemingly at least, chosen to cash in their chips from a particularly good year or stretch of years on a remake. In this case it looks as if James Mangold is turning Walk the Line around into 3:10 to Yuma. I also thought of Peter Jackson and King Kong, Gus Van Sant and Psycho, and Steven Soderbergh and Ocean&#39;s 11. This got me wondering if there are other examples of filmmakers choosing this path, and, if so, who and what was the film, and also why a director might choose to do this. Remakes are, more often than not, greeted with growns and skepticism, even though the record is actually mixed (Soderbergh&#39;s Ocean&#39;s 11, for example, is a much better film than the original, which is almost painfully bad and boring). But, given the widespread perception that remakes are jokes or wrong somehow, what is the attraction for the filmmaker? http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
Number of films tagged: 12478

Number of people who tagged: 338

Number of times used: 1480

]]>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:28:29 GMT124783381480Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/family/MemberTagFilms.aspxfamily
Number of films tagged: 6288

Number of people who tagged: 226

Number of times used: 1138

]]>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:09:21 GMT62882261138Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
Number of films tagged: 509

Number of people who tagged: 179

Number of times used: 921

]]>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:35 GMT509179921Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
Number of films tagged: 6791

Number of people who tagged: 154

Number of times used: 980

]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:42:20 GMT6791154980Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspxmusic
Number of films tagged: 4341

Number of people who tagged: 144

Number of times used: 481

]]>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:44 GMT4341144481Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/drugs/MemberTagFilms.aspxdrugs
Number of films tagged: 1643

Number of people who tagged: 130

Number of times used: 488

]]>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:36:00 GMT1643130488Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/relationships/MemberTagFilms.aspxrelationships
Number of films tagged: 203

Number of people who tagged: 74

Number of times used: 249

]]>Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:40:59 GMT20374249Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/marriage/MemberTagFilms.aspxmarriage
Number of films tagged: 3471

Number of people who tagged: 67

Number of times used: 267

]]>Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:39:11 GMT347167267Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/prison/MemberTagFilms.aspxprison
Number of films tagged: 2437

Number of people who tagged: 62

Number of times used: 167

]]>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:02:27 GMT243762167Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/addiction/MemberTagFilms.aspxaddiction
Number of films tagged: 553

Number of people who tagged: 59

Number of times used: 117

]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:57:35 GMT55359117Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/epic/MemberTagFilms.aspxepic
Number of films tagged: 63

Number of people who tagged: 58

Number of times used: 104

]]>Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:08:37 GMT6358104Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/inspiring/MemberTagFilms.aspxinspiring
Number of films tagged: 55

Number of people who tagged: 54

Number of times used: 84

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:15:30 GMT555484Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/fire/MemberTagFilms.aspxfire
Number of films tagged: 475

Number of people who tagged: 36

Number of times used: 70

]]>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:20:57 GMT4753670Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/biography/MemberTagFilms.aspxbiography
Number of films tagged: 56

Number of people who tagged: 30

Number of times used: 66

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:11:06 GMT563066Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cocaine/MemberTagFilms.aspxcocaine
Number of films tagged: 146

Number of people who tagged: 29

Number of times used: 91

]]>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:35:41 GMT1462991Tag