Posts with tag DenzelWashington
Posted Jul 1st 2008 9:32AM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Action, Casting, Deals, Tom Cruise
We
reported several weeks ago that Tom Cruise was all but confirmed to play the U.S. president in
The 28th Amendment, a thriller that was to be directed by Phillip Noyce and co-star Denzel Washington. But now
Variety has delivered a hold-your-horses on that story,
saying Amendment is being set aside in favor of something else: an espionage thriller called
Edwin A. Salt.
This one will star
Cruise as a CIA agent accused of being a traitor. He has to go on the lam long enough to clear his name, find the real bad guy, etc.; you know the drill. The film has been in the works as a star vehicle for Cruise for some time, with Terry George and Peter Berg at various times attached to direct it. (The screenplay was written by Kurt Wimmer, author of the recent flop
Street Kings.) Now it looks like the reins will go to Noyce, who previously made the action flicks
Patriot Games and
Clear and Present Danger.
The 28th Amendment sounds fine, and no doubt it will still get made with a different director and co-star for Denzel. But I really like the sound of
Edwin A. Salt.
Noyce is a very solid director, with 2002's double-whammy of
Rabbit-Proof Fence and
The Quiet American still looming large in my memory, and he's generally made serious, respectable films (
Sliver notwithstanding). We don't know yet how Cruise's troubled
Valkyrie will turn out, but
Edwin A. Salt -- a heroic role guided by a smart director -- could be a wise move for his next project.
Posted Jun 27th 2008 5:33PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Sony, Scripts
Just so we are clear, the new script by
Wanted writers,
Michael Brandt and
Derek Haas, will have nothing to do with James Harriot's novel,
All Creatures Great and Small -- although it does make a little confusing since they have the same title. The Hollywood Reporter
announced that the duo have signed to complete a script for Sony and Original Films producer, Neil Moritz. According to Brandt, he and Haas came up with the idea after securing a blind deal with Sony, and
Creatures was the first project they wanted to pitch to the studio.
Creatures centers on a future where humans are vastly outnumbered by animals. Brandt describes a pretty bleak future for us bipeds in the script: "... where people are literally living in forts, and the animals are running free."
Continue reading 'Wanted' Scribes Take On 'All Creatures Great and Small'
Posted May 16th 2008 3:32PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Thrillers, Casting, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Tom Cruise
Luckily for
Tom Cruise, the latest rumors surrounding him have
nothing to do with Valkyrie -- for once, there's some good news for the much-maligned movie star (a round of applause, please, if you will). Yesterday, Moviehole
confirmed reports that Cruise is in talks to star as the US president in
Philip Noyce's DC thriller,
28th Amendment -- and according to their sources, an official announcement will be made as soon as the paperwork has been completed.
Cruise would star opposite
Denzel Washington as President Ben Cahill. Tom Cruise as President? Really? Plot follows the adventures of a commander-in-chief who learns that he has no real sway at the White House after uncovering a secret organization (run by Washington) that has been the 'power behind the throne' since WWII. Unfortunately for Cahill, this group has no qualms about bumping off presidents (grassy knoll, anyone?) and as he starts to put the pieces together, he becomes the next target -- which will probably give Cruise plenty of opportunities to show off
that run of his.
Continue reading Tom Cruise in Talks to Play President in '28th Amendment'?
Posted May 13th 2008 11:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Drama, New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels
Indiana Jones -- The Adventure Collection... or any of the three special editions --
Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Temple of Doom,
Last CrusadeWe're just over a week and a half away from seeing Harrison Ford run around as Indiana Jones for the first time in almost twenty years in
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and hopefully not collapse in an arthritic fit. Of course, that means putting out a collection for Indy buffs to buy -- just in time for a late-night triple feature before the big release. However, unlike the
Die Hard re-do, which stripped tons of extras away, and other releases that just fill up landfill space, there is a perk in this whole money-grab: aside from getting them as a collection, you can pick them up for the first time separately.
That's music to my ears, since I detest
Temple of Doom, and would be happy not to see it again. Pick up one, pick up a few, or pick them all up in the
Adventure Collection, which is just the three special editions in a fancy cardboard box. Each disc has a bunch of extras -- intros, interviews, special effects, storyboards, and more. Some is old footage, but there's lots of new bits as well -- including a look at
Skull on the
Last Crusade DVD.
Buy the Collection |
Buy Raiders |
Buy Doom |
Buy CrusadeContinue reading New DVD Picks of the Week: Indiana Jones & 'The Great Debaters'
Posted Apr 28th 2008 2:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Remakes and Sequels, Images
When putting together a remake, the powers that be usually find similar actors to fill the roles once immortalized by someone else. But sometimes, we get people entirely different. As
we have heard, there's a remake of
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three coming our way, titled
The Taking of Pelham 123. Instead of Walter Matthau, we're getting a whole different type of actor --
Denzel Washington, and now
Just Jared is sharing a peek at the man in action.
123 focuses on some armed, color-named gang members who hijack a subway car in New York City and take the train hostage in hopes of collecting a sweet ransom. Lt. Zachary Garber (Washington) has to make it all happen. Methinks things aren't going too well for Z in this scene.
I like Denzel and all, and I'm sure that he'll be great, but this isn't exactly new territory for him, and seeing this, I just want me some Walter Matthau. If you're feeling the same way, head through the jump.
Continue reading Pics from 'Pelham 123'
Posted Apr 24th 2008 1:32PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Fandom, Fan Rant
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Here's something you may or may not know about me: I love
Will Smith. Huge fan of the guy; I've thoroughly enjoyed almost all of his movies (I said,
almost) and he always gives you a good performance. Obviously, I'm not alone -- if you put Smith in a movie, any movie, you're pretty much guaranteed $100 million at the box office ... and that's a low estimate. However, when it comes to a Will Smith film -- be it small or large -- one thing is always a given: He's gonna play the good guy. His good guy will have flaws, sure, but what protagonist doesn't have flaws?
So as much as I love Will Smith and enjoy shelling out money for his movies, I'm beginning to think the guy needs to change things up a bit -- ie: when will big Willy take on the role of villain? And I don't mean the guy who's not quite good and not quite bad -- kinda shady, what have you (
Six Degrees doesn't count either; too early in his career) -- I mean the guy you don't want to cross. The guy who'll crush your skull if you spell his name wrong. The guy you want to drop off a building five minutes into the movie. THAT'S who I want to see Will Smith play. The big question is, though, could he pull it off? Not only that, but would he ever consider such a role in the first place?
Continue reading Fan Rant: Will Smith Needs to Play a Villain
Posted Apr 10th 2008 10:02PM by Peter Martin
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Cinematical Seven, Lists
What happens when men in blue, sworn to protect and to serve, fly out of control? If we're lucky, we get a good movie out of it. If we're
really lucky, we get a larger than life character to cheer and to fear. Are you feeling lucky, punk?
Keanu Reaves, of all people, will follow in the steel-toed shoes of some of cinema's finest as a cop who goes on an avenging rampage in David Ayer's
Street Kings, which opens tomorrow. That made me reflect on my favorite out of control cinematic cops, men in blue who break free from the laws of god and man. Let us know who we missed in the comments section. But be nice, or we'll track you down and crack you over the head with a night stick.
1.
Clint Eastwood, Dirty HarryClint is so cool as Harry Callahan that he can just glare at bad guys and they give themselves up. Dirty Harry never met a criminal he couldn't beat up, a sergeant he couldn't hate, or a partner he couldn't get killed. He can't help it: he married justice a long time ago and the blind old bat won't leave him alone until he takes out the garbage. Don't even think about getting in his way: he solved the Zodiac killings in 102 minutes!
Dirty Harry paved the way for several sequels and countless gruff, lone wolf outlaw police detectives.
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Out of Control Cops
Posted Apr 4th 2008 1:32PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Casting, RumorMonger, Scripts
Sure, we're getting more Bourne, according to
reports from February, but that doesn't mean we can't get more Robert Ludlum action thrills with a new leading man -- with or without more Jason Bourne. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, the next leading Ludlum man will be played by
Denzel Washington. There's a package creating buzz in studios that would bring the writer's
The Matarese Circle to the big screen, with Washington attached to play Bradley Scofield and
Michael Brandt and
Derek Haas, who recently penned
3:10 to Yuma, attached to write the script.
As THR describes it, the film focuses on "two secret agents -- an American and a Russian -- who must work together to fight a mysterious group of killers known as the Matarese. The twist: The agents, Bradley Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov, have been nemeses for years, with each responsible for killing someone close to the other." I like that -- two men who have to come together when they have a really good and solid reason not to -- it's not just professional distaste, a stolen lover, or a battle of egos.
Most of the major studios have heard the pitch, but as of yet, none have bitten. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time. How could they say no?
Posted Jan 18th 2008 5:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Fandom, Lists
I just love those lists that are supposed to represent the fandom of the general public. This is probably because my preferences rarely converge with them. Sure, some of my tastes are a little off the beaten path -- I'd pick Danny Huston over Brad Pitt, or Julie Delpy over Julia Roberts. That being said, I still love me some good mainstream. Yet I still find myself raising my brows when I read these lists, just as I did today when I saw the annual Harris Poll for America's favorite movie stars, which
Hollywood.com put up today. The order is surprising, as is the one lone oldie to the group.
Their results, counting down from 10 to 1:
10.
Bruce Willis9.
Sandra Bullock7. (tie)
Matt Damon &
Sean Connery6.
John Wayne5.
Will Smith4.
Julia Roberts3.
Johnny Depp2.
Tom Hanks1.
Denzel WashingtonYes, that's John Wayne there at number 6. Apparently he is the only actor to nab a spot on the poll every year since its inception in '94. Also, Depp is quickly working his way up the ranks, having moved up four positions from last year. Personally, I find the list surprising, and a bit sad in the realm of women in cinema. What say you?
Posted Jan 9th 2008 9:40AM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Awards
Best Actor (Drama)
Nominees:
George Clooney -- Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen -- Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington --American Gangster
Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood
Not much of a race here. The Cinematical staff (indeed much of the film-watching world in general) thinks that Mr. Day-Lewis is a dead-solid lock to win the Globe, the Oscar, and even the vaunted People's Choice. (As if "the people" want to see a three-hour movie about oil.) Even if
There Will Be Blood (somehow) leaves you cold, there's no denying that DDL's performance is a thing of thespianic beauty.
Now it's your turn to vote ...
Posted Dec 27th 2007 11:02AM by Patrick Walsh
Filed under: Drama, Awards, Casting, New Releases, The Weinstein Co., Interviews, Oscar Watch
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The Great Debaters is inspired by the true story of how professor Melvin B. Tolson (played by
Denzel Washington) formed the first debate team at Wiley College -- a black liberal arts institution -- in the 1930's Jim Crow south. The film was just nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture of the Year, and it co-stars
Forest Whitaker. Debaters is Washington's second film as a director (his first was
Antwone Fisher). Cinematical attended a press junket earlier this month with Washington and the film's young debaters:
Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, and
Denzel Whitaker. Yes, the co-star of a movie with Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker is named Denzel Whitaker! To avoid confusion, we'll refer to them as they refer to themselves -- Big Denzel (Washington) and Little Denzel (Whitaker).
What did you guys do to prepare for this film?BIG DENZEL: We set up a camp for the kids. I met Dr. Freeman, who is the debating coach at Texas Southern, which is one of the top debating schools in the country. I interviewed him and put him on film and asked if we could set up a little mini-camp for the young actors and he put them through their paces.
NP: We arrived and learned all about parliamentary and impromptu debate. Denzel was very adamant about us researching and knowing what we were talking about, and being well versed in the process of debate. So we got the Texas Southern University team, and they took us through it and gave us a class course. They told us we should be more persuasive, being that we're actors! So the first day we learned about debate, the second day we broke into teams and we debated. And the morning of, we were watching CNN and MSNBC and reading the
Wall Street Journal. You should have seen us, we took it very serious, and we defeated their freshman and sophomore team.
Continue reading Junket Report: The Great Debaters
Posted Dec 25th 2007 2:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Drama, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews, The Weinstein Co.
When you think of the classic 'sports movie' formula, you probably run through your favorite baseball or football movies, but make no mistake:
Denzel Washington's The Great Debaters is every bit the sports flick that
Hoosiers,
The Natural and
Remember the Titans are. It's only the extra-curriculars that have changed. Whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you, but if you're a big fan of totally predictable yet effectively entertaining "competition" movies, then there's very little chance you won't dig what's offered here. And even if you find the screenplay to be the pinnacle of all things obvious, the performances are still pretty excellent.
Plus, hell, if cheerleading is a sport, then so is debate.
Denzel Washington (directing his second film after 2002's
Antwone Fisher) does a reliably excellent job of elevating basic material -- when he's on the screen, anyway; his character here is Melvin B. Tolson, debating coach for a black Texas college. The year is 1935, the civil rights movement is just starting to gain (a little) traction, and Tolson (despite being an unquestionably dedicated educator) is in big trouble thanks to his "questionable" politics.
The latest debate team for Wiley College is a broadly interesting one: the soft-spoken girl, the passionate hunk, the youthful prodigy, and ... the chubby one. Again, it's a good thing this movie has such a strong cast. Each of the young actors do exceedingly fine work with some fairly one-note roles. As the angry yet powerfully articulate Henry Lowe,
Nate Parker is particularly excellent, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more movies from him in the future.
Continue reading Review: The Great Debaters
Posted Dec 20th 2007 12:02PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Drama, Awards, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Oscar Watch, Cinematical Indie
For some horrible reason
Josh Brolin continues to be left out of the awards season party this year, despite his terrific performances in
No Country for Old Men,
American Gangster and
In the Valley of Elah (he was also in
Planet Terror, the Robert Rodriguez half of
Grindhouse). All I can say is that I hope he continues to be offered great roles and never has to go back to being in movies like
Hollow Man and
Into the Blue. Meanwhile, his
No Country co-stars
Javier Bardem and
Tommy Lee Jones have been
nominated for Screen Actors Guild awards for their supporting roles. Bardem's presence in the category is not surprising -- he's the front-runner for the supporting Oscar, isn't he? -- but it's great to Jones here, since he's been ignored by the Golden Globes, the Golden Satellites and pretty much everything else.
Another surprise with the SAG nominees is
Ryan Gosling as best actor for
Lars and the Real Girl, beating possible contenders Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (also missing from the supporting category) and Tom Hanks. Also, there's sweet little old
Ruby Dee in the supporting actress race for having the cutest reaction to being given a mansion (and for later putting Denzel in his place) in
American Gangster. She goes up against the usual 2007 supporting actress contenders
Cate Blanchett,
Amy Ryan and
Tilda Swinton, as well as somewhat surprising addition
Catherine Keener, who helped to make
Into the Wild the top receiver of nominations with four -- others include
Emile Hirsch,
Hal Holbrook and ensemble cast. Other ensemble casts nominated include those of
Hairspray (no single acting noms),
3:10 to Yuma (no single acting noms),
No Country for Old Men, and
American Gangster. Very, very, very surprisingly left out of this category is
Juno (Ellen Page is nominated for best actress, however).
This year the SAG Awards are introducing two new categories. They are both for best stunt ensemble, one for film and one for television. The film category features nominees
The Bourne Identity,
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,
I Am Legend,
300 and
The Kingdom. The rest of the motion picture nominees and categories can be found after the jump or over on
Moviefone.
Continue reading SAG Announces Nominees
Posted Nov 13th 2007 10:02AM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: New Releases, Universal
Last week I went to see
American Gangster and had a terrible problem figuring out where certain scenes were supposed to be taking place. Basically, I kept seeing familiar Brooklyn locations and assuming the scenes took place in Brooklyn. But in reality these scenes were supposed to be accepted as being in New Jersey. So, throughout the first half of the movie, I didn't get that Richie Roberts (
Russell Crowe) lived and worked in the Garden State. Instead, I kept associating him with McCarren Park and other Williamsburg locales. The main confusion, though, stemmed from one early scene in particular, which features the Williamsburg Bridge prominently in the background. Where in New Jersey could this be intended to be? Sure, I can understand filming in Brooklyn and pretending it's elsewhere, but to use such a glaring landmark seems strange. Had the scene been shot from the opposite direction, the bridge wouldn't have been there. And this is a film that apparently used a computer to digitally add in the World Trade Center. So, there had to be some seriousness when it came to the film's locations.
Many of us have watched movies where we know the exact filming location of a particular scene. Often, we notice the movie has taken liberties with the location, such as when a character leaves a familiar building and then appears to walk across the street, yet the other side of the street is (known to us to be) actually somewhere across town. Whatever, that's the magic of the movies. But it's different when the movie is substituting one location for another yet includes a well-known structure such as a bridge. On an elevated level, it'd be like filming in San Franciso and calling it Seattle, yet clearly featuring the Golden Gate Bridge in a number of shots. Okay, that is obviously a too extreme case, as everyone recognizes the Golden Gate and maybe only us New Yorkers recognize the Williamsburg. In any event, I ask you: when have a movie's filming locations been so off that they disrupted your whole sense of setting?
Posted Nov 6th 2007 1:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
When the passionate, inspirational teacher and poet stands on a desk, you know he means business. Robin Williams did it as John Keating in
Dead Poets Society, and now
Denzel Washington is doing it as
Melvin B. Tolson in the latest educational drama,
The Great Debaters. A trailer has finally been released on the web, over at
Yahoo, and while it starts off with a very recognizable attention-getter, it's still looking pretty darned good in its own right. Granted, I grew up watching school flicks with my dad, so it does hit a soft spot.
Regardless, I have a feeling this flick will do well. Denzel's second directorial effort,
Debaters co-stars
Forest Whitaker and
Kimberly Elise, and it focuses on Tolson, a Texas professor at Wiley College in the '30s. He brought together a collection of his African-American students and created the school's first debate team, which went on to win a televised championship at Harvard. Tolson is snarky, rabble-rousing, and rebellious, which makes him prime meat for an inspirational drama. The film will be released next month, as Santa delivers his annual supply of coal and presents.
Funny site note: Correct me if I'm wrong, but looking at the trailer, it looks like young co-star
Denzel Whitaker, who sounds like a love child between Washington and Whitaker, is playing Forest's son. While he has no relation to either actor, he was named after Denzel. Talk about a dream come true for those parents!
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