Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/DreamWorks Puts 'Real Steel' In Their Ringhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/24/dreamworks-puts-real-steel-in-their-ring/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/24/dreamworks-puts-real-steel-in-their-ring/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/24/dreamworks-puts-real-steel-in-their-ring/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

If you held out faint hope that Hugh Jackman wouldn't be helping Shawn Levy box robots, and would abandon it for a feature film adaptation of A Steady Rain, kiss it goodbye now. Variety reports that DreamWorks' Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have green-lit Real Steel, making it the studio's first big financial project since it split with Paramount, and had to find its own money.

Spielberg was attached to the project as executive producer when it was first announced, and it seems that it's been a real passion project for him. DreamWorks bought the project back in 2005, and it was one of the films they held onto after splitting from Paramount. "When we took it with us, we really highlighted it as something we would put the pedal to metal on," said DreamWorks co-president of production Mark Sourian. "It's a project that Steven always wanted to do. It just came together rapidly after we left Paramount." The film will be made for the relatively low budget of $80 million, and will begin production next June.

With a low budget to avoid Transformers excess, perhaps the magic of Spielberg and Richard Matheson can overcome the kiddie tendencies of Shawn Levy, and turn it into something special. A lot of commenters mentioned that Matheson's story was adapted into an episode of the Twilight Zone called Steel. Happily, it's online and I've embedded it below the jump. It really is a good episode, and while Levy keeps stressing that his Real Steel is grounded in its "father-son relationship," I hope it can retain a bit of Matheson's grit. I could be happy with a robot version of Million Dollar Baby.


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]]>DreamWorkshugh jackmanHughJackmanparamountreal steelRealSteelRichard MathesonRichardMathesonShawn LevyShawnLevysteven spielbergStevenSpielbergTwilight ZoneTwilightZoneElisabeth RappeTue, 24 Nov 2009 09:03:00 ESTReview: The Blind Sidehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/review-the-blind-side/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/review-the-blind-side/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/20/review-the-blind-side/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Blind Side

The trailers for The Blind Side triggered my "oh geez, another sports-related Triumph of the Human Spirit" cynicism, and I might not have seen the film at all if I hadn't been assigned to review it. That would have been my loss, and I experienced the lovely surprise of having a movie turn out far more enjoyable than I expected. The Blind Side has no twists or gimmicks other than being a very good example of a sports-related family film, with quality performances and writing.

The movie's title is a football reference, which the voiceover of Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) explains at the beginning. Michael Oher (Quenton Aaron) is sweating out a tough but unspecified situation in an office, when we flash back a few years and meet him as Big Mike. An African-American staff member at a mostly white Christian private school is trying to get his athletic son into the school, and the school's coach also spots some athletic potential in Big Mike, granting him a scholarship. Big Mike has terrible trouble keeping up in school, and when his friend's family stops helping him out, he is virtually homeless -- sleeping in the school gym, eating popcorn left there after events, wearing the same thin clothes daily.

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]]>CinematicalfilmJohn lee hancockJohnLeeHancockkathy batesKathyBatesmoviequenton aaronQuentonAaronsandra bullockSandraBullockthe blind sideTheBlindSidetim mcgrawTimMcgrawJette KernionFri, 20 Nov 2009 09:03:00 ESTStephen Frears Gears Up for 'High Fidelity' Reunionhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/06/stephen-frears-gears-up-for-high-fidelity-reunion/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/06/stephen-frears-gears-up-for-high-fidelity-reunion/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/06/stephen-frears-gears-up-for-high-fidelity-reunion/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Having dipped into the seductive waters of sexy courtesans, Stephen Frears is now looking towards the future, and the future's got lots of gambling. The trades are reporting that Frears is set to direct Lay the Favorite, a dramedy that will rejoin him with High Fidelity scribe D.V. De Vincentis. The project stems from an upcoming memoir by Beth Raymer called Lay the Favorite, Take the Dog, which will be published this Spring.

Now, why did I say trades and not pick one? That's because it's time to play Pick the Plot.

In one corner, we've got The Hollywood Reporter, who says that this is a world of "geeky gamblers" who "figure out how to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas for their own profit. It centers on a woman in her early thirties who has made a series of bad choices but achieves a redemption of sorts when she meets and then becomes involved with the gamblers." De Vincentis says: "This is the version of 50-year-old math geeks from Queens in basketball shorts who have pet guinea pigs."

In the other corner, we've got Variety describing the story as a "young woman's journey into the world of sports gambling. She starts out as a cocktail waitress but gets caught up in gambling until falling in love," calling it a cross between High Fidelity and The Grifters.

So, geek fest with gambling and a little romance thrown in for good measure, or a romantic world where a cocktail waitress can gamble her way to money ... and love. Which do you choose?

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]]>Beth RaymerBethRaymerCinematicalD.V. DeVincentisD.v.DevincentisLay the FavoriteLay the Favorite Take the DogLayTheFavoriteLayTheFavoriteTakeTheDogStephen FrearsStephenFrearsMonika BartyzelFri, 06 Nov 2009 15:32:00 ESTDanny Boyle Knows Where He'll Spend '127 Hours'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/danny-boyle-knows-where-hell-spend-127-hours/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/danny-boyle-knows-where-hell-spend-127-hours/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/05/danny-boyle-knows-where-hell-spend-127-hours/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

After a year of speculation (Will it be James Bond? Will it be Maximum City? Trainspotting 2?), Danny Boyle has finally settled on his next project. Variety reports that it will be 127 Hours, the tale of mountain climber Aron Ralston. Boyle has been loosely attached to the project since June when the LA Times reported that Boyle and Fox Searchlight had signed a long term, best friends forever deal. Boyle has already penned a treatment, and Simon Beaufoy is in talks to write the script.

In this age of flashmob media stories, you might have forgotten the tale of Ralston. Like your humble authoress and Balloon Boy, Ralston hails from Colorado. He became famous for a Utah climbing accident in 2003, when an 800 lb boulder shifted and crushed his hand. Ralston was forced to choose between life and limb, and in a stomach-turning story heard around the world, he amputated his own hand with a pocketknife. In the media frenzy that followed, Ralston was hailed as a hero and as an idiot, because he had chosen to go climbing alone and without notifying anyone. It was particularly intense locally, and I still remember the heroism debate Ralston sparked in my American Culture class. (It even inspired one student's final project!) Since those heady days of early fame, Ralston has enjoyed success with his autobiography, continues to climb, and is a motivational speaker.

The director is already on the casting hunt for the part of Ralston, which Variety declares will be "a plum job" because it will force an actor to work solo for most of the shoot. Below the jump, I've embedded a video of Ralston describing his amputation. Watch it to prepare for two hours of unflinching detail, and sound off on who you think should be lucky enough to act out a very painful 127 Hours.




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]]>127 Hours127HoursAron RalstonAronRalstonDanny BoyleDannyBoylefeaturedFox SearchlightFoxSearchlightSimon BeaufoySimonBeaufoyElisabeth RappeThu, 05 Nov 2009 10:33:00 EST"Matt Damon!" New Trailers for 'Invictus' and 'Green Zone'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/matt-damon-new-trailers-for-invictus-and-green-zone/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/matt-damon-new-trailers-for-invictus-and-green-zone/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/27/matt-damon-new-trailers-for-invictus-and-green-zone/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

August gave us the voice of Matt Damon in Ponyo, September gave us the inner voice of Matt Damon in The Informant!, and now October has brought us a look at his next two performances.

Clint Eastwood's Invictus is one of the last big likely contenders of the awards season, though it is as of yet unseen (unless those very few who have seen it are very good at being very quiet). Damon plays real-life rugby captain Francois Pienaar, whose team saw the support of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) as a rallying point around which they might lift the spirits of South Africa in the wake of apartheid. It's political! It's underdog! It's opening in December! It's Oscar bait for certain, and Apple has the exclusive trailer.

Paul Greengrass' Green Zone, on the other hand, was shuffled out of the Oscar race once Universal decided to sort out its slate after a lackluster summer at the box office, and that may have been a wise move. Yahoo's trailer (which is also embedded below) comes across as more of a straight-up actioner than a ready-made contender, with Damon back in Bourne mode as a betrayed soldier on the hunt first for WMDs, and then for answers. Based on the best-seller Imperial Life in the Emerald City, it opens on March 12, 2010.

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]]>amy ryanAmyRyanApartheidclint eastwoodClintEastwoodgreen zoneGreenZonegreg kinnearGregKinnearinvictusmatt damonMattDamonMorgan FreemanMorganFreemanPaul GreengrassPaulGreengrassrugbyRugbyWorldCupWilliam GossTue, 27 Oct 2009 22:32:00 ESTUPDATE: 'Rocky 7'? Really, Sly?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/rocky-7-really-sly/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/rocky-7-really-sly/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/rocky-7-really-sly/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sylvester StalloneTake this with a huge grain of salt -- make that smelling salts. Sylvester Stallone has told Tele5 Germany that he wants to make Rocky 7, even though it might embarrass his family and himself. A German-language transcript of the interview is available at the site; translated by Babel Fish, my interpretation is: 'I know people would laugh at it, as I would if someone were making The Godfather Part 10. Enough! But I also know that if I succeed, it will be because this is a film about aging, not about boxing. I know it will provoke criticism. Even my wife said to me, Leave it. You'll embarrass the children. But I said, if I do not try, I an a very unfortunate man. One must do it. Artists must go again and again through the dark.'

On the one hand, Rocky Balboa and whoever else he wants to keep alive from that universe are Stallone's characters -- he created them and has the right to do what he wants to with them. On the other hand ... c'mon, Sly! Wasn't Rocky Balboa all about aging and the character, rather than boxing itself? Admittedly, that turned out better than most of us thought it would. But if you really want to tackle the issue of aging, especially from your perspective of a 63-year-old man, why not dream big and create a new character who's not a boxer or a weary war vet or a mountain climber or an updated Charles Bronson? After all, originality is what brought us Rocky.

UPDATE: Apparently all the hype is over nothing as Sly's comments here were in the past tense and about Rocky Balboa, not any new Rocky film. That's not to say he won't decide to make another one for the hell of it, but for now that franchise remains closed.

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]]>featuredrocky 7Rocky7sylvester stalloneSylvesterStallonePeter MartinSun, 25 Oct 2009 11:02:00 ESTReview: The Damned Unitedhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/review-the-damned-united/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/review-the-damned-united/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/09/review-the-damned-united/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Brilliance and self-destruction go hand in hand in Tom Hooper's The Damned United, a portrait of English football coach Brian Clough and his decades-long obsession with the rival club Leeds United. But despite flashes of game play (from back when soccer was a "beautiful game, that needed to be played beautifully") and a brief, impressive bit of juggle-and-shoot by former player and star Michael Sheen, this is anything but the action-packed sports film you might expect. Rather, it's an account of a man desperate for recognition who burned a lot of bridges and made a lot of mistakes on the road to glory, the story of a legendary football coach before he ever became a legend and the personal demons that almost completely ruined him.

In his opening scene Hooper obscures Clough's head from view, the point being that Clough and his driving ambitions were a mystery to most. Why did Clough, an outspoken critic of the dirty tactics of the Leeds United club, take a job running it after the departure of his biggest professional rival, the celebrated manager Don Revie? As screenwriter Peter Morgan argues, it was Clough's desperate need for Revie's respect that drove him, and it all stemmed from one fateful 1967 match between Revie's league-dominating Leeds United and Clough's own Derby County.

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]]>Jen YamatoFri, 09 Oct 2009 13:40:00 ESTCinematical Seven: Scariest Movie Characters on Wheelshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/02/cinematical-seven-scariest-movie-characters-on-wheels/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/02/cinematical-seven-scariest-movie-characters-on-wheels/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/02/cinematical-seven-scariest-movie-characters-on-wheels/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


In this week's Whip It, director-star Drew Barrymore shines a loving light on one of the most brutal and devilishly entertaining sports around: roller derby. If you've ever seen a derby match, you know what I'm talking about: 60 minutes of fast-skating, bruising action between players with names like Axles of Evil and Juana Beat'n. In celebration of the badass beauties of the roller derby world and their Whip It counterparts - including Ellen Page as "Babe Ruthless," Kristin Wiig as "Maggie Mayhem," Barrymore as "Smashley Simpson," and Zoe Bell as "Bloody Holly" - here's a Cinematical Seven remembering some of the scariest, fiercest movie characters to ever lace up a pair of roller skates.


1. Rollergirl - Boogie Nights

In Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, Rollergirl (Heather Graham) is a fixture in Jack Horner's porn family who's up for anything but never, ever takes off those skates. She's young, blonde, and always ready like Freddie for some fun - but don't cross Rollergirl, or you might get a face full of wheels in return. When one unlucky frat boy insults her - and her fine feature films - he gets a sidewalk beating from Jack (Burt Reynolds) before Rollergirl glides over to give him the business end of her silver '70s four-wheelers.

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]]>Jen YamatoFri, 02 Oct 2009 21:02:00 ESTThe Ten Greatest Future Sports from Movieshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/the-ten-greatest-future-sports-from-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/the-ten-greatest-future-sports-from-movies/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/the-ten-greatest-future-sports-from-movies/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

'Rollerball' (1975)

After an advance screening of Drew Barrymore's rollicking, entertaining, and heartfelt Whip It, which opens tomorrow, some real-life roller derby players were asked about the movie's realism. (Ellen Page plays a teenage beauty pageant contestant who gets involved in the sport.) They all chimed in: "We don't get to give anyone bloody noses!"

Yes, sports movies based loosely on real life and set in the modern era tend to take liberties with the levels of violence involved in their sport. But sci-fi movies tend to ratchet up the bloody-nosed action to incredible levels, taking murder for granted. Life is cheap in the future, I suppose. With images of Ellen Page in roller skates and a faux-Girl Scout uniform in mind, not to mention the thought of Drew Barrymore herself with a bloody nose, I set off in search of the very best future sports movies -- and discovered that relatively few of any quality have been made. Thus, consider this list a sketchy compendium of what's out there. What am I missing? What future sports are not properly represented?

1. Rollerball in Rollerball
An easy choice, featuring James Caan at the height of his hard-bitten, rueful stardom in the 1970s. Norman Jewison's film is a self-righteous sermon about the dangers of thrill seeking, and a broadside against sports and popular entertainment in general. But when you have such exciting action in a sport that combines a hopped-up version of roller derby with football, chaos, and murder, who's complaining?

Read the rest over at SciFi Squad


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]]>back to the future part iiBackToTheFuturePartIifuture sportsFutureSportsholo chessHoloChesshoverboardjuggingjump ballJumpBallpod racePodRacerollerballsolarbabiesstar trekstar warsstarship troopersStarshipTroopersStarTrekStarWarsthe blood of heroesthe running manTheBloodOfHeroesTheRunningManthree-dimensional chessThree-dimensionalChessPeter MartinThu, 01 Oct 2009 16:45:00 ESTHugh Jackman Has 'Real Steel'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/hugh-jackman-has-real-steel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/hugh-jackman-has-real-steel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/01/hugh-jackman-has-real-steel/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

I would love to see Hugh Jackman in a boxing movie. It seems like he's long past due for one given his physical prowess, and he'd be a good fit for a Cinderella Man sort of tale. Unfortunately, he's decided to pursue the sport through robots and Shawn Levy, as Variety reports that he's in line for Real Steel.

Based on a story by Richard Matheson, Real Steel is probably best described as Rocky meets Wall-E and The Iron Giant. Jackman plays a professional boxer who has to hang up the gloves, and rearranges his life when human boxers are replaced by 2000 pound robots. Our obsolete fighter tries to go with the flow, and becomes a Robot Boxing promoter, but success constantly eludes him because all he can afford are crappy robot parts. Then one day, he discovers a discarded robot who has a distinct gift for winning. Wouldn't you know it, the ex-fighter also discovers he's the father of a 13 year old son, and they bond as their scrappy robot fights his way to the championship.

There's not going to be a lot of surprises with Real Steel (they'll be misfits who find each other, and build a family), and Levy's track record isn't particularly promising. Nor is Hollywood particularly good at adapting Matheson's work to the big screen. But with Steven Spielberg as executive producer (a job which reunites him distantly with Matheson), there might be some hope. Not much, but some. I really wish Jackman would take some time and pick another film like The Prestige or The Fountain, and steer clear of the goofy popcorn concepts.

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]]>DreamWorksfeaturedHugh JackmanHughJackmanReal SteelRealSteelRichard MathesonRichardMathesonShawn LevyShawnLevySteven SpielbergStevenSpielbergElisabeth RappeThu, 01 Oct 2009 10:45:00 EST'Secretariat' Gets More Solid Cast Membershttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/22/secretariat-gets-more-solid-cast-members/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/22/secretariat-gets-more-solid-cast-members/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/22/secretariat-gets-more-solid-cast-members/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Get ready for the sports waterworks, folks. Back in June, Jenni Miller wrote about the latest horse racing drama to cook up -- Secretariat, with Diane Lane attached to play the thoroughbred's owner, Penny Chenery. Now the major players are in place, and there's no doubt that Disney is prepping this is a big sports drama. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Dylan Walsh, John Malkovich, and Scott Glenn have joined the production, which began shooting this week.

Secretariat was the horse that broke a 25-year Triple Crown dry spell, setting world records and winning the final Belmont Stakes with an eye-goggling 31-length win (in other words, so far ahead that the horses behind look teeny). He's pretty much the horse amongst race fans, and is known for having the biggest recorded heart (22 lbs). But it all started with a coin toss.

THR says Glenn will play "a southern-bred aristocrat who loses the horse in a coin toss," although that's not quite how it plays out. Glenn must be Ogden Phipps, and as the story goes, there were coin tosses to discern who would get what horse. Phipps won the toss, but Penny Chenery scored an unborn foal in the deal who turned out to be Secretariat. Walsh will play Penny's husband, "a successful attorney who is accustomed to his wife being at his beck and call," and who is, undoubtedly, in line for a wake-up call. Finally, John Malkovich will play a trainer who underestimates the horse's power (Lucien Laurin?).

And they're off!

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]]>CinematicalDylan WalshDylanWalshJohn MalkovichJohnMalkovichScott GlennScottGlennSecretariatMonika BartyzelTue, 22 Sep 2009 16:02:00 ESTFrom Page to Screen: 'The Blind Side'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/31/from-page-to-screen-the-blind-side/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/31/from-page-to-screen-the-blind-side/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/31/from-page-to-screen-the-blind-side/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



One thing you hear a lot about the great HBO series The Wire is some variation on "it ruined all other cop shows for me." And it's true. The Wire was so smart about policework, so painfully realistic without sacrificing drama, that it made damn near everything else, with the obligatory gun-and-badge-scene clichés and pat little whodunnits, seem downright silly; ridiculous. Creators and writers David Simon and Ed Burns called the bluff of an entire genre. They stripped away the Hollywood varnish and made their peers look goofy, clueless, like so many deer staring at headlights.

Michael Lewis's The Blind Side isn't quite like that, but it's close. Certainly I will henceforth have trouble restraining gales of laughter at the naiveté of football movies about scrappy underdog quarterbacks who overcome the odds and lead their teams to victory. Or about the glory of college football. Or about players who make it to the NFL through sheer pluck and determination.

Even more so than The Wire to lame cop dramas, The Blind Side is an explicit rebuke to such stories. Straight up, Lewis (who also wrote Moneyball) says: it doesn't work that way. First of all, the quarterback isn't even that important. A coach with a handle on strategy and talent elsewhere on the roster, can, within reason, make damn near anyone look good throwing the ball. Second: who makes it to the NFL is determined, 99% of the time, not by persistence and heart, but by genetics. Size. Much more than you might think, shape. Innate athleticism that cannot be taught or learned. Depressingly, the selection process for great football prospects often resembles a state fair where people admire the girth and gait of cattle and "hmm" and point thoughtfully.

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]]>featuredjohn lee hancockJohnLeeHancockmichael lewisMichaelLewissandra bullockSandraBullockthe blind sideTheBlindSideEugene NovikovMon, 31 Aug 2009 19:15:00 ESTOur Favorite Montages: Rocky IVhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/28/our-favorite-montages-rocky-iv/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/28/our-favorite-montages-rocky-iv/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/28/our-favorite-montages-rocky-iv/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Naturally, when asked to pick a favorite montage I had to be painfully obvious and choose Rocky IV. If I could program Star Trek Holodeck adventures for myself, one of them would totally be set in Hollywood's version of the Cold War, where it was better to be dead than red, and nuclear war was just five minutes away unless Stallone or Schwarzenegger stepped in. This is the culture that spawned characters like Marvel's Black Widow, and I too want to be an agent provocateur for one side or the other. Preferably Russian. They always had the cool black outfits.

That's why I dig the Rocky IV montage. It's steeped in images of what America firmly believed the Soviet Union to be -- a country of superior technology and gigantic athletes that could totally crush us. This is the stuff of my Reagan era childhood, when my teachers told us we would inevitably fall to the hammer and sickle because the Soviets were just so relentlessly ruthless and badass. No one captures this better than Ivan Drago. To gaze on him is to look into Reagan's fear of the Evil Empire. Drago's the poster child for why we needed a lot of nukes in the 1980s. Even better, this montage also captures what we believed pre-Revolutionary Russia to be, which is clearly something out of Doctor Zhivago. Like Leo Tolstoy, Sylvester Stallone obviously believed that Russia lost its way when it strayed from its peasant soul, and he embraces its hearty lifestyle of serfdom in order to achieve true victory.

Watch the video after the jump


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]]>Our Favorite MontageOur Favorite MontagesOurFavoriteMontageOurFavoriteMontagesRocky IVRockyIvElisabeth RappeFri, 28 Aug 2009 15:02:00 ESTBilly Bob Boxes for 'Bull Durham's Ron Sheltonhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/billy-bob-boxes-for-bull-durhams-ron-shelton/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/billy-bob-boxes-for-bull-durhams-ron-shelton/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/08/22/billy-bob-boxes-for-bull-durhams-ron-shelton/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

When one F.X. Toole adaptation grabs a bunch of Oscars, what will happen to the next one?

Million Dollar Baby -- winner of Best Movie, Director, Supporting Actor, and Lead Actress -- was adapted from Toole's short story collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, and now The Hollywood Reporter posts that Pound for Pound is getting the big-screen indie treatment with the starring help of Billy Bob Thornton.

A full -- but unfinished -- posthumous novel this time around, Pound follows Dan Cooley, an ex-boxing contender who has outlived both his wife and children, and focuses on his grandson, who then gets killed. "As Cooley vacillates between booze-fueled suicidal thoughts and fantasies of homicidal vengeance, Hispanic teenager Eduardo 'Chicky' Garza y Duffy begins his troubled ascent in the amateur boxing world." In classic sports movie form, they will be able to offer each other redemption.

It's going to be quite interesting watching Billy Bob play an ex-boxer, but he's definitely the right fit for an aging, bitter, and boozy dude. As for the film, it's going to be written and directed by Ron Shelton, the man behind Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump, and Play it to the Bone. Could this be a return to Bull Durham form? That film was his first directorial stint, and grabbed the filmmaker his only Oscar nod.

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]]>Billy Bob ThorntonBillyBobThorntonCInematicalF.X. TooleF.x.ToolePound for PoundPoundForPoundRon SheltonRonSheltonMonika BartyzelSat, 22 Aug 2009 17:03:00 ESTSkate With This: First Trailer for Barrymore's 'Whip It'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/skate-with-this-first-trailer-for-barrymores-whip-it/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/skate-with-this-first-trailer-for-barrymores-whip-it/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/15/skate-with-this-first-trailer-for-barrymores-whip-it/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,



The trailer for Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It! has premiered over at Yahoo! Movies today and I think I'm going to give up film blogging and join the roller derby. I've always wanted to see a girl-oriented sports movie, and while my dreams were always pinned on ice hockey, anything on skates works for me!

Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavender, who rebels against her conservative, beauty-pageant loving parents to become a badass chick of the roller derby. She becomes a proud member of The Hurl Scouts, and does some fine elbow hits alongside Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Dinah Might (Juliette Lewis), and Malice in Wonderland (Kristen Wiig). It looks like a fun combination of an athletic underdog story and coming of age tale, with some healthy dashes of romance and girl power for color. Plus the hair and make-up rocks!

Check out the trailer embed after the jump. Whip It! hits theaters on October 9, and I sincerely hope that it's the first of many directorial gigs for Ms. Barrymore. It looks like she's got a winner her first time out.

Continue reading Skate With This: First Trailer for Barrymore's 'Whip It'

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]]>alia shawkatAliaShawkatDrew BarrymoreDrewBarrymoreEllen PageEllenPagefeaturedFox SearchlightFoxSearchlightgirl powerGirlPowerjuliette lewisJulietteLewiskristen wiigKristenWiigmarcia gay hardenMarciaGayHardenroller derbyRollerDerbyWhip ItWhipItElisabeth RappeWed, 15 Jul 2009 18:32:00 EST'Moneyball' Still Rolling at Sony, Aaron Sorkin Up to Bathttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/11/moneyball-still-rolling-at-sony-aaron-sorkin-up-to-bat/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/11/moneyball-still-rolling-at-sony-aaron-sorkin-up-to-bat/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/11/moneyball-still-rolling-at-sony-aaron-sorkin-up-to-bat/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

If you were absolutely heartbroken at the loss of Sony's Moneyball, cheer up! It's still alive and swinging. Variety reports that the project has been revived with some new talent, though now it's in desperate need of a new director.

The good news is that the man in charge of repairing it all is none other than Aaron Sorkin, who is riding high at Sony thanks to The Social Nework. Everyone's favorite screenwriter is taking a crack at Steve Zaillian's original script, and is expected to have it finished by August. Sorkin is steering it back to the film the studio wanted all along: a nice sports film that focuses on Billy Beane, the Oakland A's, underdogs, and statistics. It's also retained the services of Brad Pitt, who is still attached to play Beane.

The bad but not altogether unexpected news is that Steven Soderbergh is off the project. His draft took a more documentary approach that Sony was certain would fail with moviegoers. I guess we'll never know, but I can't really blame Sony for being afraid of an approach that used an animated Bill James character. At least the director has a million other projects he can turn to for comfort. Will it be Making Jack Falcone? Liberace? Cleo? None of the above and out of nowhere? Very possibly.

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]]>aaron sorkinAaronSorkinbilly beaneBillyBeanebrad pittBradPittMoneyballoakland athleticsOaklandAthleticssteve zailliansteven soderberghStevenSoderberghSteveZaillianElisabeth RappeSat, 11 Jul 2009 09:02:00 ESTSnag This: Hell on Wheelshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/snag-this-hell-on-wheels/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/snag-this-hell-on-wheels/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/24/snag-this-hell-on-wheels/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

'Hell on Wheels'Hot chicks! Cool nicknames! Broken bones! Director Bob Ray spent five years documenting a fledgling, all-female roller derby league in Austin, Texas, and the result is Hell on Wheels, an energetic, snappy flick that's both entertaining and informative. Our friends at SnagFilms have made it available for free online viewing.

Dan Policarpo (AKA Roller Derby Dan) birthed the idea of a 21st Century version of roller derby, whose initial popularity peaked decades ago. Women readily responded, and Policarpo picked four that he felt would be good team captains: Heather, Anya, Nancy, and April. After he exited, the four decided to forge ahead with plans for a league, forming Bad Girl Good Woman Productions, even though they had no business experience. After two years of struggle, the first bout is held in front of 350 fans. Soon after that, the four decide to incorporate, which provokes a heated response from the players, who felt that they should have a voice in the business. Eventually things come to a head, a new league is formed (Texas Rollergirls) and emotions become heated.

"You not only get to follow women struggling with the world of business, you get to watch some kickass roller derby," wrote Jette Kernion in her review when the film debuted at SXSW in 2007. "Hell on Wheels follows all sides of the league controversies and offers us glimpses into the lives of the women involved."

After the jump: Watch Hell on Wheels!

Continue reading Snag This: Hell on Wheels

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]]>bad girl good woman productionsBadGirlGoodWomanProductionsBGGWbob rayBobRayhell on wheelsHellOnWheelsTexas RollergirlsTexasRollergirlsPeter MartinWed, 24 Jun 2009 15:02:00 ESTColumbia Postpones Soderbergh's 'Moneyball'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/21/columbia-postpones-soderberghs-moneyball/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/21/columbia-postpones-soderberghs-moneyball/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/21/columbia-postpones-soderberghs-moneyball/#commentsFiled under: , ,

You know things are bad in Hollywood when a production gets shut down just three days before it's supposed to start filming -- and when the production in question stars Brad Pitt and is directed by Steven Soderbergh. The last three movies those guys made together all had the word Ocean's in the title. What gives?

Well, according to Variety, Columbia Pictures chair Amy Pascal found the latest script revisions for Moneyball so different from what she'd originally greenlighted that she pulled the plug on Friday. Filming was supposed to start in Phoenix on Monday. This is the equivalent of canceling a flight while the plane is accelerating down the runway. Those script revisions must have really been something. Maybe Soderbergh had decided to turn it into a four-hour biography of Pancho Villa.

Moneyball is based on a nonfiction book that uses the 2002 Oakland A's baseball team as a case study for examining how less wealthy teams can compete with richer ones (like the Yankees) by hiring players whose statistics in certain areas -- but not the ones usually considered, like batting averages and RBIs -- indicate they'll perform well. Yes, it's a book about statistics. You can see why a movie would be a hard sell to begin with. But the book was a bestseller, appealing to baseball fans (who tend to love statistics) and readers who enjoy a good underdog story. Pitt was to play A's manager Billy Beane, whose theories about which players would be most valuable went against conventional wisdom but were ultimately vindicated.

Continue reading Columbia Postpones Soderbergh's 'Moneyball'

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]]>brad pittBradPittmoneyballsteven soderberghStevenSoderberghEric D. SniderSun, 21 Jun 2009 20:02:00 ESTExclusive: 'Big Fan' Poster Premiere!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/exclusive-big-fan-poster-premiere/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/exclusive-big-fan-poster-premiere/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/18/exclusive-big-fan-poster-premiere/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Click image below to view entire poster

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Big Fan, one of my favorite films from this past Sundance Film Festival and a must-see for anyone who's ever taken their fandom a bit too far. Written and directed by The Wrestler screenwriter Robert Siegel, Big Fan stars Patton Oswalt as a lonely New York Giants fan living out his days as an overnight parking lot attendant on Staten Island whose obsession with his favorite football team leads to an unfortunate (and embarrassing) incident involving his favorite player -- forcing our big fan to choose between his team and the rest of his life.

From my Sundance review: "... this isn't a film about sports, it's a film about fandom -- about being so in love with something you go overboard and neglect your friends, your family and your life in order to feed your addiction. This isn't a comedy about the goofy football fan who gets off on chanting and screaming his team's name; it's instead a cold, lonely drama (with brief moments of awkward humor) about the neurotic football fan who'd give up everything (and I mean everything) to see his team make the playoffs."

For more on Big Fan, check out our Sundance interviews with Patton Oswalt and Robert Siegel, and check out the full poster by clicking the image below. Big Fan will hit theaters later this year.

Gallery: 'Big Fan' Movie Poster

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]]>big fanbig fan movie posterBigFanBigFanMoviePostercinematicalpatton oswaltPattonOswaltrobert siegelRobertSiegelErik DavisThu, 18 Jun 2009 12:32:00 ESTThat 'Karate Kid' Reboot Gets a New Scribe Full of Happynesshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/16/that-karate-kid-reboot-gets-a-new-scribe-full-of-happyness/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/16/that-karate-kid-reboot-gets-a-new-scribe-full-of-happyness/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/16/that-karate-kid-reboot-gets-a-new-scribe-full-of-happyness/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Like it or not, the Karate Kid reboot continues to fight its way forward. First came Jaden Smith, then Jackie Chan, and then a spanky new name in The Kung Fu Kid. Now The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports that the the film is getting some Happyness in the form of screenwriter Steven Conrad. Yes, the same man who wrote little Jaden and Papa Will's Pursuit of Happyness.

Chris Murphy was originally slipped into the screenwriter gig, but now Conrad has taken over the story. Instead of fightin' in the U.S. of A., the action travels overseas to Beijing, where a young kid named Dre (Smith) moves with his single mom (Taraji P. Henson ofHustle & Flow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Beyond the culture shock, this tyke must deal with jerky little bullies -- ones who will probably get a taste of justice after the kid finds a fighting mentor in a man named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan).

Conrad must be working fast, because the project will start filming next month. Now the only question that remains: what tone will this have? Feel-good teen fare? Sappy melodrama mixed with tormented tykes finding inner strength? Could it possibly have a whiff of humor a la The Promotion?

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]]>CinematicalKarate KidKarateKidKung Fu KidKungFuKidSteven ConradStevenConradThe Kung Fu KidTheKungFuKidMonika BartyzelTue, 16 Jun 2009 20:03:00 EST