Movie Make-out

Earlier this year, I said that Mark Wahlberg must have breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Christian Bale and director David O. Russell came to the rescue of the production of a long-awaited project he has championed called The Fighter—based on the true story of how “Irish” Mickey Ward (played by Wahlberg, of course) became a championship lightweight boxer, aided by his former druggie half-brother (played by Bale).

If the negotiations reported last last night by Variety conclude successfully, he’s probably going to break out into a victory dance, for Amy Adams (the upcoming Julie & Julia) will be joining the cast as ”a gritty bartender from Massachusetts who ends up dating Wahlberg’s character.” THR also notes that Academy Award nominated actress Melissa Leo (Frozen River) has been cast as Wahlberg and Bale’s mother.

Shooting begins next month in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Related Posts: Christian Bale, David O. Russell to give Mark Wahlberg film a fighting chance

Honestly, I think this looks a little by-the-numbers, but Kristen Bell in a swimsuit for another hour and a half makes this a must-see for me.

Peter Billingsley’s Couples Retreat stars Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Malin Akerman, and Kali Hawk. The film opens October 9th.

Fresh off his widely-acclaimed debut feature, Moon, Duncan Jones has lined up his next project, Mute — a “thriller-mystery” ensemble, in contrast to Moon, which pretty much just starred Sam Rockwell and Sam Rockwell. (Plus Kevin Spacey’s voice.)

It’s actually a return to the project; according to JoBlo.com, Jones had been working on Mute before Moon was conceived and offered Rockwell the role of Mute’s villain, which he turned down. He enjoyed the script, however, the two “had a few meetings and eventually Moon was born.” Now, with Moon’s raves under his belt, he’s going to pick up where he left off.

Screen Daily reports the budget to be “up to $25 million,” roughly five times that of Moon, which still looked terrific. According to producer Stuart Fenegan, of London’s Liberty Films, “Mute is about a woman whose disappearance causes a mystery for her partner, a mute bartender. When she disappears, he has to go up against the city’s gangsters.”

Jones told Wired, “If Moon is an homage to Silent Running and Alien and Outland, then the next one is my homage to Blade Runner,” Jones said. “Not the same story, but definitely of the same spirit.” Mute will shoot in Berlin early next year.

Jones isn’t done basking in the critical glow of Moon yet, though; last night, it won the Michael Powell Award for  Best New British Feature at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Related Post: Moon review: Even in the future the Moon still kicks all kinds of ass.

Hemingway made it his home, while and Hollywood stars made it their playground. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a trio of movie producers are looking to bring some of that former lustre back to Havana, Cuba.

Based on the best-selling non-fiction novel by T.J. English, Havana Nocturne will tell the story of how American mobsters turned Havana into a primo vacation destination and how everything fell apart when Fidel Castro’s revolution came.

The three who are producing are Eric Eisner (Hamlet 2), Gil Adler (Superman Returns), and Shane McCarthy (Sweet Judy Blue Eyes); Matt Cirulnick (“South Beach”) is writing the screenplay.

I think that showcasing this part of Cuba’s history is pretty important to capture on film because so many classic films involve a subplot of going to Havana for a night of fun and freedom, like in Guys and Dolls where Miss Sarah Brown gets drunk on a rum drink that the Wall St. Journal has now more accurately described as a Doncellita.

To get to see and visualize what that period of time was like would be pretty cool; here’s hoping that they can get some great talent to go with this movie.

Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) finally hits the big screen properly with co-written and co-directed by Gervais The Invention of Lying. (Ghost Town doesn’t count, because it wasn’t particularly good, and because he didn’t write it.) Previously known as This Side of the Truth, Invention is set “in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.”

The Invention of Lying was co-written and co-directed by Gervais and Matthew Robinson and co-stars Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Guest, Martin Starr, Patrick Stewart, etc., etc., etc.

Related Post: Ricky Gervais speaks the Truth