DANIEL DAY LEWIS is killing me – Joan Finch

Okay, been awhile. But face it…you haven’t noticed really.  Anyway-

Been looking at some of the new films coming in out and spotted Lincoln (2012) on the main page of imdb. I’m looking at the poster wondering if it’s a biopic or some space ninja version when I notice Daniel Day Lewis above his head. I get that he’s a good actor but HOLY HANDGRENADE he’s not the only actor in LA is he?  There’s probably some sort of plan in development that will make it possible for Daniel Day Lewis to be in every film but they’re having trouble with the cloning process.

Development: “Heard casting was having a hard time with some of our new projects. What are they?”

Lowly Assistant: “Well, sir. Churchill needs a lead.”

Development Big Wig: “Get Daniel Day Lewis. He can do the accent.”

Assistant: “There’s also that Lewis and Clark biopic.”

Development: “Oh, Daniel’s good for that.”

Assistant: “Which part?”

Development: “Both. We’ve got wigs.”

Assistant: “Sandlot 5 is looking at some local high school students...”

Development: “That doesn’t film till the spring, let’s get Daniel to come in for some CGI tests. Oh, and how’s Wonder Woman coming along?”

Assistant: “They’re good. Yeah, don’t worry about that.”

You know what...he'll probubly do a great job of it and he is close in appearance but COME ON. It doesn't help that theres been a run of Lincoln-esque films lately.  It was a joke in school and its even more frustrating at this moment. Why must it always be Daniel Day Lewis? They’re making it such a cliché I’m not really interested in going to see Lincoln. 

Mini Rant over.

Alterna-tainment: Webseries - Joan Finch

     I highly reccomend you check out the Platoon of Power Squadron, a.k.a. POPS, on PineappleBoyFilms channel. Youtuber Jake Jarvi wrote and directed this series about four roommates who are dealing with their superpowers. Jarvi also stars in POPS with his real life wife Eliza. It has a rough start but its really entertaining and each episode, which air in several parts, is more impressive and well crafted than the previous one. There have been 5 episodes so far and 6 and 7 are on the way. Get caught up before episode 6 airs. It won't be hard, they go really quickly. 

     Jarvi keeps his audience updated with his blog and weekly vlogs (video blogs). Its a really cool thing they've done with building the series and have a strong community around the show.

     Dragon Age: Redemption is a 6 part webseries from Bioware staring Felicia Day based on one of their popular video games. Even if you haven't played Dragon Age you should give the series a watch. It's got incredible production value for a webseries. The storys interesting, the acting and swordplay are convincing. It has a satisfying conclusion and a series like this is a fun variation of the web genre. 

Honorable mention is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog since I'm trusting everyones already seen it many times.

New Arrested Development Episodes - Joan Finch

Caught this article floating around the interweb about Ron Howard gathering up the old Arrested Development cast for some new episodes to show on Netflix.

For my many friends with a taste for this I just wanted to share. Hopefully this will increase the chances of my favorite cancelled shows to get a second life.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - Joan Finch

     I don't have too much to say about this film which shouldn't be interpreted as a black mark on the film itself. Truthfully I feel ambiguous about it. Neither dull or exceptional it comes immediately to mind as calculating. It's like walking the circumference of a large abstraction, trying to figure out its purpose. 

     Tinker Tailor was originally a novel adapted previously for television in 1979 by the BBC.  The story is set in the Cold War era of the 70's concerning the investigation of a double agent inside the British Secret Service. You've probably heard about it and if you've seen the trailer then you know it has a stellar cast. 

     It's the type of story with long pauses and little dialogue which means you sometimes have to explain the subtext to your fellow movie goers. This is the same with the frequent flashbacks. There is a lot to like about Tinker Tailor including some suburb acting. 

     It felt long and thats the worse thing I can say about it. As I realized I had fifty minutes of runtime left I just thought 'Really?'.  'They can keep this going for another hour?'. And they did. Even at the resolution there was no rushing. Discovering the identity of the trader was over in a moment. There was tension but no action, no fight. This is not Bond after all.  It worked though and all the elements of the film make sense. 

Gordon-Levitt Directs - Joan Finch

Just read an article on Variety.com about Julianne Moore taking a part in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new film. Variety couldn't confirm much about the project. No name. No plot. But the Wondergods of the International Movie Data Base have it down as Don Jon's Addiction. Sorta lame but alright. The storyline imdb has is about a modern Don Juan trying to be selfless. 

Written by and starring the man himself along with Scarlett Johansson this will be a directing first for Joseph. So uninspiring storyline and lame title be damned, I'm still excited to hear more about it. 

There are a half dozen films in the works this year with Joseph Gordon-Levitt including the new Batman sequel and a Lincoln bio-pic. (Not the vampire one)

And suddenly I'm wanting to rent Inception. Huh.

Bad Recomendations - Joan Finch

By and large the source of most bad recommendations is the trailer. Whether its a television promo or feature trailer the one thing you can count on is that they are going to lie to you. How much is relative but you can be sure they aren't going to show you the bad. Its like politics in that way. The more you participate in the process the more apt you are to see a sucker coming a mile away.  It they tell you the whole story in the trailer, if they rely too heavily on action sequences, if you can figure out the ending from the minute and a half video clip....that's a BAD sign.
Its far more difficult to avoid the bad recommendations when they come from friends. These people know you, right? Whoever suggested The Ninth Gate and Silent Hill to me really should rethink the giving recommendations ever. If there's anything I dislike more than horror films with no plot I could think of them after watching these two flops.
But there is a way to avoid this misleading pitfall.  Get to know what your friends favorite and most watched films are. For example I won't consider the advice of anyone whose watched more than one of the Hostle or Saw series. People who know me know my most watch tv shows and films because I talk about them. The slightest references sends me into an hour long rant about how great Doctor Who is, How unexpectedly awesome Pandorum was, & How the brilliant Joss Whedon should be my pen pal, etc. If you like your friends favorites than your onto a good source of recommendations. And hopefully, won't find yourself considering the quickest path to the theatre exits.

Five New Films You've Never Heard Of - Joan Finch

I love finding out about new films and as I was looking at upcoming March releases I came across 5 interesting ones you may not know about. 

Friends With Kids is about a pair of singles whose friends have all become married parents & who decide to have a kid together. But apparently not be together. Thats some serious peer pressure. The cast has echos of last years Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm and Chris O'Dowd. 

It's a directorial debut for actress Jennifer Westfedlt who also wrote and stars in Friends with real life beau Jon Hamm. 

Being Flynn stars Paul Dano and Robert De Niro as father and son struggling with ideas of identity and the father/son relationship. It's based on the personal memoir of Director Paul Weitz who also directed About A Boy and lest I forget...American Pie. Really a surprising mix of films from this guy. 

Jeff, Who Lives at Home looks like a existential comedy but it's being talked about as a variety of genres.  The words 'tonal strangeness' were used to describe it. Brothers Mark and Jay Duplass are unfamiliar to me but it seems like none of their previous work fits well into conventional 'types'.  

Jeff is played by Jason Segel co-starring with Ed Helms, Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon. I don't really know what to make of this one. I'm going to have to see it. 

The Deep Blue Sea is a period piece with a small cast about a love affair and its players. It stars Rachel Weisz, Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston  respectively as the wife, the husband and the other man. Deep Blue is written and directed by Terence Davies who has a background in theatre and apparently sought Weisz out for the part. I'm a big fan of Rachel Weisz and hopefully she gets to flex her acting muscles. 

Based on the trailer it's also going to be visually stunning. 

Turn Me On, Dammit! is a Norwegian film starring unknown actors with inconceivable yet beautiful names. It's billed as a coming-of-age story and looks like it has a lot of angst, attempted rebellion, social exile, as well as, hormone fueled fantasizing. It's like it's about sex without actually having any. 

Turn Me On is by a female filmmaker named Jannicke Systad Jacobsen. Frankly, the rather spoilery review I read mead it sound pretty great.

Also Mentionable: Detachment with Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks, James Cann & Lucy Liu.  Indiewire.com describes it as, “a unique and stylized portrait of the American Education system seen through the eyes of substitute teacher Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody).”  Thats a great pitch coming from people who gave it a terrible review. Probably will not be eager for Detachment.

While these may not be coming out in your area they may be worth tracking down. If you're curious about one of these...which was the point...there are some reviews and summaries on imdb.com and The Hollywood Reporter you can check out for more info.

Neverland - Joan Finch

     It is commonly accepted that most of the original content SyFy produces is cringeworthy, however, they regularly rock the mini-series format. See Alice immediately for ample proof. Tonight they're starting the 2 night Neverland epic at 8 o'clock central and I'll be watching. Hopeful. 

Poster for Syfy's Neverland

     The internet whispers say its the origin story to the Barrie universe of Hook and Pan. Peter's first foray into the wonderland of endless childhood. Sounds lovely and the trailer is pretty impressive as well. 

     There's some intriguing casting going on here. Rhys Ifans is James Hook, Keira Knightley as Tinker Bell, the brilliant reprise of Bob Hoskins' Smee and a special treat for Pushing Daisies fans in Anna Friel as Captain Elizabeth Bonny. My nerdy senses are tingling. 

Dial M for Murder (1954) - Joan Finch

     A great film from that great era of murder mysteries when men wore coats and ties to dinner and thoughtfully planned out their wife's murder.  The American Film Institute listed Dial M among the top ten greatest mystery films of all time. Not surprising as this is a Hitchcock film, the master of suspense himself, but it surprised me to learn Dial M was adapted from a stage play by Frederick Knott.  Staged like a play the majority of the film is set in the apartment of Tony and Margot where the plot, crime and coverup are all played out.

*SPOILERS* 

     Dial M is a thinking mans murder mystery. Besides being narrated almost entirely from the murderous husbands POV the story went beyond the typical genre film of the time.  Calm & calculating Tony, having discovered some time ago of his wife's short lived affair with an American writer, decides he's too accustomed to his fortune & status to allow divorce to take it away. He spends months planning the perfect murder of his rich wife Margot, even entangling an old school mate with a shady moral compass to perform the deed, but when the perfect plan goes wrong he must quickly improvise a plan B.

     I was in awe at the dialogue and plotting of this script. It contains, in my opinion, a perfect scene. Penultimate within the film and perfectly performed by the actors. There's something almost admirable about the brilliance with which Tony, played by Ray Milland, goes about orchestrating the crime with a charming smile and relaxed manner. Having lured his unsuspecting university friend Charles Swann to his home he speaks candidly about discovering the affair, anonymously blackmailing his wife, then about stalking Mr. Swann and learning so many interesting things about him. It's too late for Swann now. He's left fingerprints on numerous things inside the apartment during the visit, which makes Tony's story of Swann's black mail of and Margot and now Tony all the more plausible. They strike a deal and Tony walks Swann through each masterful step of the murder. He even pauses to answer a call from his wife as Swann thinks it over.  

     And Dial M is just that clever from beginning to end. Watching Tony's mind work over the problem at hand is absolutely mesmerizing. 

     Dial M for Murder also marks Hitchcocks first film with Grace Kelly, his most beloved star.

Watch the trailer by clicking the link.   

Animated Frankenweenie Remake?- Joan Finch

     Next year we're going to be gifted a new Tim Burton film and its going to be animated as well. Animated in the uniquely Burton way of animation that was so striking in The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Frankenweenie, if you're not familiar, is about a child who brings back his dog after he's struck by a car. A comical verson of the Frankensteins monster story. I loved the original black and white film with its whimsy and absurdism but I can't not be excited to see how Burton will bring the same story to life in clay. Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short are set to lend their voices to this fanciful and dark remake of Tim Burtons '84 film with the same name.

     I'll keep my eye out for more news to come. Keep me updated if you run across any news on your own, will you?

New Aaron Sorkin Projects! - Joan Finch

Aaron Sorkin = Greatness

     The Hollywood Reporter has filled me with enough warm fuzzes to last me all of the winter season.  Aaron Sorkin has TWO New Projects in the works!  

     First off he has joined up with John Krasinski for a mini-series he'll be writing and acting as co-executive producer with Krasinski, the projects creator. Based on a popular book about The Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and its interesting roster of guests the mini-series is called Life At The Marmont and will air on HBO. Here's the link to the article I read about the project.

     Next up is More As This Story Develops which was recently picked up by none other than HBO and which imdb.com says is currently filming and headed for a 2012 release.  The hourlong series will star Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Dev Patel, Sam Waterson and several others as cable news executives and staff traversing the daily obstacles of their personal and professional lives. Which is the purely Sorkin format I love so dearly. Oh, and there was at one point rumors/talks of Marisa Tomei finding a place in the cast but thats been weeks ago and there's no confirmation yet. Here's the link on that article as well. 

     Point being not all dreams die. Aaron Sorkin is headed back to television where his brilliance can be appreciated weekly. I just wish I had HBO. Gonna have to look into that.

Torchwood: Miracle Day - Joan Finch

Craving Something a bit Bolder?

New Torchwood Team

Everlasting life...a curse?  One day the earth is 'blessed' and no one dies no matter how many time you kill them. Sounds pretty cut and dry but its really a free-for-all for humanity; bringing down governments, turning the health care system inside out and drawing out the very essence of what it means to be human.  In many ways the show is as much possible reality as science fiction and if thats not intriquing enough the whole situation is clouded by this mysterious force working busily in the background.  Torchwood: Miracle Day is very much like The Event, even in tone, but this series wasn't cancelled but allowed to run its course. P.S. Thank you Starz for restoring my faith in a fair network universe.  

I was completely sucked in. The unpredicability to the story, episode after episode weaving a complex tale reminded me of the detective perspective I found so interesting in Sherlock, Lost and Fringe.  There's a lot of great new characters played by some really unexpected actors like Bill Pullman, Lauren Ambrose and Mekhi Phifer.

For fans of Torchwood's UK roots you'll find a different beast in store for you. This is Torchwood at the next level in writing, style, format and pace.  Creator and genius Russell T. Davies remarked in an interview that they've done away with the 'monster of the week' format for a larger series(season in the US) long story arch.  And yeah, its still Captain Jack with the Doctor Who past, but its also just this mysterious immortal alienboy who calls himself Captain Jack and has a dark past.  And thats it.  You definitly don't need to be a fan of Doctor Who to enjoy it but then again...why aren't you?

The New Girl-Joan Finch

     So I have this friend, this very quirky giggly bundle of nerdiness friend, from college whose superhero alter-ego I call Fangirl Squee. She's a great mix of hilarity, personality and goofiness which makes her a great companion for everyday adventures. And if they made a sitcom about her I don't think they could get a better likeness than of the character of Jess in New Girl.

     Itunes is offering a free (let me repeat FREE) download of the pilot episode which I've already watched twice and absolutely recommend. The premise is pretty typical rom-com or sitcom stock. Recently dumped Jess answers a craigslist ad for a new roommate and moves in with three single guys. Hilarity ensues as is usual but don't go disregarding this show before giving a fair shake. Truthfully it is funny. Jess is played by Zooey Deschanel believably with heart and a kind of carefree whimsy I haven't seen in television since they wrongfully canceled my beloved Pushing Daisies. Her three new roommates Schmit, Nick and Coach are great complementary personalities to create the shows awkward, inappropriate but sweet comedic chemistry. I know at least one other person who's going to enjoy this show besides me. 

Of course I'm going to watch this show! Spending thirty minutes a week with someone that entertaining is a must. Nothing makes you feel as good as some adorkable-ness does. 

New Girl is on Tuesdays @ 8 pm on Fox. Premieres next week.

News from the Toronto Film Fest

Its Day 4 of the Film Fest up there in Ol'Canada and maybe I didn't bring it up because I'm envious of the people who can afford to go but it was wrong of me and I'm sorry.

Hit the link to go to a blog hosted by IMDB about the Fest.  Theres also a photo gallery of all the celebs and semi-celebs who are making an appearance.  http://www.imdb.com/features/toronto/2011/blog/

Some of the films mentioned are

Ghostbusters 3 NEWS

Not that this is a democratic Hollywood we're dealing with but if there was a vote I'd be Pro-Gubler all the way.  So here's me lobbying for that very possibility!

Check this out guys. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=81518

Team Ghostbuster. Team Gubler.

Crazy Stupid Love (2011) - Joan Finch

     Beyond the obvious reasons to go see this film, like the impeccable casting, I'll give you another...its absolute in its goodness.  They never drop the ball on any aspect of the storytelling.  It is continually funny, charming, surprising, and human.  It's that kind of satisfying movie-going experience that makes you happy there's such a thing as a mega-plex. Its well worth the ticket price. And yes its a romantic comedy but its a truly great ride.

      And if you don't trust my opinion (which is just silly) there is a point B to my pro-Crazy Stupid Love argument that even you may agree with.  

Point B: Ryan Gosling shirtless, Ryan Gosling in a suit, Ryan Gosling smiling.

Letters To Juliet (2010) - Joan Finch

Those who are very easily influenced by suggestion, like me, would remember the previews for this romance flick from last year.  Beautiful scenery and an embarrassing abuse of a pop song made this a better music video than trailer.  I might not be so hard on this film had they not broken the cardinal rule(in my opinion) about trailers: Don't show the whole film in the trailer.

Yet still, in spite of your gut feeling that this is going to be no more that another in a long line of uninspired so-called “chick flicks”, you find yourself in line for popcorn with the ticket in your hand and a very excited “chick” saving you a seat. 

They wasted Gael Garcia Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave completely. I would much rather have watched a film focusing on Mrs. Redgraves storyline than what Letters To Juliet ended up being. This film is the result of a half-hearted attempt and I can't in anyway recommend it.