"RocknRolla is just someone who wants it all..." AMC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff interviews Guy Ritchie, Ludacris, and Thandie Newton on Ritchie's new movie premiering at Toronto.
Joel and Ethan Coen see most of their movies together from start to finish as writers, directors and editors. Sometimes the brothers switch their titles around (or the order of their billing) but it's always understood that a Coen Brothers film is a joint effort.
Blood Simple put them on the map in 1984 and No Country for Old Men secured their place there for eternity, earning the duo Oscars for directing, screenwriting and best picture in 2007. But long time fans will be able to rattle off a list of beloved titles, including Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou; they've tackled Homeric epics, westerns, and screwball comedies. Next up is Burn After Reading which premieres tonight at the Toronto Film Festival, but don't worry if you're not in attendance. The political thriller arrives stateside Friday, Sept. 12.
Noir, screwball or western? What's your favorite Coen brothers movie?
Hey everyone. This is Jacob Soboroff. A quick blog post to introduce myself and let you know what I'm doing here in Toronto -- and on AMCTV.com. As your trusty correspondent for AMC's newest department, AMC News, I'm cruising the United States and the globe bringing you news and information about movies.
Look for my reports from TIFF08 on AMC on-air, as well as here on amctv.com. I'll be blogging and vlogging stuff you can only see on this site. And if you really want to know what I'm up to while I'm here in Toronto, follow along with me and AMC News on Twitter.
And to see more festival coverage, click here.
Jacob Soboroff has received a 2008 Los Angeles Press Club National Entertainment Journalism Award, a Film Your Issue Award and a Webby nomination. He contributes on-air and online to NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and has been the Executive Director of Why Tuesday? for the past two years.
Time was that the Toronto International Film Festival, North America's premier film gathering featuring some 300 movies from 60-some countries, served as the perfect staging ground to kick-start the year's Oscar contenders. Take 1999's American Beauty, which wowed Canadian audiences before nabbing five Academy Awards. Then there's No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers' Oscar-winner that lead the charge of dour award contenders (In the Valley of Elah, Rendition) at last year's festival. "This is the one film festival that's a grab-bag of movies that the studios consider award-season contenders," critic Pete Hammond recently told Reuters. At least, it was.
Continue reading "Toronto International Film Festival '08 - Not Quite the Oscar Bait of Old" »
There is no clearer embodiment of "Hollywood North" than at Toronto International Film Festival. Each September, A-listers flock to the city to show off their new movies. What's in store for this year? A spy comedy, Burn After Reading from the Coen brothers; Spike Lee's World War II drama, Miracle at St. Anna; and Ed Harris' Western, Appaloosa to name a few. Click here to see more.
Mike Tyson, might be retired from the ring, but he's still knows how to wallop. This weekend, the Un Certain Regard jury at Cannes honored James Toback's documentary about the prizefighter with a special "Knockout" award.
The jury was bowled over by the selection this year, honoring more than its usual three: "Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors," said Faith Akin, president of the Un Certain Regard jury.
To see the Gentler Side of Mike Tyson, click here.
Check out red carpet photos of Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Harrison Ford, and more -- at the Cannes Film Festival world premieres of Kung Fu Panda, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Known for his gritty crime dramas, James Gray's latest offering, Two Lovers, is anything but. Set in Brooklyn, the film follows a heartbroken young man (Joaquin Phoenix) who returns home after a suicide attempt only to discover two new love interests, one of whom is as troubled as he. Gray talks about the film's roots in 19th century Russian literature and his views on the nature of love.
Q: Two Lovers is a big departure for you.
A: At a certain point, you have to change it up a little bit. And I had, frankly, gotten sick of the macho element in the stories. It was inspired in a weird way by Gwyneth [Paltrow], because right after I had made The Yards, we were talking about working together and she said, "But we can't do that because you only make movies with guys shooting each other and yelling curses." And I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, she's right." By that time I was already writing We Own the Night, so I finished that movie and said, "No more."
Q: You've been adamant in pointing out this is not a romantic comedy. Why is that important?
A: There are very few American films -- very few films, period -- that tackle romance with a seriousness of purpose. I think it has to do with the fact that being in love is an altogether preposterous state of affairs. When you are in love, you do and say insane things, and there's no place for logic. Comedy is a perfect vehicle for that, because comedy is about the real extremes of human behavior. And so it was the ultimate challenge to me to make the film, which, by the way, does have a lot of comedic elements in it, but nonetheless take a serious approach to the subject.
Q: The film actually has roots in Russian literature: Dostoyevsky's White Nights. What about that story inspired you?
A: I used that as a springboard; it's inspired by it very loosely. The main character of the Dostoyevsky novella is someone that in 19th century Russia would have been just, you know, weird, and today would be greeted with a whole host of psychoanalytic terms: Manic depression, bipolar disorder. So if Dostoyevsky were writing today, he would be having to treat his characters with a whole host of pharmaceuticals. Joaquin and I talked very seriously about updating the Dostoyevsky conception: A slightly manic person would be a metaphor for how we behave when we are in love.
Q: Do you worry that by diagnosing the main character as psychologically unsound, his actions will be attributed to the psychosis, not love?
Continue reading "Cannes Film Festival - Two Lovers Director James Gray on Crazy Love" »
Steven Spielberg reveals the story behind the set break-in during which over 3000 secret photos were stolen. Harrison Ford, George Lucas, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf also share production stories from the making of the film.
• Todd McCarthy is none too impressed with Steven Soderbergh's Che, which he says needs to go "back to the drawing board" after a "defiantly non-dramatic four-hour, 18-minute presentation."
• If Che weren't bad enough, Variety's Anne Thompson reports that the global press corps was perturbed with the "tasteless white-bread sandwiches" offered at the film's intermission. Some critics did not return for part two.
• Variety reporter Elsa Bertet is on the scene at the after-party for the Clint Eastwood-narrated documentary You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story.
• Variety interviews Il Divo director Paolo Sorrentino, who describes Italy's efforts to shut down his movie about the Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, who was acquitted of having mafia ties.
For more Cannes news, reviews and interviews check out Variety's Festival Central.
Check out movie stills from the Coen brothers' spy comedy, Burn After Reading plus more films playing at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
The actor most often associated with heavy-hitting political films like Crash and Hotel Rwanda acknowledges he tries to keep his fun side out of the media.
The script for Fanboys had been around for awhile, but because it was about Star Wars, some producers were scared to take on the topic. Kevin Spacey's solution? Call George Lucas.
