Stone in "Bobby"?
It's fair to say that Emilio Estevez's directing abilities were amply exhibited in Rated X ('00), which I felt was pretty awful after seeing it at Sundance six and half years ago. This is one reason I'm not all that enthused about seeing Bobby (Weinstein Co., 11.17) at the Toronto Film Festival. Estevez's film (he directed and co-wrote) is about how Robert Kennedy's shooting on 6.4.68 affected various people (i.e., not just campaign workers) who were inside L.A.'s Amassador Hotel when it happened.
Sharon Stone in Emilio Estevez's Bobby
Between the Estevez directing resume (which also includes Men at Work and Wisdom) and that hugely entertaining, frequently funny story written by Bobby screenplay polisher John Ridley in Esquire last year, I'm not seeing indications of great artistic assurance. I don't think anyone is.
Take the Bobby one-sheet,, for example. It uses three lines that Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke in his eulogy speech for his slain brother during the funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral: "He saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw war and tried to stop it." Fine...but this obviously makes the film sound like a drama or a doc about Kennedy himself, as opposed to a story about how others were affected by his death or influenced by his example. It's a dishonest ploy that leads you on.
The fact that Bobby is going to be screened as a gala (i.e., Roy Thomson Hall) showing at the Toronto Film Festival as a "work in progress" (per a press release issued today) obviously infers that somebody at the Weinstein Co. feels it's not in a state of maximum readiness.
That said, I'm hearing that Sharon Stone gives the pop-through performance among the large ensemble cast.
Estevez has given himself a role in the film along with Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Stone, Harry Belafonte, Nick Cannon, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater and Elijah Wood.
Let's at least give the Weinstein Co. credit for changing the Bobby release date from Wednesday, 11.22.06 -- the 43rd anniversary of JFK's assassination -- to Friday, 11.17.06. The former date has absolutely nothing to do with Bobby, and trying to use JFK's murder as a springboard was a rancid thought, to put it mildly.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 10, 2006 at 1:18 PM
comment #1
Eddie says ...
Good article Jeff, but uh, I don't think that Bobby One-Sheet is the link you mean it to be (although if that is the poster, they'd probably sell more tickets).
Posted by Eddie at August 10, 2006 3:29 PM
comment #2
BMac says ...
How did he get these people to sign up for this? They did SEE "Wisdom", right? Bad enough that it was abysmally acted and directed, but he wrote the goddamend thing as well! Maybe "Bobby" will end the same way - it was all a bad dream!
Posted by BMac at August 10, 2006 3:29 PM
comment #3
Anonymous says ...
I saved that one-sheet to my desktop, woah!
Posted by Anonymous at August 10, 2006 3:39 PM
comment #4
Jeffrey Wells says ...
Wells to Eddie: You're right...Charlize Theron with gold paint doesn't exactly get the idea across. An error, of course. Fixed.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells at August 10, 2006 3:42 PM
comment #5
James St. James says ...
Men At Work is very good. Keith David is f'ing hilarious in it. I shit you not.
Posted by James St. James at August 10, 2006 3:48 PM
comment #6
T. H. says ...
By "work in progress" and somebody at the Weinstein Co. feeling it's not in a state of maximum readiness, you mean it hasn't locked picture yet -- it's still being cut, or the director's had his say and the brass has stepped in, or the director is still on board working towards a fine cut with the brass.
Posted by T. H. at August 10, 2006 3:48 PM
comment #7
L.B. says ...
I don't know, Jeffrey. I think the words combined with the image of the broken and crumpled campaign sign tell a relevant story to the film (assuming based on your description). It's a little subtle, but it says something to me other than "standard biopic" or biopic at all. Just one opinion, though.
Posted by L.B. at August 10, 2006 4:12 PM
comment #8
Anonymous says ...
Ashton and Demi in the same movie? Wasn't Emilio engaged to one of them?
Posted by Anonymous at August 10, 2006 4:13 PM
comment #9
L.B. says ...
And to T.H.:
"Work in progress" most likely means "Harvey ain't happy yet".
Posted by L.B. at August 10, 2006 4:13 PM
comment #10
Ron Cossey says ...
At least Estevez is trying to make a humanist film. I'll take "Bobby" over the likes of "Ricky Bobby" and most of the brainless, insignificant junk that Hollywood heaps upon us.
Posted by Ron Cossey at August 10, 2006 4:14 PM
comment #11
Anonymous says ...
Sharon Stone's in it -- there is no way it doesn't suck.
Posted by Anonymous at August 10, 2006 4:17 PM
comment #12
T. H. says ...
L.B., Harvey better get happy tout suite with the cut after Toronto if he wants to proceed to sound cutting, negative cutting, scoring, mixing, wet gating and QC'ing prints in time for his release date.
Posted by T. H. at August 10, 2006 4:23 PM
comment #13
T. H. says ...
I was wondering why Sharon had those funny long extensions and 60's bangs when she was promoting Basic Instinct II (some nice disrobing there). She looks pretty good in the still above -- that guy to the left of her in the plaid jacket is so familiar looking.
Posted by T. H. at August 10, 2006 4:37 PM
comment #14
Daniel Zelter says ...
I have a feeling Bobby's gonna be like JFK.
Posted by Daniel Zelter at August 10, 2006 4:54 PM
comment #15
Anonymous says ...
No way. The filmmaking in JFK was off the charts.
Posted by Anonymous at August 10, 2006 5:01 PM
comment #16
Dixon Steele says ...
James,
Men At Work wasn't that good...but you're right, Keith David is hilarious in it
TH,
You seem to have a fetish about post-production. What gives?
Posted by Dixon Steele at August 10, 2006 5:19 PM
comment #17
T. says ...
Dixon weren't you the one trying to convince me that Icon was ready for Diz to distribute? And Mel would never take input no matter who was distributing?
Posted by T. at August 10, 2006 5:25 PM
comment #18
Anonymous says ...
The film's already been scored. Mark Isham recorded the music a week or two ago.
Posted by Anonymous at August 10, 2006 5:48 PM
comment #19
mike says ...
did anyone see that SNL a few years ago with Charlie Sheen hosting, where he does a Q&A with the audience? This guy says to him, "Yeah, I saw Men At Work" and Sheen asks him if he brought a date and bought snacks, and the guy says yes, and Sheen refunds the guy's money right there on the spot. Pretty damn funny.
Anyone know where I can find this Charlize Thron in gold paint picture that's not there anymore?
Posted by mike at August 10, 2006 5:52 PM
comment #20
mattmbird says ...
That should be "obviously implies" not "obviously infers". Objects can't infer, only people.
Posted by mattmbird at August 10, 2006 5:57 PM
comment #21
T. H. Ung says ...
Dixon, you remind me of Wrecktum. I'll ask you the same question, where are you getting you're information from?
They aren't hesitating to release it. An aggressive marketing campaign is already in the works. A new trailer will be out shortly. The plan is to go out in thousands of theatres. What the hell are you talking about??
Posted by: Wrecktum at August 9, 2006 09:30 PM
Where are you getting your information from?
Posted by: at August 9, 2006 09:36 PM
Posted by T. H. Ung at August 10, 2006 6:02 PM
comment #22
T. H. Ung says ...
Dixon, Did Mel already fire James Horner and hire Mark Isham? You probably don't read print much, but when Mel was arrested, it was reported that his treatment would slow down editing. You talking like this is gonna make Mel hit the bottle again.
Posted by T. H. Ung at August 10, 2006 6:09 PM
comment #23
Dixon Steele says ...
T.H.,
As JoJo put it to you in another posting, you are an utterly clueless amateur pretending to have knowledge you'll never possess.
Stop pretending, it'll never work.
Posted by Dixon Steele at August 10, 2006 6:13 PM
comment #24
Merlyn says ...
The guy on the left looks like SHORT ROUND!
Posted by Merlyn at August 10, 2006 7:35 PM
comment #25
Josh Ehrnwald says ...
"The commie bastard GETS. NO. FOOD."
Posted by Josh Ehrnwald at August 10, 2006 9:12 PM
comment #26
insidah says ...
I hope it's good...I like the idea of a big cast in a big, entertaining period piece.
Posted by insidah at August 10, 2006 10:38 PM
comment #27
Thung says ...
Dixon, I feel sorry for you, you don't even try to make sense of what you spew around here. You're all declarative and no argument.
Posted by Thung at August 10, 2006 11:39 PM
comment #28
Johnny says ...
Who's playing Rosemary Clooney?
Posted by Johnny at August 11, 2006 8:03 AM
comment #29
Dixon Steele says ...
Thung,
If you actually think that Mel Gibson and his production/distribution outfit Icon, a compnay with a reputation for hardballing, is going to let a distributor dictate the final cut of his film, you're even dumber than I thought, if that's possible.
Why else would they go to the trouble of financing the picture out of their own pocket? Do you actually think they're going to let a Lionsgate or Pcturehouse tell them how to cut their picture. Get a clue.
Posted by Dixon Steele at August 11, 2006 11:54 AM
comment #30
Thung says ...
You're completely misrepresenting what I wrote, so until you demonstrate an ability to comprehend what I said and represent it with a shread of accuracy, I won't respond.
Posted by Thung at August 11, 2006 12:09 PM
comment #31
Dixon Steele says ...
Checkmate.
Posted by Dixon Steele at August 11, 2006 6:08 PM