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"Crossing Over" in '07?

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 06, 2007 at 12:22 PM

There's some doubt in the air about whether the Weinstein Co. is going to give Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over, a Traffic-like drama about the immigration situation between Mexico and the U.S., a modest platform-type release in December. One of the reasons for uncertainty is that the Weinstein Co. recently mailed a list of '07 films to Academy members, and Crossing Over wasn't on it.


Kramer (The Cooler, Running Scared) directed and wrote with Harrison Ford, Cliff Curtis, Ashley Judd, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, Alicia Braga, Alice Eve and Jim Sturgess topping the cast. My personal suspicion is that the Weinsteiners will mainly be pushing The Great Debaters (a Denzel Washington-inspires-the- students drama, based on a true story) along with I'm Not There and Control, but a person on the Crossing Over team believes nonetheless that some kind of limited opening will happen before 12.31.07.

"There's a very strong possibility that we'll platform in December (probably mid to late) and go wider in January," he says. "A Crossing Over trailer should be coming out in the next couple of weeks, and Harvey [Weinstein] seems very supportive of the film. Anything can change, as it often does in this business, but the goal is to release in 2007, specifically because the immigration issue is white hot right now and the film is set in 2007 (in the week that the immigration bill failed in Congress).

"And Harrison Ford, by the way, gives one of the best performances of his career in our film. For all his fans who were disappointed that he didn't participate in Traffic or Syriana, this one is for them. Also, Summer Bishil from Nothing is Private is a revelation, and look for good performances from Alice Eve and Jim Sturgess. And from Sean Penn, of course, who is incapable of delivering a false moment."

Comments

"Is this one of yours? I found her on my lawn. I'm keeping her ball, though!"

God Damn he looks old, but it's nice to see he finally has a decent haircut again.

"And from Sean Penn, of course, who is incapable of delivering a false moment."

Clearly this person didn't see ALL THE KING'S MEN, and since they love Sean so much, I WON'T LEEEET THEEEEM!!!!!!!!!!!

Or I Am Sam. Actually he was fine in that, it was the rest of the movie that was fake full of crap.

Indy looks like all the air in his body has gone to the front of his belly.

He should've just done "Traffic" back when he had the damn chance.

Sean Penn is always delivering false moments. All The Kings Men was full of it. He's a professional ham.

Weinstein will find a way to screw up the distribution of this one. Maniacs.

"Is that...my...daughter...in...there?!!?!?!?!"

I like Penn. For some reason that particular delivery never worked for me, though.

Wow, Harrison Ford actually appearing in a honest-to-God good film?

I'd have to go back to 1993's The Fugitive to find something substantial, and if you dismiss that as an overrated thriller, we're talking Working Girl in 1989.

Unless you're a Regarding Henry fan.

"Is that...my...Oscar...in...there?!!?!?!?!"

How dare YOU cross the border?

One of the reasons that Weinstein isn't pushing CROSSING OVER so hard - and I heard this from someone over there (who thinks it's really good) is that Harvey thinks the film has too much graphic sex and the Academy won't go for a film with a lot of nudity. I think there are some raunchy scenes between Alice Eve and Ray Liotta - she's being blackmailed into having sex for a greencard. There may be some stuff with some other characters as well. I guess Harvey has forgotten about some of his own Academy Award winning or nominated films: The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love... and others that got nominated or won: American Beauty, Midnight Cowboy, Babel, Coming Home, Crying Game, Leaving Las Vegas, Monster's Ball, The Piano... just a few I can recall.

"Wow, Harrison Ford actually appearing in a honest-to-God good film?"

Oh, I thought that was David Brinkley.

A friend who went to a NY test screening wasn't overly impressed. She said it was very CRASH-like (mileage will obviously vary on how good or bad that is), hyped-up, and contrived. (And Penn apparently just bookends the film, appearing only at the beginning and end as a border cop.) She's not a real film buff, though, and once I learned it was a new Wayne Kramer picture I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, having liked THE COOLER and RUNNING SCARED and wondering what his take on a more conventional "issue" picture might be.

She also said it was three hours long, but I'm not sure she was keeping time with cinephile precision.

The Weinstein Company publicity department has been horrible the past few years when it comes to pushing their movies at Oscar time. I don't know if it's Harvey and Bob losing that magical touch or is it the lack of brains in Publicity. If they have hope in this movie they should do all the press they can on this. Harrison Ford is sort of back in the public eye right now and Sean Penn in this movie should bring a lot of attention as well.

Re Alice Eve:
Had THE HEARTBREAK KID been remade into something resembling the Elaine May original, Ms. Eve would have been ideal in the Cybill Shepherd role.

Damn! Harrison Ford's face looks like death! I knew all those years of drinking and hard living have taken their toll, but he's starting to look like a third-stage cancer patient now.

Hope he's seeing a physician.

"Damn! Harrison Ford's face looks like death! I knew all those years of drinking and hard living have taken their toll, but he's starting to look like a third-stage cancer patient now."

Oh honestly, he looks like nothing of the sort. He looks like a fairly fit 65-year-old man, which is what he is.

Wrinkly, yes, but lawdy he's in nice shape. You boys are so catty.

Why does the Weinstein company seemingly sabotage every movie they put out by completely fucking up its theatrical run?

Please, let him wrinkle and age naturally. I do not want a Burt Reynolds-ized Harrison Ford plastic surgery mannequin.

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Last updated: October 3, 2007

                                       Obviously I'm light in several categories. 

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BEST PICTUREAustralia (20th Century Fox), The Argentine (Focus Features), Guerilla (Focus Features), Milk (Focus Features), Seven Pounds (Sony), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount/Warner Bros.), The Soloist (DreamWorks),  Body of Lies (Warner Bros.), Revolutionary Road (Paramount Vantage/DreamWorks), The Changeling (Universal Pictures),  Frost/Nixon (Universal), Doubt (Miramax), Blindness (Universal Pictures), Defiance (Paramount Vantage), The Duchess (Paramount Vantage), Valkyrie (MGM-UA), The Reader (Weinstein Co.)

BEST DIRECTOR: Fernando Meirelles (Blindness), David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Brian Singer (Valkyrie), Baz Luhrmann (Australia), Steven Soderbergh (The Argentine and Guerilla), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds), Joe Wright (The Soloist), Ridley Scott (Body of Lies), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road), Clint Eastwood (Changeling), John Patrick Shanley (Doubt), Edward Zwick (Defiance), Saul Dibb (The Duchess), Stephen Daldry (The Reader)

BEST ACTOR: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ralph Fiennes (The Duchess), Hugh Jackman (Australia), Tom Cruise (Valkyrie), Harrison Ford (Crossing Over), Sean Penn (Milk), James Franco (Pineapple Express), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Synecdoche, New York), Heath Ledger (Dark Knight), Will Smith (Seven Pounds), Jamie Foxx (The Soloist)

BEST ACTRESS: Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Keira Knightley (The Duchess), Nicole Kidman (Australia)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Leiv Schreiber (Defiance), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), John Malkovich (Changeling and Burn After Reading), Bill Nighy (Valkyrie), Robert Downey Jr. (The Soloist), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic thunder), James Franco (The Pineapple Express), Alan Alda (Nothing But the Truth)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Meryl Streep (Doubt), Amy Adams (Doubt), Vera Farmiga (Nothing But the Truth)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who (20th Century Fox)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Peter Straughan (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People)

SPECIAL EFFECTSIron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 






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edited by Jonathan Doyle
Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)


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