I’m looking for a PDF of Tom Shepherd‘s Hey, Stella!, a screenplay about the early days of Marlon Brando in the mid ’40s. It was on last year’s Black List. Deadline’s Michael Fleming reports that Kevin McCormick is producing Hey, Stella!, and that a director is being sought. Update: a copy arrived a little after … Read more
I’m guessing (and tell me if I’m wrong) that 70% or 80% of those glancing at this won’t immediately recognize the actors or recall the title of the film. It’s been out of the conversation for a while now and there’s been no Bluray treatment, only DVDs. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again if they … Read more
I saw a little bit of footage from Nicholas Winding Refn‘s Only God Forgives (Radius-TWC, 7.19) during last year’s Cannes Film Festival. I sensed right away that this Bangkok-shot cheapie would be some kind of festishy wallow in blood, swords, Ryan Gosling‘s pecs, bad hombres,Kristin Scott Thomas, more bad hombres, etc. Wiki synopsis: “The film … Read more
Today’s Disconnect press conference featured costars Jason Bateman (whose performance as a stressed-out dad is the best of his career), Paula Patton, Alexander Skarsgard and Max Theriot. Here’s the mp3. At the very beginning Bateman refers to “Jeffrey’s website” being an educational thing. I’m presuming he was referencing HE as Bateman told me a year … Read more
The great Tim Buckley died of a smack overdose at age 28 in 1975. Twenty-two years later his son Jeff, also a respected musician, drowned at age 32. I’m sorry but when I think of the Buckleys I think (a) “dad’s second album (i.e., “Goodbye and Hello“) was great” and (b) “both checked out early, … Read more
Studio publicity guys used to shrink actresses in studio-issued glossies so they wouldn’t be taller than their male costars. Ingrid Bergman was around 5’10” and Humphrey Bogart was around 5’7″ or 5’8″. It looks as if Bergman’s feet were bigger than Bogart’s. She probably could have taken him in a wrestling match.
I missed Henry Alex Rubin‘s Disconnect (LD, 4.12) in Toronto, but I finally saw it last night and it’s my idea of a 90% wowser. Except for a questionable slow-mo moment at the very end this is a grade-A ensemble drama that ranks right up there with Amores perros, Traffic and Short Cuts. Seriously. I’d … Read more
Jeffrey Wells to Roger Ebert: Are you going to weigh in on the Shane aspect-ratio brouhaha? Team 1.37 needs guys like you to stand up and do the right thing. Too many political-minded people who know better are saying “well, maybe the 1.66 version will look good!” and “George Stevens Jr. is such a wonderful … Read more
Let it never be said that Roger Ebert isn’t a brave and classy fellow who knows how to negotiate the ups and downs of life and play whatever cards he’s been dealt like Steve McQueen in The Cincinatti Kid. Always be doing, always be closing, always the task at hand…work, engagement, up and at ’em. … Read more