Routinely Average News Coverage

Well hello readers. It has been a while since our last news post, and there have been several interesting developments in the world of feature-length film so this is going to be an extra-long one. Here are some brief updates, links and the indispensable RA perspective on each and every one.

Hugh Jackman and a giant robot

Lets start things off with some local flavor. Over the last three years Michigan, thanks to a generous tax credit for film producers, has become a popular filming location for all manner of movies, ranging from the low-budget indie, to major Hollywood blockbusters (if you'd like to learn more about the tax credit, this is a good site to do it). The tax credit passed the Michigan legislature in 2008. As a result, 32 feature-length films wrapped in that year alone. For some perspective, that is as many as the previous six years combined. More importantly, these are not small fish. Since January 2008 several major studio pictures have come through Michigan including Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels, 2009 Best Picture nominee Up in the Air, the Clint Eastwood picture Gran Turino, and upcoming films like Machine Gun Preacher, and the Hugh Jackman star vehicle Real Steel. Currently the Elmore Leonard novel Freaky Deaky is being adapted for the big screen with the intention of shooting in Detroit. Michael Bay is a particular fan of the Michigan scenery having made three different films here.

I realize I am being long winded here, but I'm getting to the point, I promise. The reason I bring up all of this is. The Michigan film industry just landed a major coup with Christopher Nolan opting to shoot the third installment of his Dark Night trilogy in Detroit. This was something of a surprise as Chicago was used very distinctively in the box-office smash The Dark Night. Regardless, this will bring a lot of money into the D and could be very good for both the city and the state.

Tom Hardy in Inception

Keeping with the Batman theme of the previous news tidbit. The cast for the new movie, tentatively titled The Dark Night Rises, has been clarified and all but finalized. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are all reprising roles from the first two films. The two new cast additions are Tom Hardy (who rose to fame in Nolan's 2010 hit Inception) as the villain Bane, and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman). It sounds like Hathaway is working out well, at least according to this interview. Speaking as someone who thinks Nolan is the best big budget director currently working in Hollywood, this is super exciting.

Alright, enough with the caped crusader. We are moving on to a very different sort of superhero. A man who united a nation, who fought for equality regardless of race, a man who was the 16th President of the United States. Yes, thats right. I'm talking about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now those of you who are fans of the Starz show Party Down will be saying, "wait, that's real?" And those of you who aren't will be saying, "wait, that's real?" And the answer to both questions is yes. It is based off a graphic novel and has been discussed as a possible feature length film for a while. Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton (who previously collaborated on the animated film 9) are joining forces again to bring it to the big screen. While it appears the role of Lincoln is still up for grabs, Joaquin Phoenix (fresh of the mockumentary I'm Still Here) seems to be the front runner for the role of Henry, Lincoln's ageless, vampire-killing mentor. Despite being thoroughly sick of vampires, I must say this sounds awesome. Burton and Bekmambetov have more than enough imagination between them to make this as wild as it should be, and Phoenix seems like he could fit right into place. Color me interested.

On to the next bit of news. It appears, contrary to previous RA news reports, that the latest James Bond installment is still a go and Sam Mendes is still in line to direct. On top of this already great news, Collider.com is reporting that Javier Bardem is being seriously considered as the next Bond villain. And as if it couldn't get any better than that, Bardem claims that the new film is going to take the franchise in an entirely new direction. I have actually been less than thrilled about the direction the last two Bond films have taken the franchise, so something fresh sounds great to me. Plus we already know Bardem can do evil.



Our final piece of news for today hits a bit closer to home, at least artistically. Arguably my favorite movie of all time is the Coen brothers' 1998 comedy, The Big Lebowski. The Jeff Bridges character of the Dude, is essentially a personal hero of mine. All of this is why this little rumor I heard only today has me both nervous and potentially overjoyed. Tara Reid, or Bunny from the film, has let slip that there has been some talk of a sequel. In all likelihood this is just another in a long line of false alarms as the Coens and Bridges have all denied any involvement. The absolute only way I could ever be ok with the making of a sequel is if those three were on board, and they are not known for being especially coy. However, with all the original pieces back, it could be a blast to spend another two hours with the Dude, Walter, Jesus and all of the other unique characters that made the first so wonderful. So basically, RA is adopting a wait and see approach.

Well, that is all we've got. Until next time, the dude abides.

True Grit

Joel and Ethan Coen have been on a hot streak. The filmmaker brothers are among the most original and adept directors, screenwriters, and producers working today. Their films range from dark and cruel to hilarious absurdity, frequently even from scene to scene. The Coens are at their most creative when they are deconstructing the various archetypes of different film genres. The Big Lebowski poked fun at film noir, No Country For Old Men radically reshaped the Western, Burn After Reading is a romp through spy movie stereotypes. In each of these films, the story and dialogue is shaped in such a way to simultaneously pay homage to the genre, while at the same time clearly distinguishing itself as a separate entity. All of this is part of what makes their latest effort so intriguing.

True Grit is a remake of a 1969 John Wayne movie by the same name. Both were adapted from an outstanding Charles Portis novel. While the 1969 version was slightly romanticized, the basic outline remains the same. A 14-year old girl named Mattie Ross embarks on a mission to bring her father's murderer to justice. To that end she hires Rueben "Rooster" Cogburn, a US Marshal. Along the way Cogburn and Ross hook up with a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf who has been tracking the killer for some time due to earlier crimes.

Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld

The cast is impressive. Matt Damon takes on the role of LaBoeuf, bringing infinitely more talent and ability to the part than his 1969 counterpart Glen Campbell. Josh Brolin as the killer Chaney and Barry Pepper as the gang leader Chaney falls in with are appropriately ominous as the two leading villains. The supremely talented Jeff Bridges takes over the John Wayne role of Rooster and makes it his own. Bridges and Damon provide much of the levity in their relationship and banter and Bridges deftly maneuvers around any comparisons to Wayne's Oscar winning turn in the original, avoiding the Dude vs. Duke arguments. It is clear that Bridges knows what is expected of him, and his experience with the Coens shines through.

I have left someone out however. The true star of this movie is the 14-year old Mattie Ross. Making her film debut here, Hailee Steinfeld owns the character and is justly receiving the lion's share of the critical praise. Her toughness, intelligence, and yes, grit drive the plot. Steinfeld (who was 13 during shooting), despite being paired for most of the movie with two of the biggest stars, and most talented actors working today in Bridges and Damon, does not give an inch.

Steinfeld and Barry Pepper

As with all Coen Brothers movies, the technical aspects of the film are pitch perfect. Long time collaborator Roger Deakins handles the camera work and creates some starkly beautiful images. The dialogue clearly has the Coen brothers touch, but it is vastly lighter here. This film does not mix and match genre stereotypes, critiquing them as they go. Instead is a straightforward revenge tale, firmly set as a Western. Cogburn is a gruff old drunkard looking for redemption and seems to walk straight out of the pages of the Portis novel. LaBoeuf is the young and inexperienced, and yet brave man trying to play the hero, but unsure of what that entails. Only Ross transcends genre boundaries, and even she only does so to limits.

True Grit is a movie that defies a traditional explanation. It appears to simply be a very well made Western, but considering who made it, there is a unique feel to it all the same. A good Western is a very rare thing these days, and the Coens seem to want to rectify that. For at least one film, they have done so.

26/30