MAY, 28
EARTK 3K2
Sci-Fi / Action
The Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Scout Taylor-Compton, Javier Bardem, Elijah Wood, Jessica Biel, Ben Foster, Naomie Harris, Ving Rhames, Paul Walker, Mickey Rourke
The Director: JJ Abrams
The Screenwriter: Josh Collins
The Plot:
It's been eight years since the deaths of Bruce and Carlene. Vargas (J. Bardem) has continued to rise to almost a god-like status and has freed his alien people and rallied up enough followers to help him carry out his mission. The baby, Connor (S.LaBeouf), whom he snatched from the arms of Carlene before having her killed has grown to the look of a mid-teen (aliens age two years faster than humans) without the knowledge of the parents he once had.
Despite the past hidden from him, he still has an inner-conscience that tells him the father he knows isn't his biological father and he searches for answers to find out what happened to his real parents. Of course he won't get those answers until later down the road. He possesses his alien powers of heightened senses and has his father's ability to set blazes around him to fend off opposing enemies (as he displays when a gang of human children chase him down in the hopes of beating up "the freak" though he doesn't kill the bullies just scares them away, the gift of humanity from his mother's side).
Connor's friend is Em (S.Taylor-Compton), a full blood alien girl that understands where he's coming from, her alien power, to be able to delve deep into her opponents mind and make them see their deepest darkest fear. She can also use her mind to explode their brain or heart. The teens have a mutual respect and love for each other.
Rebel forces who've been in hiding seek the pair, looking for Connor to expose the secrets of his past. They take custody of Connor and Em after school and convince them that they are on the good side looking to overthrow Vargas and show that humans and aliens will work together, and mention that Connor's real parents would have wanted it that way. When Connor is intrigued, the truths he'd been seeking are uncovered by the end and he seeks vengeance for the death of his parents at the hands of Vargas.
Connor and Em won't be able to take on an army like Vargas' without the aid of a few good aliens. Benton (E.Wood) with Time/Space manipulation, Neva (J.Biel) with radiation blasts, Gemini (B.Foster), who can clone himself and double his power of attack (he has electric blast, his clone has hydrogen manipulation, put the two together to make hydroelectricity and make his special attack more devastating), and Aurelia (N. Harris) can summon ghosts, angels and demons for assistance.
In addition to Vargas and his following, the group have a few extremely tough villains to stand in their way. Crunch (V.Rhames) with his superhuman strength, Vito (P.Walker) with the power to morph into hideous creatures and Sang Vonholt (M.Rourke), who can halt the power of his enemies and use it against them.
And finally after a long fought duel with Vargas, they think they defeat him but no, it was not the real Vargas. The group is injured and disappointed, but they will not rest until Vargas and his entourage is defeated.
Stark’s Comment:
First candidate to become a blockbuster this new Season. In Season 11, ‘Earth 3K’ made 93 millions at box office and net gains of 34 millions. It stayed a bit below expectations. But I have the feeling that this top budget sequel can make it better. Big hopes.
Behind The Scenes:
-'Earth 3K' won the Most Wanted Sequel GMA in Season 11.
-In ‘Earth 3K’, Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Garner played Shia’s character parents. They both died at the end of the movie.
-Josh Collins wrote the screenplays for both ‘Earth 3K’ and ‘Earth 3K2’ simultaneously.
-The original Collins’ idea was having Ridley Scott as director of both movies. Scott refused the offer.
-This movie means the return of GMA Winner Shia LaBeouf to CMP after 7 Seasons away. His last work for the Studio was Season 7’s ‘A Horse With No Name’.
REBEL
Drama / Human Spirit / Action
The Cast: Jaden Smith, Djimon Honsou, Idris Elba, Tariji P. Henson. Voice of Danny Glover.
The Director: Albert and Allen Hughes
The Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards
The Producer: Grand Island Movies
The Plot:
In the northern districts of Uganda, 30,000 children have been abducted in the past 20 some years. Many families have lost a child through abduction, or their village was attacked and destroyed, families burned out or killed, and harvests destroyed by an army of abducted children known as The Lord’s Resistance Army. The Lord’s Resistance Army is led by Joseph Kony (Voice of D.Glover), a ruthless man who deemed himself "The Teacher". Kony's Army has spread across Uganda including a subsidiary ruled by childhood friend Balondemu (D.Hounsou) who Kony named "The Chosen One". Balondemu has come a long way since growing up with Kony, and now instead of raiding villages, he sends his heir apparent of sorts, Jasari (I.Elba). Commander Jasari now does the raiding and the raping.
One particular woman, one of the many wives of Jasari (T.P. Henson) is raped in front of her entire village. No man stands to defend her, for fear of being slaughtered. Almost a decade passes, and Balondemu grows older and informs Jasari that he will be traveling to meet Kony, which places Jasari in the role of leader. He welcomes it, and he and his men celebrate it by pilfering a village, that same struggling village from 10 years previous. Only now instead of a beautiful young woman, we see a barely standing fragile beaten woman...and her son. The boy without a name for she dare not give Jasari the respect of being a father. Jasari recognizes the woman, and concludes that this child is his own. He forcibly takes the child, calling him Runt (J.Smith) as other soldiers of all ages bring the village to its knees.
Jasari as leader is more hands on than Balondemu ever was. He trains a group of children, abducted from their homes. They are fed with feasts and treated with soccer balls for every "good deed" of destruction they accomplish. Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families. Others are killed and the child is let to live and then the child is commanded to kill in order to stay alive. If children do escape, they will never be the same again. Runt, as Jasari likes to call him, is the clear standout among a group of child soldiers. Even peers younger than Runt have been "fighting" for a longer time. None of that matters, the passion that Runt has during raids come from an understanding of the situation he's in. To eat, he must kill. To play, he must kill. To be the best, he must kill...all. He does ruthless actions; using AK-47s to shoot innocent people, even slitting the throat of a woman while she prays. Every night, while the rest of his soldiers smoke or play soccer, the runt just cries alone. His childhood is destroyed, all that he is now comes from Jasari and his orders.
He no longer bears the shirtless skin and torn rags of his youth, but instead wears extremely loose fitting camouflage and boots. "A soldiers attire should be as perfect as his aim." Jasari says on occasion. He can't read, he can't write, but he knows what he wants his tombstone to read. REBEL. He lives his life doing the actions that keep his mother safe, all while taking other mothers from their children, and this world. He lives his life tormenting others, all while his inner rebel screams to get out. Jasari approaches him one night as he cries. Jasari asks him "Why do you shed tears brave soldier? Are you not satisfied with today's victory for the Lord?" and the runt replies "Because I can kill all, but the rebel who wishes to kill you." Jasari smiles and walks out of the tent, giving a nod to another child, who walks into the tent with his gun. We see Jasari continue to walk away, and the final sound of a gun firing its entire clip.
Stark’s Comment:
The kind of movie I feel so proud of. I was so touched and shocked by the wonderful Edwards’ screenplay. It may not work too well in box office but I don’t care. This movie must to be done.
Behind The Scenes:
-Shot in locations in Nigeria and Congo
-Edwards considered other possible titles for this movie: ‘Child Of Uganda’, ‘Little Weapon’, ‘Runt’
-Omar Epps and Jamie Foxx were considered for the role finally given to Idris Elba.
-Edward Zwick was at some point considered as director of the movie due to his experience with African conflicts after directing ‘Blood Diamond’.
THAT’S THE WAY
Drama
The Cast: Cameron Bright, Billy Cudrup, Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, Kate Beckinsale
The Director: Cameron Crowe
The Screenwriter: Trent Nielsen
The Plot:
William (Cameron Bright) is a teenager who never had anything more interesting in his life other than a poster of Star Trek on his room. His family life isn’t at the greatest condition. He was born out of wedlock and he had never met his mother. He was raised by his father, Paul (Tim Robbins), a Wall Street executive tangled up in an affair with his married legal counsellor, Denise (Rachel McAdams) , who happens to be considering divorce with his husband, Daniel (Billy Crudup).
Meanwhile, William’s academic performance is getting it’s all time low since he cannot focus in his studies due to his desire to meet his mom. He gets scolded by his father who bans him to do anything else except for what he asks him to do.
Paul requests William to join Daniel in golfing since Paul says he can’t do it because of a meeting. William goes to golf course. William tells Daniel about his familial problems and his want to meet his mom. Daniel says it would all be fine. William says that Daniel is probably the perfect father for him. Daniel replies by saying that he’ll be willing to be William’s father.
Over months, Daniel treats William as a child he never had with Denise. William feels the fatherly love he never felt from Paul in Daniel. Daniel helps William to look for his mother by searching on the internet once in a while. When Daniel finally thinks he has found the William’s mom, he tries to contact her but nobody’s answering her emails. The woman’s address is in England.
One day, William finds out Paul and Denise’s secret affair when he saw them kissing. He confronts Paul about it but Paul firmly denies that he has no affair with Denise. Furious by this, William tells Daniel about the whole affair. Daniel confronts Denise who admits the affair.
Broken hearted, Daniel leaves to Europe, tagging William with him. Posing as a father and son tourists in Europe, they get to visit different Europe attractions. In Venice, they rode gondoliers. In Paris, they climbed the Eiffel Tower together. In Spain, they watched football matches. In England, they spent days driving in a small rental car. Unknown to William, Daniel is actually driving to his mom’s address.
When they finally found the address, they both find a small cottage. At first, they thought it was empty but then, suddenly, a woman named Juliana (K. Beckinsale) comes out. She claims that she previously had a relationship with an American named Paul and that they had child whom he had taken to US.
After staying at Juliana’s cottage for quite a while, Daniel admits to William that he holds some adoration for Juliana. William says that he would like Daniel for a father.
At the end of the film, we see William shuffling wedding photos of Daniel and Juliana. It is revealed that William is already a college student at Stanford.
Stark’s Comment:
Not a too easy product to sell. It’s a nice interesting movie but I know well how hard times may have at box office these little intimate dramas. We’ll see…
Behind The Scenes:
-This is the second collaboration between Nielsen and Crowe after the failed ‘Faded’.
-Kate Beckinsale accepted to play a minor role in the movie after reading the screenplay and – according to her words – ‘falling in love with the story’.
-As she said at the latest GMA Ceremony, it’s a curiosity how Rachel McAdams uses to be offered to play a wife in CMP: she was the wife of Dr. Jones in the two movies of that saga, the murdered wife of Yeoman in ‘Yeoman’ and now the adulterous wife of Billy Cudrup.
-Cameron Bright leads a cast for the first time in CMP after having been seen playing minor roles in ’72 Hours’, ‘Married To The Supervillain’ and ‘Teenage Wasteland’.
SECRET SINS: The main secret has been revealed. We know the name of the daring couple that
will star this highly erotic thriller that will mean Joey Stark’s debut as movie director. And they are… Natalie Portman and Jude Law! Yes, GMA Winner Portland and the star from the ‘Magic – The Gathering’ saga will be the talents taking the risk of starring the most sexually explicit CMP’s movie ever. Natalie plays a nice woman that gets addicted to a peculiar relationship with a mysterious man played by Law. Sounds sexy.
THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON: Josh Collins has written often about this project at his blog. The movie will adapt a Stephen King’s novel about a girl getting lost at a forest and how that takes her to fight against her own madness. Elle Fanning, who already worked past Season with Collins in the wonderful ‘The Orphan Train’ will star the movie. And behind the cameras will work Frank Darabont (‘West Flashman’), who has adapted other books by King before. Sounds intriguing.
JACK VANCE: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY: The recent best Screenplay GMA Winner Matt
Kubrick is behind this strange story that mixes different realities in a peculiar plot being directed by Richard Kelly. Robert Downey Jr. has accepted to play one of the most strangest characters of this strange story (the name of his character is Beelzebub, a hint of how strange he is). The movie will also mean the debut in CMP of Danny Woodburn (remember ‘Seinfeld’? Or ‘Watchmen’?). Sounds strange.
INVASION: Viggo Mortensen, the unforgettable Yeoman of the Wild Cards saga, finally returns to CMP four Seasons after we saw him for the last time in ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’, starring this epic sci-fi adventure written by Steve Connors, produced by James Cameron and being directed by Brett Ratner. Mortensen will play a tormented and brave warrior facing the alien race that has invaded Planet Earth. Sounds epic.
ALICE: It’s been five Seasons since James Bradley worked for the last time with his regular muse,
Kate Winslet, in ‘Things I Forgot To Tell You’. Well, they are finally back together in this social drama about a woman that kills a member of a gang that is terrorizing her and her son. The movie will mean the 7th time that Bradley chooses Winslet to be in one of his movies. Paul Haggis, in his first CMP’s movie, will be directing this intense drama. Sounds awardable.
THE ORPHANAGE: Austin Williams, who made his CMP’s debut past Season in ‘Bedtime Stories 2’, returns this Season playing Julia Roberts’ adoptive son in this mystery movie directed by M. Night Shymalan. His disappearance will unleash all kind of strange events at the old orphanage where Roberts lives together with her husband, being played by Matthew Foxx ('Damnation Road’, ‘The Flash’). Sounds disturbing.
ASTERYOS POLYP: It has taken so long for the always peculiar Spike Jonze to finally show up in CMP. He will finally do it directing this more than peculiar story written by Dawson Edwards. George Clooney is going to play Asteryos Polyp, an artistic architect with a messy life. The movie, a kind of fable with a surreal touch, will be the second movie developed by Scoundrels Productions, the independent company created by George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The first movie released by this company was the successful ‘To Catch A Thief’. Sounds artsy.
HALLELUJAH: Ian McKellen - who has been seen in many popular CMP’s franchises like ‘Wild Cards’, ‘Nathan Zachary’, ‘Hitman’ or ‘Fallout’ – returns to CMP four Seasons after his last work for the Studio, the Best Picture Winner ‘The Gunpowder Plot’, with this Danny Boyle’s movie cowritten by Trent Nielsen and Chad Taylor. Ian Somerhalder will make with it his debut in CMP playing the character rejected by Colin Farrell. Sounds controversial.
FICTICIOUS IMAGES: Chloe Moretz returns to CMP (and no, it has nothing to do with her work in ‘Kick Ass’) in this family drama written and directed by Josh Collins. Moretz, who already worked in the Collins’ story ‘Velcro’, will be here the daughter of Naomi Watts and Ethan Hawke. The movie sets out the doubt about Chloe having suffered abuses from her father or being manipulated by her mother. Sounds ‘very Collins’.
KINGDOM: THE DARK AND THE LIGHT: Two debutantes in CMP in this sequel of ‘Kingdom’. Giselle Itié and Mark Strong work for the Studio for their very first time in this epic fantasy adventure being starred by Megan Fox and Chris Evans, written by Matt Kubrick and directed by Zack Snyder. Sounds ambitious.
TRENT NIELSEN – THAT’S THE WAY
GMA Winner Trent Nielsen returns to CMP this week with the release of his latest dramedy ‘That’s The Way’, directed by Cameron Crowe and starred by Cameron Bright. Loyal to himself, Nielsen has bet again for a sentimental and intimate story very much based on the quality of its screenplay together with the acting works. We have talked with him about the movie and other upcoming projects.
1.'That's The Way' is another risky release: a low budget intimate drama starred by mid-ranked stars like Cameron Bright or Billy Cudrup... It seems like you keep developing your creativity not worrying much about box office...
Well, I really hope 'that's the way' it goes but it seems to me that my creative energies have run dry. Nothing left in the tank now, I think. I've been watching a lot of films lately for inspiration but it's still not there. My muse, where are you?
2.'That's The Way' is your second collaboration with Cameron Crowe after 'Faded'. Do you plan
to keep working together in the future?
Yeah. He's like my own idol. Cameron Crowe is the only person who got me into watching films.
3.After your amazing debut two Seasons ago, Best Screenplay GMA included, you almost disappeared past Season. Now you are back. Are you going to release movies more often or do you plan to stay as a low activity author?
I hope to release more movies in the future. It's hard to say whether I could make that happen or not but I wish I can make that happen.
4.'Hallelujah' is coming up soon too. It's your first collaboration with Chad Taylor. How was it co-writing a story with somebody else? Why or how did you two decide to write together this story?
It feels different writing with somebody else because it's not just about you now, it's about you and the writer you're working with now. We decided to write this story when I posted a thread back on
the old forum and he PM'ed me so we tried things out and that's how we came up with the beautiful story of Hallelujah.
5.Releasing a gay love story is always a risky thing. Do you think that gays are too ignored by Hollywood or did 'Brokeback Mountain' change things? Is there an audience for this kind of films beyond restricted circuits?
Gays are still ignored by Hollywood. I've met a couple of gay people, both male and female, and it pains me to see that they are getting discriminated because of their orientation. Most of the times, they are the most wonderful people I've met. They are not afraid to show people what they really feel. And the problem is society is that, if you watch a film involving the LGBT community, like a gay love story for example, they assume you're gay too so people avoid watching gay-related films since they do not want to associated with the word 'gay'.
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY
MOST AWARDED MOVIE EVER
Every time a CMP’s movie makes a special achievement in terms of box office or awards, we dedicate it here an in-depth article. So now’s the turn for ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’, as it became past week the most awarded movie ever at the Golden Moon Awards with 6 wins, after being previously the most nominated movie ever with 11 nods.
‘Carousel’, the musical directed by Sam Mendes, had been holding the record of the most awarded movie at the GMA since Season 4, when it won 5 statues. It has taken 9 CMP’s Seasons to beat that lasting record!
THE BOOK
Michael Chabon published the novel ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’ in 2000. One
year later, the book won the Pulitzer Award. It is a 600 hundred pages novel that covers more than ten years in the life of two young comic artists telling so many events and mixing fictional and real life characters.
Dark Horse Comics edited later a few comic books with the adventures of The Escapist, the superhero created in the novel by Kavalier and Clay, some of them written by Chabon himself.
THE MOVIE
Hollywood has been trying to adapt the book for the big screen for the last 10 years. Different screenwriters and directors have shown their interest in the story and even Michael Chabon himself has tried to write a screenplay based on his own book. But all the attempts have failed because of the many events told in the book and the difficulty to adapt them all to a movie language.
THE SCREENPLAY
Joey Stark had wanted to make a movie based on the book almost since CMP was born. He had read the book some time around 2003 and that’s what he says about it: ‘In those days, I used the subway to go to work so I read the book during my daily subway’s travels. I was so trapped by the story that a few times I forgot to take off the train on my station. It was the most absorbing book I had read for years.’
To write the screenplay, Stark re-read the book taking notes trying to
clarify to himself the structure of the story. Then, he wrote different drafts, choosing what events had to be necessary told in the movie and what could be left apart. ‘In my opinion, the last third of the movie, when Kavalier returns from war and meet again Rosa and Clay, is the weakest part of the story, so that was where I cut a few things’.
Finally, after a few months working on the screenplay, Joey Stark considered he had done the best possible. He still had a story that needed more than two hours to be told anyway…
The screenplay does not change almost anything from the story in the book. It just shorts up a bit the time periods and obvious some minor events.
THE DIRECTOR AND THE CAST
‘I had Steven Spielberg in mind to direct this movie since the very first moment’, has said Joey Stark. ‘Spielberg could perfectly connect with all the elements of the story: war, romance, family, comics, the mix between sentimentalism and adventure… and the very important influence of Jewish culture in the characters’.
Jamie Bell’s name also came up quickly to Stark’s mind. ‘This may sound hard to believe. I thought of Jamie. And, after that, I found on internet that Jamie had been in fact related to some previous attempts of making this movie. I was shocked!’
Another funny thing is that, once Emile Hirsh was also cast, Stark and Spielberg doubted who would play who. ‘Both Jamie and Emile could perfectly play either Kavalier or Clay so Joey and I had doubts about it until the very last moment’, has said Speilberg.
Some cast changes had to be made as talents chosen by Stark and Spielberg were busy shooting other CMP’s films. Daniel Craig was the first choice to play the pilot that turns crazy at the Artic finally played by Matt Dillon. And Paul Bettany was the first choice to play the crazy nazi that becomes Kavalier’s enemy, played by Stephen Dorff.
James Franco was shooting ‘Nude!’ and nobody was sure if he would be free to join the movie. James ‘Preacher’ Marsden was ready to replace him. But finally Franco could join the shootage on time… and finally won a GMA for his work.
Emmy Rosum was chosen by Joey Stark after considering stars like Scarlet Johansson and Anne Hathaway to play the character.
BOX OFFICE, REVIEWS AND AWARDS
The movie didn’t work at box office as expected. It only made 41 millions and 6 millions of net gains for the Studio. Much lower numbers than expected. Its length – close to two hours and a half – has been considered by the Studio’s experts one of the main reasons for this poor numbers.
Critical reception was very positive, although some critics have
considered it ‘too pretentious’ or ‘too obviously conceived to win awards’. Joey Stark has said about it: ‘They are right. We knew we were being deliberately pretentious. We knew we were trying to do something really important with this movie. And yes, I admit too that we had big expectations about winning awards with it.’
And it has. The movie has become the most nominated and the most awarded movie in GMA’s History with 11 nominations and 6 wins: Best Adaptation, Best Starring Couple (Emile Hirsh and Jamie Bell), Best Supporting Actor (James Franco), Best Actor (Emile Hirsh), Best Director (Steven Spielberg) and Best Picture.
THE 13th GOLDEN MOON AWARDS
By Bob Felton
For once, I must say I wasn’t neither surprised nor disappointed. The last GMA edition flowed through a predictable way without the usual unexpected surprises. I think it is the first time that I can say I agree with almost a 100% of the voters’ choices. They were all pretty predictable and reasonable so, this time, I feel quite relaxed writing this review of the awards…
THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS
Yes, ‘Kavalier & Clay’ finally became the most awarded movie ever in CMP’s History. It was almost impossible not breaking the record after its 11 nominations. The movie was defeated at 5 categories but still it had margin enough and finally got 6 statutes. I had always been surprised that a minor movie like ‘Carousel’ got to stay for so long as the most awarded CMP’s production. ‘Kavalier & Clay’ is a big, ambitious and very Hollywood-style production that fits well as a multi-awarded production. Not my favorite CMP’s movie ever but I can live with it as a record breaker.
But what makes me specially happy with this GMA Edition is that Matt Kubrick finally won his first GMA. It has taken him 79 screenplays to be in the list of GMA Winners. Kubrick has always been an outsider. He takes risks, ignores movie critics, bets for the strangest stories and dares to develop his interest for B-series productions and old fashioned genres as exploitation or ‘80’s-esque’ slasher movies. The great screenplay of ‘Legends Of The West’ was the perfect occasion to recognize his talent and I’m so glad GMA’s voters did it.
I’m also happy for Steven Spielberg. Both as director and as producer, he is a very important name in CMP’s History. So, beyond ‘Kavalier & Clay’, I take his win as a homage to the extraordinary movies he has developed in CMP, from ‘Star Wars: New Order’ to the great but undervalued ‘Atlantis’. And, for what I know, get ready to see him back at the GMA ceremony soon cause I’ve been told he is already working in another big great movie for the Studio…
The good thing about this Edition is that everybody could go home feeling satisfied. All the movies with a high number of nominations got at least one statue. This time, that tradition of the ‘5 Nominations / 0 Wins’ suffered by so many movies before wasn’t repeated. None of the main candidates can be considered as the main defeated of the night as there was a piece of the cake for all of them.
A NICE NIGHT FOR…
EMILE HIRSH: He took two statues home, Best Actor and Best Starring Couple. No doubt, Hirsh is getting bigger as star inside than outside CMP. ‘The Beatles’, ‘The Impossible Dream’ and now ‘Kavalier & Clay’ have turned him lately in one of the most prestigious talents in CMP’s world. And still more to come… I’ve also got to know that Joey Stark has written again another story to be starred by him so expect more from Emile in the near future.
ELLEN PAGE: Having James Bradley writing for any actress is a guarantee to win awards (some
day, I’ll study how many female acting awards have been won with characters created by Bradley, cause I think it may be something like a 70% of them all or something). Page has succeeded playing again ‘the girl next door’, ala Juno. And I had no doubt she was going to win.
CAMERON DIAZ: First actress to win at the Best Villain category. And a deserved win. It was so obvious that she could not compete with Ellen for Best Actress, so winning Best Villain was a must after her wonderful creation of the sexy, disturbing and murderous Ms. Jordon.
JAMES FRANCO: It was a night of redemption. Hirsh and Page became GMA Winners after having starred some Seasons ago the awful ‘Blood Beach’. And Franco has also turned into a GMA Winner after putting his career in risk with the terrible ‘Psycho: Bloodline’. I felt happy for him. Maybe I liked more the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman. But it could have been worse at this category: Robert Pattinson could have won!
RON PERLMAN: No, he didn’t win any award at this Edition. But I want to remark here his funny appearance at the Gala, laughing at himself in the most ironic way. Probably, his brilliant comedic monologue can be considered as one of the best moments in GMA’s ceremonies ever.
A BAD NIGHT FOR…
JENA MALONE: Two chances of winning her second GMA and both failed. Jena could not make it neither at Best Starring Couple nor at Best Supporting Actress. A shame. The unforgettable ‘Lyra’ didn’t have her best night. But I am sure there will be more chances for her in the future
as she is a rising star in CMP.
DAWSON EDWARDS: He still will have to wait for his first GMA as screenwriter. He didn’t have too many chances against Kubrick and Stark so Edwards should feel happy just having been in the final trio.
JAMES BRADLEY: I personally think that it was excessive his nomination as Best Director for ‘Nude!’. The funny thing is that I think he very much deserved a Best Screenplay nomination (or even win) for the wonderful writing work he made with that movie. Anyway, it’s not easy to be nominated as Best Director for a CMP’s author and his creativity was sufficiently recognized with the ‘Best Original Concept’ award.
JOEY STARK: Strange night for Joey. His beloved movie, ‘Kavalier & Clay’, finally became the big winner of the night. Spielberg got his statues, many cast members got theirs… but Joey Stark didn’t got any. 6 awards… but Joey didn’t win his first Best Screenplay award by himself with the movie (he got it with ‘The Funeral Drum’, a screenplay co-written with James Bradley). So I think it was a bittersweet night for him. Well, Joey, it has taken 79 screenplays for Kubrick to finally win, so be patient as you have not written 50 yet…
Every Season, new talents make their debut in CMP. This new Season, a rising star shows up for the first time in a CMP’s movie after being declared as the new official Hollywood’s ‘scream queen’. In ‘Earth 3K2’, actress and singer Taylor Scout-Compton will share risks and adventures with Shia LaBeouf trying to make room for her in the Studio. Here we have her, happy of it all, at the premiere of the movie.
New trend in CMP? It looks like it. During this new Season we’ll see a bunch of movies based on a very similar premise: how will be the future of mankind? John Daws, Richard Franzwa and Steve
Connors will offer us their visions of what can we expect in the upcoming centuries: futuristic cities, political or religious problems, conflicts and violence… It may be just a coincidence but it seems like these CMP’s authors have reach an agreement to share with us during the upcoming weeks their different but all pessimistic visions of the future of civilization.
By the way, Steven Spielberg hasn’t taken a rest after his personal success with ‘Kavalier & Clay’. He is already working hard in the pre-production of his new CMP’s film. Yes, he is part of this new trend too. Spielberg has teamed up with Richard Franzwa to develop a most interesting project that will surprise for sure audiences. All I can say by the moment is that his movie will be a remake – or should I say an ‘update’ - of one of the most legendary sci-fi movies ever…
Another coincidence in these projects is that two of them wanted to have Viggo Mortensen in them. I remember reading some weeks ago in this blog a ‘what happened with…’ article that mentioned Viggo as one of the talents that had lost presence in CMP. Well, that has changed. Mortensen is confirmed as the lead star of Connors’ look at the future in ‘Invasion’. And due to it, he had to reject an offer from John Daws to be in his own futuristic movie. You know how it goes some times with CMP’s stars: forgotten for a while and then suddenly multi-demanded…
The sequel of ‘Wonder Woman’ is on its way. And Dawson Edwards will surprise us all with the talent he has chosen to direct it. Jon Favreau, director of ‘Wonder Woman’, won’t be directing the sequel. To replace him, Dawson Edwards has made the most peculiar and surprising choice. A really artsy director that has never been involved in a superhero movie before… I’ll keep the secret by the moment but I can guarantee that this director makes the project even more appealing, intriguing and interesting…
And from an artsy director to the less artsy director ever… It seems like Uwe Boll has made a good impression in CMP with ‘Suicide Squad’. There’s a rumor running through CMP’s corridors: Boll
could be the man to direct the new spin-off from ‘Reform School Girls’. Joey Stark already wrote the first spin-off, ‘Tracks Of Blood’, and he is already working on the screenplay of a new story, now based on the character played by Michelle Rodriguez in the original movie. And the name of Boll is sounding as its possible director. Midnight Movies will be developing this action flick and it is not confirmed yet if Quentin Tarantino will keep attached to the saga as producer or not.
EARTK 3K2
Sci-Fi / Action
The Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Scout Taylor-Compton, Javier Bardem, Elijah Wood, Jessica Biel, Ben Foster, Naomie Harris, Ving Rhames, Paul Walker, Mickey Rourke
The Director: JJ Abrams
The Screenwriter: Josh Collins
The Plot:
It's been eight years since the deaths of Bruce and Carlene. Vargas (J. Bardem) has continued to rise to almost a god-like status and has freed his alien people and rallied up enough followers to help him carry out his mission. The baby, Connor (S.LaBeouf), whom he snatched from the arms of Carlene before having her killed has grown to the look of a mid-teen (aliens age two years faster than humans) without the knowledge of the parents he once had.
Despite the past hidden from him, he still has an inner-conscience that tells him the father he knows isn't his biological father and he searches for answers to find out what happened to his real parents. Of course he won't get those answers until later down the road. He possesses his alien powers of heightened senses and has his father's ability to set blazes around him to fend off opposing enemies (as he displays when a gang of human children chase him down in the hopes of beating up "the freak" though he doesn't kill the bullies just scares them away, the gift of humanity from his mother's side).
Connor's friend is Em (S.Taylor-Compton), a full blood alien girl that understands where he's coming from, her alien power, to be able to delve deep into her opponents mind and make them see their deepest darkest fear. She can also use her mind to explode their brain or heart. The teens have a mutual respect and love for each other.
Rebel forces who've been in hiding seek the pair, looking for Connor to expose the secrets of his past. They take custody of Connor and Em after school and convince them that they are on the good side looking to overthrow Vargas and show that humans and aliens will work together, and mention that Connor's real parents would have wanted it that way. When Connor is intrigued, the truths he'd been seeking are uncovered by the end and he seeks vengeance for the death of his parents at the hands of Vargas.
Connor and Em won't be able to take on an army like Vargas' without the aid of a few good aliens. Benton (E.Wood) with Time/Space manipulation, Neva (J.Biel) with radiation blasts, Gemini (B.Foster), who can clone himself and double his power of attack (he has electric blast, his clone has hydrogen manipulation, put the two together to make hydroelectricity and make his special attack more devastating), and Aurelia (N. Harris) can summon ghosts, angels and demons for assistance.
In addition to Vargas and his following, the group have a few extremely tough villains to stand in their way. Crunch (V.Rhames) with his superhuman strength, Vito (P.Walker) with the power to morph into hideous creatures and Sang Vonholt (M.Rourke), who can halt the power of his enemies and use it against them.
And finally after a long fought duel with Vargas, they think they defeat him but no, it was not the real Vargas. The group is injured and disappointed, but they will not rest until Vargas and his entourage is defeated.
Stark’s Comment:
First candidate to become a blockbuster this new Season. In Season 11, ‘Earth 3K’ made 93 millions at box office and net gains of 34 millions. It stayed a bit below expectations. But I have the feeling that this top budget sequel can make it better. Big hopes.
Behind The Scenes:
-'Earth 3K' won the Most Wanted Sequel GMA in Season 11.
-In ‘Earth 3K’, Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Garner played Shia’s character parents. They both died at the end of the movie.
-Josh Collins wrote the screenplays for both ‘Earth 3K’ and ‘Earth 3K2’ simultaneously.
-The original Collins’ idea was having Ridley Scott as director of both movies. Scott refused the offer.
-This movie means the return of GMA Winner Shia LaBeouf to CMP after 7 Seasons away. His last work for the Studio was Season 7’s ‘A Horse With No Name’.
REBEL
Drama / Human Spirit / Action
The Cast: Jaden Smith, Djimon Honsou, Idris Elba, Tariji P. Henson. Voice of Danny Glover.
The Director: Albert and Allen Hughes
The Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards
The Producer: Grand Island Movies
The Plot:
In the northern districts of Uganda, 30,000 children have been abducted in the past 20 some years. Many families have lost a child through abduction, or their village was attacked and destroyed, families burned out or killed, and harvests destroyed by an army of abducted children known as The Lord’s Resistance Army. The Lord’s Resistance Army is led by Joseph Kony (Voice of D.Glover), a ruthless man who deemed himself "The Teacher". Kony's Army has spread across Uganda including a subsidiary ruled by childhood friend Balondemu (D.Hounsou) who Kony named "The Chosen One". Balondemu has come a long way since growing up with Kony, and now instead of raiding villages, he sends his heir apparent of sorts, Jasari (I.Elba). Commander Jasari now does the raiding and the raping.
One particular woman, one of the many wives of Jasari (T.P. Henson) is raped in front of her entire village. No man stands to defend her, for fear of being slaughtered. Almost a decade passes, and Balondemu grows older and informs Jasari that he will be traveling to meet Kony, which places Jasari in the role of leader. He welcomes it, and he and his men celebrate it by pilfering a village, that same struggling village from 10 years previous. Only now instead of a beautiful young woman, we see a barely standing fragile beaten woman...and her son. The boy without a name for she dare not give Jasari the respect of being a father. Jasari recognizes the woman, and concludes that this child is his own. He forcibly takes the child, calling him Runt (J.Smith) as other soldiers of all ages bring the village to its knees.
Jasari as leader is more hands on than Balondemu ever was. He trains a group of children, abducted from their homes. They are fed with feasts and treated with soccer balls for every "good deed" of destruction they accomplish. Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families. Others are killed and the child is let to live and then the child is commanded to kill in order to stay alive. If children do escape, they will never be the same again. Runt, as Jasari likes to call him, is the clear standout among a group of child soldiers. Even peers younger than Runt have been "fighting" for a longer time. None of that matters, the passion that Runt has during raids come from an understanding of the situation he's in. To eat, he must kill. To play, he must kill. To be the best, he must kill...all. He does ruthless actions; using AK-47s to shoot innocent people, even slitting the throat of a woman while she prays. Every night, while the rest of his soldiers smoke or play soccer, the runt just cries alone. His childhood is destroyed, all that he is now comes from Jasari and his orders.
He no longer bears the shirtless skin and torn rags of his youth, but instead wears extremely loose fitting camouflage and boots. "A soldiers attire should be as perfect as his aim." Jasari says on occasion. He can't read, he can't write, but he knows what he wants his tombstone to read. REBEL. He lives his life doing the actions that keep his mother safe, all while taking other mothers from their children, and this world. He lives his life tormenting others, all while his inner rebel screams to get out. Jasari approaches him one night as he cries. Jasari asks him "Why do you shed tears brave soldier? Are you not satisfied with today's victory for the Lord?" and the runt replies "Because I can kill all, but the rebel who wishes to kill you." Jasari smiles and walks out of the tent, giving a nod to another child, who walks into the tent with his gun. We see Jasari continue to walk away, and the final sound of a gun firing its entire clip.
Stark’s Comment:
The kind of movie I feel so proud of. I was so touched and shocked by the wonderful Edwards’ screenplay. It may not work too well in box office but I don’t care. This movie must to be done.
Behind The Scenes:
-Shot in locations in Nigeria and Congo
-Edwards considered other possible titles for this movie: ‘Child Of Uganda’, ‘Little Weapon’, ‘Runt’
-Omar Epps and Jamie Foxx were considered for the role finally given to Idris Elba.
-Edward Zwick was at some point considered as director of the movie due to his experience with African conflicts after directing ‘Blood Diamond’.
THAT’S THE WAY
Drama
The Cast: Cameron Bright, Billy Cudrup, Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, Kate Beckinsale
The Director: Cameron Crowe
The Screenwriter: Trent Nielsen
The Plot:
William (Cameron Bright) is a teenager who never had anything more interesting in his life other than a poster of Star Trek on his room. His family life isn’t at the greatest condition. He was born out of wedlock and he had never met his mother. He was raised by his father, Paul (Tim Robbins), a Wall Street executive tangled up in an affair with his married legal counsellor, Denise (Rachel McAdams) , who happens to be considering divorce with his husband, Daniel (Billy Crudup).
Meanwhile, William’s academic performance is getting it’s all time low since he cannot focus in his studies due to his desire to meet his mom. He gets scolded by his father who bans him to do anything else except for what he asks him to do.
Paul requests William to join Daniel in golfing since Paul says he can’t do it because of a meeting. William goes to golf course. William tells Daniel about his familial problems and his want to meet his mom. Daniel says it would all be fine. William says that Daniel is probably the perfect father for him. Daniel replies by saying that he’ll be willing to be William’s father.
Over months, Daniel treats William as a child he never had with Denise. William feels the fatherly love he never felt from Paul in Daniel. Daniel helps William to look for his mother by searching on the internet once in a while. When Daniel finally thinks he has found the William’s mom, he tries to contact her but nobody’s answering her emails. The woman’s address is in England.
One day, William finds out Paul and Denise’s secret affair when he saw them kissing. He confronts Paul about it but Paul firmly denies that he has no affair with Denise. Furious by this, William tells Daniel about the whole affair. Daniel confronts Denise who admits the affair.
Broken hearted, Daniel leaves to Europe, tagging William with him. Posing as a father and son tourists in Europe, they get to visit different Europe attractions. In Venice, they rode gondoliers. In Paris, they climbed the Eiffel Tower together. In Spain, they watched football matches. In England, they spent days driving in a small rental car. Unknown to William, Daniel is actually driving to his mom’s address.
When they finally found the address, they both find a small cottage. At first, they thought it was empty but then, suddenly, a woman named Juliana (K. Beckinsale) comes out. She claims that she previously had a relationship with an American named Paul and that they had child whom he had taken to US.
After staying at Juliana’s cottage for quite a while, Daniel admits to William that he holds some adoration for Juliana. William says that he would like Daniel for a father.
At the end of the film, we see William shuffling wedding photos of Daniel and Juliana. It is revealed that William is already a college student at Stanford.
Stark’s Comment:
Not a too easy product to sell. It’s a nice interesting movie but I know well how hard times may have at box office these little intimate dramas. We’ll see…
Behind The Scenes:
-This is the second collaboration between Nielsen and Crowe after the failed ‘Faded’.
-Kate Beckinsale accepted to play a minor role in the movie after reading the screenplay and – according to her words – ‘falling in love with the story’.
-As she said at the latest GMA Ceremony, it’s a curiosity how Rachel McAdams uses to be offered to play a wife in CMP: she was the wife of Dr. Jones in the two movies of that saga, the murdered wife of Yeoman in ‘Yeoman’ and now the adulterous wife of Billy Cudrup.
-Cameron Bright leads a cast for the first time in CMP after having been seen playing minor roles in ’72 Hours’, ‘Married To The Supervillain’ and ‘Teenage Wasteland’.
SECRET SINS: The main secret has been revealed. We know the name of the daring couple that
will star this highly erotic thriller that will mean Joey Stark’s debut as movie director. And they are… Natalie Portman and Jude Law! Yes, GMA Winner Portland and the star from the ‘Magic – The Gathering’ saga will be the talents taking the risk of starring the most sexually explicit CMP’s movie ever. Natalie plays a nice woman that gets addicted to a peculiar relationship with a mysterious man played by Law. Sounds sexy.THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON: Josh Collins has written often about this project at his blog. The movie will adapt a Stephen King’s novel about a girl getting lost at a forest and how that takes her to fight against her own madness. Elle Fanning, who already worked past Season with Collins in the wonderful ‘The Orphan Train’ will star the movie. And behind the cameras will work Frank Darabont (‘West Flashman’), who has adapted other books by King before. Sounds intriguing.
JACK VANCE: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY: The recent best Screenplay GMA Winner Matt
Kubrick is behind this strange story that mixes different realities in a peculiar plot being directed by Richard Kelly. Robert Downey Jr. has accepted to play one of the most strangest characters of this strange story (the name of his character is Beelzebub, a hint of how strange he is). The movie will also mean the debut in CMP of Danny Woodburn (remember ‘Seinfeld’? Or ‘Watchmen’?). Sounds strange.INVASION: Viggo Mortensen, the unforgettable Yeoman of the Wild Cards saga, finally returns to CMP four Seasons after we saw him for the last time in ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’, starring this epic sci-fi adventure written by Steve Connors, produced by James Cameron and being directed by Brett Ratner. Mortensen will play a tormented and brave warrior facing the alien race that has invaded Planet Earth. Sounds epic.
ALICE: It’s been five Seasons since James Bradley worked for the last time with his regular muse,
Kate Winslet, in ‘Things I Forgot To Tell You’. Well, they are finally back together in this social drama about a woman that kills a member of a gang that is terrorizing her and her son. The movie will mean the 7th time that Bradley chooses Winslet to be in one of his movies. Paul Haggis, in his first CMP’s movie, will be directing this intense drama. Sounds awardable.THE ORPHANAGE: Austin Williams, who made his CMP’s debut past Season in ‘Bedtime Stories 2’, returns this Season playing Julia Roberts’ adoptive son in this mystery movie directed by M. Night Shymalan. His disappearance will unleash all kind of strange events at the old orphanage where Roberts lives together with her husband, being played by Matthew Foxx ('Damnation Road’, ‘The Flash’). Sounds disturbing.
ASTERYOS POLYP: It has taken so long for the always peculiar Spike Jonze to finally show up in CMP. He will finally do it directing this more than peculiar story written by Dawson Edwards. George Clooney is going to play Asteryos Polyp, an artistic architect with a messy life. The movie, a kind of fable with a surreal touch, will be the second movie developed by Scoundrels Productions, the independent company created by George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The first movie released by this company was the successful ‘To Catch A Thief’. Sounds artsy.
HALLELUJAH: Ian McKellen - who has been seen in many popular CMP’s franchises like ‘Wild Cards’, ‘Nathan Zachary’, ‘Hitman’ or ‘Fallout’ – returns to CMP four Seasons after his last work for the Studio, the Best Picture Winner ‘The Gunpowder Plot’, with this Danny Boyle’s movie cowritten by Trent Nielsen and Chad Taylor. Ian Somerhalder will make with it his debut in CMP playing the character rejected by Colin Farrell. Sounds controversial.
FICTICIOUS IMAGES: Chloe Moretz returns to CMP (and no, it has nothing to do with her work in ‘Kick Ass’) in this family drama written and directed by Josh Collins. Moretz, who already worked in the Collins’ story ‘Velcro’, will be here the daughter of Naomi Watts and Ethan Hawke. The movie sets out the doubt about Chloe having suffered abuses from her father or being manipulated by her mother. Sounds ‘very Collins’.KINGDOM: THE DARK AND THE LIGHT: Two debutantes in CMP in this sequel of ‘Kingdom’. Giselle Itié and Mark Strong work for the Studio for their very first time in this epic fantasy adventure being starred by Megan Fox and Chris Evans, written by Matt Kubrick and directed by Zack Snyder. Sounds ambitious.
TRENT NIELSEN – THAT’S THE WAY
GMA Winner Trent Nielsen returns to CMP this week with the release of his latest dramedy ‘That’s The Way’, directed by Cameron Crowe and starred by Cameron Bright. Loyal to himself, Nielsen has bet again for a sentimental and intimate story very much based on the quality of its screenplay together with the acting works. We have talked with him about the movie and other upcoming projects.
1.'That's The Way' is another risky release: a low budget intimate drama starred by mid-ranked stars like Cameron Bright or Billy Cudrup... It seems like you keep developing your creativity not worrying much about box office...
Well, I really hope 'that's the way' it goes but it seems to me that my creative energies have run dry. Nothing left in the tank now, I think. I've been watching a lot of films lately for inspiration but it's still not there. My muse, where are you?
2.'That's The Way' is your second collaboration with Cameron Crowe after 'Faded'. Do you plan
to keep working together in the future?Yeah. He's like my own idol. Cameron Crowe is the only person who got me into watching films.
3.After your amazing debut two Seasons ago, Best Screenplay GMA included, you almost disappeared past Season. Now you are back. Are you going to release movies more often or do you plan to stay as a low activity author?
I hope to release more movies in the future. It's hard to say whether I could make that happen or not but I wish I can make that happen.
4.'Hallelujah' is coming up soon too. It's your first collaboration with Chad Taylor. How was it co-writing a story with somebody else? Why or how did you two decide to write together this story?
It feels different writing with somebody else because it's not just about you now, it's about you and the writer you're working with now. We decided to write this story when I posted a thread back on
the old forum and he PM'ed me so we tried things out and that's how we came up with the beautiful story of Hallelujah.5.Releasing a gay love story is always a risky thing. Do you think that gays are too ignored by Hollywood or did 'Brokeback Mountain' change things? Is there an audience for this kind of films beyond restricted circuits?
Gays are still ignored by Hollywood. I've met a couple of gay people, both male and female, and it pains me to see that they are getting discriminated because of their orientation. Most of the times, they are the most wonderful people I've met. They are not afraid to show people what they really feel. And the problem is society is that, if you watch a film involving the LGBT community, like a gay love story for example, they assume you're gay too so people avoid watching gay-related films since they do not want to associated with the word 'gay'.
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY
MOST AWARDED MOVIE EVER
Every time a CMP’s movie makes a special achievement in terms of box office or awards, we dedicate it here an in-depth article. So now’s the turn for ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’, as it became past week the most awarded movie ever at the Golden Moon Awards with 6 wins, after being previously the most nominated movie ever with 11 nods.
‘Carousel’, the musical directed by Sam Mendes, had been holding the record of the most awarded movie at the GMA since Season 4, when it won 5 statues. It has taken 9 CMP’s Seasons to beat that lasting record!
THE BOOK
Michael Chabon published the novel ‘The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay’ in 2000. One
year later, the book won the Pulitzer Award. It is a 600 hundred pages novel that covers more than ten years in the life of two young comic artists telling so many events and mixing fictional and real life characters.Dark Horse Comics edited later a few comic books with the adventures of The Escapist, the superhero created in the novel by Kavalier and Clay, some of them written by Chabon himself.
THE MOVIE
Hollywood has been trying to adapt the book for the big screen for the last 10 years. Different screenwriters and directors have shown their interest in the story and even Michael Chabon himself has tried to write a screenplay based on his own book. But all the attempts have failed because of the many events told in the book and the difficulty to adapt them all to a movie language.
THE SCREENPLAY
Joey Stark had wanted to make a movie based on the book almost since CMP was born. He had read the book some time around 2003 and that’s what he says about it: ‘In those days, I used the subway to go to work so I read the book during my daily subway’s travels. I was so trapped by the story that a few times I forgot to take off the train on my station. It was the most absorbing book I had read for years.’
To write the screenplay, Stark re-read the book taking notes trying to
clarify to himself the structure of the story. Then, he wrote different drafts, choosing what events had to be necessary told in the movie and what could be left apart. ‘In my opinion, the last third of the movie, when Kavalier returns from war and meet again Rosa and Clay, is the weakest part of the story, so that was where I cut a few things’.Finally, after a few months working on the screenplay, Joey Stark considered he had done the best possible. He still had a story that needed more than two hours to be told anyway…
The screenplay does not change almost anything from the story in the book. It just shorts up a bit the time periods and obvious some minor events.
THE DIRECTOR AND THE CAST
‘I had Steven Spielberg in mind to direct this movie since the very first moment’, has said Joey Stark. ‘Spielberg could perfectly connect with all the elements of the story: war, romance, family, comics, the mix between sentimentalism and adventure… and the very important influence of Jewish culture in the characters’.
Jamie Bell’s name also came up quickly to Stark’s mind. ‘This may sound hard to believe. I thought of Jamie. And, after that, I found on internet that Jamie had been in fact related to some previous attempts of making this movie. I was shocked!’
Another funny thing is that, once Emile Hirsh was also cast, Stark and Spielberg doubted who would play who. ‘Both Jamie and Emile could perfectly play either Kavalier or Clay so Joey and I had doubts about it until the very last moment’, has said Speilberg.
Some cast changes had to be made as talents chosen by Stark and Spielberg were busy shooting other CMP’s films. Daniel Craig was the first choice to play the pilot that turns crazy at the Artic finally played by Matt Dillon. And Paul Bettany was the first choice to play the crazy nazi that becomes Kavalier’s enemy, played by Stephen Dorff.
James Franco was shooting ‘Nude!’ and nobody was sure if he would be free to join the movie. James ‘Preacher’ Marsden was ready to replace him. But finally Franco could join the shootage on time… and finally won a GMA for his work.
Emmy Rosum was chosen by Joey Stark after considering stars like Scarlet Johansson and Anne Hathaway to play the character.
BOX OFFICE, REVIEWS AND AWARDS
The movie didn’t work at box office as expected. It only made 41 millions and 6 millions of net gains for the Studio. Much lower numbers than expected. Its length – close to two hours and a half – has been considered by the Studio’s experts one of the main reasons for this poor numbers.
Critical reception was very positive, although some critics have
considered it ‘too pretentious’ or ‘too obviously conceived to win awards’. Joey Stark has said about it: ‘They are right. We knew we were being deliberately pretentious. We knew we were trying to do something really important with this movie. And yes, I admit too that we had big expectations about winning awards with it.’And it has. The movie has become the most nominated and the most awarded movie in GMA’s History with 11 nominations and 6 wins: Best Adaptation, Best Starring Couple (Emile Hirsh and Jamie Bell), Best Supporting Actor (James Franco), Best Actor (Emile Hirsh), Best Director (Steven Spielberg) and Best Picture.
THE 13th GOLDEN MOON AWARDS
By Bob Felton
For once, I must say I wasn’t neither surprised nor disappointed. The last GMA edition flowed through a predictable way without the usual unexpected surprises. I think it is the first time that I can say I agree with almost a 100% of the voters’ choices. They were all pretty predictable and reasonable so, this time, I feel quite relaxed writing this review of the awards…
THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS
Yes, ‘Kavalier & Clay’ finally became the most awarded movie ever in CMP’s History. It was almost impossible not breaking the record after its 11 nominations. The movie was defeated at 5 categories but still it had margin enough and finally got 6 statutes. I had always been surprised that a minor movie like ‘Carousel’ got to stay for so long as the most awarded CMP’s production. ‘Kavalier & Clay’ is a big, ambitious and very Hollywood-style production that fits well as a multi-awarded production. Not my favorite CMP’s movie ever but I can live with it as a record breaker.
But what makes me specially happy with this GMA Edition is that Matt Kubrick finally won his first GMA. It has taken him 79 screenplays to be in the list of GMA Winners. Kubrick has always been an outsider. He takes risks, ignores movie critics, bets for the strangest stories and dares to develop his interest for B-series productions and old fashioned genres as exploitation or ‘80’s-esque’ slasher movies. The great screenplay of ‘Legends Of The West’ was the perfect occasion to recognize his talent and I’m so glad GMA’s voters did it.
I’m also happy for Steven Spielberg. Both as director and as producer, he is a very important name in CMP’s History. So, beyond ‘Kavalier & Clay’, I take his win as a homage to the extraordinary movies he has developed in CMP, from ‘Star Wars: New Order’ to the great but undervalued ‘Atlantis’. And, for what I know, get ready to see him back at the GMA ceremony soon cause I’ve been told he is already working in another big great movie for the Studio…
The good thing about this Edition is that everybody could go home feeling satisfied. All the movies with a high number of nominations got at least one statue. This time, that tradition of the ‘5 Nominations / 0 Wins’ suffered by so many movies before wasn’t repeated. None of the main candidates can be considered as the main defeated of the night as there was a piece of the cake for all of them.
A NICE NIGHT FOR…
EMILE HIRSH: He took two statues home, Best Actor and Best Starring Couple. No doubt, Hirsh is getting bigger as star inside than outside CMP. ‘The Beatles’, ‘The Impossible Dream’ and now ‘Kavalier & Clay’ have turned him lately in one of the most prestigious talents in CMP’s world. And still more to come… I’ve also got to know that Joey Stark has written again another story to be starred by him so expect more from Emile in the near future.
ELLEN PAGE: Having James Bradley writing for any actress is a guarantee to win awards (some
day, I’ll study how many female acting awards have been won with characters created by Bradley, cause I think it may be something like a 70% of them all or something). Page has succeeded playing again ‘the girl next door’, ala Juno. And I had no doubt she was going to win.CAMERON DIAZ: First actress to win at the Best Villain category. And a deserved win. It was so obvious that she could not compete with Ellen for Best Actress, so winning Best Villain was a must after her wonderful creation of the sexy, disturbing and murderous Ms. Jordon.
JAMES FRANCO: It was a night of redemption. Hirsh and Page became GMA Winners after having starred some Seasons ago the awful ‘Blood Beach’. And Franco has also turned into a GMA Winner after putting his career in risk with the terrible ‘Psycho: Bloodline’. I felt happy for him. Maybe I liked more the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman. But it could have been worse at this category: Robert Pattinson could have won!
RON PERLMAN: No, he didn’t win any award at this Edition. But I want to remark here his funny appearance at the Gala, laughing at himself in the most ironic way. Probably, his brilliant comedic monologue can be considered as one of the best moments in GMA’s ceremonies ever.
A BAD NIGHT FOR…
JENA MALONE: Two chances of winning her second GMA and both failed. Jena could not make it neither at Best Starring Couple nor at Best Supporting Actress. A shame. The unforgettable ‘Lyra’ didn’t have her best night. But I am sure there will be more chances for her in the future
as she is a rising star in CMP.DAWSON EDWARDS: He still will have to wait for his first GMA as screenwriter. He didn’t have too many chances against Kubrick and Stark so Edwards should feel happy just having been in the final trio.
JAMES BRADLEY: I personally think that it was excessive his nomination as Best Director for ‘Nude!’. The funny thing is that I think he very much deserved a Best Screenplay nomination (or even win) for the wonderful writing work he made with that movie. Anyway, it’s not easy to be nominated as Best Director for a CMP’s author and his creativity was sufficiently recognized with the ‘Best Original Concept’ award.
JOEY STARK: Strange night for Joey. His beloved movie, ‘Kavalier & Clay’, finally became the big winner of the night. Spielberg got his statues, many cast members got theirs… but Joey Stark didn’t got any. 6 awards… but Joey didn’t win his first Best Screenplay award by himself with the movie (he got it with ‘The Funeral Drum’, a screenplay co-written with James Bradley). So I think it was a bittersweet night for him. Well, Joey, it has taken 79 screenplays for Kubrick to finally win, so be patient as you have not written 50 yet…
Every Season, new talents make their debut in CMP. This new Season, a rising star shows up for the first time in a CMP’s movie after being declared as the new official Hollywood’s ‘scream queen’. In ‘Earth 3K2’, actress and singer Taylor Scout-Compton will share risks and adventures with Shia LaBeouf trying to make room for her in the Studio. Here we have her, happy of it all, at the premiere of the movie.
New trend in CMP? It looks like it. During this new Season we’ll see a bunch of movies based on a very similar premise: how will be the future of mankind? John Daws, Richard Franzwa and Steve
Connors will offer us their visions of what can we expect in the upcoming centuries: futuristic cities, political or religious problems, conflicts and violence… It may be just a coincidence but it seems like these CMP’s authors have reach an agreement to share with us during the upcoming weeks their different but all pessimistic visions of the future of civilization.By the way, Steven Spielberg hasn’t taken a rest after his personal success with ‘Kavalier & Clay’. He is already working hard in the pre-production of his new CMP’s film. Yes, he is part of this new trend too. Spielberg has teamed up with Richard Franzwa to develop a most interesting project that will surprise for sure audiences. All I can say by the moment is that his movie will be a remake – or should I say an ‘update’ - of one of the most legendary sci-fi movies ever…
Another coincidence in these projects is that two of them wanted to have Viggo Mortensen in them. I remember reading some weeks ago in this blog a ‘what happened with…’ article that mentioned Viggo as one of the talents that had lost presence in CMP. Well, that has changed. Mortensen is confirmed as the lead star of Connors’ look at the future in ‘Invasion’. And due to it, he had to reject an offer from John Daws to be in his own futuristic movie. You know how it goes some times with CMP’s stars: forgotten for a while and then suddenly multi-demanded…The sequel of ‘Wonder Woman’ is on its way. And Dawson Edwards will surprise us all with the talent he has chosen to direct it. Jon Favreau, director of ‘Wonder Woman’, won’t be directing the sequel. To replace him, Dawson Edwards has made the most peculiar and surprising choice. A really artsy director that has never been involved in a superhero movie before… I’ll keep the secret by the moment but I can guarantee that this director makes the project even more appealing, intriguing and interesting…
And from an artsy director to the less artsy director ever… It seems like Uwe Boll has made a good impression in CMP with ‘Suicide Squad’. There’s a rumor running through CMP’s corridors: Boll
could be the man to direct the new spin-off from ‘Reform School Girls’. Joey Stark already wrote the first spin-off, ‘Tracks Of Blood’, and he is already working on the screenplay of a new story, now based on the character played by Michelle Rodriguez in the original movie. And the name of Boll is sounding as its possible director. Midnight Movies will be developing this action flick and it is not confirmed yet if Quentin Tarantino will keep attached to the saga as producer or not.
posted by Harry at
1:20 AM
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