JUNE, 4
KINGDOM: THE DARK AND THE LIGHT
Fantasy / Adventure
The Cast: Megan Fox, Chris Evans, Giselle Itié, AnnaSophia Robb, Mark Strong, Timothy Olyphant
The Director: Zack Snyder
The Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick
The Plot:
A horse drawn carriage moving through the dead of night, surrounded by trees and fog. Inside are several women and a young girl around the age of 15 (AS.Robb). They are on the move. They belong to a group called the keepers of the light, it is their job to protect the young woman with growing powers. It happens once every thousand years and since she is young she must be protected so she can develop her powers and be kept from those that would use their powers for their own good. The group is being chased by minions of a powerful wizard named Claude Vandersmith (M.Strong). All of a sudden the horses pulling the carriage begin to freak out on the dark road. Two armed Lizard like people from the Karolth empire stand in the middle of the road. The carriage tips over crashing on the ground. As the woman help the girl named Vivian out torches light up all around them. They are surrounded on all sides. The woman pull out swords of their own but they are swiftly cut down. In the heat of battle one woman is left alive deeply wounded on the ground her name is Alexis. She can only watch as Vivian is carried off.
Five days later Alexander Wick (C.Evans) the thief is sitting in a the pub of a small village everyone is drinking and taking bets on a small fight going on. The smell of smoke hangs in the air. Two years ago Alexander helped Kes get revenge and help the elves find their place in the world once again. But recently they went their own ways. He is surprised when a young woman sits before him. She says her name is Carolyn (G.Itié) and she spent time searching for Alexander. She knows who he is and she tells of great danger to the world. She needs to find Kes. At first Alexander is reluctant but finally agrees after hearing Carolyn’s story of survival and the young girl that was kidnapped. Alexander tells Carolyn it will take a long journey to reach Kes. She is in the frozen wastes, an icey landscape at a temple where she has been meditating. She agrees to go there and that time is of the essence.
Meanwhile in a large manor Claud Vandersmith stands before the young Vivian he plans to use the girls power to wreck destruction on the world. But the moons have to be in the correct pattern. His manor lies inside the city of Danmoore, a mostly human city. He is sick of the world he has lived for two hundred years. Using the life force of the young to help him survive. He tells Vivian that her power will be used and that she will help him live longer and to bring in a new era of death and destruction. He orders his guards to take the girl to a cell where she can't escape from. All of a sudden in a bolt of magic and a blast of lightning a man dressed in rather fancy clothes appears he recognizes the man as his old apprentice a mystic by the name of Magdar (T.Olyphant). They have an old rival going and claud is afraid he is there to ruin his plans in someway but Magdar wants to help him and he tells him that he has seen into the future and there are already forces at work to ruin his plans. He will do everything he can to help Claud achieve his goals.
Meanwhile Alexander and Carolyn have been on their journey for several weeks now taking boats and carriages here and there right now they are hundreds of miles away from their destination and have to make the trip on foot. IN a burst of energy Magdar stands before them and attacks without warning. The three of them have a long battle and they eventually fight him off. When Alexander asks Carolyn if that was Claud she says no I have no idea who that was. That was someone else entirely!. Finally they arrive at their destination and make their way through the frozen wastes. They reach the massive shrine and make their way inside to find a surprised Kes (M.Fox) who has been meditating and sleeping when she can. Her and Alexander embrace and Carolyn tells Kes about everything that has been going on. Kes finally agrees to help and put things right once again. But they need to find out what is going on and how to stop Claud.
Their quest for answers will take them all over the empire and finally the clues start to come together when they come into contact with an old man by the name of Cyrus. He was Claud's teacher and Claud's quest for magic has corrupted him. He gave into evil and has been hoping to stop him. But he believes that Claud is the least of their problems and warns of Magdar. He believes that Magdar is the true enemy here and also believes there is much more going on than meets the eyes. All of a sudden Magdar re appears again and kills Cyrus before giving off a warning to the others. He tells them to stay out of his way he needs to set things right. When Magdar returns to Claud he tells him that he is taking over and we are doing things my way. Claud isn't to happy about this and the two have a battle leaving Claud dead, Magdar absorbs his powers and becomes stronger.
As their quest lingers on Kes and Alexander begin to form a relationship and fall in love with each other. They will do anything to help each other out. Carolyn begins feeling left out but she will see this all through till the end. It finally comes down to a big battle between Magdar, Kes, Alexander and Carolyn. They have discovered Magdars true intentions. He wants to summon a dragon god to help him rebuild the world in his image. He believes the world is going to hell and believes he can make everything right. Kes and Alexander try to reason with him but to no avail. They all do battle but it's to late. Magdar uses the power of Vivian to help him draw forth a massive dragon which interrupts the whole thing it appears in the room and crashes through the roof. But Kes interrupts before the magic is completed and saves Vivian. Since Kes interrupted, Magdar loses control of the dragon itself and is killed by it. The Dragon flies out of the ruins and begins laying destruction to the whole city. The dragon flies off leaving thousands dead and lots of destruction. Eventually an army is built to combat the dragon and the movie ends with a huge battle between thousands of armored troops and catopults and Kes and Alexander fighting side by side. Finally the dragon is dead and the movie ends with Kes and Alexander kissing.
Stark’s Comment:
In Season 11, ‘Kingdom’ made a box office of 55 million and net gains of 33 millions. Besides the nice net gains, box office was a painful disappointment, as that top budget movie was conceived to become a major blockbuster. I must confess I had doubts if developing a sequel was worthy or not but finally I decided to give the saga a second chance. After all, the first movie made nice profits, mainly thanks to DVD market. We’ll see if this sequel relaunches the franchise or becomes its definitive ending.
Behind The Scenes:
-Megan Fox and Chris Evans are the only cast members of the first movie that return in this sequel.
-‘Kingdom’ was the less successful movie directed for CMP by Zack Snyder. He has worked with Matt Kubrick before in ‘Preacher’ and ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’.
-Rumors say that the relationship between Snyder and Megan Fox during the shooting of the movie was more than controversial due to the fussy behavior of the star.
THE ORPHANAGE
Mystery / Suspense
The Cast: Julia Roberts, Austin Williams, Matthew Fox, Merryl Streep, Kathy Bates
The Director: M. Night Shymalan
The Screenwriter: James Bradley
The Plot:
The movie begins with old images taken with a domestic camera where we see a group of children, all dressed up with the same school uniforms, playing red-light-green-light-1-2-3 at a garden. They look fun and happy. The images slowly fade to black...
Laura (J.Roberts) and her husband Charly (M.Foxx) have bought the old orphanage where she grew up. The old building is in a lonely rocky area at the Pacific Coast. They move there with their adopted son Simon (A.Williams). Simon is HIV-positive. Laura and Charly are planning to reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children.
As soon as they move, Simon claims to see a boy named Tom, whoom he befriends. Simon always draws Tom wearing a strange sack mask. Simon’s parents think Tom is only an imaginary friend.
One day, a social worker named Vella (K.Bates) visits the orphanage. Vella tells Laura that she is the supervisor of Simon, as he is adoptive, and she knows about Simon being HIV-positive. Vella is a strange and nasty woman. Laura just gets rid of her as soon as she can. That same night, Laura finds Vella snooping around the orphanage but Vella disappears before Laura can confront her.
Simon teaches Laura a type of scavenger hunt game that he says Tom taught him. The game involves hiding a person's possessions, with the player who recovers his final possession winning a wish. While playing the game, the clues lead to Simon's adoption file with an angry Simon saying his new friends told him that Laura is not his real mother and that he knows he is going to die.
Laura and Charly offer an opening party at the orphanage for families that might take their disabled kids to spend some Summer holidays. During the party, Simon is not behaving well. Laura and Simon argue and Simón hides from her. While searching for him, Laura is confronted by a boy in a sack mask with the name "Tom" embroidered onto his shirt. The boy traps her in a bathroom, and when she escapes she finds that Simon is missing, and searches for him throughout the house. As she is looking for Simon in a closet below the stairs, Laura does not notice that she has dropped some gardening tools that block a little door on the other side of the closet.
Simon has disappeared. Police is looking for him. There are posters with his picture everywhere in the nearest villages. TV talks about the mysterious disappearance of the kid. Police suspects that the strange Vella might have abducted him but she cannot be found.
During the first days after the disappearance of Simon, a bedridden Laura hears unexplained banging in the walls.
Six months pass.
One day, while driving through one of the nearest villages, Laura and Carlos spot Vella pushing a baby carriage downtown. Laura calls out to her. Vella looks at her and she does not get to see a speeding van that suddenly hits and kills her. Laura rushes to Vella's carriage, but finds only a doll wearing Tom's sack mask.
Police searches Vella's home and finds evidence revealing that Vella worked at the orphanage long ago and that she had a son named Tom who was at the orphanage. He wore a sack-like mask over his head due to his deformity and was housed away from the other children in a separate room. Tom was accidentally killed by the children of the orphanage who stole his mask near a beach cave, which is accessible at low tide. Embarrassed without his mask, Tom hid in the cave, resulting in his death by drowning.
In desperation, Laura goes to a medium named Aurora (M.Streep), a nice but mysterious woman, seeking clues to her son's disappearance. After Aurora investigates the house, she explains that because she is close to death due to cancer, she has the ability to see the dead. Aurora goes into a trance one night at the orphanage. It’s a terrifying experience for her, as she gets to hear and feel crying and terrified a group of children. The ghost children tell Aurora where they are and how lonely and scared they feel.
With Aurora’s clues, Laura discovers the remains – no more than ashes and some bones - of the orphans she grew up with at a small cabin near the main building of the orphanage. When Police and forensic doctors analyze the remains of the children, it is evident that they were murdered.
The conclusion is that Vella killed all the kids as revenge because she considered them responsible of the accidental death of her son, Tom. After killing them (probably poisoned), Vella stored in sacks their bodies and they were hidden at the cabin, used as coal storage.
Charly tells Laura that they should leave the orphanage and try to begin a new life somewhere else. Laura finally accepts it. But, before they leave, she begs Charly to let her alone at the orphanage for only two days. She needs to say goodbye to the disappeared Simon that way, she says. Reluctantly, Charly finally accepts to leave her there alone.
Laura attempts to contact the ghost children. She pretends to want to play a game with them, similar to that red-light-green-light-1-2-3 that she used to play while growing up at the orphanage.
One by one, the ghost children become visible by Laura as they start playing the game with her. Tom, wearing his sack mask, is among them.
The ghost of Tom holds Laura’s hand and takes her to the closet under the stairs. She gets in and finds, behind the gardening tools, the little door and opens it. The door leads to a narrow stair that takes her to a basement she didn’t know that existed. In the basement, she finds Simon. He is alive and Laura hugs him in a blanket.
The ghost children, that have followed her to the basement, vanish. Once alone, Laura realizes that the blanket she’s hugging is suddenly empty. Simon is not there. She looks for him at the basement and finally finds that the body of the deceased Simon lies behind her.
Laura realizes that it was herself who had inadvertently caused Simon's death (she accidentally blocked the hidden door to the basement with the gardening tools, Simon was hiding at the basement after they argued during the party, so Simon got trapped at the basement). Laura also realizes that the unexplained noises she had heard were Simon trying to get out.
Laura carries Simon's body upstairs. While holding Simon’s dead body in her arms, she slowly swallows one by one all the pills of Simon’s medication. She seems to fall sleep.
When she wakes up and opens her eyes, all the ghost children are surrounding her. Tom, wearing his sack mask, is one of them too. They don’t look like ghosts anymore but like normal kids, staring at her with curiosity. Then, Simon comes to life in Laura's arms.
Simon then tells Laura that his wish when playing the game Tom’s taught him was for her to stay and take care of all the orphans. Laura promises she will never go and she will take care of him and the rest of the children forever.
It is obvious that Laura took the pills to die so she could enter into the ghost world where she could reunite with Simon and the rest of the children...
Months later, Carlos walks alone over to the gravestones for Laura, Simon, and the orphans, which stand outside the orphanage. Carlos returns to the orphans' old bedroom and finds on the floor a medallion that he gave as a present to Laura years ago.
He hears the sound of a door closing. As he looks around him, Charly slowly smiles.
Stark’s Comment:
Based on a great Spanish movie, this is a very intriguing dark story that moves in an undefined territory between supernatural horror and suspense. I hope this American remake turns out as brilliant and interesting for audiences as its original source.
Behind The Scenes:
-The original Spanish movie this one is a remake of was produced by Guillermo Del Toro.
-M. Night Shymalan has only directed one movie for CMP before: the acclaimed dark version of Peter Pan written by Matt Kubrick, ‘Cursed Neverland’ (Season 3, B.O.: 76 millions).
-The character played by Merryl Streep in the movie was played in the original Spanish movie by Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of the legendary Charles Chaplin.
HALLELUJAH
Drama
The Cast: Ben McKenzie, Ryan Gosling, Ian Somerhalder, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen
The Director: Danny Boyle
The Screenwriters: Trent Nielsen and Chad Taylor
The Plot:
Benjamin Phoenix (B.McKenzie) has spent most of his life as a devout catholic. His parents raised him as one. As of the current time, he is training to be a priest. It was his parents' dream for him. It wasn't easy for him to make this decision. When selecting a college to go to,he chose to pursue priesthood(over other appealing career paths like law or business).Benjamin claims that no one influenced him in his decision but God. He was an intelligent kid throughout his youth,and any choice he would've made,would've looked like the right one.
He only had weeks left in his training when he met Leo Smith (R.Gosling) in a local book club. Leo liked everything that Benjamin liked, except for religion since Leo was an atheist. Despite of differences in belief, the two of them struck up a solid friendship. Leo lacked the sense of urgency of being right that Benjamin had seen in other non-believers. The two could very easily put their differences aside and be very friendly. As time passes, Leo invites Benjamin to have a drink of coffee with him. They meet again the next day,and continue to see each other, developing a nice bond.
Most of Leo's past was kept a secret. He didn't tell Benjamin he was divorced. He didn't tell Benjamin that he was kicked out from college. He didn't want to let Benjamin know that he was a ex-heroin addict. Problem was that he was knew he was falling in love with Benjamin. He wasn't a newbie when it comes to falling in love with friends of the same sex. Most of the times, he pursues a relationship with them but he knew he couldn't do that with Benjamin because of his religious beliefs.
Benjamin decides to hide this from his parents, Julian (K.Branagh) and Lucy (E.Thompson). He knows that if his parents found out he was so close to another man, they would hate him. And so he tells no one. However, Leo was raised differently than Ben. He was not a social outcast like Benjamin, but he was the exact opposite. He grew up in an Italian household where family is very important. He has 3 three brothers and 2 sisters. He's gained many friends over the years,including his best friend/ex-boyfriend James (I.Somerhalder) whom he shares everything with. But when Leo tells James about Ben, it stirs up some jealousy. He does some research and figures out that Benjamin is training to be a priest. And so he goes to the Church where Ben is training, and tells Father Williams (I.McKellen) about his little "friendship", saying they have more than "friendly conversations", although he's obviously lying.
This creates much controversy heading towards Benjamin, who must dodge many questions. Preparing for what's ahead, he informs Leo that they must erase any connections with each other, and if asked, he must deny there was any friendship. Leo is heartbreak, though as is Ben. They stare at each other for a few seconds with a slow tears rolling down their eyes and then Leo leans in for the kiss. Their lips meet and hands hold each other as the scene fades to black.
"Say Yes" by Elliott Smith plays, as Benjamin wakes up, with messed-up hair and a distraught face, looking hungover, even though he's not. He goes through the day and is approached by his head priest, who he must furiously deny the accusations to. Then his parents, who don't believe his story, remove their payments towards the new house he is about to buy, and leave him in anger. Anger towards James, not them.He knows how to take it out though...by going to the confessional. He asks for forgiveness for his recent sins, but then tells the priest that he is not sorry for falling in love.He tells him it is a natural feeling you get,no matter who for,and you should not get punished for it. He walks out of the confessional,sophisticated."Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainright plays, while a confident Benjamin walks down the side walk in his priest suit with a big smile as people pass him by, staring at him and making fun of him.
Meanwhile,not sure how to deal with his feelings,Leo fleas on spring break down to Central America. It was his last year in college and what better way to forget about your feelings then to drink booze and party? Little does he know that Benjamin left that same day, on a mission trip. We see a split screen of the two, both at their respective places, showing strong similarities between the two. Both seem sad,non-responsive,and thinking about the other while Good Riddance(Time of Your Life) by Green Day plays in the background. Continuing the on-going scene,both travel back to town, and hurry to each other's apartments. When Ben gets to Leo's apartment, no one answers and the same for Leo at Ben's. Then it seems like a light-bulb pops over both heads,and they both sprint out the door. Benjamin rides his bike,while Leo takes a cab.They go to the book club,where they first met. The split-screen emerges into one,as both meet each other and hug,with the song's last line "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life."
Stark’s Comment:
‘Brokeback Mountain’ proved that a gay love story can work in box office. So why this one wouldn’t?
Behind The Scenes:
-Danny Boyle initially refused the offer to direct this movie, as he wanted to take a rest after ‘The Orphan Train’. But, finally, he liked the story so much that he changed his mind and decided to join the project.
-Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe refused to be in the movie as both thought the characters offered were not interesting enough for them. Somerhalder replaced Farrell and Branagh replaced Crowe.
-Branagh and Emma Thompson, who play here McKenzie’s parents, were married in real life.
-The version of the song ‘Hallelujah’ that is heard in the movie was going to be the one performed by Jeff Buckley. Finally, Chad Taylor decided to use the cover played by Rufus Wainright.
-‘Love is not a victory march’, the words used in the movie poster, are part of the lyrics of the song.
STAR WARS: HOLOCRON INITIATIVE: Here is one of the big events of this Season. Yes, the Star Wars’ universe is back to CMP 9 Seasons after the end of the Marcus Trax’s trilogy. This
rebirth of the saga is written by Dawson Edwards. The story takes place many years after the events told in CMP’s ‘Star Wars: Balance Of The Force’ but still the plot has a direct connection with those movies. It is also known that the movie won’t involve any member of the Skywalker family, creating brand new characters for the story. Of course, George Lucas will be producing the movie. And to direct it, the chosen one has been David Yates, responsible of the latest Harry Potter’s movies. Yates directed for CMP the blockbuster ‘Aquaman’, also written by Edwards. He was finally chosen after considering other options like Alfonso Cuaron, responsible of another Edwards’ franchise, ‘Zoids’.
THE GIRL THAT LOVED TOM GORDON: Talents chosen to play the parents of Elle Fanning in this Collins’ adaptation of Stephen King’s book being directed by Frank Darabont: the mom will be Amy Ryan and the dad will be played by Josh Lucas. Past Season, both Ryan and Lucas met in another Collins’ movie: ‘Bedtime Stories 2’.
SAM & TWITCH 2: In Season 2 (twelve Seasons ago!), Matt Kubrick made his debut as movie director with ‘Sam & Twitch’, a peculiar cops movie based on a graphic novel. The movie was shot in black and white digital film and it lasted nearly 3 hours. It was a visual challenge, as it recreated
the peculiar look of the original source. Sadly, it didn´t work financially: although it made a very good box office of 147 millions, the movie had net losses of 27 million due to its astronomical budget. After so long, Kubrick has decided to write and direct again a sequel of it. Again, it will be shot in digital film and black and white. And the starring couple – nominated at the Best Starring Couple category for their work in the original movie – is also back: Tim Roth and John Goodman.
ASTERIOS POLYP: Goodman has busy days ahead of him. He is already shooting his sequences in this other movie so he can join the shootage of ‘Sam & Twitch 2’ on time. GMA Winner Goodman will meet in this Spike Jonze’s movie with another GMA Winner: Gong Li, who returns to the Studio playing George Clooney’s love interest after her work in the blockbuster ‘Daughters Of The Dragon’.
INVASION: Lead female star in this epic sci-fi / action adventure being directed by Bret Rattner and produced by James Cameron chosen: Franka Potente will join Viggo Mortensen at the reduced group of humans that resist to an alien invasion. Franka has only been seen before in one CMP’s movie, ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’. She was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her work in that movie.
SECRET SINS: Three actors will play supporting roles in this sexy thriller focused on the lead characters played by Natalie Portman and Jude Law. James Gandolfini (not seen in CM since ‘Under The Gun’) will play a Police Detective; Jeff Daniels (‘Weigh Anchor’) will be Jude Law’s lawyer; and Christopher Plummer (‘Nick Fury’, ‘The Avengers 4: Civil War’) will play Law’s father. Joey Stark is the writer and also the director of this erotic thriller.
JOHN WAYNE MUST DIE: Behind this very original title hides a war drama written by Chad
Taylor. The movie tells the story of a young man and how his life is interrupted when he has to go to Vietnam War… just to discover the lies beneath the myth of the all-American John Wayne. Ron Howard, who already directed for CMP another movie about the casualties of war (‘Ugly’), returns to CMP directing this one. And the lead character will be played by the talented Garrett Hedlund, only seen before in CMP playing a minor role in ‘Psycho: Bloodline’.
JACK VANCE: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY: Jodelle Ferland, who made her CMP’s debut with the mystery drama written by Josh Collins ‘In Spirit’, returns to the Studio in this Richard Kelly’s movie written by Matt Kubrick. Jodelle will play in the movie a girl that only shows up in dreams. Neil Patrick Harris plays the lead character of this imaginative production.
ALICE: Jimmy Bennett, seen past Season in ‘The Lovers Stages’, returns with this drama written by James Bradley and directed by Paul Haggis. Bennett plays here Kate Winslet’s son, a kid that feels harassed by a street gang until her mother faces then. Luis Armand Garcia will debut in CMP playing an ex member of the gang that helps Bennett.
FICTICIOUS IMAGES: Two more actors to add to the cast of this family drama being directed by Josh Collins himself: Harvey Keitel, not seen in CMP since ‘Blood Meridian’, plays Naomi Watts’ father, while Jason Patric, only seen in CMP in the ‘Zoids’ saga, plays a police investigator.
JAMES BRADLEY – ‘THE ORPHANAGE’
James Bradley is an obliged reference in CMP when talking about drama, dramedy and comedy. He has also had some remarkable hits with other genres, including a Best Screenplay GMA for the cops drama ‘The Funeral Bride’ or the multi-nominated courtroom thriller ‘The Chinese Bride’. But ‘The Orphanage’ means a new experience for him, stepping into the mystery genre.
1.What has made you want to develop this remake of an European movie?
Well, not all great movies are made in Hollywood. As you know, I am not American and I want to bring to Hollywood some great stories that American audiences will miss if they are not turned into a remake. Americans don’t watch too many movies from other countries, you know. So I did that a long time ago with a French movie with ‘Fools Game’ and I’m doing it now with this Spanish movie, ‘The Orphanage’, which is probably one of the most hypnotizing and absorbing movies I’ve watched in my whole life. It is funny because I sent the screenplay to Harry Stark and although we
are close friends we had never talked about this movie before. When he got the screenplay, he was just shocked and immediately called me to tell me that ‘The Orphanage’ is one of his favorite movies too.
2.It’s strange to see you involved in a horror movie…
‘The Orphanage’ is not exactly a horror movie. Yes, it has a lot of disturbing sequences and those ghost children and that kid with a terrifying sack in his face… But I think it is also a very sentimental story. It is about a mother that loses her son by an accident provoked by her and how she finally decides to kill herself just to be able to reunite again in the world of ghosts with her son and the other murdered kids. The movie has this beautiful sentimental ending that you don’t see usually at regular horror movies. It is very surprising because you have the feeling that you are watching a horror movie all the time but, at the end, you realize it is also a moving love story between a mother and her kid.
3.Why did you choose M. Night Shymalan to direct it?
Because of ‘The Sixth Sense’, of course… *laughs* Shymalan has made these movies that mix horror with natural human feelings and suspense… He looked perfect for this one. Guillermo del
Toro was the producer of the original Spanish movie but I thought that Shymalan was a better choice than him for this remake. ‘The Orphanage’ demands a disturbing and intriguing atmosphere and he is very good at creating that.
4.Is this the beginning of a new James Bradley, far away from your usual dramedies and comedies…
No. I just enjoy trying something different from time to time. But I have seen that another of my stories, ‘Alice’, has already been green lighted and it’s probably the most dramatic story I have ever written.
5.Another pitch from you, ‘Alice’, is on its way. Kate Winslet and you are back together…
Yes. I just missed her so much… *laughs* She just didn’t fit in my latest stories so I am very happy that I had this story to work with her again. I have usually casted Kate in comedies. But ‘Alice’ will give her the chance to play a highly dramatic role. I’m very excited with this movie. I think it is a very interesting story and I am so happy to work with Kate Winslet again.
HALLELUJAH
The controversial ‘Hallelujah’, a gay love story, hits the screen this week. The movie, directed by Danny Boyle and co-written by Chad Taylor and Trent Nielsen, raises a brave story about the relationship between two very different young men, played by Ryan Gosling and Ben McKenzie. We have rescued here some words from the co-authors of the story during their recent press conference presenting the movie at the Cannes Festival.
Chad:When Hallelujah started, it was a project that had a simple outline. "Priest falls in love with another man." After that, it was improvised on Trent and I's part, and I think has really worked out well on film. I thought it'd be good for the lover to atheist, and they could be polar opposites religiously. But as one would know, religion does not have to match to have a mutual bond socially. And so there came the Ballad of Ben and Leo.
Trent: Actually, the idea started in my brain as the story of a priest who falls in love but when I typed it up, I ended up with the idea of a priest falling in love with another man. When we were writing it,
every thing just fell into place and there were new ideas coming in which made it different from what I first imagined. It became more different in a good way.
Chad:As the script evolved, I felt more of a need to use music, to help visualize the scenes. That is why the title is what it is.I'd became a fan of the song Hallelujah in recent years, mainly the Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright versions. It had a religious feel to it and was a perfect fit for the movie. And while I mapped out the soundtrack, Trent excelled in casting.
Trent: I loved Chad's soundtrack choices. It worked with the film. The casting was quite an easy process until we came into pre-production when Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe didn't like to be on the film because of their character's small role. Also, Mr. Boyle hesitated on directing the film because he needed the rest which I completely understand and I thank him for not putting us on any more trouble by finally accepting the job. I think so far, this movie is my biggest one. I never had any big movie before.
Chad:The casting of Benjamin was the most crucial. And the first proposal by Trent was Ben McKenzie. I honestly thought he was going to choose a big name actor who would bring in audiences, but I was surprised in a good way when he said McKenzie. I'd watched The OC before, and I knew who McKenzie was, but I never considered casting him in my movie. But I always like to
bring in new actors and actresses, so I thought this completed a great cast. When Trent first proposed the idea to me,I considered the potential controversy surrounding it. I'm sure Trent and Harry did as well. But already a few times, I've seen protests around my house, and on Hollywood streets. I'm honestly just glad that we completed a beautiful movie, that is of good quality, whether it's controversial or not.
Trent: I am a never fan of using big stars to draw in audience. I want people to watch the film because they like the idea of it and that they support gay causes. I am a pro-gay rights and I'm sure Chad is too. This is our idea of supporting the cause. The good thing here is that we helped supporting the gay people and the same time, we made a really beautiful film.
Chad:I feel like after shooting wrapped, I had to smile because what we had was a great piece of art. Though it will offend many, it tells the story of two people falling in love, despite the circumstances. Every performance shines, especially Ben and Ian's. While writing this, it was hard to not think of the protests this may stir. But I'm pleased with, and as long as I'm not taken into hostage by any crazy protesters,then I'm glad we made the film.
Trent: Ditto. *smiles*
GAY CHARACTERS IN CMP
Homosexuality is not a frequent issue in CMP’s movies. CMP – sometimes labeled as a pretty conservative Studio – has not touched the gay question too often in its stories. Although there’s no particular prejudices about it in CMP’s executives, the fact is that there are not too many gay characters in movies coming from CMP. This week, we try to remember the very few CMP’s gay characters.
LYRA
Noah Baumbach – Josh Collins
Season 7
Out Of The Closet: Jena Malone. One of the most remembered CMP’s characters is this nice teen lesbian trying to go on in life with her sexual condition. Jena reached instant stardom in CMP with this delicious comedy.
And it was: A box office hit (96 millions, an outstanding achievement for a low budget dramedy) and one of the most nominated movies ever at the GMA: 7 nominations and two wins, Malone as Best Actress and Jodie Foster as Best Supporting Actress.
A MAN CALLED DAN
Neil LaBute – Josh Collins
Season 8
Out Of The Closet: Aaron Eckhart and his boyfriend, John Cusack. Eckhart played a man fighting to become an adoptive father beating all kind of social and family prejudices.
And it was: A very nice release (65 millions), critically supported but unfairly ignored at the GMA.
OUT PARTYING
Trent Nielsen – Trent Nielsen
Season 13
Out Of The Closet: Reece Thompson, a gay young man looking for acceptance. He begins the movie as a supporting role and finally turns into the main focus of the story.
And it was: Nielsen’s debut as movie director and a box office disaster. The movie was presented as a wild teen comedy but the truth is that it turned in its second part into a sentimental story focused on Thompson’s character.
REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS
Matt Kubrick / Matt Kubrick
Season 9
Out Of The Closet: All the girls at the reform school. Their lives were based in two only aspects: karate fights and lesbian relationships.
And it was: A wild show produced by Tarantino. Deliberately excessive both in terms of sex and violence. But, let’s face it, sexy after all…
TRACKS OF BLOOD
Robert Rodriguez / Joey Stark
Season 11
Out Of The Closet: Eliza Dushku and Deanna Russo, with some steamy explicit lesbian sequences included.
And it was: The sequel of ‘Reform School Girls’, produced again by Tarantino under the label of Midnight Movies, was a bit more solid action story than its predecessor. Again, lesbianism and wild violence were the two main ingredients of the product. This one made slight net gains. And a third installment of this saga has been announced.
NO MORE BUSH!
Rob Reiner / John Daws
Season 6
Out Of The Closet: Will Ferrel and Steve Carell playing no others than George Bush Jr. and Tony
Blair (… and also Sasha Baron Cohen playing a jealous Bin Laden).
And it was: A funny and innovative experiment, as the movie was shot as if it was a documentary. This mockumentary made a very nice box office of 76 millions.
HALLELUJAH
Danny Boyle / Trent Nielsen
Season 14
Out Of The Closet: Ben McKenzie and Ryan Gosling, living their own particular love story against all odds.
And it was: We’ll see. Together with ‘Lyra’ and ‘A Man Called Dan’, another in-depth and respectful look at the difficulties of being homosexual that still remain in our days.
‘Hallelujah’ was presented in the recent Cannes Festival in a pre-release just for the press. It got a nice critical reception. After the showing of the movie, a crowded press conference took place with the presence of all the main talents involved, including screenwriters, director and lead stars. Here we have a picture of Danny Boyle, Ryan Gosling and Ben McKenzie arriving to the Festival.
The CMP’s Young Stars Squad is getting old. I have the feeling lately that the CMP’s payroll of
young stars needs a renovation. Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin are more pre-teens than child stars. Other recurrent talents like Josh Hutcherson, Freddie Highmore, Cameron Bright, Ivana Baquero or even Chloe Moretz, Jimmy Bennett, Elle Fanning or Chase Ellison are growing fast and leaving their ‘cute kid’ look. Maybe stars like Austin Williams, to be seen this week in ‘The Orphanage’, can be a good relief. But, anyway, I have the feeling that Mr. Collins – main promoter of that generation of young stars in CMP - must urgently lead a deep renovation of the CMP’s Child Stars Squad cause it’s beginning to be hard to believe some of the ‘old’ ones still playing certain characters.
While the Young Stars Squad needs renewals, Dawson Edwards’ Superheroes Squad keeps growing. Another superhero (and a main one!) will join in the future Wonder Woman, Aquaman or The Flash in the list of superheroes franchises Edwards develops. In fact, the new addition will be no other than the main superhero ever: Superman. Yes, Dawson Edwards will be behind the first CMP’s movie exclusively focused on Superman. Before, we have seen the hero from Krypton in CMP’s movies like ‘Captain America vs Superman’ and ‘Justice League’ (both times being played by Nicholas Cage). But the big novelty in Edwards’ project is that Clark Kent won’t be played neither by Cage nor Brandon Rough. A new actor will wear Superman’s costume in a movie that is expected to be ready to release no later than Season 15.
Benicio Del Toro will return to the horror genre. And he will do it again with a Matt Kubrick’s story. But no, this time he won’t be playing Darkman again. Benicio, an icon of the horror genre in CMP, has accepted to be this time in a lighter horror movie. Matt Kubrick has written a horror movie oriented to young audiences. And Benicio has accepted to be in it playing an evil warlock. ‘Hell Night’, that’s the title of the movie, will be an attempt to introduce youngest moviegoers in the genre expected to be released some time during this current Season.
Everything is ready for the shooting of the fifth installment of Harry Flashman’s adventures. James Bradley has confirmed that this new movie based on the coward and funny adventurer created by the British writer George McDonald Fraser and played by Rupert Everett, will put an end to this successful and profitable franchise. Bradley has planned this new movie to be a kind of homage to the whole saga. His idea is that some of the most representative characters from all the previous movies of the franchise will show up again in this last adventure.
Dennis Hopper and Gary Coleman passed away recently. None of both became big CMP’s stars but the two of them were seen in some of the Studio’s productions. Hopper worked in Season 2’s parodic action movie ‘Dirty Sanchez’ and in Season 3's ‘T.Y.M.: The Second Chance’. Josh Collins wanted him to play the villain in the more recent ‘LA Wolf 2’ but his health problems made it impossible. Gary Coleman made a most peculiar appearance in Season 8’s ‘Lobo’s Back’.
KINGDOM: THE DARK AND THE LIGHT
Fantasy / Adventure
The Cast: Megan Fox, Chris Evans, Giselle Itié, AnnaSophia Robb, Mark Strong, Timothy Olyphant
The Director: Zack Snyder
The Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick
The Plot:
A horse drawn carriage moving through the dead of night, surrounded by trees and fog. Inside are several women and a young girl around the age of 15 (AS.Robb). They are on the move. They belong to a group called the keepers of the light, it is their job to protect the young woman with growing powers. It happens once every thousand years and since she is young she must be protected so she can develop her powers and be kept from those that would use their powers for their own good. The group is being chased by minions of a powerful wizard named Claude Vandersmith (M.Strong). All of a sudden the horses pulling the carriage begin to freak out on the dark road. Two armed Lizard like people from the Karolth empire stand in the middle of the road. The carriage tips over crashing on the ground. As the woman help the girl named Vivian out torches light up all around them. They are surrounded on all sides. The woman pull out swords of their own but they are swiftly cut down. In the heat of battle one woman is left alive deeply wounded on the ground her name is Alexis. She can only watch as Vivian is carried off.
Five days later Alexander Wick (C.Evans) the thief is sitting in a the pub of a small village everyone is drinking and taking bets on a small fight going on. The smell of smoke hangs in the air. Two years ago Alexander helped Kes get revenge and help the elves find their place in the world once again. But recently they went their own ways. He is surprised when a young woman sits before him. She says her name is Carolyn (G.Itié) and she spent time searching for Alexander. She knows who he is and she tells of great danger to the world. She needs to find Kes. At first Alexander is reluctant but finally agrees after hearing Carolyn’s story of survival and the young girl that was kidnapped. Alexander tells Carolyn it will take a long journey to reach Kes. She is in the frozen wastes, an icey landscape at a temple where she has been meditating. She agrees to go there and that time is of the essence.
Meanwhile in a large manor Claud Vandersmith stands before the young Vivian he plans to use the girls power to wreck destruction on the world. But the moons have to be in the correct pattern. His manor lies inside the city of Danmoore, a mostly human city. He is sick of the world he has lived for two hundred years. Using the life force of the young to help him survive. He tells Vivian that her power will be used and that she will help him live longer and to bring in a new era of death and destruction. He orders his guards to take the girl to a cell where she can't escape from. All of a sudden in a bolt of magic and a blast of lightning a man dressed in rather fancy clothes appears he recognizes the man as his old apprentice a mystic by the name of Magdar (T.Olyphant). They have an old rival going and claud is afraid he is there to ruin his plans in someway but Magdar wants to help him and he tells him that he has seen into the future and there are already forces at work to ruin his plans. He will do everything he can to help Claud achieve his goals.
Meanwhile Alexander and Carolyn have been on their journey for several weeks now taking boats and carriages here and there right now they are hundreds of miles away from their destination and have to make the trip on foot. IN a burst of energy Magdar stands before them and attacks without warning. The three of them have a long battle and they eventually fight him off. When Alexander asks Carolyn if that was Claud she says no I have no idea who that was. That was someone else entirely!. Finally they arrive at their destination and make their way through the frozen wastes. They reach the massive shrine and make their way inside to find a surprised Kes (M.Fox) who has been meditating and sleeping when she can. Her and Alexander embrace and Carolyn tells Kes about everything that has been going on. Kes finally agrees to help and put things right once again. But they need to find out what is going on and how to stop Claud.
Their quest for answers will take them all over the empire and finally the clues start to come together when they come into contact with an old man by the name of Cyrus. He was Claud's teacher and Claud's quest for magic has corrupted him. He gave into evil and has been hoping to stop him. But he believes that Claud is the least of their problems and warns of Magdar. He believes that Magdar is the true enemy here and also believes there is much more going on than meets the eyes. All of a sudden Magdar re appears again and kills Cyrus before giving off a warning to the others. He tells them to stay out of his way he needs to set things right. When Magdar returns to Claud he tells him that he is taking over and we are doing things my way. Claud isn't to happy about this and the two have a battle leaving Claud dead, Magdar absorbs his powers and becomes stronger.
As their quest lingers on Kes and Alexander begin to form a relationship and fall in love with each other. They will do anything to help each other out. Carolyn begins feeling left out but she will see this all through till the end. It finally comes down to a big battle between Magdar, Kes, Alexander and Carolyn. They have discovered Magdars true intentions. He wants to summon a dragon god to help him rebuild the world in his image. He believes the world is going to hell and believes he can make everything right. Kes and Alexander try to reason with him but to no avail. They all do battle but it's to late. Magdar uses the power of Vivian to help him draw forth a massive dragon which interrupts the whole thing it appears in the room and crashes through the roof. But Kes interrupts before the magic is completed and saves Vivian. Since Kes interrupted, Magdar loses control of the dragon itself and is killed by it. The Dragon flies out of the ruins and begins laying destruction to the whole city. The dragon flies off leaving thousands dead and lots of destruction. Eventually an army is built to combat the dragon and the movie ends with a huge battle between thousands of armored troops and catopults and Kes and Alexander fighting side by side. Finally the dragon is dead and the movie ends with Kes and Alexander kissing.
Stark’s Comment:
In Season 11, ‘Kingdom’ made a box office of 55 million and net gains of 33 millions. Besides the nice net gains, box office was a painful disappointment, as that top budget movie was conceived to become a major blockbuster. I must confess I had doubts if developing a sequel was worthy or not but finally I decided to give the saga a second chance. After all, the first movie made nice profits, mainly thanks to DVD market. We’ll see if this sequel relaunches the franchise or becomes its definitive ending.
Behind The Scenes:
-Megan Fox and Chris Evans are the only cast members of the first movie that return in this sequel.
-‘Kingdom’ was the less successful movie directed for CMP by Zack Snyder. He has worked with Matt Kubrick before in ‘Preacher’ and ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’.
-Rumors say that the relationship between Snyder and Megan Fox during the shooting of the movie was more than controversial due to the fussy behavior of the star.
THE ORPHANAGE
Mystery / Suspense
The Cast: Julia Roberts, Austin Williams, Matthew Fox, Merryl Streep, Kathy Bates
The Director: M. Night Shymalan
The Screenwriter: James Bradley
The Plot:
The movie begins with old images taken with a domestic camera where we see a group of children, all dressed up with the same school uniforms, playing red-light-green-light-1-2-3 at a garden. They look fun and happy. The images slowly fade to black...
Laura (J.Roberts) and her husband Charly (M.Foxx) have bought the old orphanage where she grew up. The old building is in a lonely rocky area at the Pacific Coast. They move there with their adopted son Simon (A.Williams). Simon is HIV-positive. Laura and Charly are planning to reopen the orphanage as a facility for disabled children.
As soon as they move, Simon claims to see a boy named Tom, whoom he befriends. Simon always draws Tom wearing a strange sack mask. Simon’s parents think Tom is only an imaginary friend.
One day, a social worker named Vella (K.Bates) visits the orphanage. Vella tells Laura that she is the supervisor of Simon, as he is adoptive, and she knows about Simon being HIV-positive. Vella is a strange and nasty woman. Laura just gets rid of her as soon as she can. That same night, Laura finds Vella snooping around the orphanage but Vella disappears before Laura can confront her.
Simon teaches Laura a type of scavenger hunt game that he says Tom taught him. The game involves hiding a person's possessions, with the player who recovers his final possession winning a wish. While playing the game, the clues lead to Simon's adoption file with an angry Simon saying his new friends told him that Laura is not his real mother and that he knows he is going to die.
Laura and Charly offer an opening party at the orphanage for families that might take their disabled kids to spend some Summer holidays. During the party, Simon is not behaving well. Laura and Simon argue and Simón hides from her. While searching for him, Laura is confronted by a boy in a sack mask with the name "Tom" embroidered onto his shirt. The boy traps her in a bathroom, and when she escapes she finds that Simon is missing, and searches for him throughout the house. As she is looking for Simon in a closet below the stairs, Laura does not notice that she has dropped some gardening tools that block a little door on the other side of the closet.
Simon has disappeared. Police is looking for him. There are posters with his picture everywhere in the nearest villages. TV talks about the mysterious disappearance of the kid. Police suspects that the strange Vella might have abducted him but she cannot be found.
During the first days after the disappearance of Simon, a bedridden Laura hears unexplained banging in the walls.
Six months pass.
One day, while driving through one of the nearest villages, Laura and Carlos spot Vella pushing a baby carriage downtown. Laura calls out to her. Vella looks at her and she does not get to see a speeding van that suddenly hits and kills her. Laura rushes to Vella's carriage, but finds only a doll wearing Tom's sack mask.
Police searches Vella's home and finds evidence revealing that Vella worked at the orphanage long ago and that she had a son named Tom who was at the orphanage. He wore a sack-like mask over his head due to his deformity and was housed away from the other children in a separate room. Tom was accidentally killed by the children of the orphanage who stole his mask near a beach cave, which is accessible at low tide. Embarrassed without his mask, Tom hid in the cave, resulting in his death by drowning.
In desperation, Laura goes to a medium named Aurora (M.Streep), a nice but mysterious woman, seeking clues to her son's disappearance. After Aurora investigates the house, she explains that because she is close to death due to cancer, she has the ability to see the dead. Aurora goes into a trance one night at the orphanage. It’s a terrifying experience for her, as she gets to hear and feel crying and terrified a group of children. The ghost children tell Aurora where they are and how lonely and scared they feel.
With Aurora’s clues, Laura discovers the remains – no more than ashes and some bones - of the orphans she grew up with at a small cabin near the main building of the orphanage. When Police and forensic doctors analyze the remains of the children, it is evident that they were murdered.
The conclusion is that Vella killed all the kids as revenge because she considered them responsible of the accidental death of her son, Tom. After killing them (probably poisoned), Vella stored in sacks their bodies and they were hidden at the cabin, used as coal storage.
Charly tells Laura that they should leave the orphanage and try to begin a new life somewhere else. Laura finally accepts it. But, before they leave, she begs Charly to let her alone at the orphanage for only two days. She needs to say goodbye to the disappeared Simon that way, she says. Reluctantly, Charly finally accepts to leave her there alone.
Laura attempts to contact the ghost children. She pretends to want to play a game with them, similar to that red-light-green-light-1-2-3 that she used to play while growing up at the orphanage.
One by one, the ghost children become visible by Laura as they start playing the game with her. Tom, wearing his sack mask, is among them.
The ghost of Tom holds Laura’s hand and takes her to the closet under the stairs. She gets in and finds, behind the gardening tools, the little door and opens it. The door leads to a narrow stair that takes her to a basement she didn’t know that existed. In the basement, she finds Simon. He is alive and Laura hugs him in a blanket.
The ghost children, that have followed her to the basement, vanish. Once alone, Laura realizes that the blanket she’s hugging is suddenly empty. Simon is not there. She looks for him at the basement and finally finds that the body of the deceased Simon lies behind her.
Laura realizes that it was herself who had inadvertently caused Simon's death (she accidentally blocked the hidden door to the basement with the gardening tools, Simon was hiding at the basement after they argued during the party, so Simon got trapped at the basement). Laura also realizes that the unexplained noises she had heard were Simon trying to get out.
Laura carries Simon's body upstairs. While holding Simon’s dead body in her arms, she slowly swallows one by one all the pills of Simon’s medication. She seems to fall sleep.
When she wakes up and opens her eyes, all the ghost children are surrounding her. Tom, wearing his sack mask, is one of them too. They don’t look like ghosts anymore but like normal kids, staring at her with curiosity. Then, Simon comes to life in Laura's arms.
Simon then tells Laura that his wish when playing the game Tom’s taught him was for her to stay and take care of all the orphans. Laura promises she will never go and she will take care of him and the rest of the children forever.
It is obvious that Laura took the pills to die so she could enter into the ghost world where she could reunite with Simon and the rest of the children...
Months later, Carlos walks alone over to the gravestones for Laura, Simon, and the orphans, which stand outside the orphanage. Carlos returns to the orphans' old bedroom and finds on the floor a medallion that he gave as a present to Laura years ago.
He hears the sound of a door closing. As he looks around him, Charly slowly smiles.
Stark’s Comment:
Based on a great Spanish movie, this is a very intriguing dark story that moves in an undefined territory between supernatural horror and suspense. I hope this American remake turns out as brilliant and interesting for audiences as its original source.
Behind The Scenes:
-The original Spanish movie this one is a remake of was produced by Guillermo Del Toro.
-M. Night Shymalan has only directed one movie for CMP before: the acclaimed dark version of Peter Pan written by Matt Kubrick, ‘Cursed Neverland’ (Season 3, B.O.: 76 millions).
-The character played by Merryl Streep in the movie was played in the original Spanish movie by Geraldine Chaplin, daughter of the legendary Charles Chaplin.
HALLELUJAH
Drama
The Cast: Ben McKenzie, Ryan Gosling, Ian Somerhalder, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen
The Director: Danny Boyle
The Screenwriters: Trent Nielsen and Chad Taylor
The Plot:
Benjamin Phoenix (B.McKenzie) has spent most of his life as a devout catholic. His parents raised him as one. As of the current time, he is training to be a priest. It was his parents' dream for him. It wasn't easy for him to make this decision. When selecting a college to go to,he chose to pursue priesthood(over other appealing career paths like law or business).Benjamin claims that no one influenced him in his decision but God. He was an intelligent kid throughout his youth,and any choice he would've made,would've looked like the right one.
He only had weeks left in his training when he met Leo Smith (R.Gosling) in a local book club. Leo liked everything that Benjamin liked, except for religion since Leo was an atheist. Despite of differences in belief, the two of them struck up a solid friendship. Leo lacked the sense of urgency of being right that Benjamin had seen in other non-believers. The two could very easily put their differences aside and be very friendly. As time passes, Leo invites Benjamin to have a drink of coffee with him. They meet again the next day,and continue to see each other, developing a nice bond.
Most of Leo's past was kept a secret. He didn't tell Benjamin he was divorced. He didn't tell Benjamin that he was kicked out from college. He didn't want to let Benjamin know that he was a ex-heroin addict. Problem was that he was knew he was falling in love with Benjamin. He wasn't a newbie when it comes to falling in love with friends of the same sex. Most of the times, he pursues a relationship with them but he knew he couldn't do that with Benjamin because of his religious beliefs.
Benjamin decides to hide this from his parents, Julian (K.Branagh) and Lucy (E.Thompson). He knows that if his parents found out he was so close to another man, they would hate him. And so he tells no one. However, Leo was raised differently than Ben. He was not a social outcast like Benjamin, but he was the exact opposite. He grew up in an Italian household where family is very important. He has 3 three brothers and 2 sisters. He's gained many friends over the years,including his best friend/ex-boyfriend James (I.Somerhalder) whom he shares everything with. But when Leo tells James about Ben, it stirs up some jealousy. He does some research and figures out that Benjamin is training to be a priest. And so he goes to the Church where Ben is training, and tells Father Williams (I.McKellen) about his little "friendship", saying they have more than "friendly conversations", although he's obviously lying.
This creates much controversy heading towards Benjamin, who must dodge many questions. Preparing for what's ahead, he informs Leo that they must erase any connections with each other, and if asked, he must deny there was any friendship. Leo is heartbreak, though as is Ben. They stare at each other for a few seconds with a slow tears rolling down their eyes and then Leo leans in for the kiss. Their lips meet and hands hold each other as the scene fades to black.
"Say Yes" by Elliott Smith plays, as Benjamin wakes up, with messed-up hair and a distraught face, looking hungover, even though he's not. He goes through the day and is approached by his head priest, who he must furiously deny the accusations to. Then his parents, who don't believe his story, remove their payments towards the new house he is about to buy, and leave him in anger. Anger towards James, not them.He knows how to take it out though...by going to the confessional. He asks for forgiveness for his recent sins, but then tells the priest that he is not sorry for falling in love.He tells him it is a natural feeling you get,no matter who for,and you should not get punished for it. He walks out of the confessional,sophisticated."Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainright plays, while a confident Benjamin walks down the side walk in his priest suit with a big smile as people pass him by, staring at him and making fun of him.
Meanwhile,not sure how to deal with his feelings,Leo fleas on spring break down to Central America. It was his last year in college and what better way to forget about your feelings then to drink booze and party? Little does he know that Benjamin left that same day, on a mission trip. We see a split screen of the two, both at their respective places, showing strong similarities between the two. Both seem sad,non-responsive,and thinking about the other while Good Riddance(Time of Your Life) by Green Day plays in the background. Continuing the on-going scene,both travel back to town, and hurry to each other's apartments. When Ben gets to Leo's apartment, no one answers and the same for Leo at Ben's. Then it seems like a light-bulb pops over both heads,and they both sprint out the door. Benjamin rides his bike,while Leo takes a cab.They go to the book club,where they first met. The split-screen emerges into one,as both meet each other and hug,with the song's last line "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life."
Stark’s Comment:
‘Brokeback Mountain’ proved that a gay love story can work in box office. So why this one wouldn’t?
Behind The Scenes:
-Danny Boyle initially refused the offer to direct this movie, as he wanted to take a rest after ‘The Orphan Train’. But, finally, he liked the story so much that he changed his mind and decided to join the project.
-Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe refused to be in the movie as both thought the characters offered were not interesting enough for them. Somerhalder replaced Farrell and Branagh replaced Crowe.
-Branagh and Emma Thompson, who play here McKenzie’s parents, were married in real life.
-The version of the song ‘Hallelujah’ that is heard in the movie was going to be the one performed by Jeff Buckley. Finally, Chad Taylor decided to use the cover played by Rufus Wainright.
-‘Love is not a victory march’, the words used in the movie poster, are part of the lyrics of the song.
STAR WARS: HOLOCRON INITIATIVE: Here is one of the big events of this Season. Yes, the Star Wars’ universe is back to CMP 9 Seasons after the end of the Marcus Trax’s trilogy. This
rebirth of the saga is written by Dawson Edwards. The story takes place many years after the events told in CMP’s ‘Star Wars: Balance Of The Force’ but still the plot has a direct connection with those movies. It is also known that the movie won’t involve any member of the Skywalker family, creating brand new characters for the story. Of course, George Lucas will be producing the movie. And to direct it, the chosen one has been David Yates, responsible of the latest Harry Potter’s movies. Yates directed for CMP the blockbuster ‘Aquaman’, also written by Edwards. He was finally chosen after considering other options like Alfonso Cuaron, responsible of another Edwards’ franchise, ‘Zoids’.THE GIRL THAT LOVED TOM GORDON: Talents chosen to play the parents of Elle Fanning in this Collins’ adaptation of Stephen King’s book being directed by Frank Darabont: the mom will be Amy Ryan and the dad will be played by Josh Lucas. Past Season, both Ryan and Lucas met in another Collins’ movie: ‘Bedtime Stories 2’.
SAM & TWITCH 2: In Season 2 (twelve Seasons ago!), Matt Kubrick made his debut as movie director with ‘Sam & Twitch’, a peculiar cops movie based on a graphic novel. The movie was shot in black and white digital film and it lasted nearly 3 hours. It was a visual challenge, as it recreated
the peculiar look of the original source. Sadly, it didn´t work financially: although it made a very good box office of 147 millions, the movie had net losses of 27 million due to its astronomical budget. After so long, Kubrick has decided to write and direct again a sequel of it. Again, it will be shot in digital film and black and white. And the starring couple – nominated at the Best Starring Couple category for their work in the original movie – is also back: Tim Roth and John Goodman.ASTERIOS POLYP: Goodman has busy days ahead of him. He is already shooting his sequences in this other movie so he can join the shootage of ‘Sam & Twitch 2’ on time. GMA Winner Goodman will meet in this Spike Jonze’s movie with another GMA Winner: Gong Li, who returns to the Studio playing George Clooney’s love interest after her work in the blockbuster ‘Daughters Of The Dragon’.
INVASION: Lead female star in this epic sci-fi / action adventure being directed by Bret Rattner and produced by James Cameron chosen: Franka Potente will join Viggo Mortensen at the reduced group of humans that resist to an alien invasion. Franka has only been seen before in one CMP’s movie, ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’. She was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her work in that movie.SECRET SINS: Three actors will play supporting roles in this sexy thriller focused on the lead characters played by Natalie Portman and Jude Law. James Gandolfini (not seen in CM since ‘Under The Gun’) will play a Police Detective; Jeff Daniels (‘Weigh Anchor’) will be Jude Law’s lawyer; and Christopher Plummer (‘Nick Fury’, ‘The Avengers 4: Civil War’) will play Law’s father. Joey Stark is the writer and also the director of this erotic thriller.
JOHN WAYNE MUST DIE: Behind this very original title hides a war drama written by Chad
Taylor. The movie tells the story of a young man and how his life is interrupted when he has to go to Vietnam War… just to discover the lies beneath the myth of the all-American John Wayne. Ron Howard, who already directed for CMP another movie about the casualties of war (‘Ugly’), returns to CMP directing this one. And the lead character will be played by the talented Garrett Hedlund, only seen before in CMP playing a minor role in ‘Psycho: Bloodline’.JACK VANCE: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY: Jodelle Ferland, who made her CMP’s debut with the mystery drama written by Josh Collins ‘In Spirit’, returns to the Studio in this Richard Kelly’s movie written by Matt Kubrick. Jodelle will play in the movie a girl that only shows up in dreams. Neil Patrick Harris plays the lead character of this imaginative production.
ALICE: Jimmy Bennett, seen past Season in ‘The Lovers Stages’, returns with this drama written by James Bradley and directed by Paul Haggis. Bennett plays here Kate Winslet’s son, a kid that feels harassed by a street gang until her mother faces then. Luis Armand Garcia will debut in CMP playing an ex member of the gang that helps Bennett.FICTICIOUS IMAGES: Two more actors to add to the cast of this family drama being directed by Josh Collins himself: Harvey Keitel, not seen in CMP since ‘Blood Meridian’, plays Naomi Watts’ father, while Jason Patric, only seen in CMP in the ‘Zoids’ saga, plays a police investigator.
JAMES BRADLEY – ‘THE ORPHANAGE’
James Bradley is an obliged reference in CMP when talking about drama, dramedy and comedy. He has also had some remarkable hits with other genres, including a Best Screenplay GMA for the cops drama ‘The Funeral Bride’ or the multi-nominated courtroom thriller ‘The Chinese Bride’. But ‘The Orphanage’ means a new experience for him, stepping into the mystery genre.
1.What has made you want to develop this remake of an European movie?
Well, not all great movies are made in Hollywood. As you know, I am not American and I want to bring to Hollywood some great stories that American audiences will miss if they are not turned into a remake. Americans don’t watch too many movies from other countries, you know. So I did that a long time ago with a French movie with ‘Fools Game’ and I’m doing it now with this Spanish movie, ‘The Orphanage’, which is probably one of the most hypnotizing and absorbing movies I’ve watched in my whole life. It is funny because I sent the screenplay to Harry Stark and although we
are close friends we had never talked about this movie before. When he got the screenplay, he was just shocked and immediately called me to tell me that ‘The Orphanage’ is one of his favorite movies too.2.It’s strange to see you involved in a horror movie…
‘The Orphanage’ is not exactly a horror movie. Yes, it has a lot of disturbing sequences and those ghost children and that kid with a terrifying sack in his face… But I think it is also a very sentimental story. It is about a mother that loses her son by an accident provoked by her and how she finally decides to kill herself just to be able to reunite again in the world of ghosts with her son and the other murdered kids. The movie has this beautiful sentimental ending that you don’t see usually at regular horror movies. It is very surprising because you have the feeling that you are watching a horror movie all the time but, at the end, you realize it is also a moving love story between a mother and her kid.
3.Why did you choose M. Night Shymalan to direct it?
Because of ‘The Sixth Sense’, of course… *laughs* Shymalan has made these movies that mix horror with natural human feelings and suspense… He looked perfect for this one. Guillermo del
Toro was the producer of the original Spanish movie but I thought that Shymalan was a better choice than him for this remake. ‘The Orphanage’ demands a disturbing and intriguing atmosphere and he is very good at creating that.4.Is this the beginning of a new James Bradley, far away from your usual dramedies and comedies…
No. I just enjoy trying something different from time to time. But I have seen that another of my stories, ‘Alice’, has already been green lighted and it’s probably the most dramatic story I have ever written.
5.Another pitch from you, ‘Alice’, is on its way. Kate Winslet and you are back together…
Yes. I just missed her so much… *laughs* She just didn’t fit in my latest stories so I am very happy that I had this story to work with her again. I have usually casted Kate in comedies. But ‘Alice’ will give her the chance to play a highly dramatic role. I’m very excited with this movie. I think it is a very interesting story and I am so happy to work with Kate Winslet again.
HALLELUJAH
The controversial ‘Hallelujah’, a gay love story, hits the screen this week. The movie, directed by Danny Boyle and co-written by Chad Taylor and Trent Nielsen, raises a brave story about the relationship between two very different young men, played by Ryan Gosling and Ben McKenzie. We have rescued here some words from the co-authors of the story during their recent press conference presenting the movie at the Cannes Festival.
Chad:When Hallelujah started, it was a project that had a simple outline. "Priest falls in love with another man." After that, it was improvised on Trent and I's part, and I think has really worked out well on film. I thought it'd be good for the lover to atheist, and they could be polar opposites religiously. But as one would know, religion does not have to match to have a mutual bond socially. And so there came the Ballad of Ben and Leo.
Trent: Actually, the idea started in my brain as the story of a priest who falls in love but when I typed it up, I ended up with the idea of a priest falling in love with another man. When we were writing it,
every thing just fell into place and there were new ideas coming in which made it different from what I first imagined. It became more different in a good way.Chad:As the script evolved, I felt more of a need to use music, to help visualize the scenes. That is why the title is what it is.I'd became a fan of the song Hallelujah in recent years, mainly the Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright versions. It had a religious feel to it and was a perfect fit for the movie. And while I mapped out the soundtrack, Trent excelled in casting.
Trent: I loved Chad's soundtrack choices. It worked with the film. The casting was quite an easy process until we came into pre-production when Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe didn't like to be on the film because of their character's small role. Also, Mr. Boyle hesitated on directing the film because he needed the rest which I completely understand and I thank him for not putting us on any more trouble by finally accepting the job. I think so far, this movie is my biggest one. I never had any big movie before.
Chad:The casting of Benjamin was the most crucial. And the first proposal by Trent was Ben McKenzie. I honestly thought he was going to choose a big name actor who would bring in audiences, but I was surprised in a good way when he said McKenzie. I'd watched The OC before, and I knew who McKenzie was, but I never considered casting him in my movie. But I always like to
bring in new actors and actresses, so I thought this completed a great cast. When Trent first proposed the idea to me,I considered the potential controversy surrounding it. I'm sure Trent and Harry did as well. But already a few times, I've seen protests around my house, and on Hollywood streets. I'm honestly just glad that we completed a beautiful movie, that is of good quality, whether it's controversial or not.Trent: I am a never fan of using big stars to draw in audience. I want people to watch the film because they like the idea of it and that they support gay causes. I am a pro-gay rights and I'm sure Chad is too. This is our idea of supporting the cause. The good thing here is that we helped supporting the gay people and the same time, we made a really beautiful film.
Chad:I feel like after shooting wrapped, I had to smile because what we had was a great piece of art. Though it will offend many, it tells the story of two people falling in love, despite the circumstances. Every performance shines, especially Ben and Ian's. While writing this, it was hard to not think of the protests this may stir. But I'm pleased with, and as long as I'm not taken into hostage by any crazy protesters,then I'm glad we made the film.
Trent: Ditto. *smiles*
GAY CHARACTERS IN CMP
Homosexuality is not a frequent issue in CMP’s movies. CMP – sometimes labeled as a pretty conservative Studio – has not touched the gay question too often in its stories. Although there’s no particular prejudices about it in CMP’s executives, the fact is that there are not too many gay characters in movies coming from CMP. This week, we try to remember the very few CMP’s gay characters.
LYRA
Noah Baumbach – Josh Collins
Season 7
Out Of The Closet: Jena Malone. One of the most remembered CMP’s characters is this nice teen lesbian trying to go on in life with her sexual condition. Jena reached instant stardom in CMP with this delicious comedy.
And it was: A box office hit (96 millions, an outstanding achievement for a low budget dramedy) and one of the most nominated movies ever at the GMA: 7 nominations and two wins, Malone as Best Actress and Jodie Foster as Best Supporting Actress.
A MAN CALLED DAN
Neil LaBute – Josh Collins
Season 8
Out Of The Closet: Aaron Eckhart and his boyfriend, John Cusack. Eckhart played a man fighting to become an adoptive father beating all kind of social and family prejudices.
And it was: A very nice release (65 millions), critically supported but unfairly ignored at the GMA.
OUT PARTYING
Trent Nielsen – Trent Nielsen
Season 13
Out Of The Closet: Reece Thompson, a gay young man looking for acceptance. He begins the movie as a supporting role and finally turns into the main focus of the story.
And it was: Nielsen’s debut as movie director and a box office disaster. The movie was presented as a wild teen comedy but the truth is that it turned in its second part into a sentimental story focused on Thompson’s character.
REFORM SCHOOL GIRLS
Matt Kubrick / Matt Kubrick
Season 9
Out Of The Closet: All the girls at the reform school. Their lives were based in two only aspects: karate fights and lesbian relationships.
And it was: A wild show produced by Tarantino. Deliberately excessive both in terms of sex and violence. But, let’s face it, sexy after all…
TRACKS OF BLOOD
Robert Rodriguez / Joey Stark
Season 11
Out Of The Closet: Eliza Dushku and Deanna Russo, with some steamy explicit lesbian sequences included.
And it was: The sequel of ‘Reform School Girls’, produced again by Tarantino under the label of Midnight Movies, was a bit more solid action story than its predecessor. Again, lesbianism and wild violence were the two main ingredients of the product. This one made slight net gains. And a third installment of this saga has been announced.
NO MORE BUSH!
Rob Reiner / John Daws
Season 6
Out Of The Closet: Will Ferrel and Steve Carell playing no others than George Bush Jr. and Tony
Blair (… and also Sasha Baron Cohen playing a jealous Bin Laden).And it was: A funny and innovative experiment, as the movie was shot as if it was a documentary. This mockumentary made a very nice box office of 76 millions.
HALLELUJAH
Danny Boyle / Trent Nielsen
Season 14
Out Of The Closet: Ben McKenzie and Ryan Gosling, living their own particular love story against all odds.
And it was: We’ll see. Together with ‘Lyra’ and ‘A Man Called Dan’, another in-depth and respectful look at the difficulties of being homosexual that still remain in our days.
‘Hallelujah’ was presented in the recent Cannes Festival in a pre-release just for the press. It got a nice critical reception. After the showing of the movie, a crowded press conference took place with the presence of all the main talents involved, including screenwriters, director and lead stars. Here we have a picture of Danny Boyle, Ryan Gosling and Ben McKenzie arriving to the Festival.
The CMP’s Young Stars Squad is getting old. I have the feeling lately that the CMP’s payroll of
young stars needs a renovation. Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin are more pre-teens than child stars. Other recurrent talents like Josh Hutcherson, Freddie Highmore, Cameron Bright, Ivana Baquero or even Chloe Moretz, Jimmy Bennett, Elle Fanning or Chase Ellison are growing fast and leaving their ‘cute kid’ look. Maybe stars like Austin Williams, to be seen this week in ‘The Orphanage’, can be a good relief. But, anyway, I have the feeling that Mr. Collins – main promoter of that generation of young stars in CMP - must urgently lead a deep renovation of the CMP’s Child Stars Squad cause it’s beginning to be hard to believe some of the ‘old’ ones still playing certain characters.While the Young Stars Squad needs renewals, Dawson Edwards’ Superheroes Squad keeps growing. Another superhero (and a main one!) will join in the future Wonder Woman, Aquaman or The Flash in the list of superheroes franchises Edwards develops. In fact, the new addition will be no other than the main superhero ever: Superman. Yes, Dawson Edwards will be behind the first CMP’s movie exclusively focused on Superman. Before, we have seen the hero from Krypton in CMP’s movies like ‘Captain America vs Superman’ and ‘Justice League’ (both times being played by Nicholas Cage). But the big novelty in Edwards’ project is that Clark Kent won’t be played neither by Cage nor Brandon Rough. A new actor will wear Superman’s costume in a movie that is expected to be ready to release no later than Season 15.
Benicio Del Toro will return to the horror genre. And he will do it again with a Matt Kubrick’s story. But no, this time he won’t be playing Darkman again. Benicio, an icon of the horror genre in CMP, has accepted to be this time in a lighter horror movie. Matt Kubrick has written a horror movie oriented to young audiences. And Benicio has accepted to be in it playing an evil warlock. ‘Hell Night’, that’s the title of the movie, will be an attempt to introduce youngest moviegoers in the genre expected to be released some time during this current Season.
Everything is ready for the shooting of the fifth installment of Harry Flashman’s adventures. James Bradley has confirmed that this new movie based on the coward and funny adventurer created by the British writer George McDonald Fraser and played by Rupert Everett, will put an end to this successful and profitable franchise. Bradley has planned this new movie to be a kind of homage to the whole saga. His idea is that some of the most representative characters from all the previous movies of the franchise will show up again in this last adventure.
Dennis Hopper and Gary Coleman passed away recently. None of both became big CMP’s stars but the two of them were seen in some of the Studio’s productions. Hopper worked in Season 2’s parodic action movie ‘Dirty Sanchez’ and in Season 3's ‘T.Y.M.: The Second Chance’. Josh Collins wanted him to play the villain in the more recent ‘LA Wolf 2’ but his health problems made it impossible. Gary Coleman made a most peculiar appearance in Season 8’s ‘Lobo’s Back’.
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