Brothers & Sisters: Are they? Really??
Now that we’ve talked about actors who look so much alike they could play brothers and sisters in films, let’s see some real brothers and sisters who do not!
You can notice common traits in some of these siblings, but still, they look really different. In some cases, it’s just really tough to believe that they are related! But in all cases (all but one – or two? – I’ll let you find out which), these actors are extremely talented and have had or still have amazing careers.
SHIRLEY MACLAINE & WARREN BEATTY
RIVER & JOAQUIN PHOENIX
BEN & CASEY AFFLECK
FRANÇOISE DORLÉAC & CATHERINE DENEUVE
RALPH & JOSEPH FIENNES
Viddy Well!
E.C
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THE NEWS
James McAvoy will star alongside Jessica Chastain in a double-feature film project produced by Myriad Pictures, where a married couple living in New York deals with a life-altering experience. The originality of the project seems to stand in its point of view: the first one The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him will adopt the husband’s point of view (James McAvoy), and the second one The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her, the wife’s (Jessica Chastain).
After The Artist, The Weinstein Company just bought another French film: Haute Cuisine, from Wild Bunch. The comedy stars French actress Catherine Frot and novelist Jean D’Ormesson, and is about a private chef who works for the former French president François Mittérand.
Todd Field, director of Little Children is finally back with a movie titled The Creed of Violence and produced by Cross Creek Pictures. Based on a novel by Boston Teran, the story takes place during the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The shooting should start in 2013.
Gary Oldman, the man who can play anything, will be playing one of the leads in a RoboCop remake by Jose Padilha. After working for the British government in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Gary Oldman is now to play the scientist who creates RoboCop, played by Joel Kinnaman. Production should start in August 2013.
Ethan Hawke returns with Predestination. He previously worked with directors Michael and Peter Spierig on Daybreakers. Sony just acquired the domestic rights for the movie. The story is about a time traveling agency which prevents future violent crimes.
Does this sound a bit like Minority Report? Hopefully not, I still have hopes to see Ethan Hawke in a truly great role.
Viddy Well,
E.D.
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POLANSKI FILME PRADA
C’est lors de la projection de son magnifique Tess à Cannes que Roman Polanski a dévoilé sa charmante publicité pour la marque de luxe Prada. Au lieu d’une simple pub, c’est un véritable court-métrage que l’on a découvert. Il est fascinant de voir à quel point Polanski parvient à insérer son univers dans n’importe quel sujet, sous n’importe quelle forme… On retrouve Sir Ben Kingsley, un habitué, et Helena Bonham Carter, une nouvelle venue.
Le court-métrage rappelle avec force Le Locataire, autre chef-d’oeuvre du réalisateur, à travers le personnage de ce psychanalyste plus attiré par le manteau de sa patiente que par sa patiente elle-même… Bonham Carter, elle, possède toutes les composantes d’un personnage polanskien: la solitude et la paranoïa. Bref, un vrai petit bijou.
Viddy Well!
E.C
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CLASSIC OF THE WEEK: AUDREY HEPBURN FILMS, PART I
For once, instead of talking about one film, I would like to talk about all of the classic films that made Audrey Hepburn’s career. When people talk about Hepburn, they always mention how beautiful she was, her sense of fashion, her elegance. And of course, she was all of those things. But what we should hear first is that she was a dazzling actress. Funny or tragic, desperately in love or filled with imaginativeness, Hepburn delivered in all her pictures great and original performances.
My Classics with Audrey Hepburn will be divided in three parts. Today, I give you the first one:
THE WILLIAM WYLER FILMS
No one has ever filmed Hepburn the way Wyler did. William Wyler, for some reason, has been somewhat forgotten in the list of great directors from the 30s to the 60s. And yet, we owe him a great deal of masterpieces. He is also the one who brought us Audrey Hepburn by putting her as the lead in ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953). Jean Simmons, another great actress, was supposed to play the part of Princess Ann but became unavailable. The director then decided to cast an unknown for the part. Hepburn’s incredible audition crushed all other possibilities. Here is her screen test:
The love story between Princess Ann and journalist Joe Bradley is now legendary. Among my favorite scenes is “the mouth of truth” one where Joe pretends that his hand has indeed been bitten off by the statue because of his lying. The gag wasn’t in the script and Peck improvised it thus surprising Hepburn who screamed. The scene was done in one take and the reaction we see is truly that of Hepburn, scared to death.
The film has that great mixture of comedy and romance and the Peck-Hepburn couple is delightful to watch. Wyler obviously understood the treasure he had found in Hepburn. It is interesting to see how from one film to the other, he starts filming her closer and closer, as if he wanted to capture the secret of such an amazing grace. Hepburn achieves the perfect balance between childish excitement and gravity. Her frail body, which will be used in many different ways by the directors she worked with, embodies here all the royalty and dignity that her character needs to convey. And we have no trouble at all believing she is a princess. And Hollywood thought so too and proved that she indeed was one by giving her an Academy Award for her performance in Roman Holiday.
THE CHILDREN’S HOUR (1961)
Audrey Hepburn was also a great tragedian. As Karen Wright in the Children’s Hour, her desperation and incomprehension brings you to tears. The dynamic that is created between her and Shirley McLaine is incredible, and the subject of the film was at the time very controversial. The two actresses play teachers at a girls’ boarding school who are accused by one of their students of being lesbians. The word is of course never mentioned, and Wyler had to be careful how he handled to subject to avoid censorship. But as always, it is much more interesting when things are unsaid, not shown but implied. According to Shirley McLaine, the actors didn’t really realize what the story really was about. But watching the subtle performances it is hard to think that Hepburn and McLaine were completely oblivious to the subject. In any case, Wyler certainly knew and he scrutinizes his actresses: the body and attitude of McLaine, and as before, Hepburn’s lovely face.
One of Hepburn’s assets is that she was incredibly expressive. The close-ups on her face become all the more relevant in the most tragic moments, when her pain tears up her face. Here, her frail figure becomes the symbol of her vulnerability in this world where everyone is willing to tear her to pieces.
HOW TO STEAL A MILLION (1966)
I will have to write again on this wonderful romantic comedy that stars Peter O’Toole alongside Audrey Hepburn. For once, Wyler chooses to film his star in color. And he offers a role to Hepburn a bit far off the ones he had offered her before. Hepburn is no longer the child she was in
Roman Holiday, so Wyler chooses to explore her kooky side. With a magnificent wardrobe (Givenchy, needless to say) and an extravagant make-up, Nicole (Hepburn) is a strong-headed girl, who will attempt anything to save her father from going to jail. She hires a man she believes to be a thief (Peter O’ Toole) to help her steal one of her father’s forgeries at a Paris museum. With witty dialogue and a crazy storyline, the film is so enjoyable that I watched it two times in a row the first time I saw it. With a splendid cinematography, the film benefits from its leading actors. The O’Toole-Hepburn couple satisfies every romantic soul, each one meeting his equal in the other, as far as talent, beauty and humor go.
Roman Holiday, so Wyler chooses to explore her kooky side. With a magnificent wardrobe (Givenchy, needless to say) and an extravagant make-up, Nicole (Hepburn) is a strong-headed girl, who will attempt anything to save her father from going to jail. She hires a man she believes to be a thief (Peter O’ Toole) to help her steal one of her father’s forgeries at a Paris museum. With witty dialogue and a crazy storyline, the film is so enjoyable that I watched it two times in a row the first time I saw it. With a splendid cinematography, the film benefits from its leading actors. The O’Toole-Hepburn couple satisfies every romantic soul, each one meeting his equal in the other, as far as talent, beauty and humor go.
My favorite scene is of course the closet one, the turning point in Nicole and Simon’s relationship. Hepburn is marvelous as she passes from a state of awkwardness because of their lack of space and privacy to the discovery of true love. The other scene is towards the end, when Nicole discovers that Simon wasn’t a thief. That scene is more of an O’Toole one, but it reflects the perfect harmony of their acting.
My first advice if you are in a Hepburn mood (and who isn’t?) is to watch first these three Wyler films and notice how the fascination of the director for his actress never stops but increases as he challenges her to take on very different, but equally grand, parts.
Have a very Hepburn week and see you next Wednesday for the second part of the Audrey Hepburn classics. Viddy Well!
E.C
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SKYFALL: TRAILER REVIEW
Agent Bond is back on the screen… Again. Just when you think they have used all the possible intrigues for saving the world from villains with ridiculous accents, Hollywood manages to surprise us: From American Beauty, Sam Mendes went to directing British gentleman 007 in this new opus titled Skyfall. I was not expecting the director of Revolutionary Road and Road to Perdition to be seduced by such an enterprise, but it might just be that all the boys wish to be a part of the Bond adventure.
The cast also proves quite interesting – apart from Daniel Craig which I never found “James Bondish“ enough… I miss the Roger Moore/ Sean Connery days. This new Bond movie stars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Javier Bardem. This should add a little depth to the characters. And if Javier Bardem’s haircut proves half as threatening as it was in No Country for Old Men, James Bond is in trouble.
So for those of you who have been eagerly waiting for their fix of explosions, gun shooting and tailor-cut tuxedos that never get creased or dirty; rejoice! Here is the trailer.
Logline: Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Release dates: October 26 (France, UK), November 9 (US)
Viddy Well,
E.D.
Release dates: October 26 (France, UK), November 9 (US)
Viddy Well,
E.D.
THE MASTER: TRAILER REVIEW
This is the film we wanted to see at Cannes this year. Unfortunately for the Film Festival, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film wasn’t ready yet. After the extraordinary There Will Be Blood, it looks like the director is about to deliver another masterpiece with The Master. Nothing had been revealed of the film but the storyline: “A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as “the Master” whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.” (Source: IMDB). The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Laura Dern. But this first trailer only shows us Freddie Sutton, Phoenix’s character. And I have to say, it is a pleasure to finally see Joaquin Phoenix back on a screen. We are also very eager to see some footage from James Gray’s latest, Low Life, in which Phoenix also stars.
It this scene, Phoenix seems to be questioned by a military officer. From all the close-ups in the trailer, we can tell that Phoenix’s acting is very Brando-like. We can also hear some of Jonny Greenwood’s score, which he composed for the film. Greenwood was also behind the legendary score of There Will Be Blood.
We’ll have to wait until October 12 in the US to see the picture. So let’s hope The Master will at least be at the Venice Film Festival in September.
Enjoy and Viddy Well!
E.C
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DE ROUILLE ET D’OS, de Jacques Audiard.
Audiard, auteur. De Rouille et D’os annihile tout doute possible.
On reconnait ses marques comme autant de signatures au bas de chaque plan. Elles s’affirment au fil des films, Audiard tisse sa toile sur fond de thèmes récurrents. Un flou mesuré qui rappelle celui de Sur mes lèvres. Il filmait alors la nuque, le visage, l’oreille sourde d’Emmanuelle Devos, son appareil auditif. Il filme ici le corps amputé, les jambes de Marion Cotillard, ses prothèses. Les corps prennent une place centrale par l’importance accordée au détail, ce sont des ébauches tronquées par des jeux d’ombres.
Audiard choisit ce qu’il veut nous montrer, rien ne lui échappe. Il s’applique et s’éxecute, enchaîne des images contrôlées et justes. Lumière, montage cut, effets ralentis, importance du son, performance technique avec des effets spéciaux impressionnants ; il maîtrise son langage, on en est conscients. Le spectacle se déroule, on admire cet art de savoir disposer de la matière filmique comme on l’entend. Une maîtrise que l’on ressent également dans le jeu des acteurs : Audiard sait les diriger, les tenir sans relâche, même, c’est évident. Après un détour Hollywoodien, Marion Cotillard revient en force, le cinéma français lui va bien mieux. Puis Tahar Rahim laisse la place au nouveau prophète, car chacun des personnages principaux du réalisateur nous apporte sa bonne parole. Matthias Schoenaerts apparait comme une masse virile qui tire le film vers l’avant : la force directrice, c’est lui. Un boxeur filmé par des ralentis constants qui ne sont pas sans rappeler ceux de Raging Bull (s’agit-il d’un hommage à Scorsese ou de son influence bienveillante ?).
Dans la salle, les spectateurs se crispent par moments face à la violence assumée, créatrice, moteur d’une mécanique interne. Les silences tendus lors des scènes de sexe animal se font sentir (des scènes qui deviennent trop systématiques peut-être, on a bien compris la première fois), puis lors des bagarres sanglantes. Le sang devient un motif dans la filmographie de l’auteur : sang sur les dents et la bouche ou sur les mains meurtries le plus souvent. Les personnages se font écho : Vincent Cassel blessé dans Sur mes lèvres, la main ensanglantée du pianiste Romain Duris dans De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté, la scène du rasoir caché dans la bouche de Tahar Rahim dans Un Prophète, et ici la perte d’une dent de Matthias Schoenaerts. Une virilité castrée (chez l’homme et la femme) qui ne freîne pas pour autant, au contraire, elle motive et incite à la révolte. Les personnages sont souvent encerclés, traqués. De l’univers carcéral en fond de Sur mes Lèvres avec Cassel ex-tôlard, puis dans Un Prophète, Duris également poursuivit dans une cage d’escalier dans De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté, jusqu’aux combats de boxe illégaux dans ce dernier film. Les personnages se relèvent toujours et rétorquent. Hommes ensanglantés, bagarreurs, bourrus. Femmes aux corps lésés ; Emmanuelle Devos sourde dans Sur mes Lèvres, une femme qui ne parle pas et qui communique par la musique dans De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté, puis ici Marion amputée. Tous s’affranchissent d’un passé non pas en surmontant leurs obstacles, mais en les heurtant de plein fouet.
Un rentre-dedans qui passe par le visuel et par cette esthétique qui s’affirme à chaque film. Car s’il y avait une part d’innocence chez les personnages en marge de Sur mes lèvres, toute candeur a maintenant disparu. Audiard ébauchait son style. Depuis, la forme a mûri. L’auteur connait son monde, rien ne lui échappe, il sait ce qu’il veut dire et comment le dire, il va droit au but, confiant. Il n’y a maintenant de la fragilité que chez l’enfant. Il n’y a pas d’innocence, l’homme est animal et pourvu d’une humanité qui se travaille. Marion parle de «délicatesse». «Tu sais très bien ce que c’est, tu n’as pas arrêté d’en avoir avec moi, de la délicatesse», dit-elle. De la délicatesse Vincent Cassel en a pour Emmanuelle Devos dans Sur mes lèvres, et Romain Duris pour Linh Dan Pham dans De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté. Ça se recherche, ça demande un effort. Si l’histoire d’amour ne fascine pas, c’est parce que ce qui compte c’est la recherche de son humanité dans le rapport avec l’autre, une lutte qui devient plus nette chez ces personnages façonnés par la violence.
La plus belle surprise du film réside sans doute dans la place accordée à l’enfant. Précieux et fragile, il accompagne l’histoire. Son absence est regrettée lorsqu’il disparaît vers le milieu du film, mais on la comprend. L’enfant n’est plus là car il est absent de l’esprit de son père. Cet enfant, Audiard nous l’enlève pour mieux nous le rendre, puisqu’il revient à la fin dans toute sa puissance avec une scène d’une beauté fulgurante.
Alors, chef-d’oeuvre ? Presque. Si l’accident donne origine à l’histoire du film, il reste absent de la forme – pas d’accidents filmiques, rien n’échappe aux plans, pas de risques pris, sans doute par soucis de ne pas trop en faire, le contenu est déjà chargé, il ne faut pas tomber dans l’excès. Mais voilà, c’est trop contrôlé, trop tenu, la musique, parfois trop présente, l’usage du ralenti systématique, c’est trop de tout. Mais au final, qu’importe. On écoute Bérénice Béjo quand elle nous dit «Tais-toi» dans son discours d’ouverture du Festival de Cannes, et on remercie Monsieur Audiard de nous avoir donné un autre beau film.
Viddy Well,
E.D.
P.S.: Je suis «opé» pour aller voir le prochain.
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THE NEWS
Cruel, Cruel Cruel Cruel…
We are indeed in the darkest timeline… Just a few days after an amazing finale, Dan Harmon, the mad genius behind Community, announced that he got fired. David Guarascio and Moses Port have been hired as the new Community showrunners. This is really terrible news. The show’s cast members are appalled as well and have left many comments on Twitter. Community is by far one of the best comedies on TV. So we can only hope that the spirit of the show will remain and that the cast members will “die protecting his vision” as Alison Brie (Annie) promised…
Wes Anderson never stops!
The director has already finished writing his next script which apparently takes place in Europe. This move seems logical since Wes Anderson has now been living in Paris for quite a long time.
James Bond never dies…
We are not done with James Bond films apparently. Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie, director of Moon and Source Code) is planning to direct a biopic on Ian Fleming. I haven’t seen Moon which was supposed to be great, but Source Code was really awful. Let’s hope Jones will do a good job this time.
Mia Wasikowska meets another Carol
The actress will star in Carol alongside Cate Blanchett. Carol is an adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel, The Price of Salt. In the 1950s in New York, a love story begins between a young woman working in a department store and an unhappily married woman, afraid to lose her daughter if she were to leave her husband. The film will be directed by John Crowley (Boy A).
Rumor has it…
Our source at the Cannes Film Festival tells us that the rumor is going around that John Hillcoat’s Lawless (which is apparently really bad), was only granted a spot in the official competition as a favor to the Weinstein brothers. Indeed, the Weinsteins were of great help is getting The Artist in the Oscar run… Though, I would like to say that The Artist deserved all the awards it received.
Viddy Well!
E.C
lire le billetLE FANTASTIQUE M. ANDERSON
«C’est le temps de l’amour, le temps des copains, et de l’aventure, Quand le temps va et vient, on ne pense à rien malgré ses blessures ». C’est sur cette chanson de Françoise Hardy que Sam et Suzy célèbrent leur arrivée sur la terre qu’ils ont conquise, une petite crique paradisiaque éloignée de tout. Loin de leur parents trop occupés à sombrer dans leurs dépressions respectives, de leurs camarades prêts à tout pour les éliminer, et avant tout, loin de leur solitude. En entendant ces paroles, on ne peut s’empêcher de penser que Moonrise Kingdom est né de cette chanson, de sa poésie, et de sa mélancolie.
Ce qui est merveilleux dans le dernier film de Wes Anderson, c’est l’aventure visuelle qui nous est offerte. Le cinéaste crée un pays des merveilles, où les fantasmes enfantins les plus fous se réalisent. L’esthétique employée n’est donc pas éloignée du précédent film du cinéaste, Le fantastique Mr. Fox.
Orphelin pour une raison que l’on ignore, abandonné par sa famille d’accueil, sans amis, Sam trouve en Suzy la personne qui va combler tous ses manques. Cette petite fille du même âge est une sorte de double inversé de Sam. Elle est l’aînée d’une famille nombreuse, souffre d’un tempérament colérique et violent, et possède une imagination sans limites. Elle fuit la réalité de sa vie dans des livres, s’imagine avoir un superpouvoir que lui fournissent ses jumelles. Lorsque Sam et Suzy se voient pour la première fois, c’est le coup de foudre. L’amour fusionnel qui les habite est un amour de roman, de conte de fées, un amour inconditionnel, qui vient s’opposer puissamment au désamour qu’ils ont tous deux connu. Rien ne peut les séparer : ni l’indélicatesse de Sam qui rit lorsqu’elle lui apprend pourquoi elle a fugué, ni le pouvoir de l’autorité parentale.
Anderson met en scène le fantasme de tout enfant qui rêve d’amour. Place donc au conte de fées, aux grandes scènes romantiques – comme lorsque Sam peint Suzy à la manière dont Jack peignait Rose sur le Titanic – à une abondance d’ennemis prêts à tout pour séparer les amoureux, le tout dans une esthétique splendide aux couleurs chaudes. L’orange et le jaune dominent comme si le monde de Mr. Fox avait été transposé dans la réalité des années 60. Comme leur prédécesseur, un élégant renard rusé, Sam et Suzy doivent survivre avant de pouvoir réellement vivre. Après un long périple, se produit une chose merveilleusement étrange. Alors que dans la première partie se rejouait entre les enfants Sa Majesté des mouches, la situation se renverse. Les enfants, séduits par la vision de cet amour passionné, se réunissent et s’engagent à tout faire pour que le couple reste uni.
Pendant ce temps, au monde des adultes, on se morfond dans sa tristesse. Du côté des hommes, on combat la dépression. Le père de Suzy (Bill Murray) pense au suicide, le chef des Scouts, Master Ward (Edward Norton) désespère de ne savoir maîtriser ses troupes, tandis que le gentil policier, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) souffre de sa solitude. Les femmes elles manquent cruellement d’instinct maternel. La violence du monde adulte contamine le monde de l’enfance, et c’est bien ce virus de la tristesse et de la dépression que nos deux jeunes héros fuient. La violence reste présente dans leur relation aux autres mais est détournée afin de la rendre romantique (encore un fantasme adolescent), et gentiment comique. Voyez cette scène où Sam fabrique des boucles d’oreilles avec des hameçons et les offre à Suzy qui, malheur, n’a pas les oreilles percées. Sam lui en perce une, à la barbare, elle crie, souffre, saigne. Puis se retourne vers son âme sœur et lui dit « Fais l’autre ».
Et c’est le lyrisme, le romantisme, la fantaisie du royaume des enfants qui l’emportent. Alors que la vie de Sam est menacée, les adultes sortent de leur torpeur égocentrique. Le doux Captain Sharp se prend d’affection pour le petit Sam, et décide d’en prendre la garde. Comme dans un conte de fées, le père et le fils se trouvent enfin.
Avec Moonrise Kingdom, le fantastique Wes Anderson nous livre un véritable poème cinématographique, parfois drôle et souvent mélancolique. Très vite, en sortant de la projection l’envie de se replonger dans ce monde des merveilles nous reprend. Françoise chantait justement : « le temps de l’amour, c’est long et c’est court, ça dure toujours, on s’en souvient. » Et de ce film aussi, on se souviendra.
Viddy Well !
E.C
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THE NEWS!
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood rose to the occasion… After Facebook, Aaron Sorkin, director of The Social Network, is to become the official director of computer-oriented dramas with an adaption of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. Sony bought the rights to the film in October, before the book even got published. Good move. I can already picture this as Oscar material, with potential Apple goodies bags for glamorous guests.
Spotlight on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus: the movie has not been released yet but there is already talk about a possible sequel. Co-writer Damon Lindelof stated to fans earlier this week: «If you like it and want more, there is TOTALLY a design for this story to continue in cool and unexpected ways». More interestingly, it seems they have always thought of Prometheus as «a new, grand mythology».
Let’s keep in a Ridley Scott/ Sci-Fi vein, with a possible sequel to the 1982 classic Blade Runner! Writer Hampton Fancher is in talks to reunite with the director. According to website The Wrap Movies, Hapton Fancher and Ridley Scott announced last thursday that they had planned the initial film as a trilogy.
The Exorcist is back… as a play this time. The stage adaptation will open on July 11, with John Doyle, known for his adaptation of Sweeney Todd, as director. Brooke Shields is to star as the mother of the possessed child, and Richard Chamberlain as the priest. If you find this hard to picture, you are not alone. What will happen to the «going down the stairs backwards» scene, the heads turning and projections of vomit? These are to be toned down, apparently. Wise decision. Playwright John Pielmeier said «The story of the battle bewteen faith and evil needed no spinning heads or green vomit.»… «The horror should unfold instead on a simple set with an incredible cast, and the central conflict between doubting Father Karras and the demon should be a series of debates, in which the young girl possessed is the least of the figures present». I am not convinced…
After playing Hitchcock, Anthony Hopkins will star as Ernest Hemingway alongside Annette Bening as his wife. Andy Garcia will star in the film, as well as direct Hemingway and Fuentes. The film will focus on the writer’s life in the early 1950’s in Cuba and how he was inspired to write The Old Man and the Sea.
My question is, who will one day play Anthony Hopkins?
Viddy Well,
E.D
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