Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox divided audiences but his latest appears to be just the ticket for those wanting a return to form (i.e. familiar) and you can expect the words ‘quirk’ and ‘charm’ to be used in equal measure until the film sees its release in May of this year.

Leaping over the animated delights of F Mr.F we look back to The Darjeeling Limited and its companion short Hotel Chevalier for our last live-action film from the director and as usual there’s an excellent cast, with the scattering of Anderson regulars, and the trailer is quirky as it is charming. See.

Here’s a cute synopsis,

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.

 

Here’s your trailer, pick an Apple to see a version with clarity,

It feels sort of noteworthy that Bill Murray is only now for the first time portraying a real-life character, given how eclectic his CV has become, especially in more recent years (and no, we aren’t going to count Murray playing himself in Zombieland).

That real-life character is FDR, US president from 1933 to 1945, architect of the New Deal which dragged the USA out of The Great Depression and eventually the President that marshalled the US through their involvement in WWII. The film in question, is “Hyde Park on the Hudson”, which rather than dealing with those better-known highlights of FDR’s presidency, will instead focus on a visit from the British Royal family to his home in 1939. The visitors were none other than King George (who will be played by Samuel West – Van Helsing) and his wife Queen Elizabeth (to be played by Olivia Coleman – Hot Fuzz, Tyrannosaur) and the film will also shed light on FDR’s affair with his cousin, Margaret Stuckley, who will be played by Laura Linney.

Director Roger Michell (who previously directed Notting Hill, Changing Lanes and Enduring Love) has been full of praise regarding Murray’s work, who apparently did plenty of research to enable him to properly convey so iconic a historical figure:-

“We put Bill in touch with people who have polio and with a physiotherapist, who made calipers and taught him how to walk with them. He captured the voice of the man, the tilt of his chin, that trademark cigarette holder and his way of spreading confidence.”

We also have a first shot (see below) of Murray in character and costume as FDR. He certainly looks the part and given his undoubted ability, we would expect it to be another deft and effective performance as well.

Source: Indiewire.

The Coppola family and their relations are some of the most well-known people working in Hollywood. Francis Ford Coppola, five-time Academy Award winner, is of course well-known for bringing us The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. His daughter, Sofia Coppola, won an Oscar for her 2003 film, Lost In Translation. And recently his son, Roman Coppola, has returned to the director’s chair to bring us A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III, which he’s scripted himself.

Charles Swan already has attached to the project Charlie Sheen in the leading role, with Jason Schwartzman (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World; and incidentally, he’s Sofia and Roman’s cousin), Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), and Kathryn Winnick (TV’s Bones) supporting.

Variety report that that supporting cast has got even better, with Bill Murray (Lost In Translation), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), and Patricia Arquette (TV’s Medium) now coming on board too.

“Sheen stars as the title character, a successful graphic designer whose fame, money and charm have made him irresistible to women. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, his life swirls into a downward spiral of doubt, confusion and reflection. Through delirious fantasies involving his many failed romances, he begins the hard road of self-evaluation to come to terms with life without her.”

Essentially, this is going to be awesome. Murray already has a history with working with the Coppola family, earning himself an Oscar nomination for Roman’s sister’s Lost In Translation, and he’s worked with Roman  before, with Roman having written Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited and the upcoming Moonrise Kingdom. Not to mention Roman taking additional and second unit director credits on Lost In Translation, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited.

Murray’s work on Anderson’s films means he’s also worked alongside Schwartzman on more than one occasion too, and Winstead’s work on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World means she’ll now be joining her Scott Pilgrim co-stars, Schwartzman and Plaza, for Roman Coppola’s new film.

I always love it when actors, directors, and writers frequently collaborate together, and this project is shaping up nicely to be a kind of Wes Anderson-esque film, which is perfect, since Roman’s been working with him for years. I’m a big Wes Anderson fan, and I have a feeling that I’m going to be a big Roman Coppola fan too. Production has already begun out in Los Angeles, and I cannot wait to see how it all comes together on the big screen. It’s going to be brilliant.

Also, on a fairly unrelated note, for anyone interested, the Coppola/Schwartzman family also includes none other than Nicolas Cage himself, born Nicolas Coppola, who is Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew, making him Sofia, Roman, and Jason’s cousin. Cage changed his name early in his career so as not to have people think he was getting famous solely because of his family ties, which is a fact I’ve always loved.

Will Ferrell is hardly the first actor who springs to mind as ideal casting for the role of an unemployed, beer-sozzled suburbanite whose life is in freefall, yet watching him in that very role here, an adaptation (or rather an “adding on”) of a short story from famed US writer Raymond Carver, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing as much conviction and such an understated beauty to the part.

This is the comedy superstar by way of Bill Murray in Lost In Translation, and even if the film has failed to connect to a similar-sized audience, state-side, to the one who flocked to see that Tokyo-set May to December romance, Ferrell’s second foray into (semi)serious territory (following 2005’s Stranger Than Fiction) delivers his strongest performance to date, and one of the year’s very best films.

Ferrell is Nick Halsey, a veteran salesman who is let go at the start of the film, owing in part, to the problems his drinking has caused for the company he’s been gainfully employed (and indulged) by for many years. He returns home (having used his farewell gift of a penknife in a funny scene of desperate retribution) to discover that not only has his alcohol-dependent spouse left him, she’s also changed the locks to the garage and house, and to add further insult to injury, has dumped all his belongings out on the front lawn in full view of everyone. It’s safe to say Nick isn’t having the best of days and things get progressively worse as his company car is quickly repossessed and he finds the funds from the couple’s joint bank account have been made unavailable to him.

Turning the lawn into a lazy extension of a living room (he sleeps on a big leather recliner and manages to blag an extension lead from next door to power his mini fridge) his decidedly leftfield living arrangement arouses the curiosity of two locals. The first of those is a new neighbour from across the road (Rebecca Hall). Heavily pregnant and awaiting the arrival of her husband, she sees beyond the shell of man in front of her and responds to his genuine honesty and innate sadness. The other is a teenager played by Christopher Jordan Wallace (Biggie’s son no less!) whom Nick employs to watch over his stuff, and who ends up serving as a confident and friend to the homeless one, asking only for the statutory seven dollars an hour pay scale and baseball lessons in return for his assistance.

From the film’s set up it’s easy to see, in lesser hands, how all this could tip into self-indulgent, whimsical indie territory (and Nick’s cleansing yard sale towards the end certainly strays dangerously close to that) but first time director Dan Rush knows how to downplay to broader aspects of the story and he constantly hits the right emotional beats without things ever getting too cloying and mawkish. It’s a leisurely told character study which shares a commonality with the works of Tom McCarthy, and is so laidback, it can get away with a scene where Nick pops in on an old high-school friend (Laura Dern) in a moment of nostalgic clarity and longing, without it ever slowing down the narrative drive or feeling extraneous to the plot.

Above all, the film acts as a fine showcase for the previously untapped skills of its lead. Ferrell manages to elicit sympathy and understanding of this flawed character without ever pandering to the audience, remaining highly watchable throughout and never once resorting to his usual comedic mannerisms for effect. The strong and subtle writing from director Rush is also a big plus, and it’s nice to witness the layers of Ferrell’s character coming through as he and his new buddy trawl through the possessions he owns.

He also benefits from working with a strong supporting cast, and the film offers yet another solid turn by Hall (her resume is undoubtedly the envy of many Hollywood starlets out there) and Wallace joins the likes of Win Win’s Alex Shaffer and Elle Fanning as yet another teen star from 2011 who delivers a completely natural and unaffected turn.

It’s perhaps easy to see why the film hasn’t struck a chord with Ferrell’s usual fanbase in the US, but that really doesn’t matter (as the actor himself would probably concur). If you’re interested in seeing a seasoned comedy star stepping out of his comfort zone and delivering a nuanced and completely heartfelt performance, you’ll be thoroughly satisfied with what’s on offer here.

It’s unlikely the film will cause Ferrell to abandon that broader material which has rooted him amongst the Hollywood A-list, nor will it result in him adopting a ‘one for me, one for the studio’ philosophy, but let’s hope he has something on the horizon which will once again test his mettle as a performer. On the basis of Everything Must Go, it’s a thrilling sight.

****½ (4.5/5)

It seems to be the way things are going now but to be honest, I can’t really blame the studios for re-releasing classic movies back into cinemas. After seeing Back to the Future earlier in the year, and it becoming one of my all-time best cinematic experiences, I am well up for them putting movies that I’ve loved for so long back into the cinemas – especially ones that I missed as I was too young to see them the first time round!

I’ve mentioned BTTF above, next up we have Jurassic Park then only yesterday found out that Top Gun was coming back to the cinema and now we hear via a press release from Park Circus Films that Ghostbusters is set to get a remastered re-release in October over the Halloween period. Ghostbusters was released in 1984 and again my parents weren’t up for taking their four year old son along to see such a great movie but in 2011, I will get my chance!

Ghostbusters stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis and is directed by Ivan Reitman.

The press release is below and I’ve also placed the original trailer for your viewing pleasure!

In an all-new Digital Cinema Presentation, 80′s cult classic GHOSTBUSTERS is back to save the world this Halloween.

Directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver, the film is about a trio of university parapsychologists in New York, who lose their research grant and decide to open their own business, ‘Ghostbusters’. They are soon summoned to investigate strange happenings in a Central Park West flat and discover that all of Manhattan is being besieged by other worldly demons. But will they manage to capture all the ghosts and save the Big Apple in time?

As well as boasting an impressive cast list, this much-loved sci-fi comedy is remembered for its selection of imaginative ghost effects – in particular ‘Slimer’ and the ‘Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man’.

On its original release in 1984, the film was a hit with both audiences and critics. It won a BAFTA Award (Best Original Song) for Ray Parker Jr.’s theme tune and was also nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Effects – Visual Effects, Best Music – Original Song).

GHOSTBUSTERS will be back in cinemas worldwide this October.

Who you gonna call?

Maybe Bill Murray, maybe not.

Bloody Disgusting report that Dan Aykroyd, the man so awesome he’s had a band named in his honour (Dananananaykroyd), has said that Ghostbusters III will be going into production in early 2012, with or without Bill Murray.

His hope is of course that Murray will be joining him for the project, which is expected to see Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and hopefully Murray re-teaming with director Ivan Reitman for the first Ghostbusters film since 1989.

A third film has been a possibility for more than a decade, and it seems that Murray’s dislike for sequels has meant that his cooperation with the project has stalled a number of times over the years. As such, Aykroyd seems to be sending out a pretty clear message now that whether Murray’s on board or not, the film is going to be going ahead as of spring 2012.

“Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray. That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that ‘Ghostbusters’ is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributive to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of ‘Ghostbusters 3′ is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood.”

That final sentence seems to suggest to me that we could have a Ghostbusters IV in store for us a few years later, but it’s of course a bit too early to speculate about that with the third film yet to even begin production. Firm plot details are yet to surface, but Aykroyd has given away a bit about his character and the original cast handing down their roles to a younger generation:

“My character, Ray, is now blind in one eye and can’t drive the Cadillac… He’s got a bad knee and can’t carry the packs… Egon is too large to get into the harness. We need young blood and that’s the promise. We’re gonna hand it to a new generation.”

And he’s already got his eye on one young actor for the film:

“I like this guy Matthew Gray Gubler from the ‘Criminal Minds’ show… But there’s going to be a casting. We’re going to see everyone that wants to do it. We’re going to need… three guys and a young woman.”

Gubler is best known for playing Dr. Spencer Reid in TV’s Criminal Minds, as well as playing one of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s friends in (500) Days of Summer. As Aykroyd says, it’s just his personal opinion, and there are still going to be auditions held for all the young actors and actresses that want a shot at taking on the franchise. With production planned for early next year, we’ll hopefully be hearing some firm casting news in the coming months, so watch this space.

Is this a tell-take sign that Ghostbusters 3 is finally gearing up for production?

A fan of our site, Adam Christopher, has unearthed a blog called Toys & Gadgets which is running an image grab (see below) from what looks like an official Sony press release from the Licensing International Expo currently running in Las Vegas, which states that Ghosterbusters 3 will be arriving in 2013!

Wow! Wonder if Bill Murray has finally given in after months of uncertainty and signed on. We’ll keep you posted if we hear any further developments, but it’s probably safe to say that if this is indeed true, Sony will be in the process of making some kind of announcement very soon. Fingers crossed!

Olivia Williams is closing in on the role of Eleanor Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife, in the upcoming film, Hyde Park on the Hudson, Deadline report.

The film will be directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Morning Glory), and already has Bill Murray and Laura Linney attached. Murray is to play FDR, and Linney will play his distant cousin and lover, Margaret Suckley.

FDR was the only American president to be elected to office for more than two terms, being elected four consecutive times, from 1933 through to his death in 1945, which cut his fourth term short, when Vice President Harry Truman was then sworn in.

It is to be written by newcomer Richard Nelson, and revolves around a weekend in 1939 when King George VI and his wife, the Queen Mother, visited FDR’s private retreat, Top Cottage, in New York near the Hudson River, when (in the film) Eleanor discovers her husband’s infidelity. Whether or not the affair took place in fact is not known.

Williams (The Sixth Sense, An Education, Hanna) is one of my favourite British actresses working at the moment, and I think she’d be excellent playing Eleanor Roosevelt.

Over the last couple of months we’ve been hearing news of the increasing eclectic line-up of actors to join the cast for Wes Anderson’s next feature, Moonrise Kingdom. Alongside regular players like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton are all onboard.

Now First Showing has news that none other than Harvey Keitel (where has he been of late?) is another addition here. The film is Anderson’s first period piece (although all his previous films exist in their own lovingly-crafted retro/modern universe) and tells the story of two young lovers who take off from their New England hometown causing friends and family to embark on a search for them.

Further details have been sketchy, but it’s known that Willis play’s the town sheriff, and Murray and McDormand are the young girl’s parents. Edward Norton is a Boy Scout camp leader and The Playlist has unearthed this rather fuzzy image on set (below) of the actor in his full uniform. Murray has also been snapped with what looks like a couple of fans.

That’s it for now folks, but more images will undoubtedly surface in the coming weeks. The first live-action film from Anderson since 2007’s underappreciated, The Darjeeling Limited, this new project certainly holds a fair amount of intrigue, which must partially stem from the decidedly left-field casting of Willis (wonder how he’ll fit in Anderson’s world?) and from seeing what two solid female talents like McDormand and Swinton will bring to the film. Norton is a welcomed presence too, and looks worryingly at home in his camp leader outfit.

To celebrate the release of Get Low today, 23rd May on DVD (order your copy here), Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away on DVD. Get Low is directed by Aaron Schneider and stars Academy Award® Winner Robert Duvall, Academy Award® Winner Sissy Spacek, Academy Award® Nominee Bill Murray and Lucas Black.

Synopsis: For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush (Duvall). People say he’s done all sorts of unspeakable things — that he’s killed in cold blood; that he’s in league with the devil; that he has strange powers — and they avoid him like the plague. Then one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It’s not your usual funeral for the dead that Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a living funeral, in which anyone who ever has had a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in.

Sensing an opportunity for a big payday, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Murray) enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson (Black), to win Felix’s business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix’s dark reputation, but what he discovers is that behind Felix’s surreal plan lies a very real and long-held secret. As the funeral approaches, the mystery – involving the widow Mattie Darrow (Spacek), the only person in town who ever got close to Felix, and an Illinois preacher Charlie Jackson (Cobbs), who refuses to speak at his former friend’s funeral – only deepens. But when the big day comes, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. This time, he’s the one who is going to do the telling about why he has been hiding out in the woods.

DVD Bonus Features include:

• Commentary with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Director Aaron Schneider & Producer Dean Zanuck
• Featurette: The Deep South: Buried Secrets
• Featurette: Getting Low: Getting into Character
• Featurette: A Screenwriter’s Point of View
• Cast and Crew Q&A
• On the Red Carpet

To be in with a chance of winning the movie on DVD, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who plays the character Felix Bush in Get Low?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 31st May at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Laura Linney (The Savages) has signed on to star in Focus Features’ Hyde Park on the Hudson.

Linney has landed the role of Daisy and will star opposite Bill Murray (Lost in Translation), who was cast as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in March.

Hyde Part on the Hudson follows the taboo love affair between FDR (Murray) and his distant cousin (Linney). The setting is June 1939 in upstate New York, when the British King and Queen come to visit FDR at his cottage.

Roger Michell (Morning Glory) will direct from a screenplay penned by Richard Nelson.

Source: Deadline

Vulture have given us all a heads up to the brand new first trailer for the Mitch Glazer directed Passion Play which stars Mickey Rourke, Bill Murray, Rhys Ifans and Megan Fox. From what we’ve read about the movie, it’s not really on the list of films you must see this year as it has a limited run in the US and then heads to DVD basement buckets a couple of weeks later.

I’ve not actually found any UK release date for this one so it could be it never comes over here to cinema screens but no doubt you’ll be able to find it in the bargain bucket at Membury Services on the M4 in the not too distant future!

Synopsis: This strange and lyrical love story blends old-fashioned romanticism with all the fantasy of a fairy tale. It is also a welcome sight to see Mickey Rourke in a role that bores beneath his shambling gruffness to find a tender core. The slow-burning passion that gradually simmers between him and a darkly vulnerable Megan Fox showcases the talents of both actors with finesse. Finally there is Bill Murray, the counterpoint whose role is to act as a cold shower whenever heat blows between the two star-crossed lovers.
Nate (Rourke), a small-time jazz musician, is clearly a hard-luck case. Caught trying to break into a car, he is taken off into the desert where his assailant puts a gun to his head. Game over? Not quite. Stumbling into a circus pitched amidst the vast expanses of the southwest desert, Nate finds himself drawn to the exotic beauty of Lily (Fox), the Bird Woman. Lily is cold and dismissive; socializing with customers is not her scene. But it dawns on her that this gentle giant may well be her way out of a life of eccentric exposition. Nate is protective and understanding, and to him her aquiline beauty is a magic part of her uniqueness. As their bond deepens, Nate finds that his dreams of bliss are about to be thwarted by Happy Shannon (Murray), a cucumber-cool businessman with deep pockets and an eye for the bizarre.

Drawing on the remarkable talents of its high-powered cast, this wonderfully offbeat film is filled with surprises and proves that magic can be found in many places. Mitch Glazer balances the tough-guy moments and the rocky romance with the touch and feel of a high-wire artist. It makes for a spirited and uplifting spectacle with all the spirited colour of the circus.

It will come as no surprise to fans of Anderson’s and Schwartzman’s that the latter has joined Anderson’s new movie, Moonrise Kingdom.

Schwartzman’s acting debut saw him take the lead in Anderson’s second film, Rushmore, which, like all of Anderson’s films, is something of a cult favourite. The two have since worked together on The Darjeeling Limited, which Schwartman also helped to write, and on 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and their pairing over the years has been incredibly successful. The two clearly must have a great connection with each other, having started their careers much at the same time together, and there is every reason to expect that Moonrise Kingdom will be another Anderson success.

Schwartzman was last seen on the big screen in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World as the last of Ramona Flowers’ boyfriends, he has since been seen on HBO in Bored To Death, playing the lead in a TV series alongside Zach Galifianakis (whose name I always need to double- (okay, triple-)check I’ve spelt right) and Ted Danson.

Moonrise Kingdom has already got an impeccably strong cast lined up for itself, with Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Anderson-favourite Bill Murray attached to star too. The Guardian have a bit more to say on the plot:

“Moonrise Kingdom is a 60′s set tale which revolves around two young lovers who take off from their New England hometown causing friends and family to embark on a search for them. Willis, according to previous reports, will play the town sheriff, who’s also having an affair with the missing girl’s mother (a role pencilled for McDormand), while Norton has his eye on the part of a scout master. Murray will play the girl’s father.”

I am a really big fan of all of Wes Anderson’s films to date, and I truly can’t wait to see how Moonrise Kingdom turns out. It certainly has potential based on that plot, and given that Anderson will be at the helm with such a terrific cast to work with, at the very least I can see it taking a strong position in my Top 10 of 2012.

Anderson has co-written the script with Roman Coppola (son of Francis Ford Coppola), and filming is to begin in the coming months in Rhode Island. With Owen Wilson’s schedule currently looking relatively light, mostly filled with upcoming animated film Turkeys and David Frankel-directed The Big Year, I am hopeful – expectant, even – that Wilson will be confirmed for Moonrise Kingdom before long. Having starred in all six of Anderson’s feature films to date, it just wouldn’t seem right without him.

EW have revealed the theatrical poster for drama-thriller Passion Play.

Writter and directed by Mitch Glazer, Passion Play stars Megan Fox (Disturbia), Bill Murray (Lost in Translation), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Rhys Ifans (Hannibal Rising) and Kelly Lynch (The Jacket).

An angel (Fox) under the thumb of a ruthless gangster (Murray) is saved by a trumpet player (Rourke) down on his luck.

Passion Play will have a limited release in New York City and Los Angeles from May 6 before landing on DVD and Blu-ray on May 31.

Check out the poster below:

Here at HeyUGuys, we aim to provide you with an all-encompassing look into the world of film. Whether you’re a fully-fledged cineaste, or just possess a casual interest, there’s something for anyone with our alternative A-Z of cinema, which starts today and runs through the week.

If you’ve ever wondered just what it is an Executive Producer does, or maybe if you’ve heard the ambient sounds of Tangerine Dream in an 80’s film favourite without knowing who you were listening to, this is the list for you!

Here are the letters K-O…

King Vidor (1894 – 1982) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades. He resides in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest career of any  film director (it began in 1913 and ending in 1980). In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award, having been nominated five previous times for a Best Director Oscar.

To give you an idea of how young cinema was when a teenage Vidor first caught a glimpse of his future, it was during a visit to see his first film (A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès), which happens to be one of the earliest films ever made.

Vidor’s first venture into sound was 1929’s Hallelujah!, a groundbreaking film which featured an African-American cast and established the new language for sound films. He was also one of a number of famous directors at the time, to work, uncredited, on the classic The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Linda Manz (1961-) is an actress who appeared in a couple of memorable and influential cult features towards the end of the seventies. Her distinctive, androgynous look caught the attention of Terrence Malick who cast her as the young narrator in his second film (1978’s Days of Heaven), but Manz is arguably best known for her appearance in the 1979 film The Wanderers, where she played the antagonistic girlfriend of the leader of the fearsome street gang The Baldies.

In 1980, Manz starred alongside Dennis Hopper in Out of the Blue (his first directorial effort since 1971’s ill-fated The Last Movie). The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in that same year.

Absent from cinema screens for over a decade now, her only remaining roles post-1980 were in a handful of films towards the end of the noughties, including a small part in David Fincher’s The Game and a bigger one in Harmony Korine’s 1997 mid-west oddity Gummo.

Mumblecore is an American independent film movement which began life with the release of 2005’s Funny Ha Ha, a low-budget character piece by filmmaker Andrew Bujalski. It is primarily characterised by a modest production (often employing digital video cameras), focusing on personal relationships between twentysomethings, improvised scripts, and non-professional actors.

The name was actually coined by a sound editor on one of the early films and reflects, to some extent, the semi-improvisational, sometimes inaudible speech inflections delivered by some of the performers involved. Filmmakers in this field include Lynn Shelton, Bujalski, Mark and Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz and Joe Swanberg.

The Duplass brother scored a recent mainstream success by using many elements of Mumblecore within the studio system (Fox Searchlight) and with big name actors (John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener) in last year’s dark comedy Cyrus. Bujalski’s third independent feature Beeswax was released last year to great acclaim and praise.

Ned Ryerson is a character from much-loved comedy Groundhog Day played by “I know the face, not sure about the name” supporting actor Stephen Tobolowsky. Ryerson the is supremely annoying insurance salesman and former high school classmate of Phil Connors (Bill Murray) whom he has the unpleasant misfortune of running into every morning as he continually relives the one day.

Tales from the set of this film have been covered a number of times in Tobolowsky’s Podcast series, The Tobolowsky Files. A jovial and erudite storyteller, the actor (who has appeared in more than 200 films and TV show throughout his career) shares both personal and industry-based stories in each instalment.

Tobolowsky was actually reunited with Murray 11 years on from ‘Groundhog’ when they both appeared in the movie version of the comic strip Garfield. Probably safe to say it wasn’t a reunion which either actor celebrate. “Bing!!!!”

Ozploitation films are a type of low-budget horror, comedy and action (sometimes combining all three genres) features which were predominant in Australia from the early 1970’s to late 80’s. Made after the introduction of the R rating in 1971, filmmakers took full advantage of the new liberal landscape, and created a number of exploitation films with distinctly antipodean sensibilities.

Mad Max is perhaps the most famous example from the New Wave era, but there were many other notable films, including Alvin Purple (a crude sex comedy featuring Animal Kingdom co-star and Oscar nominee from this year, Jacki Weaver), Razorback, Roadgames, The Man from Hong Kong, BMX Bandits (starring a teenage Nicole Kidman) and Turkey Shoot.

The term Ozploitation was first used in 2008’s revealing and often hilarious documentary on the movement, Not Quite Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino (one of the interviewees and an unsurprising vocal admirer of the films produced) coined the phrase Aussiesploitation, which documentary director Mark Hartley then shortened to Ozploitation.

Check out F-J here.

**Read all the posts in our ‘Love Theatrically’ series here**

#2 – “LOST IN TRANSLATION” (2003)

Directed by Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola’s second feature, following her sublime 1999 debut feature “The Virgin Suicides”, explores the themes of displacement, dislocation and humanity’s basic need for connection and whilst it uses the alien backdrop of Tokyo to heighten the sense of loneliness the core emotion is one which many of us have surely felt at some point in our lives. That an individual can stand in a crowded room (or in this case a densely populated city) yet still feel entirely alone speaks volumes about mankind’s intrinsic desire to simply connect and how it’s not so much about where we are as who we’re with.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is a man in that very predicament, an ageing movie star who is currently in Tokyo to film an advertisement for Suntory whiskey. Arriving by taxi into a neon-lit, high rise wonderland he stares blearily out of the taxi window only to see himself staring straight back on a giant advertisement board. Yet it’s as if the giant image on the distant billboard doesn’t seem quite right, being both comfortingly familiar yet strangely surreal. In the midst of a midlife crisis his wife seems more concerned in constantly faxing him diagrams of shelving units and discussing which colour carpeting he prefers which only goes to further his sense of existential ennui.

Into all of this comes Charlotte (Scarlett Johannson) a young girl who’s accompanying her photographer boyfriend (Giovanni Ribisi) on an assignment to Tokyo yet feels forever sidelined in favour of glamorous celebrities (Anna Faris, allegedly channelling the spirit of Cameron Diaz). Both Bob and Charlotte are lost souls, equally bored and confused, with the young Charlotte still struggling to find her way in life whilst Bob appears to have all but lost his sense of direction. And yet the two of them ultimately desire nothing more than to rediscover true companionship and a chance meeting in the hotel bar soon leads to a intoxicatingly memorable adventure as the two of them explore the city together and form the type of  bond they’d all but given up hope of ever finding.

By far one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen “Lost In Translation” unfolds slowly and may be considered superficial to some yet casts such a bewitching spell upon the audience that surely only the coldest of hearts will remain untouched come the conclusion. Stunningly shot on location Coppola affords Tokyo a character of its own and results in a film in which the location inhabits the characters as much as they inhabit it.

Performance wise Murray walks away with a great deal of the plaudits delivering what could possibly be the finest performance of his career as he effortlessly combines the charm, wit and sophistication of past roles with a perfectly nuanced nonchalance and world weary approach to life that never feels forced. Johansson, meanwhile, provides the perfect counterbalance for Bob bringing with her the youthful folly and vibrant sensuality so lacking in his life.

Further accentuated by the decision to not subtitle any of the foreign languages such impenetrable lyrical madness only heightens the sense of cultural dislocation and strengthens the bond between Bob and Charlotte as the two of them discover a welcome familiarity amidst this alarmingly unfamiliar climate.

Culminating in a truly heartbreaking finale that sees Bob whisper a few choice words in Charlotte’s ear the film ultimately leaves it up to the viewer to decide upon the precise words that were spoken. Yet the emotion contained within that single moment is crystal clear. For amidst the chaos of their daily lives, the confusion and uncertainty, the sadness and regret and the loneliness and alienation that surrounds them they’ve ultimately discovered a truly precious thing. Whilst strictly platonic an undeniable love has formed between them and however transient it may turn out to be it is, nonetheless, sure to resonate with the two of them for the rest of their lives. For as the poster says, “Everyone wants to be found” and sometimes that special someone can turn up in the most unexpected of places and all but turn your world upside down.

A true work of art “Lost In Translation” emerges as much an experience as a straightforward movie and one that exudes such timeless emotions as to leave the viewer wishing only to get lost in it all over again …

“Well you figure, you sleep one-third of your life, that knocks out eight years of marriage right there. So you’re, y’know, down to 16 in change. You know you’re just a teenager, at marriage, you can drive it but there’s still the occasional accident”

Track #13 – “JUST LIKE HONEY”

Written by Jim Reid and William Reid

(Performed by The Jesus and Mary Chain)

By our very human nature we are fascinated by folklore, especially where wrongdoing or a supernatural element are involved. Our curiosity grows when there is an unresolved factor to the tale, and even a presence or being in the frame.

Debut feature maker Aaron Schneider’s Get Low is based on one such Southern yarn about a real-life loner Felix ‘Bush’ Breazeale from Kingston, Tennessee in the 1930s who had a reputation for being eccentric, wild and dangerous, fuelled by the fact that he chose to live alone with his beloved mule. Bush wanted to know what people would say about him after he was gone – and especially the preacher, so arranged a living funeral, which drew national interest on the offer of lottery tickets for his valuable land. He died a couple of years later, taking the secret of his one true love to the grave.

As a film concept, it is an exciting one, full of possibilities. Schneider is considerate to the legend by getting the casting of his Bush just right in the equally legendary Robert Duvall who fully fleshes out the tired and crusty Bush with little effort. Whether the truer, uglier aspects of the real-life character are missing from this and tamed down is hard to tell, but Duvall’s Bush merely seems like a harassed old man with a shady past and an exceptional beard, simply wanting to be left alone in his latter years. Our empathy with that is vitally important for Schneider’s film to work and is tactfully sown from the start, especially when some pesky youths come a snooping on Bush’s land.

Indeed, be prepared for a slow burner of realisation and redemption that in turn allows for its multitude of colourful characters to evolve in a touching and comical way. It is absolutely a character-driven film with a hint of western theme, so placing an experienced actor like Duvall in the lead to drive the mystery was a wise and necessary choice. To match Duvall’s guarded and, at times, muted delivery needs a wit-matching catalyst of talent. Bill Murray injects the humour with his own brand of thrilling deadpan and nonchalant precision as the local, money-grabbing funeral home owner, Frank Quinn.

It feels like an odd partnership at first as we expect Murray to lead us done the farcical comedy path, as Quinn runs ragged around town and the state trying to host the biggest party ever. These are some of the joyous and memorable scenes of the film, especially getting Bush’s picture taken. But Murray retains his serious composure, making salesman Quinn and his calculating ways far more amusing to watch, and bringing a whole new dimension to the character. Quinn gains a healthy bank balance, but also heart, a place in the local community (as an out-of-towner from the big city, Chicago), and a purpose in life that the liquor-swilling boss craves. It is an intriguing journey in itself. However, slightly disappointingly, the character is left woefully unexplored, with Schneider preferring to cut dead any development in that respect to focus the story on his lead protagonist. This results in Quinn never rising above his comedy caricature.

Bush’s manipulating ways are exposed by Quinn’s by-the-book protégée, Buddy Robinson, who sees life in the old dog Bush yet. Robinson is the film’s human barometer, the voice of reason and the new blood in the situation. The ever scornful-looking and brow-furrowed Lucas Black nicely takes on the role with an attentive and determined manner, becoming the surrogate family Bush never had. Both Robinson and Bush’s old flame, Mattie, refuse to allow Bush to fester in his lot and shy away from society, gently coaxing out his dormant humanity, emotion and generosity of spirit. Sissy Spacek as Mattie gives her usual solid and tormented performance as the victim of unrequited love. Opposite Duvall, their appearances and acute facial expressions are compelling to watch as the mystery of Bush’s hermitage unfolds.

Indeed, Mattie is a fictional character and not part of the real-life tale. She has been created to allow Schneider to take the easy option out by revealing the mystery with a heart-felt, beans-spilling and rather theatrical ending, rather than opting for the trickier one of retaining some of Bush’s enigma, and giving the film a nice little twist. Admittedly, Duvall is always captivating to watch, giving one of his momentous screen speeches that is spoiled with the visual flashbacks for the hard-of-thinking. Hence, the reveal seems a little deflating and unsatisfactory an explanation as to his choice of lifestyle. By withholding some of his true feelings and intentions, Schneider could have concluded the film on an unnerving edge, allowing for the imagination to run wild and keeping the folklore in tact. Still, we get to respect and warm to Bush in the end, and in turn, give him a hero’s send off.

Get Low is a quirky and touching tale of the power of storytelling that completely relies on its rich character strength to see it to fruition. Its appeal lies solely on Duvall as Bush, even though his intrigue that is so brilliantly built up in the first half, somewhat crumbles in the second half, when the mystery comes flooding out in a weepy confessional. If nothing else, Duvall makes Bush iconic in stature, prompting a genuine sigh at the old man’s passing and the tragedy of time lost. It is a safe bet in feature film-making for Schneider who should be credited alone for attracting a stellar cast, as well as an apt platform for reintroducing the exceptional acting veteran Duvall as a leading protagonist, after many years away from centre stage.

***~~ (3/5)

Sony Pictures Releasing have just sent us the brand new UK trailer for Bill Murray and Robert Duvall’s new movie, Get Low. The movie also stars Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney, Sissy Spacek, Bill Cobbs, Andrea Powell, Lori Beth Edgeman and is directed by Aaron Schneider.

Synopsis: For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush. People say he’s done all manner of unspeakable things — that he’s killed in cold blood; that he’s in league with the Devil; that he has strange powers — and they avoid him like the plague. Then, one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It’s not your usual funeral for the dead Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a ‘living funeral,’ in which anyone who ever had heard a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. Sensing a big payday in the offing, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson to win over Felix’s business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix’s dark reputation, but what he discovers is that behind Felix’s surreal plan lies a very real and long-held secret that must get out. As the funeral approaches, the mystery – which involves the widow Maddie Darrow, the only person in town who ever got close to Felix, and the Illinois preacher Charlie Jackson who refuses to speak at his former friend’s funeral – only deepens. But on the big day, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. This time, he’s the one who is going to do the telling about why he has been hiding out in the woods.

Check out the new trailer along with some new images below. We can expect to see it in our cinemas 21st January.

Sofia Coppola’s fourth feature finds her back on home soil in a tale of paternal love and redemption set around the social hub of the Hollywood elite.

Stephen Dorff (back from bit-part wilderness to fully-fledged leading man status) stars as a single, pampered Hollywood superstar named Johnny Marco and when we meet the hard-partying actor, he appears to be at a crossroads of sorts. Incapacitated by a broken arm (gained from a night on the tiles) he’s bored, tired-looking and going through the motions of living that wild Hollywood lifestyle – a world forever filled with booze, hotel bed-hopping and a level of nonchalance chain-smoking which would make Don Draper green with envy.

He’s forced to clean up his act and reassess the vacuous lifestyle he leads when his 11 year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning), the product of a past relationship, turns up unexpectedly one day and ends up as a semi-permanent hotel guest.

Hotel guest, you ask? Apart from a humorous jaunt to Italy mid-way through the film (where Marco picks up a trophy on a crazy song-and-dance TV awards show), the majority of the action is set around the famed Chateau Marmont hotel. It’s a place where Marco appears to be a permanent resident, and it’s also a real-life location which has a long history in Hollywood folklore. Situated on the legendary Sunset Boulevard, it was the setting for John Belushi’s untimely death back in the early eighties, and through time, has been a place where many of Marco’s real-life counterparts have called home for long periods, enjoyed an equally hedonistic lifestyle. Through the years the hotel has often balanced the glitz and glamour with the less-salubrious side to fame, and it’s this parallel which Coppola manages to capture really well here.

In fact, the film almost could play as a LA companion piece to Lost in Translation. Marco’s lonely existence mirror’s that of Bill Murray’s character, and much like the filming of the Suntory Whisky commercial in ‘Translation’, we’re again treated here to those revealing little scenes and moments which offer an insight into the true nature of the industry behind all the red-carpets and flashing lights. This is perhaps best exemplified in one nice-judged scene in a make-up effects studio, where Dorff (having had his head completely covered in plaster) is then left alone for seemingly hours while the cast dries. The camera is static on him, and all we can hear is his strained breathing through two small holes in the mask. Scenes like this slowly play out and are given time to breathe, helping to imbue the whole film with a very laidback, free-wheeling 70’s cinema vibe. Marco’s daughter doesn’t even become the focus of the film until a good 30-40 minutes in!

The lack of dramatic tension and any real story development may annoy some, (plotting has never been one of Coppola’s strong points) but those who were comfortable with Lost in Translation’s languid pace will thoroughly enjoy what’s on offer here. Dorff has never been better, and although it could be argued that the role of a Hollywood party animal may not be much of a stretch for the actor, it’s a low-key and nuanced performance, particularly during the scenes with his screen daughter.

Fanning too is excellent, and is completely free from any of those Hollywood-imposed precocious child quirks. She’s incredibly charming and naturalistic, and this is very much evident during a touching father-daughter bonding moment early on in the film, where Marco watches his daughter ice-skate. It’s a scene which could so easily have descended into mawkishness and sentimentality in the hands of a lesser director, but Coppola underplays it, removing any artifice and leaving the viewer to interpret the character’s feelings on display in an unforced and more organic way. The film is also refreshingly free of any bad melodramatic confrontational moments between the two leads and Fanning’s brief emotional issues towards the end of the film feel entirely justified and never over-egged.

While the ending may smack a little of Hollywood wish fulfilment, this is a well-directed and thoughtful piece which, after her much-derided 2006 Cannes entry Marie Antoinette, reaffirms that Coppola is more than capable of stepping out from under her daddy’s shadow to bring her own unique and assured cinematic voice to the screen.

Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray and Edward Norton are in talks to join Moon Rise Kingdom.

Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) will direct from a script he co-wrote with Roman Coppola. Shooting is expected to commence in Spring 2011 as long as financing can be secured.

Synopsis: [The film] is set in the 60s. Two young adults fall in love and run away. Leaders in their New England town are sticking the idea that they’ve disappeared and go in search of them. Norton will play a scout leader who brings his charges on a search. Willis is in talks to play the town sheriff who’s also looking, and who is having an affair with the missing girl’s mother, the role McDormand is in talks to play. Murray, a regular in Anderson films, will play the girl’s father, who has his own issues.

Deadline reported this one.