Just some random things we saw this evening worth rounding up.
During today’s “Informant!” press conference at the Toronto Int. Film Festival, director Steven Soderbergh once again reiterated that there would be no chance of a fourth, “Ocean’s” film now that Bernie Mac has passed. “We’re in talks with McG for ‘Ocean’s 14’, ” Damon quipped, sarcastically, perhaps even taking a little swipe at the ‘Terminator Salvation’ filmmaker. “That one’s going to come back to you,” Soderbergh said. “I can see some Twittering right now.” In a separate interview, Soderbergh said his long-gestating Spalding Gray documentary was complete. The filmmaker says he’s going to take it to Slamdance which suggest it’s very niche-oriented and perhaps even eventually smaller than releases like, “The Girlfriend Experience.” We’ll see we guess.
Here’s the poster for “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.” We’ve written about it before, but didn’t realize it had such a great cast. On top of Robin Wright Penn, who’s performance is so good, it’s apparently beginning to generate Oscar buzz, it also stars Maria Bello, Blake Lively, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Monica Belluci and Alan Arkin. The film is directed by Rebecca Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis’ wife.
“A History of Violence” screenwriter Josh Olson created a minor controversy this week when he wrote a little preemptive warning to friends and acquaintances in the film business called, “I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script.” It pretty much speaks for itself. Budding amateur screenwriters take heed.
More proof that Peter Travers is off his rocker and not living in the real world? The Rolling Stone critic, often given to hyperbole, believes that James Cameron’s “Avatar” will earn itself one of the 10 Best Picture nominations at this year’s Oscars. Fat chance.
Anne Thompson says the Coen Brothers’ “A Serious Man,” delivers.
L.A. Times writer Patrick Goldstein says, don’t believe the negative hype, and put “The Road” back on your Oscar ballot. Hear, hear.
Hitflix calls the new Natalie Portman film, “Love and Other Impossible Pursuits” a “misfire” at TIFF. Maybe if Portman shot missiles out of her eyeballs in some scene, the reaction might have been a little different. Then again, to be fair, 2005’s “Happy Endings” is a movie we shut off about 20 minutes in because we were so bored.