Quentin Tarantino’s Next Film Is A Spaghetti Western

  |    by: films

One of the most celebrated cinema magpies is on the verge of announcing his flick. He’s handing in a script to the Weinsteins in the next couple of months and it’ll be a spaghetti western homage, apparently. The director’s love of the genre is well known.

Italian icon, Franco Nero, the man who played Django, says it’s called The Angel, The Bad and the Wise. Which, to be honest, is a bloody awful title if it’s true. There’s a counter report from Aint It Cool News that the title is hogwash, but Tarantino is definitely shooting a western for his next film.

Italian website Movieplayer.com featured a comment by Nero who explained:

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“It’s a movie that contains humor, lots of action, but also a great plot. We have already been signed by a dozen people who will be part of project. Among the film-makers involved include Quentin Tarantino, Keith Carradine, Treat Williams, 15 people (all Americans) who want to do this movie and so we are trying to produce it outside of Italy.”
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There’s also word out on the street Christoph Waltz is involved but what extent is yet unknown. As the Guardian reports, back in 2007, QT talked about translating the iconic western into what he called “a southern”.

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“To do movies that deal with America’s horrible past, with slavery and stuff, but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to.”
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Source: The Guardian.

More Updates On Marvel’s Movie Slate

  |    by: films

This past weekend was the New York Comic Con, it’s that “little sister” convention that gets barely any coverage due to the behemoth that is the San Diego Comic Con, and their guest of honor this year was none other than Marvel’s editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. In attendance (luckily for us on this slow news day) was Josh Wigler of Comic Book Resource, and he got some real good stuff!

Speaking during a routine panel, Quesada was asked about the future of Marvel’s movie slate. Of course we already know plenty about Iron Man 2 and we aren’t doing too bad on casting information for Kenneth Branagh’s Thor either – but what about old stars & stripes himself – Captain America?

The First Avenger: Captain America the fourth in Marvel Studios’ tentpole features and should be the final piece of the puzzle before bringing Iron Man, Nick Fury, Thor and Captain America together for The Avengers in 2012, so what did Quesada have to say about our patriotic superhero?

“I’ve seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it’s going to rock everyone’s socks off,” he said. “It’s very unexpected, the kind of movie it is.” Quesada added that “Captain America” sets up “The Avengers” in “a fantastic way” and also mentioned that there is an undisclosed wish list of actors to play the star-spangled superhero.

So far so good, Mr. Marvel was also asked by an enthused fan how Marvel’s characters manage to work up on the big screen, I’ll let CBR explain that for themselves:

Back on the subject of film, Quesada was asked if some Marvel characters work better on film than others. He used Blade as an example of a character that works very well on film but not as well in comic books. The same fan asked Quesada if he believed that continuity could truly be established from film to film, prompting the editor-in-chief to identify Marvel Studios’ current lead-up to “The Avengers” as proof that it’s possible. “It won’t be the same exact continuity from the comics, but it’ll feel very much like the Marvel continuity,” he said.

The First Avenger: Captain America is due in theaters in 2011.

Creation – DVD Review

  |    by: films

Jon Amiel’s highly-stylized bio-pic of Charles Darwin is a rather staid affair, but does avoid the pitfalls of most period dramas. In a brilliant way, it feels claustrophobic and stuffy: exactly like a museum. That’s quite an achievement for a film! With its supernatural overtones and but less-than-full-blooded discussion of science versus theology, it leaves the impression of being, well, a missed opportunity. Surely somebody as significant and controversial as Charles Darwin deserves something with a bit more oomph. Like a movie focused on his voyages with the HMS Beagle?

As it stands, it’s perfect fodder for a Sunday afternoon. Unlike Darwin’s theories: Creation won’t rock your world. The film pits real-life husband and wife combo Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connolly as figureheads for the great divide. Emma Darwin is a devout Christian and very uneasy at the direction her husband’s work is taking. He’s troubled too, but in his heart of hearts, knows he cannot turn away from it. Yet if one is expecting a rigorous assault on religion: think again. The film delivers a drama centered on Darwin’s inner conflict and the exorcising of his doubt and determination to change the world. For a man so infamous, his private life was quite guarded. The salient point is that this film, in certain societies, will go down like a lead balloon. No matter how even-handed the content, some people see Darwin as the devil.

The viewer is treated to a fantasied and allegorical account of the origin of On The Origin of Species and a man’s turning away from God. There is much conjecture here. When his most beloved daughter Annie dies, Emma Darwin finds ever deepening solace in God; whereas Darwin resolves to finish his book and unleash one of the most profound theories in the history of the world. As Huxley, a fellow scientist triumphantly says: “You’ve killed God.” The horror of this comment strikes Darwin pretty hard, but he knows his battle is worth fighting. The film is not some Richard Dawkins-style rant against the believers, but in taking the middle ground, it feels rather too scared to go beyond a certain point. Surely this does a disservice to the great man?

It was left to Nietzsche to pronounce the death of God, anyway. Darwin was a bit more respectful. There are some well-designed tableaux demonstrating the theory of evolution and natural selection using time-lapse and animated photography. The great insouciance of nature is displayed quite dramatically.

Although clearly an emotional journey for the Darwins, it’s less so for the audience. That Darwin gets the film treatment, even if it’s on such a small scale, makes it “worthy”. The man should be celebrated for the genius of his theory: not lambasted and used for the nefarious schemes of liars and madmen. Darwin didn’t kill God outright, but delivered a mortal wound. Does Amiel’s film argue for the complexity of creation and life over indoctrination and lies? It isn’t quite so brave, but then again, Darwin didn’t set out to battle with religion. He simply stopped believing. As Charles and Emma Darwin Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly deliver fine performances, but play it so Victorian-like, there’s little passion felt.

The extras include several insightful documentaries looking at the historic life of Darwin, interviews with the cast and crew and the making of the film.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Dir: Jon Amiel

Stars: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Toby Jones

Running time: 1 hour 43 mins

DVD Extras:

The Battle For Charles Darwin

Darwin’s Legacy

Digging Deeper into Darwin

Nick Pollard on Film

Release date:

UK: 18th January

* Also available on Blu-ray