YouTube is holding a contest which gives inspiring directors a chance to attend the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. To enter Project: Direct, all you have to do is create a short film, 5 minutes or less, which use 2 props from the top 25 classic Sundance Film Festival Films and a Red Telephone. The Sundance Film Festival will choose 10 finalists, and the YouTube community will vote for a grand winner. That winner will go to Sundance and screen his short film, how cool is that?

For full rules, check the official YouTube page or watch the video below featuring director Darren Aronofsky.

And if any of /Film readers make it to the finals, I will post the video on the site and encourage our readers to check it out and vote! Unfair? Yes, but we support our friends! Good Luck!

via: FirstShowing

Related Stories

• More Photos: The Wrestler
• The Wrestler Movie Trailer
• New Posters: Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, Earth Stood Still and Quantum of Solace
• The Wrestler Movie Poster
• New Photos: Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler
• Two Video Clips from The Wrestler

Empire Magazine has the first two photos from Michael Mann’s upcoming period crime drama Public Enemies. Based on Brian Burrough’s book “Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-43,” the film focuses on the government’s attempt to stop John Dillinger and his gang. Johnny Depp plays Dillinger, and Christian Bale plays famed FBI agent Melvin Purvis.

Update: /Film reader Christopher M sent over two more photos:

Empire has an exclusive interview with Michael Mann in their January issue. Public Enemies is set to hit theaters on July 1st 2009.

Related Stories

• First Look: Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies
• Christian Bale Joins Johnny Depp in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies
• Johnny Depp on the Set of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies
• New Photos of Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies
• Oh Boy. It’s the Slashfilm Clean-Up!
• McG Reveals Terminator: Salvation Secrets

I’m not sure how reliable this intel is right now. We’ve passed along information from the subscription trade magazine Production Weekly in the past is reporting that Disney’s Tron sequel has been renamed from the horrible Tr2n to the even worse TRZ. I have an idea, why don’t you call it… Tron 2? or Tron 2.0 Wow. I’m sure the brand and name probably still has value with today’s movie-going public. I’m pretty sure the little kids aren’t going to think it’s cool because its written in “cool” online abbreviations. Plus, when will companies like Disney realize that when they try to copy a “cool trend”, it always rubs the X-generation as “Dad is trying to talk like his kids in gChat.” There is really no reason for the change, but I digress.

Production Weekly also has a short plot synopsis: “After being transported into the surreal landscape of a mainframe computer to destroy an intruder, a programmer finds himself allied with the leader of a rebellion against a corrupt cyber-entity.” The early test footage/trailer shown at comic con featured Jeff Bridges, reprising his role as a programmer named Flynn from the first film, but possibly with a turn to the dark side. If the new plot synopsis is true, this would mean that Flynn is teaming with a new programmer to defend the system from his former friend Tron.

What do you think? And speaking of that test footage/trailer — when is Disney going to officially release it and name a release date?

Related Stories

• Jeff Bridges Talks About The Tech of TRON 2
• Jeff Bridges is Back for Tron 2 - Teaser Trailer Revealed at Comic Con
• Jeff Bridges talks Tron Sequel
• Jeff Bridges’ Iron Man Photo Diary
• TR2N Will Be Released in 3D
• Ferarri Motorcycle is One Step Closer to TRON

In the 2006 film Superman Returns, Bryan Singer chose not to retell Superman’s origin story. I mean, heck, we’ve all seen the original Richard Donner classic, right? Newsarama reports that DC Comics will be releasing a six-issue stand-alone series called Superman: Secret Origin, which will retell the Man of Steel’s origin story. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have been hired.

DC Universe Executive Editor Dan Didio compares Geoff’s new take on the origin story to that of John Byrne made in the 1980’s, stating that it will make the “same imprint now, for 2009 and past that.” The new take will take readers from Clark’s teenage years, through his first adventure with the Legion of Super-Heroes and into his arrival and introduction to Metropolis as Superman.

“We haven’t seen a modern day retelling of Clark’s first adventure as Superboy with the Legion of Super-Heroes, or the day Superman met Jimmy Olsen or the origins of Superman’s long time enemies like the Parasite and Metallo. More importantly, Clark Kent himself will be explored in his earlier years in a way I don’t think he’s ever been explored before. And freaking Gary Frank, one of the greatest Superman artists in history already, is illustrating it. Every cover, every panel, ever line,” Johns told Newsarama. “Unlike previous Superman origin stories, this will be told almost entirely from Clark’s eyes. We won’t be spending an issue on Krypton. We’ll be opening on one of Clark’s earliest memories as a kid and moving forward from there. This is his story of self-discovery and the world’s story of meeting Superman.”

I’m not sure what to make of the new origin story. Sounds like they are just trying to reflect some of the recent continuity changes with Infinite Crisis. I honestly don’t follow the Superman comics enough to know what I’m talking about in this arena, but it does seem a bit odd that DC would release a retelling when it appears, that Warner Bros is looking to completely relaunch the entire film franchise (speculation, not confirmed) complete with origin. As /Film commentor DDD points out, Geoff Johns made a pitch to WB for a Superman reboot and Richard Donner has been publicly saying that Johns should write the next Superman movie.

Related Stories

• VOTD: The Dark Knight Meets Superman
• /Filmcast Ep. 24 - Zack and Miri Make a Porno
• Chris Nolan Says Superheroes Don’t Exist in the Nolanverse
• Mark Millar Pitches His 8-Hour Epic Trilogy of Superman Films
• Cool Stuff: Superman Thinks Microwaves Are Just Too Slow T-Shirt
• LOL: Superman Pwns Batman

Remember that item we ran last week — David Fincher to direct Keanu Reeves in a movie about a Chef? We didn’t know much about the project back then, but an anonymous scooper has filled me in.

The Untitled Chef Project is a screenplay by Steven Knight, the screenwriter behind Dirty Pretty Things, Amazing Grace, Eastern Promises, and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Dennis Lehane adaptation Shutter Island. Apparently the screenplay was featured on the 2007 Black List, a list of screenplays compiled by over 150 executives and assistants. The project is now set up at Paramount. Fincher and the studio recently cleared the air, so this pairing makes sense. So what is the movie about?

“A Michelin-level chef tries to make a comeback from major personal issues. He gathers his old friends together as his ‘dream team’ and ends up falling in love with the newest member of the group.”

I have yet to read the screenplay, but the first page has a unshaven Chef named Adam shouting obscenities in French (subtitled). It seems pretty obvious that Keanu will be playing Adam.

Related Stories

• David Fincher Attached to Keanu Reeves’ Chef Project
• More Early Buzz: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Listen to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Score
• International Trailer: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Official Benjamin Button Posters Unleashed
• Early Buzz: Benjamin Button - IndieWire is Unimpressed, Variety Predicts Fincher’s First Academy Nomination

Warner Bros has begun to air television spots for Clint Eastwood’s Grand Torino. In the movie, Eastwood plays a disgruntled racist Korean War vet named Walt Kowalski, who sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong immigrant teenage neighbor (played by newcomer Bee Vang), who, as part of a gang initiation, tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. Walt ends up confronting prejudices that have isolated him.

I think this film has the potential to be an Award season sleeper. I’m still waiting for someone to create the super obvious video mash-up using footage from this film and Batman Begins/The Dark Knight. As always, tell me what you think in the comments below.

Click Here to Watch the Video

Click Here to Watch the Video

Gran Torino will be released in limited theaters on December 12th 2008.

Related Stories

• First Look: Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino
• Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino Movie Trailer
• Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino Details Finally Revealed
• Clint Eastwood’s Changeling Movie Trailer
• Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna Movie Poster
• Cool Stuff: Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy Movie Posters

It’s a post-Thanksgiving Day /Filmcast miracle! In this special bonus episode, Dave and Devindra discuss your letters and dissect The Shield series finale. As always, feel free to e-mail us or call us at 781-583-1993. Tune in on Monday night as we review Australia with Chris and Jimmy from the Scene Unseen Podcast.

Download or Play Now:

Subscribe:

Topics Discussed

• Good movie soundtrack compilations
• Movies whose endings sucked
• It’s Always Sunny vs. TV Comedies
• Homeward Bound and childhood films
• Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and whatever that genre is
• Book-to-film adaptations
• Why does Dave address everyone using their full name?
• The greatness of Hulu
• What are you thankful for this year?
• The Shield: Series Finale (with spoilers saved for the end)

Related Stories

• No Related Post

As the old saying goes, there are always exceptions to every rule. The rules we’re talking about here is the absolute inability of TV stars to successfully make the transition to movie stars. Yes, there are the odd success stories like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and even Rhona Mitra seems to be on her way (she’s not there quite yet), but for the most part these represent mere drops in an ocean of small screen to big screen flops and failures.

Some people believe that the more popular a TV performer is, the better the chance that they could successfully transition to movies. But in reality the opposite seems to be more true. In some recent film production classes I took, the instructor made a great observation about this by saying:

“The general public isn’t likely to pay money to go see a celebrity (go to see a movie they’re in) that they’re accustomed to seeing for free on TV each week”

On top of that, people in general don’t deal very well with change, and if they love a certain TV celebrity, they don’t normally want to see that actor playing a different character from the one they love. This obviously isn’t true for everyone, but the principle is still there.

There is also the issue of TV acting being very different (not harder, better or worse) from acting in film. They are two different styles. Yes they are obviously similar, but it’s like in baseball where batters are better at hitting either left handed pitchers or right handed pitchers. It’s the same game, they’re doing the same thing… but it’s different. Think about it… if you flip on the TV late at night and see something you’ve never seen before on the screen, you instantly know if you’re watching a movie or a TV episode (Unless it’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force).

The most striking example of this “rule” is the cast from one of the most popular sitcoms in television history… “Friends”. The show lasted 10 seasons and was still extremely popular when it went off air. The 6 leads of the show were household names and conventional wisdom dictated that they would all be very successful in any move to the big screen they made. Well… that didn’t really work out did it?

So let’s take some time to reflect on the film legacy of former “Friends” stars shall we?

THE ONES THAT WORKED

Just as there are exceptions to the “no TV stars make it in the film industry” rule, there are also some exceptions to the “All the Friends stars movies have failed” rule too and it’s only fair that we acknowledge those exceptions (although as you’ll see, most of these exceptions don’t even really count):

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS This is easily the very best movie to have a former friends star as a lead. Yeah Matthew Perry basically played his exact same character from Friends in this film… but for this movie that’s exactly what he needed to do. Acting this way along side of Bruce Willis made for a terrific on screen chemistry. The movie was flat out hilarious and introduced me to one of my most powerful celeb crushes… Amanda Peet. Too bad the sequel sucked so badly.

SCREAM To be honest I never really liked this one and have never understood the following it has. However, there is no denying this film was a success and has a very loyal following. I hesitate to put this one in here because Courtney Cox isn’t really the “lead” of the movie, but her role is a big and significant one so I’ll say it qualifies.

Ummm… really that’s about it. Of all 6 former “Friends” stars, those two are the only movies that could fit here. I’m sure some people would like to point out Office Space or perhaps Analyze This and also thrown Bruce Almighty in there too… but although Friends stars were IN those movies, they were only secondary supporting characters and that doesn’t really count. I also don’t count doing a voice in an animated film wither, so please don’t mention Madagascar (sweet heavens how I LOATH that movie).

So what are we left with? The surprising (or not so surprising) reality is that out of the 6 Friends stars, not many of them have even been given more than a couple of opportunities to lead a project. The smell of big screen failure seems to march ahead of them into any casting meeting. And sadly, when they have been given a shot… it usually ends up an epic failure. Don’t believe me? How about some of these classics (seriously, the following list looks like it was pulled right out of a Wallmart $2 bargain bin):

THE EPIC FAILURES

ED Who can forget the instant cinematic masterpiece where Matt LeBlanc (Joey on Friends) plays opposite a baseball playing monkey. No… I’m serious. I’ll repeat those three words again to let the aweomeness sink in a little deeper. BASEBALL… PLAYING… MONKEY. I hope LeBlanc didn’t just fire his agent after being talked into doing this… I hope he dragged his ass into the parking lot and beat the hell out of him too.

MARCI X I hope whatever movie executive gave the official green light to this movie took a trip to some third world nation and caught syphilis. What the hell was Lisa Kudrow thinking?!?!?! Exactly what part of “A Jewish American princess falls in love with a bad boy gangsta rapper played by Damon Wayans” sounds like a good idea to you?

LUCKY NUMBERS Another absolute shit bomb from Lisa Kudrow. At least with this project you could understand the appeal since John Travolta was still a pretty hot name in 2000 (although his career had already started its decline again by then). Still, one read of the script should have sent her, and everyone else involved with this film running.

3000 MILES TO GRACELAND Man, the first 15 minutes of this flick had me thinking I was watching one of the greatest guy movies of all time. Then it went straight downhill for the rest of it. I hesitate to put this one on the list because technically Courtney Cox isn’t one of the “leads”, but her role is the third most prominent one in the film. To bad.

FOOLS RUSH IN Ok, I at least can understand why Matthew Perry gave this one a shot. The studio was very behind this film giving it a big marketing push, Selma Hayek was a hot name (and hot other things as well) and in theory it at least sounded interesting. However the movie turned out horribly, and even though Friends was insanely popular at the time, the movie failed to even crack $30 million. No one cared.

ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION Words simply fail me. I watched this 10 years ago once to appease a woman I was with. I no longer speak with that woman.

PICTURE PERFECT Really the first (of many to come) film where I realized that Jennifer Aniston was pretty much always going to be Rachel in every movie role she ever took. A standard RomCom snooze fest without the courtesy of giving us anything to laugh at in the film (other than at the film itself). Times must have been pretty rough for Kevin Bacon to appear in this thing.

THE PALLBEARER Seems like in a 2 year span the studios were taking chances on every Friends cast member, and even the funny looking David Schwimmer was no exception. Hey, don’t get me wrong… offer me a movie with Gwynethh Paltrow and I’d take it too. But come on… anyone could have told that this film was going to be terrible. Oh… and even though Friends was huge at the time… the flick made LESS than $6 million. Nice.

ALONG CAME POLLY Wow… SHOCKING! Another RomCom from Jennifer Aniston! This time she’s paired up with with Ben Stiller and even that doesn’t work. There were times that this whole mess just felt like a rip off movie version of Dharma and Greg if you follow me.

SERVING SARA I’ll give this to Matthew Perry… when he signs up to appear in a RomCom as the same old guy he always is… he at least manages to appear with some of the hottest women in the business. This movie was almost worth the 90 dreadfully painful minutes just to see Elizabeth Hurley. Well… at least when she wasn’t speaking that is.

THREE TO TANGO Wow, i don’t even know where to begin with how bad this movie was. Ok, if you’re going to have a love triangle type of comedy, this isn’t a bad cast for it. But nothing worked in this film. Well ok… there was this one scene where Neve Campbell is talking about a lesbian experience she had in college while soaking in a bath tub that’s pretty memorable… but that’s for the wrong reasons.

Oh there are others, but I think we’ve tortured ourselves enough at this point don’t you agree?

One of the interesting things to notice is that even though these people are all “names”… today you really don’t see them getting many (if any) roles at all aside from Jennifer Aniston. So Matt LeBlanc hasn’t had a lot of failures… but that’s because no one wants to give him any more chances… and who can blame them?

However, I don’t think the lack of big screen success for the former Friends cast is necessarily a negative reflection on them as actors, but rather more of a case of what I was saying at the beginning of this post. TV stars have an almost impossible time transitioning to the big screen successfully. It does happen sometimes, but not often.

I also think that in the specific example of the Friends cast, the general audiences’ reluctance to accept these performers in any other role is actually a testament to just how good they all were on that show and how great the chemistry was between them, so please don’t take this post as a “bash” on the Friends crew… just as an observation, good or bad.

So what are some of your favorite Friends cast movies? Do you even have any at all?

A couple more deals. Best Buy has Kung Fu Panda on DVD for $6.99. Shipping costs $2.49, or you can choose to pick it up at the closest retail store to save on the shipping fee. The DVD has an MSRP of $29.98, and can be found online for around $20, so its a pretty good deal.

If you missed out on the early bird deal on Amazon, Target is still selling the two-disc Blu-ray release of Michael Bay’s Transformers for $9.99, with $3 shipping. Under $13 isn’t bad for a Blu-ray release, never-mind a two-disc that normally retails for $39.99.

Frys has some interesting “Black Saturday” Blu-ray deals:

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season for $14.99
Prison Break Season 3 for $29.99

You can do in store pickup or you will have to pay for shipping.

Related Stories

• No Related Post

You can now watch the 1997 science fiction film Gattaca for free on Hulu.com. Critically acclaimed, but a box office dud, you might want to revisit the film on this lazy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

A smart stylish thriller laced with high-wire suspense. In Gattaca only the strong succeed and the strong are genetically pre-selected at birth. But when one man dares to defy the system he gets caught in a web of lies corruption and murder. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Alan Arkin, Uma Thurman and Jude Law.

Here are a few cool trivia tidbits from IMDb:

• The Marin County Civic Center was used as the filming location of the Gattaca Corporation. The location was also used in George Lucas’s THX 1138.  The Civic Center was designed by American star architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1957, and remains the largest Wright design ever constructed.
• When Gattaca was first released, as part of a marketing campaign there were adverts for people to call up and have their children genetically engineered. Thousands of people called, wanting to have their offspring genetically engineered.
• The first draft of the screenplay had no title. The film was shot under the working title “The Eighth Day”, a reference to the Biblical creation story, which states that the earth was created in six days and on the seventh day, God rested. The film was originally going to be released with this title but it ended up being contested by a Belgian film, Huitième jour, Le which had already been released in the US as “The Eight Day”.

Related Stories

• No Related Post