Kate Winslet and Director Todd Haynes Interview MILDRED PIERCE
by Christina Radish Posted: February 2nd, 2011
The five-part HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce, based on James M. Cain’s 1941 novel and premiering March 27th, tells the epic story of a proud single mother struggling to earn her daughter’s love during the Great Depression in middle-class Los Angeles. Mildred Pierce (Kate Winslet) is a uniquely independent woman and her story is an intimate portrait of a new divorcee, struggling to carve out a new life for herself and her daughter, Veda (Evan Rachel Wood), for whom she is unreasonably devoted.
During a recent interview to promote the intriguing new project, actress Kate Winslet and co-writer/director/executive producer Todd Haynes talked about their approach to this complex and nuanced work, the marathon experience of bringing this story to life, working in television for the first time, and steering clear of the original film, in developing the portrayal of this woman. Check out what they had to say after the jump:
Tribeca Film and Miramax to Release LAST NIGHT This Spring
by Matt Goldberg Posted: February 2nd, 2011
Tribeca Film and Miramax have just sent out a press release announcing their plans to release the drama Last Night this Spring. The film premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and stars Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, and Guillaume Canet. Tribeca Film will distribute the film theatrically and also through national VOD platforms. Miramax will handle home video, television sales, and long-term digital rights.
Last Night “centers on a married couple (Knightley and Worthington) apart for an evening when the husband takes a business trip with a colleague (Mendes) to whom he’s attracted. While he’s resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love (Canet).” Hit the jump for the full press release.
Woody Allen’s MIDNIGHT IN PARIS to Open 2011 Cannes Film Festival
by Talia Soghomonian Posted: February 2nd, 2011
Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, a romcom which was shot in Paris last year, is set to open the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 11th and will be released in French theaters on the same day. The movie features an international all-star cast, including Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Léa Seydoux and Gad Elmaleh.
But the talk of the town is the very special cameo appearance by a certain French leading lady. Find out who after the jump.
In 2009, while Allen was promoting Vicky Cristina Barcelona in Paris, he announced at a press conference that he would love to cast Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The French First Lady accepted the offer and filmed her scenes last summer in Paris. Her husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, is reportedly a huge Woody Allen fan.
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is no stranger to showbiz. The Italian-born beauty was part of the supermodel clique of the 90s that included Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington, before successfully recycling herself as a folk singer, perhaps fancying herself as a modern-day Joan Baez or Patti Smith. She has released three successful albums and announced Monday in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Parisien that a fourth one was in preparation.
In the U.S., she is more well-known for her sense of style and chic. And Woody Allen, who always has such a knack for casting “It” girls, obviously felt that he simply couldn’t shoot a film in the Capital of Fashion without its glamorous First Lady. The movie is also a homage to the city.
Festival director Thierry Frémaux declared:
“Midnight in Paris is a wonderful love letter to Paris. It’s a film in which Woody Allen takes a deeper look at the issues raised in his last films: our relationship with history, art, pleasure and life. His 41st feature reveals once again his inspiration.”
What’s more, the director has always had a bigger fan base in Europe than in America. In recent years, he has shot movies based in European cities. Match Point was set in London and Vicky Cristina Barcelona in Madrid. Both premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, as did his last year’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.
It should be an interesting festival this year, considering Robert De Niro is president of the jury. The 2011 Cannes Film Festival will run from May 11th to May 22nd.
