THE TREE OF LIFE Wins the Palme d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Festival
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: May 22nd, 2011 at 3:02 pm
The 2011 Cannes Film Festival award winners were announced today, and I’m excited about just how many are already set for American distribution. Despite mixed (yet still reverent) buzz for Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life took home the Palme d’Or (Cannes’ top honor) before it hits theaters on May 27. Likewise, Kirsten Dunst overcame the controversy Lars Von Trier inflicted on Melancholia to win Best Actress; Magnolia acquired the film in February. Nicolas Winding Refn won Best Director for Drive, scheduled for release on September 16 courtesy of FilmDistrict. Jean Dujardin won Best Actor for his role in The Artist — you wouldn’t expect a silent black-and-white French film to be a hot commodity, but The Weinstein Company picked up The Artist for release later this year. And Sundance Selects will bring us The Kid with a Bike, the latest from the Dardenne brothers, after it tied with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia for the Grand Prix (the runner-up prize to the Palme d’Or).
It sounds like a good year for Cannes, yielding a bountiful crop that we’ll all be able to experience soon enough. Hit the jump for the full list of winners.
http://collider.com/2011-cannes-film-festival-winners/92161/
Holly Hunter in Talks for New "Romeo and Juliet" Movie
Posted: May 22nd, 2011 by WorstPreviews.com Staff
Deadline has learned that Holly Hunter ("Saving Grace") is in negotiations to star alongside Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) in a new version of the classic "Romeo and Juliet" tale.
The new film will be directed by Italian helmer Carlo Carlei from a script by Julian Fellowes (The Tourist, Vanity Fair), who will also produce with Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happyness).
Steinfeld will play Juliet, but the actor to play Romeo has yet to be signed. The plan is to begin filming this summer. The budget is set at around $15 million.
Source: Deadline
Read more: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=21750&count=0
"Bridesmaids" Sequel Being Considered
Posted: May 22nd, 2011 by WorstPreviews.com Staff
Now that the $33 million "Bridesmaids" has already grossed $44 million in just 8 days, NY Mag caught up with director Paul Feig and actress Melissa McCarthy to find out if a sequel is being planned.
"It depends how we do in the next couple weeks, but I know it's already been brought up," said Feig. "When you get a group that's this deep and this good, it's a crime to not use them again. You just want to make sure that you do it as well as you did the first one and try to make it better. So, we're up for the challenge."
McCarthy added: "I will show up wherever these guys tell me to go. I'm in."
Click here to read our "Bridesmaids" review.
Source: NY Mag
Read more: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=21743&count=0
Carrie Remake? Stephen King Asks, Why?
Author Stephen King reacts to the news of a Carrie remakeOne of the big news items yesterday was that MGM is moving forward on a remake of the 1976 horror classic Carrie, with playwright/screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa coming aboard to write the script. Author Stephen King recently spoke out against the remake, mainly since he's so fond of the original movie, which was directed by Brian De Palma. Take a look at what he had to say below, including his intriguing casting suggestion of Lindsay Lohan to play the title character, and who he would like to see direct.
"I've heard rumblings about a Carrie remake, as I have about The Stand and IT. Who knows if it will happen? The real question is why, when the original was so good? I mean, not Casablanca, or anything, but a really good horror-suspense film, much better than the book. Piper Laurie really got her teeth into the bad-mom thing. Although Lindsay Lohan as Carrie White... hmmm. It would certainly be fun to cast. I guess I could get behind it if they turned the project over to one of the David's: Lynch or Cronenberg."
The Carrie remake is still in very early stages and, like Stephen King says, "who knows if it will happen?" However, our original report from yesterday indicated MGM and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa want to be more faithful to Stephen King's novel than the original movie, so perhaps the author might get behind this project after all. We'll just have to wait and see.
Carrie was released November 3rd, 1976 and stars Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, John Travolta, P.J. Soles. The film is directed by Brian De Palma.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly http://www.movieweb.com/news/carrie-remake-stephen-king-asks-why
