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Showing posts from July, 2009

Depp Hits the 'Rum Diary'

Playing an alias of Hunter S. Thompson for the second time(Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) Depp is Paul Kemp, career journalist and alcoholic. Aaron Eckhart will be rivaling Depp seeking the hand of a beach bunny to be played by Amber Heard. Richard Jenkins, a personal favorite of mine, will play Lotterman, the supervisor of the shoddy and troubled newspaper that employs Depp. Set in San Juan during the 1950s and based loosely on Thompson’s time there as a young pre-Gonzo writer. The Rum Diary is written and will be directed by Bruce Robinson, coming to theatres in 2010.

Jon Hamm Joins 'The Town'

Mad Men star, Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall of The Prestige will star alongside Ben Affleck in The Town. The Town is almost entirely an Affleck production having wrote it, and directing, and starring in the adaptation of Chuck Hogan's Prince of Thieves. With how great Gone Baby Gone was and the collective talent of Affleck, Hamm and Hall this is sure to be something to see. Town focuses on the blossoming romance between a bank manager (Hall) and a career criminal (Affleck) who robbed her, as an FBI agent (Hamm) tries to bring the thief and his gang to justice.

Hope Not Lost for Batman 3

Not really indie news, but it's Batman 3. Who doesn't want to hear about it? Well it appears that the anxiety towards Christopher Nolan's involvement may be all for naught. Batman On Film's source says hold off the negativity * “The last I heard was that Chris (Nolan) was digging into INCEPTION…but still working on breaking a story [for BATMAN 3] with David (Goyer) and Jonah (Nolan)." * “All the talk of Warners worrying about not getting him back aren't really true at this point. They do have ideas of some people to approach if Chris officially terminates his involvement, but [Warner Bros. expects him] to return to the franchise at the moment -- assuming that a story that excites him is hatched by him, David and Jonah. I do think it's fair to call it 50/50 at this point on that regard, it's not nearly a sure thing, but they seem hopeful that he's going to find a story he wants to tell.” Good news for everyone. Although hearing more about I

Review: H2Oil

H2Oil is a polemic against the excesses of the Tarsands developments in Northern Alberta. The Tarsands, responsible for the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions in North America produce synthetic oil in what is described as a two-stage process. First, the oil sand, or bitumen, is washed. After this is completed, the bitumen is heated (cracked) using natural gas. The film focuses on the negative effects of the first step. A large amount of water is used to wash the bitumen. After being used for this, the water is contaminated, and it is not safe to release the water into the water system. The contaminated water is stored in tailings ponds; these ponds use earthen dams which are prone to leak. The leaking contaminated water contains high levels of heavy metals and other carcinogens, and is suspected to be causing high cancer rates among many First Nations people living along the Athabasca River watershed. The Tarsands are the most environmentally damaging mega-project in the

Review: Public Enemies

A man of his environment, John Dillinger never made qualms about what he did. In an age where banks have proven to be inseparable from a healthy economy, I think John Dillinger would fit in quite well again as a Robin Hood looking for his King John in modern, mega-banks. The heyday of the gangster was itching for a comeback in this age and the man best fit to tell that story is Michael Mann ( Heat , Collateral , Miami Vice ). Johnny Depp, known for taking role as eccentric outsiders brings it back in the wheelhouse and completely becomes John Dillinger. Living the high life and having no reason to think about tomorrow you really believe that Dillinger never thought he was going to be caught. Marion Cotillard, little known French actress should expect an Academy Award nomination come next year. Mann always writes powerful roles for women and Public Enemies is no different. Christian Bale tones down for this one playing Melvin Purvis, less anger, but far more inte