Fearful that Andrew Dominik's filmography would be a snail paced one, a big thanks goes to Brad Pitt who essentially put the Aussie filmmaker right back on the map after a less than 4 million dollar domestic gross for his poetic 2007 sophomore pic, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. We've been fans of the helmer since his debut film, Chopper and hope that this criminal underworld, James Gray-like nocturnal set street pic is steel cold and gritty. Animal Kingdom's Ben Mendelsohn casting choice is spot on. One of the many Weinstein Co. anticipated 2012 releases.
Talk about having this project tattooed to his heart (and arm - see pic above) - one of our U.S indie filmmaker revelations to watch out for is helmer Matthew Porterfield. His sophormoe feature, Putty Hill was a major hit at several film festival stops in 2010 (where we meet up with him for this viral interview) and the pic was not surprisingly mentioned on several top lists of the year 11'. He didn't waste anytime putting this project together - in one of the most funniest crowd-sourcing pleas, and we're kind of excited for this project in the way thousands incomprehensibly fell for music-imbedded in narrative Once.
After his most recent creative misfires in Trash Humpers and Mister Lonely, I figured that I wouldn't be too pumped for Harmony Korine's future output...well I think I might be wrong with that assertion. With a premise that sounds Gregg Araki-like, with Steven Spielberg's right-hand man DP Janusz Kaminski on board and risk-taker James Franco being cast alongside tween icons (Selena Gomez, Emma Roberts, Vanessa Hudgens) we might just be in for an avant-garde caper film.
I haven't been big on the Scott McGehee and David Siegel pairing since certain elements in 2001's The Deep End, but this triage drama via the eyes of a seven year-old protagonist might do the trick - we still have faith in Julianne Moore and we're of course curious to see how the core of a Henry James novel might still be relevant 100 years after publication.
"Available in an eye-popping new 50th Anniversary blu-ray edition, the film remains a surpassingly well designed and executed example of the Great American Musical. Through a synthesis of styles, the film echoes the great cultural melting pot of urban America post WWII, and uses an array of rousing set pieces to hint at the era’s growing unrest and generational division. Under the feel-good, entertaining veneer of Steven Sondheim’s witty lyrics and Jerome Robbins’ acrobatic choreography is a genuine whiff of the sour xenophobia that plagues the nation to this day."