Spike Blasts Eastwood For Forgetting Black Soldiers in ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ and ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’ Flicks
Spike Lee is slamming Clint Eastwood over his two recent Iwo Jima movies, saying the filmmaker overlooked the role of black soldiers during World War II.
Lee – whose next film is this fall’s “Miracle at St. Anna,” the story of an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy during the war – said Eastwood’s 2006 movies “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima” were whites-only affairs.
“He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films,” Lee said Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival, where he was a judge in an online short-film competition.
Lee said too:
“Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version,”
Eastwood was in Cannes for his missing-child drama “Changeling,” starring Angelina Jolie. At a news conference for the film, a reporter tried to ask for his reaction to Lee’s criticism, but the moderator cut her off and told journalists to limit questions to Eastwood’s own movie.
Due in U.S. theaters in October, “Miracle at St. Anna” centers on four Americans – played by Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso and Omar Benson Miller - in the Buffalo Soldiers division in Tuscany.
Cannes, France, May 2008.
New ‘Wanted’ Teaser Trailer
A new action clip for “Wanted“, the upcoming adaptation of the Mark Millar graphic novel, has popped up online.
The story revolves around Wes (James McAvoy), a disaffected office drone with a boss who hates him and a girlfriend who ignores him. That is until he meets Fox, an assassin played by Angelina Jolie. Following the murder of Wes’s father, Fox recruits him to join the Fraternity, a secret society that teaches Wes to unlock powers of lightning reflexes and enormous speed. But, as with any mysterious sect, the Fraternity is not all it seems.
“Wanted” is directed by Russian helmer Timur Bekmambetov, the man behind the popular “Night Watch” and “Day Watch” films. It is scheduled to hit theaters on June 27th.
New ‘Wanted’ Featurette !
A new behind-the-scenes featurette has popped up online for the upcoming comic adaptation of Wanted, courtesy of Empire Online. The featurette gives comparisons from the movie to Mark Millar’s comic graphic novel series.
This is a big move for Universal, since the first movie has yet to appear in theaters. Fans have called it a rip-off of “The Matrix” and director Timur Bekmambetov’s last projects, “Night Watch” and “Day Watch” films, are mediocre at best, even though they are some of the most successful movies in Russia.
The upcoming adaptation stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common and Angelina Jolie. Timur Bekmambetov (Russian Night Watch) directed the film, based on a screenplay by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Chris Morgan.
Wanted will hit theaters June 27, 2008.
http://media.kino-govno.com/trailers/wanted/wanted_featurette_480.flv
41 Kung Fu Pandas – Jack Black at Cannes
The animated movie Kung Fu Panda with voices of Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie had its premiere yesterday at Cannes Film Festival, out of competition, of course.
Jack Black and 40 Kung Fu Pandas kicked off the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and here’s some photos:
New ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Trailer
A new trailer for DreamWorks‘ latest animated feature, Kung Fu Panda, has just debuted online. The movie stars Jack Black as Po, a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, who must somehow become a Kung Fu Master in order to save the Valley of Peace from a villainous snow leopard. The movie boasts an impressive voice cast, which features Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and Michael Clarke Duncan.
The writers and directors for “Kung Fu Panda” are very inexperienced, but have worked on the animated show “Father of the Pride,” and have written several “King of the Hill” episodes. Kung Fu Panda opens on June 6.
‘Wanted’ New Poster and Two International Trailers
If you Wanted a new poster from Angelina Jolie’s new flick, then you’ve got it. Click on the picture below to see the full poster.
The story revolves around Wes (McAvoy), a disaffected office drone with a boss who hates him and a girlfriend who ignores him. That is until he meets Fox, an assassin played by Angelina Jolie.
Following the murder of Wes’s father, Fox recruits him to join the Fraternity, a secret society that teaches Wes to unlock powers of lightning reflexes and enormous speed. But, as with any mysterious sect, the Fraternity is not all it seems.
Wanted trailers you may watch after jump Continue Reading…
Hollywood and Cannes Film Festival
Clint Eastwood’s film “The Changeling“, starring Angelina Jolie as a woman searching for her missing son in 1920s Los Angeles and “Synechdoche, New York,” screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut.joins a competition list.
Steven Soderbergh, who took the top Cannes award in 1989 for “Sex, Lies and Videotape“, won a race against time to complete his four-hour epic “Che“, on the life of the revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara in time for the festival.
Steven Soderbergh’s inclusion looks like a last-minute decision. He competes with two pic ”Che” bio – “The Argentine” and “Guerrilla”
As predicted, Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” world preems down on the Croisette, possibly on Sunday May 18. It promises this fest’s must-attend, highest-glam event.
Thierry Fremaux, the festival’s head said the presence of Steven Spielberg and the stars of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, which will premiere outside the main competition, would ensure “a magnificent red carpet”.
Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and George Lucas are expected to join Spielberg on the steps outside the Palais des Festivals, guaranteeing the kinds of flashing cameras that add essential glamour to the festival’s arthouse fare.
Out-of-competition, DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda,” an adventure, comedic chop-soc tooner, promises another Hollywood red-carpet cavalcade.
Also non-competing, as is Woody Allen’s custom, is the Spain-shot “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”
After its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, the Hollywood satire “What Just Happened?” will get a second chance at Cannes – closing night, but we are not sure yet because organizers said they would announce the movies that open and close the festival in a few days.
Robert De Niro stars an embattled Hollywood producer whose life falls apart during one turbulent week. In a life-imitating-art turn, the film’s climactic scene takes place at the Cannes Film Festival, with the producer’s fictional movie-within-a-movie opening the event.
“What Just Happened?” also stars Catherine Keener as a tough-as-nails studio chief and features a number of stars, including Sean Penn and Bruce Willis, playing themselves in self-parodying roles. Barry Levinson directs from an adaptation of “Into the Wild” producer Art Linson’s memoir.
The film generated strong buzz going into January’s Sundance Film Festival, and was expected to sell for a significant seven-figure sum. But the movie received a mixed critical.
‘Wanted’ NYCC Poster (updated)
Universal has released the official New York Comic Con (NYCC) poster for “Wanted” which is based on Mark Millar’s explosive graphic novel series.
The film stars James McAo James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common and Angelina Jolie.
Wanted opens nationwide on June 27th, 2008.
Note: This is not the official One sheet for the film, it’s just for NYCC.
Angelina Jolie in ‘Changeling’
The story follows a woman (Angelina Jolie) whose son goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles. The police return the wrong child and the woman is thrown into an insane asylum for disagreeing with the LAPD.
When it seems that her real son has been murdered by a child serial killer and the child returned admits to fraud, she takes her case to the city council and takes down the mayor, the police chief and several corrupt officers, concurrently sparking changes in the insanity legislation.
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Donovan, Colm Feore, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, Jason Butler Harner
Director: Clint Eastwood
Release Date: November 7, 2008
Clint Eastwood Gets Behind The Wheel For ‘Gran Torino’
Clint Eastwood has signed to direct and star in Gran Torino for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. The film is scheduled for a December release.Variety reports the film will be the first time Eastwood has appeared on screen since 2004’s Million Dollar Baby. The details of the film and Eastwood’s role are being kept quiet by the studio.
The film is produced by Rob Lorenz (Eastwood’s partner at Malpaso Prods.) and Billy Gerber. Jenette Kahn and Adam Richman are handling executive producing duties on the project.
The release dates will give fans a double dose of Eastwood. The director’s Changeling (with star Angelina Jolie) is expected on Nov. 7th from Universal and Imagine. Eastwood is also lined up to direct the Nelson Mandela film The Human Factor for Warner.
The project is currently in development.
