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June 09, 2008
Oscar Kick Off - Universal Sets Clint Date
The horror... the horror...
In an Oscar season that has so far been marked by everyone keeping their powder very, very dry, this tiny little release from Universal is - like it or not - the first salvo of the season.
Discussion out of Cannes has this film anywhere from being a winner to being a non-starter. But discussion out of Cannes and a 9 quarters will get you a cuppa Starbucks...
I am still not ready to dive into the fray. I am concious of about a half-dozen contenders that are trying to stay far away from the front-runner slot. I am also aware that Fox has what they hope will be an Oscar movie for the first time in a while and that for the first time in a longer while, Searchlight seems to be taking the year off. Also seemingly out of the game for the year are Sony, big Disney, and most surely MGM and UA with it. What's left of Par Vantage has one movie, Focus has a couple, WB has one (in the American Gangster mode), Miramax has a couple, Lionsgate has at least two potential players, Sony Classics is serious about playing this year, and The Weinsteins have their very own Cormac McCarthy.
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Universal Pictures will release CHANGELING on Friday, October 24, 2008 in limited engagements, and the film will go wide on Friday, October 31, 2008.
About the film
Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich in a provocative thriller based on actual events: CHANGELING. In the film, Christine Collins’ (Jolie) prayers are met when her kidnapped son is returned. But amidst the frenzy of the photo-op reunion, she realizes this child is not hers. Facing corrupt police and a skeptical public, she desperately hunts for answers, only to be confronted by a truth that will change her forever.
Los Angeles, 1928: On a Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, Christine said goodbye to her son, Walter, and left for work. When she came home, she discovered he had vanished. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the nine-year-old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But in her heart, she knows he is not Walter.
As she pushes authorities to keep looking, she learns that in Prohibition-era L.A., women don’t challenge the system and live to tell their story. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb (Malkovich), who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy. Based on the actual incident that rocked California’s legal system, CHANGELING tells the shocking tale of a mother’s quest to find her son, and those who won’t stop until they silence her.
Posted by dpoland at June 9, 2008 11:34 AM
Comments
What about Weinstein's immigration drama "Crossing Over," starring Harrison Ford and Sean Penn?
It opens on August 22nd. Anyone hear anything about this one?
Posted by: FNG ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 9, 2008 03:26 PM
DAMN IT! IT'S JUNE! THE DARK KNIGHT HAS NOT EVEN COME OUT YET! DAMN YOU OSCAR SEASON! DAMN YOU!
Thank you. Thank you. Come back for the dinner performance at 8! HAVE A NICE AFTERNOON EVERYBODY!
Posted by: IOIOIOI at June 9, 2008 03:42 PM
any chance GRAN TORINO comes out in 2008?
Posted by: Armin Tamzarian at June 9, 2008 06:44 PM
FNG: Crossing Over is basically a diluted version of Crash. The script is weak and Kramer can't hide it with Tony Scott-style hand-cranks and overblown violence like he did Running Scared. Plus a very important scene had to be reshot due to complaints from some Iranian-Americans. And Sean Penn's in the thing for all of ten minutes unless he got Kramer to expand his role...
Posted by: JBM... at June 9, 2008 07:00 PM
Kung Fu Panda for Best Picture!
Posted by: doug r at June 9, 2008 07:21 PM
Thank you, JBM. I appreciate it greatly.
Btw, how are the performances in this film? If I have heard or read anything about this film it has only been about Ford's performance. I read that it is his best performance since Witness.
I am a little suspicious this could be just PR word, but my interests are somewhat piqued.
It would be nice to see the legendary actor go back to his Witness, Frantic, Blade Runner, Presumed Innocent and The Mosquito Coast days once again.
Even though Mr. Ford still has a few years left in him as a lead star in major blockbusters, with films such as Indy 4 (which is up to nearly $600 million globally now and still growing), it would be great to see him stretch his acting chops like he did for a bit in the 80's and early 90's.
Maybe today's announcement is the beginning of a new era for the legend.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987104.html?categoryId=13&cs=1
Thanks again.
Posted by: FNG at June 9, 2008 07:36 PM
After reading the first few sentences of the press release I thought this was the Bobby Dunbar story, presented on THIS AMERICAN LIFE back in March, which told of two Louisiana boys who went missing. One eventually returned, and was the subject of legal wrangling by both families when it appeared that he may have been returned to the wrong family...the wealthier, more "morally upright" family.
CHANGELING, though, sounds like a feminist spin affixed to an Ellroy novel. Looks like Ellroy was right after all, and LA is/was a totally corrupt and sleazy place.
Posted by: RudyV at June 9, 2008 11:38 PM
Isn't it time the Academy took a break from Eastwood? I say that not to insult Clint, but to all the people who instantly predict him for everything. He's gotta have a break eventually.
Sounds like they're keeping the title though, thankfully. The Exchange was such a boring title.
Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0 at June 9, 2008 11:50 PM
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