Ben Stiller, Clint Eastwood, Bruno and Judd Apatow - Best photo of the year

What caption could you give to this photo. Leave it in the comments.

Source: MTV

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First photo of Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela

I mentioned Invictus yesterday (when I posted the dreadful poster for it) and now here is a first peek at Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. First Showing had the image. It also stars Matt Damon and is directed by Clint Eastwood.

The film follows Mandela's attempt to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup to heal his nation following his release from prison, the fall of apartheid and his election as president of South Africa.

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Invictus - Poster for Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela movie

Clint Eastwood is making a film based around Nelson Mandela. It was called The Human Factor (as this poster states) but had now been changed to Invictus.

Jeffrey Wells on Hollywood Elsewhere summed the poster up rather well - "Matt Damon, who plays rugby star Francois Pienaar, is wearing the same kind of green jacket that he's been photographed wearing on Clint Eastwood's set, but without the dyed blonde hair. And it sure seems as if the rendering of Morgan Freeman, who plays Nelson Mandela, is taken from Million Dollar Baby. I mean, it's just crap."

The film itself sounds pretty good though.

Invictus (meaning Invincible in Latin) film follows Mandela's attempt to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup to heal his nation following his release from prison, the fall of apartheid and his election as president of South Africa.

It focuses on the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Damon plays rugby star Francois Pienaar, who as captain of the all-white South African rugby team led them to a victory at the world cup and gave the country's whites and blacks a common cause to rally around as they healed from years of apartheid.
It is due out on 11th December.

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Clint is cool

Clint Eastwood didn't arrive at this evening's tribute event with any pomp or airs. A friend simply drove him up and dropped him off a block south of Santa Barbara's Arlington theatre. Clint walked up the sidewalk and into a cluster of fans waiting behind metal barriers. Realizing he'd boxed himself in, he climbed over the temporary fence (with the help of said fans) to cheers and guffaws. This just happened about 25 minutes ago. I hope someone took a shot.

From Hollywood Elsewhere

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Gran Torino, 2008 - Movie Review

Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her
Running Time: 116 minutes
Score: 8 / 10

This review by Babubhaut - Possible spoilers ahead

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Clint Eastwood, the director, fan. However, Gran Torino is getting buzz like crazy. I'll agree that it is a very good movie, well composed and paced with a fantastic final act; I just can't quite allow myself to call it a masterpiece. As I said, I'm a fan of Eastwood the director, not necessarily Eastwood the actor, and, with his performance here as Walt, I won't be changing that mindset. I found myself laughing more often at his growls and scowls than feeling fear or menace. He isn't the only one at fault, though; I think everyone falls pretty flat acting-wise here. I'll give the Hmong characters some slack being that they aren't trained actors, but instead authentic people from that culture, and kudos to the filmmakers for going that route. As for our lead, the priest (a very uninspired Christopher Carley), and even a couple good actors as Walt's sons in very limited roles, I found their performances detracting from a solid story.

What I liked about Gran Torino was its humor. You may be thinking: what is this guy talking about? But honestly, I laughed a lot, and I think it was intentional. The first three-quarters set up the climax to be powerfully dramatic with much deserved weight and as a result needs to have an infusion of levity to keep us off-guard when the bottom finally falls out. I wouldn't be surprised if Clint decided to act as Walt rather than find a better actor because he just wanted to have fun with racial epithets—boy there are plenty. His utter disregard for the opinions of those he insults and his overly tough exterior just make the words funny to me. Many times he is saying these things because that is "how men talk" with friends. His comradery with folks allow him the freedom to act like a bigot without recourse, (my favorite character in the film being one of these men, John Carroll Lynch's barber, who is involved in a priceless scene with Clint and Bee Vang as Thao), and that lightness makes his under-the-breath tirades become acceptable. Now, they aren't acceptable as far as societal right and wrong, but his character is built to be this Korean War vet, an old and bitter man, so you almost have to give him the benefit of the doubt. In his mind, the country he fought for is now being over-run by those he was ordered to kill. Seeing the denigration of his neighborhood and the utter lack of respect on behalf of the youth, he paints the simple picture that it's all a result of the turning tides of immigration.

This humor, I believe, is what makes the ending so effective. Eastwood goes through a transformation from old man that wants to be left alone, to old man that finally has someone he can be a father to. Does it change his attitude or demeanor? Absolutely not. Does Eastwood have the acting range to make that evolution apparent on screen if necessary? Probably not, so let's say it was good that while he softened to the Asians living next door, he never let his guard down … that would have just come off as inauthentic and manipulative. By getting to understand Walt Kowalski's character, however, allows us to believe he would do what he does. Never clicking with his own sons, never being able to be a father to them and listened to for his experiences made him distant to them. Coming into the life of a traditional Hmong family, on-the-other-hand, allows him to finally feel that patriarchal duty. Ahney Her's Sue tells Walt that she wishes her own father were more like him because he was too old-school for a boy like Thao. Walt is confused thinking that he is set in the old ways too, but Sue shows the cultural disparity by saying, "but you're American". The customs and way of life are different, and after all these years blaming the Orient for making him into a killer, a sinner, Walt can open his eyes to the humanity they all share.

While the gang backdrop really just stands as a way to give Walt a measure of redemption, it is the main catalyst for all that happens in the film. He never would have gotten to know the Lor family if Thao wasn't made to steal his Gran Torino as a gang initiation, and the conclusion never would have happened if the bond between he and Sue and Thao hadn't sprung out from that event. The film is not about the opposition and violence of those street thugs, though, it is about the relationship of Walt and Thao. While the script does wonders at making that friendship work, the acting just doesn't do it justice. Again, I found myself laughing each time Clint scowled at the boy—it was just too over the top. And unfortunately for Bee Vang, his delivery came across as staged and reading from a prompter. He is young, though, and inexperienced in acting, so I can't blame him too much. Instead I blame Eastwood, especially in one instance when Vang is locked in the old man's basement, screaming at Clint to let him out. The anger and frustration is so forced that the director should have known when to cut. Yet Eastwood not only shows us the pounding on the door once, but a second time after he comes back into frame to explain what it feels like to kill a man, this time lingering on the boy even longer. It's a moment like this that brings an amateur quality to an otherwise stellar tale, making the sub-par performances overshadow the tightly constructed plot.

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Clint Eastwood is The Growler

Clint Eastwood in The Growler - watch more funny videos

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2009 Golden Globe Film Related Nominations

Here are the movie related 2009 Golden Globe Nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The Awards ceremony will take place on 11th January next year.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas - I’ve Loved You So Long (Il Y A Longtemps Que Je T’Aime)
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo Dicaprio - Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
James Franco - Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Best Animated Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Everlasting Moments
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You so Long
Waltz with Bashir

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare - The Reader
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
James Newton Howard - Defiance
A. R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Hans Zimmer - Frost/Nixon

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
“Down to Earth” - Wall-E
“Gran Torino” - Gran Torino
“I Thought I Lost You” - Bolt
“Once in a Lifetime” - Cadillac Records
“The Wrestler” - The Wrestler

Who do you think will win? Will Heath Ledger get pipped to the post by Robert Downey Jr? I reckon Benjamin Button will clean up although I hope Mickey Rourke wins for his role in The Wrestler.

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Staczynski talks about the Forbidden Planet sequel / prequel / remake and wants to make sure he gets the Krell right

MTV have this - “It’s my favorite science-fiction film of all time. I’ve watched the rights go from one company to the next. I heard that the rights at Dreamworks were about to expire and I went to Joel Silver and said I think if you move quickly you can grab it and I can write it. And he did. It’s the dream of a lifetime to play in that universe.”

Straczynski — whose stock in Hollywood as a scriptwriter just enjoyed a major bump thanks to the success of director Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” — was happy to hint at what fans of the original “Forbidden Planet” can expect from his take.

“I told [producer] Joel [Silver] this is how you do ‘Forbidden Planet’ without pissing on the original that no one has ever thought of,” said Straczynski. “When I told [the idea] to him, his eyes lit up. It’s not a remake. It’s not a reimagining. It’s not exactly a prequel. You’ll have to see it. It’s something that no one has thought of when it comes to this storyline.”

Straczynski will be paying close attention to detail, with the writer revealing conversations he’s had to ensure the film is as scientifically attuned as possible. “[When coming] up with the Krell backstory and who they are, I sat down with some of the nation’s best minds in astrophysics and planetary geology and A.I. and asked them — based on what we know now — what will a million years from now look like? The goal is to put things in there you’ve never seen before.”

As for the 1954 film’s retro look, audiences can expect an updated vision that keeps the original’s iconic nature in mind. “At the time it was made it was cutting edge,” Straczynski explained. “They weren’t trying to be ‘retro’ — they thought they were right on the cutting edge. People that went to see that film saw things they had never seen before. What we have to do now is have this one be as innovative now as the original was then. It doesn’t mean we should look backwards.”

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Gran Torino - Trailer for Clint's latest

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Gran Torino - Poster for Clint Eastwood's latest film

/film have the above poster and a photo from the film.

Eastwood, who says this will “probably” be his last film as an actor, tells USA Today a little bit about his character:

“He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It’s sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military. … He’s clinging to the memory of the war. You’ll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with.” … “Walt helps him get a job and helps him toughen up a bit. (Walt) doesn’t work construction. He’s retired. But he gets the boy in through a buddy, an old crony. They take him in and try to show him how to handle himself in life.”

What do you think of the sound of that?

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Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood returns to acting. This time he's a dirty rascist

USA Today have news on Clint Eastwood’s next film once The Changeling is out of the way. It is called Gran Torino.

In it, Eastwood returns to acting and plays Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran who reluctantly bonds with an immigrant Asian neighbor over a classic car - his 1972 Gran Torino. Eastwood describes his character as "unflattering and potentially controversial", and says the film "slams both prejudice and political correctness."

"I’m a weirdo in it. I play a real racist. … It’s a great time in life (to do that) because, you know, what can they do to you once you’re past 70? There’s nothing they can do. But it also has redemption. This Hmong family moves in next door, and he has been in the Korean War, in the infantry, and looks down on Asian people and lumps everybody together. But finally they befriend him in his time of need because he has no relationship with his family."

Sounds interesting and anything to do with Clint Eastwood is cool in my book. What do you think of the news?

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Clint Eastwood on The Daily Show

He chats about The Changeling and other movies.

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The Changeling - Clint Eastwood's latest starring Angelina Jolie

In 1928, Christine Collins of Los Angeles reported her nine-year old son, Walter, as missing. In the midst of charges of corruption and negative publicity, the Los Angeles police department was desperate for a positive P.R. boost from solving the case. After much searching, they finally found a boy in DeKalb, IL claiming to be Walter, and returned him to his mother. But it wasn’t really him. This immutable fact galvanized Collins on a quest to find the truth and a battle against authorities that threatened to tear her life apart.

The Changeling is directed by the Clint Eastwood, of Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima most recently. John Malkovich makes an interesting appearance as Reverend Gustav Briegleb. The script was penned by comic book writer J. Michael Straczynski, who has written numerous scripts from episodes of "Jeremiah" and "Babylon 5."

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