This has been a really slow news week in terms of anything major developing, so finally there is some decent casting news to pass along today. The upcoming Tony Scott (Taking of Pelham 123) directed film Potsdamer Platz will see several stars join the cast for the film. Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2), Jason Statham (Crank), Christopher Walken (Scott’s True Romance), and Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) are all on board, so says The Playlist. The film is about:
…a drama about two soldiers in a New Jersey-based crime family who try to expand internationally. The title is a placeholder for now, as it will change to match the location shift from Germany to Puerto Rico. The film is based on an the original script by Buddy Giovinazzo (“Life Is Hot In Cracktown”) that has been re-written by the “Sexy Beast” team of David Scinto and Louis Mellis.
Potsdamer Platz, if indeed the title changes, is actually a busy trade center in Germany where a train station resides. Sounds kinda like Scott’s last film, especially if there is a hi-jacking. But should we expect anything else really? Scott has made a career out of middling actioners and with this cast being assembled, the expectations might be slightly higher, but essentially the same. Let me know if you think this could be a worthwhile endeavor based on this info. I’ll provide more on the project as it comes in.
As “Michael Mann Week” comes to an end here at The Film Nest, we want to bring you one last look at what might now be considered his last “great” movie. Earlier, we brought you the classic shootout in downtown L.A. from 1995′s Heat. It’s probably the most famous scene from Mann’s ouevre. Today, I wanted to go a little less mainstream for you. It’s a short scene from one of Mann’s most underrated films, 2004′s Collateral. At the moment, it’s one of the least loved films in our sidebar poll, so I figured I’d spread a little love on it.
Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer assigned to dispose of five people in the Los Angeles area who played witness to a crime committed by his employer. He hops into a cab driven by Max (Jamie Foxx), just on the job “temporarily.” Vincent asks Max to be his personal chauffeur for the night, and when the prospect of doubling Max’s pay is offered, Max reluctantly accepts. Little does he know, he has been hired to drive Vincent around to the homes of each of the witnesses while Vincent does his business and kills them. Immediately reluctant to have any role in this, Max tries to back out, much to Vincent’s dismay.
In this short, but sweet scene, Vincent has been dropped out off at the house of victim number two and ties Max’s hands to the steering wheel so he won’t drive away. Max honks the horn loudly, trying to garner a passerby’s attention to help him. He doesn’t get the help he desires. Enjoy.
Since that scene was so short and this is the last Mann-related post of the week, I’m leaving you with a little bonus. This is the club scene from the film where Vincent performs his special brand of magic, played out in front of Paul Oakenfold’s “Ready, Set, Go.”
I could’ve also chosen Javier Bardem’s small, but pivotal scene. “Pedro del Negro!” However at this point, you should just see the movie. It’s great.
Okay, the title is a play on words to get you here. Don’t feel duped, it’s not a gay insinuation. Javier Bardem, who was in the news last week regarding Wall Street 2, is in talks to join the Brad Pitt produced (“Plan B.”) Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts. “Love” is being directed by Ryan Murphy, creator of the hit TV show “Nip/Tuck”, based on the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert. Richard Jenkins, Oscar-nominated actor for The Visitor, is also already a part of the cast. Moviehole gives us a touch on the plot:
Roberts plays the author, and Bardem will play Felipe, the man Gilbert meets and falls in love with on the final leg of a journey of self-discovery that began with the end of her marriage.
Richard Jenkins plays a Texan whom the heroine befriends at an Indian ashram.
The autobiographical tale looks to be playing out as a fantasy for the author with Roberts playing her and Bardem, who seduced so well in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is here fictionalized lover? Not a bad score as fantasies go. Mine involves a trio of Jessicas, Simpson (pre-weight issues), Alba (pre-baby), and Biel (pre-Timberlake), but it is a fantasy so there are no rules from there. “Rules? We don’t need no stinking rules.” What do you like more, my fantasy or Gilbert’s? That’s a rhetorical question…kind of. Enjoy.
This is just awesome news. Javier Bardem has been a stud for far too long and any film he’s in pretty much has to be seen. According to “Deadline Hollywood,” Bardem has joined the cast of Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2.
The cast already includes the original Gordon Gekko himself, Michael Douglas, and the budding star who continues to rise, Shia LaBeouf.
In order to be successful, one must project an image of success at all times.
The film takes places 21 years ofter the original and Gekko has finished serving his prison sentence. He attempts to warn Wall Street that the bottom is on the verge of falling out, but his cries fall on deaf ears. He instead pursues rebuilding his fractious relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, LaBeouf’s character is a young upstart, engaged to Gekko’s estranged daughter. When his mentor supposedly kills himself, LaBeouf suspects a villainous hedge fund manager, to be played by Bardem. LaBeouf asks Gekko for help and in turn aids Gekko in his relationship with his daughter.
I think the casting is great and of course the timing of the film couldn’t be better. It’s slated for a February 2010 release. Bardem has proven he can play the most menacing of villains, as evidenced by his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for No Country for Old Men. I’m excited for this, as the original Wall Street was great and I’m now envisioning having to rewatch it very soon.
What do you think of the casting so far? How about the plot?
