It is not unusual for us here at Eclipse to have opposing opinions on the same topic, and “The American” is no exception, especially since there still seems to be misunderstanding in regards to what moviegoers expect to see. This movie is the perfect example of what happens when the previews basically trick you. Previews and commercials are designed to increase excitement about an upcoming release and give you just a taste of what to expect. That quick little morsel has done its job if it makes you want to go in for the entire feast. But moviegoers partaking on this particular feast are being left with a bad aftertaste.
Based on the trailer, you get the feeling that you will see a touch of Bond, maybe a little touch of Bourne, and definitely a touch of Clooney charm. In reality you get a film that is practically the antithesis of that and instead might have been better had it been making the rounds at summer film festivals with its artsy, noir-ish presentation and countless unanswered questions left open for discussion. Or at least advertised itself as such. But this isn’t a summer film festival; it is a feature film starring mega-star, humanitarian, and all-around nice guy George Clooney, and the audience is led to believe it will experience an exciting espionage-type thriller. In that regard, and a number of other reasons, “The American” was disappointing. What one expects to be the last bang of the summer blockbusters, turns out to be a weary fizzle.
[click to continue…]
Grade: C+
Tags:
George Clooney,
The American
The American is being promoted as a thriller and that is not entirely inappropriate. The film is the story of an aging assassin/specialty weapon maker called Jack – when he isn’t going by Edward – who realizes that he’s losing his edge and wants out. Of course, when you’re a master assassin and weapon maker, it’s not that easy.
[click to continue…]
Grade: A
Tags:
Anton Corbijn,
Focus Features,
George Clooney,
The American
Ever wanted to write your own movie and didn’t know how to go about getting started? There is a great company called ScriptShark that I had the pleasure of coming across back at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con that offers screen writing seminars in both Los Angeles and New York City for those who are a bit daunted by their lack of movie industry savvy. These interesting and informative seminars allow the aspiring screenwriter to delve deeper into the business demands of a screenwriter’s career, and pursue the practical skills and understanding every aspiring screenwriter needs to know in order to position and promote themselves and their screenplay effectively.
ScriptShark offers information and knowledge about such essential things as:
* Career planning & goal setting
* The best ways to secure representation
* Understanding your screenplay from a producer’s POV
* How to take charge of your career
* Defining genre & market breakdown
* Creating a catchy, clear, and focused logline
* Turning your basic idea into a gripping pitch
If you are seriously interested in getting your screen writing career off the ground, then check out ScriptShark.
Meanwhile let’s take a look at some upcoming projects from some people already established in the entertainment industry.
[click to continue…]
Tags:
3 Story,
Andrew Lincoln,
Dark Horse Entertainment,
Dustin Lance Black,
George Clooney,
Katia Winter,
Matt Kindt,
Movie News,
My Idiot Brother,
Paul Rudd,
Sandra Bullock,
Scriptshark,
The Descendents,
The Killing Game,
The Walking Dead,
Warner Bros.
Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air is a great film. What makes it so remarkable isn’t just that it’s timely and brilliant – it’s that it started out to be one thing and then, when the world’s financial climate changed radically, Reitman adapted it to fit the times in a way that is, topically at least, irony free – a first for him.
Ryan Bingham [George Clooney] is a corporate assassin. When companies downsize and don’t have the stones to do the firing themselves, Bingham’s boss [Jason Bateman] sends him to do the dirty work – which he does in a calculatedly semi-warm, dignified manner.
[click to continue…]
Tags:
George Clooney,
Jason Reitman,
Paramount Home Video,
Up in the Air,
Vera Farmiga
Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief [dozens of networks, and online, Friday, 8/7C], today announced its lineup of superstar musical performances. The global telethon will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in a newly added London location. All musical performances will be available for purchase for $.99 per song through the Apple® iTunes® Store beginning Saturday, January 23, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.
[click to continue…]
Tags:
Anderson Cooper,
Bruce Springsteen,
George Clooney,
Hope For Haiti Now,
Shakira,
Wyclef Jean
Ian Fleming’s great spy, James Bond, once said, “Once is chance; twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action.” Tailoring that reasoning to filmmaking: a director making one great film could be chance – a confluence of events that captures lightning in a bottle; a director making two great films [let alone two in a row] could, conceivably, be a coincidence, but a director making three great films in a row – and to start his career, no less? Not a fluke.
Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air is a great film – as were Thank You For Smoking and Juno. He’s not only the real deal he’s quite possibly the most consistently excellent new filmmaker of the decade. What makes Up in the Air so remarkable isn’t just that it’s timely and brilliant – it’s that it started out to be one thing and then, when the world’s financial climate changed radically, Reitman adapted it to fit the times in a way that is, topically at least, irony free – a first for him.
[click to continue…]
Tags:
Anna Kendrick,
George Clooney,
Jason Reitman,
Paramount Pictures,
Vera Farmiga
One day you will meet Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in your office. You never sat next to him in a cubicle. Nor have you shared the latest gossip with him over your coffee break. You did not even invite him to happy hour for drinks. However, he does play an important part of your job. He is the person your boss hired to inform that you have been terminated. He is a downsizing expert from Omaha whose job is to offer options to recently laid-off employees. Bingham might be the man you cry over, be mad at, or loathe, but he might end up being the one who has set you free to change your life forever. Ryan’s job has its perks. He can easily get through the check-in lines at the airports in no-time. The airline employees know his name by heart. He always travels first class as he is close to his ultimate goal of ten million miles saved for one airline.
[click to continue…]
Tags:
Anna Kendrick,
George Clooney,
Paramount Pictures,
Up in the Air,
Vera Farmiga
No Comments