Jan 30 2009 Gulliver's Traveling Effing Up Iron Man

Fox is in talks with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt to join Jack Black in their adaptation of Gulliver's Travels. That's all well and good--we've all wanted to physically restrain Jack Black and one point or another, but most of us aren't given the chance to do it as a Lilliputian--except it's reportedly causing scheduling conflicts with her role in Iron Man 2:

Twentieth Century Fox is negotiating with Emily Blunt and Jason Segel to join Jack Black in "Gulliver's Travels," the Rob Letterman-directed reimagining of the classic Jonathan Swift tale.

Blunt had already been offered the role of Black Widow in "Iron Man 2," but that may not be an option because of "Gulliver's Travels." Fox holds an option on the actress that was part of her deal when she co-starred in "The Devil Wears Prada," and the studio may invoke it to see that she takes part in the giant tale.

While Blunt's reps are still trying to work out scheduling so she can play both roles, it will be an uphill battle because of scheduling overlap. "Gulliver's Travels" will shoot in the U.K. in late March; "Iron Man 2" is expected to begin lensing in early April in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

If only she could be two places at once! It's times like these you really realize how, for all the talk about the wonders of the future, we still haven't done shit with hologram clones.

Blunt, Segel added to 'Travels' [Variety]

Jan 23 2009 'Great Buck Howard' Trailer: Not That Great

John Malkovich in the story of a once-famous magician's return to glory would be a no-brainer must-see in the hands of someone like the Coen Brothers--and how did they not make that already?--but instead the offering comes from writer/director Sean McGinly, a man whose resumé consists largely of writing jobs on questionable direct-to-video fare like Sexual Roulette, Strategic Command, Sonic Impact, Fugitive Mind, and other ridiculous combinations of two words. I hoped The Great Buck Howard might be an ascent to something greater, but the jokes about Gary Coleman and the Police Academy sound effects guy tells me probably not. Mocking them, Mr. T, David Hasselhoff, or Screech has been off limits for several years.

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Jan 7 2009 'Sunshine Cleaning' Poster Puts Emily Blunt in an Academy Award Sandwich

Here's the poster for Sunshine Cleaning, the movie where Amy Adams and Emily Blunt take up crime scene clean-up to pay for her licking child's special education (trailer here, if this description seemed confusing). Looks like a cyan-to-beige gradation is the new trend in charming indie dramedies with "sunshine" in the title. Jot that down in your movie poster notebook.

Sunshine Cleaning Poster [IMPA]

Oct 3 2008 'Sunshine Cleaning' is Totally the Next 'Little Miss Sunshine' ...Cleaning

Ever wonder what Forrest Gump would be like if, in that scene where the principal is like, "I'm sorry, Sally Field, your son is too stupid for school, unless you do it with me," and Sally Field is like, "Fine," Sally Field instead said, "Nah, I'll just start a business cleaning human fluids from crime scenes"? Well, you should have wondered that, because it looks like it makes for a decent indie-style dramedy:

Continue Reading " 'Sunshine Cleaning' is Totally the Next 'Little Miss Sunshine' ...Cleaning "

Aug 20 2008 Computers Getting Around to Animating 'Romeo and Juliet' but with Gnomes

It's a sad truth, but Fly Me to the Moon will be gone from theaters before you know it, leaving behind only its clear but confusing closing message from Buzz Aldrin, where the astronaut explains that anthropomorphic flies did not, in fact, assist in the first moon landing. Then where will you will turn for a bland, computer-animated movie based entirely around a pun? Here you go:

[James McAvoy and Emily Blunt] are in negotiations to play the title roles of "Gnomeo and Juliet," a CGI-animated Shakespeare adaptation from Miramax and Elton John's Rocket Pictures.

The film will feature several John classics but not Kate Winslet; she was first attached to voice Juliet two years ago and fell out because of scheduling conflicts. Tim Rice also was approached to write original songs with his "Lion King" partner John at the time, but the soundtrack now will be filled with the performer's well-known hits and possibly a few new tracks.

In the loose and edgy adaptation of Shakespeare's play, McAvoy ("Atonement") and Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") would play lovers from rival gardens.

1. Don't say it will be "loose and edgy" when what you mean is there will be an irreverent stereotype sidekick and a distracting smattering of pop culture references. That's clearly what you mean, and that isn't loose or edgy.

2. Elton John, have countless drunken karaoke renditions not ruined your '70s catalog (the only good songs) enough? Reworking your classic song about one dead woman to better apply to a new dead woman was plenty. Please, stop.

3. Here's a gimme: Ham-let. It's Hamlet with a cartoon pig. You give him a sassy fawn sidekick you can later spin-off with King Deer. Just get to work on it now so I can stop thinking about it.