Harry P & Cheri
Hmmm, not much exciting going on in terms of movie news today... so we'll have to backtrack a bit...
Last week the rumours were confirmed - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final installment in JK Rowling's fantasy series, will be split into 2 movies, for release in November 2010 and May 2011. Order of the Phoenix's David Yates (who is also behind the camera for the currently shooting Half-Blood Prince) will be directing the 2 parts. Here's the Los Angeles Times article on the unusual, if not suprising, move.
As Mr Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe explains in the article:
"I think it's the only way you can do it, without cutting out a huge portion of the book," Radcliffe said. "There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut -- although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans -- but the seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."
Of course there are some people who are upset about this decision, fearing that Deathly Hallows Part 1 is going to be a dullfest thanks to Harry, Ron and Hermione's numerous tedious "camping" scenes. Personally I think these scenes will be tightened up and the first film will consist predominantly of back-to-back magical action and chase sequences. I also expect it will end on a dramatic cliffhanger, encouraging movie goers back into cinemas 6 months later.
I'm excited. The more HP I can get before my "fix" is cut off for good, the better.
On a completely different note, after years of doing more commercial (artistically unchallenging(?)) films, Michelle Pfeiffer is FINALLY attached to a "prestigious" project again. Cheri reunites her with acclaimed director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Christopher Hampton. All three worked on 1988's Dangerous Liaisons together.
Cheri is described on Wikipedia as follows:
Chéri tells a story of the end of a six-year affair between an aging retired courtesan, Léa, and a pampered young man, Chéri. Turning stereotypes upside-down, it is Chéri who wears silk pajamas and Léa's pearls, and who is the object of gaze. And in the end Léa demonstrates all the survival skills which Colette associates with femininity. (The story continued in The Last of Chéri (1926), which contrasts Léa's strength and Chéri's fragility and decline).
The IMDB outlines the plot summary as follows:
A romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
Michelle will be playing Lea, the ageing courtesan, Pride & Prejudice's Mr Wickham, Rupert Friend will be playing title character Cheri, and according to this Hollywood Reporter article, Kathy Bates has just joined the cast as Cheri's mother, another courtesan.
Curiously, this will be the second back-to-back movie Michelle is doing with Kathy Bates. And the second back-to-back movie where Kathy Bates is playing the mother of Michelle's young lover: in Personal Effects, due out later this year, Michelle is a grieving widow romanced by Ashton Kutcher. You can check out the trailer for that movie here or here. The performances look good, but the film itself appears rather dull.
Out of interest, 1993's The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese was Michelle's last big period romance. That's a gap of 15 years! I'm so glad she's back and challenging herself with this kind of fare. Here's hoping Cheri gathers enough critical momentum to carry Michelle to her long overdue Oscar glory...
Last week the rumours were confirmed - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final installment in JK Rowling's fantasy series, will be split into 2 movies, for release in November 2010 and May 2011. Order of the Phoenix's David Yates (who is also behind the camera for the currently shooting Half-Blood Prince) will be directing the 2 parts. Here's the Los Angeles Times article on the unusual, if not suprising, move.
As Mr Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe explains in the article:
"I think it's the only way you can do it, without cutting out a huge portion of the book," Radcliffe said. "There have been compartmentalized subplots in the other books that have made them easier to cut -- although those cuts were still to the horror of some fans -- but the seventh book doesn't really have any subplots. It's one driving, pounding story from the word go."
Of course there are some people who are upset about this decision, fearing that Deathly Hallows Part 1 is going to be a dullfest thanks to Harry, Ron and Hermione's numerous tedious "camping" scenes. Personally I think these scenes will be tightened up and the first film will consist predominantly of back-to-back magical action and chase sequences. I also expect it will end on a dramatic cliffhanger, encouraging movie goers back into cinemas 6 months later.
I'm excited. The more HP I can get before my "fix" is cut off for good, the better.
On a completely different note, after years of doing more commercial (artistically unchallenging(?)) films, Michelle Pfeiffer is FINALLY attached to a "prestigious" project again. Cheri reunites her with acclaimed director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Christopher Hampton. All three worked on 1988's Dangerous Liaisons together.
Cheri is described on Wikipedia as follows:
Chéri tells a story of the end of a six-year affair between an aging retired courtesan, Léa, and a pampered young man, Chéri. Turning stereotypes upside-down, it is Chéri who wears silk pajamas and Léa's pearls, and who is the object of gaze. And in the end Léa demonstrates all the survival skills which Colette associates with femininity. (The story continued in The Last of Chéri (1926), which contrasts Léa's strength and Chéri's fragility and decline).
The IMDB outlines the plot summary as follows:
A romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
Michelle will be playing Lea, the ageing courtesan, Pride & Prejudice's Mr Wickham, Rupert Friend will be playing title character Cheri, and according to this Hollywood Reporter article, Kathy Bates has just joined the cast as Cheri's mother, another courtesan.
Curiously, this will be the second back-to-back movie Michelle is doing with Kathy Bates. And the second back-to-back movie where Kathy Bates is playing the mother of Michelle's young lover: in Personal Effects, due out later this year, Michelle is a grieving widow romanced by Ashton Kutcher. You can check out the trailer for that movie here or here. The performances look good, but the film itself appears rather dull.
Out of interest, 1993's The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese was Michelle's last big period romance. That's a gap of 15 years! I'm so glad she's back and challenging herself with this kind of fare. Here's hoping Cheri gathers enough critical momentum to carry Michelle to her long overdue Oscar glory...
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