We’re ranking all the movies and series starring Jared Leto, including his career-launching cult ’90s show My-So-Called Life, beloved indies (Requiem for a Dream and Dallas Buyers Club, the latter which got him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar), sci-fi efforts (Blade Runner 2049, Mr. Nobody), superhero forays (Suicide Squad, Morbius), and most recently TRON: Ares! —Alex Vo
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The latest: Fincher’s best-reviewed film, The Social Network, celebrates its 15th anniversary!
We’re ranking all the movies of director David Fincher, including Best Picture nominees (The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), audience favorites (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac), and that one he would rather never talk about (Alien 3). —Alex Vo
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(Photo by Orion/ courtesy Everett Collection)
1974 drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is already one hell of a way to jump-start a pre-teen acting career for Jodie Foster, yet it would be her second collaboration with director Martin Scorsese that made her an international star. 1976’s Taxi Driver was a shocking game-changer in a decade full of them, with Foster’s casting as a 12-year-old prostitute eliciting awe and dread from audiences, not to mention an eventual Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. As a new unlikely industry “It” girl, Foster quickly began to fill her resume with roles equally precocious (Freaky Friday, Bugsy Malone) and dark (The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane) following Taxi Driver.
Foster continued to hone her craft through the ’80s and into the ’90s, receiving a Best Actress Oscar for 1988’s The Accused, and moving on to even bigger Oscar night wins for 1992’s The Silence of the Lambs. 1995’s Nell would be Foster’s last Oscar nom to date, but the Golden Globes have been more receptive: She’s been nominated since for 1997’s Contact, 2007’s The Brave One, 2011’s Carnage, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2013, and finally won another acting Globe with 2021’s The Mauritanian.
More of Foster’s highlights during these decades include David Fincher’s Panic Room, Spike Lee’s Inside Man, and her own directorial-and-starring efforts like Money Monster. And now we take a look at all Jodie Foster movies ranked by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
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(Photo by Summit Entertainment)
Before she became ambassador for vegetarian vampire-and-werewolf relations in the late 2000s, Kristen Stewart had already built a steady career transitioning from child actor roles and into young adulthood. First, she starred in David Fincher’s efficient potboiler Panic Room, then went into space with with Jumanji cinematic universe-adjacent Zathura (directed by pre-Iron Man Jon Faverau), and helped guide a wayward traveler in Into the Wild.
Of course, that all seems like pre-history in the wake of Twilight, the romantic fantasy phenomenon that would make unlikely tabloid stars out of Stewart and Robert Pattinson for years to come. Five Twilight movies released annually for a half-decade, and whatever the benefits of becoming household names through them, there was also the very real threat of a post-career forever in the shadow of the vampire.
Stewart responded, much like Pattinson, by going indie, as she racked up impressive performances in the likes of Still Alice, Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Certain Women, working with big arthouse names like Olivier Assayas and Kelly Reichardt. She also completed her unofficial “Co-Starring Jesse Eisenberg” trilogy that started with Adventureland, following through with American Ultra and Cafe Society.
Even Stewart’s approach towards mainstream filmmaking come packaged with feminist or revisionist touches, like Charlie’s Angels or Snow White and the Huntsman. She took a dive in Underwater, and ended 2020 on a Happiest Season. And now we’re ranking all her movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
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(Photo by NEON / courtesy Everett Collection)
If you’re looking for more movies like Parasite, you’re not alone. Ever since Parasite‘s arrival in theaters, the Best Picture winner has ignited conversations across America over a range of topics, from fruit allergies to one-inch subtitles to, of course, social class warfare. In the darkly comedic thriller, a family from the slums swindles their way into the graces of a wealthy young family. As the line between street and elite blurs and as the scheme spirals out of control, the viewer is forced to reckon just what exactly is the parasitic entity to which the title alludes.
If you’re looking for more movies to watch after Parasite, we’ve found 20 films which share thematic and atmospheric blood. First recommendation is one of director Bong Joon-ho‘s primary influences: 1963’s twisted, table-turning The Servant. If you’re just starting out with Joon-ho’s filmography, you can start with Snowpiercer, another take on class entrenchment, albeit via hard sci-fi. The South Korean director has yet to make a bad movie, so you might as well continue on with The Host, Mother, and Memories of Murder. Meanwhile, The Handmaiden also hails from South Korea.
Mexico’s The Chambermaid and The Good Girls are parables which shine a light on economic mobility. Same with Japan’s Shoplifters, but with more uplift. The Ruling Class and The Exterminating Angel are both satires of the 1%. And if you liked the surrealism Luis Bunuel brings to Angel, you’ll love to what extremes Sorry to Bother You and Society go to make their respectively bizarre and disgusting cases.
Robert Altman’s Gosford Park takes the most good-natured jabs on the subject, while Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game is the most earnest. And if you’re most attracted to Parasite‘s genre elements, it’s hard to go wrong with the wild and wacky Ready or Not, David Fincher’s efficient potboiler Panic Room, or the Coens’ violently absurd Burn After Reading. We’d recommend anything by Joel and Ethan Coen normally, but their remake of The Ladykillers (about crooks who get their comeuppance when they move into an old woman’s house intending to rob her) is a pale imitation of the Alec Guinness original.
And as for how The People Under The Stairs relates… Well, we’ll let you figure that one out. —Alex Vo
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This weekend, the movie everyone’s talking about is Suicide Squad — and while a number of cast members have earned critical applause for their efforts, it’s Jared Leto‘s turn as the Joker that we’ve all been waiting to see. In honor of that moment’s eagerly anticipated arrival, we’re dedicating this week’s feature to a fond look back at some of the brightest critical highlights from the Oscar-winning star’s career, and the results add up to one admirably eclectic journey. It’s time for Total Recall!
Leto was still Jordan Catalano from My So-Called Life in a lot of filmgoers’ eyes when he scored the leading role in Prefontaine — but those who passed on director Steve James‘ biopic about the titular Olympic runner missed the opportunity to see the results of Leto’s Method dedication for the first time on the big screen. As he would with subsequent roles, Leto dove in completely, adopting Prefontaine’s voice and running style; the end result, coupled with an already-eerie physical similarity, went a long way toward proving he was more than just a pretty face. Alas, the rest of the movie didn’t quite live up to Leto’s efforts, and many critics dismissed Prefontaine as a TV-worthy hagiography — but it did have its fans, including Roger Ebert, who wrote, “Here is a sports movie in the tradition of the best sportswriting, where athletes are portrayed warts and all. You do not have to be nice to win races, but you have to be good.”
Fresh off My So-Called Life, Leto got his big-screen break with a supporting part in director Jocelyn Moorhouse‘s adaptation of the Whitney Otto novel How to Make an American Quilt. Starring Winona Ryder (with whom Leto would later share screen time in Girl, Interrupted), the movie offers an episodic look at the stories of a group of women who seek to soothe the nerves of a bride-to-be by sharing some hard-won wisdom from their own pasts. Leto’s role, as the hunky kid who engages in an interracial affair with his family’s servant, takes up a relatively brief portion of the movie — but it got him started at the movies, and played a part in a modest critical and commercial hit that, as the New York Times’ Caryn James wrote, “takes the makings of a limp ‘women’s weeper’ and as if by magic, spins them into gold.”
How many chances does a guy get in life to play one half of a pair of arms-dealing brothers opposite Nicolas Cage? Leto got his opportunity with Lord of War, writer-director Andrew Niccol‘s 2005 war crime drama about a couple of crazy kids with a dream to make a bunch of money by selling lethal weapons to anyone with enough money to make the sale. The end result of years of research on Niccol’s part, it seethes with righteous anger without tipping over into didacticism — and offers Cage and Leto plenty of material to sink their dramatic teeth into, including an arc for Leto’s character that includes drug addiction in addition to morally reprehensible gun-running. “Niccol is no stranger to hot-button issues,” wrote Time Out’s Dave Calhoun, “but he outdoes his previous efforts by injecting this satire of war profiteering in the Halliburton age with a wicked arsenic wit.”
Leto’s fondness for projects lying off the beaten path was further reflected in Mr. Nobody, writer-director Jaco Van Dormael‘s sci-fi drama about a 118-year-old man whose memories send him back to three critical junctures in his long life — and send the viewer wandering along alternate timelines that might have resulted from different decisions along the way. The movie bowed in Venice in 2009 and didn’t make it to the States for another four years, the kind of delay that often suggests more than a few fundamental flaws in a film — yet while it wasn’t exactly rapturously received by critics, reviews outlined a picture whose charms outweighed its circular, meandering narrative. “Never mind that several characters seem to gain or lose British accents throughout the course of the film,” wrote the Washington Post’s Michael O’Sullivan. “The lack of continuity only enhances the sense of deliciously dizzying disequilibrium.”
It took nine years, but Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial 1991 novel got the big-screen treatment with this adaptation, which cast Christian Bale as the loathsome, status-obsessed serial killer Patrick Bateman, Reese Witherspoon as his equally shallow girlfriend, and Leto as a smarmy co-worker whose superior business card sets off the movie’s killing spree. Though many of the cultural touchstones described in the book had faded by the time American Psycho reached the screen, its central observations — and the consumer culture that produced them — remained as timely as ever. Its torrent of generally unappealing behavior and horrific violence make Psycho an unpleasant film, but one that, in the words of Time’s Richard Corliss, “needs to be seen and appreciated, like a serpent in a glass cage.”
A claustrophobic thriller with the heart of a B movie, Panic Room found director David Fincher wielding a stellar cast (including Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, and a young Kristen Stewart) and dropping them in the middle of a tightly wound, tension-filled storyline. Panic sets in almost immediately, with single parent Meg Altman (Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Stewart) spending their first night in the huge Manhattan brownstone Meg has just purchased; what Meg and Sarah don’t know is that their new home contains some very valuable hidden treasure — as well as a trio of very bad men (including the skin-crawling Dwight Yoakam and a mysteriously cornrowed Leto) who will stop at nothing to steal it. Ultimately, Panic Room is mostly just a nail-biter — albeit one assembled with uncommon flair. “This is just a big, dumb, commercial suspenser,” admitted Empire’s Caroline Westbrook, “but it’s one of the best for ages, reminding us that it is still possible to make a high-quality piece of popcorn entertainment.”
Marking director Terrence Malick’s return from a 20-year absence and featuring the work of a stellar ensemble cast that included Leto, Woody Harrelson, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, and Sean Penn, The Thin Red Line was the film buff event of 1998. Even with a 170-minute running time, there wasn’t enough Line to go around — in fact, during all the whittling between its five-hour first cut and the theatrical version, Malick excised entire performances by Martin Sheen, Gary Oldman, Billy Bob Thornton, Viggo Mortensen and others, meaning that even if Leto’s performance as Second Lieutenant Floyd Whyte isn’t his biggest role, it’s really saying something that it ended up in the movie at all. And for most critics, there was no arguing with the end result; as Norman Green wrote for Film.com, “It wrestles with complexity, speaks to us in poetry, weaves multiple narrative strands into a tapestry, opens the festering wounds of war and gazes inside without blinking.”
Like the Hubert Selby, Jr. novel from which it’s adapted, Darren Aronofsky‘s Requiem for a Dream is certainly not for everyone. An unflinching look at the misery of addiction, Requiem follows the hellish descents of a widow named Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and Harry’s friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). After 102 minutes, all four characters have been pretty well run through the wringer; Burstyn winds up institutionalized, Leto loses an arm, Wayans has to go cold turkey in a jail cell — and Connelly crosses paths with Big Tim, played with thoroughly skeevy elan by Keith David. Good taste prevents us from getting into the exact nature of their relationship; suffice it to say that Connelly’s character arc demonstrates that some people will do just about anything to get their fix, and David’s performance reminds us that other people will stoop at nothing to take advantage of an addict. “Never have we been taken this close to the edge, and never have the characters teetering over it elicited so much sympathy,” wrote Eugene Novikov of Film Blather. ” Requiem is difficult to watch, but it richly rewards those who stay with it.”
Yes, we are going to talk about Fight Club. Initially rejected by critics and ignored by audiences, director David Fincher’s third feature steadily built a cult following on DVD; these days, it’s widely regarded as one of the best films of the ‘90s, which not only helped reaffirm Fincher as a director of stylishly thoughtful fare, but established the Hollywood bona fides of author Chuck Palahniuk, from whose novel the movie was adapted. The plot follows the eager descent of a nameless protagonist (Edward Norton) into the anti-establishment crusade of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), who organizes the titular underground brawling network whose participants include the ill-fated Angel Face (Leto). On a deeper level, the story functions as a bloody, black-humored indictment of consumer culture, but more importantly, in the words of ReelView’s James Berardinelli, “Fight Club is a memorable and superior motion picture — a rare movie that does not abandon insight in its quest to jolt the viewer.”
Nothing screams “for your consideration” like an actor physically transforming himself for a role, to the point that it’s become something of a signal for filmgoers cynical enough to be suspicious of a star’s motivations when taking a part. But as often as not, that commitment pays off; just ask Jared Leto, whose rather frightening pre-shooting regimen included dropping more than 40 pounds to portray Rayon, the transgender HIV-positive woman whose story lends a poignant anchor to Jean-Marc Vallée‘s fact-based Dallas Buyers Club. Academy voters ultimately honored the movie with six nominations — three of which it won, including Best Actor for Matthew McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Leto. “Dallas Buyers Club represents the best of what independent film on a limited budget can achieve,” wrote Rex Reed for the New York Observer. “Powerful, enlightening and not to be missed.”
One super hero on a motorcycle looks to get replaced by four middle-aged bikers at the number one spot at the North American box office this weekend.
The new comedy "Wild Hogs" leads the pack of new releases with the widest release of the trio. Also debuting are the serial killer thriller "Zodiac" and the southern sizzler "Black Snake Moan" to kick of a March movie marathon.
Starpower is at the center of Buena Vista’s new highway to hell comedy "Wild Hogs." The PG-13 film brings together Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as four suburban men who take to the road to put some adventure back into their lives. An adult audience is likely here and both genders should be represented fairly evenly. Star wattage and concept should sell the picture and trailers and commercials haven’t been half bad. The studio saw encouraging results from its sneak previews last Saturday which were at 85% capacity and skewed 51% male. "Wild Hogs" could reach the same audience that came out for Travolta’s "Be Cool" and "Ladder 49" which opened to $23.5M and $22.1M, respectively. Both Travolta and Allen have been out promoting the film aggressively so awareness is sizable. Opening in about 3,300 theaters, "Wild Hogs" may take in around $23M in ticket sales this weekend giving Allen a badly-needed hit.
Several actors attempt to kickstart their stalled careers in "Wild Hogs."
Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo star in the new serial killer pic "Zodiac" from director David Fincher ("Seven," "Panic Room"). The R-rated film chronicles the investigation behind one of the most notorious and mysterious murderers of the twentieth century. Paramount has long had a solid track record at finding success from crime thrillers with its slick marketing. For this particular film, the studio is hoping that the public does not find out that it is in for a nearly three hour saga. The running time should cut into the box office potential of the film since theaters will have to offer one less showtime per day compared to most other movies. A more subdued theater count will play a role too.
Still some appealing names are being offered in front of and behind the camera. Older adults are more likely to show up as the subject matter is too ancient for those in their early 20s. Films about famous California murders were met with indifference last fall in the other 49 states when Ben Affleck‘s "Hollywoodland" and Josh Hartnett‘s "The Black Dahlia" opened nationally to just $5.9M and $10M, respectively. "Zodiac" is a little more modern and is being packaged in a better way so its debut should be stronger. But the film lacks a star that can really bring some bang to the box office right out of the gate. Critics have been very supportive which will help with the older target audience. Attacking 2,362 theaters, "Zodiac" might find itself with about $16M this weekend.
Contemplating horoscopes is emotionally draining in "Zodiac."
With the eye-catching image of an older black man chaining up a young scantily clad white woman, Paramount Vantage’s "Black Snake Moan" already has one of the year’s most memorable posters. The new R-rated entry from writer/director Craig Brewer is the follow-up to his 2005 hit "Hustle & Flow" which won an Oscar last year for best song. With some more cash and bigger stars, "Snake" features Samuel L. Jackson as a Bible-loving blues guitarist who finds and cares for a beaten, bruised, and half-naked woman with a disturbing past played by Christina Ricci. Justin Timberlake adds some starpower with his second film of the year following
January’s "Alpha Dog."
"Black Snake Moan" should appeal to much of the "Hustle" crowd. That film was a summer opener and bowed to $8M from just over 1,000 locations for a solid $7,915 average. Jackson is always a wild card at the box office as many of the films he anchors do not pull in the big numbers while his ensemble pics tend to thrive. Here, he is the main draw. Competition from other contenders should not be that much of a factor as the film will work if audiences find it cool. Reviews have been generally favorable so that could provide an assist at the turnstiles. Young adults not interested in Vincent Vega and Santa on choppers might go for a more bold moviegoing choice like this. Opening in 1,252 locations, "Black Snake Moan" may debut with about $8M.
Ricci and Jackson in "Black Snake Moan."
After leading the pack for two weeks, Sony’s "Ghost Rider" will get passed up by some of the new releases this weekend. A 50% drop to about $10M seems likely giving the Nicolas Cage film $93M in 17 days.
Disney should enjoy a better hold for its fantasy drama "Bridge to Terabithia" since its audience is a little too young for the newcomers. A 35% decline would leave the PG-rated film with roughly $9M for the frame and push the 17-day cume up to $58M. Jim Carrey on the other hand should tumble with his thriller "The Number 23" which will see some direct competition from "Zodiac." A 55% drop would leave New Line with $7M over the weekend and $25M after ten days.
LAST YEAR: Tyler Perry stayed at number one for the second straight weekend with the Lionsgate comedy "Madea’s Family Reunion" which grossed $12.6M despite a hefty sophomore drop. Opening close behind in the runnerup spot was the Bruce Willis actioner "16 Blocks" with $11.9M on its way to $36.9M for Warner Bros. Disney’s family adventure "Eight Below" held up well in its third ride grossing $10.1M for third place. Debuting with unimpressive results were Sony’s action flick "Ultraviolet" with $9.1M in fourth and Fox’s drama "Aquamarine" with $7.5M in fifth. Final grosses reached $18.5M and $18.6M, respectively. Opening with decent results was "Dave Chappelle’s Block Party" with $6.2M for Focus from 1,200 theaters on its way to $11.7M overall.
Source: Gitesh Pandya, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com
Just a few days ago we shared the news that George Lucas was (finally) happy with the "Indiana Jones 4" screenplay, and also that production was set to begin next year. Well now we have a small piece of updated news: Production on "Indy 4" will begin in June!
From The Hollywood Reporter: "After years spent in script development, a fourth installment of the famously successful franchise is set to begin production in June in locations around the world and in the U.S." (Full story here.)
The screenplay that everyone’s so pleased with came from David Koepp, the man who wrote (or co-wrote) stuff like "War of the Worlds," "Spider-Man," "Panic Room," and "Jurassic Park."
As earlier reported, the flick will most likely hit screens in May of 2008. Bring it on!
Now here’s a piece of news that’s pretty cool, if only because I love horror movies and I’ve always dug George Clooney. Seems the movie star has been tagged to star in Paramount’s remake of "Pet Sematary," which (of course) is based on the Stephen King novel of the same (misspelled) name.
From the amazing horror geeks at Bloody-Disgusting.com: "We’ve scored one hell of a juicy little morsel of news this afternoon and have 100% confirmed it as true… George Clooney, the bad ass mofo from Dusk Till Dawn, will in in talks to play a role in Paramount Pictures’ remake of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary!"
Click here for the rest of the report, which also mentions that the new screenplay comes from by Dave Kajganich, Mike Werb, and Michael Colleary.
Now give us a solid director and we’ll be getting somewhere. (Hey wait, George Clooney’s a movie director, too!)
And if they take the PG-13 route on this remake, I’ll probably flip.
I look forward to a new David Fincher movie like little children look forward to Christmas morning, so this recent report out of JoBlo’s has me just a little disappointed. Seems that Fincher’s "Zodiac," which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo, has been bumped back to early 2007.
Says JB: "David Fincher’s serial killer suspense flick ZODIAC has been pushed back from a fall date later this year to January 2007. What gives? Isn’t January where bad movies go to die? … Paramount didn’t offer up an explanation to the move but since it never had a solid release date, they could easily just say there was no delay as its release was never set…"
So it’s not really a delay, but more of a release date announcement. Either way, based on Fincher’s previous work ("Alien 3," "Seven," "The Game," "Fight Club," and "Panic Room"), I can’t wait to see the based-on-actual events crime thriller.
WeinsteinCo’s Scary Movie 4 made a huge pile of cash over the holiday weekend, demolishing Panic Room‘s $30 million Easter haul from a few years back. The silly sequel scared up an amazing $41 million from more than 3,600 screens — and yes, Scary Movie 5 will be hitting theaters at this time next year. (Shocker, eh?)
Still going pretty darn strong in second place was Fox’s Ice Age: The Meltdown, which added another $20 million to its (impressively) grand total of $147 million. Third place went to another returnee: Sony’s The Benchwarmers fell 49% to snag $10 million in its second weekend, giving it a total haul of about $36 million.
Disney’s unkindly-reviewed The Wild debuted in 4th place, pulling in just under $10 million from 2,800 theaters, while the dance-hall drama Take the Lead took the fifth spot with $6.7 million (and a $22.5 million total).
Next week’s wide releases look to be Universal’s satire American Dreamz, Fox’s Secret Service thriller The Sentinel, and Sony’s horror flick / video game adaptation Silent Hill.
For a closer look at the weekend numbers, pop on over to the Rotten Tomatoes Box Office Page.
During his Oscar coverage, Fox’s Roger Friedman got to share a few words with director Steven Spielberg, and the bullet points seem to be these: 1) the filmmaker wants to take some time off right now, 2) "Indiana Jones 4" looks to be the next project on his plate, and 3) Jeff Nathanson‘s screenplay has been handed over to mega-scribe David Koepp for fine-tuning.
(Friedman) asked him about "Indiana Jones 4." What’s up? I said: “George Lucas told me recently that there’s a script and he’s happy with the story.”
Spielberg: “George Lucas isn’t the director. I am.”
You may recall that in this space on Dec. 6, 2005, I wrote that Lucas said he had a script by Jeff Nathanson, who wrote Spielberg’s "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Terminal," as well as Bret Ratner’s "Rush Hour" movies. But even Nathanson seems to have been succeeded in the Indy sweepstakes.
“I have David Koepp on it now, and he’s my ‘closer,’” Spielberg said, using a baseball reference to the pitcher who comes in during the 9th inning and finishes up a winning ball game."
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For Friedman’s full report, click here.
Since his 1988 debut "Apartment Zero," David Koepp has been one of the busiest (not to mention wealthiest) screenwriters out there. Not including uncredited polishings, Mr. Koepp has written "Bad Influence" (1990), "Toy Soldiers" (1991), "Death Becomes Her" (1992), "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Carlito’s Way" (1993), "The Paper" (1994), "The Shadow" (1994), "Mission: Impossible" (1996), "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997), "Snake Eyes" (1998), "Panic Room" (2002), "Spider-Man" (2002), "Secret Window" (2004), "War of the Worlds" (2005), and "Zathura" (2005). As writer/director he also did "The Trigger Effect" (1996) and "Stir of Echoes" (1999).
According to Variety, fan favorite David Fincher is about to sign on to direct "Torso" for Paramount, a project based on the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis & Marc Andreyko. The genre-centric Ehren Kruger will be penning the adaptation.
"David Fincher, who is currently directing "Zodiac" for Paramount and Warner Bros., will reteam with Par to helm "Torso." Bill Mechanic, Don Murphy, Todd McFarlane and Terry Fitzgerald are producing.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name penned by Brian Michael Bendis with illustrations by Marc Andreyko, the project will be adapted by scribe Ehren Kruger.
Story will center on real-life federal agent Eliot Ness — made famous by "The Untouchables" — after he closes the Al Capone case in Chicago and moves to Cleveland. There he makes a promise to help clean up the town until the city is scarred by a series of gruesome killings known as the "torso" murders.
Par is close to finalizing all deals on the project, and once those are complete, Kruger will begin penning the screenplay.
Fincher is currently behind the lens on "Zodiac," another real-life story involving a serial killer. That pic is based on Robert Graysmith’s books about the Zodiac killer who committed a string of murders in San Francisco during the 1960s and 1970s."
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Fincher, no doubt you’re aware, is the guy who directed "Alien 3," "Seven," "The Game," "Fight Club," and "Panic Room." He also has "Benjamin Button" set up with Paramount.
With on-location filming set to conclude on David Fincher‘s period crime drama "Zodiac," the city of San Francisco is set to bid farewell to a season of hosting some unusually high-profile projects.
Among the highlights of San Francisco’s recent filming boom, "Zodiac" has attracted the most attention for many reasons; in addition to stopping traffic last month in one of the worst traffic-infested cities in America, Fincher’s latest crime-thriller is based on the most notorious, unsolved-to-date crime spree in Bay Area history. The film recounts the story of the Zodiac Killer, who committed as many as 49 murders during the 1960s, taunting both police and the media with cryptic messages and letters through the 1970s. The killer was never apprehended.
This isn’t the first time the Zodiac killings have been adapted for the screen. Previous cinematic incarnations include the made-for-TV "The Limbic Region," an independent adaptation called "The Zodiac," and of course, the Clint Eastwood classic, "Dirty Harry."
For his version, to achieve as much a sense of realism as possible, Fincher chose to shoot on location in many of the Bay Area places where events took place: recreating a 1970s era-San Francisco Chronicle building and even replanting lost trees in Lake Berryessa, where one of the killings took place.
Check out the full set report in the San Francisco Chronicle, plus a sneak-peek at photos from the production of "Zodiac," here.
In "Zodiac," Fincher ("Se7en," "Fight Club," "Panic Room") directs an impressive cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal as San Francisco Chronicle staffer Robert Graysmith (on whose 1976 book the screenplay is based) and Robert Downey Jr. as veteran police reporter Paul Avery, whose investigations prompted threatening notes from the Zodiac Killer himself. Zodiac also stars Mark Ruffalo, Gary Oldman, Chloe Sevigny, Anthony Edwards, Pell James, and Ione Skye. The joint WB-Paramount Pictures feature is slated for release next year.
Not to be forgotten, San Francisco’s other notable visiting productions this season include Columbia Pictures’ "The Pursuit of Happyness," the real-life rags-to-riches story of a Bay Area man living on the street with his infant son, who works his way up within a brokerage film to become a self-made millionaire. "The Pursuit of Happyness" stars Will Smith (who also produces), his real-life son Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton and Dan Castellaneta, and is scheduled for release in December 2006.
Earlier this year, Frisco also served as host to production crews for the upcoming films "Bee Season," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Rent," "Rumor Has It," as well as this summer’s "Just Like Heaven."
This week at the movies brings a twisted tale of love from beyond the grave ("Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride"), a paranoid thriller at 40,000 feet ("Flightplan") and a nostalgic look at the days of roller disco ("Roll Bounce"). Which of these films will pass muster with the critics?
Ahh, Tim Burton. We’re so glad to have you around. At a time when movies get tamer and less original, there you are, making a twisted, sweet joke out of mortality, and using stop motion animation when everyone else is using computers. "Corpse Bride," co-directed by Mike Johnson and featuring the voice talents of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, tells the delightfully twisted tale of a reanimated woman who demands love from an already engaged commitment -phobe. The scribes say it’s a modern fairy tale, filled with wondrous, phantasmagoric images and a poignant, elusive love triangle. At 84 percent on the Tomatometer, this is one beautiful "Bride." And although it may be a notch below Burton’s other stop motion triumph, "The Nightmare before Christmas" (91 percent), it slightly surpasses his other recent outing, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (at 82 percent). It’s one of the best reviewed wide releases of the year.
Man, are people afraid of flying or what? First "Red Eye," and now "Flightplan," a thriller starring Jodie Foster. A sort of "Bunny Lake Is Missing" meets "The Lady Vanishes," the plot involves a widow whose daughter goes missing aboard a transatlantic flight, and who must prove to the crew and her fellow passengers that her daughter exists at all. While many of the critics say it’s good to have Foster back on the screen, they’d like her in a more coherent plot that doesn’t require an emergency landing at the end. Still, there’s plenty of suspense, and at 52 percent, "Flightplan" is probably better than your average in-flight movie. It’s a notch below Jodie Foster’s overall Tomatometer score of 71 percent, though.
Admit it: You love the 1970s. You love disco. You used to love to roller skate. And although you might not love "Roll Bounce" more than any of those things individually, the scribes say the film is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale with likable characters and an infectious soundtrack. The critics say that although the plot won’t win any originality contests, at 60 percent on the Tomatometer, this one’s a pretty sweet "Roll."
Recent Tim Burton Movies:
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82% — Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
77% — Big Fish (2003)
46% — Planet of the Apes (2001)
72% — Sleepy Hollow (1999)
47% — Mars Attacks! (1996)
Recent Jodie Foster Movies:
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78% — A Very Long Engagement (2004)
76% — Panic Room (2002)
76% — The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys (2002)
53% — Anna and the King (1999)
79% — Contact (1997)
Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter comes some casting news on an upcoming and as-yet-untitled horror movie from Oxide & Danny Pang. The Columbia Pictures project now has Kristen Stewart ("Panic Room"), Dylan McDermott ("Texas Rangers"), Penelope Ann Miller ("The Relic"), and John Corbett ("Serendipity") among its cast members, and shooting is scheduled to begin in Canada any day now.
The plot focuses on "a family that moves into a run-down sunflower farm in North Dakota. After the farm begins to revive, the family slowly is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem and murder."
The Pang Brothers ("The Eye," "Infernal Affairs," "The Park") will be working from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie ("Collateral"), Todd Farmer ("Jason X"), and newcomer Mark Wheaton. Sam Raimi‘s Ghost House shingle is one of the several production houses involved.
We haven’t seen much of Jodie Foster since "Panic Room," but here she comes a nifty-looking thriller that asks the question: How can a child vanish during a cross-country airline flight? Check out the first trailer over at Yahoo! Movies, but be warned …
… that it’s sort of a "show most of the movie in two minutes" trailer. "Flightplan" marks the big-budget debut of indie director Robert Schwentke and delivers Sean Bean ("National Treasure"), Peter Sarsgaard ("Shattered Glass"), and Erika Christensen ("The Upside of Anger") in supporting roles. The Touchstone production hits theaters on September 23rd.
David Fincher is in negotiations to direct the thriller "Zodiac," Variety reports. A movie to be co-financed by Warner Bros. and Paramount, "Zodiac" centers on the Zodiac killer, who killed at least 37 people in the San Francisco area between 1966-78, and the three people who tried to bring him in. Fincher last directed the thriller "Panic Room," starring Jodie Foster.
I kind of liked [I]Panic Room[/I], but found it to be less-than-thrilling. What do you think?
