Even though he is known for being rather reclusive and hidden from the media, renowned director Terrence Malick has allowed word to get out of his latest project. Deadline Hollywood is reporting it will host a star studded cast including,”no less than Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, and Olga Kurylenko.” The untitled feature is slated to begin shooting this autumn and is currently being described as a romantic drama. Read the full story

According to The LA Times the rights to The Terminator franchise which are currently owned by the now bankrupt Halcyon Holding Group controlled by Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are up for sale again. Since Terminator is Halycon’s biggest asset it is clear this is being done to cover their debt now that they are in chapter 11. The rights are on sale for $60 million which is over twice the amount that Anderson and Kubicek payed for the original rights in 2007. This will create a bidding war among studios since The Terminator is still a hot item. It is unclear at this point however how this will effect the timing of another sequel.

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A few images and video have been released (thanks to IAmRouge via /Film) for David O. Russell’s The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. Check them out below.

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(Co-Written by Dan Mecca & Merrill Barr)

It only seems appropriate to offer a take on what is now the most popular genre in Hollywood – the remake. Not that the remake hasn’t always been popular. Just look at how many times Little Women has been made. A lot.

That being said, remakes have never been as prolific (or as potentially profitable) as they are right now. One can chalk this up as unoriginality or business savvy or both, but the fact remains the age of the remake is upon us and it has only just begin to rear it’s ugly, repetitive head.

With that said, we here at The Film Stage have attempted to break down the remake genre and decipher the gems and germs that have come out of it.

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By Jack Giroux

Having established himself as a master of the seedy crime underworld, director Michael Mann has once again delivered an other prime example of the genre. In a summer that has been filled with an overwhelming amount of lackluster films, Public Enemies actually delivers.

The film revolves around bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and the golden age of crime (the Depressed 1930s), which the man helped define. Dillinger and his crew are looked upon graciously by some while despised by others, most notably the FBI. While living the high life of bank robbing, Dillinger becomes infatuated by Billie Frechette (Marion Cotilliard).  Soon Dillinger is putting his life on the line for Frechette as the FBI gain on him and his crew, claiming him “public enemy number one.” Leading the investigation is Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), the FBI’s best man.

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/Film reported today that Amy Adams (Enchanted) is in final negotiations to star along side Mark Whalberg (The Italian Job) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) in David O Russell’s (Three Kings) The Fighter. /Film states that Adams will play ““a tough, gritty bartender and former college high-jumper who ends up dating Wahlberg’s character.”

I’ve been following this film closely as originally Darren Aronofsky and Matt Damon were involved. This cast is shaping up to be great though. I really enjoy Russell’s work, especially in Three Kings. Production is set to  begin in a few weeks so look for more updates here on The Film Stage.

What do you think about Amy Adams joining the cast? Are you excited for this film?

Identity is defined as the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized. In the films Collateral and Miami Vice Michael Mann explores how identity is always fluctuating and that the “individual characteristics” by which we define ourselves are always changing, but our core selves remain the same. Almost like a computer, the software may be constantly changing but the hardware running it never does. Through the characters, story, and cinematography Mann exemplifies this.

In the mini documentary Miami Vice: Undercover from the Miami Vice DVD Michael Mann states “the best fabricated identity is yourself.” This idea that identity, though always changing, has a central core can be seen both in Collateral and Miami Vice. Mann’s main tool to portray this to the audience is through his characters. In the case of Max and Vincent, Mann shows us that even though they have the capability to take on each other’s personalities; their central selves remain the same. In the scene where Max plays Vincent in order to get Vincent’s hit list back, Max takes on the anti-hero role. While changing his attitude and confidence level, Max is simply using what he learned as a cab driver in a different circumstance. In the beginning of the film we see Max’s gift of observation when he immediately identifies Annie as a lawyer due to her appearance and actions. Later in the restaurant Max immediately knows that the body guard is reaching for his gun and warns him to put it away before he attacks him, Improvising to the set of his surroundings, his identity changes accordingly.

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Last year, reports surfaced on how hard it was to lobby Christopher Nolan into directing a sequel to Batman Begins. Sure enough, after much effort from David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight went into production and became one of the biggest blockbuster films ever created, with Christopher Nolan at the helm. The third film was planned out with the Joker as the villain, but then the death of actor Heath Ledger shocked the world. Apparently Nolan was so emotionally distraught that he couldn’t see being involved with any more Batman films himself.

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This weekend the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise Terminator Salvation was released, but has received an extremely negative response. The film is currently tracking at 34 percent over at Rotten Tomatoes. Skeptics have been calling it “dumb” and they say it lacks “depth”. If you’ve read my review then you know that I rather enjoyed it and found many aspects of the film to be quite impressive, most notably and surprisingly McG’s direction. The lackluster response not just from critics, but also a few members of the fan-base comes off illogical and hypocritical.

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Terminator Salvation sets out to get this franchise back on track after a lackluster installment, and it succeeds on some levels. The first two films are landmarks in story telling and special effects. They were original films with unique ideas, while third film heavily lacked those ingredients. Although there is not much originality to be found here, the film still manages to be a fun entertaining action film.

Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, the film focuses on John Connor, the future leader of the resistance. After encountering Marcus Wright, a mysterious machine, Conner must decide whether to trust him or not while Skynet prepares it’s big attack. Connor and Marcus must band together to get to the heart of Skynet and to foil there plans which involve Connor’s destiny, Kyle Reese’s fate, and the secret of Marcus’s purpose.

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