John Malkovich

John Malkovich in Talks to Fight Zombies in Jonathan Levine’s WARM BODIES

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 7th, 2011 at 9:13 pm

There are probably some movies that would not be improved by the presence of John Malkovich*.  Warm Bodies is not one of those movies.  Nicholas Hoult stars as R, a self-aware zombie who falls for the girlfriend of one his victims, played by Teresa Palmer—R protects her from the other zombies as he starts to regain his humanity.  According to Variety, Malkovich is in final negotiations to play General Grigio, “who’s obsessed with the destruction of the zombie threat.”  Rob Corddry is on board play M, the only other zombie like R… at first.

I love the premise, this cast is great, and I trust young writer/director Jonathan Levine (50/50) to bring it all together.  Please, Mr. Malkovich, sign on and make Warm Bodies that much better.  Levine’s script is based on the novel by Isaac Marion—read the synopsis after the jump.

John Malkovich to Star in SIBERIAN EDUCATION

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 8:48 pm

John Malkovich has signed on to star in Siberian Education, an adaptation of the Nicolai Lilin autobiography of the same name.  Lilin grew up in Transnitria, a lawless community between Moldova and Ukraine that still maintains a strict moral code.  According to Variety, Malkovich will play “Grandfather Kuzja, who teaches his grandson Kolyma (played by Lithuanian actor Arnas Fedaravicius) the morals of  “honest criminals.’”

Stefano Rulli, Sandro Petraglia, and director Gabriele Salvatores (I’m Not Scared) collaborated on the screenplay, set in 1985-1995.  The international production starts shooting in Lithuania at the end of August — a few scenes will film in Italy.  Read the book synopsis after the break.

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 28th, 2011 at 10:04 am

A Michael Bay movie cannot be measured by the same standards as a normal movie.  A Bay movie cares not for compelling characters, narrative cohesion, or realistic emotions.  Instead, a Michael Bay movie must be judged on its “Bay-ness”.  How gigantic are the special effects?  What levels of homophobia, sexism, and racism can the humor reach without being outright offensive?  How long can the camera linger over the curves of the sexually-charged lead female character without starting to feel like really expensive porn?  Transformers: Dark of the Moon is about as Michael Bay as Michael Bay can get within the confines of a PG-13 movie (his gold standard in the R-rated realm is Bad Boys II).  The movie is far more successful in its action sequences and its humor (homophobic, sexist, and racist as it may be) than 2009′s abysmal Return of the Fallen), but lacks the charm of the first film in the franchise.  But since “charm” can’t be digitized and bought for millions of dollars, Bay is all about the set pieces and judging by that metric, the final hour of Dark of the Moon is his masterpiece.

Final Trailer and Posters for TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 27th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

A last-minute trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been released, along with a couple of new posters. There’s quite a few new shots to be seen here, and this one really ramps up the action. With Michael Bay doing all he can to ensure that the 3D prints are projected at the highest quality possible, this is gonna be one hell of a visual experience.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and posters. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand.  Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens in 3D on June 29th.

Images and Video from the Moscow Premiere of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 24th, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Paramount has sent over some video and a bunch of images from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon premiere in Moscow.  So if you’d like to see Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, the band Linkin Park, and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura on the green carpet, hit the jump.  In addition, the video the studio sent over mixes footage from the premiere with cast interviews.

As I said when I posted the clips earlier today, I can’t wait to see TF3 next week.  Everything I’ve seen tells me it’s going to be a really fun ride.

8 New Images from TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 13th, 2011 at 11:42 am

Eight new images from Transformers: Dark of the Moon have been released.  This proves yet again that the movie exists and that it will feature actors and giant robots.  Thank goodness.  I’m glad we could clear that up.

Hit the jump to check out the images. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand.  Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens in 3D on June 29th.

New Trailer and Clip from TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 20th, 2011 at 12:55 pm

The new trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has gone online. If you want to see the trailer in 3D, it’ll be playing in front of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides starting today.  This new trailer is very similar to the first one. It’s just as impressive, and the epic nature of the flick is very prominent. As much as I want to look forward to this, I’m still wary given how cool the trailers for Revenge of the Fallen looked compared to how terrible the actual film was. Nevertheless, the Chicago set-piece looks positively massive. The clip features Josh Duhamel’s character and a bunch of guys jumping out of an aircraft, which is much more exciting than the first clip that consisted of a pissing contest between Shia LaBeouf and Patrick Dempsey.

Hitting 3D theaters on June 29th, Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, and voice work from Hugo Weaving, Peter Cullen, and Leonard Nimoy. And if you missed it, be sure to check out Steve’s report from Michael Bay and James Cameron’s recent presentation on 3D here. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Trailer and First Official Synopsis

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011 at 2:49 pm

The theatrical trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has landed online. We see some pretty fantastic looking footage on the moon, followed by some really impressive stuff back on Earth. We’re talking full-on invasion this time around. We get our first look at Frances McDormand as well. However, as we all know from the second flick Revenge of the Fallen, simply watching robots fight for 2+ hours does not a good movie make (understatement). This one has to be better than Revenge of the Fallen, right? Hitting 3D theaters on July 1st, Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, and voice work from Hugo Weaving, Peter Cullen, and Leonard Nimoy.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the first “synopsis” and a new still from the movie.  I put “synopsis” in quotations because it’s more of a logline and not a particularly illuminating one at that.

John Malkovich and Catherine Keener Ask WHAT’S THIS S%^@ CALLED LOVE?

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 31st, 2011 at 9:08 pm

Director Jesse Peretz  met the high expectations that awaited his My Idiot Brother at Sundance, and is already hard at work on his next film, What’s This S%^@ Called Love?.  The cast of S%^@ may even rival the impressive My Idiot Brother ensemble, as John Malkovich and Catherine Keener are in talks to star.  Fans of the truly bizarre may recall that Keener and Malkovich last appeared together on screen in 1999′s Being John Malkovich.

Peretz’s script is set in the era and town in which he was raised: 1980s Cambridge, Massachusetts.  According to 24 Frames, the plot centers on a teenage boy who is on the verge of coming out: “His ultra-progressive family actually wants to celebrate the boy’s newfound sexuality, while all the boy wants is to be left alone.”  Sounds a bit precious, but Keener specializes in selling me on this kind of emotional comedy.

Tim Perell (Last Chance Harvey) will produce What’s This S%^@ Called Love?, which I can only hope is a tentative title.  The Weinstein Company picked up My Idiot Brother for a November 25 release.

Summit to Pick Up PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER Starring Emma Watson and Logan Lerman

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 24th, 2011 at 8:00 pm

In May we heard Emma Watson (the Harry Potter series) and Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) are teaming up for an adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  John Malkovich is independently producing the feature, but Perks was unable to land a studio home before the end of 2010 — even with this package.  That should change.  And soon.

Vulture hears Summit Entertainment is in talks to pick up the coming-of-age film with plans for a June shoot.  Chbosky plans to write and direct the adaptation.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of a teen who assumes the alias “Charlie” (Lerman), and describes the various events of his high school life in letters to an anonymous person.  Watson would play Charlie’s friend Sam.  Hit the jump for the full synopsis and a look at the two stars’ upcoming projects.

Exclusive: Summit Hires Jon and Erich Hoeber to Write Sequel to RED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 17th, 2011 at 3:07 pm

Summit Entertainment landed a hit last year with the action-comedy Red.  The Bruce Willis film was the highest-grossing picture for the studio outside of the Twilight franchise and has currently raked in $164 million worldwide.  Also, while you and I know that the Golden Globes are meaningless, the nomination for “Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)” helped raise the movie’s profile.  With all that in mind, sources have told us that Summit has hired screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber to write a sequel.  It’s worth noting that commissioning a script is not the same thing as a giving a green light.  However, it is an important first step and if Summit is happy with the Hoebers’ screenplay, then I would expect the studio to hit the gas on what they’re probably hoping will be a new franchise.

Hit the jump for more on the Hoebers and my thoughts on a potential sequel.

First Teaser Trailer and Poster for TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 8th, 2010 at 4:23 pm

Paramount has released the first teaser trailer for Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon and it’s extremely well cut and a great teaser.  While many studios love to reveal too much in their trailers and sometimes even in their teaser trailers, this is a perfect example of how to sell your movie without giving it all away.  Also, I love the way it works in a huge moment from the late 60′s and makes it connect with the universe of Transformers.  I don’t want to spoil it…

In addition, I spent three hours yesterday with Michael Bay and he showed me (and a few other reporters) a ton of footage from the 3rd Transformers movie.  In fact, he probably showed us a lot more footage than anyone at the studio expected.  But because he lifted the veil on the story and some of the massive action set pieces, I can tell you with certainty the 3rd Transformers movie looks to be the biggest and possible the best of the trilogy.  He knows the second one wasn’t what it should’ve been and he’s aiming for a huge improvement in terms of story and action.  While he asked us not reveal any spoilers…I saw an action set piece that looks so fraking amazing, even with people firing guns at nothing and some shots just animatics, I was completely invested in the scene and I could follow exactly what they were trying to do.  I was blown away by the footage.  Trust me, the 3rd movie is going to be a huge improvement and you have never seen action on this scale.  It also has a story!  Hit the jump for the teaser, the first official image, and a promo poster:

RED Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 15th, 2010 at 8:04 am

Red is a movie that’s better than it should be and yet isn’t as good as it could be.  The jokes could be funnier, the action could be more exhilarating, the pacing could be quicker, but the film is still a success.  And yet with stronger direction and a more polished script, Red could have been one of the better films of the year thanks to its strong cast.  Not only do they play off each other well, but Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, and Helen Mirren all give terrific performances.  Red gets the job done, but there’s frustration in seeing it come up as only passable.

John Malkovich Video Interview RED; Watch the NYC Press Conference

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 15th, 2010 at 12:13 am

At the New York City press junket for Summit Entertainment’s Red (which is a very fun movie), I was able to participate in a press conference with John Malkovich.  While I’m usually only able to offer the transcript and audio from a press conference, Summit has provided me with the video so you can watch it for yourself.

During the thirty of so minutes, Malkovich talked about why he didn’t read the Red graphic novel before filming, why he’s so fascinated with clothing, does he still get directed or are people afraid to tell him what to do, did he like working with all the weapons in Red, and he’s even asked about movies like Con Air and some of his previous characters.  If you’re a fan of this very gifted actor, I’m sure you’ll want to hit the jump:

Ernest Borgnine Video Interview RED; Plus He Talks About His Previous Movies Like MARTY and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 14th, 2010 at 8:05 am

At the New York City press junket for Red, I got to participate in a press conference with Ernest Borgnine.  While it was great to be able to talk with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich, the chance to hear Borgnine reminisce about his decades in the movie business was also extremely cool.  Also, with Borgnine being 93 years old, I’m well aware this might have been my last chance to interview him.

During the press conference, Borgnine talked about how he first got into the “picture” business, making such films as Marty and From Here to Eternity, working with Frank Sinatra, what really went on behind the scenes of McHale’s Navy, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch what he had to say:

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