Oceans 8. Links 16
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 6:02PM • Variety we now have seven of the names for the Oceans Eight gender flipped movie: Blanchett, Bullock, Hathaway, Bonham Carter, Kaling, and two musicians who moonlight as actors Rihanna and Awkwafina
• NYFF the 54th annual festival has released the main slate titles - Opening Night: The 13th (Ava Duvernay); Centerpiece: 20th Century Women (Mike Mills); Closing Night: The Lost City of Z (James Gray); plus their usual array of buzzy titles from other festivals only this time there are a lot of female leads (which is a huge change) including Aquarius, Toni Erdmann, Personal Shopper, and an Isabelle Huppert double in L'Avenir and Elle.
• Pajiba debates Suicide Squad's interpretation of Harley Quinn
• Variety a new lawsuit about Out of Africa's profits. That's timely! (People forget that it was a giant hit at the time)
• Deadline David O. Russell pitching a TV series with Robert De Niro & Julianne Moore. What the what now?
• Variety FX executive on Peak TV, Netflix and when the "Peak TV" bubble will burst
• Vulture Matt Zoller Seitz on the problems with serial-dramas on TV right now -- the model is shifting yet again
• Pride Source Meryl Streep talks her discomfort being imitated (!), Florence Foster Jenkins, sequels, and her connections to the LGBT community
• IndieWire Greta Gerwig writing another screen version of Little Women - we get one every generation it seems
• /Film a Ghostbusters sequel with the ladies seems unlikely as the film will record a theatrical loss due to that ginormous budget
• Comics Alliance breaks down the Luke Cage trailer
• i09 Black Manta will be the villain in Aquaman
Off Screen
• Playbill Tony Danza names his favorite stage performances. Somewhat surprising but cool list featuring Mare Winningham, Mark Rylance, Faith Prince and more...
• GQ "Stop trying to get perfect abs." Love this - Define your personality instead.
• The Adequate Man "Steve Martin is My Body Icon" on looking like the same exact person for ages
Today's Must Read
Todd VanDerWerff has a gorgeous personal essay up on Vox called "Hamilton isn't perfect. But it's *perfect." I couldn't write for a month after I saw it". That's a mouthful but cozy up and be moved. It's on seeing Hamilton, the power of who is telling your story, and Todd's birth parents.
Reader Comments (19)
I just burst out laughing at Awkwafina. Will her vag win Best Supporting Vag?
Why couldn't they give the roles to people who can act like Lupita Nyogn'o and Tessa Thompson instead of Rhianna and who? This is a FAIL!!!!!
Blanchett is usually fairly selective about her projects. I wonder why she signed on to that Ocean's 8 reboot? And I wonder if we'll see her exiting soon?
That Ocean's 8 thing seems tragic. What happened to the Lucille Ball film? Run Cate, run.
I hope people go see Florence Foster Jenkins on opening weekend. The stars are definitely doing press and out and about to support it.
That Hamilton article is a beauty.
As much as I like Rhianna as a celebrity and singer, she has never conveyed more than blank dead-eyes as an actress, which is a real shame. Still waiting on some Latina actresses (at least they've changed the name so that it's not TOO egregious?!)
PS, only in Hollywood does a $180M grossing film (on a budget of $40M) have no profits to share. Team disgruntled producer.
I'm actually more excited about Rihanna than I am about Mindy Kaling. Say what you want about her wit and intelligence, I've never found Kaling to be a convincing actor. She is a good writer and a likable celebrity but as a "comedienne" I don't even think her timing is that great. She'd never hack it on SNL, where similarly limited actresses like Tina Fey have done so well. Fey plays "herself" too but she does it better than Kaling.
At least Rihanna can be coached and cast to make the most of her star wattage. Look at Madonna...most of the time she's quite bad but when the stars align, it's movie magic. I'm here for Rihanna's League of Their Own moment, if we can dream.
And I forgot to say (as I do every day), thank god for Anne Hathaway. That's all.
It's very difficult for me to imagine how a TV cop show with Robert DeNiro and Julianne Moore could be good. Many of these projects seem like the stars are primarily following the money? Sad face
I can't help thinking that this whole all-female reboot fever is exactly the opposite that Hollywood should be doing. I mean, if they really want to make a difference. If they're looking for headlines and box office it will work for a couple of movies and then they will have to move on.
Oceans 8 is a mixed bag. Yay for Helena Bonham Carter but Rhianna - not great.
And it's called Ocean's Ocho......
Why can't we have all of these women in an original movie instead of a bad idea reboot?
According to Helena Bonham Carter, the script for Ocean's Eight is really funny and really good...so, here's hoping at least.
...and three of the four recommended articles at the end of the GQ piece are "Eat your way to a six-pack", "Get a six-pack by riding your bike" and "Get abs like surf hero Anthony Walsh".
Hooray for hypocrisy.
I love the idea of Julianne Moore and David O. Russell working director. He may be an asshole, but he's great with actors and Moore should try more his line fast-paced dramedy about messy people (my favorite genre). Last time she did it she was great, in The Kids Are Alright.
Obviously I agree with GQ's "Stop Trying to Get a 6 Pack", but imagine for a second if a major men's magazine (or largely men's magazine) told women "Stop Trying to Be Beautiful." It's a good message to give to boys and men but it would be far more revolutionary to give it to girls and women. The idea that men should focus on their personalities and not their looks is not new. Telling women that their personalities should matter more would be a bigger deal.
I'm really curious as to why Sarah Polley (who's work so far I've LOVED) has exited the Little Women project. Not that I mind... I'm sure she (and Gerwig too) could devote her efforts to something more original/worthwhile.
I hope Rihana is not as obnoxious in live action as she sounded in that animated movie "Home"
The comments section in Variety about Ocean's 8 is so predictably misogynist. Sigh!