The Story of Noah's Duck

Tim here. Tomorrow, Darren Aronofsky’s longstanding passion project Noah finally opens, continuing the unexpected trend which has found 2014 turning the Year the Biblical Epic Came Back (what with Son of God in February, and Ridley Scott’s Exodus set for December). Compared to a lot of the A-list Bible stories, Noah and his ark haven’t been seen in the movies too terribly often, but there have been filmed versions of the tale stretching back at least to 1928, when Michael Curtiz directed a part-talkie version that contrasted the traditional story with a tale of soldiers in World War I (I haven’t seen it, but it sounds kind of terribly amazing).

But the whole history of Noah movies would be too daunting to talk about in one short post, so I’m just going to focus my energies on the last time that a major studio turned their attention to the story. As good luck would have it, this was a Disney cartoon: the “Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4” segment from Fantasia 2000, in which the story of Noah was turned, rather weirdly, into a slapstick vehicle for Donald Duck...

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Is Jai Courtney the Next Sam Worthington. Or Something More?

Jai Courtney photographed by Davis Factor for Flaunt MagazineNews broke today that 28 year-old rising star Jai Courtney won't have to turn down Terminator: Genesis as previously suspected due to his Divergent contract. He'll be able to make both Insurgent and the stupidly rebooting Terminator franchise. (I know I've said it about a dozen times but why on earth would anyone need to reboot a time travel franchise? You've got your "do-over!" right there in the narrative for chrissakes). The studios have worked out a deal and so he's officially on board Terminator: Genesis. He'll be taking over the role of Kyle Reese originated by Michael Biehn and later played by both Jonathan Jackson and Anton Yelchin. None of those three previous actors are anything alike so the role of our future savior's time travelling babydaddy is flexible you might say. 

But is Jai Courtney?

I'm not here to judge but to ask you to. I regret to inform that I'm not as familiar as I possibly should be given his current "in demand" status in Hollywood. I've seen him attempt and fail to break Shailene Woodley's spirit in Divergent (reviewed) and attempt and succeed in breaking lots of Russian bones in A Good Day To Die Hard but I haven't seen his breakthrough role on the Spartacus TV series or his work in Jack Reacher or I, Frankenstein. Perhaps you have?

In Divergent and in Die Hard 5 there was something of a Sam Worthington vibe:  capable, masculine, nice to look at but not (yet?) distinct exactly. Are the features too blandly handsome*? Is there star charisma inside? If there is he needs to unpack it soon. 

I was about to say that being Australian suggests that he is a lot more than the new Sam Worthington (they make such fine movie stars down under) but then I remembered that Sam Worthington was also, in fact, Australian. Oopsie.

The evidence remains inconclusive! I await your verdict in the comments. 

*The most distinct feature might well be his nose which has an adorable slope/tip

The Linkettes

Wonkette crazed religious rightwing preacher says that Frozen will make you gay. And a witch!
Pajiba saves me the trouble of doing a Yes No Maybe So on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) traiser
24 Frames Per Second Mynt Marsellus follows up on that "screenplays you must read" article we were discussing the other day with 5 screenplays by women or people of color to add diversity to it. Fine choices
People Emma Watson looks great in menswear

In Contention on the final James Gandolfini film The Drop from the director of Bullhead
The Exploding Kinetoscope demands that you take Summer Stock (1950) more seriously. There's more to that Judy Garland film than "Get Happy"
Los Angeles Magazine James Franco on his poetry and being on that "leaked" list of Lindsay's lovers...
TFE ...icymi we discussed that list here
Gilt City if you have $175-$235 to spare you can see Cate Blanchett, Isabelle Huppert and Elizabeth Debicki in The Maids on stage here in NY. Good goddess, what a trio. That's above my pay grade but if you see it, do tell me how magical it was. (Cheaper worse tickets go on sale and will surely sell out instantly) on Monday. 
MNPP [nsfw] JA's off to Italy but first a bath and a Mr Ripley reminder
AV Club... whoa. OCD VHS recordings are being put to good use in San Francisco 
Film School Rejects "are you hating movies properly?"

Today's Must See
Oooh, I don't know how I missed this yesterday but Just Jared posted set pics from Suffragette the new Carey Mulligan/Meryl Streep political period piece. FWIW, because no site ever gives credit on these things when they post set pics, the costumes are by Jane Petrie, a relatively new Costume Designer whose previous credits include genre pictures like An American Haunting, Moon and 28 Days Later. But she's moving straight into prestige films. She's got Suffragette as well as the Stephen Frears Lance Armstrong biopic if that one stays on track. 

Meryl in "Suffragette"

Today's Must Read
Ester Bloom, who wrote a couple of pieces here at TFE a few years ago, has a terrific essay up on Flavorwire about the sexuality (or lack thereof) in Wes Anderson's films and how Grand Budapest Hotel is and isn't a significant departure in this regard. Consider this bit.

Anderson is famous for fawning over his symmetrical landscapes the way other directors dote on their female stars; if he is turned on by anything, it seems to be dioramas. The people who fall in love in Anderson’s universes are either actual children, like the awkward tweens of Moonrise Kingdom, or metaphorical ones, like the emotionally stunted Herman Blume of Rushmore and Richie Tenenbaum of The Royal Tenenbaums. And all hearts break in the end.

It's a really good read so click on over. 

"The Last Days of Mad Men" (I'll Just Be Over Here Crying)

In 17 days the final season of Mad Men begins. 

Time Magazine is already prepping us for the end though the final season will be annoyingly severed at the center and stretching well into 2015. We live in such extreme pop culture times, right? Movies and televison both are now in the habit of splitting endings into two parts. On the other side we have binge-watching. Sensible pacing, somewhere inbetween, may well soon be extinct. 

I'll just be over here in the corner crying when the show wraps up whenever it does. Generally speaking when a successful show wraps up we should be happy to say goodbye. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for example, was part of my soul but it was time for Sunnydale to crater. Too many shows overstay their welcome (shows that maintain their quality past season 4 or 5 are as rare as unicorns) but Mad Men. Are you ready? I am not. Maybe by 2015?

Which shows were hardest for you to say goodbye to? 

Beauty Break: Keira Knightley

Here's Andrew Kendall to celebrate Keira Knightly who just turned 29. Happy Belated Birthday Keira

Keira at the Jack Ryan premiere

Considering that both Anna Karenina and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World were released in 2012 is it too soon for Keira withdrawal? Admittedly, I'm greedy -- in the demographic of late twentysomething / early thirtysomething actresses, she's the one most likely to get me to see a movie, no questions asked. (And, so, I fell prey to Jack Ryan which did little in the way of satiating that Keira shaped void.)

Keira lovers have three films to anticipate for 2014: the comedy Laggies debuted at Sundance; the historical drama The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch which already has Oscar buzz; and Begin Again, the significantly less intriguing name of the film once titled Can A Song Save Your Life that featured in TFE's "We Can't Wait" 2014 countdown.

It seems strange that she's only 29. [More...]

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