more Hollywood machinations

I may try to come up with some sort of regular roundup of interesting movie news to post here.  I don't know how that will work yet, but I keep realizing there's a lot of stuff I want to share.  It will likely only be once a week - there are plenty of sites and blogs out there completely focused on these things that can offer every breaking bit of information or rumor, so there is no point in getting into that game.  They have sources anyway, so I'd just be ripping them off.  Instead I'll just use them as my sources so I can pass along what seems like the most interesting news.


Like the news that Javier Bardem has been offered the part of Roland in the upcoming Dark Tower project.  I love the ambitiousness of the plan to bring the whole Dark Tower series to life through a mixture of movies and television, and it's about time Hollywood realized the potential of using these two mediums in tandem, rather than one as a source of material for the other (in either direction).  I haven't seen Biutiful yet but between his work in The Sea Inside and No Country for Old Men, I have no doubt that Bardem would be perfect for the role.


Perfection is not something I think of when I hear the name Elmo.  I am an old school Sesame Street guy - Grover, Oscar, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird.  When they introduced Elmo I had already moved on from Sesame Street, but the character always seemed too easy for me, with the baby voice and referring to himself in the third person.  The other characters had personalities.  Elmo just seemed too cutesy.  But I have to admit, I am curious to see Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, which just premiered at Sundance.  I'll take any opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at anything Jim Henson-related.  I just wish they could've put the spotlight on one of the other characters.  Elmo gets enough attention as it is.  There doesn't seem to be a trailer yet, but here you can check out a quick interview with the film's creators.


Finally, I want to try to showcase at least one new trailer in these posts.  Robert Redford is a mixed bag as a director, but this looks like it has potential, and I am surprised the story has not been told on film before (that I am aware of).  Here's hoping it pays off when it's released in April...