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By Marni Weisz
February
The Other Boleyn Girl
Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman swathed in silk and helping each other get dressed may just be enough to get a larger than usual crowd out to see a costume drama.
With a screenplay by on-a-roll writer Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen), this dramatic period piece follows the two Boleyn sisters, Anne (Portman) and Mary (Johansson).
Anne, of course, is the more famous of the two, having married King Henry VIII (Eric Bana does the honours as a slim and trim early model), eventually losing her head when he becomes disenchanted with her. Mary, on the other hand, was Henry’s mistress. Ick. But at least she lived.
The film is based on Philippa Gregory’s bestselling novel, which imagines all sorts of wild intrigue and plot developments for the man-sharing girls. Most of it never happened.
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From left: Matthew Fox, William Hurt,
Dennis Quaid and Richard T. Jones
in Vantage Point. Above: Scarlett
Johansson (left) and Natalie Portman
in The Other Boleyn Girl
|
Vantage Point
Take elements from the Kennedy
assassination, throw in some lore from Saddam Hussein’s reign and mix
it all up in the style of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashômon and you’ve got some
insight into the complicated thriller Vantage Point.
William
Hurt plays the U.S. commander-in-chief, President Ashton, in Spain for
an anti-terrorism conference when the Secret Service discovers a plot
to assassinate him. So, he’s replaced with
a look-a-like for a
public appearance (like the ones Hussein reportedly used). The
look-a-like is indeed shot (could it be from that open window?),
creating an additional problem: How can the White House reveal that the
real President is alive and well? With the assassins still on Ashton’s
trail, he may not be alive for long anyway.
Like Kurosawa’s groundbreaking Rashômon,
the story is told from several perspectives — including those of two
Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox) and an American
tourist (Forest Whitaker) who filmed the entire event. |
The script was written by newcomer Barry Levy, and is in the hands of director Pete Travis, who’s only done TV to this point. Word is, the story was first offered to
24 as Season Five’s plotline. The producers considered it, but ultimately declined since they’d already done the whole Presidential assassination thing.
BRIEFLY:
March
Horton Hears a Who!
Jim Carrey plays his second Dr. Seuss character, after 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But this time only his voice is needed for the animated adaptation of Horton Hears a Who! Carrey is the elephant Horton, while Steve Carell pipes up as The Mayor of Who-ville.
April
Shine a Light
Director Martin Scorsese turns his camera on The Rolling Stones for
this documentary that was shot over two days as the Stones played New
York’s Beacon Theatre in 2006.