Emile Hirsch Living 'The Motel Life'

One of Hollywood's finest young talents has found a new project. 

The Trades are reporting Emile Hirsch (who hasn't been seen in a major role since 2008's Milk) has joined the film adaptation of Willy Vlautin's novel, The Motel Life.  Hirsch is the first to sign on to the project which is still without a director or writer (must have been a hell of a novel if there's no script yet).

The Motel Life tells the story of two brothers who skip Reno after being involved in a fatal accident.  No word yet on who will play Hirsch's brother in the film, but can I suggest James Franco?  Him and Hirsch seem to have gone down similar career paths and would be great to see them together on screen again.

Production is aiming to start sometime this year so expect more announcements on this project coming sooner rather than later.

The full synopsis for The Motel Life is listed below [via Amazon]:

In a gritty debut, Vlautin explores a few weeks in the broken lives of two working-class brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, who abruptly ditch their Reno motel after Jerry Lee drunkenly kills a boy on a bicycle in a hit-and-run. The two are case studies in hard luck: their mother died when they were 14 and 16, respectively; their father is an ex-con deadbeat; neither finished high school. Frank has had just one girlfriend, motel neighbor Annie, whose mother is an abusive prostitute. An innocent simpleton, Jerry Lee is left feeling suicidal after the accident, despite his younger brother's efforts (à la Of Mice and Men's Lenny and George) to console him: "It was real quiet, the way he cried," says Frank, "like he was whimpering." On returning to Reno, an eventual reckoning awaits them. Vlautin's coiled, poetically matter-of-fact prose calls to mind S.E. Hinton—a writer well-acquainted with male misfit protagonists seeking redemption, no matter how destructive. Despite the bleak story and its inevitably tragic ending, Vlautin, who plays in the alt-country band Richmond Fontaine, transmits a quiet sense of resilience and hopefulness.

Full List of 2011 Academy Award Nominations

Best Picture
“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right ”
“The King’s Speech”
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”
“Toy Story 3″
“True Grit”
“Winter’s Bone”

Best Direction
Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan”
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “True Grit”
David Fincher for “The Social Network”
Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech”
David O. Russell for “The Fighter”

Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
James Franco in “127 Hours”
Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Adapted Screenplay
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy for “127 Hours”
Aaron Sorkin for “The Social Network”
Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich for “Toy Story 3″
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “True Grit”
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini for “Winter’s Bone”

Original Screenplay
Mike Leigh for “Another Year”
Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington and Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson for “The Fighter”
Christopher Nolan for “Inception”
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg for “The Kids Are All Right”
David Seidler for “The King’s Speech”

Animated Feature
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“The Illusionist”
“Toy Story 3″

Art Direction
“Alice in Wonderland”: Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O’Hara (Set Decoration)
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″: Stuart Craig (Production Design), Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration)
“Inception”: Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration)
“The King’s Speech”: Eve Stewart (Production Design), Judy Farr (Set Decoration)
“True Grit”: Jess Gonchor (Production Design), Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

Cinematography
“Black Swan”: Matthew Libatique
“Inception”: Wally Pfister
“The King’s Speech”: Danny Cohen
“The Social Network”: Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit”: Roger Deakins

Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland”: Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love”: Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King’s Speech”: Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest”: Sandy Powell
“True Grit”: Mary Zophres

Documentary (Feature)
“Exit through the Gift Shop”
“Gasland”
“Inside Job”
“Restrepo”
“Waste Land”

Documentary (Short Subject)
“Killing in the Name”
“Poster Girl”
“Strangers No More”
“Sun Come Up”
“The Warriors of Qiugang”

Film Editing
“Black Swan”: Andrew Weisblum
“The Fighter”: Pamela Martin
“The King’s Speech”: Tariq Anwar
“127 Hours”: Jon Harris
“The Social Network”: Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Foreign Language Film
“Biutiful”: Mexico
“Dogtooth”: Greece
“In a Better World”: Denmark
“Incendies”: Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)”: Algeria

Makeup
“Barney’s Version”: Adrien Morot
“The Way Back”: Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman”: Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon”: John Powell
“Inception”: Hans Zimmer
“The King’s Speech”: Alexandre Desplat
“127 Hours”: A.R. Rahman
“The Social Network”: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)
“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Short Film (Animated)
“Day & Night”: Teddy Newton
“The Gruffalo”: Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
“Let’s Pollute”: Geefwee Boedoe
“The Lost Thing”: Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)”: Bastien Dubois

Short Film (Live Action)
“The Confession”: Tanel Toom
“The Crush”: Michael Creagh
“God of Love”: Luke Matheny
“Na Wewe”: Ivan Goldschmidt
“Wish 143″: Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing
“Inception”: Richard King
“Toy Story 3″: Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
“Tron: Legacy”: Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
“True Grit”: Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
“Unstoppable”: Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing
“Inception”: Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
“The King’s Speech”: Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
“Salt”: Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
“The Social Network”: Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
“True Grit”: Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland”: Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″: Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter”: Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
“Inception”: Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2″: Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

A Take on the Major 2011 Oscar Nominations

BEST PICTURE:

Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures), Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers

The Fighter (Paramount Pictures), David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers

Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures), Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features), Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers

The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company), Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers

127 Hours (Fox Searchlight Pictures), Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers

The Social Network (Columbia Pictures), Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

Toy Story 3 (Disney•Pixar), Darla K. Anderson, Producer

True Grit (Paramount Pictures), Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

Winter's Bone (Roadside Attractions), Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Take: No complaints here.  I think this list represents all of the best films of the year with no second guessing.  It's obviously a two-horse race between The Social Network and The King's Speech, but watch out for The Fighter.  I'd say that's this year's dark horse.

DIRECTING:

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

David O. Russell - The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)

Tom Hooper - The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company)

David Fincher - The Social Network (Columbia Pictures)

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - True Grit (Paramount Pictures)

Take: Another year, another snub for Christopher Nolan.  Don't get me wrong, all the nominees here are well deserving (especially Aronofsky, Russell, and Fincher), but the Coen Bros.?  True Grit was a great film but they just won two years ago with No Country for Old Men and are probably last on eveyone's list to win because of that.  Nolan deserved a nomination, hands down.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

Javier Bardem - Biutiful (Roadside Attractions)

Jeff Bridges - True Grit (Paramount Pictures)

Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network (Columbia Pictures)

Colin Firth - The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company)

James Franco - 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Take: Firth is the favorite and will most likely win, but common Academy, what about Mark Wahlberg?  The guy put himself through hell for four years both for his role in The Fighter and to get the film made.  No other actor on this list can say they did anything close to that.  He deserved a nomination.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)

Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole (Lionsgate)

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone (Roadside Attractions)

Natalie Portman - Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine (The Weinstein Company)

Take: It's either going to be Portman or Bening.  Sorry Nicole, but you're just there for show.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Christian Bale - The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)

John Hawkes - Winter's Bone (Roadside Attractions)

Jeremy Renner - The Town (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)

Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company)

Take: Christian Bale will win.  Next.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Amy Adams - The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)

Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company)

Melissa Leo - The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit (Paramount Pictures)

Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom (Sony Pictures Classics)

Take: Great list, great nominees.  Very impressive for the young Hailee Steinfeld, but I think this is Melissa Leo's to lose.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

127 Hours (Fox Searchlight Pictures), Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

The Social Network (Columbia Pictures), Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3 (Disney•Pixar), Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

True Grit (Paramount Pictures), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Winter's Bone (Roadside Attractions), Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Take: Based on this whole award season so far, this is Aaron Sorkin's without a doubt.  Would be shocked if he doesn't win.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Another Year (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Mike Leigh

The Fighter (Paramount Pictures), Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures), Written by Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features), Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Seidler

Take: Any of these films could win, but my gut tells me they will give it to Nolan for Inception based on his snub for Best Director.

Keanu Reeves Talks Future Projects

So there's this story going around from AintItCoolNews regarding an unconfirmed report of Keanu Reeves speaking as a guest of honor at the London School of Performing Arts University in England.  In it, the source states that Reeves was there promoting his new film, Henry's Crime, and talked to the class for a good 45 minutes, finishing up with a Q&A.

On the upcoming Japanese samurai film, 47 Ronin:

- Says he's prepping a action movie around the world of the samurai and that it will be a hard "R" rated 3D action feast that will deliver some great martial art set pieces. he's into 2 months of a 6 month training programme.

On the long in-development Bill and Ted 3:

- Spoke briefly about the possibility of Bill and Ted part 3 - ( Audience started laughing) but he assured us he's committed to the project.

On doing possible Parts 4 & 5 of The Matrix series:

- Says he met the Wachowski's (no emphasis on the word brothers), for lunch over Christmas and stated that they had completed work on a two picture script treatment that would see him return to the world of the matrix as Neo. Says the brothers have met with Jim Cameron to discuss the pro's and con's of 3D and are looking to deliver something which has never been seen again. keanu stated that he still has an obligation to the fans to deliver a movie worthy of the title "The Matrix" and he swears this time that the treatment will truly revolutionise the action genre like the first movie. Wachowski's are working on a movie called "Cloud Atlas" at the moment, once that concludes they will talk again.

On writers needing to be original and produce good, quality work (along with talking about the Wachowski's Hood):

- Keanu spoke about the need to encourage writers to continue to focus on working on new ideas and that a good script was worth its weight in gold. For example he said the Wachowski's had just sold the most expensive script in history to Warner Brothers. a modern futuristic take on the legend of "Robin Hood". Says he understands WB paid $5 million for the rights and that  from what the wachowski's have told him, it will be an action movie that would have the same impact visually and technically that Terminator 2 had. Confirmed that Will Smith has agreed ti headline the picture.

I must admit, as many people who knock Keanu Reeves for being a "wooden" actor, the guy is one of the few big-names in Hollywood who cares about putting quality work up on the screen.  His last few films for example (A Scanner Darkly, The Lake House, Street Kings, The Secret Lives of Pippa Lee, the upcoming Henry's Crime) weren't made to just get made; you could tell each had talented, passionate people working behind each project.  He's also one of the hardest working actors in the business (a six-month training regime for 47 Ronin?).  Who else does that?

More on this story as it develops as I'm sure confirmation is just around the corner.

Update on Mon, January 24, 2011 by John DiNicola

Sorry guys, apparently this whole story is built off of lies.  EW reports no such event took place in England and Keanu was not there.  Much apologies.

Next Superman Film to be called 'Kal-El'?

The fact that I came across this little tidbit this morning and just came home from work and not one other website picked up on it is beyond me.  Anyway, in this story circulating the net regarding the title of the next James Bond film (possibly Red Sky At Night), everyone has failed to notice the other title that caught my eye but apparently no one else:

Im close friends with an art director in the film industry, i wont mention his name but he has worked closely with production designer Michael Carlin and is about to start work in Canada on Kal-El, the next Superman movie.

Now I know what you're thinking, bullshit right?  Well look at the facts for a second.  The new Superman movie is yet without an official title, it's been heavily rumored to be filming in Canada, the production designer mentioned is an actual Hollywood name, and we've consistently heard that this new film will be about the in-between of Clark Kent and Superman, Kal-El. 

Take this for what it's worth, but I think I've found something here.

Warner Bros. To Reboot 'Lethal Weapon'

Yes, you read that correctly.

Warner Bros. studios is going to reboot the Lethal Weapon franchise.

I'll let that sink in for a moment...

Why is this happening?  Well, Heat Vision (who broke this story) will report that it is due to longtime studio executive Jessica Goodman leaving at the end of this year and her portfolio (projects she had in the pipeline) being reassigned to several other studio execs.  But you want to know the real reason why a classic film such as Lethal Weapon is being redone?  I will spell it out clear as day.

Hollywood has run out of fucking ideas.  Plain and simple.

Enjoy the next ten years when we'll witness remakes of The Terminator and Blade Runner too.

Fuck you Hollywood.

Update on Wed, January 19, 2011 by John DiNicola

TOLDJA! reports Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver (this guy is still running the franchise?) have hired Will Beall to write the reboot.  Beall is the former L.A. cop who wrote the novel, L.A. Rex, along with the currently in pre-production, Gangster Squad, a period crime drama based on an elite crime unit that fought against organized corruption.  Ruben Fleischer is directing.

Apparently, Beall pitched a hard R-rated cop film in the same tone as the original.

Honestly, I couldn't care if they got Ben Affleck or Michael Mann to make this thing.  Some classics should be left alone and this is one of them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger May Return "With Wings As Eagles"

Well, that didn't take long.  Two weeks after Arnold Schwarzenegger finished his term as Governor of 'Caleefornuh,' news comes from TheArnoldFans that the former action star is looking at three scripts right now to possibly make his return to movies.  One of those scripts is With Wings As Eagles.  For those of you who don't recall, With Wings was a film Schwarzenegger was circling many years ago before he took on his political duties.

The film is said to take place during WWII in which Arnold would play a German officer who is ordered by his Nazi party to kill a bunch of kids.  Schwarznegger's character (said to be named Osterman) refuses his duty, and decides to help the kids escape.

Arnold agrees the film would not be a popcorn action-flick, but more so a dramatic, epic film.  He relates the stage his career is in now to that of Clint Eastwood:

 "In the future I have to adapt my roles to my age. Clint Eastwood also has done it in the same way. Extreme fighting or shooting is not possible anymore. I want to be more encouraged as an actor and I believe that I can manage this challenge. I am like a sponge, which is absorbing all the knowledge and always be willing to learn all new things."

We'll see what happens with this project over the next few months.

New Image from 'Captain America: The First Avenger'

Now this is a film that just keeps looking better and better.  Might end up being the best of the summer (but I reserve judgment until I see the trailer).  Thanks to the LA Times for posting the pic.  The film's official synopsis is below:

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D’Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the Super-Solider Serum and bombarded by “vita-rays.” Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and as leader of the Avengers.

New 'Scream 4' Trailer

I have to admit, this actually looks quite good.  With the original cast returning (Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette), Kevin Williamson writing (Scream & Scream 2), and Wes Craven directing, it's hard to imagine this not being a worthy entry to the series.  I think it's going to surprise a lot of skeptics.  Take a look for yourself along with the official synopsis below:

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courteney Cox), who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her Aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell). Unfortunately Sidney’s appearance also brings about the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

Van Damme Leaning Towards Doing 'Expendables 2'

It looks like Jean-Claude Van Damme's ego is finally starting to come around.

After electing not to be apart of Sylvester Stallone's testosterone-fueled, action-hit, The Expendables (due to reportedly not wanting to share the screen with other stars), Van Damme is apparently gearing up to appear in the film's sequel...under one condition.  Sheldon Lettich, writer/director of Van Damme's 1991 hit, Double Impact (who also stated that film's sequel is getting closer to reality), has stated on 'The Muscles from Brussels' message boards that JC is keen for the film, as long as one particular action star is not there:

”JC seems to be leaning towards appearing in the sequel, as far as I know… If Steven Seagal is not in the sequel”, says the filmmaker, “From what I’ve heard it, [Seagal] won’t be because of Sly but because of producer Avi Lerner, who had a few bad experiences with Steven.”

Well there you have it folks.  Looks like as long as Tubby Steven stays clear of Expendables 2, JC is good to go.  Besides Van Damme, along with the rest of the cast from the first film, other rumored action stars tossed around have been Dwayne Johnson, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis (in larger, more distinct roles that in the first film) and...dare I say it...Channing Tatum.  No, I'm not shitting you.  I actually heard his name has been mentioned.

We shall find out more soon as filming on Expendables 2 is expected to begin sometime this year.

Thanks to Moviehole for first reporting this.