Big Projects News from the fourth continent this week as Ms Tamsin and Norman send Father Geek their respective reports to post in the current AICN-Downunder column this Wednesday (USA Time). First, there's this on The MATRIX that came directly to Father Geek's PC from Australia...
Well it's always good to read Matrix news that doesn't include someone dying. New information about characters abound in this message so read on at your own risk: Click Now For - a report direct from some filming spotted at Milson's Point in Sydney. Not sure if it was Matrix or not but there was a bit of black flying around... Go Here To See - the future Mrs. Larry Fishburne, Gina Torres, talking about Aaliyah... Click Here For - newspaper round-up by your's truly. Include ANOTHER Australian cast member, and her character name.
Enjoy!
The rabbit hole always goes deeper...
I (Father Geek) am back with our lovely Ms. Tamsin's report...
DOWNUNDER REPORT #9
From Tamsin...
NEWS
LORD OF THE RINGS
According to John Forde of the E! Online website, the Howard Shore (SEVEN, PHILADELPHIA, THE FLY) -composed music to the LORD OF THE RINGS will contain, "Dwarvish Chants, Electonica and the Sounds of Middle Earth". The makeshift recording studio is located at the Wellington Town Hall, a 19th-century building (complete with security guard checking for recording devices and spies) and houses the 96 members of the New Zealand Symphony and 50 Polynesian men's choir.
In the article Shore says of his process: "As a composer, your role is to hold up a mirror," Shore says. "You're making a musical text, which is the equivalent of the film. And when that film is Lord of the Rings--complete with its own worlds, civilizations and languages--writing a score is a Herculean task. "It's a huge palette," he adds. "You're working on pieces that really are the size of the creation of these worlds." A longtime Tolkien fan, Shore worked for a year with Jackson and screenwriters Frances Walsh and Philippa Boyens while conceiving the score. "We worked together like writers," Shore explains. "I became another part of the writing group, and I would compose as they were working on the script. They have such great insights into the story. They've been working on it for years, so there was a lot to learn from them."
It will also include excerpts of Middle Earth languages including elvish, dwarvish and black speech, the orcs' evil language.
Check out the entire article at:
http://www.eonline.com/Features/Specials/Lordrings/Location/011001.html
MORE LOTRs...
Creative Director Peter Doyle has established the NZ office of The Post House (headquarters based in Hamburg, Germany) in Wellington, New Zealand specifically for work on LORD OF THE RINGS. The Post House is digitally colour grading LOTR and collaborating extensively with the various Art and VFX departments to help create the look of "Middle Earth".
Doyle says: "We've expanded the director of photography's toolset to include post, made color timing interactive and saved a few weeks neg-cutting by digitally conforming over 3,000 shots".
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Our Aussie boy Eric Bana (CHOPPER) has been officially signed up to star in the Ang Lee directed, "The Incredible Hulk". He says of the role: "The Incredible Hulk was one of my all-time favorite TV shows and ever since I saw Ice Storm I've been a huge fan of Ang Lee." Prior to this he will be starring in BLACK HAWK DOWN and THE NUGGET. It is wonderful to see a fantastic actor and all-round nice guy doing so well.
Another Aussie actor snapping up some prime roles, is Ben Mendelsohn (MULLET, METAL SKIN), who may be joining the cast of Brett Ratner's RED DRAGON.
LANTANA HAS RECORD BREAKING BOX OFFICE FIRST WEEKEND
The new Australian feature film LANTANA has opened its Australian release with a record breaking first weekend it was announced by co-distributors Beyond Films and Palace Films today. Opening Thursday 4 October on 15 screens nationally the Ray Lawrence directed drama recorded turnaway business at most locations over the weekend, with a phenomenal per-screen average of $28,770 per cinema. The total box-office gross for the 4 days was $431,563.
"All the feedback from cinemas is that audiences are totally knocked out by the film, with spontaneous applause as the credits roll being reported by many exhibitors. By the end of this first week we expect the total box office to be over $750,000, including the previews."
Already hailed by critics as the Australian film of the year, the psychological-drama starring Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Kerry Armstrong and Barbara Hershey, will widen its release to an additional 40 screens on Thursday 18 October 2001.
Hollywood Reporter announced that Ewan McGregor and Heath Ledger have begun negotiations to star in NAUTICA for director Ted Demme and Sony-based Escape Artists. The project will go into production next year. Written by Richard McBrien, NAUTICA is described as a character-driven project that is a throwback to such thrillers as BODY HEAT and DEAD CALM. The story takes place on a yacht in the Caribbean, where a murder occurs and then is subsequently retold through the eyes of three people. McGregor and Ledger would play two of the three people. Escape Artists bought the project as a spec script from McBrien for mid-six figures this year. (Zorianna Kit)
Tamsin
tamsin@aintitcoolmail.com
Father Geek returns... This time with our crazed Motel manager Norman and his part of this week's Downunder column...
Fun Oz-related casting announcements to be had this week, let's get down to it...
MULLET AND FAVA BEANS
Father Geek returns... This time with our crazed Motel manager Norman and his part of this week's Downunder column...
Fun Oz-related casting announcements to be had this week, let's get down to it...
MULLET AND FAVA BEANS
MULLET AND FAVA BEANS
Nice to see talented local actor Ben Mendelsohn (MULLET, VERTICAL LIMIT) cracking that Hollywood break, Dark Horizons reporting that he's been cast in the SILENCE OF THE LAMBS/HANNIBAL prequel RED DRAGON. No roles have been mentioned, but Mendelsohn has a great wicked streak and could blindside of a lot of people in Russell Crowe fashion if handed a "meaty" role...
SKASE HITS THE NET RUNNING
Good local buzz on LET'S GET SKASE through the week, which will hopefully build further to the local release on October 18, meantime the website is now up at letsgetskase.com, featuring a short synopsis and a game which I didn't have the patience to play. Director Matt George has been pretty active in the media this week and the film will open "large" - on an Australian scale of course - across this wide land next week.
MIP 2001
It's MIP time at Cannes and although there's a reduced contingent because of world events, the FFC will be there. TV projects they're shopping around include ROAD FROM COORAINE, the Dickens off-shoot ESCAPE OF THE ARTFUL DODGER, CYBERGIRL, and HORACE AND TINA.
BELLUCCI OPENS FEST
While dishy Monica Bellucci is in Sydney shooting MATRIX 2 (and 3?) she's also finding some time to open the Italian Film Festival - which she did on October 10. Screening at the festival is Bellucci's MALENA, directed by Guiseppe Tornatore (CINEMA PARADISO).
BOND ON BOND
Sounds a teensy bit like a trashy PR gimmick, but the Anglo-Australian girlie group Bond have reportedly been offered the scoring job on the latest Bond flick. For those who don't know, Bond are a totally contrived group put together in much the same way that many manufactured pop groups are nowadays - the gimmick is that they play classical music. Regardless, the group had the cheek to say "doing a soundtrack for a film is not something we would normally do, because we are serious musicians. What we want to do is break through musical barriers."
NEW TRAILER FROM NOYCE
Catch the trailer for RABBIT PROOF FENCE, the new film from Philip Noyce (CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER etc) on the website rabbitprooffence.com.au. My internet connection didn't have the guts on the day to download it but Dark Horizons described it as "haunting, eerie, and excellent". A website is reportedly coming soon, on the location mentioned.
GO BANANAS
Super news that Eric Bana is just about inked as Ang Lee's Incredible Hulk. Those Aussies amongst us who've seen Eric up and around the local media would know it couldn't happen to a nicer bloke, and more importantly it bodes well for what could be a really exciting project. I know Steve Buscemi had his supporters - I was one of them originally - but Hollywood is set to reap those always refreshing delights of a relatively unknown actor peaking on confidence and ambition...
LANTANA POSITIONED FOR OSCAR SHOT
In a week where domestically LANTANA blitzed the field on a per-screen average, comes news that the ambitious pic is being positioned for a Oscar run, opening in New York and Los Angeles on December 14. In my humble Gunston opinion the flick doesn't have the legs for an Oscar push, being neither feel-good loser makes good (SHINE, FULL MONTY) or visceral rush (CROUCHING TIGER), but it's a nice show of faith in the flick.
BLONDE BOY MOVES ON
Hitting the promo circuit to promo the local release of LEGALLY BLONDE, Aussie director Robert Luketic has been talking about his lucky break and raving about meeting Madonna and his three picture deal with Miramax. LEGALLY BLONDE is set to make the sitcom transition to TV screens with the USA network ABC next season.
