My finite playlist

"Prince of Persia" location pictures

"It seems that after those sweaty Jake Gyllenhaal photos made their way to the press, security has tightened up. Now all the media can get hold of are snapshots of large buildings which don’t move around a lot, and in fairness that stuff really shouldn’t be that tough to catch off guard.

Over on Movie Chronicles, found via Coming Soon, they have a great example of this showing the Moroccan set and it looks pretty Arabian alright, or at least the version shown in storybooks and Disney movies. It’s definitely a good location for a blockbuster, but that doesn’t make the photo more interesting than the sweaty Jake Gyllenhaal one! That image is said to have single handedly shaken the belief of the nay sayers who believed that Naveen Andrews (who plays Sayid in “Lost” and both looks and sounds the part) should have gotten the role.

Of course, all this pales in comparison to the fact that they are in fact making a movie about a Prince of Persia game. Sadly they chose not to adapt the original pixelated Prince game from the 80s, with the large guillotine blades, the spikes emerging from the floor and the bloody carnage whenever the hero died. Especially emblazoned in my mind is when the hero falls to his death and a sickening crunch is heard. Talk about healthy for kids!

Rather than adapting this classic, they have chosen a more recent 2003 reincarnation of the series. Gyllenhaal plays Prince Dastan, a prince in 6th century Persia who must joins forces with the beautiful princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton - she of recent St. Trinian’s and the forthcoming Quantum of Solace fame) to stop the wicked wizard/nobleman from ending the world as they know it through the use of the Sands of Time. Due out on May 28th 2010, it’s perhaps not such a surprise that we’re not seeing many photos quite yet".
Source: www.filmschoolrejects.com

"Our first glimpses at the construction of the Prince of Persia movie set have come to us via Korben & Rocho. These pictures were taken at Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco; it looks like they are creating a full town with streets et al. It is also interesting to compare them to the concept art that was released in April 2007".
Source: persia.moviechronicles.com

Rachel Cohn's playlist

More stills of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist"

plus this musical video featuring some stills from "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" and the song "Twilight" by The Raveonettes:

Batman 3 by 2011?

" With The Dark Knight not only the biggest hit of 2008 but also one the highest grossing movies of all time, Warner Bros. is understandably eager to bring director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale back to the Batcave as soon as possible.

"According to The Wall Street Journal, "The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters."

Given the success of the grim and gritty Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov says the studio's upcoming DC movie slate is "going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it."

It was recently reported that Warners has an offer out to Nolan to direct Batman 3 but that the director had yet to commit to it. Studio boss Alan Horn told Variety at the time, "We have no idea where Chris is going with this. ... We haven't had any conversations with him about it."

Source: movies.ign.com

Rumors of Depp on Batman

"Rampant rumors of Depp taking on the Riddler in the next Batman feature have plagued the net recently. Depp addressed the rumor for the first time on a Florida radio show promoting his reuninion gig for his band The Kids.

Host: Hey Johnny, a listener called in earlier said you have to ask about the rumors on the internet of you doing the Riddler.
Depp: Oh yeah I heard about that. Not that I know of.
Host: You'd be a good choice.
Depp: It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah.
Is Depp a good choice for the Riddler?
Source: comiccynic.blogspot.com

Happy birthday, Joe Swanberg!

"what these films understand all too well is that the tentative drift of the in-between years masks quietly seismic shifts that are apparent only in hindsight. Mumblecore narratives hinge less on plot points than on the tipping points in interpersonal relationships. A favorite setting is the party that goes subtly but disastrously astray. Events are often set in motion by an impulsive, ill-judged act of intimacy.

Artists who mine life’s minutiae are by no means new, but mumblecore bespeaks a true 21st-century sensibility, reflective of MySpace-like social networks and the voyeurism and intimacy of YouTube. It also signals a paradigm shift in how movies are made and how they find an audience. “This is the first time, mostly because of technology, that someone like me can go out and make a film with no money and no connections,” said Aaron Katz, whose movies “Dance Party USA” and “Quiet City” will be shown as part of a 10-film mumblecore series at the IFC Center that begins Wednesday and continues through Sept. 4.

“It was an obnoxious name nobody liked and it was meant to be a joke,” said the director Joe Swanberg, who was at the festival that year with his first feature, “Kissing on the Mouth.” “But we haven’t been able to get rid of it.”

It was Mr. Bujalski who first publicly uttered the term in an interview with Indiewire.com. “I should apologize for that,” he said recently.

It’s only fitting that the etymology should be a point of contention, since the films in question often deal with the fraught process of identity formation. Journalists and bloggers have floated other tags, including the self-explanatory “bedhead cinema” and “Slackavettes,” in homage to the patron saint of American indie auteurs, John Cassavetes. The IFC Center series, despite using “mumblecore” in its publicity materials, is officially called “The New Talkies: Generation D.I.Y.”Mr. Swanberg, 25, is the most prolific and the most committed to improvisation. His new film, “Hannah Takes the Stairs,” which will have a weeklong run during the series, was shot without a script; he shares writing credit with the actors. As in most artistic movements, there is cross-pollination and tacit one-upmanship. Mr. Swanberg said he made “Kissing on the Mouth” partly in response to Mr. Bujalski’s “Funny Ha Ha,” whose characters he found passive-aggressive.

But the prevailing spirit is of friendly collaboration. Two of the three male leads in Mr. Swanberg’s “Hannah” are played by Mr. Bujalski and Mark Duplass. Mr. Katz edited the film’s trailer. Mr. Swanberg appears in Mr. Katz’s “Quiet City” and Mr. Ross’s “Hohokam.” Source: www.nytimes.com

"The NY Times points out a fundamental connection between the Mumblecore movement and technology:

Mumblecore bespeaks a true 21st-century sensibility, reflective of MySpace-like social networks and the voyeurism and intimacy of YouTube. It also signals a paradigm shift in how movies are made and how they find an audience. “This is the first time, mostly because of technology, that someone like me can go out and make a film with no money and no connections,” said Aaron Katz

Technology has clearly changed not only the way movies are being made, but their distribution as well. The Mumblecore movement is a great example of filmmakers taking more of a DIY approach. This is just the beginning".
Source: www.randomculture.com

Visit Joe Swanberg's Official Website.