Vaughn, Pucci & Garner Joining Thumbsucker

Vince Vaughn, Lou Taylor Pucci and Kelli Garner have joined the cast of Thumbsucker, the Mike Mills feature that just started production in Beaverton, Ore. The three round out a cast that includes Keanu Reeves, Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio.

The film, adapted from a novel by Walter Kirn, concerns a compulsive thumbsucker, played by Pucci. Swinton and D'Onofrio play his eccentric parents; Garner is his love interest, Vaughn his debate coach and Reeves his orthodontist.

Matthew McConaughey has opted out to star because of a scheduling conflict.

COMIC-CON: The Matrix Revolutions Preview!

Source: Blake Wright Saturday, July 19, 2003

The Warner Brothers folks closed their session at Comic-Con today with the premiere of the international trailer for The Matrix: Revolutions. Since there was no taping - video or audio - allowed in the room, I'll try and tell you what I can remember.

The shot opened with a blurry headshot of Neo (lying down) slowly coming into focus. There was voiceover, but I cannot recall what was said. I believe it was the Oracle talking about what will happen if Neo isn't successful in his quest. The next scene was Neo and Mr. Smith coming face to face in an outdoor setting. Smith laughs and says: "Mr. Anderson. Welcome back. We've missed you." Neo replies: "This ends tonight." The two charge each other and throw single punches. Right before the punches land, the trailer cuts to a furious set of shots that includes Trinity in full cartwheel-machine gun action・Morpheus fighting more agents・Plenty of bullet-time goodness・A shot of thousands of Sentinels rushing towards the screen. There was more fighting, bullets and a couple of shots of very large creatures/ships that I was not familiar with.

The crowd got a kick out of it and Warners hopes you will to when "Revolutions" hits the big screen in November.

ESC To Wrap Matrix Revolutions FX in September

SUBMITTED BY im_a_dooby_snack

July 17, 2003 —

Warner Bros. has decided to keep their effects facility, ESC Entertainment, open after they complete the special effects for The Matrix Revolutions.

ESC is now set to serve as the lead effects house on Catwoman which the studio is preparing for a summer 2004 release with Halle Berry in the lead. It is being eyed to create visuals for Constantine and Superman.

ESC has 250 artists on staff creating effects sequences for "Revolutions," which bows in November. Final shots for the film are expected to be delivered sometime in September, after which ESC will move on to Catwoman.

A number of other effects shops also are working on "Revolutions," including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Animal Logic, Buf, Tippett Studio and Pixel Liberation Front. More than 1,500 effects shots were created for both films said to have cost $100 million alone.

Revolutions Will Offer Answers

Nona Gaye, who reprises the role of Zee in the upcoming sequel film The Matrix Revolutions, told SCI FI Wire that the conclusion of the trilogy will answer all of the questions raised by The Matrix Reloaded. "People will be relieved when they see Revolutions," Gaye said in an interview. "I know a lot of people are like, 'What's going on?'"

Gaye promised that the film will still be philosophically complex and that viewers will still have to work to understand the film's answers. "I think it depends on your perception," she said. "When I read the script, it made sense to me." The actress added that she was not surprised to see so many skeptics speak out against Reloaded in reviews and Internet postings after its May release. "There are always going to be skeptics," she said. "You can't make everyone happy."

Zee was only featured in a few scenes of Reloaded, in the human city of Zion. But Gaye said that viewers will see more of her in Revolutions. "Number three is where I get down," she said. "I'm doing a lot of diving and running and jumping and stuff." The Matrix Revolutions opens Nov. 5.

KATU tracks down set of Thumbsucker

KATU tracks down set of Thumbsucker

BEAVERTON - KATU news has tracked down the set of the Hollywood movie being made in the Portland area. The movie company that's producing 'Thumbsucker' asked us not to give out the specific location to cut down on movie star watchers.

But neighbors in Beaverton have been up close and said the house being used in the movie has been completely redone.

The movie 'Thumbsucker is about a high school student who sucks his thumb.

Matrix star, Keanu Reeves, will play his orthodontist.

'Film stars are overpaid'

By SARA NATHAN

STUNNING Brit actress Rachel Weisz says Hollywood stars are paid too much — despite getting £1million-a-movie herself.

The Mummy Returns star said the mega-payments given to celebrities are “out of control”.

She added: “It’s bad for actors. They feel they can’t take less than their quote because they think it won’t look good.

“And it puts such pressure on the movie.”

Raven-haired Rachel, 32, also appeared in Enemy At The Gates and About A Boy.

But she doesn’t even come close to the sort of figures paid to box office draws like Julia Roberts, who tops £14million a movie.

Charlie’s Angels star Cameron Diaz gets £13million, Nicole Kidman £12million — while Keanu Reeves tops the lot with his £38million-a-movie Matrix deal.

Rachel, from North London, IS one of Britain’s highest-paid actresses.

She now lives in New York with director boyfriend Darren Aronofsky — and her career is going from strength to strength.

She has signed up to do four films in the next year, including the on-screen version of John Grisham’s best-seller Runaway Jury.

Rachel, seen right, appears as a conwoman in her latest film Confidence, opposite Dustin Hoffman.

But she is not prepared for the mega-bucks heading her way. She said: “I haven’t invested. I don’t understand stocks.

“That would mean developing a whole new faculty.”

Rachel also tells the August edition of Harpers and Queen mag: “In England it can be embarrassing to be ambitious. In New York I’ve learnt to say what I want.”

'Reloaded' Video Arrives with 3rd 'Matrix'

'Reloaded' Video Arrives with 3rd 'Matrix'
Sun July 13, 2003 11:34 PM ET
By Brett Sporich

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In an industry first, Warner Home Video is releasing "The Matrix Reloaded" on home video three weeks before the theatrical release of the third film in the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions."

"Reloaded," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, is slated for release Oct. 14 on DVD and VHS at a retail price of about $22, Warners executives said.

Such franchise films are typically widely separated from each theatrical release under the theory that a home video release of the same series will deplete ticket sales at the box office. But Warner executives believe that this new strategy will work to pump up what has been a lagging industrywide box office take.

Under the slogan "Reload Before the Revolution," Warners is combining the consumer awareness surrounding the Nov. 5 theatrical release of "Revolutions" with the home video release of "Reloaded" as a way of consolidating their marketing dollars as much as hoping to discover a new marketing mechanism.

"I don't believe it will affect ticket sales in any negative way," said Ron Sanders, Warner Home Video's domestic executive vp and general manager. "In fact, I believe that the home video release of 'Reloaded' will boost ticket sales of 'Revolutions.' "

"Sure, this is an industry first," he added. "But we believe that this franchise presents us with a unique opportunity to combine a theatrical release of a very popular film with home video that will set a precedent for sales within the industry."

While both the VHS and DVD will be priced for sale to consumers, the DVD includes several bonus features that should boost sales, such as a behind-the-scenes look at how the freeway chase scene was crafted and shot and the humorous parody of "The Matrix Reloaded" that was featured on the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

"The Matrix Reloaded" has grossed about $274 million at the North American box office after nine weeks.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Matrix promo (Press Conference on 27th May)

Since his screen debut in 1985, Keanu Reeves has appeared in a handful of popular movies and many unwatehed ones, but there is no doubt thathis best-known role so far has been that in The Matrix.

During a press conference on The Matrix Reloaded, the second part of theMatrix trilogy, in Tokyo on May 27, the Beirut-born actor said that thesefilms were "a great gift" to him, and that working with the other cast and thestaff has had "nothing but a positive impact" on his life.

The Marrix trilogy depicts the battle between the human race and artificialintelligence. Reeves portrays a man called Neo, Who is believed to have thepower to free human beings from the cruel rule ofeyber intelligence. Reevesexplained that Neo was brave enoujh to go forward and flil oiitswhfere hispart as asavior led the world.

Various philosophic and religious elements are incorporated into the sto-ries of this pedantic sci-fi action movie serial. Despite its eorapjtexity how.ever, The Matrix became a hit and its sequel has already earned morfe than200 million dollars in the United States. Asked about the success of these films, Reeves credited it to the directors Larry and Andy Wachowsky.

"Their vision, I think, is very accessible," he said. "There's something that you can take from all the films on so many different levels."

Reeves chose his words carefully during the con-ference with a serious look like that of his character,who can first hardly believe the situation he is in but gradually accepts what he sees and hears. Reeves suggested that viewers watch the Matrix trilogy with an open mind: 'The best way to watch these films is just to listen, to enjoy and not to have any preconceived idea.'

Keanu's career??

The Rivoli, the veteran Queen St. W. boîte, has had its fair share of exhibitions over the years, but none as personal as the one up on its walls now: "Rivoli Re-Collection: Street Posters From The First Decade, 1982-1992." It's up to Aug. 3. The impressive lineup features photographer George Whiteside's Rivoli Portraits series and Fast Würms' piece, Fauves Get Land Legs. I also like the Breeding Ground artwork and the one reminding us of the Bill Smith Ensemble.

The least artsy poster may also be the most historically interesting. Advertising the 1986 play By Your Side by Katie Ford, with music by Jane Ford, the post near the kitchen notes that it stars Nadia Ross and a young actor named Keanu Reeves.

Nicholson movie shut down by strike

The latest in a series of protests by French film crews

JOCELYN GECKER
Canadian Press

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

Jack Nicholson accepts the award for Best Actor for his role in "About Schmidt" at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association 28th Annual Achievement Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., recently. (AP File/Lucy Nicholson)

PARIS (AP) -- Striking show business workers halted filming of a Jack Nicholson movie and shuttered the famed Avignon Festival on Wednesday, the second day of their protest over unemployment benefits.

The strike was the latest move by French actors, technicians, costume designers and other stagehands mounting waves of protests in recent weeks. The action has closed dozens of culture festivals just as the summer season gets under way. In a sign of more disruptions to come, the powerful, Communist-backed CGT union urged "all professionals to amplify the mobilization" in a statement after failed late-night negotiations Tuesday.

On location in Paris, Nicholson had begun directing a Tuesday evening shoot on a Seine River bridge when protesters walked onto the set and refused to leave, police said.

The TV station LCI showed Nicholson picking up a bullhorn to ask protesters what the problem was. Told that artists rights were threatened, the actor voiced his support.

"The struggle continues!" Nicholson said in broken French, wearing his trademark dark sunglasses.

After discussions with the protesters, the production crew decided to pack it in for the night, police said. The movie, which apparently has not yet been named, co-stars Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves. A Paris-based spokesman for the film was not immediately available for comment.

At the Avignon festival in southern France, organizers said the remainder of the three-week event -- which draws 700,000 people a year for round-the-clock theatre performances -- will be decided each day the strike continues. They say they stand to lose about $5 million Cdn in ticket sales alone if the event is called off.

Ticket holders were reimbursed Wednesday, many lamenting the loss.

"I am disappointed and angry," said Martine Elbaz, an Avignon doctor, who blamed the protests on laziness. "People in France just don't want to work anymore."

Opening day of a music festival in the southern city of Montpellier was also cancelled Wednesday, and organizers at one of France's major pop music festivals -- Francofolies -- called off the six-day event scheduled to start Friday in the Atlantic coastal city of La Rochelle.

"After several days of waiting, I decided to end it," Jean-Louis Foulquier, a Francofolies organizer, told France-Inter radio Wednesday. "I did it under duress, because it is not part of my vocation to be taken hostage."

The government made a failed, last-ditch effort to resolve the conflict before the start of the three-week Avignon Festival on Tuesday.

Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon on Wednesday denounced the disruption, calling it "a bad blow for culture" and "a bad blow to our country."

The conflict centres on a proposal to change a French unemployment fund for artists that takes into account their downtime between shows.

The fund has a deficit of about $1.3 billion Cdn, and Medef, the business federation that helps run the system, has proposed reducing benefits and the number of performers who get them.

Artists say the plan will harm French culture and punish those who need help most -- performers who have a hard time lining up work.

Artists must work 507 hours a year to qualify for 12 months of unemployment. Under the proposal, performers would work 507 hours over 10½ months to receive eight months of benefits.

© Copyright 2003 The Canadian Press

THE PUNISHER AND CONSTANTINE

Fans who are looking for some insights into the "Punisher" and "Constantine" movies can check out a write-up at FilmJerk.com. The site has scored a copy of the casting sides for both movies, which describe characters that will appear in the film.

The casting team for "The Punisher" is looking for a smart actress with a good sense of humor to play "Joan." The character is described in the call sheet as "classy, beautiful and reserved," and someone who has seen too much of world's dark side. FilmJerk speculates that this may be based on the "Joan the Mouse" character from Garth Ennis' storyline.

In "Constantine," filmmakers are looking for the female lead opposite Keanu Reeves' Hellblazer character. That role is a detective named Angela.

Avignon festival on the brink

Jon Henley in Paris
Thursday July 10, 2003
The Guardian

The programme of the Avignon theatre festival was scrapped for the second day running yesterday when freelance actors and technicians continued the strike which has already caused half-a-dozen smaller festivals to be cancelled. The dispute claimed another casualty when demonstrators halted work on a Jack Nicholson film in Paris.

The Avignon festival director, Bernard Faivre d'Arcier, refused to comment on the likelihood of the event being cancelled for the first time in its 57-year history, but organisers said a final decision was likely "within 24 hours".

Theatre, dance, film and music professionals are striking in protest at government-approved changes to a unique unemployment fund which ensures them a living wage when they are between jobs.

The culture minister, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, said yesterday that he was satisfied his reservations about the changes had been addressed.

"It is intolerable that France's festivals, which play such a vital part in our cultural life, are being taken hostage in such an irresponsible manner," he said.

The biggest victim of the strike so far is the Francofolies rock festival in La Rochelle, due to open on Friday.

Demonstrators halted shooting in Paris of the as yet unnamed Nicholson film, which also stars Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves.

"If they discourage foreign film companies from coming, then there's no work for anyone," Nicholson said.

Riot police removed demonstrators trying to stop last night's Rolling Stones concert at the Stade de France.

Nicholson backs French actors

Nicholson is shooting on location in Paris
Actor Jack Nicholson voiced his support for striking French actors as they interrupted his film shoot on location in Paris.
Nicholson was filming on a bridge over the river Seine when protestors walked on to the set and refused to leave, police said.

Nicholson, in his trademark dark glasses, picked up a loudhailer to address the group and ask what the problem was.

Told that artists' rights were threatened, he said in broken French: "The struggle continues!"

Nicholson is on set alongside Keanu Reeves

After discussions with the protesters, the production crew decided to pack it in for the night, police said.

Nicholson is in the apparently un-named movie alongside Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves.

The actors and other arts workers are protesting over government plans to change arts workers' unemployment benefits.

The dispute has already caused the cancellation of a string of events across the country.

France's three-week Avignon arts festival was abandoned and a sister event in nearby Aix-en-Provence has also been scrapped.

On Wednesday, Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon described the actors as "irresponsible" as the government vowed to press on with the benefit cuts.

Strike halts film

Strike halts film

From correspondents in Paris
July 09, 2003

A NEW film starring Keanu Reeves and Jack Nicholson was halted mid-shoot in Paris this week when hundreds of striking arts workers closed down the production.

Around 650 demonstrators stormed the set on one of the bridges in the middle of the city late yesterday as a protest against French government plans to change their unemployment benefits regime, police said.

Nicholson tried in vain to negotiate with them, but they refused to move away, a person working on the film said.

US director Nancy Meyers, who previously made "What Women Want" with Mel Gibson, was part-way through the 12-day shoot in Paris when the incident occurred.

It was uncertain when the production - which was employing 300 French extras and technicians and which was injecting four million euros ($A6.88 million) into the city's economy - would be able to continue.

The striking arts workers have already forced the closure of many of France's summer festivals and have interrupted shows, films and television programs to press their demands.

The French scenes being filmed by Nicholson, Reeves and actress Diane Keaton were to go into a romantic comedy Meyers is making that is also set in New York City and the Hamptons.

The as-yet-untitled production is about a middle-aged music executive (Nicholson) used to dating much younger girlfriends, who, while recovering from a heart attack, falls for the mother of his latest conquest. Reeves plays his doctor who becomes a rival in the romantic triangle.

It was scheduled to be released in the United States on December 12, but the French strike could delay that, especially as such interruptions are not generally covered by movie insurance. The Paris scenes were meant to have been wrapped by July 11.

Strike halts film

From correspondents in Paris
July 9, 2003

A NEW film starring Keanu Reeves and Jack Nicholson was halted mid-shoot in Paris this week when hundreds of striking arts workers closed down the production.

Around 650 demonstrators stormed the set on one of the bridges in the middle of the city late yesterday as a protest against French government plans to change their unemployment benefits regime, police said.

Nicholson tried in vain to negotiate with them, but they refused to move away, a person working on the film said.

US director Nancy Meyers, who previously made "What Women Want" with Mel Gibson, was part-way through the 12-day shoot in Paris when the incident occurred.

It was uncertain when the production - which was employing 300 French extras and technicians and which was injecting four million euros ($A6.88 million) into the city's economy - would be able to continue

Reloaded leaps to $410m and number ten of all time

Reloaded leaps to $410m and number ten of all time

Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles 07 July 2003 04:00

Warner Bros Pictures/Village Roadshow's The Matrix Reloaded passed the $400m mark at the international box office over the weekend; with its $410m total, it has now surpassed Spider-Man ($403m) as the tenth highest grossing international hit of all time.

It is the first film in history to surpass $100m in a single weekend in international markets and the highest grossing US R-rated film of all time, surpassing Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Bodyguard.

With China scheduled to open on July 18, Reloaded now trails Titanic (Fox), Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (Warner), Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets (Warner), The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (New Line International), Jurassic Park (Universal/UIP), The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (New Line International), Independence Day (Fox), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Fox) and The Lion King (BVI).

Blockbusters, Busting All Over

Blockbusters, Busting All Over
By RICK LYMAN

OS ANGELES ・Perhaps there is still hope for civilization.

The summer movies of 2003 have thus far made roughly 2 percent less at the box office than last summer's fare, and actual attendance has fallen an even more striking 6 percent ・a trend that did not spare "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," a classic example of the summer movie sequel that opened last weekend. Aimed at young audiences supposedly more interested in sizzle and flash than in such old-fashioned notions as plot and character, the film made only $37.6 million in its first three days.

That may sound like a lot of money, but it's less than the original made in its debut weekend. So in a business where summer blockbusters can open north of $60 million and still be considered disappointments, this was something of a disaster.

"The `Charlie's Angels' case is a fascinating one, because it had all the earmarks of being a phenomenal success," said David Davis, an entertainment analyst for Houlihan, Lokey, Howard and Zukin, an investment banking firm. "A very expensive marketing spend, all of the stars doing publicity ・it had everything going for it. I don't know, maybe after so many of these kind of movies so many weekends in a row, it was just one weekend too many."

All of this comes as a bit of a shock to Hollywood executives who, relying on rising ticket prices and a steady diet of sure-thing franchises, had become addicted to breaking box-office records without breaking a sweat. But after a decade of summer movie seasons featuring a steadily increasing number of sequels, prequels, remakes, special-effects extravaganzas and other manifestations of lowest-common-denominator filmmaking, some signs are appearing that the long tyranny of the summer franchise flick may at last be waning.

"Audiences can tell that a lot of these movies are sequels just for the sake of sequels, and they are rejecting that cynical approach to moviemaking," said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, a Web site that analyzes movie ticket sales.

Others say it's simply cyclical. This is not the first time Hollywood has gone through a period of sequel mania ・remember how many "Airport" movies there were in the 1970's ・and audiences always cool to them, at least for a while.

Still others noted that the wow factor of the special effects that have driven so many movies has worn off. "For a while there, it didn't matter if the movie was any good," said Robert Thompson, professor of media and culture at Syracuse University. "It was fun to go almost as though you were going to a demonstration at a technological trade show. But now we've pretty much seen everything these new computer effects can do."

If it were just "Charlie's Angels," that would be one thing. Hollywood executives could explain it away somehow. But while "The Hulk," the director Ang Lee's eagerly anticipated version of the comic book saga, opened robustly on June 20 (a $62.1 million opening weekend), ticket sales plummeted 70 percent in its second weekend.

Such second weekend drop-offs have become common for summer blockbusters, as movies have opened on more and more screens, quickly satiating even the most ravenous audience demand. But something more seems to be at work this summer, an aura of disappointment hovering over even some blockbusters that, on the surface, bear many of the attributes of a hit.

This is the way it's supposed to work: Make the movie, market it ruthlessly and then get it into as many theaters as possible before word can get around that it's not very good. The summer's biggest example of this was "The Matrix Reloaded," the lavish sequel to the 1999 sci-fi sensation. No movie in recent memory had been as eagerly awaited. And sure enough, it made $91.7 million in its first weekend.

But the reaction of most critics and many ticket-buyers, including fervent "Matrix" aficionados, was that the film was a disappointment. Can a movie that has made $269 million be so classified? Warner Brothers certainly hopes not. It already has another sequel, "The Matrix Revolutions," set for release in November.

Indeed, fingers remain crossed in Hollywood that the summer will have a robust finish. We'll soon see. Two more franchise sequels opened this weekend ・ "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde."

The "Terminator" sequel sold $16.5 million in tickets on Wednesday, its first day of release, including some late-night screenings the night before, while "Legally Blonde 2" made $9.1 million its first day ・both creditable tallies, but below what previous holiday weekend blockbusters have made.

And if the summer fails to turn around, Hollywood executives eager to satisfy their risk-averse bosses at the global conglomerates that own most studios will have no choice but to adjust their notion of what constitutes a sure thing.

As Mr. Thompson said, "What we really need now is a detox period for this whole franchise-movie genre."

When the film did not move for them

06jul03

THE censors did not evince any discomfort with the decidedly icky Trinity-Neo sex scene in Matrix Reloaded.

The discerning readers of the UK Guardian website voted the Carrie-Anne Moss/Keanu Reeves clinch the worst sex scene of all time.

They said that the sequence – in keeping with the whole frightful flick – was "pointlessly extended" and took "forever".

It "pushed my nauseometer off the scale," opined one.

Other not-hot contenders were: Showgirls (Kyle MacLachlan/Elizabeth Berkley); Damaged (Jeremy Irons/Juliette Binoche); The Specialist (Sylvester Stallone/Sharon Stone); and Titanic (Kate Winslet/Leonardo DiCaprio).

Obviously no one recalls Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider in Last Tango In Paris. Butter has never tasted quite the same.