Naomi Watts is back in a film at Sundance

Laura Linney, Patricia Clarkson, Keanu Reeves also will appear in entries.

Naomi Watts stars in writer-director Scott Coffey's "Ellie Parker," a comic tale of a budding Hollywood actress. -- Blair Mastbaum / Associated Press

By David Germain
Associated Press
November 30, 2004

LOS ANGELES -- Sundance Film Festival veterans Naomi Watts, Laura Linney and Patricia Clarkson are returning with new movies to the nation's top showcase for independent film.

Organizers Monday announced 16 titles each in the festival's competitions for independent American dramas, U.S. documentaries and world cinema dramatic features, plus 12 entries for world cinema documentaries. The festival runs Jan. 20-30 in Park City, Utah.

Keanu Reeves headlines the cast list among the dramatic competition, playing a dentist in writer-director Mike Mills' "Thumbsucker," about a boy struggling to break an oral fixation for his thumb.

Watts, who co-starred in last year's dramatic entry "We Don't Live Here Anymore," stars in writer-director Scott Coffey's "Ellie Parker," a comic tale of a budding Hollywood actress.

Linney, star of past Sundance grand prize winner "You Can Count on Me," appears with Jeff Daniels in writer-director Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale," a divorce drama in 1980s Brooklyn.

Clarkson, whose Sundance films have included "The Station Agent" and "Pieces of April," appears in writer-director Craig Lucas' "Dying Gaul," co-starring Peter Sarsgaard in the tale of a screenwriter in a three-way relationship with a movie executive and his wife.

Also among dramatic contenders is "Lonesome Jim," directed by Steve Buscemi, about a 27-year-old man who moves back to his dysfunctional parents' home after failing to make it on his own. The film stars Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler.

Documentaries include "Why We Fight," a study of the forces behind the Iraq war and American militarism from director Eugene Jarecki; "Enron: Rise and Fall," Alex Gibney's exploration of the corporate giant brought down by scandals; "Frozen Angels," a look at scientific and social ramifications of human reproduction research from filmmakers Eric Black and Frauke Sandig; and Ellen Perry's "The Fall of Fujimori," a chronicle of the fallen Peruvian president.

One world cinema drama is John Leguizamo in "Cronicas," about a Miami reporter tracking a serial killer in Ecuador.

World cinema documentaries include Pirjo Honkasalo's "The 3 Rooms of Melancholia," which probes the conflict in Chechnya.

STARS FLOCKING TO SUNDANCE INDIE FILM FEST

By David Germain

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Sundance Film Festival veterans Naomi Watts, Laura Linney and Patricia Clarkson are returning with new movies to the nation's top showcase for independent cinema.

Organizers on Monday announced 16 titles each in the festival's competitions for independent American dramas, U.S. documentaries and world-cinema dramatic features, plus 12 entries for world-cinema documentaries. The festival runs Jan. 20-30 in Park City, Utah.

Watts, who co-starred in last year's dramatic entry ``We Don't Live Here Anymore,'' stars in writer-director Scott Coffey's ``Ellie Parker,'' a comic tale of a budding Hollywood actress.

Linney, star of past Sundance grand-prize winner ``You Can Count on Me,'' appears in writer-director Noah Baumbach's ``The Squid and the Whale,'' a divorce drama set in 1980s Brooklyn. Jeff Daniels co-stars.

Clarkson, whose Sundance films have included ``The Station Agent'' and ``Pieces of April,'' appears in writer-director Craig Lucas' ``Dying Gaul,'' co-starring Peter Sarsgaard in the tale of a screenwriter in a three-way relationship with a movie executive and his wife.

The documentary competition includes ``Why We Fight,'' a study of the forces behind the Iraqi war and U.S. militarism from director Eugene Jarecki, and ``Frozen Angels,'' an examination of scientific and social ramifications of human-reproduction research, from filmmakers Eric Black and Frauke Sandig.

DVD KICKS 'MATRIX'

By LOU LUMENICK

November 29, 2004 -- CRITICS weren't big fans of "The Matrix" movies — and they speak their mind freely on the new 10-disc DVD "The Ultimate Matrix Collection." The eccentric Wachowski brothers, who directed the three "Matrix" movies and who have never spoken publicly about their work, instead invited three critics to do the talking for them, asking them to provide feature-length commentaries for the DVD set (which will be released Dec. 7).

And in what's believed to be an industry first, they mostly trash the films — particularly the trilogy's second and third installments — in the nearly seven-hour-long commentary track.

"Is anyone else as stupefied by this as I am?" asks John Powers of Vogue magazine when the hero Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, meets with the Oracle (Gloria Foster) in the second film, "The Matrix Reloaded."

"It's just dreadful," says David Thompson, a British critic who wrote "The Autobiographical Dictionary of Film."

The harshest criticisms in "Reloaded" come during the notorious rave sequence, where hundreds of people writhe sexually in the underground Zion City.

"Now comes one of the funniest scenes in contemporary cinema," says Powers. "It looks like a beer commercial with all the slow-mo."

Todd McCarthy, chief film critic of Variety, harshly pans a lengthy car chase for which directors Larry and Andy Wachowski had a 1.6-mile section of freeway built outside San Francisco.

"In narrative terms," McCarthy gripes, "not much has happened at all."

They are slightly kinder to "The Matrix Revolutions" — but not much.

"I'd rather play The Matrix video game than watch this," complains a bored Powers during the climactic battle in the Zion docks.

The critics reserve most of their praise for the original "The Matrix" and opine that the sequels were pointless.

"I think if the whole series ends there, you've got nearly a masterpiece," says Thompson.

"You've got a hell of a film, a film that could stand alone for having a vision you couldn't shrug off."

But the publicity-shy Wachowskis don't let the critics have the last word.

In addition to the commentary track from the critics, the DVD set includes a second commentary track contributed by a pair of philosophers: Ken Wilbur, whose works include "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality," and Princeton University Professor Cornel West, who makes cameo appearances in the second and third films as a member of Zion City's ruling council.

The philosophers, not surprisingly, defend the films.

"Most of the critics are just too lazy to figure [them] out," says West.

Andy Patrizio, who comments on DVDs for the ign.com Web site, says the unusually critical commentary tracks are sure to spark controversy among fans.

"Some of their comments will probably not go over with the easily offended crowd," he wrote.

The comedy of Steve Martin

Trivia：Bowfinger (1999)

The 'Eddie Murphy' part was actually written for Keanu Reeves.

The following year, Martin starred in the hit comedy "Parenthood" produced by Grazer, who went on to produce the Martin starrers "Housesitter" (1992), "Sgt. Bilko" (1996) and "Bowfinger" (1999). Of the latter film, Grazer notes: "When Steve gave me the (Martin-penned) script for 'Bowfinger,' it wasn't written for (co-star) Eddie Murphy - it was written for a white action star. It was written for Keanu Reeves, literally. I said, 'Why does it have to be an action star?' He said, 'That's the joke.' I said: 'What if it were Eddie Murphy, and Eddie Murphy played two characters? That could be really funny.' He said: 'You know, that'd be great - that'd be brilliant. Let's do that.' He processed it in about a minute, and he made a creative sea change."

Rodney Evans: Talking Brother to Brother(Snipped for My own private Idaho)

[Snipped for "My own private Idaho"]

WCT: In my background reading, I discovered that you said you would like to have worked with River Phoenix. Why?

RE: I thought River was profoundly talented. He did a couple of movies that I found moving and those films really pinpointed a lot of issues that I was dealing with.

One movie was My Own Private Idaho; specifically, that campfire scene with Keanu Reeves spoke to me. River talks about his love for Keanu, who explains that he only sleeps with men for money. To me, there was this communication of the struggle of desire between gay and straight men that I found fascinating. It also reflected something I was going through at the time. River’s ability to nail those emotions so clearly was really profound to me—and it turned out that he improvised that scene. I think that there’s an equivalent between what Anthony does in Brother to Brother and what River does in that scene.

Then there’s a scene in the movie Running on Empty, where he is trying to explain his political activist parents’ need to stay underground to Martha Plimpton, who he is in love with. I just think that River was incredibly talented.

Miss hockey? Skate for charity

You won't be able to watch the NHL All-Star Game because it has been cancelled during this locked-out season. But you can play in an All-Star Game of sorts in December.

Former Blackhawks star Jeremy Roenick is staging "J.R.'s Wicked Weekend," a charity event for the Kita Children's Foundation over Dec. 10-12 in Arizona that includes a round of golf and participation in a fantasy camp-like hockey game.

Your golfing foursome could include the likes of Tony Amonte, Steve Yzerman or Doug Weight, while your linemate in the hockey game might be Mario Lemieux or Mike Modano.

Also invited: hockey-playing actors Kiefer Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., Keanu Reeves and Matthew Perry. For information, call (312) 280-5188.

A Sneak Peek at Constantine Footage

Source: Edward Douglas November 23, 2004

Warner Brothers and director Francis Lawrence recently invited a few select people to see twenty-five minutes of footage from Constantine, their upcoming movie based on DC Comics' Hellblazer. For the uninitiated, John Constantine is a mystical detective of sorts, using his wits and mystical abilities to fight demons. The character was created by Alan Moore ("Watchmen," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") as the cynical, chain-smoking foil to the Swamp Thing, but the dark nature of the character made him the perfect character to kick-off DC's mature Vertigo Comics line in 1992. Unlike the heroes of other comic book movies, Constantine is not exactly a superhero. He wears a trench coat instead of spandex, and he's not exactly a role model for the kiddies because of the smoking thing.

The movie has been in the works for many years, and diehard fans of the series-of which I am definitely one-might have been skeptical about a dark-haired "yank" taking the place of Moore's blonde Brit from the comics. Since that American actor is Keanu Reeves, the most obvious reference point will obviously be "The Matrix," but having seen this footage, fans might be pleasantly surprised at how much of the flavor and tone of the comic books has been retained. Most of this can be attributed to Lawrence, and Constantine is his first feature film after directing commercials and many music videos for the likes of Aerosmith, Justin, Britney and others.

The footage shown included snippets of varying lengths from the movie including five extra minutes not shown at the San Diego Comic Con; the effects had been further developed, as well. (NOTE: If you have absolutely no interest in knowing anything about what happens in the movie before seeing it, stop reading here. Minor spoilers ahead.)

The footage opener is a moody bit with Keanu capturing cigarette smoke in a glass saying the "welcome to my life" line from the trailer. It then cuts to a desert, possibly in Mexico, where two men discover a creepy underground cave and find an artifact that looks like a spearhead inside. We don't see that again, so its purpose in the story is never clear.

The movie takes its cue from the comic book story "Dangerous Habits", written by Hellblazer fan favorite Garth Ennis, introduced with a scene of Keanu coughing up blood and then visiting a doctor who breaks the bad news that he has cancer. A few minutes later we see Constantine trying to exorcise a "soldier demon" from a little girl, driving home the look and feel of "The Exorcist" evoked by the earlier scene in the desert. This is the first time we see this ugly CGI demon that will appear in other segments, as well as seeing how Constantine uses everyday objects to fight these demons.

A short scene follows between Constantine and his supplier of demon-fighting artifacts including a sly reference to "The Amityville Horror," and then Constantine is sitting by a gas station-smoking, of course-when a crab walks by his foot. Second later, he is fighting off a strange demon made up of insects and crustaceans. (This effect looked the most like it was still in progress.)

Many of the characters from the comics were briefly shown. Tilda ("The Deep End") Swinton plays the fallen angel Gabriel, and Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Honsou plays Papa Midnight, both having dialogue scenes with Constantine. Some of the dialogue sounded a bit corny, but it might have been because it was taken out of context. The oddest casting may be Shia LaBeouf as John's ever-present cab-driving pal Chaz. In this case, he's given the last name Kramer and partakes in LaBeouf's usual wisecracking comic relief, similar to his completely useless character in "I, Robot". He seems a bit too young to play one of the most consistent supporting characters from the Hellblazer books. (One character not shown in the footage was Lucifer, but Lawrence mentioned that the popular character is being played by quirky Swedish character actor Peter Stormare.)

Rachel Weisz's character Angela Dodson is introduced in a scene where she is researching John Constantine on the Internet. When they meet, we learn that she needs his help in finding out why her twin sister committed suicide. After an encounter with flying demons similar to the earlier one exorcised from the little girl, Constantine's investigation takes him to hell where we see more of these ugly creatures sneaking up behind him. (The effects in these last two scenes were very good, comparable to those in "Pitch Black".)

After this, there's a short sequence with Constantine facing a rather dapper demon named Balthazar, played by singer Gavin Rosdale from the rock band Bush. Cut to Constantine and Dodson walking down a hall after that confrontation, when she is suddenly grabbed and ripped through the entire office building as Constantine chases after her. In the teaser you can see a bit of that scene, but it's more impressive when you see it in its entirety with Keanu chasing after her.

One of the last scenes has Constantine standing in front of a group of people in a room. He uses his cigarette to set off a sprinkler, apparently filled with holy water, and as they're exposed as demons, they attack him in a scene that could have been taken directly from Blade, with Keanu blasting them apart with a crucifix shaped gun.

The footage ended with a sequence showing Constantine as a boy on a bus where he sees his first demon in a moment right out of "The Sixth Sense," although it was unclear where in the movie this scene may happen.

Probably the best thing about the footage is that we see Keanu Reeves playing Constantine a lot looser than he did Neo in "The Matrix" movies. The cynical humor of the characters suits him better than one might expect, and he doesn't seem to be taking himself quite as seriously.

Overall, the movie looks quite good. It's darker, moodier and more character-driven than most comic book based movies--some scenes even looked like they were an attempt to create film noir-- but there is a good amount of action and scares to keep things from getting boring. It's hard to determine how the story might play out because the sequences were so short, making it hard to get into the mood, but the effects and action look solid, and it should make the movie an entertaining experience even to those unfamiliar to the character.

Constantine will open on February 18, 2005.

On Movies | What Alexander's 'life resembled'

[Snipped for Keanu Reeves]

Short subjects. Decades-dead sci-fi scribe Philip K. Dick continues to provide fodder for filmdom. Among the titles based on Dick stories: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Paycheck, Minority Report. Now add Next to the list: Nicolas Cageis set to star in the thriller, based on a Dick short story called "The Golden Man." The plot? A guy (Cage) who can see the future and change events before they happen is faced with a dilemma of existential proportions: whether to save the world, or save himself. New Zealander Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, the Bond pic Die Another Day) is set to direct. Shooting should begin in June... . Spike Lee has hired Keanu Reeves to star in The Night Watchman, a thriller about a disgraced cop out to undisgrace himself. The project is based on a screenplay by L.A. Confidential'sJames Ellroy. Lee's planning an early 2005 start.

Keanu in Spike Lee film

November 17, 2004 - 11:29AM

Keanu Reeves will star in a new thriller directed by Spike Lee.Photo: APMatrix movie icon Keanu Reeves has signed on to star in a new thriller directed by cutting-edge Hollywood director Spike Lee, the industry press said today.

Reeves, 40, is set to take the leading role as a disgraced policeman in The Night Watchman, which will begin production when he has finished promoting his latest film, Constantine, that is set to open in February.

In the movie, the screenplay for which will be written by James Ellroy, Reeves's character tries to salvage his tarnished reputation by exposing corruption in a police department.

Lee is best known for his 1992 mega-hit Malcolm X, which starred Denzel Washington as the US civil rights activist, and he also made She Hates Me (2004) and 2002's complex drama 25th Hour.

Reeves first rose to fame in the cult teen flick Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and became a major star after 1994's thriller Speed.

In addition to Constantine, Reeves will soon be seen in Thumbsucker, a film that is expected to premiere at the Sundance independent film festival in Utah in January.

VERTIGO & DC DIRECT CELEBRATE "CONSTANTINE" FILM WITH NEW PROJECTS

by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer
Posted: November 18, 2004
Official Press Release

This January, DC Comics will celebrate the February 18, 2005 opening of the Warner Bros. Pictures film Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, with commemorative publications from VERTIGO and two movie-inspired items from DC Direct.

John Constantine is a man who has literally been to hell and back in the Warner Bros. Pictures film Constantine, a supernatural thriller based on the long-running hit DC Comics/VERTIGO HELLBLAZER graphic novels. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.

From VERTIGO are:

CONSTANTINE: THE OFFICIAL MOVIE ADAPTATION (NOV040328) is a 64-page Prestige Format Special written by Steven T. Seagle with art by Ron Randall & Jimmy Palmiotti and a photo cover. Scheduled to arrive in stores on January 5 with a cover price of $14.95 U.S., the Special tells the story of this supernatural thriller.

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER COLLECTION TP (NOV040329) collects the official 64-page adaptation of the film, along with three classic issues of the ongoing series, JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER. Included are issue #1 ("Hunger," written by Jamie Delano and illustrated by John Ridgway & Alfredo Alcala); #27 ("Hold Me") written by Neil Gaiman with art by Dave McKean; and #41 ("The Beginning of the End," written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Will Simpson & Mark Pennington). CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER COLLECTION TP is scheduled to arrive in stores on January 5 with a cover price of $14.95 U.S.

The JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER - RARE CUTS TP (NOV040330) assembles six issues of JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER that have never before been collected, including #11 (written by Jamie Delano with art by Richard Piers Rayner & Mark Buckingham); #25-26 (written by Grant Morrison with art by David Lloyd); #35 (written by Delano with art by Sean Phillips); #56 (written by Garth Ennis with art by Lloyd); and #84 (written by Delano with art by Phillips). Also included are pages from VERTIGO Secret Files: HELLBLAZER #1. The JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER - RARE CUTS TP is scheduled to arrive in stores on January 12 with a cover price of $14.95 U.S.

Written by Mike Carey with art and cover by Leonardo Manco, JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER - ALL HIS ENGINES HC (OCT040358) is an original 128-page graphic novel by the writer and new artist of the monthly HELLBLAZER. When a mysterious worldwide plague puts millions of people into deadly comas, Earth's foremost expert on the bizarre, John Constantine, steps in with the "cure." The JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER - ALL HIS ENGINES HC is available for advance reorder and is scheduled to arrive in stores on January 12 with a cover price of $24.95 U.S.

Constantine's deadly nemesis Papa Midnite, a featured character in Constantine, returns in February in the 5-issue miniseries JOHN CONSTANTINE - HELLBLAZER SPECIAL: PAPA MIDNITE #1, written by award-winning novelist Mat Johnson (Hunting in Harlem, Drop) with art by Tony Akins (FABLES) & Dan Green (THE WITCHING, ROSE AND THORN) and covers by Ronald Wimberly. The miniseries reveals the hidden origin of this immortal voodoo sorcerer/gangster/nightclub owner. JOHN CONSTANTINE - HELLBLAZER SPECIAL: PAPA MIDNITE #1 is solicited in the December issue of Previews (Volume XIV #12) and is scheduled to arrive in stores on February 2 with a cover price of $2.95 U.S.

DC Direct's Constantine-inspired items are:

The CONSTANTINE MOVIE STATUE: KEANU REEVES AS CONSTANTINE (NOV040364) is a hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain movie scene statue sculpted by Gentle Giant in the likeness of Keanu Reeves as Constantine measuring approximately 10.25" tall x 6" wide x 6" deep. The statue includes a full-color certificate of authenticity, and is packaged in a 4-color box. This statue is strictly limited to 1,000 pieces. The CONSTANTINE MOVIE STATUE: KEANU REEVES AS CONSTANTINE is scheduled to arrive in stores on January 5 with a price of $195.00 U.S.

The CONSTANTINE MOVIE PROP REPLICA: THE SHOTGUN (NOV040363) is a hand-painted movie prop replica molded directly from a casting taken from the original mold produced for the stunt prop in the film and is an accurate "life-sized" movie replica of the Shotgun. It is held in place by demon hands on a cold-cast porcelain base. The Shotgun is not removable from the base. This replica includes a certificate of authenticity, measures approximately 10" high x 10" deep x 23" long and is packaged in an elegant black gift box with gold foil stamping. This prop replica is strictly limited to 500 pieces! The CONSTANTINE MOVIE PROP REPLICA: THE SHOTGUN is scheduled to arrive in stores on January 12 with a price of $350.00 U.S.

Wachowskis Develop V

Andy and Larry Wachowski (the Matrix movies) will produce a film adaptation of Alan Moore's futuristic graphic novel V for Vendetta, and Matrix first assistant director James McTeigue is in talks with Warner Brothers to direct, Variety reported. The Wachowskis originally wanted to direct the adaptation themselves, but set it aside to do the Matrix trilogy of films. Matrix producer Joel Silver will also produce V, the trade paper reported.

V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate future in which Germany wins World War II and Great Britain becomes a fascist state. A terrorist freedom fighter known only as "V" begins a violent guerilla campaign to destroy those who've succumbed to totalitarianism and recruits a young woman he's rescued from the secret police to join him, the trade paper reported.

The project has been around for years, with Romeo Is Bleeding writer Hilary Henkin taking a stab at it at one point, but without success, the trade paper reported.

Keanu Reeves is The Night Watchman

Keanu Reeves will star in The Night Watchman for director Spike Lee and Bob Yari Productions, reports Variety. Reeves plans to begin production on the crime thriller shortly after he completes promotional duties for Warner Bros. Pictures on Constantine, opening February 18.

Written by James Ellroy, "Watchman" is the story of a disgraced cop who discovers corruption inside a police department and sets out on a mission to redeem himself.

Reeves will be seen in the upcoming Thumbsucker and also stars in Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly, the Philip K. Dick adaptation that Warner Independent Pictures will release next September.

After the Matrix - local work appeals to actor

Wellington actor Nathaniel Lees reckons he's done his dash working on Hollywood blockbusters.

Lees, who starred alongside Keanu Reeves as Captain Mifune in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, said he would much rather work on local film and theatre projects.

"Now I've seen how big budget films work, I'm not so interested in them any more," he said.

Awarded the $6000 Creative New Zealand Senior Pacific Islands Artist award at the Arts Pasifika Awards last night, Lees said he was preparing for two projects – a play for the next International Festival of the Arts lineup and to star in Toa Fraser's first feature film, Number Two. The film is based on Fraser's play of the same name.

If given the option Lees, whose career has spanned more than 30 years, said he would always prefer to work on local projects or projects which had a local flavour. That was why he had chosen to develop Dylan Thomas' novel Beach of Falesa, set in the Pacific.

While the play was still in the early development stages, Lees said inquiries had already been received from people interested in staging it here and overseas.

Other winners from last night's event were: Auckland artist and artistic director Lemi Ponifasio, who got the $5000 Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award; artist Lonnie Hutchinson of Auckland who received the $3000 Emerging Pacific Artist Award; former Wellington singer Bonaventure Allan-Moetaua (now based in Auckland) who was awarded the $6500 Iosefa Enari Memorial Award, and carver Kepueli Vaomotou of Auckland who got the $3000 Heritage Art Award.

Grass greener in Keanu’s world

KEANU REEVES reportedly snuck onto a fire escape at the Beverly Hills Hilton to get a breath of fresh air but as ``The Matrix'' dreamboat started to light up, a firefighter walked by and pointed out the ``No smoking'' sign. ``Relax, man, it's just weed,'' Reeves said, according to Star maggie. Maybe it was medicinal?

Keanu Reeves' smoking break!

Washington, Nov 7(ANI): Keanu Reeves was recently caught having fag at the 8th Annual Hollywood Awards at the Beverly Hills Hilton, and that too in front of a huge "No smoking" sign.

According to Star magazine, he took a smoking break on the fire escape outside of the ceremony when a Beverly Hills Fire Department fireman approached him and asked him to put out his cigarette.

"Relax man, it's just weed," Reeves was quoted as saying.(ANI)