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“He blew me away,” recalls Poll. “I just felt like here’s Charlie Bartlett. He was incredibly empathetic and really funny. And what made me realize he was perfect is that he said it was the honesty and optimism of Charlie that drew him to it. If anyone was ever destined to play a part, I think it was Anton as Charlie Bartlett.”

“I really wanted to show what drives Charlie to be this person who acts in such comical ways. I wanted to show that he has kind of had to parent himself, and that he is someone who responds to his own sadness with humour,” added the young actor.

For Yelchin, the challenge was in constantly straddling the film’s comedy and depth. “The role calls on everything from slapstick to drama,” he notes, “and it left a lot of room for experimentation so I just had a lot of fun with it. It was a thrill being able to come up with so many ideas because that’s what I love to do.” As for Charlie’s controversial “occupation” as psychiatric drug dealer, Yelchin says: “In all honesty, it’s one of those subjects that people have to deal with and I think this story is a great way to start the conversation.”

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Jamie Bell doesn't need to be the lead to shine! If I recall correctly, right after his success in Billy Elliot, Bell decided to take a different route and played a supporting role to Charlie Hunnam in Nicholas Nickleby. It's a good career choice- proving for a fact that he can act and can take on any roles. In Jumper, he is the only redeeming value in this disappointing film. Every scene with Bell has this boundless, nervous energy that is somewhat addictive. He's really a fantastic young actor!

A genetic anomaly allows a young man to teleport himself anywhere. He discovers this gift has existed for centuries and finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them.

Sounds like a fine plot for a movie right? Yes, it is. The visual effects and the script are a given. The best in Hollywood can do anything to make any film look authentic, but when it comes to the cast, that's a different story altogether. That's why critics love to dissect the most mundane parts of the most mediocre films. While Jumper has its moments, it's a big big disappointment.

For someone like me who read and loved the book, I expected some surprises even though I have lowered my expectations when they decided to cast Hayden instead of Tom Sturridge. It could have been a different story, or it could have been worse, but from previous performances, I know Mr. Sturridge could deliver a much better Davey. The same case when they selected Hayden instead of Michael Angarano for the much-coveted role of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars pre-quels. Two big and stupid casting decisions. When will they learn?

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Gave Nevins in a breakthrough performance for Gus van Sant's Paranoid Park. There was this cool interview conducted by Rotten Tomatoes where Nevins answered a number of interesting questions, among about the character he played, Alex:

I'm like my character in a lot of ways because I added a lot of things to the movie. We had open lines and we'd talk to Gus and add stuff to the scenes. Most of Alex's interests are pretty similar to mine. That's aside from the fact that his parents broke up and, erm, he killed a security guard. But other than that we're pretty similar.

Gus and the makeup lady came to my house and took basically all my clothes. I had like one shirt and a pair of boxers left at my house! But I think it worked really well because I think we were more comfortable in our own clothes. Our body language, which played a big part in the movie, turned out well because of that.

Van Sant has the reputation for casting relatively unknown young actors. In the case of his earlier movie, Elephant, he cast John Robinson, among others. The young actor was able to be play other roles in which he excelled. The same applies to Gabe Nevins.

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The Amazing gang at Cloverfield: The box-office hit Cloverfield follows five New Yorkers from the perspective of a hand-held video camera. The movie is exactly the length of a DV Tape and a sub-plot is established by showing bits and pieces of video previously recorded on the tape that is being recorded over. The movie starts as a monster of unknown origin destroys a building. As they go to investigate, parts of the building and the head of the Statue of Liberty come raining down. The movie follows their adventure trying to escape and save a friend, a love interest of the main character.

I would have to say it was Mike Vogel and Michael Stahl-David who really stand out in this movie. Vogel is of course, quite known for his performance in a number of movies, including The Deaths of Ian Stone and Poseidon.

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French heartthrob Louis Garrel shines in Love Songs! The International Herald Tribune recently posted an amazing article about the young actor from France:

During his brief but eye-catching career, the 24-year-old actor Louis Garrel has been cast as a love interest for young girls, older women and teenage boys, not to mention his own onscreen mother ("Ma Mère") and sister ("The Dreamers").

"I'm a sexual object," the tall, pale, dark-eyed Garrel said with a smile, taking a drag on his fifth Marlboro at a café in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. "It's true that for me there's something very sexual about the cinema. Not in the sense of the act, but of creating desire."

In his new film, "Love Songs," directed by Christophe Honoré, Garrel plays Ismaël, caught in a ménage à trois with his girlfriend (Ludivine Sagnier) and colleague (Clotilde Hesme) as well as being the obsession of an ardent male student (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet). His third film with Honoré, "Love Songs" is a modern musical about love and loss in which the characters break into song to express their emotions.

He's definitely more than capable of handling drama, comedy and in this case, a musical with a twist!

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A smash movie featuring Three topnotch performances: First let's focus on Channing Tatum:

Peirce auditioned rising young star Channing Tatum for the role and says she was impressed by his emotional depth and maturity, his range and his ability to take direction. She immediately championed him for the role and never regretted her choice. “Channing was sheer energy on the set, willing to try anything, go anywhere emotionally and bare that side of himself – his vulnerability, his sense of dignity, his feelings of brotherhood for the other men, that was so necessary in becoming that character.”

Tatum was both flattered and intrigued by the offer to play Steve. “’Stop- Loss’ was honestly one of the most raw, heartfelt scripts I had ever read. Since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated by soldiers -about their morality and their ideals so to have the chance to play one was very exciting,” says Tatum. “And that was just at the start. It only got more interesting as we got deeper into the role.”

Joe Levitt: Gordon-Levitt had a unique take on the character.

“I think Tommy left home and joined the Army partially to escape demons at home and found a real family, found more connection and love in the Army than he had at home. think that when he comes back, he first has the same problems a lot of guys have when they come back but, for him, the old demons rear their heads again alongside new ones he has brought back from Iraq,” says Gordon-Levitt.

It was the script coupled with an opportunity to play a soldier that attracted him to “Stop-Loss,” he continues. “There are very few really good scripts so whenever I read one, it stands out. It was well written and a page-turner and seemed like an honest and heartfelt statement about what was going on today.

Finally, Ryan Philippe: Peirce was excited when actor Ryan Phillippe agreed to take on the role.

“Ryan brought something unexpected to the part,” she affirms. “Not only could he act it, but he seemed like Brandon. He seemed like someone who would have signed up for this war, who would have been the leader, who would have killed in order to protect his men and been devastated when he lost them, who would have questioned, who would have gone on the run and who would have ultimately gone back to war for his family, his friends and his country.”

Phillippe says that, as always, his main priorities in deciding whether to take on a film role are the talent of the filmmaker and the quality of the material. For him, “Stop-Loss” was the perfect melding of script and director.

“I truly believe Kim Peirce to be an artist,” he attests. “If you look at her first film, she’s clearly talented. As for the script, I love reality-based material. This is not a true story, but many men have lived it and when a project is grounded by that kind of dramatic weight and truth, you feel convinced that you’re telling a story that needs to be told.”

To play an Iraq War-era soldier, Phillippe plunged into deep research. One of his primary sources was Peirce’s brother Brett and the specifics about his real-life experience that he shared with his sister, as well as the videotapes he brought back from the Middle East. “I watched hours and hours of video camera footage that the soldiers shot of each other to get a sense of their camaraderie,” he says. “I also viewed many of the excellent documentaries that have been made about the Iraq conflict. Also, I got really into the military aspects, which I tend to do when I get involved in this kind of movie. You really want to make sure you know how to behave and appear like a soldier. I think you’re doing these men a service if you do your best to appear legitimate. It was very important for me, and for all the other actors, to look like the real deal. We were fortunate to have Jim Dever as our technical advisor. He’s the best in the business and I’d already worked with him on ‘Flags of Our Fathers.’” made about the Iraq conflict. Also, I got really into the military aspects, which I tend to do when I get involved in this kind of movie. You really want to make sure you know how to behave and appear like a soldier. I think you’re doing these men a service if you do your best to appear legitimate. It was very important for me, and for all the other actors, to look like the real deal. We were fortunate to have Jim Dever as our technical advisor. He’s the best in the business and I’d already worked with him on ‘Flags of Our Fathers.’”

In speaking of his experience of working with Peirce, Phillippe says “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Altman, Eastwood and Ridley Scott, and I put her right up there with them. I think she’s maybe tougher than any of them and she’s a real artist. She’s got this drive and is determined to get what she wants, and that’s what a director has to do -be decisive, authoritative and unrelenting.”

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Part 2 of this 3 parts series is next!

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Comments (2)

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I really need to catch up on netflix because I'm dying to see Charlie Bartlett, since I'm a fan of Yelchin, I've wanted to see Stop-Loss, and I had Jumper for a month, never watched it so I eventually sent it back. I'm thinking Netflix isn't something I should have right now lol.

I loved Cloverfield! Seeing it in theaters, surrounded by the loud sound effects and the big screen is the only way you can experience the film. I swear, I had an adrenaline rush into the next day. It put me on edge! No movie had ever done that to me, it is really the first of its kind...well, now that quarantine is coming out. Nevertheless, I agree that Vogel and Stahl-David were great. In addition, T.J Miller, the character behind the camera almost made the film with his hilarious side comments. Miller was also Marmaduke on the short run comedy Carpoolers. Look it up on youtube, you'll die of laughter! I really hope he is heard from again, he does comedy perfectly.

myheartsnsocal , October 06, 2008

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Sheesh I am so behind on movies it is ridiculous. We have Blockbuster online and my hubby and I have been on a kick to watch past seasons of tv shows we missed. We just finished watching EVERY SINGLE EPISODE OF STARGATE SG-1. 9 SEASONS!!!! Well he watched, I stared at the screen in a stupor. I really need to take control of our list.....i did put Jed's recommendation of C.R.A.Z.y on there so here's hoping!!!!!

kellyw73 , October 06, 2008

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