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Spread Eagle

There is nothing about this trailer for The Eagle (below) that doesn't make me think it will be stupid and preposterous and, quite frankly, really bloody awful! Everything from the accents (or lack thereof) to the ridiculous plot, from Channing Tatum to Kevin Macdonald. Alas, I will watch it. Why? Well, we've covered this before: JAMIE BELL PLAYS A SLAVE!


Now, really, is there anybody out there who thinks this actually looks good? In an actual proper way, not in a "the homosexual overtones will provide enjoyment, as will reading all the awkward teen boys' comments online afterwards" way. I agree that the homoerotic vibe of the entire project could be wildly humourous, but this is Kevin Macdonald we're talking about here and, let's face it, he's hardly the man I would go to to direct something even the slightest bit camp. Knowing or otherwise.

I like how that bit at the end with the cart flipping over is this film's version of the truck flipping over in The Dark Knight, as if that's the big stunt they're going to utilise heavily as their "whoa, cool!" moment. I also wonder whose idea it was to change the title from The Eagle of the Ninth to simply The Eagle. Good god, what a bland title!

Nevertheless, my love for Jamie Bell knows almost no bounds (I even saw Jumper), so I can't see any reason why I won't subject myself to another one of Kevin Macdonald's retched attempts at this whole "filmmaking" business (the day he goes back to documentaries will be a good day indeed). I mean, The Eagle features a scene in which Bell tells Channing Tatum to "get on [his] knees." It's practically begging for the audience's mind to wander towards less wholesome deeds, is it not?


"Who, me?"
Yes, you!

Here are some more moments from the trailer that I liked. Needless to say, I have a one track mind.






Meanwhile, Jason over at My New Plaid Pants was nice enough to screencap the gorgeous trailer for Jane Eyre (the fabulous poster to which we looked at the other day) and, naturally, this is the one that piqued my interest most of all!


Quelle surprise, I know!

Well Played, Poster: Jane Eyre

Earlier this year the Mark Romanek adaptation of Never Let Me Go released a poster that a lot of people on the internet collectively wet their pants over. I did not. I never posted about it at the time, but over at InContention I wrote: "As a movie poster this makes a great book cover. Not sure how this at all sells a movie of any kind of anybody though. Who’ll see that and go 'yes, let’s see that movie.'" I still feel that way, and judging by the film's scant American box office not many others were all that interested in seeing the movie that's supposedly about a couple of children running down a pier. Maybe they were running towards something that the poster was simply unable to convey? I don't know.

Moving on though, today comes a poster for Jane Eyre, the latest adaptation of which comes from Cary Fukunaga. He made a splash last year with Sin Nombre, but that Mexico-set film never received a release in Australia so I have nothing to go on. The advertising materials I have seen for it certainly suggest a very different film to his sophomore effort.


There are several things that I love about this poster, which was just released through Focus' Facebook page. I like how they're not shying away from the fact that it's a period film with girly costumes and dainty hair stylings and yet haven't shied away from making a visually stylish design. Films such as The King's Speech, The Young Victoria, Changeling and so forth could learn a thing or two about not forsaking personality and design in the face of stifling period detailing.

I do think the poster looks like a book cover - in case you were wondering why I brought up that Never Let Me Go story - that could feature the sticker "Now a Major Motion Picture starring Mia Wasikowska", but a book cover that can still work as a movie poster due to its visuals and cinematic scope. I think the colours are gorgeous and colours we so rarely see on a poster, they immediately make me think of the colour palette than Fukunaga will be using to show the moors of the British isle.

Most of all, however, I love that look of Mia Wasikowska's face. It makes me suspect there's a lot going on within her and makes me anticipate what she will do with the character. I find it interesting that the release date is March of next year, which is hardly the time of year where you expect a prestigious literary adaptation with period costumes. In fact, Wasikowska has this in March and Restless (poster and trailer here) for Gus Van Sant in January. She's giving me Nicole Kidman vibes right now, working with quite auteur and artistically arresting directors that (judging from their release dates) don't quite fit into the model of what Oscar-bait prestige films.

I must say though, it's this part of the poster would probably have sold me on the project anyway.


Isn't that an amazing cast?

Bright Young Things

Over at Trespass this week we are looking at "bright young things", up and coming talent. Earlier this week Trespass' film writers each threw up our choices for best directorial debuts in which I selected Matthew Saville (Noise), Courtney Hunt (Frozen Hunt, left) and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others) and today we all take a look at 20 young actors under the age of 30 that we feel deserve your attention.


I discuss the above talented younguns. Xavier Samuel, Jamie Bell, Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish and Greta Gerwig. I've dicussed Bell, Samuel and Barclay quite about at the blog and I definitely think Abbie Cornish was the one most robbed of an Oscar nomination this year. Greta Gerwig is a new on screen acquaintance of mine having only seen Greenberg. I am not that keen on the "mumblecore" films that I have seen, but I am still interested in seeking them out for Gerwig who truly does look like a potentially big star.

Click on over to Trespass to take a look at the rest.

Jamie Bell is MINE

Just because Jamie Bell has (apparently) been cast in the new Spider-Man reboot, doesn't mean sure-to-be-numerous new-found fans can steal him away from me, okay? Well done to Marc Webb, though, for casting perhaps the one, single, solitary actor that could actually pique my interest in this far too early, misguided Spider-Man "reboot".

Gosh, he's a cutie, isn't he?


Yeah, I'm not sure why he made Jumper either.