{"id":2535,"date":"2005-10-24T18:05:00","date_gmt":"2005-10-24T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2005\/10\/newsbites-joaquin-disney-dafoe-ushpizin\/"},"modified":"2005-10-24T18:05:00","modified_gmt":"2005-10-24T18:05:00","slug":"newsbites-joaquin-disney-dafoe-ushpizin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2005\/10\/newsbites-joaquin-disney-dafoe-ushpizin.html","title":{"rendered":"Newsbites: Joaquin! Disney! Dafoe! Ushpizin!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Methinks we\u2019re overdue for another batch.<\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/a> GetReligion.org<\/a> notes the peculiar lack of religious content in the Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/i>\u2018 recent feature on Joaquin Phoenix, who grew up with missionary hippie parents and plays the deeply spiritual Johnny Cash in the upcoming film Walk the Line<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n

2.<\/a> Reuters<\/a> notes that the CGI cartoon Chicken Little<\/a><\/i>, the first major animated Disney feature since they shut down their traditional hand-drawn animation division, is \u201ccritical for Disney reputation\u201d. The story notes that Disney \u201cdabbled\u201d in CGI before, with Dinosaur<\/a><\/i> (2000; my review<\/a>), which featured semi-realistic animals against live-action backgrounds. But, um, that movie sucked, so it ain\u2019t the most encouraging precedent.<\/p>\n

3.<\/a> They say that sex scenes between married actors tend not to work, so if you got one of them to direct<\/i> the scene, you could take their collaboration to a whole new level of awkwardness. Hence, Reuters<\/a> reports that, for Willem Dafoe, who has been in his share of controversial (The Last Temptation of Christ<\/a><\/i>, 1988) and embarrassing (Body of Evidence<\/a><\/i>, 1993) sex scenes, \u201cperhaps the toughest sex scenes yet were in a new film<\/a> co-starring and directed by his wife.\u201d Yeepers. Someone call David Cronenberg<\/a>!<\/p>\n

4.<\/a> The Associated Press<\/a> reports that \u201cthe star of India\u2019s first animated feature film<\/a> is a genuine deity drawn from the Hindu pantheon. . . . In promos being aired on Indian TV, Hanuman, wearing an orange loincloth, gold armlets and anklets, wields a mace as he battles fire-breathing dragons and ferocious demons in the 90-minute film.\u201d Director V.G. Samant \u201cstudied Hindu scriptures for more than two years with some 60 animators and researchers to adapt them to celluloid for the movie\u201d.<\/p>\n

5.<\/a> Is the Friday the 13th<\/a><\/i> series really celebratings its 25th anniversary? The Associated Press<\/a> says it is, and it says there is talk of another cross-over sequel, plus<\/i> a remake. Oh joy. Just for the record, the only films in this franchise that I\u2019ve seen are Parts I<\/a><\/i>, II<\/i>, III<\/i><\/a>, IV<\/a><\/i> and X<\/i> \u2014 most of which I saw a couple years ago, as research, when I thought there was a chance that I might see Freddy Vs. Jason<\/a><\/i> (2003). As it turns out, I didn\u2019t. Ah well. (One nitpick: an actress in this article says, \u201cI was Jason\u2019s first victim,\u201d but I suspect she was actually Jason\u2019s mother\u2019s<\/i> first victim.)<\/p>\n

6.<\/a> The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/i> says Sahara<\/a><\/i> director Breck Eisner and Pleasantville<\/a><\/i> (1998; my comments<\/a>) writer-director Gary Ross are teaming up for a remake The Creature from the Black Lagoon<\/a><\/i> (1954); Ross\u2019s father was one of the writers on the original.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a fan of the original, but for this I would love to just update and modernize the film,\u201d Eisner said in an interview. \u201cWe see it as an aggressive sci-fi horror film in the vein of \u2018Alien\u2019 or like John Carpenter\u2019s \u2018The Thing.\u2019 We want to elevate the source material.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

7.<\/a> The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/i> reviews Ushpizin<\/a><\/i>:<\/p>\n

In the charming comedy-parable \u201cUshpizin,\u201d religious orthodoxy inspires not unbending dogma but humble, sometimes baffled spiritual striving by its embraceable, flawed characters. Made with the unprecedented involvement of Jerusalem\u2019s Orthodox community, the film bridges the secular and religious with a light touch, using ritual specifics as a way into a very human story. The film\u2019s opening today coincides with Sukkot, the holiday at the center of the tale. Good reviews and word-of-mouth could ensure a decent art house run in metro markets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

8. Speaking of Ushpizin<\/i>, the Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/i> links this film to Left Behind: World at War<\/a><\/i>, of all things, in an article on the new relationship between Hollywood and faith-based markets.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Methinks we\u2019re overdue for another batch. 1. GetReligion.org notes the peculiar lack of religious content in the Los Angeles Times\u2018 recent feature on Joaquin Phoenix, who grew up with missionary hippie parents and plays the deeply spiritual Johnny Cash in the upcoming film Walk the Line. 2. Reuters notes that the CGI cartoon Chicken Little, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNewsbites: Joaquin! Disney! Dafoe! Ushpizin!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Methinks we're overdue for another batch.1. 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