Larry Ratliff

Director Haggis calls Scientology a 'cult'

 

Paul Haggis on the set of "The Next Three Days."   (Courtesy:  Lionsgate)

Writer-director Paul Haggis, who usually keeps a fairly low profile behind the camera, is suddenly center-spotlight today.

The World Wide Web is having a field day with reports that the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Crash" (a film he also directed) is speaking openly about his decision to break away from the Church of Scientology after three decades in the religion of choice of superstars Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

In an article published by The New Yorker this week and quoted in a story on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, Haggis says, "I was in a cult for 34 years.  Everyone else could see it.  I don't know why I couldn't."

Most recently, Haggis directed last year's "The Next Three Days," the dramatic-thriller starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks.

In 2007, Haggis called the shots on "In the Valley of Elah," the riveting drama that earned Tommy Lee Jones an Academy Award nomination as a tormented father seeking out the cause of his military son's death.

According to the published reports, Haggis parted ways with Scientology over the issues of same-sex marriage and abuse allegations.

"When the church declined to publicly denounce Proposition 8, the measure that banned same-sex marriages in California, he said he just had to leave.

"His youngest daughter, Katy, from his first marriage, 'lost the friendship of a fellow-Scientologist after revealing that she was gay,' according to the New Yorker. (Tommy Davis, chief spokesman for the Church of Scientology International, claims Katy's friend ended the friendship not because Katy was 'lesbian but because Katy lied about it,) the Hollywood Reporter article states.

'Showgirls' scribe takes on Virgin of Guadalupe

 

 

 "Showgirls" co-star Gina Gershon and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. 

(Courtesy:  MGM/UA Home Entertainment) 

It may not get much stranger than this when it comes to upcoming movie projects.

Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of saucy movies like "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls," has signed on the dotted line to write a project about the Virgin of Guadalupe, the mystical sighting of a virgin in 16th century Mexico, according to a post on the Hollywood Reporter Web site.

"Eszterhas, sounding like someone other than the man who gave the world hard-R potboilers like 'Basic Instinct,' noted that the Guadalupe project was a 'labor of love' and that he had been 'hoping for some time to write a film that is both entertaining and inspiring,'" Steven Zeitchik's article states.

"Eszterhas has had a roller-coaster life in Hollywood; he is one of its most influential screenwriters and one of its most infamous characters. The Hungarian-born writer has penned some of the town's most successful movies of the past several decades ('Jagged Edge,' 'Flashdance,' 'Basic Instinct') and some of its highest-profile flops ('Showgirls,' 'An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn')," continues the Hollywood Reporter item.

Several things are worth noting about this project-in-the-works:

Eszterhas, who has battled throat cancer, has talked about his conversion to Christianity.

The writer hasn't had a film released in this country in a decade.

Also, the Virgin of Guadalupe project has no production green light at this point. 

If Eszterhas gets his version to the screen, it won't be the first.  Santiago Parra's "Guadalupe" historical mystery drama made the rounds in 2006.

'Harry' to trump 'Summer' this weekend?

 

 
Heard the news?  The new "Harry Potter" adventure will likely dominate at the box office this weekend.  (Warner Bros. Pictures)

While it's true that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will most likely dominate the box-office cha-ching this weekend, the sixth cinematic installment in novelist J.K. Rowling's runaway hit fantasy series is hardly going it alone when it comes to new arrivals.

Before we move on, however, you can click here for the "Harry Potter" review or click on the Movie Reviews page link above.

Now, about other stuff.  I really like "(500) Days of Summer," the first feature from director Marc Webb.  "Summer" has the quirky feel of "Juno" with an added dash of clever technical gimmicks (split screen and such) and a playful dark tone that resonates reality.

It helps that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are very good together as they ride a 500-day relationship roller coaster through significant (and often hilarious) emotional peaks and valleys.

Click here for the review or head over to the Movie Reviews page.

Also this week:

"The Stoning of Soraya M.," opening in the Dallas area, provides a haunting, based-on-truth account of Stone Age injustice in the modern world.  (Click here for the review, or go to the Movie Reviews page.)

"Adoration," Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's 12th feature, opens in San Antonio today (July 17).  Moody and intriguing, it's a study of a high school senior coming to grips with the loss of his parents.  A must-see for Egoyan devotees, it's a mixed call for the rest of us.

Click here for the review, or seek out "Adoration" on the Movie Reviews page.

Pope said 'Nope,' but 'Angels' premiere peaceful

Director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks, perhaps feeling a little devilish, took the world premiere of "Angels & Demons" to Rome Monday night.

That's significant because the pope, or at least the Catholic Church, refused to allow filming of the religion-themed suspense-thriller last year in Vatican City.

It was mostly all smiles in the Italian capital Monday night.  According to an article posted on the Hollywood Reporter Web site, the crowds were "enthusiastic" and there was "almost no evidence of the controversy that has surrounded the project," a sequel to "The Da Vinci Code," which opened three years ago.

Based once again on Dan Brown's novel, "Angels & Demons" features Hanks one more time as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon.  Sporting much better hair this time out (but that's just me), Hanks' character discovers again that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing to advance their goals.

Opening May 15, "Angels & Demons" also features Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard and Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Perhaps in a effort to break any tension that might be present, Howard joked around with the crowd, according to the Hollywood Reporter article.

"'Despite all the supposed controversies, despite all that's been said, remember that it's just a film,' Howard said in remarks before the screening began.

"The helmer also elicited laughter from the mostly Italian crowd by discussing the process of making a major film in a city as chaotic as Rome. 'There has been a lot of discussion in the press about the difficulties in making a big film like 'Angels & Demons' in Rome, but I have only one thing to say about that,' Howard said. 'It's all true.'"

(PHOTOS:  Tom Hanks works the crowd outside Rome's Parco della Musica complex, while Ron Howard offers a friendly wave./Camilla Morandi/Sony Pictures Entertainment)