Larry Ratliff

'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.

Howard cracks 'Da Vinci' mumbo-jumbo code

 

"Angels & Demons," opening today (May 15), has a much higher entertainment quotient than "The Da Vinci Code" of 2006.

That's because director Ron Howard and his gifted screenwriting duo have cracked their own "Da Vinci Code" in turning another Dan Brown bestseller into a fast-paced religious-themed thriller.

And it's strangely important that star Tom Hanks has a much better haircut this time around.  Click here for the full "Angels & Demons" review, or click on the Movie Reviews link at the top of this page.

Also this week:

"Rudo y Cursi,"a darkly comic buddy pic re-teaming Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, hits screens today.  In Spanish with subtitles, it's directed by gifted screenwriter and first-time feature-film director Carlos Cuaron, brother of Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron.

Click here for the review or here to read my interview with the younger Cuaron.  Just don't expect any sibling rivalry.

(Photo:  Tom Hanks and Ayelet Zurer, left, try to figure out who's fighting to bring down the Catholic Church in "Angels & Demons."/Zade Rosenthal/Sony Pictures)

Know your boys & girls of cinematic summer

 

Now that the summer movie season has gotten off on the right foot -- and I'm talking entertainment value here, not merely box-office results -- it's time to look a little beyond the obvious marquee names.

This could be a big summer for Sam Worthington and Ayelet Zurer?

Whom?

My point exactly. 

If you want to get a jump on your friends when movie talk comes around, just casually mention that Sam Worthington could just emerge as a very well-known actor before the end of 2009. 

"After all," you mention, "he is appearing in two movies that might just loom large before the year is over; 'Terminator Salvation' this summer (May 21) and 'Avatar' in the fall."

Just for the heck of it, throw in that Ayelet Zurer, from Israel, plays the scientist opposite Tom Hanks in "Angels & Demons," which just happens to hit theaters Friday.

Wait, I'll make it very easy for you.  Borys Kit runs it all down in an article posted on the Hollywood Reporter Web site. 

"Sam Worthington might be the biggest star you've never heard of," the article begins.

(Photo:  Big name star Christian Bale, left, and Sam Worthington share the screen in "Terminator Salvation"/Warner Bros. Pictures.)

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)