For the last twenty years, Jodie Foster has had a lot in common with Tom Hanks. They both were nominated for Oscars in 1989, and again in 1995 (she won the first time; he won the second time), a year in which they each were recognized for playing kind of retarded. Each now has two Academy Awards and each is considered a dark, dark horse for this year’s Oscar race (neither will be nominated). Both actors continue to remain at the top of America’s favorites, even when or after they star in critically scorned blockbusters. And now, Foster is apparently trying to add one more thing she has in common with Hanks: she’s gone and made her own Joe vs. the Volcano.
In the trailer for Nim’s Island, we see that Foster’s character, like Hanks’ “Joe”, is a closeted, unwell human being who ends up on a mission to a little island, of which she has been deemed the savior. And like Joe, Foster meets an annoying little blond — though this time it’s child actress Abigail Breslin instead of childish actress Meg Ryan. There are, however, a lot of differences, too. And ultimately, Nim’s Island look a hundred times worse than Joe versus the Volcano — which is saying a lot (Joe has its charms, but it is truly an awful movie).
The Brave One’s U.S. poster was a gimme for the Jodie Foster’s massive lesbian fan base: it featured a full body shot of the star in a tight, midriff-skimming tee, holding a big, phallic gun down by her tight-jeaned nether-regions. It blatantly sexualized Foster’s quest for vengeance, and it didn’t go unnoticed: AfterEllen.com summed it up with the headline, “Best. Jodie. Movie. Poster. Ever.” But what works for the queer blogosphere does not necessarily an international blockbuster make, and thus Warner Brothers has gone with a very different brand identity for the international rollout. The Risky Biz Blog pegs the change as ratings-board motivated:
In the U.S. — where the MPAA frowns on ads where guns strike too threatening a pose — the main image featured Foster, looking distraught, her head bowed and her gun hanging limply by her side. But in its foreign make-over, The Brave One’s poster…features a full head shot of Foster with her gun raised, aiming to kill. Nothing shy about it.
In other words: the idea that Foster is conflicted about killing has been wiped clean from this ad campaign. It’s gone from “what have I done?” to “look what I’m doing.” It makes sense: when complexity fails to sell, it’s time to go binary.
David Cronenberg’s Russian mob movie was a hit with Toronto audiences, too: it picked up theaudience prize for best film at the Toronto Film Festival over the weekend, edging out runners-up Juno and Body of War.
In Toronto acquisitions news, IFC picked up Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg, and in what is being billed as the Festival’s biggest sale, First Look Studios purchased the Aaron Eckhart/Jessica Alba comedy Bill for at least $3 million.
Southland Tales and Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly is launching Darko Entertainment, a production company designed “to back modestly budgeted, director-driven films.” Their first venture will be Dirty Girl, a co-production with Christine Vachon’s Killer Films.
MTV Films and Old School director Todd Phillips are producing a feature around YouTube sensation Million Dollar Strong (aka Mike O’Connell and Ken Jeong). O’Connell is writing the screenplay with Peter Kline.
Over the next week, I’ll be appearing on several Toronto Film Festival-centric episodes of ReelerTV, which Stu VanAirsdale and friends are producing in collaboration with Spout. In the episode embedded above, Stu hits the red carpet for the premiere of The Brave One, and I recap a batch of Toronto films that I saw in Telluride, including Juno, Margot at the Wedding, and Redacted.
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