Authors are escalating efforts to block artificial intelligence companies from using their copyrighted works to train artificial intelligence systems, this time taking aim at Meta and OpenAI in proposed class-action lawsuits.
Michael Chabon and other decorated writers of books and screenplays sued Meta on Tuesday in California federal court, accusing the company of copyright infringement for harvesting mass quantities of books across the web, which were then used to produce infringing works that allegedly violate their copyrights. OpenAI was sued on Sept. 8 in an identical class action alleging the firms “benefit commercially and profit handsomely from their unauthorized and illegal” collection of the authors’ books. They seek a court order that would require the companies to destroy AI systems that were trained on copyright-protected works.
The lawsuit is the latest volley from creators in a barrage of court challenges over the legality of the way large language models are trained.
Michael Chabon and other decorated writers of books and screenplays sued Meta on Tuesday in California federal court, accusing the company of copyright infringement for harvesting mass quantities of books across the web, which were then used to produce infringing works that allegedly violate their copyrights. OpenAI was sued on Sept. 8 in an identical class action alleging the firms “benefit commercially and profit handsomely from their unauthorized and illegal” collection of the authors’ books. They seek a court order that would require the companies to destroy AI systems that were trained on copyright-protected works.
The lawsuit is the latest volley from creators in a barrage of court challenges over the legality of the way large language models are trained.
- 9/12/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The abuse they suffered and were expected to endure at Scott Rudin Productions, has broken my heart,” author says
Pulitzer-winning author and screenwriter Michael Chabon has broken his silence on Scott Rudin, saying that he is “ashamed” for not speaking up about Rudin’s “abusive behavior” toward staffers after 20 years of working with the Egot winner.
Though Chabon said he did not witness many of the stories that have been described in the recent Hollywood Reporter exposé and elsewhere, writing that he never saw Rudin use “vulgar or demeaning epithets” or cause physical injury. But he said he often witnessed Rudin’s outbursts and anger and acted as though nothing had happened. He acknowledges that it does not exonerate him for not speaking out, and that he “knew enough.”
“Reading the accounts of Scott Rudin’s present and former employees, of the abuse they suffered and were expected to endure at Scott Rudin Productions,...
Pulitzer-winning author and screenwriter Michael Chabon has broken his silence on Scott Rudin, saying that he is “ashamed” for not speaking up about Rudin’s “abusive behavior” toward staffers after 20 years of working with the Egot winner.
Though Chabon said he did not witness many of the stories that have been described in the recent Hollywood Reporter exposé and elsewhere, writing that he never saw Rudin use “vulgar or demeaning epithets” or cause physical injury. But he said he often witnessed Rudin’s outbursts and anger and acted as though nothing had happened. He acknowledges that it does not exonerate him for not speaking out, and that he “knew enough.”
“Reading the accounts of Scott Rudin’s present and former employees, of the abuse they suffered and were expected to endure at Scott Rudin Productions,...
- 4/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
When a character grows popular enough to endure for decades, at the hands of more than one writer, the difference between sequels and fan fiction can get awfully blurry. Few writers understand that messy feeling better than Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fanboy at the helm of Star Trek: Picard. In the new CBS All Access series premiering January 23rd, Sir Patrick Stewart reprises his Star Trek: The Next Generation role as Jean-Luc Picard, now a Starfleet retiree running the family vineyard in France.
A literary wunderkind for early novels...
A literary wunderkind for early novels...
- 1/18/2020
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay‘s twenty-year journey to the screen may finally be coming to an end. A limited series adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel novel has been set up at Showtime through CBS Television Studios with a big production commitment. It will be written and executive produced by Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, who have signed a multi-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios.
Star Trek franchise’s Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman are also executive producing the project. It will be produced by Paramount Television, whose movie studio parent Paramount Picture owns the rights to the book, and CBS TV Studios in the first collaboration between the new corporate siblings at the merged ViacomCBS.
Under the overall pact, the husband-and-wife team of Chabon and Ayelet will create and develop projects for CBS TV Studios across all platforms, starting with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,...
Star Trek franchise’s Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman are also executive producing the project. It will be produced by Paramount Television, whose movie studio parent Paramount Picture owns the rights to the book, and CBS TV Studios in the first collaboration between the new corporate siblings at the merged ViacomCBS.
Under the overall pact, the husband-and-wife team of Chabon and Ayelet will create and develop projects for CBS TV Studios across all platforms, starting with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,...
- 12/10/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
As the Pulitzer-prize winning scribe behind The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, not to mention an episode of CBS’ Short Treks (read: “Calypso”), you’d think Michael Chabon would be pretty well adjusted to meeting the industry’s biggest names.
But it turns out Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, turned him into a giddy fanboy. Chabon is currently in charge of writing Stewart’s return to the Star Trek saga, and spoke to IndieWire (h/t ComicBook.com) about what it’s like to work in close collaboration with a living legend.
To be sitting in the room with Patrick Stewart, just sitting there next to me — I tried to be cool about it. I think we all tried to be cool about it. He’s a lovely man. He’s really smart, intuitive, friendly, and warm, and generous, and everything… Then, all of a sudden,...
But it turns out Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, turned him into a giddy fanboy. Chabon is currently in charge of writing Stewart’s return to the Star Trek saga, and spoke to IndieWire (h/t ComicBook.com) about what it’s like to work in close collaboration with a living legend.
To be sitting in the room with Patrick Stewart, just sitting there next to me — I tried to be cool about it. I think we all tried to be cool about it. He’s a lovely man. He’s really smart, intuitive, friendly, and warm, and generous, and everything… Then, all of a sudden,...
- 11/22/2018
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer-prize winning author of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” as well as “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” and “Wonder Boys,” sounded almost giddy on the phone. “It’s so much fun to be able to talk about ‘Star Trek,'” he said.
Chabon makes his television-writing debut with the newest installment of “Short Treks,” a series of”Star Trek: Discovery” short films on CBS All Access. But that’s really a prelude to the most exciting gig: being a part of the writers’ room for the upcoming series that marks the return of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard.
Without revealing anything about Picard’s new adventures, Chabon said the experience working on the show left him flustered. “To be sitting in the room with Patrick Stewart, just sitting there next to me — I tried to be cool about it,” he said. “I think we all tried to be cool about it.
Chabon makes his television-writing debut with the newest installment of “Short Treks,” a series of”Star Trek: Discovery” short films on CBS All Access. But that’s really a prelude to the most exciting gig: being a part of the writers’ room for the upcoming series that marks the return of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard.
Without revealing anything about Picard’s new adventures, Chabon said the experience working on the show left him flustered. “To be sitting in the room with Patrick Stewart, just sitting there next to me — I tried to be cool about it,” he said. “I think we all tried to be cool about it.
- 11/9/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Will Ferrell is set to star in Gus Van Sant’s next project “Prince of Fashion,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
The film, which is set up at Amazon Studios, is based on Michael Chabon’s”My Son, The Prince of Fashion,” article which was published in GQ. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are producing. Van Sant will write the script and direct.
The article, originally published in September 2016, describes Chabon’s experience taking his son to Paris Fashion Week. “All I got was a profound understanding of who he is, what he wants to do with his life, and how it feels to watch a grown man stride down a runway wearing shaggy yellow Muppet pants,” the article’s intro reads. It was nominated for a National Magazine Award.
Also Read: Paramount Signs Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary and Gloria Sanchez Pods...
The film, which is set up at Amazon Studios, is based on Michael Chabon’s”My Son, The Prince of Fashion,” article which was published in GQ. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are producing. Van Sant will write the script and direct.
The article, originally published in September 2016, describes Chabon’s experience taking his son to Paris Fashion Week. “All I got was a profound understanding of who he is, what he wants to do with his life, and how it feels to watch a grown man stride down a runway wearing shaggy yellow Muppet pants,” the article’s intro reads. It was nominated for a National Magazine Award.
Also Read: Paramount Signs Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary and Gloria Sanchez Pods...
- 11/8/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The heart-pounding fun of Dwayne Johnson’s “Skyscraper” wasn’t just movie star bravado and CGI for director Rawson Marshall Thurber — it was math mixed with a little but of adrenaline.
“This is a thrill ride — you bought your ticket and here it is,” Thurber told TheWrap. “We didn’t consult with math professors to make sure it made sense, but we did the math with Ilm [Industrial Light & Magic] and we knew we were close. People aren’t buying tickets to see a documentary about a guy jumping a big jump. With any action sequence, you want it to feel believable — but 10 percent more. You want it to be improbable, but not impossible. You want it to feel insane, but not unachievable.”
In the movie, Johnson tries to get into a building that is engulfed in flames in order to save his family. The only way in is to jump from a crane into the burning building,...
“This is a thrill ride — you bought your ticket and here it is,” Thurber told TheWrap. “We didn’t consult with math professors to make sure it made sense, but we did the math with Ilm [Industrial Light & Magic] and we knew we were close. People aren’t buying tickets to see a documentary about a guy jumping a big jump. With any action sequence, you want it to feel believable — but 10 percent more. You want it to be improbable, but not impossible. You want it to feel insane, but not unachievable.”
In the movie, Johnson tries to get into a building that is engulfed in flames in order to save his family. The only way in is to jump from a crane into the burning building,...
- 7/15/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Rawson Marshall Thurber - director of We're the Millers - has joined Central Intelligence.
The Office's Ed Helms will star and executive produce the spy comedy.
Central Intelligence will see Helms in the role of an accountant who finds himself caught up in the world of international espionage after reconnecting with an old friend through Facebook, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
Thurber will not only direct, but will rewrite the script for the upcoming comedy.
New Line will produce Central Intelligence, which was previously slated to be directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest).
Scott Stuber, Peter Principato and Paul Young are serving as producers on Central Intelligence.
Thurber is best known for his work on Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and the summer blockbuster We're the Millers.
Watch the cast of We're the Millers speak to Digital Spy below:...
The Office's Ed Helms will star and executive produce the spy comedy.
Central Intelligence will see Helms in the role of an accountant who finds himself caught up in the world of international espionage after reconnecting with an old friend through Facebook, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
Thurber will not only direct, but will rewrite the script for the upcoming comedy.
New Line will produce Central Intelligence, which was previously slated to be directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest).
Scott Stuber, Peter Principato and Paul Young are serving as producers on Central Intelligence.
Thurber is best known for his work on Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and the summer blockbuster We're the Millers.
Watch the cast of We're the Millers speak to Digital Spy below:...
- 12/23/2013
- Digital Spy
Interview Caroline Preece 21 Aug 2013 - 08:14
Dodgeball director Rawson Marshall Thurber chats to us about his new comedy We're The Millers, his Magnum P.I. script and more...
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber tasted the rare joy of overnight success with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story back in 2004, and now he’s making his long-awaited return to comedy with ‘family’ road comedy We’re The Millers.
We spoke to him about getting a hit with his first film, the Magnum P.I. script sitting on the shelf and whether we’ll ever see a Dodgeball sequel.
What attracted you to the script first of all?
I thought it was a really funny script and those are rare enough. When I read it, I think I laughed about four times out loud and that just never happens. I thought it was a really clever take on an old idea – it’s a family road...
Dodgeball director Rawson Marshall Thurber chats to us about his new comedy We're The Millers, his Magnum P.I. script and more...
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber tasted the rare joy of overnight success with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story back in 2004, and now he’s making his long-awaited return to comedy with ‘family’ road comedy We’re The Millers.
We spoke to him about getting a hit with his first film, the Magnum P.I. script sitting on the shelf and whether we’ll ever see a Dodgeball sequel.
What attracted you to the script first of all?
I thought it was a really funny script and those are rare enough. When I read it, I think I laughed about four times out loud and that just never happens. I thought it was a really clever take on an old idea – it’s a family road...
- 8/20/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Mill on the Doss: Thurber’s Arbitrary Comedy Rests on Laurels of Cast Charm
Filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber, whose directorial debut was the Ben Stiller goof-fest Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) returns to the broad humor of star studded formulaic mainstream comedy with We’re the Millers, which, to be fair, has more funny moments than it’s unappealing marketing campaign would lead you to believe. But even with a handful of chuckles, Thurber, who swerved into indie territory with a stagnant 2008 adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, along with his four screenwriters, creates yet another strained, contrived cinematic entry, with an ever increasingly ludicrous premise bludgeoned mercilessly into the requisite formula of Hollywood comedy.
Small time Denver drug dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) lives the carefree life of a bachelor until an unlucky scenario outside his apartment complex sees him getting robbed of all his goods and hard cash.
Filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber, whose directorial debut was the Ben Stiller goof-fest Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) returns to the broad humor of star studded formulaic mainstream comedy with We’re the Millers, which, to be fair, has more funny moments than it’s unappealing marketing campaign would lead you to believe. But even with a handful of chuckles, Thurber, who swerved into indie territory with a stagnant 2008 adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, along with his four screenwriters, creates yet another strained, contrived cinematic entry, with an ever increasingly ludicrous premise bludgeoned mercilessly into the requisite formula of Hollywood comedy.
Small time Denver drug dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) lives the carefree life of a bachelor until an unlucky scenario outside his apartment complex sees him getting robbed of all his goods and hard cash.
- 8/8/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Rawson Marshall Thurber's directorial debut was 2004's "Dodgeball," a surprise summer hit that grossed $167 million worldwide. Nine years and one indie later (2008's "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh"), Thurber's back with another summer movie that could surprise at the box office: "We're the Millers," a twisted and often very funny road trip comedy that stars Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston as, respectively, a drug dealer and a stripper trying to bring a bunch of pot into the U.S. from Mexico by pretending to be married. (Emma Roberts and Will Poulter star as their fake kids; it's all very complicated.)
"It had been alive in various stages of development for almost eight years," Thurber said of the R-rated script, originally written by Bob Fisher and Steve Faber. "I think it was alive for that long for a couple of reasons: One is that the premise is such a fun, commercial...
"It had been alive in various stages of development for almost eight years," Thurber said of the R-rated script, originally written by Bob Fisher and Steve Faber. "I think it was alive for that long for a couple of reasons: One is that the premise is such a fun, commercial...
- 8/6/2013
- by Christopher Rosen
- Huffington Post
The next R-rated comedy to come out this Summer is set to release on Wednesday (Aug 7th), and last week we got the chance to check out the film (as well as sent several of our lucky readers to screenings as well), in order to tell you whether or not We're the Millers is comedy gold, or another dud. Come inside to check out our full review!
One of my first R-rated film I ever saw was released in the last week of July 1983, which was National Lampoons Vacation, still one of the best films that Chevy Chase ever committed to celluloid. In that film, Clark Griswold and his family headed out on the great American road trip. In their journeys, they ran into strange characters, stranger places and their goal, A family vacation that brought them together once again. Brilliantly written by Harold Ramis and directed by the great...
One of my first R-rated film I ever saw was released in the last week of July 1983, which was National Lampoons Vacation, still one of the best films that Chevy Chase ever committed to celluloid. In that film, Clark Griswold and his family headed out on the great American road trip. In their journeys, they ran into strange characters, stranger places and their goal, A family vacation that brought them together once again. Brilliantly written by Harold Ramis and directed by the great...
- 8/5/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Chris Danger)
- Cinelinx
It's an underrated little gem, but the director of "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, is back. Truthfully, Rawson Marshall Thurber didn't really go anywhere, but 2008's indie “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” wasn’t terribly well received. He's now back in studio comedy mode -- studio action comedy mode, to be specific -- with "We're The Millers." Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Will Poulter, and Ed Helms, Thurber's latest has a bevy of strong comedic talent and centers on a veteran pot dealer (Sudeikis) who creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico. Here's the official synopsis. David Burke (Jason Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids—after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong?...
- 12/18/2012
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge took a walk in cold NYC yesterday with their daughter Marlowe. The whole family was braced for the chilly temperatures, with Tom donning a hat and Sienna in a long fur. Marlowe, meanwhile, stayed snuggled in her stroller. Sienna and Tom have been in and out of NYC over the last few weeks. She was doing press for her HBO project The Girl, which debuted earlier this month to so-so reviews. Another of her movies is currently in production. Foxcatcher, costarring Channing Tatum, is being filmed in Pittsburgh at the moment. Channing's been spotted on the Pennsylvania set, but Sienna may be lying low while she's in Pittsburgh. She memorably faced a serious backlash after referring to the town as "Sh*ttsburg" back in 2006 while there making The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. View Slideshow ›...
- 11/26/2012
- by Allie Merriam
- Popsugar.com
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis are ready to get dysfunctional.
The "Horrible Bosses" co-stars are in talks to go mobile and reunite in the road trip comedy, "We're the Millers," according to Risky Business.
"We're the Millers" centers on a drug dealer who creates a fake family to help him pull off one last job that involves transporting over a thousand pounds of marijuana across the U.S.-Mexican border. The film originated with "Wedding Crashers" writers Steve Faber and Bob Fisher but has gone through a seemingly never-ending mix of writers, directors and actors since it was first picked up in 2002.
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis were seen together last summer in "Horrible Bosses," though they weren't "paired up" as horrible boss and employee (Aniston's tortured subordinate was played by Charlie Day and Sudeikis' insufferable superior was played by Colin Farrell). The duo also appeared together in "The Bounty Hunter.
The "Horrible Bosses" co-stars are in talks to go mobile and reunite in the road trip comedy, "We're the Millers," according to Risky Business.
"We're the Millers" centers on a drug dealer who creates a fake family to help him pull off one last job that involves transporting over a thousand pounds of marijuana across the U.S.-Mexican border. The film originated with "Wedding Crashers" writers Steve Faber and Bob Fisher but has gone through a seemingly never-ending mix of writers, directors and actors since it was first picked up in 2002.
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis were seen together last summer in "Horrible Bosses," though they weren't "paired up" as horrible boss and employee (Aniston's tortured subordinate was played by Charlie Day and Sudeikis' insufferable superior was played by Colin Farrell). The duo also appeared together in "The Bounty Hunter.
- 4/10/2012
- by Bryan Enk
- NextMovie
The career trajectory of Rawson Thurber has always kind of baffled me. While Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story isn't the greatest movie in the world, it's quite funny, received a warm reception from critics and made nearly $170 million internationally on a $20 million budget. But what has Thurber done since? One episode of the short-lived sitcom The Loop, a short in the Cinema16: American Short Films collection, the horrible The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and another short called Manchild. He does have another project in development, but it's being directed by Brett Ratner, so we probably can't expect too much. Is it a matter of a talented guy not getting work or a once-lucky guy finding his position on the totem pole? Perhaps The Umbrella Academy will answer that question. Universal has hired Thurber to rewrite the adaptation of the comic, according to Deadline. The book, written by My Chemical Romance frontman...
- 7/26/2011
- cinemablend.com
Rawson Thurber, the writer/director of 2004's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story , has been brought aboard the planned adaptation of Dark Horse Comics' The Umbrella Academy , reports Deadline . Created by Gerard Way (best known for being the lead singer of My Chemical Romance), the 2007 miniseries tells the story of a disbanded superhero family who all come back together after the death of their father. Thurber, who most recently adapted the Michael Chabon novel The Mysteries of Pittsburgh , is also one of the writers of the upcoming Brett Ratner film Tower Heist . He'll take on a script for Umbrella Academy from Mark Bomback ( Unstoppable , Live Free or Die Hard ).
- 7/25/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Does the moppet to your left look familiar? If so, you might be one of the world’s rarest creatures — a fan of The Voice who’s also seen Kevin Smith’s 2003 flop Jersey Girl. Raquel Castro, the girl who starred in that film as the plucky daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s characters, resurfaced on the second episode of NBC’s singing sensation last night and ended up getting chosen to join Christina Aguilera’s team. As it turns out, Raquel is far from the only Voice contestant who had significant experience in show business before snagging a spot on the series.
- 5/4/2011
- by Hillary Busis
- EW.com - PopWatch
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Rawson Thurber looking to get high-red for long-gestating We’re the Millers.
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The Hollywood Reporter scored an exclusive with the story of writer/director Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) negotiating to film the pot comedy that started the film-scripting careers of Steve Faber and Bob Fisher back in 2002. The writing duo had been TV writers when they decided to write a comedy spec to break into features.
And so they birthed We’re the Millers, a story about a pot dealer who wants to make one last score before retiring from the business on his 30th birthday.
How big? 1,400 pounds.
How’s he’s going to drive a Winnebago to Mexico, fill it with over half a ton of weed, and drive it back across the border? By hiring a fake family.
What could...
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Rawson Thurber looking to get high-red for long-gestating We’re the Millers.
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The Hollywood Reporter scored an exclusive with the story of writer/director Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) negotiating to film the pot comedy that started the film-scripting careers of Steve Faber and Bob Fisher back in 2002. The writing duo had been TV writers when they decided to write a comedy spec to break into features.
And so they birthed We’re the Millers, a story about a pot dealer who wants to make one last score before retiring from the business on his 30th birthday.
How big? 1,400 pounds.
How’s he’s going to drive a Winnebago to Mexico, fill it with over half a ton of weed, and drive it back across the border? By hiring a fake family.
What could...
- 5/4/2011
- by Den Shewman
- Corona's Coming Attractions
Michael Chabon is, incontestably, one of our favorite working writers. A terrific short-story writer and essayist, he particularly shines in his longer-form work, where he often tinkers with genre tropes, applying them to recent Jewish history to frequently astounding effect, as in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" and "Gentlemen of the Road." But the novelist's had a mixed success in Hollywood--while his early novel "Wonder Boys" was adapted brilliantly by Curtis Hanson a decade ago, his first book "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" received a botched adaptation a few years back. "Kavalier & Clay" and…...
- 3/9/2011
- The Playlist
Michael Chabon is a literary star (The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Yiddish Policeman's Union) whose novels have mostly managed to escape adaptation to film. Both those novels I cited have been in development, but have yet to yield a film. Wonder Boys is the only prominent adaptation, though Mr. Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, got a little-seen adaptation a few years back. (Which, frankly, I'd forgotten even existed. Time to queue that one.) He's been more visible as a screenwriter than as an author whose novels are adapted, with credits on Spider-Man 2 and forthcoming films John Carter of Mars; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; and Snow and the Seven. Now Michael Chabon and his wife Ayelet Waldman have set up a project called Hobgoblin at HBO. It is an original series that will feature magicians, con men and Hitler. Wait, run that by me again? THR [1] says that the show,...
- 3/9/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Whether she’s acting in film or television, modeling for Lancome cosmetics or using her celebrity to bring awareness to a variety of causes, Mena Suvari has always been able to grab our attention. She’s come a long way from her career-making role in the film American Beauty and has since starred in films like The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh and Day of the Dead and also on television where she played Lauren Ambrose's girlfriend in the acclaimed HBO drama Six Feet Under.
In the new erotically charged indie film Hemingway’s Garden of Eden, Suvari plays Catherine, an heiress who quickly meets and marries a writer (played by Jack Huston). Upon growing bored with life and her marriage, she invites the beautiful Marita (Caterina Morino) into their lives and their bed. Do things go well from that point on? You’ll have to watch the movie and find out.
In the new erotically charged indie film Hemingway’s Garden of Eden, Suvari plays Catherine, an heiress who quickly meets and marries a writer (played by Jack Huston). Upon growing bored with life and her marriage, she invites the beautiful Marita (Caterina Morino) into their lives and their bed. Do things go well from that point on? You’ll have to watch the movie and find out.
- 12/10/2010
- by J. Halterman
- AfterEllen.com
Adapted from the very funny Michael Chabon novel, Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys is a marvel of a film, a sharp and wise valentine to academia and the literary life. Wonder Boys Dir. Curtis Hanson (2000)Wonder Boys is one of those films—truly rewatchable, and enjoyable every time—that settles into some small place in your heart. A valentine to the life of the mind and the pleasures of words for literary types and bookish people, Wonder Boys follows Michael Douglas as Professor Grady Tripp, a college professor who isn't stuck, exactly, on his second novel, the follow-up to his star-making The Arsonist's Daughter (hee!)...he's just 4000 pages into it.Wonderfully adapted from the Michael Chabon novel* (which, should be noted, was the anxiety-ridden follow-up to a blazing debut, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh) by screenwriter Steve Kloves, director Hanson has an admirably...
- 8/13/2010
- by Tribeca Film
- Huffington Post
Wonder Boys Dir. Curtis Hanson (2000) Wonder Boys is one of those films - truly rewatchable, and enjoyable every time - that settles into some small place in your heart. A valentine to the life of the mind and the pleasures of words for literary types and bookish people, Wonder Boys follows Michael Douglas as Professor Grady Tripp, a college professor who isn't stuck, exactly, on his second novel, the follow-up to his star-making The Arsonist's Daughter (hee!)...he's just 4000 pages into it. Wonderfully adapted from the Michael Chabon novel* (which, should be noted, was the anxiety-ridden follow-up to a blazing debut, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh) by screenwriter Steve Kloves, director Hanson has an admirably light touch with the film. Over the course of a "Wordfest" February weekend, Tripp gets mixed up with his agent (a wonderful Robert Downey Jr., in one of his first major roles post-his addict years), his...
- 8/13/2010
- TribecaFilm.com
Mark your calendars for two big-budget films from Walt Disney Pictures to debut in theatres in 2012.
Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, a feature-length, 3-D film, will be released on March 9, 2012. The stop-motion adaptation of Burton’s 1984 short has Allison Abbate (Corpse Bride, The Iron Giant) and Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) attached as producers. Frankenweenie has been in production in London, and may even be released in black-and-white.
Few details have been released on the exact plot of the remake, but the storyline will likely follow the original, which focuses on a boy who brings his deceased pet dog back to life – only for his creation to turn out to be a monster. The film’s release date mirrors the timing of Burton’s recent blockbuster “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened during early March 2010, and grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide. No other film has been set for a March 9, 2012 opening,...
Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, a feature-length, 3-D film, will be released on March 9, 2012. The stop-motion adaptation of Burton’s 1984 short has Allison Abbate (Corpse Bride, The Iron Giant) and Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) attached as producers. Frankenweenie has been in production in London, and may even be released in black-and-white.
Few details have been released on the exact plot of the remake, but the storyline will likely follow the original, which focuses on a boy who brings his deceased pet dog back to life – only for his creation to turn out to be a monster. The film’s release date mirrors the timing of Burton’s recent blockbuster “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened during early March 2010, and grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide. No other film has been set for a March 9, 2012 opening,...
- 8/11/2010
- by Brett Nachman
- FusedFilm
Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte are in talks to join the cast of "Arthur," Warner Bros.' remake of the 1981 comedy.
Russell Brand and Helen Mirren are starring in the pic, which Jason Winer is directing.
Closely hewing to the original, the new "Arthur" follows a very rich, happy drunk who is told by his mother that he must marry the wealthy girl of her choosing or else lose his inheritance, just as he meets a poor girl (Greta Gerwig) and falls in love.
Garner is playing an heiress who carries her own secrets and whom Brand must marry. Nolte is her deeply religious father.
Larry Brezner is producing with Kevin McCormick and Chris Bender.
Garner, repped by Wme and Management 360, took part in New Line's ensemble rom-com "Valentine's Day" and recently wrapped "Butter," an indie dramedy set in the small-town world of competitive butter-sculpting. "Butter" is serving as...
Russell Brand and Helen Mirren are starring in the pic, which Jason Winer is directing.
Closely hewing to the original, the new "Arthur" follows a very rich, happy drunk who is told by his mother that he must marry the wealthy girl of her choosing or else lose his inheritance, just as he meets a poor girl (Greta Gerwig) and falls in love.
Garner is playing an heiress who carries her own secrets and whom Brand must marry. Nolte is her deeply religious father.
Larry Brezner is producing with Kevin McCormick and Chris Bender.
Garner, repped by Wme and Management 360, took part in New Line's ensemble rom-com "Valentine's Day" and recently wrapped "Butter," an indie dramedy set in the small-town world of competitive butter-sculpting. "Butter" is serving as...
- 6/10/2010
- by By Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
My first experience with Michael Chabon was the magnificent work, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I had never heard of Chabon, and instead picked up the suggested work as a comic-book fan who revels in the behind-the-scenes of making comics and its storied history. It easily became a favorite, and is widely considered Chabon's "magnum opus." Having never heard of Chabon before Kavalier, I was surprised to learn it was, in fact, his third novel. Possessed by the incredible quality of Kavalier, I found myself wondering about his first book, which served as his thesis in grad school, and the vehicle between his status as an amateur student-writer and praised professional. And now, I've finally come to the beginning.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a story about the summer after college graduation for Art Bechstein. It's that odd time between the fairy tale of youth without responsibility and...
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a story about the summer after college graduation for Art Bechstein. It's that odd time between the fairy tale of youth without responsibility and...
- 3/16/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Michael London's Groundswell Prods. has completed a management-led restructuring.
The moves, assisted by Comerica Entertainment Group, puts the 4-year-old indie film company on new fiscal footing following a pullout by hedge fund Tpg-Axon, its equity partner the past three years. Comerica, which previously funded a $135 million credit facility for the company, has agreed to provide a new facility of about $50 million in line with Groundswell's sharpened business plan.
As part of the new game plan, Groundswell will seek equity partnerships on film co-productions and selectively seek studio money for certain projects. London, who continues to serve as Groundswell CEO, said the move from a wholly independent model reflects the tough times for indies.
"We'll have more control and can work within the studio structure," London said.
London and partner Jonathan Fischer -- elevated from COO to president in the recently completed restructuring -- bought out Tpg-Axon's interest in Groundswell...
The moves, assisted by Comerica Entertainment Group, puts the 4-year-old indie film company on new fiscal footing following a pullout by hedge fund Tpg-Axon, its equity partner the past three years. Comerica, which previously funded a $135 million credit facility for the company, has agreed to provide a new facility of about $50 million in line with Groundswell's sharpened business plan.
As part of the new game plan, Groundswell will seek equity partnerships on film co-productions and selectively seek studio money for certain projects. London, who continues to serve as Groundswell CEO, said the move from a wholly independent model reflects the tough times for indies.
"We'll have more control and can work within the studio structure," London said.
London and partner Jonathan Fischer -- elevated from COO to president in the recently completed restructuring -- bought out Tpg-Axon's interest in Groundswell...
- 1/24/2010
- by By Carl DiOrioand Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After last week’s furore surrounding Cheryl Cole’s David Koma bin lid dress, the singer decided to play it safe in conventional looking party dresses on this week’s X Factor.
On Saturday night she wore a cute Lbd by Jean Paul Gaultier (pictures here) and on Sunday she opted for a silk Marios Schwab shift dress, paired with nude tights and nude heels.
The dress is a favourite with the stars and was also worn by Sienna Millar at the premiere of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh screening back in April 2009.
Once again we feel that it was fellow judge Dannii Minogue who stole the show on this week’s X Factor. She opted for a nude strapless dress by Aussie couture designers J’Aton Couture and her trusty Louboutin heels.
On Saturday night she wore a cute Lbd by Jean Paul Gaultier (pictures here) and on Sunday she opted for a silk Marios Schwab shift dress, paired with nude tights and nude heels.
The dress is a favourite with the stars and was also worn by Sienna Millar at the premiere of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh screening back in April 2009.
Once again we feel that it was fellow judge Dannii Minogue who stole the show on this week’s X Factor. She opted for a nude strapless dress by Aussie couture designers J’Aton Couture and her trusty Louboutin heels.
- 11/10/2009
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed Unfortunately it's a very bad week for DVD and Blu-ray releases, but let's rundown the list anyway as maybe some of you are looking forward to at least renting one or two of these. The Soloist The best new film of the bunch has to be The Soloist, but even it isn't a stand-out masterpiece by any stretch. It does have a couple of good performances and is certainly worth a once over, but as far as being a purchase I would definitely recommend against it. Mutant Chronicles This action-sci-fi feature starring Thomas Jane, John Malkovich and Ron Perlman is probably the title I am most interested in renting and a little upset I forgot to request a review copy, but Netflix will take care of that. Race to Witch Mountain Ugh, just a bad, bad movie. Kids may...
- 8/4/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
British actress Sienna Miller had no qualms about stripping off for her movie The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh - because she would have done anything to keep her away from home following her high-profile split from Jude Law.
The Factory Girl star broke off her engagement to Law in November 2005 after he was caught having an affair with his children's nanny.
The scandal became tabloid fodder in their native U.K., and Miller admits she threw herself into her work in a bid to escape the media intrusion.
She agreed to star in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh in 2006 - even though it meant shedding her clothes for the part - but insists she will no longer consider roles requiring nudity, because she's moved on.
She tells Vogue magazine, "I don't think I feel comfortable getting naked now. I can see where I made the decision to make that film three years ago, but then you grow up and evolve and your tastes change.
"I was in this period where I was making movies back-to-back because I didn't want to be at home. Anything to not be in London. I was running away."
The movie was released in 2008 but was savaged by critics and film fans alike.
The Factory Girl star broke off her engagement to Law in November 2005 after he was caught having an affair with his children's nanny.
The scandal became tabloid fodder in their native U.K., and Miller admits she threw herself into her work in a bid to escape the media intrusion.
She agreed to star in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh in 2006 - even though it meant shedding her clothes for the part - but insists she will no longer consider roles requiring nudity, because she's moved on.
She tells Vogue magazine, "I don't think I feel comfortable getting naked now. I can see where I made the decision to make that film three years ago, but then you grow up and evolve and your tastes change.
"I was in this period where I was making movies back-to-back because I didn't want to be at home. Anything to not be in London. I was running away."
The movie was released in 2008 but was savaged by critics and film fans alike.
- 6/24/2009
- WENN
Somewhat like her character in Mysteries In Pittsburg,--the alluring classical violinist Jane Bellwether--Sienna Miller is a compelling, straightforward person who makes no bones about what she's about and how she handles her life in the spotlight. Her fellow cast member Peter Sarsgaard, who, like his character, the seductive Cleveland Arning, can be this wry, almost snarky, individual who, in a rapid-fire manner, replies as playfully to questions as much as he answers them. In a sense, they replicate the experience of meeting their cinematic alter-egos in this celluloid approximation of Michael Chabon's debut novel Mysteries of Pittsburg. While novice director Rawson Marshall Thurber makes a valiant, though flawed, attempt to render this story of just-graduated college student Art Bechstein--played by Jon Foster [who wasn't available for this interview]--son of gangland boss Joe The Egg Bechstein (Nick Nolte), who struggles to break...
- 4/18/2009
- by Brad Balfour
- Huffington Post
Sienna Miller's popularity continues to wane - the actress has been voted less attractive than British monarch Queen Elizabeth II in a new poll.
The British star was recently dropped from Ridley Scott's forthcoming Robin Hood movie, with Cate Blanchett replacing her in the coveted role of Maid Marian.
She received further humiliation when her latest film, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, was blasted by U.S. critics earlier this month, with one reviewer claiming the most memorable thing about the movie is the actress' “moustache”.
And now Miller has been snubbed by the public - she plunged below the Queen to number 202 in FHM magazine's annual poll of the world's sexiest women.
FHM editor Chris Bell says, “Maybe it’s the credit crunch or that Sienna is a bit annoying, but men seem to be rejecting privileged It-girl types like her.”
The magazine will announce the top spot in the survey of 10 million people on 23 April. Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole is favourite for the prize.
The British star was recently dropped from Ridley Scott's forthcoming Robin Hood movie, with Cate Blanchett replacing her in the coveted role of Maid Marian.
She received further humiliation when her latest film, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, was blasted by U.S. critics earlier this month, with one reviewer claiming the most memorable thing about the movie is the actress' “moustache”.
And now Miller has been snubbed by the public - she plunged below the Queen to number 202 in FHM magazine's annual poll of the world's sexiest women.
FHM editor Chris Bell says, “Maybe it’s the credit crunch or that Sienna is a bit annoying, but men seem to be rejecting privileged It-girl types like her.”
The magazine will announce the top spot in the survey of 10 million people on 23 April. Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole is favourite for the prize.
- 4/13/2009
- WENN
Sienna Miller's latest film has been blasted by critics - with one reviewer claiming the most memorable thing about the movie is the actress' “moustache”.
The British beauty stars alongside Peter Sarsgaard in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which was released in U.S. cinemas earlier this week (06Apr).
But her performance has not gone done well in the States.
New York Post critic Lou Lumenick writes, “You know a movie’s got problems when the most memorable thing about it is Sienna’s moustache.”
And the Boston Globe adds, “Almost nothing works in this movie."
Other reviewers have also criticised Miller's American accent. A reviewer for the New York Times says, "Just what accent Ms Miller is attempting is hard to guess."...
The British beauty stars alongside Peter Sarsgaard in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which was released in U.S. cinemas earlier this week (06Apr).
But her performance has not gone done well in the States.
New York Post critic Lou Lumenick writes, “You know a movie’s got problems when the most memorable thing about it is Sienna’s moustache.”
And the Boston Globe adds, “Almost nothing works in this movie."
Other reviewers have also criticised Miller's American accent. A reviewer for the New York Times says, "Just what accent Ms Miller is attempting is hard to guess."...
- 4/11/2009
- WENN
By: Scott Weinberg (from his 2008 Sundance Festival review)
Most directors' first effort is Not a huge blockbuster smash of a comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, but that's how writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber hit the scene: with Dodgeball. But based on the filmmaker's second effort, I'm guessing that Thurber took a lot of good-natured ribbing from his film-school friends and decided to snag some "indie cred" by doing a smaller movie for his second feature. That's all well and good, but it's too bad that the resulting movie -- The Mysteries of Pittsburgh -- is such an inert, episodic, and familiar piece of very typical festival fare. It's as if Mr. Thurber watched six Sundance films at random, and then just copied his favorite scenes from each one.
Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Chabon, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is about the son of...
Most directors' first effort is Not a huge blockbuster smash of a comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, but that's how writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber hit the scene: with Dodgeball. But based on the filmmaker's second effort, I'm guessing that Thurber took a lot of good-natured ribbing from his film-school friends and decided to snag some "indie cred" by doing a smaller movie for his second feature. That's all well and good, but it's too bad that the resulting movie -- The Mysteries of Pittsburgh -- is such an inert, episodic, and familiar piece of very typical festival fare. It's as if Mr. Thurber watched six Sundance films at random, and then just copied his favorite scenes from each one.
Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Chabon, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is about the son of...
- 4/10/2009
- by Cinematical staff
- Cinematical
Some coming-of-age movies capture the experience of growing up and moving on, while some keep the story going by spending 90 minutes keeping a protagonist from hitching the first ride out of town. The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh adapts Michael Chabon’s first novel, but it’s really rooted in every bastard child of I Vitelloni in which it’s clear from the first frame that the film won’t end until the protagonist clears out, but it makes us sit still and stare at the unpacked baggage. In whatever is the opposite of a star-making performance, Jon Foster stars as ...
- 4/9/2009
- avclub.com
Apr 08, 2009 The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a low-budget, low-level, low-energy film with some pretty high-profile voices behind it. The film is based on the first book ever-written by the amazing author Michael Chabon (The Yiddish Policeman's Union, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay), was adapted into a feature film and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball), and features the gorgeous Sienna Miller (Factory Girl), super-talented Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey), and intriguing Jon Foster (The Door in the Floor). The film struggled in development for years (Jason Schwartzman was nearly attached a few years ago) and ...Read more at MovieRetriever.com...
- 4/8/2009
- CinemaNerdz
Sienna Miller and Peter Sarsgaard became karaoke buddies while shooting new film Mysteries Of Pittsburgh.
Night shoots in Pennsylvania often left the cast and crew awake in between takes at very unsocial hours, but they found a local bar where they could sing to each other.
Miller says, "A lot of this film was night shoots so we did karaoke. My signature song was These Boots Are Made For Walking."
Sarsgaard adds, "I did Behind Blue Eyes because it sounded very right for (character) Cleveland. That’s (karaoke) always good for chemistry."
The fun nights also helped take Sarsgaard's mind off the fact he was about to become a first-time father - his fiancee, Maggie Gyllenhaal, was close to giving birth as he shot the film in Pennsylvania.
He tells WENN, "My 'wife' was about to have a baby and I was flying back every 10 minutes on a Seneca airplane and I’m a bad flyer."...
Night shoots in Pennsylvania often left the cast and crew awake in between takes at very unsocial hours, but they found a local bar where they could sing to each other.
Miller says, "A lot of this film was night shoots so we did karaoke. My signature song was These Boots Are Made For Walking."
Sarsgaard adds, "I did Behind Blue Eyes because it sounded very right for (character) Cleveland. That’s (karaoke) always good for chemistry."
The fun nights also helped take Sarsgaard's mind off the fact he was about to become a first-time father - his fiancee, Maggie Gyllenhaal, was close to giving birth as he shot the film in Pennsylvania.
He tells WENN, "My 'wife' was about to have a baby and I was flying back every 10 minutes on a Seneca airplane and I’m a bad flyer."...
- 4/8/2009
- WENN
Because I never got the chance to post a Trailer Tuesday video yesterday, I bring you two today! The first, “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,” stars Jon Foster, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari, Nick Nolte and Peter Sarsgaard in a coming-of-age story about a recent college grad whose summer is turned upside-down when he’s whisked away from his dull job at the Book Barn. According to Ropes of Silicon, the film was released in New York on March 27th and will hit theaters in Los Angeles on April 4th.
The second trailer is for the highly anticipated summer comedy “Year One” with Jack Black and Michael Cera. This brand new trailer reveals much more about the film’s plot than we’ve seen in any other material released and provides glimpses of the supporting cast, which includes Paul Rudd, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Hank Azaria. “Year One” will rock theaters June 19th.
The second trailer is for the highly anticipated summer comedy “Year One” with Jack Black and Michael Cera. This brand new trailer reveals much more about the film’s plot than we’ve seen in any other material released and provides glimpses of the supporting cast, which includes Paul Rudd, Olivia Wilde, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Hank Azaria. “Year One” will rock theaters June 19th.
- 4/1/2009
- ReelTalkTV.com
We have the trailer in from Peace Arch Entertainment's "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" starring Jon Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari and Nick Nolte. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" director Rawson Marshall Thurber helms and adapts the screenplay based on the novel written by Michael Chabon ("Wonder Boys" novel as well as the screen story for "Spider-Man 2"). The film was a nominee of at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for the Grand Jury Prize. See the trailer here. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a coming-of-age story set in the faded glory of early 1980’s era Pittsburgh, based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon. The story opens with Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) floundering in his new-found post-college freedom, opting to take the job with the least amount of responsibility he can find (at the appropriately titled Book Barn), while sleep walking through...
- 3/26/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We have the trailer in from Peace Arch Entertainment's "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" starring Jon Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari and Nick Nolte. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" director Rawson Marshall Thurber helms and adapts the screenplay based on the novel written by Michael Chabon ("Wonder Boys" novel as well as the screen story for "Spider-Man 2"). The film was a nominee of at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for the Grand Jury Prize. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a coming-of-age story set in the faded glory of early 1980’s era Pittsburgh, based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon. The story opens with Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) floundering in his new-found post-college freedom...
- 3/26/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We have the trailer in from Peace Arch Entertainment's "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" starring Jon Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller, Mena Suvari and Nick Nolte. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" director Rawson Marshall Thurber helms and adapts the screenplay based on the novel written by Michael Chabon ("Wonder Boys" novel as well as the screen story for "Spider-Man 2"). The film was a nominee of at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for the Grand Jury Prize. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a coming-of-age story set in the faded glory of early 1980’s era Pittsburgh, based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon. The story opens with Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) floundering in his new-found post-college freedom...
- 3/26/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hot on the heels of Watchmen comes another book adaption 20 years in the making, Michael Chabon's The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh.While unlikely to generate anything on the scale of Watchmania, Chabon's debut novel is well-loved, and fans will be reassured by Rawson Marshall Thurber's near-reverential adaptation. Thurber, the man who brought us the mighty Wight Goodman as writer/director of Dodgeball, also directs.The trailer looks promising enough, with Sienna Miller pitched back into love triangle territory after her turn as one of Dylan Thomas' paramours in The Edge Of Love. Miller plays glamorous dilettante Jane Bellwether, who along with small-time hood Cleveland Arning (the ever-excellent Peter Sarsgaard) and college graduate Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) wiles away a hot Pennsylvanian summer in Chabon's coming-of-age tale.With a growly Nick Nolte turn, Mena Suvari, and Sienna Miller in a bikini, what's not to like? Click here to view the trailer.
- 3/12/2009
- EmpireOnline
Michael Chabon is one of the best fiction writers going. His Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a must read and a Pulitzer Prize winner, and though I haven't read his novel Wonder Boys, it's a damn fine film.
Another of his books has been adapted for the screen, and we'll get to see The Mysteries of Pittsburgh later this year. It's a coming of age story about a college graduate in the steel city, and a year ago, it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, although most people would have a tiny but better connection to the project because Sienna Miller made negative comments about the city while filming there.
In addition to Miller, Mysteries stars Mena Suvari, Nick Nolte, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jon Foster.
Another of his books has been adapted for the screen, and we'll get to see The Mysteries of Pittsburgh later this year. It's a coming of age story about a college graduate in the steel city, and a year ago, it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, although most people would have a tiny but better connection to the project because Sienna Miller made negative comments about the city while filming there.
In addition to Miller, Mysteries stars Mena Suvari, Nick Nolte, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jon Foster.
- 3/11/2009
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Photo: Peace Arch Entertainment The Mysteries of Pittsburgh played at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival starring the likes of Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller, Jon Foster, Mena Suvari and Nick Nolte with Dodgeball helmer Rawson Thurber at the helm moving from brainless comedy to independent film. The pic is an adaptation of Michael Chabon's 1988 novel and with the debut of the trailer at Yahoo I have come to learn Peace Arch has picked it up for a limited New York release on March 27 before it heads down to Los Angeles on April 4 and based on a sampling of reviews I found online I don't expect it to travel much further before finding its way onto DVD. Dennis Harvey at Variety says: A surefooted screen translation of Michael Chabon's beloved 1988 debut novel, "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" will likely irk diehard fans of the book, as helmer-adaptor Rawson Marshall Thurber takes considerable...
- 3/11/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- Michael Chabon's honored novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh has baffled filmmakers and confounded producers since the book's release in 1988. In this reverential and smart distillation, filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber has captured the essence of the coming-of-age novel. Undoubtedly, literal-minded readers of the novel will be disrupted by the film's shrewd condensation of characters, but select-site audiences will warm to the craftsmanship and storytelling.
It's particularly difficult to adapt a novel where the main character is foremost an observer, an attendant knight who by nature generally avoids action.
Unfortunately, the film's glossy sheen and artful compositions are often distracting, bracketed by seeming calendar shots for a Pennsylvania tourism office. Its golden patina and romantic framings seem contrived at times, and upset the story's many layers.
In movie-ese, '80s college graduate Art Beckstein (Jon Foster ) faces a similar graduation dilemma that Benjamin Braddock faced in the '60s in The Graduate. It's not plastics, but, rather brokerage houses that Art is funneled toward. A cum laude graduate, Art's the prize only child of a gangster father (Nick Nolte) who demands a straight-and-narrow path for Art.
Naturally passive, Art is also determined to find his own way. He rationalizes that he has a summer to prolong the inevitable, when he is expected to take a cushy set-up job orchestrated by his father. In quiet desperation, he embarks on a last-summer of sloth, subverting his father by intentionally taking a low-level job and half-heartedly studying for his brokerage exam. He lets himself get drawn in by dangerous dalliances, sexual and social. In short, Art consorts with all the wrong sorts, subconsciously hoping that others will force him to do what he cannot do, defy his father.
It's the players that invigorate The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and keenly flesh-out its emotional dimensions. Jon Foster is superb as the conflicted Art, evincing mettle as a young man overcome with a sense of doom. In the film's most flamboyant role, Peter Sarsgaard's devil-ish charisma and cold bluster is frightening. He truly hypnotizes those around him, including his upper-class girlfriend (Jane Bellwether) who is destructively entranced by his bad-boy wiles.
Other performances are consistently on-target: Mena Suvari is sympathetic as a lowly book-store manager with low self esteem, while Nick Nolte is aptly intimidating as Art's carnivorous father.
In general, the technical contributions are well-realized, albeit overly romanticized. The film's luminous, Rockwell-ean look, save for its attention-getting pictorials, are a strong credit for director of photography Michael Barrett and production designer Maher Ahmad.
THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH
Groundswell Prods.
Director/Screenwriter: Rawson Marshall Thurber based on the novel by Michael Chabon
Producers: Michael London, Jason Mercer, Thor Benander
Executive producers: Bruna Papandrea, Peter Chiarelli
Director of photography: Michael Barrett
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Babara Tulliver
Cast
Art Bechstein: Jon Foster
Cleveland Arning: Peter Sarsgaard
Jane Bellweather: Sienna Miller
Phlox: Mena Suvari
Joe Beckstein: Nick Nolte
Running time - 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
PARK CITY -- Michael Chabon's honored novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh has baffled filmmakers and confounded producers since the book's release in 1988. In this reverential and smart distillation, filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber has captured the essence of the coming-of-age novel. Undoubtedly, literal-minded readers of the novel will be disrupted by the film's shrewd condensation of characters, but select-site audiences will warm to the craftsmanship and storytelling.
It's particularly difficult to adapt a novel where the main character is foremost an observer, an attendant knight who by nature generally avoids action.
Unfortunately, the film's glossy sheen and artful compositions are often distracting, bracketed by seeming calendar shots for a Pennsylvania tourism office. Its golden patina and romantic framings seem contrived at times, and upset the story's many layers.
In movie-ese, '80s college graduate Art Beckstein (Jon Foster ) faces a similar graduation dilemma that Benjamin Braddock faced in the '60s in The Graduate. It's not plastics, but, rather brokerage houses that Art is funneled toward. A cum laude graduate, Art's the prize only child of a gangster father (Nick Nolte) who demands a straight-and-narrow path for Art.
Naturally passive, Art is also determined to find his own way. He rationalizes that he has a summer to prolong the inevitable, when he is expected to take a cushy set-up job orchestrated by his father. In quiet desperation, he embarks on a last-summer of sloth, subverting his father by intentionally taking a low-level job and half-heartedly studying for his brokerage exam. He lets himself get drawn in by dangerous dalliances, sexual and social. In short, Art consorts with all the wrong sorts, subconsciously hoping that others will force him to do what he cannot do, defy his father.
It's the players that invigorate The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and keenly flesh-out its emotional dimensions. Jon Foster is superb as the conflicted Art, evincing mettle as a young man overcome with a sense of doom. In the film's most flamboyant role, Peter Sarsgaard's devil-ish charisma and cold bluster is frightening. He truly hypnotizes those around him, including his upper-class girlfriend (Jane Bellwether) who is destructively entranced by his bad-boy wiles.
Other performances are consistently on-target: Mena Suvari is sympathetic as a lowly book-store manager with low self esteem, while Nick Nolte is aptly intimidating as Art's carnivorous father.
In general, the technical contributions are well-realized, albeit overly romanticized. The film's luminous, Rockwell-ean look, save for its attention-getting pictorials, are a strong credit for director of photography Michael Barrett and production designer Maher Ahmad.
THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH
Groundswell Prods.
Director/Screenwriter: Rawson Marshall Thurber based on the novel by Michael Chabon
Producers: Michael London, Jason Mercer, Thor Benander
Executive producers: Bruna Papandrea, Peter Chiarelli
Director of photography: Michael Barrett
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Babara Tulliver
Cast
Art Bechstein: Jon Foster
Cleveland Arning: Peter Sarsgaard
Jane Bellweather: Sienna Miller
Phlox: Mena Suvari
Joe Beckstein: Nick Nolte
Running time - 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
- 1/22/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance will bring a reliable cast of characters when it opens Thursday. Sam Rockwell will hobnob at the Riverhorse. Robert Redford will endorse indie film at the Eccles. John Sloss will manage wee-hour buyer visits to the Cinetic condo.
But this year's festival will bring a few sights that might make seasoned attendees drop their badges. A number of unlikely Sundance types -- from big studio producers to a television production banner to the son of a former Disney CEO -- are making their way to Park City.
Sundance, the specialty world's blend of trade show and high school reunion, always brings together an unlikely mix. Partying college students, European directors, swag culture and specialty execs all bump up against one another. You might be at a Miramax party and Tara Reid might happen in, grind on the dance floor for five minutes and leave. And you might watch her for a few minutes, then turn back to Daniel Battsek and continue your conversation about the auteur theory.
But even by the eclectic standards of Park City, this year will see some unusual players in the fray.
Producer Mark Johnson, best known for such big studio productions as The Chronicles of Narnia and Rain Man, is involved with two films at the festival: the Southern melodrama Ballast and the Maria Bello missing-wife saga Downloading Nancy.
Sacha Gervasi's only film credits are screenwriting the Warner Bros. hairdressing comedy The Big Tease and Steven Spielberg's Tom Hanks/Catherine Zeta-Jones vehicle The Terminal. But he is rolling the dice with no distributor on his directorial debut, the low-budget docu Anvil! -- billed as a nonfiction version of This Is Spinal Tap.
Barry Levinson and Art Linson, both veteran studio talents, will be at the festival with 2929's Hollywood spoof What Just Happened? starring Robert De Niro. And Rawson Marshall Thurber, who directed the hit comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and is attached to Imagine's big-screen version of Magnum, P.I., will unveil The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Groundswell Prods.' literary adaptation of the Michael Chabon novel.
But this year's festival will bring a few sights that might make seasoned attendees drop their badges. A number of unlikely Sundance types -- from big studio producers to a television production banner to the son of a former Disney CEO -- are making their way to Park City.
Sundance, the specialty world's blend of trade show and high school reunion, always brings together an unlikely mix. Partying college students, European directors, swag culture and specialty execs all bump up against one another. You might be at a Miramax party and Tara Reid might happen in, grind on the dance floor for five minutes and leave. And you might watch her for a few minutes, then turn back to Daniel Battsek and continue your conversation about the auteur theory.
But even by the eclectic standards of Park City, this year will see some unusual players in the fray.
Producer Mark Johnson, best known for such big studio productions as The Chronicles of Narnia and Rain Man, is involved with two films at the festival: the Southern melodrama Ballast and the Maria Bello missing-wife saga Downloading Nancy.
Sacha Gervasi's only film credits are screenwriting the Warner Bros. hairdressing comedy The Big Tease and Steven Spielberg's Tom Hanks/Catherine Zeta-Jones vehicle The Terminal. But he is rolling the dice with no distributor on his directorial debut, the low-budget docu Anvil! -- billed as a nonfiction version of This Is Spinal Tap.
Barry Levinson and Art Linson, both veteran studio talents, will be at the festival with 2929's Hollywood spoof What Just Happened? starring Robert De Niro. And Rawson Marshall Thurber, who directed the hit comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and is attached to Imagine's big-screen version of Magnum, P.I., will unveil The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Groundswell Prods.' literary adaptation of the Michael Chabon novel.
- 1/15/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sienna Miller has blamed her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania bar outburst last month on tiredness, and has apologized for the sharp exchange with a doorman. The Alfie star reportedly ignored Dan Kovacs' request for ID at the entrance and ordered a drink before she was asked to leave. According to Folino's Young's Tavern owner Penny Folino, a fuming Miller stated, "I am Sienna Miller. I am a famous actress!" Although Miller insists her comments were misconstrued, she does confess her tight filming schedule had left her feeling exhausted and irritable. She says, "I'm very sorry about being rude but I was working so hard on the movie The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh. I was really tired and it came out wrong. I feel terrible about it." Miller recently apologized for referring to Pittsburgh as "s**tsburgh" in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, claiming her words were taken out of context.
- 11/6/2006
- WENN
British actress Sienna Miller has said sorry to residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for dubbing their city "S**tsburgh." Miller's remarks appear in a new magazine interview, in which she pleads with her interviewer to "pity" her for the location of her latest movie The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh, an adaptation of Michael Chabon's novel. The 24-year-old says, "Can you believe this is my life? Will you pity me when you are back in your funky New York apartment and I am still in Pittsburgh? I need to get more glamorous films and stop with my indie year." The outburst has deeply offended locals, including Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. He says, "I think obviously we have a great town, and I disagree with her comments. I'm sure in her short experience here she hasn't had the opportunity to have a real look around." On Friday, Miller apologized for the remarks in a statement, insisting she was referring to the fact the movie was shooting mostly at night and she had not had a chance to fully explore the city. She added, "What I have seen of it is beautiful. I came once before to visit the Andy Warhol Museum while researching a film and found both the city and its inhabitants warm and gracious." She vowed to tour the city properly this weekend.
- 10/9/2006
- WENN
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