Quentin Tarantino Wants Christoph Waltz and Bruce Dern for New Western, 'The Hateful Eight'

"I can’t talk that much about it, but I will say one thing. I haven’t told anyone about this publicly, but I will say the genre. It’s a western. It’s not a Django sequel, but it’s another Western. I had so much fun doing Django and I love westerns so much, that after I taught myself how to make one, it’s like “OK, now let me make another one now that I know what I’m doing.”

That was what Quentin Tarantino revealed a couple of months ago, that his next film wouldn't be the WWII flick Killer Crow as had been rumored, but instead another Western unrelated to Django Unchained. And now today the film has a title, The Hateful Eight, which sounds like a possible homage to The Magnificent Seven.

Deadline reports that an early version of the script is done and now Tarantino is beginning the casting process, and there's reportedly a role in there for his frequent collaborator, Christoph Waltz. Not much of a surprise there considering Waltz took home Oscars for Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino is also reaching out to Nebraska star Bruce Dern, who some may remember had a tiny part in 'Django', so this would be a reunion all around. Those who saw Tarantino introduce Dern at an AFI showing of Nebraska recently know they are very fond of one another.

Some sites are reporting that Tarantino wants to get the ball rolling this summer, but nothing is concrete just yet. Django Unchained wasn't a Western in the purest sense so it'll be interesting to see if he goes in a more traditional direction this time. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

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VFF Review: 'Nebraska' Directed by Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne has always been a filmmaker who walks to the beat of his own drum, and his sixth movie Nebraska is no different. Only Payne could find a way to follow up the Hawaii-set The Descendants with a film that is both completely different and yet hits on familiar beats of family legacy, deep-rooted secrets, and the bond between parent and child. But whereas The Descendants' paradisal locale hid uncomfortable truths, the bleak depiction of the economically-depressed Midwest belies the sweet, sturdy father/son story at Nebraska's heart.

In a curmudgeonly performance already earning Oscar raves, Bruce Dern plays Woody Grant, a close-mouthed elderly alcoholic perhaps in the early stages of dimentia. Woody's convinced by one of those junk Publisher's Clearinghouse mailers that he's won a million dollars, and is determined to make the trek from Montana to Nebraska and claim it. Even if that means walking the distance himself, which he tries repeatedly to the infuriation of his pestering wife Kate (June Squibb), who doesn't believe he's won a darn thing. Neither do his sons, aimless retail salesman Dave (Will Forte) and small-town news broadcaster Ross (Bob Odenkirk) who fear that their old man has finally lost it. It's clear from the beginning that Woody isn't someone given to big expressions of emotion, and the distance between he and his sons has impaired what little relationship they have. In an effort to mend it, Dave decides to indulge his father's millionaire fantasy and drive him to Nebraska himself.

Payne has always been partial to the simplicity of the road trip movie, but Nebraska bears little resemblance to his wine-tasting buddy comedy, Sideways, or coming-of-old age film About Schmidt. In this case the journey from point A to B doesn't signify an emotional evolution, as the bulk of the character arcs occur before the destination is ever in reach. In fact part of the film's mystery is whether Dave and Woody will even reach Nebraska, as they are waylaid early on by the old man's drunken mishaps. Instead they end up staying in Woody's hometown with family, but the stay is anything but a pleasure trip.

Once word gets out that Woody has come into some money, family and marginal friends come from everywhere looking for a hand out. It's in Woody's reactions to these people who are obviously trying to take advantage of him that we, and Dave for that matter, learn more about the man's character. While he comes off as hard and emotionless, he's quietly generous and sensitive. As he becomes something of a local celebrity, we see a man who perhaps has never felt any measure of appreciation all his life, and is looking for some small glimmer of meaning in his golden years.

Many will take exception to Payne's depiction of flyover country and its simple, homespun residents, especially since most of them are portrayed as devious (especially Stacy Keach as an old "friend" to Woody) and venal. But Payne is a Nebraska boy through and through, and there's genuine appreciation of their lack of pretension. He finds great comedy in the simple observations of their lives, like the men who only break from silence to talk about football, money, or cars. This is a film of quiet, subtle character moments of introspection, but Payne finds room for touches of broader humor. Most of this comes from the extraordinary June Squibb as Kate, a spitfire of a woman who always seems to have something negative to say about everybody, including Woody. But underneath all her fiery rhetoric there's a softness, a gentleness that shines through. She's the most aggressive character in a film full of reactive ones.

But this is a film that lives and dies by its two leads, and both Dern and Forte hit all the right notes. Dern is getting all of the accolades for what is a truly understated performance that requires him to portray years of hard living and disappointment without the use of much dialogue. One especially tough scene occurs when they visit Woody's old home, and you can sense a flood of old painful memories washing over him. Comedians making the transition into drama generally have a tough go of it but Forte slides comfortably into a hangdog performance as Dave.

Shot in a beautiful, vintage monochrome style the film is a gorgeous, visual poem of small-town America. Nebraska is a small-scale movie that plays on such a restrained fashion that its impact in the final stretch, as Dave finally begins to understand his father for the first time, hits harder than one might expect. While some of the conclusions Payne draws about family life are ones we're used to from him him, the warmth he brings is a surprising and refreshing change of pace.

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First Trailer for Alexander Payne's 'Nebraska' with Will Forte and Bruce Dern

For all of the quirkiness of Alexander Payne's The Descendants and Sideways, both films were relatively low-key affairs, emphasizing the relationship between characters above all else. His next film, the black-and-white dramedy Nebraska, debuted at Cannes and has already created an upswing in Oscar talk for the director and veteran actor Bruce Dern.

The first trailer and poster have been released, and Payne is clearly in familiar territory exploring the comic and bittersweet moments between loved ones. Dern plays an older man with a tenuous grip on reality, who comes to believe that he's won $1M in a sweepstakes. But to claim it he must make the journey from Montana to Nebraska. Will Forte plays his son, who agrees to accompany him even though he knows there's no money. The question becomes whether or not he's willing to destroy his father's dream just for a moment of sanity.  The trailer really captures the 1970s vibe Payne is going for, and this looks even more of a small-scale effort than his previous films.

Nebraska will open the Middleburg Film Festival here in VA on October 24th, before hitting theaters November 15th.


Alexander Payne's Nebraska - Official Trailer by FanReviews

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'Blue is the Warmest Color' takes Cannes' top prize; check out two clips now

The doors have closed on the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and now that all is said and done, this will go down as one of the strongest years for American filmmakers and American movies.  Films like Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station, the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis, Alexander Payne's Nebraska, and Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive all performed well and were greeted warmly by the picky crowd on the Croisette, but when all was said and done it was the French romance Blue is the Warmest Color that took home the festival's top prize.

Steven Spielberg and his jury have selected the French drama Blue is the Warmest Color as the Palm d'Or winner, taking the extraordinary step to grant it not only to Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, but also to the two lead actresses Lea Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. It was a historic decision for a couple of reasons, none of which have to do with the lesbian romance at the heart of the story, although the steamy sex scenes are what has garnered the most attention. The win marks the first time that a movie based on a comic book has ever taken the Palm d'Or, as it's based on Julie Maroh's graphic novel Le Bleu est Une Couleur Chaude. The unique circumstances also mean that Jane Campion, who won in 1993 for The Piano, is no longer the only female Palm d'Or winner.

Bruce Dern, who was nominated for an Oscar 35 years ago for Coming Home, took the Best Actor prize for Nebraska, while Berenice Bejo won Best Actress for Asghar Farhadi's Iranian family drama, The Past.  Below you'll find the complete list of honors from the Un Certain Regard, FIPRESCI, and Ecumenical Jury categories, followed by two clips from Blue is the Warmest Color. 

PALME D’OR:
LA VIE D’ADÈLE - CHAPITRE 1 & 2 (Blue Is The Warmest Color) by Abdellatif KECHICHE

GRAND PRIX:
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS by Ethan COEN, Joel COEN

PRIX DE LA MISE EN SCEN (BEST DIRECTOR):
Amat ESCALANTE for "HELI"

PRIX DU SCENARIO (BEST SCREENPLAY):
JIA Zhangke for "TIAN ZHU DING" ("A Touch Of Sin")

CAMERA D’OR (BEST FIRST FEATURE): 
"ILO ILO," Director: Anthony CHEN

PRIX DU JURY (JURY PRIZE):
"LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON" by KORE-EDA Hirokazu


PRIX D’INTERPRETATION FEMININE (BEST ACTRESS):
Berenice Bejo, "THE PAST"

PRIX D’INTERPRETATION MASCULINE (BEST ACTOR): Bruce Dern, "NEBRASKA"

PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD
THE MISSING PICTURE by Rithy PANH
 
JURY PRIZE - UN CERTAIN REGARD
OMAR by Hany ABU-ASSAD

DIRECTING PRIZE - UN CERTAIN REGARDAlain GUIRAUDIE for STRANGER BY THE LAKE

A CERTAIN TALENT PRIZE - UN CERTAIN REGARD
For the ensemble cast of LA JAULA DE ORO by Diego QUEMADA-DIEZ

AVENIR PRIZE - UN CERTAIN REGARD
FRUITVALE STATION by Ryan COOGLER

FIPRESCI PRIZE - COMPETITION PRIZE
Blue Is The Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle — Chapitre 1 & 2) by Abdellatif Kechiche (France, 2013)

FIPRESCI PRIZE - UN CERTAIN REGARD PRIZE
Manuscripts Don't Burn (Dast-Neveshtehaa Nemisvosand) by Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran, 2013)

FIPRESCI PRIZE - PARALLEL SECTION
Blue Ruin by Jeremy Saulnier (USA, 2013), shown in the Directors' Fortnight.

ECUMENICAL JURY PRIZE
LE PASSÉ/The Past de Asghar Farhadi (Compétition Officielle)

ECUMENICAL JURY PRIZE - SPECIAL MENTION
SOSHITE CHICHI NI NARU (TEL PÈRE, TEL FILS)/Like Father Like Son de Hirokazu Kore-eda (Compétition officielle)
MIELE de Valeria Golino (Un Certain Regard)

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First clip from Alexander Payne's 'Nebraska'

The last time Alexander Payne made his presence felt at Cannes it was more than a decade ago with About Schmidt. Since then he's gone on to direct the beloved wine-drinking comedy Sideways, and scored his biggest theatrical hit with The Descendants. With the festival kicking off tomorrow, a new clip from Payne's latest film Nebraska has hit the web, and...well, it has all of the filmmaker's trademarks fully in place.

Starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte as Woody and David Grant, the long-developing film centers on the father/son duo as they make the trek from Montana to Nebraska to collect on a sketchy $1M lottery win. The clip features another screen veteran in Stacy Keach, who plays an obvious enemy friend Woody'a past. Payne's biting dialogue is apparent, especially as Keach's character reveals some crushing secrets without a second thought. Yet the tone still remains lighter than expected, a rare balance Payne has always been able to walk effortlessly.

Nebraska will open in limited release on November 22nd.


Nebraska by Alexander Payne Clip #1 by Flixgr

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Sure Shots: Robert Zemeckis; Kevin Costner; Alexander Payne

* After years away from live-action flicks, Robert Zemeckis is making his return with the Denzel Washington-led drama, Flight. Next up, he'll take over directing Taking Flight, and no, it isn't any kind of sequel or follow-up.  Zemeckis will now take over the project from David Gordon Green(Pineapple Express), who has apparently dropped it, likely to full concentrate on his Suspiria remake. Based on Bob Friel's proposed book,  Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw, the film follows Colton Harris-Moore, a young criminal who started stealing cars and boats at a young age, teaching himself how to fly in order to evade capture. At the age of 18 he escaped a halfway house and kicked his criminal activities up a notch, earning the nickname the "Barefoot Bandit" because on occasion he committed his thefts without shoes on. Earlier this year he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison. Dustin Lance Black(Milk) is writing the script.[THR]

* Let the comeback of Kevin Costner continue! Already shinin' after the success of Hatfields & McCoys, along with his upcoming role in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Costner has lined up two more projects. Costner is in talks to join Paramount's Jack Ryan reboot, which has Chris Pine starring as a younger version of the Tom Clancy character. Costner would play a mentor to Ryan, similar to the Admiral Greer character James Earl Jones played in Patriot Games. Actually, Jones is expected to reprise his role as Greer in the prequel, which is pretty cool in and of itself. Kenneth Branagh is directing, and hopefully we'll get a title for the film soon.

Luc Besson and his Europacorp studio are also looking at Costner for the role of a dying assassin in Three Days to Kill, a film which Besson is co-writing along with Adi Hasek. Sounding like The Professional with a ticking clock subplot, the story centers on the ailing killer who wants to reconcile with his daughter before he dies, while also tackling one final assignment. Apparently, McG(This Means War) is circling the directing gig, which means the movie may suck something fierce. [Deadline]

* Years in the making, Alexander Payne(The Descendants) is finally going to see his road trip comedy, Nebraska, headed to the big screen. The film has officially been greenlit, and will star Bruce Dern(Big Love) and Will Forte(MacGruber) in the two lead roles, that of an aging, hard-drinking dad who goes on a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his underachieving son to claim a sweepstakes prize he may not have actually won. Budgeted at $13M, this is a pretty big opportunity for both Dern and Forte, especially in the wake of Payne's recent Academy Award success. The script comes from Bob Nelson, with a recent polish by Payne. No word on when filming begins, but Paramount's plan is to have it ready by next year's awards season. [Deadline]

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