When Stephen Frears' The Queen came out in 2006, all the buzz emphasized Helen Mirren's icy performance as London's reclusive royal highness. The ubiquitous praise lead to her Oscar win, but it overwhelmed recognition of the movie's secret weapon: Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, quietly pressuring his Majesty to face the public in the wake of Princess Diana's untimely demise. There's a reason why Sheen conveyed the nuances of Blair's role in the event, which transpired a mere three months after the Prime Minister rose to power -- he had practice. The Deal, a fantastic made-for-TV movie Frears directed in 2003, tracked Blair's cunning (and morally questionable) instincts in the years leading up to his position at the top of the Labor Party.

Sheen played Blair in The Deal first, and it's both a superior performance and a superior film. Whereas The Queen had a tabloid hook and only tangentially explored the deeper political ramifications of a reclusive national leader, The Deal delves into precisely how Blair managed to emerge at the top of British politics with a series of calculated maneuvers. Political drama at its finest, The Deal hit DVD in the United States last month, where it has been touted as "the prequel to The Queen." That's not quite fair; The Queen is the sequel to The Deal, and the two movies ought to be seen as a single, wholly fascinating package depicting British politics in the 1990s.

The new Rolling Stone hits stands tomorrow, and as you can see to the right it's featuring the one and only Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. The cover is fairly creepy -- the orange hoodie calls to mind the actor's struggles with the law during a time when they're quickly becoming a fading memory in the shadow of his rampant, mainstream fame. He says that he's in a "transition phase, I really am trying to live as much like a lizard as I can. Hot, rock, sun, fly, tongue."

Yet he's still Downey. You can read an excerpt of the interview at Rolling Stone, but there's one charming analogy I wanted to share. Talking about his busy present, he notes that he has to be mindful of the past and says:

"I'm such a work in progress at the moment, it's crazy, and life wants me on edge, I swear to you. But as long as I don't forget the past, I'm cool. One must always be mindful, just like you might forget that old girlfriend who tried to slit your throat, but she's really still hot. If you remember the stitches more than you remember the pussy, you're going to be just fine."

That's Stark all right. Hopefully he remembers the stitches.

[via Just Jared]

Over the past few weeks, movie ratings have been a popular topic for discussion. While Kevin Smith's upcoming Zack and Miri Make a Porno appealed an NC-17 rating (and won), The Dark Knight was enjoying a record-setting box office take and a pretty controversial PG-13 rating. Once again, we ask: Why is sex more inappropriate than violence? Should raunchy language and a few "thrusts" be condemned while a dude with half his face falling off and a psychopathic, murderous clown get off practically unscathed? And are there other issues at work here? Does a film with a giant budget and an all-star cast get it "easier" than a smaller film with a lesser-known cast and a director who chain smokes profanity?

No doubt there are shady politics at play here (as is all over this fine country of ours), and over the years there have been a number of films that deserved a different rating. Over on OMG Lists, they currently have up a list of six wrongly rated movies; films that, for one reason or another, deserved either a lower or a higher rating. It's a weird system, for sure -- these days, if you're a comedy, you kinda want that 'R' rating because your box office take will most likely be higher. However, if you're a horror flick, you want to try for a PG-13. Strange world we live in ...

But anyway, among the films featured on their list are Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which, at the time, received an R-rating because of a few profanity-laced scenes, but totally could've gotten away with a PG-13. Or what about Jaws ... with its PG rating! Hey, it's a film about a giant shark that devours people -- bring the whole family!

First we had Sarah Silverman singing about f*cking Matt Damon, then Jimmy Kimmel had his turn with Damon's BFF, Ben Affleck. Now we have something even better: octogenarian actress and Academy Award-winner Cloris Leachman (who still looks damn good, thank you very much) getting all raunchy at a Comedy Central roast for Bob "Full House" Saget, threatening to get it on with "pretty boy" John Stamos on a "filthy bean bag chair" while using her Best Supporting Actress Oscar as a strap-on. There's a mental picture that'll take weeks to get out of your brain cells.

Maybe it's just the hilarity of seeing the stately Leachman talking about going after Stamos -- or perhaps even Jon Lovitz -- and then segueing seamlessly into a bit about performing a "reach-around" on Jack Benny that makes this so funny. I can't imagine it would have the same impact being said by, say, Tilda Swinton or Cate Blanchett. Anyhow, Leachman was way funnier than all the lame jokes about Saget having sex with the Olsen twins. She's still got it -- now, if only Tarantino would cast her in something as an ass-kicking, foul-mouthed granny ...

Thanks to Chris Campbell for blogging about this over on Spout yesterday.

By now, we've all heard about the woes of THINKFilm, and how it has affected a myriad of filmmakers, from Alex Gibney suing over the company's treatment of Taxi to the Darkside, to David O. Russel's Nailed getting nailed over and over again. If you missed some of this, click here.

Now THINKFilm head David Bergstein has talked about the drama with The Hollywood Reporter, and he seems to be on a different planet than the rest of us. Check out the following quotes:

"There is always an adjective that precedes us: 'Beleaguered,' 'financially distressed,' and none of these people know anything."

"Our business plan is not so much about the movie business. It's really to build a global digital distribution business. It's based on the expectation that in the not too distant future most content will be delivered digitally and on-demand."

"Some of what is out there is true. The vast majority is not true. And for the stuff that is true, my answer is 'So what? So what if X, Y, or Z might be owed money?"

What a stellar attitude to have. I imagine those filmmakers and films attached to THINK are feeling all sorts of special and secure with that attitude guiding them. Check out the THR link for more particulars on the insanity.

The most we can hope for now is the unrated director's cut of Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, because the filmmaker has won his appeal with the MPAA and received an R rating, according to the Associated Press. It's been a long road for Smith's movie, which was unsurprisingly smacked with an NC-17 last month -- as if we didn't see it coming due to Smith's track record and the fact that it's a movie about a couple who, yes, that's right, make a porno. Oh, and of course there was that raunchy trailer, which gave us some semblance of the material the movie is dealing with (coprophilia jokes are likely always deemed adults-only content, at least in the initial ratings board screening).

So much for the MPAA and National Association of Theatre Owners' plans to remove the stigma attached to the NC-17. If ever there was a popular filmmaker to usher in a new wave of non-porn adults-only fare, Smith would be that person. And considering that Zack and Miri is about porn, it would be an appropriate gateway for the rating. Last week, when Smith spoke to AICN about the appeal, he seemed fine with the need for an R rating, stating that it's just "part of the process." Of course it is. The process consists of toning down a film to ensure an R and then releasing the original raunchier version on DVD in order for Hollywood to get the most buck for its bang.

Update: When Cinematical reached Smith for a quote, he had this to say on the decision: "I'm very happy with the result of the appeals process. Sadly, however, it doesn't cure my biggest headache: I'm still grossly overweight."

A lot of us totally lost it while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when our hero hides inside of a refrigerator and survives government testing of a nuclear bomb. Some people went so far as to coin a new term, "nuke the fridge", which is akin to the now-well-known "jump the shark" term, only specifically for film series. It makes sense, though, that they'd be having even bigger issues with the scene over in Japan, where the movie opened mid-June. After all, the country did experience two atomic attacks at the end of WWII and probably understands the ramifications of such a blast better than any other part of the world.

According to the website Japan Today, film critics Ken Terawaki and Hiroo Otaka have been the most outspoken. Otaka wrote against the use of the scene in the movie magazine Kinema Junpo, noting that the scene narratively serves no real purpose and complaining that Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) goes about his adventures unscathed. He also points out that children today -- in both Japan and the U.S. -- are unaware of the real damage caused by a nuclear blast. Other people have been expressing their disapproval on message boards, including one on the film's Japanese website. Not everyone is upset, however, and apparently some people are coming back with the "it's only a movie" retort.

Just to be accommodating, I think Steven Spielberg should include the short documentary Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945, which graphically shows the effects of at least an atomic bomb, as a supplement on the Japanese version of the DVD.

[via Fark.com]

How will you spend the 7th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks? Here's an idea: head to NYC's Two Boots Pioneer Theater for the opening night screening of Able Danger, an acclaimed independent film based around the conspiracy theory that U.S. intelligence was involved in the planning and execution of the tragic events on the morning of that infamous date. Even if you think the idea of a 9/11 conspiracy is ludicrous and in poor taste, the premiere screening should be interesting, because writer-director Paul Krik will be on hand for a Q&A. And this is the sort of city where people will likely show up for a debate. Of course, while subsequent screenings throughout the film's one-week engagement won't be attended by Krik, there could still be some engaging conversation to be had with fellow audience members. So if you can't make the initial showing, don't worry about missing out on all the fun.

The film, which stars Elina Löwensohn (Nadja) and Adam Nee, is a fictional thriller (Variety labels it a mix between The Maltese Falcon and Kiss Me Deadly) about a couple of 9/11 "truthers" attempting to expose the conspiracy using a hard-drive filled with data thought to be destroyed by a real classified government program named Able Danger. It had its world premiere back in January at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and has since screened at the Cannes Film Market (aka the Marche du Film) and opened the Brooklyn International Film Festival, where it won a special award of excellence. For more on the film, check out the website, where you can use a plane-shaped cursor to click on explosive links located on a graphic of the World Trade Center (classy!). You can also watch the film's trailer below, after the jump.

It's been a ridiculously long and challenging road for Terry Gilliam once he set out to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. After the infamous struggles during the first round, he was potentially getting his second chance back in 2005. Then he was working to get the script back in late 2005, and still fighting for it in 2007, and even remained hopeful at the beginning of this year. It's been a big, long wait that has most certainly ousted the Little Train That Could for the icon with the most determination and perseverance.

If the Independent is right, Don Quixote is headed for production soon. In a discussion with Gilliam, he said: "As far as we're concerned, it's on. When Johnny's ready, we're ready. We're just talking about dates to film. Basically, it all depends on his schedule, but otherwise we're set. It will be next year some time, before next summer anyway." The production will be completely re-shot, using none of the plagued footage from 2000: "The intervening years have taught me that I can actually write a much better film. I'm so excited it's going to get done at last."

Here's to hoping it's smooth sailing from now on.

It's been a week since the surprising news that Lexi Alexander was booted from Punisher: War Zone, and the silence is deafening. Alexander's blog, which had been offering only a photo of hear no evil, see no evil monkeys, is now back online, and managing to talk completely around anything movie related. She doesn't sound happy, though, hinting that she'd like to moon people, that mean people should explode like tires, and that life is sometimes about losing it all.

But Iain Stasukevich over at CHUD received an inside scoop from someone involved with the film, and who had no idea he was talking to a writer for one of the Internet's biggest movie news sites. According to the mystery person, all this drama is just a bunch of smoke and mirrors, generated to drum up interest in the film. Lexi Alexander is still director, and the final cut will be set in a few weeks.

Now, this goes against some of the other insider info that has been floating around (and which was left in a comment on my previous Punisher post.) And frankly, when it comes to drumming up interest, a bigger panel and some copious swag at Comic-Con would have probably had a much bigger and better effect. If it is all hype, however, it would explain why everyone involved seemed so darn cheery at the convention. They knew it was a load of drama that would subside before too long. On the other hand, Alexander has been so chatty with fans on her blog that I have a hard time believing that she would willingly ditch her panel unless something ugly (as ugly, say, as being booted from one's own film) had happened.