Volume 04, Number 18
Movies
Movie News
By Bill Hersey
Warner Brothers brought in producer Jerry Weintraub and super star, super cool, George Clooney to promote Oceans 13.
George had a tremendous sense of humor and when he first took the mike and told the press "I'm Brad Pitt. I just look a little older in person," adding "just joking. Brad's with his kids, Matt Damon's working and I won't answer your questions!"
Jerry said Oceans 13 was a fun story, and it was nice having Al Pacino in the film. George cut in and said "Al really learned a lot about acting by working with me."
When asked what scene he likes best, he said, "I like the love scene between Brad and myself, but that was cut out," once again adding, "just joking".
Jerry's been coming to Japan for many years and worked with a mutual friend, Udo Artist's International boss Seijiro Udo in bringing in legendary entertainers that included Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan.
George said, "No there won't be an Oceans 14. A sequel would just be too expensive to make, and oh by the way, I really wanted to look like Queen's singer Freddie Mercury, and it was scary how close I got!" The fun continued at the premiere at Roppongi Hills arena where a huge casino set created a very cool mood. Jerry and George both had nothing but raves for Warner Brothers Japan's know-how and professionalism.
The two US sailors who Warner Brothers invited for the red carpet premiere of Oceans 13, with Dan Smith and his ACTV crew agreed, it was a once in a lifetime great experience. Super star George Clooney took time out of his very busy schedule on the red carpet to talk to and shake hands with the sailors. Our world needs more of this.
Bobby De Niro was back in Japan, and this time he and his lovely wife brought three of their children and took time off to visit Hakone, Nara and Kyoto. Workwise Bobby did a press conference to promote the film The Good Shepherd for Toho-Towa. Bobby directed and co-stars in the film with one of Hollywood's hottest young actors Matt Damon. The Good Shepherd will be released October 10.
Toho-Towa will also be releasing the universal film The Bourne Ultimatum in which Matt stars on Nov. 10.
East/West Double Bill
by M. Halliday
Humphrey Bogart died and Spike Lee was born but what films were people watching in 1957, the year the European Union was formed? All-star blockbusters such as Around the World in 80 days, the James Dean epic Giant, and that ode to the stiff upper lip of those perennial Euro-sceptics (the British) Bridge over the River Kwai were all massive in 1957.
Hidden amongst these technicolored spectaculars was the superb Sweet Smell of Success starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis—both outstanding, Curtis especially— they also acted as producers. One of the sharpest and most cynical screenplays ever to come out of America; the story of an all powerful newspaper columnist (Lancaster), based on Walter Wincell, and his acolyte (Curtis) still packs a punch today and, despite its poor box office showing, must have been a revelation in its year of release.
Meanwhile in Japan, Akira Kurasawa released his magnificent Kumonosu jo (US Throne of Blood) a reworking of Shakespeare's Macbeth (just as 28 years later he would reinterpret King Lear as Ran). Starring Toshiro Mifune in the Macbeth role and Isuzu Yamada as his wife, it is everything you would expect of Asia's greatest filmmaker tackling the Western world's greatest dramatist.
Although Sweden didn't join the European Union until 1995 it was a Swede, in 1957, who was to complete that years greatest cinematic achievement (and easily the most iconic—check out Monty Python's Meaning of Life or the second Bill and Ted film for two, of many, examples homage). Ingmar Bergman's magnificent The Seventh Seal (or Det Sjunde inseglet as its known in Sweden) is an existential tale of a wise knights attempt to outwit Death by beating him at chess. Set in the 14th Century during the time of the black death (plague) and starring the great Max Von Sydow; The Seventh Seal tackles all the big questions of human existence head on; cinematically superb and not without a sly humor, Bergman's masterpiece is a reminder that films don't have to be packed with computer generated images to be stunning.