Cinematical

• Review: The Longshots
  

  Filed under: Sports, New Releases, MGM, Theatrical Reviews, Family Films

  
  
  
  Last year I saw Gracie, a movie about a teenage girl who wants to play high-school soccer in the late 1970s, when the game was considered a males-only sport in America, and faces a lot of opposition from her school. I finished my review with the line, "If it were football, would we be agreeing more with Gracie's opponents?" The Longshots gives us the opportunity to consider that question. Can we sympathize with, and cheer on, a girl who wants to succeed as a quarterback in...
  



• 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' Interviews -- Pénelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebeccca Hall and More
  

  Filed under: MGM, The Weinstein Co., Interviews

  
  
  Gathered to talk about Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Pénelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, Chris Messina and Scarlett Johansson all had similar praise for their director and writer -- even if they took different paths to get to the film. Cruz's agent actually reached out to Allen when Vicky Cristina Barcelona was in development, on the off chance Allen might have a role for her: "My agent said ... 'We found out you're doing a movie in Spain, do you want to meet Pénelope?' We met in New York, a very short meeting, which took less than one minute,...
  



• 'Valkyrie' Returns to '08
  

  Filed under: MGM, Celebrities and Controversy, Distribution, Newsstand, Tom Cruise

  
  
  UPDATE: Cinematical has been given this brand new still from the film, which shows Cruise without the eye patch.
  
  MGM seems to be trying to reverse the effects of the doomsaying that circulated about Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer's Hitler-assassination-attempt thriller Valkyrie in the spring, culminating in the announcement that the movie was moving from December 2008 to President's Day 2009. That was received as a surrender, a sure sign that the studio had no confidence in the film and was doing damage control by moving it out...
  



• Peter Segal Attached to Ocean's-like 'Wardogs'
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Deals, MGM, Scripts

  Tell me if this sounds familiar: The Hollywood Reporter posts that writers Ken Kaufman and David Agosto have sold an action-comedy pitch to MGM for $1 million. The project is tentatively titled Wardogs, and producer Michael Ewing says: "it's an action ensemble comedy in the vein of Ocean's Eleven, where the casting becomes an event. It is a bunch of these terrific actors getting together and having a good time, it's that kind of thing."
  
  Did they keep seeing ads for Tropic Thunder while mourning the end of the Ocean's series? The film will be directed by



• New Photos From 'The Road'
  

  Filed under: Drama, MGM, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Images

  
  
  

  A bunch of new photos from the highly anticipated The Roadhave premiered over atUSA Today. (Check out two more photos in the gallery below, then head on over to USA Today's photo gallery for the rest) They are bone-chillingly bleak and powerful, enough to send a shiver down your spine even in the middle of summer. All of the scenery is real, and the film is employing no CGI to create its post-apocalyptic landscapes.
  
  I don't want to engage in eager hyperbole, but I can't get over the desperate look in



• Cult Comedy 'Valley Girl' to Be Remade as a Musical
  

  Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Romance, Deals, MGM, Remakes and Sequels

  Sometimes it really does seem like Hollywood is out to ruin everything I have ever held dear. I know that's a bit of an overstatement, but every time a piece of news like this crosses my path, I can't help but take it personally. The Hollywood Reporterannounced that MGM is developing a musical version of the 1983 romantic comedy, Valley Girl. If you haven't seen the original, then get thee to a Blockbuster because it's pretty damn awesome.
  
  Valley Girl was directed by Martha Coolidge and starred Deborah Foreman...
  



• African American Cinema Honored by U.S. Postal Service
  

  Filed under: Classics, Independent, Music & Musicals, Awards, MGM, Cinematical Indie

  I'm typically a fan of all the movie-related stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service, and I'm very glad to read the news that important early African American movie stars are being recognized and celebrated with a new series of 42-cent stamps (see them all here). However, I am a little disappointed that it carries on the usual exclusion of mostly forgotten non-musical race films, which are a significant part of both film history and African American history. Considering the stamps are tagged "Black Cinema USA," a number of...
  



• Darren Aronofsky Helming 'Robocop' Remake?
  

  Filed under: Action, Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, RumorMonger, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

  What could make a remake of an edgy '80s classic worthy of our valuable time? A top-notch director, of course. Within a Hollywood Reporter article focused on MGM's new chairman, Mary Parent (and all the franchises she's kicking into high gear) is one heck of a good name drop. According to the studio, Darren Aronofsky has stopped by to talk about helming the Robocop remake.
  
  Now stop and savor how brilliant Aronofsky's Robocop would be. Doesn't that feel nice? Don't get too excited, as it's probably...
  



• One 'Hobbit' Movie to (Maybe) Rule Them All
  

  Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels

  There has been a lot of heated debate about that second Hobbit film. Many Lord of the Rings fans will take anything Middle-Earth, even if it's two hours cobbled out of appendices. Others see it as a betrayal of the Tolkien canon, and a blatant money grab by all involved. I readily admit I fall into the first category -- but I certainly don't want to see a bad film just to get a visual Middle Earth fix.
  
  No...
  



• Cyd Charisse is Dancing Up in Heaven
  

  Filed under: Classics, Music & Musicals, MGM, Obits

  
  
  I'm not the most knowledgeable man when it comes to dance, but I'm at least a little familiar with Cyd Charisse. As everyone should be. Next to Ginger Rogers, she was possibly the most iconic female dancer in film history. Even those of us cinephiles who skip out on most dance musicals have at least seen her famous number from Singin' in the Rain (above). A few years ago, when Moviefone counted down the Top 10 Best Dance Scenes, it was #2 (just behind Dirty Dancing).
  
  Charisse has died of an apparent...