Although both based on a true story and overtly political, Fair Game deftly avoids the problems closely associated with both of those genres and proves to be a well-acting, expertly-directed, engaging political thriller.

Fair Game is the true story of Valerie Plame, a CIA spy whose identity was leaked to the press by the White House in retaliation for her husband’s anti-war op-ed in the New York Times. The Plame Affair, as it came to be called, garnered an enormous amount of press coverage and resulted in the indictment of Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter Libby. Typically, “based on a true story” films devolve into predictable feel-good stuff but this is not the case with this film. Instead, this real story only serves as the narrative which unfolds through restraint and tells its story with emotion not melodrama.

Naomi Watts and Sean Penn are the core of the movie as Valerie Plame and Joseph C. Wilson, the couple at the center of the story.  Both of their characters have two halves in a way. There’s the ordinary family side that we see at the beginning of the film in addition to the CIA operative and foreign policy expert parts of their characters.Watts and Penn portray their characters honestly as real people, which is key to this personal drama. Rather than focus on the high-level politics of the event, the film is all about these two people struggling to stay together in a time of such trial.

In this decade, director Doug Liman has established himself as one of the best in the smart spy action genre with The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Jumper. With Fair Game, the director returns to themes he has explored before (specifically spies and couples) but tones down the action in exchange for more character development and dialogue-driven drama. This reverses some of the damage done by Jumper, which failed tremendously in terms of story, characters, and acting but delivered some good set pieces. Still, the film moves forward very quickly and never loses your attention. Using techniques perfected while directing action for this drama is interesting. At some points, however, the ever-so-subtly-shaking handheld camera feels out-of-place. With that being said, the film makes great use of camera work and even news clips to play out the story in the most engaging way possible.

The story of Valerie Plame spans continents and involves spies, a war, and a conspiracy but the film doesn’t feel too large. The tone of the film is reserved, yet engaging. The large story is told in detail, but you empathize with Plame and her husband and, at least for the first half of the film, forget about the politics involved.

Fair Game is still very much a political drama rather than an action thriller. The typical downfall of politically-themed movies, namely painfully obvious polemic , is avoided, however, by focusing on the characters involved. It all keeps coming down to that. In order to effectively weave such a tale of political intrigue the film must narrow its gaze and allow the characters themselves to take the audience along the ride with them. The movie definitely has something to say beyond the obvious anti-War on Terror sentiment. The main theme of the film is to stand up for what you believe in, don’t let injustice go unchecked. In fact, the final scene of the film consists of Sean Penn literally preaching to us, but you know what? I don’t mind it. Having this theme summarized for us at the end only highlighted how important that idea was to the filmmakers.

Fair Game is a fantastic change of pace of director Doug Liman, who rather than craft fantastic action sequences, maintains this engaging thriller with the help of two great performances and a tone that keeps the movie from devolving into partisan politics.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

I am a big fan of HBO and much of HBO’s original programming, now it looks like there will be another quality production added to the long list of HBO classics. I almost forgot to mention that this instant (fingers crossed) classic, directed by Barry Levinson, could star a great (I’m talkin’ not seen since Any Given Sunday) performance from Al Pacino, also starring Susan Sarandon, Danny Huston and John Goodman — this cannot disappoint, dare I say jinx proof. Here’s the synopsis for You Don’t Know Jack:

Kevorkian, known as Dr. Death, assisted in more than 130 suicides. After willingly sending a videotape of himself euthanizing a terminally ill man to “60 Minutes”, he was convicted in 1999 of second-degree murder and spent eight years in prison before getting paroled in 2007.

Loosely based on Neal Nicol and Harry Wylie’s book, Between the Dying and the Dead: Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s Life and the Battle to Legalize Euthanasia, the HBO film follows Kevorkian’s (Pacino) rise as he builds his infamous Mercy Machine and sets out to perform assisted suicides while waging an epic legal battles defending a patient’s ‘right to die’.

John Goodman will play Nicol, a friend and co-worker of Kevorkian since 1961 and a steadfast supporter of the right to die.

Susan Sarandon will play Janet Good, an activist with the Hemlock Society who becomes one of Jack’s staunchest supporters, working side by side with him to make humane suicide available to the terminally ill and suffering.

The two teaser trailers for the film, found here and here, have the visual and audible beauty of the trailer for Sean Penn’s Milk. I can’t wait to “know Jack,” can you?

Now here is a mix of actors I would never have thought to put together: Sean Penn, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Pattinson. One of Hollywood’s most intense actors (and 2-time Oscar winner), one of America’s sweethearts (who also won an Oscar), and an up-and-comer who shot to fame for playing a brooding vampire based on a character from a series of teen-focused novels.

As unlikely a combo as this trio may seem, we might just get to see them combine forces in the Fox 2000′s drama Water for Elephants.

The Depression-era film follows a veterinary student who drops out after the death of his parents, and runs off to use his veterinary know-how as the vet for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show On Earth. Witherspoon has already signed on to play the role of the circus’ equestrian star, with Penn in talks to take on the part of the show’s animal trainer and Witherspoon’s husband. Pattinson would likely fill the role of the veterinary student.

While it’s fairly certain that Pattinson will agree to appear in the film, there is an aura of uncertainty surrounding Penn’s decision. The actor is currently doing humanitarian work in Haiti and has yet to respond to Fox 2000′s offer.

Water for Elephants will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and is looking to start production in June. The film is based on the novel by Sarah Gruen, and will be adapted for the screen by Richard LaGravenese.

New distributor Apparition has managed to maintain incredibly tight-lipped about Terrence Malick’s upcoming film Tree of Life. Very little is known even in regards to the plot of the film, which would seem unusual with just over two months remaining until the film’s original release date of December 25th.

However, Bob Berney, head of Apparition, has announced that the film remains unfinished and won’t be released until an unknown date in 2010. Berney also admitted he has not yet seen what has already been done on Tree of Life, which shows a certain faith in Malick’s abilities.

Malick earned such acclaim as a director with Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, that actors are always eager for the opportunity to work with him. Although not much is known about Tree of Life, it is known that Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain are among the lucky actors who are part of Malick’s cast.

Although Malick and Apparition have kept mum about the specifics of the film, it has been revealed that Tree of Life is a father/son drama that centers around grief and forgiveness. Malick is still in the process of editing the film, and we’ll see as time goes whether he manages to remain quiet about Tree of Life until an official release date is set.

Why I oughta'...

Paul Giamatti is currently in talks to replace the recently absent Sean Penn in the Farrelly Brothers upcoming comedy The Three Stooges.

According to the The Boston Globe, Giamatti, who was fantastic in Duplicity, will pick up the role of the fluffy-headed Larry. Benicio Del Toro and Jim Carrey are on the hook to play Moe and Curly, respectively.

Penn exited the project to spend more time with the family.

The Three Stooges was originally set up with original Stooge shorts producer Columbia, until rights holder C3 Entertainment Inc. sold the film rights to Warner Bros. for the Farrelly brothers to direct in 2001. MGM later obtained the rights along with the Farrelly’s services.

The Farrelly’s script, which Bobby Farrelly referred to as Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest, was originally plotted out as a series of four shorts. The story was eventually changed to a full-length feature.

Sean Penn wants to go home.

Sean Penn, acclaimed actor and recent Oscar winner for his performance in Milk, decided to throw the career on pause for a moment and go back home for awhile. Dropping out of two high profile movies, Cartel and The Three Stooges, his personal life will be in peace but these projects will not. The first of the two projects, The Three Stooges, is a Farrelly brothers piece that has been in development for years and got off the ground big time when they nabbed their cast in late March. Now with the sudden loss of one of their main actors, and the oncoming filming date set for the end of the summer, the Farrelly brothers must scramble to fill up the slot of stooge Larry in time or fear for loosing other actors due to production push.

The second flick to hit the breaks is Asger Leth’s Cartel, a crime drama that follows a man who journeys to protect his son after his wife is murdered by Mexican drug cartels (The Hollywood Reporter). Now that Penn jumped off the feature, Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures are on the hunt for another lead.

MGM decided to finally get their little ducks in a row and are going full steam ahead with their latest upcoming film, The Three Stooges. The famed trio, recently announced, will be Sean Penn (Milk), Benicio Del Toro (Che) and Jim Carrey (Yes Man). Despite what you all are thinking right now, no it is not a biopic, I’m sorry to disappoint. The story will be set in modern times, still maintaining the typical Stooges slapstick comedy.

Penn, Carrey and Del Toro?

For those of you who did not know, there was actually a biopic for the Stooges made for TV revolving around Moe, the leader of the group, back in 2000.

Bob and Peter Farrelly (The Heartbreak Kid) will be producing, writing and directing the latest comedy coming from their great arsenal of films. Originally the film was due to be four separate short flicks, but putting it together for the big screen means they’ll have to squeeze the four into one for us all to see. Within the story, there is rumor that one scene will have to do with them being in an orphanage when they were kids (special effects for this scene?). The rumored release date is November 20th but that is subject to change depending on what all sorts of happenings go on with the MGM flick.

Milk DVD Details

We have some info on the upcoming release of Milk on Blu-Ray. I have yet to see the award winning film, but I will own it on Blu-ray in a few weeks. Here is the press release below.

OVERVIEW:
Winner of two Academy Awards®  including Best Actor for Sean Penn and Best Original Screenplay for Dustin Lance Black, Milk is based on the powerful and inspirational true story. Harvey Milk – a true man of the people – was a fighter for human rights and a hero for all Americans.  Two-time Oscar ® winner Sean Penn (Milk, Mystic River) and an all-star cast including Josh Brolin (W, No Country for Old Men), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Diego Luna (Y tu mama tambien) and James Franco (Spiderman trilogy) star in this remarkable and triumphant story of an ordinary man whose life changed history and whose courage changed lives.

Over 200 critics rave – “One of the year’s best pictures!”

BONUS FEATURES (DVD and BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF):

• DELETED SCENES
• REMEMBERING HARVEY: Film clips and photos from the set of Milk illustrate stories and reflections from people close to Harvey: Cleeve Jones, Daniel Nicoletta, Frank Robinson, Carol Ruth Silver, Anne Kronenberg and Allan Baird.
• HOLLYWOOD COMES TO SAN FRANCISCO: Cast and crew discuss the development of the script, making of the film and share stories from the set.
• MARCHING FOR EQUALITY: People on hand for the shooting of the march sequences (including Gilbert Baker, Cleeve Jones, and Daniel Nicoletta) discuss the shoot and remember the marches of the 1970s.
  

EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-rayTM Hi-Def:
· BD-LIVETM: Access the BD-LiveTM Center through your Internet-connected player to download more exclusive content, the latest trailers and more!
o MY SCENES SHARING: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie then share with your BD-Live buddies!

SYNOPSIS: Academy Award ® winner Sean Penn stars in this stirring celebration of Harvey Milk, a true man of the people.  Based on the inspiring true story of the first openly gay man elected to major public office, this compelling film follows Milk’s powerful journey to inspire hope for equal rights during one of the least tolerant times of our nation’s history.  With a stunning ensemble cast, it’s the emotionally charged story that was proclaimed the winner of the New York Film Critics Circle Best Picture Award!

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD
Street Date: March 10, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 62105870
Price: $29.98 SRP
Running time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™:
Street Date: March 10, 2009
Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 62105869
Price: $39.98 SRP
Running Time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
Layers:  BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

CAST AND FILMMAKERS
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco
Written By: Dustin Lance Black
Directed By: Gus Van Sant
Casting By: Francine Maisler, C.S.A.
Music By: Danny Elfman
Costume Designer: Danny Glicker
Editor: Elliot Graham
Production Designer: Bill Groom
Director of Photography: Harris Savides, A.S.C.
Executive Producers:  Michael London, Dustin Lance Black, Bruna Papandrea, Barbara A. Hall, William Horberg
Produced By: Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen

MARCH 10, 2009
OWN IT ON BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF & DVD
FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT