Rev Stan's film blog

Bright Star and Skeletons video interviews

You wait days for a decent interview to come along, blah

First up is a Q&A in Bristol with the director and some cast of Skeletons, the fab little indy Brit Flick that I saw earlier in the year (it's still doing a bit of a cinema tour around the UK so keep and eye out for it).

And secondly is the full version of the interview Jane Campion and Ben Whishaw gave at the Toronto Film Festival last year about Bright Star. Have only seen little segments up until discovering this.

Not strictly film but one for fellow Ben Whishaw fans

Pictures are starting to emerge online of the talented Mr Whishaw filming the Alan Ball/HBO pilot All Signs of Death.

Finished reading the book on which it is based: The Mystical Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston and it is a great read.

I can understand why Ben has gone for the lead part of Webster. He is in many ways so different from anyone I've seen him play before: a bit of an asshole on a downward spiral of self destruction who doesn't seem to care who he hurts with his acerbic quips. But he is also emotionally damaged, there is an underlying tragedy behind this persona which slowly unfolds through the story and makes for a really interesting character.

Really hope it gets made into a full blown series because I shall cry if I don't get to see it.

Poster appears for Taymor's Tempest - is that Ben Whishaw????

The first poster (or as far as I can tell) had appeared on the web. Thanks to Cinema Blend who spotted it (read the story here).

Apart from being a lovely poster I got excited about the silvery figure at the top. Is this Ariel? Is this our lovely Mr W. I remembered in an interview in Wonderland Magazine last year where he is quoted as saying:

"I was naked apart from a little jockstrap, my eyebrows were shaved off and I was given breasts and enormous wings."

Now the eyebrows are difficult to see (or not to see if you get my drift) but those sort of look like wings and it looks a bit like his profile. So is it, is it Ben Whishaw? Whadda people reckon? Can I inwardly jump up and down in premature excitement about the film and his turn as the moody spirit?

Finally some Tempest news for the Ben Whishaw/Julie Taymor/Shakespeare fans

Been busy going to the theatre (four plays in a week is a little too much) so haven't had time to write about all the latest Ben Whishaw news that has been emerging.

Well after a tumble-weed inducing silence there is finally some news on the long ago made The Tempest. As expected Julie Taymor's gender bending take on the Shakespeare play is going to do the rounds at the Autumn film festivals.

First up is Venice in early September where it will close the festival. Then in October it is showing at the New York film festival. The London film festival, which is after New York in October, has yet to announce it's line up so I've still got my fingers crossed that I might get to see it there.

It will be release in New York and LA on December 10 but still no dates for the UK so I'll just have to be patient a little longer.

Oh and if you've missed the news about Mr W's latest project, which isn't a film, he's off to LA this month to film a HBO pilot with Alan Ball

Ben Whishaw swaps big screen for HBO for next role (now with extra info)

This technically isn't a film-related post - but I know a few Ben fans sometimes stop by to read my ramblings so I'm writing it anyway (it's my blog and I'll break the rules as and when I see fit). Besides I'm just so excited there is finally some Mr W casting news, I've got to write about it somewhere.

So, he is to take the lead in a new HBO pilot by Alan "True Blood" Ball about a man who cleans ups crime scenes.

It is based on crime noir novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston (guess what I'll be shopping for today?) but for TV will be called All Signs of Death. Ben's character, the wonderfully named Webster Fillmore Goodhue, from what I can glean from the web is a bit of slacker. However, he finds that his job helps him deal with his own past but gets embroiled in a potentially life threatening mystery.

A snippet from Alan Cumming about filming The Tempest

Thanks to YetAnotherBenWhishaw blog for highlighting this little piece that Alan Cumming posted on his website. It's accompanied by the picture below but to read what he had to say about filming in Hawaii and working with actors like Chris Cooper hop over to the site. He plays Sebastian in Julie Taymor's silver screen take on the Shakespeare fantasy play. You might have to scroll down a little to find it....

My favourite Ben Whishaw website

This is such a simple but effective site and I love it. It's a growing collection of images and interviews going back through Ben Whishaw's career pulled together into one place and invariably there are hidden gems.

If you are a fan then check it out. If you aren't, then just ignore this post.

The latest item is a short behind the scenes film clip from Bright Star that Curious Film posted and includes snippets of Jane Campion talking about the actors and Ben talking about Jane. I think it's from the DVD extras but would need to go back and watch them to check. Mmm now there's an idea!

Anyway here's the clip but do check out the websites.

"Working with Jane" by Paola Morabito - Trailer from Curious Film on Vimeo.

First review of Julie Taymor's The Tempest

So I'm breaking my own rule by reading a review before I see a film but as I'm probably not going to get to see The Tempest until at least October if it shows the London Film Festival or December if it doesn't, I'll have probably forgotten everything it said by then anyway.

If you don't want to know any more don't read on and certainly don't click on the link.

The review, published on www.aintitcool.com, is from a focus group screening in New York and is pretty much glowing. Helen Mirren's name is mentioned in the same sentence as 'Oscar' and other notable performances are given as Djimon Hounsou's Caliban and Russell Brand's Trinculo - the latter is described as actually demonstrating he can act.

And of course Stan-fav Ben Whishaw gets an honourable mention, I'd be upset if he didn't.

If that isn't enough of a teaser then you can read the full review - just ignore the unintelligible expletive riddled rant that serves as some sort of intro.

Related posts:

Julie Taymor talks about the The Tempest

Tempting titbits about The Tempest

Rev Stan's news: release date for The Tempest?

Ben Whishaw as the young Magneto?

There's a bit of a debate going on over on comicbookmovie.com about the remaining cast for X-Men: First Class.

James McAvoy was recently announced as playing a young Professor X which leaves the young Magneto. Names that have been thrown into the arena include Charlie Cox of Stardust fame and yes, fav thesp of mine Ben Whishaw. Whether this is just fan wishful thinking or a genuine consideration may never be known. But, I actually quite like the idea of Whishaw playing the baddie in a comic book movie.

I've commented recently how I'd like to see him play comic or baddie and a role like this I think would tap into his fun side you read about interviews.

So I'll add my call: Ben Whishaw for Magneto please!

Invisible Ben?

Aside from going to the theatre it seems that Mr Whishaw is spending his time negotiating at the moment. His name has been linked for a while to the film Night Flower which is listed as in development on IMDB and he's also linked to Kill Your Darlings which is also listed as in development.

And now it seems he's in the running for a third film project: The Invisible Woman. It's apparently about Charles Dickens's love affair with an actress. Whishaw is up against Daniel Day Lewis for the part according to this report from Jason Solomons in Cannes.

Naturally I'm excited about anything he does, particularly when it involves one of my favourite writers. However, I have to admit I'm a bit surprised by this choice coming so hot on the heals of his portrayal of John Keats in Jane Campion's Bright Star about the poet's muse Fanny Brawne.

I'd really like to see him do either a more comic role or something where he plays a baddie. He's already got a big tick by the 'Costume drama: troubled-lover' box.