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You Got a Pajiba, Man? It'd Be a Lot Cooler If You Did.
The Daily Trade Round-Up / Daniel Carlson
Well, in the spirit of ripping off the bandage and yanking out the splinter, I should probably do away with the bad news first: Brett Ratner isn’t going anywhere. Sure, at the end of the day, he might not be a terrible person, or anyway, I’m sure he has a soul, however small and wrinkled and vaguely misogynistic it may be. But it’s not going out very far on a limb to say that Ratner makes some pretty bad movies, and his latest project seems likely to turn out the same way. New Line has optioned the rights to the book Mr. S.: My Life With Frank Sinatra, a memoir from former Sinatra valet George Jacobs, with Ratner attached to direct and produce and Chris Tucker eyeing the starring role. Jacobs co-wrote the book with William Stadiem, who is set to adapt the screenplay. I’m sure Sinatra’s old-school lifestyle appeals to Ratner, who will likely use the story to pepper the film with remarks about “dumb broads” or “uppity darkies” or whatever else passes for humor for that guy. Whatever. No one here will see it; I just wanted to keep you informed.
Well, after all that Ratnerian evil, I needs me some cheering up. And that means one thing: Sexiest Man Alive and Stephen Colbert muse, Matthew McConaughey. Ol’ Wooderson himself is joining the ensemble cast of DreamWorks’ Tropic Thunder, also starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Nick Nolte, and Robert Downey, Jr. Shooting is already underway on the comedy, which Stiller is directing, and McConaughey is joining the action so late in the game because he’s stepping in for Owen Wilson, who was set to co-star before he went to the zoo and was hospitalized recently for a purported suicide attempt. It’s actually pretty inspired replacement casting: When your sun-blasted, easygoing, blond, softspoken, drawling Texan wigs out, just get another one. In other McConaughey news, he’ll be joined by Jennifer Garner in New Line’s Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a romantic comedy that actually sounds pretty damn terrifying: McConaughey will play a womanizer who, while attending his kid brother’s wedding, is visited by the actual ghosts of his former flames. According to the studio-provided logline, this will somehow make him realize he’s in love with his childhood sweetheart, though really, encounters with the noncorporeal representations of women I’ve known and wronged would send me running for a warm bath and a straightedge, not the welcoming arms of yet another girl I have somehow screwed over. But McConaughey’s unnerving charm being what it is, I’m sure he’ll just lean on her like he always does and let the wind blow through his golden locks while they make out to the strains of, I don’t know, the Goo Goo Dolls.
In literary news, Process Media has nabbed feature rights to Dave Eggers’ You Shall Know Our Velocity!, with Miguel Arleta (The Good Girl) set to direct and Wells Tower, a sometime contributor to The Believer whose name actually is Wells Tower, to adapt the book to film. No word yet on a release date, or on just what kind of sprawling mess might be made of Eggers’ work, but Arleta and Tower at least look to be a solid behind-the-camera team.
Finally, in this morning’s trailer watch, I bring you the clip for Juno, a new comedy from Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) that looks smart, quirky, funny, sad, and sweet all at once. It stars Ellen Page, who was fantastic in Hard Candy, and also features what will surely be the glorious onscreen reunion of Michael Cera and Jason Bateman. The film opens in limited release this December, and I’ll be there:
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.
Pajiba Love 09/19/07 | | Strange Skies by Matt Marinovich |
Comments
I was excited about Juno for the Michael and George Michael Reunion, but it turns out they don't have a scene together. Come on!
... I'll probably see it anyway, though.
Posted by: Alex at September 20, 2007 6:38 AM
Juno looks fantastic! I find Ellen Page absolutely magnetic and seriously: what a fabulous cast. I hadn't heard of its existence before this roundup so thanks for brightening up my day.
Posted by: Alex the Odd at September 20, 2007 6:47 AM
I steer clear of anything with post-5th Element Chris Tucker, too grating and cringe inducing to watch, add in RATner and I'm a million miles away.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at September 20, 2007 7:18 AM
moldy peaches in a movie trailer? whaaat?
Posted by: polskapromenade at September 20, 2007 8:13 AM
Really, that first part of the round-up -- the part with Brett Ratner/Chris Tucker unholy alliance -- should be disintegrating into a million unrelated pixels after being placed next to the bit about Juno. Yin and yang.
Posted by: Louise at September 20, 2007 8:40 AM
Although, now that I think about it, the principle of yin and yang means that we need Brett Ratner to exist just so Juno can.
But we don't have to watch what he makes.
Posted by: Louise at September 20, 2007 8:43 AM
You know, Louise, you may just be the only peron in the history of Pajiba to have positively argued for Brett Ratner's existence. I'm impressed. I just don't think I could bring myself to do it.
Going by the yin-yang principle - what is the karmic result of the work of Uwe Boll?
Posted by: Alex the Odd at September 20, 2007 9:03 AM
Read about Juno this morning in EW and I wanted to seat. Now I really want to.
Schillinger as the expectant grandfather. Rainn Wilson. The Bluth knocking a girl up. Mott the Hoople.
Haven't decided yet whether "Desparately Seeking Spawn" should be a band or Fanatsy Football team name but I'm going to use it.
Posted by: Brian at September 20, 2007 9:06 AM
EW and I wanted to seat Damm my sucky typing. Should say see it
Posted by: Brian at September 20, 2007 9:08 AM
Oh, Juno looks rather wonderful.
But Jennifer, really... costarring with McConaughey? *sigh*
Posted by: Gabs at September 20, 2007 9:37 AM
Going by the yin-yang principle - what is the karmic result of the work of Uwe Boll?
I would say rainbows. Or puppies and Lil' Pajiba. Or maybe Apatow, Raimi, and Singer combined. One of those.
Posted by: Vermillion at September 20, 2007 10:02 AM
In determining the karmic connection, do we have to abide by linear time? Because I think to counter Boll, we're going to need Wilder, and maybe Hitchcock, too.
Posted by: Louise at September 20, 2007 10:08 AM
Hmmm, maybe the combined razor sharp wit, beautiful acting and inspired directing of the classics reviewed a couple of weeks back created such a giant karmic imbalance in the universe that Uwe Boll had to be created to even out the filmmaking landscape.
That makes sense.
As does the "puppies and Lil Pajiba" theory. Ugh, it was so much easier to be all angry and disgusted with his movies before I knew they were indirectly responsible for all the good in the world.
Posted by: Alex the Odd at September 20, 2007 10:21 AM
I rarely venture into movie theaters to see a movie - for some reason, being only 5'1" means every six footer in the place is jostling for seat directly in front of me- but I might just do so for "Juno". That is an awesome trailer, and Ellen Page...wow.
Posted by: wozzle at September 20, 2007 10:39 AM
Woozle, if it makes you feel any better, I'm 6'2" and make a conscious effort not to sit in front of the little people like yourself.
And Ellen Page has great potential... I'll check this out and hope to see her in more stuff... but not stuff like X-Men III. I'll call that one a mulligan.
And the karmic opposite of Uwe Boll (in film terms) is Christopher Nolan.
Posted by: TK at September 20, 2007 11:42 AM
Juno looks great! How old is Ellen Page? She's carrying her second film off with style..(imdb says she's 20, yikes I feel old)
I really think Miguel Ferrer is fantastic in that he creates a really good rapport with cast mates and it looks like a nice daughter-father bond running through the film.
Shenanigans..hee hee I love that word.
Posted by: Amanda47 at September 20, 2007 11:56 AM
Um, I think you mean J.K. Simmons.... Miguel Ferrer doesn't appear to be in "Juno" if thats what you meant. Simmons is from Law & Order and the travesty that is "the Closer".
Posted by: Finn at September 20, 2007 1:29 PM
Ok I am so excited about Juno it just made my day much better. Thank you, Pajiba.
Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at September 20, 2007 2:10 PM
Juno looks fantastic, saw the trailer last night. I just hope there aren't too many uppity darkies in it.
*hums "Fly me to the Moon"
Posted by: Kevin Longrie at September 20, 2007 2:50 PM
I've GOTS to go see Juno! Sounds great! I loved Ellen Page in Hard Candy. And is it sick and wrong that I wouldn't be opposed to being the meat in a Cera & Bateman sandwich? 'Cause I wouldn't...
Posted by: Mistress Violet at September 20, 2007 3:05 PM
Aww, thanks TK! I appreciate the sentiment.
Posted by: wozzle at September 20, 2007 4:17 PM
Word out of the Toront International Film Festival is that George-Micheal and Micheal will have no scenes together. However this doesn't take away from the fact that this movie will rock hard.
Posted by: Alex McQ at September 20, 2007 8:12 PM
Wow, what a cast; aside from Simmons and the ArrDev refugees, we get Alison Janney + Rainn Wilson? Awesome-O. I'm a bit "meh" on Jennifer Garner, but she's certainly not objectionable.
Posted by: socalledonlycousins at September 20, 2007 8:14 PM
Yay, I love rainbows! Thanks, Uwe!
Regarding Juno, is it wrong of me to wanna see it because of JK Simmons? Not that I don't like Ellen Page - she's dandy. But I have a strange love for JK.
In other news, Rainn Wilson is annoying. I really wanted to punch him in the face in those initial 30 seconds of the trailer.
Posted by: Daphne at September 20, 2007 9:19 PM
For a while, Evan Rachel Wood was the young actress I was putting all of my faith in. I might have to switch over to Ellen Page though. She just seems... awesome? Yeah.
Posted by: stacy at September 20, 2007 10:09 PM
A little late for this comment, I guess, but: I was lucky enough to see Juno at the Telluride Film Festival a few weeks ago. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe it. Unbelieeeeeeeeeevably good!
Posted by: alanna at September 21, 2007 2:57 PM
Juno looks cute and awesome. And I love Michael Cera, he really is a great little comedian!
Posted by: ph at September 23, 2007 9:10 PM

