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Julie Taymor Exits Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark

Krystal Clark — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:02:00 +0000

If you take into consideration all the damage that’s been done to the stage, the actors, and the budget for the Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, should you be surprised by this news? According to MTV, stage director Julie Taymor is leaving the play’s production. Color us shocked — not!

In a statement released by the show’s producers they announced the opening night, (March 15), has been pushed back until “early summer.” This will give a new creative team much needed time to rework the script and staging. Because of this shift, Taymor will be unable to stay on board as director.

“The additional time commitment required by this new plan will make it impossible for director and co-book writer Julie Taymor to continue on in her day-to-day duties with the production,” the producers explained in the statement.

Taymor will be replaced by fellow stage vet Philip William McKinley and playwright/ “Spider-Man” comic-book writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who’ll help with the staging and the script. Even though Taymor’s out, the producers insist that her presence will still be felt throughout the production. They also said that she’ll remain involved with Turn Off the Dark in other capacities.

We can smell this PR spin from a mile away. We’re sure the negative press and multiple production problems had nothing to do with this change of hands.

What do you think of Taymor leaving Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark? Did you see it coming?

The Tempest: Movie Review

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:30:17 +0000

Well if you want to watch a pretty photo shoot about Shakespeare with new spins on the old-fashioned, I guess you should see The Tempest. If you’re expecting it to be anything more than something aesthetically pleasing you’re barking up the wrong tree. I love me some Shakespeare, so I went into this screening excited to see Helen Mirren in the author’s final play, and absolutely everything disappointed…

Players:

Director: Julie Taymor
Writer: Julie Taymor & (play by) William Shakespeare
Actors: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alan Cumming, Chris Copper, David Strathairn, Reeve Carney, Ben Whishaw
Original Music by: Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography by: Stuart Dryburgh

The Plot:

Adapted from the Shakespearean play, Julie Taymor’s version of The Tempest in a new twist on an old tale, trading in Prospero for Prospera. When Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year old daughter she seeks vengeance on the Island she’s been enslaved to. When she finds her enemies in her realm, she intends to take their lives, until something unexpected happens, her daughter falls in love.

The Good:

The Costumes: Though some of them were awful, some of the costume designs were brilliant. The ones that weren’t just needed a little direction and vision to steer it to the right place.
The Possibilities: There is a lot of potential for this film and I for one was extremely excited to see what Taymor could do with such an impressive cast and a great piece of writing. The trailer definitely entices you but sadly as Hamlet says, “the readiness is all,” the anticipation for this film is all there is to it, everything else is just a big disappointment.

The Bad:

Screenplay: I’d say “blame the writer,” but you can’t exactly blame Shakespeare, so I’m going to have the blame the screenwriter’s adaptation and the director for her poor representation of it.
The Score: If you can even call it that, was trying to be new and exciting, but for a number of reasons it just didn’t work. It was repetitive and tried to make the film more edgy than it was — I can just picture the studio heads thinking they could solve all the film’s problems with the music. Poor Elliot — there’s always next time!
Overall Look: Now I know I said this film looks pretty, but it also looks like it was made by Tyra Banks (I just watched a commercial she shot which looked like the film), with all the wrong choices you could possibly make. From bad eye lines, to ridiculous music, to making brilliant actors look horrible, to not managing the language well, and unlike what Shakespeare intended, there being absolutely no humor. This film is a mess.
Prospera: While chopping off Prospero’s balls, they also cut out his edge and potency. There could not have been a better opportunity nor actress to have step into an iconic male role BUT they didn’t adapt it well. Why she gave in, I have no idea. Why she gave away her daughter so quickly, I have no idea. Why she’s so angry one minute and then not the next, I have no idea. NOTHING adds up for the character, there’s no danger, no threat, and in the end, no satisfaction to be had for the audience.
Bad Special Effects: If you don’t have the time, money or people to do special effects, don’t use them. There’s one scene where Alan Cumming and Chris Cooper are swinging their swords at nothing. I assume they were told they were swinging at things that would be added in post-production because they were chopping away quite vigilantly. Someone seemed to forget to add something, which again made no sense.
Repetition: Every time Caliban and Prospera are on screen, there’s the “cramps” lines. Every time Trinculo was on the screen he repeated the same. Everyone seemed to be saying the same thing from start to finish which gave the film no arc.

Overall:

All the best moments were in the trailer and that’s the nicest thing I can say.

Rating: 1/10

The Tempest in theaters December 10, 2010!

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you go to see the film?

The Tempest Trailer – Helen Mirren is All Powerful!

Krystal Clark — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:29:17 +0000

After months of positive buzz, the general public finally gets their first peek at The Tempest! The official trailer has debuted on Apple in glorious HD and it does not disappoint. This movie looks like everything we wanted it to be and more. Directed by Julie Taymor, it tackles the Shakespearean play of the same name but adds a twist — a female twist. Check out the trailer…

The Tempest stars Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand (yes, he’s in this too), Chris Cooper, Ben Whishaw, and David Strathairn. The story centers on a sorceress (traditionally a sorcerer) who rules over a magical island and its shipwrecked captives.

In the original play, the sorcerer was played by a man and the character’s name was Prospero not Prospera as it is in this film. We’re all for shaking it up a bit and Mirren in a dominating force in this part. The film looks like a beautiful spectacle that doesn’t hold off on the drama, just the way we like it. Good fantasy with a great story.

The Tempest hits theaters on December 10th, just in time for Oscar season.

What do you think of the first trailer for The Tempest? Are you interested in seeing the film?

The Tempest Poster – Helen Mirren Gives The Evil Eye

Krystal Clark — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:11:40 +0000

The first poster for Julie Taymor’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Tempest has been released! You’re probably wondering what makes this Shakespearean based film any different from all the other interpretations we’ve seen. Well, for one the main character has been turned from a man to a woman, and is played by the super-talented Helen Mirren. Check out her and the rest of the cast in the full sized poster below…

Besides Mirren, The Tempest also stars Alfred Molina, Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand (yes, he’s in this too), Chris Cooper, Ben Whishaw, and David Strathairn. The story centers on a sorceress (traditionally a sorcerer) who rules over a magical island and its shipwrecked captives.

Aesthetically this film looks amazing. Not only does Mirren exude dominance in her role, but Hounsou looks haunting – in a good way. He always manages to pop up in films that have real substance to them and The Tempest looks like it has just that. The film is scheduled to debut in theaters on December 10th and will make its world premiere during the closing night of the Venice Film Festival.

What do you think of the poster for The Tempest? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Source: Yahoo Movies

Spider-Man Musical Set For February 2010

Guest Writer — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:58 +0000

If you couldn’t stand the highly commercial/mostly instrumental soundtracks for the three installments of Spider-Man films, Broadway‘s musical tale of the web-slinging super hero, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Lion King musical creator Julie Taymor, might suite your tastes better…

That is, if you’re a U2 fan who also enjoyed The Beatles tribute film, Across the Universe. Broadway announced Tuesday that the musical, which will feature music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge (some of it performed by Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane), will open in February 2010 at the Hilton Theatre.Check out this news clip from Manhattan announcing the show…

BBC reported that previews of the performance will begin showing in January, although it is unknown what these will entail.

Nothing has been announced in the way of who will play the singing, dancing villains (or which ones would be included for that matter), but there is speculation that Jim Sturgess will again pair up with Wood to play Peter Parker (and Spidy, of course).

Personally, I’m hoping for appearances from Venom and the lesser-known Carnage. Venom and his black suit, which is actually a violent alien organism, would make perfect sense for the musical considering its title. This is me being extremely optimistic, but I’ve got a lot of reservations about a Spider-Man musical, or any super hero musical. These days, Broadway is running with the Hollywood trend of bad remakes and adaptations. Need an example? Legally Blonde. Enough said.

However, Taymor says that her show will have an all new twist (aside from singing and dancing) on the Spider-Man origin story. If she can take a Batman Begins sort of angle and get Bono and The Edge to write songs without dropping excessive political innuendoes, she might be on to something…

What do you think about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark? Can the Marvel classic cross successfully into the realm of musical theater?

Shakespeare Back on the Big Screen with the BEST CAST EVER

Mali Elfman — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:03:55 +0000

“Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.” Miranda, I.ii

Wow, talk about getting all the greats onto one stage…set. Same difference. The Hollywood Reporter stated that Julie Taymor (Titus, Across the Universe), no stranger to Shakespeare will be taking on one of his greatest plays The Tempest and she’s doing it with one of the best casts you’ve ever seen.

The film will be shaking up Shakespeare’s last play by mixing up the roles a bit and altering the story for screen. The Reporter stated: “Shakespeare’s play mixes romance with fraternal politics and the supernatural. As revised for the screen, it will center around Prospera, her daughter Miranda (Jones) and a shipwrecked crew full of Prospera’s enemies.”

They will also be playing around with genders. Men played all the characters back in the day and now Taymor’s version appears to be androgynous. Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan who became a sorcerer, will be played by Dame Helen Mirren. Trust me, she’s more than a man or a woman, she can handle it. Geoffrey Rush is in negotiations to play Prospera’s adviser, Gonzalo. How amazing would it be to have those to on screen together? Of course, Jeremy Irons (who loves him a time piece) will play Prospera’s brother Alonso. Djimon Hounsou, who will tackle Caliban, Russell Brand will play the jester Trinculo, Alfred Molina, will be the drunken Stephano, Ben Wishaw the spirit Ariel, and Felicity Jones as Prospera’s daughter, Miranda.

The film is in pre-production. So we should be hearing for as 2009 approaches.

ScreenCrave.com » Julie Taymor

Julie Taymor Exits Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark

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The Tempest: Movie Review

Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 1/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

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The Tempest Trailer – Helen Mirren is All Powerful!

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