Pages tagged “martin scorsese”

Robert DeNiro has had a year of reunions. His two 2008 credits are Righteous Kill, the crime thriller notable solely because it reunited him with his Heat co-star Al Pacino, and the forthcoming What Just Happened?, a Hollywood satire that lands him back in the hands of Barry Levinson, the director of Wag the Dog and Sleepers.

When considering the Bob Marley biopic, it seems a lot more is up in the air than just the title. Now, Jonathan Demme will replace Martin Scorsese in directing the piece. Scorsese cites scheduling conflicts as the cause of his pulling out. This is significant, as the Marley family has hopes of releasing it by what would have been the legend's 65th birthday, February 6, 2010.

Start spreadin' the news. The famed but only recently Oscar-fied director Martin Scorsese is tentatively slated to direct an upcoming biopic on none other than Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. In an interview with Canada's Sun Media, Sinatra's youngest daughter and film producer Tina Sinatra spilled the beans on the project, stating that Scorsese is slated to helm the upcoming Universal Pictures film on the life and the times of America's greatest heartthrob. (Sorry, Elvis. You too, JT.) Tina also acknowledged that it is still is a little too early to officially announce the famed director's involvement in the project but went on to say, "Oh, go ahead and print it, I don't care!" No problem, Tina. No problem.

Martin Scorsese is set to direct a documentary on the life of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley, reports Variety.

Despite the success of a recent wave of musical film biopics including Ray and Walk the Line, a film depicting Marley’s life has never been made. Several proposed projects have surfaced over the years, including The Bob Marley Story, to star Marley’s son Rohan as Bob and Grammy winning artist Lauryn Hill as his wife Rita, but they have all languished in development or been scrapped by studios.

After winning the Academy Award for Best Director in 2006 for his film The Departed, Scorsese surprised many by taking on the Rolling Stones biopic Shine A Light. The as-yet untitled Marley documentary will plunge Scorsese into the world of music once again, and reunite him with his Light production partners Shangri-La Entertainment and Fortissimo Films.

Scorsese received the Marley family’s blessing to make the documentary. Marley’s son Ziggy told Variety, “I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our father’s legacy and are truly honored to have Mr. Scorsese guide the journey.”

The documentary is scheduled for release Feb. 6, 2010, on what would have been Marley’s 65th birthday. In the meantime, fans can catch the 2007 political documentary Africa Unite, which features Marley’s music and his family’s ongoing work in the Pan-African movement. The film comes out on DVD on Feb. 12.

Related links:
BobMarley.com
IMDB: Martin Scorsese
Paste: Shine A Light Stays Dark Until April

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

The above title was chosen because it was more interesting than "Martin Scorsese creates a wine advertisement." But it is also fitting because the ad is also way more interesting than most simple television commercials. Freixe's executive creative director Alex Martínez said in the spot's press release, "Never before has art been so close to and tied in with advertising." While that's a bit of PR hyperbole, there's no denying that the spot is just as much a film as it is any sort of advertisement.

The Key to Reserva isn't a full-length feature, but it does a good job making the wait for the delayed Shine a Light more bearable. The nine-and-a-half minute short takes as its premise that Scorsese, in one of his well-noted efforts to help preserve old films, came across the remnants of a lost Hitchcock script and intends to film what's still there himself. Viewers will need to invoke some good ol' fashion suspension of disbelief since Hitchcock never wrote his own scripts, but really, it's as fine an excuse as any to check out Scorsese taking on the signature Hitchcockian directing style.

The film can be viewed in high definition at Freixenet.es, or you can view it below:

Scorsese uses Bernard Herrmann's score from North by Northwest (who would later work on Taxi Driver) while the title sequence is meant to evoke the iconic Saul Bass style of North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho (he also later worked with Scorsese on Casino, Age of Innocence and Goodfellas). There's a lot of other neat homages there for Hitchcock fans to check out, so have some fun seeing if you can recognize where the various shots are drawn from.

Now if only Scorsese would get to work remaking those missing hours of Greed, or perhaps redo the original ending to The Magnificent Ambersons...

Related links:
Paste on Scorsese's next documentary
Paste on No Direction Home
Paste on Shutter Island

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Despite his many successes and an international reputation as one of the finest American directors, Martin Scorsese has always had trouble getting funding for his films. Maybe it's his controversial and sometimes-protested subjects, or maybe it's that despite their artistry, the films are rarely blockbusters. That was until Marty met Leonardo DiCaprio and suddenly the funding seemed to magically appear for whatever odd (The Aviator) project they felt like. Next in this series of collaborations: Shutter Island, adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel.

According to the film's press release in Variety, the film is a period drama in 1954 with DiCaprio playing a U.S. Marshal investigating a missing murderess gone from an insane alysum and hiding out on Shutter Island. Doesn't sound that much like normal Scorsese fair, but the director's chameleon nature may make this something to watch out for.

Two of Lehane's previous works have gone on to be adapted for film, including Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. The production, funded jointly by Paramount and Columbia, is set to begin early next year in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Novia Scotia. How this will affect Scorsese's already announced productions planned for 2008, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Silence, is unknown, but best guesses are that they're on hold until he's able to wrangle up funding for them while this one greenlights through.

Related links:
Paste on Scorsese's next documentary
Paste on No Direction Home
Press release at Variety

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

The name Martin Scorsese has long been synonymous with the title "greatest living American director." It's only during this past decade, however, when the man has decided to add "greatest chronicler of '60s music" to his already impressive resume. Although his Rolling Stones concert film Shine a Light isn't yet in theaters, Scorsese has already announced that he's working on a documentary on the late George Harrison.

Scorsese told Variety, "George Harrison's music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today and I'm looking forward to delving deeper."

The film will attempt to be a more comprehensive biography, focusing less on the music than the man himself, from philosophy and religion to film. Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, and No Direction Home producer Nigel Sinclair will be working on the project as well as editor David Tedeschi, who worked on Scorsese's last two music documentaries. Because he's working with the Harrison estate, Scorsese will have access to all of its archived materials on the Beatle to put together his film.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are expected to contribute to the film, which also has access to the Beatles' Apple Records due to Olivia Harrison's connection with the company.

"It would have given George great joy to know that Martin Scorsese has agreed to tell his story," Olivia Harrison said.

Related Links:
Press release on Variety
Scorsese on IMDB
Paste's review of Let It Be... Naked

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.