Ron Howard‘s Frost/Nixon premiered at the London Film Festival to cold and mixed reviews. Lets take a look at the early buzz.
Variety’s Todd McCarthy: “Perhaps needlessly adopting a cinematic equivalent of the play’s direct-to-audience address, Howard “interviews” several of the characters, witness-style, about the events, which only serves to make the film feel somewhat choppy, half like a documentary at first. Approach also imposes an overly predictable editing style on the whole film, one in which the cuts come precisely on the expected beats, when a fleet, syncopated rhythm would have moved the exposition along with more flair. It might even be that the film could have done without the talking heads altogether.”
In Contention: “It’s a tall order, and with Morgan’s script hewing closely to its source, Howard responds to it in the manner he knows best: with the most prosaic of visual aesthetics to hand, a doggedly linear approach to storytelling and the spotlight thrust squarely on a reliable pair of actors. The approach only gets him so far. Howard’s hands-off direction makes for an oddly bloodless viewing experience, with a lot of talk standing in for any fresh perspective (or frankly, much of a perspective at all) on the events.” … “Howard is left adrift, particularly in a sluggish first hour where, with the crucial interviews yet to begin, the historical context is painted in broad, CliffsNotes fashion, with a gallery of reconstructed talking-head interviews and distracting lookalike cameos (There’s Diane Sawyer! There’s Swifty Lazar!) in place of significant internal character development.”
Film Detail: “To the film’s great credit that director Ron Howard and Morgan (who wrote the screenplay) have not only preserved the insight and charm of the play but made it work in a different medium.” … “It is this surreal mix of the personal and political that lies at the heart of why the play and this film version work so well.”
Guardian: “But transferring this small-screen drama to the stage was a more interesting medium-shift than moving it to the big screen.”
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Entertainment Weekly has a first look at the poster for Ron Howard‘s Frost/Nixon, which pretty much says everything you need it to in one picture. The site also has 49 other first looks (none of which are all too interesting), which you can see here.
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Universal has released the official American trailer for Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon. We also have some production photos and an official plot synopsis below. Based on a play of the same name, the film tells the story of the series of infamous post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). As always, tell me what you think in the comments below!
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Watch the trailer in High Definition on Yahoo. Frost/Nixon hits theaters on December 5th, just in time for award season.
Official Plot Synopsis: Oscar®-winning director Ron Howard brings to the screen writer Peter Morgan’s (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland) electrifying battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the untold story of the historic encounter that changed both: Frost/Nixon. Reprising their roles from Morgan’s stageplay are Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who fully inhabited the part of Frost onstage in London and New York.
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.
Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’ ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity—ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.
Frost/Nixon not only re-creates the on-air interview, but the weeks of around-the-world, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the two men and their camps as negotiations were struck, deals were made and secrets revealed…all leading to the moment when they would sit facing one another in the court of public opinion.
Frost/Nixon is a collaboration between Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Films, with Academy Award® winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard joining Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as producers. Joining Langella and Sheen as the colorful real-life personalities who provide the men counsel is a formidable roster of actors including Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen.
The Orange County Register has the first photo of Frank Langella portraying Richard Nixon during filming of Ron Howard’s adaptation of the Peter Morgan play Frost/Nixon. Langella won Best Actor during the New York City run of that production. You can check out a comparison photo of the real Richard Nixon below.
I’m surprised at how much Langella looks like Tricky Dick. I actually had hesitations when it was announced that he was cast in the movie. Appearance on the stage doesn’t matter as much as it does on the screen. And with an iconic character like Nixon, if you don’t look the part, the whole production could bomb. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case here. Langella is a great actor, and this film is likely to earn him some award nominations.
via: ObsessedWithFilm
There’s a lot of second page news today so we’re bringing back Page 2, our quick fix news rundown:
Universal is planning a big screen adaptation of Second Sight, a 1999 BBC miniseries that starred Clive Owen as a detective struggling to solve a murder before he goes blind. Sounds like an interesting premise. Owen is not attached to the film version.
AICN has a bunch of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End character designs by Aaron McBride and Crash McCreery. I digg the designs but especially Broondjongen, who splits open like a clam shell to reveal a dead figure trapped inside.
The guys over at the BlueSky Disney Blog wonders if Disney will replace Tomorrowland with Wall-E World, based on Andrew Stanton’s upcoming Pixar movie. This all depends on the success of the new Finding Nemo Submarine Ride.
Chicago Film Office has posted a notice looking for paid extras for The Dark Knight.
The first Tribeca Deals include: Das Fraulein, Vivere, and 9 Star Hotel.
FilmIck has a look at four new Shrek the Third banners. More of the same.
Dateline Hollywood claims that Frank Langella will play Richard Nixon in Ron Howard’s big screen adaptation of the Peter Morgen play Frost/Nixon.
