Something in the Bat

.

I felt a little hypocritical the other day after I was seriously annoyed that DC used Leonard Cohen to score the trailer for the fabled "Snyder Cut" (ugh I hesitate even using that phrase here on the site, I find the entire thing so annoying) and then... wasn't... when no less than Nirvana's song "Something in the Way" was used in the trailer for Matt Reeves' The Batman movie. The latter was much more fundamental to my own teenage angst bullshit than Cohen's "Hallelujah" -- having realized I was a gay person in the 1990s I was much more into Jeff Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" (cuz let's face it, Jeff was way prettier than Leonard) anyway. But I am at the point where we need to put a moratorium on "Hallelujah" period -- that song is way seriously played out. 

Anyway, I'm not particularly here to ramble about the song choices made -- I am curious about everybody's thoughts on the trailer for The Batman that DC unloaded during their online hype event the other day. If you haven't watched it yet it's at the bottom of this post; if you have watched it then you've probably already repeatedly goggled at that fact that the above gif is one of a few shots of Colin Farrell under prosthetics and make-up as this movie's version of The Penguin. 

What? Why? Doesn't that just 

make you feel bad for Tom Wilkinson? 

They could have just hired Tom Wilkinson! Saved a bunch of money! Don't get me wrong, I think Colin Farrell has plenty to offer as an actor besides his beautiful, beautiful face -- I just don't get the logic behind robbing us of that. During a pandemic? How dare they. Anyway...

I'm sure everyone has an opinion on Robert Pattinson's emo-Bats guy-lined and flat-ironed look -- it's a little goofy but YOUR COMICS ARE GOOFY. Deal with it. I'm fine with it. I just hope the movie is fun, and it's hard to tell from this. The song choice is dark, the visuals are dark, but "dark" doesn't have to mean "humorless." The fact that all of this footage is from just 25% of shooting, which is all they got done before the pandemic, is nuts -- it already looks like a full movie to me? Watch, comment, whatever!

Pictures Go Wild In A Rush Of Wind

.

Seven years ago when this blog was still in its infancy was when I first posted about a Jeff Buckley bio-pic, but at that point it was something I'd already been wanting to see for years - Grace came out my junior year of high school and the album consumed me; for me it was one of those foundational pieces of music that we all have. This was way before covering "Halleluiah" became an American Idol staple - nobody around me was listening to Jeff, and he felt like mine for an eensy weeny little while. And what a somebody to have! The way that voice just sails to the outer space. I fancied myself a poet for awhile in those heady confused late teen years and I stole so so much from him. My first screenplay centered around some lyrics from "Lover, You Should Have Come Over," for god's sake. He was manna to a sexually repressed English major looking for soul-eyed and sensitive sexy New York City romance. 

So what I'm saying is, I had some ideas about a Jeff Buckley bio-pic going into Greetings From Tim Buckley last night, and that was probably, for Greetings From Tim Buckley, sadly disastrous. We - me and this movie - were not made to be. Every choice just seemed kind of inexplicable to me - this was not the story I wanted to be watching. In the Q&A after the film Penn Badgley said that was his first reaction to reading the script - he'd thought himself a good fit for Jeff for a long time and reading the script he said that this story was not the angle he'd been expecting a movie on him to take at all; where Penn and I differ is he thought this was an artful expression of what made Jeff Jeff, while I found it to be a bunch of microscopic navel-gazing that made me forget why I even liked Jeff Buckley in the first place.

It wasn't so much Penn's fault - I think with a script I'd found compelling he might've made a very fine Jeff. He's got a lovely voice and a lovely face and here and there I felt The Idea Of Jeff Buckley that I had going in was staring back at me. And I get it, that this preconceived notion inside my head might've actually inoculated me against anything the filmmaker was trying to get at that I found off-topic. I mean, Imogen Poots is a perfectly lovely screen presence and she sold me what she was selling too - I just have no idea why that's what I was being sold. Or what the film's profound point with any of it was. Maybe sadly the reality of it is it's just Jeff's music that made him interesting. I think that's a sad thing to come out of the movie thinking, but that's where I am.

But hey, I went home and piled a bunch of Jeff's music back onto my iPod, so its not all for naught. Me and he'll be over there whispering our own sweet sensitive sexy New York City nothings to each other, and I like that just fine. He can still be my dream brother; let's keep all this tepid reality at bay.

.

Once Penn Was

.

.

That right there is the first clip (or at least the first I'm seeing) of Penn Badgley putting on Jeff Buckley airs to sing a song in Greetings From Tim Buckley, the bio-pic in which the sporadically furry one plays the gone-too-soon crooner who made my ears orgasm back when I was in college. (via) GFTB is out in April - what do we think?

.

Lover You Should Have Bent Over

.

The trailer for Greetings From Tim Buckley aka "the movie where Penn Badgley plays Jeff Buckley" is online (via) and you can watch it below, while that there above is its money shot, aka our marketing tested and approved quick glimpse of a semi-shirtless Penn at work. Giving ya what matters! Anyway The Playlist says the movie's iffy but that Penn is great.

.

I Am Link

.

--- Video Killed - The horror anthology V/H/S has been out on demand and in theaters for a bit now but that hasn't stopped them from hyping it a lil' more and bless 'em for that because this new poster for the flick is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Bonus points for it openly and artistically expressing the film's troubling misogynistic under(over)tones.

--- Speaking of posters there's a new one for the latest Jimmy Bond flick Skyfall over at Slash and it's fine but it's got way too much suit on Daniel Craig for me to give it as much love as I might otherwise. Yes I know I say this every time, but this is just the price Dan has to pay for stardom. His ass is all of ours, forever. At least his suits are obscenely tight.

--- Giant Lizard - The dude who made the pretty great giant space monsters on a budget flick Monsters has been set to make a big-budget Godzilla movie for awhile; now we've got a release date (if nothing else) - May 2014!

--- The Voice - Penn Badgley already made a movie about Jeff Buckley, but there's been a second one set to film that would star Reeve Carney - now it looks like Reeves is out and there's a new director. I actually thought Carney was perfect casting, too. Much better than Penn (nothing against Penn, who can crawl into my bed anytime.)

--- Witch's Curse - Another sign that the Suspiria remake from David Gordon Green is in trouble (after hearing DGG's making a movie with Nic Cage first) - its lead, the much loved by us Isabelle Furhman, has just taken over a role in an indie drama called The Wilderness of James, replacing Chloe Moretz who's busy with the Kick-Ass sequel.

--- Hello Guvna - I've been ignoring all the lead-up hype to the next season of The Walking Dead because that's a show it's best to meet with tempered expectations - still, I can't quite ignore a nice crotch-level shot of David Morrissey, now can I? Not when we know what's under there.

--- Bit Hat Man - Nat takes on the trailer for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, along with the strange way it got presented last night. I missed that business and managed to watch the trailer on its own and what struck me the most was Daniel Day-Lewis' spectacular voice work - I had no idea that voice was even coming from him at first. The movie looks in line with War Horse though, which I found exceptionally tedious.

--- I Know He Is - Love love love squared this heartfelt piece from a fellow admirer of Pee Wee Herman and Paul Reubens' awesomeness. I cosign everything - Paul Reubens forged my generation.

Hypnotized By A Strange Delight

.

The Playlist has a few images of Penn Badgley playing my beloved Nineties crooner Jeff Buckley in the upcoming bio-pic Greetings From Tim Buckley, as well as a video of Penn singing a cover of "Lilac Wine" in Brooklyn last week. I'd seen that this video existed the other day, but I remain too scared to watch it. Somebody watch it who loves Jeff too and tell me what to do!

.

Reeve Carney Four Times

.

I was going to complain about how the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark actor already has the role of Jeff Buckley and he doesn't need to be publicly campaigning for the role with photo-shoots by Bruce Weber explicitly aping old photo-shoots of Buckley by Weber...

... but then I realized that hey, he really very much looks like him in that top shot, and I assume he can sing since he's in a musical on Broadway and all, so maybe I should just shut my yap.

I Am Link

.

--- Got Jeff - Spiderman: Turn Off the Dork star Reeve Carney has been chosen to play Jeff Buckley in the long-long-long gestating bio-pic. If I were less groggy this morning this would deserve it's own post, but alas, my cold medicine has yet to kick in. I haven't heard him sing but physically he's a good pick, I think, and the fact that he apparently can sing, him being the star of a musical and all, strikes me as positive. Plus Carney's cute, I've featured him here before.

--- Lone Fools - Apparently the reason that The Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the title character got canceled by Disney is the budget had swollen to 250 million dollars? How sick does that make you? It makes me pretty sick. And it's only shelved until they can bring it down to 200 million, which is just as disgusting. Apparently it's all about Native American mysticism and werewolves and it sounds HORRIBLE. Just awful. Armie deserves better! Depp, on the other hand, I have no patience for anymore. He's a wreck.

--- Crow's Feet - Bradley Cooper has dropped out of The Crow reboot, which shows he might have a little bit of self-understanding. God he was a bad choice. Of course the folks they're talking about replacing him, Mark Wahlberg or Channing Tatum, are equally awful ideas. They need somebody with some edge, for god's sake! Marky Mark's too old and Channing's off making his male stripper movie, just let him do that in peace. I'd say they could go with that other Cooper - Dominic - I would.

--- Space Weight - (Hypocrisy alert) sometimes I get really exhausted listening to fanboys. (I know. Shut up.) Somebody like Harry Knowles, I mean. It can just be a bit much. (I know. Shut up.) But I ca listen to Guillermo Del Toro do the exact same thing forever. Like, listen to him talk about what Alfonso Cuarón's doing with his next flick, the sci-fi Gravity (via Slash):

"What is incredible about what they did is, they talked to David Fincher, they talked to Jim Cameron, I connected Jim and Alfonso for that. And what Alfonso is trying, is so insane. And Jim said, well, look, you’re about five years into the future…it’s too early to try anything that crazy. And they did it!

... I think he would kill me if I reveal [what is so crazy about it], and in time it will be publicized, but I think that in the same way that he pushed the narrative in Children of Men…[they] are absolutely pushing a new boundary in filmmaking, completely mind-blowing. And they way they’re making [Gravity] will I think foverever change certain types of productions. The engineering and the ingenuity of the machines they’ve created to film that way is fantastic. I”m amazed at Alfonso in the last few movies, because he has completely transformed himself."

--- The Lady's A Vamp - Yesterday was Hammer legend Barbara Shelley's 78th birthday and Arbogast gave her some much-deserved love. She rules.

--- Fly 25 - Today's the 25th anniversary of the release of David Cronenberg's The Fly! Slash gives it some love. I wish I'd known, I could've done something myself... maybe I'll think something up for later. I haven't seen The Fly in a couple years, it's well past due I rewatched it.

.

Okay, Penn Badgley Is Jeff Buckley After All

.

Jesus Christ! Gimme a break here, people. One day it's a "Hell no, who?" and today's it's "Ha ha you idiot." Via Movieline:

"On Friday, co-producer Orian Williams shot down a report that Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley would play late singer Jeff Buckley in a biopic Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, has been planning for years. “Penn is not involved in the film at all,” Williams told the Los Angeles Times. And he’s still not! In that film. But Badgley has been cast as the iconic musician in Greetings from Tim Buckley.

Smuggler Films announced the casting on Monday evening, touting the project as the first about the late singer/songwriter and his singer/songwriter father, Tim. Shooting this August, Greetings will follow “the true story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckley’s eminent 1991 performance at his father’s tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he comes to understand the father who abandoned him. Culminating in a cathartic performance of his father’s most famous songs, Jeff’s debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time.”

For his part, Badgley is pumped. “To play a man who was singularly gifted as an artist, greatly misunderstood & mythologized as a human being… It’s something very special and sacred. I’m going to give all I can to this project.”

So I wonder what impact this'll have on the Buckley bio-pic proper?

.

Penn Badgley Is Not Jeff Buckley

.

Last week's rumor that the Gossip Girl lad might play the mid-90s crooner have proven false: the eventual bio-pic's producer told the LAT they've never met with Penn and have no idea where these rumors come from, dammit! But that they have met with Robert Pattinson who wants the role. Still they say they're still looking and seem intent on finding an unknown, which is probably how it should be. Even if our poll - which is still running - stayed pretty evenly on the fence with regards to Penn.

.

Penn Badgley Is Jeff Buckley?

.

That's what here is saying. Hmm what do we think?

.

poll by twiigs.com

.

(Now excuse me while I go make sure that Jeff Buckley had a furry chest,
so Penn doesn't go and blasphemously shave himself again) 

.

Too Young To Hold On...

.

It's been five years since the first time I posted that it'd been announced that a Jeff Buckley bio-pic was going to be made, and here we are again. Via Deadline:

"Welcome To The Rileys helmer Jake Scott has been set to direct an untitled film about Jeff Buckley, the rising star musician who died tragically at age 30 in 1997. Scott will direct a script by Ryan Jaffe (The Rocker).

... Music rights to Buckley's songs are part of the rights package and the producers have also optioned the David Browne book Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley, as a resource."

Of course, ever since day one the main topic of conversation has been casting. Back in 2006 Jared Leto seemed like a reasonable prospect. Then there was silence, until 2009 when it was said that James Franco and Robert Pattinson were duking it out over the role. Then... more silence.

.

.

Buckley was only 30 when he drowned in 1997, so James Franco's already getting a little old for it. Plus to be honest does he need to play every single sensitive-eyed tortured poet-type? Jared Leto's far too old at this point (not to mention used up.) If I had a better sense of what Robert Pattinson is able to do - and I feel as if I'll know once he stars in a David Cronenberg movie - then I might feel safer pointing a finger at him.There's probably somebody I'm not thinking of who'd be perfect... which is why I turn to y'all. Opinions?
.

.

poll by twiigs.com

.

Back To Buckley

.

So suddenly everybody's saying that Robert Pattinson (sigh) and James Franco (maybe) are "battling it out" for the role of one of my very favorite musicians Jeff Buckley in the long-delayed bio-pic. I had to do some scouring to find out where this information originally came from - I saw it first at JJ but he didn't offer any source to back it up - but eventually I worked my way through the links to find this story at DigitalSpy (not the most reliable source themselves) which gave up where the story began.

"Robert Pattinson and James Franco are among the stars eager to play Jeff Buckley in the proposed biopic of the late singer-songwriter.

According to a report in Australia's Courier-Mail newspaper, producers Michelle Sy (Finding Neverland) and Orion Williams (Control) are overseeing the project with Buckley's mother Mary Guibert. Ryane Jeffe has been commissioned to write the movie, which is also attracting interest from Jared Leto and James Marsden.

Guibert revealed that the actor portraying her son, who drowned tragically in 1997, will have to sing and play his own instruments for the role.

"Whoever gets the part will need a lot of self-discipline because they won't be able to fake it," she said. "It's going to take a phenomenal set of skills."

Brad Pitt had previously attempted to make a film about Buckley's life, but the project fell apart when Guibert rejected two script drafts from British writer Emma Forrest.

Buckley experienced a surge in popularity last year when his version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' made it to number two on the UK charts at the time of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's release of the same track."

We'll see what comes of this. I'm still not sold on Pattinson (although to be fair I've only seen him as Cedric Diggory, and he was fine there) and he doesn't really feel like he's got the look right for Jeff... Franco could maybe do it but he's playing a few too many sensitive poet types these days, isn't he? I guess he evens it out with all the stoner roles though. I'm not sure who I would cast anymore. You can click on Jeff's label at the bottom of this post to see how I've been following this movie's progress forever and ever now... it really would be great to have his wonderful music pushed back into the cultural forefront again even if only for a bit. Something besides his damned cover of "Hallelujah" at least! God I love that song but will be happy if I never hear it again in my entire life.
.

Jeff Buckley: Gone 10 Years

Hard to believe, but one of my all-time favorite musicians, Jeff Buckley, died 10 years ago today. He drown in Wolf River Harbor, just off the Mississippi River in Memphis, at the far-too-young age of 30. He only released one complete album while alive - the now-classic Grace.

You can download a live version of my favorite track, called "Lover, You Should've Come Over," right here.

There've been rumors of a movie about his life; it's been quiet lately from what I've heard, or not heard as this case may be, but be assured that whatever news comes out I'll surely keep posting on it.

And just cuz he was as pretty as he was talented, here are a few pics of Jeff.


His death was a terrible loss; one can only dream of what beautiful music he would've gone on to make. RIP, Jeff.

ETA and here's a live video of Jeff performing his best-known - and probably, in the years since his death, most over-exposed - song, a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah":

Even if it's been watered down by being played in all sorts of things, it's still a haunting and lovely testament to Buckley's talent.

.

KC's Choice

///

While I've decided that only highly advanced cloning technology will satisfy my strict demands in casting someone for the Jeff Buckley biopic I spoke of yesterday, KC over at Stale Popcorn has a more realistic, sane suggestion: Jared Leto.

God knows I think highly of Leto's, ahem, physical attributes... he just has yet to convince me he's anything more than a pretty-boy starlet-humper. Ask anyone who knows me - I dedicated years of my life to searching desperately for that kernel of his acting prowess; I own every movie the boy has made since dazzling my teenage-self with his too-cool-for-literacy Jordan "You, like, read and stuff?" Catalano. Yep, Prefontaine, Basil, Switchback, Summer Fling, Sunset Strip... they all sit buried in my gathering-dust video collection.

I will say that, once David Fincher got ahold of him for Fight Club and Panic Room, Leto started making really good, interesting choices, and he's not-half-bad in Requiem For A Dream.... though that film is owned by Ellen Burstyn and Darren Aronofsky.

I am looking forward to seeing how his fat-stunt ends up working out for the Lennon-assassination Mark David Chapman movie, Chapter 27. I think he's got, if not greatness, goodness inside him.

And man, I could stare into those baby blues until I went blind.


(Nevermind that Buckley's eyes were brown...)

Where was I? I put a picture like that up and completely lose my train of thought. Oh right, Jeff Buckley. My long, deep crush on Buckley doesn't permit me to think anyone could ever be up to the task of playing him. I'm biased like that, I guess. But two more hours of my life spent staring at Jared? Never a waste.

Just, don't let him sing. Use Buckley's voice, make Jared lip-sync. For the love of all, please.
///

Dream Brother

///

One of my all-time favorite musicians, Jeff Buckley, is apparently - finally - going to get a biopic. From DH:

Brian Jun ("Steel City") will write and direct a feature based on musician Jeff Buckley's life says The Hollywood Reporter.

Buckley was considered by critics one of the most promising artists of his generation after he released his debut album, "Grace," in 1994. Such musicians as Robert Plant, Elton John, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney praised the album, and his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is considered the definitive version of that song.

Just as his career was taking off, however, Buckley drowned in Memphis in 1997. The movie is being produced by Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, and Michelle Sy ("Finding Neverland")."

Grace is in my top-5 albums of all time, and his story is immensely tragic... I hope they do it justice.

Now my wheels be a'spinning on who they could cast... he was so beautiful... and that voice... I'm coming up blank. Any ideas out there?
///