Friday 21 April 2017

Clint Eastwood Sets ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ As next Warner Bros Film

In the last few hours Eastwood has apparently confirmed his next project. It was first announced by Deadline Hollywood, followed by Variety.

Clint Eastwood has confirmed the next film he will direct. He’ll helm a drama based on the book The 15:17 To Paris The True Story Of A Terrorist, A Train, And Three American Heroes. The book was written by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey E. Stern; the life rights of the heroes Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone are part of the package. Newcomer scribe Dorothy Blyskal wrote the script, and Eastwood will begin casting right away to start production later this year. Eastwood will produce with Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera and Jessica Meier. This keeps Eastwood on the track of building crowd-pleasing movies out of true stories about ordinary men in extraordinary situations. That included Sully, the hit film about Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), the heroic airline pilot who landed US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River after the engines were damages by birds right after takeoff. Before that, Eastwood directed the blockbuster American Sniper, about Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) and the toll his precise shooting in Iraq took on himself and his family.

Here, Eastwood makes room for a trio of heroes in Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone. In August 2015, anISIS terrorist boarded train #9364 from Brussels to Paris. Armed with an AK-47 and enough ammo to kill more than 500 people, the terrorist might have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear. Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three pals proved fearless as they charged and ultimately overpowered the gunman after he emerged from a bathroom armed and ready to kill. They most certainly averted a mass tragedy.
Eastwood had been previously linked to “Impossible Odds” which followed humanitarian worker Jessica Buchanan, who was kidnapped while working in Somalia and later rescued by a group of Navy Seals.

Amazon’s synopsis on the book The 15:17 to Paris 
An ISIS terrorist planned to kill more than 500 people. He would have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear. On August 21, 2015, Ayoub El-Khazzani boarded train #9364 in Brussels, bound for Paris. There could be no doubt about his mission: he had an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter, and enough ammunition to obliterate every passenger on board. Slipping into the bathroom in secret, he armed his weapons. Another major ISIS attack was about to begin. Khazzani wasn't expecting Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone. Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the US Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three were fearless. But their decision to charge the gunman, then overpower him even as he turned first his gun, then his knife, on Stone, depended on a lifetime of loyalty, support, and faith. Their friendship was forged as they came of age together in California: going to church, playing paintball, teaching each other to swear, and sticking together when they got in trouble at school. Years later, that friendship would give all of them the courage to stand in the path of one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations. The 15:17 to Paris is an amazing true story of friendship and bravery, of near tragedy averted by three young men who found the heroic unity and strength inside themselves at the moment when they, and 500 other innocent travellers, needed it most.

Thursday 13 April 2017

Deborah Hooper – The woman who dresses Eastwood

Deborah Hopper started her costume-design career in the fantasy/make-believe worlds of opera and ballet. Now, renowned for her down-and-dirty, true-to-life style, she is a perfect match for filmmaker Clint Eastwood, and her 32-year run with the director proves it. Beginning in the wardrobe department on Malpaso productions such as Tightrope and Pale Rider, Deborah progressed through films including Heartbreak Ridge, Bird and The Dead Pool. In 2000 she became Malpaso’s costume designer working on Space Cowboys, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Mystic River, Flags of Our Fathers and Sully, all of which reflect her relentless research and her penchant for including the vision of actors in her creative process.

Clint trusts me and trusts my work,” says the designer. “I use resources like Sears & Roebuck, back issues of Life magazine, high school yearbooks that give me a snapshot of everyday life. With the work that I do with Clint, his movies are basically everyday life, so the costumes that I deal with are everyday clothes. The costumes, in a way, have to be invisible. If they show then I think it’s kind of distracting. It should be more about the story

Deborah received the Distinguished Collaborator Award during the 14th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on February 21st 2012 at the Beverly Hilton. Clint was of course in attendance to present her with the award along with actor Ken Watanabe and actress Marcia Gay Harden.

Deborah has become a reliablle and integral part of the Malpaso family; it is a collaboration which has stood the test of time and long may it continue to do so. 

Deborah Hopper / Clint Eastwood credits
Costume and Wardrobe Department: True Crime, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Absolute Power, The Rookie, Pink Cadillac, The Dead Pool, Bird, Heartbreak Ridge, Ratboy, Pale Rider, Tightrope

Costume Designer: Sully, American Sniper, Jersey Boys, Trouble with the Curve, J. Edgar, Hereafter, The Eastwood Factor (as herself), Invictus, Gran Torino, Changeling, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Blood Work, Space Cowboys 
 

Flashback: Clint Eastwood takes home Akira Kurosawa Award from S.F. Film Festival

Flashback: Clint Eastwood takes home Akira Kurosawa Award from S.F. Film Festival
Dateline: Friday, April 27, 2001

They played "Misty" for him as the former Man with No Name -- who became one of the biggest names in Hollywood -- strode to the stage to accept the San Francisco International Film Festival's Akira Kurosawa Award for directing. Clint Eastwood told the sold-out crowd at the Argent Hotel on Wednesday night that winning a prize named for the Japanese master has special meaning. "He was the guy I really idolized when I was young. I had always hoped to work with him."
The closest Eastwood came was to star in "A Fistful of Dollars," an Italian remake of Kurosawa's "Yojimbo." "The only problem was the Italians forgot to buy the rights. When it was sorted out, Mr. Kurosawa got all the profits from its release in Asia." That must have made his day.
When the man of the moment returned to his table, he got a big hug from his wife, Dina Ruiz Eastwood. These two really are lovebirds. "We just had our five-year anniversary, and we still hold hands all the time. We're disgusting, " she said, laughing.
Eastwood, 70, is devoted to his 36-year-old wife and their 4-year-old daughter, Morgan. "After my last movie, 'Space Cowboys,' took so much time because of the special effects, I decided I didn't want to do that anymore. I'm spending my time at home," the star told me.
Still, he approves of his wife going back to work hosting "Candid Camera" because it takes her away from their Carmel home only one weekend every few months. "Suzanne Somers used to be the co-host, but I don't think they can afford her anymore. I definitely come cheaper," Ruiz Eastwood said.

Thursday 6 April 2017

The passing of legendary comic Don Rickles

A short time ago I received the sad news that legendary U.S. comic Don Rickles has died, he was 90. I have provided a piece from Richard Natale, Variety, April 6th 2017
Rickles died Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles from kidney failure, his longtime publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed. He would have turned 91 on May 8. Though he appeared in films and on television, Rickles’ mainstay was always nightclub performances, appearing in Las Vegas and elsewhere into his late 80s. He also found late success as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” films, which were exceptional box office performers, and popped up frequently on late night talk shows.

Rickles’ career had its ups and downs as comedic tastes changed, and his curmudgeonly persona was sometimes out of kilter with audience tastes, but he survived long after many of his contemporaries had disappeared into retirement. And when he was hot, he was a potent club headliner, insulting his audience with his two key signature phrases “dummy” and “hockey puck.” His attempts at series TV did not succeed because of the astringency of Rickles’ personality. His serious side, however, was occasionally put to good use in guest starring roles in episodic TV and the occasional dramatic role in movies such as his first, “Run Silent, Run Deep,” and Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film “Casino.”

Donald Jay Rickles was born in Manhattan and studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after serving in the Navy during WWII. He began appearing in nightclubs during the ’50s but didn’t really break through until his first appearance on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” in 1965. In the meantime, he worked in movies. After his debut in WWII submarine drama “Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958), he appeared in the Tony Curtis-Debbie Reynolds romantic comedy “The Rat Race” and various AIP beach movies with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. After the Carson appearance, he achieved headliner status in Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, and he was frequently seen in the company of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack. He took to the stage in the L.A. production of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” playing Felix. Later he took “The Don Rickles Show” on tour around the country. He also made more movies, including Carl Reiner’s “Enter Laughing” and WWII heist comedy “Kelly’s Heroes” playing the charismatic rouge Crapgame alongside Clint, Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas. His first try at a TV series, CBS’ “Kibbe Hates Finch” in 1965, never got beyond a pilot. Variety series “The Don Rickles Show” lasted a single season in 1969-69, and his mid-’70s sitcom “C.P.O. Sharkey” lasted two. He co-hosted reality clip show “Foul-Ups, Bloops and Blunders” with Steve Lawrence for a single season in 1983-84 on ABC. His last attempt was Fox’s 1993 sitcom “Daddy Dearest” co-starring Richard Lewis, which quickly folded.

More successful were his guest starring appearances on TV in a variety of shows including comedies such as “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “The Lucy Show,” “F Troop” (in a recurring role as Bald Eagle), “Get Smart,” “Newhart” and, in 2011, “Hot in Cleveland.” He also acquitted himself on TV dramas like “Medical Center” and “Chrysler Theater.” He guested on “The Single Guy” and “Murphy Brown” in the late ’90s, appeared in a supporting role in 2004 telepic “The Wool Cap” and appeared as himself within a dream sequence in a 2007 episode of CBS drama “The Unit.”
In January 2005, Rickles appeared with Bob Newhart, whom he considered his best friend, on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” the day after Johnny Carson’s death to reminisce about their many guest appearances on Carson’s show.  During the late ’70s and a good part of the ’80s, Rickles’ humor was out of fashion, and while he continued appearing at casinos, the luster of his star had faded. Then, things turned around again, and a new generation of comedians that he had influenced came into favor. Rickles was once again in vogue. Rickles’ humor, while enjoyed better in person, also landed on record with albums such as “Hello Dummy!” and “Don Rickles Speaks.”


In Scorsese’s 1995 film “Casino,” Rickles had a substantial role as a trusted cohort to Robert De Niro’s casino owner. And the “Toy Story” animated features kept Rickles busy, voicing Mr. Potato Head in the 1995 original, the 1999 sequel and the enormously successful third entry in 2010. He reprised the role in a 2011 short called “Hawaiian Vacation,” and he voiced the Frog character in the 2011 live action/animated hybrid “Zookeeper,” starring Kevin James and Rosario Dawson.




The comedian’s memoir, “Rickles’ Book,” was published in 2007. John Landis directed a documentary on Rickles, “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project,” which debuted on HBO the same year. For his performance in the documentary, Rickles won an Emmy for individual performance in a variety or music program. In May 2014 the funnyman was saluted by the likes of David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart in the Spike TV special “One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles.”


Survivors include Rickles’ wife of 52 years, Barbara; a daughter and a son; and two grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Larry Rickles Endowment Fund at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.


Our sincere condolences and thoughts are of course with Don’s family RIP