Everybody's Fine Trailer

This sort of reminds me of About Schmidt or The Savages. I hope it's as good as it seems from the trailer. Interesting cast -- I'll enjoy seeing Sam Rockwell go up against De Niro.

Drew Barrymore is a lock for the Emmy

I watched Grey Gardens on HBO last night on my DVR. I had seen clips, and she nails it from the short clips I've seen of the original documentary. Watch the same "costume of the day" clip from the 1975 documentary and you'll see what I mean:

Frankly, I didn't think Drew had it in her to do the range that she shows in this movie. As she says in this interview with Ellen, she's known as the "romantic comedy girl", but she knew she could do more, and fought for this dramatic role. She nails the accent, and all the nuance.

For those who don't know what Grey Gardens is, it was a 1975 documentary about two eccentric women: Edith Bouvier Beale, aunt to Jackie Bouvier Kennedy and "Little Edie", her daughter. Little Edie was a debutante, and for years lived in squalor with her mother at their house in the Hamptons called Grey Gardens. After the health department forced their way into the house after complaints from neighbors, they found the women with a house with no heat, no running water, stacks of garbage and countless cats and racoons. Articles and pictures forced their relative Jackie Onassis to make the house livable for them. After her mother died, Little Edie sold the house to Ben Bradlee who extensively renovated it. The original documentary is a cult classic, and Edie became a gay icon. There was also a Grey Gardens musical on Broadway starring Christine Ebersole which won three Tonys.

In the HBO film, Jessica Lange plays Edith Bouvier Beale, and both actresses play the women over a span of decades. Daniel Baldwin plays Edie's married lover, and Jeanne Tripplehorn plays Jackie Kennedy Onassis. It is just an excellent film, and if you don't get HBO, I highly recommend you rent it when it comes out on DVD.

Eclipse Director is Orphanage's Bayona

Thank God! Today Summit announced the director for Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight series. Drew Barrymore's name had been floating around, and she had confirmed that she was in consideration. I hope that was Summit just being polite, because while I don't doubt that she is has talent -- she produced the Charlie's Angel films and He's Just Not That Into You -- I was praying that they wouldn't seriously entrust her with a franchise film like this. She has shown no ability to do anything more than light action comedy or rom com work. Let her cut her teeth on more serious drama and horror elsewhere, but not with the Twilight series, please!

So, I was thrilled when I read yesterday that Juan Antonio Bayona, the Spanish protege of Guillermo Del Toro, had been signed to direct Eclipse. Bayona directed the critically acclaimed horror film, The Orphanage, which was produced by Del Toro. I haven't seen the film, but I feel much better that someone with experience in arty horror is up for Eclipse. Bayona is a hot property so kudos to Summit for snatching him up. Eclipse already has a release date of June 30, 2010.