Among upcoming movies in production is the new Tarantino starring Brad Pitt. He's just begun shooting his exploitation/war epic 'Inglorious Bastards' in Germany - only now it's called 'Inglourious Basterds' and no-one seems to know why. A spokesman for the film's publicists said "We are not entirely sure the reasons why it has been changed. We think it just has to be one of those Tarantino-esque things".
The movie is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. A group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are ordered to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who witnesses the massacre of her family and flees to Paris where she changes her identity and runs a cinema.
Brad Pitt's illiterate Lieutenant sets up the team of eight Jewish-American soldiers.
The cast also includes Eli Roth as Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, called "The Bear Jew" by the Nazis because of his predeliction for smashing in their heads with a baseball bat; and Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Brühl, and Mike Myers.Tarantino is apparently still hoping to get the movie to Cannes 2009. Make of this poster what you will - it's got the old title on it!
Click here for more on Inglourious Basterds
Slumdog Millionaire
The New Simon Beaufoy Screenplay
READ THE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE SCRIPT - AVAILABLE HERE
LATEST: BEAUFOY WINS GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAYSlumdog Millionaire screenwriter Simon "The Full Monty" Beaufoy, has adapted Vikas Swarup's bestselling novel Q&A for the new Danny "Trainspotting" Boyle movie.
The movie tackles huge issues about tumultuous cultural, social and economic change in modern-day India. It depicts a world of genocide, starvation, child prostitution, oppression, class struggle, police brutality, appalling slums cheek by jowl with millionaire wealth and movie stardom. But as in all the best movies, it's the emotional core that powers the story and expresses the film's themes.
The movie has an interesting narrative structure in a framing device which loops back and forth to reveal Jamal's life and world in three different time frames. Tell that to the screenwriting gurus!
And Simon Beaufort's script and Danny Boyle's direction, offer valuable insights for all screenwriters into how to use comedy for underlying serious themes.
It's already beng hailed as a 'feelgood' movie. It is, but it is a feelgood movie that doesn't insult the brain.
Click Here for more on Slumdog Millionaire
Dev Patel as Jamal Malik
and Anil Kapoor as Prem Kumar
in Slumdog Millionaire.
Screenwriter: Simon Beaufoy. Director: Danny Boyle.
Film4. Pathé. Warner Independent. Fox Searchlight.
Click here to watch interviews with Simon Beaufoy
Which Are The Other
Movies To Watch?
The line up of other movies now hitting the big screens is great for screenwriters interested in inventive, intelligent films.
Apart from the Coens' Burn After Reading, there's Steven Soderbergh's Che (Part 1 & Part 2) written by Peter Buchanan and Benjamin A van der Veen, Peter Morgan-scripted Frost/Nixon directed by Ron Howard,Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Also, the black comedy Choke - new screenwriter/director Clark Gregg's movie based on Chuck Palahniuk's book (author of the book Fight Club) This project took seven years to get off the ground despite the fact that Palahniuk himself was championing it every step of the way.
See my article about Burn After Reading Here
And then there is Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York which has had critics and commentators indulging in a veritable orgy of disagreement and disputation.
See my article about this movie here.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
in Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche New York.
Likely Story. Sidney Kimmel Entertainment.
For more about Synecdoche New York the trailer, and two clips from the movie click
here.
Go to Slumdog Millionaire
Go To Inglourious Basterds
Go to Synecdoche, New York
Go to Burn After Reading - The Coens' Genre-Busting Again
Go to Adaptation. Charlie Kaufman's unique screenwriting
Return from Upcoming Movies to Unique Screenwriting Home Page
