Deadline Reports:
Although it was speculated that Clint Eastwood’s much-anticipated J. Edgar would show up at either the Venice, Telluride, Toronto or New York film festival this fall, it has been conspicuously absent from all of those lineups — until now. Warner Bros and Eastwood have agreed to have its world premiere Nov. 3 as the opening-night gala at AFI Fest 2011 at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Warners will open the film in limited engagements Nov. 9 and go wide two days later.
Joblo
Adam McKay is a filmmaker known for creating some very funny feature films including Step Brothers, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The Other Guys. While his latest has a surprising amount of humor, it carries with it a harsh and critical wit that takes us into the housing credit bubble that brought about the Financial crisis from 2007-2010. As funny as this can be, this is a harsh look at those involved in this devastating collapse. It is a riveting drama that takes a sobering approach to the story, concentrating on just a handful of people who saw the downfall coming. With a smart story, and fantastic casting, The Big Short is a fine film that delicately handles the serious tones with a sharp comedic edge.
Joblo
There is no question that football can be a tough game. The players take on challenging plays and put their bodies at risk on a daily basis. Of course, there is a whole lot of money that is made on the sport so you can bet that all involved will do whatever they can to win. In Concussion, the revelation that major head trauma may be affecting players becomes a controversial issue. Based on a true story, the film begins with one such player who loses control of his life in every way possible. Mike Webster (David Morse) finds himself homeless, dealing with dementia and depression. He was the first pro football player to be diagnosed after his death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Something that had not yet been discovered until after his tragic demise.
Deadline:
AFI Fest just announced that Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper will be the festival’s secret screening set for tomorrow night. The Warner Bros-Village Roadshow biopic of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle — the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history — stars Bradley Cooper will show at 9 PM PT, after the festival’s screening of Paramount’s Selma at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
The pic, adapted from Kyle’s autobiography by Jason Hall, opens in limited release December 25 followed by a mid-January wide expansion.
