Lightning Round: 10/16

So my Facebook profile has been looking kind of sad and empty these past few days; that must mean it’s time to spice things up a bit with a blog post! I still need to get around to reviewing “Never Let Me Go,” and I’m heading out this afternoon for a bit of mindless entertainment in the form of geezer shoot-’em-up “Red.” I will also have some more thoughts on “True Grit” and the revival of the Western genre after I get done with my current binge of personal screenings (so far this week I’ve watched “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” again, plus “Once Upon a Time in the West” and “The Proposition,” with “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Dead Man” still on the agenda). Furthermore I have an idea for a “best child performances” list, inspired by the quality child actors in “Never Let Me Go” (more on them in my review) and the fact that we have two young ‘uns making noise in the Supporting Actress category this year in Elle Fanning and Hailee Steinfeld. And of course I have a couple of essays to write for class and study abroad forms to take care of, so God knows when I’ll actually get around to writing all these posts. Luckily, though, I haven’t been able to sleep for the past three nights, so if that trend continues I’ll have plenty of time on my hands for updating.

Anyway, for now let’s just get caught up on what’s happening in the film world, shall we?

• Christopher Nolan announced that Tom Hardy has officially been cast in the still-unnamed “Batman 3” project. This announcement comes as a surprise to pretty much no one, since Nolan has shown himself to be quite loyal to certain actors over his career. It’ll be a great opportunity for Hardy to solidify his status as a rising star after strutting his stuff on the Hollywood stage for the first time in “Inception” this summer. One hopes/assumes he will be getting a villainous role, but as usual Nolan is keeping any kind of detail tightly under wraps.
• The original one-sheet for Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” was somewhat of a disappointment, since it was only a reproduction of a still that had already been circulated for a while. Which made this set of international teaser posters for the erotic psychological thriller all the more awesome. The third one is my personal favorite, but all four are absolutely stunning and I desperately want one to adorn my wall.
• Speaking of “True Grit,” here’s a very clever and well-edited mash-up someone created by combining the latest “True Grit” trailer with everyone’s favorite Pixar series (no, not “Cars”):

• Derek Cianfrance refuses to do any more editing on “Blue Valentine,” meaning The Weinstein Company has no choice but to appeal the MPAA’s NC-17 rating and pray they see reason. In other words, you’re not going to see this film in theaters unless you’re 17.
• Finally, I can’t help but pass along the trailer for Gus Van Sant’s latest film “Restless”, due out in 2011. Here’s the plot summary: “The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.” So…yeah. Check it out.