(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny star in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi about their work on ‘Priscilla,’ bringing her story to the screen, how Spaeny prepared for the role, Elordi’s performance, showing a different side of Elvis, and working with Sofia Coppola.
Cailee Spaeny in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Spaeny and Elordi, as well as music supervisor Randall Poster.
Moviefone: To begin with, Cailee, how did you prepare to play this role and what was it like bringing Priscilla Presley’s story to the screen?
Cailee Spaeny: Well, it was first the book that she wrote in the 1980s and the script leans heavily on it. Then it was sitting down with Priscilla Presley herself, which I got the honor to do, and just taking the time and letting her walk through this section of her life. She shared little details and moments, and how she was feeling on certain nights or inside jokes they had together. To watch her go back to that time, and maybe she’d giggle a bit thinking about a memory they had together. Those were so precious to have in putting this puzzle piece together.
Jacob Elordi in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
MF: Jacob, how did you prepare to play Elvis Presley, arguably one of the most famous people in modern history, and what was it like examining his darker side?
Jacob Elordi: For me it was less about what side of him was being portrayed and more about trying to find the human being in him and make it a believable and real person. There were just months of boring study, reading, watching and listening. It would do your head in, just like it did mine in getting ready for it, if I told you about it all.
(L to R) Jacob Elordi, Cailee Spaeny and director Sofia Coppola on the set of ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
MF: Cailee, can you talk about collaborating with Sofia Coppola on set and what she was like to work with as a director?
CS: She really creates a safe space for everyone to feel like they can collaborate and share their thoughts and opinions. She knows exactly what she wants, but she also knows when to have fun, and remind everyone we’re making a film, and we should all enjoy it while we’re doing it. It was a quick 30-day shoot, but we had a lot of laughs in between and it was a real treat. She was a dream director for me to work with. She was the director I wanted to work with, and it was more than anything I could have imagined.
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
MF: Finally, Jacob, what was it like for you to work with Sofia Coppola? Was it as much fun as you had hoped it would be?
JE: More fun. She let us know immediately that you didn’t have to be dark and brooding and go through all these heavy things to make a good movie. She is the artist. She’s everything that you would want as an actor and more. I love her so much.
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What is the plot of ‘Priscilla’?
The film follows Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) and her life with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).
Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
Opening in theaters on August 25th, ‘Golda’ is a look at a specific moment in the life of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Starring Helen Mirren and directed by Guy Nattiv (who previously made based-on-truth biopic ‘Skin), it’s a dramatically satisfying film that still suffers from some issues of scale and pace.
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What’s the story of ‘Golda’?
Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
‘Golda’ is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance.
Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.
Who else is in ‘Golda’?
Liev Schreiber in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
Helen Mirren in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
Telling the story of a real-life figure is always tricky. There was a time when most examples were the cradle-to-grave variety, picking up the person effectively from birth, stopping at certain important waypoints in their lives and attempting to cram in some assessment of their legacy.
These days, however, the fashion is for movies that focus instead on a specific time period of the person, especially for those that have had their stories told in the past.
Golda Meir, who served as Israel’s Prime Minister, has had her life brought to screens at least twice already, in 2003 and 2019 notably. Both of those were documentaries, and now here comes the biodrama version, which takes as its focus her choices and actions during the Yom Kippur War.
It’s a particularly fertile time during Meir’s Prime Ministerial reign (she was the head of Israel’s government between 1969 and 1974), since it saw her dealing with a particularly thorny crisis for the country, as it came under attack by Egypt and Syria (with Russia backing the Arabic side and America throwing its support behind Israel).
This take on the tale has one giant advantage, and that is Dame Helen Mirren. The veteran British actor is slavered in make-up that give her at least a close approximation of the leader. But it’s in her performance that she really brings the woman to life, finding the quiet moments between the bombast and smoking more than your average chimney (and, as history and the movie itself records, paying the price via the lymphatic cancer that took her life in 1978).
(L to R) Helen Mirren and Camille Cottin in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
Mirren is, of course, excellent in the role, whether the scene demands she square off against the male members of her cabinet who disagree with her decisions or finding time for silent reflection on the roof of her apartment building.
Around her, there is a solid cast, most notably Cottin as Lou Kaddar, her ever-reliable personal assistant, and Heuberger as Moshe Dayan, an old colleague and friend whose advice is invaluable, but whose spirit flags as the early period of the conflict turns badly against Israel.
Nattiv works carefully to bring out the best in his lead and supporting cast, and, along with writer Nicholas Martin, finds effective ways to handle the drama. Visually-speaking, there are a few striking moments, and a scene where she must listen over a military radio as Israeli forces suffer a devastating loss, is the standout moment in the movie.
And while some will have problems with the non-Jewish Mirren slapping on make-up to play a Jewish icon, it’s handled so respectfully that the issue doesn’t derail the movie’s impact.
Where does ‘Golda’ stumble?
(L to R) Helen Mirren and Lior Ashkenazi in Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures’ ‘Golda.’ Credit: Sean Gleason, Courtesy of Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures.
There are some problems lurking within this one, though –– while the war moments are handled effectively within the budget constraints, it’s hard not to view this one as a TV movie that somehow found its way into a theater. Though some scenes are all the more effective because of the tight focus, others come across as ambition curtailed, which make the offering seem that much smaller and humbler, when a bigger scope could have helped up the gravitas.
Still, it’s worth noting that a biopic about a chain-smoking Israeli Prime Minister probably doesn’t draw the sort of funding that Steven Spielberg can demand for, say, ‘Lincoln’ (or, staying closer on target, ‘Munich’, which features a portrayal of Meir).
And while Nattiv gets creative in places, there are still some cliches of the genre his movie unavoidably falls into, while –– despite his and Mirren’s best efforts –– it never quite crawls under the skin of its subject, no matter how effective the lead actor is in inhabiting it.
There is more than one scene that you’ll find yourself thinking that you’ve seen this in a hundred different variations.
‘Golda’ director Guy Nattiv.
Also, Meir is a truly complicated, captivating subject, and doesn’t need much in the way of cinematically stylistic tricks to make her story work, but Nattiv can’t help himself in some instances, especially a confounding scene later on that pans across a hallway full of dead birds. Symbolism is one thing. This feels like a hammer blow more than a scene.
‘Golda’ will most certainly not be for everyone. History buffs will enjoy seeing a key portion of Meir’s life dramatically realized (no matter the liberties that must be taken in any movie of this sort), and those who appreciate the work of Helen Mirren are certain to be drawn to the movie, which doesn’t let its issues completely sink it.
As biopics (or partial biopics) go, it remains an engrossing look at a controversial figure, albeit one that might have benefitted from heading to a limited TV series where it might have received the scope it truly required.
Christopher Nolan has crafted another masterpiece with an epic historical biopic that is as captivating as it is compelling. What begins as a character study eventually unfolds into an intriguing political mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Cillian Murphy gives the performance of his career as the conflicted and complicated J. Robert Oppenheimer, while Robert Downey Jr. also gives one of his finest performances to date as Lewis Strauss, Oppenheimer’s eventual adversary.
Story and Direction
Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
The three-hour long movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer from his early years studying physics in Germany, to eventually being recruited by the U.S. government to work on the Manhattan Project and the aftermath of the creation of the Atomic bomb. The story is mostly told in flashbacks from both Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss’ points of views. Oppenheimer is defending his actions following WWII in a secret government meeting, while Strauss is addressing a Senate committee as he has been appointed to a cabinet position. We see the events as they unfold as memories for both characters, with Strauss’ in black and white, and Oppenheimer’s depicted in color, which also represents the characters personalities as Strauss sees the world in black and white while Oppenheimer sees bright colors.
Christopher Nolan is unarguably one of the most celebrated filmmakers of his generation and is known for making twisty movies like ‘Memento’ and ‘Inception,’ as well as historical documents like ‘Dunkirk,’ but ‘Oppenheimer’ excels because it does both at the same time and embraces everything Nolan does well. Nolan’s script is smart, cutting back and forth between both Oppenheimer and Strauss’ hearings and their individual flashbacks, and using that to frame the story of creating the Atom bomb. But the movie is also a political thriller, and has a ‘Usual Suspects’ level twist towards the end that you won’t see coming.
Nolan sets an epic tone for the film, which is grand in scope and design, and he gets the very best out of his ensemble cast. Nolan’s use of cutaways to visual effects of atoms, molecules, fire and stars representing thoughts running through Oppenheimer’s head were interesting but thankfully used sparingly. While the film is long at just about three-hours, it goes fast and Nolan uses the most of his time setting the stakes for the drama and allowing his cast room to breathe. The movie also looks gorgeous, thanks to Nolan and the work of cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Cillian Murphy is best known for playing the Scarecrow in Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movies and hasn’t really had the chance to show off his talents until now. As the title character Murphy delivers a strong and layered performance with authority that gives the movie a feeling of importance and urgency. Oppenheimer is driven, egotistical, brilliant, self-absorbed and conflicted, and Murphy conveys all of this with very little effort, giving a seamless performance. This is definitely the actors best work, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t get a lot of attention come awards season.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance
Robert Downey Jr is Lewis Strauss in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most popular actors of his generation, but after a decade of playing Iron Man, it’s easy to forget just how good a dramatic actor he is and this movie helps remind us of that. Despite the title, ‘Oppenheimer’ is almost as much Downey’s movie as it is Murphy’s, and the actor completely holds his own narrative well. While the two actors share few scenes together and Downey’s role is supporting, his character is pivotal to the story and the true antagonist of the film. In a career as impressive as Downey’s, it’s hard to say this is his best performance, but it’s certainly on the short list, and I’m starting the campaign now for Downey to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Supporting Cast
Matt Damon is Leslie Groves in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Nolan has always assembled incredible casts of actors for his projects, but the abundance of riches here is a bit embarrassing. The movie stars a who’s who of talented actors, and I of course can’t mention all of them, but I will say Matt Damon stands out. Damon plays Leslie Groves, the General that recruited Oppenheimer. The actor plays the role with a bit of his signature charm, which fits the otherwise serious military figure well. Damon also has good chemistry with Murphy, and the two characters forge a nice friendship together.
Surprisingly, Josh Hartnett, who’s been away from the big screen for some time makes a fantastic comeback as Ernest Lawrence, one of Oppenheimer’s colleagues. Hartnett gives a really strong performance opposite Murphy and is a wonderful addition to the cast. Benny Safdie and David Krumholtz also play colleagues of Oppenheimer and both actors bring a lot to their characters as well.
Josh Hartnett is Ernest Lawrence in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Florence Pugh also stands out and gives a very daring performance as Jean Tatlock, Oppenheimer’s first love. Pugh’s character is sweet and vulnerable, and you understand why he falls in love with her in the first place. But their story is also tragic, and Pugh’s tender performance gives her character a real voice in the movie.
Unfortunately, Emily Blunt’s performance as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, did not work for me. The character was not as well-defined in the script as Jean, and while Blunt is a great actress and did her best in the role, her performance falls flat with her limited screen time. The chemistry between Oppenheimer and Kitty never quite works, especially in comparison to his relationship with Jean, but perhaps that was the point.
Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
(L to R) Emily Blunt is Kitty Oppenheimer and Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer,’ written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
I would imagine that this film will be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars next year. I’d be surprised if Nolan doesn’t get nominated as well for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Depending on how the rest of the year shapes up, he’ll probably walk away with at least one of those awards. Nolan’s been nominated five times before and never won, and right now, this seems like the movie and the year where he might actually win.
I think Cillian Murphy has a great chance of being nominated for Best Actor, and certainly deserves it, but I’m really hoping that Robert Downey Jr. is rewarded for his incredible performance here, as well as his overall body of work. Florence Pugh also has a chance at a Best Supporting Actress nomination, but that will really rely on who the rest of the competition will be. I would also imagine the film will receive several technical nominations as well as cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Oppenheimer’ is another Christopher Nolan masterpiece. A movie that works both as a compelling historical biopic, and an intriguing political thriller with brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
‘Oppenheimer’ received 9.5 out of 10 stars
(L to R) Cillian Murphy (as J. Robert Oppenheimer) and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer.’
Is ‘Big George Foreman’ based on a true story and what is the plot of the movie?
Yes! ‘Big George Foreman’ is based on the true story of boxing legend George Foreman who rose from poverty to win an Olympic gold medal and eventually the Heavy Weight Championship of the World, twice! The film chronicles his rise to fame, his devastating loss to Muhammad Ali, his decision to leave boxing to become a Baptist preacher, and his return to the ring at age 46 to win back his title and become the oldest Heavy Weight Champion in history.
While George Forman’s life story is absolutely worthy of the big screen treatment, ‘Big George Foreman’ is a disappointing biopic which fails to capture the majesty of the boxer’s life, particularly the intensity of his legendary fights. Khris Davis is adequate as Foreman, but struggles to find the heart of the character playing the role in several different time periods.
George Foreman’s life story is a truly amazing one and very deserving of a biopic, in fact, I’m surprised it’s taken so long to get one. The movie chronicles his childhood in Texas, and his family’s struggle to survive do to poverty. Young Foreman is picked on by his classmates and eventually turns to violence to survive. The story then moves forward to his early 20’s where Foreman (now played by Davis) is committing crimes to get by. After a close call with the authorities, Foreman enrolls in a program called Job Corps, where he can receive his GED and learn skills for the workforce. But after a fight with one of the other students causes Foreman to almost be expelled, Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker) takes an interest in George and begins to train him as a boxer.
The film then hits all the beats from Foreman’s professional life that boxing fans will recognize, winning Olympic gold, winning the championship from Joe Frazier, losing to Muhammad Ali at “The Rumble in the Jungle,” quitting boxing, becoming a Baptist preacher, returning to the ring to fight Evander Holyfield, and eventually winning back the championship at the age of 46. However, one aspect of the boxer’s life, his famous George Foreman Grill business is only mentioned in passing as a meta-joke for the audience. The film also ignores most of George’s four previous marriages, and only focuses on his relationship with current wife Mary Jones (Jasmine Mathews).
Director George Tillman Jr. is an accomplished filmmaker having delivered such movies as ‘Soul Food,’ ‘Men of Honor,’ ‘Faster,’ and the excellent ‘The Hate U Give.’ He is also no stranger to biopics having made ‘Notorious,’ which is the story of legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G. However, with ‘Big George Foreman,’ the director fails to really capture the excitement and magnitude of Foreman’s struggles and accomplishments, which leaves us with a very “paint-by-numbers” biopic not unlike last year’s ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’ Both films chronicle the lives of their subjects well, hitting all of the important moments, but never giving us any insight or true understanding of the characters or the importance within those moments.
What should have been the best and most exciting moments of the movie are relegated to cheap looking reenactments of famous fights we all grew up watching, either when they happened or on replays or YouTube. In fact, arguably the most important fight of Foreman’s career was “The Rumble in the Jungle” with Ali, which was watched by millions live, and has since been seen in its entirety in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘When We Were Kings.’ We all know what the arena looked like in Zaire, how many people were there in Africa watching it live, and the movie’s replication cannot hold a candle to the actual event.
I’m assuming that because of budget reasons it was impossible to make the crowds in those fights look realistic, but Tillman’s answer is to shoot in mostly close-ups, trying to mask the lack of audience with darkness and smoke, and it just comes off like a TV movie. Tillman does capture some great moments within the fights, like Ali’s rope-a-dope on Foreman, or Foreman’s rally at the end of the Holyfield fight, but otherwise the fight scenes are nothing spectacular, and don’t stand up to comparisons to other fight movies like Michael Mann biopic ‘Ali,’ which also features the Zaire fight, or recent boxing movies like ‘Southpaw’ and ‘Creed,’ and certainly not the documentary ‘When We Were Kings.’
Actor Khris Davis gives an adequate performance as George Forman but struggles at times playing the character in different time periods. As the younger, 20-something version of George, the actor is quite good, playing the angry and quiet version of the character with strength and integrity. But you also don’t quite get an idea of who George really was at that time other than an angry young man, and the character becomes more lost as the movie goes on.
Davis physically transforms well into the older, bald, and overweight version of the boxer, the one most of us are more familiar with. But even then, Davis’ performance is lost underneath the characterization of Foreman, and becomes almost a cartoon character in the final act. Davis is believable in the fight scenes, even though I had issues with the way they were shot. But Davis’ best scenes are with Forest Whitaker, and the relationship between George and Doc is really the best part of the movie.
But Davis is also very good when he is playing off of Sullivan Jones, who plays Muhammed Ali. While Ali is portrayed as the movie’s antagonist, as he should be in Foreman’s story, the two characters share a unique bond, which is sweetly demonstrated in the third act of the movie. Jones is quite good as Ali, portraying the boxer’s signature humor and bombastic personality, while still providing the humanity of the character. Again, this is George’s story, not Ali’s, but it is interesting to see the Zaire scenes play out from George’s point of view at the time, which is different than how they played out in real-life, as documented in ‘When We Were Kings.’ Sullivan is also believable in the fight sequences, and it doesn’t hurt that the actor does have a striking resemblance to the late GOAT.
I also must mention that besides Ali, the film fails miserably when it introduces actors as other really famous people. Michael Mann’s ‘Ali’ worked because they cast top actors like Jon Voight as Howard Cosell and Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X. But ‘Big George Foreman’ does not have that luxury, and cast virtual unknowns as larger-than-life personalities such as Cosell or Johnny Carson. Because of the level of actor playing those roles, they look like cheap impersonations rather than actual fleshed out performances.
‘The Wire’s Sonja Sohn gives a good performance as George’s mother Nancy, and has an excellent scene when she is advising her son, but unfortunately the role is somewhat limited. And ‘The Big Short’s John Magaro deserved a better role, as his character, George’s longtime friend and business manager Desmond, seemed more like an amalgamation of several people from George’s life and not an actual character. But Jasmine Mathews gives a very good performance as Mary Joan, Foreman’s wife, and has some powerful scenes with Davis despite her lack of screentime.
But, no surprise to anyone, the best acting in the movie is delivered by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker as Doc Broadus. Whitaker gives a very thoughtful and emotional performance, and the relationship between the boxer and trainer are really at the heart of the film. Boxing movie fans may have a bit of deja vu when they see Whitaker as Broadus, as the actor also played Jake Gyllenhaal’s trainer in ‘Southpaw,’ but the two characters could not be more different, and Whitaker’s performance, in some ways, saves ‘Big George Foreman’ from being a complete disaster.
Final Thoughts
In the end, George Foreman deserves a better biopic than this! While the real-life story is amazing, the execution of the acting, direction, and the fight scenes just wasn’t up to the level one would expect from a movie like this. While there were some good moments and strong performances from Jones and Whitaker, the movie fails to win any championships and is certainly no knock out!
‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.
‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World’ is produced by Mandalay Pictures, Affirm Films, Sony Pictures, and State Street Pictures, and is scheduled for release on April 28th.
Is ‘Big George Foreman’ Based on a true story and what is the plot of the movie?
Yes! ‘Big George Foreman’ is based on the true story of boxing legend George Foreman who rose from poverty to win an Olympic gold medal and eventually the Heavy Weight Championship of the World, twice! The film chronicles his rise to fame, his devastating loss to Muhammad Ali, his decision to leave boxing to become a Baptist preacher, and his return to the ring at age 46 to win back his title and become the oldest Heavy Weight Champion in history.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with legendary boxer George Foreman and Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker about their work on ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,’ bringing Foreman’s story to the big screen, his relationship with trainer and mentor Doc Broadus, Whitaker’s approach to playing him, and what Foreman hopes audiences take away from the film.
Boxing legend George Foreman, the subject of ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Foreman, Whitaker, Kris Davis and director George Tillman Jr.
Moviefone: To begin with, Mr. Foreman, what has this experience been like for you to have your life’s story translated to the big screen?
George Foreman: You go about your whole life wearing dog glasses, building big fence around your home, you got your privacy, and you go out in your car with dark windows. Then all of a sudden you have to reveal your life. That hasn’t been easy, but once I saw the movie, I was happy because it was a story that reveals hope. A lot of us just didn’t have hope like I did in the beginning, but the movie tells a story of hope.
MF: Are there one or two aspects of your life that are personally important for you to have included in this movie, and if so, what were they?
GF: I didn’t really see the most important parts until I really saw it on screen and what you can do with a picture. That young boy looking into these houses that my mom would move into, nothing but old refrigerators and stoves, I didn’t have any hope that it would get better. I really didn’t think about success and I keep reliving that moment, a boy without hope, and I cried when I saw it in the movie. It touched my heart to know now that anybody can have hope.
MF: Can you talk about your friendship with Doc Broadus and what did you think of Forest Whitaker’s performance?
GF: Forest Whitaker brought out probably the most interesting and really, if there was going to be a movie star in the movie, it was Doc Broadus in my life. He brought Doc Broadus alive for me and you realize that was someone I had met who never gave up on me. This man believed in me from the day I met him. I was about 16 or 17 years old, and then him there with me carrying my bucket when I was 45 years old to become champion of the world. He never doubted me. What a journey. It was ironic that the guy who played Doc Broadus was a real movie star. Doc Broadus was a real star of my life.
MF: Mr. Whitaker, how aware of Doc Broadus’ role in George Foreman’s story were you before making this movie, and what did you learn about him that really helped you play the role?
Forest Whitaker: I really wasn’t aware. At that time when I was watching these fights as a kid, I didn’t really know the coaches or the trainers. I think that other than Angelo Dundee and a few people, that’s the way it was for most trainers. You don’t really know the names of the boxing trainers, but I learned a lot while working on this film, and I learned a lot about Doc Broadus and his relationship with George, and that was good.
Forest Whitaker stars in ‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.’
MF: How would you describe their relationship? He was really a mentor to him, correct?
FW: Yeah. I mean, he’s a coach, but he’s a mentor. He’s trying to guide him in the right direction. I mean, he’s instrumental. He starts the Job Corps Boxing Association there, and that’s what George got into. That’s the beginning of his boxing career, and this man carried him all the way through all the ups and downs, because there were downs as well during that period of time, and he was able to guide him to the championship.
MF: What was your experience like working with Khris Davis and building the relationship between these two characters on screen?
FW: I mean, Khris, he’s a really talented actor, and he was totally committed to the embodiment of the character, the way he moved and talked and behaved, and then was committing himself to so much physical change with all the weight gain and stuff. So for us, it was just about a matter of us trusting each other in the scenes and trying to make sure that we lived in the truth of what we both found out. He did a great job.
MF: Mr. Foreman, did you have any words of advice for Khris Davis and what did you think of his performance as you in the film?
GF: What a wonderful actor. I didn’t want just a celebrity to play George Foreman or to imitate George Foreman. I needed an actor. This guy is a great actor, and he brought George Foreman to the screen. People ask me, “Who is the real George Foreman?” I tell them, “Khris Davis.” He brought it alive and I sat with him for just a couple of moments, looked him in the eye and he tried to turn his head, and I said, “No, look me in the eye. Can you see me?” He said, “Yes, I can see you.” I said, “That’s when I was winning the ring. That’s the person I was.” So those visits really made him bring out George Foreman.
MF: Mr. Whitaker, what was your experience like working with filmmaker George Tillman Jr.?
FW: George Tillman was really clear and visionary about it all. I mean, he had been working on the film for quite a while, and in fact it was going to go, and then it didn’t go, and then it went again later. But I think he was key to the temperament of the movie and it being such an inspiring empowerment story.
MF: Have you had any time to spend with Mr. Foreman over the years or during the process of making this film and what do you respect most about him as a boxer and a human being?
FW: I got a chance to meet him briefly a couple of times, but I didn’t get a chance to get to know him that deeply like that. All I could say is that he was kind of a childhood hero and he has a quiet confidence that’s pretty impressive, his aura and his energy.
MF: Finally, Mr. Foreman, what do you hope audiences take away from seeing this movie that maybe they didn’t previously know about the life and career of George Foreman?
GF: So many people know me as a champion of the world, the grill salesman, but few knew that I had started without hope. Hope didn’t exist. The word success didn’t exist. A lot of us today don’t realize there are a lot of people without hope. You can pick it up anytime you want and you can start using the word potential and success with your name too. That’s what they’ll get out of that movie. There’s potential in all of us.
‘Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World’ is produced by Mandalay Pictures, Affirm Films, Sony Pictures, and State Street Pictures, and is scheduled for release on April 28th.
Madonna has been a musical superstar for decades, able to re-invent herself and stay relevant. She’s the all-time bestselling female artist—335 million records worldwide—and has the highest grossing solo touring numbers ever.
Yet despite all of her accolades elsewhere, she has rarely been able to crack into movies in a truly successful way. Certainly, there have been the roles that worked––Eva Peron in ‘Evita’, Mae Mordabito in ‘A League of Their Own’ and Breathless Mahoney in ‘Dick Tracy’ to name three––but there have also been derided failures such as ‘Body of Evidence’ and her directorial debut, ‘Filth and Wisdom.’
Now we can add her attempt to make a biopic of her life to the latter list, at least for now.
In 2020, she began hinting that she had a new cinematic idea brewing, including cryptic messages to ‘Juno’ writer Diablo Cody about collaborating on something.
That turned into an official Madonna biopic, which she announced she would co-write with Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Yet the search seemed to end when Julia Garner––who scored more awards for ‘Ozark’ and appeared in Netflix’s ‘Inventing Anna’ was offered the lead.
“I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer – a human being, trying to make her way in this world,” Madonna said in a statement. “The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me. It’s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.”
Despite Universal backing the movie, Variety now reports that the movie is on hold, possibly indefinitely. No reason was given as to the change in status––it’s possible that creative differences arose between Madonna and the studio––but more tellingly, she announced a new world tour last week, one which has sold out major cities in a matter of minutes and is, according to the trade magazine’s sources, her current focus.
She apparently remains committed to making a movie of her storied life one day, but for now that day is not today. This is one film that, despite finding a star, has not found a lucky star.
(L to R) Madonna as Eva Perón and Jonathan Pryce as Juan Perón in 1996’s ‘Evita.’
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When Antoine Fuqua took on directing ‘Emancipation’ a couple of years ago, he probably imagined a film that could attract awards attention while sensitively but honestly tackling a difficult subject.
Jackson surely needs little introduction. Raised along with his singer siblings by domineering father Joe Jackson, the Indiana native first rose to fame performing with his family as The Jackson 5.
Even beyond the likes of sister Janet, Michael rose to become a huge star, famous for hit songs and dance moves such as the Moonwalk. His videos boasted expensive production values (and directors such as John Landis) and he amassed a huge fortune.
Yet his life was also marked by chaotic decisions, a serious injury plastic surgery on the set of a Pepsi commercial in 1984 that led to him starting to take painkillers, and pedophile accusations that dogged his later years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.
(L to R) Director Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith behind the scenes of ‘Emancipation,’ premiering December 9, 2022 on Apple TV+.
“The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are a deep part of who I am,” says Fuqua in a statement. “For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson. I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work––the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
“Antoine’s films provide personal perspectives of larger–than–life characters that continuously captivate global audiences,” adds King. “I’m confident that Antoine will make an exceptional and compelling film that will both celebrate and give profound new insights into the life of the King of Pop.”
King and Logan have been trying to put this one together for a few years now, looking to score the same level of success that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ enjoyed, even though this promises to generate plenty of controversy, especially given the lawsuits and molestation accusations that swirled around the singer’s later life.
Given that filming is planned for later this year, the search is surely already on for an actor––or actors, if it aims to cover his life––to play Jackson. Fuqua has recruited regular collaborator, cinematographer Robert Richardson to work on this one.
Lionsgate is backing the movie, but there’s naturally no word yet on when it might arrive on screens. ‘The Equalizer 3’, meanwhile, will be in theaters on September 1st.
Michael Jackson from the ‘Bad’ music video.
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Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Back To Black.’
Amy Winehouse is widely considered one of the greatest artists in recent history, selling more than 30 million records worldwide, and today generating more than 80 million streams per month. Her acclaimed 2006 album “Back to Black”, propelled her to global stardom, going on to win a (at the time) record breaking 5 Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year and Song of The Year for hit single “Rehab”. She got her start on the North London jazz circuit and rose to become a musical superstar.
She’s also famous for tragically dying far too young from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in 2011. So her life is naturally something that filmmakers have been looking to bring to the screens for years, and Asif Kapadia’s 2015 documentary ‘Amy’ did a fine job of chronicling her work and world.
But talk of a biopic surfaced the same year and back then, Noomi Rapace was attached to play Winehouse for ‘August Rush’ director Kirsten Sheridan, but that project never came to fruition.
Marisa Abela on HBO’s ‘Industry.’ Photo: Simon Ridgway/HBO.
Then came ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and ‘Nowhere Boy’ director Sam Taylor-Johnson, who is reuniting with the latter film’s writer Matt Greenhalgh for ‘Back to Black’. Backers Studio Canal, Focus Features and Monumental Pictures have announced a movie that “will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and color of ‘90s Camden High Street to global adoration––and back again.” The film will reportedly “crash through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt.”
And now we know who will be playing Winehouse herself, as ‘Industry’ actor Marisa Abela has landed the lead role, a certainly looks the part in the first publicity shot from the film, which will kick off production next week in London. Abela, who has also been seen in movies such as ‘She is Love’ and ‘Rogue Agent’, has a role in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, in theaters on July 21st.
Taylor-Johnson is excited to dig into the story and do Winehouse justice. “My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden. I got a job at the legendary KOKO club, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop, and street,” she says in a statement.
“A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA. I first saw her perform at a talent show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho and it was immediately obvious she wasn’t just ‘talent’… She was genius. As a filmmaker you can’t really ask for more. I feel excited and humbled to have this opportunity to realise Amy’s beautifully unique and tragic story to cinema accompanied by the most important part of her legacy – her music. I am fully aware of the responsibility, with my writing collaborator––Matt Greenhalgh––I will create a movie that we will all love and cherish forever. Just like we do Amy.”
Amy Winehouse from ‘Amy’ documentary.
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More in line with parodies of the genre such as ‘Walk Hard’, ‘Weird’ takes the concept of the music star biopic and absolutely goes for broke in a style that recalls the ‘Naked Gun’ movies or the ‘Airplane!’ films of Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrams and David Zucker’s time.
Yankovic, let’s not forget, made cameos in all three ‘Naked Gun’ films.
Directed by Eric Appel, a veteran of the ‘Funny or Die’ site (and loosely based on short online trailer version hosted there, which stars ‘Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul as Yankovic), the film, co-written by Yankovic and Appel, chronicles a large swathe of Yankovic’s early life and career.
Except, this is a far from factual account, which seems fitting for a man who has made a career out of funny parody songs, big hair and a talent for the accordion.
His successful career – he’s the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, with five Grammys under his belt, a 2014 release in ‘Mandatory Fun’ that became the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 and being one of only three artists to have had their own top 40 hits in each of the last four decades – is certainly material for a solid movie. But it’s much more entertaining that the musician and Appel have liberally invented milestones in his life.
Daniel Radcliffe as ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in The Roku Channel’s ‘Weird: The ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Story.’
After an in media res opening with Yankovic being rushed into surgery, we’re introduced to young “Alfie” as a kid (played by Richard Aaron Anderson) who lives with his sensitive, understanding mother Mary (Julianne Nicholson) and his no-nonsense, god-fearing father Nick (Toby Huss), who expounds on his work at a local factory and how if Al would only agree to let him “put a word in”, the job would make a man out of him. Never mind that it has a higher fatality rate than ‘Spinal Tap’s drummers.
Fate intervenes when a door-to-door accordion salesman (Thomas Lennon) stops by, and while he’s roundly assaulted by Nick for tempting the young Yankovic with the “demonic” instrument, Al’s mother quietly buys it for him in secret.
That leads to a brief, even funnier section in which teenage Al (David Bloom) is introduced to the concept of polka parties where his skills make him a big hit – at least until the police raid the home of one of his friends.
Soon, we’re catching up with college-age Al (now Daniel Radcliffe, who commits completely to the role, even if he doesn’t totally nail Yankovic’s voice), who in a memorable sequence, invents his first big parody song with ‘My Bologna’ after hearing The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’ on the radio while making sandwiches for his encouraging roommates.
Making fun of movies such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, where famous songs are generated seemingly out of nowhere for dramatic effect, the tone here is purely one of fun.
(L to R) Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey, and Daniel Radcliffe as “Weird Al” Yankovic in The Roku Channel’s ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.’
With an assist from radio DJ Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) and a performance at a punk club that goes surprisingly well, Al is on his way, even if he has yet to impress snobby music executives (played amusingly by Will Forte and the real Yankovic, who has a blast demeaning and critiquing his avatar).
Things snowball from there, with Yankovic becoming hugely famous, attracting the attention of Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood), who becomes his tempestuous lover and Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro), his biggest fan – who will later cause problems for him.
It’s a wild and wooly ride, going for broke at every moment and squeezing as much humor as possible out of Yankovic’s life with a hilariously fake history. Yet somehow, if often comes across as less preposterous as some real-life biopics.
Radcliffe, who in his post-‘Harry Potter’ career has proved one of the most game and adaptable young actors, here shows comedy chops, slapping on a curly wig and fake Moustache to bring Al to life (with a little help from the real-life version when it comes to the songs).
He’s vanity-free, nimble and funny, and matched in the leading stakes by Wood, who brings ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’-era Madonna to life with verve and an endless supply of chewing gum.
Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna in the Roku Channel’s ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.’
The result, like the ‘My Bologna’ scene, is the spontaneous birth of ‘Another One Rides the Bus’, sending Deacon off embarrassed.
‘Weird’s entertainment value dips a little towards the end, where the tone becomes ever zanier and the joke can’t quite sustain a full-length film, but before that happens, it has easily earned its place among great spoofs.
Yankovic’s descent into the typical drink, drugs and sex scene of some hard partying rockers is even funnier when you know that in his real life, he’s a clean-living vegetarian whose late parents were incredibly supportive.
This is an artist getting the chance to live out their fantasy of how their career might have turned out, were it not for the fact that they were successful on their own terms and never fell into such clichéd ways.
We’re grateful he found a way to do it, though, as it makes for an even funnier story than some of his songs.
‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.
The Roku Channel’s ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.’
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Biopics are still big business in Hollywood, and it’s not tough to see why – there’s the built-in fanbase of audiences eager to see an icon from another industry brought to screens, and when it comes to music industry movies – assuming you can secure the rights to the singer’s library – there are superb, memorable tunes to sprinkle throughout the movie.
Directed by ‘Eve’s Bayou’ and ‘Talk To Me’s Kasi Lemmons, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ is described as a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind “The Voice.” From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time.
And the script comes from Anthony McCarten, who has become a past master at writing biopics, having helped bring ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (Freddie Mercury), ‘The Theory of Everything’ (Stephen Hawking), and ‘Darkest Hour’ (Winston Churchill) to screens. McCarten has been nominated for several Oscars for his work, so it’s not surprising that he got this gig.
Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’
With McCarten and Lemmons guiding it, the film will hopefully prove to be more than just a greatest hits rundown of Houston’s life and career, though given the subject matter, those hits certainly are great. We’re promised her journey from the church choir to her massive breakthrough into the music industry and her knock-out (and record-setting) performances and songs, including her memorable 1991 Super Bowl rendition of the national anthem.
Along the way, she naturally faces challenges, including a pushy mother with her own history in performance and claims that her music style wasn’t “black enough”. “Look, I don’t know how to sing Black and I don’t know how to sing white either,” Ackie’s Houston says. “I know how to sing.”
Playing such an icon is no easy task, and even Ackie admits that she was intimidated. “She’s been elevated in my life for so long that it felt like an impossible thing to achieve at times,” Ackie told People. “But so many people told me the same thing: If I wasn’t scared and nervous, they’d think something was wrong with me… The biggest challenge was letting my fear of the magnitude of this task take a back seat. Nothing good comes from sitting in fear for too long.”
If there’s any concern, it’s the presence of Houston’s longtime collaborator and producer, Clive Davis (played here by Stanley Tucci) among those backing the movie, which makes us ponder how warts-and-all it might be. That said, ‘Rocketman’ featured full input from Elton John and he didn’t order the filmmakers to sidestep his faults.
The cast for this one also includes Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams and Clarke Peters, and ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ will be in theaters on December 21st.
Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’
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