Starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who is also the director, Lions for Lambs is hitting theatres in the United States on November 9th and its plot goes head-to-head with our controversial war in Iraq. Facing important issues such as President George Bush's "war on terror," Lions for Lambs interweaves the stories of two American students, their idealistic professor (played by Redford), a senator (played by Cruise), and a journalist (played by Streep) who all wind up in Afghanistan.
Another film that speaks up about our horrifically divided nation and the President's war that triggered it is In the Valley of Elah. Directed by Paul Haggis and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, the story is based on post-combat stress. More specifically, it explores a real incident in which a soldier was murdered while on a drinking spree with his comrades on return from Iraq.
Due out in October, Grace is Gone, directed by James Strouse, tells the story of a surviving family of a wife and mother who was killed in Iraq.
Redacted, which is directed by Brian de Palma, is yet another movie that cries out against a confusing and deadly war as the story's premise is about US soldiers who persecute an Iraqi family.
Being released this week in Jordan and Kuwait is The Hurt Locker, a film written by Mark Boal (In the Valley of Elah), which concentrates on a US army explosives disposal unit in Iraq.
"It's the first movie about the Iraq war that purports to show the experience of the soldiers," said Boal to the Hollywood Reporter. "We wanted to show the kinds of things that soldiers go through that you can't see on CNN."
Director of the New York Film Academy and producer of movies including The Hunt for Red October, Jerry Sherlock, had this to say about the upcoming films dedicated to relaying a message about the war:
"I think it is great because films do influence people. I hope that the films coming out influence people. The truth sets us free, after all the bullshit that we get every day in Washington and the airways and Cheney... I am surprised it has taken so long."
And I couldn't agree more...
Moving on...
Showing their stuff at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market is Jennifer Aniston and Bryce Dallas Howard who took a seat BEHIND the camera and directed two mini flicks. Aniston's Room 10 stars Robin Wright Penn and Kris Kristofferson and Howard's Orchids stars Alfred Molina and Katherine Waterston as two unexpected lovers.
After O.J. Simpson's hypothetical memoir, If I Did It, got no lovin' from the public and was shelved, now that Ron Goldman's family retained book rights, a New York publishing house has opted to publish the controversial material. Hence, the Goldman family will profit, helping to satisfy the $33.5 million wrongful-death judgment they won against Simpson in 1997.
Last but definitely not least, James Gandolfini has not only signed on to star in an HBO movie titled, ABCD Camp, but is producing the project through his Attaboy Films company, according to Variety. Playing Sonny Vaccaro, the story centers on this sports exec who brokered multi-million-dollar sneaker endorsement deals for NBA stars including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.
Thank you for reading Hollywood Buzz. Until tomorrow, that's a wrap!
Starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, who is also the director, Lions for Lambs is hitting theatres in the United States on November 9th and its plot goes head-to-head with our controversial war in Iraq. Facing important issues such as President George Bush's "war on terror," Lions for Lambs interweaves the stories of two American students, their idealistic professor (played by Redford), a senator (played by Cruise), and a journalist (played by Streep) who all wind up in Afghanistan.
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