A fairly cool music biopic, but why not the Stax story?

Though I enjoy a well-constructed music biopic, I think a major fault with most of them is the subjects too often are titans we already (or at least think we) know everything about.

There are plenty of stories to be told from the world of music if you look beyond Ray Charles or Johnny Cash. "Control," the story of Joy Division's Ian Curtis, is one I'm certainly eager to see, but I'll probably have to wait for DVD (or maybe New York at the end of the year.)

What I really like, though, and we don't see nearly enough of, are movies about the often seedy business of making and promoting music. Now, however, there's one such flick just starting to take shape that definitely has me intrigued.

Matt Dillon has signed on to play Leonard Chess, who founded Chess Records and first recorded many of America's greatest blues singers. And now, in even better news, Jeffrey Wright has signed on to play bluesman Muddy Waters in the flick, titled either "Cadillac Man" or "Cadillac Records," depending on who you ask (the title refers to Chess' habit of selling records from the back of his Caddie while scouring the South for new talent to sign.)

If I were to put together a list of the 20 or so actresses/actors the world simply can't continue without (not a bad idea, actually), Mr. Wright would have to be near the top. And If I had to pick one role I've liked him in more than any other, it would have to his riffing with Bill Murray as Winston the would-be mystery writer in Jim Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers."

But as cool as this flick, being directed by Darnell Martin and filming in January in New Jersey and Chicago, sounds, there's one other that would really get me jazzed: A Stax Records movie.

Now, there have already been several documentaries made about this great little soul label, including one just out on DVD titled "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story." But what I'm talking about is a grand biopic about the label that launched Otis Redding, The Staple Singers, Sam and Dave and many other great acts.

In case anyone has a little cash lying around and wants to run with this idea, I've even got what I think is a can't-miss casting tip for you. In the right light, Wesley Snipes (who surely needs the work) could easily be a doppelganger for the late great Big O. There, I've got you started.

And, at the end of this post (if you make it that far}, I've included a clip of my favorite Stax act, Mavis and the Staple Singers, singing "Reach Out, Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981.

Sci Fi plots a "Revolution"

Any glimmer of original sci-fi, and I'm not talking about rehashing old ideas like "The Bionic Woman" here, is reason to cheer, and the Sci-Fi Channel might just have its hands on a real winner.

The channel has just greenlighted "Revolution," a two-hour futuristic action-drama pilot from writers Ed Redlich and John Bellucci, with Simon West in negotiations to direct.

Redlich described the project to the Hollywood Reporter as "re-envisioning the American Revolution 200 years in the future." Cool enough. It's set in New America, a distant colony on an Earth-like planet struggling for its independence from an increasingly hostile homeland, the United State.

"It centers on two multigenerational families related by marriage - a loyalist family and a family that is leaning toward rebellion - and how the impending revolution impacts their lives," said Redlich.

The pilot is slated to begin production in January. If it is picked up to series, Sci Fi is eyeing a summer debut. This is definitely one worth keeping an eye on.

"The Office": The funniest (U.S.) show ever?

I'm not sure I'm ready to go there just yet, but Andy's pitching woo to Angela with "Take a Chance on Me" in three-part harmony has pushed it right to the brink in my book. The hour-long episodes, unfortunately, end after tonight's, but we have at least three more new episodes coming in a row. Here are the descriptions from NBC:

Tonight: “Money”
As Jan (Melora Hardin) renovates the condo, Michael (Steve Carell) confronts his growing debt every way he can, which includes pressuring his employees for a loan. Pam and Jim spend a night out on Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) family farm, now a bed and breakfast (I'm laughing already just reading that.)

Oct. 25: “Local ad”
When the Scranton branch is asked to participate in a Dunder Mifflin ad, Michael seizes his chance to exhibit his creativity. Meanwhile, Dwight explores the online world of Second Life.

Nov. 1: “Branch Wars”
When Karen (guest star Rashida Jones) tries to woo Stanley (Leslie David Baker) away from Scranton, Michael fights back, dragging her ex, Jim, into his war. Meanwhile, the existence of a “Finer Things Club” further disturbs Dunder Mifflin’s calm.

Nov. 8: “Survivor Man”
After Ryan (B.J. Novak) excludes Michael from a corporate wilderness retreat, Michael heads into the woods for his own survival adventure with nothing but the suit on his back. Back at work, Jim tries to revolutionize the office birthday party.

Visual proof that Sly should just hang it up

The fine folks at the great Froggy film site Cinempire.com have posted the entire press kit of photos for Sylvester Stallone's "John Rambo," but I'll spare you the full blow and just post this one.

In it, you'll see a look that's way too familiar. Bass players seem to get it, especially if they play in jam bands. It is, to be as crude as possible, "dump face," and it certainly doesn't look too good on a 61-year-old (yes, really) man trying to act way younger than his age. To be fair, I thought "Rocky Balboa" was fantastic, but there's just no way you'll be able to drag me to this one. Here's the pic (and remember, I warned you):


And, finally, if that hasn't caused you to lose your lunch, wash it down with this promised clip of the fabulous Staple Singers and have an entirely suckfree Thursday.

I always suspected Tom Cruise was a Nazi ...

Well, this being a Hollywood movie, he's not really a Nazi of course, or at least not an evil one.

The picture below is just so crazyfunnycool that it really needs no introduction, but I'll set it up just in case anyone doesn't know what "Valkyrie" (or, as the IMDB is now referring to it, "Rubicon") is.

In the upcoming Bryan Singer flick (penned by Chris McQuarrie, huzzah!), Cruise will play Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the German officer who lead an attempt to bring down the Nazi regime and end World War II by planting a bomb in Hitler's bunker.

Along with Mr. Cruise, all the rumored cast members have signed on, giving this one a simply stellar lineup. On board so far are Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Patrick Wilson, Stephen Fry, Tom Wilkinson and Carice van Houten (who, just because I believe in the principle of including at least one gratuitous picture of a beautiful woman with each post, is pictured at right.) Eddie Izzard is also somehow involved, but I can't imagine that's gonna be a terribly good thing.

But, enough of that. Here, courtesy of the great Rope of Silicon site, is Col. Tom in full regalia. Enjoy!


A new candidate for the best cast ever?

I've always had a soft spot for D.C. political potboilers for one simple reason: If you've ever lived or even visited there for any amount of time, you know that it really is a pretty sleepy place. Since it's almost just a big town, it always amazes that most of the most important things that happen in the world originate there.

Don't get me wrong. I love D.C. Of all the places I've lived, it remains my favorite, especially the Northeast neighborhood around Georgia Avenue, where the great George Pelecanos sets his crime novels. It's just a truly odd place.

Rod Lurie, who had mixed success with this genre with "The Contender," is getting back in the game with a juicy topic, the Valerie Plame case. "Nothing But the Truth" (my God is that a bad title!) will be about "a female newspaper reporter who outs a CIA agent and is imprisoned for refusing to reveal her source," according to Variety.

Well, assuming the reporter is based on Judith Miller, we now know she wasn't much of a heroic figure, but it could still make for a compelling flick, especially with this cast: Kate Beckinsale as the Miller journalist, Matt Dillon as the prosecutor, Vera Farmiga as the CIA agent, Edie Falco as the editor of the newspaper that published the story and Alan Alda as the attorney who tries to free the reporter from jail.

Assuming he doesn't shy away from it, Lurie, who also wrote the script, gets the chance to play a fun game of palace intrigue: Guessing just what went on in W's mind when he decided to pardon Scooter. Definitely keep your eyes on this one.

A slew of "Simpsons" pics

Any doubts I had that the "Simpsons" flick wouldn't just serve up a huge pile of funny were erased by the bombastic trailers I've seen so far. This is just gonna be goodness on a grand scale.

The great Comics Continuum site has posted a new series of pics from the flick. I've included one here, of course, but click on the link to see a whole load of them.

What did they do to deserve this?

For a country founded on the principle of religious freedom, America definitely does like to heap scorn on the assorted religious groups that call this usually great country home. Now, apparently, it's the Mormons' time to step up for their dose of abuse, and with Mitt Romney on the rise I don't expect it to stop any time soon.

An example is this truly bizarre trailer for the upcoming "September Dawn." As far as I can tell it's some kind of Mormon horror film that somehow stars both Jon Voight and Terrence Stamp. Now, I know next to nothing about Mormons except that they don't particularly care for R-rated movies, but I'm sure they deserve better than this. Remember, I'm just the messenger, and have an entirely bearable Thursday. Peace out.