With Nicole Kidman film career hanging in the balance one does have to wonder what some of the choices she is making are all about? Are they out of love for the material/challenges to her craft, or are some just easy paychecks?Universal has set up a remake of the Colombian horror movie Al final del espectro as a starring and producing vehicle for Nicole Kidman. Juan Felipe Orozco, who directed the original, will also helm the remake. Kidman will produce through her Blossom Films production company. She will play a woman who is struck by tragedy and becomes a shut-in at a fancy apartment building where she begins to see a ghost. Not sure, but the original trailer gave me the creeps.
Sounds very very “The Others”, but we all know that she can do haunted stressed out ice queen brilliantly.
Ace girl needs to STRETCH.
Sure she is never terrible in her films, but she has not wowed us like she did in the “Moulin Rogue” to “Dogville” run of brilliance.
Please do not tell me that was it!!
Next up we have “The Invasion” which I hold out NO hopes for (although the trailer is effective). It was slammed in test screenings, and I have yet to hear of a film that was saved by re-shoots…there is a first for everything, but…
“Margot at the Wedding” looks like it may return her to our good graces, but she could have the film stolen by her co-stars Jennifer Jason Lee and Jack Black (a VERY likely scenario if she is not up to Noah Baumbach’s trademark snappy dialogue).
The other problem is that when she acts up a storm, yet in a quiet and subtle way (like she did in “Birth”) people applaud, but no one tends to reward. Awards bodies LOVE visible acting. If in “Margot” she has a tantrum or two she will be back in their good graces again.
Her final test will come with the fantasy “His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass”. The trailer looks RAVISHING, but we do not get a strong feel for the menace and evil of Kidman’s Ms. Coulter. Perhaps this is on purpose, so that the impact is not spoiled for the audience. I hope so as I have HIGH hopes for her in this role. Just look!!
After this she has “Australia” with Hugh Jackman, and “Need” with Naomi Watts, which should see her back in her element and stretching those acting muscles once again. In more exciting news she is rumored to be joining Kar Wai Wong’s ”The Lady of Shanghi” about a mysterious woman who claims that she came from Shanghai and embroils in a dangerous affair with a spy. Oh la la….sounds very interesting, but how does any stretch of the imagination make Nicole Kidman from Shanghi? Guess I will have to read the book to find out.
All in all I have my concerns with her. More and more I am getting the feeling that the actress has had her peak, and is now just coasting.
I really hope not, as I love her work a lot.
Anyone who can give me Grace, Satine, Suzanne, Virgina, Grace again, and Anna will always have a permanent home in my heart….and all these characters take up a lot of space, but Nicole there is room for LOTS more.
2 comments:
she has to have a comeback. the talent is there.
Kidman doesn't need a comeback, while she has done 3 silly mainstream movies, she has also done Fur and worked with directors worth something, the fact that the movies were subpar is just that. Some people seem to be confusing the fact that she is not winning awards as her being in a rut.
Go and read TGC again, Mrs. Coulter may be described as manipulative and terrifying but those only show up fully in book 2 and 3, in TGC, she was charming, sweet, lovely just as she was terrifying so people expecting her to be solely terrifying is silly. The trailer shows her exactly how Coulter should be.
As for WKW and TLFS, I hope he goes back to find that substance is a lot more important than style, his last 2 features were all about the cinematography than characterisation.
Kidman has worked with Pollack, Ephron, Oz, Hirschbiegel on all the films that flopped, did anyone ever think these directors would make bad movies except for Ephron?
If she wants to coast and make money she should, it is not as if Hollywood cared to award her, do they? They ignored her for Dogville, Birth and Fur. And I am sure they will ignore her for MATW as well. They simple don't like it when an actress doesn't play characters that kiss their arses.
Watching all the actresses being awarded for performances that are simply "fly by night" these past years and forgetable after a year later, I am almost glad that she was ignored.
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