I almost hope Ethan is wrong about The Corpse Bride and the Wallace & Gromit movie's potential to bring about a stop-motion renaissance. Right now it's practically guaranteed that any use of stop-motion is going to result in a really good movie, as Burton and Nick Park are the only quasi-mainstream directors working extensively in the medium. I'm worried that lesser talents deciding to follow suit will dilute the impact of the art form.

as Burton and Nick Park are the only quasi-mainstream directors working extensively in the medium.

And Henry Selick, who did do the sea creatures in Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou, and has Coraline in pre-production.

Well, if Neil Gaiman trusts him, he can join the club.

From an interview with Neil:

**********

There is also an adaptation of Coraline that you’re working on with Henry Selick (A Nightmare Before Christmas).

With the wonderful Henry Selick. Yes. He’s written a marvelous script. I think they’re just waiting now. It’s with Bill Mechanic’s Pandemonium company. I think they’re just waiting for the last of Pandemonium’s financing to come together.

As I was reading the book, that was the exact image I had in my head of the story. It was a mix between Selicks’ “Nightmare Before Christmas” and Tim Burton’s book, Oyster Boy, if you’re familiar with that? When I saw that announcement, I thought it was a perfect match.

I think all of us; we are the bastard children of Edward Gory and Charles Adams. I really think that Henry is the perfect person to do this. People think of “Nightmare Before Christmas” as a Tim Burton film, and it is to some extent, but it was Henry’s film.

Did you approach him about Coraline?

He read the book pre-publication, I think. If I remember it correctly, when I gave the book to my agent, my film agent, I said, “here you go, I think we should send one to Henry Selcik and one to Tim Burton.” So we sent one to Tim Burton and one to Henry. I don’t Tim ever got it or read it and Henry read it within two days and phoned back and said “I want to make this.” So, finger’s crossed, he will.

Coraline Gets Funding - also with a link to Selick's short Moongirl.

And Henry Selick, who did do the sea creatures in Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou, and has Coraline in pre-production.

And Nightmare, don't forget. [eta: As I see Neil Gaiman does not! Good for him.]

Is Anna Paquin not going to be in X-Men 3? IMDB isn't listing her.

The buzz I've heard regarding the script for X3 would more or less require Rogue to appear, and there's no real way they can replace Paquin in the role successfully. Call it an extremely unqualified "yes" re: her return.

I just watched Lovely and Amazing, with Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer, Brenda Blethyn, and a bunch of other good actors. Great characters--you don't always like them or sympathize with everything they do, but you feel like you really understand them by the end. Definitely recommended.

I loved that movie. It was the good kind of depressing small indie film.

Hello, all. The Times hasn't made everything subscription-only, and they did a great profile of David Cronenberg over the weekend. Go, read: [link]

I enjoy Cronenberg's quest-y intelligence almost as much as I enjoy his yucky-artistic sensibilities.

I enjoy Cronenberg's quest-y intelligence almost as much as I enjoy his yucky-artistic sensibilities.

Whee, thanks for posting that, Nutty!

He's one of the most thoughtful interviews I've ever read on the subject of his own films, and if he's not my favorite director, he's damn near close too it.

I'm really looking forward to A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. From everything I've read, it's ostensibly one of his most mainstream, and at the same time most subversive, movies.

Actually, it's been/going to be quite a Fall for movies - two Tim Burton's (dammit! I need to get to CHARLIE), a Terry Gilliam (ibid BROS. GRIMM) with another already playing festivals, MIRRORMASK, SERENITY and a new Cronenberg. Of living directors, only a new David Lynch could make it any better.