1 agosto - Il nuovo numero di CIAK (8/2002) contiene la lista dei 100 film della stagione 2002/2003 da non perdere e al # 55 figura anche "PEOPLE I KNOW" in uscita in Italia il prossimo 4 OTTOBRE, distribuito dalla CDI FILM. Ecco la scheda di CIAK: "Punto di forza: l'istrionismo nervoso di Al Pacino. Nevrotico. La giornata particolare di un press agent troppo indaffarato. Al Pacino, qui diretto dal regista della serie tv "Sex and the City", Daniel Algrant, è un affermato manager che nell'arco di 24 ore è costretto a fare una serie impressionante di cose: segue la rappresentazione di una prima teatrale, toglie dai pasticci un'attricetta tossicodipendente (Tea Leoni), corteggia professionalmente il suo miglior cliente (Ryan O'Neal), gestisce il suo assistente (Mark Webber), va dal medico (Robert Klein), cerca di far partecipare a una raccolta di beneficenza i leader di due comunità contrapposte e trova perfino il tempo per momenti di tenerezza con la vedova (Kim Basinger) di suo fratello".

6 agosto - News varie sui nuovi film con Kim Basinger:

	La colonna sonora del film 8 MILE dovrebbe uscire il prossimo 5 novembre 2002.
	Nelle prossime settimane arriva un nuovo trailer di 8 MILE: sarà possibile ascoltare in anteprima parte del nuovo brano di Eminem "LOOSE YOURSELF" (il nuovo trailer sarà allegato al film "XXX").
	Dai newsgroup, una pre-review di 8 MILE: "Hey Knowles. So I got to see Slim Shady's film debut, 8 Mile, here in Oak-town tonight. Let the F-bombs prevail, cuz this is one fucking orgasmic nut of a good flick, you fucking shit. "2 trailer park girls go round the outside, round the outside." We all heard things `bout this movie straight from MTV and that its supposedly (or not) based off of Eminem's real life. From what we know of the real Slim Shady, if this film ain't his real life, it's gotta be not too far off. Eminem has always said `Slim Shady' is an alter-ego; in this film, there is no `Slim Shady.' It's raw, Eminem as you probably have never seen him. And it's a refreshing surprise as when I realized what this film was, I expected to see what we've all seen. Expect different. And be satisfied. First Curtis - `L.A. Confidential' was the shit. TB'ers will say that it's an overrated piece of squirrel poo, but we all know it should've won Best Picture instead of `Titanic.' And then there was "Wonder Boys" - definitely a movie that I didn't love right away. The characters that he (and, yes, Michael Chabon) brought to life, the interesting pacing that he gave to it (very deliberate - not slow, deliberate), the overall feeling that it gave me... I really think prepared Curtis for this one. But let me tell you - 8 Mile is NOTHING like "Boys." This story takes place in a more, I guess you can call it, "realistic," world with not a whole lot of sunshine in the setting and the situations. And characters struggle with themselves and other people's expectations of them. The characters in this movie live in Detroit, more specifically in an area called `8 mile.' I've never been there, but the way this place is portrayed; it's a fucking shit of a dump: White Trash and the Ghetto meet head to head here. Hanson could have easily gone the route of playing the drama of his scenery, but what's refreshingly satisfying is that he's given lives, struggles, and dreams to each of these characters he introduces us to. And the cool thing being that the characters do live and breathe through the actors Hanson chose to work with. "Yea, but what about Eminem?" I'll get to that in a sec, but it's Kim Basinger who gives another incredible performance under his direction. And then there's Mekhi Pfeiffer who matures more every film he's in; in this one, he brings an intensity and authority first seen in his last film, O. Brittany (I'll never tell) Murphy has a role that is more complex than it appears. Her sweetness has an edge. And the rest of the supporting cast is filled with actors I don't know but they add more than exposition, they create Hanson's world. The pacing couldn't be any better like "LA Confidential," the characters change and grow subtly. And, while there is a distinct climax, the payoff is subtle, it's clean, and it's true. OK, Eminem - He IS Jimmy Smith, Jr. aka Rabbit. "Rabbit?! What the hell kinda name is that?" I know , I know. But take that for what you will. Whatever the motivation, though, the guy everybody loves to hate, can act. And he is pretty fucking phenomenal. The "Slim Shady" persona as we know it would not carry a whole movie and as mentioned above, I was surprised to hardly see it. He fought, he raged, he got angry - but we saw the motivation, we saw him go through shit, and we saw it all build. We saw what went into the lyrics... and that brings me to why he was probably so great in the role. He'll admit to his weaknesses. He'll call himself a white-boy pussy. And, in this role, he shows so much vulnerability that I forgot that I was watching the man of controversy himself. Trust me on this. He's GOOD. The story - The story isn't so strange to regular moviegoers - we've seen it before. Kid from the wrong side of the tracks has a dream and struggles to achieve it. Half-assed opportunities come up but they don't pay off and the kid is stuck in his job at the factory. He also has to battle his own insecurities, his fucked up family situation, and the loyalties to figure out exactly what he wants and how badly he wants out. Jimmy is part of the "freestyling" scene in Detroit; a hip-hop form of poetry where 2 people battle with the best rhyme session - a "battle" per say. And it is NOTHING like "Beat Street" and "Breakin," This is rough and very real. Jimmy's a great rapper who's looking for a break. But he clams up when he's on stage, he gets his ass kicked by rivals, he gets dogged by girls, his friends betray him and his mom is sleeping with a guy he went to high school with. It builds. The piss and vinegar explodes and when it comes time to put up or shut up at the film's climactic battle, you know what's next. He kicks ass but in a less-than-conventional way. Guess what? He still doesn't get the record deal, he doesn't run up to the girl to kiss her, no high fives to his rivals and he still doesn't trust his friends. He just walks back to his everyday job, makes it on his own cuz he knows he can... at least he knows he has to. This is something worth seeing. If not for Hanson's amazing direction, then at least to see a side of Eminem we all haven't see yet. "Guess who's back... back again...".
	Su PEOPLE I KNOW dal "Corriere della Sera" del 5 agosto: "«La mia passione, prendere in giro Hollywood». Al Pacino impegnato nel lancio di tre film: sullo schermo vorrei vedere di più i miei coetanei. Non si concede tregua Al Pacino: 62 anni, innumerevoli nomination agli Oscar, la statuetta per «Profumo di donna» messa tra i libri della sua sterminata biblioteca con rare edizioni scespiriane, una passione per la Sicilia. Dice: «E’ la terra d’origine della mia famiglia, dove purtroppo non posso mai andare, ma un giorno ci porterò tutta la mia tribù di figli e nipoti». In questi giorni l’attore si divide tra New York e Los Angeles per il lancio della cibernetica commedia «Simone», terminata tra attori veri ed effetti speciali a maggio mentre usciva, con plauso corale, «Insomnia», selezionato per Locarno. Un mese fa, Pacino era a Toronto per il thriller «The Recruit» con Colin Farrell; tra una settimana sarà sui nostri schermi in «People I Know» girato a marzo con Tea Leoni, Kim Basinger e Ryan O’Neal. E sta interpretando «Angels in America» con l’amico regista Mike Nichols. Nelle pause, con Beverly D’Angelo, l’attrice e moglie che gli ha dato quiete dopo tante convivenze, porta a spasso per le colline di Hollywood o al Central Park i gemellini Anton e Olivia. «I miei cuccioli di non ancora due anni - confessa -, li adoro». Parla con la consueta passionalità ed è orgoglioso di «Insomnia», che, si dice a Hollywood, potrebbe candidarlo ai prossimi Oscar e che non può accompagnare a Locarno, «ma tanto si sostiene benissimo da solo», afferma. E’ vero che avrebbe fatto carte false per interpretarlo? «Volevo recitare per Christopher Nolan dopo avere visto "Memento". Robin Williams e io avevamo deciso di essere in coppia in questo rifacimento di un thriller norvegese del ’97. Abbiamo scritto una lettera di raccomandazione a Steven Soderbergh e a George Clooney, produttori esecutivi. Ricattandoli: se non ci sostenete in coppia, non lavoreremo mai con voi. Siamo disposti a comperarci pellicce per venire sul set in Alaska». Sta scherzando: è il più richiesto, ha rifiutato film importanti... « Pensavo di avere tanto tempo, non sapevo rinunciare al teatro. Ho detto vari no e ho aiutato la carriera di tanti: Dustin Hoffman, Richard Gere... Vorrei vedere più film con gli attori della mia generazione, penso a Dustin, a Warren Beatty... So che nessun computer sarà mai capace di creare veri attori, come accade in "Simone", e potrà mai sostituire Dusty o Hackman o il più giovane Robin Williams. E’ stato magnifico recitare con lui in "Insomnia", tra il bene, il male e il concetto del dubbio e dei sensi di colpa, elementi che fanno parte della nostra vita. "Insomnia" è un film umanista, anche se è un thriller molto "dark". Sono orgoglioso anche di "People I Know", uno dei primi film girati a New York dopo l’11 settembre». Quale sarà la prossima tappa? «Dopo i sensi di colpa per il mio poliziotto del Los Angeles Police Department in "Insomnia", sarò una "carogna" in "Angels in America" con Meryl Streep, che, nei panni di Ethel Rosenberg, mando alla sedia elettrica. Impersono l’avvocato Roy Cohn, al servizio del senatore Joseph McCarthy contro "i sovversivi comunisti": figura controversa, si dice morto di Aids. Anche "People I Know" affronta il legame tra Hollywood e Washington, il cinema e la politica, non certo iniziato con Reagan presidente, ma dai tempi del mogul Luis B. Mayer. Progetto un ritorno alla regia e ne parlerò al prossimo Festival di Toronto dove ho proiettato i film da me diretti, molto amati, poco visti, come il mio fiore all’occhiello: "Chinese Coffee"». Che cosa le dà tanta energia? «Ho debuttato in teatro negli anni Sessanta, sono nel cinema dal Settanta e, quindi, ho poco più di trent’anni. Recitare con esseri umani è la mia passione e magari prendendo in giro Hollywood, come faccio in "Simone", dove sono un regista fallito, e in "People I Know" nei panni di un addetto stampa con un debole per l’alcol, consapevole di avere trascorso la sua vita tra attori ambiziosi. Ho come ultimo cliente Ryan O’Neal, faccio uscire di prigione Tea Leoni e rifiuto l’amore di Kim Basinger. Cose che accadono solo a Hollywood!».
	PEOPLE I KNOW preview da Shadows on the wall: "This grueling odyssey into the mind of a New York publicist certainly gets under our skin with its vivid characters and situations, even if it is somewhat overpowering. Eli Wurman (Pacino) has been around forever, but he has never seen anything like the next 24 hours as he premieres a dodgy play, bails out a strung-out starlet (Leoni), soothes the ego of his biggest movie star client (O'Neal), bosses his assistant (Webber) around, visits his prescription-happy doctor (Klein), tries to bring two community leaders (Schiff and Nunn) together for a charity event, and finds moments of humanity with his brother's widow (Basinger). And even in his ragged state he somehow keeps all the balls in the air. Just. This is a pure Pacino tour-de-force, as he shows us Eli on the knife edge of success and oblivion, teetering over the brink and yet able to draw on deep resources of intellect and resilience that no one quite realises he has. It's a meaty performance, and we never get tired of watching him for a second. Meanwhile, the people around him are just as interesting: Basinger shines in a rare intelligent role; Leoni is energetic and rather frightening; and as the three power-mad goers, O'Neal, Schiff and Nunn are terrifically entertaining, especially when they get together at the end. While the film is perhaps a bit too talky, it's so fiendishly insightful that it keeps us hooked--it uses desperation as black comedy to make a sharp jab as New York's power elite. The only complaint is that the plot ultimately tries to take over the character drama with twists, turns and some rather pointed preachiness. But at east it's fiercely smart about it. And Algrant's final shot is gorgeous".
	PEOPLE I KNOW dovrebbe uscire in settembre sia negli USA che in UK.

15 agosto - Un po' di notizie recenti:

	E' disponibile un nuovo trailer di "8 MILE" molto più lungo: http://www.8-mile.com/ - http://www.apple.com/trailers - http://launch.yahoo.com/musicvideo (# 1 trailer della settimana).
	"8 MILE" release dates: USA - November 8th 2002, UK - February 21st 2003, Argentina - January 16th 2003, Australia - November 21st 2002, Belgium - February 26th 2003, France - February 26th 2003, Germany - December 12th 2002, Netherlands - January 23rd 2003.
	Intervista a Eminem (MTV): "[It's] symbolic to my life, but it's not exactly [my life]," said Eminem of his debut feature film, "8 Mile." "Everything that happened in the movie didn't happen in my life, and vice versa." With "8 Mile" , named for the road that loosely separates whites from blacks in Eminem's hometown of Detroit, the controversial MC looks to join the rapper-turned-bankable actor ranks of P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, DMX, LL Cool J and Wil Smith, something his previous film roles - cameos in Dr. Dre's box-office bomb "The Wash" and the equally forgettable "Da Hip-Hop Witch," which also featured Vanilla Ice - might not have indicated. While Eminem acknowledges that the movie, helmed by Academy Award-nominated director Curtis Hanson ("Wonder Boys," "L.A. Confidential"), is partially based on his own upbringing, he is quick to point out that it's not autobiographical fare. "I don't play me in the movie," Eminem explained. "I play a guy named Jimmy, whose [background is] similar to how I came up, so it wasn't that hard for me. [I had] to go back to that level of just being a regular person again and remembering how I felt coming up, how it was when I first came to the radio station ... just waiting for just one little chance to like get on, to say something. That's what I had to go back to." "8 Mile" also stars Brittany Murphy ("Don't Say a Word," "Girl, Interrupted"), Mekhi Phifer ("O," "Carmen: A Hip-Hopera") and Kim Basinger ("9 1/2 Weeks," "Batman"). The movie reunites Basinger with writer/director Hanson, who directed her to an Oscar-winning performance in 1997's "L.A. Confidential." Hollywood gossip suggested that Eminem enjoyed a "more-than-professional" relationship with Basinger - who plays his mother in the movie - during the film's production. "[That] was completely untrue," Eminem said, emphasizing, "I would not tell a lie." ***Em more coyly addressed a similar, equally persistent rumor involving actress Murphy, who plays his love interest in "8 Mile." Mimicking the sing-songy voice she used in last year's "Don't Say a Word," Eminem grinned and said, "I'll never te-ell." "Me and Brittany became friends," he allowed after being pressed further. "I'll say that." All offscreen distractions aside, Eminem said that after feeling a bit of apprehension in the beginning, he's confident he pulled off the whole acting thing. "I've seen most of the movie, and it's better than I thought it was gonna be," Eminem said. "Honestly, the first time I saw the movie trailer, I cringed - like, 'Oh, f---.' I cringed, seeing myself on the big screen. I was mortified." "It slowly took me a little bit of time, and [I] got over it. Now I was able to see the movie - a rough cut - see it for what it is, and it was better than what I thought it was gonna be." "8 Mile" is tentatively scheduled for release in November.

20 agosto - Eminem's '8 Mile' Previewing At Toronto Film Festival. 8 Mile, an upcoming movie starring rapper E minem as a troubled Detroit resident, will be screened as a "work in progress" at the Toronto Film Festival. There will be only one screening, on Sunday, September 8 at the Elgin Theatre, according to festival organizers. 8 Mile also stars Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential) and Brittany Murphy (Don't Say A Word) and opens this November. In other Toronto news, director Shekhar Kapur's (Elizabeth) latest effort, Four Feathers, will have its world premiere at the fest. The festival will also be the site of the North American premiere of the Salma Hayek starrer Frida, and will close with director Brian De Palma's (Scarface) 33rd feature film, Femme Fatale. The 27th Toronto Film Festival runs from September 5-14.