Podcast alert!

[jo]

Josh Horowitz ‏@joshuahorowitz · 2h2 hours ago
Monday on the #happysadconfused podcast...it's @realhughjackman! That's worth surviving the weekend for, no?!?

On Dec 11, Hugh posted this twitter/instagram message, re Josh --

Hugh Jackman @realhughjackman
· Dec 11
Having a laugh with my mate, Josh Horowitz (and the dude in the chair behind). #phonehome

http://instagram.com/p/wdn7nbChGN

[jo]

Hugh Jackman @realhughjackman
· 10m 10 minutes ago
With my mate @joshuahorowitz for his podcast tinyurl.com/kabnexo Happy Sad Confused .... And…

http://instagram.com/p/woRoKaihN5

[jo]

happysadconfused.wolfpop.com/audio/20516/hugh-jackman


I've just listened to the Horowitz podcast with Hugh -- loved listening to it!

It's a wonder how new nuances and insights about his personality come out with every new major interview. His insights on the challenge of THE RIVER (such as what could be better than a standing ovation -- it is when you can feel the audience leaning in and being with you into the moment(s) ). His special relationship with Patrick Whitesell. What new knowledge came to him while working with great directors. Even what he does when he comes home ( like spending time with Oscar). Reminiscences on his relationship with his Dad. What being the film Wolverine means to him ( glad to hear he is at work with Jim Mangold on the third solo...but he remains non-committal on Apocalypse).

Many other stuff that you think you have heard before...but seem to be hearing now as if for the first time.

Hey, it seems working with just socks on is an occasional acting moment (started with XMEN to make him look shorter...and now onstage in THE RIVER)

Jo

[jo]

[mamaleh]

The thing about Marsden's belt--I'm going to have to look for that when I next re-watch the first X-MEN. Interesting that he likens Christopher Nolan to his Dad in that neither gives approval easily and so their praise truly means something.

Ellen

[jo]

Too bad they did not have time to discuss his most recent works ( Les Miserables, The Wolverine, Prisoners) which probably comprise his best film triptych, filmed one after another. He did say in the podcast that he is just now feeling the benefit of filmmaking apprenticeship covering around 9 years.

Jo

[jo]

There have been comments about Hugh Jackman's career, which suggest that he should explore other genres where other actors have found success and awards-worthy projects. Do they mostly suggest that he should do more of contemporary drama or historical drama (including biopics)?

I find Hugh repeating Patrick Whitesell's sage advice" "Stick to your DNA!" most enlightening with regard to Hugh's personal career choices, even as he said that initially he was focusing on "variety"! Apart from the pragmatic aspect of earning a comfortable living, maybe his choices are dictated not only by his performing/acting gifts but also by his preferences?

Like his choice of THE RIVER -- not only does he prefer to originate new work but that he also found the material resonating with his exposure to material that challenges the mental aspect ( which likely grew from his exposure to dramatic theatre in his studies and probably also from his studies on philosophy). He describes the play as mainly existentialist ( not too sure if I understood it correctly -- did he mean that individualism and non-conformity are more important than just going with the flow?) and that aspect attracted him to the material? Does it remind him a lot of THE FOUNTAIN, albeit the latter was more of fictional ruminations on death?

On the other hand, he does like performing ( musicals, hosting shows, doing movies with a lot of spectacle like action movies and some family-friendly types or even epics like Australia or a lucky bet like The Prestige) - so do some of his movies reflect this preference?  Of course he occasionally veers into material like PRISONERS  ( which he said in an interview made him feel sick the first time he read the script).  The PRESTIGE seems to combine both drama and spectacle and I might say the same thing for LES MISERABLES!

He seems to be satisfied, too, that at this point his film apprenticeship of almost a decade has made him a better judge of material and also a better actor.

The theatre and films seem to be able to provide him both kinds of projects!

Just thinking aloud


Jo

[jo]

Here is the 2014 BLACK LIST ( best-liked unproduced scripts) --

www.slashfilm.com/the-black-list-2014/

The Most Liked Unproduced Screenplays of 2014 [Black List 2014]

Posted on Monday, December 15th, 2014 by Peter Sciretta


The Black List 2014

The Black List 2014 has been released. The annual list is compiled with a poll of over 250 development executives and high-level assistants, and contains a ranking of the hot screenplays making the rounds in Hollywoodland, which were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2014 and will not be released in theaters during this calendar year. Basically, The Black List is a list of the hottest projects in Hollywood that you haven’t heard of yet.



Started in 2005 by a young executive at Leonardo DiCaprio‘s production company Appian Way, who polled 90+ peers to send him their 10 favorite new unproduced screenplays to read over the holidays. The underground list was e-mailed around and quickly became a Hollywood phenomenon. Not all of these films will get made, let alone made well, but the Black List still serves as a good indication of what projects are being buzzed about.
To give you an idea, the top three entries of the 2005 list where Things We Lost in the Fire, Juno, and Lars and the Real Girl. Aaron Sorkin’s script for Charlie Wilson’s War was the #5 script on the first list, and David Benioff’s script for The Kite Runner followed just behind it.
2012′s list included Transcendence and Rodham; Django Unchained and Saving Mr. Banks were among the highlights the year before that.
Movies based on Black List scripts have won 37 Oscars from 196 nominations.. Three out of the last six Best Picture winners were Black List scripts (Argo, The King’s Speech, Slumdog Millionaire), as were seven of the past fourteen screenwriting Oscar winners.
More than 270 scripts from the previous nine annual Black Lists have been produced as feature films.
Movies based on annual Black List scripts have made more than $23.2 billion at the worldwide box office.

However it should be noted that a warning appears at the beginning of the list:


“THE BLACK LIST is not a “best of” list. It is, at best, a “most liked” list.”

Also, it should be noted that many people in recent years have begun accuse participants for pushing their own/friends clients.

The full list of 70 screenplays can be found below. The number before the titles is the number of people who voted for the script. We are going from the top to the bottom. Our commentary, background information and insight can be found in the blockquotes.


More ( the list itself)....

I wonder if Hugh has access to some of these scripts, via Patrick Whitesell ( whom Hugh describes as having been the "hotshot" agent he signed with 20 years ago to the "massive power broker" now, heading WME?


Jo