The Descendants

by Merlin Sat 01 Jan 2011, 21:11

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Eleven reasons to get excited about 2011

We asked Star Tribune critics to share the single biggest thing that's revving them up for the new year.

No Payne, no gain: Alexander Payne ("Sideways") directs George Clooney in "The Descendants," a story about a family dealing with loss and transition in Hawaii. Payne got the last great performance out of Jack Nicholson in "About Schmidt," so it'll be interesting to see how he works with Clooney, who has become more interesting and deeper as he matures. (Tentatively set for a fall release.)

by melbert Sat 01 Jan 2011, 21:34

I'm really excited about seeing this! I hope this will be the "one" for George.

by blubelle Sat 01 Jan 2011, 22:09

I hope so too Melbert. I just hope he doesn't screw up with negative publicity when it's released.

by melbert Sat 01 Jan 2011, 23:01

negative publicity = Elisabetta? I agree! He needs to be out there with his co-starts and his director pumping the hell out of that film. If not to renew interest in him, but to show support for his co-stars and the work they did.

by Dexterdidit Sun 02 Jan 2011, 03:04

I"m hoping he does some publicity for this one. He should go back to doing interviews I miss them and he can put in no girlfriend questions.

by lucy Sun 02 Jan 2011, 03:17

It be nice if he go back to keeping his work and private life separate, but that would mean he'd have to leave his dates at home,and not bring them to film openings.

by Vi Sun 02 Jan 2011, 06:31

Has anyone read the book ?

by melbert Sun 02 Jan 2011, 15:43

I know some have Vi, and thought that what we saw during the filming was holding true to form with the book. Most, if I remember right, thought the book was very good.

by sisieq Sun 02 Jan 2011, 19:26

The book was quite good!!!!

by PigLove Wed 19 Jan 2011, 16:41

Just finished! It was good, definitely a first novel, though. I CAN'T WAIT to see how they make it into a movie. There are so many great scenes that are pretty emotional. And funny!

by Henway Wed 19 Jan 2011, 22:01

Vi- Im not a big reader but I did read this last summer while at the pool, I recommend it. It's an easy fast read. A co workers Mother is an extra in the movie. Her mother is a real Nurse and if not ending up on the editting floor will be seen walking past George in the Hospital hallway. tried to read The American just couldnt get in to it, maybe I 'll try again.

by it's me Wed 19 Jan 2011, 23:03

I'll get the American book
DVD gift

by sisieq Thu 20 Jan 2011, 01:07

it's me wrote:I'll get the American book
DVD gift

Hope you like it and hope the English version is easy for you to understand the story.

by it's me Thu 20 Jan 2011, 06:17

Italian version ....I guess Suspect

by sisieq Thu 20 Jan 2011, 08:14

it's me wrote:Italian version ....I guess

OOPS! You are right! I was in a hurry and was thinking "The American" you were talking about the language version not the title. tongue

by Guest Thu 20 Jan 2011, 19:00

Yes, I read the book and thought it was good. It's on my Kindle and I'll read it again. There should be beautiful scenery - Hawaii has such vibrant colors. The books is, indeed, an emotional journey for most of the main characters. Even the "little girl" has to show a variety and depth of emotions that isn't always called on in movies. I so hope whoever wrote the screenplay captured this. and then that the director was able to get the emotional interplay out of the actors.

I also read The American. Again I loved the book and was frustrated by it at the same time. I thought the development of the Mr. Butterfly character was fantastic in the book. Reading The American was a visual delight - for someone like me who immerses herself into what she's reading, I could really picture every scene. The interplay between the priest and gun builder, between the whores and gun builder were definitely more developed in the book. Also the reader actually LIVES in the head of the gun builder - much if not all of the book is a narration of his thoughts. To get through this book, the reader needs to be patient because the action almost all takes place in the last few chapters.

by PigLove Thu 20 Jan 2011, 19:59

Ada -- the Descendants also relied on a lot of interior monologue, so I'm curious to see how they bring that out. Like, when Matt King sees his daughter's friend Reina, and thinks: "There's something about Reina's voice that makes me want to shoot her with a BB gun." So funny! But would he say something like that out loud in the movie, or "think it" in voiceover? Sooooo curious.

CAN'T WAIT.

by sisieq Thu 20 Jan 2011, 20:23

PigLove and I are going to have a Book Club discussion through PMs - hate to bring up spoilers here for those who do not know the storyline.

Let me know if you want to join in. I'm going to start the first message over the weekend - unless others are in the process of reading it now we can wait another week.. We do not all have to be on-line at the same time, of course.

It's Me - do you have your copy, yet? How fast can you read? LOL!

Edited to add: All are welcome. There is no right/wrong answer in a book discussion. Any Lurkers who want to discuss I promise your nic will remain private and not passed on to anyone nor mentioned in the forum!.

by it's me Thu 20 Jan 2011, 21:52

well
I could read fast
if I want
but I asked for the book yesterday, after buying my DVD

by Merlin Mon 07 Mar 2011, 20:21

Full article at link.....

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Judy Greer talks CBS' 'Mad Love,' movies with George Clooney, Jason Segel, and Ed Helms, and voicemails she's kept for years

Speaking of a change of pace, she’s also excited about her small role in Alexander Payne’s adaptation of the Kaui Hart Hemmings novel The Descendants starring George Clooney. After seeing Citizen Ruth in college, working with Payne became one of her life goals (which could explain why the message he left her asking her to call him back so he could offer her the role has also been saved). Clooney plays a descendant of Hawaiian royalty wrestling with the decision of whether to keep his inherited land or sell it to a real estate developer. He finds out that his wife, who’s in a coma after a boating accident, has been having an affair. He goes to tell the man that she’s dying, so he has a chance to say goodbye, and he meets Greer’s character, the man’s wife. ”That’s how I find out my husband is having an affair. I haven’t seen this movie either, but there’s a really beautiful scene in the hospital room with George and I,” she says. That sounds like a major departure from the funny, sharp-tongued Greer we’re used to seeing. “I think so. I certainly played it that way. But at one point, I think Alexander said, ‘Oh, that hospital scene is so funny,’ and I was like, ‘Really? I have been crying for days,’” she says, laughing. “The stories he tells, I trust him totally. I did exactly what he asked me to do… Maybe he was talking about a different hospital scene. I’m like, wait, I was there. We were in Honolulu, right? That was you, and me, and George Clooney, and barbecue.” (Barbecue? “Hawaiian barbecue for lunch. It’s awesome.”)

by sisieq Mon 07 Mar 2011, 21:13

Just noticed on the movie's IMDB page that its now labeled "completed". I hope this means we will start to see trailers!!!!

by Merlin Tue 15 Mar 2011, 16:19

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Shailene Woodley Says George Clooney Is 'Unbelievable' In 'The Descendants'

When you’re 19 years old, starring in your first big screen flick alongside George Clooney isn’t a bad gig. Just ask Shailene Woodley: as the star of the ABC family drama “Secret Life of the American Teenager,” Woodley is usually busy playing the part of a teen mom, but recently she stepped into a very different role as Clooney’s troubled daughter in the upcoming movie “The Descendants.”

We caught up with Woodley at the ABC Upfronts last week and got the scoop on what it’s really like to work with Clooney.

“He is unbelievable. He’s so down to earth and so normal and so professional and intelligent and hilarious,” said Woodley. “I have only the best things to say about him.”

"The Descendants," directed by Alexander Payne, is a family drama with a twist. In the film, Clooney plays a wealthy landowner in Hawaii who discovers that his wife has been having an affair after a boating accident leaves her in an irreversible coma. On a mission to give everyone a chance to say their last goodbyes before his wife passes, Clooney’s character hits the road with his two daughters to find his wife’s secret lover.

Woodley plays the eldest daughter, Alexandra, a model and ex-drug addict.

“It’s definitely a drama because it deals with a lot of heavy issues,” Woodley said. “But because George Clooney and Alexander Payne, you know, the mix of them it’s going to be funny. We basically make fun of life in a really dramatic way.”

by Katiedot Tue 15 Mar 2011, 21:24

Haha! When I first read that he was 'unbelievable' in the film, I read that as a bad thing! You know, as in "He was such a bad actor he was unbelievable in the role". I thought that was a bit harsh from a co-worker!!

by melbert Wed 16 Mar 2011, 01:15

Now now Katie, we know he's not a bad actor, just "unbelievable" as a father!!

by Katiedot Mon 21 Mar 2011, 16:55

From Star advertiser

'Descendants' author lauds Hollywood's version of tale

By Mike Gordon

Mar 20, 2011

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The entertainment world is full of great books that were made into awful movies. Lists of these bad relationships are a Google search away. So pity the author whose best-selling memoir is replaced by scathing reviews of wooden acting.

But Kaui Hart Hemmings isn't worried. The Hawaii writer has already seen the treatment that her novel, "The Descendants," received at the hands of celebrated director Alexander Payne. She's so happy with the cinematic result that she could light up a room with her smile.

Although "The Descendants" won't be in theaters until fall at the earliest, Hemmings sat in the audience during a test screening held in Los Angeles in November. She loved it.

"It's wonderful," she said last week. "I saw them film it, and I knew Alexander and I know what to expect from his films, so I was prepared to like it. But I was blown away by it."

When she shared her excitement recently during a talk to students at St. Andrew's Priory, Hemmings confessed it was difficult to talk about the movie without gushing. The film from Fox Searchlight Pictures was shot in Hawaii a year ago.

"Would I have loved it this much if it had nothing to do with me at all?" she said.

Well, who can blame her? Her first novel becomes a movie, and megastar George Clooney is the leading man. And Payne, who brought Santa Barbara wine country to life in his film "Sideways," is putting her Hawaii up on the big screen. Both men have won Oscars.

It doesn't get much better than that, Hemmings told the students.

"Who knows how I would have reacted if another filmmaker had taken it on?" Hemmings said. "This particular filmmaker is my favorite, and when he came into the picture, I sat back and just enjoyed. Any changes he made, I said, 'Great, do what you gotta do to make a good movie.'"

In "The Descendants" the 35-year-old Hemmings created a slice of Hawaii rarely written about, let alone displayed on a movie screen.

Her main character, attorney Matt King, is a descendant of a 19th-century Hawaiian princess and a haole banker who finds himself dealing with a mounting family crisis. King, one of the state's largest landowners, must somehow cope with the reality that his comatose wife is about to die from a brain injury — and that she was also having an affair.

At the same time, he is trying to reconnect with his two rebellious daughters and negotiate the sale of his family's extensive land holdings. His oldest daughter, Alex, is played by Shailene Woodley, the 19-year-old actress from the ABC Family series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Her relationship with her father gets more attention in the film than it did in the book.

King is the author's favorite character. He reminds Hemmings of people she knows.

"I like good guys, and he's not, on the surface, a good guy," she said. "But he has this quiet integrity that I enjoyed writing about as well as a sort of wry, grumpy voice."

Not every scene in the book will be in the movie, but everything that was crucial to the story is there, Hemmings told the students.

And Payne got Hawaii right, she said. Set designs, costumes, language, the Hawaiian slack-key soundtrack — everything fits. In fact, it fits so well that audiences might not even notice, Hemmings said.

"I have never seen Hawaii portrayed this way," she said. "It's a terrific movie. It's so good you stop paying attention to, 'Oh, this is Hawaii' and you are only watching the movie."

AND that's a wrap.

Mike Gordon is the Star-Advertiser's film and television writer

by Tigerina Mon 21 Mar 2011, 17:53

I can't wait to see this one. Sounds really good! I think George will be great in it.

by melbert Tue 22 Mar 2011, 00:02

She seems really pleased with the results as I know we will be!

by Merlin Tue 22 Mar 2011, 07:12

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Payne's 'Descendant's Due in December

PUBLISHED: MONDAY, MARCH 21ST 2011 AT 4:22 PM

I am still compiling my list and making considerations before I open the doors on the 2011 edition of "The Contenders," but Fox Searchlight has all but guaranteed they think Alexander Payne's first feature film since 2004's Sideways is one for the Oscar pundits to keep an eye on as they announced today a December 16, 2011 release date for The Descendants. The film will, of course, have a limited platform release, likely expanding throughout the first months of 2012.

The Descendants is a film I actually included on my preview for last year's Oscars, and it stars George Clooney as Matt King, an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries. Along with Clooney, the film co-stars Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Robert Forster, Shailene Woodley, Kaleigh Kennedy, Mary Birdsong and Nick Krause.

Payne shared an Oscar win with his Sideways co-writer Jim Taylor and was also nominated for Best Director for that film, which was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Haden Church), Supporting Actress (Virginia Madsen) and, of course, Best Picture.

Any Payne fans out there already excited for this one? Want to wager a guess on Oscar nominations?

One thing that stands out to me is to wonder if Judy Greer may have finally found herself a supporting role she will be recognized for. Greer has turned in several fantastic supporting performances in her career, but most of them in comedies or films that simply don't get as much awards attention. Second billing on this one is already a good start.

by watching Thu 24 Mar 2011, 09:46

Another article. This one from Awards Daily. Question from the peanut gallery - does this late release date mean that Ides won't get released this year? I know the aim was to have it out in Nov/Dec but would he want two films out around the same time again even if he isn't the lead in one of them? Editing will take some time and George has signed up to do two more films after he finishes directing this one which I would assume are lead roles which won't leave large blocks of time to edit Ides and get it ready for release unless he will spend his summer in an editing suite and not on the lake.

Alexander Payne’s The Descendants set for Dec 16
03/22/11 - Posted by Ryan Adams.

The Descendants gets a Dec 16th release, positioning director Alexander Payne and George Clooney in a prime holiday showcase slot for maximum awards impact. As late as last November, Fox Searchlight had this family drama tentatively slated for late-entry year-end premiere — but Payne wanted a few more months to fine-tune in post-production. (besides, Fox already had its hands full with two BP nominees, 127 Hours and Black Swan). The Playlist notes The Descendents will now share the same opening day with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows — a strong declaration from Searchlight of confident counter-programming clout.

The last time George Clooney went head-to-head with Sherlock Holmes was Dec 23, 2009. Up in the Air went on to earn 6 Oscar nominations, and Clooney won the NYFCC award for Best Actor. As a soon-to-be-single dad coping with restless teenager kids and a comatose wife on her death bed, his role in The Descendents promises to push a far more likeable range of emotional buttons. (*the comatose wife part is not a spoiler. It’s the heart-grabbing hook of the story’s premise that we learn from Page One of the novel.)

Alexander Payne was nominated for writing Election in 1999, and twice more for writing and directing Sideways in 2004. He won the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for Sideways. The last two films Payne has directed earned Best Actor nominations for Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways) [sorry, snubbed; my memory keeps trying to make excuses for the Academy.]

by laetval Tue 29 Mar 2011, 10:15

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by cindigirl Tue 29 Mar 2011, 15:43

George looks fat in this photo. Al la Marlon Brando. Unless it's just because of the angle of the shot.

by sisieq Tue 29 Mar 2011, 16:08

cindigirl wrote:George looks fat in this photo. Al la Marlon Brando. Unless it's just because of the angle of the shot.

ROTFLOL! The Island of Dr (something)??!! I think its the angle and the shirt.

by lucy Tue 29 Mar 2011, 19:37

I thought he looked Hawaiian.

by PigLove Thu 31 Mar 2011, 04:01

He looks perfect for Matt King (not sure about Brando). Perfect expression of haplessness. CAN'T WAIT.

December 16th, fellow Clooneyfans!!! We'll have to set up a separate thread for our reactions.

PS: Melbert, I love your new avatar!

by melbert Thu 31 Mar 2011, 04:23

Thanks Piglove! Trying to stay current! I can't remember if he was telling me to back away or just waiting to catch me!

by Katiedot Thu 31 Mar 2011, 04:53

Ah. I thought he was conducting an invisible orchestra!

by lucy Thu 31 Mar 2011, 06:02

He was telling melbert stay right where you are baby, I'll come to you!

by blubelle Thu 31 Mar 2011, 15:54

Nah - He was saying "now that's a butt".

by fluffy Thu 31 Mar 2011, 16:39

What he's really saying is " someones just pinched my boat! we'll have to swim back!!"

by laetval Sat 02 Apr 2011, 09:45

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Shailene Woodley Reveals Scoop About Her New Flick And Co-Star George Clooney!

Shailene Woodley’s about to make the leap from starlet to super-starlet! This pretty lady is starring alongside the ruggedly good-looking George Clooney in The Descendants, set to his theaters December 16. Shai chatted to Wetpaint and other media outlets about her role and what it’s like working with the sexiest man alive!

Tell us about your character in The Descendants!

My character’s name is Alex, she’s a bit different from Amy. She was kind of the troublemaker, she did drugs and drank a lot in high school and was sent to a boarding school to kind of clean her up and get her act together. Throughout the movie, she progresses into this incredible person. She’s kind of one of those girls who comes off as rough around the edges, but deep down, she has a heart of gold. She helps her dad become a dad, and she helps grow up her little sister. It’s really great to see that transition of hard tough teenager to young adult, a strong independent woman.

Are you and George Clooney BFFs now?

Well we’re not BFFs, but he’s a really phenomenal human being. He’s so down-to-earth, I cannot even tell you. You would never think that he was the sexiest man alive twice, because he’s just so down-to-earth and so normal. He is super professional, he shows up to work on time, he knows his lines. He’s an incredible actor. Every single take was just outstanding. He’s super intelligent, he knows everything about everything, whether it’s politics or movies. He just knows everything, he’s like an encyclopedia. And he’s hilarious, he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my entire life — if not the funniest!

by lucy Sat 02 Apr 2011, 17:00

And that is why older men love younger women.

by cindigirl Sat 02 Apr 2011, 17:32

Lucy, um ........I dont think that's why. hahahaha

I think she has a little crush on him. Nobody's that perfect, but he comes mighty close.

by Katiedot Sun 03 Apr 2011, 06:30

LOL. You've got to laugh at the idea of George being anyone's BFF.

by Dexterdidit Sun 03 Apr 2011, 11:53

Especially a teenage girl! I do think he was probably on his best behavour around her. Not too many rude jokes etc.

by lucy Mon 04 Apr 2011, 04:15

Not always about sex,men love it when women worship them, most older men I know that have younger 2nd wives it's mostly about how the woman makes them feel smart.

by cindigirl Mon 04 Apr 2011, 14:33

Hey Lucy, I could make him feel REAL smart. Pick me, pick me!

by melbert Tue 05 Apr 2011, 02:26

Cindigirl and Lucy, we could ALL make him feel smart, because we're smarter than he is!!!

by lucy Tue 05 Apr 2011, 05:42

I think George is probably immune to that type of flattery.

by fluffy Tue 05 Apr 2011, 08:47

Well said Lucy! I agree, I'm sure Gee has heard it all before and knows the good from bad. But why does he keep picking bad?? Poor loves not doing much for his persona of late!

by lucy Tue 05 Apr 2011, 13:27

It's seems to be what he's attracted to unfortunately.

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