By: Henry J. Fromage –

The talk of the festival circuit right now is the long-awaited new flick from Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master.  Even though it was five years between There Will Be Blood and its premier, PTA is already talking about his next couple of project.  And both happen to be based on novels by literary rock star Thomas Pynchon.  First is the news he’s working on adapting Pynchon’s obtuse beast of a novel, Gravity’s Rainbow.  So, good luck with that.  In news that might actually happen, he’s also adapting the much more plot-friendly Inherent Vice, about a pothead private eye working to figure out a plot to kidnap a billionaire in 1960s L.A.  What’s exciting, besides The Big Lebowski comparisons the novel’s drawing, is that the scuttlebutt is that Robert Downey, Jr. has the lead role, which sounds about perfect.  So, maybe two movies in the next two to five years?  Who does he think he is? Some kind of go-getter like that speed demon Terrence Malick?

And what does Pynchon have to say about all this?

Michael Fassbender… in a comedy?  Doesn’t matter, I’m already sold.  Frank stars Fassbender and Brendan’s son, Domhnall Gleeson, in a comedy where a young musician joins an eccentric band led by a charismatic front man (Fassbender).  The script is by the guy who wrote the source material for The Men Who Stare at Goats, so expect some wonderfully dry absurdist humor.

And considering it’s about a rock band, possibly a few more dead goats

Safe House made a decent buck earlier this year, but didn’t seem to make much of a critical splash.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I finally caught it on DVD, expecting a generic background noise actioner and getting a beautifully shot, well-developed thriller.  When I later saw Easy Money, by the same director, Daniel Espinosa, I realized where credit was due.  So, now he’s on my radar, and his next project, Child 44, is from Ridley Scott’s big plate ‘o projects.  This is the one about the Soviet policeman investigating a child murder that seems to be connected with high-ranking party members, and is based on the true-life Rostov Ripper, whose 50 confirmed murders make Jack the Ripper all jealous and stuff

When a Russian decides to do something, he does it all the way.