Keanu A-Z News Reports
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Keanu Reeves Replaces Russell Crowe in Tripoli
Keanu Reeves has replaced Russell Crowe in director Ridley Scott's Tripoli. However, 20th Century Fox has put the film into turnaround, and now co-financing companies are kicking the tires. The movie could have been Reeves' first big role after the "Matrix" trilogy.
Reeves is now attached to the story of how U.S. soldier William Eaton joined forces with an exiled king to overthrow the corrupt ruler of what is now Libya.
Screenwriter William Monahan wrote the script.
Source: Coming Soon/Variety Monday, November 17, 2003
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Diane talks about Keanu
Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves star in a new movie called "Something's Gotta Give". There is a quote from Keaton concerning Keanu in Entertainment Weekly magazine (November 14, 2003):
"It was embarrassing. Absurd!" says Keaton on kissing Reeves. "It felt more appropriate to make out with Jack."
The film opens December 12, 2003, in theaters in North America and the end of January 2004 in Europe.
The mind behind the Matrix
So just how did Brighouse woman Janet Yale end up jetting all over the world with film stars such as Keanu Reeves? She explains her amazing career in special effects to JENNY PARKIN.
By Jenny Parkin, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner
FIVE thousand Sentinels, battle machines, gunfire, smoke, fire , debris and catch-all, general chaos.
This was the special effects list for just one of the scenes in Matrix Revolutions.
And Brighouse woman Janet Yale was at the forefront of making them happen.
The third, eagerly-awaited Matrix film opened at Huddersfield's UCI Cinema last week.
But viewers will have no idea there's a local link to this world-away Hollywood bombast.
Janet, 45, is executive producer of ESC Entertainment, a company set up specifically to find creative and technical answers to the challenges of the script on the Matrix sequels.
What began two years ago with five people in an empty building, set to handle a few computer-generated effects, turned into a workforce of 300.
Something that flashes by on the cinema screen in just a few seconds can take months of hard work to perfect.
Janet, who lives in San Francisco, says: "The workload just kept growing. Originally, five of us got together to do the bullet time shots in the first film.
"For Reloaded, we were just set to handle one scene, called the burly brawl, where Neo (Keanu Reeeves) fights multiple Smiths.
"But we ended up doing the freeway chase and the opening and closing sequences, among others.
"For Revolutions, we put together a scene known as the super burly brawl fought between Smith and Neo, we also took on the main siege sequences where humans battle the Sentinels in Zion's dock."
To achieve this, Janet and her team created a computer-generated Keanu that had to look and move exactly like the actor, as well as whole cities and other sets.
Janet explains: "Most of our development work was spent finding a way to make our computer-generated faces match those of the actors as exactly as possible.
"For Revolutions, we also had to work out how to integrate pouring rain and lightning into everything.
"This sounds like it should be easy but it actually makes even the simplest shots a problem.
"It's always harder to make shots match reality than a fantasy world. The human brain is so used to seeking things like faces and rain that even if you can't figure out what's wrong with it, you know that something is."
Janet continues: "For the siege sequences the biggest problem was sheer volume.
Many of the shots have more than 5,000 Sentinels plus multiple battle machines, gunfire, smoke, fire, debris and general chaos, all to be achieved by computer.
"We shot a lot of pyrotechnic elements - it's always fun blowing things up - but there's really no way to do a swarm of flying Sentinels, other than in computer generated images."
Janet, who went to Whitcliffe Mount School in Cleckheaton then St Hugh's College at Oxford University, began her amazing career in 1980, working for a London company on film title sequences and optical effects.
She says: "This was before computer graphics and all film effects work was done with chemicals, rostrum cameras and optical printers.
"It was basically a craft skill, there was no formal training for it. I stumbled in with an English degree and no real idea of what I wanted to do."
Janet took a temping job, answering phones and somehow never got out of the industry. She has been involved since computer-generated images first took off.
In 1993, she was working for a London company called CFC, now called Framestore CFC - one of the biggest effects companies in London.
Janet says: "We decided to open an office in Los Angeles and I went out to help set the place up. I never came back."
Janet, whose partner is an animator and writer in the movie industry, returns to Brighouse to see her mother every Christmas.
Working on follow-up films to such a massive hit was daunting.
Janet says: "Everything is difficult, from living up to expectations, to the security issues.
"Most movies take between 12 and 20 weeks to shoot. The Matrix sequels shot for three months in California then 10 months in Australia."
Movies with a high quota of special effects are hard on actors - it means they do a lot of "acting against nothing" where computer creations are to be added.
"There's also a lot of extremely boring nonsense where we gather vast amounts of technical data," says Janet.
"For the Revolutions end sequence, where Neo and Smith fight in the sky, they had to be rigged in complicated flying harnesses that allowed them to twist and tumble as if it was a combined fairground ride and flight simulator!
"It was very, very painful for them, not to mention great fun for motion sickness.
"Plus the whole sequence involved constant torrential rain so it was a pretty wet and miserable experience."
Janet says her most enjoyable shoot was a freeway chase for Reloaded, on a one-mile section of road, especially built.
"It was great to watch. The stunt riders were amazing," she says.
Janet has been involved in almost 100 films including Mission: Impossible 2, Armageddon, The Nutty Professor, Mighty Joe Young and Con Air.
But the ones she's enjoyed most have included lower-key Coen brothers films The Hudsucker Proxy and The Big Lebowski, rather than the "special effects monsters".
Now she's working on The Ladykillers, the Coens' remake of the original Ealing comedy with Tom Hanks in the Alec Guinness role.
And that's not all. Janet will be back to work with Keanu again on the film Constantine, and also with Halle Berry in Catwoman.
She says: "I found my way into this business completely by accident.
"I was very lucky. It goes to reinforce what one of my college tutors told me - that there are a lot of jobs out there that school careers advisors know nothing about ..."
icHuddersfield.co.uk 13/11/2003
Paul Walker on the Fast track
Shuler Donner is currently working on Constantine, a superhero adventure based on the comic Hellblazer. It stars Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
"This is a much darker film than most of the superheroes because it takes the characters to Hell and back. For this reason, we're aiming for a fall 2004 release instead of a summer release."
Canoe 16/11/2003
Crunch time
It's the season of Oscar. As the industry squeezes in its most glamorous releases before year's end, our critics start prospecting for gold.
Is it ever too early to start handicapping the Oscar race? Not this year, given that the 2004 awards will be held three weeks earlier than usual and given the ongoing public-relations meltdown over who in the film industry will and won't get screening copies. Some Oscar hopefuls have already made it to theaters, but the studios are positioning their biggest and best hopes for release in the coming weeks. Following is a sneak-preview scorecard.
Best Supporting Actor
The economy's up and so is the number of gentlemen looking to get into this five-man club. And these are just the dudes in movies that haven't opened yet. Ian McKellen could earn his second nomination playing the wizard Gandalf in "Return of the King." Ken Watanabe could get his first as the charismatic warrior in "The Last Samurai." In the same movie, cherubic Englishman Timothy Spall could finally land a spot, this time as a jolly Japanophile. "Cold Mountain" is teeming with potential nominees: Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ray Winstone. (That's just the movie's upper supporting deck.)
There's also Djimon Hounsou as the artist/neighbor of "In America"; both Albert Finney as the dying southern raconteur in "Big Fish" and Ewan McGregor as Finney's young self; Benicio Del Toro as a born-again ex-con in "21 Grams"; James Franco, who plays the lover of ballerina Neve Campbell in "The Company"; from the same film, Malcolm McDowell as a crusty artistic director; and every hobbit and orc in the final "Lord of the Rings." (This means you, Elijah Wood. At last!) For completion's sake, it'd also be useful to mention Keanu Reeves in "Something's Gotta Give" as the youngest third of a Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson love triangle. Whoa.
Boston Globe 16/11/2003
How the Hobbits stole Christmas
"SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE" (Dec. 12): With Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet and Frances McDormand; directed by Nancy Meyers.
What's nice: Keaton plus Nicholson. He's an old coot record company exec in love with Keaton's young daughter (Peet) or so he thinks until he meets mama and likes her even more. Enter Reeves as a love interest for Peet, and you've got the makings of a great, messy romance.
What's naughty: Keaton has a scene where she undresses (unknowingly) in front of Nicholson that's supposed to be nonstop, gut-clenching laughter.
Stocking stuffer: Working with two legends wasn't lost on Peet. "One day on the set, I just looked at Diane Keaton and burst into tears. I mean, does it get any better?"
Chicago-Sun Times 16/11/2003
Stars, films in Oscar's eyes
This season will add even more best-picture and acting candidates to the Academy Awards list
- The name Something's Gotta Give (Dec. 12) has the sound of a Marilyn Monroe movie and its leads are old enough to have queued up for one. Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Frances McDormand are almost always worthy of Oscar consideration. This slightly black comedy's younger star, Amanda Peet, may be a contender one day, too. The big question here: What were they thinking when they cast the talent-challenged Keanu Reeves alongside these outstanding actors?
The Province 16/11/2003
Casting directors want us to believe Reeves as a doctor? Come on
It's hard not to guffaw at the very idea of Hugh Grant playing Britain's prime minister, which he does in "Love Actually," the patchwork quilt of love stories that opened recently. But if you see the movie, you're likely to laugh with Grant rather than at him, because he overcomes his miscasting with an ingratiating performance (and even has a moment where he stops stammering and shows some backbone).
Good actors should be able to overcome miscasting such as this, because they should focus on their performance and not the roles they're stuck with playing. Yet every movie season brings casting that makes us say, "Oh, come on." Heck, the holiday-movie season hasn't even started, and we already have Nicole Kidman playing a rough-hewn cleaning woman in "The Human Stain." Oh, come on.
Come on and take a free ride through some other casting craziness.
Upcoming weird casting:
Scottish comedian Billy Connolly as an archaeology professor in "Timeline." Actually, that might work.
Keanu Reeves as a doctor ("Whoa, dude, your arteries are filled with, you know, gunk") in the romantic comedy "Something's Gotta Give." Not only that, Reeves falls for Diane Keaton, with Jack Nicholson as his romantic rival.
Renee Zellweger as a scrappy Civil War-era drifter in "Cold Mountain." The idea of beautiful actors Jude Law and Nicole Kidman playing grubby 1860s folks is astonishing enough, but eyebrow-raising honors here go to Zellweger. (Then again, we thought Zellweger was all wrong for "Chicago," and that turned out pretty well). Watch out for the carefully applied smudges of mud makeup!
Julia Roberts as a merely attractive Wellesley professor who tries to ignite the feminist fire within her students in "Mona Lisa Smile."
Ben Affleck as a genius in "Paycheck." No genius would have made "Gigli."
The bad casting hall of fame:
John Wayne as Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror," possibly the worst movie in Wayne's filmography.
Mickey Rooney as a pidgin-English speaking Japanese man in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It might have worked at the time, but in this more enlightened era, it's an offensive portrayal that mars an otherwise enjoyable movie.
Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist in the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough." Of course, this is part of a long tradition of bimbos playing geniuses in Bond films, but Homer Simpson would be a better nuclear scientist than Richards.
Charlton Heston as a Mexican police chief in Orson Welles' otherwise great "Touch of Evil," although his appearance -- and the worst moustache in movie history -- actually adds to the eccentricity of Welles' bizarre film noir.
Harvey Keitel as a Bozo-haired Judas in "The Last Temptation of Christ." Keitel's hair is so red, it's kind of surprising he doesn't have a big red nose that honks to go along with it.
Sean Connery as a Russian submarine captain in "The Hunt for Red October." We might have cut him some slack on this one, except he didn't even try to cover up his Scottish brogue.
The Wichita Eagle 16/11/2003
Dozen films to make the holidays merry
Something's Gotta Give
The Skinny: This is not about Schmidt. It's not even about Jack Nicholson, though you wouldn't know by the trailer. This comedy is about Erica Barry, a vibrant 55-year-old playwright who becomes the object of the competing affections of an age-appropriate cad and a young, adoring doctor.
The Players: The cad is Jack. The doc is Keanu Reeves. But it is Diane Keaton as Barry who promises to bring a wit of a certain age to the proceedings. Amanda Peet and Francis McDormand also star.
DenverPost.com 16/11/2003
Rachel Weisz on the Constantine Set!
'Kyle' sent us a great image from the set of Warner Bros.' Constantine, based on the DC-Vertigo comic book "Hellblazer" and starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
Reeves plays John Constantine, a man who dabbles in the occult and teams with a female police officer to fight evil forces. Weisz plays Angela, the cop who becomes involved with Constantine when her twin sister dies in a mysterious suicide.
Constantine Hype! 15/11/2003
Smoking in Films Sway Teen Fans
Smoking Stars are Poor Role Models
Stars are meant to be looked up to by adoring fans and rising box office numbers chart how these constellations are doing. Unfortunately, parents are not the only role models their children look to for what's in, what's hot, what's out and what's not.
Youngsters want to look more like adults so between the ages of 12 and 17, they are searching for the Holy Grail that will help them feel grownup and cool. They don't have to look very far.
While what parents do in their own lives to discourage their progeny from behaviors that are illegal for children is vitally important, the kids have other ideas about who to look up to. Ask any pre-teen or teen and they will tell you the really "cool" role models are found in entertainment and sports.
Who are these role models they admire the most? Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone and John Travolta smoked in two more movies than did Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Christian Slater and Keanu Reeves revealed in an eye-opening study. There were 43 stars mentioned by students in the study.
Teens whose favorite stars smoked in two films were 1.5 times more likely to score on the upper end of the scale, while those whose favorite stars smoked in three or more films were three times as likely to do so.
The report made by Dartmouth College researchers and published in the medical journal "Tobacco Control" studied over 600 students 10 to 19 years of age. The conclusion of the report suggest that stars who smoke on-screen encourage teens to try out smoking. The authors said "We believe this evidence strongly suggests that media portrayals of tobacco use by popular movie stars contribute to adolescent smoking."
In 1999 another frightening report by the Office of National Drug Control Policy studied Substance Use in Popular Movies and Music. It studied the 1996 and 1997 top 200 movie rentals and discovered that a whopping 98 percent of the actors were depicted as smoking, drinking or doing drugs in these movies. Alcohol and tobacco were in more than 90 percent of the movies.
This is what our children are seeing... and how they perceive adult behavior. This irresponsibility by movies and television are in large part to blame. How many youngsters would never start smoking if it were not seen in the media in such exaggerated numbers? This seems to be why 3,000 teens per DAY are trying smoking for the first time. At least one third of those, will die from a smoking related disease. A thousand children a day is a thousand too many. Higher standards for television and movies is a must if this figure is to change.
What are some of the likely consequences for the actors and actresses that exert so much influence over our children, whether by choice or by edict? Many should be having a rough time sleeping at night without drugs or alcohol to induce the sleep and far too many find themselves on this list, the one you want to avoid.
About.com 15/11/2003
Laurence Fishburne and Clayton Watson Talk About "The Matrix Reloaded"
In "The Matrix Reloaded," critically acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne returns in the role of Morpheus, the leader of the freedom fighters. This adventure finds Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus continuing to battle the Machine Army, utilizing their formidable skills and weaponry against the forces of repression and exploitation.
Fishburne describes his character in "Reloaded" as driven by his convictions. "In the first film, Morpheus is a teacher. In 'Reloaded,' he becomes more of a spiritual leader. His belief in Neo and the Oracle’s Prophecy is absolute, and he brings great strength and passion to his increasingly important role in the fight to save Zion. But the truths he encounters along his path put his faith to the test."
Alongside his beautiful wife, actress Gina Torres, Fishburne fielded a few questions from journalists at the Los Angeles Premiere of "The Matrix Reloaded:"
LAURENCE FISHBURNE ('Morpheus')
How would you sum up this movie?
Unstoppably watchable.
What did you draw on for inspiration?
The script (laughing).
Who is Morpheus to you now?
Who is he to me now? He is one of my creations, he's one of my children, and he's one of my characters. I added him to my gallery.
What was different filming this "Matrix?"
We had a whole lot more money on this movie.
"The Matrix Reloaded" quotes the Bible, King Arthur, and the Koran. Does that scare you?
It's wonderful. The guys that wrote "The Matrix" infused it with all kinds of things from different sources.
CLAYTON WATSON ['The Kid']
How would you describe 'The Kid?'
He's just a kid from Zion. He's just a crazy little (kid) that wants to be a part of the crew. He's too young to join [but] he knows what's going on at all times.
They set it up in this film, and then number three comes out and the kid sort of finds a way to etch himself into the framework and get a part in the big war. (He) proves himself a savior, in a sense.
How hard was it to film two movies at once?
It was pretty fun. There were a lot of jumps. You'd do one scene from two and one scene from three, and then go back and forth. It's just a matter of making sure you know where your character arc is.
What type of training did you go through?
I just did my own gym training. I didn't do any Kung Fu. I do a lot of stuff in quite a large machine. There was a lot of green screen stuff.
Did you have any wirework?
No wirework. I did a lot of hanging upside down and looking up a lot skirts. They say pain is such a personal thing (laughing).
What was your favorite scene to shoot?
My favorite scene was with Keanu, Laurence, Carrie-Anne and Harold Perrineau. You'll see it in this one. It's with the spoon - the old bendy spoon. It was a fantastic scene to do, but I did a lot of great stuff that I really enjoyed in the machine with the green screen that I'm really proud of. There was enjoyment all around.
About.com 15/11/2003
Manly men, without pants
Such distinctions, however, are altogether swept away by the show's haphazard lack of chronology. Men's frock coats from the 1730s are displayed next to a nearly identical design by Alexander McQueen, London's current enfant terrible of fashion, which was worn by David Bowie on the cover of his 1997 album Earthling. Keanu Reeves robes from the Matrix movie trilogy are paired with the black cassock or soutane worn by Roman Catholic priests in the 19th century.
SunSpot.net 15/11/2003
A little bit childish
"I'm not trying to win any prizes," says Black, 34. "I'm just trying to make people laugh. A lot of people say, 'Oh, Al Pacino, his best work (was) in the early days in The Godfather when he had subtlety.' (Look) what happened to Al Pacino and the 'hoo-ha' and the 'over the top'. I love Al Pacino. I love him chewing the scenery. That devil movie with Keanu (Reeves). He's hilarious. How much can I take of it? Please, more."
TheAge.com 15/11/2003
Travolta's disco suit voted most memorable movie outfit
John Travolta's white suit in Saturday Night Fever has been voted the most memorable movie costume ever.
The most recent costume to be featured in the top 20 was Keanu Reeves's outfit of leather greatcoat, trousers and motorcycle boots which he wore in The Matrix.
Ananova.com 14/11/2003
When Nona Gaye's character Zee entered "The Matrix Reloaded" in May, writer-director brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski eased her into the storyline by establishing her relationship with boyfriend Link (Harold Perinneau) and ties to the first film of the blockbuster trilogy.
But now that Zee has been given the opportunity to strut her stuff and kick some serious butt in "The Matrix Revolutions," something tells me that her life in the realm of the "Matrix" fan universe is about to change.
Sure, the 29-year-old actress been able to pick up a few items at a convenience store with relative ease of late; but Gaye also very well realizes that her blissful days of being anonymous -- unlike her co-stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne and Jada Pinkett-Smith -- may soon be coming to an end.
TheJacksonChannel.com 14/11/2003
Friday, November 14, 2003
More than meets the eye
Is Keanu Reeves as amiable in real life as he is on screen? MUMTAJ BEGUM emphatically says yes.
IT IS time to set the record straight – Keanu Reeves is more intelligent than he lets on. While most of us were (or still are) scratching our heads over The Architect’s speech at the end of The Matrix Reloaded, Reeves thought it a challenging concept. Ergo, he knew then, it was a crucial scene in the trilogy.
During a 15-minute interview with Reeves in Sydney he tells how he found the three books – Simulcra and Simulation, Out of Control and Evolutionary Psychology (which he was asked to read by the Wachowski brothers before playing Thomas Anderson a.k.a. Neo a.k.a. The One in The Matrix trilogy) to be helpful in different ways.
“I would say, in terms of the acting part of it, it’d probably be Simulcra and Simulation. And the one that was kind of disturbing was Evolutionary Psychology. The whole idea of detachment of emotions like ‘What is friendship?’ except what do they call it? Reciprocal altruism,” says Reeves in disbelief. “And to understand the film and the evolution of what occurs in the films; Why the system starts to have this organic development? Why certain programmes left alone would develop certain traits, almost Darwinist survival traits? Anomalies that pop out of nowhere, why does that happen? What goes in terms of the evolution of nature, even if it’s inorganic?
“I mean Neo ultimately meets programmes who talk about love. And the machines, they’re just fighting for survival. It’s almost not personal, it’s just, you know, they create the Matrix so that their crops of humans don’t die.”
Keanu Reeves denies being a serious person, but he admits that he is serious about his work.
Whoa!
Having acknowledged the fact, it’s also true that Reeves lives up to that all-American habit (although technically Reeves is Canadian) of using the words “you know” as a form of punctuation and every once in a while he falls into Ted-mode (of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) ending his sentences with “man” or “yeah”.
Then magically again he switches to a completely poker-faced expression – which critics have dismissed as wooden acting – making it hard to read what he’s really thinking. Despite an “inability” to talk about himself (he’ll only offer a short sentence or two), he has lots to say about films. And he’s affable enough for one to conclude that he is humble and polite.
Coming face to face with him one realises just how strikingly handsome he is, more so in person than on screen if that is possible. Even his fatigue cannot disguise his pan-ethnic good looks, revealed in his Asian (light brown) eyes, and Caucasian square-jaw. Dressed simply and in dark colours (black jacket, brown shirt), Reeves looks all the more fetching because of the stubble on this face and just-out-of-bed hairstyle.
There is something sweetly refreshing about a movie star who promptly brushes off the question if he was the first choice to play Neo, the role that ultimately placed him in Hollywood’s A-list. He jokes that he is actually the directors’ 33rd choice to play Neo, but the truth is he was the only one who could make sense of the Wachowski brothers’ mind-blowing vision.
“All I can say is when I met them in 1996, and they showed me the script and I read it, and they showed me some of the materials, painting, drawings, you know, what they had in mind. Also from the script we had a real kind of...” he pauses. “Erm, we liked the same things in terms of graphic artists like Frank Miller and writer Philip K. Dick. We had things in common and I think that helped in terms of the way I can speak of their project. They were like, ‘He gets it.’
“I think they were surprised too when I came in with (research) notes. I had questions like what it meant, what they were hoping for. We got along,” he says simplifying his role in The Matrix.
Dig a bit deeper and you find out just how dedicated Reeves was in bringing the brothers’ vision onto the big screen. He would turn up everyday for the martial arts training even though he had just undergone neck surgery (back in 1997 when the training for The Matrix commenced) that restricted his movements. Shooting long hours, he’d have fights that would take three weeks (or more) to complete.
Hugo Weaving, his co-star in The Matrix trilogy, notes the amount of training they went through, “It was fantastic to get healthy and fit. That was great. The other side of it is waking up everyday feeling exhausted. The way I was exhausted was nothing like the way Keanu was exhausted. The amount of work Keanu put into this is absolutely amazing.”
At the Sydney premiere of The Matrix Revolutions, Keanu Reeves takes time to greet his fans with polite waves, autographs and handshakes.
At one point Reeves apparently had to sit in a bathtub full of ice. But all he says is, “It was all very good fun, but very hard work as well. And painful – ice is your friend.”
Not surprisingly, Reeves expresses interest in doing a couple more kung fu films even when he’s not interested in pursuing martial arts outside films.
“Movie kung fu is fun. It’s like fake fights. It’s like going out and playing Cowboys and Indians. It’s a sense of play. Everyone’s in a big fight between good and evil. And it’s beautiful, even when it’s brutal, there’s something beautiful about it.
“But the movie would have to have the right story though. I don’t want to just go out and start doing cheesy chop-socky movies.”
Indeed the care Reeves shows in picking projects could be due to the fact that his life has been balanced by both good and bad. Born on Sept 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, Reeves is the son of a half-Chinese, half-Hawaiian father and an English mother. His name means “cool breeze over the mountains” in Hawaiian. After his parents divorced, his mother moved him and his sister a few times to finally settle down in Toronto, Canada. Here Reeves found his two passions – ice hockey and acting. Quitting school to become an actor, he started off by appearing in commercials at the age of 16 in Canada. He then moved to Los Angeles and over the years he has appeared in several movies: River’s Edge, My Own Private Idaho, Little Buddha, Much Ado About Nothing, Devil’s Advocate, Dangerous Liaisons, Speed, The Gift and The Replacements, never staying long enough to play the same role twice. Reeves also has had his share of life’s brutal realities – one of Reeves’s two sisters has been battling leukaemia for over a decade, the baby he was to have with his then girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, was stillborn and a year later, Syme was killed in a car accident. He himself has been in more than one accident and has the scars – on his leg, abdomen, above his lip and left eyebrow – to prove it.
With this in mind, it is sometimes easy to understand why Reeves doesn’t care much when he becomes the target of harsh (and sometimes unwarranted) criticism. Walking the path he has paved, he remains compassionate about people, as proven recently when he gave away part of his salary to The Matrix crew.
When asked whether he is a serious bloke, he protests with a “No, no no.”
“Well, I’m serious about my work for sure,” he finally agrees. “When it’s time to go to work or my application to what I do in acting, my responsibilities to film, that’s what I’m really serious about. Definitely.”
Just like the reluctant hero he plays in The Matrix, Reeves often downplays his talent in real life.
On the night of the interview, he dutifully turns up for the premiere of The Matrix Revolutions at the Sydney Opera House. His appearance on the black carpet is accompanied by deafening screams from his fans, females and males alike, who have been steadily growing in numbers despite having to stand out in the cold wind and rain for more than four hours.
A little uncomfortable with the attention paid to him, especially by the photographers, Reeves nonetheless turns to greet his fans with polite waves, autographs and handshakes.
But there is no disguising the fact that the star is looking for an exit to do what he loves best – be a regular guy.
That's shoebiz for Norwich firm
When Keanu Reeves's new blockbuster movie Constantine hits the big screen next summer, one excited onlooker will be struggling to keep his feet on the ground.
James Phillippo, manager of Drummee Shoes, in Norwich, will not so much be paying attention to the action sequences in the supernatural thriller as fixing his gaze on the feet of two children in the film.
For Warner Bros asked him to supply two pairs of shoes for the movie.
"My reaction was one of disbelief," said Mr Phillippo. "I thought it was a wind-up, but then realised it wasn't. We were happy to help in any way we could."
Mr Phillippo, 34, has had a shop at the Earlham Road Shopping Centre on Earlham Road for the past 13 years.
He said: "We're a little old shop, a family run business and to have someone request some shoes for a blockbuster movie . . . we're over the moon about it.
"We're very surprised but very proud that we could actually help. They've been so courteous and professional. It's been a real eye-opener to deal with a company like that."
Mr Phillippo, who has supplied shoes across the world, said samples of the size-one shoes to be worn by two little girls in the film had been sent to Warner Bros.
He said the film studio had said it was "delighted" with the samples and sent back more detailed specifications for the shoes, which have now been made and will be sent out to America shortly.
The shoes to be used in the film are Diana-style shoes made by Start-Rite, also of Norwich.
Mr Phillippo said they would have been among the last pairs to have been made in England.
He said: "They've assured me that, although the shoes won't have a starring role, they will be in a scene and will be very prominent.
"Warner Brothers were delighted with the sample and have put us on the vendors' list.
"We're now officially on their books so we might in the future get the chance to provide other shoes, which is something else we're proud of."
Constantine will star Reeves as John Constantine, a world-travelling misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries, walking a thin line between evil and good.
He teams up with a female police detective named Angela Dodson, who seeks Constantine's help while investigating the suicide-like death of her twin sister Isabel.
The investigation takes Constantine and Angela through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.
EDP 24 News 13/11/2003
Movie File: Quick News On Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, Ben Affleck, Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith, Thora Birch & More
Keanu Reeves has been spending his free time hitting the funny books. "I did some reading [to] just really prepare myself for the character," the "Matrix" star said recently, regarding his lead role as the Hellblazer in the comic book flick "Constantine," which is shooting in Los Angeles. "We've been filming for about a month. Francis Lawrence is directing it, and he's fantastic." ... #
MTV.com 14/11/2003
Thursday, November 13, 2003
LOSING THE WILL TO LIVE...
My life is pretty shite at the moment. With different things straining my brain. Amongst all the goings on, my site doesn't work....:(
Also, I've been asked to transfer to another branch, which is nearer home, but bigger in size, therefore bigger responsibility. I don't want to leave where I am, but the set up was temporary anyhow, so it's just ending earlier than I thought.
My stomach is in knots. I've only just started to get to know the staff well and now I have to leave.
I fucking hate managment....
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Virgo Horoscope for week of November 13, 2003
My reading of your astrological omens suggests that you are now standing before three doors. The word "scapegoat" is written on door number one. "Chameleon" is on door two and "weaver" on door three. What you do in the next six days will determine whether you'll ultimately have a choice about which door you open. If you do succeed in winning that privilege, I advise you to pick the "weaver" door sometime after November 22. Selecting the "chameleon" door wouldn't be terrible, but it wouldn't be half as stimulating.
Freewill Astrology
A Revolution in cinema
CLICK HERE TO VIEW TOKYO PREMIERE FOOTAGE
The final part of the Matrix trilogy was released at the same time in major cities round the world yesterday - with loyal fans hoping they were not in for another disappointment.
The Matrix Revolutions, which is being shown in 65 countries, hit cinemas in London at 2pm, New York at 9am, Moscow at 5pm and Tokyo at 11pm.
Despite the lukewarm response from critics, the movie, starring Keanu Reeves, is expected to break box office records.
The second film, The Matrix Reloaded, was considered a weak sequel to the original blockbuster.
Will Self reviews Matrix Revolutions
� Way past redemption
Evening Standard 06/11/2003
Line 6 in the Real World
A band comprised of actors, a reality show contestant, and, most importantly, musicians—all rolled into one—has gotta be from Los Angeles. Viper Room babies "becky!" have recently taken over the Sunset Strip with their unique brand of "Power-Pop-Punk!"
Guitarist Paulie Kosta is currently using Vetta HD with a Line 6 412 Cab for live shows and recording. "My Line 6 Vetta... Power, Finesse, and NO LIMITS!", raves Paulie (aka. Durnan Sawchuck). "This rig @#$%&* ROCKS!"
Lead singer Rebecca Lord (hence the name "becky!") was a member of the Real World Seattle cast on MTV, drummer Robert Mailhouse has appeared on Melrose Place, Seinfeld, and CSI, and the bass player is some guy named Keanu Reeves? Beats me, I only watch PBS.
Be sure to check out all things "becky!" at www.beckyband.com.
Source: Line6.com 11/12/2003
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
L.A. has a new, shining star
By Matt Krantz, USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES — The Hollywood sign is in danger of being upstaged as the visual icon of Los Angeles by the one thing with Disney's name on it that isn't a movie, theme park or Mickey Mouse cap: the brand spanking new Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The curvy Walt Disney Concert Hall towers over downtown Los Angeles. By Nick Ut, AP
It's where the hippest movies are being premiered. It's where the glitziest parties are being held. And it's destined to become Southern California's hottest new souvenir image — soon to appear on caps, T-shirts and potholders.
The sudden emergence of the Disney Hall as Southern California's cooler-than-cool destination is more than a cultural slap at the Hollywood sign. If it produces the tourism boom that city officials hope, it could nudge tourist destinations coast to coast to consider replacing the cheesy with the culturally highbrow.
"L.A., up until this point, was defined by two theme parks, a beach and a sign. That's not how you ultimately define a great city," says Carol Schatz, CEO of Central City Association. The Disney Hall, she says, "is an international cultural icon."
Who's noticed?
?Hollywood's A-list. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and the other stars of the just-released Matrix Revolutions film posed in front of the Disney Hall for the movie's much-anticipated premier.
?Madison Avenue. Gallo of Sonoma wine has used the hall as a backdrop for its ads, and other advertisers are considering doing the same.
?Retail row. The Neiman Marcus department store in Beverly Hills has plastered sketches and paintings of the hall, created by artists, on its storefront windows.
?Tourism kingpins. Travel writer Arthur Frommer is convinced the Disney Hall will attract tourists who may not be normally lured by L.A.'s standard offerings of Hollywood kitsch.
"It marks an effort to show a slightly more serious side of life" in L.A., says Frommer, a New Yorker who admits to being skeptical of the quality of the cultural offerings in L.A.
Never mind that the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra — which the hall was specifically built to house — has only performed a handful of shows in the building.
New tourist destinations
Opened last month to a chorus of rave reviews, the Disney Hall is everything the city celebrates: hip, unorthodox and oozing with creativity. The building explodes from the nondescript street corner in the oft-ignored and partly dilapidated downtown area of L.A.
Giant, gently curved walls of shiny polished metal encrust the building and reflect the Southern California sun — creating something that looks like a stainless-steel flower. Inside is a concert hall crafted of Douglas fir, resembling the innards of a violin, that's tuned for the L.A. Philharmonic.
Part of the building's mystique stems from its famed architect, Frank Gehry. By using computer software previously only used by airplane designers, Gehry has revolutionized modern architecture by giving the building seemingly impossible curves.
Gehry's creations bend in ways that get people excited.
"It makes you happy you're alive," gushes Rob Schwartz, executive creative director at TBWA Chiat/Day, one of the L.A. area's hippest ad agencies. "It's going to be supremely popular" in ads, he says. Just having a product associated with the building will, "make any good product feel like a great product," he says
But even more important than the architecture itself, is what Gehry's buildings do for the cities they're in. Many of the Canadian native's works around the world have already turned into tourist destinations. The Bilbao Guggenheim museum in Spain, which also uses Gehry's signature curves, has already turned into a must-see spot. The museum in Bilbao increased tourism to that city, says Craig Webb, partner at Gehry Partners who worked on the Disney Hall project throughout the 13-year on-again-off-again genesis. "It will happen in L.A," Webb says.
New life for downtown L.A.?
Outside of rejuvenating the downtown business climate, Disney Hall promoters have an even higher goal: getting Angelinos back downtown not only to visit, but to live and work. The hall is just the latest building in a bigger plan to build high-end urban condos, trendy converted warehouse loft-style apartments, restaurants and a park within eyeshot of the Disney Hall, says multimillionaire Eli Broad, founder of KB Home. Broad was one of three power brokers who raised the $175 million needed to revive the Disney Hall project after it was scrapped due to cost overruns in the mid-1990s.
The project ultimately cost $274 million, well above the initial $50 million gift from Lillian Disney, Walt's widow, that kicked it off.
Broad says he'd be delighted if the hall could attract a new Fortune 500 company to downtown. But to do that, L.A. needs to prove that there is more to it than suntans and movie stars. And the hall just might be the answer, he says. "They will stop thinking of us as 'La-La' land," Broad says.
Back at the Hollywood sign, curators of the aging icon say they're not concerned about the magnetism of Disney Hall. "I'm not losing any sleep over it," says Leron Gubler, CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which gets paid every time the sign appears in commercials, movies or on knickknacks such as thimbles or spoons.
"The new building is a great symbol for downtown L.A. and for the region," he says, "But is it of a stature that could replace the Hollywood sign as an icon of Southern California? I doubt it."
Perhaps. But it's not by accident that the trust that manages the sign threw an 80th birthday party for it last week — complete with former bathing beauty Esther Williams cutting the cake.
Clearly, the octogenarian sign is showing its wrinkles. And in this town of short memories and overnight successes, there's always a hot young thing — in this case, a concert hall — that steals the show.
And sports the best curves.
Source: USA Today.com 11/11/2003
Keanu by the numbers
With the blockbuster The Matrix Revolutions once more fueling the mania for Keanu Reeves, here are the highlights from the actor’s career, with US box-office grosses:
* Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991): Lovable lame-brains Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are talentless heavy-metal wannabes on a time-traveling romp to research a school history project. In the sequel, the pals are killed and sent to the underworld, where they engage Death in a battle of wits (and Twister) to return topside. Excellent Adventure, $40.5 million; Bogus Journey, $38 million.
*Point Break (1991): FBI guy Reeves goes undercover as a surfer dude to infiltrate a gang of beach-bum bank robbers led by Patrick Swayze. $40.7 million.
* My Own Private Idaho (1991): Rich kid Reeves goes slumming as a street hustler, befriending narcoleptic male prostitute River Phoenix in a gay modern take on Shakespeare’s Henry IV. $6.4 million.
* Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): Francis Ford Coppola stakes his vampire claim, with Reeves as a young business agent victimized by the count (Gary Oldman) and his bloodsucking babes, then joining the hunt for the creature. $82.5 million.
* Much Ado About Nothing (1993): Kenneth Branagh’s bonny Shakespeare update casts Reeves as the meanie, who conspires to foil a romance overseen by his benevolent brother (Denzel Washington). $22.5 million.
* Speed (1994): SWAT cop Reeves and involuntary designated driver Sandra Bullock duel with a mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) who has rigged a Los Angeles bus to explode if its velocity drops below 50 mph. $121.2 million.
* A Walk in the Clouds (1995): World War II vet Reeves comes home and volunteers to help a pregnant woman by posing as her hubby to pacify her father. Needless to say, love ensues, along with disapproval from the in-laws. $50 million.
* The Devil’s Advocate (1997): Hotshot young lawyer Reeves is recruited by a powerhouse law firm where his boss (Al Pacino) turns out to be Satan. In other words, a true story. $60.9 million.
* The Matrix (1999): Reeves takes the world by storm as slacker hacker Thomas Anderson, who’s convinced by shady but chic Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss that he’s destined to defeat evil machines, which have created a virtual-reality sham to enslave humanity. $171.4 million.
* The Replacements (2000): Scab quarterback Reeves and substitute coach Gene Hackman whip a bunch of pro football misfits into shape during a player strike. $44.7 million.
* Hardball (2001): Loser gambler Reeves is bailed out by a pal who forces him to coach an inner-city boys baseball team, where he finds salvation and a girlfriend (Diane Lane). $40.2 million.
* The Matrix Reloaded (2003): Reeves is back as Neo, the savior formerly known as Thomas Anderson, during it out with more machines and scores of villainous Agent Smiths (Hugo Weaving) in the middle chapter of the Wachowski brothers’ sci-fi saga. $281.5 million. AP
Source: ABS-CBN News 11/11/2003
Monday, November 10, 2003
Keanu Reeves Wants To Fix Family
The Matrix star Keanu Reeves is desperately trying to reconcile his ill sister and estranged mother.
The Hollywood actor is reportedly worried his leukaemia-stricken sister Kim and mom Patric Taylor won't speak again before his sibling loses her battle with the deadly disease, according to the National Enquirer.
A source says, "Keanu loves his mother and his sister dearly and it tears him apart that the two most important women in his life don't talk.
"With Kim's health deteriorating, Keanu has stepped up his efforts to bring back harmony to the family. He doesn't have any idea how long Kim has left.
"Getting Kim and their mother to make up has become a priority for him."
Source: Teen Hollywood.com 10/11/2003
Sunday, November 09, 2003
Hollywood Ink - Cool Breeze
What in the world will Keanu Reeves do now that The Matrix trilogy has left him (incredibly) the highest-paid actor in Hollywood history?
The answer is: Anything he wants, dude. The 39-year-old Reeves certainly looks faster on his feet than usual playing Jack Nicholson's physician and rival for Diane Keaton's -- yes, you read that right! -- affections in this month's romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give.
Also in the Keanuscope is Thumbsucker, the movie version of Walter Kim's mordant novel, in which Reeves plays an orthodontist who, along with a high-school debating coach (Vince Vaughn), tries to cure a compulsive, um, thumbsucker (neophyte Lou Taylor Pucci).
However, watch for Reeves to return to more familiar sci-fi/action territory with the title role in Constantine, the big-screen version of the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer, in which he'll play a wisecracking loner who teams with a cop (Rachel Weisz) to penetrate a mysterious suicide in contemporary Los Angeles by descending into an underworld of nasty demons and spirits (including Tilda Swinton).
Hell, if it's nasty demons he's after, he only has to cruise the clubs of Sunset Boulevard any night of the week.
Sunday Express [UK] 09/11/2003
