wristcutters - The Screengrab

Car Talk with Val Kilmer

What with the WGA strike, there isn't a lot of TV series news out there right now, but as Spencer Tracy used to say, what's there is cherce. It's been reported that Val Kilmer will be serving as the voice of KITT, the talking car, in the "rebooted" new pilot version of Knight Rider being readied by executive producer Doug Liman, with an eye towards possibly launching a new series. Originally, Will Arnett (Arrested Development, Blades of Glory), the new reigning Mr. Smarmy, was set to play KITT, a bright idea that might have resulted in something that felt closer to Heat Vision and Jack: The Next Generation. In a surreal development, Arnett had to be replaced because the pilot's sponsor, Ford, objected to his casting because he had done voice work in commercials for General Motors, thus denying him the chance to provide the voice of a car because he was already "the voice of GMC Trucks." In a world where nobody seems to understand what constitutes a conflict of interest anymore, it's always good to see somebody deciding where to draw a line in the sand. Anyway, this is sort of movie news because Kilmer is still a movie star. Sort of.

Wristcutters Rocks

In the surprisingly non-shitty Wristcutters: A Love Story, which opens Friday, there's a weird in-joke that, if nothing else, is the most innovative use of a hipster soundtrack I've heard in years. For the road trip portion of the film — an after-life short story of sorts — Patrick Fugit's Zia is accompanied by one Eugene, played by Shea Wigham. Eugene is said to be a Russian punk-rocker; then he cranks up "his band," which turns out to be the much-beloved NYC institution Gogol Bordello. If you've never heard them before, you'll want to pick up a copy of their album Multi Contra Kulti vs. Irony after hearing its key songs played over and over in this film. They're awesome.

The weird, meta part: director Goran Dukic is friends with Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz. When I first saw the Eugene character, I was positive Hutz was playing himself: the leering sexuality and trademark mustache are fully in place. But no: Wigham is a nice American boy from Tallahassee. So what we have is an American actor playing a Russian character based on a Ukrainian rocker of the same first name who listens to the music created by the fictional character but actually created by the real inspiration, who's only on-screen in doppelganger form. Very confusing. — Vadim Rizov

Posted Oct 17 2007, 01:00 PM by Peter Smith with | with no comments

Filed under: vadim rizov, wristcutters, goran dukic, eugene hutz, shea wigham, gogol bordello, patrick fugit