Lincoln

Although I was planning on saving my next big effort for after the Oscars, I figured I would pump out a smaller post to tide all my loyal readers (all 4 of you) over for the next week or so. In any event, this year’s Oscars aren’t expected to carry any shocking upsets, so that post probably won’t require much painstaking analysis; expect something along the lines of “blah blah blah King’s Speech, blah blah Black Swan, blah blah blah The Social Network”. Unless Nicholas Cage bowls over the competition with his overwhelmingly artistic performance in Drive Angry 3-D, it’s likely to be a predictable outcome.

For this bite size post, I wanted to briefly discuss a flick-in-the-making my Dad brought to my attention that I’m really excited about- Lincoln.  As you might guess, the film is about President Abraham Lincoln, more specifically his clash with the White House cabinet as he tried to abolish slavery during the Civil War.  The movie is said to be based on the book Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Though I’m admittedly not nearly as well versed in the history of the American Civil War or the life of Abe Lincoln as my Dad is, I have very high hopes for this movie.  It has been confirmed that the movie is being directed by Steven Spielberg and will star Daniel Day-Lewis.  Originally cast in the title role was Leam Neeson, (who last worked with Spielberg on Schindlers List in 1993), but he backed out of the role before filming began for unconfirmed reasons.  Though a Neeson-Speilberg reunion surely would have spawned a fantastic film, Daniel Day-Lewis will likely bring a different dynamic to the cast and the overall plot.  As undeniably talented as Neeson is, Day-Lewis is a much more animated, bizarre, and artistic actor, leaving a distinct branding on every movie he is a part of.  Those who saw Gangs of New York or There Will Be Blood are familiar with his acting style and method of communicating with the audience.  As long as his quirkiness doesn’t send the film down an irrelevant or historically-inaccurate path, I think he will make Lincoln a wildly successful film, adding it to the ranks of other great biographical films such as The Queen, Lawrence of Arabia, Malcolm X, and Raging Bull.

The movie has a tentative release date of early 2012, likely aiming for the 2012 Oscar season, so we’ve got a bit of a wait, but keep your eyes and ears peeled!