Holly Bolly Take: June 2011

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Jessica Chastain at the premiere of "The Tree of Life."

Jessica Chastain

'Tree of Life' star has seven movies coming this year:

Chastain stars opposite Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in "The Tree of Life," which hits Cleveland Friday. With Two marquee stars on board, writer-director Terrence Malick wanted a fresh face to play Mrs. O'Brien, the loving, compassionate wife of Pitt's ornery husband and mother to their three sons. He found her in the 30-year-old known mostly for her stage work who made her feature film debut in "Jolene" in 2008.

The methodical Malick, whose films include "Days of Heaven" and "The Thin Red Line," took several years to complete the project. "The Tree of Life" is strange. It's more like a musical composition, bouncing around between beautiful images but not leaving much space for plot and dialogue. It's hard to explain.

"Welcome to my world," said Chastain on the phone. "This has been my life for a couple of years. People ask, 'What's the film about?' and I say, 'Well, it's about nature and grace and a family.' They look at me like I'm trying to keep some big secret."

Hollywood stars at Georgia-Russia war film premiere

The all-action film, "Five Days of August", focuses on a fictional American reporter and his cameraman trying to establish the truth out about atrocities committed during the five-day conflict.

"It's an anti-war movie," Garcia, who plays the role of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, told a news conference in Tbilisi.

"We see the tragedies that arose so hopefully they won't happen again," said Garcia, who was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his role in "The Godfather: Part III".

Director Renny Harlin, best known for high-budget action films like "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger", said the film was about "a small country fighting for independence and freedom".

"It was the most powerful experience of my life and my career," he said of making the film in Georgia.

The brief war saw Russian forces pour into Georgia to repel Tbilisi's military attempt to retake the Kremlin-backed rebel region of South Ossetia.

The Georgian authorities allowed the director to use their soldiers, tanks and helicopters for the film, which had an estimated budget of $20 million, making it one of the most expensive ever shot in the impoverished country.