As many of you may be well aware, Michel Gondry’s absurdist VHS/’80s movie paean, “Be Kind Rewind,” has been moved from its original December release to January 25, 2008. For the seventeen nerds on the IMDB boards, this officially squelches the chances of the film’s Oscar chances, but if you really thought a film like ‘Rewind’ – as amusing and fun as it may well be – had serious Oscar hopes you need your head examined.
Meanwhile, as we noted before, Jean-Michel Bernard has composed the music to the film (he also scored Gondry’s “The Science of Sleep,” and contributed music to, “Human Nature”), but he’s also completed songs for the film arranging Fats Waller songs that will feature ‘Rewind’ lead Mos Def.
Also of note is Marcus Carl Franklin, the young boy who plays an incarnation of Woody in Todd Hayne’s upcoming Dylan biopic, “I’m Not There.” The young Franklin also has a role in “Rewind’ as James.
And finally, remember when Daft Punk gave cameras out to audience members to shoot their recent Brooklyn show? Gondry’s older brother Olivier is compiling the material for a live Daft DVD video.
According to an October 2005 New York Times article, more than 300 residents of Passaic, New Jersey – where most of the film was shot – were used as extras in the film and Gondry gave dozens of the townsfolk speaking roles. For those that haven’t seen the trailer (that features a great Billy Preston track), it’s ubiquitous on the Interweb and also here.