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28 dicembre Watching New Year's Eve
It's that time of year again: The big holidays are over, we've spent too much money, we've visited countless relatives (or not enough) and we're ready to (deep breath) start anew. Yes, we're all set for the New Year -- 2008 -- with plans and hopes and dreams and ... oh, who are we kidding? Will we really stick to those resolutions? And are we actually going to find a decent party to attend? And, for heaven's sake, can we suffer another night sitting alone in front of the TV watching "New Year's Rockin' Eve"? No!
So, instead, turn off network TV and flip on your DVD player. We're suggesting New Year's movies -- films that celebrate that quick, symbolic switch from past to future -- to ring in our supposed future clean slate. These celluloid dreamscapes offer fantasy, reality or a potent mixture of the two and are just the ticket to ringing in the new year. With these 10 pictures, each of which includes memorable New Year's moments, we can relate, become inspired, feel disturbed, dream of love or ... give our brother a big kiss, particularly if he's named Fredo.
10. "When Harry Met Sally" (1989)
Rob Reiner's New Year's revelation moment works on every level -- although writer Nora Ephron had to have lifted it from Billy Wilder's "The Apartment." No matter how much I feel I should be rolling my eyes (he's running down the street toward his beloved for chrissakes -- and she's not Shirley MacLaine), I always get giddy over Harry's dramatic gesture -- partially because the concept is so relatable. Both Harry (Billy Crystal), who's sitting at home on New Year's Eve, and Sally (Meg Ryan), who's suffering through a party, are likewise lonely -- and partially because Harry is so vulnerably likable and comically romantic when professing his love to his best friend. And my God, what a profession: "I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Yes, I am such a sucker. 9. "Bitter Moon" (1992)
Roman Polanski's boozy, bitter, sexually manic ode to demented dysfunction remains one of the most underrated, misunderstood pictures in his career -- a movie that makes you laugh as much as it horrifies, titillates and illuminates you. It's also a movie one can identify with (either literally or, one hopes, allegorically), which might be part of the reason so many viewers were turned off by it. With which couple do you relate? The nice couple is Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas, a handsome, respectable British pair, enjoying a cheesy cruise, making the most of whatever excitement is left in their marriage. The twisted duo is a failed and rather hacky novelist (an inspired Peter Coyote) and his French, mysterious sex-bomb of a wife (Emmanuelle Seigner, Polanski's real-life wife) whose story becomes Grant's main obsession as he listens to Coyote describe every detail of his relationship. And I mean every detail. As a result, Grant falls for Coyote's wife and so makes his somewhat pathetic play on (yep) New Year's Eve. During the boat's party, Seigner dances with almost obnoxiously seductive abandon, ensnaring not Grant (whom she rejects as he ridiculously dances toward her), but in the picture's twist, Grant's wife. It's a wonderfully exciting moment of Sapphic sensuality but one that'll lead to shocking tragedy. I don't want to ruin the entire surprise, so I'll just say the New Year comes in with a big, double bang. Read the rest of my list here.
--posted by Kim 27 dicembre No Chicken For Old Men
They had me at Spaghetti western and then...the Coen's had to go and say something about a scene with "one particular chicken." In short, can't wait for this one.
"Filmmaking siblings Joel and Ethan Coen are set to make their goriest film ever - a Spaghetti Western featuring scenes of primitive torture methods. The brothers, whose notoriously gory new film No Country for Old Men has been tipped for Oscar glory, are desperate to make a film about the days of cowboys and Indians battling it out in the Wild West of America. But - as Joel warns - it won't be one for the faint-hearted. He says, 'We've written a western with a lot of violence in it. There's scalping and hanging ... it's good. Indians torturing people with ants, cutting their eyelids off.' Ethan adds, 'It's a proper western, a real western, set in the 1870s. It's got a scene that no one will ever forget because of one particular chicken.'"
--posted by Kim
What's in Your DVD Player, David Cronenberg?
The great David Cronenberg, director of the current "Eastern Promises" as well as classics like "Shivers," "The Brood," and "Naked Lunch" discusses his take on in-home movie viewing (and more) with MSN'S Sean Axmaker:
David Cronenberg is not only one of the most interesting and intense filmmakers working today, he's also one of the most thoughtful and articulate directors to ever record a DVD commentary track. His commentaries on "A History of Violence," "Dead Ringers," "Videodrome," "The Fly," and even his early feature "Rabid" are observant, introspective and instructive, and he returns to the commentary booth for the DVD release of his latest film, "Eastern Promises," a dark crime thriller set in the London underworld of Russian gangsters and human trafficking. I spent so much time in our brief interview session discussing DVDs that I was cut off before even getting to the film, let alone the question that was really plaguing: Does Cronenberg use a DVD player, or can he simply insert discs directly into his body like James Woods in "Videodrome"? The answer to that will have to wait for another interview.
MSN Movies: What's in your DVD player?
David Cronenberg: "La Vie En Rose." Because I am a member of the Academy and so I get these screeners from various producers and studios.
Do you watch a lot of films on DVD?
Most of my film watching is on DVD. I very rarely go to the cinema.
Is that a preference?
Yes, it is. At this point in my life, I'm not so interested in the social aspects of movie watching, other than the ones that I have at home, which I wind up watching with my wife or with my children. So that's enough socializing. I don't really need to go to a mall and hang out and do all that stuff that goes along with a lot of film watching these days.
I think of "Videodrome," and people watching media in more isolated situations. Do you think that's happening to cinema because of DVD?
It's obvious that there are some movies that still get a huge turnout. But I do think that there's a lot of isolation going on. To me it's more like reading a book. I like to be able to stop it and start it the way you would stop reading a book, especially if people insist on making two-hour-and-40-minute movies. You don't sit and read "War and Peace" all the way through in one sitting.
Read the entire interview here.
--posted by Kim 21 dicembre Friday Night At The Movies
--Thin, hit and miss funny but overall pretty solid seems to be the consensus for Jake Kasdan's musical biopic spoof "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" starring John C. Reilly. I have nothing more to add.
--A.O. Scott calls Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Seville" "something close to a masterpiece." If you live in one of the lucky cities where the picture has opened today, you can see for yourself. You should.
--Yes, "National Treasure 3: Book Of Secrets" opened today. And yes, it's getting bad reviews.
--"P.S. I Love You" looks like pure tripe and the reviews seem genuinely annoyed with the picture, but I don't need to read yet another take in which the critic claims dumb, sentimental women will force men to attend. Here's one: "It's the sort of movie that no man will ever go to unless dragged by a woman. His sole reward will be the sight of Swank in sexy underwear." Ah yes...women are fluffy saps who'll run to any movie with "love" in the title and men...men are such dogs! Let's all high five each other and call the whole thing off at TGI Fridays!
--posted by Kim 19 dicembre You Can Never Go Fast Enough
"Two-Lane Blacktop." Criterion Edition. Greatest Car Movie Ever Made. My year is complete. Yes. "If I'm not grounded pretty soon, I'm gonna go into orbit." --Warren Oates A.K.A. GTO It feels almost too easy applying the term “existential” to Monte Hellman’s mysterious "Two-Lane Blacktop," (and Mr. Hellman has always insisted that the picture is not “existential”) but I think the alienated, ambiguous, weirdly funny and, at times, desultory cult car classic deserves the appellation. A work of stark Sisyphean power, the picture brilliantly combines automobile allure and the expectations of the race with a sparer saga of the road – a road that seems free but really isn’t. Now this may sound rather joyless for a car movie, and indeed for the greatest car movie ever made, but the picture is so inventive, so austerely beautiful, so unexpected and, yes, so auto-centric, that it’s a singular wonder. With a then much discussed script by Rudy Wurlitzer, the movie came with an interesting amount of hype. The screenplay managed the honor of being featured on the cover of Esquire Magazine before the film was made, something that was unheard of at the time, and something that made the movie’s lack of box office more of a disappointment. Naturally, it’s been a cult favorite ever since. Leading this gear-head mediation through its long stretches of lonesome highway are characters stripped down to their basic handles -- James Taylor is known only as the “Driver,” Dennis Wilson the “Mechanic,” Laurie Bird the “Girl” and the late great Warren Oates, in one of his most unforgettable roles, is “GTO.” The stoic Taylor and Wilson work a seriously souped-up '55 Chevy that's all muscle and speed, no frills, while a garrulous Oates rolls a yellow 1970 Pontiac GTO -- something Taylor scorns as right off the lot. All players endlessly drive, seemingly to challenge other cars and race cross country, but who knows what they’re really seeking. When somewhat challenged on the matter – that all the speed will burn him up– the Driver replies “You can never go fast enough.” And the picture doesn’t spare this feeling on the viewer as the continual purr and hum of the engine places you at one with the car – a oneness that has become the character’s very identities.
"Two-Lane Blacktop" was probably supposed to be a youth movie, but there’s nothing young about it. Read the rest of my piece here. --posted by Kim The Cinematic Wonder That Is 'Cars III''
Forget all those trailers for "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem" or "Horton Hears a Who" or heck, even Stallone's newest "Rambo."
It's all about the explosive "Cars III" -- which will be the cinematic event of 2007. Mark my words.
And keep your eye on that Melissa-- this is one actress to watch. Step aside Keira Knightley.
And yeah, get out your effing checkbook for this one. Watch and prepare to be blown away.
And, if you're offended by the "F" word, consider this NSFW. Unless, of course, you work for a car dealership.
--posted by Kim 18 dicembre Moments Out Of Time 2007
From Kathleen Murphy and Richard T. Jameson's celebration of those cinematic scenes that so affected us in 2007. Viva La Visual Medium!
Here's a sample:
Cellophane wrapper, lately crushed in a monster's fingers, uncrimps on the counter as Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) teaches a gas station owner (Gene Jones) to value the remarkable quarter that has entered his life in "No Country for Old Men"
What pubescent Briony (Saoirse Ronan) saw in "Atonement": a beautiful emerald-green butterfly impaled on the library wall ... The naked look that unmasks spy, actress, assassin in "Lust, Caution": "Go, now." ... Alzheimer's patient Julie Christie's puzzled but gracious, "My, you are persistent," as she greets the stranger -- her husband of 40 years -- who keeps visiting her in "Away from Her" ...
Urbanite "Michael Clayton" (George Clooney) come to an upstate New York hilltop in early morning, and facing three horses in mysterious communion ...
A loop of snaky tail rising out of a cavern pool in "Beowulf" ...
Read their highlighted moments here.
--posted by Kim This Is Your Life?
There's a line in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in which the alcoholic, game-playing Martha spits this doozy at her barb-swapping, history professor husband: "Truth or illusion, George; you don't know the difference." According to Martha, such ineptitude is his weakness, but, since part of their lives is built on a questionable history, I think she's on to something pertaining to the general human condition, especially the human condition on-screen: What is the difference exactly? And how should we process or perceive such truths or illusions?
This is where the biopic, a genre that tells stories of real people, can be messy. Always a problematic genre, pressured by running times, whitewashing or the tedium of by-the-book generalities, biopics frequently become stale exercises in a series of facts. Or half-truths.
Which is why any tweaking of the biopic is exciting. The most recent example, Todd Haynes' ambitious Bob Dylan study "I'm Not There," in which six different actors took on the Dylan persona, was thrillingly unique. And Jake Kasdan's "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," a comedy poking fun at all those Oscar bait, "real" musical stories ("Ray," "Walk the Line") might make for a nice satirical diversion from so-called truth.
So with that in mind, let's celebrate 10 refreshingly off-kilter biopics, movies that approached their real-life subjects without the usual "and then this happened" turning of the page. For these movies, sometimes not knowing truth or illusion is part of the point -- and more true to life than anything else.
--posted by Kim 14 dicembre MSN'S Top Ten Movies Of 2007
The results are in. Our (that's all of us film writers here at MSN Movies) Top Ten for 2007. My editor, Dave McCoy, breaks it down:
Welcome to the first annual MSN Movies' Top 10 poll. Although we aren't quite the Village Voice, we're much less pretentious and we don't let just any wannabe film critic vote for the best films of the year (OK, did that last part sound pretentious?).
In a nutshell, this is how it works: I asked nine of our contributors to vote for their favorite films of the year, and then I added my own ballot to the mix. Each vote received points based on how high it ranked on the list -- a No. 1 film received 12 points, No. 2 received 9, and so on. We then sent this out to an accountant for tablulation, because it's a known fact that film critics can't count, and this consensus for the best films of the year is what came back.
Three interesting things happened. First, 49 films received votes, proving that this year's Oscar race is WIDE open. Second, this isn't something a cranky critic writes very often, but 2007 was a damn fine, rich year for movies. In fact, although we're only highlighting the top 10 films here, 15 to 20 films came within a point or two of making the list. Third, despite this year's abundance of great films, one title steamrolled the competition for the top slot, earning 106 out of a possible 120 points ... but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
At the end of the list, we've included links to either send us an e-mail with your own list of top films or sound off on our message boards. Ultimately, we hope this list inspires you to check out these terrific films.
And the list begins with...read on.
Read all of our individual top movies here.
--posted by Kim Road To Romance
Did the sexy hitchhiking tradition of showing a little leg originate with a sassy Claudette Colbert and a frustrated Clark Gable? That's just one of the many thoughts that strike me (and you, hopefully) while watching Frank Capra's hilarious, joyful, sexually charged and whip-smart screwball comedy “It Happened One Night.”
The 1934 movie that really made Clark Gable a star (before he charmed the pants off the world in “Gone With the Wind”), “It Happened One Night” was a sleeper. With an entire budget of a mere $325,000, and $50,000 going to the then bigger star, Colbert, the movie was a hit: beloved by critics, Oscar-winning (it was awarded best picture, no less — rare for a comedy) and innovative.
Along with Howard Hawks' “Twentieth Century,” the picture ushered in the age of the modern screwball comedy, a golden period for cinematic romance that created some of the greatest comedies ever made. But it’s also the primo road-trip movie — a picture so charming that it actually makes taking the bus seem like a good time.
Of course, when Gable’s sitting next to you, falling asleep with a stiff neck isn’t so terrible — as a spoiled runaway heiress (Colbert's Ellie Andrews) learns, almost too late. Stuck with Gable’s Peter Warne, a tough newspaperman with a hidden heart of gold, she’ll enjoy (not so secretly) lots of sniping sexual tension, coach riding, open-breeze hitching and some interesting sleeping arrangements with the wiseacre journalist.
Though Gable spies a plum opportunity in Colbert (an exclusive runaway-rich-girl story!), feelings will deepen between the high-class broad and the dreamy doughnut dunker, which makes us wonder — will he really run the story? And perhaps more importantly, is it possible that these two incredibly good-looking people aren't going to fall for each other?
Well, I did mention Colbert’s legs. And Gable’s significant dreaminess. The will-they-or-won't-they tension is just part and parcel to the picture's dizzying allure that, true to Capra, perfectly mixes American folksiness with shimmery glamour. Gable, all virile and witty and wonderfully loud, and Colbert, slinky, snooty yet mischievous and measured, are such a gorgeous pair, they almost leave you breathless. And honestly, you will want to road trip — preferably after escaping off a yacht, and in the 1930s, and with a guy who calls editors “gashouse palookas.” One can dream.
Read (and vote) about other road movies here.
--posted by Kim
The End Of The World Blows
Is this pull quote from the New York Post's review of "I Am Legend" a...joke?
"A scary, inventive, exciting and breathless adventure that combines the best elements of 'Children of Men,' 'Escape from New York' and 'The Road Warrior,' but leaves out the worst stuff - such as the story-clogging despair and political allegory in 'Children,' a movie that made apocalypse look like kind of a downer."
Yeah, I'd say apocalypse might be a downer. This has to be a joke.
Read more reviews for "I Am Legend" here.
--posted by Kim Golden Globes
The Golden Globe nominees, as reported by the AP:
The British historical romance "Atonement" led the competition for the Golden Globes with seven nominations, including best drama and acting honors for Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
Other best drama nominees for the 65th Golden Globes were the crime sagas "American Gangster," "Eastern Promises" and "No Country for Old Men"; the inspirational college drama "The Great Debaters"; the legal drama "Michael Clayton" and the California oil-boom epic "There Will Be Blood." Globe voters picked seven dramatic nominees, rather than the usual five.
Nominated for best comedy or musical were the Beatles musical "Across the Universe," the foreign-policy romp "Charlie Wilson's War," the Broadway adaptation "Hairspray," the teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" and the bloody musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Adapted from the novel by Ian McEwan, "Atonement" earned dramatic actress and actor nominations for Knightley and McAvoy, who play lovers whose newfound romance is shattered after Knightley's jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan) falsely accuses McAvoy of a crime.
"Atonement" also had nominations for Ronan as supporting actress, Joe Wright for director, Christopher Hampton for screenplay and Dario Marianelli for musical score."
Check out the full list of nominees here.
And here's the photo gallery of all the nominees. (Why does Keira Knightley look like she's posing for her Senior picture? She just needs a little more lip gloss and hair spray and she's set.)
Also, with the Writer's Strike raging, who is going to actually show up for the ceremonies?
--posted by Kim
13 dicembre Worst Movie Endings
MSN's Sean Nelson on the worst endings in movies.
And yes, yes, spoiler warnings are everywhere:
[Spoiler alert: The following gives away the endings of many films. Stop reading now if you don't want to know.]
People never fail to astound. Scan public reaction to the ending of the Coen brothers' masterful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men" -- not unlike public reaction to the series finale of "The Sopranos" a few months back -- and you can be forgiven for thinking the average American moviegoer actually does want actors to reach off the screen and lead them by the hand to a world of unambiguous conclusions and happy resolutions. Well, there are plenty of movies that do just that. I say "No Country for Old Men" is a powerhouse, and in failing -- no, not failing, refusing -- to lead us where we think we want to go (i.e., into a confrontation between Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem, or maybe a teary reunion for Josh Brolin and Kelly Macdonald, or maybe both), it makes a resonant, complex statement about a great many things, among them, the nature of fate, of good and evil, of the relationship between action and talk and, yes, of audiences' expectations of films to provide cathartic escape from life's unpredictable turns. In short, this is a fantastic ending, one you could never have seen coming (unless, uh, you've read the book).
But the controversy has got me thinking about what constitutes a genuinely bad ending -- one that either betrays the promise of a good movie or reverses the tide in the interest of shock or simply fails to deliver the goods. There are no specific criteria: A lousy ending is a lousy ending. But as audiences grow increasingly segmented and increasingly accustomed to customizing their entertainment experiences, it's getting harder to determine what anyone can agree on. Even if you loved the endings of "No Country" and "The Sopranos," it's not hard to understand why people were angry about them. But people will gripe about anything: Dorothy could've gone home anytime she wanted to? (dude, bummer!); Rosebud is just a stupid old sled? (spoiler alert); and so forth. I guess the lesson is that judgments like this are all subjective. (I'm not sure I believe that, but let's go with it for now.) Here, then, with maximum subjectivity, is a list of films -- good, bad and otherwise -- that come to a terrible end.
P.S. We already warned you, but if you don't like to know how movies end, you should really go read another article right now.
"The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942)
The second film Orson Welles directed -- the first was a little number called "Citizen Kane" -- is nine-tenths perfect. An adaptation of Booth Tarkington's melodramatic novel, "Ambersons" is a sweeping epic about America's journey into modernity as viewed through the lens of class, manners and two families whose intersections and divergences are heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. In short, the film was ready to be an improvement on its predecessor. Then, while Welles was in South America scouting locations for his next project, the studio decided the ending of "Ambersons" was a bummer and therefore hired editor Robert Wise to shoot a happier one -- a clumsily acted, turgidly written one that looked nothing like the gorgeous film Welles made. The result is not so much a compromise as a mutilation that cast a shadow over the rest of Welles' career and life. It's still a great movie, but it could've been the greatest. Read his entire list here.
--posted by Kim 12 dicembre '70s Dads Of Cinema
Acidemic Film's Erich Kuersten continues his terrific study/celebration/societal explication of the '70s father on film with this beautiful bit about Roy Scheider in "Jaws":
"Film historians cite JAWS as the film that changed the way movies were distributed and marketed, i.e. more broadly and dumbed down to catch the widest, most generic/international audience. But JAWS itself belongs to the old school 1970s, with character development coming not from a few uninteresting scenes of suburban breakfasts or camaraderie in the office, but from relaxed, improvisational set-ups where parents drink and smoke (gasp!) in front of their kids and relate to them as people in a direct, caring way, free of socialized, pre-approved, 'let the lawyers read the script first'-style sanitation.
"There’s a great scene that occurs at the Brody dinner table where Roy Schieder’s Sheriff Brody, having allowed the beach to stay open and a kid to die (and maybe also Tippin, the frisbee-catching dog) is lost in wine-soaked regret. His younger son, with cool 1970s haircut looks at him in a direct, wide-eyed way that nowadays would have been cut (it’s too vague) and Roy says 'Give me a kiss,' The kid says 'Why?' and Roy says, 'because I need it.'” Read his entire piece here. So great.
--posted by Kim Something Like That But It All Depends On The Size Of Your...Blog?The East Coast/West Coast film critic's circle showdown rages on. No gats required, just pithy blog posts and withering remarks deposited in convenient comment fields.
"There Will Be Blood"? How about "There Will Be Blog-rage."
Alas, so not breaking it down Old School. Makes me miss Eazy E...I mean James Agee all the more.
--posted by Kim There's A Potrait Rotting Somewhere...
Over the years I've had a few readers claim that I've given Johnny Depp (who stars in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" -- opening Christmas-- I'm plugging because I'm excited to see it...)...anyway...a few readers claim that I've given Johnny Depp too many breaks. A break for his acting, a break for his looks, a break for how he rocks a pair of dirty shoes, whatever.
Oh please. I've given him a break? Try God gave Johnny Depp a break. Or maybe, the Devil gave Johnny Depp a break. Whomever or whatever it was, the uber talented actor continues to confound with his Dorian Grey abilities of appearing absolutely ageless without becoming annoying, without losing his mad talent and without sacrificing his soul, even in the "Pirates" franchise.
Of course, he has something to do with his own destiny and the man has endured real life problems, but when I look at him here I start believing in stupid things like the... dark arts of magic. No break necessary.
--posted by Kim 10 dicembre A Free Francis Ford Coppola
“'I’m no longer dependent on the movie business to make a living. So if I want to make movies as other old guys would play golf, I can,' Coppola told me, as though an eight-figure greens fee weren’t pretty steep. We were speaking on the porch of his office, a small bungalow looking out over the grapes. Dressed with disheveled flair, he wore a white linen suit, rumpled, a bright-yellow shirt, untucked, and bright-orange-red socks.
"He smoked one of his own cigars, a thin one (like the kind Clint Eastwood used to clench between his teeth in spaghetti Westerns), named for his father, Carmine. (They’re called Carmine Thriftys; you can buy them online in packs of five for $5. The side of the box reads, steal from the best.) Clearly, whatever professional storms Coppola has weathered, whatever personal tragedies he’s survived (including the accidental death, in 1986, of his son Gian-Carlo), he knows how to live. In his expansive, padrone-like splendor, he puts me vaguely in mind of the Sicilian Mafia don from The Godfather Part II, the one that Robert De Niro’s young Vito Corleone guts in the revenge killing that climaxes the prequel half of the film."
Read Bruce Handy's entire profile on Coppola at Vanity Fair.
--posted by Kim Is 'The Golden Compass' Really For Kids?
MSN Movie's Martha Brockenbrough takes a look at the current number one movie, "The Golden Compass" -- addressing it's controversy:
"Harry Potter might get all the adoration from screaming adolescents, but when it comes to awards and literary prestige, the boy wizard takes a definite back seat to an 11-year-old girl who won't go anywhere without her daemon.
"Her name is Lyra Belacqua, and she's the heroine of a story that's soon to appear on a big screen near you. Called 'The Golden Compass,' it features some of the biggest names in Hollywood. What's more, the book it's based on was just called England's best children's book in 70 years.
"To win this special Carnegie Medal, 'Golden 'Compass' beat out 'The Chronicles of Narnia,' 'Harry Potter' and 'The Lord of the Rings' series, among others. And honestly, no one was surprised. It's a terrific book, and the author, Philip Pullman, is an immensely talented storyteller.
"Here's the thing no one's talking about, though: Why on earth is 'The Golden Compass' -- part of the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy -- considered a kids' book at all? It's easily one of the most daring and subversive books I've ever read, full of literary references to Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' as well as metaphysical questions that have occupied philosophers for centuries.
"And then there's the religious stuff."
Read her entire, interesting take here.
--posted by Kim
Golden Box Office "The Golden Compass" didn't meet expectations. It was number one but like a demanding girlfriend, that's just not good enough.According to The Hollywood Reporter:
"New Line's family adventure 'The Golden Compass' opened considerably south of expectations this weekend with $26.1 million in domestic boxoffice.
"The limp bow by the pricey, effects-laden film puts added pressure on international execs, as the mini-major seeks to salvage profitability -- as well as its quest for a new film franchise -- with outsized foreign grosses. Based on a British book series aimed at teens, "Compass" has charted a simultaneous overseas launch since Wednesday with $55 million in foreign grosses.
"Disney's 'Enchanted' and Sony Screen Gems' 'This Christmas' finished second and third on the weekend, with $10.7 million and $5 million, respectively, in each film's third session. Family musical "Enchanted" extended its cumulative boxoffice to $83.9 million, while the cume on the urban-skewing seasonal drama 'Christmas' reached $42.8 million.
"Warner Bros.' seasonal comedy 'Fred Claus' also continued a leggy run, boasting a tiny 15% drop in its fifth frame that produced $4.7 million in fourth place and a $65.6 million cume. Last weekend's sole wide opener, MGM/Weinstein Co.'s 'Awake,' dropped 43% from opening grosses to ring up $3.3 million in ninth place and a $10.7 million cume."
Here's the top five movies over the weekend:
 1. "The Golden Compass" -- $26M
2. "Enchanted" -- $10.7M
3. "This Christmas" -- $5M
4. "Fred Claus" -- $4.6M
5. "Beowulf" -- $4.4M
--posted by Kim
07 dicembre Friday Night At The Movies
--Roll out your novel vs. film reviews -- "Atonement" opens in theaters. After reading a few of these rants and raves, I've decided to never use the word "masterful" ever again. I shall try, at least.
--A spunky young orphan wading through a fantasy world consisting of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and polar bears. It should be like, the greatest movie ever made, right? Oh. Anyway, which one is Dakota Blue Richards and which one is Diablo Cody? My hype meter is on the fritz.
--Feel good porn? No thanks. Wait...Jeff Bridges stars? Is he treating objects like women? I just might have to find out.
--posted by Kim |
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