| movies filter b...'s profilemovies filterPhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
September 28 'Funny Games' In The USA
I remember when I first saw Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" in 1997-- I thought to myself, this would never be made in the United States. No way. I was wrong of course, as the picture has been re-made with Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet and will be released very soon. Watch the trailer and you'll want to see what it's all about.
But here's the twist -- Michael Haneke (a director I love) re-made the horrifying, beyond tense and morbidly humorous (and I mean morbidly humorous) film himself. And I won't spoil anything for you but honestly, will he be able to keep his original ending? Is it possible? And if there are any changes, will Haneke -- a highly intellectual filmmaker with strong opinions regarding media, how we watch movies and on-screen violence (check out "Benny's Video") -- provide a clever reason for any changes?
Guess I'll have to wait and see. The trailer, complete with the use of "Mountain King" -- a nod to Fritz Lang's classic "M" -- looks potentially great. I hope.
And you know those white shorts, white polos and white gloves will be future Halloween costumes for more discerning high-school boys tired of playing "A Clockwork Orange's" head droog Alex every year.
--posted by Kim Friday Night At The Movies
Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited" opened today (in select cities) to mixed reviews. Scanning through RottenTomatoes, the critical consensus is either the movie's a funky, fussy, treasure or an over-stylized, overly quirky, annoying, soulless dud. And a few reviews have called Anderson's handling of race into question (Salon and Slate).
But for some reason, RT placed a side-bar from AskMen in which the "critic" states the film is for "Hipster-douches and art-twats...the people who love this film without having seen it." And that's all he (or she -- I hope it's a man since the reader is supposed to be "asking" him) wrote. Oh wait. He, they, whatever the hell, also wrote this: "Condescending hipsters are now demanding that we pay for the privilege of watching them?"
Wow. How insightful. They should write book reviews too.
--posted by Kim September 27 Funny Femmes
MSN's Kati Johnston profiles a handful of edgy female comedians in her newest entertainment piece. Here's what she wrote about one of my favorites, the transformative, ingenious, twisted and lovable Amy Sedaris:
"The sister of equally wickedly funny author David Sedaris has a rolling Hollywood resume that ranges from writing credit and starring role in the cult classic TV series (and subsequent movie) 'Strangers With Candy' to parts in mainstream fare like 'Elf' and 'Shrek the Third.' Offscreen, Sedaris recently made a splash with her book 'I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.'
"Not your average entertaining guide, the coffee table book includes things like a 'Dad Come Home' sheet cake, advice for dating a hunter, and fun facts like this one, alongside a Greek pudding recipe: 'In Greece, umbilical cords are saved from baby boys and frozen (see What Not to Put in Your Refrigerator). When someone gets pregnant, fresh bread is baked using the cord and fed to the pregnant woman in the hopes that she will have a baby boy, because girls don't count.'"
Love her.
Read the rest of her picks including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and the ubiquitous Sarah Silverman.
--posted by Kim One From The Hard Drive
Remember that scene in "Husbands and Wives" where Juliette Lewis leaves Woody Allen's manuscript in the taxi? This is a lot worse -- and it's no movie: "Armed bandits raided Francis Ford Coppola's Argentine headquarters and stole a computer with the screenplay for the upcoming feature film 'Tetro,' according to local news media. The director of 'The Godfather' apparently was not in Buenos Aires at the time of the robbery Wednesday night. "A federal police spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name, confirmed that a robbery had occurred and a judge was investigating, but he said he could not give details. "The independent news agency Noticias Argentinas reported at least five people entered the offices of Zoetrope Argentina, tied up employees and took computers, cameras and other valuables. "Noticias Argentinas said one of the stolen computers contained the 68-year-old director's script for 'Tetro,' a story about Italian immigrant artists set to begin shooting next year and starring Matt Dillon." Geez. I mean, surely he's got some backup files (*actually, he lost 15 years of data on that computer) but how many obstacles does this man have to come up against in his influential, sometimes brilliant career? --posted by Kim September 26 Mortensen's 'Passion'
Viggo Mortensen, Dreyer fan.
"MSN Movies: What's in your DVD player?
Viggo Mortensen: The last thing I saw was a movie I've seen many, many times: The Criterion version of 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' by Carl Dreyer. If you've ever seen that movie, it's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That actress [Renée Maria Falconetti], it's the only movie she did, is in close-up so much. When you compare her performance to the performances of other movie stars of the silent era, it's just in another league; it's way out there in terms of believability.
"Do you have a favorite DVD?
I like a lot of movies; I like a lot of DVDs. I couldn't pick one. But 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' I had watched many times and I'm a big fan of Dreyer's work. There are very few directors that I would say I like everything he's done -- he's definitely at the top of the list. He was so ahead of his time in a way and he was so subtle in a lot of ways. He broke rules in obvious and not so obvious ways and he had such a searing realism to his work."
Read the entire interview with Mortensen here.
--posted by Kim The Super Mother 'Bug' On DVD
When William Friedkin's "Bug" hit theaters, the movie left many viewers confused, even angry. Based on the picture's previews and poster art, audience's unfamiliar with the Tracy Letts play it was adapted from, thought they were going to see another "Saw" or "Hostel" or whatever Lions Gate horror film was currently released. But, nope. They saw something far superior. Too bad so many didn't appreciate it. As I sat in the theater (I saw the movie alone, on my birthday, which was an oddly perfect personal present) I heard jeers, witnessed walk-outs and when the credits rolled, grumblings of "wanting my money back." I however, couldn't wait for the fascinating freak-out to come out on DVD. Happily, since yesterday, it has done just that, and after watching the picture for the second time, I’m re-running my review. If you missed it on the big screen, now’s your chance to catch up on one of this year's best movies. Or rather, catch this "Bug."
“Guess I’d rather talk with you about bugs than nothing with nobody.” There’s a moment in "Bug" during which I was so significantly moved, I almost crumbled in my theater seat. It comes when Agnes (Ashley Judd), the worn out, drug abusing, but still beautiful (in that way only certain kinds of damaged women can be) realizes she might be a alone again. As her newfound future partner in psychosis, Peter (Michael Shannon) leaves her; she closes herself in her seedy motel bathroom and sobs. In spite of presenting herself as a tough cookie -- she needs this guy. He’s a lot smarter and sensitive than her ex-husband (a bullying, abusive Harry Connick Jr.) and in spite of some of his crazy rants, she likes the way he talks. And then…he returns and reveals his distinctly special problem. The reunion of these lovers is so weirdly romantic and such a relief, that you almost forget it will be poor Agnes’ undoing. If love is mad, if love is crazy, then Agnes and Peter are, as Laura Dern stated, “wild at heart and weird on top.” So begins their folie à deux but one that moves beyond these lost soul’s tortured union and into modern ideas of conspiracies, post war insanity, disease, infected blood and the kind of paranoia that can spread like wildfire once the flame is (quite literally) ignited. And of course, it’s also about bugs, aphids to be specific, though they’re not swooping down on the pair a la "Mimic" -- they’re horrifyingly in their blood, brain, skin, teeth and, even more terrifying, we can’t see them. We simply have to believe. Or rather, we have to want to believe. I certainly wanted to believe, just so these people’s lives would make the labyrinthian sense they so desire. Directed by William Friedkin and adapted from Tracy Letts’s stage play, "Bug" is a movie that will baffle, excite, horrify and anger those who can’t stay with its unwavering intensity. It will even in moments provoke titters, purposefully so, which should be honored rather than mocked -- obsession can be very, very funny. "Bug" is a rare picture that balances realistic, literal psychological horror with metaphorical meaning with small punches of satirical wit. It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen and so skillfully, artfully executed and so brilliantly acted (especially by Judd ) that the result is less movie and more wide awake fever dream. If you can relate to paranoia and desperate love in any way, you will meld into this movie -- and that only lends to its horror. It is (I’m not going to mince words here), a masterpiece. Read the rest of my "Bug" review here. --posted by Kim September 25 Schroeder's Latest Terror
From his French S&M film "Matresse" to the fasincating gorilla documentary "Koko" to the tragi-comic Bukowski meditation "Barfly" to the wonderfully wicked, beautifully acted "Reversal of Fortune" to the tough and touching "Our Lady of the Assassins" to Hollywood fare like "Murder By Numbers," director Barbet Schroeder is an intriguing presence in cinema.
His latest picture, the documentary "Terror's Advocate" is another interesting addition to the Schroeder canon. From ComingSoon:
"The documentary is a history of world terrorist movement as told through the story of the enigmatic figure Jacques Vergès. Communist, anti-colonialist, right-wing extremist? What convictions guide the moral mind of Jacques Vergès? Schroeder takes us down history's darkest paths in his attempt to illuminate the mystery behind this enigmatic figure."
Check out the exclusive first look of "Terror's Advocate" here. The picture opens October 12, hopefully in a theater near you. Or, at least in a theater in the closest larger city near you.
--posted by Kim 'Two-Lane' Is Number One
What's the the Cadillac of screen comedy? How about summer blockbuster? Or, one of my favorite sub-genres, car movie? Ponder three writer's (including myself) opinions on the matter here -- agree or disagree with our choices.
Here's my pick in the category of car classics, "Two-Lane Blacktop":
It feels almost too easy applying the term “existential” to Monte Hellman’s mysterious “Two-Lane Blacktop,” but 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-hyped script by Rudy Wurlitzer, the movie came with an interesting amount of publicity. The picture managed to be hailed on the cover of Esquire magazine as movie of the year, before it was released, something rather unheard of at that time. Naturally, it’s been a cult favorite ever since.
Leading this gearhead meditation 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 is the “Mechanic”; Laurie Bird is 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 makes you at one with the car — a oneness that has become the characters’ very identities.
A masterpiece of “auto-erotic” beauty and enigmatic significance, “Two-Lane Blacktop” sits, or more appropriately, drives, in a class by itself.
Read all of the critical takes here. September 24 New York Stories
According to New York Magazine, The New York Film Festival, finally, feels like its native city.
From its cover story featuring the profiles of The Coen Brothers, Noah Baumbach and Wes Anderson on front, the New York auteur is back:
"For the first time in a long while, the New York Film Festival, which opens this Friday, is truly a New York film festival. The 45th NYFF has drafted a whopping ten New Yorkers—a lineup so stacked they could take on the Yankees. Wes Anderson has the opening-night slot with 'The Darjeeling Limited.' The Coen brothers follow with 'No Country for Old Men' as the centerpiece. To round out the scorecard: Noah Baumbach, Peter Bogdanovich, Abel Ferrara, Murray Lerner, Sidney Lumet, Ira Sachs, and Julian Schnabel. Filmmakers from Hollywood: one. You may not have noticed that you are living in a new heyday of New York film, but you are.
"Unlike the seventies, though, this new era is indeed a stealth golden age, since our filmmakers (Ang Lee, Spike Lee, Michel Gondry, Julie Taymor, and Michael Moore, among them) often seem to have nothing but Zip Codes in common. They’re not part of any movement, but they do recall earlier glorious moments in our city’s film history: the ferocious indie trailblazing of Elia Kazan in the forties and fifties, the transgressive cinema of Warhol, the mainstreaming of art films in the nineties by studios like Miramax, and, of course, the great decade of 'Mean Streets' and 'Taxi Driver.'"
Read the rest of the story, (including a picture of Wes Anderson at his favorite taxidermy shop in Paris) here.
--posted by Kim Marcel Marceau: 1923-2007 Rest in peace Marcel Marceau.
In the spirt of your art, no words can express.
But do read all about his fascinating, heroic life, including being a part of the French Underground, aiding children in passage to Switzerland and joining Free French Forces, fighting with the U.S. under Patton during World War II, here.
--posted by Kim September 21 Friday Night At The Movies
The Jesse James legend is a fascinating one -- the hype, adoration, hatred and mythic status of the American outlaw is something a movie could dive into with relish.
For Andrew Domink's sprawling, two and a half hour "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" that something has been met with either praise for being a more '70s inspired, artfully enigmatic revisionist Western or harsh criticism for wasting a terrific premise on flabby meandering.
Among those in the pro camp is The Onion AV Club's Scott Tobias who wrote:
"It happened with regularity in the '70s, but every once in a while, a major studio accidentally produces a work of art like The Assassination Of 'Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford'—a dark, iconoclastic Western that lacks clear heroes and villains, tucks its only shoot 'em up sequence in the opening reel, and closes on a note of profound ambiguity and regret. In look and tone, it recalls moody revisionist Westerns like 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller' and 'The Shooting,' but with a special attentiveness to the natural world that's closer to Terrence Malick."
And one from the anti camp is The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt. He complained:
"At the heart of 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' lies an obsessive, destructive relationship between two disparate yet oddly similar men. One will eventually kill the other. Yet this fascinating relationship gets smothered in pointlessly long takes, repetitive scenes, grim Western landscapes and mumbled, heavily accented dialogue. The self-indulgence begins with director Andrew Dominik and infects much of the cast, who deliver meandering, unstable performances. Instead of contemplating the moral dimensions of novelist Ron Hansen's portrait of outlaw paranoia and obsession, a viewer can only think of waste -- the waste of good material and themes, a talented cast and, most crucially, the viewer's own time."
Since I read similar disparate takes on David Fincher's masteful "Zodiac," I'm actually more intrigued by the picture. Reviews really should be read after one watches a movie, that way you're more involved in the actual understanding of the critic's opinion but I realize some viewers need guidance before plopping down ten bucks on their entertainment. It's often their loss however.
On that note, I'm off to see the movie.
--posted by Kim September 20 Anna Gets Deep
I guess Anna Faris (a comic actress I like quite a bit) wants to be taken seriously. This is the kind of ultra depressing story to either make that happen, or keep audiences away in droves.
As the actress told MTV, she's signed on to star in a biopic about "Deep Throat" porn star Linda Lovelace:
"'There's a project about Linda Lovelace, the porn star, that we're really hoping to put together soon,' Faris said of a dramatic biopic that will cast her as the infamous 'Deep Throat' actress who dragged the X-rated movie into mainstream culture. 'It's a really deep, dark drama — and it would be cool for me to do.'
"For those who aren't versed in filthy '70s cinema, Lovelace was the stage name Linda Susan Boreman adopted before starring in 'Throat,' the 1972 flick about a frustrated woman exploring (and exploring, and exploring again) her sexuality.
"Lovelace became a household name after 'Deep Throat' became a pop-culture phenomenon that had stars like Johnny Carson and Jack Nicholson attending showings. Porn became chic, and the film has to date grossed more than $600 million worldwide (some believe it is still be the most profitable movie ever made).
"In the years that followed, however, Lovelace reinvented herself as an anti-porn crusader, toiled in poverty and insisted that she had a gun held to her head off-camera during those infamous 'Throat' scenes, blaming the experience largely on her manager/husband Chuck Traynor.
"'This would be incredibly intense," Faris said of the script about Lovelace, who died in 2002 following a car accident and several weeks on life support. "It would be the most difficult thing I've done, and I'm really nervous.'"
--posted by Kim
13 Women And Counting
I was against the re-make of George Cukor's catty, witty 1939 classic "The Women" but it's become so heaped with stars, I'm officially curious. Chiefly, why are there now so many women this time around? Seven more stars have recently been added to the cast.
According to ComingSoon:
"Bette Midler, Cloris Leachman, Carrie Fisher, Lynn Whitfield, Joanna Gleason, Ana Gasteyer and Debi Mazar have joined The Women, the Diane English-directed remake of the 1939 comedy.
"They join Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Candice Bergen, who play friends who discover the pal they envied most is being cheated on by her husband. As in the George Cukor-directed original, English's film has an entirely female cast."
How many more women are they going to add? And, what happened to the days when Bette Davis could simply carry a woman's movie without having to call the picture "The Women"?
--posted by Kim Pirate Performances
Yesterday was "Speak Like a Pirate" day -- a celebration that annoys me almost as much as those who abused the use of "Yeah Baby!" -- which shouldn't be used at all, not even by Mike Meyers anymore.
Anyway, the irritating idea of dealing with anyone, anyone saying "arrrh" or "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" kept me from writing about it Wednesday but since Cinematical posted their seven greatest pirates in cinema, I bended. The OCD part of my brain loves lists and I really do like pirates -- real pirates, the likes you can only see in old movies or read in Robert Louis Stevenson books.
Here's one from their list:
"The Black Pirate -- 'The Black Pirate' (1926)
There is NO honor among thieves, but there is honor in being an epic pirate. Douglas Fairbanks is one of the unforgettable -- and in 'The Black Pirate,' he did it in the realm of silent film -- all in a goofy, low-cut, tank-top-like top and shorts, no less. Like Flynn, Fairbanks' pirate started as a land lubber, and slid into an acrobatic, memorable pirate who somehow got away with phrases like 'grieve profoundly.'"
Read the rest of their list here.
--posted by Kim September 18 DVD Delirium
Since I'm missing the latest episode of "Damages" (note to self: Get over your fear of cable. Come to terms with just how many TV shows you buy online. Realize you are spending more money than a monthly cable bill. See that your friend Brian can't record every John Garfield movie that pops up on TCM. Embrace the idea of wasting the day watching Court TV and "What Not To Wear." And...this isn't a note, this is a list...)
Anyway, while waiting for "Damages" to pop up on download, I realized that I hadn't discussed DVD's released today. There's some great ones. Here's a list: Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" -- the director's cut, Sarah Polley's "Away From Her," 35th Anniversary Edition of "Deliverance," a special edition of "Saturday Night Fever," The Roger Corman Collection, Special Edition of John Woo's "Face/Off," "From Beyond" -- Unrated, "The Graduate" 40th Anniversary Edition, Robinson Devor's "Zoo" and the deluxe edition of William Friedkin's "Cruising."
Alright. Now I remember why I don't have cable.
--posted by Kim Is Drew A Staunch Enough Character?
I reported last year on the murmurs concerning the big screen biopic adapted from one of my favorite documentaries, the unforgettable "Grey Gardens" by David and Albert Maysles. Well, not surprisingly it's become a fleshed out reality.
"HBO Films has greenlighted 'Grey Gardens,' a movie starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange that's based on the 1975 documentary about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' eccentric cousin and aunt.
"The movie is based on the documentary by Albert and David Maysles. It follows the relationship between the mother-daughter duo of "Big Edie" (Lange) and 'Little Edie' Beale (Barrymore) who spent most of their lives living in a decaying mansion on New York's Long Island... Along with Barrymore and Lange, other original auspices on board are commercials helmer Michael Sucsy, who is directing and wrote the script with Patricia Rozema ('This Might Be Good'), and executive producers Rachel Horowitz ('Little Black Book') and Lucy Barzun Donnelly ("The Go-Getter"). David Coatsworth (HBO's 'John Adams') is producing."
I'm still not sold on Barrymore tackling Little Edie. The accent is highly important and I fear she's not fit to say "the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character...S-T-A-U-N-C-H." If you've never seen or heard of "Grey Gardens," get on the ball (and check out my review here). Once you watch it, you'll understand my concern with Barrymore. I hope she pulls it off. That's a major "revolutionary costume" to try on.
--posted by Kim A Weekend That Felt Like A Week
Over the weekend:
--David Cronenberg won Toronto's top prize for his picture, "Eastern Promises."
--Dave McCoy wrote his final Toronto dispatch. He was impressed and defended Brian De Palma's war picture "Redacted" but steered clear of Paul Haggis' take on the Iraq war "In the Valley of Elah". "Crash" was enough for Mr. McCoy.
--Neil Jordan's "The Brave One" was number one at the box office.
--And in case you've been sleeping, somewhere during all of this, OJ Simpson was arrested. OJ was in "The Naked Gun" movies so I'm counting this as film news.
--posted by Kim September 14 Friday Night At The Movies
--Neil Jordan's "The Brave One" starring Jodie Foster has critics split. Some find the picture "An emotion-filled commentary on loss, revenge and redemption...a smart, well-acted, engaging thriller..." while others feel it "doesn't cut as deeply as it needs to." The vigilante aspect has gotten to more than a few critics with this writer stating the film isn't as good as "Death Wish 4." Oh come on. Has this person actually seen "Death Wish 4"?
--David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" is getting far better reviews than Jordan's picture but two New York critics express opposing views about Cronenberg. In writing about "Eastern Promisies" The Village Voice's J. Hoberman states at the outset that Cronenberg is "the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation." But The New Yorker's Anthony Lane
 is less enthusiastic writing, "You walk out of 'Eastern Promises' feeling spooked and sullied, as if waking from a noisome dream. “London is to blame,” one of the characters declares, but I don’t buy it. I blame David Cronenberg."--I love Billy Bob Thornton but ..."Mr. Woodcock"? I can't get past that horrid poster.
--One word that continually pops up in reviews for "The Hunting Party" is "thin." Not good in any case and most especially when discussing a film about International war correspondants. According to Emanuel Levy the movie lacks "any dramatic credibility or historical authenticity, Shepard's thriller about the Bosnian wars is a silly, presposterous fantasy that can't decide whether it's about journalism, politics, male camaraderie, or coming-of-age." Huh. Well Owen Gleiberman liked it anyway.
--posted by Kim September 12 'There' At Toronto
Dave McCoy loved Todd Haynes' Dylan pic "I'm Not There" -- a movie I eagerly anticipate to the point of not wanting to read any of the picture's surprise and invention.
But here's a little taste from McCoy's Toronto Dispatch:
A friend saw me in the lobby after the screening of Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," a hypnotic dramatization of the life and music of Bob Dylan. My smile caused him to ask whether I was in "Dylan heaven." Now, I dunno if there is such a thing, but if there is, it probably looks, feels and sounds a whole lot like "I'm Not There."
See, I'm a Dylan freak. I'm not a religious man, but if there is such a thing as spirituality, probably the closest I get to it is listening to, thinking about and losing myself in Dylan's music and words. So, when I heard Haynes was doing a Dylan biopic that featured not one but six actors playing the artist, all at different times in Dylan's life, well, I was skeptical. And if you're a Dylan fan and have seen how the man's ideas have been translated to screen, you'd be nervous, too. Outside of documentaries -- D.A. Pennebaker's landmark, perfect "Don't Look Back" (1966) and Martin Scorsese's by-the-numbers drool-fest "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" (2005) -- Dylan and cinema haven't mixed well ... kind of like blood and chocolate. There was Dylan's own 1978 directorial debut (if you don't count his experimental doc, "Eat the Document"), "Renaldo and Clara," which was a choppy, druggy four-hour-long mess (the live stuff was great, though), and a few years back, Dylan himself starred in the atrocious, self-reflexive, incomprehensible turd "Masked and Anonymous."
Here, however, Haynes has managed to do for Dylan what Dylan wasn't able to do for himself: make a film that embodies the man's playfulness, artistry, contradictions and frustrations. And appropriately, it's completely unpredictable, hallucinogenic, challenging and damn fun. It's also the type of portrait Dylan fans will drool over. The rest of you, well ... that's a good question.
Read Dave's entire take here. Read all of MSN's Toronto coverage here.
--posted by Kim Jon Stewart Oscar Host Part II
I was a huge fan of Jon Stewart hosting the Oscars back in 2006, so I'm happy for his just announced return engagement as next year's master of ceremonies. And in spite of the mixed reactions and the telecast's lower viewership during Stewart's hosting duties, so is Oscar producer Cates.
"'He did a great job two years ago,' Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates told The Associated Press Wednesday. 'You need a host who is not afraid of the unexpected, who can stand out and really work a room and deal with a live show. Jon, of course, does that on his show every night.' Stewart, 44, is also 'a very, very nice guy and very easy to work with,' Cates said."
There are those who think this decision stinks but I believe giving Jon a second chance is a little more calculated than simply he's great, he's a nice guy, he can work a room. It's an election year. And as well all know, he's good at this.
--posted by Kim |
|
|
