One of the greats -- Paul Newman -- has passed. Such a man was Newman that taking in the news is overwhelming -- the career, the philanthropy, the legend.

 

I love Richard T. Jameson's memoriam to  Newman and that it leas with one of my favorite Newman roles: "Hud":

 

"Paul Newman's entrance in 'Hud' (1963) is actually an exit, emerging just past dawn from a nondescript house on the side street of a no-name Texas town that barely has one street to begin with. He's the title character, of course, mid-30s, the lone surviving son of a local rancher, and he's been spending the wee hours with a married woman whose husband is about two minutes away from arriving home. Hud's nephew Lon (Brandon de Wilde) has been looking for him, found his big pink Cadillac brazenly parked in front of the house, and called him out.

"So here comes Hud, snarling, tearing himself away from business left unfinished offscreen and lunging onto the small front porch. The shot is pretty straightforward but Hud's an insouciant angle: his body canted so that one side of him is advancing before the other, his spine still in the reluctant process of drawing itself erect, his left arm lifted in anticipation of leaning on the porch post between him and the camera. "This had better be good," he growls, into the lean now and letting his torso sag a little -- signaling that he's in charge here, but also allowing for the possibility, indeed the expectation, that maybe he can get out of whatever this is without raising a hand.

"The sag and the lean ... nobody deployed these body-English parts of speech more eloquently than Paul Newman. See him in 'The Hustler' (1961), his thumbs broken and his forearms in plaster casts, trying to button his own shirt, wordlessly rebuffing Piper Laurie's offer of help, then realizing he has no choice but to accept it. Or as the American scientist turned amateur spy in 'Torn Curtain' (1966), trying for embarrassed bonhomie when the Stasi agent catches him at an East German farmhouse where he has no business to be. Best of all, remember the wonderfully seasoned Newman three decades later as Sully in 'Nobody's Fool' (1994), halfway out the construction-office door and tenderly poleaxed by the sight of Melanie Griffith flashing him her breasts. Every man in the audience knew how he felt, and every woman loved him for it.

"Paul Newman, honored star of stage and screen for half a century who won audiences' affection and esteem in equal measure, died today after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 83."

Read more here.  Res in peace Paul Newman.

--posted by Kim

 

Hmm....

 

"It looks like 'Die Hard' star Bruce Willis will be moving behind the camera, making his directorial debut with the indie psychological drama 'Three Stories About Joan.' Willis will be taking a supporting role in the movie as the father of Camilla Belle's title character with Kieran Culkin co-starring.

 

"Based on the screenplay by Christopher Alexander and Sam Applebaum, the story centers on a young woman at three points in her life and the family tragedies that cause her to lose her grip on reality.

 

"It's scheduled to start shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana starting early next month."

 

I'll see any movie about women losing their grip on reality but by Willis (who I love as an actor)?

 

Actually, that's right, he's an actor, was married to an actress and created three girls with that actress. He knows these things...

 

With all of the boyfriend drama in her life (just read the Vanity Fair story), I'm not terribly surprised by Anne Hathaway's "dark side." Also, I saw "Havoc" -- if you've seen that movie, you've seen the usually sweet Anne's dark side...and more.

 

But with Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married" -- the actress takes it up a notch.

 

From Hollywood Hitlist:

 

Did the usually decked-out Anne Hathaway just sit down to talk about her new film, "Rachel Getting Married," in a T-shirt and jeans? Yes, it's true. But do her a favor and keep it to yourself.

"I was in my Glamasaurus rex outfit earlier and I got changed out of it and I'm a little bit more comfy. Please don't out me," Hathaway jokes. "Tell everyone I'm wearing Chanel or something."

Then again, the 25-year-old's ensemble is somewhat appropriate considering how unconventional Hathaway's character is in director Jonathan Demme's new drama. As Kym, Hathaway plays a recovering drug addict who returns home for the wedding of her older sister (an impressive Rosemarie DeWitt) and encounters underlying resentment from her divorced parents (Bill Irwin and Debra Winger) over a family tragedy years before. Chain smoking, inappropriately blunt and combative, Kym is unlike any character Hathaway's fans have seen her play on-screen.

Read more about Miss Hathaway here.

--posted by Kim

Anyone who reads me knows I adore Lindsay Lohan, "Mean Girls," "Georgia Rule," "I Know Who Killed Me" and all. And anyone paying attention, also knows, I'm pro Lilo and Sam Ronson, who, forget Brad and Angelina -- are the "it" couple of the year. But are they a couple? My dreams (and I always take everything I read with a big grain of salt) may have come true.

 

From Showbiz News:

 

"Actress Lindsay Lohan has finally revealed that she and Samantha Ronson are a couple. The 'Mean Girls' star added that her relationship with the DJ had been going on a 'very long time.'

 

"The 22-year-old actress confirmed to the co-host of the syndicated radio program Loveline that she has been dating the 31-year-old.

DJ Ted Stryker had called Ronson to speak about the Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein plane crash, before the phone was passed to Lohan.

 

"'Now, you guys, you and Samantha, have been going out for how long now? Like two years? One year? Five months? Two months?,' Stryker asked.

Lohan giggled before responding: 'A long... a very long time.'

 

"Lohan's publicist, Leslie Sloane-Zelnik, told The Associated Press on Monday that Lohan is not engaged to be married."

 

This may be one of those Margot Tenenbaum phases, but I don't care. She seems happy. Viva La Lohan!

 

--Stephen Chow will be and direct as Kato. Yes!

 

--Jude Law might be playing Watson to Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes in the Guy Ritchie directed Sherlock Holmes picture. Will he have to hear, "Elementary, my dear Watson"? Let's hope not since Sherlock Holmes never ever said that.

 

--When I read this headline, "Rachel Bilson set for 'Forever'" I got all excited because I thought finally a Judy Blume book was coming to the big screen! But alas, no such luck.

 

--Nicolas Cage's new role? As a "14th century knight transporting a girl suspected of being the witch behind the Black Plague. His compatriots help him bring the girl to an abbey of monks trained in exorcising demons." Expect the witch to be hot, tempting monks with lots of writhing and heavy breathing. Jousting. Pursuit by horseback. Knight gets girl. End of movie.

 

One of my favorites, Neil LaBute, scored a hit with "Lakeview Terrace" -- an entertaining domestic thriller in which Sam Jackson screams at his neighbors a lot. There's an interesting study of white guilt going on within the picture, but the movie twists into pretty conventional territory by film end. It's not as socially challenging and gleefully insane as "The Wicker Man", which I fervently defend -- but how many movies can live up to that cult classic in the making?

 

From Entertainment Weekly:

 

"Samuel L. Jackson's 'Lakeview Terrace' defeated a trove of weak new competitors to walk away with the win this weekend, as the box office returned to its moribund ways.

 

"The domestic thriller, costarring Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson, brought in a decent and anticipated $15.6 million, according to Sunday's estimates. That's the top debut ever for director Neil LaBute — which isn't much of a surprise considering the fact that the caustic filmmaker is best known for churning out independent fare like 'In the Company of Men' and 'Your Friends and Neighbors.' (His previous best debut was the $9.6 mil first-weekend take of his only other major-studio release, 2006's 'The Wicker Man'.) But LaBute & Co. should enjoy their moment in the sun now, because with a poor C+ CinemaScore review from a generally older audience, 'Lakeview Terrace' is certain to quickly move out of that tony neighborhood otherwise known as the top of the box office."

 

And...here's the top five movies over the weekend:

 

1. "Lakeview Terrace" -- $15.6M

2. "Burn After Reading" -- $11.3M

3. "My Best Friend's Girl" -- $8.3M

4. "Igor" -- $8M

5. "Righteous Kill" -- $7.7M

 

--posted by Kim

The twenty best worst science fiction movies of all time?

 

When I saw the line (from the great terrible "Chronicles of Riddick-ulous") "It's a long time since I smelled beautiful" -- I got it.

 

Here's the story:

 

"Not every movie gets to be the Oscar darling of its time, but sometimes we love the bad movies the most. These movies exist to be found in the bottom of bargain DVD bins and are met with squeals of excitement. Movies like Red Planet, Enemy Mine, The Faculty — these aren't successful by any standards other than the people that love them and treasure watching them for the 14th time. So I asked around and pulled a sampling of what I believe is the science fiction equivalent to Point Break. Here's our list of the greatest bad scifi movies of all time.

Now it needs to be said, these are movies that aren't trying to be bad. So no, you won't find Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (though it is awfully great), Innerspace or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes here. We'll build another list of intentionally campy movies later. These are strictly films that were made in total seriousness but turned out ridiculously awful and we LOVE THEM FOR IT.

 

[Starting With...]

 

"'Chronicles Of Riddick'

There are so many awesomely terrible moments in this movie that I can recite or reenact on command. How about the fact that you can prevent the death-inducing sun from burning you alive with a little water? Diesel is literally STEAMING in this film. It's awesome. Or what about the line: 'It's been a long time since I smelled beautiful'? Plus the whole Necromonger mythology is so fascinating. How about the machines that stab your neck or the crazy heat-sensing drones that follow the warriors around. None of it was ever really explained or made any sense, but it was all still amazing. I don't think I have ever passed on a Chronicles watching party, ever. One of the my 5,000 Chronicles favorite scenes is below, 'Death By Tea Cup.'"

 

Read the entire list here.

 

Rose McGowan pulls a Vanessa Redgrave/Jane Fonda (whom I revere) and, agree or disagree with her opinion, I kind of love her for it. If she continues on this path, we're gonna have a G.I. Rose on our hands. Maybe she'll make something as good as "Klute" or "Julia" -- maybe.

 

Here's the controversy:

 

"The producers of the IRA drama 'Fifty Dead Men Walking' have taken the unusual step of distancing themselves from incendiary comments made by the film's star, Rose McGowan.

 

"The actress caused a stir at the Toronto Film Festival last week when she said she would have joined the Irish Republican Army had she lived in Belfast during the Troubles. She said she could understand why people turned to violence during that time in Northern Ireland.

 

"The movie is based on the life of double agent Martin McGartland, who infiltrated the IRA. Jim Sturgess plays McGartland as a young Catholic man in Belfast moving up the ranks of the IRA as he feeds information to his British Special Branch handler (Ben Kingsley). McGowan, whose father is Irish, plays a strong-willed IRA leader. 
 
"In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, the producers said they 'regret any distress' that McGowan's comments may have caused 'to people of Northern Ireland and particularly those who were victims of or caught up in the shocking events that existed during the conflict.'"

 

 

 

For those curious, ComingSoon directs you to a behind-the-scenes clip from the second "Transformers" movie:

 

"Wal-Mart has posted its second exclusive behind-the-scenes video for 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' The second clip takes a look at Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox on the set of the Michael Bay sequel. A fourth video has also been added, which features Fox's auditions for the first film.

 

"To access the content, just go here and use the access code AllSpark62609.

 

"'Revenge of the Fallen,' opening in conventional theaters and IMAX on June 26, 2009, stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden."

 

Wal-Mart? Unless Michael Bay works as one of their greeters for a week, or rather for the entire production of "The Birds" and "Rosemary's Baby" re-makes, I'm not watching any of that.

 

--posted by Kim

MSN's Kathleen Murphy wraps up the Toronto International Film Festival:

 

"As I lounged, bleary-eyed and movied-out, in a fast-food joint at the Toronto airport, a tall fellow all in black caught my eye. Over my years in the biz, I've observed that screen stars somehow always look as if they're on camera even when they're not — or maybe it's just that we ordinary folk can't help but frame them that way. So even though this long drink of water lacked entourage and looked a bit worse for wear — too much festival partying the night before? — I knew he was Jeff Goldblum.

Just a few days before, this wonderfully quirky actor had shown up on the "Today" show for a reunion of the cast of "The Big Chill." Subsequently, he'd been at the Toronto International Film Festival to promote "Adam Resurrected," Paul Schrader's oddball holocaust tragicomedy.

Complimenting him on his performance as a Jewish comic who survives the camps at great cost, I savored Goldblum's grizzled physog, always the antithesis of movie-star handsomeness. Even before age gaunted and lined this 6-footer-and-then-some's face, his overgenerous mouth and startlingly intelligent eyes suggested a kind of slightly mad bird, part raptor, part dodo. (Remember his superb performance in "The Fly"?)

Why am I going on about this eccentric actor's face? Because, strangely enough, that's one of the great pleasures of any film festival worth its salt: the opportunity to enjoy the amazing diversity of human appearance.

Like it or not, the majority of American movies feature stars whose flesh is buffed, Botoxed, cosmeticized, perfected to a fare-thee-well. And a steady diet of such unreality can't help but get boring, no matter how hooked you are on faces that look like they've never been lived in. Worse yet, most of the stories these mythical creatures inhabit are just as unreal.

Fantasy's fine, but sometimes you really want to sink your teeth (and eyes) into faces and places weathered by experience and maybe even wisdom.

Read the rest of her piece here.

--posted by Kim

I'm a Dakota Fanning believer (as evidence, I saw "Hide and Seek" to watch Ms. Fanning act circles around Mr. DeNiro whilst rocking back and forth to a creepy music box. And still she was great! Talent!). So with that, I'm reserving judgement for her controversial picture "Hounddog" (a.k.a. "The Dakota Fanning rape movie") until after I see it, which I will, opening day. But the movie, damned by many movie critics as not bad because of its disturbing subject matter but just plain bad, and damned by others for being child exploitation, has suffered a hard road toward its release date, this Friday (in select cities).

 

From the New York Times:

 

"Few movies recover from such a hostile reception, especially a low-budget Southern-gothic tale set in 1959 about a 12-year-old motherless girl obsessed with Elvis Presley who seductively sings for a teenager in exchange for tickets to a concert of the King’s. But thanks to a radically different cut of the movie and the coffers of a new independent film company listed on the Nasdaq’s over-the-counter market, 'Hounddog' will finally make its way into 22 theaters across the country on Sept. 19.

 

"Sitting in the Cupcake Café in Clinton this month, the film’s director, Deborah Kampmeier, sipped tea and reflected on the journey of her film, which cost just under $4 million. 'The whole process was challenging from the beginning,' she said. 'It’s a story about a girl whose voice and spirit are silenced, and then it’s about her reclaiming her voice on a deeper, truer level. It’s very interesting how the story that I’m trying to tell has been paralleled by the actual events of the making of the film.'"

 

Read the entire "Hounddog" saga here.

 

--posted by Kim 

I love ABBA --- not sure how I feel about Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA but, neverthless, it appears the entire world not only loves ABBA but loves to hear "Dancing Queen" minus Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid (which seems wrong to me).

 

"Mama Mia!" is a monumental hit:

 

"Abba movie 'Mamma Mia!' is still singing at the top of the global box office chart - taking $17.5 million (GBP9.45 million) across 44 countries in the last week.

The Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan-starring musical has proved a far bigger hit outside the U.S. - grossing a total of $307 million (GBP166 million) in foreign territories to date, compared to $139 million (GBP75 million) in American movie theatres.

 

"Will Smith's 'Hancock' is the second biggest hit of the week, grossing $10 million (GBP5.4 million), which lifts its global total to $375 million (GBP202 million).

'Wanted' - starring Angelina Jolie - finished third, followed by 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.'

 

"Batman movie 'The Dark Knight' lands in fifth place - boosting its total takings at the international box office to $449 million (GBP242 million).

Add that to the $517.7 million (GBP279 million) the movie has made so far in the U.S., and 'The Dark Knight' is close to reaching $1 billion (GBP540 million) - a figure only achieved by 'Titanic,' 'Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.'"

 

Batman and ABBA -- would anyone have imagined this ten years ago?

 

--posted by Kim

In between patent "hot wild girl" antics like posing with a cherry in her mouth or discussing her past relationship with a Hollywood stripper, actress Megan Fox said something intelligent (though, not career wise) and brave in a recent GQ interview.

 

Sayeth "Transformers" babe:

 

"'With any of the Miley Cyrus sh**, or any of that Vanessa Hudgens sh** — I would never issue an apology for my life and for who I am. It’s like, Oh, I’m sorry I took a naked, private picture that someone is an a**hole and sold for money. I’m sorry if someone else is a di**. No. You shouldn’t have to apologize. Someone betrayed Vanessa, but no one’s angry at that person. She had to apologize. I hate Disney for making her do that. Fu** Disney.'

 

"Can I get that on the record?

 

“'Yeah. Fu** Disney.'

 

"There goes your career.

 

“'Yeah, that was probably a bad move — they own everything. But it’s not right. They take these little girls, and they put them through entertainment school and teach them to sing and dance, and make them wear belly shirts, but they won’t allow them to be their own people. It makes me sick.'"

 

Read her entire interview here.

 

 

 

 

When "Inside the Actor's Studio" host James Lipton requested the thespian insight of Brad Pitt, the actor declined. Why? Though Lipton has featured the likes of Jennifer Lopez on his smarmy chat fest, Pitt's reason was modest: He said he didn't have ... morea "sufficient body of work" to account for the appearance.

Oh, but we beg to differ. The sandy-haired hunk has been one of cinema's biggest stars for nearly 15 years. He's an actor who, in spite of his almost obnoxiously pouty good looks and occasional lapses in judgment ("Meet Joe Black," "Seven Years in Tibet"), has weathered his worst critics by taking chances. And though the media are obsessed with his every move (a relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow, marriage to and separation from Jennifer Aniston, and his ceaselessly chronicled relationship with Angelina Jolie, now complete with six children), he's been smart to never oversaturate himself. Not by choice, anyway. He keeps a relatively tight lid on his personal and professional life, and lets his work speak for itself.

The upcoming Coen brothers comedy "Burn After Reading," in which he plays a dopey exercise instructor, is no exception to his risk-taking. And we can't wait to see his comedic chops up against the likes of George Clooney (in their fourth screen collaboration), Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich. And his performance in the eagerly anticipated "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is already receiving Oscar buzz, both for director David Fincher and his ultimate muse, Pitt. So, small body of work or not, we're sorry, Brad -- we're officially giving you your own top 10 list, detailing your greatest performances. It's a list that will, for sure, expand through time, and one that should prove to detractors once and for all that Brad Pitt is not just a pretty face.

Starting with...read my list here.

--posted by Kim

MSN's Dave Mccoy reporting cold, flu and film from Toronto:

 

So, about that weekend wrap-up I promised you last Friday ...

Poets, artists, novelists, filmmakers ... all have imagined what hell must look and feel like. Before this weekend, I thought it'd be akin to being strapped down and forced to watch Alan Parker and Michael Bay movies in a loop, for eternity (with the occasional performance by Coldplay or Creed). But no, it's far worse. I'm a film geek, and, as I've discovered, hell means attending a film festival and being unable to see any movies. That, plus tons of pain.

On Saturday night, I got a brutal case of the flu: fever, chills, etc. (The last film I saw was "The Duchess." I could probably blame my illness on that, too.) It's now Tuesday and I've just left my room for the first time. While I was laid up, I missed "Zack & Miri Make a Porno," "Me & Orson Welles," "The Wrestler," "Achilles and the Tortoise," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "The Burning Plain" and many, many others. However, I did have some horrific hallucinations during the peak of my fever, so I wasn't without some fiction.

But no one wants to read reviews of my crazy fever dreams (and I don't want to go there ever again) ... so here is that infamous weekend wrap-up. I saw a few interesting films before my body shut down. For more up-to-date coverage, please read the dispatch by my healthy colleague Kathleen Murphy.

Speaking of Ms. Murphy, she discusses how many films this year concern families (most of them really screwed up). To her list, let me add my personal favorite film of the festival: Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married." Much like Michael Winterbottom's "Genova" (a haunting, lovely work I also saw pre-flu), "Rachel" revolves around a tragic past event that splinters a family. But, whereas in "Genova" no one wants to talk about the event, here the tragedy is verbally examined from many angles, only to reveal that no amount of discussion can erase the guilt and blame and pain.

We watch all of this unfold through the point of view of, no, not Rachel, but her sister Kym (Anne Hathaway, in what's being touted as an Oscar-worthy performance), fresh out of rehab and ready to head back to her Connecticut home. But this isn't a homecoming for black sheep Kym; instead it's a celebration for Rachel, the promising sister who is about to marry a musician in a one-of-a-kind wedding (and truly, you've never seen a wedding quite like the one Demme imagines here). But Kym's egomaniacal, self-absorbed and tortured presence throws a monkey wrench into the proceedings and leads to ... well ...

Read the rest of the dispatch here (and get well soon Dave).

--posted by Kim

 

Covering the Toronto International Film Festival -- From MSN's Dave McCoy:

 

"...Don't think for a moment that these flicks fall into the simplistic patterns of family relations that Sarah "Madonna" Palin, her brood and their hunkish sire apparently represent to besotted Republicans.

No, there's no room for Stepford lives in movies like Lisandro Alonso's "Liverpool," Brillante Mendoza's "Serbis" ("Service"), Michael Winterbottom's "Genova," and Kelly Reichardt's "Wendy and Lucy." These tough, smart, often visually stunning explorations of the most fundamental form of community — wives, husbands, parents, children — are worlds away from Good Housekeeping-approved fairy tales. Look for families fractured, corrupted, lost, reconstituted, fantasized — but rarely bland, boring or second-rate Norman Rockwell.

In the superb "Liverpool," a middle-aged crew member on a freighter takes a couple of days' leave to visit his old mother up in the snowy mountains of southernmost Argentina. Laboring for years in the booming bowels of the ugly boat, sleeping in his sterile boxlike room, Farrel (Juan Fernandez) looks as though all love and life has been leached out of him forever.

Farrel's idea of getting home seems oddly slow and roundabout, requiring frequent swigs of vodka, as though this aging loner isn't quite sure he really wants to get there. Despite bitter cold, he sleeps where he can, in a decaying bus or abandoned shack. In a restaurant, we watch him eat, raising his eyes as others enter off-screen, then shifting back to his meal. He's like an animal: alert to threat, then returning to self-containment, indifferent to other life.

By implication, mostly by dint of our slowly intuiting relationships and old history, we come to understand that when our loner ran away from his village long ago he left a daughter behind; she's now a young, developmentally disabled woman who either can't or won't acknowledge her father. And his dying mother doesn't even know who he is. Eventually, Farrel presses some money on his child, as well as a fancy keychain, and then walks out of the movie, trekking up a snowy incline, disappearing into the woods.

I know what you're thinking: Where's the drama? What makes this postscript to a sad life so gripping? Well, for starters, "Liverpool" delivers an acutely physical sense of environment, from Farrel's metal prison to the port's dark, windswept streets to the harshly beautiful mountain where he grew up. Cutting from some cold, snowy exterior, we find Farrel enjoying bread and wine, backed by a sun-drenched vista of autumn-hued forest and lake. It's discombobulating, as though reality has jittered — until we register the scenery as a restaurant mural.

The director of "Liverpool" expects you to be a lively participant in discovering what the "story" is about. There's little dialogue, and he tells you what the movie means through close-ups of wonderfully lived-in faces; by framing scenes for a long time, giving you leisure to sift through their significance; and ordinary actions, such as the way Farrel's daughter plays with rabbits in the snow, or the way an old man in the village snares foxes.

Read his entire dispatch here.

--posted by Kim