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movies filterOctober 03 Sarah Palin Should Become Tom Cruise's Agent I don't think I ever want to hear the word "maverick" ever again but after last night's Biden/Palin debate, viewers couldn't get enough.
As scrolling through the internet leads us into stream of consciousness tangential states of thought (or non thought) "maverick" naturally led to..."Top Gun." Yep. You betcha. That phrase was searched also. (So where's the love for "Fargo?")
Anyway, Joe Sixpack just updated his Netflix que with a need for speed:
"Ms. Palin's 'you betcha' phrases drew a tremendous amount of search interest. In referencing the average American, she used the phrase 'Joe Sixpack.' The term immediately shot up in Search ('Hockey Mom' is so last month). Palin also referred to John McCain as 'the maverick' several times. For viewers, this clearly inspired memories of one of Tom Cruise's greatest hits. That's right, lookups on 'top gun maverick' went supersonic."
--posted by Kim Friday Night At The Movies Strange weekend for movie openings. It appears nothing is really capturing public and critical interest. Well, except for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," of course.
Here's some takes on the new releases:
The New York Times' Manohla Dargis finds "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" dreadful:
"The crushingly unfunny and slopped-together How to Lose Friends & Alienate People has neither the ambition nor the intelligence to do justice to its source material."
Fernando Meirelles' "Blindness" is receiving mixed notices but Roger Ebert, wow, he...did...not...like:
"'Blindness' is one of the most unpleasant, not to say unendurable, films I've ever seen."
"Flash of Genius," the windshield wiper car movie looks like a less intense merging of "Tucker" and "The Insider" but critics are loving Greg Kinnear's performance. Steven Rea from the Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
"Kinnear does what he's done in the past: You underestimate the guy's acting chops, and suddenly, strikingly, he floors you."
There's a lot of love and a lot of hate for the teen romantic comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" with Slate's Dana Stevens falling somewhere in the happy middle:
"So slight it's almost diaphanous--an hour after seeing it, what the movie leaves behind is not so much a memory as a mood. Still, it's a fine mood."
No critic was able to screen the David Zucker directed Michael Moore lampooning (people still make Michael Moore jokes?) "An American Carol" -- except for two readers who loved it. Gave it two tens.
Read more reviews at MetaCritic and choose your movies...however you want. Again, strange weekend.
--posted by Kim Romero's Newest Dead Good news (I hope):
"Zombie movie king George Romero is digging up more of the undead for a new installment in his horror movie series.
"The untitled film, a sequel to 2007's Diary of the Dead, is the latest in a stomach-churning franchise, that started with 1968's Night of the Living Dead.
"The new movie, which began shooting in Ontario, Canada, this week (begs29Sep08) follows the inhabitants of a remote island who discover their late relatives are coming back from the dead."
Canada? Come back to Pittsburgh Mr. Romero!
--posted by Kim
October 01 Dog Show! With "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" opening, Jim Emerson take s a look at some other famous movie pooches that were best in show:
"My dog Edith does not much like dog movies. At least I don't think she does. Whenever a canine appears on our 55-inch HDTV screen, or any of the surround speakers, she lunges, barking, growling, whining and emitting other noises that sound like a wounded vacuum or a gargling siren.
"If Edith were a bit less excitable and territorial, if she were better able to maintain a critical distance, she would appreciate how many fine screen performances have been given by members of her species, if not of her particular mixed-breed-of-color. "I'm not talking about the dogs above the title -- or the dogs in the title: the Lassies, the Benjis, the Rin Tin Tins, the Old Yellers, the Skips, the Beethovens, the Cujos, the White Fangs, the Air Buds, the Marleys (there's going to be a Marley), the 101 Dalmatians, the Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (pictured here), and so on. Unimpressed by riches or fame (good thing, too), Edith, or her sister Frances wouldn't even sniff the butts of such overexposed dog stars. They are, like me, interested in screen presence, impact, originality, not in mere marquee names. Let us, then, take a moment to retrieve, and roll around in, fond memories of great dog performances by animals whose mugs aren't plastered all over the supermarket tabloids and Dog Fancy. These, truly, deserve the title of Best in Showbiz. First up: "Best Screwball Dog: Asta in Several Major Motion Pictures of the 1930s
"We begin with the biggest star on the list. Elegant and mischievous, sophisticated and feisty, Asta was the uptown dog of the '30s, a luminous wire-haired fox terrier who was equally at home lounging in t "Few dogs have a résumé as impressive as Asta's. He played Mr. Smith, the love child of divorcing couple Grant and Irene Dunne in 'The Awful Truth'; George, Katharine Hepburn's charming digger in "Bringing Up Baby"; and Mr. Atlas the ghost dog (decades before Forest Whitaker) in the sequel to another Archie Leach comedy, 'Topper Takes a Trip' (1938). I was going to say that there was only one Asta; but, over the years, there were probably several, though reportedly they were all related. As dynastic figures go, Asta had more talent in his right front dewclaw than Paris Hilton has in her entire snout. The evidence is on the screen, and it is indisputable."
Read his entire list of doggies here.
--posted by Kim September 27 A Slap Happy Paul Newman
I'm so overwhelmed by the passing of Paul Newman -- the career, the philanthropy, the gorgeous, iconic man himself -- that I'm not sure where to start. So many Newman roles are not only brilliant, but mean a lot to me personally including, "Hud" (where he's the most charming son of a bitch you'd ever want to meet, or if you're smart, not want to meet), the fun, sad and inspiring Christ parable "Cool Hand Luke," the uber-cool yet moody and complicated "The Hustler," "The Verdict" (which has one of the greatest openings in screen history -- Newman playing that pinball machine) and some of his less talked about pictures, like "Pocket Money" (with Lee Marvin) or the underrated "Sometimes a Great Notion" (which he skillfully and beautifully directed). I'll be writing more about these pictures, but for now, I'm returning to a Newman performance that fills me with such happiness, that it occasionally surprises me with its gritty, twinkling power. It's a sports picture after all, and though beloved by legions of fans, feels under-appreciated -- George Roy Hill's hockey classic "Slap Shot". "Slap Shot" is not only the greatest sports film ever made (period) but one of Newman's greatest roles within his long, outstanding career. And it boasts the greatest use of that Maxine Nightingale song -- a tune that shouldn't be allowed in any other motion picture ever again. I can only picture cold busses, booze, rust brown flairs, Newman's fur trimmed leather jackets and Strother Martin while hearing this song -- and that's how it should be. And again, there’s star Paul Newman who, in his older, ruggedly handsome visage, carries the picture with an odd sort of foul-mouthed dignity we simply don't see in movies these days (and so naturally -- if an actor is doing blue, it's always so damn obvious). Playing a middle-aged minor league hockey player/coach, he’s a tough, quick-witted guy, but in quieter moments, touchingly doubtful about his future. He’s attempting to save his washed-up team, and that requires, not surprisingly for hockey, a need to amp up the brutality. Read the rest of my Newman "Slap Shot" ode here. --posted by Kim
Paul Newman: 1925 – 2008 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 September 25 Bruce Willis Directs 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...
--posted by Kim 'Coraline' Is A Cut Above
MSN's Martha Brockenbrough gives us the excited scoop on Henry Selick's "Coraline" adapted from a book by Neil Gaiman: "While all the bloopy and love-swoggled teens are getting attention for making 'Twilight' the pop culture phenomenon of 2008, there's another dark tale on the horizon that could be an even bigger deal. I'm talking about 'Coraline,' which is set to open in February. Why's it a big deal? Let me count the ways. First, it's based on the book by Neil Gaiman, who writes stories for intellectuals who haven't lost their sense of fun. The "Twilight" author, Stephenie Meyer, might have the louder fans, but Gaiman's are at least as devoted. "'Coraline' is his first novel for kids, though he has another, 'The Graveyard Book,' due out in a few weeks (and which just got a smashing write-up by the influential Betsy Bird at her School Library Journal blog). The movie is also a big deal because it's directed by Henry Selick, who directed 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' the first feature-length stop-motion movie by a major studio (though Tim Burton tends to get credit for that because he inserted his name in the title). "What's more, 'Coraline' is in 3-D. Take the coolness of stop-motion animation, enhance it with smart modern materials and techniques, and make it break the traditional barriers of the screen, and you have the makings of a thrilling movie experience. It also has a strong cast. Dakota Fanning plays Coraline, the blue-haired heroine. Teri Hatcher plays her mother. And John Hodgman, a popular 'Daily Show' personality, plays the father. Dakota Fanning alone makes the movie worth seeing; Hodgman is icing on the cake. Read more about "Coraline" here. --posted by Kim September 24 Anne Gets Down And Dirty 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 Don't Mess With The Lohan (Especially If Sam Is Around) 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!
--posted by Kim September 23 Real Wild Child
"What’re you rebelling against, Johnny?" says dancing party girl Mildred to the moody, leather-clad biker boy memorably played by a young Marlon Brando. His famous answer? "Whaddya got?" Concerned citizens were frightened not only of its unresolved message but of its reckless, glamorous appeal. Long before the 1960s made biker movies a standard and sometimes silly subgenre of counterculture cinema, "The Wild One" -- with its wild hogs, swingin’ jazz score, "Go, Daddy-o" slang and slick black leather style (encased in the fuller body of a gorgeous, somewhat camp Brando, whose look remains timeless) -- was the biker movie. A precursor to the social upheavals that would occur a decade later in the tumultuous 1960s, "The Wild One" as occasionally goof-ball and somewhat preachy as it plays today, was a blast in the face to regular "square" society, revealing that the kids were not alright. Particularly the older (and boy do they look older), more experienced "kids" -- those scary, wild boys of the road roaring into your sleepy little town on two big powerful wheels. (Can you imagine that tall glass of menace Marvin plopping your little teenage daughter on the back of his hog? Jesus. Why didn't he roar into my town?) --posted by Kim September 22 Shooting Gallery --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.
--posted by Kim A Nice View For LaBute 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 Twenty Best/Worst Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time 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.
--posted by Kim September 18 G.I. Rose 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.'" --posted by Kim
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