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Archive for July, 2008
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
I just turned in my "Dark Knight" review and I'm still breathing hard (in a nutshell: Ledger's amazing, Bale's good, Gyllenhaal thankfully ain't no Katie Holmes, and the film's ambitions get the better of it but not ruinously -- read the rest on Thursday). So for now, some filler links!
You think you've seen "The Godfather"? You haven't seen "The Godfather". But you will this September.
Was that Senator Patrick Leahy I saw in "The Dark Knight"? Why, yes, it was.
Hayao Miyazaki fanatics (of which I am one), take note: the master's new film just opened in Japan. No one's quite sure what it's about. I think you'll have to take a bunch of five-year-old kids and ask them.
Is Heath Ledger the new James Dean? Shame on you for asking, but maybe. Or maybe not.
And Glenn Kenny weighs in on A) why you should remember Evelyn Keyes (in photo above), and B) why "Mamma Mia!" made his flesh crawl. While I sympathize with his pain, I don't empathize; despite being an unholy mess, a gravity-sucking quasar of camp, and an unparalleled exercise in white Bollywood, the upcoming film actually gave me great, demented pleasure.
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Filed under: Action, Casting, New Releases, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Obits, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Stars in Rewind  In the last twenty-four hours alone, countless news articles have compared the late Heath Ledger to James Dean. Of course it helps that the two actors -- whose careers lie fifty years apart -- bear physical resemblances to each other. The real reason for the frequency of the comparison, however, revolves around the possibility that Ledger, like Dean, might end up with a posthumous Oscar nomination. Other than Dean, whose death in a 1955 car accident was preceded by two nominations back-to-back, six actors have landed the distinction -- but only one, Peter Finch, actually won (for Network in 1976). However, Ledger is now perceived an actor who possessed a potential he never quite realized, while Dean was already an icon by the time of his death (and he still didn't win the prize). If Ledger gets nominated for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the award will also acknowledge the great career that never was. Dean surely would have followed Giant with other wonderful performances, but his brief filmography also allowed the actor to reach a level of prestige that Ledger would have needed a few more movies to attain. So does this comparison really hold up? The media certainly seems to think so. "L ike Dean, he could endure as a mythic figure of talent silenced before his time," writes the AP. "People are aflutter over seeing the final performance of a new James Dean," reports The Huffington Post. " One quality that Ledger and Dean did share is rapid growth," notes the Baltimore Sun.Continue reading Discuss: Heath Ledger and James Dean Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Some interesting data: MDC’s OTM post on Sessilee’s Italian Vogue editorial by Steven Meisel had 64 comments! A record for a story posted on MODELS.com. For Sessilee’s full stunning edit, click here.
Last Thursday, when the Italian Vogue hit our local newsstand, all of their issues were gone by noon. We at MDC, not only got the 4 issues for the office, but as fashion fans, we each got the 4 pack for ourselves. $80 for 4 magazines that’s printed in a language we can’t read! Yes, some might think that’s crazy but an issue like this one is why we love what we do! Interestingly enough, the younger generation of fashion fans (that is our awesome interns) chose to support the new girls (Sessilee and Jourdan) when they picked out their own magazines.
It’s truly a collector’s issue.. If you haven’t picked one up, another 10,000 will be printed. Here is a interesting review of the issue, a guided tour.
from Vogue Italia. July 08
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
New additions to the board at Jed Root:
Up and coming fashion photographer Sebastian Kim. We loved his work for the recent Interview. He’s also worked for Vman, V and iD.
Beauty and fashion photographer Stéphane Coutelle, who has shot campaigns for Lancôme, L’Oréal, Pantene, and Revlon.
Makeup artist Regina Harris. She has worked with photographers Marilyn Minter, Greg Williams, Walter Chin, and Koto Bolofo.
For pics on Stephane and Regina’s work, click here.
Aline Weber/1 Model Management, Elite Paris, Elite Barcelona. Ph: Sebastian Kim for Interview, July 08
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
Advanced Beauty is now available as a weekly podcast (link will open in iTunes). We’ve been following Advanced Beauty with great enthusiasm here on Motionographer for a while, but for the uninitiated, I decided to ask the project’s founder and co-curator, Matt Pyke (of Universal Everything) a few questions about it.
What is Advanced Beauty?
Advanced Beauty is an ongoing exploration of digital artworks born and influenced by sound, an ever-growing collaboration between programmers, artists, musicians, animators and architects.
The first collection is a series of audio-reactive ‘video sound sculptures’. Inspired by synasthesia, the rare, sensory experience of seeing sound or tasting colours, these videos are physical manifestations of sound, sculpted by volume, pitch or structure of the soundtrack.
The films embrace unusual video making processes, the visual programming language Processing, high-end audio analysis and fluid dynamic simulations alongside intuitive responses in traditional cell animation. Each artist was given the same set of parameters to work within; to start, finish and exist within a white space, creating a seamless coherence, all sculptures sharing the same white environment.
Using 1920 HD format, with 5:1 surround sound, the films transform the screen into a digital canvas, how the minimalism of a single, floating pixel can be as engaging as the maximalism of an intense multicoloured explosion.
Curated by Universal Everything and musician Freeform, Advanced Beauty is an international collaboration, taking in a family of artists from London, Russia, New York, Japan, Buenos Aires, Glasgow to San Francisco.
This collection of films in the first in a series of exhibitions, with upcoming commissions for the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and galleries in Europe, USA and Japan.
Where did you get the idea for Advanced Beauty?
It was a desire for me (ex record sleeve designer) and simon pyke (ex album maker),
to create a new form of audio-visual expression. I love very minimalist film as the antithesis to the MTV maximalism, and wanted to see how still, pure, sculptural and physical sound could become on screen.
Why are you releasing the films as a podcast?
We have a Blu-Ray DVD coming in Winter 2008, but we are wanting to push these video sound sculptures out there, to promote our collaborators and to establish an unfolding understanding of what we are doing.
Post from: Motionographer
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
 | | Felon - Trailer
Val Kilmer (Columbus Day, Conspiracy), Stephen Dorff (Black Water Transit, World Trade Center), Harold Perrineau, Jr. (The Matrix Revolutions, TV’s “Lost”) and Sam Shepard (The Accidental Husband, Stealth) star in the high-action and edge-of-your-seat prison film, Felon, the story of a family man who is convicted of murder for killing an intruder who enters his home, threatening the lives of his wife and son. As he struggles to survive the violent penal system which includes a maximum-security state prison in which a corrupt lieutenant tries to maintain power and order, even if it means crossing the line. Also starring Anne Archer (End Game, Man of the House).
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Val Kilmer, Stephen Dorff, Harold Perrineau, Jr, Sam Shepard |
Posted in Movie Trailers | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
 | | Red - Trailer
Avery Allan Ludlow (Brian Cox), a Korean War vet with a tragic past, lives alone in a small town, where he runs the local hardware store. Av’s only companion is a 14 year-old ginger-haired dog, aptly named Red by Av’s late wife. One day, Av and Red are enjoying a placid outing at their favorite fishing spot when three boys and a shotgun come along. In an instant, Av’s lifelong friend is gone, the victim of a cruel, senseless act. Devastated, Av determines to find out who the boys are and why they did it. Helped by a local reporter (Dickens), Av tries to expose the truth, but his efforts are ignored by authorities and mocked by the teenagers. The boys’ parents, a rich local businessman (Sizemore) and, across town, a hardscrabble laborer (Englund) and his wife (Plummer), are just as determined to keep Av down. But, faithful to the memory of his best friend, Av single-mindedly presses for justice-with or without the law on his side.
Directed by: Trygve Allister Diesen
Starring: Brian Cox, Tom Sizemore, Kim Dickens, Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer |
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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
 | | Space Chimps - Trailer A
Space Chimps is an intergalactic comedy that highlights the antics of astronaut chimps with the “wrong stuff.” Ham III (Samberg), the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space before manned spaceflight, joins two other astronaut chimps for a dangerous mission through a black hole to an inhabited planet. When they’re stranded there, the chimps must help the inhabitants rid themselves of a tyrannical leader, and then figure out how to get back to Earth.
Directed by: Kirk DeMicco
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Kenan Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth |
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Monday, July 14th, 2008
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Home Entertainment  News broke in May that Anthony Hopkins was heading an all-star adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Lear. But as I mentioned then, this is one of two Lear projects on the way -- the other being a theater version starring Ian McKellen. This was going to be shown in the UK, but according to CNN, it's also hitting stateside on PBS next season. Here's the kicker -- McKellen stripped down to his birthday suit for the role. Considering the kerfuffle that followed one slipped Janet Jackson nipple, one would think that there'd be a nice blur applied to Sir Ian's bits. However, PBS president Paula Kerger says: "Let's talk about this in January. It's what I think about it and what the FCC will allow." And as for what she thinks: "It's powerful. His entire performance is quite powerful." Powerful or not, I'm sure there would be quite an uproar if his nudity was shown on a public station, even if it fits with the King's decline into madness at the hands of his evil daughters. So, I doubt that we'll get an unedited version of the play, but maybe there will be an unrated DVD that can go head to head with Hopkins. And, would Anthony go that far for the role? I'm still trying to decide who I like more as Lear. It's probably McKellen, but Hopkins did a great job in Titus, so anything is possible. Who do you prefer? Permalink | Email this | Comments
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