Hoo boy. Hoooooo boy. Check out this video of Tom Cruise aggressively preaching the merits of Scientology while the Mission: Impossible theme plays. It is very real, and you need to see it. Like, now. Let's just say the dude's even more into this than we thought. As Gawker (who's also hosting a clip) writes, "If Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch was an 8 on the scale of scary, this is a 10." Apparently, the video has been privately shared between reporters investigating Cruise's ties to the religion, although no writers have gone public with it for fear of lawsuits by the Scientologists. Until now. It's out there, baby.
I would check the video out quickly. Gawker claims they are not removing the clip, regardless of what pressure they get, but a lot of similar Youtube and Google videos have been put up and quickly taken down in the past week. The one we have up now hasn't been taken down, so get to it fast! The video is nearly ten minutes of pure Cruise intensity and oddness, undiluted by publicists and cover-ups. I did a little research while watching it, as I didn't know what some of the terms meant. When he says "org," he means "organizations," "KSW" is a policy letter used to "Keep Scientology Working," and "SP" is Scientology code for a "Suppressive Person." The video's most chilling moment follows Cruise's question, "Have you ever met an SP?" when that blood-curdling, hollow laugh kicks in. Remember Cruise's "Respect the c**k, tame the c**t" monologues in Magnolia? This is like that, only disturbingly real. But maybe I'm just being "glib."Permalink | Email this | Comments
It's the end of an era, a ridiculous one, but an era nonetheless. It's pretty much an amazing feat that Uwe Boll has made it this long -- between critical ravaging, box office stinkers, and the fiery need to physically beat naysayers. Now, well, the big-money reign is over. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Uwe Boll is leaving big-budget pictures behind and will return to low-budget movies after his $70 million movie, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, completely bombed at the box office.
Very luckily for Boll, these aren't the sort of films he wants to do anyway. Boll says: "In the future, I will focus on small films such as (the video game adaptation) Postal or (the Vietnam war drama) Tunnel Rats. These are films that represent my true passion, and they can be done with small budgets." Phew! What a blessing in disguise for him (as well as for us). I mean, if having lots of money to make his movies was his true passion, this new development would really suck. Good thing his last three flicks tanked.
With his passion restored, what's next? There's more than just Postal and Tunnel Rats. He says that he's lined up Zombie Massacre for Boll Massacre #57896.
Til Schweiger has been the hottie of the German film scene for a while now, but along with heartthrob, he can add in the title of parent and media provoker. Variety reports that the actor, who recently wrote, produced, directed, and starred in Keinohrhasen has angered many in Germany for the sexual content contained in the comedy. The film is about a womanizer, played by Schweiger, who has to do community service at a kindergarten, and clashes with the teacher.
The flick got a general admissions rating, which allows children of 6 and older to see the film. Since little tykes can see it and it's set in a kindergarten, many people have been taking their families to the pic and getting quite a surprise. Intermingled with the kids and community service is a lot of adult content which is making many German youths ask a lot of questions about sexual terms (like b-jobs). I guess Schweiger didn't go to Grease to see how to thinly veil sex in a way that kids can enjoy without having any idea what the film is really about.
The ratings board is trying to defend their position, while Schweiger not only says that he thought it would get a 12 and up rating, but also dismisses the complaints: "I can understand that some parents might not want to watch this film with their younger children. But, on the other hand, a lot of children under 12 know a lot more about the facts of life than their parents would ever believe." Now, I'm far from some stodgy anti-sex ranter, but I can see why parents wouldn't want their 6-year-olds asking about sexual techniques. Have any of you seen the comedy? Thoughts?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Steroids -- they were the charming drug of the sports world -- the little demons that upped performance while also having a number of lovely side effects -- smaller testicles and larger man boobs, baldness mixed with extra facial hair, high blood pressure, jaundice, acne, tumors, and the list goes on. Now, however, it's taking the world of entertainment by storm. CNN reports that a number of celebrities and entertainers have been named in connection with a steroid investigation in Albany, New York, launched by District Attorney P. David Soares.
Along with musical names like Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Wyclef Jean, is one lone film name -- Tyler Perry. The man behind the successful collection of Madea films, as well as Daddy's Little Girls and Why Did I Get Married? is said to have possibly received or used steroids. The weird part comes in with this: "Law enforcement officials have said evidence does not indicate that the celebrities broke the law, but that investigators are focusing on doctors, pharmacists, and clinics that provide the drugs." So, all these big names were just offered steroids and assumed they were legal? I don't get it, unless this just means that none of the celebs will be charged for their involvement. Soares won't confirm, deny, or discuss the famous names listed in the investigation, and Perry's spokesman declined to comment.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Well here's some rotten news to brighten up your Monday morning: Oscar-winning screenwriter Roger Avary (best known for co-writing Pulp Fiction, although he also had a fairly big hit with last year's Beowulf rendition) was arrested late Sunday night for charges stemming from a car accident that took the life of 34-year-old Italian man Andreas Zedini.
Mr. Zedini was a passenger in Avary's car. According to Reuters, "Avary, 42, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence ... He was released from jail after posting $50,000 bail." Mr. Avary's wife also sustained serious injuries, although details on her current condition are unknown. Reuters further indicates that the fatal accident occurred "in the city of Ojai, 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles, at about 1 a.m."
"Atonement"'s win over the much-lauded "No Country for Old Men" is, to my thinking, a harbinger of the Oscars to come. Not that the Keira Knightley literary adaptation will win best picture -- just that Academy voters will be searching for a movie that makes them feel better about themselves than the gritty, take-no-prisoners Coen brothers drama. I don't think it'll be "Sweeney Todd," as heartening as its win tonight is.
The writers' strike put the kibosh on an actual awards ceremonies, and after some ugly last-minute grandstanding by Dick Clark Productions, winners were announced by hosts Billy Bush and Nancy O?Dell, vamping heavily through an hour-long "special" on NBC. The general consensus is that they should have gone dark completely and simply issued a press release. Joanna Weiss has her take over at the Viewer Discretion blog.
But, hey, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor, Drama for "There Will be Blood" and Johnny Depp won Best Actor, Musical or Comedy, for "Sweeney Todd," so hooray for dark, quixotic men who can really act. Marion Cotillard won Best Actress, Musical or Comedy, for "La Vie en Rose," and Julie Christie won the dramatic award for "Away From Her," so hooray for, uh, great European actresses.
Less surprisingly: Cate Blanchett got Supporting Actress for "I'm Not There" and Javier Bardem got Supporting Actor for "No Country." "Ratatouille" won Best Animated Feature only because "Persepolis" wasn't even nominated. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" won Best Foreign Language Film and its director, Julian Schnabel, won Best Director. Best Screenplay? "No Country for Old Men." Best Score? "Atonement" (and that one does make sense, thank you, again only because Jonny Greenwood wasn't nominated for "There Will Be Blood."
There were also some TV awards. Full list of nominees and winners is right here.
Something tells me I am going to get flamed for this but, Atonement gravely disappointed me. In fact it bored me for the majority of its 130 minutes running time. I love Ian McEwan’s novels; Enduring Love was a brilliant book which they made into quite a good film. I can’t judge the translation from book to screen for Atonement as I never read it, but judging the film as it stands, it is quite simply - painfully slow. (more…)
Philadelphia was one of the first movies in the early 1990’s to tackle the controversial subject of aids. It was the first such film to star big names and become a box-office success. Previous films had failed to draw audiences in because aids wasn’t a subject people particularly wanted to deal with. Not much was known about it and it was greatly feared. Star power was very important in the case of Philadelphia, because it was the inclusion of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the movie that encouraged people to go see a film about something they weren’t too comfortable with. Their presence made audiences feel more at ease. (more…)
"This is the man Hugh Grant dubbed 'Fang Lee' after making Sense and Sensibility with him," so says a new article in The Age about Ang Lee's apparent reputation for being a cruel taskmaster on his movie sets, although in Lee's defense the piece doesn't offer a great deal of examples to support its premise and comes across more like a hook to write up an otherwise boring piece about Lust, Caution. In fact, the closest it comes to naming names is offering the vague assertion that Heath Ledger once claimed Lee pushed him to the brink of physical endurance during the shooting of Brokeback Mountain, which doesn't sound like a damning accusation even if it's taken in context. But who cares about context? Lets have some more hyperbole: Lee is "the industry's Clark Kent," according to the piece. "Under that mild-mannered exterior -- consisting of a gentle-to-inaudible speaking voice, self-deprecating manner and an overall Zen calm -- lurks a driven obsessive, a Caligula among directors."
According to the article, Lee reportedly spent 100 hours to film a ten minute sex scene in Lust, Caution, but he defends his exactitude as a necessary part of the job. "None of us enjoys it," he's quoted as saying. "By nature it's very uncomfortable, draining and painful. We're just common people. It felt pretty harsh. But we used the pain. We enjoyed the pain." Okay, maybe that last line tags him as a bit of a weirdo, but I rarely believe stories about directors being unreasonable on the set, and if you want to know why, check out the making-of documentary on the DVD of The Shining. There's a great moment when Kubrick loses his cool at Shelley Duvall for not hitting her mark, and you can see how little moments like that can create a 'reputation,' but it still seems like something that's all in a day's work.
Wow. I’ve just finished watching the last episode of the second series of Dexter and, to express it in the style of Deborah, Dexter’s foul-mouthed sister: I absolutely fucking love it! It’s not often that the writers of a television series succeed in weaving an intricate plot through 12 episodes, keeping the suspense at a perfect level, and still wrapping up the loose ends by the end of the season. (more…)
It's the end of an era, a ridiculous one, but an era nonetheless. It's pretty much an amazing feat that 
Steroids -- they were the charming drug of the sports world -- the little demons that upped performance while also having a number of lovely side effects -- smaller testicles and larger man boobs, baldness mixed with extra facial hair, high blood pressure, jaundice, acne, tumors, and the list goes on. Now, however, it's taking the world of entertainment by storm. 
Well here's some rotten news to brighten up your Monday morning: Oscar-winning screenwriter 
Something tells me I am going to get flamed for this but, Atonement gravely disappointed me. In fact it bored me for the majority of its 130 minutes running time. I love Ian McEwan’s novels; 
Philadelphia was one of the first movies in the early 1990’s to tackle the controversial subject of aids. It was the first such film to star big names and become a box-office success. Previous films had failed to draw audiences in because aids wasn’t a subject people particularly wanted to deal with. Not much was known about it and it was greatly feared. Star power was very important in the case of Philadelphia, because it was the inclusion of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the movie that encouraged people to go see a film about something they weren’t too comfortable with. Their presence made audiences feel more at ease. .jpg)
"This is the man Hugh Grant dubbed 'Fang Lee' after making Sense and Sensibility with him," so says a
Wow. I’ve just finished watching the last episode of the second series of Dexter and, to express it in the style of Deborah, Dexter’s foul-mouthed sister: I absolutely fucking love it! It’s not often that the writers of a television series succeed in weaving an intricate plot through 12 episodes, keeping the suspense at a perfect level, and still wrapping up the loose ends by the end of the season.
