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Archive for the ‘Movie News’ Category
Monday, December 10th, 2007
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand  What happens when you make a few lame comments about the film that skyrocketed your per flick payday from $300,000 to $6 million? Well, you call up People Magazine and "clarify" your statements. Yes, we're talking about Knocked Up's Katherine Heigl, who, while speaking to Vanity Fair magazine recently, called one of this year's funniest films "a little sexist." She then added, "It paints women as shrews, as humorless and uptight and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It was hard for me to love the movie." Now when her comments first hit the net, I wrote a somewhat scathing post bashing Heigl for, well, bashing the film that "made her." I also said that, if anything, it was the men in the film who came off as idiots; as guys who either couldn't commit to their wives or had absolutely zero motivation in life. The two prominent women (Heigl and Leslie Mann ) were strong female role models, in my opinion. One was a successful mother, while the other was a motivated career gal.
After I wrote the post, I had plenty of people who went the whole "her comments were taken out of context" route. And that may be the case. In a new interview with People, she does allude to the fact that her statements were (kind of, sort of) taken out of context. She says, "I was responding to previous reviews about the movie the interviewer brought to my attention. My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy." Wait, where in those comments does she "encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy." I missed that part.
But anyway, Heigl later goes on to say, "Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie. The truth is, it was the best filming experience of my career. Every person that was a part of making Knocked Up helped to encourage, support and inspire me. I never intended for anyone to think otherwise." Fair enough. She still thinks the film is sexist, but she had a great time making it. Should we let her off the hook?
Katherine Heigl in Pictures:
   
   
Did Katherine Heigl make Cinematical's Hot List for 2007? Find out! 
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Sunday, December 9th, 2007
 I don’t mind a vampire hunter revenge piece, but in light of other vampire hunter themed films, this non-linear tale tends to drag more than it should. Rise : The Blood Hunter starts off on the wrong foot, but only when we get into the events that lead up to a reporter’s transformation into a vampire, the film becomes curiously interesting. If only the film kept up with that story, instead of going off in a direction of been there and done that. Question: how do you keep a scene together? Answer: loads of neon, lots of chit-chat and Lucy Liu’s upside down nude scenes. (more…)
Technorati tags: chokingonpopcorn movie Reviews Rise : The Blood Hunter
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Sunday, December 9th, 2007
People, the Boston Society of Film Critics has spoken.
Film: "No Country for Old Men" (Runner up: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")
Director: Julian Schnabel for ?The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? (Joel and Ethan Coen for "No Country for Old Men")
Foreign-Language Film: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly?; (that vote was almost unanimous; some people's two cents went to "Syndromes and a Century" and "4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days")
Actor: Frank Langella in "Starting out in the Evening" (Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood")
Actress: Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Julie Christie in "Away from Her")
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Ben Foster in "3:10 to Yuma" and "Alpha Dog" -- my favorite almost-winner)
Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There")
Screenplay: Brad Bird for "Ratatouille" (Ronald Harwood for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly?)
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? (Roger Deakins for ?The Assassination of Jesse James,? ?No Country for Old Men,? and ?In the Valley of Elah?)
New Filmmaker: Ben Affleck for "Gone Baby Gone" (Tony Gilroy for "Michael Clayton")
Every year, the society recognizes the best rediscovered films. This year's winners were ?Girl with a Suitcase,? ?Killer of Sheep,? ?The Pumpkin Eater,? ?White Mane,? and ?Entre la Mer et L?eau Douce.?
The year?s best film series were also cited: the Films of Charles Burnett, the New Romanian Cinema, Independents Week: New American Independent Cinema 2007 at the Harvard Film Archive; Michael Haneke: A Cinema of Provocation at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Harvard Film Archive; Signore & Signore: Leading Ladies of Italian Cinema 1941-1977, at the Museum of Fine Arts; and Welcome to the Grindhouse at the Brattle Theater.
Toward the end of the meeting, there had been some talk about giving something to Jonny Greenwood's horror soundscape for "There Will Be Blood." (The music is as awesomely nuts as the two main characters.) It didn't come to pass. The vote was relatively quick, and some people learned how to say "Apichatpong Weerasethakul." And any day someone can learn to do that is a good day.
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Saturday, December 8th, 2007
 Aware that Steven Seagal has reduced himself poorly to the straight to DVD market, , I will confess that in spite of it all, I’ll always give the sensei a chance at redemption. This time around, there is some good news in that there is a decent attempt to show an aging Seagal still has some moves in him, and that he doesn’t need a stand in all the time. Urban Justice also has cliche overload, which can be excusable in some of Seagal’s films (I wasn’t expecting a film version of Sophocles’ Antigone, I’ll put it that way) but I am a self proclaimed martial acts action film junkie, and when I don’t get me fix… (more…)
Technorati tags: chokingonpopcorn movie Reviews Urban Justice
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Friday, December 7th, 2007
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Politics 
Earlier this evening, talks between the WGA and AMPTP broke down once again. Negotiating between the two sides for a second time began shortly after the Thanksgiving break following three weeks of picketing, protests and celebrity spotting. This time, things were nasty, with each side releasing a statement that pretty much amounts to a spit in the face (though the WGA's letter kind of wipes off that spit, and makes an attempt to hug it out). Here's the breakdown (without all the strike lingo and number stuff): AMPTP delivered a proposal that was better, but not really, because it would require the WGA to remove several of their important demands. The WGA ran into a hotel room, locked the door and debated their next move. While still in the hotel room, AMPTP knocked on the door and told them they were leaving the bargaining table -- that this was a take it or leave it proposal -- and when the WGA send a letter stating that all of those demands are taken off the table, they'll go back to talking. Game on!
A few noteworthy lines from each side's official statement:
WGA: "We reject the idea of an ultimatum. Although a number of items we have on the table are negotiable, we cannot be forced to bargain with ourselves. The AMPTP has many proposals on the table that are unacceptable to writers, but we have never delivered ultimatums."
"We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we're here, ready to make a fair deal."
AMPTP: "While the WGA's organizers can clearly stage rallies, concerts and mock exorcisms, we have serious concerns about whether they're capable of reaching reasonable compromises that are in the best interests of our entire industry."
"Their Quixotic pursuit of radical demands led them to begin this strike, and now has caused this breakdown in negotiations. We hope that the WGA will come back to this table with a rational plan that can lead us to a fair and equitable resolution to a strike that is causing so much distress for so many people in our industry and community."
Then there's this gem from the studio and network reps: "Under no circumstances will we knowingly participate in the destruction of this business."
So, are things f**ked ... or are they f**ked?
[via Deadline Hollywood]
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Friday, December 7th, 2007
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Images .jpg)
No! It stings! It hurts! I'm melting! Yes, that appears to be Lindsay Lohan standing next to Batman on the set of ... just another weird photo shoot. Fear not, my JLA friends, the girl is not starring in the upcoming Justice League flick. But she is, for some odd reason, posing for a bunch of pics with Marvel and DC characters -- all of whom are dressed up in outfits you'd expect to find in the post-Halloween bargain bin at K-Mart. Dude! How can they disrespect Batman like that? And it's not only Batman -- wait till you see what they've done to Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. It's beyond awful. The pics come to us via IESB's celeb site, CelebSkin, which, honestly, needs someone else to write for them. I barely made it through several grammatical mistakes before finally landing on these images.* Stick them both together and I'm literally scarred for life (which, to the commenter who took me seriously, is a joke). Nothing against IESB; they just need to proof and edit. Like, a lot.
So what's the deal here? Is Lindsay trying to tell the world that she wants a role in the next big superhero flick? Or did some hot Los Angeles club simply pay her half a million to pose with superhero models to promote their establishment? Don't know, don't wanna know and, honestly, I don't care. See Lindsay with Spider-Man and The Hulk after the jump ...
*The grammatical errors on the site have been fixed, so disregard my previous statement. Continue reading Holy Crap Batman! Is Lindsay Lohan Starring in 'Justice League?!' Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Friday, December 7th, 2007
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Home Entertainment  Ah, Barbara Walters. I remember the days when I'd set away the whole evening to watch her interview celebrities and dig beneath the surface to get the good stuff. There'd be the probing questions, those pensive, emotionally-intensive pauses, and sometimes even tears. At least then, it felt more like a real conversation instead of these days, where it's a lot more sensational. ( "Look at the bump! So and so is not pregnant! ...This just in! She's not pregnant, she's just fat! Look at that slight curve to her stomach. So fat!") Well, just as many of you are tired with those news pieces, she's tired with doing her part to continue them and has decided to leave those celebrity interviews behind. Reuters reports that she has recently said: "I am not going after the tabloid stuff, I don't do it," and "It's a different climate now and 20/20 and the other magazines are focused on the big celebrities. I didn't want to keep doing that, I have been doing it for years." Instead of Brad, Julia, or George, next up for her interviews are the likes of Bill Clinton, Hugo Chavez, and Don Imus. I understand her annoyance over what has happened in the world of celebrity gossip, but I still think there's a place for learning about actors and actresses in a more respectful, yet still probing, environment. At the very least, it can balance the worst of paparazzi pics and celebrity gossip, but that's just me. Chime in with your thoughts in the poll and comments below! View Poll Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Thursday, December 6th, 2007
Don't know if you read Jeff Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere blog -- it's a good ornery read, nicely plugged into the studio news, rife with rumors 'n' fact -- but Wells is in Boston for a spell (he has family here) and he's not too happy about it. He just blogged about the dire experience of seeing "Sweeney Todd" in a critics' screening at the AMC Boston Common, which, according to Wells, doesn't compare with watching it in Los Angeles at a screening room in or near the studios' home offices.
Well, no, it doesn't and it never will. I was at the "Todd" screening, too, and while there were a few focus problems in the beginning, by and large it was typical of press screenings in Boston and, I'm betting, everywhere outside of L.A. and New York. Which is to say about as good as you can expect from a non-union projectionist who either doesn't care about creating the very best audio-visual experience, or doesn't know how, or isn't pressured by his bosses to provide one. Where Wells heard a muddy sound mix, I heard acceptable music and dialogue (my larger beef was with Helena Bonham Carter's singing voice: She doesn't have one). Where he was driven into conniptions by the "exit" light bleeding onto the screen and the (in his opinion) low wattage of the projection beam's throw, I was reveling in Burton's gloomy, diseased color scheme. What's the difference between perfect and imperfect murk?
I guess I don't share Well's horror because I'm jaded: The state of movie theater projection in 99% of the country is simply and purely pathetic. The multiplex corporations have long since broken the projectionists' union and chased away the only people who knew or cared about what they were doing, and your average booth is run by a button-pushing kid whose main job is selling you overpriced Junior Mints. The focus is often less than crisp, the sound levels are random, the masking or curtains can be screwed up -- and if there's a problem during the showing itself, good luck finding a human to deal with it.
The worst part about this? Audiences don't care. That's right: You don't care. I or Jeff Wells or Jim Verniere at the Herald or any other persnickety film critic can huff and puff about how lousy the movie looks, but a theater manager has no incentive at all to make changes for the better if the customers aren't voting with their wallets. On the contrary: I've been in a theater where the film was so misaligned the actors' heads were cut off at the neck and watched the audience sit there, unmoving, like sheep. You pay that much for tickets and popcorn, you think you'd want a professional-level show.
We've been brainwashed to be passive, though, and what other choice is there? Since the closing of the Copley a few years back, there are now only two -- count 'em, two -- movie theaters in Boston proper: The Common and the Fenway. And both of them have a tradition of half-assed movie projection.
Look at the comments going back and forth at the bottom of Wells' article and you'll see a lot of moaning about the city's slipping prominence as a movie town. If you don't count the Coolidge and the theaters in Somerville and Cambridge (and don't even get me started on the woeful Harvard Square), the complainers are right: Boston's no longer even on the second-tier. When I was a kid, there were dozens of theaters in the city, but they're all gone, single-screen dinosaurs that couldn't keep up. Now if someone in, say, the South End wants to see a decent indie film or one of the upcoming Oscar nominees, he or she has to schlep to Kendall Square or Coolidge Corner. Which, if you haven't got a car, is a problem.
So much easier to just stay home and watch a movie on DVD, right? Or just BitTorrent it like the students who used to support adventurous moviegoing here now do. Because forward-thinking exhibitors have bailed from Boston and because the two companies who've stayed -- the Fenway's Regal and the Common's AMC -- don't want to spend the money to hire the professionals to provide a better-than-average moviegoing experience, the business is slowly digging its own grave. And digital 3D isn't going to save it.
Oh well. At least the "Sweeney Todd" screening wasn't as bad as the one for "About Schmidt" at the Fenway a few years back. That time the reels were out of order and the movie burned up in the gate. Trust me, if they don't care how they show a film to the critics, they're not going to care how they show it to you.
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Thursday, December 6th, 2007
All right, about those National Board of Review awards (see previous post): They're pretty whack. The top prizes aren't terribly controversial: "No Country" as Best Picture, Julie Christie for "Away From Here," Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone." Clooney as Best Actor? Well, okay; I like George in the movie but obviously the NBR folks didn't get to see Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood."
But the Ten Best of 2007 (which doesn't count "No Country," so really they're putting forth a Top 11) is seriously problematic. "The Assassination of Jesse James" and "Into the Wild" have major flaws, "Atonement" and "The Kite Runner" are exactly the sort of deluxe coffee-table movies made for awards and not as challenging as they could and should be, and "The Bucket List" is just bad. And why are "Juno" and "Lars and the Real Girl" on this list and not on the "Ten Best Independent Movies" list, which includes "A Mighty Heart," "The Namesake," "In the Valley of Elah," and "Waitress"? If nothing else, here's the proof that the distinction between a "studio movie" and what the industry calls an "indie" no longer exists.
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Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
Let the games begin. Following is a full list of the awards announced by the National Board of Review, traditionally the Oscar season starting gun. Analysis to follow tomorrow, though I gotta say Clooney, Burton, and Casey Affleck just got taken a lot more seriously.
Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Director: TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd
Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton
Best Actress: JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her
Best Supporting Actor: CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Best Supporting Actress: AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone
Best Foreign Film: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Best Documentary: BODY OF WAR
Best Animated Feature: RATATOUILLE
Best Ensemble Cast: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: ELLEN PAGE, Juno
Best Directorial Debut: BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone
Best Original Screenplay: DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl
Best Adapted Screenplay: JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men
TOP TEN FILMS OF 2007
(in alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD
TOP FIVE FOREIGN FILMS OF 2007
(in alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS
THE BAND?S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION
TOP FIVE DOCUMENTARIES OF 2007
(in alphabetical order)
DARFUR NOW
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
NANKING
TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE
TOOTS
TOP INDEPENDENT FILMS
(in alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHTY HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS
Career Achievement ? MICHAEL DOUGLAS
William K. Everson Film History Award ? ROBERT OSBORNE
Career Achievement in Cinematography ? ROGER DEAKINS
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression ? THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS
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