Megunica Trailer is up!
May 28th, 2007Screenwriters’ dinner
May 28th, 2007Last week, I attended the First Annual WGAw Screenwriters’ Dinner. I’m not sure one should call a first-ever event “annual,” but it was successful enough that it merits a repeat in 52 weeks.
Since screenwriters tend to work alone, there’s not a lot of water-cooler talk on a daily basis. Message boards help to some degree, but WGA events are often the only venues for catching up in person. For example, it had been 23 months since I’d last seen Simon Kinberg. I know because our kids were born the same week.
The event also gave me a chance to meet a lot of writers I’d only known by name — Billy Ray and Jeff Nathanson, to pick two tablemates. Seeing my nametag, Iris Yamashita said she’d just pitched a project as being “Big Fish meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which was flattering. I wanted to point out that she has the Oscar nomination, but we were already being urged to take our seats. I introduced Jessica Bendinger to Robert Towne, even though I didn’t really know Mr. Towne. It felt like the kind of event you could get away with that.
I got roped into recording an interview for a video podcast. If it ever hits the inter-waves, you might notice my hands shaking. I had just arrived, and was incredibly hungry. The mini-pizzas hadn’t made their way over yet.
Cannes Winners
May 28th, 2007The national cinema of choice right now? Romania. Following the success of Cristi Piui's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," Cristian Mungiu's “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” won the Palme d'Or, which was not a shock. What was surprising was Konstantin Lavronenko's being voted best actor for his performance in “The Banishment,” a Russian film directed by Andrei Zviagintsev. “The Mourning Forest” by the Japanese director Naomi Kawase won the Camera d'Or, which is like the second place award.
Best actress went to Jeon Do-yeon for her work in the Korean film “Secret Sunshine,” directed by Lee Chang-dong. Meanwhile, Asia Argento, who appeared to be the toast of the festival, appearing, somewhat notoriously, in three movie's, one of which (Abel Ferrara's "Go Go Tales") has her French kissing a dog. She might be the most fearless woman in the movies.
Julian Schnabel won the directing prize for "The Diving Bell and Butterfly."
The jury this year was an interesting as usual: Maggie Cheung, Sarah Polley, Toni Collette, Maria de Medeiros, Michel Piccoli, Orhan Pamuk, Mario Bellochio, Abderrahmane Sissako, with Stephen Frears presiding. Those deliberations would make an awesome reality show.
10 Things we learned from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
May 27th, 2007WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!
1. Purgatory is filled with helpful rocks/crabs that will gladly crush themselves under the weight of an enormous boat just to help some guy who talks to himself.
2. Contrary to popular scientific belief, the world is not round. It actually ends with a giant waterfall that leads to the Sahara Desert.
3. Johnny Depp will lick anything he finds on the ground, for no apparent reason. He’ll even lick his own brain, given half a chance.
4. In the battle of ‘get off the screen you irritating twat’, Keira Knightley surprisingly bests Orlando Bloom.
5. Geoffrey Rush makes wispy facial hair look cool and Bill Nighy makes face-tentacles look cool.
Trailer for Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’ Released
May 27th, 2007Filed under: Documentary, Cannes, Celebrities and Controversy, Movie Marketing, Politics
You know you're an expert at causing controversy when you earn your very own investigation from the Treasury Department. So, we should all probably get comfortable with the arrival of Michael Moore's new documentary Sicko, which just recently screened at Cannes, and will be stirring up who knows what kind of trouble as its release date gets closer. Moviefone is now hosting the trailer for the documentary, which gives us a look at what looks to be another well-meaning, if not-a-little-biased entry from the socially conscious filmmaker. It includes a quick look at the stunt that landed Moore in trouble with the Treasury Department in the first place.The film, as you probably know, is Moore's expose of the U.S. health care system. The response to it has been pretty positive so far, and inexplicably the doc even managed to get thumbs up from Fox News. But not everyone is feeling the love for the film -- a group of disgruntled Canadian journalists recently confronted the filmmaker at a press conference claiming, "We Canucks were taking issue with the large liberties Sicko takes with the facts." Mainly, their problem is that Moore patronized Canada by claiming their health-care system was problem-free, which, as I am sure my fellow countrymen know, is not the case. Sicko is set to hit theaters June 29th.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Drugs Found In Lohan’s Car!!!
May 26th, 2007
Things have just gotten worse for Lindsay Lohan!
After being busted by police and charged with DUI, the LAPD are now revealing that cocaine was found in the troubled pAArty girl’s car.
Though it seems like everyone in Hollywood does it, cocaine is illegal, bitches.
Officers believe that Lindsay was speeding – under the influence of drugs/alcohol – and lost control of her car on Saturday morning. The car hit a crashed into a curb and a tree on Sunset Blvd, and Lohan was taken in another car to the Century City hospital.
Police received a 911 call about the accident after Lindsay abandoned her banged up Mercedes and fled the scene of the incident.
Officers “tracked Ms. Lohan to the local hospital, where she was ultimately placed under arrest” for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Lohan was cited and released. She faces serious drama when the matter heads to court. In addition to the drunk driving dilemma, she will also face felony criminal charges for the illegal narcotics in her car.
We’re guessing Lindsay’s gonna be paying another trip to rehab very very soon.
Rosie Won’t Stop Talking
May 26th, 2007
Though she’s out of The View, Rosie is still sharing her opinions and talking t her fans about why she left the show and where her relationship stands with Elizabitch.
Click here to watch a video blog that O’Donnell posted on her website at 7:11 P.M. on Saturday.
It’s….interesting.
Perez Is Available!
May 26th, 2007
Former View co-host Debbie Matenopolous tells USA Today that Barbara Walters and executive producer Bill Geddie create stars – they don’t hire them – and they will create another one.
“You can’t replace Rosie O’Donnell. You have to go in a different direction. If they really want to be groundbreaking – hire a gay man,” says Debbie.
Dayum. Geraldo Rivera told us the same thing.
We’re gonna have to start campaigning for the job.
Replace one fat, opinionated gay with another.
Perez to replace Rosie on The View!
The Lollipop Guild
May 26th, 2007
Mister Mika poses with some interesting characters at the MTV Japan Video Music Awards this past weekend. The singer performed Grace Kelly and Love Today.
Review – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
May 26th, 2007
In 2003, I tentatively bought a cinema ticket for a Disney pirate film based on a theme-park ride which had never failed to underwhelm me as a child. I was sceptical to say the least. Not to mention that the last pirate film I’d seen had Geena Davis in it and was… shite. I was never so glad to have been proven wrong. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was pure, popcorn munching blockbuster gold and it was everything that a good summer movie should be.
And now we’re on sequel number 2 and that summer of 2003 is starting to look as golden as the summer of 78 must look to hippies and Bryan Adams. At World’s End is plagued by similar problems to Dead Man’s Chest. Orlando Bloom is again at his hammiest, but is amazingly outdone by Keira Knightley’s pathetic performance as the ‘babe with attitude.’ She’s neither convincing as a babe, nor a pirate, leaving her to merely float through the film in an unfortunately beefed-up role.
