New Films Opening 8-31-07

New films opening this weekend.


BALLS OF FURY - This actually opened on Wednesday. A film about professional ping pong players. Doesn't look promising, but it does have Christopher Walken and Patton Oswalt in the cast, so I guess it could be a lot worse.


HALLOWEEN - Rob Zombie's reimagining of the John Carpenter classic. I've yet to see a Zombie film. But, having heard a lot of good things about his work (and some bad) as well as being a huge fan of the original, I am a bit curious about this one.


DEATH SENTENCE - Kevin Bacon teams up with the director of SAW to make a Charles Bronson like revenge film.

I guess the biggest film playing this weekend is 3:10 TO YUMA which is sneaking in some theatres on Sunday.

FORGOTTEN VIDEO FRIDAY: "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior

Rethinking Mumblecore

A few days ago, I wrote a review of Joe Swanberg's HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS. It was my introduction to Swanberg's work.

While I admire what he did, thought it would probably be a big hit with some audiences, it didn't really work for me.

Since then, I've watched Swanberg's film LOL. I will have a review later but let's just say I liked this one a lot more. A very good film that makes me even more interested in the genre.

I was over on Youtube, watching clips of Swanberg and Bujalski when I found trailers for two other Mumblecore films (an aside, I think I like the term DIY filmmaking more than Mumblecore, but whatever).

I saw trailers for these two films by filmmaker Aaron Katz



DANCE PARTY USA

and



QUIET CITY

Wow! Amazing trailers. One of the reviews compares QUIET CITY to Terrence Malick. I can see why from the trailer.

Both of these films will be released on DVD by Benten Films, the same company that released LOL this November. Can not wait to see them.

So, disregard my previous writing off of the genre. I think this may be something.

THE OFFICE: What they did on Summer Vacation

What did everyone at Dunder Mifflin do over the summer?

Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson

The rumors are flying that Steve Coogan is responsible for Owen Wilson's drug use that led to his eventual suicide attempt. They co-starred in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM and are set to star in another film together.

Coogan is denying it, but, of all people, Courtney Love is placing the blame on him, saying Coogan was a bad influence around her, when she got out of rehab.

Now, I love Coogan. His Alan Partridge TV series is up there with THE OFFICE as one of the funniest things out of the UK in decades.

But, I guess the good thing about his being a TV star in the UK is I wasn't even aware of this reputation that he had. Never in watching his work did I even realize that about him, if it is even true.

And an aside, where is Courtney Love's latest CD? Last year there was a big documentary on VH-1 that followed her recording it. What they played of it sounded incredible. It was then supposed to be out this spring. It is now almost the fall and still nothing. All that we hear from her are stories about her fluctuating weight and such.

I don't know. I guess I would rather hear more about the artist's work than their personal lives.

DVD REVIEW: THE BRIGITTE BARDOT COLLECTION

If I had to choose between Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, I’d have to go with Brigitte.

I might say that Monroe had the better filmography (BB never made anything as good as SEVEN YEAR ITCH, and SOME LIKE IT HOT isn’t too shabby) but Bardot had plenty of good films over the years. It is just that they weren’t the films she was really known for.

I always forget she was in Godard’s CONTEMPT, as that was a director driven film that wasn’t really a BB vehicle (and neither was JLG’s MASCULINE / FEMININE in which she appeared briefly). And there was Louis Malle’s VIVA MARIA and the multi director SPIRITS OF THE DEAD, both very good films.

But, for the most part, Bardot’s films were not the greatest. Her best known, AND GOD CREATED WOMAN, was an entertaining film, but far from a great one.

Still, even in the lesser films she made, there was something about her that made them all watchable.

Several of those lesser films are now being released in a 5 film, 3 DVD set from Lion’s Gate. A few of the films were previously released in an Anchor Bay Bardot collection from a few years ago. I do not have that set on DVD to compare transfers (it came out in the early days of DVD, and I bought the VHS version (which was half the price) instead. Seeing what that early out of print DVD set is going for online, I made a bad choice).

The films in the set are:


THE NAUGHTY GIRL (1956) – An early film, written by Roger Vadim. BB plays the daughter of a nightclub owner, and is on the run. Cute film.


COME DANCE WITH ME (1959) – BB’s husband almost has a one night stand with a woman he meets, who owns a dance studio. When he is blackmailed, and the blackmailer is murdered, BB gets a job in her dance studio to track down the killer. Probably the most entertaining of the films in the set.


LOVE ON A PILLOW (1962) – BB saves a man in a hotel room after he attempts to take his life. They then begin a romance of sorts. Since he is an alcoholic, it doesn’t go well.


TWO WEEKS IN SEPTEMBER (1967) – BB as a model in swinging London. It begins as a very dated look at the time period. But, as BB heads off to Scotland, it gets a bit more tolerable.


THE VIXEN / LES FEMMES (1969) – They save the worst for last. BB plays a secretary who goes to work for a writer (with it in the contract that she will be “available to him” in any way he wants), to help him finish a book about his love life. Just terrible.

There is also a 15 minute featurette, “Larger Than Life: Brigitte Bardot and the Mythology of the Sex Symbol”. Hugh Hefner is briefly interviewed, but most is made up of interviews with a biographer and a few college professors about her career, along with stock footage and clips from the films in this set. If it had just been the biographer, giving a full overview of her career, it would be a lot more interesting. But as it is, it is rushed and unfocused.

For fans, it is well worth picking up the set. All the films are widescreen. Some of the transfers seem a bit drained of color, but that could be the shape that the films are in now.

Rod Lurie's Internet Smackdown

RESURRECTING THE CHAMP opened up last weekend.

It didn’t do well. It is funny, some of the early reviews weren’t bad, but the reviews that came out on opening day were pretty terrible.

It did remind me about something funny about writer director Rod Lurie.

Back in the pre-blog mid 90’s, there were several very active movie discussion message boards on AOL. There was one board that was frequented by a guy, let’s call him Will.

Will was kind of a difficult character. If you ever posted something incorrect about a film, he would call you on it. He would challenge every opinion that he didn’t agree with. In a way, he made it a better board, since he would drive away those that didn’t seriously care about film. And, he made you think twice before hitting the post button.

Will was also a sort of known film writer. Not a household name, but he had published a few books, and collaborated on others.

At the time, Rod Lurie had a radio show in the LA area. While I never heard the show, it was a frequent topic of conversation among the LA area movie fans on the board. This was a few years before his first film DETERRENCE.

Will didn’t like the show, or Lurie. And, he made this known. He would frequently make fun of things he said.

Somehow, this all got back to Lurie and one day, he appeared on the message board with a comment stating that he had visited the board and read what was said about him. Nothing bad, just saying something like "I know what you are saying about me" and leaving.

Will was FURIOUS. He threw a tantrum on the board saying “How could you all have betrayed me so!! Who told Lurie to come here? That is not fair! I have to work with him, and see him at screenings, what am I going to do now? I will never visit this message board again!”

And, he never did. Will never posted again.

He would read the board. I would get emails from him in response to some of my posts. But, the betrayal was too much.

It was funny though. The AOL boards were open to everyone. I don’t know why he thought he could get away with it.

A few years later, I wrote something negative about an independent film on a message board, only to find it quoted by the filmmaker on another board. So, you can never expect anonymity online.

While I’ve never really gotten into Lurie’s works as a filmmaker (strongly disliked THE CONTENDER), I have to give him credit for taking the whole criticism of his radio show in such a memorable way.

New Line of Disney Treasures

The new wave of Disney Treasures has been announced and it looks to be another great one. Each year in December, Disney releases a few box sets of classic Disney shorts, TV specials, etc, with extensive extras. Leonard Maltin usually is involved in the making of the sets.

This wave of releases features one tin of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disneyland, and another Donald Duck set.

Here is the trade ad for them, from DavisDVD. Be sure to check over there for more information and to see a better quality copy of the ad.

My So-Called Life DVD Details

The fine folks at Shout! Factory have posted up the details for the MY SO-CALLED LIFE box set due on Otober 30th.

Disc six will include:

1 "My So-Called Life Story"
2 A Conversation with Claire Danes & Winnie Holzman
3 A Conversation with Marshall Herskovitz & Winnie Holzman
4 Interview with Claire Danes
5 The Characters: Angela, The Chase Family, The Friends
6 The Music -- Composer W.G. Snuffy Walden
7 Panel with the Cast and Creators
8 Photo Gallery

Yes, Claire is involved in the set! Great news.

If you have the FREAKS AND GEEKS, UNDECLARED, or any of the SCTV sets, you know just how great Shout! Factory is. They are up there with Criterion, as far as TV on DVD goes.

List price is $62.99. Probably less online.

To pre-order directly from them, visit their site.

Another Blogger Hater?

Many on the web used to read Dave Kehr's blog back when he was actively blogging.

Now, he has cooled down a bit. His blog is mainly links to his New York Times reviews.

I guess he doesn't really care for the format, as he recently posted this, about the firing of a print film critic (via Scanners and Greencine Daily)

This is not good. Soon, we will have a choice between the re-animated Paulettes who dominate the print media and the Knowles-nothing fan boys who dominate the internet. Which in my book isn't much of a choice at all.

Like Peter Bart and Richard Schickel, Kehr thinks of all bloggers as the comic book obsessed fanboys with poor hygiene who can't spell and only care about TRANSFORMERS.

Sorry, but having been blogging for two years now, I don't see the film blog world in the same way. There are plenty of great bloggers out there if you look for them. Check my sidebar for examples.

EDIT: I did not mean to attack comic bloggers. Just mainly to point out that Harry Knowles, and those movie sites that ONLY write about the latest comic adaptations and the most mainstream of releases, do not represent most film bloggers.

Today Show and Fact Checking

It seems at least once a week I complain about something on THE TODAY SHOW.

And here I go again.

This morning, in the 8:30 AM half hour, the show seemed to fall apart.

It began with what should have been a great segment. Bill Hader, Will Forte (who was very funny on FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS last night) and the great Kristen Wiig were interviewed about a new Saturday Night Live DVD.

Now, I rarely see them interviewed, so was very excited.

Unfortunately, Ann Curry was doing the interviewing.

Ok, Ann may be the nicest person in the world.

But, she is a terrible interviewer. Her overly compassionate style does not lend itself to an interview like this. She went on and on about how the DVD was going to be on everyone's coffee table (do people store their DVDs on coffee tables???), and barely asked a question that they could understand and answer.

And, as the interview ended, she didn't even mention the most important thing. The DVD is ONLY available at Starbucks. You would think she would get that information in.


Later, Matt interviewed Kelly Preston.

He opened the interview by saying "Kelly made her film debut in 1988's TWINS."

How did this get by the producers?

Kelly had been around for quite a while by the time TWINS came out. Any male who grew up in the 80's was well aware of her work in 1985's MISCHIEF. And then there was SECRET ADMIRER, SPACE CAMP, 52 PICK UP, I think TWINS was her 11th film.

Matt went on to say that the movie she was promoting, DEATH SENTENCE, was like a Charles Bronson film, like DEATH WISH. Since Kelly actually made her film debut in Bronson's DEATH WISH like film TEN TO MIDNIGHT, he could have said something about that.

But no, it was just a 3 minute interview.

I don't know. Should I just start watching Good Morning America or the CBS Early Show? Will I stop being so frustrated? Or are they just as bad?

Catching Up 8-27-07

A few items to catch up with.



*Today is Bizarro day over at the Lazy Eye Theatre. Be sure to check in. I've submitted an entry to it that you can link from over there.

*In breaking news, it was just posted that Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide yesterday. That is hard to believe.

*And in lighter news, in case you missed this clip from Friday's Miss Teen USA pageant, it is almost at 2 million Youtube views since Friday.

DVD RELEASES FOR 8-28-07

Here are the DVD Releases for August 28th, 2007.

BLADES OF GLORY – The Will Farrell ice skating film.

YEAR OF THE DOG – I missed this Mike White film, starring Molly Shannon, in theatres. Will be seeing it on DVD.

TEACHERS – The Nick Nolte, Ralph Macchio, JoBeth Williams film from 1984 about, well, teachers. I actually saw this one theatrically. I remember how cool it was that my parents were taking me to an R rated movie (my mom was a teacher). But, I didn’t like the movie all that much. Haven’t seen it since.

SKI SCHOOL – Dean Cameron stars in this 1991 comedy.

GIDEON’S TRUMPET – 1980 TV movie starring Henry Fonda and John Houseman based on a true story of the case that led to the “right to counsel” Supreme Court case.

3:10 TO YUMA – Before the remake, check out the original Glenn Ford, Van Heflin film, now in a special edition.

KICKIN IT OLD SKOOL – Ok, this isn’t a great film. As I wrote in my theatrical review, it is for “80’s obsessed, ex break dancing, Maria Menounos fans”. It has the feel of a first draft that will turn into something if others got involved with it. Maybe if Vince Vaughn had played the lead it could have been something. Still, it might be worth checking out as there are moments that show its potential. And, it is a MUST rent for FERRIS BUELLER fans.

GUYANA TRAGEDY: THE JIM JONES STORY – Powers Boothe, Colleen Dewhurst, Ned Beatty and James Earl Jones in the TV film based on the cult leader.

A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY (SPECIAL EDITION) – Will Farrell and Chris Kattan play the Roxbury guys in the movie version of their SNL characters. I was once in a Blockbuster and actually heard the clerk tell someone NOT to rent this. Really! They brought it to the counter and the guy told them not to rent it. I saw the film a few years later, and I didn’t hate it as much as I probably should have.

MEATBALLS 4 – Corey Feldman in the 1992 sequel to the Bill Murray classic. Terrible film. Only notable for its final line by Feldman. And where, may I ask, is MEATBALLS 3? The lost film in the series. Never on DVD. And, it stars Patrick Dempsey. You would think that would get a release before this.

LOL – What is most interesting about this release of the film by Joe Swanberg (HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS) is that Filmbrain of the great blog Like Anna Karina’s Sweater started up the company that is releasing it. You can read much more over at his site. How great is that? A blogger starting up a DVD company. I know I would love to do the same.

THE NAKED KISS – Way down in the Amazon listings is this great Sam Fuller film. I believe it is a reissue, by the usually reliable VCI, in widescreen with interviews with Fuller family members.

TV ON DVD

HEROES SEASON ONE - I gave up on the show half way through the first season, but it has its fans. No, wait. Make that, I am one of the few who doesn’t love this show, so everyone else will probably love it.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – The critically acclaimed drama is being released on DVD. The amazing thing, the first season is only $20 at Amazon (it is normally $60). I’ve never watched an episode, but I pre-ordered it because of that.

ODD COUPLE SEASON 2 – Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.

DARK SHADOWS – The first 35 episodes from the legendary soap opera.

DANE COOK – The Lost Pilots – I’m not a Dane Cook fan. But this does sound interesting. It is two pilots he made for TV shows that never made the air. So, you can watch the DVD, and play network executive and see if they made the right choice in not picking up the shows

ESSENTIAL OZZIE AND HARRIET COLLECTION – I’ve heard great things about this set of 100 Ozzie and Harriet episodes, all for $20 on Amazon.

THEATRICAL REVIEW: HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS (2007)

On December 1, 1991, I saw Richard Linklater’s SLACKER at the Enzian Theatre in Maitland Florida.

I was in college at the time, and the film just blew me away. It was like no other film I had seen. It felt like real people on film, and a style of filmmaking that made me want to be a filmmaker even more.

The film inspired many filmmakers and led to the 90’s indie revolution of sorts.

Now, more than 15 years later, there is a whole new generation of filmmakers creating a similar sort of realistic indie style of film. This group has been dubbed “Mumblecore” due to the fact that, due to the low budget conditions, you often can’t understand what is being said.

Andrew Bujalski is often seen as the pioneer of this group. His debut film FUNNY HA HA is the best of the genre (and one of the best films of this decade). THE PUFFY CHAIR by the Duplass brothers is another example (which I didn’t care for as much).

Joe Swanberg’s HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS is the latest entry into this new genre. While I have read about Swanberg’s previous films KISSING ON THE MOUTH and LOL, I have yet to see either. So, this is my introduction to his work.

Shot on DV, the story is very slight, if even non-existent. It follows Hannah (Greta Gerwig, a sort of young Meg Ryan), a twentysomething, as she goes from boyfriend to boyfriend. To discuss the plot to this film is difficult as, honestly, nothing much happens. It is made up of a lot of scenes of characters talking, whether about playing the trumpet, or about anti-depressants.

This is sort of an all star mumblecore film as two of the men in Hannah’s life are played by Andrew Bujalski and Mark Duplass.

But, here is the thing.

When does a style of filmmaking just become an excuse for not having microphones set up correctly?

This film is playing theatrically and On Demand as part of the IFC On Demand on Comcast Cable Systems. I watched in On Demand and during one lengthy early scene, I had to have the volume cranked up to like 75% of the TV’s volume, when it is normally only at 10%. Should I excuse the filmmaker because that is what he was going for? Should he be praised for not caring about the sound mix?

And should a style of filmmaking or the fact that it is said to have been partially improvised excuse the filmmakers for having dialogue that just isn’t all that interesting or little to no plot to advance the story?

The characters in SLACKER always had things interesting to say. While not a lot happens in this film, there really seems to be little point to what is there on screen.

HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS would probably be a huge hit among film school types, or college kids. Sort of like how I saw SLACKER at that age, younger people may be more open to the style of filmmaking.

For me though, while I admire what he is trying to do, it just didn’t work for me. I can’t say I really enjoyed watching the film the way I enjoyed FUNNY HA HA or MUTUAL APPRECIATION. But, I can completely understand why others would like it.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too old for it.

2 stars out of 5

EBERT AND ROEPER - Is the Balcony Closed?

Probably the biggest impact on my becoming a movie fan was the SISKEL AND EBERT TV show. Going back to the late 70’s, early 80’s, I would religiously watch them on the PBS show SNEAK PREVIEWS. I probably learned more about film from watching them than in all my college film classes.

I followed them over the years as they first went into the syndicated AT THE MOVIES and then finally to the SISKEL AND EBERT show. I missed a few years when I was in college and it aired at 1 a.m. Sunday nights (and I would have 8 a.m. classes) but tried to never miss an episode.

It seems like there is a chance that the show will come to an end.

David Poland has an excellent piece over at The Hot Blog about what has been going on behind the scenes at the show including various cost cutting matters that the average viewer was not aware of that show that Disney (the company behind the show) really didn’t have much confidence in it.

Even though, due to his illness, Roger Ebert hasn’t been on the show in a while, he and Gene Siskel’s widow still share the trademark on the “Two Thumbs Up” logo.

Roger has been in negotiation with Disney for another season of the show. While he would not be involved most likely, his thumb would. Disney made an offer, Roger thought it was much too low and he counter-offered.

Disney didn’t reply to that new offer, and instead issued a statement saying “Ebert has exercised his right to withhold use of the "thumbs" until a new contract is signed”. Ebert stated this is not true, that he allowed them to continue to use the thumbs during negotiations. But, things do not look good.

So, without the thumbs, and without Ebert, is this really a show? Will it be able to continue?

Roeper has done a good job. But, he is more of a sort of “everyman” critic than a serious film critic. Much like Gene Siskel was a real estate columnist before he became a film critic, he is the counterpoint to Ebert’s Pulitzer Prize winning critic.

While there have been some good guest critics in the time since Ebert has left (A.O. Scott has been a very good recurring guest, and it was great to see Kim Morgan on the air) the sort of musical chairs has detracted from the show. As have stunt appearances by celeb critics like Jay Leno, Kevin Smith, Fred Willard and, oy, John Mellencamp. Maybe they were there to increase ratings, but it hurt the show.

And then there is the issue of if anyone really watches the show.

I don't know what the ratings for the show are, but if my experience has been any indication, it can't be one of the most watched syndicated shows. Mainly because stations never seem to treat it well.

When I used to get the new TV Guide, the first thing I would have to do is search to see what time it was airing. It seemed to be on a different time every week, in between infomercials on Saturday afternoons or Sunday mornings.

Now, my local station airs it late Sunday nights at Midnight after a Jeopardy rerun. But now that Sunday Night Football has begun, it now airs as late as 1 am. I have to set the Tivo, with a few extra hours padded in, to tape it. Certainly people in my area are not staying up that late to see it.

If the show is cancelled, I really can’t see anyone even noticing.

As I stated, it is one of my favorite shows. I don’t want to see it go. But, things are not looking good.

Films Opening 8-24-07

A few films of interest opening this weekend.


RESURRECTING THE CHAMP - Rod Lurie's film about a journalist who discovers a once great boxer now homeless. Stars Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett.


MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY - For those that don't remember, Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean character was to the early 90's what Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G and Borat are today. People (myself included) loved his work, and watched everything he did. Now, Bean is back in a film that has gotten some good reviews so far.


NANNY DIARIES - This was scheduled to be released earlier this year. The studio pulled it, saying that they wanted to give it a release later in the fall, when it would get a more prestigious opening. Instead, they are dumping this Scarlett Johansson film at the end of summer.


SEPTEMBER DAWN - Jon Voight, Terence Stamp, Lolita Davidovich, star in this very controversial film about a massacre in 1857 by a group of Mormons. Dean Cain stars as Joseph Smith (his father Christopher Cain directs).


WAR - Jet Li and Jason Statham in an action film. Do you need to know anything more? If you are a fan of them, you will be there. If you aren't (and I'm not) you won't.


ILLEGAL TENDER - Another action film, with no one I've ever heard of, about people on the run. Why do films like this, with no advertising, get big releases and films like ONCE are stuck in arthouses.

FORGOTTEN VIDEO FRIDAY: The Rentals

I may be in the minority, but I always liked THE RENTALS (Matt Sharp's side project) more than WEEZER.

So, since they are reuniting, I thought I'd choose a couple of their videos for today.



"Friends of P"

And



"Waiting". The video was directed by Roman Coppola (Sofia's brother who directed CQ). And yes, that is SNL's Maya Rudolph on keyboards. She was with the band briefly.

Edward Copeland's Foreign Film List

In order to regain blogger credibility over the last Blogger Film list, Edward Copeland has started up a survey of the Best Foreign Language Films.

I've written about this before, submitted a ballot for the first round. And now, I have made up my second list based on the films that were eligible.

Here it is.

1. WINGS OF DESIRE
2. MY NIGHT AT MAUDS
3. UMBERTO D
4. IKIRU
5. THE 400 BLOWS
6. WILD STRAWBERRIES
7. CONTEMPT
8. MASCULIN-FEMININ
9. BREATHLESS
10. DERSU UZALA
11. BAND OF OUTSIDERS
12. Z
13. SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
14. HIGH AND LOW
15. THE SEVENTH SEAL
16. PIERROT LE FOU
17. M
18. RULES OF THE GAME
19. THE BLUE ANGEL
20. PERSONA
21. THE VANISHING
22. DAY FOR NIGHT
23. RUN LOLA RUN
24. THE CONFORMIST
25. THREE COLORS: RED


Did I mention how difficult it is for me to make up this type of list? I feel I have to rewatch everything.

Looking at it again, I see changes I still want to make. But, it is good enough.

Top News Stories for 8-23-07

*Congratulations to Bridget Moynahan who gave birth to a boy yesterday.


*In what has to be the greatest celeb scandal since Matthew McConaughey and the bongo drums, Bill Murray got pulled over, driving drunk, on a golf cart, in Sweden.

*The 31 Days of Spielberg is continuing over at Windmills of My Mind. He was up to HOOK when a bit of a scandal came about. But, having been a reader of his site well before this, I believe Damian's explanation for it all.

*The Lazy Eye Theatre is having a "Bizarro Blogathon" next week.


*I mentioned that UGLY BETTY Season One was released on DVD this week. I got the first disc from Netflix. I put it on last night, intending to watch one episode. Before I knew it, I had watched the entire disc, all four episodes. Great show. Very funny. Extremely well done. Now, I don't know whether I should run out and buy the box set, to watch more this weekend, or to keep Netflixing them. It is that good.

Ten Reasons Why I Love Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig is one of my favorites. So, here are ten reasons why.



1. She began, like so many great comic actors today, at the Groundlings.


2. She appeared as Dr. Pat, the marriage counselor with multiple marriages, on THE JOE SCHMO SHOW. One of the funniest reality shows ever (no Youtube video).



3. The Target lady.


4. The inappropriate newly divorced reporter (no Youtube video).



5. Penelope.



6. Her KNOCKED UP character. (Can't find it online, sooooooo how about another Penelope video)



7. Her Nancy Pelosi.



8. With Alec Baldwin, she was part of the Bobby McFerrin car sketch (no Youtube video).



9. She appeared in not only the “**** in a box” digital short, but the “Dear Sister” short as well.



10. And, my favorite, as one of the “Two A-Holes”



EDIT (2-27-08) - Please note, this list was made before she gave the world "Virgania Horsen's Hot Air Balloon Rides", one of her greatest skits ever.

EDIT (4-7-08) Reason #12 The surprise party sketch



EDIT (4-13-08): Reason #13 why I love Kristen Wiig, Judy "Just Kidding" Grimes



EDIT (5-18-08): Reasons #14 and #15 why I love Kristen Wiig:



Starring as Pam in the real original version of THE OFFICE



"Bless This Child"

EDIT: 7-26-08


Kristen is featured in the Comedy Issue of GQ, on newsstands now.

EDIT (11-23-08): Another reason to love Kristen Wiig.



As the adult retainer spokesperson.

ADDED 1-4-09: A great profile of Kristen Wiig in the New York Times.

ADDED 1-18-09:



Here is Kristen Wiig as Gilly.



And as Judy Grimes again. How does she do this? How can she speak this fast?

ADDED 2-9-09:



Here is Kristen Wiig as Bjork

(Added 3-15-09):



Here is Kristen Wiig as Barbie

Entertainment Weekly Fall Preview: October-December

Here is the rest of the list of films opening this Fall.

October 5

HEARTBREAK KID – The Farrelly brothers and Ben Stiller team up for a remake of Elaine May’s comedy. On paper, I’d say it would be a miss (I’m not a Farrelly fan) but the trailer I saw the other day wasn’t that bad.

DARJEELING LIMITED – Actually opens in September, and goes wide in October, the Wes Anderson film. Hate to say it, but the trailer doesn’t do much for me, even though I love Anderson.

MICHAEL CLAYTON – George Clooney in a conspiracy thriller, about a corporate lawyer.

GRACE IS GONE – The John Cusack, Sundance, Iraq widow film.

THE GOOD NIGHT – Jake Paltrow directs sister Gwyneth in a film about sleep.

October 12

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Cate Blanchett in a sequel to the film that made her a star. Sorry, but I still have painful memories of the original. An extremely dull film.

WE OWN THE NIGHT – Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Duvall in a film by James Gray (LITTLE ODESSA, THE YARDS).

HITMAN – Timothy Olyphant in a film based on the videogame.

SLEUTH – A remake of the Michael Caine / Laurence Olivier film with Caine and Jude Law.

October 19

GONE BABY GONE – Ben Affleck, auteur? Yes, he directs this Boston based detective thriller. Looks interesting.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT – Josh Hartnett in a vampire thriller.

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3-D – A reworking of the Henry Selick / Tim Burton film. I’m one of the few who doesn’t love it. I don’t know if 3-D will help.

RESERVATION ROAD – Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino in what sounds like this year’s version of LITTLE CHILDREN.

October 26

DAN IN REAL LIFE – I love Steve Carell. But the trailer for this is not promising. Steve and his brother Dane Cook fighting over Juliette Binoche? No thanks. I’m not much of a Binoche fan.

SAW IV – I’ve yet to see a SAW film. I will try to keep that record intact.

SLIPSTREAM – Anthony Hopkins wrote, directs, and stars in this film about a writer.

RAILS AND TIES – Clint’s daughter Alison Eastwood directs Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden in this film about suicide.

THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE – Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, and David Duchovny in a love triangle.

November 2

AMERICAN GANGSTER – Ridley Scott’s film with Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Cuba Gooding Jr.

THE KITE RUNNER – An adaptation of the novel.

BEE MOVIE – The Jerry Seinfeld animated film.

November 9

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – The Coen brothers film that was all the talk of Cannes.

LIONS FOR LAMBS – A new political film from director and star Robert Redford. Also starring Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise. The most interesting aspect, it is the first release of Tom’s incarnation of United Artists.

FRED CLAUS – Vince Vaughn as Santa’s brother.

ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS – How long has this one been on the shelf? Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd in an older woman, younger man film. It was previously known as I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN and scheduled for release last year. Will it really be released?

November 16

MR MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM – Dustin Hoffman as a toy store owner who leaves his store to Natalie Portman. Also starring Jason Bateman.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA – An adaptation of the famous novel starring Javier Bardem.

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING – Noah Baumbach’s new film!! Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh!! And Nicole Kidman. While Jack Black isn’t a favorite of mine, I always try to like him, and did in SCHOOL OF ROCK.

BEOWULF – Robert Zemeckis directs a screenplay by cult favorite Neil Gaiman and PULP FICTION’s Roger Avary. With Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins.

November 21

ENCHANTED – Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey in a film about Princesses.

STEPHEN KING’S THE MIST – Frank Darabont goes back to Stephen King adaptations.

AUGUST RUSH – Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers search for the son they gave up for adoption.

I’M NOT THERE – The Bob Dylan film with Cate Blanchett playing him at one point. Sorry, but the premise has never worked for me.

November 30

CASSANDRA’S DREAM – Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor team up with Woody Allen in another London set film. I keep hoping to love one of his new ones, but it has been over ten years.

December 7

THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig attempt to create a new Narnia series

THE LEATHERHEADS – A football film starring (and directed by) George Clooney. Also with Renee Zellwegger and THE OFFICE’S John Krasinski.

THE WALKER – Paul Schrader’s murder mystery starring Woody Harrelson and Kristin Scott Thomas.

ATONEMENT – Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in a British period piece.

December 14

I AM LEGEND – Will Smith in a futuristic thriller.

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH – A new Francis Ford Coppola film? Will it be GODFATHER Coppola or the JACK Coppola? Stars Tim Roth and Bruno Ganz.

JUNO – Michael Cera gets his girlfriend Ellen Page pregnant, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner adopt. Jason Reitman directs.

December 21

SWEENEY TODD – I love the musical of SWEENEY TODD, so will be looking forward to this version starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Unfortunately, I haven’t liked a Tim Burton film since BEETLEJUICE.

P.S. I LOVE YOU – Hilary Swank teams up with director Richard LaGravenese again (after FREEDOM WRITERS) in this comedy.

NATIONAL TREASURES: BOOK OF SECRETS – Sequel to the Nicolas Cage film.

WALK HARD – I posted the trailer to this the other day. Can’t wait. “You can take the children, but you leave me my monkey!”

December 25

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR – Mike Nichols directs an Aaron Sorkin script starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Let’s just hope it is the SPORTS NIGHT Sorkin and not the condescending STUDIO 60 Sorkin.

THE BUCKET LIST – This sounds interesting. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play cancer patients who write a list of what they want to do before they die, and then try to fulfill them. Directed by Rob Reiner.

THE GREAT DEBATERS – Denzel Washington directs and stars in a DEAD POET’S SOCIETY like film about an inspiring debate coach in 1935 Texas.

December 26

THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest. That is all that is needed to know.

Entertainment Weekly's Fall Preview: September

Entertainment Weekly has published their Fall Preview Issue. So, I thought I’d go through the list as well.

September 7

3:10 TO YUMA – I’m all for seeing Westerns, but I’m not completely sold on this one. Good cast, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe and directed by James Mangold.

THE BROTHERS SOLOMON – Will Forte, Will Arnett and Kristen Wiig. That is all you need to know about this comedy. A must see for them alone.

SHOOT EM UP – Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci in an action film about Owen protecting a baby from thugs.

September 14

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE – Julie Taymor’s Beatles musical. The trailer is interesting, but looks too much like HAIR. And, with all the fighting over the release of the film, I’m kind of worried about it. I will be there opening day though.

SILK – Keira Knightly, Alfred Molina, and Michael Pitt in a story of 19th century silkworm gatherers.

THE BRAVE ONE – Jodie Foster as a radio host who goes on a rampage with a gun. It is directed by Neil Jordan, who has had a bit of a slump for the past decade or so.

KING OF CALIFORNIA – Michael Douglas and his daughter Evan Rachel Wood (also in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, opening the same day) are convinced that gold is buried under the local Costco. I bet it isn’t.

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH – A film from CRASH director Paul Haggis starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Susan Sarandon. About a soldier who goes AWOL.

EASTERN PROMISES – David Cronenberg teams up with Viggo Mortensen again, along with Naomi Watts and Vincent Cassell, about Russian mobsters.

September 21

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD – Brad Pitt stars in yet another troubled production.

GOOD LUCK, CHUCK – Stars Dane Cook and Jessica Alba. Good luck, audiences.

THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB – This sounds interesting. A modern day story about people in a book club reading Jane Austen novels. Starring Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, and Amy Brenneman.

INTO THE WILD – Sean Penn’s adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book. Good cast, including Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, Vince Vaughn, Marcia Gay Harden, and William Hurt.

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION – Ok, I’ll admit, the first two films were a lot of fun. And now, fighting zombies in Vegas? Yeah, I’m there.

SYDNEY WHITE – Amanda Bynes (who I hadn’t seen until HAIRSPRAY and was very good) in an update of the SNOW WHITE story. And, as EW writes, it is good to see a star like Bynes who grew up in the industry and hasn’t turned to a life of drugs and partying. Still, I don’t think this is one for me.

September 28

THE KINGDOM – A Middle Eastern action film. Great cast, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman. Directed by Peter Berg (the star of ASPEN EXTREME). Let’s hope it is better than Berg’s earlier film VERY BAD THINGS. Films don’t get much worse.

RUN, FATBOY, RUN – Comedy starring Simon Pegg (HOT FUZZ), Thandie Newton (FLIRTING) and Hank Azaria (THE SIMPSONS). Co-written by Pegg and Michael Ian Black (TV’S THE STATE and ED). Directed by David Schwimmer.

LUST, CAUTION – A new Ang Lee film with Joan Chen and Tony Leung set in 1940’s Japan.

FEAST OF LOVE – A film by Robert Benton starring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, and Radha Mitchell.

Tune in tomorrow for October’s titles.

News for 8-20-07

Catching up with a few weekend news items.


*The big news, Kristen Bell aka Veronica Mars, has been added to the cast of HEROES! She will have a recurring role starting in October. I'm not the biggest fan of the show, but this may give me a reason to start watching again.

*SUPERBAD managed to make it to number 1 at the box office. Although with $31 million, it wasn't a blockbuster opening.

*HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 broke all basic cable ratings, attracting 17 million viewers. Even my 4 year old niece tuned in. I actually watched part of it to see what the fuss was about. I have to say, I can see why the kids love it. It was well done, a lot of catchy music. Although, I'm a musical geek, so I may be more open to it. It wasn't really for me, but it is one thing that parents can probably be glad their kids are watching.

*And, in important film blog news, Edward Copeland has posted up the ballot for the upcoming attempt to create a best foreign film list. Looks good so far (although several from my list didn't make the cut.)

WALK HARD: FILM OF THE YEAR?

Will WALK HARD be the film of the year?

With a line like:

"You can take the children, but leave me my monkey"

I'm thinking, yeah.

Plus, the cast (John C. Reilly, Kristen Wiig, Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows, Chris Parnell, countless others)and it being a Judd Apatow production, how can it fail?

It opens this December.

DVD RELEASES FOR 8-21-07

New DVD Releases for August 21, 2007. Not the biggest week, but there are a few titles.


The Lives of Others - The German film that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Perfect Stranger (Widescreen Edition) - The Halle Berry, Bruce Willis murder mystery.

The Milky Way (Criterion Collection) - Criterion release of the Luis Bunuel film.

House of Games - Criterion Collection - Another Criterion release of the excellent David Mamet film.

Serenity (Collector's Edition) - A rerelease of the DVD with a bunch of extra features.

Redline - Remember when Eddie Griffin crashed up that expensive car while promoting a film? Well, that crash had more exposure than this film, that he was promoting.

The Ex (Unrated Widescreen Edition) - I wanted to see this, Jason Bateman, Zach Braff, Amanda Peet film. But reviews were terrible and it disappeared from theatres very quickly.

Reel Talent: First Films by Legendary Directors - Early short films by directors George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Shawn Levy, Stephen Sommers, Jon Turteltaub, James Foley, Kevin Reynolds, Richard Kelly and Richard Bare.

Malicious - A thriller from 1995, only notable (and probably the only reason it is getting a DVD release) is because star Molly Ringwald is topless in it. John Hughes was never like this.

The Dark Backward (Special Edition) - Along with MALICIOUS, John Hughes fans can pick up this Judd Nelson film, where he plays a stand up comic who grows a third arm.

TV ON DVD RELEASES

House, M.D. - Season Three - Should I admit I have never seen an episode? I know it has a lot of fans, but I just haven’t tuned in yet.

South Park - The Complete Tenth Season - I am way behind on buying these season sets. I bought the first couple, haven’t watched them, or gotten around to getting the rest.

Dexter - The First Season - The Showtime serial killer series. Another show I never watched, yet has its fans.

JAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Complete Fourth Season - I watch a lot of TV, but yet another one I haven’t seen.

Ugly Betty - The Complete First Season - Now this is a show I should have been watching, but the time slot was pretty terrible (opposite NBC’s Thursday night line-up). I will catch up on DVD.

'Til Death - The Complete First Season - The Fox sitcom with Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher.

Man About the House: Complete Series 1 and 2 - Probably the only thing I will be picking up this week. This is the British sitcom from the 70’s that inspired THREE’S COMPANY. Worth picking up for fans of the US version.

BIG BROTHER 8 ZACH ON STYLE COURT

I don't know what to think of this clip.



Zach Swerdzewski, still in the house on BIG BROTHER 8, appearing as a plantiff on STYLE COURT.

In the clip, he claims to be a "party promoter", yet on BIG BROTHER, he claims to be a graphic designer / robot maker. Which is real?

Is he just an actor on STYLE COURT or BB8?

THEATRICAL REVIEW: SUPERBAD (2007)

SUPERBAD opens with a 70’s style Columbia Pictures logo. And, even with the use of cell phones and talk of the internet in the film, it has the feel of a late 70’s, early 80’s comedy. It is even shot in a grainy style of film by director Greg Mottola (THE DAYTRIPPERS).

Michael Cera (George Michael from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) and Jonah Hill (KNOCKED UP) play teens, about to graduate from high school. They find out about an end of the year party and are drafted to buy the alcohol for it, with the help of their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who just got a fake ID.

The film follows that night, and the guys trying to get to the party, while Fogell, aka McLovin (the name on his fake ID) tags along with a couple cops (Bill Hader and co-writer Seth Rogen) who are driving him to the party, but stopping off for various police business on the way.

Judd Apatow is justifiably one of the most reliable names in comedy today. From FREAKS AND GEEKS to UNDECLARED, 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN to KNOCKED UP, he can hardly do wrong. Here, he serves as producer. But, it still fits in with the rest of his work.

The film is very funny. While a lot of critics have said there was too much of McLovin and the cops, I actually thought this was my favorite part of the film. Mintz-Plasse is probably the breakthrough star of the film. Anyone who has seen ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT or KNOCKED UP knows how funny the other two guys are, but McLovin really steals every scene he is in, in a NAPOLEON DYNAMITE sort of way.

It is reminiscent of such films as DAZED AND CONFUSED and CAN’T HARDLY WAIT (one of the most underrated films of the 90’s), but it may not be at their level.

Some sections go on a bit too long. Maybe ten minutes could have been cut.

Also, the film has been advertised for so long that I felt I had seen too much of it in the trailers. I think most scenes from the film are in some way in the trailers, or clips released. There aren’t all that many surprises.

But these are all minor points. It may not be at the level of Apatow’s previous work, yet few films are. It still stands as a very funny film that is well worth seeing.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

Dunder Mifflin Online

Everyone's favorite paper company, Dunder Mifflin, has a website.

New Films Opening 8-17-07

Here are the new theatrical releases for August 17, 2007.


SUPERBAD - I first heard of this film when I saw the trailer before GRIND HOUSE. It was a more memorable trailer than any of the fake ones in the film. I didn't realize at the time that it was the Seth Rogen scripted one that I had heard about for a while. Now, months later, even without seeing the film everyone is quoting the "I am McLovin" line. And we are finally going to be able to see the film this weekend. I will be there.


THE INVASION - It took a few viewings of this trailer until I realized that it is another take on THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS story. And, I have to admit, I have always loved those films. The original and even the 1994 Abel Ferrara version. However this has been called a "troubled" production, including extensive reshoots with a new director. I will try to see it.


THE LAST LEGION - Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, and Bollywood Queen Aishwarya Ray star in this medieval film. The plot synopsis on Hollywood.com runs a very long paragraph. Will the film be as confusing?

Also

BECOMING JANE - The Anne Hathaway, Jane Austen inspired film is expanding this weekend. Reviews are very mixed.

So, a couple out there, and I have yet to see STARDUST.

FORGOTTEN VIDEO FRIDAY: "Anything She Does" by Genesis

Here is a fun one, that works as both a music video, and a Benny Hill skit.

Benny's character of Fred Scuttle guards the backstage during a Genesis concert for the video of "Anything She Does".

Toronto Film Festival Line-up Announced

The line-up for the Toronto Film Festival has been announced. Here is the list of films shown (you can read more over at Anne Thompson's blog).

The big news for me? A new Rohmer film!!!

BLOOD BROTHERS Alexi Tan, Taiwan/China/Hong Kong

Shanghai in the 1930s was a city at its prime – no other place in the world could match its glamour, excitement, sensuality, and potential. Kang (Liu Ye), Fung (Daniel Wu) and Xiao Hu (Tony Yang), three innocent young men, have arrived in this "paradise" in search of a better future, finding instead that life is cheap and violence omnipresent. As time goes by, and in a multitude of ways, each is forced into a life of crime. Kang, the most ambitious of the three, falls victim to his quest for power. Fung, previously content with his simple village life, is thrust into a world of violence where he sees his heroic side emerge. Xiao Hu, the most innocent, blindly admires and follows his brother Kang, even as this new world pulls him down. Unable to cope with his fears and weaknesses, Xiao Hu must choose between the two people closest to him. Against this backdrop of decadence, life takes a difficult turn when a forbidden love affair is exposed and everyone is forced to make hard choices. The feature directorial debut from filmmaker Alexi Tan, the film also stars Chang Chen, Shu Qi, Sun Honglei and Lulu Li. Produced by John Woo and Terence Chang, BLOOD BROTHERS is a production of Hong Kong's Lion Rock Productions.

THE LAST LEAR Rituparno Ghosh, India

Amitabh Bachchan, one of the world's most worshipped movie stars, takes on his first-ever leading role in English as part of a career spanning over four decades. Veteran theatre actor Harish Mishra (Bachchan) is gravely ill, having slipped into a coma as the result of an accident during a film shoot – his first after years as a headliner on the stage. While his co-star Shabnam (Preity Zinta) is consumed with worry, their director Siddharth (Arjun Rampal) keeps a cold distance, refusing to visit the ailing star. What is it that has brought them all to this tragic point? In a flashback, their story emerges. Wooed out of retirement by the impatient young filmmaker, Harish leaves the perch of his study – where he rages against the modern world – and joins the cast and crew on location for the shoot, where he quickly takes up position as the outsider of the group. Proclaiming the superiority of Shakespeare over anything that cinema can create, Harish holds strong to his belief that theatre trumps film on any given day. From the master of Bengali cinema Rituparno Ghosh, the film also stars Shefali Shah and Jisshu Sengupta. Produced by Arindam Chaudhuri, THE LAST LEAR is a Planman Motion Pictures production.

Special Presentations

ANGEL François Ozon, France/UK/Belgium

England, 1905. Angel Deverell is a gifted young writer who dreams of success, fame and love. But what will happen if all her dreams come true? From acclaimed filmmaker François Ozon, ANGEL stars Romola Garai, Lucy Russel, Michael Fassbender, Sam Neill and Charlotte Rampling.

CHACUN SON CINÉMA Various, France

The Toronto International Film Festival is honoured to be showing this Cannes Film Festival favourite. More than 30 of the most distinguished contemporary filmmakers – including Canadians David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan as well as David Lynch, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Roman Polanski, Gus Van Sant, Lars von Trier, and Wong Kar Wai – celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cannes with short films inspired by the cinephile’s place of worship: the movie theatre.

CHAOTIC ANA Julio Medem, Spain

Ana's existence seems to be a continuation of the lives of other young women, all of whom died tragically at the age of 22. Doomed to a chaotic fate, Ana must co-exist with these young women as they continue to live on in the abyss of her unconscious memory. From filmmaker Julio Medem (SEX AND LUCIA), the film stars Manuela Vellés, Bebe, Charlotte Rampling, Asier Newman and Nicolas Cazalé.

LOVE COMES LATELY Jan Schütte, Germany/Austria/USA

Though approaching his 80s, Max shows no signs of slowing down. He pursues his love life – both real and imagined – with youthful vigour, thereby risking his relationship to Reisel, the woman he loves but neglects. Based on the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer, LOVE COMES LATELY is a film about real and imagined longings, the never ending dream of love, and the power of fiction. Starring Otto Tausig, Rhea Perlman, Tovah Feldshuh and Barbara Hershey.

LUST, CAUTION Ang Lee, Taiwan

Following his Academy Award™ win for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Ang Lee returns with an erotic espionage thriller set in WWII-era Shanghai, in which a young woman (Tang Wei) gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure (Tony Leung, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE). Also starring Chui Wai, Joan Chen and Wang Leehom.

MAD DETECTIVE Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai, Hong Kong

A missing police pistol is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner, Wong, vanished while pursuing suspects in the mountains, yet his partner, Chi-Wai, miraculously returned unharmed. Hotshot inspector Ho (Andy On) is in charge of the investigation, but Ho knows his only chance of cracking the case lies in enlisting the help of Bun (Lau Ching Wan), the reclusive yet gifted mad detective.

MONGOL Sergei Bodrov, Germany/Kazakhstan/Mongolia/Russia

Commanding and celebrated Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano stars as the historic icon Genghis Khan. Directed by Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains, The Nomad), MONGOL is the epic story of a young Khan and how events in his early life lead him to become the legendary conqueror and father of Mongolia.

PERSEPOLIS Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, France

Based on the graphic novels by co-director Marjane Satrapi, this animated film – winner of the Cannes Jury Prize for 2007 – tells of a young girl coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and features the vocal talents of Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni.

RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN Hans Weingartner, Germany/Austria

In the latest feature from acclaimed filmmaker Hans Weingartner (THE EDUKATORS), TV producer Rainer (Moritz Bleibtreu) is always high on cocaine and, as a result, develops shows of the most stupid and vulgar nature, exploiting anyone and anything for the sake of ratings. After being forced to realize the errors of his ways, Rainer decides to change his life, embarking on a guerrilla campaign against the entertainment industry.

SHADOWS Milcho Manchevski, Republic of Macedonia

Although hospital physician Lucky seems to have it all – a beautiful wife, lovely child, good job – he is always struggling to live up to the expectations of others while living in the shadow of his hotshot physician mother. But after he is involved in a car crash and mysteriously saved from certain death, Lucky's life dramatically begins to change.

THE SUN ALSO RISES Jiang Wen, China

Shot in the terraced hills of China’s Yunnan province and the sweeping plains of the Gobi Desert, the film juggles several timelines, offering insight into the mysterious forces that make people cross paths and, without realizing it, shape each other’s destinies. Director Jiang Wen (DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP) stars alongside Joan Chen, Anthony Wong and Jaycee Chan.

Masters

LES AMOURS D'ASTRÉE ET DE CÉLADON Eric Rohmer, France

A shepherd named Céladon (Andy Gillet) journeys through crazed love and despair via idyllic glades, craggy hills, nymphs and delicious temptation for his beloved Astrée (Stéphanie Crayencour) in this first film adaptation of Honoré d'Urfé's baroque love story L'Astrée.

BEYOND THE YEARS Im Kwon-taek, South Korea

A former pansori drummer rediscovers both his abandoned past and step-sibling. Together or separate, they part and reunite, unable to sever the invisible tie of their unspoken true love for each other. BEYOND THE YEARS, the 100th film in director Im Kwon-taek's highly prolific career, features the music of pianist Kunihiko Ryo.

CHAOS Youssef Chahine and Youssef Khaled, Egypt/France

Nour is the only person who stands up to Hatem, a brash and loathsome police officer who rules his Cairo neighborhood with an iron fist. But when he finds out that Nour is secretly in love with a deputy public prosecutor, Hatem turns envious and Nour's life becomes a nightmare.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, THE ENIGMA Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal

After more than sixty years and multiple trips between Portugal and America, a researcher named Manuel Luciano is about to discover the true identity of Christopher Columbus and unveil the mystery of the world famous explorer. The film is inspired by the book Christopher Columbus was Portuguese by Manuel Luciano da Silva and Silvia Jorge de Silva.

DÉSENGAGEMENT Amos Gitai, Israel/France/Germany/Italy

After Ana (Juliette Binoche) is reunited with her estranged Israeli stepbrother Uli (Liron Levo), she decides to return to Israel to look for the daughter she gave up at birth. Uli and Ana become tangled in the turmoil and emotion of military-enforced disengagement of Israeli settlers from Gaza in 2005.

FADOS Carlos Saura, Spain

Filmmaker Carlos Saura (TANGO) offers a fascinating trip through the history of fado, one of the oldest forms of urban folk music in the world, tracing its evolution from its very roots to its place in contemporary culture. Featuring performances by Mariza, Carlos do Carmo and other fado legends.

LA FILLE COUPÉE EN DEUX Claude Chabrol, France/Germany

Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier) makes a perverse choice between two attractive men – the older, married famous author Charles (François Berléand), and the young, suave and distinguished Paul (Benoît Magimel) – in this superbly caustic, droll, touching and scatological film whose title perfectly describes her – a woman cut in two.

FOUR WOMEN Adoor Gopalakrishnan, India

The lives of a prostitute, a virgin, a housewife and a spinster form stories from four different stratums of society. Starring: Nandita Das, Geetu Mohandas, Padmapriya and Manju Pillai.

GLORY TO THE FILMMAKER! Takeshi Kitano, Japan

Playing himself in the film as a celebrated director, Takeshi Kitano (ZATÔICHI, TAKESHIS') sets out on a quest to produce a box-office hit after publicly announcing his departure from gangster films. After failing to secure financing for his next genre projects, he decides to tell the story of a swindling mother (Kayoko Kishimoto) and her gold-digging daughter (Anne Suzuki) who set their eyes on an honest man, which unpredictably leads to the endangerment of the planet.

IT’S A FREE WORLD… Ken Loach, UK/Italy/Germany/Spain

Director Ken Loach (THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY) delivers a sharp and incisive story centred around brash Angie (Kierston Wareing), whose newly opened recruiting agency business explodes when personal ambition rubs up against social ethics.

THE PAST Hector Babenco, Argentina/Brazil

THE PAST follows the twists and turns in the life of Rimini (Gael García Bernal, DÉFICIT). After his divorce, he survives a string of relationships, loses his livelihood as a translator, becomes entangled in a child custody battle, lands in jail and recovers his ability to fall in love.

THE VOYEURS Buddhadeb Dasgupta, India

Yasin (Amitav Bhattacharya) moves to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and lives with Dilip (Prosenjit Chatterjee), who installs surveillance cameras for a living. Dilip pursues a tentative romance with Rekha (Sameera Reddy), a beautiful young dancer who moves in next door, after planting a spy camera above her mirror so that he and Yasin can watch her.

Contemporary World Cinema

AVANT QUE J'OUBLIE Jacques Nolot, France

In the final film of Jacques Nolot's trilogy on aspects of gay life, 58-year-old Pierre (Nolot), who is HIV-positive, finds himself increasingly unable to cope with loneliness and the outside world.

THE BAND’S VISIT Eran Kolirin, Israel/France

A small Egyptian police band is left stranded at the airport in a desolate Israeli town.

BARCELONA (A MAP) Ventura Pons, Spain

Incest, homosexuality and adultery are intertwined in the lives of six characters who come together in an old apartment in the heart of Barcelona.

BATTLE FOR HADITHA Nick Broomfield, UK

Iraqi insurgents bomb a convoy of U.S. Marines, resulting in the death of their most popular officer. Enraged by this loss, the young Marines carry out a brutal retaliation.

BRICK LANE Sarah Gavron, UK

Set against a background of escalating racial tension, Gavron's debut feature sees Nazneen leave her Bangladeshi village for London's East End after an arranged marriage to an older man. Despite feeling homesick and unhappy, Nazneen tries to make the best of her current situation. But ignoring her discontentment proves problematic as a hot-headed local man bursts into her life.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) Cristian Nemescu, Romania

The first and final feature from late filmmaker Cristian Nemescu focuses on a small Romanian village during the war in Kosovo, where the local railway chief – moonlighting as a gangster – seeks to gain from the stopping of a NATO train carrying military equipment.

CHOP SHOP Ramin Bahrani, USA

In a chaotic world of adults, young street orphan Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his 16-year-old sister.

THE COUNTERFEITERS Stefan Ruzowitzky, Austria/Germany

Berlin, 1936. King of counterfeiters, Sorowitsch gets all the money he needs by printing it himself. But when someone blows the whistle on him, he finds himself in a concentration camp, forced to produce fake foreign currency in hopes of saving his own life.

DANS LA VIE Philippe Faucon, France

Esther, an elderly Jewish woman with a sturdy ill-temper, runs through nursing assistants like nobody's business. But when Sélima, a Muslim woman, comes on board as a possible candidate, the two form a strong and intimate friendship despite their differences.

DAYS AND CLOUDS Silvio Soldini, Italy/Switzerland

Finally primed to fulfill her dream of going back to school, Elsa is floored when she discovers that her husband, Michele, was fired from his job two months ago. As Elsa faces the situation head on, Michele loses control, challenging their already fragile marriage.

EMPTIES Jan Svěrák, Czech Republic

This film is the last in a trilogy from Jan Svěrák (KOLYA) and his father, screenwriter/actor Zdeněk Svěrák. Literature teacher Josef (Zdeněk Svěrák) uncovers the root of his unhappiness when, after retiring against his will, he takes up a part-time job in a supermarket.

L'ENNEMI INTIME Florent Siri, France

Algeria, 1959. After a young, idealistic lieutenant (Benoît Magimel) takes command of an isolated French army outpost, he meets a disillusioned sergeant (Albert Dupontel), with whom he will be tested by the harsh realities of the Algerian War.

ERIK NIETZSCHE THE EARLY YEARS Jacob Thuesen, Denmark

Written by Lars von Trier under the nom-de-plume Erik Nietzsche, this semi-autobiographical film follows an intelligent, inexperienced and shy young man who, convinced that he wants to be a film director, enrols in the Danish National Film School.

FOREVER NEVER ANYWHERE Antonin Svoboda, Austria

After an accident somewhere in the mountains, three men find themselves trapped in their car. Injured, wedged and without any possible escape in sight, they await their rescue. But the sound of sirens may not bring quite the relief they had hoped for.

GARAGE Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland

Josie has spent all his adult life as the caretaker of a crumbling petrol station on the outskirts of an Irish small town. GARAGE is the story of Josie's hapless search for intimacy over the course of a summer which sees his life changed forever.

A GENTLE BREEZE IN THE VILLAGE Nobuhiro Yamashita, Japan

Soyo is one of six students in a combined primary and junior high school – the only student in the second year of junior high. When hip transfer student Osawa arrives at the school from Tokyo, a love slowly begins to blossom between Soyo and this new big-city boy.

GONE WITH THE WOMAN Petter Næss, Norway

The latest work by filmmaker Petter Næss (ELLING). Without fully grasping how it comes about, He, a man who does not even have a name, finds his life invaded by a woman. Struggling to tackle the situation, He passes from falling in love to being left behind. But just as He starts to forget her, she abruptly returns.

HAPPINESS Hur Jin-ho, South Korea

A stint in a country hospital finds city boy Young-su living on a farmhouse with a female patient. But when his friends show up for a visit, Young-su begins to wonder if he should abandon his rural surroundings and reclaim his urban lifestyle.

JAR CITY Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland/Germany

An elderly man is found murdered in his basement flat. When the inspector on the case finds a photo of a young girl's grave, he reopens a very old case, following a trail of unusual forensic evidence to uncover secrets knit into the bloodline of the entire country.

JELLYFISH Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, Israel/France

A woman breaks her leg at her own wedding reception and is forced to cancel her honeymoon. Another woman is followed by a strange little girl who has come out of the sea. A portrait of a messy world in which everyone scrapes by as best they can, JELLYFISH is the winner of Cannes' Camera d'Or for 2007.

JUST LIKE HOME Lone Scherfig, Denmark

When the residents of a small Danish town learn that a man was seen running naked through their streets, depression spreads like wildfire. Convinced that all of Danish society is collapsing around them, they launch a telephone hotline to help combat the situation.

KING OF CALIFORNIA Mike Cahill, USA

A father (Michael Douglas) fresh out of a mental institution, alongside his emancipated teenage daughter (Evan Rachel Wood, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE), heads out on a quest to uncover an ancient Spanish treasure buried beneath the local Costco.

KINGS Tom Collins, Ireland/UK

In the mid-1970s, six young men left their homes in the West of Ireland and sailed across the sea to England. Thirty years later, the death of one reunites the group, forcing them to face up to the alienation they feel as a result of having no real place to call home.

MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD Daniele Luchetti, Italy/France

Fifteen years of Italian history pass by amidst the small-town adventures of Accio (Elio Germano) and Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio), two passionate brothers in a constant battle over politics and the same woman throughout the 60s and 70s.

NEW YORK CITY SERENADE Frank Whaley, USA

From actor-filmmaker Frank Whaley comes the comedic story – set in the mid-90s – of two friends and the series of events that lead to their final farewell. When aspiring filmmaker Owen is invited to a two-bit film festival, he brings along his childhood friend Ray, a drummer in a rock and roll band. Starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Chris Klein.

ON THE WINGS OF DREAMS Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh

After Fazlu returns home from a day of canvassing in the village market, his wife finds some foreign currency notes in a pair of trousers Fazlu picked up for their son. Thinking these notes to be of great value yet unsure of what to do with them, Fazlu, increasingly allured by greed and high ambitions, sets off with his childhood friend Siraj in hopes of making a profitable exchange.

L'ORA DI PUNTA Vincenzo Marra, Italy

Vincenzo Marra (VENTO DI TERRA, THE SESSION IS OPEN) returns to the Festival with a film about Fillipo, a young man whose new job as a civil servant sees him confidently navigating the shoals of Roman society, rubbing elbows with the high-and-mighty.

PHILIPPINE SCIENCE Auraeus Solito, Philippines

Eight Philippine Science High School students come of age during the politically volatile 80s, a time filled with excitement and fraught with anxiety.

THE POPE'S TOILET Enrique Fernandes and César Charlone, Uruguay

In 1988, the people of Melo are bustling with the news that Pope John Paul II plans to visit their small town, with tens of thousands of visitors expected to follow in his wake. While many make plans to profit off the event, petty smuggler Beto is certain he's found the best business idea of all, a place where the multitude of pilgrims can find relief: "The Pope's Toilet."

RUN, FAT BOY, RUN David Schwimmer, UK

After Dennis (Simon Pegg) discovers that his ex-fiancée has hooked up with high-flying go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), he enters a marathon in hopes of winning her back, quickly discovering just how much sweat, strain and tears it takes to train for the run. The first feature by actor David Schwimmer, RUN, FAT BOY, RUN is written by Michael Ian Black (THE PLEASURE OF YOUR COMPANY).

THE SECRETS Avi Nesher, Israel/France

While attending a Jewish seminary for women in the ancient town of Safed – the birthplace of Kabbalah – two devout religious girls find themselves in the midst of an evolving rebellion against the suffocating patriarchy.

SLINGSHOT Brillante Mendoza, Philippines

An intimate glimpse into the lives of small time crooks in Manila during a simultaneous election period and Holy Week.

SON OF RAMBOW Garth Jennings, France/UK

In this inventive valentine to the 1980s, Will has his mind and world blown wide open when schoolmate Carter (Will Poulter) exposes him to the Rambo film FIRST BLOOD. The budding filmmaking duo grows popular at school but the arrival of a French exchange student pushes their unique friendship and precious film to the breaking point.

STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING Andrew Wagner, USA

An ambitious graduate student convinces a writer that her thesis can resurrect his career. Starring Frank Langelia, Lili Taylor and Lauren Ambrose, STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING is based on the novel by Brian Morton.

TO LOVE SOMEONE Åke Sandgren, Sweden

Alf, a fish dealer with his own shop, lives happily with his partner Lena. But their relationship is put to the test when Lena’s ex-husband suddenly reappears.

THE TRAP Srdan Golubovic, Serbia/Germany/Hungary

Amidst clashes of wealth and corruption in modern day Belgrade, Mladen struggles to pay for his son’s life-saving heart operation. When a man offers to cover the cost in full, Mladen discovers that, in return, he must kill the man’s business rival.

UNFINISHED SKY Peter Duncan, Australia

When Tahmeena, an illegal refugee, stumbles onto John’s isolated farm, he has no choice but to take her in. As they begin to grow closer despite language barriers, a group of men show up in hopes of taking Tahmeena away for good.

UNE VIEILLE MAÎTRESSE Catherine Breillat, France

A future wedding is on everyone’s lips. The young and dissolute Ryno de Marigny is betrothed to marry Hermangarde, a virtuous gem of the French aristocracy. But those who wish to prevent the union, despite the young couples’ mutual love, whisper that the young man will never break off his passionate love affair with Vellini (Asia Argento, THE MOTHER OF TEARS), which has been going on for years.

UNFINISHED STORIES Pourya Azarbayjani, Iran

Having nowhere else to go, three different women are forced to roam the streets of Tehran after being abandoned by the men in their lives.

WOLFSBERGEN Nanouk Leopold, Netherlands

At the age of 83, Konraad informs his relatives that he wants to die. While his only child, Maria, refuses to address the issue, her husband Ernst takes it upon himself to help Konraad fulfill his dying wish.

Visions

4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS Cristian Mungiu, Romania

Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival, this is the first film in the series Tales from the Golden Age – a subjective history of communism in Romania told through its urban legends – and sees two university roommates in a desperate situation after one becomes pregnant and decides to seek out an illegal abortion.

L'AMOUR CACHÉ Alessandro Capone, Italy/Luxembourg/Belgium

Committed to a psychiatric clinic after three suicide attempts, Danielle (Isabelle Huppert) views her daughter as a hostile and intrusive enemy. However, through an analyst's probing, Danielle finally voices the reality of her isolated childhood and the reason behind her self-loathing and hatred of motherhood.

Vanguard

BOY A John Crowley, UK

Jack (Andrew Garfield) has spent most of his young life in juvenile institutions for the murder of another child. He is released into the world, with only his care worker (Peter Mullan) to guide him. Jack is given a new name, a new job, a new home and a new life. But anonymity is both a blessing and a curse as Jack has to contend with keeping his past and the monstrous crime he committed as a minor, from the people he meets.

THE EXODUS Pang Ho-cheung, Hong Kong

Beat cop Jim (Simon Yam) uncovers a secret worldwide network of women conspiring to exterminate men. His investigation is soon thwarted with the organization's infiltration into the police force and soon Jim can no longer trust anyone, including his family.

MISTER LONELY Harmony Korine, UK/France/Ireland/USA

Harmony Korine (GUMMO) returns with a story about a lonely Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) in Paris who falls for a Marilyn Monroe look-alike (Samantha Morton, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE) and moves to a commune of impersonators. Meanwhile, in parallel, a miracle happens in a Latin American jungle.

SAD VACATION Aoyama Shinji, Japan

One night, a driver named Kenji (Tadanobu Asano, MONGOL), recognizes one of his passengers as his own mother who abandoned him as an adolescent. As seductively charming as she is loving, Kenji surrenders to dark undercurrents of feeling provoked by inexorable family ties and is forced to face both his past and his future.

SMILEY FACE Gregg Araki, USA

Jane F (Anna Faris), unsuccessful slacker actress, is having a bad day. Her misadventures begin when she treats herself to a batch of cupcakes left unattended by her psycho roommate (Danny Masterson) that prove not as innocent as they appear. Soon she is trying to cross town so she can repay an unforgiving drug dealer (Adam Brody), attend an audition, and somehow replace the precious cupcakes.

WHITE LIES, BLACK SHEEP James Spooner, USA

This is the first fiction film from the director of the landmark documentary AFRO-PUNK. A successful young black promoter (Ayindé Howell) is fully entrenched in the New York indie-rock world scene. He begins to find that his chosen community, the white rock world, only seems to run smoothly for white rockers. A series of events force him to recognize that his friends exoticize him and are in denial of his blackness.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO: Wendy Kilbourne

Wendy Kilbourne may be the most obscure actress that I have profiled in the What Ever Happened to series. She only had a few credits, and all of them were on TV. I don’t believe she ever made a feature film.

Yet, some of her work was very memorable.

Wendy began in TV, appearing on TV series such as MATT HOUSTON (in two episodes), DYNASTY, KNIGHT RIDER, COVER UP, RIP TIDE, THE A-TEAM, HOTEL and MURDER SHE WROTE (it must have been a policy that every actress working in the 80’s had to appear on this).


She played a model in the 1984 film THE CALENDAR GIRL MURDERS. The film would probably be forgotten today if not for the fact that her co-star in the film was a then unknown Sharon Stone. Because of that, you can find the DVD in the budget bin at Wal-Mart.


In 1985 she had one of her biggest roles. She played Constance in the epic mini-series NORTH AND SOUTH. This is where I first noticed her (although I had seen CALENDAR). Playing the wife of James Read’s character, she appeared in all three parts of the Civil War mini-series, 1986’s BOOK 2 and 1994’s BOOK 3.


In 1988, she appeared as Devon King, the radio station manager in the Gary Cole series MIDNIGHT CALLER, another favorite show of mine at the time (“Good night America, wherever you are.”)

The late 80’s saw her appearing in a few more TV movies, the most notable being GOING TO THE CHAPEL.

Her final credit was a guest starring role in 1996’s Corbin Bernson series THE CAPE.

And that was it.


So, what ever happened to her?

It seems that in real life, this scene soon occurred.


In 1988, Wendy married her NORTH AND SOUTH husband, James Read. They have two children.

As I stated, I don’t know if you would have called her a big star. In searching around the internet, I could only find 2 photos of her online. But, she was a very good actress. I spent many hours in the 80’s watching all parts of the NORTH AND SOUTH mini-series. I think the first 2 Books of the film ran a total of 24 hours. So, to be part of that instantly made you a star to those that watched it. And, I never missed an episode of MIDNIGHT CALLER.

But, Wendy seems to be another case where family is more important than fame. And, since Wendy and James have been married for almost twenty years, that is a good thing.

EDIT 11-5-07: Wendy has been found! You can read our interview with her here.

FORGOTTEN FILMS: BIG BLUE: THE US VERSION (1988)

THE BIG BLUE isn’t what you would call a great film. Reviews for the film were always very mixed to negative.

The Luc Besson film, starring Rosanna Arquette, Jean Reno and Jean-Marc Barr, is about competitive free diving, where people dive underwater to see who can go deepest. It sort of makes you wonder why Stallone’s arm wrestling film OVER THE TOP from the year before gets mocked so much. At least that sport makes sense.

Yet, it is one of the most beautifully shot films of the 80’s. The photography of Greece, and the underwater photography, is just stunning. It works as a sort of travelogue even if the storyline is lacking.

Even better than the photography is the score by Bill Conti. It is one of the most effective, most memorable scores of all time. While watching the film, you may find the story a bit muddled, but the music really keeps you watching. Especially the main theme.

Take for example this final scene (not really all that much of a spoiler, as the story is secondary anyway).



Even today, fifteen years since I have seen this version, I still find myself humming the theme, it is so memorable.

In the early 90’s, I found the soundtrack to the film on CD. I went to listen to it, and it was very strange. I didn’t recognize a single song on it. It was all these odd sounds, no real musical themes. And then I looked closer at the cover and it said “Music by Eric Serra”. Didn’t Bill Conti do the music? What is going on here?

I then found out it was the soundtrack to the French version of the film.

In the US, when Jerry Weintraub’s short lived Weintraub Entertainment Group released the film through Columbia Pictures, the version we saw was different. It had 13 minutes cut from it, and had the Bill Conti score added. Eric Serra is Besson’s regular composer and did the score for the French version.

A few years later, I saw that a special edition laserdisc of the long 168 minute version was released in Japan, so I ordered it only to find that, while it was letterboxed, and the photography looked even better on laserdisc, it was the Eric Serra score.

I realize that Besson is the director. He probably likes the Eric Serra score better. But really, to me, there is no comparison. Conti’s score works a lot better.

To compare with the clip above, here is the long version of the ending with Eric Serra’s score.



I’m sorry, but can’t I just rest my case here? That score isn’t memorable. The scene works so much better in the Conti version.

I think this is one case where the producers were right in making the change.

I realize that Besson cultists probably argue this point. Maybe if you saw the version with the Serra score first you will always like that version more. But, for me, I actually like the Conti score more than the film.

What is most upsetting about this, and why I am writing about this in my Forgotten Films feature, other than a VHS release in the 80’s, the US cut of THE BIG BLUE has disappeared. Only the director’s cut, with the Serra score, is on DVD.

While the visuals are wonderful, it isn’t as good of a film without that Bill Conti score.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY: CAN'T BUY ME LOVE

On August 14, 1987, I went to the movie theatre with my sister. Somehow, I remember all the details of that day.

The multiplex was divided into three buildings. Screens 1-4 were in the first building, 5 and 6 in the second, and 7-10 were in a third.

My sister and her friend went into that third building to see the new Madonna film WHO’S THAT GIRL. And, I went into the second.

I bought my ticket and went to the concession stand where a mom was there with her kids, all excited about going to see another new movie, the Fat Boys feature DISORDERLIES. I went to the other screen, to see another new release.

CAN’T BUY ME LOVE.

I wasn’t really expecting a great film. I thought it was going to be a little comedy. My main reason for seeing it was the star, Amanda Peterson. Having loved her on the then recent mini-series A YEAR IN THE LIFE and in the film EXPLORERS, I really wanted to see the film. (You can read much more about Amanda in this piece I wrote).

The film began.

As it opens, we see the Touchstone logo, and then the movie production company logo, with some music that eventually segues into the Beatles’ song.


Ronald Miller (a pre-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey) is mowing a lawn. He stops and a VW pulls into the driveway. Out of the car comes Cindy Mancini (Amanda) and her friends. They have been shopping.

She meets her mother at the door, who is upset by her using her credit cards.

“Why can’t you be more responsible, like the Miller boy?”


She points to Ronald, who is in the process of getting grass clippings blown all over him, so Cindy laughs it off ("Get serious.") and walks inside.

If you’ve seen the film, you know what happens later. The unpopular Ronald pays head cheerleader Cindy to be his girlfriend for one month. He hopes to become popular and thinks this will improve his chances.

But despite the premise, the film manages to be a lot more than that.


CAN’T BUY ME LOVE is the most honest and realistic look at teen life in the 1980’s. I was in high school at the time and the film felt like I was watching a documentary.

Unlike the John Hughes films, this wasn’t some sort of fairy tale, where everyone just had to be locked into a room together to become good friends. Not that I didn’t love some of the Hughes film, but they were not realistic.

LOVE takes a whole different approach.

Early on, there is a scene where Ronald has a discussion with his best friend Kenneth (Courtney Gains) asking why they weren’t friends with some of the athletes, even though they used to be.


Kenneth responds “That was because we were all forced to be in the same room together. But then came junior high, high school. Forget it. Jocks became jocks, cheerleaders became cheerleaders, we became us. I like us.”

That basically sums up the whole progression of friendships that most people had in school. As the grades advanced, people developed who they were to become, and they moved into different groups.

One thing that LOVE gets right, the people were just in different groups. They weren’t sworn enemies or anything. Ronald and his friends weren’t constantly being bullied by the popular groups. They just didn’t socialize.

After that first viewing, I saw the film twice more theatrically. I wanted to see it more, but it got to be difficult.

While it was still in theatres, I got a call from one of my friends wanting to go to the movies.

“How about CAN’T BUY ME LOVE?” I asked.

“Uhhh, no. That isn’t a movie two guys go to see together.” He replied.

We went to see some action film. But, I felt like I was cheating on LOVE, since it was still in theatres.

I saw the film countless more times on video, cable, network TV, laserdisc and DVD.

The film even aired as part of the DISNEY SUNDAY MOVIE, where it was introduced by then Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Donald Duck, where Eisner asked Donald “So, were you popular?”

The film was released a few years ago on DVD, with no extras, and not even a widescreen transfer. It is due for an upgrade.

I can honestly say that I could sit down and record a commentary for the film. I’ve seen it so often, analyzed the film so closely, followed everything about the release, that I’m probably more qualified than any other critic out there to talk about it.


THE REMAKE

A couple years ago, the film was remade as LOVE DON’T COST A THING. The resulting film was terrible. It is as different in quality to LOVE as the music they take the title from. It went from being based on a Beatles song, to a film based on a J. Lo song.

One scene that pretty much sums up the difference between the two happens early on.

Cindy’s boyfriend has graduated and gone off to play college football. He is being interviewed on TV and Cindy and her friends are watching. At one point, the announcer asks if there is anything he misses back home. The girls get excited that he is going to mention Cindy, but instead he mentions something about the locker room.

The girls are upset, but Cindy tells them it isn’t a big deal. That he has a lot going on. That gets them to calm down and they all leave.


Cindy goes to grab her jacket, her boyfriend’s varsity jacket, looks at it, and then puts it down.

That scene tells you all about Cindy’s character. She outwardly has the power over her friends, able to convince them about how she feels. Yet, inside, she is hurt by the comment. It is a very quick, yet essential scene to show her character, and how in control she is.

In the remake? The same setup happens, the boyfriend, now in the NBA, is interviewed on TV. But, when he doesn’t mention Cindy? All three start yelling at the screen. No depth. Nothing about her character. Just a cheap joke.

The remake goes downhill from there.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

While we all know what has happened to Patrick Dempsey, not everyone in the rest of the cast has had his career.


Seth Green, of ROBOT CHICKEN, BUFFY, and countless films like CAN'T HARDLY WAIT, played Ronald’s younger brother. What is funniest about his casting is that he is even closer in age to Peterson than Dempsey is.

For a while, one of the biggest stars from the film was Gerardo Mejia, who would record the early 90’s hit “Rico Suave”. He was one of the football players.

Max Perlich, as one of Ronald’s friends, is a popular independent film actor. He also starred in BEAUTIFUL GIRLS.

Courtney Gains (Kenneth) is still very active. He is probably best known for his role on SEINFELD as the video store clerk who rents ROCHELLE, ROCHELLE to George.

Dennis Dugan, who plays Ronald’s father, is a successful director, directing many of Adam Sandler’s films, including HAPPY GILMORE.

Director Steve Rash has done a lot of direct to video films, including some of the sequels to AMERICAN PIE and BRING IT ON (where he cast Big John, Eric Brosketter).

In only a couple scenes as a cheerleader, Ami Dolenz had a brief run as a direct to video star in the 90’s.

Writer Michael Swerdlick (who partially based the film on his life) went on to write for TV series such as WHO’S THE BOSS and DOOGIE HOWSER.


And then there is Amanda Peterson. I’ll refer you again to my “What Ever Happened to” story about her from a few months back, but she hasn’t made a film since the mid 90’s. Her whereabouts are unknown, and much speculated about.

CAN’T BUY ME LOVE stands though as one of the best, smartest, and most realistic teen films of the 1980’s. Watching it is like going back to high school. I remember once sitting in a class looking around the room and seeing every “type” that was in the film.

It gets everything right, which is so rare in any film.

THE MOVIEZZZ BLOG INTERVIEW: Tanya Memme

If you watch A&E on a regular basis, chances are you have seen SELL THIS HOUSE. Weekends are often devoted to marathon airings of it. Just this past Saturday, 8 episodes aired, including a new episode. It is one of those shows that, if I’m flipping around and see it is on, I put down the remote and watch.

The premise of the show has the SELL THIS HOUSE team arriving at a home that hasn’t sold. They hold an open house with hidden cameras, to see what people think of it. Then, designer Roger Hazard helps redesign and stage the house based on those comments. They then hold an open house again, and see the reaction to the changes.

One of the main reasons for the success of the show is the host, Tanya Memme. She and Roger have a natural chemistry that make it all look so easy. She is, I believe, the best host on TV.

And, she is one of the busiest. In addition to SELL THIS HOUSE, she recently hosted another show for A&E, MOVE THIS HOUSE, as well as being a correspondent for ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT CANADA. In addition to her TV work, she recently finished shooting a film, TERROR INSIDE, she recorded a CD called GEMINI, and is working on a book as well.

And if that isn’t enough, she even found time for an email interview with The Moviezzz Blog.


How did you get started with SELL THIS HOUSE?

I just finished 3 seasons of ROBOTICA on TLC and was the current Direct TV Spokesperson. I auditioned for the production company “Screaming Flea Productions” and A&E in LA about 5 years ago! It was probably one of the most difficult auditions I’ve ever had. They just showed me the audition tape recently… It was very funny!

You seem to be in a different part of the country every week. How much do you travel each year filming SELL?

Well I am on the road basically every second week. Each episode takes three days to shoot. We shoot two episodes per location with a day off in between. There are 26 episodes of Sell This House filmed a year. Move This House isn’t on my schedule anymore since A&E didn’t renew another season, so my travel schedule is still hectic but not half as crazy as last year!

Do you have a favorite part of the country?

I love the East Coast in the Summer and the West Coast in the winter. I absolutely LOVE Arizona, but nothing makes me happier than working in LA!

Do you have a favorite episode of SELL THIS HOUSE?

There are so many fun, wacky, great moments on Sell This House so it’s difficult to narrow it down to only one episode. I always love shooting in Hawaii. I loved the episode with the teenage boys in Hawaii. They had rats in the oven, toenail clippings on their coffee tables, mold growing all over their kitchen especially in and on the fridge, spider webs and grime all over everything in their bed rooms, dirty clothing all over the place!!!! The thing that astonished me most? They honestly had NO IDEA why they couldn’t get a girlfriend!!

In the now famous episode of SELL in Hawaii, with the tiki, and the movers breaking the table, did that get all straightened out off camera or were there lawsuits involved?

That was a crazy episode. Off camera we asked them a million times if the base of the table was attached to the tabletop. They said YES OF COURSE and they gave us permission to move it!! They also told us numerous times how they didn’t even like the table and that they would probably leave it with the house.

When it came to moving the table, the movers picked up the table top and of course to our surprise the BASE WAS STILL ATTACHED!!! The weight of the base cracked the table in half. Its AMAZING how people change their story once something breaks!! All of a sudden that table became the favourite piece of furniture in the house!!!

Well, lets just say that they were unfairly reimbursed for their table!!


What is your designer Roger Hazard like?

Ya never know what Roger is thinking. People are often intimidated by Roger, I mean look at the size of his biceps!!! Aside from the fact that he is enormously talented, Roger is just a big cuddly bear! The thing I like most about him is that when you least expect it he breaks out into the latest Broadway Musical number! Singing, dancing, the whole bit! It’s very funny!!!!

You have a spin off also starring Roger, called MOVE THIS HOUSE. Are you two trying to take over A&E?

Move This House unfortunately didn’t last past two seasons. But if it were up to me, I would host EVERY show on A&E if I could! HA! I love this network and love knowing I’m a part of their family!


And you have a new book in the works with Roger?

YUP!! I am really excited about it! We are in the middle of writing it right now actually. A&E is very excited about it too! Of course it will be graced with Roger’s staging magic on how to sell a house on a budget, but it will also have lots of fun pictures and behind the scenes secrets and moments we haven’t shared with the public yet.

Living in the US, I was not aware of this, but you are also a correspondent for ET in Canada? How is that going?

It is the same ET you see in the US except a certain part of the show is Canadian based and only seen in Canada. I was working for ET Canada on and off last year because of my crazy schedule. I love working for them whenever I get the chance.

And you also have a film called TERROR INSIDE in the works?

YES!! I finished filming the Lead Role (MARIA) opposite Corey Feldman. I had a blast on the film and with Corey.

It was a very challenging role which is why I loved it because it was an extremely dramatic role. I go from the girl next door to a virus ridden crazy person who loves to inflict pain on herself! It shows a whole other side to me that nobody has seen yet on TV.



I got into this business because I was an actor. I studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. I love acting as much as I do Hosting. I’m looking forward to doing another one! I loved the challenge the experience, I put my heart and soul into this role. So many of my fans only know me as the bubbly host of Sell This House. This will be quite the surprise for them!

You have a CD coming out. Can you tell us about that

Glad you asked because it is going to be released THIS WEEK on my website tanyamemme.com. I am really looking forward to its release. It is called “GEMINI”. I did the CD for my fans who wanted to see another side to me. It has 6 songs and a music video and the CD has a lot of color pictures that have not been seen yet. I put soooooo much passion into this CD. It was a passion project. I sang from my heart in every song. The music video was smply a blast!

Multiple TV shows, a film, a book, and a CD all in the works, do you have any free time?

I have more free time (which still isn’t much) now than I’ve had in 5 years. Last year alone I hosted THREE TV shows, Sell This House, Move This House and ET Canada, I recorded my CD GEMINI at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood, as well as shot my music video at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Started writing a book on staging with Roger. I shot 5 TV pilots, was a motivational speaker at a bunch of events, traveled the US and Canada doing PR for Sell This House and my CD, AND Filmed a MOVIE in Florida! I had 33 days off total last year!

Right now I am only shooting Sell This House and concentrating on releasing my CD writing my book and finding more time for a personal life. I’m taking a breath and enjoying every minute of it!


What are your favorite films, musicians?

My all time two favorite films are GREMLINS and Somewhere In Time!! Musicians? I absolutely love Jazz music, Country Music and really great Dance music. From Coltrane and Ella, to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw to Madonna (who I still think is incredibly amazing!).

Do you have any DVD recommendations?

The entire season of South Park!! I am a huge fan!! I named my Persian cat Cartman!! Looks just like him!

What do you have on your Tivo (or what shows do you watch every week)?

SELL THIS HOUSE HA!
MOVE THIS HOUSE
HOUSE – just got into it!
OPRAH
SOUTH PARK! I think I have 86 episodes I need to watch!

For more information on Tanya, visit her website, TanyaMemme.com where you can order her CD. And be sure to check out SELL THIS HOUSE, Saturday’s on A&E.

A big thank you to Tanya Memme.

Merv Griffin (1925-2007)

Merv Griffin has passed.

One of the legends in the entertainment industry. I used to watch his talk show. He created JEOPARDY and WHEEL OF FORTUNE, even wrote the music.

But, the first thing I thought of when remembering his career?

One of the funniest cameos of all time.



THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS with Steve Martin.

DVD RELEASES FOR 8-14-07

New on DVD Tuesday, August 14th.

INLAND EMPIRE – the new David Lynch film. David Lynch normally hates DVD. He refuses to even allow chapter stops on his films (meaning, if you have to stop watching the film at any time, you can’t skip ahead to where you left off). But the good news, it looks like he has embraced this release. He has included a lot of extras, including 90 minutes of deleted scenes, a short film, even a cooking segment. Sounds like a must for Lynch fans.

WILD HOGS – John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and friends on motorcycles. The film did well at the box office so I’m sure this will be the biggest commercial release of the week.

HAMLET – Kenneth Branagh’s version finally gets a DVD release.

FRACTURE – The Anthony Hopkins legal thriller.

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE COLON MOVIE FILM – I guess this film will always be known more for the guerilla marketing behind it than for the film itself.

VACANCY – Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale trapped in a hotel.

THE CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION Volume 3 – Featuring Behind That Curtain / Charlie Chan's Secret / Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo / Charlie Chan on Broadway / The Black Camel

TAXI DRIVER COLLECTOR’S EDITION – Another release of Martin Scorsese’s film. The new edition includes several featurettes and documentaries on the making of the film. Nothing that looks all that essential if you already own the film, but a good reason to buy if you don't own it.

LABYRINTH and DARK CRYSTAL Special Editions – Re-releases of both Jim Henson films.

THE LOOKOUT – Some critics just loved this crime drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, and Isla Fisher. But, audiences didn’t.

THE FIRST FILMS OF SAMUEL FULLER – A Criterion set of several early Sam Fuller films, including THE BARON OF ARIZONA, I SHOT JESSE JAMES, and THE STEEL HELMET. If you are a Fuller fan, you already have this pre-ordered. Having seen all three films during my Fuller phase in the early 90’s (don’t all film fans go through a Fuller phase?), I say it might be worth a rental, but not a purchase. THE BARON is easily his weakest film.

GOD GREW TIRED OF US – What happened with this one? It premiered at Sundance a couple years ago, a documentary on a group of refugees from the Sudan who come to America. It looked fascinating, but never got much of a release. It is now on DVD.

TV REVIEW: CALIFORNICATION

David Duchovny returns to Showtime, where he began his career (with the late night Zalman King series RED SHOE DIARIES) in CALIFORNICATION.

He plays a writer, a self described “one hit wonder”. That book has just been reworked into a romantic comedy starring “Tom and Katie”. He isn’t pleased with the results, and has writer’s block.

His main focus though seems to be on women. As the show opens, he is fantasizing about a nun. In the first episode alone, he sleeps with four different women, and rejects a fifth for liking the film version of his book.

Divorced from his wife (Natasha McElhorne) they are raising their daughter together even though she has moved on and is living with another man.

Since this is airing on Showtime, there is quite a bit of nudity, even more than on RED SHOE DIARIES. But, unlike RED SHOE, there is actually a show and characters to support the content.

I was never a fan of RED SHOE, or THE X-FILES. But, I loved Duchovny on his LARRY SANDERS guest spots. I’ve been hoping to see him do more comedy. To see him in a regular series like this should be a good thing.


The supporting cast is quite good. Evan Handler (from the short lived Chris Eigeman sitcom IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW) plays his agent, and Pamela Segall Adlon (GREASE 2, the voice of Bobby on KING OF THE HILL) also appears. The biggest surprise in the casting, Madeline Zima. You may remember her as the youngest daughter on THE NANNY. She plays a girl that Duchovny meets in a bookstore and sleeps with. Well, let’s just say that she has grown up quite a bit. As Fran Drescher will probably say when watching one sequence “Oh my gaaawwwwddd, Mr. Sheffield!!”.

While it is too early to tell from the pilot how the series will play out, it seems promising. The biggest problem it may have to overcome is Duchovny’s character. In the opener, he can be a bit of a jerk. I don’t know if the audience will want to stay with him if he continues this way. But, I will give it a chance.

Showtime seems to be doing a good job in setting up a rivalry with HBO. CALIFORNICATION will air Mondays (premiering August 13) at 10:30 PM EST after the terrific sitcom WEEDS. With PENN AND TELLER as well as BIG BROTHER AFTER DARK (the nightly live feed of the CBS show), if you don’t already subscribe to Showtime, it might be worth calling your local cable company.

This Weekend At the Movies - August 10th

It looks like a weekend to catch up on DVDs, as not much worth seeing is opening.


STARDUST - I can't say I'm familiar with Neil Gaiman, but I know he has a big following. This would be the only film I would like to see this weekend, mainly because of the cast, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro, Sienna Miller, and Ricky Gervais. But, the best reviews are mixed.


RUSH HOUR 3 - I think I saw RUSH HOUR 1 on cable or something. But, I don't think I saw part 2, so I'd probably be really confused by not knowing all the intricacies of the plot. I guess I have to skip this.


DADDY DAY CAMP - Poor Cuba Gooding Jr. Starred in one of the best films of the 90's BOYZ IN THE HOOD, an Oscar for JERRY MAGUIRE, and now starring in a sequel to a movie that even Eddie Murphy (the star of NORBIT) wouldn't star in.


SKINWALKERS - Looking in the paper today, I saw this in the theatre listing. There was no print ad in the paper, no review. I haven't seen a TV ad either. Looking it up online, it is a Lionsgate film about werewolves. Has anyone heard of this one? I mean, for a film to open that I don't know about? That is something. Can't see this getting any box office.

So, that is it.

We are one week away from SUPERBAD!

FORGOTTEN VIDEO FRIDAY: "Inside" by Patti Rothberg

Patti Rothberg's "Inside". A popular mid 90's song.

I've wanted to post this for a while, but the only clip on Youtube is out of sync. I guess I'll go with it in this condition.

Starring Steve Coogan as Eddie The Eagle

I wrote about my love of the Olympics yesterday.

After 1992, my favorite Olympics may be either the 1984 Summer games in LA or the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.


One of the great stories of 1988 was Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, a British ski jumper. Let's just say he wasn't the greatest, but was a fan favorite.

According to Cinematical, they are turning his story into a film.

And who will play Eddie?


None other than the brilliant Steve Coogan.

Here is a comparison pic from the BBC.


I think it is pretty good casting.

And, if you aren't familiar with Steve Coogan (he is huge in the UK, but not so well known in the US), do yourself a favor and add his Alan Partridge TV DVDs to your Netflix queue. One of the best sitcoms ever.

BE KIND REWIND Trailer

The trailer for Michel Gondry's new film BE KIND REWIND is up at Yahoo.

The premise is Jack Black and Mos Def work at a video store where all the tapes get erased. Rather than buy new tapes, they shoot remakes and try to pass them off as the originals to customers.

I don't know if the premise can sustain the film, even though I loved Gondry's ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. But, it could turn out to be something along the lines of one of his misses, HUMAN NATURE or THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP.

Thanks to Cinematical for the heads up.

Big Brother 8: Amber vs Eric

Even if you aren't watching BIG BROTHER, this clip from the live feeds is worth seeing (it will probably air in tonight's episode as it only happened yesterday afternoon and was posted on Youtube.)

It all happens off camera but to set it up, Eric (the person being yelled at) was part of an alliance with Amber (the person yelling).

Amber trusted Eric (which she shouldn't have) and then found out that Eric had been going around telling everyone personal information that she had only told him.

Amber blew up at him.

But, she is also so honest, Amber swore on her daughter's life that she wouldn't vote Eric out of the house. So, as much as she hates him, she refuses to go back on her word.

Warning: Very strong language.



EDIT: Better angle of the argument

The New Generation of Film Fans

I don't quite understand this new generation of film fans.

A few days ago, I posted about how a film site, /Film, is trying to organize a boycott of Regal Cinemas. They were upset with the fact that the theatre called the police who arrested someone for filming part of THE TRANSFORMERS with a video camera or cell phone.

I wrote that to me, there isn't even a debate here. Everyone who goes to the movies should know that you can't tape a movie from the theatre. It is a black and white issue. And why should a seemingly reputable film site, that takes money for advertisements from film companies, advocate piracy?

I posted a comment reflecting my thoughts. And, I checked the box to inform me of responses. It has been a very active discussion, with my getting several emails a day of new responses.

To read the comments on the site, some of the people refuse to even acknowledge that it is a crime. And, they are very childish and some downright nasty in their response.

Maybe this whole generation who watches films on their computer, downloads movies to IPODS, sees the whole world of movies differently. For them, they see noting wrong with downloading, taking video cameras to theatres, etc.

Heck, the worst I ever did as a kid was with my friends buying tickets to PG rated films and sneaking into an R film.

My Favorite Olympics: 1992 Barcelona

A year from today, on 8-8-08, the Beijing Olympics begin. And, I am counting down.

I’m sort of an Olympics addict, which is odd since I rarely follow sports of any sort. I followed the Red Sox in the 70’s, and still follow college basketball a bit (living in UCONN women’s basketball country). But, not with any real obsession.

Yet, when the Olympics begin? I become like a shut in, hardly leaving the house, watching every minute.

I guess I’m more of a Summer Olympics fan than Winter, although I watch both.

My favorite year has to be 1992’s Barcelona Olympics. I followed every minute of that one. It was the year of the Dream Team.

I remember that I only went to one movie during the run of the Olympics, a movie that had been profiled in Premiere, and in the story, the writer of it seemed so smart and funny that I had to see the film for myself. It was called BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and that writer was Joss Whedon.

But, then I went back to watching the games.

My favorite Olympian that year, still probably to this day, was swimmer Summer Sanders.


She had been interviewed on a local morning radio show before the games so, since I liked her from the interview, I figured I’d make sure to follow her progress at the games. She was one of the favorites, medalling in several events.

Then came her last race. It was the 200m butterfly. It came down to the final lap, she was neck and neck with another swimmer. And then, at the last second, she just happened to be on a stroke and just edged out the other swimmer for the win. One of the most exciting races ever, and she won the gold. Her first individual gold of the games.

Summer went on to have a good career. She hosted game shows on MTV (SANDBLAST) and Nickelodeon, before doing a lot of sports broadcasting, still to this day. She also recently hosted Fox’s SKATING WITH CELEBRITIES where the winner was Buffy herself, Kristy Swanson.

NBC has already started the profiles of the athletes for the next games, and I can’t wait for the full games to begin.

Each year, I say to myself I won't get as caught up in it. But, no matter what, I always do.

How Much To See RUSH HOUR 3?

How much would you have to be paid to sit through RUSH HOUR 3?

Since people went to the first two films, I'm guessing a few may want to return to part three. But, who are these people? What have they done for the past few years since RUSH HOUR 2?

Apparently, Chris Tucker's career is only making the RUSH HOUR films. He hasn't made a film since part 2. Should the franchise continue just to give him work?

And poor Jackie Chan. Remember the early 90's, when he was the coolest actor around? You'd have to go to obscure video stores to find his films? Then, he came to America, and hasn't made a good film since.

Director Brett Ratner is too easy of a target, so I won't go there.

I don't know. ONCE, despite universal acclaim, is still trying to find an audience, yet RUSH HOUR will probably make more by Friday afternoon than it has made all summer.

Depressing.

Should Bloggers Unionize?

Yahoo Story about bloggers wanting to start a union.

Jonathan Rosenbaum on Bergman

Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote an obit on Bergman for the NY Times. It is entitled "Scenes from an Overrated Career".

He sort of loses me early on when he says that THE MAGICIAN has been hard to see for years. It was arguably his easiest to find film at least on VHS, being in the public domain and can even be found at Wal Mart.

Thanks to WeepingSam for the heads up.

The Death of the VCR

I’ve pretty much switched over to digital video now. I use DVD primarily for watching movies. I have a DVD recorder. And, I have Tivo.

Yet, I still have countless VHS tapes. I used to go through a 10 pack of blank tapes the way most go through a six-pack of soda. I’d record countless TV shows and movies I wanted to see with the hope of seeing them one day. But, that one day never came, and they are all still sitting around. Plus, I have even more pre-recorded tapes I’ve bought over the years. Some going back to the early 80’s.

So, I still use my VCR a few times a month. Often for the “What Ever Happened to” column, the “Not on DVD” feature, etc.

I went to watch a VHS tape a couple weeks ago, and the picture was all snow. I figured it needed a head cleaning so I put in the head cleaning tape. After a couple run throughs of that, it was still the same, all snow.

It was an old head cleaning tape so I picked up another.

Ran that through today, as I just got a used tape in the mail from Amazon that I wanted to see for a future “What Ever Happened To” column.

The head cleaner played, and played, and I couldn’t even see the message on the tape to tell me to stop playing it.

It looks like my VCR is dead.

Ahh well, I’ve had it for probably 10 years. It had to go sometime.

So, I go online to look up prices for a new one. I check Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart, and Costco. And it looks like the VCR is just about extinct. Not one of the sites even has a category for VCRs. It is all DVD.

There are a few VHS / DVD combo players, but you can hardly find one of the simple VCRs that we all used to know. I figured I could find a little one for $40 or so, but you really can’t get anything except for one of the high end combo decks.

Very sad. The end of an era.

Siskel and Ebert's Review Archive

Some great news for movie fans. The Ebert and Roeper website has been updated to include archived video reviews going back to the Gene Siskel days.

You can go back and watch every review they have done since 1987. The site is searchable by film title.

Unfortunately, I believe the only way to watch them is by searching for a specific review. You can't, say, go back and watch an episode from April of 1988.

And, since it is only the episodes they made during the Disney years, the early PBS shows (SNEAK PREVIEWS) and the Tribune years (AT THE MOVIES) aren't available. It would have been fun to see some of those earlier ones, when they had the dog of the week and Aroma the educated skunk.

I have to admit, I have barely missed an episode of the show during those years, even going back to the PBS days. In college in the early 90's, I'd sometimes stay up until 1 a.m. when the show aired (and I didn't have a VCR). Today, I have a Tivo Season Pass set up.

It really has to be one of my all time favorite shows. I learned more about films from it than in all of my college film classes.

So, it is great to see them available.

July Netflix Catching Up

Normally, after seeing a film on DVD, I try to type up a review for TalkingMoviezzz.com. But, I have been slacking a bit lately. I start a review, get sidetracked, and never finish. I will get working on that though. But, it is summer, and I don’t have air conditioning.

The following are all films I have reviews in the works or have already been reviewed by someone else on the site. Look for full reviews later, but I figured I should write something about them.

All the reviews are out of 5 stars

300 (**) – Audiences seemed to love this film earlier this year. I can’t share the love. Every time there was a big fight scene, I wished I was rewatching CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Every time there was a big speech before a fight scene, I wished I was watching HENRY V. And the look of the film? I hated it. While I liked SIN CITY, this was just an ugly looking film. Maybe it looked better on the big screen, or maybe I’m just old fashioned and like sets rather than CGI, but it didn’t work for me.

HOT FUZZ (** 1/2) – I was a big fan of the team’s TV series SPACED but was a bit disappointed by SHAUN OF THE DEAD, feeling it was a bit overlong. I felt the same about HOT FUZZ. At 90 minutes, this could have been a great film. But, it runs over two hours. There are some great moments though. I especially liked the one-upping cameos of the police chain of command at the beginning. Worth watching, but it is no SPACED.

THE DARWIN AWARDS (*) – This long on the shelf comedy, based on the popular newspaper column/ web site is pretty dreadful. While it is good to see Winona Ryder in a lead role, the film should have stayed on the shelf.


STARTER FOR 10 (***) – Really surprised by this one, about an 80’s college quiz show. It is predictable but, just as you would expect from something produced by Tom Hanks, very likable.

THE HOST (* 1/2) – I feel bad for disliking this one, as I know it has a lot of fans. But, while the first 10 minutes are terrific, I quickly lost any and all interest I had in it.


PERFUME (*** 1/2) – Biggest surprise. This was the barely released Tom Tykwer film (RUN LOLA RUN) about a perfume maker’s search for the perfect scent. While the film is far from perfect (it is hard to root for the mentally ill / murdering protagonist), Tykwer again proves that he is one of the most interesting of directors working today. There isn’t a dull shot in this. I don’t think it is quite up to his earlier films, but well worth a look

PREMONITION (* 1/2) – Sandra Bullock in a sort of time travel, GROUNDHOG DAY style film. I saw it a few weeks ago and, honestly, can’t remember a single thing about it. All I really remember is how humorless the film was, yet there was a very funny deleted scene on it that made me wonder what was going on during the filming.

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (****) – I remember watching the filmstrip of this back in the early 80’s and finding the ending incredibly depressing. Well, the film is faithful to the book. Even though I knew what was going to happen, it STILL got to me. Extremely well made film. If the film hadn’t been as poorly marketed as it was (billing it as a fantasy like the NARNIA films) it may have done a lot better than it did.

Blogger Fight!! Blogger Fight!!

Apparently at Comic-Con, there was a panel of film bloggers. There, someone from a film site called IESB.Net attacked Cinematical, the AOL run daily movie news site.

Cinematical wasn't happy. They posted up a response claiming they thought the guys at IESB were their friends, and didn't understand it.

Cinematical is a great site. I read it daily. Several times a day, actually, since it is so active, if I don't check every few hours, the stories go into the archives.

But, this attack really doesn't do much good. I have never heard of IESB until this story. And, they are just giving them free publicity.

FILM REVIEW: THE BOURNE ULITMATUM (2007)

2002’s THE BOURNE IDENTITY, directed by Doug Liman, was an excellent spy thriller. Loosely based on the Robert Ludlum film, it followed amnesiac spy Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) as he attempts to find out about his life.

The follow up 2004’s THE BOURNE SUPREMACY was directed by Paul Greengrass. Greengrass is a fine director. Having previously helmed BLOODY SUNDAY (and later directing the excellent UNITED 93) he is an expert in capturing realistic, almost documentary like situations. Yet, that second film suffered because it seemed Greengrass wasn’t interested in creating realism. The film was so quickly edited, like a drunken MTV video editor, that most of the time you had no idea what the heck was going on.

For the third film, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, Greengrass is back. And not the UNITED 93 Greengrass. It is the man behind SUPREMACY.

Unfortunately, the action sequences are more of the same. And, they are possibly even more rapid fire. In one fight sequence, I was counting and there was an edit every second.

While the film has been praised for its action scenes, I’m going to have to argue that point. Action scenes should not be created in the editing room. Each of these scenes would have been better playing out in master shots. The choreography was there, but I was getting nauseous trying to watch, to see just who was being punched.

And then the film climaxes in a big car chase sequence. Like the second film, it was way too quickly edited. I had no idea what was going on. And, it felt way too over the top. I mean, even Michael Bay might have been turned off by it.

However, there is some good news. Unlike the overly complex second film, the story in this is a lot stronger. And it more than carries the film’s ADD directing.

While the film takes its name from Robert Ludlum’s third novel, I don’t believe it takes anything from the story. I read it when it was first published, but quite honestly, do not remember the details of it. Only the first, I believe really had anything to do with the novel.

The film follows Bourne (a very good Matt Damon) as he gets even closer to finding the truth about who he was. David Strathairn plays the CIA director trying to stand in his way, along with Joan Allen. Julia Stiles returns as another CIA operative.

If Greengrass had a little more faith in the story, and in the fight choreographer, this could have been one of the best films of the year. But, his over-reliance on his editor (who must have been paid by the edit, and was looking to buy a new house or something) really hurt the film.

Still worth seeing, but I had to come right home and take some aspirin, it gave me such a headache.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

FORGOTTEN VIDEO FRIDAY: "Call it Love" by Poco

Great song from 1989.

I wasn't even aware of this but the band has a very interesting history. Several of the members were part of Buffalo Springfield ("For What It's Worth"), but after Neil Young and Stephen Stills left, the rest of the band created a group named Pogo. After being sued by Walt Kelly, creator of the comic strip of the same name, they changed one letter.

The band broke up for a while and came back in the late 80's with this single. They broke up again soon after.

Defending Pirates? No thanks.

Over at /FILM they are trying to start up a boycott of Regal Cinemas.

Apparently, Regal cinemas arrested a 19 year old for filming 20 seconds of TRANSFORMERS. She wanted to show a scene to her brothers.

I'm sorry if I can't get behind it. But this is 2007. Don't we all know you can't bring video cameras, or record films on cell phones? When was that SEINFELD episode where Jerry knew it was wrong to record DEATH BLOW? That was mid 90's.

And the /Film guys try to make age a factor. 19 year olds are old enough to vote. Yet, they aren't old enough to know the law?

Sorry, but, while I don't know if jail time is the best choice, it was a stupid move and she should have known the consequences. She doesn't need defending by film bloggers, she needs a lawyer.

My question though, was that Regal Cinemas device used in the arrest?

Elvis and VIVA LAS VEGAS

August 16, 2007 marks the thirtieth anniversary of Elvis' death.

And to celebrate it, the following TV ad is airing.



Poor Elvis.

Beatles fans were upset over Revolution playing in Nike ads, but isn't this even more offensive? Guys singing and dancing about Viagra to "Viva Las Vegas"? Offensive on so many levels.

Let's cleanse that horrible memory with the original.



And from later in the film, one of my favorite Elvis movie moments, with Ann-Margret singing "The Lady Loves Me"

Slow Day - How About Some Links?

Not much going on in the world of entertainment today. So, I thought I'd let everyone know (who doesn't already know) about a few interesting posts around the world of film blogs.

Damian at Windmills of My Mind has started up his month of Spielberg. He is going, in chronological order, through the work of Steven Spielberg. Writing an essay a day about each film. Should be a great month of reading.

Also, Adam at DVD Panache has reviews of two Seattle video stores that he visited during a trip to the city. Great reads.

Edward Hopper

I've been away from the computer today. I took a little road trip.

For the first time in several years, I went in to Boston for the day. Despite only living two hours from there, I rarely get into the city. But, I had a good reason to finally go.


I went to the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. It runs until August 19th (and then will tour around the country). If it is playing near you, don't miss it.

An amazing show. I won't say I'm some art expert, but I've always been a fan of Hopper's work. So, it was great to see it in person.

They did have his most famous NIGHTHAWKS (above) and probably my personal favorite:


NEW YORK MOVIE

The only problem, even in the middle of the week, the show was packed. I couldn't even get near some of the paintings to read the descriptions of them. It sells out quite often I guess. Strangely, there were very few around the above two paintings. So, I got to spend a lot of time in that room.

Great show.