Archive for July, 2008
July 22nd, 2008
Most celebrity interviews are nothing but pre-packaged, pre-approved fluff, aimed solely at hyping whatever current project the celeb happens to be involved with.
But not this one.
Teri Garr, who has co-starred in such classics as YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE CONVERSATION and TOOTSIE dishes the dirt on everyone in this Onion AV Club interview, Â including Elvis Presley, John Denver, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and the late Sydney Pollack. It’s not exactly mean, but it is refreshingly honest. And, as a bonus, you learn that Cher’s wigmaker inspired the accent of Inga, her character in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
Seriously, read it.
July 21st, 2008
Film critic Roger Ebert announced today that he’s not returning to “At the Movie with Ebert and Roeper,” the movie review show he first started co-hosted back in 1975 with fellow Chicago critic Gene Siskel. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, Ebert said Disney, who owns the show, is taking it in some new direction and, “I will no longer be associated with it.”
I remember watching Roger and Gene back in the 1970s on PBS, when Roger wore the sweater, Gene wore the blazer and each episode ended with their “Dog of the Week” (complete with a real dog!). I haven’t seen the show in years, and didn’t even tune in for the various guest hosts who filled Roger’s seat during his recent health issues. (Ebert hasn’t been on the show since 2006.)
I was never much of a fan of co-host Richard Roeper. He lacks Ebert’s encyclopedic knowledge and inspiring love of movies. Plus, he once wrote that he can’t see how anyone finds the “Our Gang” comedies funny, and that sealed it for me. If you can’t see why those film shorts are comedy classics, you have no business reviewing movies. Roeper said he’ll continue with some sort of movie review show, but who cares? If you want real film criticism, stick with Ebert’s writing — that’s where his best work has always been. His site, frequently updated with reviews, articles and columns, can be found here.
 That picture at the top, by the way, is a young Roger Ebert (on the right) posing with cult film director Russ Meyer. Did you know Ebert co-wrote the screenplay to BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS? It’s true!
July 21st, 2008
THE DARK KNIGHT, a grim, complex, long movie about a crazy man in clown makeup and a slightly less crazy man dressed as a winged rodent, set a new record for opening weekend box office take, earning a whopping $155 million dollars. That’s according to studio estimates (admittedly biased, of course), but it looks like Batman has knocked Spider-Man off the top of the heap. (SPIDER-MAN 3 was the previous champ.)
To my eternal shame, I have not seen it yet, but I’ll bet most of you did. So, what did you think? (And use spoiler warnings, OK? OK!)
July 18th, 2008
Debuting before THE DARK KNIGHT, here’s the trailer for the eagerly awaited (at least by me) film adaptation of arguably the greatest super-hero comic book ever created, WATCHMEN. Fans of the comic, which arrived way back in 1986, will be able to spot just about every moment in the trailer and know how it fits into the grand scheme — director Zach Snyder is obviously being very, very faithful to the original work. I still have no idea how they’ll fit all that plot (plus the flashbacks, flash forwards, digressions and other bits of business) into a single movie’s running time, but I’m tentatively hopeful.
Anyway, in case you haven’t seen it yet, here it is …
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I’d be curious to hear reaction from people who’ve read the comic book and people who have no idea who these characters are. Does it look intriguing to you?
July 17th, 2008
Courtesy of Hollywood Elsewhere, here’s STANLEY KUBRICK’S BOXES, a mesmerizing documentary by British journalist Jon Ronson about the more than 1,000 boxes of personal (mostly movie-related) items left behind by the legendary director. It’s about an hour long, but well worth a look.
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 Also worth a look, incidentally, are Ronson’s books – THEM: ADVENTURES OF EXTREMISTS and THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. They’re both fascinating and funny, and George Clooney is supposedly set to star in a movie based on GOATS. (And yes, it really is about men who stare at goats.)
July 16th, 2008
… but this is too good not to share. It’s a list of 50 movies that made more in their opening weekend than Eddie Murphy’s latest masterpiece. Among them? Even this movie, widely considered one of the biggest bombs in Hollywood history…
 
Yes, it’s BATTLEFIELD EARTH, which more than doubled MEET DAVE’S opening take. Click here to see the rest.
July 14th, 2008
It’s a video review of a DVD, tying into this Tuesday’s Movie Man column. Instead of just my talking head yapping about the movie, this review includes actual scenes, so you can see what the movie is like yourself. This week’s selection, the 1950 noir Western, THE FURIES.
July 14th, 2008
Here’s one of the most amazing dance sequences ever captured on film. It’s from the 1941 musical/comedy HELLZAPOPPIN’, and I’ll wager you’ve never seen anything quite like it. How these amazing athletes didn’t kill themselves — and each other — performing these moves is a complete mystery, but my hat’s off to them, regardless.
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Though this is probably the most memorable part of the movie, HELLZAPOPPIN’ is a pretty crazy film all the way through. Here’s the opening, which goes from Shemp Howard playing a projectionist to dancers falling into Hell to, well, you’ll have to see for yourself. It’s about 9 minutes long, but well worth the time.
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Intrigued? The bad news is that due to some arcane rights issues, it’s never been released on DVD. Heck, it never even turns up on Turner Classic Movies. The good news is, if you’re really dying to see it, you might be able to find a copy here. (It’s where I got mine.)
July 11th, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you …Â The Wilhelm Scream!
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July 11th, 2008
I stumbled onto an excellent movie blog lately that I’d like to recommend: The Cooler, which is subtitled “cinema ruminations by Jason Bellamy.”
I’d never heard of him before, but Bellamy is a thoughtful film fan who has some interesting things to say about the career trajectory of Kevin Spacey, the self-defeating influence of PULP FICTION, the work of M. Night Shyamalan and other intriguing movie-related topics. Check it out — there’s a lot of good reading to be found.
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