Archive for January, 2009
January 20th, 2009
You know, with all the excitement over the inauguration, the Golden Globes and the impending Oscar nominations, I’ve almost forgotten that there’s a big film festival going on in Utah at this very moment. I can’t be there myself — what sort of budget do you think I’m operating on? — but thankfully, the blogosphere is full of intrepid online journalists watching movies, talking to the muckety-mucks and putting their stories on the Web for all to see. Here are a few links:
Sundance coverage from the folks at Cinematical
Sundance coverage from the folks at the Onion AV Club
Sundance coverage from writer Jeffrey Wells (Jeff’s blog is more of a rolling report than anything grouped into categories, so just start reading from the top)
And here’s the official Sundance page.
January 20th, 2009
Neatorama has an interesting list of actors who died — actually, really, not-a-special effect died — while making various movies, and how the productions dealt with the sudden loss of a performer.
My favorite case, of course, is PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, where director Ed Wood used a few minutes of Bela Lugosi, then replaced him with his wife’s chiropractor, who looked nothing like Lugosi, but was told by Ed to keep his cape over his face in every scene. It didn’t work (for one thing, he was also a lot taller and younger than Lugosi), but it makes for some memorable movie moments.
 Check out the whole list here.
January 16th, 2009
… and you have some serious spare time on your hands, I highly recommend reading this discussion of his work by Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard. Using his latest movie, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, as a starting point, the two talk about his entire career (except for his first film, ALIEN 3).
It’s especially interesting to read some thoughts on Fincher films that rarely get much notice, like THE GAME and PANIC ROOM. Both men feel ZODIAC is his best film, and they talk about why it’s both different from his other work while continuing developments shown in his earlier films. It’s long, long, long, but well worth a look.
And here, as a bonus, here’s the trailer for FIGHT CLUB.
January 16th, 2009
This weather, with record wind chills and the sort of cold that freezes your nosehairs the moment you step outside, makes you feel like doing something drastic just to warm up a bit. In that spirit, here’s the video for Wax’s song, “Southern California,” directed by none other than Spike Jonze (the man behind BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION and the upcoming WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE).
And remember kids: Don’t try this at home.
January 16th, 2009
Shockingly, it’s been several days since I’ve posted anything here about my most-anticipated upcoming movie, WATCHMEN, so here’s a bit of news about the film. It’s good news — in fact, it’s about the best news we could get, given recent events. From the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER…
Geeks can rejoice. Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over WATCHMEN, with the studios scheduled to present a settlement to Judge Gary Feess this morning and request that the case be dismissed.
That means the studios have made nice, and the movie will open on March 6, as planned, after all. Hallelujah.
January 14th, 2009
Ricardo Montalban, who was born in Mexico and made a name for himself in Hollywood, has died at the age of 88.
Though probably best known for his starring role as Mr. Rourke on FANTASY ISLAND, to me he’ll always be Kahn, Kirk’s more than worthy adversary from STAR TREK II: THE (what else?) WRATH OF KAHN. No matter what role he was playing — Rourke, Khan, Vincent Ludwig from NAKED GUN — you always got the feeling that Montalban was having fun. He might have been a bit of a ham, but he sure knew how to slice it.
Here’s a taste of Kirk versus Kahn from TREK II…
January 14th, 2009
Ever since he spent that ill-fated winter at the Overlook Hotel, literary fans have wondered if Jack Torrance’s once and only novel would ever see print…
That day has finally come to pass, though sadly the author didn’t live to see it. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY is available over at Blurb.com in a variety of formats. I think it’s sweet they put a picture of Jack’s widow, Wendy, on the cover. (Be sure to click on the preview — this is one book you can’t sum up in just one sentence!
There’s a paperback version available on Amazon, too, but something tells me the interior content is the same. Exactly the same, if you know what I mean.
January 12th, 2009
 This week’s Movie Man column focuses on Diane English’s sort-of remake of THE WOMEN. Yes, I watched it, and what’s  more, I hated it. Here’s a video of me making my case…Â
And here, for all you fans of the written word, is the print version.
January 12th, 2009
Though most critics loved THE DARK KNIGHT, not all of them did. Jim Emerson saw some major problems with the logic and structure of the movie, and he discusses those concerns over at his Scanners blog. Here’s his first post in the series, taking a careful look at the movie’s opening bank robbery and trying to figure out just what the heck is happening. And here’s post No. 2, where he tries to figure out what the Joker is saying, what’s true, what’s a lie and what it all means.
I liked THE DARK KNIGHT quite a bit, and thought the sheer momentum of the movie carried it past some of its rough spots. I don’t agree with everything Emerson says, but it is interesting to hear someone coming from another perspective — and doing so in a smart, observant manner.
January 12th, 2009
In case you haven’t seen them, here are the movie-related results for Sunday night’s Golden Globes (along with my expert, off-the-cuff analysis):
BEST PICTURE, DRAMA: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE — Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed story of a poor guy (a “slumdog”) who wins big on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” is now a lock for an Oscar nomination.
BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA — Woody Allen? Back? Wow.
BEST ACTOR, DRAMA: Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER — Mickey Rourke? Back? Definitely.
BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Colin Farrell for IN BRUGES — Though I liked this movie a lot, calling it a comedy is a bit of a stretch. Farrell is very good in it, though.
BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA: Kate Winslet for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet for THE READER — It’s safe to say Winslet (maybe the best actress of her generation) is a lock for two Oscar nods. Be nice to see her finally win one (or two).
BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Sally Hawkins in HAPPY GO LUCKY — This Mike Leigh movie hasn’t come to Rockford, but it made a lot of top 10 lists, thanks in large part to Hawkin’s go-for-broke performance.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT — The question is, will this performance — probably the most talked about of 2008 — win the Oscar?
BEST ANIMATED FILM: WALL-E — Not exactly a surprise. The question is, will it get nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?
BEST FOREIGN FILM: WALTZ WITH BASHIR — Strangely enough, this one is animated, too.
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