Madonna, 49, left; Dame Helen Mirren, 62, right.
Entries Tagged 'Film' ↓
Scientific Proof That a Real British Accent Keeps You Looking Young.
July 30th, 2008 — Controversy, Film, Music, Photography, Pop Culture
A Dish Best Served Cold
July 29th, 2008 — Advertising, Entertainment, Film
Up yours: James Bond (Daniel Craig) flips on a foe
When the family of the late Albert R. Broccoli, producers of the James Bond film series, decided that the archetype needed a reboot, and hired actor Daniel Craig to play the titular superspy in the 21st Bond movie, 2006’s Casino Royale, the fan response was overwhelming…and stupendously negative.
View to a Kill.
July 29th, 2008 — Advertising, Design, Film
Now we come to the payoff: After seeing naught but Bond’s shadow in the earlier teaser poster, the second advance delivers the goods with an original, double-sided, rolled, 27″ x 40″ one-sheet, $40 at MoviePoster.com.
Don’t. Look. Down.
July 18th, 2008 — Advertising, Architecture, Controversy, Film, Music, NONFICTION
Director James Marsh’s new movie, Man on Wire: A Tale of High Crime, documents French high wire artist Philippe Petit’s August 7, 1974 tightrope walk between the then new, 1350-foot-high twin towers of the World Trade Center.
The film opens next week, Friday, July 25th. Marsh is a guest today on my WBAI-NY / 99.5 FM radio show, NONFICTION, this afternoon, Friday, July 18th, 2 pm ET.
The Dark Night
July 16th, 2008 — Advertising, Design, Entertainment, Film, Pop Culture
On September 11th, people repeatedly said that the destruction of the World Trade Center “looked like a movie.” But no one had ever seen a movie before during which an exploding building powerfully, suddenly, ejects thousands of reams of paper with a woeful, confetti-like bloom. That sight was completely unexpected, a detail few would have anticipated, the random visual white noise that reality adds to a disastrous purview.
I thought of 9/11 while scoping this incredible, horizontally-formatted poster for The Dark Knight (double-sided, 40″ x 30″, rolled, $75.00, MoviePoster.com). Of course, that’s director Christopher Nolan’s sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and the late Heath Ledger in his final movie role, opening this Friday, July 18th.
I’m conviced that, especially as we get more and more distance between us and that horrible fall day, imagery straight from the Towers’s deaths will infest our cinematic visions as the only universally credible depictions of apocalypse.
The Power of Pixar
July 4th, 2008 — Animation, Books, Entertainment, Film, NONFICTION
Infinity and beyond: Buzz Lightyear sketch from Toy Story (1995)
Pixar, the computer animation powerhouse behind such works as Toy Story, above, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, and, currently, the number one movie in the country, Wall•E, has created one of the strongest, most dominant brands in entertainment. But, in its early days, the company stumbled and faltered repeatedly, staying in business by the sheer dint of its tenacious founders.
So says David A. Price in his new book, The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company. David Price is today’s guest on my WBAI-NY / 99.5 FM radio show, NONFICTION, this afternoon, Friday, July 4th, 2 pm ET.
“It’s an ancient Greek tragedy dressed as an action movie.”
June 27th, 2008 — Entertainment, Film
So states director Timur Bekmambetov, above, of his actioner, Wanted, opening today, in an interesting interview with the Canadian web site MoviesOnline. The film stars Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Common as a team of super assassins.
Looks Like Hermione’s Casting a Totally Different Kind of Spell
June 19th, 2008 — Fashion, Film, Money, Youth
Having turned eighteen in April, actor Emma Watson is now getting access to more than just bigger digital boobs, or her $20 million Harry Potter/”Hermione Granger” fortune: She’s getting grown-up-style endorsements: A reported $5.8 million, 2-year deal to replace Keira Knightley as the new face of Chanel fragrance, just like BWE.tv proudly noted.
Cyd Charisse, 1922-2008
June 18th, 2008 — Dance, Entertainment, Film, Obituary, Pop Culture
In the 1953 Vincente Minnelli musical, The Band Wagon, there’s a fantastic sequence called “The Girl Hunt,” in which dance great Fred Astaire, as gumshoe Rod Riley, searches for a mysterious ingenue. Numerous close calls and clues lead him to a gangster nightspot, Dem Bones Cafe, where upon entering, he suddenly catches sight of a woman, her hair coal-black, leaning ravenously against the bar in a dark green full-length coat.
For a second, there is no movement in the shot whatsoever. Watching it on video, one initially has the confusing impression that they’re looking at a still frame, until they notice the woman’s slow, deep breathing.
Say Goodbye to the Bad Guy:
The Wanted Red Trailer
June 17th, 2008 — Advertising, Entertainment, Film, Media, Pop Culture
Say hello to my little friend: James McAvoy in Wanted
The Angelina Jolie-starring, Timur Bekmambetov-directed assassin thriller, Wanted (“Curve the bullet!”), has a restricted, or “red,” trailer, available for iTunes download and viewing in all three standard sizes and all three HD sizes.
