Friday, January 27, 2012
Movies Oscars & Race: Spike Lee, James McBride and Tyler Perry Chime In (and Why Red Tails Matters)
Posted by Gabe Wardell on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Sandwiched between the Golden Globes and the Oscars, folks are starting to ask the age old question: "Sal, how come you ain't got no brothers up on the wall here?" (Our own Curt Holman noted the awards season "Whiteout" in early December.
While Morgan Freeman was honored at the Globes with the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award (for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment"), a look at the montage surveying his career underscores the challenges unique to a black actor in Hollywood:
Freeman's career spans the gamut from pimps, hustlers, servants, and side-kicks to a handful of strong leading man alpha leads (and a strong character roles as the President of the U.S.) He is also the archtype for the "magical negro."
Spike Lee is at Sundance in Park City, UT with a sort-of follow-up to Do the Right Thing called Redhook Summer. The new film, whose plot sounds like an inversion of Lee's Crooklyn, revisits the Bed-Stuy neighborhood from Do the Right Thing, and includes cameos by some of the characters, including Lee's pizza-delivering Mookie (who still works at Sal's...which suggests that Sal (and Son's) possessed a hearty insurance policy, and they rebuilt.)
At the Q&A for the film, which was cooly received, Lee reportedly " went on a rant about Hollywood and black films after being prompted with a question from comedian Chris Rock."
A day after Lee's (self proclaimed) " motherf**king tirade", Redhook Summer co-writer James McBride posted the following open letter on the 40 Acres and a Mule Web site called "Being a Maid," taking aim at Hollywood's problem with black stories:
Television / Movies / News ATLwood: Robert DeNiro and John Travolta Begin a "Killing Season" in North Georgia
Posted by Allison Keene on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 9:31 AM
- @AJCbuzz via Twitter
- "We'll get 'em next year ... for now, SHOTS!"
— John Travolta is in town, and has been spotted in Buckhead at The Palm - not surprising, given that ...
— Robert DeNiro and John Travolta are set to begin filming the suspense movie Killing Season this week in Rabun County at Tallulah Gorge State Park and Black Rock Mountain State Park (site of filming for Deliverance which we will never recover from as a state … and is one of the big reasons they're filming there again, apparently. Does anyone hear a banjo?). The film crew will move to other locations around the state for the next month.
— Last weekend, our Falcon QB Matt Ryan ate at STK Atlanta and bought shots for everyone. I have so many bitter comments to make as a Falcon fan, but, hey! Shots!
— Queen Latifah's "Single Ladies" was filming at the intersection of Piedmont Rd. and Lenox Rd. on Tuesday. The show is also looking for "formally attired extras" for an upcoming scene. They already employ some good looking people … like telenovla favorite William Levy (hola …).
— Chef Sam Talbot (remember him? The fan favorite from "Top Chef" Season 2? It was the only season I watched. Ilan did not deserve to win. #TeamSam) was … where was I? Right, he was at Richard Blais' flip burger boutique filming with Sanjay Gupta on Tuesday, after which he was the Cook's Warehouse on Piedmont signing copies of his new book. Did anybody attend?
— According to my hometown newspaper, Abraham Lincoln Versus Zombies will begin filming January 28, in Savannah, and will be there until mid-February. Doesn't it sound a bit like "The Walking Dead" meets "Hell On Wheels?"
Movies Liam Neeson is the new Chuck Norris
Posted by Curt Holman on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 9:12 AM
- Open Road Films
- EVEN HIS SWEATER HAS MORE TESTOSTERONE THAN YOU: LIam Neeson in 'The Grey'
Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson has clearly entered a phase in his career as the new Chuck Norris, the alpha male of ass-kicking virility. Neeson may not be an 8th Degree Black Belt Grand Master in Tae Kwon Do. But Neeson has 12 years, nearlhy half a foot in height and a whole lot more acting chops on the former Walker, Texas Ranger.
The Irish movie star’s mournful eyes and hang-dog expression frequently earned him sensitive-guy parts in the likes of Husbands and Wives or Nell. But he’s never been a total wuss, either, playing such manly men as Sam Raimi’s hideously scarred superhero Darkman, kilt-wearing, sword-swinging Rob Roy and the strapping Irish revolutionary Michael Collins. Sure, Darth Maul stuck him good in The Phantom Menace, but he K.O’d death itself as the voice of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia. As Zeus in the Titans movies, he seems typecast, and even when he portrayed the tweedy, bookish title role of Kinsey, he was totally hung.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Movies Why is nostalgia big at the Oscars this year?
Posted by Wyatt Williams on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 1:22 PM
- The Weinstein Company
- The Artist aka Remember When Movies Didn't Suck?
The Artist, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, and My Weekend with Marilyn garnered a lot nominations at the Oscars this year. What do they have in common? They're all films that hearken back to an earlier time, the good ol' days. It is almost like Owen Wilson's character in Midnight in Paris dreamed up this lineup for his fictional nostalgia shop.
Which presents the question: Why are we drawn to films so fixated on the past this year?
It's probably because we long for a time when Hollywood movies weren't such derivative, shallow hack pieces. Case in point: most of the other Oscar nominees this year.
Movies Uggie, snubbed by Oscars, announces retirement. (Or does he?)
Posted by Gabe Wardell on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 10:06 AM
- TWC
- Lick It Up
One day after the AMPAS unveiled the Oscar nominations, representatives for Uggie, the scene-stealing canine co-star of The Artist, announced that the Jack Russell Terrier will retire from the motion picture business.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, trainers Omar Von Muller and Sarah Clifford said, "It always has to be fun for them. Uggie's still enjoying it but he’s getting up there and he’s slowing down a little." The 10-year-old dog (mid-70s in small dog years) deserves to "go and lay in the sun by the pool."
While snubbed by the Oscars, Uggie has been nominated for two Golden Collar Awards, for his performances in The Artist and Water for Elephants. (He faces ruff competition from Beginners' Hummer, Young Adult's Dolce, and 50/50's Denver.)
According to Petside.com, "Fans can also follow Uggie on Twitter (@Uggie_TheArtist) or use the hash tag ConsiderUggie (#ConsiderUggie) to voice their outrage over the lack of an Oscar nomination."
While the rationale behind the story is sound, we can't help but think this is some kind of ruse. When do you ever hear of an actor retiring at the top of his game?
Bonus: If you just wanna say, AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwwwww...watch the THR doggie photo shoot:
News Magnolia aquires 'V/H/S' at Sundance Film Festival
Posted by Curt Holman on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 9:03 AM
Several distributors had expressed interest in the found-footage-within-found-footage creeper, which follows a group of petty criminals who are tasked with finding a VHS tape in a remote and rundown house, only to discover an entire trove of recorded nastiness there. The horror anthology film was helmed by six directors: Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg and Ti West.The film, which had its premiere in Sundance's Park City at Midnight section on Sunday, will be given a pre-theatrical video-on-demand release as part of Magnolia's Ultra VOD program and it will also receive a significant release in theaters after the 30-day VOD window.
Early viewers suggest that V/H/S invigorates the "found footage" horror genre of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. In fact, it's apparently been scaring some audiences right out of the theater:
V/H/S was the subject of much talk in Park City on Wednesday after it was reported by various news outlets that two people taking in a Tuesday night screening of the film at Prospector Square Theatre became ill while watching a particularly gruesome portion of movie and were forced to leave the theater. They were treated by paramedics and released. Posting on Twitter early on Wednesday morning, producer Roxanne Benjamin said that the man and woman were OK and had been suffering from altitude sickness, exhaustion and dehydration.
... which is probably the best kind of publicity a low-budget horror film can get.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Recap City "Justified," Season 3, Episode 2
Posted by Curt Holman on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 10:12 AM
The world of Elmore Leonard characters — the Elmore Leonardoverse, if you will — is a malleable, ever-expanding place. Michael Keaton’s ATF Agent Ray Nicollette appears in both Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. U.S. Marshall Karen Sisco was played by Jennifer Lopez in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight and Carla Cugino in the short-lived ABC series “Karen Sisco.” Here’s the credits for that show:
This week’s “Justified” introduces Cugino assistant director Karen Gooddall, who seems to be kinda sorta the same character, only after a brief marriage and a promotion. She visits Kentucky to sort out the murder of a Marshall involved with witness protection, and hints at a past history with Raylan in Miami. They share a slick bit of teamwork when they dupe some low-level mobsters, and she kneecaps one of them with a collapsible baton. Her appearance doesn’t have a lot of payoff, although the way she gives Significant Looks to Raylan and Winona. (Apparently she’s not available to return later this season, though.)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
And the award goes to... What are the least deserving Oscar nominees?
Posted by Curt Holman on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Best Picture: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Every critic and Oscar-watcher's Twitter feed erupted when Stephen Daldry's 9/11 weepie was announced as the ninth and final Best Picture nominee. It's not a complete waste of time: Max Von Sydow deserves his nomination as a sorrowful mute, and Daldry powerfuly presents a series of phone messages from a character trapped in the World Trade Center before it collapses. But the film pulls its punches at nearly every opportunity, embracing contrived quirkiness and old-school schmaltz.
Overall, it's an incredibly tame list of Best Picture nominees, every though it includes a few films I like and one I love (The Artist). The past two years, however, included some far more provocative nominees, such as The Social Network, Inception, WInter's Bone, The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man and Inglourious Basterds. This year's slate makes the Academy seem even more nostalgic and conflict-averse than it already is.
And the award goes to... Oscars bestow favor on 'The Artist,' 'Hugo,' 'Help'
Posted by Curt Holman on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 9:29 AM
1. Best Picture: ``The Artist,'' ``The Descendants,'' ``Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,'' ``The Help,'' ``Hugo,'' ``Midnight in Paris,'' ``Moneyball,'' ``The Tree of Life,'' ``War Horse.''
2. Actor: Demián Bichir, ``A Better Life''; George Clooney, ``The Descendants''; Jean Dujardin, ``The Artist''; Gary Oldman, ``Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''; Brad Pitt, ``Moneyball.''
3. Actress: Glenn Close, ``Albert Nobbs''; Viola Davis, ``The Help''; Rooney Mara, ``The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo''; Meryl Streep, ``The Iron Lady''; Michelle Williams, ``My Week with Marilyn.''
4. Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, ``My Week with Marilyn''; Jonah Hill, ``Moneyball''; Nick Nolte, ``Warrior''; Christopher Plummer, ``Beginners''; Max von Sydow, ``Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.''
5. Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, ``The Artist''; Jessica Chastain, ``The Help''; Melissa McCarthy, ``Bridesmaids''; Janet McTeer, ``Albert Nobbs''; Octavia Spencer, `` The Help.''
Television Movies in Commercials V: Nike+ Fuelband (Can you count, suckers?)
Posted by Gabe Wardell on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 9:06 AM
I'm the sucker who counted.
This one minute Nike commercial contains 55 clips from a wide variety pop culture sources including clips of sports figures, Web memes, movie clips, music videos, TV shows, and cartoons.
Can you name them? After the jump, see my best effort to ID the montage:
