Film: 'Darjeeling Limited' trailer

So, there's a "Darjeeling Limited" trailer floating around the web. Scroll down to view a YouTubey version.

The new Wes Anderson film stars Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson (no Luke?) as siblings touring India. Anderson wrote the script with Schwartzman and first-time collaborator Roman Coppola, who I haven't heard much about since "CQ' came out back in 2001. Natalie Portman, Anjelica Houston and Bill Murray co-star.

"Darjeeling" looks like it combines the odd family dynamics of "The Royal Tenenbaums" and the divisive insanity of "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." So, yeah, it looks good, and I can't wait to see it - if it comes to my local Cinemark. (Damn you Brownsville, you one-horse town).

The film opens Sept. 29 in some markets.



Links:

High res trailer

Official movie site

Photo from Fox Searchlight

Film: Hey 'Superbad' fans

So, "Superbad" is the number one film in the country and tons of people still don't know about "Clark and Michael"? It's cool. I just watched my first episode today, although I've been meaning to check it out for a few months now.

"Clark and Michael" is a great little Internet TV series starring and written by "Superbad" star Michael Cera and pal Clark Duke, who had a cameo in "Superbad." The ten-episode series is about little more than the pair trying to sell a TV pilot about their lives to the networks, but it's damn funny and each ep is only about ten minutes long.

The few eps of "C&M" I watched made me laugh just as much as "Superbad" did - and McLovin' isn't even in the thing. The series does feature cames by cool kids like Patton Oswalt, Andy Richter, David Cross, Tony Hale from "Arrested Development" plus the great line "They brushed our teeth with their dicks."

It's funny. Watch it.

Links:

ClarkandMichael.com

Clark Duke's YouTube Channel

Photo from ClarkandMichael.com

Film: '1408' quick review

In "1408," John Cusack plays a depressed writer trapped inside an "evil fucking room" that's clearly bent on driving him nuts and then driving him dead. Once shut in the room, Cusack's Mike Enslin endures tons of disturbing tricks straight outta Stephen King's big bag of horror randomness. He's left witless by flapper-era spooks, attacked by a mask-wearing slasher and even receives a visit from his dead daughter. Most of what happens in "1408" is pretty creepy (especially the periodic blasting of The Carpenter's "We've Only Just Begun"), but it's not the source material or the script, based on a short story by King, that makes "1408" one of the best King adaptations since 1980's "The Shining." The credit should go to Cusack and director Mikael Håfström.

Cusack fully commits to his role, somehow adding weight to Enslin's reheated back story and the ensuing tale of redemption. He makes you feel his emotional, psychological and physical pangs -- whether you want to or not. Håfström's film is refreshingly gore free, but it's still scary as hell. The Swedish filmmaker's suspense-crafting skills cannot be overstated here. The expository scenes leading up to the frights progress with a haunted air, thanks in part to a great supporting turn by Samuel L. Jackson, but things get really tense once Cusack checks into the suite of horrors. Those who don't suffer from anxiety or vertigo will get a chilling taste of both watching Cusack sneak across a ledge in an ill-fated attempt to escape the room. Things get so nerve-wracking that some might want to look away from the screen (like I did) for a few seconds in the third act.

If gripping suspense films are your thing, then "1408" is a must-see. Be warned though. Like most horror/suspense mash-ups, the ending here is more than mildly ambiguous. What might seem like a Hollywood ending to some might seem bleak to others. The ambiguity doesn't spoil what came before though, and it's sure to spark tons of theories from chatty film buffs.

Film: Three recent beautiful failures

the science of sleep

Have you ever watched a movie and thought, "Wow, that was a mess, but I loved it"? I have, and I have a name for movies that make me feel that way. I call 'em "beautiful failures."

Beautiful failures are usually too long, too weird, too sloppy or just plain stupid, but they're always strangely compelling and, well, beautiful. They're the movies you think you hate but you can't stop thinking about. You come back to them over and over and you can't figure out why. They can be very complex, pretentious or even too simple or mass appealing. Other film buffs might tell you different, but there's really no formula to creating a beautiful failure.

Some of my favorite beautiful failures are Steven Soderbergh's Solaris, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and David Cronenberg's awkward 1996 thriller Crash. I love these films for different reasons, but I recognize that they're all a little ... dreadful.

Here are a few titles I've recently added to my list of beautiful failures. Please, share some of your favorite "bf's" in the comments.

The Science of Sleep

The problems start with the packaging and advertising for director Michel Gondry's follow-up to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The trailer and DVD box try to sell the film as a quirky romantic comedy full of whimsical dream sequences and cute one-liners. What you really get is a seemingly chaotic but densely structured character study of an unlikable, mentally ill manchild (Gael Garcia Bernal).

There's a lot of good here, though. Bernal's character has trouble disassociating fantasy from reality, and Gondry illustrates this with some charming and singular visual tricks. Also, the ending is somewhat of a stunner that brilliantly unites all the disparate ideas and elements that came before. Unfortunately, most viewers will be confused and sick of all the seeming randomness before the third act. Bernal and the rest of the cast are great, but most of the characters are unappealing or hard to relate to. Still, I'll go back to this movie again for its brave storytelling, strange comedic bits and great visuals.
View the trailer

The Fountain

Where to start? The Fountain is the perfect beautiful failure. It's at times fiercely incoherent, silly and pretentious, but it's also visually impressive and features a very strong lead performance by Hugh Jackman.

All of the "big ideas" director Daron Aronofsky (Pi, Requim for a Dream) attempts to convey here can be gleaned from the preface of one of those Don't Sweat the Small Stuff books, but he delivers his dime store philosophy in an extravagant package that constantly switches from compelling to laughable (picture a bald Jackman reaching nirvana while sitting in a lotus position). Add to that a bunch of muddled biblical references, plot strands that go nowhere and performances that range from sleepy (Rachel Weisz) to irrelevant (Ellen Burstyn) and you have a "bf" that, somehow, demands repeat viewing.
View the trailer

Ghost Rider

This campy comic book adaptation is about a guy with a flaming skull for a head, but that's the least ridiculous thing about it. After delivering two joyless duds based on Marvel books (Daredevil and Elektra) writer-director Mark Steven Johnson amps Ghost Rider's absurdity factor up to 11. Unfortunately, that's way too high -- even for a comic book movie.

The film is a poorly written, painfully simplistic and predictable popcorn flick, but its worst attributes are what will keep me coming back to it. You have to admire a film that so economically delivers the cheap thrills and seems willing to suck ass to do so. The cast members do their best to make sure that Ghost Rider makes you smirk for 90 minutes and slips out of your system faster than a Diet Coke. It's a sick and fascinating thing to watch Nicholas Cage violently hammer tons of trite quirks and ticks into his character (He eats M&Ms from a champagne flute! He listens to The Carpenters! He speaks with an undefinable accent!). Peter Fonda and Sam Elliot ham it up, but the real kick here is Wes Bentley as the film's impossibly witless and fruity villain, Blackheart.
View the trailer, I dare you

Film: Aykroyd says Ghostbusters III will be CGI

Dan Aykroyd recently told country music station CISN that he is working on a second sequel to the 1984 hit Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters III: Hellbent will be a CGI film instead of live action, Aykroyd said. The plot involves the Ghostbusters traveling to hell (shades of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey?). Aykroyd wrote the script.

Bill Murray has agreed to voice a character, probably reprising his role as wisecracking Peter Venkman from the first two films, and Harold Ramis is already attached.

There have been rumors of a third Ghostbusters film for years. The idea of a "young Ghostbusters" film was circulated in the 90s with names like Will Smith and Ben Stiller tossed around. Hellbent sounds more like an all-star, big budget version of The Real Ghostbusters animated series from the 1980s.

Aykrod and Ramis wrote and starred in the first two films. There's no word yet on a release date or whether this project will hit theaters or go straight to DVD. Listen to the Aykroyd interview here.

Morning Dose: Deluxe Beck; No Holmes in Dark Knight; Heroes death; Luke Cage movie; more

beck

- Intercope is giving Beck's The Information the super massive deluxe treatment. Due Feb. 27, the three-disc release will include the original album plus three bonus tracks, remixes by Bumblebeez, David Andrew Sitek (of TV on the Radio) and others, and a DVD featuring a music video for every track, including Michel Gondry's clip for "Cell Phone's Dead."

- Giving more evidence to the Katie Holmes is brainwashed theory, the actress is skipping out on the Batman Begins sequel to star in something called Mad Money with Queen Latifah.

- EMI has merged the Capitol and Virgin record labels to form The Capitol Music Group.

- Which comic book-based films are nominated for Oscars? (Not X-Men 3).

- Speaking of comic books, fans can nominate their favorite comics and comic book creators for Eagle Awards, the comics industry's longest established awards voted on by fans. One question: Why is Vincent Gallo up for best comic villain?

-Tyrese and John Singleton talk about the upcoming Luke Cage movie.

- A major character is supposed to die on Heroes this season. God, please let it be Niki.

- Some idiots are circulating this petition to arrest Dakota Fanning's parents because of this movie.

-Will Britney Spears play a "raunchy bunch of sex mad aliens" on Dr. Who?

- Finally, somebody buy me this T-shirt. (Thanks Wil Wheaton!)

Afternoon Dose: Spidey 4 villain?; Rage reunion; Oscars; Heroes, Trek news

the lizard

I'm still sick, but here are some of today's interesting headlines ...

- Will The Lizard be Peter Parker's nemesis in Spider-Man 4? Actor Dylan Baker, who plays The Lizard's alter ego Dr. Conners in Spidey 2 and 3, thinks so.

- Will there really be a Rage Against the Machine reunion, featuring Zack de la Rocha, at this year's Coachella fest? De la Rocha's official site seems to confirm it.

- Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men and, finally, Mark Wahlberg have been nominated for Oscars. Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen are up for Best Picture. View the entire list of nominees here. More on this later.

- Little Man and Basic Instinct 2 are up for Razzies. What, no hate for Just My Luck?

- B-movie prince Eric Roberts is joining the cast of Heroes. Also, have you visited PrimaTech Paper's Web site? Use the code MT36 to log in.

- Star Trek's Brent Spiner (Data) says fans are to blame for the last Trek film's failure.

- And finally, STARZ will air the Guided By Voices documentary The Electrifying Conclusion on Jan. 29. This one is on the house.

Morning Dose: Spidey 4?; Goblin pics; Departed sequels; Fillion and Minear on Drive

franco goblin

- Official sources are already talking about Spider-Man 4.

- Take a look at more pics of James Franco's new Navy Seal style Goblin costume from the upcoming Spider-Man 3. Is that a hoverboard up there?

- Mark Wahlberg says Martin Scorsese and crew are talking about making sequels (or prequels) to The Departed. Wahlberg says most of the cast might return if the films are a go.
"They're talking to Robert De Niro and a couple of other people. ... Anybody who is anybody wants to work with Marty," Wahlberg told MTV. Wahlberg starred in the 2006 film with Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio.

- The Whedonverse is alive and kicking on TV. Fox just picked up former Firefly co-producer Tim Minear's new drama Drive, which stars Firefly's Nathan Fillion and Angel's Amy Acker. Click here for a network description of the series. The two-hour series premiere airs Sunday, April 15 on Fox. Fillion and Minear discuss the series at TV Squad.

Afternoon Dose: Smallville clips; Trek X1 news; Superman sequel?; Halloween script leaks

smallville

- Smallville fans can catch a 12-minute preview of tonight’s highly anticipated episode, “Justice,” here. The clips feature Clark and Green Arrow meeting up with Impulse (or Gen-Y Flash).

- SyFy Portal reports that the upcoming Star Trek XI film will be all about character. That’s a good sign, no?

- One of the Superman Returns writer says that the film’s sequel will feature more villains from the DC canon and more action.

-Will Ewan McGregor play Kurt Cobain in an upcoming biopic?

- Bad fan reaction to the script for his Halloween remake is really pissing Rob Zombie off. Read AintItCoolNews.com’s merciless review of the script here.

Film: Netflix to offer streaming service

chinatown
Originally uploaded by gold_teeth.

Netflix, arguably the best place to rent DVDs online, will start streaming films and TV shows online starting Tuesday. They're calling this feature/service "Watch Now," reports the Associated Press.

The good:
-Netflix says it takes about a minute to install the streaming software.
-Netflix will offer most if its vast catalog for streaming. Initially, the service will stream a load of B movies and some classic fare like Chinatown and Amadeus. The studios contributing to the new service include Paramount, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Lion’s Gate and New Line.
-It's not too expensive. $17.99 monthly package subscribers will receive 18 hours of Internet viewing time. Your streaming allotment depends on your existing Netflix package.

The not so good:
-Only about 6 million subscribers will be able to access "Watch Now" initially until Netflix beefs up its servers, etc. They expect to introduce the service to about 250,000 subscribers each week through June.
-You'll only be able to stream the films on a PC or a laptop with a high-speed connection and Windows. The service is not iPod or portable device friendly.

So, will you "Watch Now?"

Morning Dose: X-Men 4?; Buffy book; Trek news; No Hobbit for Jackson

berry_as_storm
Originally uploaded by gold_teeth.

Storm brings the pressure for X-Men 4

After winning her People's Choice Award this week, Halle Berry asked X-Men fans to write letters to a Fox executive to encourage the studio to do X-Men 4. Funny, I would be in favor of another X-flick only if Berry were not allowed anywhere near the set.


The Science of slaying

Science is everywhere in the Buffyverse, according to writer Jennifer Ouellette. Ouellette's new book The Physics of the Buffyverse uses characters, concepts and plot lines from joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to illustrate physical science concepts like sound, electricity, thermodynamics, time travel, wormholes, black holes and more. Almost makes you wanna become a science teacher. The book answers questions like the following in scientific terms:
- What’s the best kind of wood to use for a stake, especially against a Turok-han?
- How much energy would you need to create enough extra mass to turn Mayor Wilkins into a giant snake?
Buy the book here.


Star Trek XI news from Abrams, Shatner

Lost creator JJ Abrams and William Shatner are offering some information on the upcoming Star Trek film. Abrams comments make it seem like his finished script for the film is a reboot, like Batman Begins.
"... The movie does not require you to know anything aboutStar Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind," Abrams told Entertainment Weekly about the script. Abrams might also direct the film.
Shatner tells Sci-Fi Wire that he plans to meet with Abrams and will appear in the film if asked. He confirms that the story is about young Kirk. The film is due out in 2008.


Peter Jackson vs. New Line

The whole Peter Jackson vs. New Line spat is getting ugly. New Line Chief exec Robert Shaye has some pretty nasty words to say about Jackson, who says he won't do The Hobbit. Read about the mess at Cinematical.


Crazy like Matthew Fox

Finally, read about how Lost's Matthew Fox is kind of a wierdo and enjoy this new song from Talib Kweli and Madlib.

Film: Pan's Labyrinth comes to Brownsville

pan's_labyrinth
Originally uploaded by gold_teeth.

I don’t believe it. Pan’s Labyrinth is coming to Brownsville this Friday. First Children of Men and now this!

Pan's was released nationwide in December, but like a lot of smaller or independent movies, it has yet to play anywhere near Brownsville. I'm sure the film is expanding to our market simply because it's making a lot of money, like a few other well-received indie films out right now. I hope this is a trend that continues. It’s about time the local Cinemark screened some quality, non-Hollywood films. (I’m not boasting, but I can’t help but think that this might have something to do with this little article)

I can’t wait to see this film, not only because it’s one of the best reviewed of 2006, but also because I’m a fan of director Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro’s credits include The Devil’s Backbone, Cronos and Blade II, all superior and original entries into the horror/fantasy genre.

Click here for showtimes at Brownsville’s Cinemark Sunrise Mall. I’m planning on seeing Pan’s this weekend, so expect a review here soon.

Here’s a good feature about the film. Check out the trailer below.

Film: Children of Men review

children_of_men
Originally uploaded by gold_teeth.

(Cinemark Sunrise Mall, Brownsville, TX; 1/7/07)
It’s hard to single out one moment in director Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men that doesn’t feel urgent, tense or, more frighteningly, very plausible.

Set in a dystopian, war ravaged future Britain where no child has been born for 18 years, the film effectively draws a straight line between the bleak, bombed-out future on the screen and current events, including the war in Iraq and the crackdown on illegal immigration.

“This is where we’re heading,” Cuarón is trying to say, but Children of Men, based on the book by P.D. James, is remarkable not because of its social commentary, but for the way it doles the commentary out.

Cuarón — clearly a follower of the “show don’t tell” philosophy — has crafted a thrilling technical achievement here, creating a gray, violent British police state full of visual exposition that shows us everything we need to know. We’re not told the world is in chaos, we see it in the newspaper clippings with wartime headlines, the downbeat TV news reports about casualty counts and terrorist bombings, the political graffiti and in the faces of caged refugees on the street.

Corporate structures and bureaucratic buildings are all that stand intact — it’s hard times for sure. It’s anyone’s guess who started the war or who’s on the right side, but that information isn’t really pertinent to the film’s sim-plistic story.

Clive Owen cuts a decidedly glum figure as Theo, a former revolutionary turned beurocratic drone who now kills time by getting high with an aging pot dealer (played warmly by Michael Caine). Theo’s revolutionary past comes back to tap him for a favor in the form of his ex-wife (Julian Moore), the leader of a political extremist group. Moore’s faction is protecting a young woman (Claire Hope Ashitey) who, somehow, is pregnant. It’s up to Theo to use his political pull to get the pregnant woman, named Kee, to another political group called The Human Project. There, supposedly, Kee will get the medical treatment and care her and her baby will need to survive.

Children of Men is a surprisingly economic film of ideas, but the film’s driving story is too simplistic. While the world around them is burning with conflict, the film’s main characters follow a standard road movie formula. There are a few shocking scenes along the way, but if you’ve seen the trailer, you know where the film’s heading.

Children of Men is most effective when the turbulent world outside comes crashing in on the main characters, leading them into chaotic and shockingly realistic scenes of guerilla warfare and terrorist action. There’s a tense, stunningly shot stretch in the second half of the film in which Owen runs through an urban war zone, evading sniper bullets while those around him fall bloody to the ground. The scene rivals anything I’ve seen in recent war films, including the opening shots of Saving Private Ryan.

There’s much to recommend here, including good performances by the cast (especially Hope Ashitey), great music and profound cinematography. I only wish the main story would have taken a few more unexpected turns. Maybe then the film would have held the gripping pace it sometimes achieves.

Links:
Official Children of Men Web site

Trailer

Alfonso Cuarón at imdb.com

News: Hiro speaks; Franz records; Shaun of the Grindhouse?; Casting news; Music of Men

masi_oka_heroes
Originally uploaded by gold_teeth.

Masi Oka reveals all about Hiro

Did you know that Hiro wasn’t in the original draft of the Heroes pilot? Tim Kring, creator of the NBC series, added him as an afterthought. Did you know that Hiro will soon have another love interest on the show that isn’t named Charlie? Oh yeah, and Star Trek’s George Takei will play Hiro’s dad in upcoming episodes. Read Heroes star Masi Oka’s revealing interview with ComingSoon.net for more.


Franz Ferdinand in the studio

It looks like Franz Ferdinand will be heading into the studio soon for album no. 3. Lead Ferdinand Alex Kapranos told NME that he’s also producing the new album for UK trio The Cribs. Kapranos says his new Franz songs have a “rougher, rawer feel to them.”


Shaun of the Dead director joins Grindhouse

Fangoria.com just reported that Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright will direct one of the faux trailers for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming flick Grindhouse. It’s rumored that one of the trailers will feature Nick Cage turning into a werewolf. Sounds like fun.


Casting News

Kyrsten Dunst as Blondie’s Debbie Harry? She’s got the perfect face for it. Sophia Bush as Wonder Woman? She’s got the perfect … er … hair for it. What do you think?


Music of Men

Lastly, did anyone see Children of Men this weekend? (I’m working on my review, it should be up soon.) How about all that great music in the film? Donovan, the Libertines, Roots Manuva. I’m on a mission to track down down Franco Battiato’s version of “Ruby Tuesday.” Check out the hilarious, anti-child video below for Roots Manuva’s ”Witness." The song was featured early in the film.

Morning Dose: Aqua Teen movie; Teens vs. God; M.Ward; O.C. dies, Bionic Woman lives

athf
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

Aqua Teen movie on the way

It’s called Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie for Theaters and it’s due out in March, reports ComingSoon.net. The animated feature, based on the Cartoon Network series, is Adult Swim’s first feature and will detail the origins of Meatwad, Frylock and Master Shake.
"Never before will the silver screen be engaged in such a celebration of animation," said creators Maiellaro and Willis simultaneously and in unison when interviewed recently.
The show will continue to run on TV and it looks like sequels might even follow this initial film.


Wired weird science

The good people at Wired started a show called Wired Science that premiered last night on PBS. Anyone watch it? David Byrne composed the theme music. To learn more and see clips, click here. While we're on a short science kick, check out this list of top pharmaceutical innovations of 2006. Anyone in need of some Zoster vaccine.


YouTubing in blasphemy's name

Did you know that more than 400 young people have joined a YouTube campaign created by the Web site BlasphemyChallenge.com to stake their souls against the existence of god? Sounds like 400 people didn’t see Bruce Almighty, Dogma or any of those old George Burns movies. If you go by Hollywood, and you always should, God is cooler than Samuel L. Jackson. Anybody wanna stake their soul against the existence of Samuel L. Jackson. … I didn’t think so.


M. Ward scores film

SuicideGirls.com reports that singer-songwriter M. Ward, praised for the albums Post War (2006) and Transistor Radio, just finished scoring his first film called The Go Getter. The film is a road trip drama starring Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone and … M. Ward. It was written by the dude who wrote Stealing Harvard, so, you know, it might be quite terrible. Here’s to hoping Tom Green stayed away from the shoot.
Download M. Ward’s Vincent O’ Brien.


Fox cancels The O.C.; Bionic Woman green lit

ComingSoon also reports that the sun will set on the so bad it’s still really bad nighttime soap The O.C. on Feb. 22. Please tell me One Tree Hill is next. … SuperHeroHype.com reports that the Bionic Woman will return to TV in an NBC remake. No casting news yet, but let’s hope they keep that cool bionic sound thing going.

That’s all I got time for. Now, listen to this Of Montreal track and get to work.

Morning Dose: Sebadoh's back; New Modest Mouse track; Optimus Prime time; Spidey, Galactica news

sebadoh
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

Sebadoh announces new tour dates

Just when you were getting over the shock brought on by the Dinosaur Jr. reunion, Sebadoh has announced a six-week reunion tour. Lou Barlow and crew will start out in San Diego on Feb. 26 and play a few more west coast dates after that. The band will hit Houston on Feb. 13 and Austin on Feb. 14. Here’s the itinerary.

Listen to new Modest Mouse track

A new Modest Mouse track called “Dashboard” was leaked online today. It sounds like Issac Brock has been digging his David Byrne record collection. Download it here.

Optimus Prime speaks

Everyone knows I’m giving the finger to the upcoming Michael Bay Transformers movie, but at least it brings back some nice nostalgia. Head over to the upcoming crapfest’s official Web site to hear Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen from the original series) say cool stuff like “It’s Prime Time.”

New Spider-Man 3 trailer

This new Japanes trailer for Spider-Man 3 (in English with Japanese subtitles) features Harry’s Goblin transformation and more on the black suit.

Sci-Fi renews Battlestar Galactica

Some fans were nervous about the fate of the Sci-Fi Channel’s best series, but I never had any doubt. Sy Fy Portal reports that Battlestar Galactica will be given the green light for a fourth season before the show returns to finish out season three later this month. Momentum for the announced Galactica prequel show Caprica is losing steam though. A source tells Sy Fi Portal that the show won’t turn up until 2008.

That’s all I have time for now. Well, that and this rockin’ Thermals track (“Here’s Your Future”) from Sub Pop. Enjoy.

Film: A quiz for real film fans

no. 12 - donnie darko
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

The film freaks over at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule posted this, the "PROFESSOR DAVE JENNINGS' MILTON-FREE, UNIVERSE-EXPANDING HOLIDAY MIDTERM," for all to take. Here are my age appropriate answers. What are yours?


1) What was the last movie you saw, either in a theater or on DVD, and why?
I watched The Abyss on DVD yesterday with my fiancee. We recently got on a James Cameron kick after an airing of Ridley Scott’s Alien spurred us to rent Cameron’s Aliens on DVD. Next up is T2, and then … actually I think we’ll stop there.

2) Name the cinematographer whose work you most look forward to seeing, and an example of one of his/her finest achievements.
There’s a bunch, but I really can’t wait to see what Sergei Trofimov does next. He was behind the camera on Night Watch

3) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson?
Baker hands down. He’s from Texas and he was in Joe Dirt.

4) Name a moment from a movie that made you gasp (in horror, surprise, revelation…)
I gotta give it to The Abyss. Even though I’ve seen the flick before, I was on the edge of my seat when Ed Harris was trying to revive Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

5) Your favorite movie about the movies.
Right now it has to be Bad Education.

6) Your Favorite Fritz Lang movie.
Gotta go with the only one I’ve seen Metropolis,

7) Describe the first time you ever recognized yourself in a movie.
Watching Mikey in The Goonies.

8) Carole Bouquet or Angela Molina?
Molina. She played Mrs. Robinson.

9) Name a movie that redeems the notion of nostalgia as something more than a bankable commodity.
It has to be Field of Dreams. Watch it, it’s better than you think it is.

10) Favorite appearance by an athlete in an acting role.
Hulk Hogan in Rocky III. He’s an athlete, yes?

11) Favorite Hal Ashby movie.
Harold and Maude

12) Name the first double feature you’d program for opening night of your own revival theater.
This is hard. It would have to be something that would pack ‘em in, so … probably Reservoir Dogs followed by Donnie Darko (pictured above)

13) What’s the name of your revival theater?
A Certain Cinema

14) Humphrey Bogart or Elliot Gould?
In blasphemy’s name, I choose Gould.

15) Favorite Robert Stevenson movie.
I choose The Shaggy D.A.

16) Describe your favorite moment in a movie that is memorable because of its use of sound.
I really love the use of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in that one happy scene in Monster where Christina Ricci and Charlize Theron are falling in love.

17) Pink Flamingoes-- yes or no?
I’ll risk the backlash and say no. Hell no.

18) Your favorite movie soundtrack score.
Danny Elfman’s Beetlejuice.

19) Fay Wray or Naomi Watts?
Watts all the way.

20) Is there a movie that would make you question the judgment and/or taste of a film critic, blogger or friend if you found out they were an advocate of it?
Yes. Paul Haggis’ absurd and hollow crapfest Crash.

21) Pick a new category for the Oscars and its first deserving winner.
Best use of hip hop music in a film. Winner: Office Space

22) Favorite Paul Verhoeven movie.
I assume were talking RoboCop Verhoeven. So, yeah, Robocop.

23) What is it that you think movies do better than any other art form?
Pull you in.

24) Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney?
Finney all the way home.

25) Favorite movie studio logo, as it appears before a theatrical feature.
I’m partial to the Universal globe.

26) Name the single most important book about the movies for you personally.
Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It, Spike Lee.

27) Name the movie that features the best twist ending. (Please note the use of any “spoilers” in your answer.)
Hmmm … Fight Club comes to mind.

28) Favorite Francois Truffaut movie.
Jules and Jim

29) Olivia Hussey or Claire Danes?
Danes.

30) Your most memorable celebrity encounter.
Scaring Quentin Tarantino in Austin.

31) When did you first realize that films were directed?
Probably in the very ealry 90s when I saw Do the Right Thing on TV and thought, “Who made that?”

Film: Volver review

volver
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

(Landmark Sunshine Cinema, New York, NY; 12/26/06) Volver, a charming minor work by Pedro Almódovar, is probably my least favorite film by the great Spanish director.

Since the 1980s, Almódovar has delivered a successful string of florid and risky melodramas about Spanish women and their families. For his last two films, Almódvar focused his lens on men, with glorious results. He won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for 2002’s Habla Con Ella (Talk to Her), a tender drama about two very flawed men in love with comatose women. 2004 saw the release of La Mala Educación (Bad Education), the director’s acclaimed and gripping Hitchcockian suspense tale about two male lovers connected by sexual abuse.

Volver, which means “to return” in Spanish, is an apt title for Almódovar’s latest, his comeback to the land of the lady. It marks another film about strong women, another great role tailored for Penélope Cruz (the two worked together on 1999’s Todo Sobre Mi Madre), but a small regression for the director.

With Volver, Almódovar tells a female-centric story that touches on all of his hallmark issues — death, abuse, deceit, family and friendship — but he lets the melodrama simmer instead of boil.

Most directors categorized by their penchant for the melodramatic offer laughable or cold results, but Almódovar has always turned high drama into high art. Check his earlier work, especially Madre, and you’ll find visually explosive and powerful films that can essentially be read as artful soap operas. Volver is a story made to be told with such roaring operatics and only traces of the intimate tone present in Habla Con Ella. Almódovar opts for the opposite this time, dampening what could have been a more lively, hot-blooded tale of lives rekindling with a tone too muted. It’s almost like he was timid about displaying his knack for flamboyance.

Cruz plays Raimunda, an overworked mother married to a vulgar drunk in Madrid. We meet Raimunda on one of her many trips to her hometown village, scrubbing away at her parents’ tombstone with the help of her teenage daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) and her sister Sole (Lolela Dueñas). After refurbishing the gravesite, the women visit their geriatric and comically loopy aunt (Chus Lampreave), who’s on the verge of death herself. The first twenty minutes of the film play out slowly, establishing the central characters’ tight bonds and complicated relationships. Things pick up after Paula kills her father with a kitchen knife defending herself from his sexual advances, spurring Raimunda to hide the body and, in essence, take charge of her own life. Then, Sole returns to the village for her aunt’s funeral and comes back accompanied by her mother’s ghost.

Almódovar plays all of this surprisingly straight. He documents the strangeness and struggles Raimunda must endure after her husband’s death — which includes stuffing his body in a large freezer and burying it by a lake — with much less of the dark wit and high style he’s famous for. What follows are a number of diverting and funny, but only mildly compelling, scenes of Raimunda and her clan making sweet music, sometimes literally, out of their hard lives and painful pasts. Life changing secrets are exposed, the dead rise from the grave and a once-broken family finds solace from the harsh world within itself. It’s all well done, steadily tailored and glossed, but the bigger moments don’t pull you in like they should.

Cruz delivers like a champ despite the film’s mostly flat tone. The early raves for her performance are dead-on. She’s never been better, not even in her other much lauded Spanish-language work. Her verve here is infectious and her pain believable. She knew she was making a Pedro Almódovar film. It’s too bad the director seemed to be aiming for something else.

News: Silver Surfer revealed

silversurfer
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

Nope, that aint the T-1000 up there, it's the Silver Surfer.

USA Today.com just released this photo, the first official look at the Surfer, from the upcoming "Fantastic Four" sequel "Rise of the Silver Surfer," due out next summer.

USA Today reports that the Surfer will be motion-capture and will be voiced by Doug Jones who voiced Abe Sapien in "Hellboy."

The brief also reports that Galacticus will indeed be featured in the film, so it looks like they're stickin' pretty close to the original story. I just hope this ends the "FF" film series and spawns some cool Surfer flicks.

News: New 'Transformers' trailer online

transformers_autobots
Originally uploaded by goldteethblog.

It's here. And, yeah, it's bad.

Yahoo! Movies just posted the new "Transformers" movie trailer. It looks like director Michael Bay did what most were expecting him to do, turn a fun action franchise into a joyless, ultra gimmicky, special-effects driven piece of junk. The action scenes look pretty hollow and the film's focus seems to be on humans, not our beloved Autobots and Decepticons.

Watch it here, but be warned -- this thing looks more like "Starship Troopers 3" than "Transformers."