Princess CydStephen Cone has been making movies at a steady clip for over a decade and yet remains largely unknown. It is a momentous and wholly deserved occasion then for him to receive a retrospective at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Despite mixed receptions and even more erratic distribution patterns, his collection of films isn’t as motley as one might think. While each might tiptoe in a different direction, they maintain a hand in the Stephen Cone universe, imprinted by the same particular humanistic insight. In one of his earliest films, In Memoriam (2011), a young man so subsumed with the sudden death of a couple, fallen from a roof during the throes of pleasure, conducts his own investigation into their ill-fated demise. Innocuous curiosity masks what is essentially an existential inquiry and takes a self-referential pivot when he decides to recreate and film the events,...
- 11/7/2017
- MUBI
Marvel has released an international TV spot for their highly anticipated film Spider-Man: Homecoming. None of it is in English, but it's still fun to watch even if you don't understand what's being said. The thing is, if you've seen the previously released trailer, then you already know what's being said.
This promo focuses more on the Spider-Man action and less on Peter Parker's John Hughes inspired high school days. Tom Holland previously talked about the film, explaining that it's more of a character piece "about this kid who’s struggling to talk to girls and also struggling to save the city… This is really a movie where Spider-Man’s not the finished article. He really does learn and he makes massive mistakes. It’s nice to see a kid do that and then try to rectify those mistakes.”
Jon Watts is directing the film, and it has a strong...
This promo focuses more on the Spider-Man action and less on Peter Parker's John Hughes inspired high school days. Tom Holland previously talked about the film, explaining that it's more of a character piece "about this kid who’s struggling to talk to girls and also struggling to save the city… This is really a movie where Spider-Man’s not the finished article. He really does learn and he makes massive mistakes. It’s nice to see a kid do that and then try to rectify those mistakes.”
Jon Watts is directing the film, and it has a strong...
- 12/28/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
It's raining something biblical in Nashville, coming down like vengeance between the roadway signs for chicken wings and Jesus and Donald Trump. And here, inside a farm-fresh joint called Butcher and Bee, at a table spread with pickled okra and fried chicken and kale, Evan Rachel Wood is questioning the nature of our reality, the cogs and wheels that have created this very scene, up to and possibly including the guy posted up at the bar who looks like an older Elvis, if Elvis were crazy tall and wearing vintage tweed.
- 11/17/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday morning. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?” can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: What is the best horror film of the 21st century?
Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelancer for Rolling Stone, The Verge, Vulture
Everyone knows that the greatest Halloween film of all time is the 1962 nudie-cutie “House on Bare Mountain,” and my slavish devotion to giallo means that personal favorite horror movie of the new century is “Berberian Sound Studio”, but those are both answers to questions nobody asked. The finest horror film of the new millennium is “Cabin in the Woods”, both a dissertation on the history of the American scary movie and a chilling piece of work in its own right. With a fiendishly clever narrative hook,...
This week’s question: What is the best horror film of the 21st century?
Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse), Freelancer for Rolling Stone, The Verge, Vulture
Everyone knows that the greatest Halloween film of all time is the 1962 nudie-cutie “House on Bare Mountain,” and my slavish devotion to giallo means that personal favorite horror movie of the new century is “Berberian Sound Studio”, but those are both answers to questions nobody asked. The finest horror film of the new millennium is “Cabin in the Woods”, both a dissertation on the history of the American scary movie and a chilling piece of work in its own right. With a fiendishly clever narrative hook,...
- 10/31/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The last thing we heard about Kevin Smith's Mallrats 2 was that it was going to be developed into a ten-part series. I was very excited about this because now Smith will get to tell more of a story with all the characters that we came to enjoy in the first film.
I loved Mallrats, and I couldn't be more excited that Smith is going to get to continue the story of these characters in a sequel series. Smith recently revealed some plot details of his upcoming Mallrats in an interview with Creative Screenwriting, along with the directors that inspired the franchise and the tone we can expect from it.
"It’s a real sweet, family story. It’s a multi-generational tale. It’s my chance to do John Hughes and Degrassi Junior High, because much like the Degrassi formula we know our legacy cast – we know Brody and Rene and T.
I loved Mallrats, and I couldn't be more excited that Smith is going to get to continue the story of these characters in a sequel series. Smith recently revealed some plot details of his upcoming Mallrats in an interview with Creative Screenwriting, along with the directors that inspired the franchise and the tone we can expect from it.
"It’s a real sweet, family story. It’s a multi-generational tale. It’s my chance to do John Hughes and Degrassi Junior High, because much like the Degrassi formula we know our legacy cast – we know Brody and Rene and T.
- 9/9/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Stranger Things were happening this past weekend for those who sampled and wound up bingeing all eight episodes of Netflix’s new drama series.
(Basic plotline/mild spoilers follow, until I announce otherwise. And I will announce otherwise.)
VideosStranger Things: Watch a Trailer for Winona Ryder Supernatural Drama
Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer (who cowrote a few episodes of Wayward Pines) and set in a small Indiana town circa 1983, Stranger Things revolves around the vanishing of a young boy, Will Byers , which comes on the heels of something escaping from a local, “secret” government lab lorded over by Dr.
(Basic plotline/mild spoilers follow, until I announce otherwise. And I will announce otherwise.)
VideosStranger Things: Watch a Trailer for Winona Ryder Supernatural Drama
Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer (who cowrote a few episodes of Wayward Pines) and set in a small Indiana town circa 1983, Stranger Things revolves around the vanishing of a young boy, Will Byers , which comes on the heels of something escaping from a local, “secret” government lab lorded over by Dr.
- 7/19/2016
- TVLine.com
More information has begun to creep out about Sony's new Marvel-approved "Spider-Man" reboot and the result sounds exciting, indicating the move to a much younger actor has allowed for a shift to a more personal character focus.
The new webslinger himself, actor Tom Holland, admits he can't wait to get going on the project and tells The Daily Beast: "The thing about shooting Civil War is it made me so, so excited to start shooting Spider-Man. And I've got to wait so long until we start shooting... But it's soon. It's close. And I'm ready."
Previously the new "Spider-Man" film has been dubbed a John Hughes-inspired take, and adds that the film will very much be more like a big-budget indie film than anything else - scaling back the set pieces in the process:
"It's not The Dark Knight. One of the special things about what we're going to...
The new webslinger himself, actor Tom Holland, admits he can't wait to get going on the project and tells The Daily Beast: "The thing about shooting Civil War is it made me so, so excited to start shooting Spider-Man. And I've got to wait so long until we start shooting... But it's soon. It's close. And I'm ready."
Previously the new "Spider-Man" film has been dubbed a John Hughes-inspired take, and adds that the film will very much be more like a big-budget indie film than anything else - scaling back the set pieces in the process:
"It's not The Dark Knight. One of the special things about what we're going to...
- 12/11/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Brian Yuzna's 1989 horror Society is out on Blu-ray from Arrow Films. Ryan takes a look back at a grotesque satire...
Bill Whitney’s just an ordinary American high school kid. Sure, he may live in a Beverly Hills mansion. He might drive a brand new Jeep to the beach. But deep down, he has the same hang-ups as most teenagers: he distrusts authority, resents his parents, and suspects that he might actually be adopted.
Gradually, however, we suspect that there might be something more to Billy’s paranoid fantasies than raging hormones - his parents really do seem to be up to something sinister - something to do with private parties, naked orgies, and shunting...
"We're just one big happy family... except for a little incest and psychosis"
Society stars Billy Warlock, a young actor fresh from TV shows like Days Of Our Lives. If this were a straight drama,...
Bill Whitney’s just an ordinary American high school kid. Sure, he may live in a Beverly Hills mansion. He might drive a brand new Jeep to the beach. But deep down, he has the same hang-ups as most teenagers: he distrusts authority, resents his parents, and suspects that he might actually be adopted.
Gradually, however, we suspect that there might be something more to Billy’s paranoid fantasies than raging hormones - his parents really do seem to be up to something sinister - something to do with private parties, naked orgies, and shunting...
"We're just one big happy family... except for a little incest and psychosis"
Society stars Billy Warlock, a young actor fresh from TV shows like Days Of Our Lives. If this were a straight drama,...
- 6/4/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth, Ian Nelson, John Corbett, Lexi Atkins, Hill Harper | Written by Barbara Curry | Directed by Rob Cohen
If I tell you that The Boy Next Door has more in common with The Room and Troll 2 than the work of Alfred Hitchcock, would you consider that a good thing? Don’t bother answering because of course you would. Both films are masterworks of a certain kind of tone, and while Jennifer Lopez’s latest acting effort may not ever reach the same cult status of either, I would say it’s more than a worthy successor to their legacy. That legacy specifically being one of films that are received in more or less the opposite way to how their creators conceived.
Going into this film on the premise and trailer alone, I was fully expecting a tedious, melodramatic thriller that builds to a ludicrous...
If I tell you that The Boy Next Door has more in common with The Room and Troll 2 than the work of Alfred Hitchcock, would you consider that a good thing? Don’t bother answering because of course you would. Both films are masterworks of a certain kind of tone, and while Jennifer Lopez’s latest acting effort may not ever reach the same cult status of either, I would say it’s more than a worthy successor to their legacy. That legacy specifically being one of films that are received in more or less the opposite way to how their creators conceived.
Going into this film on the premise and trailer alone, I was fully expecting a tedious, melodramatic thriller that builds to a ludicrous...
- 2/28/2015
- by Mark Allen
- Nerdly
Reviewed by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Cursed (2005)
Written by Kevin Williamson
Directed by Wes Craven
Cast: Christina Ricci (Ellie), Joshua Jackson (Jake), Jesse Eisenberg (Jimmy), Milo Ventimiglia (Bo), Judy Greer (Joanie), Scott Baio (Himself), Craig Kilborne (Himself), Portia de Rossi (Zela), Mya (Jenny), Shannon Elizabeth (Becky), Derek Mears (Werewolf)
Here I am once more, potentially defending something that is much maligned as a catastrophic fail. I often find myself having to do that for films, (sequels especially) that did not find a collective acceptance among its target audience. Friday the 13th part 5, Halloween 3, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, just to name a few. “Cursed” stands alone, but still made a difficult road for itself by being part of a genre that has had its share of epic triumphs and hard disappointments. Werewolf films have broken new ground with “An American Werewolf in London” with its landmark special effects, and “The Howling” with...
Cursed (2005)
Written by Kevin Williamson
Directed by Wes Craven
Cast: Christina Ricci (Ellie), Joshua Jackson (Jake), Jesse Eisenberg (Jimmy), Milo Ventimiglia (Bo), Judy Greer (Joanie), Scott Baio (Himself), Craig Kilborne (Himself), Portia de Rossi (Zela), Mya (Jenny), Shannon Elizabeth (Becky), Derek Mears (Werewolf)
Here I am once more, potentially defending something that is much maligned as a catastrophic fail. I often find myself having to do that for films, (sequels especially) that did not find a collective acceptance among its target audience. Friday the 13th part 5, Halloween 3, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, just to name a few. “Cursed” stands alone, but still made a difficult road for itself by being part of a genre that has had its share of epic triumphs and hard disappointments. Werewolf films have broken new ground with “An American Werewolf in London” with its landmark special effects, and “The Howling” with...
- 9/16/2014
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Entertainment Geekly is a weekly column that examines pop culture through a geek lens and simultaneously examines contemporary geek culture through a pop lens. So many lenses!
Measuring time in specific decades is a fallacy, but it’s a fallacy that everyone believes in. There’s no legitimate reason that we should set aside the passage of time between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 as a specific and clearly defined unit of time. 1979 wasn’t too different from 1980; most of the movies released in 1990 were probably shot in 1989. People used to refer to the ’80s as “the MTV Decade” before every decade...
Measuring time in specific decades is a fallacy, but it’s a fallacy that everyone believes in. There’s no legitimate reason that we should set aside the passage of time between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 as a specific and clearly defined unit of time. 1979 wasn’t too different from 1980; most of the movies released in 1990 were probably shot in 1989. People used to refer to the ’80s as “the MTV Decade” before every decade...
- 1/23/2014
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Exclusive: Universal Pictures has made a connection with Holly Dimarco’s iPhone, paying low against mid-six figures for a pitch for a hard R-rated comedy that will be written by Patrick Walsh and Sonny Lee. It sounds like a John Hughes-esque plot gone wrong. A couple of high school losers find themselves in wish-fulfillment mode after they find the iPhone belonging to the hottest and most popular girl in school. The film will be produced by Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions partners Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who have a producing deal at the studio and a mandate to make edgy comedies. They wrote the Harold & Kumar comedies and at Universal wrote and directed American Reunion, which rebooted the American Pie franchise for the studio. Hurwitz & Schlossberg’s Joseph Amaral will supervise production with Uni exec Maradith Frenkel. As for Walsh and Lee, they come out of TV where they were...
- 6/21/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Interview Simon Brew 31 May 2013 - 05:49
Ever wanted an interview where a director talked about the reaction to their film a month after release? Here's Ben Gregor on All Stars...
It's our intention at Den Of Geek to support, wherever we can, British films. That's why we covered the release of Ben Gregor's All Stars this time last month, a family-centric dance movie that, truthfully, we didn't rate particularly highly. Our review is here.
And yet, in spite of getting some critical attacks, the film has found space to become a solid hit. Furthermore, its director, a chatty and lovely man by the name of Ben Gregor, actually wrote back to one critic- Christopher Tookey of the Daily Mail - taking issue with some of the attacks in that paper's review.
One of the interviews I've personally most enjoyed doing was chatting to Peter Ramsey, the director of DreamWorks' Rise Of The Guardians,...
Ever wanted an interview where a director talked about the reaction to their film a month after release? Here's Ben Gregor on All Stars...
It's our intention at Den Of Geek to support, wherever we can, British films. That's why we covered the release of Ben Gregor's All Stars this time last month, a family-centric dance movie that, truthfully, we didn't rate particularly highly. Our review is here.
And yet, in spite of getting some critical attacks, the film has found space to become a solid hit. Furthermore, its director, a chatty and lovely man by the name of Ben Gregor, actually wrote back to one critic- Christopher Tookey of the Daily Mail - taking issue with some of the attacks in that paper's review.
One of the interviews I've personally most enjoyed doing was chatting to Peter Ramsey, the director of DreamWorks' Rise Of The Guardians,...
- 5/30/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
for discussion fun
Tootsie, one of the inarguably great American comedies
"The Tuesday Top Ten will get more article-like soon," he said (again). "It really will." But it was so much fun to discuss the 1930s and the 1970s, which are arguably the two most respected decades (critically speaking) of American cinema. So how about a decade that gets no respect? The 1980s. The '80s are tough for me to feel discerning about because I lived through them and was a) young and b) just falling in love with the movies and c) just falling hard for the movies so how could the cinema possibly have been hitting its nadir? I still have inordinate fondness for movies that might more safely be called guilty pleasures like Yentl, Superman II, Splash, Return of the Jedi, Clue, and about half of the filmography of John Hughes... and so on. I even...
Tootsie, one of the inarguably great American comedies
"The Tuesday Top Ten will get more article-like soon," he said (again). "It really will." But it was so much fun to discuss the 1930s and the 1970s, which are arguably the two most respected decades (critically speaking) of American cinema. So how about a decade that gets no respect? The 1980s. The '80s are tough for me to feel discerning about because I lived through them and was a) young and b) just falling in love with the movies and c) just falling hard for the movies so how could the cinema possibly have been hitting its nadir? I still have inordinate fondness for movies that might more safely be called guilty pleasures like Yentl, Superman II, Splash, Return of the Jedi, Clue, and about half of the filmography of John Hughes... and so on. I even...
- 3/13/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
With the release of Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies, I decided to compile a list of my favourite films that take a non-traditional approach to the living-dead canon. More specifically, they all blend romance and zombies, in their own unique and twisted ways.
This is the first of what will be a two part article.
****
1: Dance of the Dead
Directed by Gregg Bishop
Written by Joe Ballarini
2008, USA
Dance of The Dead may seem like another lowbrow, low budget horror film, but in fact, it offers sharp writing, terrific characterizations, likeable performances, and a real affection for geek culture. Imagine the humour of Night of the Living Dorks but powered by the central plot behind Night of the Creeps. Sure Dance uses every rule from the official zombie handbook, but for a movie that seems equally inspired by a John Hughes coming of age flick, Dance of the Dead...
This is the first of what will be a two part article.
****
1: Dance of the Dead
Directed by Gregg Bishop
Written by Joe Ballarini
2008, USA
Dance of The Dead may seem like another lowbrow, low budget horror film, but in fact, it offers sharp writing, terrific characterizations, likeable performances, and a real affection for geek culture. Imagine the humour of Night of the Living Dorks but powered by the central plot behind Night of the Creeps. Sure Dance uses every rule from the official zombie handbook, but for a movie that seems equally inspired by a John Hughes coming of age flick, Dance of the Dead...
- 1/31/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
With the release of Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies, I decided to compile a list of my favourite films that take a non-traditional approach to the living-dead canon. More specifically, they all blend romance and zombies, in their own unique and twisted ways.
This is the first of what will be a two part article.
****
1: Dance of the Dead
Directed by Gregg Bishop
Written by Joe Ballarini
2008, USA
Dance of The Dead may seem like another lowbrow, low budget horror film, but in fact, it offers sharp writing, terrific characterizations, likeable performances, and a real affection for geek culture. Imagine the humour of Night of the Living Dorks but powered by the central plot behind Night of the Creeps. Sure Dance uses every rule from the official zombie handbook, but for a movie that seems equally inspired by a John Hughes coming of age flick, Dance of the Dead...
This is the first of what will be a two part article.
****
1: Dance of the Dead
Directed by Gregg Bishop
Written by Joe Ballarini
2008, USA
Dance of The Dead may seem like another lowbrow, low budget horror film, but in fact, it offers sharp writing, terrific characterizations, likeable performances, and a real affection for geek culture. Imagine the humour of Night of the Living Dorks but powered by the central plot behind Night of the Creeps. Sure Dance uses every rule from the official zombie handbook, but for a movie that seems equally inspired by a John Hughes coming of age flick, Dance of the Dead...
- 1/31/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Another year winds down, and it's time to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2012's horror offerings. We're giving you ten different lists this time, and per usual they come in a variety of formats, each reflecting the unique styles of our writers. We've also compiled them to come up with the year's overall winners and losers.
And don't be lazy by just reading along! Give us your own lists in the comments section below. We want to hear what you thought of the year in which we dodged the Mayan apocalypse but find our beloved genre facing some dark days as violent movies, video games, TV shows, etc., are coming under increased scrutiny following recent events.
But back to the matter at hand; we averaged out the top and bottom five vote getters on everyone's lists, and here are the results:
Best: The Cabin in the Woods...
And don't be lazy by just reading along! Give us your own lists in the comments section below. We want to hear what you thought of the year in which we dodged the Mayan apocalypse but find our beloved genre facing some dark days as violent movies, video games, TV shows, etc., are coming under increased scrutiny following recent events.
But back to the matter at hand; we averaged out the top and bottom five vote getters on everyone's lists, and here are the results:
Best: The Cabin in the Woods...
- 12/23/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Last year, just before Halloween, I wrote a list titled the Greatest Comedy Horrors. There were many omissions, oversights and even more films that I just hadn’t heard of before as recommended by you, the reader. Last time it was about the greatest, no such ambition is being upheld this time, a lot of these films barely scrape into the good category. Their appearance is merely on how successfully they merge the two genres. This year, I will be posting a list of movies, broke into five separate articles. This is the first.
There is a very narrow line that divides finding something the scary and the funny. No greater example of this are the league of horror films that try to scare but only evoke laughter. With more intentional comedy, there are two ways you can address this cross pollination. The first and the much more popular route is comedy about horror,...
There is a very narrow line that divides finding something the scary and the funny. No greater example of this are the league of horror films that try to scare but only evoke laughter. With more intentional comedy, there are two ways you can address this cross pollination. The first and the much more popular route is comedy about horror,...
- 10/25/2012
- by Rob Simpson
- SoundOnSight
Halloween is a month for the macabre, and you know what that means: I'm thinking about Winona Ryder's career. I still have the feathers in my mouth from her traumatizing Black Swan appearance. Shivers. Remember when Natalie Portman won an Oscar for playing a one-dimensional lunatic in what amounted to an overcooked, below-average Bjork video? I'm traumatized by that too.
But more importantly I'm thinking about Heathers, which I proclaim the definitive high school black comedy of all time -- so take that, uh, John Tucker Must Die! In retrospect, the unabashed kookiness of Ryder, Christian Slater, and the titular croquet-loving trio was sort of a slap in the face to the humdrum, half-snarling teens of John Hughes films. With Heathers came a refreshing burst of real cynicism. Smugness. Droopy anarchy. And not the kind that involves punching the air because you locked lips with Molly Ringwald in Saturday detention.
But more importantly I'm thinking about Heathers, which I proclaim the definitive high school black comedy of all time -- so take that, uh, John Tucker Must Die! In retrospect, the unabashed kookiness of Ryder, Christian Slater, and the titular croquet-loving trio was sort of a slap in the face to the humdrum, half-snarling teens of John Hughes films. With Heathers came a refreshing burst of real cynicism. Smugness. Droopy anarchy. And not the kind that involves punching the air because you locked lips with Molly Ringwald in Saturday detention.
- 10/22/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
By Jason Lees, MoreHorror.com
Some movies you just can’t recommend enough, and some you see once and can’t believe that they get this much hype. I can think of dozens of films killed by all the positive buzz that turns off the audience and builds up expectations that simply can’t be met. I loved The Cabin In The Woods but I got sick of hearing everyone saying how good it was, especially me. Yea, it was damned good, but it didn’t change cinema or reinvent the wheel.
The Loved Ones (Starring Stars: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy and Victoria Thaine) also isn’t going to change the way we see movies, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t make me stand up and take notice. Shot a few years ago in Australia and slowly released on overseas DVD, this is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Some movies you just can’t recommend enough, and some you see once and can’t believe that they get this much hype. I can think of dozens of films killed by all the positive buzz that turns off the audience and builds up expectations that simply can’t be met. I loved The Cabin In The Woods but I got sick of hearing everyone saying how good it was, especially me. Yea, it was damned good, but it didn’t change cinema or reinvent the wheel.
The Loved Ones (Starring Stars: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy and Victoria Thaine) also isn’t going to change the way we see movies, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t make me stand up and take notice. Shot a few years ago in Australia and slowly released on overseas DVD, this is so much more than the sum of its parts.
- 6/17/2012
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Writer-director Will Gluck has had an excellent couple of years, with his last two credits, Easy A and Friends With Benefits, each doing tremendously well at the box office, with the former turning an $8m. budget into almost $75m. in cinemas, and the later taking almost $150m. from a $35m. investment. Impressive stuff.
Deadline are now reporting that Sony have bought an action-comedy spec pitch from Drew Pearce, the man who in the past year has been hired to write both Iron Man 3 and more recently Sherlock Holmes 3 (provided A Game of Shadows does well, which everyone’s expecting it to), for Gluck to both produce and direct, entitled Secretaries Day.
Though I missed Friends With Benefits this year, I absolutely loved Gluck’s Easy A last year, and thought it was the best teen comedy à la John Hughes I’ve ever seen that wasn’t made by the great Hughes himself.
Deadline are now reporting that Sony have bought an action-comedy spec pitch from Drew Pearce, the man who in the past year has been hired to write both Iron Man 3 and more recently Sherlock Holmes 3 (provided A Game of Shadows does well, which everyone’s expecting it to), for Gluck to both produce and direct, entitled Secretaries Day.
Though I missed Friends With Benefits this year, I absolutely loved Gluck’s Easy A last year, and thought it was the best teen comedy à la John Hughes I’ve ever seen that wasn’t made by the great Hughes himself.
- 12/15/2011
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Here at Tmp, we’re a bunch of movie nerds...Seems like a no-brainer, but as such, we tend to have unique items on our Christmas lists. So if you’ve got a movie buff that you need to shop for this Christmas, maybe our own individual wishlists will aid you in finding that perfect gift.
Carla
The reason it took so long for me to write something down on my wish list is not lack of wanting something, but it is because I want everything. However, since we are not writing a novel, I did manage to narrow it down to two things:
I love Anthony Hopkins! He is one of my favorite, if not the favorite, older Hollywood actors. The man is undoubtedly a living legend in the film world. What Hopkins fan would not want an autographed photo from Silence of the Lambs? As a bonus, this...
Carla
The reason it took so long for me to write something down on my wish list is not lack of wanting something, but it is because I want everything. However, since we are not writing a novel, I did manage to narrow it down to two things:
I love Anthony Hopkins! He is one of my favorite, if not the favorite, older Hollywood actors. The man is undoubtedly a living legend in the film world. What Hopkins fan would not want an autographed photo from Silence of the Lambs? As a bonus, this...
- 12/12/2011
- by solidstudios@ymail.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Beetlejuice is coming back from the dead some twenty years after one of the most infamous sequel attempts in Hollywood history when, and this is no word of a lie, Warner Bros paid a screenwriter to scribe a follow-up to the 1988 classic that would send the pale faced ghoul for hire to Hawaii. The movie was even to be called ‘Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian‘ and was director Tim Burton’s mischievous idea for a sequel he never really wanted to make, screenwriter Jonathan Gems musing after the fact;
“Tim thought it would be funny to match the surfing backdrop of a beach movie with some sort of German Expressionism, because they’re totally wrong together”
The movie announced in 1990 would have been a direct sequel (with all the actors back) following the Deetz family moving to Hawaii where Charles is developing a holiday resort only to find it was being built...
“Tim thought it would be funny to match the surfing backdrop of a beach movie with some sort of German Expressionism, because they’re totally wrong together”
The movie announced in 1990 would have been a direct sequel (with all the actors back) following the Deetz family moving to Hawaii where Charles is developing a holiday resort only to find it was being built...
- 9/7/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
This interview was originally published during the 2010 Toronto Film Festival.
"I have a very sarcastic sounding, insincere voice," joked Richard Ayoade during his introduction to "Submarine," an adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's coming-of-age novel about Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-year-old consumed with looking up words like "atavistic" in the dictionary, saving his parents (Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor) from being split up by a mulleted motivational speaker (Paddy Considine), and romancing his humble classmate Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige).
Certainly, Ayoade can be self-effacing, as one might know from his turn as a regular on Britcoms auch as "The It Crowd," but as a first-time director, he is never anything less than genuine, even while wringing laughs from the most embarrassing of experiences from growing up. His directorial debut will surely draw comparisons to Wes Anderson and Hal Ashby for its bittersweet take on adolescence told with style to spare,...
"I have a very sarcastic sounding, insincere voice," joked Richard Ayoade during his introduction to "Submarine," an adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's coming-of-age novel about Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-year-old consumed with looking up words like "atavistic" in the dictionary, saving his parents (Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor) from being split up by a mulleted motivational speaker (Paddy Considine), and romancing his humble classmate Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige).
Certainly, Ayoade can be self-effacing, as one might know from his turn as a regular on Britcoms auch as "The It Crowd," but as a first-time director, he is never anything less than genuine, even while wringing laughs from the most embarrassing of experiences from growing up. His directorial debut will surely draw comparisons to Wes Anderson and Hal Ashby for its bittersweet take on adolescence told with style to spare,...
- 5/30/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
I caught up with director Aaron Burns this past weekend as he packed up to drive back to Los Angeles from Austin, Texas, where his first feature film blacktino got great reception at the SXSW festival.
What would await him in Los Angeles were meetings with distributors, and future projects already in the works. The excitement of what’s to come couldn’t quite be masked in Aaron’s even and thoughtful tone. I’m sure anyone who has met Aaron, and fallen into a conversation about movies, was been mesmerized by his infectious and nostalgic enthusiasm for cinema.
In this interview, the twenty-six year old writer/director talks about youth and racing against his own clock, his primary inspirations, making what he calls “post-race films”, and what lies ahead for his promising career.
The Jurassic Period
Aaron Burns describes his first acquaintance with the idea of becoming a director as a serendipitous occurrence.
What would await him in Los Angeles were meetings with distributors, and future projects already in the works. The excitement of what’s to come couldn’t quite be masked in Aaron’s even and thoughtful tone. I’m sure anyone who has met Aaron, and fallen into a conversation about movies, was been mesmerized by his infectious and nostalgic enthusiasm for cinema.
In this interview, the twenty-six year old writer/director talks about youth and racing against his own clock, his primary inspirations, making what he calls “post-race films”, and what lies ahead for his promising career.
The Jurassic Period
Aaron Burns describes his first acquaintance with the idea of becoming a director as a serendipitous occurrence.
- 3/30/2011
- by Stephanie
- ShadowAndAct
Not just another teen comedy, and miraculously not featuring either Jonah Hill or Michael Cera! That’s a surprising development, since the genre has been one of the most abused of all since the early American Pie reawakened the masses to its charms, and producers to its bankability. It is a genre that is in danger of dying, but if Easy A- available to buy now on blu-ray- is anything to go by, there may yet be a resurgence in clever, pithy school comedies.
The thing is, Easy A isn’t actually a teen comedy at all: in the same way that Superbad aimed its humour at those of us who had already lived through our teens and could recognise the truth in the comedy. Easy A is actually for older audiences who have the opportunity to look back on their own teenage years and see themselves in the farcical humour of the film.
The thing is, Easy A isn’t actually a teen comedy at all: in the same way that Superbad aimed its humour at those of us who had already lived through our teens and could recognise the truth in the comedy. Easy A is actually for older audiences who have the opportunity to look back on their own teenage years and see themselves in the farcical humour of the film.
- 3/3/2011
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Oscar producers have been experimenting with the big night's show formula in the past few years, adding anachronistic homages and tributes (Oscar voters never cared much for horror or John Hughes, but both got tributes last year), jettisoning song performances, and switching up the acting presentations. They would do anything to add fresh drama and win better ratings, but the ratings haven't budged all that much. The producers keep hoping they'll return to the market share they enjoyed before people had hundreds of station options and weren't bombarded with celebrity culture every day of the year in the 24 hours news cycle. To steal Nefertiti's infamous camp line to Moses in 1956's Best Picture Nominee The Ten Commandments: 'Oh Oscar, Oscar, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!' Those people choosing to watch reruns of Law and Order on 26 random cable channels instead of Oscar's institutional glamour? They can't be saved...
- 2/23/2011
- TribecaFilm.com
It’s amazing to think what a difference 5 years and an extra 76 minutes can make. Adam Salky's Dare (2009) originally began life as a 16 minute short before evolving into its final feature form. It tells the tale of awkward drama wannabe Alexa (Emmy Rossum), closet gay lighting technician Ben (Ashley Springer) and standard "hottie" (Zach Gilford) who, while working on a school production of A Street Car Named Desire, fall into a bizarre love triangle that tests the boundaries of friendship, lust and forbidden love.
Described as a “John Hughes-esque story”, Dare is unfortunately devoid of engaging characters, clever and believable dialogue and/or a narrative that draws an audience in on any sort of emotional level. The film we get instead is boring, badly written, and so self indulgent that it doesn’t seem to know where the line between social commentary and plain pomposity lies.
None of Dare's characters are engaging.
Described as a “John Hughes-esque story”, Dare is unfortunately devoid of engaging characters, clever and believable dialogue and/or a narrative that draws an audience in on any sort of emotional level. The film we get instead is boring, badly written, and so self indulgent that it doesn’t seem to know where the line between social commentary and plain pomposity lies.
None of Dare's characters are engaging.
- 2/1/2011
- by Cine-Vue
- CineVue
It doesn't always have to be about the best and the worst movies, which get all the attention around this time of year. There are always a few movies that were neither bad nor worthy of best of lists consideration. They're decent -- hell, they're better than decent. They're good, but not great movies, most of which would be perfect couch viewing on a snowy Friday night with your not-too-judgmental significant other. They're all flawed, in their own way, but if we only watched award worthy films every year, we wouldn't spend a lot of time watching movies, would we?
This is me not being a critic. This is me being a average guy with a wife and a kid, an alcoholic beverage, two hours to kill before bedtime, and a desire to relax and watch a movie.
These are the Ten Best Netflix Gems of 2010.
10. Green Zone: I...
This is me not being a critic. This is me being a average guy with a wife and a kid, an alcoholic beverage, two hours to kill before bedtime, and a desire to relax and watch a movie.
These are the Ten Best Netflix Gems of 2010.
10. Green Zone: I...
- 12/22/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
"I have a very sarcastic sounding, insincere voice," joked Richard Ayoade during his introduction to "Submarine," an adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's coming-of-age novel about Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-year-old consumed with looking up words like "atavistic" in the dictionary, saving his parents (Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor) from being split up by a mulleted motivational speaker (Paddy Considine), and romancing his humble classmate Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Paige).
Certainly, Ayoade can be self-effacing, as one might know from his turn as a regular on Britcoms auch as "The It Crowd," but as a first-time director, he is never anything less than genuine, even while wringing laughs from the most embarrassing of experiences from growing up. His directorial debut will surely draw comparisons to Wes Anderson and Hal Ashby for its bittersweet take on adolescence told with style to spare, but "Submarine" is a wholly original creation that I must...
Certainly, Ayoade can be self-effacing, as one might know from his turn as a regular on Britcoms auch as "The It Crowd," but as a first-time director, he is never anything less than genuine, even while wringing laughs from the most embarrassing of experiences from growing up. His directorial debut will surely draw comparisons to Wes Anderson and Hal Ashby for its bittersweet take on adolescence told with style to spare, but "Submarine" is a wholly original creation that I must...
- 9/17/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
I've been lucky over the years to catch early, small club shows by the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins, Lenny Kravitz, Beck, the Verve, Radiohead, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Garbage, the Strokes, the Vines, Kings of Leon, Pearl Jam and countless others.
The thing about those shows is that you can never know in the moment that what you're seeing is a band on the verge, because at the time it just feels like you've witnessed an awesome show. And then the next thing you know the band you thought only you and a handful of other friends were into about is playing the local amphitheater or showing up on a "Twilight" soundtrack.
I say this because I saw one of those shows Tuesday night (July 13) right here in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the third time in the past two years that I've seen South Carolina's Band of Horses,...
The thing about those shows is that you can never know in the moment that what you're seeing is a band on the verge, because at the time it just feels like you've witnessed an awesome show. And then the next thing you know the band you thought only you and a handful of other friends were into about is playing the local amphitheater or showing up on a "Twilight" soundtrack.
I say this because I saw one of those shows Tuesday night (July 13) right here in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the third time in the past two years that I've seen South Carolina's Band of Horses,...
- 7/14/2010
- by Gil Kaufman
- MTV Newsroom
A dynamic if occasionally confusing confectionary of Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, John Hughes and George Miller, The Wraith remains one of the definitive guilty pleasures of 80’s sci-fi horror and a perennial favorite for those nostalgia nights in the company of a few select friends, a six-pack of beers and a bag of chips. In spite of its dated synth/soft rock score, awkward dialogue, bewildering concepts and – for the most part – unsympathetic teenage ciphers, it does retain a sleek brio and self-confidence that continue to hold the attention.
The literal borrowings from High Plains Drifter, Shane, The Road Warrior and The Thing are often distracting, but if its influences are plain to see, less visible to the casual viewer are the pain and tragedy involved in its troubled production. With the recent special edition DVD release of The Wraith (review here) from Lionsgate and the 25th anniversary of the film fast approaching,...
The literal borrowings from High Plains Drifter, Shane, The Road Warrior and The Thing are often distracting, but if its influences are plain to see, less visible to the casual viewer are the pain and tragedy involved in its troubled production. With the recent special edition DVD release of The Wraith (review here) from Lionsgate and the 25th anniversary of the film fast approaching,...
- 3/17/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Would anyone like to check out a really cool, fun science-fiction movie? You could see The Terminator, Forbidden Planet, or 2001: A Space Odyssey -- or, as an alternative, you might consider watching House Party, the 1990 bubblegum hip-hop teen flick that I reviewed, 20 years ago this week, in EW. It takes place in a world so wildly removed from our own that there are moments when the whole film seems to be crying out for its own mockingly jaw-dropped and affectionate VH1 nostalgia special. Look, there's the young Martin Lawrence, hording a DJ record collection and cutting up in a pork-pie hat.
- 3/12/2010
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW.com - The Movie Critics
Last night was the Oscars which were, by tradition, too long, not particularly funny, and predictable. I mean, it was wonderful that The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow won, but it wasn't surprising. Surprising would have been if Quentin Tarantino had taken directing for Inglourious Basterds and District 9 had won for Best Picture. This year did manage to feature one of the few Oscar montages I've ever heard people say they liked, in the form of the John Hughes tribute, but then foisted interpretive dance on us and kept up with the incredibly misguided "half an hour of actors telling other actors what awesome actors they are" method of introducing the Best Actor and Actress categories. I just feel like the Oscars overall are a huge time sink, they lasted three and a half hours. Where did that time go? They didn't even perform best songs, there was no...
- 3/8/2010
- by Intern Rusty
We can finally close the book on 2009. The Oscars have come and gone and The Hurt Locker has triumphed, winning Best Picture and five more awards including Best Director and Original Screenplay. I started tracking this season's Oscar contenders way back in July of 2009 and it has been a long road and each year I'd like to think I learn a little something new about the process.
The first thing to realize is that the likelihood the film you believe to be the best of the year most likely will not win Best Picture and may not be recognized at all. What you have to hope for is that quality wins out over mediocrity in whatever category we are discussing. And for that matter I would say this year's Oscars were, for the most part, a triumph (a statement regarding the winners and not the show itself, which was sort...
The first thing to realize is that the likelihood the film you believe to be the best of the year most likely will not win Best Picture and may not be recognized at all. What you have to hope for is that quality wins out over mediocrity in whatever category we are discussing. And for that matter I would say this year's Oscars were, for the most part, a triumph (a statement regarding the winners and not the show itself, which was sort...
- 3/8/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Here it is at last! The 2010 Academy Awards! Who’s bringing home the Oscars? James Cameron or Kathryn Bigelow, or will Tarantino stage an upset? Will The Dude Lebowski have a best actor win under his belt? The stars are crossing the Red Carpet right now and in a few hours Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be hosting 82nd Academy Awards.
Prior the main event, you can check out the AP staff picks for all of the winners and check back often as I’ll be updating all the wins with my own commentary as the evening progresses. Feel free to drop your own guesses and thoughts on the evening as it progresses.
Me, I’m pulling for District 9 for best screenplay!
See you at the Oscars!
Updated! The entire list of winners with my thoughts and earlier predictions below:
— Motion Picture: “The Hurt Locker.”
— Actor: Jeff Bridges,...
Prior the main event, you can check out the AP staff picks for all of the winners and check back often as I’ll be updating all the wins with my own commentary as the evening progresses. Feel free to drop your own guesses and thoughts on the evening as it progresses.
Me, I’m pulling for District 9 for best screenplay!
See you at the Oscars!
Updated! The entire list of winners with my thoughts and earlier predictions below:
— Motion Picture: “The Hurt Locker.”
— Actor: Jeff Bridges,...
- 3/7/2010
- by Nathan Bartlebaugh
- Atomic Popcorn
Tonight is the night film fans! The 82nd Academy Awards is just hours away and this year the competition is steep! With 2009 being such a good year for film, and the ceremony itself already having it’s fair share of controversy (we’re looking at you, Nicolas Chartier) it promises to be one hell of a night!
Fortunately for our FilmShaft readers, you don’t need Sky in order to keep up with the latest goings on at the prestigious Kodak Theater in Hollywood, because we’ll be keeping you up to date right here! Below is a list of this year’s nominees, including the two heavyweight productions, Avatar and Hurt Locker. If you want to know who’s winning what, then check our list below for live updates throughout the night.
Also, I’ll be provided my own thoughts an insights on the event right here, and if...
Fortunately for our FilmShaft readers, you don’t need Sky in order to keep up with the latest goings on at the prestigious Kodak Theater in Hollywood, because we’ll be keeping you up to date right here! Below is a list of this year’s nominees, including the two heavyweight productions, Avatar and Hurt Locker. If you want to know who’s winning what, then check our list below for live updates throughout the night.
Also, I’ll be provided my own thoughts an insights on the event right here, and if...
- 3/7/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Out of curiosity and sheer boredom, I’ve decided to start up a new column that will run once every week or two here at Reelloop. In Off the Shelf, I’ll randomly pick a DVD or Bluray out of my collection and write a few paragraphs of random thoughts about whatever film my finger lands on. Hopefully I can make some interesting points and draw your eye to a film you might not have seen before!
This week’s film: The Hughes Brothers’ From Hell.
While I didn’t review this month’s new Hughes Brothers release The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action film starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, it’s worth noting a few things about my experience with the movie. While I found Eli to essentially be Post-Apocalyptic Tropes: The Motion Picture, soullessly deriving elements from The Road Warrior, Waterworld and every other film of its ilk under the sun,...
This week’s film: The Hughes Brothers’ From Hell.
While I didn’t review this month’s new Hughes Brothers release The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action film starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, it’s worth noting a few things about my experience with the movie. While I found Eli to essentially be Post-Apocalyptic Tropes: The Motion Picture, soullessly deriving elements from The Road Warrior, Waterworld and every other film of its ilk under the sun,...
- 1/22/2010
- by John Cooper
- ReelLoop.com
While sitting and thinking about the upcoming remake/sequel to Alice In Wonderland (trust me, it’s not something I do all that often), I couldn’t help but stumble upon one, key element about the film. It’s Tim Burton. It features Crispin Glover. One has never directed the other before, and this is a surprising notion to come across. Granted, Glover provided a voice in 9 last year, and Tim Burton was a producer on that film. Before that, though, there has never been a collaboration between these two giants of weird.
This got me thinking. What other obvious collaborations are there that, for whatever reasons the cinema Gods felt necessary, never came to fruition. What directors have such an identifiable style that coalesces with the style of an actor or actress that have just never merged together on any, one project?
Here are a few I’ve found:...
This got me thinking. What other obvious collaborations are there that, for whatever reasons the cinema Gods felt necessary, never came to fruition. What directors have such an identifiable style that coalesces with the style of an actor or actress that have just never merged together on any, one project?
Here are a few I’ve found:...
- 1/20/2010
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With yesterday's passing of director John Hughes, we've seen another outpouring of emotion across the web from fans of his films who feel that they've lost someone close to them. It seems like there have been a lot of celebrity deaths in 2009, and although I'm not sure that the number is any higher than previous years, gossip websites and blogs are certainly drawing a lot more attention to them. The thing is, people seem to be genuinely moved by a lot of these deaths, even if they never followed the person's work previously. Is this understandable, or is it weird to mourn the loss of someone you didn't know personally? Sometimes it's hard not to roll your eyes when people gush over a celebrity who has recently passed away, especially when it's someone who hasn't been in the spotlight for many years, or a celebrity with a questionable past. On the other hand,...
- 8/8/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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