Latest Movie News From Moviefone |
- Quentin Tarantino Declares Digital Projection 'the Death of Cinema'
- A 'Wet Hot American Summer' Prequel Might Be Coming To Netflix
- Director Edgar Wright Exits Marvel's 'Ant-Man' Over Creative Differences
- Adam Sandler Admits His Movies Have Just Become Expensive Vacations (VIDEO)
- 5 'Star Wars' Spinoffs Gareth Edwards and Gary Whitta Should Take On
- 'Mommy' Review: Xavier Dolan Movie Dazzles At Cannes
- 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Family Review: 5 Things Every Parent Should Know
- Seth MacFarlane Does a Mean Liam Neeson Impression (VIDEO)
- Proof That Will Ferrell Is One of Late Night's Funniest Guests (VIDEO)
- Xavier Dolan: Who Is the Canadian Movie Director?
- Patrick Stewart Facts: 27 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the 'X-Men' Star
- 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Review: Answering the Questions It Leaves Unanswered
- This Is the 'Midnight Cowboy' Legacy, From A to Z
| Quentin Tarantino Declares Digital Projection 'the Death of Cinema' Posted:  A press conference was held at the Cannes Film Festival to honor the 20th anniversary of the Palme d'Or win for Quentin Tarantino's rock 'em sock 'em crime epic "Pulp Fiction" (Tarantino, ever the film nerd, was also on hand to screen a 50th anniversary print of Sergio Leone's seminal western "A Fistful of Dollars"), and Tarantino used to opportunity to proclaim cinema as we know it pretty much dead (via The Star)."As far as I'm concerned, digital projection . . . is the death of cinema as I know it," he told journalists at the press conference. Oh. Go on. "It's not even about shooting your film on film or shooting your film on digital. The fact that most films now are not presented in 35 mm means that the war is lost," Tarantino explained, in what we can only imagine in his patently manic deliver, with his arms wildly flailing. "Digital projection, that's just television in public. And apparently the whole world is OK with television in public, but what I knew as cinema is dead." While he feels that the current generation has let him down but he's (somewhat) hopeful about the future. He says that the current situation is "a woozy romantic period with the ease of digital -- and I'm hoping that, while this generation is completely hopeless, that the next generation that will come out will demand the real thing." Thanks, Tarantino! This entire argument is totally baffling to us because digital projection is so, so, so superior to film. It's brighter, it's clearer, it's more dimensional (with 3D, literally) -- this is literally the very best presentation films have ever received. And Tarantino is knocking it? I remember a few years ago I went to a 70 mm press screening of "The Master," which was kind of amazing because it was in 70 mm and really big. But the print also kind of looked crummy -- and this was before it was even released. Quite frankly, a digital IMAX presentation of "Godzilla" was just as jaw-dropping. But hey, we're kind of overdue for a "death of cinema" proclamation from one of the biggest directors in the world, and Tarantino always loves shooting his mouth off about something. So while the argument is interesting, it just doesn't hold much water. Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| A 'Wet Hot American Summer' Prequel Might Be Coming To Netflix Posted:  Could it be true, campers? Is cult comedy "Wet Hot American Summer" finally coming back into our lives? According to Variety, David Wain's 2001 camp classic is being developed into a 10-episode series for Netflix. Sources say that the prequel "would seek to reunite many of the original cast members who would play high-school-age characters despite the fact many of the actors are currently in their 40s." Um, that sounds hilarious. The idea of some sort of follow-up to the movie has been floating around for years now. When asked about the project in 2012 on Watch What Happens Live!, writer and star Michael Showalter teased the possibility, saying, "absolutely yes. One hundred percent yes. The whole gang -- everyone is back. We're doing it." But it seems that getting all the other now-superstars who appeared in the original to sign on would be quite the feat. "Wet Hot American Summer" starred Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd, and Bradley Cooper to name a few. Variety reports "the plan is to make it happen by having each of the actors shoot their scenes in just a few days because not every character will appear in every episode." Reunited and it feels so good. We can't wait to go back to camp. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Director Edgar Wright Exits Marvel's 'Ant-Man' Over Creative Differences Posted:  Well, this is not great news: Disney and Marvel's "Ant-Man," easily one of the more anticipated upcoming comic book-related properties, has lost it's visionary director. Disney announced today that Edgar Wright, whose last film was the brilliant sci-fi comedy "The World's End," has exited the project "due to differences in their vision of the film." Sigh.Keep in mind that Wright co-wrote the screenplay (with his "Adventures of Tintin" collaborator Joe Cornish) and hand picked the especially awesome cast, which includes Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas as different versions of the titular character, a scientist who can shrink down to the size of an ant (and communicate with them), as well as Evangeline Lily, Corey Stoll, Patrick Wilson and Matt Gerald in unspecified roles. If anyone was enthusiastic about "Ant-Man," it was because of Wright's involvement. The last time he adapted a comic book, it was for 2010's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," a movie that was wildly ahead of its time and remains a cult favorite. There was no reason to think that "Ant-Man" wouldn't be just as groundbreaking, especially to anyone who saw the test footage Wright had worked on as a proof of concept for his "ant-fu" fighting style. This movie was going to be so cool. What makes this so strange, too, is that when we spoke to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige back around the time of the release of "Thor: The Dark World," he sounded deeply committed to Wright's vision of "Ant-Man," saying, "because we've been working with him longer than any other filmmaker since it's been almost eight years since our initial meeting with him. And I have no doubt it'll be really great." Well, it would have been really great. Disney and Marvel are committed to the movie's release date of July 17, 2015. The new announcement remarks that, "A new director will be announced shortly." Sigh. Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Jameson This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Adam Sandler Admits His Movies Have Just Become Expensive Vacations (VIDEO) Posted:  We've known, for a while, that Adam Sandler likes to keep his movies simple, with a pretty relaxed atmosphere. Most of the time, his on-screen wardrobe seems to consist of whatever was on sale at Old Navy that week (in XXL size, no less) and he only works with a handful of directors, time and time again. But his emphasis on simplicity is now approaching toxic levels of laziness, especially with his rather critically despised new movie "Blended." The movie is set in South Africa and features a number of ghastly stereotypes and insensitive jokes. And while chatting with Jimmy Kimmel (via Ropes of Silicon), Sandler freely admitted that his movies have become an excuse for him to go on vacation. Hence "Blended's" exotic settting. Hey, at least he's honest. "Yes," Sandler explained to Kimmel in the clip. "Since '50 First Dates,' when it was written in another place and I said, 'Imagine if we did it in Hawaii, how great that would be?' And they said, 'That's a very artistic idea.' And I said, 'Yes.' I've been doing that ever since." Then Sandler told a kind of insensitive story about trying to order grilled cheese from the African hotel's room service, although it was probably funnier than anything in the actual movie. Article photo courtesy Getty This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 5 'Star Wars' Spinoffs Gareth Edwards and Gary Whitta Should Take On Posted:  Yesterday, news broke that Gareth Edwards, whose first movie, "Monsters," was made almost single-handedly for a budget of less than a half-a-million dollars, would be tackling one of the most revered and highly coveted franchises in the galaxy. That's right -- the man whose pricey, well-modulated "Godzilla" reboot became the highest opening movie of 2014, will spearhead a new entry in the "Star Wars" franchise.Everything else about the project seems to be up in the air. So far, all Disney has released on the matter is the fact that it's got a script by former video game scribe Gary Whitta and is one of the in-between "spin-off" movies and not one of the canonical, numerical productions that will begin again in earnest with 2015's "Star Wars: Episode VII." But what "Star Wars" properties could Edwards tackle? Speculation is that it's some kind of origin tale, either of Boba Fett, Yoda, or potentially Han Solo. But it seems unwise to court the ghosts of prequels past. So here are some other ideas we think Edwards could tackle. 1. Tattooine Tales Director J.J. Abrams and the rest of Team Episode VII are in Abu Dhabi right now shooting sequences that supposedly take place on the desert world of Tattooine. This is where both Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker hail from but what if Edwards focused on the criminal element of Tattooine. After all, it is home to the Mos Eisley catina, which Obi-Wan described as "a wretched hive of scum and villainy." Explore those characters. It could be like a little crime movie; "Ocean's 11" in outer space, and you could have some crossover with beloved "Star Wars" creatures of yore. Didn't Greedo always strike you as an ace safecracker? 2. Jedi Academy The Jedi Academy is something that we saw, briefly, in the prequels, and it's been heavily alluded to in the oversized "expanded universe" material. But what about setting an entire film there? The possibilities are seemingly endless, and, again, this wouldn't necessarily be a prequel but a story that was set during the heyday of the Jedis, without having to bring in any preexisting characters. Show the trials and tribulations of a young Jedi as he tries to prove his worth, and maybe, just maybe, what happens when one of those young Jedis loses his or her way, and is eventually swayed by the dark side of the Force... Now we're talking. 3. Building a Better Death Star Imagine a "Social Network"-style scenario about the architects of the Death Star, the young men and women of the Empire who decided to implement this plan and then go out into the darkest recesses of space and actually build it. Not only is this a fascinating story, but you could wrestle with the moral implications of being a small cog in a very large machine that is the Empire, while also entrenching it in a familiar world, with a set of characters and iconography that most moviegoers will know. (Plus, it's got a coolly downbeat ending, since both Death Stars blow up.) Imagine the almost limitless amount of walking and talking that could be going on through the corridors of the Death Star. We can see it now... 4. Lando Now Billy Dee Williams's Lando Calrissian has more or less been ruled out of coming back for "Star Wars: Episode VII," which is a shame for a number of reasons... but one if the biggest reason was that a stand alone film based on the former Administrator of Cloud City and general in the Rebel Alliance was secretly being plotted? Because that would be straight up awesome. Where did Lando go after the Battle of Endor? Is he still running Cloud City? Is he being hunted by both outlaws, who are mad at him for turning his back on the Empire, and Han Solo, who is pissed because he whacked the little satellite dish off the top of the Millennium Falcon during the second Death Star destruction? In terms of both action and messy relationships, this could be a really exciting proposition. 5. An Unregulated Female Jedi The Force is often equated with yoga, something that you can go to a studio to do, or practice in your living room, in front of your television and your French bulldog. So what if Edwards tackled the story of a young, female Jedi, who learns the craft from a family member and practices on her own? It could be set on some outer rim planet of rolling hills and grassy plains (and, of course, full of exotic creatures). The tone could be closer to Miyazaki than George Lucas, and you could really play with the possibilities of technology, turning it into a water-colored world. Where is the conflict? When minions of the Empire show up in this dreamy landscape and the young girl, marginalized by her society, steps up to take the evil Empire down. Yesssss. Please let us know if we're way off base and what you'd rather see him do in the comments below. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Mommy' Review: Xavier Dolan Movie Dazzles At Cannes Posted:  As a celebration of the unprecedented number of Canadian films competing for the Palme d'Or at the same Cannes International Film Festival, Moviefone Canada is highlighting each of these works as they vie for top prize among the 18 candidates. If he wasn't such a charming, intelligent and clearly grounded guy, I might be a bit more annoyed and jealous by the tremendous success Xavier Dolan has already seen at such a young age. At only 25 years old (!), he's attending Cannes with his fifth feature (!!), his previous film having debuted at Venice and the Toronto Film Festival just last September (!!!). Besides making me feel downright decrepit (the way, I assume, a 26-year-old Orson Welles must have made a few 30-something titans of 1940s Hollywood feel mildly past their prime), it's clear from the film that he's written and directed that he's full of life and ambition, crafting a beautiful tale that mixes supreme highs and gut-wrenching lows. Set in the Montreal suburbs, "Mommy" is a rare film of beauty. With a stalwart ensemble cast that includes Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon and Suzanne Clément -- all veterans of other Dolan productions -- we get to witness some stellar performances with real heart and passion. Screening at Cannes, the film was subtitled in both English and (French) French. The Québecois patois is thick and furious, the neologisms and swear words littered throughout requiring careful translation in order to make sense of the rat-a-tat rhythms of the dialogue. Add one more checkbox to Dolan's resumé, for he did the translation himself, having been burned here before when a so-called professional translator took out what he referred to as the "poetry" of his local dialect. Dolan describes the film as being about the myth of the American dream, how those from particular socio-economic circumstances (in this case, the uneducated and underemployed) really have a near-impossible task in overcoming their lot in life. Featuring a single mom with a violent, manic son, the film is set in what's dubbed a "near future," where a parent unable to care for their troubled ward can drop them off for institutionalization, no questions asked. It's a near future and very much a return to the past, mixing 19th century asylum mentality with contemporary concerns about mental health, and the nature of love between mother and son. Assisted by a kind neighbour who herself is going through her own struggles, this unlikely trio go through many ups and downs together through the film's running time. Shot with a unique aspect ratio (1:1), a vertical image that's shaped like a camera phone screen (taller than wide, with black bars on the side), it gives the film a window into the world of Steve, his mom Die, and their neighbor Kyla. Applause erupted at the press screening during a particularly ambitious moment, and there was rapturous applause when the credits began to roll. There's so much to love here, from the use of music (including a bravado montage involving Oasis' "Wonderwall"), the changing colour palates, the rich and metaphoric storyline and pitch-perfect performances. As a showcase of contemporary Quebécois/Canadian cinema, Canadians can be supremely proud that Dolan's "Mommy" is waving the flag. It's one of those films you hope to see at a festival such as this, that feeling of discovery, of history being written and a career taking off. We've already heard quite a bit from this young man, but expect to hear plenty more of note in the years to come. "Mommy" will get a Canadian (and perhaps North American) release date at some point in 2014. There is no official trailer available for this movie at the time of this writing.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Family Review: 5 Things Every Parent Should Know Posted: But first, here are five questions to consider before taking the kids to see "X-Men: Days of Future Past." 1. How familiar is your kid with the X-Men? If you don't know what happened in "X-Men: First Class," this sequel that combines the prequel starring McAvoy and Fassbender with the original films starring Stewart and McKellen won't be as meaningful, but you'll still be able to figure out the story. Without a working knowledge of the "X-Men" characters and previous movies, the movie will still make sense, but you won't get the in-jokes, references to other mutants (like Quicksilver, whose name is never mentioned in the dialogue), or the palpable tension between key characters. "X-Men" fans will obviously need no explanations about Professor X's devoted followers and Magneto's "mutant power" believers, but here's our guide to the movie. 2. How sensitive is your child to violence? People die in X-Men movies, and this one's no exception. The difference is that because of the central plot point about time travel, the people (both mutants and humans) who die in one timeline don't necessarily die in another. Still, there are several battle sequences in both the future and the past (time travel plots are hard to describe!) between man-made mechanized assassins and various talented mutants -- or in one climactic scene, President Nixon, his Cabinet, and a host of civilians. In some of the fight scenes, mutants are killed in horrific ways (dismemberment, explosions, etc.). Mystique puts the hurt on several men, but she doesn't kill them. 3. Do you worry about sex/language? Unlike some comparable PG-13 action flicks, there's actually both suggestive material and strong language in this "X-Men" installment. Logan wakes up in 1973 in bed with a woman he clearly slept with the night before, and there's partial nudity of Jackman's backside as he gets out of bed and walks to a window. Later a couple of goons refer to him "screwing" their boss' daughter. Otherwise there's just perfectly appropriate handholding, kissing, and steamy chemistry (that last part is between Mystique and Magneto). As for language, there's the now "PG-13 acceptable" singular (and memorable) "f--k" ("f--k off" to be precise) and a few uses of "assh--e" and "s--t." 4. Who will enjoy the movie most? Obviously teens (and tweens) already fans of the "X-Men" comics or movies, or who are at least familiar with the "X-Men: First Class" story will definitely be interested in the movie. We saw parents with 6-8 year-olds at the press screening, and they seemed frightened and antsy (it's 2 hours, 14 minutes long). Since the rest of the movies releasing this Memorial Day weekend are comedies ("Blended") or dramas ("The Angriest Man in Brooklyn"), or expanding art-house films ("Belle"), this is the movie to see for families with older kids and teens. If you're kids aren't middle-schoolers yet, a good litmus test is whether they've seen the other "X-Men" movies and spinoffs. If they have, you're good to go; if they haven't you might want to start with those. 5. What are critics saying about "DOFP"? Reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. "This is the best, most entertaining and mature comic-book Hollywood franchise currently in existence," says Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald. Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post echoed the sentiment: "'Days of Future Past' is, in itself, as intoxicating as a shot of adrenaline. It's what summer movies are meant to be"; and Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times says: "Thanks to the first-class special effects, a star-packed cast, screenwriters who know just when to inject some self-aware comic relief without getting too jokey and director Bryan Singer's skilled and sometimes electrifying visuals, X-Men: Days of Future Past is flat-out big-time, big summer movie fun." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Seth MacFarlane Does a Mean Liam Neeson Impression (VIDEO) Posted: Before we unleash Moviefone's full "A Million Ways to Die in the West" Unscripted on Tuesday, we're offering you a sneak peek of what's in store with stars Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron.  Director and star Seth MacFarlane is asked how he pitched tough guy Liam Neeson on joining the cast of his latest comedy. After explaining the surprisingly smooth process, MacFarlane does a spot-on impression of the rugged Irishman that you've gotta hear to believe. Watch the preview above, and stay tuned to Moviefone.com, or like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, for the full "A Million Ways to Die in the West" Unscripted, which drops Tuesday, May 27. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Proof That Will Ferrell Is One of Late Night's Funniest Guests (VIDEO) Posted:  Will Ferrell got his big break at "Saturday Night Live", so it's no surprise that he tends to totally kill it when he hits up a late night talk show. The funnyman is always full of surprises, wacky costumes, and silly stunts and last night's appearance on "The Tonight Show" was no exception. Here he is having an epic drum-off with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. Necessary spoiler alert: there is cowbell involved. But do you remember when he stopped by "Conan" as Ron Burgundy? Magical flute solo ahead: He's quite the musical fellow, isn't he? Here is he on "The Late Show" singing a Christmas carol with The Vienna Boys Choir. Try not to smile: Will once participated in the "mean tweets" segment on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" while sitting on a toilet: And last but not least, the time he "figure skated" to the "Downton Abbey" theme in an amazing get-up: This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Xavier Dolan: Who Is the Canadian Movie Director? Posted: But how did the 25-year-old Montreal director come to be the toast of the world's most prestigious film festival? Dolan, a former child actor, presented a screenplay to prominent Quebec actress Anne Dorval when he was 16 years old, The Globe and Mail reports. She called him back with suggestions, but he soon told her to forget that screenplay altogether. He had a new idea for a movie about a difficult relationship between a homosexual teen and his mother. Dolan would play the boy and Dorval his mother. That film, "J'ai tué ma mere (I Killed My Mother)" would become the toast of Cannes in 2009, taking three prizes in the Directors' Fortnight section, including the Art Cinema Award and a writers' award for top French film. Dolan was also in the running for the Caméra d'Or prize for first-time filmmakers. It's been all uphill since then for the filmmaker, whose second film "Les Amour Imaginaires (Heartbeats)" screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2010 and won the Sydney Film Prize at that year's Sydney Film Festival. His subsequent film "Laurence Anyways" played Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2012, while his fourth film, "Tom à la Ferme," ("Tom at the Farm") was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 2013 Venice International Film Festival. And now, just five years since he came on the scene, Dolan could win one of the world's most coveted film prizes next to a Best Picture Oscar. He has competition, with films by the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, fellow Canadian David Cronenberg, Ken Loach, and Mike Leigh also in the running for the Palme d'Or. But what an achievement it would be to become the first Canadian ever to take the prize. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Patrick Stewart Facts: 27 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the 'X-Men' Star Posted:  Born to humble beginnings, Sir Patrick Stewart has worked his way up to become one of the most recognizable stars today. The veteran stage actor was prolific as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for over a decade. However, it wasn't until the late 1980s that Stewart broke out on screen, portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Riding that wave, he was cast as the iconic Professor Charles Xavier in the film adaptation of the "X-Men" comic books. This summer, Stewart reprises the role of the mutant Xavier once again in Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past." From the actor's early work as a journalist to his "bodacious man" award, here are 27 things you probably don't know about Patrick Stewart. 1. Stewart was born in Yorkshire, England to Gladys Barrowclough, a weaver and textile worker, and Alfred Stewart, a Regimental Sergeant Major in the British Army. 2. His father was present during the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II, and suffered shell shock -- or post-traumatic stress disorder -- as a result. The experience made him difficult and, in a 2008 interview with American Theatre, Stewart called his father "a very potent individual, a very powerful man who got what he wanted." 3. Stewart has acknowledged that his father's strong presence during his adolescence undoubtedly inserted itself into his performances throughout his prestigious career. 4. Still in grade school, he got the acting bug when a teacher put a copy of Shakespeare in his hand and told him to perform! 5. When he was 15, Stewart left school and, subsequently, became more involved in local theater. During this time, he also took a job as a newspaper reporter and obituary writer for the Mirfield & District Reporter. 6. According to his brother, Stewart would audition and rehearse during his work hours. So, in order to disguise where he had truly been, the actor would invent the stories he reported! 7. After about a year, his boss forced him to choose between acting or journalism. As you probably guessed, he quit the newspaper gig. 8. He went on to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, and stayed with the troupe until 1982. 9. Stewart made his Broadway debut in a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as Snout. Directed by the legendary Peter Brook, the production later moved to the Royal National Theatre in the early 1980s. 10. Stewart made his TV debut as a fire officer in a 1967 episode of "Coronation Street." Today, the actor is best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" franchise. 11. Despite appearing in numerous productions and many major television series, Stewart did not become a household name until getting cast as the lead in the "Star Trek" series. He was initially skeptical the show would succeed -- even waiting to unpack his bags for six weeks -- however, the series became a hit and ran from 1987 to 1994. 12. Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Deanna Troi on the series, credits Stewart with a majority of the show's success simply because the rest of the cast imitated the veteran actor's professionalism and dedication to his work. 13. Although the series came to an end in 1994, Stewart did reprise his role several times in the "Star Trek" films, most recently in "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002). In 2011, he called the role in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" the highlight of his career. 14. Stewart lost his hair when he was only 19! He said, "I believed that no woman would ever be interested in me again." 15. Yet, despite his lack of hair, he was voted TV's most bodacious man in 1992 for his work on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." That same year, Cindy Crawford was the most bodacious woman. 16. Stewart has been married three times, beginning with his marriage to Sheila Falconer. Stewart and Falconer were married for 24 years and have two children together, Daniel and Sophia, before divorcing in 1990. 17. An actor as well, Daniel appeared alongside his father in "Death Train," the 1993 TV movie, and a 1992 "Star Trek" episode ("The Inner Light"), where he played his son. 18. In 2000, Stewart wed Wendy Neuss, but the marriage was short-lived and the couple called it quits after three years. 19. In 2013, the 73-year-old Stewart married Sunny Ozell, a 35-year-old musician. 20. His best friend and fellow actor, Ian McKellen, performed the wedding ceremony. 21. Their friendship may be the greatest thing the internet has ever seen. Just look at these photos. 22. They have also both been knighted! Stewart was made a Knight Bachelor in 2010 for his service to drama. McKellen, meanwhile, received the honor in 1991. 23. Stewart was the original narrator of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," however, director Tim Burton eventually cut most his narration and even changed the voice. The film's composer, Danny Elfman, kept Stewart's original recording in his soundtrack because he liked the actor's reading better. 24. He has lent his voice to several other projects, including commercials for Pontiac, Porsche, MasterCard, Good year, and Stella Artois -- just to name a few. 25. Politically, the actor identifies as a socialist and is a member of the Labour Party in the UK. 26. Stewart has fantasized about becoming a concert pianist and has worked closely with the American classical pianist Emanuel Ax. The actor has even told the pianist that if he could trade places with anyone, it would be Ax. 27. It's also possible that Stewart invented the "Quadruple Take." [Sources: Wikipedia, IMDb] This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Review: Answering the Questions It Leaves Unanswered Posted: As a sequel to both "X-Men: The Last Stand" and the 2011 reboot "First Class," director Bryan Singer's film brings the two casts together for "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Starting in a dystopian future, what's left of the team (plus a few newcomers) is being hunted down by unstoppable mutant-killing robots called Sentinels. As far as they can tell, the nightmare was all set into motion back in 1973, thanks to Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique (no spoilers here, but she did something even worse than putting metal in the science oven). That means the ageless Logan (played by the equally ageless Hugh Jackman, as always), or at least his consciousness, must be transported back in time to warn a young Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) before it's too late to stop her. Granted, it's a lot to process, but by now, we've learned better than to think too hard about movie time travel. And actually, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is pretty darn good, especially when you stack it up against some of the other entries in the franchise (ahem, "The Last Stand"). But even though it does its best to answer most of the questions you could possibly have about the retconning time travel plot -- like "Is the future truly set?" and "Hey, wait, shouldn't Xavier be dead and/or paralyzed?" -- there's still a few questions it leaves unanswered. Why does everyone love Mystique so much? Everybody loves Jennifer Lawrence (and rightly so); there's no questioning that. But "Days of Future Past" is downright obsessed with Mystique, and it's a little strange. She's everything every single character, from mutant to human, ever seems to want to talk about. Even our main antagonist Bolivar Trask (an underused Peter Dinklage) gets a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes at the thought of her. You can't blame the filmmakers for wanting to capitalize on the fact that Lawrence has turned into one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood since the pre-"Hunger Games" "First Class," but "Days of Future Past" is overflowing with great actors. At times, it feels like the entire movie was written around Mystique just because it's Lawrence underneath all that blue makeup, not because it's an especially compelling character. Why would anyone ever (willingly) take part in Beast's medical trials? You have to give the movie credit: when Logan first sees McAvoy's Professor X stroll down the stairs in 1973, he's just as incredulous as the rest of us (and he didn't even see "First Class"). But as Xavier explains, it's all thanks to the work of Nicholas Hoult's Hank. Just to recap for a second, in the last movie, Hank created a drug meant to "cure" his mutant feet and ended up accidentally turning himself into a blue cat person (now it's more of a Jekyll and Hyde thing). And that's the guy the Professor put in charge of curing his paralysis? It's no surprise, then, when the treatment comes with side effects, like that regaining the use of his legs means losing his telepathic powers -- which makes zero sense, but then again, this is a movie about time traveling mutants fighting giant robots, so it's kind of a sliding scale. Who gets custody of Quicksilver? Hands down, one of the most entertaining sequences in "Days of Future Past" is the introduction of Peter Maximoff, aka Quicksilver (played here by Evan Peters), a speedy mutant who makes a brief but memorable appearance. Problem is, Marvel's "Avengers" sequel also plans to feature the character (along with his sister Scarlet Witch), as played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Confusing? You bet. Turns out, after some negotiation, both franchises share the rights to Quicksilver (who, in the comics, is an early member of the Avengers, as well as Magneto's son). Ultimately though, Singer's treatment of Quicksilver is emblematic of a large issue -- unlike with Marvel, there's no grand plan in place; he's not especially integral to the plot here, it just seemed cool to include him (and it is). But really, that's exactly how they painted themselves into this corner in the first place, by tossing out characters and storylines with no apparent regard for the future. What was that groundskeeper doing at RFK Stadium? There's no shortage of continuity questions as a result of Singer smashing together the two casts, but for the most part, those can be explained away by the "alternate timeline" catch-all. (Or, you know, the fact that this is a summer blockbuster based on a comic book.) But there is one glaring problem: when Magneto rips D.C.'s RFK Stadium straight out of the ground in 1973, he does so while a confused groundskeeper is busy putting down foul lines on the baseball diamond. Considering the Washington Senators had already left for Texas by 1971, apparently even the MLB's history isn't immune from rewrites. When will they let Hugh Jackman retire? "Days of Future Past" marks Jackman's record seventh time playing Wolverine, and while he's just as fun to watch in the role now as he was some 14 years ago (and he's somehow even more ripped), it seemed like the whole point of the "First Class" reboot was to infuse new blood into the series and take it in a different direction. Thanks to his character's immortality, Jackman is the only actor currently in the middle of the old and new cast Venn diagram, but eventually, they're going to need to find someone else capable of carrying the franchise, instead of just relying on what's worked in the past. What happens now? In what has to make "Days of Future Past" the most ambitious reboot ever, Singer's film doesn't just successfully alter world history, it rewrites the entire franchise, correcting a lot of issues fans had with "The Last Stand." Of course, that comes at the expensive of turning the original trilogy into the product of an alternate universe. And while it's always fun to see old favorites like Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen again, it's hard to care about their characters' future (or their pasts) when they can be changed at any point. The obligatory post-credits scene holds some clues to the plot of the next sequel, "X-Men: Apocalypse" (although you'll need a comic fan to explain them to you), but thanks to Singer, the franchise is now capable of calling on either cast, new or old, moving forward. Problem is, that trick only works once. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is now playing in theatres. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This Is the 'Midnight Cowboy' Legacy, From A to Z Posted:  It's a shock to go back and watch "Midnight Cowboy" 45 years after its debut (on May 25, 1969) and see how raw and otherworldly it looks. After all, the X-rated Best Picture Oscar-winner has been so thoroughly assimilated into American pop culture that even kiddie entertainments like the Muppets have copied from it.The tale of the unlikely friendship between naïve Texas gigolo Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and frail Bronx con man Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), "Midnight Cowboy" was initially considered so risqué that it's the only X-rated movie ever to win the Academy's top prize (though after it won, the ratings board reconsidered and gave the film an R). Still, the film featured two lead performances and a few individual scenes that were so iconic that homages (and parodies) have popped up virtually everywhere. (Most often imitated is the scene where Ratso, limping across a busy Manhattan street, is nearly flattened by a taxi and shouts at the driver, "I'm walkin' here!") Plus, "Midnight Cowboy" launched the careers of several film artists, many of whom are still flourishing today. So here is a list, from A to Z, that attests to the movie's ongoing influence after all these years. "The Amazing Spider-Man." In the 2012 comic-book adaptation, webslinger Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) swoops through the canyons of Manhattan, shouting, "I'm swingin' here!" "Back to the Future Part II." By the year 2015, there's so much traffic in Hill Valley that Marty McFly Jr. (Michael J. Fox) finds himself shouting, "I'm walkin' here!" at a futuristic vehicle. Bob Balaban. The actor made his film debut as the closeted student who hires Joe for a furtive encounter in a Times Square movie theater. He's since gone on to a distinguished career as a character actor (he's a regular in Christopher Guest's comedies), director, and producer (he produced "Gosford Park" and appears in it as a Hollywood producer). His uncle, Barney Balaban, once ran Paramount Pictures and was an architect of the McCarthy-era blacklist that derailed the careers of many filmmakers, including "Midnight Cowboy" screenwriter Waldo Salt. "The Blacklist." Given the role of the Hollywood blacklist in Salt's life, it's ironic that the current NBC thriller series (which has nothing to do with McCarthyism) featured in a 2014 episode a thug character known as "Midnight Cowboy." "Borat." The 2006 comedy smash included a sequence where Sacha Baron Cohen's naïve outsider walks the streets of Manhattan to the sounds of Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'," just like Joe Buck. "The Boys in the Band." William Friedkin's 1970 movie about a group of gay friends in Manhattan was one of the first films to take advantage of the freedoms afforded by the envelope-pushing content of "Midnight Cowboy." One character rents his friend a hustler and refers to the gigolo as a "midnight cowboy." "Forrest Gump." The 1994 film contains the most famous of all "Midnight Cowboy" homages, in a scene set around the time of "Midnight Cowboy"'s release, as Gary Sinise's legless Lt. Dan apes the "I'm walkin' here" shot while trying to cross a New York street, as Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'" plays on the soundtrack. "The Freshman." The first few minutes of the film, in which Matthew Broderick's Manhattan newbie is hustled out of his savings, only to meet the thief (Bruno Kirby) on the street and then become hopelessly entangled in his mischief, echoes Joe Buck's arrival in New York and his early encounters with Ratso. Gay cinema. Director John Schlesinger was openly gay (at least within the film industry), and he carefully crafted "Midnight Cowboy" to appeal to both a gay audience starved for images of itself and a mainstream audience that could recognize humanity even in such marginalized characters. The film kicked open a closet door that allowed other filmmakers to explore more directly themes of gay identity, from "The Boys in the Band" to "Brokeback Mountain" and beyond. It also allowed future openly gay directors (including Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, and Bill Condon) to work both sides of the street, making mainstream Hollywood films as well as films about the gay experience. "Glee." On the Fox high-school-musical series, a character referred to blond Sam as "Midnight Cowboy." Jerome Hellman. Hellman was nearly penniless and had been abandoned by his wife and kids when Schlesinger hired him to produce "Midnight Cowboy." After he claimed the movie's Best Picture trophy on Oscar night in 1970, Hellman was suddenly an A-lister. He only produced a few more movies, including Schlesinger's "The Day of the Locust," Voight's smash "Coming Home, " and Harrison Ford's acclaimed "The Mosquito Coast." Dustin Hoffman. Not wanting to be typecast after his star-making role as preppy Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate," Hoffman proved his versatility by playing the scruffy, streetwise Ratso and earned an Oscar nomination in the process. Seven years later, Hoffman reunited with Schlesinger to star in another gritty New York drama, the hit "Marathon Man." Of course, he's continued to prove his chameleon-like skills in lead and character parts to this day, earning two Oscars along the way, but Ratso remains an iconic role in his career and one that helped put him on the map. Adam Holender. The Polish immigrant, recommended to Schlesinger by Roman Polanski, made his big-screen debut as cinematographer on "Midnight Cowboy." Shooting with an outsider's point of view that suited the characters, Holender created a gritty and garish depiction of New York that influenced films for the next quarter-century, including some others that he shot, from 1971's "Panic in Needle Park," to 1995's "Smoke." "Lost." Among the many flashback scenes in the landmark ABC sci-fi series are two featuring characters emulating the "I'm walkin' here" scene: Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Arzt (Daniel Roebuck). Sylvia Miles. Miles, who is a real-life New York character and something of an institution at 81, appeared in the film as Cass, who out-hustles Joe when she becomes his first pick-up. She was on screen for only about five minutes, but that was enough to earn her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She'd earn another for 1975's "Farewell, My Lovely" and went on to make memorable appearances in "Crossing Delancey" (as the matchmaker) and the two "Wall Street" films (as the realtor). The Muppets. The streetwise, Bronx-accented character Rizzo the Rat, who appears in various Muppet films, has a name that's a punning twist on Ratso Rizzo. "Mystery Science Theater 3000." During several bad movies watched over the course of the series, scenes with film characters walking down urban streets or trying to cross against traffic would inspire Joel, Mike, or one of the robots to start singing "Everybody's Talkin'," or to shout variations on "I'm walkin' here!" Harry Nilsson. Nilsson was working as a bank teller when the "Midnight Cowboy" filmmakers found his demo tape and used his rendition of Fred Neil's ballad "Everybody's Talkin'" throughout the movie. The song became a big hit and launched Nilsson's career as one of the most beloved singer-songwriters of the 1970s. "Northern Exposure." A dream sequence from this 1990s CBS comedy series shows aspiring filmmaker Ed's (Darren Burrows) imagining New Yorker Joel (Rob Morrow) and Southerner Chris (John Corbett) costumed as Ratso and Joe and re-enacting the "I'm walkin' here" scene. Other kiddie entertainment. Besides the Muppets, several other children's movies and TV shows pay tribute to "Midnight Cowboy," usually by parodying the "I'm walkin' here" scene. Among them are Disney's cartoon "Hercules," DreamWorks' "The Madagascar Penguins in A Christmas Caper" and "Shrek the Third" (where the vehicle is a carriage instead of a taxi), "Barbie Mariposa and Her Butterfly Fairy Friends" (one says, "I'm flying here!"), "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (where Owen Wilson's buckaroo Jedediah refers to himself as a "midnight cowboy"), "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" (one horse says the line after nearly colliding with another), and "Pound Puppies: King of the Heap." "Repo Man." Miller's (Tracey Walter) line, "John Wayne was a fag" recalls Joe and Ratso's argument over whether Joe's garish cowboy suit makes him more of a sexual fantasy object to women or men. Ratso says the Western-wear makes Joe look like a "fag," to which Joe retorts that John Wayne dresses like that, adding "John Wayne! You wanna tell me he's a fag?" As it turned out, both Voight and Hoffman were nominated for Best Actor Oscars but lost to Wayne himself, who won his only Academy Award that year for "True Grit." Jennifer Salt. The daughter of screenwriter Waldo Salt, she appears in flashbacks in "Midnight Cowboy" as Joe's ex-girlfriend. (In real life, she moved in with Voight off-screen as well.) She went on to appear in such classic 1970s movies as "Brewster McCloud" and "Sisters" before finding her greatest fame on TV's "Soap" as Eunice Tate." Later, she quit acting and, inspired by her father's example, took up writing for TV and movies. That second career has flourished in her collaborations with producer/director Ryan Murphy, which include the film "Eat Pray Love" (Salt and Murphy adapted Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir) and the hit FX series "Nip/Tuck" and "American Horror Story" (Salt served as a writer and producer on both shows). Waldo Salt. Salt's screenwriting career began under an MGM contract in the 1930s, but his communist ties led to his being forced out of Hollywood during the blacklist of the 1950s. After a decade of writing for TV under a pseudonym, he began to write screenplays again. An unproduced script brought him to the attention of Hellman and Schlesinger, who hired him to adapt James Leo Herlihy's novel "Midnight Cowboy." The script would win Salt an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and put him back in demand. He was nominated for another Oscar for co-writing another gritty New York classic, "Serpico," and he won a second trophy for co-writing Vietnam homefront drama "Coming Home," which reunited him with Voight. John Schlesinger. The British director who had helped make Julie Christie a star in "Darling" had fallen on hard times after his flop "Far From the Madding Crowd." He made his American debut with "Midnight Cowboy" and won an Oscar for directing it. He was nominated again for "Sunday Bloody Sunday" two years later. Over the next 30 years, he became best known for directing bleak dramas and gritty thrillers, including "The Day of the Locust" (which re-teamed him with Hellman and Waldo Salt), "Marathon Man" (which reunited him with Hoffman), "The Falcon and the Snowman," "Pacific Heights," and "Eye for an Eye." His last film, the Madonna-Rupert Everett collaboration "The Next Best Thing" (2000), wasn't a great film, but its matter-of-fact-ness about the Everett character's open gayness showed how much things had changed since "Midnight Cowboy" had helped kick open Hollywood's closet doors three decades earlier. "Scuzzy." Salt's screenplay is thought to be the first use of the adjective, a combination of "scummy" and "fuzzy." Sundance Film Festival. Since 1992, the indie-film event has named its top screenwriting prize after Waldo Salt. Winners have included such celebrated independent films as "The Waterdance," "Big Night," "High Art," "You Can Count on Me," "Memento," "The Station Agent," "The Squid and the Whale," and "Winter's Bone." Brenda Vaccaro. Vaccaro launched her film career in 1969 with "Midnight Cowboy," playing Shirley, the wealthy client who meets Joe at a psychedelic party. The raspy-voiced character actress has since gone on to enjoy a long and varied career, including such films as "Once Is Not Enough" (for which she earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination), "Airport '77," "Capricorn One," "Supergirl," and "The Mirror Has Two Faces." Her TV work includes "Friends," "The King of Queens," and cartoon "Johnny Bravo," where she was a regular as the voice of Bunny Bravo. Jon Voight. An actor from the New York stage, where he and Hoffman had been competitive rivals, Voight was so desperate to star in "Midnight Cowboy" that he agreed to work for scale and earned only $17,500 for the role. Of course, the part of Joe Buck earned him an Oscar nod and launched his celebrated career, which has included such landmark films as "Deliverance," "Coming Home" (whose Waldo Salt screenplay helped him earn a Best Actor Oscar as a paraplegic Vietnam vet), "The Champ," "Runaway Train," "Heat," "Mission: Impossible," "Zoolander," "Ali" (where he played Howard Cosell), and "Transformers." For a while, he was better known for being Angelina Jolie's dad than for his own career, but this year, the 75-year-old scene-stealer won a Golden Globe for his recurring role as a dangerous family patriarch on Showtime's "Ray Donovan." Viva. Born Janet Hoffman (no relation to Dustin), Viva was one of Andy Warhol's "superstars" and a regular performer in his often sexually explicit films. In "Midnight Cowboy," she plays Gretel McAlbertson, a photographer who invites Joe and Ratso to a party/art-happening very much like the ones Warhol used to throw at the Factory. In fact, many other Warhol regulars appear in the sequence, including Taylor Mead, Paul Morrissey, Ultra Violet, and International Velvet. The film brought some new notoriety to the Warhol scene and no doubt helped increase the mainstream receptivity to such avant-garde Warhol films as "Blue Movie" (in which Viva and Louis Waldon have sex on camera for about a fourth of the film's running time). She went on to appear in such mainstream movies as "Play It Again, Sam" and "Flash Gordon." Today, she's best known as the mother of actress Gaby Hoffman, who's gone from playing Kevin Costner's daughter in "Field of Dreams" to "Sleepless in Seattle" and a recurring role this season on HBO's "Girls." "You've Got Mail." It's hard to imagine a portrayal of New York more different from "Midnight Cowboy" than Nora Ephron's 1998 e-mail comedy, which depicts Manhattan as a sunny, romantic playground for yuppies. Still, both films are filled with the music of Harry Nilsson, who sings four tracks on the "Mail" soundtrack. One of them, "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City," is a song Nilsson wrote specifically for "Midnight Cowboy," but the filmmakers rejected it in favor of his similar "Everybody's Talkin'." Warren Zevon. The 22-year-old Zevon composed a tune called "He Quit Me," which Lesley Miller performed on the "Midnight Cowboy" soundtrack. It was one of the first career breaks for the singer-songwriter, who would hit it big over the next decade with hits like "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Werewolves of London." Wanna watch "Midnight Cowboy"? Do it now. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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