This video sums up everything I want to say to all of you, just in case I didn't get a chance to do it myself.
Happy Holidays!
-Cigarettes
Monday, December 22, 2008
Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Friday, December 19, 2008
Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby
If you haven't heard the news by now, here it is. Nikke Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily revealed that Baz Luhrmann's next film is going to be an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and that he has already purchased the rights to the novel.
The reason I am posting about this news is because the novel is absolutely fantastic, and I think Baz Luhrmann has the ability to make a film adaptation of the novel that could be extraordinary. Apparently Baz is in the process of looking for actors to cast in his new adaptation. Now I don't often like to play the "Who Will Be Great in This Part?" game because the effort is usually fruitless and completely off from what the final result is, but with this film I just could not help myself. So here are my personal choices for who I think would be fantastic in The Great Gatsby.
Leonardo DiCaprio for Gatsby, Kate Winslet or Rachel McAdams for Daisy Buchanan, Ryan Gosling for Nick Carraway, Ryan Reynolds for Tom Buchanan, Anne Hathaway for Jordan Baker, Mark Ruffalo for George B. Wilson, Rachel Weisz for Myrtle Wilson. So basically this will be the best movie ever, with the best cast ever. Well except for one missing ingredient...
I vote that Rinko Kikuchi plays either Pammy Buchanan, the three year old daughter of Tom and Daisy, or Meyer Wolfsheim the Jewish gambler and crime kingpin. Or both. Please Baz, do this for me.
-Cigarettes
[Source Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Little Off Topic
While a lot of the film blogs I'm reading are busy reflecting about the films of 2008, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to look back at our world in 2008. Over at Boston.com they have a section titled "The Big Picture" which is a collection of photographs taken in 2008 documenting what happened in the world and how this year changed our world.
While it is nice to talk and think about some of the amazing films that came out in 2008, it is just as nice to see the beautiful (and harrowing) photographs that documented what happened in the real world.
You can find the first third of the collection, along with descriptions of each photo, here. As far as I know, the other two sections of the piece have not yet been posted.
-Cigarettes
[Source Boston.com]
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Coming Soon
Nathaniel over at The Film Experience created this hilarious little teaser trailer for the upcoming Supporting Actress blog-a-thon that is happening over at StinkyLulu. I for one will be participating and creating a special little post about a supporting actress I think deserves some recognition this year. If you want to know who it is, you are just going to have to wait until January 4, 2009.
So until then!
P.S. If you wish to participate, you can go here to see all of the details. Any blog (it doesn't have to be a movie blog) can participate, so why not? Here are the links for The Class of 2006 and The Class of 2007.
P.P.S. I love Amy Adams in that trailer!!
-Cigarettes
[Source The Film Experience]
Friday, December 12, 2008
TRAILER: Mei Lanfang is Forever Enthralled
This post comes with some good news and some bad news. I will tell you the bad news first. The English title of Chen Kiage's new film Mei Lanfang has been retitled Forever Enthralled. This is probably one of the most vomit-inducing changes in a film's title I have heard in awhile (another film that comes to mind is another Zhang Ziyi film, The Banquet which was retitled Legend of the Black Scorpion for its American DVD release).
Now it's time for some good news as well. Twitch has just unveiled a new trailer for the film which actually looks decent. This is great news for me because I have been dying to see Zhang Ziyi on the big screen for awhile now... the last time I saw her, it was at the Toronto International Film Festival Gala Screening for The Banquet back in 2005.
I have no idea if anyone out there is a fan of Zhang's work, but this film looks as though it could be something special. The director's past credits include The Emperor and the Assassin and Farewell My Concubine. The estimated $15 Million film not only boasts Zhang Ziyi, but also Honglei Sun (who also appeared in Mongol and Zhou Yu's Train) and Leon Lai (from Comrades Almost a Love Story and Fallen Angels) who is taking on the title character.
Above is a still of Leon Lai in costume as Mei Lanfang. The trailer and a little something extra is available after the jump.
I also have an extra tidbit for those of you who are interested. There is a music video with Zhang Ziyi and Leon Lai titled "You Feel My Love" which also (in between shots of both of the stars singing) shows off some gorgeous stills from the film. (Unfortunately if you don't speak Chinese, the lyrics will do nothing for you.)
-Cigarettes
[Source Twitch]
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Queen of Hearts
Julianne Moore is the queen of tears. She is also the queen on choosing the wrong movie as a vehicle for herself (The Forgotten).
However, her greatness outweighs any shadows that may be cast over her presence, and for that I salute her. Happy 48th Birthday Julianne Moore!
P.S. I personally do not believe this woman is a day over 40.
-Cigarettes
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Only Club I Want to Be In
I have just recently discovered, and thus combed through the archives of Club Silencio. I will keep it short, but I have to say his posts are usually brilliant. If you don't believe me, I have picked out a sample of his work:
Slave Labor With Björk
Signatures: Julianne Moore (This was a guest post over at The Film Experience)
Ang Lee and the Negative Zone (My favorite post so far.)
Adam (the writer) has got some glorious screen-caps to go with those posts as well. Enjoy!
-Cigarettes
Friday, November 7, 2008
Don't Try to Tell Me There is No God
This photo clearly confirms that he is up there, and he is clearly looking out for my best interests.
-Cigarettes
[Source The Film Experience]
Thursday, October 23, 2008
And Today We Have...
... Ang Lee who turns 54 today! A very Happy Birthday to one of my favourite directors ever! He is currently shooting his next project Taking Woodstock with Emile Hirsch , Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano, Eugene Levy, Kelli Garner, Mamie Gummer, and Imelda Staunton. Can't wait.
-Cigarettes
Monday, October 20, 2008
7 Greatest Fang-Bangin' Classics
(Note: Because I am indecisive, this list is in no particular order.)
The earliest movie on this list, and probably one of the best. Not only is it a horror classic, but also a classic of the Silent era. Max Schreck as Count Orlok is beyond frightening. The physical appearance being more bat-like than more recent, and romanticized versions of the infamous Count. What I remember most are his fingernails, long and sharp, and just creepy as all hell. It's a really fun flick whose visuals stay with you. Though, if you're in for a fun and fast vampire flick to watch with a bunch of friends over some pizza and beer, it might not be the film for you.
Despite the thinly veiled homoeroticism and general melodrama, this is (in my estimation) the most visually sumptuous vampire movie I have ever seen. Every actor, every place, every prop, every costume in this movie is beautiful. Kirsten Dunst does a fantastic job that she's fought to live up to ever since, and both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise have fun with their roles. I wish that we'd seen River Phoenix rather than Christian Slater as the interviewer, but what can you do? Also interesting to see an early Thandie Newton as one of Brad Pitt's slaves. I'd recommend it if only for the visuals and epicness.
I love this movie. I love it so much. To me, it's a classic. It's so much fun to watch. It's up there with any of the John Hughes movies as being one of the best teen movies of its (or any) decade. All of the leads give just enough to the performance without taking themselves too seriously. That's what's great about this whole movie, it never takes itself too seriously. Plus, the final showdown against the vamps is hilarious, exciting and awesome. "Death by stereo!"
Near Dark is another personal favourite of mine. To be honest, I'll watch just about anything with Bill Paxton in it. What's not to like about a gang of way too cool vampires driving around the southern states messing things up. Another 80's vampire flick that's a lot of fun to watch. I also didn't realize that this movie introduced me to Adrian Pasdar, and that's why he looked so familiar when I started watching Heroes!
Along with Interview with the Vampire, this is one of the more beautiful movies on this list. The animation is simply astounding. It's pretty straightforward in the hero has to go save girl from evil baddie storyline, but when it looks this good, who cares? Nah, there's enough action and funny to keep the movie going. Definitely a great movie, but maybe not for everyone (especially the monster/anime factor)
This movie should be higher on the list, but I can't help but feel as though they could have made a better movie out of the source material. I love the original novel, and so am unsure how I feel about the overly romantic and melodramatic feel of this one. It was a little too 'B' movie for me. I mean, to be fair this is all just a matter of how I would have directed it had I a smidgen of Coppola's talent or ability, but I think I had imagined a much different atmosphere and style. That being said, despite my issues with the choice, they did an amazing job with what they chose. The actors were all just right (except of course Keanu Reeves who ruined just about every scene he was in, I couldn't take it), especially Gary Oldman who I'm already an avid fanboy of; his Dracula was creepy, powerful, sexy, intelligent, fierce. Great work.
7. Blade (1998)
This movie is pure fun. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. It's a nice little action horror that provides a nice little escape from reality for 90 min. It's not exceptional in any particular aspect, but bundled together is a fun little vamp flick that I wouldn't mind watching again but isn't on my "Must See Again" list.
Some Honourable Mentions:
I really want Shadow of the Vampire on that list in order to kick one of the lesser films off, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet. Also, I need to see The Hunger, because Bowie, Deneuve and Sarandon vamp love sandwich is a little too much for me to handle. I hated Queen of the Damned, I'm not really looking forward to Twilight, but I am enjoying HBO's True Blood. Ya, it's a little silly, but the great thing about HBO is that there is a good amount of sex and violence to make up for any silliness or lag in plot. Also, Ball does a good job of keeping his characters super-flawed, which makes for interesting television.
Also, Parker Posey is fierce as f*** in Blade: Trinity.
Thoughts? Comments?
- Popcorn
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Ebert says, "Thank you for Smoking"
I came across a very interesting article over at Roger Ebert's online journal about the digital removal of a cigarette from a stamp featuring Bette Davis.
Now the title of the article is clearly referring to the 2005 film Thank You for Smoking by Jason Reitman. To get even more specific I think it is referring to the character of Senator Ortolan Finistirre as played by William H. Macy. Near the end of the film we see that Finistirre has digitally altered famous photographs of celebrities lighting up. Obviously the bit is played out for laughs because of how ridiculous the idea seems, however now it seems that life has imitated art.
So now the question is this: are we going too far? I mean there had to have been enough people who saw the preliminary designs for this stamp and said nothing about the removal of the cigarette, or were defeated by opposition who believed it was a good idea to remove it in the first place. I mean is there really a lack of people out there who believed that this was not okay? Is it okay to alter the history of a public figure just to play out a political point?
I know it may not seem like a big deal to some, but I just think that by changing our past, our history, it is also changing our present and future. I have always been taught that truth is one of the most important things in life, so doesn't it make sense to acknowledge our past rather than erase it? I mean it may just be a stamp now, but tomorrow it could be something else and that is what is truly scary. Someone out there in the world is going to see this image of Bette Davis and they will never know that there was originally a cigarette in her hand. They will never know that they are actually viewing an altered version of a classic photo. Their truth will not be the same as ours. Of course, it probably does not matter that someone out their knows this iconic image differently than you do, but someday it might matter.
I mean there is the old defence of "Think of the children!" but I honestly cannot remember the last time someone told me they started smoking because they saw it on a stamp and thought it looked cool.
-Cigarettes
[Source Roger Ebert's Journal]
Monday, October 6, 2008
To One of the Most Talented People in the World...
... I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday. The lovely Kate Winslet turns 33 today, and being one of my most favourite actors in the whole wide world, I had to dedicate at least one post to this woman.
I still do not understand how so much talent and beauty can fit into one person.
-Cigarettes
Sunday, October 5, 2008
TRAILER: Sunshine Cleaning
Today we have the trailer for Sunshine Cleaning. The film is directed by Christine Jeffs and it premiered on January 18, 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival, with a reported budget of $5 Million. It began filming way back in February 2007, and has yet to find a distribution date. Overture Films (the distribution company that picked up the rights to this film) has stated that they plan on releasing this film before the year's end.
The film centers around two sisters, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) and her sister Norah (Emily Blunt). Norah is living with their father Joe (Alan Arkin) while Rose has a job cleaning the houses of rich people. When Rose's son Oscar (Jason Spevack) gets into trouble at school one too many times, she decides to send him to private school. However she does not have enough money to send him, so she is put in the position of habing to find a new, well-paying job fast. Enter Mac (Steve Zahn) the man with whom she is having an affiar with, who informs Rose that there is a lot more money to be made in the crime scene cleaning business than she thinks. She takes his advice and decides to go into the business with her sister, creating a company called Sunshine Cleaning. Hilarity and drama ensue.
I have to say I have been looking forward to this film a lot longer than I would admit. I am a huge fan of all of these actors and putting them all together into one film seems like a perfect fit. It's sad that this has been on hold for so long, but when it comes out I will be sure to be there on opening weekend. Judging by the trailer (which is usually not a good idea) I would say it looks like everything I wanted and expected... and then some. Emily Blunt falling face first into a mattress covered in the blood plasma of some stranger sold me on it.
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-Cigarettes
[Source JoBlo]
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Blind Hating on Blindness
(Just a note before reading this post, I have tried to remove as many of the spoilers as possible from this post. If you want to read them, just highlight the words in between the brackets.)
The National Federation of the Blind decided to go out of their way to protest Fernando Meirelles' new film Blindness, opening on October 3rd. The press release was sent out yesterday and it can be found here. Originally I was not going to write a post about this news until I actually read the press release that was sent out.
In their defense, Cinematical informs me that seven staff members of the National Federation of the Blind have actually seen the film, three of them being sighted and four of them being blind. It's a good thing that they actually watched the film before they started to blast it for portraying the blind as "incompetent, filthy, vicious, and depraved." I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and now I am just wondering if we all saw the same film.
Their major argument is that the film portrays the blind in a disgusting manner that will further harm the image of blind people in the real world. First of all let me just say that I personally do not believe it matters if you are blind or not, and that people are defined by who they are, what actions they take, what they think and not by physical traits, disability or otherwise.
This is a film about an epidemic of blindness that sweeps the whole world. It is not really about blind people at all, but rather about people who can see and then lose their sight after coming into contact from others who have contracted the disease. This is important because many choices of the characters and many of the circumstances are based on this fact, not that they are blind but because they have become blind so suddenly and without warning.
[SPOILERS] In the film that I recall seeing, some of the "deplorable" acts in the film occur while the population is still sighted. At the beginning of the film Don McKeller plays a character only known as "Thief". He steals the car of a man who has just gone blind, and while he can still see. Of course, this event doesn't really compare to the terrible things that happen once the characters are placed inside an abandoned asylum, but I do believe it does go to show that everyone has the capability to do evil or vicious things, sighted or not. Even once inside the asylum there are vicious acts that occur. There are some scenes that are sure to make some audience members walk out in disgust. However, even with these scenes on cannot say that there are good or evil characters. The blindness that affects the population acts as an equalizer between all people. Societal structure falls apart once we all become the same. Their is lawlessness and rampant abuse of human rights. Why? Because we no longer have to follow those rules now that there is no one left to enforce them. Some of the people who were hit with the disease at the beginning of the film slowly begin to show their true natures once they realize that there is no order inside the asylum. [/SPOILERS]
While continuing their argument, the N.F.B. states, "Only one woman, played in the film by Julianne Moore, remains able to see, feigning blindness to remain with her husband. She is portrayed as physically, mentally, and morally superior to the others because she still has her sight." While it is true that she might be superior to some of the other characters in these ways, but this would have also have been true before the epidemic of blindness had hit anyone. This is another reason why I feel that this argument is a little foolish. The film never portrays anyone as a saint, everyone does horrible things, some much worse than others.
[SPOILERS] There is a sequence in which the women of the asylum are forced to have sex with the men of Ward Three in exchange for food. If they do not give up their bodies the people in their wards will starve. While the women of Ward One are having sex with the men of Ward Three, one of then men kills one of the women. In one of the most moving and beautiful scenes in the film, the rest of the women of Ward One carry the body of the dead woman back, clean her, and wrap her. Later, Julianne Moore's character murders a man in Ward Three with a pair of scissors and arguably causes the death of many more people, does that put her morally above others in the film? This is why I say the argument of the N.F.B. is a little foolish. There is no one side to this story, no good guy and no bad guy. [/SPOILERS]
In closing I would just like to reiterate that this film is about society as it falls apart due to an epidemic of blindness that sweeps through the world. It is not an attack on the blind but an exploration of the capabilities of human beings when placed under extreme circumstances. I highly doubt such intelligent people and artists would make a film that would only act to metaphorically lambast the blind.
-Cigarettes
[Source Cinematical]
Saturday, September 27, 2008
R.I.P. Paul Newman
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Plea Bargain
Alright. So we are guilty, so very very guilty. I know I have not kept up with my promises and my duties. I fancifully frolicked around Toronto during the Film Festival and forgot my sworn duty to record the details on this blog. I have also neglected to update... I'm bad, but I figured my friend Benicio up there would convey my feelings more succinctly and accurately than I ever could in words.
So this is just so you (if there even are any of "you") out there know that I am still alive, and still blogging.... some of the time.
-Cigarettes
Sunday, August 3, 2008
First Margot, and now Rachel...
First off, I would like to apologize for not updating sooner. Things just keep coming up, so now that I finally have some free time, I will try to post more frequently.
So a new trailer just hit the internet, and it is for the new film by Jonathan Demme entitled Rachel Getting Married. The script is written by Jenny Lumet, a first time screenwriter. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt and Debra Winger.
The film centers around Kym (Hathaway), a girl who has been in and out of rehab for a decade and has a long history of personal crisis. She returns to her family for her sister Rachel's (DeWitt) wedding, and brings a lot of drama along with her, acting as a catalyst that exposes all of the tensions that lie within the family.
This film is actually a tough sell for me. Jonathan Demme who has done some really great work in the past has been churning out less than stellar works as of late. Although I have to say Anne Hathaway looks pretty decent in the trailer that has just been released (the trailer can be found here). I like that she is finally moving onto some smaller edgier roles, and I might dare to say she might be picking up some cred come award season.
Despite obvious similarities to the film Margot at the Wedding, I think (judging by the trailer) that this film will be leading in a different direction, just in familiar territory. The whole thing looks like it has been shot digitally, which should also be interesting. Also, unlike Margot, this film looks more like an ensemble piece.
The film will be making its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Gala Screening... I'm just hoping for a little more information before I take a leap of faith and buy a ticket to see this.
-Cigarettes
[Source Cinematical]
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Uh Oh...
It has just been announced that Kate Hudson is officially attached to Rob Marshall's musical-extravaganza, Nine. Now, I'm thinking the same thing that you're thinking: Kate Hudson is a talentless and vacuous blonde who will drown next to the acting heavyweights who also grace the line-up; but, what if she does a good job? Huh? Maybe she'll be amazing. I mean, when I was 14 years old I watched Almost Famous and decided that I needed to leave home, become a rock journalist, and fall in love with a slu-... groupie named Penny Lane. I loved her. I adored her. When she said, "What kind of beer?" my heart broke into millions of little pieces and has never fully recovered. Whatever you want to say about her, the girl has charm and presence. At least, I believe that she does. Who knows, maybe acting with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Marillon Cotillard, and Sophia Loren will force her to play up to their level. Good Lord that cast list makes me all kinds of happy. Rob Marshall is a very talented guy who pulled a great performance out of Renee Zellweger in Chicago, and I had absolutely no faith in her whatsoever; so, maybe he'll be able to do the same with Kate Hudson. To sum it up: she showed great promise in Almost Famous; she was wonderfully charming and funny in Le Divorce; and, despite the movie itself being kind of crappy, she was able to turn in a decent performance in The Skeleton Key. With a great director and fantastic cast she might just do a great job.
Oh... crap... wait. She has to sing as well, doesn't she? Hmph.
Now, not only is she joining this impressive group of people, but unlike the rest of them, her character has been created for the movie and wasn't featured in the Broadway musical it's based on. For those of you who don't know, or didn't read my colleague's previous post, Nine follows famous film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) as he struggles with the pressures of his relationships with his wife, lover, muse, agent, and mother.
Rob Marshall's statement as of yesterday (Mon. July 14th):
"[Hudson's] revelatory skills as a singer and a dancer lead to the creation of the role."
If he has faith, I have faith.
Thoughts?
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Every year around this time I start anticipating all the goodies that the Toronto International Film Festival will have to offer. I figure, then, that to work with my anticipation we will begin linking to posters, trailers, and news about various films that myself (popcorn) or cigarettes are interested in seeing! It's always fun (and actually a bit nerve-wracking) hearing about last minute line-up changes, so I figure that any information we hear should be passed on to y'all. Now don't for a second take what's posted here as gospel; we all know that the rumour mill turns out a doozy every once in a while. What you can expect is a routine update on said rumour mill and our excitement, disappointment, or disgust with the decisions being made by the higher-ups.
So, without further ado, I give you some movies that I want to see:
1. Tokyo Sonata - Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata tells the
story of a dysfunctional Japanese family dealing with their
individual differences whilst coping with a sudden and unexpected event that shakes everything up.
Now, I for one am all about the dysfunctional family movie genre. I love everything from Ordinary People, to The Ice Storm, to American Beauty, and so am hopeful that the early praise that this film has received is well-earned. Kurosawa proved with his 2001 effort, Kairo (Pulse), that he has a strong visual imagination, which should hopefully help elevate any lapses in energy or pace should the film suffer from any moments of yawn-this-is-the-same-family-drama-we've-all-seen-before. Now, the film did win the Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard at this year's Cannes Film Festival, so my guess is that Kurosawa's film is as great as I expect it to be. I mean, hello, it won an award; that, like, totally means that it's automatically the best thing ever. Deal with it.
Oh, and the poster is awesome: gorgeous type-face; wonderful capture of the lead character; fantastic colour palette. I'm really rather excited.
Oh and make sure to check out the website here and a larger version of the trailer here. (Yes, I know that it's all in Japanese. hmph.)
2. The Secret Life of Bees - Gina Prince-Bythewood
Yes, I know that this movie stars Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Queen Latifah, but I still want to see it.
Things it has going for it:
- Sophie Okonedo who was fantastic in both Dirty Pretty Things and Hotel Rwanda
- Based on a critically acclaimed, best-selling novel
Things it has against it:
- Seemingly melodramatic saturation
- Lead cast of debatable credibility and talent
The movie stars Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson who move in with three sisters (Latifah, Keys and Okonedo) after Fanning's mother is murdered. Hmm... coming of age chick-flick set in South Carolina in 1964. This could be terrible, or it could be endearing and heart-warming. Plus, Dakota Fanning looks all growed up now! Don't get me wrong, I still find her an annoying little brat; but, I'm curious to see whether or not hers is a talent that will last or not.
You can check out a clip here and let me know how much you don't want to see it.
3. Un Conte de Noel - Arnaud Deplechin
Just like family dramas, I love me a good Christmas movie. I especially love them if they include Catherine Deneuve and Mathieu Amalric in the cast list. This movie has all the elements of a terribly cheesy, redundant, and piss-poor Hollywood Christmas film: a family reunites in their old home as Christmas draws nearer, allowing for a mix of comedy, drama, questions, and answers. Eugh. But, all reviews, all news, all anything point towards this film being handled with a grace and sophistication that Hollywood should take note of. I mean, the presence of Catherine Deneuve itself elevates this movie above any Hollywood, Stone Family (or otherwise) garbage.
Well, that's all the time I have for today. My God these posts take for-bloody-ever to write up. So drop me a line and let me know if you find yourself interested in any of these, think they'll be codswallop, or have any suggestions of your own.
Cheers.
- Popcorn
[Source TIFF]
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