“Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.”
from Wikipedia
Produced by J.J. Abrams (from Lost/Alias).
At least this time, they’re telling the story in less than 3 hours, instead of four or more consecutive seasons.
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or receive updates via email. Thanks for visiting!
Enjoy the beautiful French animation movie “En Tus Brazos” about how nothing can stop a tango dancing couple … not even fate. It abounds with creativity, sentiment and argentine tango.
Pietel has started an ‘army’ which should grow to 300 persons fast, if he wants to win a 300-persons premiere of “300“, the movie. He’s at 271 now. I’m already in there. We still need 29 people fast. Subscribe here.
I wanted to see a movie this weekend and when I discovered at the counter that my first choice “Night at the museum” was dubbed in French, the only other option was “Ghost Rider“. That’s how I ended up in a movie that I actually hadn’t planned on seeing. The movie features Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes and can be summarized in two words: fire and cleavage. Cage plays a Marvel Comics superhero on a seriously pimped up bike, who’s main characteristics would be superforce, a really low voice and being on fire. Mendes plays the girlfriend, with seriously pimped up boobs.
“The original Roxanne was blonde and blue-eyed, but she also had huge bajoongas… I figured since I can’t be blond and blue-eyed, I’ll at least have her bra size. So the bajoongas got big: they were out of control.”
from Mendes perks up for new role
If you’re a demanding movie-goer, don’t see this one. The bad acting is not fully evened out by the abundant cleavage. But try to use the word “Bajoongas” at least once in the next week. You’ll love the way it bounces in your mouth.
I see a lot of movies, and that means that for me some names of Hollywood studios are household names. Still, ever since reading “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls“, I’m also curious about the stories behind those companies: who started them, what kind of movies did they make in the past. Some of that information can be found on Wikipedia. Here’s a first batch (I’ve not included the really big ones like MGM, Paramount, just some of the ’smaller’ names I recognize):
Lions Gate Entertainment (Canada): originally founded by Robert Altman. During the 90s known as Cinépix Film Properties. Revived as Lionsgate in 1997 by Frank Guistra. Have bought Artisan Entertainment in 2003 (The Blair Witch Project, Requiem for a Dream …) which also owned Vestron Pictures (Dirty Dancing). Bring out ‘daring’ movies: Fahrenheit 9/11, Irreversible, Saw, Hostel.
Touchstone Pictures (USA): started in 1984 as division of Disney in order to bring movies that were for more mature audiences. First release: Splash! Last year’s releases: The Guardian, The Prestige and Deja Vu. Also has TV division: ABC Television Studio (Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy)
Focus Features (USA): art house films division of Universal Studios (since 2002). Produced recent gems like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Motorcycle Diaries, The Constant Gardener and Brokeback Mountain. Also does action/horror movies under the brand Rogue Films: Assault on Precinct 13, Shaun Of The Dead …
Castle Rock Entertainment: started by Rob Reiner (Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally) et al in 1987 with funding from Columbia Pictures (Sony). Name inspired by “The Dead Zone” by Stephen King. Apart from Reiners films, not very successful. Sold in 1994 to Turner Broadcasting, later Time/Warner. Biggest success: animation movie Polar Express (2004).
Miramax films: started in 1987 by the Weinstein brothers. Sold in 1993 to Disney. Under the Weinsteins, Miramax had a history of buying the rights to Asian films (e.g. Hero), only to sit on them without releasing them for some years. The Weinsteins left in 2005. Famous movies: The Crying Game, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Pulp Fiction, Chicago.
The Weinstein Company: founded in 2005 by the above cited Harvey and Bob Weinstein. First release: Derailed. Most recent release: Hannibal Rising. Next Release: Grind House (Tarantino). They also have a subsiduary Dimension Films: Scary Movie 4.
New Line Cinema: founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne. Sold in 1994 to Turner Broadcast, later Time/Warner. First hit movie: A Nightmare on Elm Street. Lots of good movies: Lord of The Rings trilogy, Austin Powers, Magnolia, The Mask. Recent hits: Snakes on a Plane and Wedding Crashers.
TriStar Pictures: founded in 1982 as joint-venture of Columbia (then a subsidiary of Coca-Cola), HBO, and CBS. When the latter 2 dropped out, became Columbia Pictures in 1987, which was taken over by Sony in 1989. Famous movies: Terminator 2, Basic Instinct, Jerry Maguire, Seven Years in Tibet. Not making very successful movies last couple of years.
United Artists: found in 1919(!!) by Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and D. W. Griffith. The company did not do too well and was almost dead in the late 1940s. In 1951 Arthur Krim and Robert Benjamin offered to run the company for 5 years and if profitable, buy it. That worked and they went public in 1956. They releases the Beatles’ movies in 1964/1965 and also backed the first James Bond movie. The company was sold to TransAmerica in 1967 and continued to prosper, working with Woody Allen, Robert Altman and Brian De Palma. Krim and Benjamin left in 1978, and the first project by the new management, Heaven’s Gate, completely bombed. It was sold to Kirk Kerkorian (MGM). In 1990 it was sold to Giancarlo Parretti, who went bankrupt within the year. Taken over by Credit Lyonnais, it was sold again in 1997, again to Kerkorian. MGM took over most of its titles and franchises. In 2005 it was bought (along with MGM) by a consortium including Sony and Comcast. On November 2, 2006, MGM announced that actor Tom Cruise and his long-time production partner Paula Wagner were resurrecting United Artists. Some famous movies (and this is really a hard choice): the Rocky series, the Bond series, the Pink Panter series, The Graduate, Apocalypse Now, Bowling for Columbine, Capote.
Orion Pictures: founded in 1978 by the above mentioned ex-management of UA together with Warners Bros. While it started out strong (10, Life of Brian) and did well in the 80s (Terminator, Amadeus, Platoon), it went into bankruptcy from 1992 till 1996 and was sold to MGM in 1998.
Did you know that the voices from Homer Simpson, Grampa Abraham Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel, Itchy and still half a dozen others are all done by the same man?
Check out the following interview with six of the main voice actors from The Simpsons: Dan Castellaneta (the voice behind all the characters cited above), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson and Patty/Selma), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson, but also played in As Good As It Gets), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson - is actually a woman!!), Hank Azaria (Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum/Carl Carlson, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon …, but also known as an actor in Mad about you, Along came Polly and Quiz Show) and Harry Shearer (Mr Burns/Mr Smithers/Ned Flanders/Kent Brockman/Rev. Lovejoy/Principal Skinner … but also the bass player in Spinal Tap - cucumber … pants … remember?). Continue reading ‘Who are the voices from The Simpsons?’
“Babel” links up three stories on three continents in a clever way. Mexican director Iñárritu has probably made one of the best movies of 2006. I’m not gonna tell anything more about the plot (but girls: it features Brad Pitt and Gael García Bernal). Just go and see it!
One very pleasant discovery halfway was the excellent Japanese remix of “September” (Earth Wind and Fire). It starts off all sampled and cut up, but I recognized it quite fast (I have a thing for sampling). So who was responsible for this funky rework of an already fabulous original? Continue reading ‘Babel: Japanese “September” remix’
One wonders if, next to the departments Marketing and Human Resources, there are a number of offices marked “Industrial espionage” in the studios of Pixar, Dreamworks and other animation houses. It could be a coincidence, but they seem to do the same kind of movies at the same time:
Latest Comments
Frank Khoury, deb, Byron, Derek, Levi, BillyJeans, loco, Keri, Alfie, Micherlle McAulay [...]
FrancoisL, FrancoisL
Auto, Anthony, Trish, Alan, devina, Chris Nikander, Tasha, Olivier, JEANNETTE, hzm [...]
Max Elliot, Jack Smith, Roger Pack, Todd in L.A., Internet Marketing Badger, Crazy Penguin, Daniel, Thellis, butter, underground [...]
Rob, John, bob, anonymous, anonymous, jj, Michael Davis, jj, jj, jj [...]
Wesley, Bart, Mike, Clopin