JA from MNPP here, with a look at five people who should probably sleep in tomorrow when the Oscar nominations are announced.
Beyonce, for snarling and snapping her neck in Obsessed
Either of these two blocks of wood, New Moon
Anne Hathaway, Bride Wars - I love ya Annie, but you have to be reminded like when you rub a dog's nose in its business when it does its business on the floor. Bride Wars is bad business on the floor, girl.
Eli Roth, Inglourious Basterds - He'll probably give the speech for who ever wins an award for Basterds anyway since that's been the routine this season - and I like looking at him so I haven't much minded - but I think it's safe to assume his name's not getting engraved on any acting statues any time this year. On my bedpost, that's another matter. (Call me, Eli!)
But hey, y'all can probably expect a call when they're looking for presenters, so chin up! You can awkwardly read the teleprompter in much the way you delivered your lines on-screen, and that'll be a treat for us all. Especially me, since I will be drunk, and laughing at you.
While some people were enjoying the sunshine last weekend I was holed up with Joe having a True Blood marathon (I'm not much for sunshine). Now, that it's on DVD have you caught up with it yet?
Art of the Title Sequence investigated its NSFW opening titles last year which I still can't get enough of. I couldn't ever fast forward. I love how the credits shove religiosity, carnality and base nature into a crammed pot, boil them down to their base essences (remarkably similar as it turns out!) and mix them into a trashy stew... just like the show. ♫ "I wanna do bad things to you" I'd only seen the first few episodes before and the show never got any less obvious about what some saw as its awkward / obvious political sexual metaphors but as it turns out it didn't need to. Good trash is good trash. Trash that has campy knowing fun with its awkward flailing at message and meaning? I'll take it. The second season starts June 14th.
<--- Robert Pattison on the set of New Moon
The vampire mythology has always readjusted itself to suit current preoccupations and we've definitely moved back into the realm of the romantic vampire. The romantic undead was missing for awhile -- see 2006's vampire blog-a-thon -- but he's returned defanged. The traditional romantic/erotic vampire has been replaced by the romantic/sexless vampire. Twilight bores me stiff, like rigor mortis stiff, but a lot of people of all ages love its weird asexuality... which... though I'm no social theorist, I'm guessing is a natural result of the past decade of purity rings, abstinence fever and attacks against sex-ed. But it's strange (to me at least) that the TeenBeat style sexuality isn't just for tweens and newly hormonal teens anymore.
The recent television upfronts have revealed that we'll be getting more Twilight style PG vampirism with The Vampire Diaries which is also about a beautiful high school girl falling for the mysterious undead classmate who initially resists her. How much do you have to change something to avoid lawsuits?
Not much apparently!
I assume that a lot of this teen vampire craze sprung from the influential and totally brilliant Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy may have also been a high schooler but you know what they say: some people mature faster than others.
Thank god there's True Blood for a randy bloody counterpoint to the wildly popular but anemic teenage vampire craze. For all the dreamy eyed romanticism of the Bill (Stephen Moyer) & Sookie (Anna Paquin) relationship on True Blood, it also feels just as sexually dangerous as it should. I mean loving the undead... that should be a little frightening, not just mushy. That scene late in the first season where Bill emerges from the earth and mounts an initially terrified Sookie? That was dirty... in both senses of the word.
Will True Blood get any cinematic company or will Twilight ripoffs completely take over in the next few years? Surburban Vampire has a huge list of upcoming undead titles and the answer seems to be neither. Most of the new vampire films seem to be horror or action related like...
High Midnight -a period piece and vampire western which the always welcome Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist, Valkyrie) was initially rumored to be starring in as a vampire hunter.
Daybreakers a scifi horror take which frankly sounds more like a zombie film. Most of the human race has gone bloodsucker. With Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke (who look quite clean and fresh for people fighting for their lives in a horror film.)
Last Blood epic war between zombies vs. vampires with the vamps out to protect their food source, humans
I'm not an aficionado of hair, but his looks great.
I don't believe the pre comma denial, and I don't share the post comma sentiment.
No Sacred Cows a fine interview with Charlie Kaufman on Synecdoche New York. I'm warming to the notion of giving it a second chance. But currently I think it's a purposefully off-putting one note masturbation session. We'll see. Heroine Content has a pointed review of Star Trek and its use of gender and race. StarPulse on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. I'm so thrilled that Katharine Heigl is finally free of that particular ball and chain.
Finally, 3 videos of note
An oddly compelling, funny juxtaposition of Bambi imagery with Sir Ian McKellen discussing acting ???? For real (thx, Jeff)
HBO's preview for Hung, starring Thomas Jane. Doesn't HBO need a new zeitgeist hit in a big way?
First trailer for The Road (it's not a "thriller" per se and Charlize is barely in it, despite the marketing) but the imagery look better than when I saw the movie. I guess finishing the color corrections really makes a movie pop.
Poster Wire an animated poster for Terminator: Salvation. oh god please let this marketing technique take off. We loves it Awards Daily "a tale of two Nixons" -damn, I wish I'd thought of that The Big PictureThe Wrestler takes a hit from the LA Times. Right in time for Oscar season. Ouch, that'll sting ONTD Seventeen describes the sexual appeal of Robert Pattison. Dear god he's like a Frankenstein monster of celebs Modern Tonic has a Best of TV 2008 list... Are You There, Blog? Carrie Fisher hawking her new book. She's so damn funny
Deadline Hollywood Luhrmann to take on The Great Gatsby next. Damn but Baz likes a challenge. That thing (brilliant) has to be considered unfilmable, right? The Carpetbagger alerts us to the annual Oscar short films showing Multiple Personality Cruise visits Letterman "they have this thing called the internet and they have these things called blogs" Towleroad Seann William Scott photos from Balls Out. That boy (thankfully) has no shame The Bad and Ugly ...speaking of shameless, Halle Berry going topless again (pics from the set of Frankie and Alice) Boy Culture Matthew celebrates his 40th in swanky style... Yes, I was there (my illustration is the last one on the page. That is such a great party memorabilia idea. I'm totally going to steal it)
And finally... Heroine Content takes issue with Empire's "100 Greatest Movie Characters" list. There's a lot to take issue with. It's 88% male, 93% white. So annoying. Guess who's not on the list? Margo Channing from All About Eve. Severine from Belle Du Jour. Mrs. Iselin from The Manchurian Candidate. Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire. Martha from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Bree from Klute. F***ing Annie Hall. Yeesh... and that's just the seven that popped into my head without looking at any list of movies. Most of the women chosen were from genre or "guy" movies (Aliens, Star Wars, The Professional, Silence of the Lambs, ...Roger Rabbit) The canons are always being rewritten but they always get rewritten in the same old ways.
Stale Popcorn a must read: spot-on reenactment of manic fanboyism ModFab is apparently on a one man mission to review every single Oscar movie in two weeks time. Where do people find the time? Acidemic yes, what is that buzzing in Belle Du Jour ? My New Plaid Pants 'Do Dump or Marry: Baz's men' In Contention on the Sundance lineup Cinema Styles on the difficulties of happy endings
Kenneth in the (212) remembers the golden god days of Ryan O'Neal Pajiba "five guys it main pain you to realize are Republicans" Huffington Post Thelma Adams on the sex in The Reader. The article has a lot of interesting points but labelling scenes between a 33 year old actress and an 18 year old actor "child pornography" is grossly misleading Carpetbagger gets rowdy with Mickey Rourke @ the Gotham Awards The Hot Blog Best Action Movie. Do the BFCA need another category? We could solve all of these genre problems if all awards groups would only realize that you can be great without being a drama and should be rewarded if you are. In other words if WALL•E or The Dark Knight or Let the Right One In are the best in a year, nominated them for "Best" not "Best of [insert ghetto here]" So sayeth the FiLM BiTCH.
Blah blah blah. Enough of my soapbox. Here is the trailer to the new 20s era queerish biopic (Salvador Dali + Federico Garcia Lorca) starring Robert Pattison, trading creepy Twilight staring for creepy pencil mustache
Nick's Flick Picks Nick has a revised "favorites" list and (joy!) 6 new write-ups. That's right, 6. Now, if I could only get my "personal canon" going again Low Resolution Joe's winter preview Stale Popcorn Glenn's hopes 4 Oscar season Basket of Kisses Deborah and Roberta meet Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) now on the boards in that old Madonna role in Speed the Plow Boy Culture Matthew does not like this 'John Travolta' guy My New Plaid Pants JA's 5 favorite Woody's (Allen) In Contention Guy likes the "Sight & Sound" top ten list, with Hunger up top Websters is my Bitch Stacey has irrational hatred for Robert Pattison Tractor Facts Fox has some words for Four Christmases. More than four he has. Gold Derby on gay characters and Oscar. It helps Penn's Oscar chances that Milk dies violently... sadly StinkyLulu Lulu is collecting web writings on Gus Van Sant's Milk
I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking, 'Wow, you're ridiculously good looking. Maybe you could do that for a career. -Zoolander
Question: If vampires can't see their own reflection, how did Edward (Twilight) know he could be "professionally good looking"? Yes, Robert Pattison is just as versatile as Derek Zoolander! We hear he's working on a new look for the sequel but you 'you gotta tame the beast before you let it out of its cage.'
Are you sick of hearing about Twilight yet? I can't wrap my head around Entertainment Weekly's total slavishdevotion... they didn't put Titanic or Julia Roberts on every single cover until after the nation became obsessed. You'd think EW's corporate affiliation was to Summit Entertainment rather than Warner Bros. I love vampire movies and yet I'm considering skipping it. I'm already sick of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's faces. It's been hyped so absurdly much that it can't possibly live up to expectations.
<-- At this point if Kellan Lutz isn't stark naked for the entire movie I'm going to be disappointed. (Go that extra mile, Twilight, go that extra mile)
And on that note, may I say that my blog friend JA of My New Plaid Pantsreally needs to stop reading my mind and beating me to the punch. Whilst preparing this post I was clicking around the internets (as I am prone to do... I multitask) and I see this post. Not only is he drooling on the exact same man (and a supporting player at that) but his banner features Isabelle Adjani in Nosferatu (1979) who I just wrote about last night for a future post, I kid you not.
Is there a hidden portal in some office or apartment building in the Tri State area that goes straight into my brain? Is JA spending a lot of time dusting himself off beside the New Jersey Turnpike lately?
StinkyLulu Oscar Smackdown 1976: teen hookers, religious kooks, and women scorned Towleroad Interesting. James Schamus (of Focus Features) responds to that Hollywood Reporter article I linked to yesterday on Milk's marketing campaign Hot Blog wowed by Milk CHUD How far we haven't come since the days of Harvey Milk MetaCafe you have approximately two weeks to make a 30 second commercial for Australia (the movie) and win a trip to NYC and Australia. Go... Wired on flailing third parts and Chris Nolan's hesitation re: Batman³ (which is actually Batman8... so relax, fella) Thompson on Hollywood campaigns for golden boys begin: first up WALL•E & The Dark Knight Oscar and the City a poll regarding and a shot from the set of next year's musical Nine MTV Huh? Robert Pattison (Twilight) as Salvador Dali?
and to sign off on this Milk-y link roundup, here's Diego Luna and Emile Hirsch at last night's premiere @ the Castro
Cinema Styles has a good piece on the seemingly unstoppable expansion of running times Y Kant Goran Rite on Superman (1978). Succint and well put, sir. Ephemerist on Christina Hendrick's decolletage @ the EMMYs <-- The New Republic "Gratuitous Argument Starter" ranking the work of the Coen Bros. My ranking (subject to change) is to the left Victim of the TimeGoes back in time Bauer-Griffin Mark Ruffalo shouts out to Obama Webster's Is My Bitch "catfight" (noun) starring Drew & Kiki
Just Jared Robert Pattinson in Interview. (Will there by more hysteria or less once this Twilight thingy opens?) He Shot Cyrus has a low maintenance blog-a-thon coming up: "My Best Post" -- you've already written it, see? Mo Rocca fun piece on Dolly Parton's career and Broadway bound 9 to 5 Gelf Magazine looks at the world of blurb distortion in movie marketing I Watch Stuff Anna Faris stunting her own career. Challenging yourself is hard, yo.
Drawn! rounds up a couple of pieces on the still-in-progress animated feature Coraline (2009)
I really enjoyed the short Neil Gaiman book its based on and, though I mourn the now long shelved idea (Gaiman approved) of Michelle Pfeiffer as Mother/Other Mother in a live action version, I'm hoping this stop motion film honors the modestly scaled, inventively creepy magic tale. Cross your fingers.
Beyonce, for snarling and snapping her neck in Obsessed
Either of these two blocks of wood, New Moon
Anne Hathaway, Bride Wars - I love ya Annie, but you have to be reminded like when you rub a dog's nose in its business when it does its business on the floor. Bride Wars is bad business on the floor, girl.
Eli Roth, Inglourious Basterds - He'll probably give the speech for who ever wins an award for Basterds anyway since that's been the routine this season - and I like looking at him so I haven't much minded - but I think it's safe to assume his name's not getting engraved on any acting statues any time this year. On my bedpost, that's another matter. (Call me, Eli!)
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