Tackling the Magic Kingdom

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JA from MNPP here. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times yesterday Jon Favreau opened up about why he's not doing the third Iron Man film (Nat mentioned it yesterday), and in so doing this tid-bit presented itself:

"Favreau is set to direct “Magic Kingdom,” which the 44-year-old filmmaker described as a family fantasy adventure that will tap into the vintage Disney creations that “loomed so large in the imagination” of his generation. Favreau said that [David] Fincher ... will direct the studio’s ”20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” a Jules Verne bookshelf classic that is closely associated with Disney after the landmark 1954 film and the submarine theme-park ride, and Disney confirmed that to be the case. [Guillermo] Del Toro had already been announced as director of a new “Haunted Mansion” film."

That's right - David Fincher, currently swallowing whole every critic's prize in sight for his little Facebook movie, might be making a movie about a giant squid squatting on a submarine next.

Well after his adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that is, which he's currently in the middle of filming. What does this mean for his adaptation of the French graphic novel The Killer that he's been attached to? Or his forever-gestating Rendezvous With Rama?

And what does this mean about the Disney live-action film in general? They seem to be putting at least some of that Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixar money to good use, hiring smart people and throwing them into curious projects. (Unless it's the fourth Pirates movie we're talking about; that's just desperate.) I'm dying to know what a David Fincher 20,000 Leagues would look and feel like. Or Del Toro's take on The Haunted Mansion, sure to be bursting at the seams with fantastic beasties.

But my real question now is how long until they hire David Lynch to make a Space Mountain movie? Because that's when shit gets real.

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"Tangled" as 50th. A Disney List

At some point in the chronology of me dealing with Tangled, a complicated psychological rollercoaster for this lifelong Rapunzel lover, I had completely forgotten (or maybe never known?) that it was to be the 50th Disney animated feature.

I think I wasn't counting the compilation films but Disney does. Here's a helpful reminder from Disney of that rich history (which I saw courtesy of All Things Fangirl). How many have you seen?

The video comes after the jump.

Read more »

7 Word Reviews: From Rapunzel to Woody

Until I find more time... 7 words must suffice.

Tangled 
Disney's animated Rapunzel musical (Skip the 3D, save money.)
7WR: Gorgeously rendered central image / conflict. Tonal slips.  B+
[More to come on this one soon. Sorry for wait.]

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Woody Allen's annual comedy. This one focuses on a failed writer (Josh Brolin) whose new work just doesn't measure up to the old (hmmmm) and the women in his life.
7WR: Woody, lazily confessing, quotes Shakespeare "...signifying nothing."  D*

Inside Job
Oscar finalist documentary on the global economic crisis.

7WR: Dry, linear 'Recitation O' Horrors'. Beautifully shot. B

The Way Back

Peter Weir's true WWII era story of escapees from a Siberian work camp.

7WR: The walking dead; only haunts in stasis. B/B-

*That grade might be generous. It might be my second least favorite Woody Allen film. Nothing "tops" The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.

Links With Benefits

Journalistic Skepticism Oooh, it's a must read listen. Luke has collected the film scores this year. Which is your favorite and who do you think is winning the Oscar for Best Score?
Cinema Blend smart post about confusingly similar 2011 romantic comedies Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached. One twin thing that isn't mentioned: Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman, the female leads from the respective movies are sexually entanged together in Black Swan.
Towleroad A bit about Spielberg's Lincoln. Plus, my continued Harry Potter agnosticism . I don't even wanna see this one. Five hours to tell that book? And I've heard that they do spend lots of time moping in that tent. Argh. I don't even dislike the movies really (except the first two) but 9 years is more than enough for one series. Wrap that damn thing up already!
Austin Translation has some fun advice for future Disneyland travellers.
I.Z. Reloaded amazing Star Wars inspired art.
Vulture looks at the possibilities in a post Harry Potter world for Daniel Radcliffe.

Finally, have you read this great New York Times Cher profile piece? I particularly loved this bit about her surreal fame-filled life.

It’s an odd existence, Cher’s. When she recounted a late-night gabfest with two girlfriends in the bedroom of her Malibu manse not long ago, the gabbers in question were Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin. When she flashed back to a favorite exercise class in Beverly Hills decades ago, the fellow crunchers and squatters were Raquel Welch, Ali MacGraw and, to a more limited and grudging extent, Barbra Streisand, who “would go over, do two little things, and then walk around and talk,” Cher said.

She refers to most of these people by first name or nickname only, figuring you can fill in the blanks. Nicky is Nicolas Cage, Kurty is Kurt Russell, Mich is Michelle Pfeiffer and Nony is Winona Ryder, who starred with Cher in “Mermaids” in 1990 but suffered a career setback after a subsequent arrest for shoplifting.

“It’s such a drag that some crimes are cool and some crimes are uncool,” Cher said.

Ha. You know why that "snap out of it" scene in Moonstruck is so infinitely funny/resonant? Because loving Cher (in ridiculous proportions to how much you probably should love Cher) comes so naturally; you have to be slapped to break her spell!

True story: Last night I was supposed to meet The Boyfriend for an event and I got confused about where we were meeting. I ended up at that big wall-painting of Burlesque I shared last week (which wasn't where I was supposed to be). A minute later he showed up just as I was ringing him.

"How'd you know where I was?" I ask.
"I knew you'd gravitate towards Cher."
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Unsung Heroes: Vladimir Tytla for Dumbo

Michael C here from Serious Film. It's going to be tough not to get carried away this week since the subject of this episode is one I feel very strongly about. If I had only been given the opportunity to write one episode of Unsung Heroes it probably would have been about this man.

Even the most casual moviegoer can pinpoint a favorite animated moment, but I'd be surprised to find that one in a thousand could name the main animator responsible. If this wasn't the case - if people knew animators the way they knew actors and directors - then the name of Vladimir Tytla would be as well known as Hitchcock or Brando. He is to animation what Michael Jordan is to basketball. You didn't know his skill could be performed on that level until you saw him do it.

It is commonly said in the profession that animation is acting with a pencil. Good animating is as deeply felt as anyone performance on the Broadway stage. On that level no animator ever performed with more depth of feeling than Tytla. A physically imposing man, his drawings were just as powerful and muscular as he was. There were no half-hearted emotions in one of his characters. Scenes bearing his signature reached heights to which few live action filmmakers came close.

I could devote a book chapter to each of Tytla's achievements during the golden age of Disney animation. Along with Fred Moore he supervised the animation of Snow White's seven dwarves, work which proved to the public that animated characters could have all the humanity of their live action counterparts. Stromboli, his villainous puppeteer in Pinocchio, is frighteningly realistic as no other animated character I can think of.

His work on Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain sequence is often called his best, understandably so, since many declare it the high water mark in the history of animation. The intensity of Tytla's Chernabog, the demon of the mountain, is truly awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, I would point to his work on the title character of Walt Disney's Dumbo as his crowning achievement.

As head animator for Dumbo he largely ignored the behavior of real elephants, instead basing his animation on his own infant son. It shows. While totally believable as an animal, the character reaches the audience on an elemental level. A silent character save for the occasional squeal, Dumbo is childhood innocence personified. The scene where he visits his mother in prison set the bar for tear-jerkers for the next seventy years. From the perfectly held moment of stillness before Dumbo breaks down sobbing through to the moment mother and son hold on their last moment of contact, Tytla's character choices are so strong I believe students would benefit from studying his work in an acting class.

Animation technology has come a long way since Dumbo, but no computer can ever duplicate the overwhelming emotion Tytla was able to wring from his material. It's a testament to his skill that few outside animation aficionados like myself know his name. To most of the world Dumbo is as real as any character they encounter in a film. Even to a devoted fan like myself it is tough to conceive that a man could create such moments out of blank paper.

Who Toons

JA from MNPP here. While Nat's been away there's been a sad dearth of Oscar news reported on here at TFE and so when I saw this news earlier today I knew it might be a nice enough sized scrap to toss down until he's back and such things can be discussed proper-like. The Academy announced the fifteen candidates that are eligible for the Animated Feature prize this morning, and they are as follows:

Alpha and Omega
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Despicable Me
The Dreams of Jinsha
How to Train Your Dragon

Idiots and Angels
The Illusionist
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Megamind
My Dog Tulip

Shrek Forever After
Summer Wars
Tangled
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Toy Story 3

You can check out Nat's prediction page for the category right here. But isn't it funny how the alphabet saved the inevitable winner for last? Trying to trick us all like that.

Seriously though, is anybody going to beat Toy Story 3? Should anybody beat Toy Story 3? I liked not loved it personally - although those final 20 minutes are killer to be sure. I'd love to see The Illusionist (as I'm sure most of us would) but it's not out here til Christmas.
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Donna Murphy is "Mother Gothel"

If you don't just skip the occasional theater post on The Film Experience you may know of my love of Tony winner Donna Murphy. She has what might be her most significant screen role ever this very year. 'But what they want from her is....her voice.' She is playing Mother Gothel, the villainess of Disney's Tangled. She's the one who grounded Rapunzel, like, forever. [Okay, stop gagging. I know the juvenilia of the Tangled marketing has been entirely off-putting but let's stay positive for two minutes.]

Here's the first image release of Mother Gothel, just released.

Tangled's song score -- eight new songs the soundtrack is out in November the week before the movie -- is by Alan Menken so we hope against hope that the songs will be good and some of his past work is very good indeed. Lately it hasn't been quite so magical but at the very least a Menken score would have to be preferrable to the pop-song laden trailer music which led us to believe that this would be another Shrek, musically speaking. [Shudder.]

<--- Donna (left) with fellow Broadway headliner Sutton Foster, who has weirdly never appeared in a film, despite being a rather big deal on stage. (Usually the big theater stars get at least some film work.)

You've probably seen Donna in a few things already since she does bit parts on film (like in Door in the Floor or Spider-Man 2) and major parts on TV... but her voice is INCREDIBLE so I'm hoping she gets a song that's worthy of her.

So, let's think about the "villain songs" in Menken's oeuvre. How would you rank them? Here's what I'd say.

1. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid. Undeniable classic!
2. "Gaston" from Beauty & The Beast. Not exactly an 'I'm evil' song but so great nonetheless.
3. "Suppertime" from Little Shop of Horrors. Creepy.
4. "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hunchback's music is SO underrated and this scene sandwiched next to Children of God is maybe my favorite musical act in any Disney picture. Marvelous. Can I get an "amen"?
5. "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors. Fun.
6. "Mine, Mine, Mine" from Pocahontas. Errrr. not so much.

Now, admittedly the lyrics are a crucial part of the best villain songs. So hopefully Menken will have great assist from Glenn Slater in that department though obviously there will never be another Howard Ashman. Not every villain gets a song. If I recall correctly Hades from Hercules and Jafar from Aladdin don't have songs but that better not be the case when you've got pipes as golden as Murphy's to work with. That'd be like casting Mandy Patinkin in a musical and not letting him sing. Hey, now wait a mi...

Here's some Murphy performances I just love. "Hit Me With a Hot Note" from What About Joan? "Swing" from Wonderful Town, "Loving You" from Passion and "Shall We Dance?" from The King and I.

Links: Newt, Exorcisms, Movie Homes and More

Final Girl an exorcism movie flowchart. Hilarious even if you're not a horror fan.
Journalistic Skepticism I love this. "25 Most Optimum Film Residences". I think I'm going to go with the Pink Palace Apartments (as long as it comes with the cat), Howards End or Erica's Beach House from Something's Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers movies are real estate porn.)


Hollywood Reporter Actress Cammie Conlon (famously known as "Bonnie Blue Butler" in Gone With the Wind) has died. RIP
Greenbriar Picture Show "Fairy Dust Blown Off..." on the appeal and arguable repeal of Audrey Hepburn.
Just Jared Karl June on the set of the new Hugh Jackman picture Real Steel. I didn't know they were filming in Detroit. This means that right now as I type this, Hugh is wandering around my home state!
MNPP Another convert to Animal Kingdom. Let's hope the Aussie flick keeps building.
I Need My Fix Lindsay Lohan goes to the movies. Like this blog, I think this is a step in the right direction. But I still have a concern: which movie? Cuz, that's an important thing to know.

And over at Serious Film a question: "How about a little fire, scarecrow?" Have you ever noticed this bit in The Wizard of Oz? On a related side note I would like to note that Michael who runs Serious Film will be joining the Film Experience team this week with a new weekly column I think you'll enjoy. Welcome, Michael!

One more to go...

Disney Pixar has released several production images from the abandoned Pixar film Newt (2011). They look beautiful, no surprise. I realize that everyone thinks Pixar is infallible but something tells me it's downhill from Toy Story 3. The recent abandoning of original projects like this coupled with a new focus on sequels no one needs (Cars, Monsters Inc and the inevitable Toy Story 4) suggests to me... well, it isn't good omens. It just feels reminiscent of how every other studio behaves. And no other studio is as consistently grand as Pixar ... so why should Pixar start emulating the others?

Posterized: Peter Pans

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. You remember it well, I'm sure. She was dragged from her bed to watch an intimately staged performance of the new play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. As the play ended and the music soared, she walked right onto the Neverland set filled with fairies and crocodiles and pirates which had miraculously sprung up in her own living room. And she kept on walking right into her own spotlit afterlife. Well that was how it happened to Kate Winslet as Sylvia in Finding Neverland at least. They took some liberties with the timeline for the movie.


Davies was survived by her five sons, who had of course served as inspiration for Peter Pan. The author JM Barrie, a close family friend, all but adopted the boys after her death, as they'd lost their father three years prior to her passing.

So for today's Posterized, in tribute to the Davies boys and their mum, let's glance at the various film incarnations of the story of that boy who never grew up.

Peter Pan (1924) | Peter Pan (1953)

Hook (1991) | Peter Pan (2003) | Return to Neverland (2004)

Those are the only five "authorized" screen versions of which P.J. Hogan's 2003 version is the winner (not that the silent feature and the Disney movie don't have their moments. The less said about Hook the better.) The 2003 version is so undervalued, appropriately fantastical and is also (relatively) true to the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy which was expanded from the stage play and is how most human beings knew the myth until Disney got a hold of it of course.

The Lost Boys (1978) | Finding Neverland (2004) | Neverland (2003)

There are numerous unauthorized versions and reinterpretrations (the most recent of which, Neverland, I included above), lots of animated version from other countries as well as two films specifically about JM Barrie and his relationship to the Davies family which star Ian Holm and Johnny Depp respectively. I wasn't a fan of Finding Neverland (2004) but someone sure was; it won 7 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

I haven't seen that Ian Holm production but I'd love to hear from anyone who did. I had no idea that existed and I find it very odd that that means that Sir Ian Holm has played not one but two famous authors who had much discussed relationships with other people's children. He also played Alice in Wonderland scribe Lewis Carroll in Dreamchild (1985) which is about Alice as an older woman remembering her youth and her friendship with the author. I guess Ian Holm has been cast as an eccentric writer more often than that even. He's also Bilbo Baggins and played strange scribes in Joe Gould's Secret and Naked Lunch. Funny how actors get in those weird casting grooves.

How many versions of Peter Pan have you seen?
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Pocahontas and "Ethnic Make-up"

I saw this on Sociological Images which I visit (and quite enjoy) from time to time. Because I kinda deeply dig Pocahontas (1995) whatever its flaws (why do I never talk about it on this blog? Hmmm) and because I like inspired mash-ups, I wanted to share.



The poem is "Slip of the Tongue" by Adriel Luis. The video is by Samantha Figueroa. The art is (mostly) by Disney... though that guy who did those 'Disney Princes Gone Wild' thing slips in there, too.

don't wanna link, don't wanna touch...

♪ ... just smoke one cigarette and hush
don't call my name, don't call my name, Roberto ♫

Stuff No One Told Me Love this. Disney and Porn = eternal human frustration.
MNPP Everything you ever need to know about life... you can learn from Psycho (1960)
Antagony & Ecstasy looks back at the evolution of Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy in a summer blockbuster history series
Cinematical Paul Rudd, soon to be the Idiot Brother, gets four fine funny actresses as co-stars

Emma Frost illustration by Adam Hughes

Movie|Line the angsty drama of 'how will Sandra bullock follow that Oscar?' Methinks her team is thinking too hard. Nobody wants her doing prestige pics.
Socialite's Life Matthew Morrison (Glee) recording a solo CD. I'd be thrilled to buy this (his voice is amazing -- check out the CD of Light in the Piazza for proof) but for the fact that he's gettin JustinTimberlakey with it. Yawn.
What's Good/ What Blows the dismaying punishment of Charlie Sheen.
Cinematical Michael Fassbender has his choice of two supervillain roles. Which will he go with? Either way he ends up opposite a fine actor (James McAvoy in X-Men: First Class or Jamie Bell in Spider-Man)
Empire speaking of X-Men... seems that Rosamund Pike may be up for the part of Emma Frost, the White Queen. Now that is a casting decision I can really get behind. Love both the actress and the character.
I Need My Fix True Blood season premiere brings the stars out. Is there a more attractive cast on television?
The Big Picture looks at the critic vs. audience divide on Splice.
Boing Boing more on recent silent film discoveries. I always get so excited to hear about found films
In Contention could "Shine" be an Original Song hopeful at the Oscars? I'm still struggling to understand what everyone else sees in that highly praised Waiting for Superman documentary (I didn't like it) but I agree that it's probably going to be up for the doc Oscar.

More on Lady Gaga's "Alejandro"
my piece yesterday in case you missed it
Low Resolution "Instantly Dated Thoughts"
The Critical Condition "Theft and/or Borrowing"
The Critical Condition ...and an interesting follow up piece about the cultural awakenings that happen in our youth.
Flavor Pill "Guide to Madonna References"
Rolling Stone director Steven Klein talks about the video, avoids the Madonna question.
popbytes (I do a brief weekly column here now). The video got me thinking about freaky movie nuns.
Guardian rounds up the groups claiming offense.
The Atlantic Katy Perry vs. Lady Gaga "The Battle of the Bras"

Donald Duck is 76

Do you prefer "Daffy" or "Donald"? I can't say I've ever been much of a fan of either of the famous Ducks (maybe Howard, briefly, in the 80s). Maybe sea fowl just aren't my thing? I was, however, totally into Chip & Dale (and chipmunks) as a child. So here's seven minutes of funny Toy Tinkers (Best Animated Short Film Nominee, 1949) starring all three to start your morning:



Here's a list of the ten best Donald Duck cartoons from a real fan. And if you've never seen Donald's only Oscar-winning short, Der Fuehrer's Face (1942) you can watch it on YouTube.

The Disney and Warner Bros characters used to get Oscar nominated a lot in the Animated Short category. In the past couple of decades the closest thing we have to a perennial in that category is Wallace & Gromit or Pixar as a studio, if that counts, though their characters don't repeat.

You know what I think is a crying shame as animated short films go? That Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) didn't really become a franchise. Disney made three short films with the characters after that blockbuster hit: Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit and Trail Mix-Up though none were nominated at the Oscars. They had the misfortune of arriving in that stretch of a dozen years or so when there were never more than 3 nominees in that category.
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Link a Virgin

<-- Boy Culture Madonna in Interview, interviewed by auteur Gus Van Sant. They even discuss movies and Milk? Can't wait to read the whole thing
Vanity Fair Oscar winning moms and their offspring. Photo Gallery
/Film Does Disney have eyes on stage musicals based on Romy & Michelle, Coyote Ugly, Shakespeare in Love and more?
MNPP even horror buffs are hating this Human Centipede movie
Deadline Hollywood Roman Polanski breaks his silence. This is the whole statement. I find this whole tawdry decades old story so sad but the public reaction even more disturbing. Whether or not one thinks Polanski should come to the US and be sentenced it is very clear reading the comments on virtually any site/blog discussing this that for a huge swath of people nothing short of a death sentence would ever satiate them
NY Post Johnny Depp heroics. "straighten up your life"
30 Ninjas meaty interview with Jake Gyllenhaal on both Prince of Persia and Duncan Jones's Source Code
Movie Insider Green Lantern production imagery?
E.T. Steven Spielberg has chosen War Horse as his next film. That means he'll have two pictures coming out for 2011 (TinTin is also on the way). Isn't it strange how Spielberg always seems to be either completely absent or doubling up? Other two picture years: 1989, 1993 (what a year that was!), 1997 and 2002

Waking Sleeping Beauty

Though it might be hard for anyone under about 30 to contextualize, Disney was once in very real danger of losing its entertainment superpowers. You couldn't catch teenagers at animated films unless they were forced to go and the theme parks were essentially going the museum route, merely living off of past glories. Waking Sleeping Beauty, a dizzying study of a tumultuous decade in the life of Disney animation investigates how the studio went from its sleepwalking nadir (The Black Cauldron, 1985) to its joyous rebirth (The Little Mermaid, 1989) and world domination (The Lion King, 1994).


This story is the stuff of showbiz legend. The film has super-powered egos battling for control (Jeffrey Katzenberg vs. Michael Eisner) unassuming but formidable heirs to a family throne (Roy Disney) and it's peppered with cameos from showbiz giants (Tim Burton appears in his gangly youth as an intern!)...

Read the rest in my weekly column @ Towleroad...

Do you plan to see this when it hits your city?

Secret's Out.

Jose here with a look at the most pleasant surprise in the Oscar nominations.



Last night I had the opportunity to see The Secret of Kells (my review here).
Like almost everyone bored to death by how predictable the Oscar nominees were turning out, the mention of this film, that seemed to come out of nowhere, among the Best Animated Feature nominees rang beautifully in my ears.

I have to confess that before I saw it, I was expecting it to be one of those awful decisions AMPAS makes in this category (remember the Simpsons being snubbed in favor of another penguin movie a few years ago?) but now it amazingly turns out that it's one of the most satisfying, almost groundbreaking, decisions the Academy has taken.

Those who feel like it stole Hayao Miyazaki's spot, I have to say they're quite wrong. If a movie was to be replaced in the category it's probably Disney's The Princess and the Frog which is another showcase of how the studio has become so comfortable within its formula that it no longer can muster the magic its classics did.

Curiously the best sequence in that film is a stylized, art deco inspired, moment where Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni rose) imagines she owns a restaurant.
If like me, you also thought this was the only magical moment in the stereotype laden movie, then The Secret of Kells is the movie for you.

Based on the legends that surround the creation of the Book of Kells the film is a lovely allegory about the battle between illumination and barbarism.
It takes its cues from several Pagan myths and Celtic traditions, but its power isn't in its Herman Hesse inspired screenplay (Pixar's still pretty unsurpassed in that area) but in its lavish animation.

It references Klimt, Andrei Rublev, Dadaism, Medieaval tableaux, Mayan and early Latin American monuments, some Tolkien, Samurai Jack, Cretan ceramics, chalk illustration Japanese watercolors among others. But does so in a smooth, elegant way that will make you want to run out and get a book on art history the minute the credits start rolling.

Its simple yet fascinating animation style also recalls the great work done in the mid-twentieth century by the Russian Soyuzdetmultfilm-Studio.



Its passion for graphic history reminded me of the cinematic history crash course provided in WALL-E and as such both movies are true landmarks in their specific field.

But honestly don't take my word for it and run to your theater the minute this movie opens.



You're gonna want to see these come to life...

Can You Feel The Link Tonight? (It is where we are)

Disney Madness
Antagony & Ecstasy a great piece on Disney's ever charming Dumbo (1942)
<--- Sociological Images considers the social messaging of the princes and princess of Disney. Deflating but a smart/funny overview.
Disney Blog interviews the supervising animator on The Princess and the Frog (audio)

News
Toronto Star a second sequel to The Blair Witch Project? Er...
Coming Soon I missed this news in the crush of Halloween stuffage but Anthony Hopkins will play Odin in Thor. The way Hollywood casts you know it was either going to be him or Liam Neeson (they're the only two who do mythic father figures now, right?).
Slash Films Gattaca to spawn TV series? Hmmm, that could actually be good... as long as its psychologically / politically focused a la Battlestar Galactica

Oscar & Miscellania
StinkyLulu and gang discuss Oscar's Supporting Actress Nominees of 1956. Dorothy Malone won the Oscar. Will she win the "Smackdown"?
In Contention more best original song drama. That music branch is as looney as the makeup branch, if you ask me
David Bordwell "Between you, me, and the bedpost" on phallic symbols in the movies
USA Today people are still upset about the 10-wide best picture field. Interesting comments from Academy member's themselves.
Butt Magazine fun photo shoot with Rossy de Palma (of Almodovarian fame). Yes! [thx]

Terrible Yellow Links

Today's Must Read
Newsweek brings Maurice Sendak, Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze together for an awesome conversation while Where The Wild Things Are heads to theaters. It's a must read. Here's a little bit about Sendak's issues with Disney

Do you think Disney is bad for children?
Sendak: I think it's terrible.
But you have all the Disney characters on your mantel behind you.
Sendak: I adored Mickey Mouse when I was a child. He was the emblem of happiness and funniness. You went to the movies then, you saw two movies and a short. When Mickey Mouse came on the screen and there was his big head, my sister said she had to hold onto me. I went berserk. I stood on the chair screaming, "My hero! My hero!" He had a lot of guts when he was young. We're both about the same age; we're about a month apart. He was the little brother I always wanted.
Jonze: What was he like when he was young?
Sendak: He had teeth.
Jonze: Literally?
Sendak: He had literally teeth. I have toys in the other room.
Jonze: Was he more dangerous?
Sendak: Yes. He was more dangerous. He did things to Minnie that were not nice. I think what happened, was that he became so popular—this is my own theory—they gave his cruelty and his toughness to Donald Duck. And they made Mickey a fat nothing. He's too important for products. They want him to be placid and nice and adorable. He turned into a schmaltzer. I despised him after a point.

More Clickables
TOH As suspected Terence Malick's Tree of Life is delayed until 2010. Damn it's hard keeping those Oscar predictions up-to-date
Examiner on the top ten Woody Allen movies. Obvs Whatever Works (soon on DVD) isn't one of them
The Brown List who made the least liked Hollywood executives list? These people are supposedly hell to work for/with [thx]
Some Came Running if you're a fan of Crash (the David Cronenberg film, not th' other one) raise your hand. You can't see me but trust that my hand is high
Independent Eye Jennifer Aniston as rorschach blot
Galerie & Boutique art gallery highlights celebrating Where the Wild Things Are [thx]
Terrible Yellow Eyes and much more artwork inspired by that beloved story
Pop Hangover "Bell, Biv, Dafoe" teehee


Boing Boing "Logorama", a movie with repurposed corporate logos, looks so cool. Love that MGM Lion
In Contention on the AFI fest lineup
Cinematical has the premiere of the poster for Me and Orson Welles. They don't critique it but I personally think we have a candidate for worst poster of the year. My eyes are still bleeding so I refuse to show the photo here. It hurts me that someone was paid good money to make that
Salon the good thing about the resurrection of the decades-old Polanski crime is that fine film writers are writing about Polanski movies. This one is on Chinatown

Breakfast With... Long John Silver

Ye don't need to pour over his credentials. Ye just need to taste his ham and eggs!


Silver keeps a good table. Fruit at an English table? Well by gad, ye never take scurvy with a barrel of apples aboard!

[Editor's note: It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day so this post couldn't be helped. Consider this a reminder that the Breakfast With... series will soon return -- hopefully in conjunction with many other abandoned series when we begin the new fall season of TFE on October 5th. Stick around]
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Someday Her Prince Will Succumb

Remember that awesome Disney Princes gallery? The one where the underexploited toon men were suddenly objectified? Here's what you might consider a subversive counterpart. Jeffrey Thomas has imagined Disney's heavily marketed Princesses -- not all of them actual royals but amply exploited by Disney all the same -- exploring their darkest sides.


It didn't take much twisting to make Belle fierce. She was always formidable, y'know. And then there's Alice (Don't judge! Who wouldn't go criminally insane in Wonderland?). Thomas' gallery, which Loyal K*N*G pointed me too, also includes Cinderella in a rotting pumpkin, Mulan looking fierce, Pocahontas on the hunt (clean that knife girl!) and Tarzan's Jane wearing a cheetah (no not "Cheetah" dear god, not that). See the whole thing.

By the way, if you loved that eroticized Prince gallery that I told you about early last year, you should know that artist David Kwaena has expanded the gallery. In addition to new 2D men, he's added live-action hunks like Will Turner from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Zac Efron from the High School Musical franchise and James Marsden's goofy Prince Edward from Enchanted (pictured left, but why isn't he biting his fist? Why?!? That's the best part!) Check it out.

"Please make me a real boy?"

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"And always let your conscience be your guide."

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