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I wanna be a part of it.
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Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Happy New Years Baby
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Short of posting pictures of actors wearing diapers, which is a google search I just don't have any desire to make, seems to me a fine way to ring in the New Years a la the iconic Baby New Year is to steal our own Father's Day tradition and post some pictures of Hollywood's biggest DILFs with their adorable little ones standing in for Baby 2015-to-be.
Have a great one, everybody!
And hit the jump for a little gallery...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Jingle Your Hollies, Jingle Your Jollies
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Alrighty folks I'm wassailing off for the next twelve or so days - it'll be 2015 when we reopen the blog for business (unless something like Tom Hardy streaking down Madison Avenue happens, in which case we'll probably show back up and post those pictures, because duh) so everybody have a Merry Whatever and a wonderful New Years.
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I Say Review You Say Huh
I'm heading off for the holidays in a couple of hours but I just realized that if I don't write up some quick thoughts on some of the movies I've recently watched there's no way in ho ho heck I'll be able to write up thoughts on them in two weeks when I return from the break - my brain's not that sturdy. I do these little review things a lot but seeing as how I'm kinda just staring at the door willing time to evaporate this time around's going to take brevity even more to heart, I fear. I'm being super short, in other words. Prepare your loins for a real quick in and out, everybody.
Two Days One Night -- Marvelous and moving work from the Dardennes and Marion Cotillard, the latter of whom showed me all those surprise critics awards she's been racking up were no French fetish fluke. They all make it seem so effortless, telling this simple tale that feels like a timeless fable and a stinging indictment of capitalism all in one. Like the main character the movie swings moods on a dime, but no step ever rings the slightest bit false. I feel like I don't have to write a lot on this movie right now because I'll write more when it comes time to make my Favorite Movies Of The Year list; that's where me and this movie are at.
Goodbye To All That -- But speaking of effortlessness, Paul Schneider y'all. Nobody's going to be giving him any Best Actor awards, nothing he's doing is the slightest bit showy, but effective? In the affirmative. The movie as a whole I ran kinda hot or cold on - as great as Schneider is I did keep hoping it would swerve off a la Listen Up Phillip and make more time for other perspectives; but then maybe that's just me wishing every movie gave Melanie Lynskey more to do. (Heather Graham is very good in a too small part, too.) One funny side-note: there's a scene in the middle that's super generous to small-town life that reminding me like a lightning bolt of the movie Junebug; it was only just now looking this movie up that I saw Junebug's writer wrote and directed this.
Fury -- I really didn't expect to dislike this movie so much; y'all know that Brad Pitt's haircut was hyping me up all on its lonesome but I'm also a fan of director David Ayer and some of the actors (I am not talking to you, Jon Benthal) and I liked the trailer well enough. But this thing rang hollow from start to finish - lost in search of its own Private Ryan to make us care, failing to notice his brains squished under the tank-tread a full mile back. There was nothing in here that didn't feel cribbed from better movies.
Mr Turner -- Easily one of the most beautifully-filmed movies of the year (hell maybe even the decade) and as gorgeously observed a character study as Mike Leigh, the king of character studies, is capable of making. But good god, the use of light, it'll stop your heart. It might run a little long but that didn't stop me from laying there in a daze soaking it in, detail by detail, scene by scene.
Predestination -- I spend so much time recoiling at Ethan Hawke (never more irritating than in Boyhood, aka this year's critical darling that I'm not on-board with) I forget that in little genre movies like Gattaca or like this movie here that, if he gets out of the way of his affectations, he can actually be pretty alright by me. Predestination's a clever one, much more than it lets on at first, and I enjoyed the ride; it's kind of Cloud Atlas with all the fat boiled off the bone.
The Homesman -- Brutal little thing, isn't it? Didn't see that coming. Loved the score very very much, too. And shocker, Prieto's cinematography's stunning. I was somewhat distracted by the story though - it's like Crazy Lady Central. Why's every single lady in town going crazy? Even surprise-guest Meryl Streep said the word "settee" with bizarre red-eyed menace. This movie should be retitled Prairie Bitches Be Crazy. That's clearly what I'll be calling it from now on, come join me.
Mockingbird -- I saw where it was going fairly early on but this no-budget found-footage horror flick from The Strangers' Bryan Betrino's got... well, if not exactly tricks up its sleeve, elbows. Up its sleeve. Sharp, hey don't get too comfortable elbows, and it's not afraid to use them. Kind of a slow-motion nightmare that plays off its inevitability with a funny mean streak (or maybe a mean funny streak). It does come up with some good answers to the constant found-footage questions of "Why won't these jerks put the camera down???" but I think it could've used one more character, somebody who says eff-this and runs, because that's really where I would've been. And I also wasn't entirely keen on the ending but then I've expressed a wariness with regards to that trope several thousand times before (but I don't want to spoil anything).
Force Majeure - I love how many movies there have been set in the mountains this year! I haven't even had to take any big trips, I've gotten to soak in Alpine splendor all over the place. Not that Force Majeure really has being a pretty postcard on the front of its mind - oh the shots sit there, and they are pretty, but they are totally staring right back at you. Uncomfortable but shockingly funny - this is a movie I'm kinda glad I didn't see with an audience because I'm not sure I wouldn't have stuck out like a sore thumb I was laughing so hard at the exquisitely detailed self-propelled misery of these folks. Anyway I loved every frame and I want to snuggle with this movie (and its big bouncing ginger beard) in my sleeping bag.
Have you guys seen any of these? Thoughts?
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Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...
... you can learn from:
Magnolia (1999)
Earl Partridge: I loved her so. And she knew what I did. She knew all the fucking stupid things I'd done. But the love... was stronger than anything you can think of. The goddamn regret. The goddamn regret! Oh, and I'll die. Now I'll die, and I'll tell you what... the biggest regret of my life... I let my love go. What did I do? I'm sixty-five years old. And I'm ashamed. A million years ago... the fucking regret and guilt, these things, don't ever let anyone ever say to you you shouldn't regret anything. Don't do that. Don't! You regret what you fucking want! Use that. Use that. Use that regret for anything, any way you want. You can use it, OK? Oh, God. This is a long way to go with no punch. A little moral story, I say... Love. Love. Love. This fucking life... oh, it's so fucking hard. So long. Life ain't short, it's long. It's long, goddamn it. Goddamn. What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? Phil. Phil, help me. What did I do?
Thursday is the 15th anniversary of the release of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia! Of course Thursday is also Christmas Day so we won't be here to celebrate it then, so we're doing it now. We should all watch Magnolia over the holidays, and report back our thoughts. I actually haven't watched it in several years myself, so re-watching it sounds like a smashingly good idea to me. What's your favorite part? I could probably do a top ten list of favorite scenes but I imagine I'll always come back to this...
I Am Link
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--- Halt My Heart - There's a point early in this Interview Magazine chat between Lee Pace and Jim parson where Parson says "You came out..." and I leaned very very far forward in my chair, but then he continued, "... and stayed with me..." and I sighed. Still it's a gay old time they have, chatting about finding one's self in the theater community, and dancing to disco music. Also Lee looks really beautiful in the pictures. Richard Armitage is a lucky man!
--- Score Nivola - Just because we don't get nearly enough interviews with Alessandro Nivola in the world, here's Alessandro talking about (his tennis shorts in A Most Violent Year? No, I wish) doing The Elephant Man on Broadway with Bradley Cooper. I wish I was gonna have a chance to see this show. (thanks Mac)
--- Everybody (Eats) Poops - I'd already marked it in my calendar that John Waters was doing an
art-show here in NYC next month (in fact I'd mentioned it last week) but now there's word that there will be video - specifically something called Kiddie Flamingos which yes, is Pink Flamingos acted out by children. Oh my god, you guys. Oh my god.
--- King Tilda - I haven't read this one yet but here's a chat with Tilda Swinton talking about the characters she played in Snowpiercer and The Grand Budapest Hotel this year - I love that she's really making the rounds; it would be so super-cool of she got nominated for Snowpiercer. I don't expect it to happen, but it'd be super-cool if it did.
--- Compu Kate - I squealed about this on Twitter but it deserves mention for real - Kate Winslet is in talks to join Jobs, which yes means that Kate Winslet is in talks to star in a movie opposite Michael Fassbender. Mind, blown, kaboom. I hope it's a substantial role for her though - she's Kate Winslet! When I think of Steve Jobs' story I don't really think of it being an environment putting any women central, and they're not naming what the role is. I mean Danny Boyle is directing the movie, so it's not unimaginable that he'll have her pubic haircut be a plot-point.
--- Black Bond - This isn't really news but what the hell, it's Idris Elba talk so we'll go there - in one of Sony head Amy Pascal's leaked emails she expressed the same desire we've all had, that Idris would take over James Bond when Daniel Craig is finished. This is exactly like a fantasy I once had - as soon as Daniel Craig was finished, Idris Elba stepped in and took over. And it was awesome.
--- Strange Stars - It's only some space-agey art-work a la the wall of a 70s van but Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson tweeted out an image of Benedict Cumberbatch in his doctor look, and Benny does look the part. But we knew he'd look the part. He was the obvious choice. A little too obvious really. Maybe by the time we get this movie in what, three years, we'll be ready to not be a little bit sick of Ben and his obviousness for the part will work.
--- Playhouse Forever - I've been reporting on a new Pee Wee Herman movie happening for what feels like my entire life, but Slash says it's really for real supposed to shoot next year, and that Netflix is the company financing it. Judd Apatow's just producing, I think; we'll apparently hear more news soon. My inner-child is doing that "Tequila" bar dance in anticipation.
Good Morning, Tucker
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When I posted those thousand and a half gifs of Jonathan Tucker showing off all the Tucker in the first episode of Kingdom, his MMA show that airs on DirecTV, I mentioned how impossible it was for me to cap it all since it was just too much - the show, and Jonathan especially, is very very generous with the flesh.
Well the first season's ended now and that precedent, it totally kept up. It was too much for me to keep up with! But let's give it some effort since, well, look at him, you guys.
Also let this be a lesson to all the actors out there - if you tweet me (god it's tempting to paraphrase Field of Dreams there) an invite to the set of your show...
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@JAMNPP will you come visit our set next season or what?
— jonathan tucker (@jonathanmtucker) December 22, 2014
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... it's a really good way to grab my attention.
... it's a really good way to grab my attention.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Happy 70, Ulli Lommel
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I'm not sure of the numbers (it'd be fascinating to see a list of such a thing) but I would'nt be surprised if German actor and director Ulli Lommel worked with Rainer Werner Fassbinder the most - he was in Fassbinder's first film, Love is Colder Than Death, and then countless others, and once Lommel started directing Fassbinder helped him out there too.
RWF memorably acted in Lommel's memorable flick Tenderness is the Wolves, which I've blogged about before, and which no one should go another day without seeing. But of course Lommel's greatest contribution to cinema is the 1980 horror flick The Boogeyman, which I commemorated in this Ways Not To Die post here. That is a weird wonderful pile of movie.
Your Tits Are Hanging Out, Will Smith
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Will Smith's always had a great rack but it's kind of a surprise that it's more prominently displayed in the trailer for his new movie Focus than that of his co-star Margot Robbie, I think. But then I checked and this movie's from the dudes who directed the terrific I Love You Phillip Morris, so...
... Will Smith's rack plus all the shirtless Rodrigo Santoro's starting to make some sense. But really, it's nothing...
... but non-stop...
... man-meat. (Okay okay Margot's technically the focus of that last shot but she's not where I was looking and I edited it appropriately.) You can watch the trailer over here.
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To Bumble or Not To Bumble
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Tis the season for a festive edition of "Beauty vs Beast" over at The Film Experience - today we're tackling the Bumble alongside noted lumbersexual Yukon Cornelius, of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer fame. For a hot second I considered making you choose between Rudolph and Santa Claus (the true villain of the piece, that ho ho homewrecker) but that woulda made me, well, a real Grinch.
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The Hammer Hits Henry
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I can't remember where I first saw this over the weekend so my apologies for a lack of linkage but here's the first official hi-res picture of Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill in Guy Ritchie's The Man From UNCLE movie; you're going to want to click on that as it gets very very big and those guys pants are very very very tight. Now just picture the two of them actually moving around in those tight pants for two hours, and then go sell all of your belongings to buy all of the movie tickets when they're available. It's alright, I get it, we can be homeless and happy together.
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Golden Boy
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My initial reaction upon seeing this picture of Russell Tovey bleached out (hey we were just talking about bleached buzz-cuts last week!) was to fall to my knees and gnash and wail unto the heavens. But that's just sort of instinctual; that's my reaction towards most any kind of change. So when I actually looked a little longer... I don't think it's terrible? He looks better than I did when I bleached my own hair out in college anyway. (And no I am not posting the picture of myself - can you imagine? I could do a "Who Wore It Better?" Ahhh the thought shakes me to my foundation.) Anyway there's Russell Tovey with blond hair, I imagine some of you might have thoughts on it, so there. Think.
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Good Morning, Ralph
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