Category: Cinema Snacks

Call for submissions: Future Classic Movies

UPDATE #2 – May 25: I so enjoyed everyone’s posts and enough people asked if they could contribute to FCM that I’m going to do a second round. If you wrote for the original blogathon, and want to write about another movie, please do!

Same concept…Pick a movie from 2000 or later (more than one is OK too), and write about why you think it will endure to become a Future Classic Movie. Bonus predictions could be who will be hosting on this channel and how will movies be delivered to the consumer (hologram, chip in the brain, etc.)

Email me at paula.guthat [at] gmail.com to let me know which movie you want to do (try to pick one that wasn’t done already).

New dates…Put a link to the FCM Round 2 megapost http://wp.me/p243hv-fh somewhere in the first paragraph of your post and publish it on Wednesday, June 20. Feel free to use the graphic below. Then email me the link to your post. I will then compile all the links into one mega post and publish it on Thursday, June 21. Note: you will get a 404 when you try that link, but it’s there. It’s just not public yet.

 

UPDATE: The call for submissions is now closed. Links to everyone’s FCM posts may be found at the FCM Blogathon Mega Post.

 

As a confirmed TCM addict, I’ve often wondered what movies from the 21st century would stand the test of time, like Casablanca, Gone With The Wind or Out of the Past. If there is even such a thing as TV and channels in the future. What would programming look like in 30 or 40 years from now?

And then I thought, why just think about it, when I’d love to hear other people’s ideas. And so the FUTURE CLASSIC MOVIES (FCM) BLOGATHON was born.

Everyone who wants to participate picks a movie from 2000 or later (more than one is OK too), and writes about why they think it will endure to become a Future Classic. Bonus predictions could be who will be hosting on this channel and how will movies be delivered to the consumer (hologram, chip in the brain, etc.)

Post your pick (s) to your blog on Wednesday, May 23 and email me the link to the post. Feel free to use the graphic above. I will then compile all the links into one mega post.

All I ask is that you to link to the megapost in your first paragraph somehow, using this shortlink: http://wp.me/p243hv-dT

So what do you think? If you’d like to participate, please DM me on Twitter @Paula_Guthat or email me paula.guthat [at] gmail.com with “FCM blogathon” as the subject, giving me a couple of choices of Future Classics you’d like to write about. Thanks!

Trail(er) Mix – LAWLESS, END OF WATCH, ARGO

I’ve been to the movies two weekends in a row now (for The Avengers and Dark Shadows), and am definitely looking forward to three of the films I saw trailers for.

I was probably going to see Lawless anyway, due to my being a sucker for anything to do with Prohibition and the presence of Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska, all of whom I believe to be talented actors. Hardy, Shia Labeouf and Jason Clarke play “the infamous Bondurant Brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia” (per the film’s site). Their livelihood is threatened when the lawmen sent in to stop them demand a piece of the action. The film is based on Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World, which he based on stories of his own family. The Player-style pitch: “It’s like Bonnie and Clyde with The Untouchables and some Godfather thrown in.” The trailer sets up the conflict, but, unlike a lot of trailers, it doesn’t show you how it’s going to end. I love the look of this film, the desaturated colors with lots of shadows and night shots. It took me a minute to recognize Guy Pearce as a menacing FBI agent. Hardy is always a standout for me, he transforms himself for every film, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and his Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy co-star Oldman in their scenes together. Lawless will debut at the Cannes Film Festival; its US release date is August 31.

 

In End of Watch, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña star as cops in south central L.A. who are as close as brothers. They are modern-day cowboys, looking for dope, money and guns …until they get on the wrong side of a scary cartel. The car chases and drug busts have documentary look, with handheld and dashboard-camera footage, giving the film a rushed, urgent quality that matches the subject matter. The film was written by David Ayer, who was also responsible for Training Day and The Fast and the Furious. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that Watch is going to do for JG what Jarhead and Prince of Persia failed to do—make him a blockbuster action star. Jarhead wasn’t actually an action picture, but it was marketed like one, which didn’t work, and Prince of Persia had too many Disney/fantasy elements for people to take it seriously (though it is one of those films that I’ll stop to watch every time I find it when I’m flipping the channels and happen upon it.) If the trailer is any indication, End of Watch is gritty, violent and riveting. US release date is September 28.

 

Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, is based on a covert operation detailed in recently declassified US government documents. In 1980, when Iranian revolutionaries took over the American embassy in Tehran, 66 Americans were held captive for 444 days. Apparently there were also six who managed to escape to the Canadian embassy. Knowing these six were in incredible danger, the White House took a chance on a crazy scheme…send in operatives masquerading as a film crew working on a sci-fi film. I really love Affleck’s film The Town and it looks like this will have the same adrenaline-producing suspense and true-to-life characterization, with a little more humor as it parodies Hollywood. It will be interesting to see how he blends the drama of the extraction with the comedic elements. Argo will be released on October 12.

What do you think? Seen any good trailers lately?

 

Really great DGA interview with Christopher Nolan

On Friday, April 13, Entertainment Weekly released some interesting new photos from The Dark Knight Rises to an eager public (OK, some of us are eager). The most interesting one shows Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (I’ve read she is never referred to as Catwoman…odd, don’t you think?). It looks as if she’s broken into a safe that turned out to be empty. Also my friend @TrueMiracle85 tweeted this really fabulous Directors Guild of America interview with Christopher Nolan. As you might expect, Nolan gives lots of details about everything but TDKR — his early influences, what he’s learned from actors, why he prefers film over digital, and why he gets so dressed up on set. Of course, I wasn’t really expecting any spoilers, but I do have even more respect for Nolan since I read in the article that he only storyboards action sequences…yeah, he keeps track of all the plot twists and parallel threads in his head. So, what are you waiting for…?

Anne Hathaway is the mysterious Selina Kyle

TCM Tonight: Brute Force '47

Just wanted to spotlight a great and very thorough review of the film noir Brute Force (1947) by my friend Kevin, a.k.a. Jack Deth. Directed by noir legend Jules Dassin, Burt Lancaster stars as Joe Collins, an unruly prisoner in an overcrowded penitentiary, who constantly clashes with the brutal, tyrannical guards and warden.

Gritty prison life in Brute Force (1947)

When he and his pals are assigned to drain pipe duty, they work out a scheme to escape that is very likely doomed from the beginning. Or is it? Find out tonight at 10:00 EST on TCM.

Latest Prometheus trailer is really insane

…and by that I mean, insanely good. I know this is O-L-D news (24 hours ago!) but I’m still putting in on here. Ridley Scott is one of my favorite directors ever and I love this cast he’s got here: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce. Tim (my hubby @tkguthat) says this movie is going explain how the Jockey got killed, how and why the wreck the Nostromo found got wrecked, and that this movie is going to present whole new alien race. I am wondering though, is Noomi Rapace going to be as awesome in this as I think she will? Can the world handle Idris Elba with a Southern accent? Is Fassbender’s character as sinister as he looks? We’ll find out in 82 days.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter talked to Ridley Scott at WonderCon, where the trailer debuted. In true Ridley fashion, not a whole lot was revealed (He is quoted as saying, “If we’re lucky, there’ll be a second part. It does leave you with some nice open questions.”) but it’s still interesting.

January Movies (whew!)

I seem to be perpetually short on time so I thought I’d make a nice list instead of those long, drawn-out posts I like so much 😉

Dude, get out of there! Hurry!

I really liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (4 out of 5 stars). I usually like espionage movies, and of course there is the cast (some of whom are wearing some pretty great suits). Even if just any two of these guys was in it, I’d have gone, plus I am no longer ignorant of Benedict Cumberbatch. (Don’t judge the gaps in my knowledge! OK, go ahead…but at least leave a comment.) There isn’t a lot of shoot-’em-up behavior, but it is suspenseful nonetheless, especially if you get nervous when spies are spying on each other. Shoot-’em-up is fine too, though. This Means War? I’m so there.

I really liked Shame, but in a different way (4.5 out of 5 stars). It’s nearly perfect in itself but I don’t think I could see it again. I found it as depressing as I thought it would be from reading the script, although a lot of stuff in the version I read didn’t make it into the finished film. There’s no question that Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan deserved Oscar nominations. Both actors suggested so much in a non-showy way, without much dialogue, and I believe those performances are actually what kept Academy voters away (in addition to the subject matter). I’d have given it 5 stars if there had been just a little bit more backstory about Brandon and Sissy. What is the significance of “New York, New York?” Why is Brandon obsessed with the Standard Hotel? You know that cool girl in your high school that wore vintage years before it was cool and always looked fabulous? That’s Sissy…but what happened to her after that? You won’t find out in this interview Fassbender did on Canadian TV show The Hour but I’m throwing it in here because it’s pretty interesting.

Charlotte Rampling as Mary (center)

I really liked The Mill and The Cross (4 out of 5 stars). I wish there was a movie like this for every painting. It’s difficult to describe it. Again…not a lot of dialogue. It basically shows Brueghel’s (Rutger Hauer) inspiration for each figure and situation in the work. It’s a meditation on the creative process, a record of the human condition in Flanders in the 16th century (hint: lousy), an invective on humanity’s inhumanity, and a powerful statement in favor of the separation of church and state. If you get a chance to see this on the big screen, definitely go. Much will be lost on even the biggest home TV.

I loved The Artist (5 out of 5 stars), it’s just brilliant. It’s also laden with homages and tributes to Old Hollywood and the early 20th-century silents — a feast for classic movie fans. Still working on a larger post on this theme.

This month I also decided there should be ejector seats in cinemas (5 out of 5 stars). People who are talking/yelling, chomping loudly on gum, crinkling candy wrappers, talking on a cell phone, texting, tweeting or IMing can be removed in a speedy and efficient manner. Alternatively, should ejector seats prove too costly, perhaps two auditoriums can show the movie at the same time — talkers in one, silent types in the other. I’m kidding…sort of 😉 The stillness of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Mill and The Cross was almost wrecked. That was my non-classic moviegoing month of January 2012, how was yours?

 

 

 

Preview: The Mill and the Cross

I’ve been waiting to see The Mill and the Cross since last year, so I’m seriously looking forward to seeing it at Detroit Film Theatre this weekend. In this film by director Lech Majewski, the stories, characters and context of Pieter Brueghel’s 1564 painting The Way to Calvary come to life. The idea of being able to see what was going on in an artist’s mind and surroundings as he created a panoramic, detailed work like this is intriguing indeed. Apparently a mix of live action and CGI was used to recreate beautifully-lit visuals that are very similar to the painting’s. Rutger Hauer portrays Brueghel, who, inspired by a spider web, is apparently attempting to capture “everything” in one canvas, while the Inquisition overshadows everyday life in 16th-century Flanders, then governed by Spain.

The trailer reminded me of another film with a visual artist at its center, Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract.

The Mill and The Cross is at DFT January 20-22 and 27-29, get all the details here.

Video: Angela Lansbury on her first film, Gaslight '44

While I’m under the weather I’m taking a little breather but I wanted to share this video I found of Angela Lansbury recalls making her first film, Gaslight (1944). She earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, which is amazing to me, as she was just 17 years old when the movie’s shoot began. Lansbury is TCM”s Star of the Month and this film is tonight’s #TCMParty, beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST. Join the party by watching and tweeting with the hashtag #TCMParty. Hope to see you there!

2011 Year-End List

How is that for a generic blog post title? The thing is, I’m pretty sure there are a lot of year-end “Best and Worst Lists” out there that I completely agree with, and chances are, you’ve probably already read those. So here is a little bit quirkier, non-standard list.

  1. Film that unintentionally emphasizes the importance of hand sanitizer Shame
  2. Movies I liked that prove I’m not too picky The Three Musketeers (2011). Cowboys and Aliens
  3. Sequel that prompted me to check out the first installment in the series Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
  4. 2011 movies I’ve haven’t seen yet but want to Moneyball. Young Adult. Drive. The Ides of March. Warrior. Melancholia. 50/50. The Guard
  5. 2011 movies I’m dying to see but couldn’t until 2012 (and still haven’t) A Dangerous Method. Haywire. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The Artist. The Mill and The Cross.
  6. Possibly the hugest disappointment The Green Hornet. I still don’t know what happened there.
  7. My most anticipated movies of 2012 Wettest County (It’s about Prohibition. Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain are in it, and the screenplay is by Nick Cave. I’ll be there.) The Dark Knight Rises. The Hobbit. The Woman in Black (if I can handle it). John Carter.
  8. Movie in which I totally identified with the main character to the point that people in theatre were staring as I laughed and cried my way through it Bridesmaids
  9. First Woody Allen movie I’ve really, really liked in years Midnight in Paris
  10. Extraordinarily gorgeous movie I saw three times in the theatre Jane Eyre (2011)

So…what are some of your quirkier likes and dislikes of 2011?