There Will Be Breakups

With Iron Man officially hitting theaters today, everyone is predicting how much money it will make at the box office. Will it break records or just  be a nice hit? I have a different prediction to make. I predict that during the course of Iron Man’s theatrical run, we will see a record in romantic breakups.

Why? Because the main two films being released today are Iron Man…and Made of Honor.

Iron Man Trailer Adaptation

Wildly Popular ‘Iron Man’ Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

NaFF: Days 1-2

Left campus after class for the 2008 Nashville Film Festival. We got there when they were setting up the red carpet. After half an hour or so people started walking the carpet, including William H. Macy. Came within hand-shaking distance before the paparazzi swarmed in. A neat experience, but overrated.

Afterwards we saw our first film, The Deal, which was directed by Steven Schachter and starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan. It was a pretty enjoyable dark comedy/romance about a depressed producer who decides to shake up the business. The director and Macy were available for a Q&A session after the film, which was good but too short.

Rating:

The next day, Friday, we went to an awesome panel discussion about “The State of the Critic”. The panelists  were Jim Ridley, Joe Leydon, Scott Foundas, and Steven Gaydos. One of the first things mentioned was that with the different ways of critiquing films, we are in a transitional state for film criticism.

Steven Gaydos made an interesting comment that newspaper editors are a major problem. If you review crap films, people will primarily only watch crap films. They create a level of stupidity. Jim Ridley responded by saying, “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Joe Leydon observed that the online community, for the most part, is there “for the love of art”, not getting paid. Movie sites are niche, not for general  interest like newspapers are.

The second film that I watched was a fascinating documentary called American Teen, where the lives of a group of high school seniors were followed as they finished up their last year. I thought it was really well done, but it raised a lot of questions in my mind about how documentaries like this are made: Are the subjects too self-conscious, making it more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than a documentary? How do they get the shots that they do? How much is actual footage and how much is reenactments?

Rating:

The last film we saw on Friday was a peculiar Swedish film called You, the Living. It was very episodic with many different stories, some of which briefly overlapped. The humor in the film is very subtle, and I like how the director makes you look around for it. He completely challenged every conception I have about humor. Laughter is confusingly complex.

Rating:

Review: Intolerable Cruelty

(The Nashville Film Festival was a blast. I’m pretty busy at the moment, but will be posting about the experience soon.)

Movie Zeal has been chronologically reviewing the Coen Brothers films for the last month, and asked me to write up a review for Intolerable Cruelty. Be sure to check our the rest of their reviews.

Intolerable Cruelty

Intolerable Cruelty is one of the Coens more commercial films and is seemingly underrated. I think this is largely due to the script actually being written by three other writers, not the Coens themselves. Miles Massey (George Clooney) is a well-established divorce attorney. He even has a marriage contract named after him: The “Massey pre-nup”, which is reportedly impenetrable. At the top of his game, Massey is bored with his job and accomplishments. He is also smitten by the foxy Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is in the process of divorcing her husband in the hopes of acquiring a hefty alimony. Massey has been hired by Marylin’s train-loving husband (Edward Herrmann) to represent him. When all is said and done, will these two opposites attract or repel?

The film is a dark romantic comedy and deals with such themes as love, revenge, and ultimately, power. The characters in Intolerable Cruelty are perfectly cast. George Clooney, channeling Cary Grant, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the femme fatale, have a dynamic on-screen chemistry from day one. Clooney’s character is also similar to the character he plays in the Coens’ O Brother Where Art Thou? In that film, Everett is obsessed with his hair, and in this one, Miles Massey is obsessed with his teeth. In one interview, Clooney claimed his characters in these two films are part of the “Idiot trilogy”, which will conclude with Hail Caesar (a new project from the Coen Brothers, now in pre-production).

Even the supporting characters are played well, with great performances from Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Paul Adelstein, Billy Bob Thornton, Edward Herrmann, and Richard Jenkins. Each character is unique and contributes to the overall story. Intolerable Cruelty is a step back to the older screwball comedies where Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and especially Cary Grant reigned. It’s witty and intelligent, while at the same time being off-the-wall with a dark dash of the Coens tossed into the mix. Although the script is written by other writers, there is still a clear Coen feel throughout the film, especially with the opening scene and Wheezy Joe.

There are times in the film when the Coens seem to rely too heavily on plot devices to move the story forward, but it ends up being an enjoyable film, one that I enjoy watching again and again.

Originally posted at Movie Zeal.

I’m Off

Getting ready to leave for the Nashville Film Festival. I’ll be there until  Sunday.

The opening film tonight is Steven Schachter’s The Deal, starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan, and Elliot Gould. Schachter and Macy should be in the audience, which would be awesome.

Nashville Film Festival 2008

The Nashville Film Festival is coming up pretty soon. It will take place April 17-24. I’m planning on attending it for a few days during the weekend. I wish I could be there for more, but my class schedule doesn’t agree with this train of thought. Online tickets go on sale this Tuesday, so I’ve been perusing the offerings the many offerings this year.

The opening film, The Deal, sounds like it could be really good. It stars William H. Macy, Meg Ryan, and Elliott Gould. I’m also interested in the “State of the Critic” panel on Friday, which addresses the influence of (ahem) bloggers and what it means to be a film critic today.

Also on Friday is an intriguing film called American Teen, which apparently is a documentary that follows four senior students at a high school in Indiana.

We’ve also got Werner Herzog’s latest documentary entitled Encounters at the End of the World, which is centered on Antarctica. It’s Herzog; count me in.

Depending on when I leave the festival, Sunday has an interesting bag to choose from

Alexandria, directed by Aleksandr Sokurov (Russian Ark)
In the City of Sylvia, which sounds more like a short film than a feature-length one
In the Company of Actors; a behind the scenes look at theater and acting. Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving star; can you get better people to listen to?

Is anyone else going to be there?

Charlton Heston dies at 84

R.I.P. Mr. Heston (MSNBC)

Haiku Movie Review and More

Funny Games
Is quite disturbing
Has a good message to tell
Will it register?

And here’s something I haven’t done in a while. The following is the top 250 films list from IMDB, based on user ratings. I have emboldened the films that I have seen. How many have you seen? The list is a week or so old, so there will be some changes from the most recent one.

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
9. Casablanca (1942)
10. Seven Samurai (1954)
11. Star Wars (1977)
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13. 12 Angry Men (1957)
14. Rear Window (1954)
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. City of God (2002)
17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. Once Upon a Time in the West (196
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
20. The Usual Suspects (1995)
21. Psycho (1960)
22. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
23. Fight Club (1999)
24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
25. Citizen Kane (1941)
26. North by Northwest (1959)
27. Memento (2000)
28. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
29. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
30. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
31. The Matrix (1999)
32. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
33. Se7en (1995)
34. Apocalypse Now (1979)
35. Taxi Driver (1976)
36. American Beauty (1999)
37. The Professional (1994)
38. There Will Be Blood (2007)
39. Vertigo (195
40. Amélie (2001)
41. American History X (199
42. The Departed (2006)
43. Paths of Glory (1957)
44. M (1931)
45. No Country for Old Men (2007)
46. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
47. The Third Man (1949)
48. Chinatown (1974)
49. The Lives of Others (2006)
50. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
51. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
52. Alien (1979)
53. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (194
54. The Shining (1980)
55. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
56. The Pianist (2002)
57. Spirited Away (2001)
58. Double Indemnity (1944)
59. Forrest Gump (1994)
60. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
61. Saving Private Ryan (199
62. L.A. Confidential (1997)
63. Das Boot (1981)
64. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
65. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
66. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
67. Downfall (2004)
68. Aliens (1986)
69. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
70. Raging Bull (1980)
71. Rashômon (1950)
72. Metropolis (1927)
73. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
74. Modern Times (1936)
75. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
76. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
77. Sin City (2005)
78. Rebecca (1940)
79. 2001: A Space Odyssey (196
80. The Seventh Seal (1957)
81. All About Eve (1950)
82. Some Like It Hot (1959)
83. City Lights (1931)
84. Amadeus (1984)
85. On the Waterfront (1954)
86. Life is Beautiful (1997)
87. The Great Escape (1963)
88. Touch of Evil (195
89. The Prestige (2006)
90. The Elephant Man (1980)
91. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
92. Jaws (1975)
93. The Sting (1973)
94. Cinema Paradiso (198
95. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
96. The Apartment (1960)
97. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
98. Braveheart (1995)
99. The Great Dictator (1940)
100. Blade Runner (1982)
101. Strangers on a Train (1951)
102. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
103. Batman Begins (2005)
104. Bicycle Thieves (194
105. High Noon (1952)
106. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
107. The Big Sleep (1946)
108. The Wages of Fear (1953)
109. Notorious (1946)
110. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
111. Back to the Future (1985)
112. Ran (1985)
113. Oldboy (2003)
114. Fargo (1996)
115. Unforgiven (1992)
116. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
117. Donnie Darko (2001)
118. Princess Mononoke (1997)
119. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
120. Ratatouille (2007)
121. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
122. For A Few Dollars More (1965)
123. Yojimbo (1961)
124. The Green Mile (1999)
125. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
126. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
127. Nights of Cabiria (1957)
128. Gladiator (2000)
129. Into the Wild (2007)
130. Die Hard (198
131. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
132. Annie Hall (1977)
133. Ben-Hur (1959)
134. The Deer Hunter (197
135. It Happened One Night (1934)
136. The Sixth Sense (1999)
137. The General (1927)
138. Platoon (1986)
139. Life of Brian (1979)
140. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
141. The Killing (1956)
142. Wild Strawberries (1957)
143. Amores Perros (2000)
144. Diabolique (1955)
145. Finding Nemo (2003)
146. The Incredibles (2004)
147. V for Vendetta (2005)
148. Heat (1995)
149. The Wild Bunch (1969)
150. Brief Encounter (1945)
151. Children of Men (2006)
152. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
153. The Graduate (1967)
154. 8½ (1963)
155. The Princess Bride (1987)
156. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
157. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
158. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
159. Juno (2007)
160. The Big Lebowski (199
161. Stand by Me (1986)
162. Crash (2004)
163. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
164. Gandhi (1982)
165. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
166. The Adventures of Robin Hood (193
167. Snatch (2000)
168. Harvey (1950)
169. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
170. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
171. The Thing (1982)
172. The African Queen (1951)
173. Trainspotting (1996)
174. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
175. Gone with the Wind (1939)
176. The Gold Rush (1925)
177. Groundhog Day (1993)
178. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
179. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
180. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
181. Scarface (1983)
182. The Conversation (1974)
183. American Gangster (2007)
184. Patton (1970)
185. Duck Soup (1933)
186. Toy Story (1995)
187. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
188. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
189. Nosferatu (1922)
190. The Terminator (1984)
191. Sleuth (1972)
192. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
193. Umberto D. (1952)
194. The Hustler (1961)
195. Stalker (1979)
196. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
197. Glory (1989)
198. Ed Wood (1994)
199. King Kong (1933)
200. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (199
201. The Lion King (1994)
202. The Exorcist (1973)
203. Grave of the Fireflies (198
204. Grindhouse (2007)
205. The Lost Weekend (1945)
206. Spartacus (1960)
207. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
208. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
209. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
210. The Lady Vanishes (193
211. Magnolia (1999)
212. Stalag 17 (1953)
213. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
214. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
215. Run Lola Run (199
216. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
217. Frankenstein (1931)
218. Big Fish (2003)
219. Out of the Past (1947)
220. Casino (1995)
221. Rosemary’s Baby (196
222. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
223. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
224. Mystic River (2003)
225. Toy Story 2 (1999)
226. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
227. Once (2006)
228. Rififi (1955)
229. A Christmas Story (1983)
230. Hot Fuzz (2007)
231. Infernal Affairs (2002)
232. Manhattan (1979)
233. Ikiru (1952)
234. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
235. Young Frankenstein (1974)
236. Dial M for Murder (1954)
237. Rope (194
238. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
239. Roman Holiday (1953)
240. In Cold Blood (1967)
241. His Girl Friday (1940)
242. The 400 Blows (1959)
243. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
244. Hero (2002)
245. La Strada (1954)
246. Harold and Maude (1971)
247. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
248. The Searchers (1956)
249. Le Samouraï (1967)
250. Barry Lyndon (1975)

188/250

Daniel Day Lewis and Roger Ebert

Yesterday was April Fool’s, so you can imagine all the lies and half-truths that found their way through the internet to (un)suspecting victims around the world. I found myself closing my RSS feeder in the afternoon for a while due to its rampancy. The ONE April Fool’s joke that actually got me for a moment was /Film’s post about Peter Weir remaking Werner Herzog’s infamous film Fitzcarraldo, starring Daniel Day Lewis in the lead role, with Mick Jagger on board for the score, and Werner Herzog himself in the producer’s chair. Now this is one fine April Fool’s joke; it’s not painfully obvious like the plethora of superhero movie posts. It blends AWESOME with UNBELIEVABLE in a great way. And coincidentally, I was just assigned to watch Fitzcarraldo in my European Cinema class last night.

Truthfully, I’m not absolutely convinced that it IS an April Fool’s joke. The main reason why I would think that it’s fake is the mention of Mick Jagger, which instantly reminds me of Jonny Greenwood working on There Will Be Blood last year, which also starred Daniel Day Lewis. If more news comes along, I’ll post it here. But until that happens, assume this is isn’t happening.

In other news, the great Roger Ebert announced yesterday that he’s back in the game:

Dear Readers:

I am at last returning to the movie beat. After my current stay at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, I’m looking forward to opening night of my annual film festival at the University of Illinois on April 23, and I will resume writing movie reviews shortly thereafter.

Are you as bored with my health as I am? I underwent a third surgery in January, this one in Houston, and once again there were complications. I am sorry to say that my ability to speak was not restored. That would require another surgery. But I still have all my other abilities, including the love of viewing movies and writing about them. And at my side I have my angelic wife, Chaz.

Casting News for Dubya Flick

Casting News

/Film recently reported that Elizabeth Banks (The 40 Year Old Virgin) has been cast in the role of Laura Bush in Oliver Stone’s film W.

Other cast members include:
Josh Brolin: George W. Bush
Ellen Burstyn: Barbara Bush
James Cromwell: George Herbert Walker Bush

Now a bad list of actors…you can never go wrong with Ellen Burstyn. She was fantastic in Requiem for a Dream.