Human nature, I guess?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!! THE RED BAND FOR CHOKE IS BACK UP!!!!! GO SEE IT NOOOOOOOOWWWW!!! (also - Clark Gregg on casting).

Stayed home sick Thursday. Felt sorry for myself. *cough cough* (Okay, actually I was achy and had a sore throat, but there are no sound effects there). Also having family crises right and left. Fantastico. I was going to get myself a laptop this week, but I've decided to just save up to move. Yes, it stresses me out not to have a laptop and I really want to be able to organize all my photos from traveling. And my itunes. But I think I need to move first. Why can't I just win the lotto? It would solve so many of my problems.

Very excitingly, on Friday I got over to the library, where they have a First Folio on display in the rare books room - preeeetty. They also had several early quartos, including a Midsummer's Nights Dream from 1600. It was a very cool display.

Let's see. Saw Hellboy 2, Mama Mia. I didn't enjoy Hellboy all that much. I might have like it more if I saw it before the Dark Knight. Or had seen the first one, maybe. The visuals were very cool though. Mama Mia... gah. My mom wanted to go see it together, and I thought it would be kinda sparkly and fun. If nothing else, it would have a bit of Dominic Cooper. Here's what I got. We now know what would happen if Meryl Streep filmed an entire movie drunk. (And yes, that is Dominic Cooper in the pink spangly jumpsuit). Oh - and THIS. Why yes, those are men in tight swim trunks, snorkels, and flippers doing the stupidest choreography you have ever seen in your life.

Currently watching Top Gear (love) and the Great Raid (Joseph Fiennes does tortured so well). (BTW - did you know you can check out the Top Gear star leaderboard at wikipedia? Here you go.) (Also, one more reason to love Top Gear: their theme song is my song!)

Saw the Doctor Who Finale last night. I don't think I liked it. Spoiler sweep: [While it was exciting to get the whole crew together, I don't think they knew what to do with everyone once they were there. The jumpy editing between the two doctors made it feel like the acting was a bit off. As if David didn't really know how to play the two. I did really enjoy a lot of the plot and the middle bit with Donna. But here were my two biggest problems:

Donna - I was so upset by her ending. She had changed her life, she had done amazing things, and it was all taken away. Killing her would have been kinder.

Rose came back. ROSE. CAME. BACK. That's huge. That's massive - and I never felt that they really gave that reunion the attention it deserved. And I can't decide about the ending. I might have liked it more if it had been given more weight. I think because they still had to get onto Donna, it felt rushed. I just... I don't know. It wasn't him, you know? She had broken down the walls of the universe to get back to him and then got put back in the other world with almost him and no TARDIS. How exactly is that supposed to work? And why couldn't the doctor (the actual doctor) have just said I love you already? What was with that?

Oh - and last thing. I love Doomsday in part for how incredibly, desperately sad it is. But this episode it just so depressing. Tell me the end of David staring at the TARDIS didn't just depress you half to death.]
io9: Doctor Who Finale made us miss last year's Tinkerbell Jesus

Also saw the Robin Hood Finale. [OMG WTF They KILLED MARION?!? Not that she wasn't asking for it, but Jesus.] Also; Richard Armitage on Bits and Bobs. Oh my god he was in Cats.

I also saw the new Move On ad on tv for the first time. It made me laugh.

LOVE THIS: the 2008 Box Office graph. Ooooh.... pretty....

The Rain of Madness site is awesome. If nothing else, check out the biography on Kirk Lazarus' site.

Comic Con came and went obviously. Some highlights (because I sure as hell can't deal with the backlog); The Wolverine trailer bootleg, Comic Con in 3 minutes, the Spirit art school poster, visionaries panel = pure gold, more comic-con wrap up, Shirley! Shirley shirley shirley shirley, Dharma initiative steals the show at LOST panel, Heroes panel. OH! Can I mention that NATHAN is in the previews for next season?? Way to completely lose there Heroes. Just when it looks like you might strap on a pair and try to emulate some of the good aspects of LOST, you go and wimp out and refuse to kill anyone. And speaking of people coming back in S3. Also, Tim Kring makes puppies commit adultery.

For those about to Watchmen Includes a link to an annotation site, and an interview with Alan Moore. All-encompassing hype started 20 years ago. Watchmen posters. Love. There are watchmen interviews here (if you scroll over to Sundance 2008 you can see a vid on Choke, too). Also there is some shaky, partial comic con footage here. I will say Rorschach looks awesome. New Empire covers and pics. How dark will Watchmen be?

What does the HP6 trailer mean? I like it overall, but I will say that the tone in the scene between Dumbledore and Tom struck me as off. Also: hi res HBP stills, in case you are like me and are going "what? Ron was in the teaser?" And Beedle the Bard to be published in Dec. (Fictional books we'd like to read) And THIS WINS.

The world's funniest race call. ARRRRR!!

Will W be stupid or serious?

The Brothers Bloom trailer, Pride and Glory trailer, What Just Happened trailer, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist trailer, Up teaser an octogenarian prank show, Princess and the frog trailer. I like the princess and the frog. The lightning bug worries me. It is also making me want to see The Rescuers.

So apparently there's a monster in NY?

Zombie Haiku

Terminator: Salvation poster, Doubt poster, My Bloody Valentine 3D poster. Are you my mummy?

The Dark Knight erects giant pile of flammable currency, Johnny Depp and PSH as Bat-villains? Where could Batman go next? Angie as Catwoman?


Captain Hammer's super powers, Stars banter at Dr Horrible panel


Keira Knightley's breasts officially unmarketable

Near impossible task of marketing Hamlet 2

Nottingham film pushed back for Sherwood foliage I am not looking forward to this film at all. I mention it only so that I can also mention that I have been to Sherwood Forest. It's true.

Bay changing script for Shia's mangled hand? Worth it for the image of Bay continuing to work through setbacks.

New Oz photo. Mmmmmm....

Oh nooooes! Horrible news! Colin Firth joins the Picture of Dorian Grey.

14 franchises that need to stop. Including the Land Before Time; the definition of sequels being a DO NOT WANT.

August a cursed movie month

GI Joe vs. the Thing. Uhhh....

Also - Cleolinda has a discussion of Breaking Dawn up over at her place. I have yet to read it, but I'm looking forward to it.

Bad Wolf

I got my Dark Knight IMAX advance ticket! First thing Sunday morning - Yay! Sad about no Harry Potter trailer, but I'm willing to overlook that for the Watchmen trailer. And I have heard rumors that IMAX might get a teaser anyways...

Let's see... seen Be Kind, Rewind (very sweet), Jumper (a cool concept ruined by bad execution and writing, although Jaimie Bell is fun when he shows up), To Die For (Nicole Kidman is fantastic, although parts weren't quite as good as I had thought they would be... if that makes sense), and Flushed Away (so cute! It's really too bad this didn't do better. There are lots of very cute jokes (a cockroach reading Kafka, Hugh Jackman's rat holding up an X-Men outfit, singing slugs, and one of the best French jokes I've seen in a really long time). I really liked the Aardman style of the characters (plus Wallace and Gromit cameos). It wasn't quite the Wrong Trousers, but it really should've done better.)

Gold derby has the short lists for the Emmy nomination pool (all except 2 comedy actors; fingers crossed for Flight of the Conchords, although they may split the votes.) I am trying to ignore the fact that the LEFT OUT HENRY IAN CUSICK FOR SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR (WTF?!?). The inclusions I am happy with;
Comedy; Flight of the Conchords, the Office, Pushing Daisies, and 30 Rock
Drama; Dexter, House, and Lost (FOR DESMONDS EPISODE! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLY THE BEST DRAMA EP OF THE YEAR AND THE MAIN ACTOR ISN'T NOMINATED?!?!)
Drama Actor; Michael C. Hall, Eddie Izzard, Hugh Laurie, and Denis Leary
Drama Actress; Minnie Driver... hmmm.... There really aren't many women I'm currently watching, although I'd like to see Saving Grace.
Comedy Actor: Steve Carell, Lee Pace, David Duchovny, and Alec Baldwin
Comedy Actress: Tina Fey, Anna Friel, Sarah Silverman, and Mary-Louise Parker
Drama Supporting actor: Naveen Andrews, Zeljko Ivanek, and Michael Emerson (who better win!)
Drama Supprting actress: Hmmm... Sharon Gless? Rose Byrne? I don't watch either, but I like them.
Comedy Supporting actor: Justin Kirk, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, and should win Neil Patrick Harris
Comedy supporting actress: Jenna Fischer, Jane Krakowski, Amy Poehler
Guest comedy actress: Sarah Silverman, Carrie Fisher, Elaine Stritch
Guest drama actor: Keith Carradine, Robin Williams

I guess they don't know guest comedy actor/ guest drama actress. Other sad omissions; Christopher Meloni, Robert Sean Leonard (seriously? not for Amber?), Terry O'Quinn (although it wasn't his strongest season), Elizabeth Mitchell, Danny DeVito, Jaimie Pressley, and possibly Josh Radnor along with the Conchords. Oh, and David Caruso.

Also... are BBC reruns not eligible? Because you'd think David Tennant would get some recognition for his work.

YYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY for Shirley on the ads for the Sarah Connor Chronicles.

(Also: Where have all the Riot Grrrrls gone?)

(Non-movie: the best 50 bands from each state)

The disappointment of David Tennant I thought they were placing bets on who was next because David wanted to leave, not because anyone wanted him to leave. He's so good as the doctor!! Although Eddie Izzard is kind of a fab choice if there needs to be a replacement in 2010. I will say the writing has been uneven so far in season 4, but I've liked having Donna around (surprisingly, after the Runaway Bride) and yay for Rose coming back in last night's episode Midnight, which by the way? SO scary. The writing was easily on par with Stephan Moffatt's episodes (although... I just read some seriously misogynistic statements by him... oh so not cool.)

Also: An Anglophile what-to-watch.... hee. Speaking as someone raised in an Anglophile household; brilliant.

The woman who decides what movies you get to see

Not good X-Files 2 spoilers

New Office webisodes, Heroes webisodes teaser

You are; The Free Agent That sounds about right.

Trailer Park: Hell Ride and Rain of Madness, the Tropic Thunder documentary

How Dr. Horrible came to be

Fincher's Heavy Metal a no-go

Max Payne trailer

Best and worst of 2008 so far I vote for In Bruges, Snow Angels, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Wanted, Wall*E, Be Kind Rewind and Prince Caspian, although there are still a few I'd like to see, like 21, Get Smart, The Bank Job, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Cassandra's Dream, Charlie Bartlett and the Fall. Also: the 20 best movies from Moviefone and 7 overlooked gems

Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist poster

Should there be a Deadwood movie?

5 reasons 1980 was not the best year for musicals

And finally, all of the furor over the Twilight EW cover at Cleolinda's blog has been cracking me up. Check it out; "If you have not seen the lolarity that is next week's Entertainment Weekly Twilight cover (plus a sparkleized version by orangeokapi13. Plus another version over at FW. Plus Maybelline icons, and I'm kind of tempted to snag one) from yesterday, I suggest you hie yourself there with a quickness. Truly, it is magnificent, and the best laugh you will have all week. (And just think: I'm getting this in the mail.) ETA: THIS JUST IN: THERE ARE PICTURES INSIDE THE MAGAZINE AS WELL. OUTSTANDING." And "My day has been made...Meanwhile, the LA Times reports fan outrage at the tackiness of the cover. No, I'm not kidding.)

Medieval binary?

Been awhile. Things have been hectic. I started up at a new job. Not much else to report. I have a massive backlog of links. Enjoy!


Movie-wise, I saw both Wall*E and Wanted, as well as the Good Shepherd. Wanted was AWESOME. Like a hot dog. I went on Monday, so I hadn't expected the crowd to be too crazy, but boy was I wrong. We didn't get that much cheering in Iron Man. So fabulous, so over-the-top and so much fun. I highly recommend it.

I also went to see Wall*E on Friday after getting turned down for two jobs (fab day, huh??) and it was very adorable and I really enjoyed it. I particularly liked the first half hour or so, which reminded me of Buster Keaton or other silent film comedies. The timing was pitch-perfect and the whole endeavor was very cute (then again, Wall*E had me at... well... "Wa-a-a-all-eeeee").

The Good Shepherd, on the other hand, was a waste of a lot of very fine talent. Angie looks lovely and dives into her role with gusto, but doesn't have much to really sink her teeth into. Likewise, there are a lot of great supporting characters, such as Lee Pace and Billy Crudup. I think the screenplay is really to blame. It should have been edited down and streamlined. It is unnecessarily plodding and convoluted. A much better bet would be to watch Cambridge Spies. Billy Crudup's character is basically Kim Philby anyways, and Cambridge Spies is not only much more taught and gripping, but sticks to the facts (at least I think it does). And while the Brit's depiction of James Angleton (the person Matt Damon's character was loosely based on) is less-than-flattering, he hold attention better and his zealotry comes through more. Matt Damon was very... quiet.


Wanted in 15 Minutes Oh so brilliant. Best bit; "This is the role Angelina Jolie was born to play. She emerged from the womb already covered in tattoos and eyeliner for the express purpose of playing this character, who immediately entered my pantheon of Chicks I Want to Be Like When I Grow Up. Fox is the reason Angelina Jolie was put on this earth. Well, this and the global philanthropy."



Hee. 10 Things I hate about you is playing in the background as I write this. I forgot how cute parts of it were. "No ritual animal slaughter of any kind!"

And all the Linkspam:

Viacom to get YouTube user data What the hell?

Speaking of Boing Boing.... what exactly is going on? And why are they being mean to Violet Blue? I like her! Also, more here, here, and here. Note: Violet Blue is totally nsfw.

All things Dark Knight (AHHH must buy tickets already!) EW's cover, the joker sans make-up, Christian Bale interview, I seriously hope whoever has been doing the Dark Knight posters gets an award, a cinematic revolution

Crazy Gary Oldman crushes Daniel Radcliffe's innocence Also, Crazy Gary Oldman playing Tiny Tim



LOST book club WHEE!

Kristen Bell is the Queen of Babble I mention this not because I care about the project (ech) but because a) she looks diseased in that photo and b) does anyone else think that the daughter on Doctor Who could be her sister?

Top 25 Action Heroines

The new commercials for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia make me laugh a lot. You can check out the whole music video here.


Did Anne Hathaway hand her ex over to the feds? Wow, that might be the first time I've felt kindly towards her.



Vanity Fair curses yet more young stars



Madden to direct Nazi-hunter thriller The Debt



Trailer for Knowing Meh. I think Nicholas Cage needs to head back to the Matchstick Men/ Adaptation genre and stay away from the National Treasure-type genre. Speaking of which, I just noticed the Wicker Man is playing today. "HOW'D IT GET BURNED?!?!" (Togdor? Is that you?)



The Day the Earth Went Whoa.



The Prisoner returning Bad idea, BAD IDEA!



Absurdly bad Fly me to the Moon trailer We didn't get that. We got the soul-crushing Beverly Hills Chihuahua instead. This looks like that animated film Jon Stewart did where he was a spring that shot icicles out of his mustache... Ah yes.



Adrien Brody in Giallo

Are stars ruining older films on blu-ray?

In Search of a Midnight Kiss Poster

Hmmm... a film I've never heard of... Sex and Death 101. Apparently now on DVD.

Quantum of Solace trailer I don't think much of the new girls.

What's the Best British Film Ever? So NOT Four Weddings.

More New World on DVD I think a lot of times director's cuts improve on theatrical releases. After all, you don't want the same studio head who approved White Chicks trying to make your movie more commercial.

Tragic demise of Hello, Dolly star awww... Wall*E dancing along was so cute

What are your top 100 films? (Hmmm.... flickchart.com? One more place to waste my time... Oh. it doesn't seem to be up yet. Odd.)

Morning Spoilers I have the hardest time not looking at the Doctor Who column!!

HP 6 photos, also here (the kids are reacting to Ron in a quidditch uniform) and notable for the DADA prof profiles.



How far is Gotham from Metropolis Doesn't the Dark Knight Returns mention both?

Strike? What Strike?

RocknRolla trailer & stills

David Fincher teams up with the Goon

Lost Metropolis Footage Found Wow.



Christian Bale apparently owns time-turner



Ryan eager to reprise Office role



From Page to Screen, or, go read Revolutionary Road already.

Where are the Oscar contenders? Hurrah for the commenter who put forth Snow Angels, although I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Choke for Sam. In Bruges is also one of my faves so far, although I can't honestly see it earning any recognition.

Courtesy of Cleolinda; "ONTD talks about the '300' sequel, blah blah blah. All I know is, the animation at the top of the entry is one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen."

Croc Dundee to tax authorities, "Come and get me" HAhahahaha

I can't stop thinking about the Wicker Man now. BEEES!

Burninator!

I am so loving Flight of the Conchords. Clips for your enjoyment here, here, and - maybe most amazingly - here. Also, I hate to say it, but without the beard, Bret kind of looks like Frodo. (I will also say that the show reminds me a bit of the Mighty Boosh. (Do they have that show in America?))

Since my last post I saw The Lookout, which was pretty good, the Notorious Bettie Page, which I enjoyed, although I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, and Enchanted, which I found amusing, particularly James Marsden's clueless prince.

I'd also like to point out that In Bruges is now out on DVD. It is most likely going to end up in my top 10 films of the year. I really, really highly recommend it. It is very dark and very funny.

7 moments of George Carlin greatness My brother and I were lucky enough to see him at Davies Symphony Hall a few years back. The stage at Davies had never seen that kind of language. Probably never will again...

The Saturn Awards SUCKED Seriously. Enchanted over STARDUST?!? Cloverfied over SUNSHINE?!? Although I'm okay with 300 for action and Sweeney Todd for Horror. No, it isn't a straight-up horror flick and I'm sure it won for being mainstream and critically adored. However, Tim Burton certainly made the scariest version of the story possible; the way he filmed the bodies being turned into meat was pretty horrific. And fairly brilliant.

Rip Roarin' ammo fest 'Wanted' is a Can't Miss


Wall*E downplays message


I saw this ad in EW. It made me laugh.

7 Chick flicks for guys Or for those of us who won't touch chick flicks with a ten foot pole. That was one thing I noticed about Definitely, Maybe. I usually cannot stand romantic comedies as a genre, but this stood out as something I'd like to see at some point. The list is fairly standard, Jerry Maguire aside (ugh.).

Is the sky falling on indies? Well, I was disappointed by the returns for Snow Angels and Joshua the year before. (Joshua may have been the most under appreciated film of the year.) Certainly the angle on Sundance coverage this year was the slow buyers market. I think once this year's crop of films gets released, there'll be a better idea of how things stand.

Arrested Development movie Maybe. I don't actually see anything in that quote that confirms a film.

Revisiting Brideshead

The Geek Beat: Super Careers

Youth in Revolt has a great cast

19 one scene wonders I'd add Sam Rockwell in Jarhead, but his scene only made it on the DVD, unfortunately.

Defiance screens Includes a comparison to the Wind that Shakes the Barley, which instantly makes me much more interested.

Is Wall*E the most expensive silent film ever? Umm.. first off, awesome. I love silent films. But doesn't Eve talk?

Hancock billboard amuses passing Londoners, film bloggers across pond I don't find the billboard as amusing as the fact that someone originally titled the film "Tonight, He Comes." What the???

Kate Winslet gets old for the Reader

Ann Curry prowls for James McAvoy Aah!

Could you shoot curvy bullets? This calls for... Mythbusters!

Movie posters vie for street cred

Poster premiere: Death Defying Acts

Sam Riley to play Robin Hood While I've heard great things about Control... I'm not sure he can cancel out Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller.

Watchmen trailer to go before the Dark Knight? Stuff at Comic Con? Neither of these (if true) seem particularly surprising. And it isn't as if there'd be any Watchmen fans not already seeing the Dark Knight when it opens...

Morning spoilers. Hello pretty Milo. Seriously, bless whichever costume designer picks out Peter's coats. And yes, I'm biased, but who doesn't look better with dark hair? Hayden Panettiere, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sienna Miller, Gwenyth Paltrow. Still, I guess it's lucky for brunettes that so few Hollywood blonds choose to stay dark.

Sam news! Sam and Anna Faris to shoot Linda Lovelace biopic this summer?

And I'm reposting Cleolinda's entry about the following bit of news, because she's brilliant; "Hopkins Confirmed As Lear. Apparently Naomi Watts will also join Gwyneth Paltrow and Keira Knightley as the third daughter. Quoth the director, an "American newcomer," "It's pre-Roman, Celtic, very raw. It's a period in British history, from which Tolkien took a lot of his inspiration, where there were thatched-roof roundhouses and fortresses." AND THE TROGDOR COMES IN THE NIIIIIIIGHT!"

New Zealand - It's not part of Australia!

Oops. Sorry to have been away. Things have been a wee bit hectic around here. I'm probably missing a bunch of linkspam, but oh well. In my life, I got a massage on Friday which did wonders for my back; I'm not sure I even realized how tense I'd become. I'm volunteering at the SPCA tomorrow (kitties!). And between interviews, housework and working on the family finances, I've been plowing through a book every two days as well as watching a ton of stuff from the tivo and netflix. To wit, in addition to Flight of the Conchords (have I mentioned I passed by Brett in Wellington?) I've recently seen:

Ratatouille. Very cute. I particularly loved Will Arnett's character; "with theeese thumb."

The Fountain. I'm still so disappointed I never got to see this on the big screen. The visuals were really made to be seen on something larger than my tv. I enjoyed it. I thought Hugh Jackman does a fantastic job. Rachel Weisz doesn't get much to do as Tess; her character doesn't have a lot of progression. It makes sense, as she is close to death and the movie covers 3 stories, but she exists more as a motivator for Hugh Jackman rather than as her own person, I felt.

Fracture. Kinda fun and twisty, if a bit overblown. Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins both do alright and the way the murder is committed is interesting. I felt they spent too much time on Ryan's turnabout from corporate greed to activist. Plus, it has Cliff Curtis! I love it when he shows up in films.

The Anniversary Party. The jury's still out on this one. I can't decide if it's an interesting look at L.A. culture and relationships or a totally narcissistic and self-indulgent project.

Shoot Em Up. Whee! Clive Owen can kill a man.... with a carrot. Twice!

Breakfast on Pluto. I really liked this one. It stars Ireland (no, really. Think of an Irish actor. Got it? Trust me, he's in it.) Anyways, it actually stars Cillian Murphy as Patrick Kitten Braden, a transgender Irish youth growing up int he 1970s. Patty refuses to take things seriously, despite the Troubles, and the film is likewise fanciful and endearing. I think Cillian's golden globe nod was well-deserved.

The Incredible Hulk. No, it's not Iron Man (hi, Robert Downey Jr!). But I enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would. I think the main problem was that the film was sort of schizo. There were the Hulk action sequences, which were fun (explosions! whee!) and there was Edward Norton feeling maligned and angsting. Which he does very well. But there seemed to be no continuity between the two, Liv Tyler aside. Not being familiar with the comics, why was it the hulk bore no resemblance to Bruce Banner? Even Tim Roth's monster could talk and held onto aspects of his personality. So I enjoyed Edward Norton racing around trying to find a cure and I enjoyed the hulk smashing things, but they felt like two very different films. Can we put Edward Norton in a similarly angsty role that doesn't involve CGI (but is still big budget) and leave the action films to Wolverine and the Dark Knight? I feel like all of Edward Norton's films recently have been indie (Down in the Valley and the 25th Hour) or not marketed widely (hello, Painted Veil). I guess the Illusionist was big, but I felt it suffered compared to the Prestige. And you never saw his face in Kingdom of Heaven.

Also, Liv Tyler's breathy way of talking, while it worked in Empire Records and Lord of the Rings, really began to get on my nerves. Although I loved her quip about her lip gloss.

Sense & Sensibility. Okay - Masterpiece Theatre and not an actual film, but close enough. It was alright. I think the casting was pretty well done (hurrah for Dominic Cooper as Willoughby!) and I much preferred Dan Stevens to Hugh Grant as Edward. However, Kate Winslet made Marianne far more sympathetic and I think Emma Thompson's screenplay was better. Still, this version had sword fighting!

Linkspam:

First up, and most importantly, the first poster and image from Sam Rockwell's Moon. WHEEE! And no, I don't care if it is similar to another poster. Few posters are truly original these days.

Non-movie: Unless we get a superhero out of this who can fix the national economy and give me a pony, plutonium is bad! Also: Michael Ian Black tries to pick a fight with David Sedaris.

Also: I love these; haunting snow globes. They're very Edward Gorey. Personal faves here, here, and here.

Stan Winston passes away

Tyler Durden sings Also, Edward Norton's Fight Club PSA if you haven't already seen it.

Downey Jr. to play Cowboys and Aliens

Girls clamor for "pecked to within an inch of her life" Barbie

Oscar changes rules for foreign film, song Thank God. No more Disney medleys and hopefully we won't have a repeat of what happened in the foreign category last year.

New Joker poster It's a great poster, but a bit up close and personal I think, all things considered. I prefer the old one. And some more viral marketing. And Nestor Carbonell on LOST and the Dark Knight (ignore the headline). Yeah, didn't know he was in the Dark Knight.

Bolt poster reminds us...

New Burn After Reading Trailer Fantastic - what a great cast.

Liam Neeson in new Taken trailer

Full Mummy trailer hits I'm sorry, wasn't the last one full length?

Christian Bale as Robin Hood? Hmmm.... does casting Christian Bale cancel out Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller? Given that this is still a rumor, and Christian Bale is signed on in 2 major franchises, I think I'll stick with Jonas Armstrong and the boys for now.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is excited about GI Joe. No, really.

New Brideshead images. I'm torn between hating the story and thinking these images are fab. Also, isn't Aloysius supposed to be bigger?

New Mama Mia images Why hello there, Dominic Cooper.

The rest of the Spirit posters roll out I had no idea Sarah Paulson was in this.

At some point I need to write up the movies I've seen recently (Ratatouille, The Fountain, Fracture, The Anniversary Party) but I'm barely awake at the moment. I went downtown to check out Pride and then the subway stopped running and it took me more than 2 hours to get home and I'm completely knackered.

Predicting the Tonys Can't WAIT!! I love the Tonys. Too bad Hugh Jackman isn't hosting.

nom nom nom nom nom

New Watchmen images Just oh so excited for this. And here's the flaming man stunt.

Get Smart beats Watchmen to DVD stunt marketing There's something so wrong about that sentence.

Wall*E has the cutest fetishes It's true.

Public Enemies images All the photos taken on Johnny's 45th birthday. We're all agreed he has a mangy portrait tucked up in an attic somewhere, yes? And why have the only photos from this set been of him? Share a little love to Christian Bale, already.

Speaking of which, Christian Bale is lovely. And kudos to the interviewer for having the guts to ask, "do you feel silly playing a man who dresses up as a bat?" Also, I may have mentioned this before, but all the designer suits are so very American Psycho, which works well for Bruce Wayne's character (why yes, I did just read the Dark Knight Returns).


How long you have to finish reading The Road

Defiance poster I like the description

Miracle at Santa Ana Trailer

Benjamin Button In English!

Morning Spoilers Browse at your own risk, but read LOST's because Jorge Garcia is awesome and more importantly, check out SHIRLEY!!! (Under the Sarah Connor Chronicles)

Why the Happening is terrible; or, all of it's plot, so you don't have to watch it, too I love it. TREES. (Can I mention that, given my background in all things environmental, I love it when trees fight back? See: The Two Towers, Narnia, and Princess Mononoke. Or, I guess it was just the spirit of the forest there.)

Also; "Oops, did I not mention the Happening is supposed to be bad?"


22 twisty endings (you can choose to reveal the ending or not)


Q&A with Angelina Jolie


Free Fox Searchlight films


Vanity Fair's Blogopticon Whee!

Bottle Shock trailer


Downey Jr. as Holmes? Bad idea, BAD IDEA!


Leo as Captain America? Um.... no.


Lionsgate apparently unaware of completely stupid tiger movie

Vanfire of the Bonities

*sigh* My mad box office skills are deteriorating. 253rd this week, for a total of 74 overall. I'll basically need to win next week to crack the top 50. But then the game restarts after 10 weeks for the second half of summer.

Checked out the Scooper bowl at government center. My belly is full of ice cream (Breyer's strawberry and Garelick/Gifford's Maine wild blueberry were the best).

My brother just wandered in with; "Past the rock that looks like a long neck and the mountains that burn." My family is so weird.

Here's a backlog of links. I still have more to look through, but it'll have to do for now.

Whoa. What happened to Cinematical?

Lostesness first: LOST: 4 Open questions, The pre-finale Doc Jensen, Season 4's best 15 moments

And tv: emmy nom wishlist, Castmates who click I'll second the Doctor and Rose, House and Wilon and Ben and Locke. Little Dorritt to be made into a 15 part miniseries. Supposedly the cast is brilliant. I recognize only Matthew Macfayden and Freema from Doctor Who.

And my favorite lolcat in a long time

Page to Screen: Prisoner of Azkaban

Very positive Hulk reviews pouring in. I had to read that sentence twice. Maybe Edward Norton's involvement actually did make a huge difference?

Should the blockbuster season be longer? And more on the subject

The Changeling gets a new release date

A rewrite on Jake Gyllenhaal's moon movie
Miracle at St. Anna poster
Hollywood is burning

New Spirit poster I like this one better than the last one, which was very X2 (fine, and all, but it's a good idea to try something different. Although is this a bit Rosario Dawson in Sin City?)

Liam Neeson in film about the Troubles

13 impressive movie dresses Oh, Atonement dress. You are so pretty.

Jaime Kennedy As someone who did not see Scream 3.... WHAT NOW???

New Dutchess trailer I think the Diana bit is ridiculously stupid, but I love all the new plot details. I can't wait for this one.

Vote Dent

Ask Dr. Clive I wrote in. We'll see if it makes it on.

A moment of silence, please.

Yeah, see, that's irony. What I said was ironic...

So first up; I saw Prince Caspian (well, a week ago now - I'm really going to work on getting back into the swing of posting regularly. One hopes.) I enjoyed it. It isn't quite as good as Iron Man, but I was pretty impressed overall. I was never very interested in Narnia; I only saw the first one because someone else was buying the ticket. I went out of that one thinking they did a good job with the special effects, but still not thinking the plot was all that engaging. Prince Caspian, for me, was much more fun because it is much more action based, a bit darker, and a bit less Christian allegory. Aside from Lucy - get thee to a nunnery, girl! Anyways, a few thoughts;

- The plot is a bit all over the place. It felt as if they had to keep cutting things down for length and some continuity got lost. I wasn't always sure where they were going. Overall, it just didn't feel as if the scenes built upon each other in a logical fashion.

- Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep and Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin rocked. And provided a nice change of pace from the court intrigue/ battles that occupy most of the movie.

- The cinematography is super gorgeous. God, New Zealand is beautiful. The flight of Caspian in the beginning is particularly well done.

- I enjoyed the battles. They were oddly bloodless (hello PG rating!), but I thought they were shot well.

- The costumes were kind of odd. I really wish I had a picture of Caspian's final outfit. It's this totally bizarre dress/gauchos thing. I nearly laughed out loud.

- I thought the largest problem were the kids. Not that the actors were bad, necessarily, just that they are incredibly one-dimensional characters. Lucy mopes around for Aslan for the entire thing, Susan doesn't do much aside from a few smoldering glances at Caspian (and one very kickass archery scene), and Peter spends the entire movie more or less being an ass. The writers occasionally give them some nice sibling interaction to work with, but a lot of the time they are just very stilted. I did think Edmund was a huge improvement from the first film and he seemed the most at ease throughout the whole film. And he's supposed to be back in the third installment, right? So that's good.

- Why did they pick a Spanish accent for the Telmarines? You have a boy on a quest to revenge his father's death. Who in the audience isn't going to think, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya..."

- The accent aside, I thought Ben Barnes did a good job. He also has a bit more going on emotionally; being tempted by the white witch, learning about his father, watching his soldiers die, confronting his uncle. And he is very good looking. I remember wondering in Stardust why he wasn't cast as the lead (not that Charlie Cox didn't do a great job, but he doesn't have the same Marquee looks).

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a good summer blockbuster, and I wouldn't be averse to seeing it again on the big screen.

And linkspam:

Not movie related, but I love it: The new Discovery Channel ad. Mythbusters rocks my world.

Also not in movies: 17 enduring Lost mysteries. Aw. I kinda miss Mr. Eko. Also; some more theorizing in advance of the finale.

Australia trailer The photo they have up for it cracks me up. "Can I pet the pretty blond lady? She's all thoft and furry..." As for the trailer, I really like it. The cinematography, music, and fonts are all appropriately epic. I also love that Hugh Jackman gets 2 words.


Badass Russian Wanted trailer



Trailer for the Go-Getter



Sony's new Hot Ticket The important part of this article? The final performance of RENT will be broadcast live in September. Which I will buy a ticket to as soon as they'll let me. I happen to own a copy of the Angel cast's final SF performance and I watch that far more often than the movie (stupid Chris Columbus!). I hope they have a good cast together for that final show. The last time I saw RENT was in NY, and the cast was a bit meh. Still, that was also a Tuesday, and I'm sure the final night will be amazing. It'll be the last time to see Michael Grief's direction live (or live-ish). I still can't believe it's actually closing.

Anyways, as for the discussion into movie theaters turning more and more to live-ish entertainment for revenue, that's a whole other discussion.

Cannes review: Synecdoche, New York I CAN'T WAIT.

Cannes review: The Changeling ditto.

Cannes prizes



David Fincher's potential masterpiece and the Spanish trailer Oh, right. That's the Curious Case of Benjamin Button they're refering to.

Gladys Knight auditions for Pips Robert Downey Jr. is awesome. His absence is funnier than either of the other guys.

Eagle Eye Trailer Meh. I kept expecting Hugo Weaving to show up.

Jake Gyllenhaal is the Prince of Persia Is that the game that had lots of jumping on ledges in dungeons? That was big when we were about in 5th grade. Oh hell YES. Wow.... I remember the spikes of impalement now. I also love the idea of an Oregon trail movie. But not with Emile Hirsch. And can we please call it "I just tried to ford the river and my fuckin' oxen died"?

A new book in praise of cinema's hellraisers

Boy A poster

Lear with Hopkins, Paltrow and Knightley I hated King Lear. And it's the only Shakespeare that I've read where I felt that way. Still, maybe a good cast would improve it for me. Although I think Derek Jacobi would be a better choice than Anthony Hopkins.

Fun movie shirts There are quite a few I like, but none of the ladies tees designs.

From page to screen: The Lovely Bones

Downey Jr to play Hugh Hefner?

Christian Bale signs on for the Terminator trilogie My first reaction to this story was, "Is he out of his mind?!?" Especially considering he isn't yet done with Batman. But here's my guess - this deal has got to set him up financially to keep making things like Rescue Dawn for years and years to come. Or maybe he just really loved the Terminator as a kid.

Awesome: 'Crystal Skull' annoys Russian Communists The one consistent theme I'm hearing from Indy is that Cate Blanchett is awesome, crap accent aside.

No, seriously John. What's up with that beard? At least Sam Mendes is directing- maybe that'll make that rat's nest worth it? Nah...

EEE!!

Ok; so I need to write a post about Prince Caspian, which I saw Monday night, but I had to first very quickly share the new poster for Choke. How incredibly fabulous is this? I think I may have to buy it, even given my dislike of pink.