The Big Screen Bulletin 02.20.06: Myths About Oz and Pink Floyd
Posted by Chad Webb on 02.20.2006
Birthday Bash, Forgotten Hotties, Ledger not too confident, the problems with James Bond, and dissapointing DVD sales.
Intro
I'm sure a lot of you know about the legend that Pink Floyd's masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon meshes with The Wizard of Oz if you mute the sound. Well, my girlfriend has been reading the Wicked book (which is an adult story of Oz), and we decided to try it and see for ourselves. I looked online for the specific directions and I got everything ready and lined it up just right after the MGM lion roars for the third time.
I can't say for a fact that this was a plan or a coincidence, but it was pretty eerie. There are definitely some parts of the movie that bizarrely meshed perfectly with the album. I won't spoil too much, but when the film goes from black and white to color, as Dorothy pushes the door open to Oz, the cha-ching from the song Money comes on. It's weird, but the coolest part is the song that blends terrifically with the length of the tornado at the beginning. There are tons of smaller similarities, but that's all I'll say. Anyway, it was interesting so you should try sometime and decide for yourself. On a side note I always thought Judy Garland was really hot in a little girl from Kansas sort of way. As she got older all the good looks vanished, but during this time she was pretty fine.
I saw The Pink Panther the other day and since 2 reviews were already done, I'll just add a few thoughts here. The funniest part of the whole thing was the beginning cartoons with the pink panther and the inspector. I found myself thinking that the film would have been much improved if it were Steve Martin's voice in an animated film. The slapstick jokes were amusing at some points, but for the most part I was bored and uninterested. Beyonce Knowles was hot to look at, but that's about it. It was not a total loss, but I would not recommend spending money on seeing. A couple days before I saw the film I had spotted the box set of pink panther cartoon shorts on DVD in stores and wanted to get it. The pink panther cartoon character is the coolest part of the whole thing so if I was to recommend anything, it would be the cartoons.
The News Bulletin Dissection
Oscar nominated actress Catherine Keener was devastated when famed author Harper Lee, who she played in Capote, refused to speak with her before filming. The "To Kill A Mockingbird" author, who had been celebrated writer Truman Capote's best friend since childhood, refused to cooperate with the making of the film in any way. Keener explains, "She's a very private person. When I got the job I thought maybe I'd go down to Alabama, where she lives, and knock on her door or something. They (the producers) told me that she didn't want anything to do with it (the movie), because she wanted to remain a private person." After "Capote" was released, Lee contacted Keener to tell her how much she enjoyed the film. Keener says, "It's wonderful (that she got into contact). She saw the film and she liked it very much and was very enthusiastic about Phil's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) performance."
This should tell Lee that in the future there is no reason to be nasty to people. I understand she is a private person, but all Catherine Keener wanted to do was speak with her, and probably get a few pointers. It should be no surprise that she enjoyed the film and the performances because it will win some Oscars.
Heath Ledger is convinced he won't win the Best Actor Oscar next month, because the other nominees are too good. The Australian actor - nominated for his role in "Brokeback Mountain" - is up against Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Joaquin Phoenix ("Walk The Line"), Terrence Howard ("Hustle & Flow") and David Strathairn ("Good Night, And Good Luck"). He said at the presentation of his movie "Candy" at the Berlin International Film Festival Wednesday, "There are so many great actors who are nominated and who all deserve the award. Let's wait and see who will win. Of course, I'm proud to be nominated. But it's already great to be involved in a movie that wins so many prizes and is received so well."
I'm sorry Heath, but you will most likely be second to Philip Seymour Hoffman. If Hoffman doesn't get it however, Ledger is next in line. All the nominees for this category are deserved of a little gold statue, but unfortunately they can't all win. This is by far the biggest category this year, and it has the most riding on it.
Just one day after announcing that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen would portray the villain in "Casino Royale", the next James Bond flick, the film's producers said that French actress Eva Green had been cast as the next "Bond girl." Green, who starred opposite Orlando Bloom in "Kingdom of Heaven" (and was later linked to him romantically), will play the role of Vesper Lynd, a role played by Swiss actress Ursula Andress in the original 1967 "Casino Royale" spoof. In a statement, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said: "After an extensive search we have found the perfect actress. ... She brings to the complex role of Vesper an exciting combination of enigmatic and seductive beauty." Columbia Pictures Chairman Amy Pascal added that while Bond stories are first about action, "you need to have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really needed to up the ante, because this character is very much an equal to Bond and central to our story." It was announced today that Mads Mikkelsen ("King Arthur") will play Le Chiffre in "Casino Royale."
I saw a picture of this woman, and I must say she isn't the knockout that previous Bond girls were. She isn't ugly, but it is not what I picture when I think of a Bond girl. This movie will either be huge success and new beginning for the Bond franchise, or it will be a humungous bomb. I'm betting on bomb because of all the new faces, and the fact that Daniel Craig is a blonde.
Bambi unexpectedly beat the Were-Rabbit in DVD sales last week. According to Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert, "Bambi II", a direct-to-video sequel of the 1942 Disney classic, sold 2.5 million copies during its first week in release. (Disney intends to pull it after 70 days.) But DreamWorks' "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", which had been favored to top the chart, debuted in third place, behind Universal's "Doom."
I am really disappointed about this. I hope none of my readers contributed to this. I would hope that all of you bought Wallace and Gromit. In all seriousness, I can't believe these straight to DVD Disney sequels sell as much as they do.
Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons says he is looking into the possibility of acquiring the Spanish-language network Univision. In an interview with today's (Friday) Wall Street Journal, Parsons said, "Firstly, something that big and that significant, you have to take a look at it. Secondly, the big selling point for Univision is they address what has been an under-addressed, under-represented yet fastest growing part of the population. That's a big plus." However, Parsons added, he is concerned about the long-term growth prospects for Univision, given the changing entertainment market brought about by the Internet. "My problem with it is that it is fundamentally a broadcast network," he said. "I am not that keen on the broadcast business. I can see the growth in Univision for the next three to five years. But it does seem to me at some point in time it flattens out ... and I don't know where the growth comes from after that."
This would be a pretty big acquisition for Time-Warner. If he likes that they are addressing what is under addressed, then why would he want to change it from being a broadcasting station. Honestly, I think that the station could acquire many more viewers if this company helped it to develop a little more. Every now and then my friends and I flip through the channels and the Spanish stations have some wacky sow going on where there are damn hot chicks wearing next to nothing. We don't care what they are saying because it is just fun to stare at them sometimes. If Time Warner is planning on taking that away, then this is a bad idea.
Michelle Monaghan and Casey Affleck are in final negotiations to star in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone, Baby Gone," which will be released by Daniel Battsek's Miramax. "Gone" is based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name and was adapted by Affleck. The story revolves around two Boston private eyes who investigate a missing child in a neighborhood of broken families, bitter cops and crazy ex-cons. Monaghan and Casey Affleck, who is Ben's brother, will play the private detectives. "In keeping with Miramax tradition, I was instructed to find the 'hottest young stars around' to cast in the movie," Ben Affleck said. "I got a list of two names: Michelle Monaghan and Casey Affleck. I was lucky enough to get them both."
I think Ben Affleck is underrated in just about everything he does. Yes, he has made some bad films, but he has also made some really good ones. Something tells me that this will be a good idea. With the two stars that are already cast, along with the plot, I think it is a good combination. This might actually be Ben's niche. Time will tell.
Javier Bardem is set to star in the epic "Love in the Time of Cholera," which Mike Newell is directing for New Line Cinema. Based on the novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Cholera" follows a romantic young man (Bardem) who loses the girl of his dreams to a wealthier suitor and consequently spends the next 50 years building his life and reputation so that one day he might have her. Other women find this devotion irresistible, so he finds himself with frequent female companionship throughout his wait, but his heart always remains faithful to the woman who first captured his heart. Oscar winner Ronald Harwood.
It sounds like a good story, and Newell might be the director that can shape this into a romantic tale that isn't sappy. If he casts all performers that are relatively unknown, that could be a big plus. The last thing we need is another love story with some of the same old boring faces.
M. Night Shyamalan, whose directorial credits include "The Sixth Sense", "Signs" and "The Village", will be honored as ShoWest Director of the Year. The filmmaker will receive the award at the March 16 closing-night ceremonies of the exhibitors convention, which will take place at the Bally's and Paris hotels in Las Vegas. Shyamalan drew applause from exhibitors in Orlando in October when he spoke at the ShowEast convention, passionately arguing in favor of the theatrical motion picture experience and rejecting shrinking theatrical windows as well as simultaneous day-and-date releases across competing platforms. Shyamalan's seventh feature, "Lady in the Water", will be released in the summer by Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie stars Paul Giamatti as a man who discovers a mysterious young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) living in the passageways beneath his apartment building's swimming pool.
He deserves an honor for being of the most innovative filmmakers around today. Personally, I am really looking forward to Lady in the Water. I thought The Village was extremely under appreciated, and after a second viewing I really enjoyed a lot more. Here's hoping that Shyamalan keeps making films for a long time.
What's Coming to DVD….Buy or Avoid?
Rent- A damn fine adaptation from the Broadway show. The special features make this worth buying.
North Country-An underrated film from last year. It's not a classic, but it is worth checking out, and of course Charlize Theron gives a great performance.
Domino- Watching this film gave me a headache with the terrible direction. Certain parts are cool, but this is not worth spending any money on.
The Weather Man- A wonderfully dark, yet hilarious film with the great Nicolas Cage. This is definitely worth buying.
All the President's Men (1976)- This is a classic account of the Watergate scandal that has some truly memorable performances from Hoffman and Redford.
Midnight Cowboy-Another good movie with Dustin Hoffman. This is good, but I my opinion, a tad overrated. It is not something I would watch more than once, but it is definitely worth seeing.
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild-Even though this has a lot well known people doing voices, it can't be that good, if it's straight to video. It's unfortunate that Michael J. Fox can't act as much.
TNA Wrestling: Genesis- This looks like a good PPV, and I really should watch TNA more, but I don't. This is probably worth it for all the TNA fans.
WWE: Divas Do New York - I have never bought a Diva dvd, and I probably never will, but I put this on here just for the cover.
Birthday Bash
Kelsey Grammar is 51-Well this should be an interesting year for this guy. He will star as Beast in X-Men 3, which is a bit of a change from the kind of roles he usually takes. He looks exactly the age he is.
Cindy Crawford is 40- I had no idea she was this old. She has kept out of the spotlight for the most part the past few years. I don't watch tv so maybe she is on some channel regularly, I don't know. For her age, she is still smoking.
Benicio Del Toro is 39-He looks a bit older than this in my opinion. He is a great actor, who almost always picks new and interesting roles. I look forward to many more great films with him.
John Travolta is 52-I would have thought he would be older too. I personally think he is a very under appreciated actor. He has a great presence on screen, and he has been some of my favorite films. One in particular is Face/Off.
Jeff Daniels is 51- Here is another under appreciated actor who appears to be just this age when you look at him. He had a big year in 2005 with one of his best roles in The Squid and the Whale, and I think finally he will start to turn heads when he is in films in the future.
Forgotten Hotties
Yasmine Bleeth
Elizabeth Hurley
Donna D'Errico
Thanks for reading this week and make sure to tune in next week and evrry other week after that.
