The Big Screen Bulletin: The Forgotten Soft Porn Hotties
Posted by Chad Webb on 02.27.2006
My personal top 20, Disney going back to hand drawn animation, a study on film critics, things not going well for Daniel Craig, and a super cool Spiderman 3 poster.
Intro
Well, I don't have as much to say this week because I am cramming for Oscar week. I can't wait to see who wins this year because so many surprises could happen. I going for Brokeback Mountain to win Best Picture this Sunday, and while I think Crash is agreat movie, it just isn't as good as Ang Lee's masterpiece.
I figured I would take this time to share my personal top 20 movies with everyone. This is not what I think is the best of all time, but they are my favorites from when I was younger until now. My list is constantly changing as I see more films, but maybe my list will convince you to see some the listed movies that you may not have heard of.
Chads Top 20 Movies of All Time
1) The Shawshank Redemption
2)Castaway
3)Rocky I
4) Chasing Amy
5) Blow
6) The Family Man
7) Spartacus
8) Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
9) Forrest Gump
10) Almost Famous
11) The Count of Monte Cristo
12) Rear Window
13) The Seven Samurai
14) Back to the Future
15) The Big Lebowski
16) The Seventh Seal
17) Some Like it Hot
18) Pinnochio
19) Gladiator
20) The Game
The News Bulletin Dissection
Sony Pictures on Thursday distributed the first poster art for "Spider-Man 3", a movie that is not scheduled for release until May 2007. The poster shows Tobey Maguire, wearing a black Spidey costume, perched precariously on a pillar at night, while rain falls around him. The poster quickly was picked up by numerous film and sci-fi websites. Garth Franklin, who runs the DarkHorizons.com website, commented, "OK, so it's not as cool as, say, that Batman Begins poster with him swooping down from above ... but, as superhero teaser posters go, it's one of the best in years." And Joshua Tyler, editor-in-chief of CinemaBlend.com, remarked, "It's a huge departure from the previous two movies which were bright, and red, and blue. It's also gotten me all tingly about Spider-Man again. The image is just completely cool."
Does this really mean he is wearing a black costume or is it just a color effect of some sort. I was one of the few that did not like the 2nd spiderman, but if he is changing costumes then I am all for it. I must say the poster looks really good for a teaser. It is easily one of the best so far this year.
Film critics have expressed consternation over a Duke University study released Wednesday that concluded that many movie critics, faced with a huge number of films that that they are required to watch, often avoid writing reviews of the bad films they've seen while others avoid writing reviews of good films if other critics have already given them "thumbs up" notices. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert commented: "This study seems to be have been conducted without any knowledge of the real world film critics inhabit, and to incorporate statistics that seem flawed, if not downright goofy." Pat Saperstein, senior editor of Variety, remarked: "This study doesn't seem to understand the most elementary concept about film reviewers -- the top reviewers with the most seniority are assigned the highest-profile, most prestigious films, duh. Younger, more inexperienced reviewers get the films the top critic doesn't want." Concluded Susan Wloszczyna, a former USA Today critic: "I guess critics should celebrate the fact that an esteemed university is even bothering to study their profession, but these findings barely rate one star."
I don't understand why they went to the trouble to do this study. It makes no sense whatsoever. It is obvious that these people do not know anything about film critics. It seems as if they did this study without doing any actual research.
Germany's largest movie chain, CinemaxX, has pulled the hit Turkish film "Valley of the Wolves: Iraq", following accusations that the film is anti-Semitic and anti-American. The film depicts American soldiers in Iraq as villains, with Billy Zane playing a sadistic U.S. officer and Gary Busey, a Jewish doctor who harvests the organs of Iraqi prisoners and sells them to clients in the West and in Israel. "The controversy surrounding this film has really heated up," CinemaxX spokesman Arne Schmidt told today's (Friday) Hollywood Reporter. "We didn't want to add oil to the fire, so we decided to pull the film." Earlier this week, Bavarian state premier Edmund Stoiber called on all German theater owners "to pull this racist and anti-Western hate film immediately." However, Anil Sahin, head of Maxximum, the film's distributor, told the trade publication. "This is being used as a political football to score points. I wonder if any of the politicians has [sic] actually seen the movie. It's just a fun, silly action flick -- Rambo told from the other side."
Well, I really want to see this movie now. I hate when people expect films to be completely accurate. They are not completely accurate all the time. These are not documentaries people, they are movies. If it is causing controversy, then I am going to see it if I can. It can't be that big of a deal if Gary Busey and Billy Zane are the stars. The one guy compared it to "Rambo" for crying out loud.
"De battre mon coeur s'est arrete" (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) directed by Jacques Audiard swept eight Cesar Awards, France's top film honors, on Saturday, continuing its winning streak to become the most prize-winning French film in the 2005-2006 awards season. Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winner "Million Dollar Baby" won the Cesar for best foreign film, beating nominees including David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" and Woody Allen's "Match Point." "Beat" is a remake of James Toback's 1978 cult film "Fingers," about a man who dreams of escaping his father's dodgy real-estate business to follow in the footsteps of his dead mother, who was a concert pianist.
I wish that foreign films got more publicity over here. Sadly, not many theaters play foreign films, unless they are really popular. On a side note, I did not that France's film awards were called Cesars. You learn something new everyday I guess.
Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has expressed sympathy for Daniel Craig, the current Bond, who reportedly had two teeth knocked out during a fight scene being filmed for Casino Royale in Prague. Interviewed in London at the premiere of his new film The Matador, Brosnan remarked, "I got stitched up and sewn up a few times, it just didn't get in the papers. ... There's going to be mishaps." Asked about the growing complaints by Bond fans about the casting of Craig in the new movie, Brosnan replied, "I think Daniel is a very fine actor. These are rocky waters and they're going to get him one way or another, but I think he will have the last laugh at the end of it."
I'm still not sure about this whole new Bond thing. I heard that some fans are boycotting this film already. That's funny. I guess we should have expected that though. Bond needed a transformation of some kind, but I didn't expect a radical one like this. The last Bond flick was the worst of all, so something needed to happen. We shall see if this change ends up good.
The Walt Disney Co. is planning to revive traditional hand-drawn animation next year with its live-action/animated Enchanted, Disney watcher Jim Hill reported on his website today (Wednesday). A traditionally animated test sequence has already been created for the film by veteran Disney animator James Baxter, best known for his supervision of the character Belle in Beauty and the Beast, according to Hill. "And those who have seen this particular piece of rough animation say that it is 'simply stunning. A wonderful throwback to the sort of films that Disney used to make.'" Baxter, Hill said, has been secretly working on the sequence with a small crew at his own studio in Pasadena, and, he added, his work is likely to be displayed by Pixar's John Lasseter and Ed Catmull as they make their well-known case for reviving hand-drawn animation to Disney chief Robert Iger. Said Hill: "They're going to tell Iger: 'Doesn't that look terrific? People are really going to eat this picture up. They've been waiting for Disney to do a new film that features traditional animation. Which is why this movie is going to do HUGE box office next year.'"
Any way that Disney can keep the traditional animation alive is good for me. I love the new CGI stuff, but we need to have adequate doses of the normal animated style. It will never die as long as the studious keep it going. You never know what Disney has up its sleeve when it comes to the animation.
BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. Terry Perry's Madea's Family Reunion - $30.2 million ($30.2 million)
2. Eight Below - $15.7 million ($45 million)
3. The Pink Panther - $11.3 million ($61 million)
4. Date Movie - $9.2 million ($33.9 million)
5. Curious George - $7 million ($43.1 million)
6. Firewall - $6.2 million ($36.8 million)
7. Final Destination 3 - $5.3 million ($44.7 million)
8. Doogal - $3.6 million ($3.6 million)
9. Running Scared - $3 million ($3 million)
10. Freedomland - $2.9 million ($2.9 million)
I seriously can't believe thatMadea's Family Reunion got number one. I mean, Doogal did not sell much because it wasn't publicized at all. I' impressed that Eight Below is still going strong. I need to catch up on the newest releases. The current movie selection is weak right now. If Tristam Shandy got into more theaters, it would give people more than enough reason to go to the movies. Look for a review soon.
What's Coming to DVD…Buy or Avoid?
Pride and Prejudice - This was a fabulous film adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. Kiera Knightley was fantastic, and I recommend this over Walk the line.
Lady and the Tramp - Another classic Disney film is getting released on DVD so I would pick it up now because it will only be available for a limited time.
The Ice Harvest- a twisty piece of film noir that is a bit different, but enjoyable nonetheless. This went largely un noticed in theaters, and I would urge everyone to rent this.
Walk the Line - This is the single disc version, which won't have much for special features, but there is a collectors edition, which will be pretty decent. This was a very good film, and the acting was top notch, but it was not perfect. The 2 disc set is the one worth buying though.
WWE Royal Rumble 2006 - This was one of the worst Rumbles ever. This is definitely not worth your time or money, and it is another example of how bad WWE is right now.
Yours, Mine, & Ours - Another crappy movie about a huge family where the kids make messes. I didn't bother seeing this because I have seen enough films about big families. It got horrible reviews so I would avoid this.
Dog Day Afternoon- Personally, I didn't like this film that much, but I know some do. Pacino was great though. Since the first DVD had no special features, I would buy this if you like the movie.
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till- This documentary actually did hit theaters, but nowhere near enough theaters to generate a stir. It might be interesting enough to rent.
Forgotten Hotties
Nicole Eggert
Shannon Whirry
Julie Strain
Well thanks for reading and make sure to tune in next week.
(news sources from IMDB.com and Hollywoodreporter.com)
