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It’s been called the bitchiest movie ever made: a caustic critique of New York theatre folk that skewers their pomposity and insecurities with devastating accuracy. But thanks to a superlative cast, a brilliantly witty screenplay and top-drawer direction from Joseph L Mankiewicz, it’s also one of the most entertaining. Bette Davis may not have been the first choice(that was Claudette Colbert) to play Margo Channing the Broadway grande dame who lives to regret her generosity towards Anne Baxter’s ruthlessly ambitious ingenue. But she undoubtedly made the role her own, delivering a masterclass in scene-stealing only George Sanders’ urbane critic Addison De Witt comes close to rivalling. Oh, and who’s that playing Miss Caswell, buxom graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art? Why, it’s only Marilyn Monroe. Impeccable.

Source: All About Eve

Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Thrillers, Sundance, Trailers and Clips

I have to be honest, I have always had a soft-spot for Colin Farrell and was convinced he could be great in the right role. After watching the trailer for In Bruges, I think this could be the one. Just last week, Peter gave us the heads up that the black comedy had been chosen as the opening night selection for Sundance 2008. Now, a trailer has surfaced and unless you have some headphones at your desk there’s no way you’re going to be able to watch this one at work … sorry. Bruges stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hit-men who are awaiting their contact in a hotel room in Bruges, Belgium. Also starring is Ralph Fiennes, playing very against type as a gangster, and Elizabeth Barrington.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, the film is a black comedy with a capital B. Original reports had our two hapless hit-men knocking off a kiddie by mistake and then having to go on the run. By the looks of the trailer though, it seems like there might have been some minor changes. Now, there is no mention of a kid and it looks like the target is a man of the cloth — which I guess is funnier depending on your sense of humor. So even with my aforementioned bias, I still think this looks like a pretty funny flick. I don’t even know all that much about Bruges, but there is one joke that had me almost snorting coffee on the keyboard. Not to mention there are some pretty creative uses of the “F-word” — and that’s just for the trailer. In Bruges will premier at Sundance this January and then a limited release will follow in February. Hopefully the movie will get a wide release sometime in ‘08.

[via The Movie Blog]

Tags: Brendan Gleeson, BrendanGleeson, Colin Farrell, ColinFarrell, Martin McDonagh, MartinMcdonagh, Ralph Fiennes, RalphFiennes

Source: A Very NSFW Trailer for Colin Farrell’s ‘In Bruges’

Many of us are looking forward to the new James Cameron feature “Avatar” that is set to come out in 2009. The film is described as such:

A paraplegic ex-marine war veteran is unwillingly sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet’s indigenous Na’vi race in this ambitious, digital 3-D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron.

I came across this image today of what is being called concept art from the film of the alien race. Looks pretty cool… but for a moment I thought it was just Angelina Jolie from Beowulf. My mistake.

** UPDATE - Well, I guess that image was authentic, because I got a letter from Fox asking that I take it down. I’ve complied with their request. **

Source: Avatar Creature Design

NR | 1 hr 49 mins | Action, Adaptation, Sci-Fi Movie
Just one man remains on Earth after a virus has transformed the population into vampire-like creatures.
Synopsis:
Robert Neville is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable and manmade. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City, and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by “the Infected”-victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path. For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. All the while, the Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville’’s every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Alice Braga,
Movie Trailer I Am Legend

Source: I Am Legend

PG-13 | Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, Adaptation Movie
In a parallel universe, young girl travels to the far North to save her best friend and other children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.
Synopsis:
There is a world where witches rule the northern skies, where ice bears are the bravest of warriors, and where every human is joined with an animal spirit who is as close to them as their own heart. This world is dominated by the Magisterium, which seeks to control all of humanity, and whose greatest threat is the last remaining Golden Compass and the one child destined to possess it. Twelve year-old Lyra Belacqua lives an extraordinary life as a ward of distinguished Jordan College. Tearing unsupervised through the streets on mad quests for adventure with her loyal friend Roger, Lyra is accompanied everywhere by her daemon, Pantalaimon–a small, ever-changing animal that serves as a constant voice of reason. But Lyra’s world is changing. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, is embarking on a trip to the Arctic Circle to investigate a mysterious element called Dust, but the Magisterium would go to any lengths to stop him. At the same time, rumors of children mysteriously disappearing and being taken north become terrifyingly real when Lyra’’s best friend Roger goes missing. She swears to go to the ends of the earth to rescue him, and when a new figure appears at the college–Marisa Coulter, a beguiling scientist and world traveler–she sees her best chance to get away. But Lyra’’s been drawn into a trap designed to take from her the one thing she possesses that the Magisterium desperately seeks–the Golden Compass. It is a mystical device that can tell the truth, reveal what others wish to hide and foreshadow–and even change–the future. Lyra realizes that she will have to embark on her own journey to rescue Roger and stop the Magisterium. But fate puts her in the protection of a tribe of seafaring Gyptians led by Lord Faa, Ma Costa and Farder Coram. Banding together an unlikely alliance with the Gyptians, the mysterious witch Serafina Pekkala and Texas airman Lee Scoresby, Lyra is flung into an adventure that will take her over sky and ocean, to the wilds of the icy north, where she gains a powerful ally in a great armored bear named Iorek Byrnison. A great war is coming–with her band of friends and allies, and the power of the Golden Compass, Lyra will need all her skill and all her courage, to stop it.

Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Eva Green
Movie Trailer The Golden Compass

Source: The Golden Compass

Thought we’d try something a little different tonight. It’s a game. Tell us how well you did in the comments. But first you have to watch…

p.s. I’d like to thank my friends at The Rec Show for pointing me to this nifty sketching device!

Source: Guess Who? I Draw For You

Must See
Deadline Hollywood “Speechless #11″ with Laura Linney. Another video in support of the writers strike. This is laugh out loud funny. Question: Is The Lovely Laura Linney™ trying to transform us all into subservient loveslaves for 2007…I ask cuz it’s totally working. I already sent this to Nick who replied “Is she not totally better in this clip than, like, all of the Best Actress nominees from ‘05?” to which I must reply in the affirmative. Hilarious.

More Linnkey
In the Company of Glenn grapples with that mysterious hotel room sequence in No Country for Old Men [there be spoilers]
the Moviegoer Roger Deakins on “the boys” (i.e. the Coen Bros)
Boy Culture investigates the NY Times “Movies Rock” segment and predicts an Oscar nom for Travolta in Hairspray
Derfwad Manor confesses to having secret boyfriends … and she’s got (mostly) good taste. But props for managing to give it up for The Bening along the way

music break
current this isn’t really current but it’s so sci-fi I was mesmerized. “Björk has one”, it figures
Arjan Writes about Pink’s “Dear Mr. President” -Pink is so underappreciated

one last thing
Are you as sick as I am of waiting around for Atonement to open? Release that damn thing already — Give me Joe guiding Keira & James… now.

Source: Laura Linkey

Patrick Walsh
Filed under: Animation, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Disney, Tech Stuff, Distribution, Exhibition, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

I don’t believe the hype that 3-D will dominate the movie world in the near future, but it does seem like a lot of movies are using the technology these days. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Disney will release the animated feature Bolt, (once called American Dog) in Digital 3-D next year. Bolt features the voices of John Travolta, Woody Harrelson, and Susie Essman (who had better curb her Curb Your Enthusiasm language!). It tells “the story of a TV star dog named Bolt (Travolta) who is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York, where he begins a cross-country journey through the real world.” Chris Williams directs the film.

Disney has been one of the biggest supporters of 3-D. In recent years, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, and the sweet, sweet Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas were all released in the format. Speaking of Nightmare, as Monika told you earlier this month, Tim Burton has signed to produce and direct 3-D versions of Alice in Wonderland and his own terrific short film, Frankenweenie for Disney. On the opposite end of the cool spectrum, Disney’s next 3-D release is the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, which will play in theaters Feb. 1-7. Start scalping those tickets now!

Tags: 3-d, 3d, alice in wonderland, AliceInWonderland, bolt, chicken little, ChickenLittle, chris williams, ChrisWilliams, disney, hannah montana, HannahMontana, john travolta, JohnTravolta, meet the robinsons, MeetTheRobinsons, miley cyrus, MileyCyrus, nightmare before christmas, NightmareBeforeChristmas, susie essman, SusieEssman, tim burton, TimBurton

Source: Disney Going 3-D with ‘Bolt,’ Burton, and…Hannah Montana

ThinkGeek.com has an R2D2 Trash Can which might make throwing away trash cool again (at least for a few minutes, wait, was throwing away trash ever cool?). But at a list price of $149.99 (or ThinkGeek’s discounted price of $99.99), I’m not quite sure if it’s worth the investment. Apparently the product is imported from Japan, which might explain the price.

When you step on R2’s center “foot”, his dome shaped head swings open to collect your discarded Death Star plans and other waste materials. Rs stands two feet tall and is made of Durable Vinyl Construction. You can also remove the interior can with a handle which makes trash removal that much easier.

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