We may remember this as the week David Fincher and Scott Rudin went to war on movie critics, but think of it this way: If critics couldn't get an early look at Garry Marshall's New Year's Eve, then how would any of us ever know what a soul-rending atrocity it is? I mean, even Pete Hammond hated this movie! He was in some fine company, too:
I've spent the last few days transfixed by The Hammer Vault, Marcus Hearn's new tour through the history and archives of the infamous genre maestros at Hammer Films. It's got everything -- from the stories behind the celebrated creature features of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing to remembrances of the risible pseudo-PSA Never Take Sweets From a Stranger to a rummage through such unmade Hammer fare like When the Earth Cracked Open and the awesome Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls (seriously). And while its official January release date won't necessarily help you for the holidays, it's worth earmarking a line in the early 2012 budget for any horror, fantasy and B-movie devotees in your life. CORRECTION: The publisher writes to say that it will be out for the holidays! Hallelujah!
Happy Friday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: The Dark Knight Rises prologue peeks out... Ice Cube recycles some new Friday sequel hype... Guy Ritchie may cry U.N.C.L.E.... Arguably the most inspired Harrison Ford casting rumor ever... and more.
I love when celebrities can't behave on airplanes. Travel is the only occasion where they can't hide from plebes, and I imagine it hurts them tremendously even to acknowledge the tiny plastic cups of Diet Coke around them. Or the little Wheat Thins packets. Three recent celebrity snafus on airplanes deserve full cinematic adaptations (including one that just occurred a couple days ago), and I've decided to cast them before Jason Reitman can turn their traumas into Oscar material starring George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Come fly with these lunatics!
This red-band promo clip of Young Adult indicates that Mavis Gary's (Charlize Theron) confrontation with Beth Slade (Elizabeth Reaser) will be mean, profane and pretty embarrassing for both characters. According to my calculations, that's a level-four tantrum in the "angry lady" cinematic universe. Young Adult opens in limited release this week, and to celebrate, let's counting down 10 classic types of female conniptions in film. Everyone from Ellen Ripley to Joan Crawford is accounted for -- but who's the grande dame of femme freakouts?
Earlier this fall, Forbes figured out which dead celebrities are still making millions from the grave. In the continual spirit of measuring Hollywood stars by their bank accounts, Forbes has calculated which of today's actors and actresses provide studios with the best return on their investments. Can you guess the five most bankable stars in Hollywood today? I'm betting that you can name at least two...
Happy Thursday! Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: Tom Cruise tries (sort of) to talk up Top Gun 2... Ryan Seacrest may land on Today... There is a movie in the Oscar hunt called The Woman in a Septic Tank... and more.
Alec Baldwin, one of our chirpiest and most opinionated tweeters, has apparently given up Twitter altogether. The 30 Rock star and Oscar nominee fled the site following an incident in which American Airlines booted him off a plane for playing Words With Friends and for being violent, abusive, and aggressive. All that remains of his Twitter is the handle name and the word "Deactivated." Sad, sad day. Thrust your American flag at the sky and never forget his above-average GOP putdowns. [@AlecBaldwin]
After programming his favorite cult and classic films in two "Wright Stuff" slates at the New Beverly Cinema, Edgar Wright is returning this month with an unusual twist: For eight nights starting December 9, the Scott Pilgrim director will present double features of films he hasn't seen. Last time he told you to "envy these virgins;" this time, he's the virgin! It's the ultimate game of cinematic catch-up that embraces the bashful truth about cinephilia; no matter how many of the greats you've seen, there's always one (or two or a hundred) classics you have yet to check off the list.
The Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2012 batch of new inductees, which includes The Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Laura Nyro, Donovan, and first-time qualifiers Guns 'N Roses. That's a varied group, but they all have one thing in common: fantastic, often bizarre appearances in motion pictures. Join us as we revisit the cinematic work of these five acts, as well as identify the key '80s actress with strong personal ties to three of the aforementioned inductees. I'll buy you a Snickers if you can name her offhand.
When the late filmmaker Ken Russell passed away last week at the age of 84, he'd been planning to remake the infamous 1976 X-rated Alice in Wonderland musical in which Alice is taken on a tour of Wonderland by a randy White Rabbit. Ahem. And who had Russell hoped to bring along on his naughty trip down the rabbit hole? Lady Gaga, of course!
It may not be Halloween but some of Hollywood's best and brightest stars dressed up as film's most notorious villains as part of a wonderful new New York Times gallery entitled "Vamps, Crooks and Killers." Click through to see Pitt, Clooney and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara channel some of the most deranged movie madmen.
Not long ago I poisoned you with a lengthy tribute to Madonna's 1986 fiasco Shanghai Surprise, and just yesterday I revisited five of Madonna's more tolerable moments in film with a perky countdown. Time to strike my original pose and get back to rancor: Here's a proper evisceration of Who's That Girl, the 1987 comedy starring Griffin Dunne and W.E.'s auspicious director. Is it a riot? Yes. Is it grimly bad? Yes. Is it anything else? Scary, sometimes.
Don't believe the hype -- yet, anyway: "Studio's [sic] are passing rumors but I'm not sure what I'm doing? I know I'm going to do Pain and Gain early spring but that's it for right now. I'm leaving all my options on the table. I've got several Studio meetings in the next two weeks." [Shoot For the Edit]
Also in today's edition of The Broadsheet: David Fincher's Dragon Tattoo quote machine hums along... Steven Soderbergh may take a Bitter Pill... Is the Daldry circling the drain?... Don't look now, but Grown Ups 2 may yet be upon us... and more.
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