The late Adam Yauch made history as Beastie Boys rapper MCA, but he also leaves behind a rich legacy in filmmaking: Recall his work helming a number of the trio's music videos (as Nathaniel Hörnblowér), releasing envelope-pushing (and Oscar-nominated) documentaries and features via his production/distribution label Oscilloscope Labs, and directing his own acclaimed films, notably the 2006 concert doc Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!. Take a look back at Yauch's work behind the camera, with and without fellow Beasties Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, as Movieline runs down the 9 best films and videos he made as a director.
more »
Kate Winslet broke a PR commandment earlier this week while promoting the release of Titanic 3D: She dismissed the movie's Oscar-winning theme song, claiming that Celine Dion's overplayed ballad "My Heart Will Go On" makes her "feel like throwing up." Citing the inescapability of fans serenading her with the massive hit wherever she goes, Winslet's sentiments are understandable. Frankly, I heard that song enough times 15 years ago to never hear it again, no matter how riveting and powerful Dion's vocals are. To say that song never once gave you chills is probably a lie. But be that as it may, the song hasn't given anyone chills since post-Oscars April 1998, when we'd all had just about enough of it. All we have left for it now is just a reflexive groan of antipathy.
more »
As if you didn't already have enough reason to be afraid of the coming megabudgeted cash-in that is Men in Black 3, here comes the sequel's poppy theme song, courtesy of rapper Pitbull and not franchise star/Fresh Prince Will Smith. Oh, it gets worse: "My 19-year-old daughter turned me on to Pitbull," explained director Barry Sonnenfeld (via NME). "I'm thrilled that he wrote such a great song for our movie that totally gets it." If this monstrosity "totally gets it," we're all screwed. Hit the jump to listen and find out why.
more »
It may be indicative of Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders’ fearlessness – or his newness, this being his feature debut – that, after presenting much-anticipated footage to fans yesterday at WonderCon, he nonchalantly dropped the vivid phrase “dwarf gangbangs” into a discussion about his dark (and yes, likely PG-13) allegorical fairytale actioner. (Now that’s how you get the attention of a certain demographic.) For the record, there are no such scenarios in June's action-packed SWATH, but there were many more revelations and key insights to be had into Sanders’ take on the age-old tale, which stars Twilight’s Kristen Stewart and debuts two months after that other Snow White movie dances into theaters.
more »
Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel Prometheus made the biggest impression on the geek faithful Saturday at WonderCon, where glimpses into the film’s set-up and ensuing space shenanigans were revealed in a new two-and-a-half minute trailer for the sci-fi action film. The trailer (not to be confused with the more truncated one-minute teaser that leaked yesterday) offered more hints at spoilers and narrative threads for fans to try to piece together, not to mention some very interesting new imagery – but how much do Prometheus-watchers really want to know? [Spoiler alert, obviously.]
more »
When it comes to frightening cinematic villains, this list will likely seem tame to hardcore horror film fanatics — those who revel in phantasmagoria. But to my mind, horror films are very rarely scary, usually hovering somewhere between slapstick and melodrama. What makes for a really scary character to me has little to do with those qualities most often found with the horror film ghoul, being a penchant for brutality, a supposedly fraught psychological profile, or any underpinning mysticism. Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th films, for instance, can boast all three. Yet, despite this, his appeal translates similarly to that of a clown: He proceeds with a certain inevitable performative gravity. Just as everyone knows that a clown will take a pratfall, we all know that Jason will make his kill. The fun is in just how the ax falls, if you’re into that sort of thing.
more »
Over the course of his career, Robert B. Sherman and his brother Richard wrote some of the most endearing and indelible songs tied to the Disney legacy, including their "It's a Small World (After All)" theme park ditty and the music for Mary Poppins that earned them two Academy Awards. In honor of the elder Sherman, who passed away this week at the age of 86, let's traipse down memory lane and revisit some of the Sherman Brothers' most enduring contributions.
more »
The reviews are in for the Todd Phillips-produced uber-party comedy Project X, and three out of four critics agree: It is the douchiest, most mean-spirited debauch of the year. (To date, anyway; we'll see what kind of revisionist zest Steven Spielberg and co. bring to Lincoln.) Hop aboard Movieline's scorched-earth golf cart and let's go for a spin...
more »
Chances are at least a few of your casual conversations about Bridesmaids have revolved around the scene in which Melissa McCarthy is forced to use a bridal shop sink as a toilet. The true beauty of that scene was Kristen Wiig’s Annie, sweat-drenched, trying to stay composed while she was berated over choosing a restaurant that caused some serious gastrointestinal horrors for the ladies. Not to suggest that McCarthy doesn’t deserve the praise; she’s a terrific actress (Sookie forever!).
more »
Nearly a month after its Oscar-qualifying run found it alienating critics in New York and Los Angeles (and almost two months since indelibly, ignominiously entering the zeitgeist as The Daldry), this week finally finds Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close reaching theaters nationwide. And while roughly half of reviewers to date have lauded director Stephen Daldry's adaptation of the Jonathan Safran Foer novel, the other half has issues -- big issues -- with everything from lead actor Thomas Horn to Daldry's handling of the book's central tragedy of 9/11. It's no Jack and Jill, but that's no reason not to throw on a raincoat and go frolic in the bile. Wish you were here, David Denby!
more »
Traditionally a "guilty pleasure" is something you'd be embarrassed for the world to know you secretly enjoyed or for your Facebook friends to see you clicked on, but you know what? Around here we embrace the bad-to-godawful movies we love, and besides; what the heck does it even mean to like something ironically, you insufferable hipster? Toss away your pretentious hat, sit down in the circle of trust, take a deep breath, and join Movieline in unabashedly celebrating the inane, misguided, off-the-mark, and downright B-A-D but nevertheless shamelessly entertaining movies of the year - the Top 9 Not-So-Guilty Pleasures of 2011. Because we all love some terrible things, don't we?
more »
If Rooney Mara's fearless turn as Stieg Larsson's goth-punk hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander teaches us anything, it's that you should never, ever cross a woman with fire in her heart and vengeance on her mind. But the titular Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is just the latest in a long history of utterly human movie heroines who remind us how ferocious and unrelenting a woman wronged can be. Celebrate the fictional ladies who have helped teach society not to fuck with the so-called "fairer" sex, and let their righteous fury be a lesson to us all during this warm and fuzzy holiday season.
more »
Maybe I'm still annoyed nearly ten years after I saw Anchorman in theaters and was so angry with its juvenile, unfunny, dude-baiting humor that I'm sour to any movie whose theme is "Will Ferrell is a hilariously alpha dimwit!" -- but I'm pretty sure Ferrell's new jam Casa de mi Padre with Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna is downright moronic for real. In fact, the sophisticated-sounding title isn't a good fit for the film (though it is written entirely in Spanish) and ought to be replaced. Here are nine titles we'd consider, along with the movie's new teaser trailer.
more »
The notorious embargo on David Fincher's adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has officially been lifted, and thus you can expect a frenzied film-culture commentariat to weigh in with raves, rumblings and other reactions all day. Things are no different here, where a few first impressions are making the rounds.
more »
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:
more »
