In the words of Lionel ‘Elvis’ Cormac (Willem Dafoe), “Life’s a bitch, and then you don’t die.” Hopefully, the days of the glittery brooding vampire will come to an end and the creatures can return to their roots. Not necessarily the Count ‘I vant to suck your blood’ roots, but at least to where vampires [...]
Entries from December 2009
December 30, 2009
Review: The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond
After earning a number of Oscar nominations and a handful of wins working with director Elia Kazan on A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and Baby Doll (1956), it made sense that Tennessee Williams would write a third screenplay for the two to bring to life. The problem is, there’s really nothing to bring to life [...]
December 22, 2009
Bah, Humbug: What Not To Do At The Theater This Holiday (Or Ever)
The other day I had the pleasure of seeing Precious. Well, some pleasure. Thanks to the heart wrenching content it’s difficult to call the movie pleasurable, but the thing that made my blood boil were the last two people who waltzed in five minutes into the film chatting up a storm. You’re late and you’re [...]
December 18, 2009
Avatar Fans Rave About Film After Midnight Screening
Avatar opened in midnight screenings early Friday, and fans leaving those screenings generally seemed to agree that the movie was worth the wait, the epic runtime and the massive budget.
One fan raved to MTV News after catching a midnight screening in New York City, saying, “The imagination that James Cameron brought about was well worth [...]
December 18, 2009
Interview: Emily Blunt is The Young Victoria
It’s always a challenge to accurately portray a particular character. The actor must appease the expectations of the director, the writer and the producers. Yes, he or she must also gain the approval of the audience, but that’s after the fact. In the case of a period piece, the actor must think beyond the filmmakers [...]
December 13, 2009
Review: The Young Victoria
I tend to avoid costume period dramas. I find them tiresome to the point that British English sounds more like Chinese than the dialectic most similar to American English. It goes in one ear and out the other as my mind dissolves into oblivion. The same thing happens to you? I’m not surprised considering the [...]
December 12, 2009
Interview: The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond Director Jodie Markell
Legendary playwright Tennessee Williams had a magical relationship with director Elia Kazan. They collaborated on both Baby Doll and A Street Car Named Desire, the first of which was nominated for four Academy Awards and the second, nominated for 12, winning four. The plan was to reunite for a third film, which Williams called The [...]
December 3, 2009
Interview: Serious Moonlight Director Cheryl Hines
Cheryl Hines’ path to the director’s chair is as far from conventional as you can get. She couldn’t even afford to train with the improvisational troupe, The Groundlings. For her birthday, her friends and the regulars at the bar she was working at, chipped in and paid for her very first class. A short while [...]
December 3, 2009
Bringing The Movie To Life: Derby Dreams – Part 4
My least favorite idiom is, by far, the concept of the double-edged sword. Why can’t someone ever just wholeheartedly enjoy something? There always has to be downside. Well, this whole roller derby thing has officially developed into a double-edged sword. I’m still obsessed and having a blast, but I just found out that the tryouts [...]
