I just found this out via my Twitter feed thanks to Cirque Du Soleil! Follow @cirque for more information and updates! They’ve just announced the name of their new show that will be at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles: IRIS. The music will be by Danny Elfman and it will open in 2011. According to their show announcement page, IRIS will be “a lyrical, fanciful, kinetic foray into the seventh art. Bringing together dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed sequences and animation, the show takes spectators on a fantastic voyage through the history of cinema and its genres, taking them into the heart of the movie-making process. From illustration to animation, black and white to colour, silent films to talkies, fixes shots to swooping camera movements, spectators witness the poetic construction/deconstruction of this art as an object and as a way of transcending reality.”
If you’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing a Cirque Du Soleil show then I suggest that you do soon! I’ve only had the chance to watch their The Beatles LOVE show at The Mirage in Las Vegas and let me tell you, it was simply fantastic! I’ve been a huge Beatles fan for my entire life and this show truly showcased not only the performers talent, but the beauty of the Beatles music. I know that on my next Vegas trip I’m already planning on watching another show because I’ve heard great reviews of all their other shows. I do advise you plan ahead though because these shows always sell out quickly!
If you have a Twitter account you need to follow @cirque today! Also, if you don’t already, please follow me at @thefilmtastic! Can’t wait to keep hearing more about IRIS! What about you?
As you may or may not know, The Other Guys is scheduled to come out on August 6, 2010. Mark your calendars because this film looks hilarious!
Columbia Pictures will be holding its world premiere in New York on August 2nd. But Columbia has some OTHER plans as well! Turns out they will be hosting a second premiere, appropriately called the “Other Premiere” in a city of our choice! That’s right, we get to vote where we want the second premiere to be held…and of course we want it in Austin, Texas, right? Votes are being calculated on Facebook and the top ten finalists will be announced on July 21st. Then, the top five finalists will be announced on July 26th. The winning city will be announced live on NBC’s “Today Show” on August 2nd. We are only allowed to vote once a day, but together we can bring this premiere to Austin! So please go vote here and get the word out to all your friends however you can! Let’s do this people!
As you may have heard by now, the newest trailer for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows will be debuting on the big screen in front of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on Wednesday. For those of us who just can’t wait until Wednesday (or really, those who just don’t want to watch another Twilight movie) the trailer was made available online today! If you haven’t had a chance to see it, or if you want to watch it over and over again, here it is for your pleasure!
THIS. TRAILER. IS. EPIC! Just try to watch it and not get excited. I bet you can’t! I’m super psyched for this film, are you?
The official website for the upcoming film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has a pretty cool feature where you can create your own avatar! Mine looks nothing like me but it was pretty fun making it anyways!
Why don’t you check out the site and then post your avatars here so I can see what you come up with! This should be fun! Are you excited about this film or could you care less? I’d love to hear from you!
By now you’ve probably heard of the proposed Mortal Kombat Rebirth film, right? This is going to be the hard rated R film that Mortal Kombat fans have been literally begging for! Give us blood! Give us guts! Give us what the game gave us in terms of FATALITIES! Kotaku has the first look at this proposed reboot and El Guapo over at Latino Review got some more goods for the fans. In case you haven’t had a chance to see the clip, or if you’d like to watch it over and over, here it is for your pleasure!
So are you excited about this or could you care less? Please let me know what you think!
In honor of the recent release of MacGruber, Saturday Night Live’s first film in over a decade, I decided to put together a list of the best and worst movies based on SNL skits. SNL has had its fair share of hits and misses (mostly misses) and most of the films are critically panned. But in SNL’s defense, these films are primarily made for the fans of the show, not the high-brow critics. With that said, here is my list from best to worst.
1. The Blues Brothers (1980) – Rated R for language, alcohol/drug use, and frightening/intense scenes.
Turns out that SNL’s first film is also their best. The story follows “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) as they take on a “mission from God” to save their Catholic orphanage from foreclosure by organizing a performance to raise the $5,000 needed to pay the tax assessor. The film has everything you could ask for: incredible music, awesome car chases, and wild humor. And some amazing performances by Belushi, Aykroyd, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin, among others.
2, Wayne’s World (1992) – Rated PG-13 for sex-related dialogue.
Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar host “Wayne’s World” for a local cable-access channel from Wayne’s parent’s basement. Popular with the locals, Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe) realizes he could get it sponsored and re-invent the show. He also has his eyes on Wayne’s girlfriend, Cassandra, and her band, Crucial Taunt. This film’s effect on pop culture has no boundaries. Aside from starting catchphrases like “Schwing!” and “Schyeah, right!” it also popularized “Party on!” and “That’s what she said!” as well as saying “…not!” after an affirmative sentence to state the contrary. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey shined in their SNL character roles. And, this film is also responsible for single-handedly bringing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” back on the Billboard Top 10 Singles chart. Can any other SNL film say that?
3. Wayne’s World 2 (1993) – Rated PG-13 for ribald humor.
To cash in on the first film’s popularity, SNL pushed ahead with its first sequel. And though it wasn’t as warmly received as the first, I still think it’s an excellent film. This time around, Wayne has a dream in which Jim Morrison and a weird naked Indian tell him that it is his destiny to put on a big concert called WayneStock. It had the same impact the first film had on pop culture and it also kept some of the same elements as the first, such as the three different endings. And I totally quote this film as much as I quote the first. Party on, Wayne! Party on, Garth!
4. A Night At The Roxbury (1998) – Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, language, and some drug content.
This film was universally panned but it is one of my guilty pleasures. Every time I channel surf and come across this film, I just have to stop and watch it! The film follows night-clubbing brothers Doug and Steve Butabi, Chris Kattan and Will Farrell, as they try to open up their own club. Their father wants them to run the family business, a fake plant store, but they dream of one day opening up the city’s newest hot club despite not being allowed in the current hottest club. This film has a cult following and also had some influence on pop culture with the brother’s responses of “No!…Yes!” to answer questions. Not to mention bringing Haddaway’s “What Is Love?” to the mainstream.
5. Coneheads (1993) – Rated PG for comic nudity and some double entendre humor.
Based on the classic 70s skits, this film follows the Conehead family as they try to assimilate into American culture and pursue the immigrant’s ”American dream.” Beldar and Prymaat, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin, have been stranded on Earth after their ship was shot down by the New Jersey Air National Guard. They try to fit in with the Earthlings, however, and even have a daughter, Connie. They successfully blend in with their neighbors, despite their obvious cone heads, while being tracked down by an INS agent. The script and storyline was bare but still had some humor. Prymaat using her mouth as a vacuum and Beldar’s dentist appointment are some memorable scenes. And how can you forget when they mistake condoms for chewing gum?
6. Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) – Rated PG-13 for exotic dancing and some language.
SNL’s second sequel follows Elwood, 18 years after the events in the first film, as he is released from prison. He tries to reform the band despite his brother being dead to follow another “mission from God” to raise funds for a children’s hospital. It lacks the same heart and soul as the first, but it still has its humor and great music.
7. Superstar (1999) – Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor and language.
Mary-Katherine Gallagher, Molly Shannon, is an Irish-Catholic school girl who wants to be a superstar so she can kiss her dream guy Sky Corrigan, Will Farrell. I mean there’s only so many scenes that she could put her hands in her armpits and then smell them but they made this film anyway.
8. The Ladies Man (2000) – Rated R for sexual humor and language.
This film follows Leon Phelps, the late-night radio advice-show host. There is pretty much no humor here. And the few jokes they attempted just fell flat. I really have nothing else to say.
9. Stuart Saves His Family (1995) – Rated PG-13 for language and substance abuse.
Stuart Smalley thought he was good enough, smart enough, and that, doggone it, people liked him. Too bad he was wrong.
10. It’s Pat: The Movie (1994) – Rated PG-13 for bizarre gender-related humor
Julia Sweeney’s Pat Riley, an obnoxious busybody of indeterminable gender, falls in love with Dave Foley’s Chris, a sensitive, caring person also of indeterminable gender. Oy vey, where do I even start? The pronoun games and slightly creepy costumes got pretty old about 5 minutes into the movie, which just happens to be the average-length of a skit. Turns out what mildly works on TV just didn’t work at all in a feature-length film. It was so horrible, it literally got pulled from theatres after only being out for a week. A new definition of bad.
So where does MacGruber fit in all of this? I said in my review here, that it was comfortably in the middle. I guess that would put it somewhere between A Night At The Roxbury and Blues Brothers 2000. But I’ve only seen it once so I might change my mind after a second viewing. What do you think of my list of best and worst SNL movies? Agree or disagree? Comment and let me know what you think!
Have you ever been a little embarrassed to admit that you liked a certain movie? I know I have! And you’d be lying if you said otherwise! These are a few of my guilty pleasures…movies that I’m a little ashamed to admit I love but I watch them over and over anyway. If it’s wrong to love these films, then I don’t want to be right!
Batman & Robin (1997) – Directed by Joel Schumacher
Why It’s Embarrassing to Admit I Love It – The bat nipples. The crotch and butt close-up shots. The Mr. Freeze one-liners. The campy dialogue. The director himself later apologized for the film. Do I really need to keep saying reasons?
Why I Love It Anyway – George Clooney is smooth and at ease playing the debonair Bruce Wayne. Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy was so deliciously campy. One of my favorite lines from the movie was when she said, “As I told Lady Freeze when I pulled her plug, this is a one woman show!” And although I mentioned Mr. Freeze’s one-liners as one of the embarrassing reasons to admit I love this film, I gotta say that they are also a HUGE reason why I love it! Who can forget, “Let’s kick some ice!” or “Tonight, Hell freezes over!” or “Ice to see you!” or “What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!” or…you get the picture.
Armageddon (1998) – Directed by Michael Bay
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – For starters, it’s directed by Michael Bay. He is the Valedictorian of the MTV Directing School For Idiots and uses explosions at any chance he gets. Never mind the fact that explosions and fire cannot be contained in a vacuum or that noise cannot be heard in space. It all looks cool and that’s what he wants. Are we really supposed to believe that a bunch of drillers that got NASA trained in like a week can land a space shuttle on a moving asteroid the size of Texas?
Why I Love It Anyway – Who cares about all the inaccuracies, right? It’s a movie! Ooh look, an explosion in space! Ordinary people landing expensive NASA equipment on an asteroid (which, by the way, is impossible)! Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler make an adorable couple. And when Bruce Willis sacrifices himself at the end of the movie so that his daughter’s fiance can live…I’m tearing up just typing this!
Spice World (1997) – Directed by Bob Spiers
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – Two words: Spice Girls. And I know all the words to most of their songs. Heck, I’ll even admit that I own all their albums. Ok, I’ll stop before I embarrass myself even more.
Why I Love It Anyway – Two words: Spice Girls. Ok, I’ll admit that I love the Spice Girls. I loved them when they were popular and I still love them now. Wait, did I just say that out loud? No seriously, it is such a fun movie. And c’mon, SPICE FORCE FIVE!
A Night At The Roxbury (1998) – Directed by John Fortenberry
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – It’s a movie based on a Saturday Night Live skit. And we all know that the only good movie that is based on an SNL skit is Wayne’s World.
Why I Love It Anyway – It’s fun! Don’t even try to listen to Haddaway’s ”What Is Love?” without bobbing your head like Steve and Doug Butabi!
Sidekicks (1992) – Directed by Aaron Norris
Why It’s Embarrassing To Admit I Love It – To begin with, it’s a ripoff of The Karate Kid. And Chuck Norris is basically spoofing all of his other films in this one.
Why I Love It Anyway – I wouldn’t want to piss off Chuck Norris! And Jonathan Brandis was such a great actor with so much potential. It really is such a sad shame that he cut his own life short. I had the hugest crush on him when I was younger. And, he was in Ladybugs, another one of my guilty pleasures!
Ok, so there’s five of my guilty pleasure movies. Believe me, I could go on. But before I embarrass myself even more I’d love to hear what your guilty pleasure movies are! Please comment and let me know! Don’t be shy!
When I first read this statement from Roman Polanski, his first concerning his rape of a 13-year-old child, I felt no sympathy or compassion for him. In fact when he was arrested in September of last year, I felt no sympathy or compassion then either. His statement makes no difference to me because he is trying to make himself seem like the victim. A fugitive child rapist thinks he is the victim. Take a minute and let that sentence sink in. I’ll wait for you.
Welcome back. One particular sentence in his statement that really irks me is, “I can remain silent no longer because the California court has dismissed the victim’s numerous requests that proceedings against me be dropped, once and for all, to spare her from further harassment every time this affair is raised once more.” My question to him is this: since when do you care about this victim? And by the way, your victim has a name. Her name is Samantha Geimer née Gailey. I wonder if it makes it easier to feel sorry for himself by referring to Geimer as “victim” instead of Samantha. God forbid the person he illegally drugged and raped be given a name and a face. I also wonder if he sends her a card for her birthday every year. Do they keep in touch? Oh wait, he illegally drugged and raped her so I imagine they don’t have much of a relationship today. And of course she wants this to be over with. She has already sued him and been compensated in a civil settlement.
In his statement, Polanski asks “only to be treated fairly like anyone else.” Well Mr. Polanski, last time I checked, failing to appear in court as directed by a summons is a crime for which a bench-warrant can be issued for being in contempt of court. So not only did Polanski rape a child, he fled the country to escape justice. That’s a whole different can of worms that he has opened on himself! Since he has already pleaded guilty and been charged of having unlawful sex with a minor in 1978, there is no statute of limitations governing the case. However, by fleeing to France he committed another crime. This is what makes his situation a horse of a different color. And it’s something that Polanski hasn’t really addressed since crying foul over his arrest.
Polanski argues that the “new District Attorney, who is handling this case and has requested (his) extradition, is himself campaigning for election and needs media publicity!” I guess Mr. Polanski has forgotten that he has been on “red notice” by Interpol, which alerts other countries that the United States is seeking his extradition. There has been a U.S. arrest warrant for him since 1978 and an international arrest warrant since 2005. He is a fugitive! People can argue that Polanski has been in Switzerland before, but in order to request extradition from a certain country, the United States had to know his exact whereabouts before they could even contact the country to start laying the groundwork for an arrest. Polanski knew exactly where he could go and where he could not go and he was very smart about his travelling arrangements. Polanski himself said that Switzerland is a “country that I have been visiting regularly for over 30 years without let or hindrance.” Mr. Polanski obviously did not know, or did not care, that an extradition treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Swiss Confederation had been signed in November of 1990.
Despite all these facts, many international celebrities, 138 to be exact, have signed a “Free Roman Polanski” petition. The majority of the petitioners are French celebrities, however many filmmakers that I actually respect and admire are also included. I was surprised to see Pedro Almodovar, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Sam Mendes, and Martin Scorsese among these filmmakers. And the fact that Woody Allen also signed the petition almost makes it seem worthless. These people argue that “it seems inadmissible to them that an international cultural event, paying homage to one of greatest contemporary filmmakers, is used by the police to apprehend him.” Excuse me? So we are supposed to feel sorry for this fugitive child rapist because he is a great artist? If the man in question was a regular Joe Smith who drugged and raped a child and then fled the country, are we to believe that these same people would sign a petition to save him? Oh and Joe Smith isn’t “one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers.” Would Martin Scorsese sign a petition to save a non-talented man in this same situation? No, I don’t think so. So why are these people defending Roman Polanski? Are we really supposed to feel sorry for this poor little rich rapist because he is artistically talented? I don’t care if the man discovered a cure for cancer, AIDS, or Parkinson’s disease. If he’s a rapist he needs to be “treated fairly like anyone else.” See how I used Polanski’s own quote against him?
Polanski says that he was “bailed in very large sum of money [sic] which I have managed to raise only by mortgaging the apartment that has been my home for over 30 years.” It was reported that Polanski paid $4.5 million bail. Again, he’s trying to make himself look like the victim. Are we supposed to believe that an Academy Award-winning director couldn’t afford $4.5 million without mortgaging an apartment? I’m not buying it.
To conclude, it should be obvious that I believe Roman Polanski should be extradited. It’s time to stop running and face the consequences. What are your opinions about this matter? Whether you agree with me or not, I’d love to hear from y’all!
The new trailer for Inception looks amazing! It seriously blew my mind and I cannot wait for July 16th! Christopher Nolan has been keeping the plot so secretive and it’s making all of us drool. This trailer reveals a little more about the plot and all the fanboys have been geeking out about it. Here is the trailer for your pleasure!
So are you as excited about this as I am? Let me know what you think!
Robert Rodriguez has made an “illegal” trailer for his new film Machete with a special message for Arizona: Don’t f*ck with this Mexican! In honor of Cinco De Mayo, I’m posting this trailer for your enjoyment. As you’ll recall from my previous Machete post, this film is about almost the same thing that is going on in Arizona right now. Kind of weird, huh? Think about what kind of damage this guy would do, Arizona!
