I first saw Jim Henson’s experimental art film “Time Piece” in 2001, during the first (and only) Muppet convention in Santa Monica. (MuppetFest was awesome, so shut it!)

Started as a personal project, Henson would go on to storyboard, write, direct and star in the film starting in the spring of 1964. It premiered in May 1965 at the Museum of Modern Art, and was even nominated for an Academy Award in the category of “Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects” in 1966.

Since 2001, I’ve tried to track down the film online. Finally, someone put it on YouTube. Awesome.

So here it is, Jim Henson’s “Time Piece” in all its jazzy glory. You can totally see how it would go on to influence some of the shorts from “Sesame Street” years later.

Be sure to keep an eye out for brief cameos from Frank Oz (with a full head of hair) as a messenger boy, Muppet designer Don Sahlin as a stand-up comic, and head Muppet writer Jerry Juhl as a bartender.

When you’re done, check out this short “behind the scenes” segment on the making of “Time Piece.”

Help,

-Shady

Title:
My Cousin Vinny (PG-13)
Written by:
Dale Launer
Directed by:
Jonathan Lynn
Starring:
Joe Pesci as Vinny
Marissa Tomei as Mona Lisa
Fred Gwynne as Judge Chamberlain
Ralph Macchio as Billy
Mitchell Whitfield as Stan
Austin Pendleton John Gibbons
Lane Smith as Jim Trotter III
Bruce McGill as Sheriff Dean

By Scott Knopf from He Shot Cyrus

Pre-screening memories: Take one part Family-Friendly Home Invader, one part Rookie Martial Artist, and one part George Costanza Fantasy Object and you’ve got the formula for a movie Young Scott would have drooled over. And did. No distinct “initial Cousin Vinny screening” memories to speak of but I have plenty of memories of the film since then. My favorite Vinny memory is when I talked My Conservative Mother into watching this R-rated film with me with promises that probably sounded like “There’s nothing bad in it, maybe a little language.” My Conservative Mother enjoyed the movie then but denies it now.

Pesci and Tomei’s characters are incredibly unforgettable. The thick accents, Years after having seen it last, the most memorable scenes are undoubtedly the most mundane. Discussions on regional mud or how to properly prepare grits not only make for humorous dialogue but each play a pivotal role in the court case at the center of the film. Macchio, on the other hand, plays a not-so-memorable character whose friend and co-defendant is even more so. But they all serve their purpose and at the end of the day, you’ve got a movie that Scott, young and old, drools over.

New memories: The writing is so tight! Every little scene you think is unimportant or menial turns out to be a part of this gigantic puzzle. Vinny is right up there with that episode of “Law & Order” where those people stumble upon a dead body at the beginning. Herman Munster (his human name escapes me) is fantastic as the Southern judge with a distaste for shenanigans.

And of course, this movie is famous for the Oscar award that followed. The Academy and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye (Diane Lane in Unfaithful. Anyone? Anyone?) and with all the trash talk aimed towards them over Tomei’s win, I figured that the list of her competitors would be shocking and undeniably more deserving of statues. That’s what I figured until I read this list:

• Miranda Richardson – Damage
• Joan Plowright – Enchanted April
• Vanessa Redgrave – Howard’s End
• Judy Davis – Husbands and Wives

First, I have no idea who Miranda Richardson is.

Second, never heard of Damage either

C. Joan Plowright was great as Mrs. Wilson in the Dennis the Menace movie.

D. What’s Enchanted April?

Fifth, I won’t way anything bad about Vanessa Redgrave but Howard’s End is a 140-minute period piece romance taking place at the turn of the century. Which century, you ask? Not the twenty-first, I can tell you that.

E. Judy Davis? For Husbands and Wives? Thanks for trying, maybe next never.

So, these were the women who everyone thought should beat Marissa Tomei? The early 90s were an odd time for us all but this is just silly.

Download Natsukashi’s ‘My Cousin Vinny’ podcast right here

or make your case right on the site bu listening below:

Our featured guest: Director Jonathan Lynn

We once again welcome Jonathan Lynn, who actually knows a thing or two about law, having earned his degree years prior to his involvement in entertainment. Here, he chats about the casting process of Vinny, the prospective of an Englishman directing culture clashes between the States’ North and South, who was originally supposed to play Vinny, and the various rumors that have surrounded the film.

Find out about Vinny’s legacy as well as Lynn’s favorite scene in this particular podcast, and we are thankful to Mr. Lynn for hanging with us once again.

Katrina does not only know how to look beautiful but her act is equally beautiful.The actress will perform in a video that will be telecasted to raise funds for the charity that is looked after by Katrina’s mother.The barbie doll has signed up Oscar winner A.R Rahman to compose music for the video.

In addition to her performance,the actress will donate 50 lakh for the cause.

As told by sources,the fund will be utilised to inaugurate the children’s wing of the charity home.Also,the news that is circling around is that other bollywood biggies will also be seen in the video.However no official announcement has been made.

MALCOLM X

MALCOLM X

On November 18, 1992, The Spike Lee Directed Movie, “MALCOLM X,” Was Released To A Nationwide Audience. The Film Was Based On The Book, “The Autobiography Of Malcolm X,” Written By Alex Haley, In Collaboration With Malcolm X, And Published In 1965.

The Controversial Film Starred Oscar-Award-Winning Actor, Denzel Washington In The Lead Role. It Also Featured The Talents Of Angela Bassett (As Betty Shabazz), Al Freeman, Jr. (As Elijah Muhammad), Delroy Lindo (As West Indian Archie) Lonette McKee (As Louise Little) And Spike Lee (As Shorty).

The Movie Chronicles Malcolm’s Life — From His Days As A Young Hustler And Criminal — To His Rise As The Most Visible And Outspoken Figure In The Nation Of Islam During The 1960s. The Film Ends With His Assassination At New York’s Audubon Ballroom, In 1965.Warner Brothers Originally Selected Canada’s, Norman Jewison ( “In The Heat Of The Night” Director, 1967) To Direct “MALCOLM X,” Spike Lee Felt Strongly That A Black Director Should Tell The Story Of One Of History‘s Most Influential Black Leaders. Public Outcry Over The Selection Of Jewison Pressured The Studio Into Finally Giving The Project To Lee.

When The Studio Refused To Give Spike Lee The More Than $30 Million He Requested To Complete “MALCOLM X,” He Used $2 Million Of His Own $3 Million Salary. He Called On Other Prominent Black Personalities For Financial Help As Well. Those Who Donated Money Included: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Prince, Michael Jordan, Janet Jackson And Magic Johnson.

“MALCOLM X” Grossed $9,871,125.00 On Its Opening Weekend. The Film Made $48,169,610.00 — Making It One Of Spike Lee’s Most Successful Film Projects. Many Critics Consider Denzel Washington’s Portrayal Of Malcolm X His Best Performance To Date.

SPIKE LEE TALKS ABOUT MALCOLM X MOVIE

MALCOLM X MOVIE SPEECH

“In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It.” — Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

Hugh Gaddy

Create Your Badge

]]> http://theofficialcrystal.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/innocence-2/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:54:43 +0000 theofficialcrystal http://theofficialcrystal.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/innocence-2/

When I was five years old, I distinctly remember going to the mall with my mom to see a movie. I wouldn’t stop raving about Flashdance, and was broken-hearted when she said, “No.” (Back then, I didn’t know it was a rated-R film inspired by the true story of a female welder/stripper in Toronto.)

Interestingly, I never saw Flashdance until I was a college sophomore. Wow, what a corny plot: Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an 18-year-old who lives alone in a converted warehouse, is a welder at a steel mill by day and a bar dancer at night. She shacks up with Nick Hurley-her boss at the steel mill (who happens to have connections at the esteemed dance academy she wants to attend)-trains with her mentor/coach (who ironically dies a couple days before her audition), nails her audition, and apparently gets accepted (though I’m not exactly sure because the ending scene just show her running out of the building, with a smile, into Nick’s loving arms). No wonder this opened to poor reviews. Yet and still, it was a box office smash and grossed $100+ million worldwide.

I also remember hearing Michael Sembello’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Maniac,” on the radio. (Back then, I didn’t know it was originally written about a serial killer and the lyrics were adjusted for the film.) But what I really love is its music video. Sure, Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” won a slew of awards-including an Oscar and a Golden Globe-but nothing beats the scenes of Alex’s body double running in place during dance practice, those ridiculous closeups of the side of her butt cheek, or that glorious slowmo leap through the air.

As an adult, I can appreciate what the film accomplished but yep, it definitely wasn’t suitable for me as a young child.

Did you know:

The role of Alex was turned down by Melanie Griffith, and Beals beat out two other finalists (including Demi Moore) for the lead. Gene Simmons (yes, of KISS) rejected the role of Alex’s boss/boyfriend Nick, which was secured by Michael Nouri. Kevin Costner was the runner-up for this part.

Irene Cara penned the “Flashdance…What a Feeling” lyrics en route to the studio the day she recorded the track.

The music video for “Maniac” was a trailblazer, as it was the first to use only movie scenes.

Alex’s off-the-shoulder sweatshirt actually came about when Beals accidentally shrunk the shirt in the wash, and subsequently cut off the collar so it could fit over her head.

I decided to take a break from the sequel theme and focus on another “type” of sequel: the Director’s Cut.  It’s not uncommon for a landmark film to be re-released in a “better” version that meets the director’s vision.  Often these new cuts feature unseen footage and clearer, crisper sound and picture quality.  Sometimes the director’s cut is better than the original, sometimes it’s worse and sometimes it doesn’t make a difference at all.

I decided to watch a few director’s cuts and their original versions and review them in shorter, mini-reviews.

Apocalypse Now (1979) / Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)

Original: 153 min. / Cut: 202 min.

The original version of “Apocalypse Now” is perhaps one of the greatest masterpieces of the psychological impacts and horrors of war.  Director Francis Ford Coppola (director of “The Godfather” films) took major risks and endured more than most filmmakers would during the production.  He faced everything from budget problems, a civil war in the filming country, his main star having a heart attack and his other main star being disruptive and uncooperative.  The film was the biggest challenge of Coppola’s career but in the end, it paid off.

“Apocalypse Now” is based on Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness” and takes place during the Vietnam War.  The movie stars Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin Willard who is sent on a mission deep into the jungles of Cambodia in search of a Colonel who went rogue in a remote village.  Willard’s mission:  to “terminate” the Colonel…“terminate with extreme prejudice.”  The movie is a journey into the deep depths of the chaos of war and slowly the Captain and his crew reach the remote village, but the losses along the way are extreme.

The movie is entertaining as a war film but it takes a deeper, more symbolic stance on war.  Willard not only travels into the depths of the jungle but he also has a personal journey into the depths of the darkness of his heart.  It is a masterpiece with many memorable sequences, including one where an airborne infantry attacks a Viet Cong settlement to the tune of Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.” The cinematography is eerily realistic and impacting.  The editing, sound, costumes are all believable.  The acting is flawless.

The original was released in 1979 and received two Academy Awards for cinematography and for sound.  It also received a total of eight nominations, including Best Picture.  “Apocalypse” is, in my view, one of the great filmmaking achievements of all time.  It never misses a beat and that’s why when director Francis Ford Coppola released a new cut of the film in 2001, entitled “Apocalypse Now Redux,” I was adamant about watching it.

The updated version features over 45 minutes of additional scenes that were left out of the original.  A few of these scenes do add to the film but the majority of the scenes, including a 20 minute sequence with a French plantation, are not necessary and do not add to the greatness of the film.  However, the newly cleaned up footage even more stunning than before.  “Redux” is by no means a bad movie, in fact it’s just as mesmerizing as the original, but some of the new footage may feel a bit drawn out and when you’re dealing with a three and a half hour movie, longer isn’t always better.

THE GRADES:

Apocalypse Now: A+

Apocalypse Now Redux: A-

Das Boot (1982) / Das Boot: The Director’s Cut (1997)

Original: 149 min. / Cut: 209 min.

In 1982, director Wolfgang Peterson released a motion picture that revolutionized the way war films are made.  His stunning and claustrophobic film “Das Boot” is a brilliant war film that focuses on the mission of a German U-boat crew during World War II.  Almost the entire duration of the movie is filmed in a tiny, closed off submarine, giving the viewer a real sense of closed-in paranoia that the crews of these ships felt.  Also, the fact that it’s filmed entirely in German with English subtitles makes it so authentic that I often forgot I was watching a movie…it’s that good.  The original 1981 film received six Academy Award nominations and rave reviews from the critics.

The film opens as a crew of German sailors prepares to depart on a dangerous voyage in the Atlantic Ocean between England and the mainland of Europe.  Many sequences of the film are completely silent as the crew nervously sits in deafening silence in order to avoid being heard on the sonar of the Allied ships.  The footage of battle sequences is intensely powerful and makes the heart race.  The acting is extremely convincing and with a shocking ending that the audience didn’t see coming, “Das Boot” is a great filmmaking achievement.

The original version of the film was two hours and 30 minutes long, but in 1997, Peterson released a three and a half hour version of the film that included more than an hour of unseen footage.  This is one of the rare instances where the Director’s Cut is actually better than the original.  The 1981 version is great (and extremely rare to find without being accompanied with the 1997 version in a two-disk DVD set) but it lacks much of the drawn out suspenseful sequences that the 1997 version has.  The new version  used the footage that benefited the storyline and left out even more footage that Peterson saw as detrimental to the final version of the film.  I suggest the newly restored 1997 version of the film over the 1981 version but either way, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed.  The ONLY challenge: reading subtitles for over three hours.  However, it sounds harder than it is.  The German language really creates a genuine atmosphere and the film benefits from it.

THE GRADES:

1981 Version: A

1997 Version: A+

Dances with Wolves (1990) / The Director’s Cut (2004)

Original: 181 min. / Cut: 236 min.

One of my earliest memories of films was going to see “Dances with Wolves” with my parents and sister in our living room.  The film had been out on “VHS” for many years but my parents thought I was old enough to handle the mature themes and that I would enjoy it.  They were right.  After I saw Kevin Costner’s film (of which he starred, directed and produced), I wanted to be a renegade Union soldier traveling through the Great Plains.  Needless to say, this “dream” did not come true, but the movie had a lasting impact on me.  I may have seen “Dances with Wolves” over ten times in the course of my life.

“Dances” is the story of a Union soldier during the Civil War, named John Dunbar, who abandons his post and travels westward in search of something else.  Along the way, he meets up with a Native American tribe and slowly becomes a welcomed member of that tribe.  He falls in love with a white woman who was found by the Sioux tribe.  The movie deals eloquently with the conflict between white settlers and Native American tribes and the consequences that came from those events.  It is also a personal story of one man’s self-discovery.  Costner’s film features a memorable and stunningly powerful buffalo hunt sequence that cannot be missed.  The 1990 version went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director for Costner.  It was a landmark motion picture in modern epic filmmaking.

Then, in 2004, Costner decided to release a definitive and complete version of the film with over an hour of added footage.  The original movie was about three hours long, which means that the new version was about…four hours long.  Epic films are notorious for being long and often drawn out, but this is not always a bad thing. However, I’ve always felt the original “Dances” was complete and long enough.  The added material is good but not great.  It sometimes feels drawn out and makes it seem like there’s a forced effort to make the picture longer.  It’s not a terrible Director’s Cut but the original is significantly better.

THE GRADES:

1990 Version: A

2004 Version: B+

FOR MORE INFORMATION, click on the links below:

Apocalypse Now

Das Boot

Dances with Wolves

When I was five years old, I distinctly remember going to the mall with my mom to see a movie.  I wouldn’t stop raving about Flashdance, and was broken-hearted when she said, “No.”  (Back then, I didn’t know it was a rated-R film inspired by the true story of a female welder/stripper in Toronto.)

Interestingly, I never saw Flashdance until I was a college sophomore.  Wow, what a corny plot: Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), an 18-year-old who lives alone in a converted warehouse, is a welder at a steel mill by day and a bar dancer at night.  She shacks up with Nick Hurley-her boss at the steel mill (who happens to have connections at the esteemed dance academy she wants to attend)-trains with her mentor/coach (who ironically dies a couple days before her audition), nails her audition, and apparently gets accepted (though I’m not exactly sure because the ending scene just show her running out of the building, with a smile, into Nick’s loving arms).  No wonder this opened to poor reviews.  Yet and still, it was a box office smash and grossed $100+ million worldwide.

I also remember hearing Michael Sembello’s Grammy Award-winning song, “Maniac,” on the radio.  (Back then, I didn’t know it was originally written about a serial killer and the lyrics were adjusted for the film.)  But what I really love is its music video.  Sure, Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” won a slew of awards-including an Oscar and a Golden Globe-but nothing beats the scenes of Alex’s body double running in place during dance practice, those ridiculous closeups of the side of her butt cheek, or that glorious slowmo leap through the air.

As an adult, I can appreciate what the film accomplished but yep, it definitely wasn’t suitable for me as a young child.

“Maniac” music video

Did you know:

The role of Alex was turned down by Melanie Griffith, and Beals beat out two other finalists (including Demi Moore) for the lead.  Gene Simmons (yes, of KISS) rejected the role of Alex’s boss/boyfriend Nick, which was secured by Michael Nouri.  Kevin Costner was the runner-up for this part.

Irene Cara penned the “Flashdance…What a Feeling” lyrics en route to the studio the day she recorded the track.

The music video for “Maniac” was a trailblazer, as it was the first to use only movie scenes.

Alex’s off-the-shoulder sweatshirt actually came about when Beals accidentally shrunk the shirt in the wash, and subsequently cut off the collar so it could fit over her head.

From CBSTV.com:

50 years of goofs in Best Picture winners and notable nominees

Click HERE to some of the best bloopers in films!

originally published in the middlebury campus

As the film award season reached its apex in February, I thought it a good idea to take a look at one of the films the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences deemed good enough to nominate as one of 2008’s best pictures. I’ve had many gripes with the Academy Awards and the films they choose to celebrate, and in a year as cinematically weak as 2008 its tough to fault their nominations too much, however “The Reader,” falls far short of what a Best Picture nominee should look like.

Based on Bernhard Schlink’s world wide best seller, “The Reader” tells the story of Hanna Schmitz, a stern looking German woman who, of course, has a dark secret. She meets teenager Michael (aptly played by David Kross), after he jumps onto the street car she works on. The boy becomes ill and she helps him back to his house. Time passes, he gets better, and she quickly seduces the young lad. The two develop a relationship wherein sex is preceded by Michael reading the best works of Western literature to Hanna. They go on a bicycling vacation, make their way through “The Odyssey,” have a lot of sex, and Michael falls in love with Hanna, who, for her part, remains icily aloof. The romance comes to an end, and Michael enrolls in law school several years later. While there he bares witness to Hanna’s trial for crimes she committed as an SS officer during World War II.

Many of these scenes are cross cut with flash forewords to scenes showing a Michael, obviously still affected by his relationship with Hanna. The 50-ish Michael (played by a dour Ralph Fiennes) is shown staring pensively into the distance and slouching everywhere. This, apparently, is the manifestation of middle aged angst.

The film, directed by Stephen Daldry, is a beautiful film to watch. The cinematography by Chris Menges and Roger Deakins strikes the proper balance of beautifully lush landscapes during film’s the first half, which are replaced with a minimal palate of harshly foreboding grays and browns. Likewise, the performances are fantastic, especially by Kate Winslet. Hanna is not a particularly likeable character, and it speaks volumes about Winslet’s performance that she never really asks us to like her, she merely presents a simple and flawed woman, paying little mind to what the audience might think of the character. She is matched by young David Kross, who plays young Michael with equal doses of youthful naïveté and angst. It’s a crucial performance without which “The Reader” would’ve been lost.

That, unfortunately, is where the strengths of “The Reader” end. Daldry, whose previous credits include the marvelous “Billy Elliott” and “The Hours,” has an ear for the obvious. “Have you always been weak?” Hanna asks Michael as she undresses before their first coupling. Cue the sad piano chords. Pan to Michael’s hurt face. Cut to Hanna, realizing she has hurt his feelings. It’s all very stock, and so obviously cues the revelation that Hanna has a dark past that any kind of mystery surrounding Hanna is immediately erased by the ham handedness of Daldry’s direction. Screenwriter David Hare doesn’t do the project any favors either, shoving as much empty symbolism into the character’s mouths as he can get away with. “The notion of secrecy is central to Western literature,” one of Michael’s teachers tells him. This is a movie about secrets and literacy. Get it?

Dialog problems and Daldry’s lack of subtlety aside, “The Reader” has an integral, and far more crippling problem: there are two separate, albeit interwoven, stories and neither Daldry nor Hare are able to decide which is the film’s central focus. There is the story involving Hanna, her secret, and her shadowy past. There is also a story about Michael, his first love, his inability to really move on from Hanna, and how this affects his life. But neither is really developed enough to have dramatic impact at their conclusions. Hanna’s story is rendered inert at the moment of revelation of a crucial piece of information (information that is telegraphed to the audience rather early), which undermines the story simply because of the sheer implausibility of the revelation. Michael’s story is told so unconvincingly during the first half of the film that it is difficult to believe that he would be so impacted by the relationship later in his life.

Even when held up against such underwhelming films as 2008’s Best Picture nominees, “The Reader” is a real disappointment, and its inclusion in the Best Picture race to the exclusion of more disserving films like “Che” or “Revolutionary Road” is a mistake. Considering the talent involved “The Reader” should have been a marvelous film, but, with the exception of most of the performers, no one made good on their potential, and the results are mixed at best- certainly not “Best” anything.

Mary and Max | Adam Elliot, 2009

Stop motion animation is one of those long-standing facets of film history that, thanks to a handful of important people, will never be lost to the winds of change. The concept itself seems utterly oblivious to the march of technology and computer-generated graphics, seeming only to benefit from these advancements rather than finding itself buried beneath them. Of course, without the likes of Henry Selick, Nick Park, Tim Burton, and all of those who precede them, things could be very different. As it is, we have these artists to thank for inspiring the likes of Adam Elliot – an Australian animator whose work with clay on the 2003 short film Harvey Krumpet won him and Academy Award and who returns here with his first full-length claymation feature, Mary and Max. Thanks largely to the international exploits of messrs Burton and Park, not to mention a relatively successful festival run and the involvement of two big names in Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette, Elliot’s new film is now poised to take on America. Critics around the world already appear fond of the film, and at this point it seems increasingly likely that we will see it lining up alongside the likes of Up and perhaps Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo in the Kodak Theatre when award season finally arrives – three different breeds of animation, if you will. Mary and Max follows the lives of two people: a young Australian girl whose eccentric parents and odd appearance make her the subject of school bullying, and an obese, jewish New Yorker who enjoys collecting cigarette butts from the city streets and devouring chocolate hot dogs. Both have one thing in common – a lack of friends.

Rather than tell a story in the traditional sense or “weave a fable” as films of this kind normally do, Mary and Max merely gives an account of these two rather unimportant lives. This is done through Barry Humpries (also known as Dame Edna) who provides the brilliant narration here and whose reflective, classic British/American tone lends the film much of its charm. As for the aesthetic, Mary and Max certainly doesn’t break the mould when it comes to creating a new and exciting world using the stop motion technique in the way Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas did. In fact, with its oddly misshapen gothic look and exaggerated way of capturing realism, Elliot’s film owes quite a bit to this earlier work. Other than existing as an ode to the importance of friends, Mary and Max isn’t particularly concerned with teaching us anything at all, or indeed offering a traditional narrative that involves innocence, discovery, wonder; the alternate realities found in the likes of The Nightmare Before Christmas or Henry Selick’s Coraline. The story itself, that of two people who find solace in each other’s long-distance companionship, is wonderfully written, particularly the parts involving letters sent from Mary to Max and visa versa: every word carries weight. Part of the reason for this is the voice work  behind the film. Toni Collette and Eric Bana do well enough with their handful of lines but, as usual, it is Philip Seymour Hoffman who shines: his portrayal of Max is particularly excellent – despite a New York drawl that at times seems a little forced – so that by the end of the movie his voice and Elliot’s character are very much one and the same.

Our Rating:

from http://www.mirror.co.uk:

Barack Obama has asked Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker to be one of his advisers on the arts.

Other Hollywood names, including Oscar-winner Forest Whittaker and Desperate Housewives star Alfre Woodward, are among 25 new appointees to his arts and humanities committee.

He also wants Anna Wintour, London-born editor of Vogue and cellist Yo-yo Ma.

New committee members will also be asked to nominate projects that encourage ordinary Americans to take an interest in the arts.

First Lady Michelle Obama, chairman of the committee, has said: “Arts define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.”

Last week Hugh Jackman announced he wouldn’t host the Academy Awards again this season and producers were sent scrambling for a host.  They came up with two.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin wil co-host on Hollywood’s biggest night.

I think this is a great choice, both are very funny and both are very comfortable in front of a live audience.  Martin and Baldwin are the most common hosts of Saturday Night Live, with Martin hosting 15 times, and Baldwin 14.  There was even a skit last season about the rivalry.

BROADCAST/CABLE

The World Series gave the Fox network world-class ratings last week as the New York Yankeessquared off against the Philadelphia Phillies in four much-watched games. Fox can thank baseball for a huge average audience of 14.69 million viewers (8.8 rating, 14 share). (AP 11/3)

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have been named the dual hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards. You’ll remember Martin hosted twice before – for the 73rd and the 75th annual awardsfest. The Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 7, 2010 on ABC and be presented at the Kodak Theatre. (Cynopsis11/4)

Time Warner is reporting third-quarter earnings fell 38% on particular weakness in publishing. Still, the media giant topped analysts’ expectations. The publishing group saw a 40% decline in earnings. The segment has long been the topic of rumors about its future. (Iwantmedia11/4, Smartmoney11/4)

“Da ist die Bombe geplatzt”, wie man so schön sagt. Nachdem Hugh Jackman in der vergangenen Woche bekannt gegeben hatte, nicht noch einmal die Oscar-Verleihung zu präsentieren, hat sich die Academy natürlich schwer damit getan einen würdigen Nachfolger zu finden. Und wie die Verantwortlichen der Academy auch in den letzten Jahren immer versucht haben sich selbst zu übertreffen – ob es ihnen gelungen ist, sei mal dahingestellt – haben sie sich in diesem Jahr, zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte der Oscar-Verleihung für zwei Präsentatoren – die sogenannten “Hosts”, also Gastgeber – entschieden.

Man hat sich dazu entschieden die 82nd Academy Awards von Steve Martin – der die Veranstaltung bereits zweimal präsentieren durfte – und Alec Baldwin hosten zu lassen. Damit hat sich die Academy für einen erfahrenen Veranstaltungshost und ein frisches Gesicht auf der Oscar Bühne – Baldwin war zwar bereits für die Trophäe nominiert, durfte diese aber noch nie entgegen nehmen – entschieden.

Steve Martin und Alec Baldwin sind ab dem 21.Januar 2010 in Deutschland auch gemeinsam auf der Leinwand zu sehen, nämlich in der Komödie “Wenn Liebe so einfach wäre” (Originaltitel: “It’s Complicated”). Die Academy Awards 2010 finden am Sonntag, den 7.März 2010 im Kodak Theatre in Hollywood statt und werden in mehr als 200 Länder im Fernsehen übertragen.

Here’s a magazine-style essay piece I wrote about Saving Private Ryan. It’s kind of rambling (1198 words) and won’t make sense unless you’ve seen the film (maybe spoilers for the opening scenes and general plot later on), but I got an A* for it, so I don’t care what you think. The links and pictures are added, but nothing else only a typo has been changed.

Saving Private Ryan came at a crucial turning point in Steven Spielberg’s career. Previously reliably known for his perfect for children yet artistically-unfulfilling chain of blockbusters, this, along with 1993’s Schindler’s List, marked a change of direction into serious historical territory. While awards had always been forthcoming – E.T. was up against Gandhi for Best Picture Oscar® 1983 (Gandhi won, thankfully) – Saving Private Ryan was that rare blend, particularly seen in war movies, of critical acclaim and box offices success, mixing and matching the heady thrill of battles with moral theorizing, often at the same time.

Left to right foreground: Tom Sizemore, Tom Hanks as soldiers on the boats at D-Day

There’s little indication of this to start with. After a mercilessly long and pointless opening with some old dude, the movie proper begins. June 6th, 1944. The date is already ringing a bell. The beach is covered in iron anti-tank crosses. This is Omaha, and the Normandy beach landings are about to begin, now well-known as D-Day. Spielberg mentioned in an interview that his father, who fought in Burma during WW2, used to say, “Nobody ever makes a movie about my war except as an excuse to do action.” Perhaps it was this particular misrepresentation that Steven Spielberg wanted to correct for a modern-day audience with Saving Private Ryan.

The most striking and immediate way that this is achieved in the opening scene is with the camera. Hand-held photography, or “shaky-cam” in common parlance, is employed throughout, creating the feel of a Signal Corps cameraman. These dedicated photographers of still and moving film were there with the soldiers during the real landing at Omaha beach and other military operations, documenting all that transpired for the benefit of the people at home and in the future. Certain shots, where the camera falls over, ducks for cover, or hesitates before running alongside the actors, were deliberately edited into the final film, as well as brief moments when blood or sand cover the camera lens. This makes for a lot of disorientation, confusion, and ultimately the sense that we, the viewers, are there, fighting (or hiding at least) with the characters that we will come to know very personally by the end of the film.

The real D-Day

The whistle sounds. No more time for the little people, this is war on a grand scale. And yet we never lose sight of the individual. As they are shot, maimed, search for their own body parts, cry for far away parents, they are still people. Cut to the other side. The German soldiers are firing relentlessly, but they are all in silhouette. The landings are far away, not so much visually (an extra long lens helps fix that), but personally. We’ve lost the humanity. The enemy have no humanity. This, what propaganda has dictated for decades, is how you deal with the horrors of war. They are your enemy. Don’t get to know them, perhaps they are not even recognizably human. Of course, in reality, this works out very differently, as seen when the principal characters encounter a German later in the film, and no-one knows how to deal with him.

After the initial wave of dead bodies, the humanization of the soldiers continues. A shell explodes next to Tom Hanks, and for a few minutes, he is practically deaf, a hollow ringing in his ears (and in the audience’s through some inspired sound design and mixing). From his point of view, we see people carrying a flame-thrower being engulfed in flames and a soldier searching for his lost arm. He picks up his helmet, tipping out a large volume of mingled water and blood, and returns it to his head. Someone asks for orders. He can’t hear. He is helpless. And likewise, we the audience are helpless, unable to jump through the silver screen and re-assert a peaceful order of things. All we, Sergeant Miller and us, can do is watch, voyeurs to the brutal carnage around us, as our friends from beforehand and acquaintances from the brief time on the boat are cut down all around us. The slow-motion lends a sense of heightened senses and reality, making it all the more torturous being unable to help them.

Basically it’s saying upfront: this movie doesn’t mess around.

The rest of the film rides on the initial strength. For those who don’t know, it chronicles the story of Tom Hanks’ character Capt. John H. Miller, who recruits a rag-tag team of misfit US soldier after the D-Day landings to rescue one James Francis Ryan as he’s the last of three brothers left alive after the Normandy campaign in World War 2.

As the D-Day scene wraps up the loose ends, the weary viewer is unwillingly confronted with the same horrific sight as Tom Hanks; the dead, the dying, the futility of war; and as the sweeping emotional score interjects to yank at the heartstrings, the bloodshed and carnage recedes into the faded-sepia toned memory of the past – quite like history. Saving Private Ryan has a strange relationship with history. Scrawled from the perspective of fifty years later, this presents the movie as an artifact to spur remembrance, of veterans and their comrades’ sacrifices. Post-Vietnam, an unsuccessful and controversial conflict which spawned a whole glut of war movies and their own unique sub-genre, Saving Private Ryan is a constant reminder of a completely different generation’s sacrifice.

Tom Hanks, near the end of the movie.

Although it may not take as brave a stance as, say, Johnny Got His Gun or other examples of the genre, Saving Private Ryan still has a good deal to say about war, dissecting and criticizing the act of it, yet embracing what it stands for. It’s this paradox that somehow staves the characters through the traumatic experiences they are forced into, knowing that they are fighting for a higher cause which is never questioned. Even if the chain of command, the rescue mission itself is criticized, even by Capt. Miller, it’s always imperative that they remember this: their mission is to win the war. This logic jump neatly side-steps all the intrinsic problems that the characters might have with their premise.

The value of life is revisited often throughout Saving Private Ryan. On the face of it, the plot is one expression of this – forcing a group of eight people to risk their lives to save just one. However, it is a theme also befitting war, the backdrop to which this search-and-rescue mission takes place. In one lengthy scene nearing the middle of the movie, Tom Hanks absent-mindedly recollects how he’s always been able to reassure himself that when he was sacrificing men’s lives it was to save more lives than what it cost. In this way, life becomes quantifiable, unimportant, a game of numbers and chance – and pretty big numbers at that. It’s just another way war warps the outlook and perspective of people, including the audience, who are immersed in it. In other words, everything is quite FUBAR.

Saving Private Ryan is, put simply, one of the greatest war films of all time. It deals with all the familiar themes of loyalty, death, and sacrifice, but does so maturely, bringing World War 2, which had never previously been treated in such a way, to life, in all its gory glory.

As well as this one, I also recommend: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Johnny Got His Gun (see above link for DVD trailer), A Matter of Life and Death, The Longest Day as really good war movies.

It was a great pleasure to see the enthusiasm of Indians when the Director of Oscar winning film Smile Pinky  Ms Megan Mylan along with the charismatic doctor Dr. Subodh Kumar visited Delhi. The president of Marwah Studios Sandeep Marwah welcomed them and informed them about the Global Festival Of Documentary Films where the film has been nominated as one of the best international Documentary by the jury., to be held in the month of November at Noida Film City.

“We are feeling proud to be associated with Marwah Studios and thankful for providing their facilities for this Oscar Winning film” said Megan Mylan, the director of the film Smile Pinki. “I would love to be present and part of Global Festival of Documentary Films 2009” she added. “The shooting arrangements at Marwah Studios are no less than any Hollywood studios” said Dr. Subodh Kumar.

The film is about eight year young girl Pinki Kumari  who is living with a severe cleft lip in one of the poorest areas of India. Not allowed to attend school at her native village,         and ostracized because of her deformity, Pinki lives a life of quiet desperation as she waits and wonders if she will ever receive the cleft surgery. Her parents could never afford the surgery that she desperately needs. By chance, Pinki’s parents meet a social worker one day who is traveling village to village, gathering patients for a hospital that provides free cleft lip surgery to thousands of poor children each year through the The Smile Train  program. The surgery was performed by plastic surgeon Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, who along with Pinki attended the 81st Academy Award ceremony

Hattie McDaniel

Actress, Singer, Stage/Radio Performer, Television Star, Hattie McDaniel, Died On October 26, 1952. She Was 57 Years Old.

McDaniel Was Born June 10, 1895, In Wichita, KS, To Ex-Slave Parents. She Was The Youngest Of Thirteen Children.

She Began Her Professional Career On The Vaudeville, Circuit. She Was An Excellent Blues Singer And The First Black Woman To Sing On Radio. She Starred As The Domestic, Beulah, On Both Radio And Television.

During The 1930’s And 1940’s McDaniel Acted In More Than 70 Films. Her Roles Were Usually That Of The “Supportive But Independent And Outspoken Mammy.”

It Was That Type Of Role For Which She Received The 1939 Oscar For Best Supporting Actress. She Played Mammy In The Movie, Gone With The Wind And Became The First African American To Win An Academy Award.

When Addressing Critics About Her Choice Of Movie Roles McDaniel Said, “I’d Rather Play A Maid For $700 A Week Than Be One For $7.00 A Week.”

“In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It.” — Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

Hugh Gaddy

Create Your Badge

I first heard about the film Precious: Based on the novel called “Push” by Sapphire while covering New York Fashion Week’s in February 2008. Director Lee Daniels, producer Sarah Siegel-Magness and newcomer actress Gabourey Sidibe were backstage at one of the shows I covered and we were introduced. I already knew Lee from Monster’s Ball, not that he remembered me. His new project didn’t interest me much. Instead, I wondered if Mariah Carey, who is in the film and a good friend of Sarah’s, would show as I had been told she would. Little did I know that the movie I didn’t give a darn about would turn in to what will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about films this year. I attended a screening last night (thank you neighbor Angela) and tell you that this is one you don’t want to miss.

I went into the theater thinking the movie would be too sad and wondering if it would be a box-office flop like Beloved because moviegoers don’t often rush to see depressing films — especially one dealing with incest, physical and mental abuse and a character, frankly, as unattractive as Gabby. We want to feel good, especially when our portfolios no longer do thanks to the economic downtown, and look at pretty people. I never saw a trailer for the film. I just knew what it was about and saw a clip on Oprah when Mariah was a guest recently. And I knew that Lee was the director. He directed Halle Berry in her Oscar-winning (and steamy sex scene with Billy Bob Thornton) performance in Monster’s Ball.  I could only imagine what lengths he would go to to illustrate Precious’ story. But I was shockingly and pleasantly surprised by what I saw on the big screen. I didn’t expect humor to be laced throughout the film. What a relief it was. But in the end, you can’t tie a bow on this disheartening package with humor. It is what it is. An illiterate, no self-esteem having teenage girl pregnant by her father for the second time who lives with a mother who beats the hell out of her and curses her like she is her worst enemy. Their dismal living conditions in Harlem. The smell of no hope that permeates throughout.

When the film ended, a lady in front of me turned around to say how different the film we saw was from the one she saw four or five months ago. That one, she said, was so raw and vivid that it left everyone speechless at the end. She walked out and went right to McDonald’s to get her two Happy Meals to cheer her up. She needed it, she said, after seeing a film that showed more of the rapes than what we saw. I won’t write what takes place but it’s safe to say I was enthralled. It’s a good sign (and a rarity) that I never reached for my BlackBerry to check the time during the screening and that I didn’t want it to end when it did. But you’ll have to check it out for yourself when it opens on Nov. 6.

I will say Mo’Nique should receive an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the abusive mother. If you think she looks scary in this photo, just wait until you see her on the big screen. I hope that what I’ve read about Mo’Nique demanding money to promote the film is not true. Usually when an actor signs a contract to make a movie, they also agree to promote the film.

It wasn’t until after the film was in the works that heavyweights Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry signed on as executive producers. Their power will undoubtedly help marketing efforts by Lionsgate.

Eiko Ishioka created some beautiful, symbolic dresses for the Francis Ford Coppola film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, which rightfully earned her an Academy Award.

See the video I made and watch how Mina’s character beautifully develops from being cool and virginal, into a blossoming rose and then finally into a haunted woman that looks to have stepped out of a pre-raphaelite painting.The music is by Wojchiech Kilar, and is available on iTunes.

A morose screw-up policeman finds himself demoted to the position of Sheriff in a very distant, very tiny bog town, far far from the hustle and bustle of Copenhagen. There is nothing to see over the totally flat landscape in any direction. The town’s inhabitants – the same eight or so that we seem to keep running into – have been warped into virtual madness by the desperation the locale has imposed (though the landscape didn’t feel quite oppressive enough for me). Immediately upon arrival the town’s victimized skank is at his doorstep and draws Mr. Sheriff into an intimate little triangle with her violent counterpart. Describing where things go from here is unnecessary because we already know, but also because the film features some truly bizarre twists, especially involving character action and motivation. The film is competent and enjoyable enough… maybe… a bit… yet it’s a surprise to me to have learned that this curious deadpan would-be thriller is Denmark’s entry into the Academy Awards; this year’s Von Trier film must’ve been ineligible (I suppose genital mutilation never does go over well).

Claiming that your film is like Twin Peaks because it features middle-of-nowhere kooks is approximately the same as calling your work Kafkaesque based on the sole criteria that you find it to be “absurd;” Terribly Happy is nothing like Twin Peaks (and the Danish Twin Peaks Ripoff was more successful claimed by Von Trier, anyway, 15 years ago with Riget). I digress. The only comment I have to make is this: the film progresses along a through line which snakes in ways one (at least I) will not expect, but that is not to imply it is a positive step into uncharted territory… it’s more like an improv exercise led by a man with a singular, fairly misunderstood sense of humor. Also it’s based on actual events, the sort that make a noir of us all.