TheWrap.com

Support in the entertainment industry for Roman Polanski continued to build on Tuesday — but a backlash was felt as well as critics pointed to his original crime of raping a 13-year-old.

Veteran indie film producer Harvey Weinstein used an open letter to urge “every U.S. filmmaker to lobby against any move to bring Polanski back to the U.S. … A deal was made with the judge, and the deal is not being honored.”

Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese joined Weinstein in signing the global filmmakers’ petition to free Polanski.

And the director of the documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” Marina Zenovich, has headed to Switzerland to continue shooting footage of the controversial legal saga surrounding the Oscar-winning director who was the subject of her movie.

Meanwhile, in Poland, the prime minister asked his Cabinet members to subdue their angry calls for the release of Polanski. He noted that the case involved “punishment for having sex with a child.” In France, which has actively worked against the Polanski extradition, dissent was heard in the National Assembly as a key legislator in the ruling center-right party criticized the nation’s immediate support for the fugitive director.

The rape of a minor is a crime. Roman Polanski committed that crime 31 years ago and god knows how many other crimes against kids he has committed since. He belongs in jail.

—-Bonju Patten

Have been on a bit of a caper kick lately. It all started with Rock ‘n’ Rolla the Guy Ritchie film that is meant to be the first in a trilogy.The film is fast paced, sexy, funny, and an overall good time with some picture worthy cinematography and pretty neat camera tricks. I got the picture through Netflix kept it a week and watched it about 5 times. I think that Guy Ritchie is underrated and hope the whole Mr. Madonna thing doesn’t haunt him for too long. This Rock ‘n’ Rolla binge-a lead to a real hankering to see Ocean’s 12 the best, in my opinion in the Ocean’s series. Steven Soderberg does a great job with all of these pictures, but the pacing and overall cohesive story in Ocean’s 12 positions it as the ultimate in the trilogy so far. The final scene with Vincent Cassell is genius. All of the modern Caper films have great ensemble casts and most of them have really amazing soundtracks. Snatch, another Ritchie production, for example has tunes from The Specials, Bobby Bird, Klint and the ever so amazing “Sensual Woman” by The Herbaliser. Honorable mention should also go to The Departed with Leo Dicaprio and Jack Nicholson. While it isn’t Scorsese’s best film it does have a schocking death scene featuring Martin Sheen and is the one that got him the “might-as-well-it’s-been-long-enough” Oscar. Not to mention that it is after all a Scorsese film which is like pizza and sex. No matter how bad they are they are still pretty good.
I guess it is noteworthy that Brad Pitt is in a few really good caper films including the Ocean’s films. But a post about him and how I grew to love him at a later time. For now just check out these scenes.
Rock ‘n’ Rolla – The killer chase scene

Snatch

The Departed

Vincent Cassell in Ocean’s 12

Como prometí hace un par de posts voy a hablar de Irreversible, para ello tuve que abrir mi videoteca este fin de semana y buscar en ella una de las primeras adquisiciones que realizé. Irreversible llegó a mi conocimiento gracias al tío de un muy buen amigo de hace unos años, el tío de Carlos(Argote) vivía en el D.F. durante toda la semana y regresaba a Guanajuato solo los fines, mientras tanto Argote, los del prope y un servidor aprovechabamos la casa el resto de la semana para pachanga y media, era una casa pequeña en el fraccionamiento Villaseca de la capital del estado, y en ella el susodicho tío poseía una colección impresionante de libros, discos de música y películas, ese lugar fué nuestro cineclub privado en aquel semestre y ahi ví por primera vez peliculas como “Requiem for a Dream” (Darren Aronofsky) y “Last Temptation of Christ”(Martin Scorcese), y me faltaron algunas como “El Apando” (Felipe Cazals). Debió ser mi tercera semana en Guanajuato cuando entre las cajas de DVD´s encontré una portada con Monica Bellucci. Argote cayó muerto de sueño luego de una caguama, pero yo me quede a ver Irreversible.

Debo decir que los primeros minutos del film me estaban volviendo loco y que cerca estuve de apagar el reproductor para algo mejor pero por algún motivo no lo hice y me seguí mareando con el bamboleo irregular y poco ortodoxo de la cámara, para entonces ya había aparecído un homenaje a Stanley Kubrik en la entrada de los créditos finales(que aqui son…. ¿iniciales?) aunque esos eran tiempos en que no lo hubiera reconocido, pues aún no veía “The Shining”. Habian pasado unos quince minutos y aunque creo que es tiempo suficiente como para mas o menos estar adentrado a una pelicula yo no entendia ni madres. Es importante advertir que Irreversible es una película dirigída a un espectador superior al espectador promedio y con estomago suficiente para aguantar unas cuatro escenas bastante fuertes.

Gaspar Noé es el director de esta cinta, con ella fué reconocido y poco de el suena después de Irreversible aunque en 2002 la polémica que levantó retumbó bastante fuerte. El tipo es Argentino aunque vive en Paris y adoptó Francia como su hogar e imaginó una historía de esas en las que quisieras regresar el tiempo para evitar el espantoso suceso que se dió a consecuencia de los actos de los protagonistas, sin embargo el tiempo es irreversible y lo único que puedes hacer es un recuento en reversa de lo que sucedió. “Le Temps Detruire Tout” es la premisa de la pelí y significa: “El tiempo lo destruye todo”.

La originalidad de este filme radica en el rompimiento de la linealidad, recurriendo a un estilo de narración que va de fin a inició buscando provocar en el espectador una sensación de impotencia debido a la dureza del argumento. Un hombre y el ex novio de su mujer emprenden el camino de la venganza en contra del responsable de violar y maltratar a Alex la mujer en cuestión. Vincent Cassell aparece interpretando a Marcus(aunque en una escena donde el personaje aparece ebrió se presenta como Vincent), haciendo de nuevo el protagónico junto a su esposa Monica Bellucci que en su apartamento tiene un poster de “2001: A Space Odissey” el segundo homenaje a Kubrik que es bastante claro. Yo la recomiendo, aunque es una película que muchos podrán odiar, demasiado ha sido criticada ya y supongo que las orejas de Gaspar Noé seguiran zumbando por mucho tiempo.

Por otro lado el viernes tuve chance de ir a ver otra palomera de este verano, nada menos que “Terminator: La Salvación”, que me gustó bastante, sobre todo la actuación de Christian Bale y los efectos especiales. Como sabemos este tipo de peliculas no tendran criticas favorables nunca por parte de los puritanos, pero cumple perfectamente el objeto de entretener y creo que está rescatando la franquicia de Terminator. Por ahí se repite la celebre frase:”I´ll be back” aunque esta vez es John Connor el que la menciona. Y no se pierdan un cameo digital del gobernator encuerado.

O Cineclube de Guimarães associa-se mais uma vez ao Barco Rock Fest com a exibição de dois filmes um na quarta e outro na quinta-feira.

“Shine A Light”
Tenda BRF – Quarta, 19 de Agosto

Depois de ter filmado os The Band, em 1978, de ter reconstituído o percurso de Bob Dylan em ‘No Direction Home’ em 2005, o realizador Martin Scorcese, 67 anos, volta a filmar mais um ícone da cultura pop-rock – os Rolling Stones.

Em ‘Shine A Light’, filme de 2008, regista um concerto dado pelos Stones no Beacon Theater em Nova Iorque, no qual surgem como convidados nomes como Jack White, dos White Stripes; Buddy Guy ou Christina Aguilera.

As imagens captadas em palco são complementadas com depoimentos de cada um dos elementos da banda em diversos períodos da sua já longa carreira – o primeiro disco dos Rolling Stones é de 1964.

“Glastonbury”
Tenda BRF – Quinta, 20 de Agosto

O filme de Julien Temple sobre o festival de Glastonbury, na altura em que se comemoram 30 anos do festival, marcou presença nas programações dos festivais de Sundance e Berilm. Glastonbury é um documentário de 135 minutos no qual o realizador reúne as imagens que recolheu nas edições de 2002 a 2005 do festival, juntando-lhes excertos de filmes rodados durante edições anteriores, das históricas filmagens de Nicolas Roeg em 1971 a muitas captações de amadores.

Ao todo, Julien Temple teve em mãos 700 horas de material filmado, a maior recolha já feita sobre este festival. Entre as actuações que surgirão no ecrã contam-se as de nomes como os Velvet Underground, Primal Scream, Billy Bragg, Cypress Hill, Scissor Sisters, Radiohead e David Bowie.

Julien Temple é um realizador veterano em lides rock, com filmes como The Great Rock’N’Roll Swindle (1980), Absolute Beginers (1986) ou The Filth And The Fury (documentário sobre os Sex Pistols, de 2000) na sua filmografia mais feita de telediscos que de longas-metragens.

O Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, também conhecido como Festival de Glastonbury é o maior festival de música a céu aberto do mundo. Criado por Michael Eavis, em 1970, como muitos dos festivais no mesmo período, Glastonbury foi influenciado pela cultura hippie.

in sound+vision.blogspot.com e wikipedia

Apoio
Cineclube de Guimarães

All photos by Adele de Lellis

Welcome to the Thursday link dump brought to you by the beautiful Danielle Lloyd. Check out all the links as well as Ms. Lloyd’s own personal gallery at the bottom.

Dan Marino is selling his palatial Mansion in Weston, Florida for a cool $13.5 million. Too bad no one wants to buy it. [The Big Lead]

Reaction on the Outside The Lines piece from Jerod Morris, the blogger that called out Raul Ibanez for POSSIBLY using steroids. [Midwest Sports Fans]

Tony Romo’s Facebook page. Super Classico! [Hogs Haven]

Full guide to the best Tweeters the Nations Capital has to offer. @LinsdayCzarniak is a must, even though she barely tweets. [Mister Irrelevant]

There is no way the Nationals are doing this on accident. All these FAILworthy happenings are going to turn out to be a publicity stunt. You heard it here first [DC Sports Bog]

Urban Meyer says his Gators are a good group of kids. So that’s why they’ve been involved in 24 arrests since 2005. I can’t wait till Tebow gets busted with crack. [ESPN]

AW FAWK Scorcese and DiCaprio doin’ anover movie wit Bawston accents. [Film Drunk]

Stan Van Gundy’s face is falling off. [College Humor]

Here’s the latest trailer from Martin Scorcese…
Looks a lot like a conspiracy thriller ! Which, in the hands of Mr Scorcese, could be BANANAS!!!… or it could be a disaster. We’ll see in october…

oh, and in case it wasn’t clear just yet, DiCaprio is the new De Niro.

We have a star stuffed cast like a “cheese in the middle” pizza..and a whole lot of expectation. Watch out- a few spoilers ahead–let’s review the righteousness of HEAT #2.

The plot of this movie dissected two main personalities and how they deal with death, violence and destruction. (I remind the audience of the Scorcese film…”The Departed”. ) Wrought by a recent judicial stomach issue where the government threw a rapist back up and onto the streets, the two cops are figuring out what the badge means if justice is really this crappy. They also contemplate how scotch tastes…and the purpose of a “police” psychologist who encourages them to write down their feelings.

We all know, there is no other way of life for these hard-asses. Al Pacino says it great when he says “I had two choices. The badge and gun or the hard hat and hammer”.

People are dyin….and the killer is leaving poems- really shitty “violets are red” type of poems.  At some point due to time and circumstance-the entire police gang realizes this killer knows cop talk..and cop time…and cop moves.

Who you think is going to end up as the horrible killer/poet (blah!) is obvious but then you think to yourself…no..it’s not that easy! Is it? They have to throw a wrench in this somehow!!

Is it one of the cops? Is it one of the bad guys they put away in the shadows who has revenge on their tongue? Is it the a-hole who was released? No because he’s dead now. Is it Donnie Wahlberg who I thought was Mark Wahlberg the entire time? (They really do look like twins but I think Donnie has a slight tard-ish dialogue pause)

Ohh you almost tricked me mister movie when you had one of the characters confessing on video interlaced throughout the movie.

Why do I feel this film plot was regurgitated out from a writer who had no time to think of something special?

Besides Robert Deniro getting it on like a screen door in a hurricane with a much younger Carla Gugino (shivers run up my spine for some reason)–(actually let me explain more. There is a scene where Carla is already dressed and up lighting a smoke and Bobby Deniro is still trying to get up off the kitchen floor a few mintes later- man that’s sexy!!) It’s such an odd scene- but I guess they wanted to pose Deniro as the fragile sex fiend.

I had a problem with the fact that THIS IS WHERE THE EXCITEMENT ENDS. I figured the entire movie out in 10 minutes and was hoping I’d be whipped back into an enticing plot. No Go. That’s it folks… a few good lines of dialogue, some Bob Deniro sex…Al Pacino looking like he’s smoked a million packs of cigarettes..(note to self) and the plot ends up being what we feared— ”too easy”. I think everyone thought it would be trickier and more intense as a psychological theory based who-done-it. It wasn’t and I have to give it a big FAIL.

So, one can argue that the point of the film was not to focus on whodoneit syndrome but rather focus on the mentality of a killer…. and who is driven to kill….

I’m still just not impressed and surprised they picked this script to band together on.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/

Grade: D

Duas viagens de navio, um jogo de Super Nintendo com Vegas no nome e eu achava que sabia tudo. Mas precisei de dois treinamentos de crupiê para chegar o momento que ia embaralhar e distribuir cartas em um jogo de Black Jack como se realmente estivesse em um cassino.

Mas antes que entre em detalhes, como eu fui parar num tal jogo de Vinte-e-Um?

Blame it on Cassinera, uma empresa que leva a jogatina para tudo o quanto é canto, obviamente sem envolver dinheiro.  De resto, tudo igual. Camisa e gravatinha borboleta, fichas e cartas, mesas e regras. Luxo tipo anos 50. Hollywood.

Digo uma coisa: três horas somando, embaralhando e pagando cansa. Mas é divertidíssimo. A minha sorte (ou azar) foi a enorme quantidade de conhecidos na festa. Nem senti muita falta de fazer o social de sempre. Fiquei meio boba de ver as mesas cheias de gente jogando. Não arriscar o dinheiro deixa todo mundo corajoso, bem mais legal.

Alguns momentos memoráveis:

Estréia da mesa na noite, uma amiga e o namorado jogando. A minha segunda carta, que deveria ser fechada, jogo aberta e fecho rápido depois.

Dois black jacks quase que seguidos, com a mesa cheia e revoltada.

Um pouco depois, os jogadores começam a ter mais sorte. chega a hora de embaralhar. um menino se oferece para cortar, eu entrego a ele o baralho. rodadas seguintes, todos perdem e abandonam a mesa.

Outra coisa interessante é ver o vício crescendo nas pessoas. A menina que chega sem saber jogar, o namorado explica para ela, eles jogam, ele vai embora e ela continua lá por horas. Se eu não me engano, a menina só saiu depois que perdeu seus dinheirinhos de mentirinha.

    Frank Cullotta

                 in a 1981 photo.

Yesterday started and ended with the mob. It’s just like living in a Scorsese movie sometimes.

In the morning, mob-turned-informant Frank Cullotta, focus of crime author Denny Griffin’s gripping biography “Cullotta,” said in a phone interview from an undisclosed location (me, I was in my kitchen) that he thought the proposed Mob Museum in Las Vegas is a “great idea.” The former “Hole In The Wall Gang” member, friend and bodyguard/muscle guy of Tony “The Ant” Spilotro and admitted double-murderer also says he has been approached by someone who is involved in the development of the mob museum to help add some authenticity. Cullotta refuses to say who has contacted him, but that has been asked to provide some personal items and personal, inside information and anecdotes about his days helping the “Chicago Outfit” skim profits from their Vegas casinos through abject violence, theft and intimidation.

I asked if that overture included audio narration for some of the displays, and Cullotta thought for a moment. “That could be. I haven’t thought of that, but I’ve got a distinctive voice,” he said in a thick Italian-type accent. “Maybe I should try to trademark my voice. It’s really recognizable. That’s why I was never good with a wiretap.”

You and me both, brother.

Later in the day, I got word that Cullotta, also famous as a technical advisor and bit actor in the film “Casino” (the Frank Vincent character was based on him) would appear on ABC’s “Nightline,” having been interviewed recently by reporter Neal Karlinsky for the piece. It was the third in a series of reports, the first being about repo men and the second about the chimp in L.A. that got free from a residence and nearly killed a woman. Click here for the report.

Karlinsky’s report treaded familiar territory. He spoke with Cullotta, a product of the Witness Protection Program who still uses a secret name. “I was a gangster, burglar, murderer, extortionist, arsonist,” he said to a dutifully impressed Karlinsky. “I was all the things you don’t want to be. But I’m not like that no more. I’m a different man now.”

Goodman was interviewed in his City Hall office, and took Karlinsky on a tour of the old downtown courthouse, which would be home to the $50 million Mob Museum. Goodman estimates 800,000 people a year would visit the attraction, which is equal parts fascinating and controversial.

“This is the quintessential mob museum, there’s nothing quite like it,” Goodman said. When asked if an art museum would be a more appropriate use of the space, Goodman said, “Anyone who says this should be an art museum should go jump in the lake, with concrete shoes on!”

Playing to the cameras was the mayor. He also said he was grateful for being known a “mob attorney” because it “put me in financial position to run for mayor.”

During our phone conversation, Cullotta said the museum would certainly help preserve Las Vegas’ history – whether we like it or not. “We have too many people who don’t know how Vegas was built,” he said. “I mean, we are losing our history, tearing it down. We have kids who don’t even know who Frank Sinatra was.” As for the argument that the museum, by its very existence, would glorify crime and criminals, Cullotta said, “People want to know about this part of our past. You make a movie about Jack the Ripper, and people flock to see it. It’s the same with this museum.”

In front of the camera, Cullotta said “The Outfit” would help dig Vegas out of the recession if the crew were around today. He is the last survivor of the original Chicago team in Vegas. “Vegas is having a rough time,” he said, “but I guarantee if the Outfit was still around there would be money here, somehow.” I expect we will hear from Cullotta again, as part of some sort of Vegas history reclamation project.   http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2009/feb/18/count-ex-mobster-cullotta-mob-museum-backer/

Police on the look out for Abe Beam, outbreaks of disco & punk, good Martin Scorcese movies and New York magazine’s return to relevance.

Manoel de Oliveira, the Centenarian

I turn 25 in exactly three months. So, in a quarter of a year I will be a quarter of a century old.

Now I won’t bother mentioning the many and various contributions to math and science people have made before they have reached this age, but they are indeed many and I never really dreamed of matching any of these accomplishments. A lot of effort and skill would be needed, more so than I’m willing or am able to acquire (for at least now—I don’t want to downplay myself that much).

But when it comes to the arts, or more particularly, the movies, significant contributions are not as common. It usually takes quite a while for a director or writer to gain access to the right resources—connections, equipment, crew—to create something unique and worthy. Manoel de Oliveira was a sporadic and ill-recognized director until the late 1980s. Almost every year since then he has made a feature film, including five Golden Palm nominees and one Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Last year Mr. Oliveira was awarded the Golden Palm for lifetime achievements. He turned 100 last December.

Still, many filmmakers get their starts at young ages, but it is not a huge stretch to say the vast majority of these efforts are failures or, at the best, mere stepping stones to more dynamic projects. Steven Speilberg made his first feature, “Firelight,” at the ripe age of 16, but it wasn’t until 1975, at the age of 29 and following about seven years working in television, that he established a name for himself with “Jaws.” Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola, the first two significant American directors to come out of film school, each spent their late twenties working for B-movie mogul Roger Corman (and other projects) before really stepping up and standing out at the age of 30: Scorcese with “Mean Streets,” Coppola with the “Patton” screenplay ( “The Godfather” came two years later).

So it is a rare thing for a tyro director to create a masterpiece. Yesterday I re-watched “Citizen Kane,” argued by many (including Roger Ebert and the American Film Industry) to be the greatest film of all time (but probably not in my top 10). Although Orson Welles was already a celebrated director in the theater and radio, his only film experience prior to “Citizen Kane” was as a narrator in “Swiss Family Robinson.” On his reputation outside of Hollywood alone, Welles was offered maybe the most generous contract ever given to a first time director, giving him complete artistic control over every aspect of production (that is up to a few budgetary barriers). Herman Mankiewicz, who penned the first draft before Welles had a go round, loosely based the story on the life of press tycoon William Randolph Hearst in the least flattering of lights: the original title was “The American,” mimicking several newspaper names owned by Hearst; Xanadu, Kane’s place of residence and private zoo, was modeled after Hearst Castle in San Simeon (which I visited about a year ago); and, according to a perhaps more hearsay than not account from Gore Vidal (followed by a sharp parry and riposte exchange with the unfortunate Jay Topkis, Esq.), allegedly “Rosebud” was Hearst’s pet name for a certain anatomical part of his mistress Marion Davies, with whom Mankiewicz had also been an acquaintance (i.e. Mr. Mankiewicz and Ms. Davies were mutual winos; I am not privy to additional relationships perhaps inadvertently alluded to in the preceding sentence). There’s a resultant joke about the last thing to come out of Kane/Hearst’s lips. 

[As an aside/mini-rant, Mankiewicz’s Oscar has been milked for far more than it’s worth—it seems to be the only credential for grandson Ben Mankiewicz, current co-host of the re-tramped “At the Movies.”]

When “Citizen Kane” was first released on American screens, Orson Welles was 25. Chantal Akerman was also 25 when she made “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,” also held in high esteem among those that have actually seen it. (Currently this does not include me, since three and a quarter hour minimalist feminist movies—not as Ms. Akerman would describe this—are not my ideal cup of tea. I do plan on eventually sitting down for this one but I’ll have to wait a while since it has not yet been released in the US [Edit: on DVD that is; a restored print has recently hit American screens, but its likelihood of being near me is slim.]) I’ve already allowed several comparative deadlines to elapse: I didn’t write my first violin concerto at age of 6 like Mozart; I didn’t enter the books as maybe the youngest fraud or talent as Marla Olmstead did at the age of 4 (subject of the documentary “My Kid Could Paint That”).

So, three more months. And then what?

***

What is this? A mid-mid-life crisis? Maybe I’ll just play video games.

I’m gonna break your fucking head open, you motherfucker, you!

Ponham seus sapatos de cimento, garotada! Hoje, vamos dar uma volta com Tio Vito, aceitar uma proposta irrecusável, comprar um paletó de madeira e dormir com os peixes!

Uou! Get outtaheere! Fogettabourit! Can you believe this guy?! Madon!

Com vocês: Massaroca 45 – The Best of Joe Pesci!