09 Apr 08 50 greatest comedy sketches of all time
One of the few movie critics whose opinion I trust, Nich Schager, points us to IFC’s collection of the ‘50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time.’ Below is number eighteen:
This isn’t particularly journalism related, but I point this out for two reasons.
One, it’s damn hilarious and worth some time and a walk down memory lane. The collection includes genius bits spanning over 50 years of sketch comedy with gems like Monty Python’s ‘Spanish Inquisition’ to SNL’s 1978 ‘Olympia Restaurant’ sketch which had John Belushi spouting, “Cheezborger! Cheezborger!”
The second reason I point this out is that it is a fine example of a sort of Journalism 2.0. Granted, it’s movie news but it is still a relevant point. Not only can you read the snippets about each clip, written by various critics and movie buffs culled from all points of the cinematic spectrum, but you can watch each and every clip thanks to the advent of YouTube and embedded movie players. This adds such a rich layer to what IFC, and in the future other journalists, will be able to do with the advances in Web techology.
The article may have worked in print, but the way they presented here just makes sense. Think about all of the times you’ve read these types of ‘50 greatest of all time…’ articles but couldn’t for the life you remember what clip, movie or song the article was talking about.
Yeah, those times are over. Stuff like this is just the tip of the iceberg, to use the cliché. Web 2.0 rules!
Oh and of course #1, with a bullet, is Monty Python’s ‘Dead Parrot. ‘ If you’ve never seen it, here it is for you. Swallow any food you are chewing, don’t drink anything and watch.
Tags: journalism, movies, videos
17 Mar 08 St. Patrick’s Day movie tribute
From Slate.com, ‘The Worse Leprechaun Movies Ever Made!’
I disagree with Leprechaun in the Hood however, that was cinema gold. Gold, get it? Huh, huh? Man, tough room.
Related Links16 Mar 08 Star Wars (Sweded)
Sweded #
Related LinksTags: internets, movies, videos
15 Mar 08 New ‘Incredible Hulk’ trailer up
You suck Ang Lee. Better stick to martial arts and gay cowboy movies and leave the super-hero stuff to the people that can pull it off effectively.
I’m glad they decided to just start over and pretend the first movie didn’t happen, like the new Batman stuff from Christopher Nolan. Now if only they could do that with Daredevil and *gasp* Captain America.
Related Links08 Mar 08 10,000 B.S.
Nick Schager gives the best review of Roland Emmerich’s (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) latest tripe:
10,000 B.C.’s stereotypically primitive characters have less personality than Kubrick’s primeval 2001 apes, and no more distinctive is its narrative, a hodgepodge of mystical prophesies, man-vs.-beast skirmishes, and rousing calls to arms so stale that the film comes close to emitting an actual stench. D’Leh eventually finds the courage to be a shirtless, dreadlocked Braveheart to the legion of African-ish warriors who join his crusade. His orchestration of a lame climactic rebellion against the tyrannical powers that be, however, whips up only the desire to stage one’s own revolt against big-budget Hollywood tripe like this.
What happened to the Germans (well, besides that)? They used to make good films didn’t they? Both Emmerich and Uwe Boll are really giving the krauts a bad name when it comes to modern cinema.
Actually though, Emmerich produces better things than he directs. Maybe he should just stick to one over the other.
Related Links01 Mar 08 New ‘Iron Man’ trailer
The newest trailer for the upcoming Iron Man movie has been released, and it is sweet.
I had no idea Paltrow was in this, not that she’s the draw or anything.
Related Links24 Feb 08 ‘Wolverine’ movie turning into a bloated monster
Remember when you saw the first X-Men movie and were thrilled to see those characters come to life? Then, a few years later we were treated to X2: X-Men United and once again, we were all thoroughly impressed.
When it was announced that Bryan Singer would not be a part of X-Men: The Last Stand we all knew that it would not be as great as the first two, that was a given. However, nothing could have prepared us comic-book nerds for the crap-fest that was to be unleashed upon us.
Complicated characters with equally complicated histories, like Beast, Juggernaught, the Morlocks and Multiple Man, were reduced to one-shot gimmicks to be used and tossed aside. Coupled with that, hack director Brett Ratner and writers Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn turned one of the greatest comic book story arcs in history into a convoluted, plotless and pointless affair. Too many characters, too many plot holes and not enough character development.
I fear the Wolverine movie, dubbed X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is headed down the same road.
First of all, Wolverine’s origin and the ‘Weapon X’ story is one of the most complicated in comic book history. To effectively tell the story on the big screen will be a feat unto itself. However, the movie is already bloated with too many characters that will no doubt be used for background filler and one-shot “ooh” moments.
On the list already:
Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed / Sabretooth
Lynn Collins as Kayla Silver Fox
Danny Huston as William Stryker
Daniel Henney as David North / Agent Zero
Will.i.am as John Wraith
Taylor Kitsch as Remy LeBeau / Gambit
Dominic Monaghan as Barnell
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool
Then it has just been announced that Kevin Durand will appear in the movie as ‘The Blob.‘ While many of these characters I like, having them all in one movie is going to be a mess.
If the team behind this movie pulls this bloated mess off well I will be pleasantly surprised. And why Harry Connick Jr. was not tapped to play Gambit I have no idea.
Related LinksTags: commentary, movies, rants
20 Feb 08 The Visitor
12 Feb 08 Random movie scene: Good Will Hunting
Best rant ever.
BONUS: Good Will Hunting, the Monkey Version
09 Feb 08 Best movie summary ever
From the Wikipedia entry for Joel and Ethan Coen’s Burn After Reading:
Burn After Reading is an upcoming film, set for release in 2008, starring John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and Brad Pitt and made by Joel and Ethan Coen. According to the Coens the plot will focus on the world of the CIA, physical fitness in Washington, D.C., and internet dating.
Consider me sold.
Related LinksTags: movies
22 Jan 08 Heath Ledger interview two months ago
Tell-tale signs perhaps. I would like to think this was an accidental overdose, but details are still sketchy. Truth be told no one will ever know. Word is playing The Joker physically and mentally taxed Ledger.
To prepare for the role he lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character’s posture, voice and psychology. He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker’s thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance. [source]
Not to be overly dramatic, but this really sucks.
Related LinksTags: actors, heath ledger, movies, obit
22 Jan 08 Heath Ledger found dead in Manhattan apartment
From the New York Times:
The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28.At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building, at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities.
The police said they did not suspect foul play. Officials said pills were found near the body.
Mr. Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, won acclaim for his role as a co-star in “Brokeback Mountain”, a 2005 film. The film, based on a short story by Annie Proulx about two cowboys who fall in love, won critical acclaim. Reviewing the film in The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden wrote, “Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.”
Mr. Ledger met the actress Michelle Williams while filming ‘’Brokeback Mountain.” The two actors fell into a romance and moved to Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, where their comings and goings were widely noted by paparazzi. They had a daughter, Matilda Rose, who was born on Oct. 28, 2005. The couple separated last year.
In an interview in London for an article published in November, Mr. Ledger told The New York Times, “I feel like I’m wasting time if I repeat myself.” He said in the interview that he was not proud of his latest role, in Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There,” in which Mr. Ledger was one of a half-dozen actors depicting the musician Bob Dylan. ‘’I feel the same way about everything I do. The day I say, ‘It’s good’ is the day I should start doing something else,” said in the interview.
More thoughts later.
Related LinksTags: actors, heath ledger, movies, obit
22 Jan 08 Oscars announced
The nominees for the 80th Annual Oscars were officially announced today. No surprise that ‘No Country for Old Men‘ and ‘There Will Be Blood‘ led most of the nominations, with ‘Juno‘ coming in a close second. Here’s a partial list:
Best motion picture of the yearRelated Links
“Atonement” (Focus Features)
A Working Title Production
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production
Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
A Clayton Productions, LLC Production
Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production
Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production
JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, ProducersPerformance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
(DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Best animated feature film of the year
“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Brad Bird
“Surf’s Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ash Brannon and Chris BuckAchievement in directing
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Julian Schnabel
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Jason Reitman
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Tony Gilroy
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Paul Thomas Anderson
Tags: movies
16 Jan 08 There Will Be Bitchslaps!
I saw the local premiere of Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood last night. I was wary of being biased due to all of the award attention it has already garnered but I must say, it was damn good. From a movie-nerd perspective it had all of the right elements without being bogged down with too many of the trappings of bad drama.
Daniel Day-Lewis is awesome as usual, something I will have to comment about another time.
The reason for the post title is that there are, in fact, several scenes in the movie where someone just gets severely bitch slapped. I’ve never seen a period piece, let alone a drama like this, where the pimp hands were so strong. Most of the slapping was done by Day-Lewis’ character but even his son and creepy Paul Dano got down on some of the bitch slapping action.
This has nothing to do with the quality of the movie but I thought it was an interesting thing to point out.
Great movie though and worth the time for anyone that likes dramatic movies with deep, yet not always obvious, themes and allusions. The movie has also already received a small cult following and the line, “I drink your milkshake!” has been called the new, “Say hello to my little friend!”
Want a real review? Talk to Nick, he’s completely spot on in his review. Though I disagree with how he felt about Punch-Drunk Love, Anderson’s previous movie that I loved.
Related Links14 Jan 08 Trailer Park: The ‘Sometimes I hate Hollywood’ edition
Three movie trailers that will make you hate Hollywood and question why you aren’t making millions as a screenwriter.
- The Hottie and the Nottie
Yes, this is a Paris Hilton rom-com. As if you didn’t dislike her enough, they’ve created a movie to reinforce the stereotype that only blond, thin and dumb women are the preferred trophy among men. Really? Did we just step back into the 1970s or something? It blows my mind that someone actually pitched this, it got written and that people acted and directed it with a straight face. - Postal
Now there is nothing wrong with the idea here, the video game was quite cool. But Uwe Boll is quite possibly the worst director ever. His notoriety as an extremely bad director is sort of the draw now. People can’t wait to see what horrible piece of tripe some Hollywood paid him millions to produce. However it is not in the cool, Troma sort of bad. It’s more of a “wow, they paid someone to make that?” kind of bad. This will no doubt be yet another fine example. Just by the trailer you can tell the “jokes” are nothing more than rehashed racial stereotypes and action movie clichés. - Prom Night
Didn’t they do this movie in the 70s, and then the 80s? Once again, horror movie clichés win over any sort of original thought. Hmm, psycho ex-student placed in a mental institution escapes and seeks revenge on the kids that shunned him. Wow, that’s brilliant!
Another odd thing is this round of trailers, Abigail Breslin, aka the girl from Little Miss Sunshine, is in three movies coming out soon. That’s crazy. After her Oscar nomination studios snatched her up and are putting her in everything.
While I applaud her career, I fear this may burn the little darling out quickly and turn her into another Lindsay Lohan. Let’s hope not, Breslin is far more talented and it would be a horrible thing.
Notables that might be worth watching:
- Cassandra’s Dream
Woody Allen directing Ewan McGregor and Colin Ferrell in a dramatic thriller. Awesome. - Don’t Mess with the Zohan
Adam Sandler meets Zoolander, sort of. It looks to be a good redemption from Sandler in the wake of 50 First Dates, Click and Anger Management (though I hear Chuck and Larry was OK, but I would probably disagree). - Wanted
Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie as assassins, um, OK. Plus James McAvoy in the lead. McAvoy is going to be big. The kid is awesome (ref. The Last King of Scotland) and I give him a year before he gets an Oscar. - Chicago 10
An animated re-telling of the Chicago Seven featuring the voices of Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber, and Jeffrey Wright. Sounds good to me.
Now if only the movies could live up to the trailers.
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