Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
One can be forgiven if graphic fantasies of Bob Barker spiraling around with a chainsaw become impossible to ignore by the two-minute mark of the trailer for Cat Ladies. The documentary by newcomer Christie Callan-Jones is currently touring the indie fest circuit to generally positive, if unsettling, reviews. However, the doc’s mission statement seems to snarf at the inevitable snark: “[Cat Ladies] unravels the real story behind the oft-ridiculed ‘cat lady’—a cultural stereotype and figure of ridicule for women of a certain age with too many furry companions.” Let us know what you think in the comments, lurking LOLcatters temporarily welcome. Full disclosure: we’ve had too much coffee already and the sunlight-on-dander-and-catpiss visual style of the film quickly sent us up one of these.
According to a new report at The Wrap, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno was reshot to appease the “Hollywood gay community.” Frankly, if this is true, I’m a little disappointed in the filmmakers for bowing to this pressure. Furthermore, I think it reflects very badly on this community if they are incensed by the movie. There’s absolutely no way that Bruno isn’t, wasn’t, and hasn’t always been a very passionately pro-homosexuality, anti-homophobia piece. The article mentions a few particular individuals that were apparently offended, from Year of the Dog’s Mike White to the actors Jack Plotnick and Peter Paige. It also includes a video, embedded after the break, in which numerous industry folk let their feelings be known.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie Bruno has its premiere party in Paris last night, and BBC’s Jonathan Ross tweeted:
“Was very funny. Not as funny as Borat, but funny.”
But lets forget tweets, the first official review has been published by The Sun. The UK paper notes that Hitler gets a mention every five minutes, and that “the pygmy sex scene is one of the most horrific incidents ever committed to celluloid.” Here is a short spoiler free excerpt from the review:
“To say Brüno makes uncomfortable viewing is an understatement of Battle of Britain proportions. When I wasn’t giggling like a 14-year-old, I was cowering behind my hands.” … “The character does lose a bit of steam towards the end but the musical climax … is a fitting finale.”
Read the full review, which I must warn you: contains spoilers, at thesun.co.uk. Pictured above is Cohen’s nude appearance on the cover of GQ Magazine.
Not familiar with George Hardy’s work as an actor? Click here to watch a packed audience reacting to him on screen . It’s totally worth it.
About a week ago, while drinking slushies on a beach, I attempted to brainstorm a hyperbolic-geek intro for this interview that was impossibly cheesy and awful, yet aptly expressed my sentiments about the subject. As follows: It would be very difficult indeed to find a dentist who has contributed to more smiles around the globe than would-be actor, Alabama dentist, and newly-championed cult icon George Hardy.
For those who don’t know, Hardy was one of the lead human stars of 1990’s Troll 2; over the last few years, the shittastic fantasy-horror movie has rocketed in cult status and is a viable contender for a next-gen Rocky Horror Picture Show. Made for MGM by a crew of non-English speaking Italians, Troll 2 ironically exists today as an innocent, warped time-capsule of 1980s’ American summers, American culture, and genre films. In the role of the movie’s aloof dad, Michael Waits, Hardy is renown for the silly parental anecdote, “You can’t piss on hospitality!!” His performance is regarded by a growing number of cult cineastes to be one of the worst and most cherished of all time. Patton Oswalt, the Alamo Drafthouse, and Edgar Wright are counted as huge fans. The basic storyline is that of a generic Vacation knockoff meets slime and plot holes worthy of a drug trip: Hardy hauls his family (and a grandfather’s ghost) in a van to spend a summer in a dusty, desolate town called Nilbog. Goblin spelled backwards, Nilbog is populated by devilish country-folk and vegan Druid non-Trolls. In the end, the Waits fam defeats them and their leader, an STD-plagued witch, using a mystical bologna sandwich. Or do they?
Best Worst Movie, the new documentary about the reunited cast of Troll 2 and its international fandom, is a 2009 favorite of the /Film and /Filmcast staff. Directed by Troll 2’s former “child star,” Michael Stephenson, much of Best Worst follows Hardy as he temporarily leaves his life as a small-town dentist to encounter the ups and downs of modern fame and his performance’s excavated notoriety. Thanks to a compelling story and the sharp twists and turns of real life, Best Worst can be enjoyed with or without having viewed the flick that spawned it. George called me from his lake house to discuss all of this while eating a sandwich. For our interview with Michael Stephenson, click here.
Michael Moore Hijacks Movie Theaters With New Movie Trailer
Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
Update: Overture has released the official trailer, embedded after the jump.
Every Friday night I represent /Film as a guest on the BDK Movie Show on WJFK, and tonight’s show kicked off with a great little scoop about Michael Moore. Being a DC based radio station, they were definitely (once again) in the right place, at the right time.
Lucky moviegoers in a very small number of theaters in NY, LA, Chicago and DC tonight ended up playing a part in the promotions for Michael Moore’s next documentary. As Peter told you on Thursday, the teaser trailer for Moore’s as-yet untitled ‘bailout’ film was set for premiere in cinemas today. What he couldn’t tell you then was just how unusual the first teaser trailer was, and how interactive…
Perhaps the lucky cinema patrons had some inkling that something odd was going to go down tonight when, as they walked in to take their seats, they had to pass by signs telling them that they were liable to be filmed and informing them that entering the auditorium would be, in effect, giving consent for their images to be recorded and used.
Producer Puts Scorsese Sequel Straight Onto The Torrents
Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
Tommy Pallotta, producer of Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, has released his new film, American Prince, directly into the bit torrent file-sharing community. The film is a sequel to Martin Scorsese’s little-seen documentary American Boy, which amounted to almost an hour of actor Steven Prince telling tales, reportedly true tales from his life, to a small audience of friends. One of these stories was used in Pallotta’s Waking Life, in fact - retold by Prince and then converted to the digitally rotoscoped style of that film. Another formed the basis for one of the most memorable scenes in Pulp Fiction, and I’ll include Prince’s version of that story at the bottom of the post.
First Look: Michael Moore’s Bailout Documentary, Teaser Trailer Out Friday
Posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
USA Today was given the first photo from Michael Moore’s still-yet-to-be-titled documentary about the financial meltdown. The photo shows Moore outside Goldman Sachs headquarters in Manhattan. But now that Wall Street has become the target, don’t expect a two hour “economics lesson.”
Moore jokes that “it’s going to be more like a vampire movie. Instead of the main characters feasting on the blood of their victims, they feast on the money. And they never seem to get enough of it.” Moore also says that people will get “a good laugh” out of his film, and will hopefully walk out of the theater saying “Wow, that was something!” Moore jokes, “maybe they also walk out asking the ushers, ‘Um, excuse me. Where are the pitchforks and torches?’”
Moore needs to step away from the AVID editing system for a few minutes to come up with a title. I’ve confirmed that a teaser trailer will be in movie theaters this weekend, but what will they be using for the film’s title? I’ve heard the trailers have just been labled “Michael Moore’s New Movie”. The film is set to hit theaters on October 2nd 2009.
I’m a child of the 20th century, so the electric guitar, an instrument with a vast range of expressive potential, is the voice of my life. Whether it’s the simple, rhythmic lines of John Lee Hooker or the dense, almost formless drones of Sunn O))), the guitar is the thing. So It Might Get Loud, the documentary that explores the history of the electric guitar through interviews with and performances by Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge, is something I very much want to see. In August, Sony Pictures Classics will oblige. For now, there’s a trailer. Read More »
We wrote a while back that former King Kong champion Steve Wiebe was going to try to reclaim his title at the E3 video game convention in June. As you know, Wiebe was the first person on record to break a million points in Donkey Kong, a high score that he ultimately lost to his nemesis Billy Mitchell as documented in the great film The King Of Kong: A Fist Full Of Quarters. It is now June, and Wiebe will be playing live, not only at the expo, but live on the web via a JustinTV stream. Want to watch the King of Kong star try to reclaim his title? Watch the stream after the jump!
Michael Moore’s New Film To Explore The Global Economic Meltdown
Posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Overture Films and Paramount Vantage will release Michael Moore’s next documentary, which is yet-to-be-titled, on October 2nd 2009 — the same week that Moore’s feature debut Roger & Me made its U.S. Premiere 20 years ago.
And this new film comes full circle, with Moore returning to the issue that began his career: “the disastrous impact that corporate dominance and out-of-control profit motives have on the lives of Americans and citizens of the world. But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan.”
Read More »
For all of you who were unable to watch the previously released Bruno red band movie trailer, Universal Pictures has premiered a new green band version of the trailer without the nudity, dildos and other NSFW elements. But aside from a couple edits, this new trailer is virtually the same thing. Check it out embedded after the jump thanks to MTV.
Read More »
Paris, Not France is a “controversial” 68-minute documentary about model/actress/businesswoman/heiress Paris Hilton that premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Before the festival began, the film’s three scheduled screenings were reduced to one, with rumors running rampant over lawsuits or various legal concerns from the Hilton camp.
But the film itself was not the exposé that most people were hoping for or expecting, and was actually panned by most critics for being uninteresting and whitewashed. The trailer has now been released online. Watch it now after the jump.
