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Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:14:07 GMT

Critics Notebook

by Steve Dollar



Everyone talks about the cheap beer, the country barbecue, the crazy parties and, sweet Jesus, the blessed transmedia synergy. But there"s one sure thing you will discover at South by Southwest, early and often, especially if your advertised "downtown" motel turns out to be hell-and-gone up the Interstate. It is this: Austin"s cab drivers are even wackier than the notoriously storied hacks in Las Vegas. One afternoon, sozzled after a dozen cans of ice-cold Pearl Beer, waiting for a lift back downtown from Fantastic Fest impresario Tim League"s big-ass crawfish boil, I was greeted by a sight unusual even for Our Nation"s Weirdness Capital. Thumping down the street was a bright yellow mini-bus-like contraption dubbed The Land Yacht. Turns out the beast was a karaoke cab! Lady Gaga gaga"d from a pair of video monitors that the driver worked from a dashboard computer screen. As we rolled into town from the hillside League Compound, the hirsute and histrionic Brad Delp of Boston-may he rest in peace-materialized as guitars squealed in power anthem ecstasy, reminding me that it"s "more than a feeling."

True. The very best moments marking the film component of this year"s SXSW had everything to do with emotion, the real, raw, rag-and-bone shop of the heart stuff, transfigured through the prism of cinematic art (or mayhem). And I"m not just talking about the pyrotechnic heartbreak of Bellflower. Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:17:55 GMT

Topher Grace

You might not expect that Topher Grace (In Good Company, Traffic, Spider-Man 3) would be quick to return to retro comedy after seven seasons on TV"s That "70s Show, but lo and behold, the 32-year-old actor both executive produced and co-wrote the story for the "80s-set Take Me Home Tonight (in theaters today): As the summer of 1988 winds down, three friends on the verge of adulthood attend an out-of-control party in celebration of their last night of unbridled youth. TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT is a raunchy, romantic and ultimately touching blast from the past, set to an awesome soundtrack of timeless rock and hip-hop hits.

Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppiehood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old confounds family and friends by taking a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. But Matt"s silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams.

With his cynical twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and best friend Barry (Dan Fogler), Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening. From stealing a car to a marriage proposal to an indescribable, no-holds-barred dance-off, these friends share experiences that will change the course of their lives on one unforgettable night in the Go-Go "80s.

At the Relativity Media offices in Manhattan, Grace and I met to discuss how cocaine almost sunk his movie"s chance for release, being forced to watch "maybe the worst film ever made" on repeat one summer, and the famous actress who babysat him during those totally tubular "80s.

To listen to the podcast, click here. (13:43)


Podcast Music
INTRO: Yaz: "Situation"
OUTRO: Every Avenue: "Take Me Home Tonight" Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:07:29 GMT

Halle Berry says Gabriel Aubry called her the n-word!

You know, I used to think Halle Berry was the most boring person in the world. Hell, even getting into a handful of hit-and-runs couldn"t make her interesting. But now she"s reportedly dropped any and all pretense that she isn"t a crazy bitch and is fighting to strip Gabriel Aubry of visitation rights to their daughter by telling TMZ that he called her the N-Word. We"re told .... in addition to calling her the "N" word, he would also call her a "f**king bitch" and other expletives. And the vulgarities are not limited to face-to-face confrontations. There are vulgar text messages as well. As one source told TMZ, "He constantly demeaned her. It was awful." SOURCE Call me crazy, but chances are if you"re dating a black woman, you"re probably not the kind of person to call someone the N-Word. And before you try and say differently, this is coming from someone who dated a black man and can"t even bring himself to say the other version of the word. You know, the one that ends with an A? Please don"t make me say it, I grew up in Montreal, okay? I can"t say that word. Posted by: Popbytes      Read more     Source

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:51:18 GMT

PARIS IS TRYING TO ONE-UP KIM

Now that the world has forgotten Paris Hilton and is now so far up Kim Kardashian"s ass they can see where the fat ends and the implants begin, Paris has decided that the only way to make everyone remember how much they hate her is by creating her own reality TV show. "It"s real, it"s raw, there"s drama.... it is real, I promise you. We are different," Kathy explained. "I opened up my house which I"ve never done. Paris has opened hers, Nicki (Hilton) has, Brooke has.... there is nothing scripted or planned, there is no hair or makeup, we do our own, our own clothing and there are or no second shots. Just do it!" Brooke, who is Paris" neighbor and a family friend of the Hiltons, also promised true reality TV on their new series, saying, "My life is an open book." SOURCE Oh joy, now we have.... What? Like, 99 shows about stupid sluts being stupid and slutty? Oh joy. One more and I think we get a free Subway sandwich! Mind you, said sandwich would pretty much be nothing but bread, lettuce and Valtrex, but still, that"s a pretty sweet deal. Posted by: Popbytes      Read more     Source

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:47:38 GMT

Katie Price say our marriage is in crisis

Glamour model Katie Price has confirmed that her less than one year marriage with former cage fighter Alex Reid is on the rocks.

The 32-year-old reality star married Reid in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas in February soon after divorcing Australian singer Peter Andre. But the model, aka Jordan, has confirmed that her second marriage is also on the brink of collapse.

The rumours of their marriage on the rocks started doing the rounds after Price was photographed without her wedding ring on several occasions.

Price, however, is hopeful of a positive outcome, Daily Mail reported.

"To answer my fans questions, News of the World did a accurate story Sunday about our marriage in crises (sic).... always look on bright side xx (sic)," she tweeted.

Price and Reid, 37, who would have celebrated their first wedding anniversary on February 2, have jetted to a secret desert island destination last week in one final bid to save their marriage. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:02:32 GMT

Bernardo Bertolucci

by Steve Dollar

Bernardo Bertolucci, absent from the moviemaking world since The Dreamers seven years ago, sounds unexpectedly chipper. Reached by Skype at home in Rome, the director has just returned from a late afternoon swim, where he met with novelist Niccolò Ammaniti. Though he"s been crippled by back problems for several years, Bertolucci is optimistic about making Ammaniti"s latest book, Io e te, into a movie. "I sublimated everything about the body so I have more room for the mind," he says, in deliberate, accented English, "and thinking about a new project."

But the occasion of our conversation is everything else Bertolucci has done, spotlighted in a career retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, which runs through January 12. With the 15 features, three documentaries, one short, and a few films made by others about him, it"s a comprehensive tribute to the 69-year-old director of The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor, who first made a splash at Cannes with his 1962 debut, The Grim Reaper. He was 21.

"It"s healthier not to watch your old movies," he says. "My expectation is always more than what the film gives." But still.... Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:53:20 GMT

John Cameron Mitchell

[photo by Nigel Smith / indieWIRE]

For a filmmaker associated best with exploring gender and sexuality onscreen in such audacious, stylized films as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus, John Cameron Mitchell seems an unlikely but inspired choice to helm David Lindsay-Abaire"s pared-down adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Rabbit Hole (opening in limited release on December 17, nationwide January 14):

RABBIT HOLE is a vivid, hopeful, honest and unexpectedly witty portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of all situations. Becca and Howie Corbett (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. Becca hesitantly opens up to her opinionated, loving mother (Dianne Wiest) and secretly reaches out to the teenager involved in the accident that changed everything (Miles Teller); Howie lashes out and imagines solace with another woman (Sandra Oh). Yet, as off track as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for beauty, laughter and happiness. The resulting journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.

Calling from Los Angeles, Mitchell spoke with me about Rabbit Hole and why making the film was a personally cathartic experience, but our brief chat also touched on his love for comic books, why LGBT-themed indies are routinely mediocre, Hedwig on Broadway, and what he wants for Christmas this year. To listen to the podcast, click here. (10:07)

Podcast Music
INTRO: Bright Eyes: "Down in a Rabbit Hole"
OUTRO: John Cameron Mitchell: "Tear Me Down (from Hedwig and the Angry Inch)" Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:05:57 GMT

Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better: A Few Thoughts on Breast Implants

I confess that - more than once- the thought of getting breast implants has crossed my mind when I see Pamela Anderson’s double Ds on TV. Even Pam has had a love-hate relationship with her implants, upgrading and downgrading on a whim. But if you’re one of the millions of gals who has thought about competing with certain busty celebrity bosoms, there are some things to consider before jumping from AA to DD.

Don’t get me wrong – implants are a safe way to improve your confidence or give yourself a lift after pregnancy or age or weight loss has left you feeling kind of blah. I would never discourage anyone from having a breast enlargement surgery for those reasons. I just caution friends against being too enthusiastic from the beginning. In addition to the normal risks of implants – like rupture, changes in sensations, pain, and difficulty breastfeeding or detecting cancer – going for Pam boobs right away can cause some other problems.

For example, carrying lots of extra weight in the front can lead to extra strain (and pain) on the muscles in your back. If you change your mind in the future (maybe they’re too expensive to maintain or maybe your family history puts you at an increased risk for developing breast cancer and you want to make sure it’s detected as early as possible) and want them removed, you may not be able to go back to your old look. Your breasts may pucker, wrinkle, dimple, or have other aesthetic issues, which is true of any removed breast implant but likely to be more noticeable and pronounced with a large implant. If you get saline implants and one ruptures – well, now won’t you look silly walking around with one AA and one DD breast until you can find the cash and the time for another surgery to replace it?

Again, I want to emphasize that breast augmentation is a great idea for a lot of women; in fact, over 300,000 had the surgery in 2009. But since upgrading is usually easier than downgrading, I think it’s good to have realistic expectations and goals when you first start looking into it. Even if your size decision won’t inspire Hollywood to do a slow-motion replay of you running down the beach, you can still look hot in a bikini. Posted by: Martha      Read more     Source

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:13:12 GMT

Natalie Portman says that scene was hard

Natalie Portman has revealed that her much-hyped sex scene with Mila Kunis in their new flick Black Swan was hard. Walking the red carpet to promote the Darren Arronofsky film, Portman admitted that shooting the graphic love scene was confronting, according to the Huffington Post.

"It"s hard to have a sex scene, period. It doesn"t matter if it"s a friend, a male, a female," News.com.au quoted her as saying. "You"re with 100-something crew members, lighting you, repositioning you, there"s no comfort whatsoever," she said.

Last month, Kunis slammed reports that the pair had downed tequila together before their risque shoot. "I don"t think we could have done that scene if we were intoxicated," she told People at the time.

Both Kunis and Portman have discussed their gruelling training regimes for the film that saw them lose drastic amounts of weight. Five to eight hours a day of cross-training and swimming for a year saw both the petite stars shed 10kg each off their slight frames.
Tags: Natalie Portman, Love, Love, Intoxicated Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:04:34 GMT

Antichrist: Lars and the Real Issue

by Vadim Rizov

Most Lars von Trier films are about the arrogance of males who think they know everything, yet are supremely fatuous in their advice. In other words, most of Lars von Trier"s movies are about himself. Epidemic and The Five Obstructions both foreground one "Lars von Trier" (playing himself) as an arrogant, know-it-all blowhard who, come final scene, gets his comeuppance. Similar roles are occupied in The Kingdom (by Dr. Stig, who almost certainly would"ve gotten smacked down in part 3 had actor Ernst-Hugo Järegård lived long enough to complete the projected trilogy), David Morse in Dancer in the Dark (who pedantically advises Bjork all the way up to her execution) and Tom Edison Jr. (Paul Bettany) in Dogville. Not least in this tradition is Antichrist"s He (Willem Dafoe), who is all of those characters recapped: a man offering advice way beyond his pay grade, only to find himself shot down with extreme physical vengeance.

That physical pain was Antichrist"s main selling point in theatrical release; in the UK, distributor Artificial Eye upped the ante by marketing it as straight horror fare, a financial calculation that paid off. Antichrist isn"t a horror movie, though it has both squeamish torture-porn moments and supernatural grotesquerie to spare. Listening to what von Trier says during press conferences is always a tricky proposition, so ignore his (incredibly entertaining) proclamation that "I am the best film director in the world" and focus in on the real disclosure: the film emerged from two years of depression and was made as therapy. Antichrist has a manic-depressive structure, its operatic, lush black-and-white opening followed by about one hour of boredom leavened with occasional weirdness, brutally broken with by 25 minutes of straight-up torture, and capped off by an equally lush closer. The gear-switching has the feel of internal stock-taking and clearing. Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:09:09 GMT

Julianne Moore in Bulgari Steel and Onyx Bracelet

LOVE the Bulgari Tubogas Steel and Onyx bracelet ($2,550). It"s a classic like the Cartier Love bracelet that you can wear everyday and with everything, especially in the steel and onyx iteration that Julianne Moore opted for. It comes in a few different versions, including diamond pave, which you can browse here and works beautifully when paired with 2 or 3 other bangles or with a watch. It"s understated in design which gives it its versatility, but the malleable band makes it a stand-out no matter what you pair it with. Christmas/Hanukkah list-worthy for sure :-) Posted by: Ms. Jewel Snob      Read more     Source

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:55:03 GMT

Cowboy Clint and Thereafter to Hereafter

by Vadim Rizov



"What becomes a legend most?" asked a late-"60s campaign for Blackglama minks, and the same question comes to mind when considering Clint Eastwood"s career as he enters his eighties. There can be little doubt of his legendary status as a screen icon of laconic retribution; though his renditions of the Man With No Name for Sergio Leone were intended in part as a challenge to status-quo Western morality, Eastwood"s squinty charisma made him a screen deity nearly on par with John Wayne. The acerbic critiques of Western macho became less important than the simple pleasure of seeing a new model of gunslinger be awesome in an entirely new but equally fun way. Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:40:55 GMT

Terry Zwigoff

Just because filmmaker Terry Zwigoff has collaborated with graphic novelist Daniel Clowes twice (Ghost World, Art School Confidential) and is best known for his eccentric and tragicomic doc portrait of an underground artist (Crumb), he doesn"t want you to think his entire career is ink and panels. This week, the Criterion Collection has released a special edition DVD and Blu-ray of Crumb, and even more excitingly, they"ve given their canonizing treatment to Zwigoff"s amazing 1985 feature debut, Louie Bluie: Crumb director Terry Zwigoff"s first film is a true treat: a documentary about the obscure country-blues musician and idiosyncratic visual artist Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, member of the last known black string band in America. As beguiling a raconteur as he is a performer, Louie makes for a wildly entertaining movie subject, and Zwigoff honors him with an unsentimental but endlessly affectionate tribute. Full of infectious music and comedy, Louie Bluie is a humane evocation of the kind of pop-cultural marginalia that Zwigoff would continue to excavate in the coming years.

In honor of Criterion"s must-see new discs, I called Zwigoff in San Francisco to discuss his accidental stumble into filmmaking, awkward running times, strange coincidences, why a man who doesn"t like commentary tracks recorded two of them for one project, and-as mentioned above-why he shouldn"t be pigeonholed.... or should he?

To listen to the podcast, click here. (21:17)

Podcast Music
INTRO: Louie Bluie: "State Street Rag"
OUTRO: David Boeddinghaus: "Ragtime Nightingale" Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:30:15 GMT

Nicolas Winding Refn

The latest from Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, The Pusher Trilogy) is the austere and brutal 12th-century epic Valhalla Rising, what I elsewhere called "a trippy nightmare of savage poetry burning slow across bleak and otherworldly landscapes." These ain"t your daddy"s Vikings:

For years, the fearsome figure known only as One Eye (Mads Mikkelsen of Pusher, Flame & Citron and Casino Royale) has defeated everyone he"s encountered, but he"s treated more like an animal than a warrior. The only person he has any relationship with is the young boy who brings him food and water daily. Constantly caged and shackled, One Eye has drawn the attention of a new force now sweeping the countryside and displacing the society"s leaders: Christians.

Before the film"s premiere, Refn called from sunny California to discuss his "hallucinogenic drug" Valhalla Rising, how he made both this film and last year"s Bronson simultaneously, and why Mads Mikkelsen never gets invited to his birthday parties.

To listen to the podcast, click here. (11:32)

Podcast Music
INTRO: Led Zeppelin: "Immigrant Song"
OUTRO: Aritomo: "Voice of Only One Eye"

[Valhalla Rising premieres July 16 in limited release and on demand. For more information, please visit the official site.] Posted by: ahillis      Read more     Source

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:08:16 GMT

Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson split rumours dismissed

Rumours of Ryan Reynolds and his wife Scarlett Johansson
hitting splitsville have been dismissed after the couple were said to be eyeing a permanent move to New York. A source close to the actress claimed the couple had reached an agreement to keep a lid on their relationship since it began in April 2007.

Buzz up!
"People have been saying that they are on the rocks because they haven"t been spotted together recently, but that"s only because they are both busy working," the New York Daily News quoted the source as saying.

"She"s been doing up to eight shows a week on Broadway, and he"s been shooting the "Green Lantern" in New Orleans. It"s been tough, but they"re making it through just fine," the source added.

Explaining the pair"s alleged plans to shift to the Big Apple, the source said: "Scarlett is extremely close to her sister, Vanessa, who lives in Chelsea, and she wants to live full-time in the city." Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:32:56 GMT

Julia Roberts in Vintage Van Cleef

Julia Roberts tops off a simple black YSL dress with a stunning vintage sautoir from Van Cleef & Arpels. As soon as I saw it, I was fascinated and knew that there was something special about it because it was pretty much her entire look. She wasn"t going to go unnoticed in just a LDB! The scene stealing pendant is encrusted with 29 citrines and diamonds and is set in 18K gold. How much does it weigh though? She probably needed a massage the next day! Posted by: Ms. Jewel Snob      Read more     Source

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:02:32 GMT

Married Cindy Crawford wants guys to flirt with her

Supermodel Cindy Crawford, who is happily married to Rande Gerber, wants men to flirt with her irrespective of her marital status.

"I really don"t get any of those old chat up lines - any at all actually. It"s actually sad and a bit of a shame because it"s nice to flirt," said Crawford, 45, who has two children - Presley, 10, and eight-year-old Kaia.

She recently said her personality has been affected by the ageing process and that she doesn"t believe people find her as attractive as earlier, reports contactmusic.com.

"Age can be daunting, but you can"t stop it. I know 20-year-old guys don"t look at me any more. I don"t feel it like I used to. I remember walking down streets in New York at the height of my modelling career, my hair up, and all the construction guys would go crazy. It"s different now," she said. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:59:37 GMT

DAKOTA AND GABOUREY COVER 'V' MAGAZINE!

hey hey! one of my favorite magazines V is featuring two of hollywood"s young actresses - all glammed up on two separate covers for issue #63 - dakota fanning (who has been acting since she was like age six - she"s now fifteen) and break-out star gabourey sidibe who received rave reviews and critical acclaim for her performance in precious (which i still need to see .... shame on me!) i think both girls are destined to be on the scene for years to come! popbytes over & out for now .... Posted by: Popbytes      Read more     Source

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:10:09 GMT

Whit-Whit Goes on a BD with a D

It"s Wednesday afternoon, which means it"s time for me to once again praise the TV gods for delivering me yet another delightful episode of The City. This show is fast becoming one of my favorites of the year, and I"m not ashamed to say so. The mix of simmering female tensions, career ambitions, and late night socializing makes for great TV. If I sound like I"m overhyping the show (or perhaps giving it more credit than it deserves), then, well, YOU"RE WRONG. Don"t judge a book by its cover, and don"t judge a spinoff by its originator (in this case, The Hills).

This week"s episode found Whitney and Roxy engaging in a bit more boy drama than usual. Normally I"d be loathe to watch such silliness as the meat and potatoes of this series is the workplace, but I must credit the producers who have wisely kept the romantic high jinks at a palatable level; thus allowing such diversions as the Fackelmeyer fracas to come and go without wearing out their welcome. Nevertheless, the bulk of last night"s episode pertained to Roxy and Whitney"s boy adventures, and no, that does not include the intrusive squirrel that apparently has overtaken their apartment. How a squirrel got into their abode is a whole other question, and I loved how both girls started off the show discussing their unwanted pest before making a conversational 180 and chirping about boyz. It would be the equivalent of me saying "So I saw a dead corpse decomposing in the street. It was really nasty. All smelly and stuff. Hey, how"s your mom doing?"

Well, we never did find out if the girls caught their bushy-tailed squatter, but I guess that"s because they had more pressing issues to deal with. W-w-w-Whitney had a big blind date coming up, courtesy of Sammy at Bergdorf Goodman, and Roxy had drinks planned with Zac, a guy who"s popped up here and there this season, clearly ready to knock boots, as they say. Both situations seemed promising, but alas, both fizzled out triumphantly. Posted by: B-Side      Read more     Source