Link Overload: Busy Actors, Deleted Scenes, Movie Spoofs
Friday, February 27, 2015 at 10:30AM AV Club there's finally a Whiplash spoof starring The Muppets' Animal. "Animalllll!"
Boy Culture remembering a great poem "Lana Turner Has Collapsed"
EW the DVD of Into the Woods will include the new Sondheim song sung by Meryl Streep cut from the movie - you can see a minute of it here. I like it. Could listen to Meryl sing all day
Pajiba all the crazy shit that's gone down at 50 Shades of Grey screenings
THR Lovely profile of Kyle Chandler's careful career moves. If you missed my review of the pilot of his new series Bloodline it's here. Love this actor. I'm totally curious about what he'll do in Carol with Cate Blanchett
Coming Soon first image and synopsis from Jem & The Holograms
Movie City News David Poland says very smart things about the Academy's lack of confidence in themselves as evidenced on Oscar night. I've often felt this and don't get why they don't embrace their power? They're always worrying about audiences they don't have and not concentrating on delivering for the huge audience they do have.
Variety Brit Joe Alwyn lands the lead in Ang Lee's next project Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk about a 19 year old US soldier home briefly between tours in Iraq. It's Alwyn's first motion picture though he's done stage work.
Amazon I haven't watched this yet but they're streaming the pilot to Sutton Foster's new show Younger for free
THR Blade Runner's sequel will be directed by the talented Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) though I still don't get why something that perfect in original form needs a sequel (sigh). You're just asking for trouble!
Variety Joan Allen doing a dramatic thriller pilot co-starring Zach Gilford from Friday Night Lights
HitFix Louis Virtel reminds us that The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) was actually hilarious.
Wait, there's still more links?
i09 bringing comic book characters to life with a really unique take on makeup transformations
Empire Rosamund Pike lining up lots of projects including The Deep Blue Good-By with Christian Bale which is meant to be a franchise
A Fistful of Films gives out 1939 prizes. I keep thinking of doing this with older film years but I'm such a completist and those big projects undo me! Still giving best actress to anyone but Vivien Leigh that year? I won't hear it!
Stage Buddy talking to The Last Five Years producer. Who came up with that Russell Crowe joke?
Uproxx Neill Blomkamp is refreshingly honest about how he failed Elysium
EXIT VIDEO
Julie Andrews goes Death Metal in this awesome Mary Poppins video
Reader Comments (16)
That David Poland piece hits it. AMPAS should put him in charge next year. The show usually opens with a montage of the year's hits spliced with classics that tie in from the past. Since the Oscars is supposed to be about film history, that really gives context to the nominees and sets the tone. That would have really helped this year. Sigh.
And Nathaniel, thanks a bunch for that Julie Andrews clip! Happy Friday!
I don't know how this came to be known but even Andrew Sarris mentioned it: Bette Davis got only one fewer vote than La Leigh. If only they hadn't made it perfectly clear after the March/Beery "tie" that it had to be exactly that.
Elysium has 3 big points of failure:
1. The lead wasn't Michael Pena. (Seriously: There's no planet where you can tell me that Pena wouldn't have been an infinitely superior idea.)
2. It wasn't nearly funny enough. District 9 used some pretty dark comedy to keep up the energy between action beats, but Elysium had NOTHING. It wasn't terrible, but it was so bland that no one cares.
3. Jodie Foster was terrible and she's supposed to be the big villain.
What did work: Sharlto Copley's villain. He wasn't great or anything, but he kept the energy going more than anyone else in the movie.
Into the Woods was endless.
I teach this poem practically every semester, and then I get angry when students don't appreciate its awesomeness: "oh Lana Turner we love you get up"
You know, Nate, I've said this before but it is your Film Bitch Awards that inspired me to actually care about my own personal awards, so it's kind of cool to see my link here :-D
I totally hear you on being a completest. I don't close out these awards until I feel like I've seen everything, and I always miss something. Still, I love seeing them come together, so it's a fun project to take on.
And I love Leigh...but my heart belongs with Jean Arthur!
Thanks for the link, it's really appreciated.
Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton should make every movie together. AMAZING chemistry!! You don't find that kind of chemistry between (small) screen partners often. surprised no one has tried to transfer them to the big screen.
Re the Poland piece: I wonder how much input the network has over the content of the show. I did have the same reaction to Gaga that he did.
Remind me never to go to the movies in Scotland.
I'm reading Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk -- an excellently written book, with a sharp social critique, great dialogue and a lot of things happening in a very compact setting. (I haven't finished it yet, but I'm guessing it doesn't pass the Bechdel test...)
The novel has an ensemble feel that suggest a filmmaker like Altman or PT Anderson could do great things with it. I'm not sure about Ang Lee. His best work seems to be when he can get most intimate with his characters, and this story, at least on the page, is jam-packed. Plus -- why is he shooting it in 3D???
San FranCinema: I'm guessing the movie is going to go into the battle scene more than the book does. Still, that's one fight that is maybe the first 15 minutes and after that it sounds like there's no point to shooting in 3-D.
Volvagia: Though I suppose Beyonce's halftime show in 3D has its appeal.
Poland is so on point with his piece.
The larger problem with the Oscars, I believe, is that the culture has become cynical and most Americans don't have the patience for pseudo-prestige anymore.
I love the Oscars because I love the movies. I don't care about celebrities' private lives and I don't care about what they wear on the red carpet. I know plenty of people who share this view, and indeed, plenty who don't. But I don't think you can appeal to both crowds, and this is what the Oscars needs to come to terms with. Does it want to appeal to those who are more interested in the glitz and glamour of the whole thing, or those who are more interested in celebrating the work?
Nat, I bet some Streep fanatic will find a way to accuse you of not praising her enough.
Death metal Mary Poppins is awesome!!!!
Steven: But Death Metal Gigi would be even more awesome (and a great idea for an actual remake for that massively creepy musical).
steven -agreed. i cant stop watching it.
volvagia -- oh, that would be good too.