The Story of My Link
Friday, March 27, 2015 at 6:43PM Regan Writes has a great recap of RuPaul's Drag Race's upsetting episode this week (Trixie Mattel - Nooooooooo) and since I haven't been covering it, read this instead
The Vagenda on why we need to stop asking celebrities "are you a feminist?"
Dissolve EXCITING news. Gillian Flynn, who did such an Oscar nomination worthy job of screenwriting her own novel (stupid Academy!) will be co-writing Steve McQueen's next movie. That's a team with potential.
Pajiba awesome Gillian Anderson is on the market, ready for "the one" (gender irrelevant)
I turned down one of the big young adult franchises. I know the guy who took the part is buying his Hollywood mansion in the hills now, that he has secure work for three years. But you have to work yourself into a place where you’re respected
-Douglas Booth
The Guardian has a good interview with the full lipped, exquisitely jawed Douglas Booth (who doesn't like that people talking about his looks so much... awww, be grateful for them, man. It's how you get/got in the door) who says he's choosing his films based almost solely on who is in the director's chair.
CHUD the creative team behind 50 Shades of Grey are dropping like flies for the sequels. And the stars want raises and the producers aren't budging. What the hell is going on? Just pay them. They helped make it a hit. Greed sure can ruin a good thing. Or in this case a dumb thing.
Coming Soon Julia Louis-Dreyfus is considering the American remake of Force Majeure. She'd be great but why is no one considering not remaking it?
Lainey Gossip I don't normally share (or even pay much attention to) gossip stuff but apparently Jeremy Renner is getting divorced and it's already quite messy
Yahoo! Movies an oral history of Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), now thirty years old (gulp). Great quotes
Towleroad Tom Ford is looking at Amy Adams, George Clooney, and Jake Gyllenhaal for his new film Nocturnal Animals. Way to be original with your casting he said facetiously
Franchise Madness. The End is Nigh
i09 Transformers is aiming to become a "connected universe" a la Marvel movies. The end is truly nigh. If all movies want to be is ongoing big budget television series, what's the point of having them? Just watch more tv.
AV Club looks at the latest tv spot for Terminator Genisys. Yes, I know this one's got both old and young Ahnuld but without James Cameron & Linda Hamilton who cares? Time to move on.
/Film apparently they're also starting over with The Smurfs for 2017.
Almodóvar with his new star Emma Suarez, in preproduction of "Silencio"
Spanish Wonders
El Pais talks about the new Pedro Almodóvar movie (called Silencio)
El Pais also profiles the two actresses who star Emma Suárez & Adrian Ugarte neither of whom have worked with Pedro before. I know he said none of his normal women work work for this one (and he has quite a large repertory company now essentially) so I thought we'd be seeing totally different looks or body types but no. So now I'm curious as to why he didn't stick with his regulars. I suppose we shall see.
El Confidencial first images from Penélope Cruz's new film ma ma (about a teacher diagnosed with breast cancer). I miss her so much! She vanished once she had that baby
Today's Long Read
"How One Direction Helped Me Find My Girls" - this article on buzzfeed is about refusing to feel guilty for the things you love. While I've personally never understood boy band obsessions I get obsessive fandom because I relate... only with actresses and film directors. While I can't say I agree with every word therein -- I don't think all fandom is good for people (sometimes it's just about conformity and not seeking you own aesthetic interests) and I was quite disturbed by one drawing that says "Remember nobody's feelings are more important than your own" because that is a straight up terrible thing to teach people (other people's feelings are very much important and we need to respect them and be generous and kind to each other) but the central premise that boy band obsessions are deemed silly because they are also considered feminine is spot on truth. The writer wisely condemns the double standard: adult men are encouraged to go bonkers over everything to do with whatever sports teams they follow as well as superhero movies but women are deemed silly if they partake in more "girlish" fandoms like boy bands or YA novels.
Reader Comments (17)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is considering the American remake of Force Majeure. ...but why is no one considering not remaking it?
The link says Fox Searchlight is.
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Almodovar is disappointing me not taking a chance with Lupita Nyong'o---she's fluent in Spanish.
Re-read what you just wrote. (Force Majeure)
As long as JLD plays what was the male lead in the original in the remake, I'm okay with it.
/3rtful -- i'm not sure what you're on about. my sentence makes sense. So i underlined the "not" part for you.
It was a weird elimination on Drag Race. Have to agree with that.
Douglas Booth sounds like a tool.
If I were married to Javier Bardem, I would vanish too.
I think JLD should play the avalanche.
Didn't get the Trixie Mattel hype...she was very "ok" on the show... I think Mrs Kasha Davis and Kandy Ho are two forgettable basic queens that shouldn't necessarily be there (especially Kandy Ho), but I don't think Trixie really did anything spectacular on the show. She seems much funnier outside of the show. She also just weirded me out because I felt like she was such a dude lol.
Is that gonna be the new craze in Hollywood? Creating english-language versions of Oscar-y foreign language films?
Regarding that piece about One Direction; I'm glad the author of that piece was able to find and foster a community of like-minded individuals, but the product of her fandom is still a boy band mainly obsessed over by tweens and teenagers. The double standard she brings up about men following sports doesn't ring true; men obsess over sports and their sporting heroes as boys, but they eventually grow out of it and as adults only view sports for what they are: entertainment. I'm sure grown men would be ridiculed, and rightfully so, if they were obsessing over what kind of shirt Lebron James wore to a game or a cryptic tweet from Tom Brady.
If the author simply enjoyed One Direction's music and their capacity as artists, she'd get no complaints from me; their music is catchy, and I find myself sometimes humming along to their songs when they come on the radio. But for grown adults to obsess over trivial minutiae like the examples she outlines in her piece? I'm sorry, but that just reeks of childishness.
AO Scott wrote an excellent piece recently that relates to this here.
MDA-- i'm afraid i have to disagree with you on the sports thing. Grownmen are TOTALLY silly-obsessed with that stuff too. Why else is there so much ruckus in the streets over game nights? and people wearing stupid hats to games and whatever else. Total double standard.
@Nathaniel - I have no problem with any of that stuff. It's exactly the same thing as Lady Gaga's fans dressing up like her or in elaborate costumes when attending one of her concerts; showing appreciation as well having some fun. The problem I have is this borderline creepy, stalkerish fascination people have with the trivial aspects of celebrities lives: "I have chats, still active after months, that exist solely to update each other about what shirt Harry Styles wore" is an example she gives of her "fandom;" is that not obsessive to an unhealthy degree? This is a grown woman we're talking about! That has nothing to do with his singing or musical ability, but what type of top he had on. The example I gave in my first post about grown men holding discussions about a shirt Lebron James wore to a game is relevant; it would be met with an equal amount of disdain and ridicule, as it should.
I'm not knocking her for enjoying One Direction's music; to each their own. But to use social media as a tool in trying to personalize the relationship you have with someone you'll most likely never meet? Something I just don't understand.
The whole cast (and plot) sounds too intense for me. I like intensity but I also like a bit of Chus Lampreave, if you know what I mean.
MDA, what are you talking about? Grown men DO obsess over juvenile things like sports (and comic book heroes) with ramifications that are far more unhealthy than women and girls loving boy bands.
Oh! Does Julia Louis-Dreyfus have a Twitter account? Please tell her NOT to do it. Eeew!
I hope Almdovar still has a great move in him- the last two have been dissapointing
Why do people get up in arms about remakes /sequels/reimaginings etc., the existing film /tv show still lives on, it doesn't take anything away from it. It's like when everyone got mad at the new ghostbusters movie being announced , I don't get it.
I definitely do it like Donald Kaufman (Adaptation.) :
"You are what you love, not what loves you."
I was never into Boybands.... not greatly into any pop star.
I like, even love a lot, but I was hardly over the moon for anyone.
I love actresses, some more than others so much I'll watch anything with them in it, even if it's not always good. That the closests for me to fangirl. *lol*
@Rami - I'm with you, adapting a film for a remake in a different setting or a different language is NOT automatically a terrible thing. It is a long time practice in Hollywood and gave us Ingrid Bergman who remade her Swedish hit "Intermezzo in English.
Another great film "His Girl Friday" is a remake of "The Front Page" with the lead role changed to a female- Rosalind Russell. Would film fans really prefer that these adaptations not have been made? There are some good adaptations out there.
I really liked "Force Majeure" and wish it had made the final selection for best foreign film. And it is too bad that more people didn't see the original.
However with a good director and someone talented like Dreyfus it could be adapted with good results. With roles for women being so rare I give bonus points to JLD for being smart enough to take charge and try and find her own roles.