"The Age of Scorsese" Photos

Editorial photoshoots that recreate old movies are always good for both smiles and grimaces. The latest in this long chain of stars playing other stars (a motif we've discussed before) involves the films of Martin Scorsese in Harper's Bazaar "The Age of Scorsese" photographed by Jason Schmidt. 

I was thrilled to see two underappreciated actors (and real life marrieds) Alessandro Nivola & Emily Mortimer in The Aviator parts that brought Leo & Cate Oscar attention. For what it's worth, Mortimer has a sweet small role in Scorsese's Hugo (see previous post) as a flower shop girl to follow her sick small role in Shutter Island.

As you'd rightly expect they're adorable while discussing the shoot in the accompanying videos.

Emily: We were worried about not having chemistry in our shot. It's a still frozen in time from a movie so it's a different thing trying to... and also our faces at those angles don't necessearily look as good as Cate Blanchett and...
Allesandro: Speak for yourself.
Emily: Well, you're much more handsome than Leonardo DiCaprio. Obviously.  

Love.

Meanwhile, can we please declare a moratorium on using Jodie Foster's Taxi Driver underage hooker as a iconic look for child stars? It's like a rite of passage for them but you'd think people would get tired of tarting them up by now! So here's Chloe Moretz as. Keanu Reeves gets the DeNiro role. 

There's a few more over at Harper's Bazaar involving Goodfellas,  Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Emily Blunt) and Gangs of New York (Christina Hendricks and Jack Huston... Christina is a definite improvement over the original but, then, it's kind of Cameron Diaz's worst performance.) 

Finally, Kate Bosworth attempts to channel La Pfeiffer (the guy playing DDL is uncredited) from The Age of Innocence.

Anyone pretending to be Michelle Pfeiffer is going to be a problem for me but ..Bosworth? Hmmm. To her credit in the video that accompanies the article, Kate echoes Elizabeth Olsen's recent confession calling LaPfeiffer "one of my favorite actresses of all time" so I guess we'll forgive her for treading on hallowed frizzy-haired ground.

Michelle & Tim's 20th Anniversary Reunion

Michelle Pfeiffer and Tim Burton reunited on the set of Dark Shadows... nice visual. It only took two decades!  For reasons we've never understood since we don't hear that she's particular "difficult" or anything, Pfeiffer rarely works with directors twice. She barely even repeats co-stars (apart from, famously, Pacino & Nicholson). It's a strange thing about her career when you hold it up against other stars of her stature.

In fact, before this film with Tim Burton which opens 20 years after Batman Returns, the number of directors she's had a second round with number just two. And that number was only one up until the film before her 1000th hiatus (yeah, I'm bitter).

• Michael Hoffman (One Fine Day and Midsummer Night's Dream)
• Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons and Chéri)

Weird, right? 

I REALLY must stop posting photos about Dark Shadows (I'm sure there will be many more temptations) or I won't be able to mock other movie blogs anymore for their anti-movie / pro-marketing approach (i.e. 200,000 articles about New Movie before it arrives, 1 when it does and then it magically transforms to Old Movie And We Don't Talk About Those! But it was either Dark Shadows anticipation or New Year's Eve (groan) so, you know... what could I do? Dark Twisted Pfeiffer is way more exciting than Mall Mom Pfeiffer. (I don't know any pfans who prefers Mall Mom Pfeiffer.)

There's another photo from Dark Shadows featuring Johnny Depp doing a Nosferatu-style air grab if you must over at Empire who reported from the set. 

Olsen ♥ Pfeiffer

Thanks to Marcus to alerting me to this.

Olsen's fond memory: meeting Michelle Pfeiffer on the set of "I Am Sam"Seems that Elizabeth Olsen, currently Oscar buzzing for her performance as a cult member in Martha Marcy May Marlene, shares not one but two favorite movie stars with The Film Experience. In this recent interview with THR's Scott Feinberg she's asked about favorite films and her idols growing up. Her response:

When it came to the first actors I idolized it was Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. The first actress that I really loved when I was probably ten was Michelle Pfeiffer. I was completely in love with her and I actually got to meet her on the set of I Am Sam.

She wouldn't have remembered that but I was -- it was my first time I remember being speechless as a kid because always I was speaking. A girlfriend in my class --- her uncle did her hair for I Am Sam. That was exciting. 

Ahhh, Kelly and Pfeiffer? She has good taste, she does. Can't wait to see Martha Marcy May Marlene. Very soon my hungry eyes will gobble it up at the NYFF screening.

Should you care to see the whole interview you can do so after the jump

Click to read more ...

The "Dark Shadows" Family

Entertainment Weekly has the first promotional photo for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows which I am duty bound to post because La Pfeiffer is given such prime placement, closest to the camera, even though the photo isn't as hi-res as one might wish to justify being excited about its "first" and "official-like" status.

From left to right: Helena Bonham Carter (Dr Julia Hoffman, the psychiatrist...who also needs one), Chloe Moretz (Carolyn, a moody teen), Eva Green (Angelique, a witch who hates this family with a long history with Barnabas the vampire), Gulliver McGrath (David, a troubled boy who believes he sees the dead), Bella Heathcote (Victoria, the new governess), Depp (Barnabas the vampire... ancestor of this family), Ray Shirley (Mrs Johnson, the ancient maid), Jackie Earle Haley (Willie the shady groundskeeper), Jonny Lee Miller (Roger, David's father), and Michelle Pfeiffer (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the steely matriarch under seige by witches, family troubles, and the arrival of Barnabas).

I noticed some time ago while tinkering around backstage on the site, that I tend to post a lot about Tim Burton movies before they arrive only to be mildly (Sweeney Todd) or wildly disappointed (Eyesore in Wonderland) once they arrive. The wild haired auteur always finds at least one element to keep me interested... in this case his reunion with you-know-who who gave his filmography its very best performance (Catwoman!) give or taken Martin Landau in Ed Wood.

poll by twiigs.com

What'cha think of their looks?

I must say that Colleen Atwood's costuming -- always an Oscar threat -- is a little more sedate than usual which I count as a good thing. I especially like Pfeiffer's belt although I think giving Helena her Red Queen coloring all over again is probably not the best move.

Chloe Moretz's "Dark Shadows" Cheekbones & Tom Hardy Aversion

I'm not at all sure why I'm sharing this as I have definitely not boarded the Chloe Moretz train with the rest of the world. But I listened to this entire interview with the 14 year old starlet this morning. If you can get past the chaotic bratty noisiness of the interview (yes, I felt old... "Get off my lawn!") in which Chloe grosses out about 14 year old's dating 13 year olds -- but 16 year olds dating 17 year olds is totes different! -- you get to the Dark Shadows bits and a unusually revealing (though probably not intentionally-so) moment when she seems completely repulsed at the mention of Tom Hardy ---maybe it's the trapezius?

I've excerpted the two fun bits which you can play at the end of this post about working with the superstars in the Dark Shadows cast (and their cheekbones) and the moment when the interviewer compares Chloe's boyfriend (?) to Tom Hardy. There's a lot more if you go to the actual interview.

When asked to describe Dark Shadows Chloe Moretz says...

It's a mixture of Beetlejuice and Sweeney mixed with Sleepy Hollow."

Good to see Tim Burton branching out!!!

Chloe Moretz Interview Excert