I generally like the Indie Spirits marketing. It’s a little more loose, but also generally more fun than the Golden Globes or the Oscar. And it’s certainly better than most Critics Choices…
This year’s nominations… don’t surprise much, actually. It seems those most nominated have been “big” independent films. You know, we’ve talked about this already — American independent films: There are different types of indie films~~~ The pseudo-indie, known in Hollywood as indie because they “only” cost $1M, there’s the more regular indie that could cost between a few thousand dollars, then there’s indie-indie of a couple of thousand dollars, and hardcore indie which… is, just really hardcore.
This year’s Indies seem more like pseudo-indie. Sadly… and at the same time exciting.
I hope we get good screeners. =D Last year we got a few good ones. The most elaborate one that time was Precious. Don’t worry, I didn’t vote because of the packaging.
I think it should be required for First Features, foreign, docus and the John Cassavetes noms to send screeners, or allow screeners to be sent. But maybe that’s just me.
Let’s see, I missed posting yesterday! Coding is such a mess~ Please, if you know anything about WordPress plugins, programing, and crazy coding talk – HELP ME!
When the film first came out, a lot of the critics and bloggers were singing praise left and right. TKAAR is my flare, light drama with bits of comedy. Plus, it’s got Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, of course I was going to watch it. However, with positive feedback, there’s also the few that can’t help but feel disappointed… or outraged.
While reading IMDb (battle zone!!), and some comments on AfterEllen.com, you could find lesbians saying the film is “anti-lesbian” because no way Julianne Moore’s character would sleep with a man, saying that it makes it seem like lesbians can’t live without c*ck – their words not mine.
That’s like saying Imagine Me & You is “anti-heterosexual” because no way Piper Perabo’s character would go for a woman. Hmmmmmkay.
Let’s start with the basics. The Kids Are All Right is the story of a lesbian couple that’s going through a rough patch. Nic (Bening) is a doctor that’s spending more time tending to her patients, than her wife Jules (Moore) who’s a stay-at-home mom, whose string of career switches fill her with insecurities.
After years of marriage (ten?), they’ve got two kids, almost-18-year-old Joni (Wasikowska) mothered by Nic, and 15-year-old (16?) Laser (Hutcherson) mothered by Jules. They seem you’re average white upper-middle class family with no kids problems, no money issues. Since Joni is about to turn 18, her brother asks her to contact their sperm-donor father — Enters Paul (Ruffalo), and all hell breaks loose.
The 14th Sydney Japanese Film Festival is showing FLOWERS and Otouto.
As I rant that every film festival gets more up-to-date stuff than my local festivals… I also read a sweet quite glowing positive FLOWERS review, which resembles uzaigaijin‘s thoughts on FLOWERS.
But the single biggest thing that makes “Flowers” so remarkable is the authenticity of its feel from a cinematic viewpoint. It is an experience tailored to the psychology of moviegoers as a class. As such, it functions as a tribute not only to the growth of Japan as a society, but to the development of movie-making in general.
And I love that they mention that Yu-chan is one of the most talented and bankable actresses. (see Why Raiou Needs to Reach #1, which it didn’t)
Koizumi-san, at least, shares his vision of the 1930s in gorgeous antiquated tones as he beautifully captures Yu Aoi, one of Japan’s most talented and bankable actresses, in crisp black and white. Aoi-san comes across delightfully in vintage; the part well suits her subtle and subdued acting style. She flawlessly looks the part of the Yamato Nadeshiko, resplendent in various kimonos and decked out in traditional bridal regalia. One of the most memorable scenes in the film sees Aoi-san running through a sakura (cherry tree) grove in full bloom with mountains visible in the distance, a wide shot reminiscent of some old time silver screen epic.
I could be wrong, but streaming in different sites is not that good for hits, right? Why not just show it in MUBI? After all, don’t you want people to sign up? Anyway, it’s nice that MUBI YouTube lets you embed a whole movie! xD
I’m not entirely sure when my parents first decided to take me to the cinema, because my parents worked a lot so most my outings were with my aunts and cousins. And my parents think little kids who don’t behave themselves shouldn’t be taken on too many activities, so it is likely we didn’t properly go to the movies until I was 5 or more… so Jurassic Park it is.
I saw it with my aunt and little cousin, who’s now… 20 xD
3. First film purchase:
VHS: None
DVD: She’s All That and Loser
When I grew up, it was a troubling time for the economy. We didn’t buy tapes – my dad, however, used to bring a lot of rentals from a place who used to watermark its videos with “videorama” – of course my dad taped all those Disney shorts and old movies.
Sometimes when my uncle would visit Miami, he would bring a tape or two of Disney’s Sing Along Songs. I also remember my auntie gave me an X-Men tape (the one were the color palette is earth colors – Cyclops head is all covered and Wolverine is all brown), and my uncle gave me the tape of Winnie the Pooh’s Wishing Star story.
My first two DVDs, I bought when I turned 15, so you can’t hold me accountable of the purchase. It was on my bday trip to California, and bought those discs thinking they were VCDs for some weird reason, and having to wait a couple of months before my family actually bought a DVD player.
4. First Crush:
Carly Pope and Christopher Gorham
Weird, huh? They’re not really Film crushes, though both have done films.
I mean it is rather silly to be a 11-year-old girl watching Titanic and swooning over Leonardo DiCaprio. First, I wasn’t THAT interested in film back then – TV was everything to me… and pop music, so it’s only fitting that my first “crushes” weren’t Film crushes.
Once I get a crush, I am rather faithful. My interest may wain, but it will never truly disappear unless said object of imaginary affection does something truly bad.
And god, Carly Pope’s striking face — and those eyebrows! Hmm.. I might have an eyebrow fetish (Crawford and Garbo, anyone?) — and Christopher Gorham’s sexy nerdiness. It’s killer to me. And they both supposedly speak more than one language? It’s a killer combo for me.
It’s begun. The beginning of the end. After the 7th book came out, and left me unsatisfied — a feeling carried over the 6th book and the 5th film — I swore to never see Harry Potter at the cinema ever again. A promise easy to keep with the 6th film, but then… it was hard to keep it when the first promotional materials for HP7 were released.
Well played, Warner. Well played.
Deathly Hallows is perhaps Yates’ best attempt at a Harry Potter adaption, but considering the other two – it isn’t saying that much. In the greater scale of things, it might follow on Azkaban’s footsteps as an interesting film filled with anguish and desperation… of I guess, the teenage sort. If the book didn’t work for you, the film seems to improve on action and characters. It’s also of great comfort to say that The WB’s decision of splitting the film in two parts was hardly a bad commercial or creative choice… at least for the fans of the books, who will savor each an every detail.
But then again, considering how many chapters were crammed into this first part, one has to wonder what’s left for part two if not only the “last battle” which, in the book, happened off-page… and that epilogue that’s ripped out of the most poorly written fanfiction.
For the non-readers or those who haven’t seen HP6… well, you’re screwed. It really doesn’t work without the background, and you’re better without watching it, if you’re going to start complaining. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows feels like made for the fans of the series only.
I was watching my newly-purchased copy of Strait-Jacket with my father, having a blast — seriously, that movie is a hoot! Can’t really wait to take a look at the extras, and see Ms. Crawford with that ax.
But then, almost at the end of the film when Crawford is wrapping up, my dad goes on and says “Look, it’s Mario Vargas Llosa!” Freezing the image, we burst out laughing.
do you see it? I mean this photo of Crawford in the film isn’t really it. You must see her with her not-a-wig hair from where she is normal. It’s uncanny.
I was re-watching the DVD for Swallowtail Butterfly that I bought after watching the film on YouTube xD – and Because I’m cheap, I bought the Hong Kong version, when the Japanese version comes with English subtitles. I don’t think it’s the DVD per se, but the way it was shot. I don’t really know what it is, it’s scratchy, and it could certainly be because the film is kinda old. However, I would like to see a clean better release by Criterion… of all of Shunji Iwai written and directed films~
Is this the 2nd or 3rd time Testino has photographed Watson?
I’m not exactly jumping up and down for Emma Watson film projects, but I am glad she’s grown up to be a well-rounded adult that doesn’t feel the need to rebel against “the man”. Rebel for the sake of rebelling.
Thank you, Emma, for showing us that there’s child stars like you.
Chances are that if you know who Tuva Novotny is, you weren’t actually interested in watching Eat, Pray, Love… unless you’re a really hardcore Novotny fan. Or that if you’ve willingly gone to the theater to watch it, that you have no idea who Novotny is.
So cool points for you if you watched Eat, Pray, Love and you said:
“Hey, that’s Tuva Novotny! That’s Smala Susie, or Annelie~” xD
And she was speaking some Italian, which I found kinda hilarious.
