Cinejabber: Cruisin' for a bruisin'
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Welcome to Cinejabber, your weekly place to babble on about this or that to your heart's content.
It was a short week for me as I was out of town last weekend and didn't get to the usual Monday column, but that will be back on track next week. It's a holiday weekend, and I'm looking forward to just keeping it low key in the house with some scary movies.
On that front, I was watching Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" last night, still for me one of the greatest thrillers ever conceived directorially. It struck me while watching it -- probably because of yesterday morning's "Titanic 3D" presentation -- that, while I'm aware it's sacrilege, "The Shining" would be all the more stunning with a quality 3D conversion. Hear me out. Kubrick always worked with a dramatic depth of field, but that film in particular plays with foreground/background in ways that are already unsettling in two dimensions. Imagine further immersion. Just thinking out loud.
Anyway, elsewhere this weekend I happened upon this featurette for the upcoming "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," which features mad man Tom Cruise scaling, flinging around and running down the face of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai like he was Spider-Man. Fearless. And I can't believe the insurance people let him do it! I'm stoked for the film, but stuff like this just puts a smile on my face. I just love that guy.
Anyway, that's all I really have to get you going, but the floor is yours. Open thread. Have at it.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupshank
October 29, 2011 at 3:58PM EST Reply to Commentnever liked tom cruise...never will
bsquared318
October 29, 2011 at 4:02PM EST Reply to CommentSaw "Rum Diary" yesterday. Totally advertised wrong. Trailer wants to believe its something in the vein of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." There isn't much craziness in the movie, aside from some zany humor. I don't think the movie knew what story it wanted to tell. Was certainly rewarding in some areas though. Just could have been so much more.
Laura Stewart I was so disappointed. And I think Amber Heard may be the most beautiful blonde I have ever seen- but she was pretty bad in this film.
October 29, 2011 at 6:01PM ESTChris138
October 29, 2011 at 4:17PM EST Reply to CommentMI4 looks like so much fun. Can't wait to see it on IMAX in a couple of months.
JLPatt
October 29, 2011 at 4:42PM EST Reply to CommentJust saw "Martha Marcy May Marlene." Now there's a highly disturbing film I never want to watch again. That being said, it's beautifully put together and directed. Extremely effective use of editing, sound, and photography.
Richard Huang Since this is In Contention, what do you think of Elizabeth Olsen's Oscar chances?
October 29, 2011 at 8:06PM ESThttp://www.examiner.com/movies-in-new-york/how-the-academy-award-for-best-actress-should-look-based-on-nyff
JLPatt Uh, I'm no master prognosticator but I'd like to believe she'll be nominated. Seems like the kind of film and kind of performance that the Academy is into nominating these days. She'd certainly deserve it!
October 29, 2011 at 9:25PM ESTSKINNER
October 29, 2011 at 4:56PM EST Reply to CommentI would love to have seen what Kubrick could have done with 3D technology. The potential for a fascinating new approach to depth of field is something not discussed enough right now.
Miike's Harakiri was a very interesting step forward in this area and some of the compositions showed a really thoughtful new way of conveying information to an audience. This was particularly interesting as he conveyed the same information visually as Kobayashi did in the original but here he did it stereoscopically.
I often find myself musing about what 'old masters' could have done with 3D. How could it have worked in tandem with Welles' deep focus in Kane or Touch of Evil, or Antonioni's beautiful movements in spaces in films such as Le Amiche.
Whilst I wouldn't suggest that these films be converted, it is interesting to wonder what different choices those directors would have made given modern 3D technology and how extraordinary some of the results could have been.
Shawn
October 29, 2011 at 5:48PM EST Reply to Comment10 best musical moments in a movie that isn't a musical (1 per director)
10."All by Myself" from Bridget Jones' Diary.
9. "Puttin' on the Ritz," in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.
8. "Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon," Pulp Fiction (the whole scene starting with the approach to the door).
7. The guqin player by request during the go house fight scene in Zhang's Hero.
6. "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out," Harold and Maude.
5. Otis Day and the Knights doing "Shout" in Animal House.
4. Play it, Sam. Dooley Wilson sings "As Time Goes By" in Casablanca.
3. The Madison Dance in Godard's Bande a part.
2. The chicken dance at the end of Herzog's Stroszek.
1. "Yumeji's Theme," from Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love.
Honorable mentions: "Wise up" in Magnolia, "I Put a Spell on You" in Stranger than Paradise, "Coney Island Baby" in Vertical Ray of the Sun.
Bill_the_Bear I have a real soft spot for Bill Murray's karaoke rendition of "More Than This" in "Lost in Translation."
October 30, 2011 at 11:25AM ESTLaura Stewart
October 29, 2011 at 6:02PM EST Reply to CommentWatching Matilda right now and I'm going to throw this out there- this movie will forever remain awesome. DeVito needs to make more (good) movies.
Linus
October 29, 2011 at 6:08PM EST Reply to CommentI also watched The Shining this week. I've been watching Halloween flicks all week. So far I've seen that, The Haunting, Scream, Sleepy Hollow, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Childs Play, The Lost Boys and The Exorcist.
Will watch Blair Witch, Ginger Snaps and Halloween over the next few days. :D
JJ1 Anytime anyone mentions Sleepy Hollow I get giddy.
October 29, 2011 at 6:22PM ESTLinus I truly love the film. All the technical stuff is flawless and Depp's performance is a lot of fun. I think it's the second best Burton/Depp collab behind Ed Wood
October 29, 2011 at 7:03PM ESTKristopher Tapley I adore Sleepy Hollow. I always will.
October 29, 2011 at 7:32PM ESTMatthew Starr Sleepy Hollow is great. Cast is perfect as is the tech crew (Elfman, Atwood, Lubezki). Still it's #3 for me behind Scissorhands and Ed Wood.
October 29, 2011 at 8:03PM ESTRashad It reminds me of the fun that is Coppola's Dracula. Coincidentally, he's an exec producer on it.
October 29, 2011 at 8:11PM ESTpitypie
October 29, 2011 at 6:16PM EST Reply to CommentSpeaking of Kubrick, I just saw A Clockwork Orange for the first time, last night. Didn't LOVE it, but still a really great effort.
JJ1 That's how I feel about it, as well.
October 29, 2011 at 6:22PM ESTChris138 Yeah, A Clockwork Orange has always been my least favorite Kubrick movie.
October 30, 2011 at 3:02AM ESTJJ1
October 29, 2011 at 6:26PM EST Reply to Comment-Great point, Kris. True, 'The Shining' would look amazing with proper 3D conversion.
-The weather here in the Northeast is keeping me in tonight, though I really wanted to see 'Anonymous'. I'll try to go for it tomorrow or Monday.
-Saw a bunch of random movies this week; 1 in the theater, the rest on dvd ...
-Real Steel - thought ti was OK. Competent, rousing in the very end, but SO manipulative along the way. Jackman tries hard to make the film better than it is. Cool sound work/fx.
-Bad Teacher - starts out promising, but tanks by the end.
-The Slaughter Rule - how did David Morse not get any kind of Supporting buzz for this back in 02/03?
-The People Under the Stairs - lame, but in a weirdly entertaining way.
m1
October 29, 2011 at 6:27PM EST Reply to CommentI saw There Will Be Blood again. The first time I watched it, I thought it was good but slightly boring. This time, I absolutely loved it. I don't know how my opinion changed that quickly but it is an exceptional movie that probably should have won Best Picture that year.
I saw Captain America. It's definitely one of the better action movies this year, and Chris Evans is great.
I have watched most of Capote and plan to finish it tomorrow.
I also need to mention that it actually SNOWED today in the D.C. area. Shocker!
JJ1 Your 'There Will Be Blood' comment makes me want to watch it again simply because I also initially found it impressive, but boring.
October 29, 2011 at 6:31PM ESTRichard Huang I felt the same way growing up with Pulp Fiction
October 29, 2011 at 8:09PM ESTJJ1
October 29, 2011 at 6:29PM EST Reply to CommentAlso, I always enjoy Tom Cruise ... in movies. And in what's sure to be an unpopular opinion, I think he deserved the Oscar in '88 for 'Rain Man'.
m1 I've also enjoyed a lot of his work. He was great in Jerry Maguire and A Few Good Men as well. And if I remember correctly, he and Cameron Diaz were the two best things about that mediocre action movie last year that I will not mention by name.
October 29, 2011 at 6:36PM EST
October 29, 2011 at 7:00PM ESTRashad I thought so too. I felt he was the best in that movie, not Hoffman
October 29, 2011 at 8:12PM ESTMatthew Starr Cruise should have been nominated for best actor for Collateral, especially considering what a weak year that was for that specific award. Clint Eastwood in Million Dollar Baby? Please.
October 29, 2011 at 9:57PM ESTJLPatt Weak year? That was a hell of a lineup. Giamatti should have been in there before Cruise in any case, though.
October 29, 2011 at 10:18PM ESTMatthew Starr Hell of a lineup? Clint Eastwood did nothing in MDB besides be Clint Eastwood. Johnny Depp gave one of his least memorable performances in Finding Neverland. The other three were solid but none of them stood out to me as all time great work.
October 30, 2011 at 1:14AM ESTI mean if that was a hell of a lineup, what do you call it the following year when you got Hoffman, Ledger, Howard, Phoenix and Strathairn?
JJ1 On Depp in Finding Neverland, it didn't make my top 5 that year, but I always thought it was a very good sublter performance from him.
October 30, 2011 at 7:57AM ESTm1 Ethan Hawke and Paul Giamatti both should have been nominated.
October 30, 2011 at 8:15AM ESTLinus Agree with m1. Also would've loved to see Jim Carrey nominated.
October 30, 2011 at 8:25AM ESTm1 Oh, yes. Jim Carrey too. Almost forgot about him.
October 30, 2011 at 10:57AM ESTJLPatt Clint Eastwood was tremendous in "Million Dollar Baby." Even our own Kris Tapley agrees, and he doesn't like the movie at all.
October 30, 2011 at 3:45PM ESTAnd what would I call the '05 lineup, then? Another hell of a lineup!
loyal_mehnert
October 29, 2011 at 6:57PM EST Reply to CommentI like the Mission Impossible films I guess but the series has yet to top Brian De Palma's entry. Brad Bird is 3 for 3 as a director so my fingers are crossed for a great film.
Also, is Ving Rhames in Ghost Protocol? Despite being listed online in the cast, he's be strangely absent from all trailers and clips. Makes me wonder if we'll see a repeat of the first film's unlucky IMF team.
Kristopher Tapley I've been wondering that myself. I kind of expect him to pop up as a "surprise." But I've heard there is a spoiler thing out there, a video or something, about a "big" character dying in the film, so, I dunno. Maybe you're right.
October 29, 2011 at 7:34PM ESTbsquared318 I've wondered that as well as where his wife went.
October 30, 2011 at 4:33AM ESTDanny
October 29, 2011 at 7:07PM EST Reply to CommentThis seems to be Cruise's idea of fun, and from the looks of it, he's having a lot of it. Totally insane, but it put a smile on my face.
Meanwhile it's a win/win/win for everybody. Cruise gets to do extreme fun, MI:GP gets an incredible stunt and proves that it's not all CGI, which is good PR and the building gets some amazing "product placement', since last I heard they still had plenty apartments for sale.
DylanS
October 29, 2011 at 8:30PM EST Reply to CommentKubrick was enough of a showman that 3D would be an appropriate aesthetic choice for his films. However, I'd hate to see anybody tinker around with that, as I know he wouldn't be to fond of that himself. If there ever was a director who proved a singular, dominant and perfectionist vision could work in such a weighty artistic medium, it was Kubrick, and it would have to be someone with both the artistry and technical accomplishment like James Cameron to spearhead a project like that.
nebel
October 29, 2011 at 8:45PM EST Reply to CommentRented "Margin Call" on iTunes today. (Thought it was great.) Why was the "Tower Heist" VOD thing such big news when this is on iTunes now? And "Melancholia" is, too? Before the wide release?
Linus Probably because Tower Heist was going to be the first big studio film to do something like that.
October 29, 2011 at 8:50PM ESTKristopher Tapley Exhibitors were boycotting the film, saying they weren't going to show the film.
October 29, 2011 at 8:57PM ESTJJ1 Kris, have you seen 'Margin Call'? I've yet to hear anything less than 'good' about it. Will it have any kind of campaign?
October 29, 2011 at 9:23PM ESTKristopher Tapley I honestly haven't seen it yet. I NEED to. Soon.
October 29, 2011 at 9:30PM ESTrentrobuff
October 29, 2011 at 9:25PM EST Reply to Comment"Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "The Skin I Live in" both open in Toronto this weekend, along with "Anonymous". I can't express how excited about this I am. I'll be seeing two of the three tomorrow.
I'm surprised there hasn't been much talk of "The Skin I Live in" on this site. Even if it's not an awards player, an Almodóvar film is always discussion-worthy.
Kristopher Tapley Guy covered it back at Cannes. I missed all the screenings unfortunately, right around Telluride crunch time. I'll catch up with it on screener.
October 29, 2011 at 9:30PM ESTMatthew Starr The best aspect of Skin I Live In is Alberto Iglesias and those ferocious violins.
October 29, 2011 at 10:01PM ESTDanny I concur the music is great. As is the art direction. Those may be the movie's best chances for nominations (since it is out of the foreign language running). I enjoyed the movie a lot. Sublimely freaky and lurid. Best to go in with no knowledge of the plot.
October 29, 2011 at 11:44PM ESTMatthew Starr I feel like I did with Broken Embraces and Volver. It was entertaining as I watched it but I never had a desire to see either of them again.
October 30, 2011 at 1:22AM ESTpitypie Thank god for the Varsity theater, eh Rentrobuff?
October 30, 2011 at 3:58AM EST
October 31, 2011 at 1:47AM EST
October 31, 2011 at 1:51AM ESTGuy Lodge My Cannes review of The Skin I Love In is here, by the way:
October 31, 2011 at 4:27AM ESThttp://www.incontention.com/2011/05/21/short-take-the-skin-i-live-in/
I can't say there's much about the film that I feel particularly compelled to discuss months after seeing it. Not one of Almodovar's most penetrating works, for all its surface weirdness.
Guy Lodge Oh, and Nicolas, I can assure you that you don't know too much about it. At all.
October 31, 2011 at 4:28AM ESTJJ1
October 30, 2011 at 9:24PM EST Reply to CommentKris, any chance for a "Tell Us What You Think of this Weekend's releases" thread, or something like that? There haven't been too many of those in a bit. :)