Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Scenes We Love: Boiler Roomhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/scenes-we-love-boiler-room/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/scenes-we-love-boiler-room/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/scenes-we-love-boiler-room/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Unlike some people, I've always been a fan of Ben Affleck. Sure he went through his own Pitt-Jolie phase back when he was dating JLo, and because of that a lot of people began to despise Affleck, but I hung in there and admired the choices he's made later on in his career, not to mention really enjoyed his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. For me, though, Affleck has always been at his best when he plays villain or wise ass or bully. One of my favorite roles of his is when he played O'Bannion in Dazed and Confused, and he's also fantastic in a brief supporting appearance in Boiler Room.

In Boiler Room -- which follows a young college dropout (Giovanni Ribisi in one of his best roles) up through the ranks of a Chop Shop out on Long Island -- Affleck plays Jim Young, the firm's trainer of new recruits. He's the guy they bring in to give all these newbies a taste of success, of money, of power -- and in this classic scene, he works the room like a stripper at a bachelor party, teasing these kids with visions of being millionaires within three years from their first day on the job. Of course we soon learn the job is a lot less glamorous than Young makes it out to be, but that's why he's so good at what he does: he knows how to turn nothing into a whole bunch of something. Boiler Room is currently making the rounds on cable; it's a pretty solid movie with some great, seedy performances. Definitely check it out.

Watch the NSFW clip after the jump

Continue reading Scenes We Love: Boiler Room

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]]>ben affleckBenAffleckboiler roomBoilerRoomcinematicaldazed and confusedDazedAndConfusedErik DavisThu, 09 Jul 2009 15:02:00 ESTExclusive: Eli Roth Talks 'Thanksgiving'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/exclusive-eli-roth-talks-thanksgiving/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/exclusive-eli-roth-talks-thanksgiving/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/09/exclusive-eli-roth-talks-thanksgiving/#commentsFiled under: ,


During an exclusive telephone interview to promote his role as Pvt. Donny Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's WWII epic Inglourious Basterds, Eli Roth told Cinematical that Thanksgiving is not the next film he's set to direct, but it's definitely going to get made. "That movie, the financing, the money is in a bank account," Roth said. "I mean, I could literally say I'm starting production tomorrow and we'd start. It's 100 percent up to me, but I'm just working on the script with Jeff Rendell, the co-writer. Jeff's the one who in the trailer, he plays the Pilgrim, and we're just writing it. We're just figuring it out and we're just coming up with the kills and the characters."

Thanksgiving was initially created as a fake movie trailer that connected the two theatrical halves of Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse, but its own popularity inspired the director to blow it up from a 16mm short into a feature film. Roth actually indicated that Endangered Species, a PG-13 sci-fi film in the vein of Cloverfield, was to be his next directorial effort. "I want to be finished with Endangered, and then Jeff is supposed to come out to Los Angeles probably some time in August and we'll probably bang out the script," he explained, indicating that the disparate content of the two films may ultimately complement his enthusiasm creatively.

Read the rest (and see the infamous trailer) at HorrorSquad!

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]]>eli rothEliRothfeaturedgrindhouseinglourious basterdsInglouriousBasterdsquentin tarantinoQuentinTarantinothanksgivingTodd GilchristThu, 09 Jul 2009 13:32:00 ESTCheck Out Some Red-Banded Fun From 'The Ugly Truth'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/27/check-out-some-red-banded-fun-from-the-ugly-truth/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/27/check-out-some-red-banded-fun-from-the-ugly-truth/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/27/check-out-some-red-banded-fun-from-the-ugly-truth/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,




First off, I should be fair and post a classy publicity still that's fair to Katherine Heigl, but I feel the girls need something to balance out this week's Megan Fox overload. So, here's a solo Gerard Butler. Pretend he's holding that heart out while saying "I could never love Optimus Prime or Megan Fox as much as I love you." (Not that I'm implying Transformers is just for the boys. I'd never do that. If you like, you can reverse it to have him begging for you to love him more than Shia LaBeouf and Optimus.)

If you want to hold onto that lovey-dovey image, you might not want to watch this Red-Band clip from The Ugly Truth. But if you're feeling in the mood for some raunchy, naughty talk from Butler (be sure to listen for a slip of that Scottish accent), then go right ahead and click. In this very NSFW clip, Butler's boorish Mike offers Heigl's highstrung Abby some helpful tips on how to really attract and please a man. Surprise! It's all cosmetic, ranging from short skirts to push up bras, and just what she can do with her ponytail. Could all this R-rated dialogue mean The Ugly Truth is destined to be July's Hangover? Or will the romance drive away the ones looking for raunch?

As I wait for your comments (please come back to post one after you watch the clip) I'm off to go hate on myself because I fail all of The Ugly Truth rules. I live in jeans and a ponytail ... oh, who am I kidding. I've gone beyond Heigl's "comfort and efficiency" into fashion evocative of Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. Butler will never love me. I might as well die.

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]]>gerard butlerGerardButlerkatherine heiglKatherineHeiglred bandRed band ugly truthRedBandRedBandUglyTruthsonysony picturesSonyPicturesThe Ugly TruthTheUglyTruthElisabeth RappeSat, 27 Jun 2009 09:03:00 ESTWatch This: 'Reservoir Dogs' Tipping Scene with Muppetshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/watch-this-reservoir-dogs-tipping-scene-with-muppets/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/watch-this-reservoir-dogs-tipping-scene-with-muppets/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/06/03/watch-this-reservoir-dogs-tipping-scene-with-muppets/#commentsFiled under: , ,



I've never seen this mash-up before, and when I came across it on Buzzfeed earlier today it absolutely blew my mind to see how well this scene from The Muppets Take Manhattan matched up with the tipping scene from Reservoir Dogs. It's like the two were made for each other! (Plus there's just something about Muppets and foul-mouthedness that just cracks me up. Double plus: I haven't listened to this scene in awhile, and I forgot how much I loved it.) I think Quentin Tarantino should move on from Inglourious Basterds and write and direct a small film like Reservoir Dogs, with limited sets and powerful performances. But that's me. Meanwhile, the Muppets will soon return to the big screen, with Jason Segel currently hard at work developing a new film. Yay! Perhaps he and Tarantino should collaborate on something that resembles this ...

(Warning: This is the tipping scene from Reservoir Dogs, and as such there's a lot of nasty language that definitely makes this clip NSFW. Watch at your own risk.)

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]]>cinematicalquentin tarantinoQuentinTarantinoreservoir dogsReservoirDogsthe muppets take manhattanTheMuppetsTakeManhattanErik DavisWed, 03 Jun 2009 13:15:00 ESTWatch This: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifinakis (Guest: Bradley Cooper)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/26/watch-this-between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifinakis-guest-brad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/26/watch-this-between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifinakis-guest-brad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/26/watch-this-between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifinakis-guest-brad/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



We here at Cinematical haven't missed an episode of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifinakis, and we're not about to now since the damn show keeps getting funnier and funnier with each absurd interview. Essentially, this Funny or Die original series stars Galifinakis (the fat, bearded dude in The Hangover) as the ridiculously jaded host of a show that interviews celebrities and asks really bizarre, insulting questions. Of course the celebs know it's not real, but even so this staged version is just as funny.

In the latest installment, Galifinakis interviews his Hangover co-star Bradley Cooper -- who's up for just about every major role you can think of these days, from Green Lantern to the live-action Fat Albert (kidding about that last one, though you never know). The Hangover is definitely shaping up be this summer's most memorable R-rated raunch-fest; in their review of the film, Variety called it a "profanely funny comedy" that "satisfies as a boys-gone-wild laff riot that also clicks as a seriocomic beat-the-clock detective story." Needless to say, the comedy geek in me is itching to see this one. We'll have our full review and interview with director Todd Phillips real soon. In the meantime, check out the NSFW video below ...

Warning: The following includes foul language and is NSFW

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

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]]>between two fernsBetweenTwoFernsbradley cooperBradleyCoopercinematicalthe hangoverTheHangovertodd phillipsToddPhillipszach galifinakisZachGalifinakisErik DavisTue, 26 May 2009 16:15:00 ESTCannes Exclusive: 'ONEDREAMRUSH ' Trailerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/cannes-exclusive-onedreamrush-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/cannes-exclusive-onedreamrush-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/18/cannes-exclusive-onedreamrush-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , ,



We've posted tons of exclusive clips, trailers, images and posters in the past, but this one has to take the cake as one of the strangest, most bizarre pieces of eeriness to ever grace the main page of Cinematical. And that's totally not a bad thing, because the project -- titled ONEDREAMRUSH -- is a very cool-sounding collaborative effort between filmmakers, writers, actors and actresses that was created by the New Zealand Vodka brand 42BELOW and, as such, is the first implicitly branded content ever admitted to the Cannes Film Festival.

Essentially, a bunch of world-renowned artists were brought together to create 42 films, each 42 seconds long and all of them about the interpretation of dreams. Among those featured are Abel Ferrara, David Lynch, Asia Argento, James Franco, Kenneth Anger, Arden Wohl, Sean Lennon, Mike Figgis, Harmony Korine and so many more. Each director's film will be featured at this website for one year, and the complete work will begin a tour following Cannes that will take it through New York, London and Rome. Check out the trailer below, and please know that there is brief topless nudity and disturbing images, thus making it NSFW. Enjoy.

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]]>42belowonedreamrushErik DavisMon, 18 May 2009 18:45:00 ESTNew 'Transformers 2' Trailer Leaks Onlinehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/29/new-transformers-2-trailer-leaks-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/29/new-transformers-2-trailer-leaks-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/29/new-transformers-2-trailer-leaks-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Those who simply cannot wait until tomorrow to see the brand new Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer can check out a leaked YouTube version, courtesy of some dude with a camera inside a theater. It's not the best quality -- and action scenes are fuzzy as all hell -- but we do get a nice taste of what appears to be a pretty intense story involving Shia LaBeouf's character going bat-shit in school and Megan Fox bending over motorcycles. Oh, and thankfully John Turturro once again shows up in comic relief as a bumbling secret government agent who, from the looks of it, will give Jar Jar Binks a run for his money in the Who The Hell Came Up With This Guy Department.

Contrary to earlier claims, Megatron is alive and well in this trailer -- and he'll be joined by several other robots, including the ginormous Devestator (made up of several different construction vehicle robots) and an old man robot who walks with a cane (nah, I'm sure the kids will just love that one). All in all, Michael Bay obviously kicked things up a notch for the sequel, which appears a tad darker, hotter and holy crap that's a big f**king robot. Check out the leaked trailer below, and we'll update this post when the real trailer arrives online tomorrow.

What do you think?

UPDATE: The trailer has now been removed. Oh well. We'll hit it up again tomorrow .. until then, check this out (Warning: NSFW) ...



Gallery: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

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]]>transformers 2 trailertransformers revenge of the fallenTransformers2TrailerTransformersRevengeOfTheFallenErik DavisWed, 29 Apr 2009 11:02:00 ESTFirst Trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno'!http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/02/first-trailer-for-sacha-baron-cohens-bruno/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/02/first-trailer-for-sacha-baron-cohens-bruno/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/04/02/first-trailer-for-sacha-baron-cohens-bruno/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Prepare to divert your eyes, the first trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno has debuted online ... and it's just nasty. How is it nasty? I think a better question would be how is it not nasty -- from the looks of it Baron Cohen has upped the ante considerably since taking on the Borat character back in 2006, and will use his Bruno character -- who he pretends is a gay Austrian fashion reporter -- to expose the rampant homophobia across the United States and, while he's at it, somehow manage to offend everyone else by falling, destroying, cursing and dressing up as your worst nightmare ... in heels.

The trailer itself -- which kicks off with a quote from Ain't It Cool News (take that Ben Lyons!) -- is pretty hilarious and very R-rated, so you'll need to enter in a proper birthdate and all that. Just how many lawsuits will come from this one, we do not know -- but I'm positive folks will be rolling in the aisles of their local movie theater come July 10. Remember, as of its first pass through the MPAA, Bruno was given an NC-17 -- but they'll probably shave some meat off and bring this sucker down to an R before it's all said and done.

You can watch the trailer over on MySpace, but be warned that this is definitely NSFW. (Oh, and check out the image that came with this new trailer in the gallery below.)

Gallery: Bruno

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]]>boratbrunobruno trailerBrunoTrailercinematicalsacha baron cohenSachaBaronCohenErik DavisThu, 02 Apr 2009 15:45:00 ESTRead the Best Movie That You're Never Going to Seehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/30/read-the-best-movie-that-youre-never-going-to-see/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/30/read-the-best-movie-that-youre-never-going-to-see/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/30/read-the-best-movie-that-youre-never-going-to-see/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This is what I know for sure: that two or more screenwriters got together and wrote a screenplay so ... touchy that their respective agencies refused to send out, and as such, they've made this hilariously irreverent project available on the interwebs for any and all to gawk at and gasp over.

As a matter of time and priorities, I rarely read or go looking for scripts, but with yesterday being a Sunday and all, I was blessed with an hour or two to spare and this entering my periphery. And guess what? I don't want to see this made into a movie. It simply wouldn't do. Hollywood is incapable of serving up huevos like this to people like us -- at best, they'll be undercooked.

Not to oversell it, but the careers nay, lives of all involved (audience included) would peak after it was made and seen. We don't deserve this. God doesn't deserve this. But there it is. Enjoy.

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]]>balls outBallsOutthe robotard 8000TheRobotard8000William GossMon, 30 Mar 2009 15:03:00 ESTScenes We Hate: Kill Bill Vol. 2http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/03/scenes-we-hate-kill-bill-vol-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/03/scenes-we-hate-kill-bill-vol-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/03/scenes-we-hate-kill-bill-vol-2/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Erik Davis' puke-filled Scenes We Hate debut inspired my offering. I'm not a horror or gore connoisseur like my other co-editor, Scott Weinberg, but I can hold my own when it comes to blood and guts. There are a few exceptions ... and one of those is definitely anything to do with eyeballs.

When Elle Driver turned up in an eyepatch in Kill Bill Vol 1, I should have suspected we'd see some eye-oriented gore, but I was left unprepared and downright sick with what happened to her other eye. Actually, it was one of the only times I've heard an entire audience groan and retch along with me -- and it wasn't the plucking (although that was pretty bad), it was the squishing. Once was enough for me. I close my eyes every time she flings it down on the carpet.

Actually, I really do hate this entire fight scene -- it's depraved, disgusting, and unspeakably painful. Squirting limbs and gallons of blood are all well and good, but a can of tobacco spit and a visit to Budd's toliet bowl is just foul. Needless to say, this clip is not for the weak and it's definitely NSFW.


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]]>daryl hannahDarylHannahkill billkill bill 2KillBillKillBill2Scenes We HateScenesWeHateuma thurmanUmaThurmanElisabeth RappeTue, 03 Mar 2009 21:03:00 ESTPorn Mockumentary 'The Auteur' Now Available Onlinehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/porn-mockumentary-the-auteur-now-available-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/porn-mockumentary-the-auteur-now-available-online/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/01/27/porn-mockumentary-the-auteur-now-available-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Last April I saw a film at the Tribeca Film Festival, enjoyed it, reviewed it, and then promptly forgot all about it. (Hey, I see lots of movies. Sorry!) So imagine my pleasant surprise when a friend pinged me and said "Hey, that porn mockumentary you liked is now up on Amazon's VOD site." The flick at hand is The Auteur, and it comes from the guys who brought you Film Geek a few years back. I was lukewarm on that film, but this one I like a lot more.

I'll include a trailer after the jump, but I should say it right now: Aside from the title, pretty much all of The Auteur is what the kids call "NSFW." It's an enthusiastically R-rated sex comedy, basically, that feels like the amusing spawn of Christopher Guest and Howard Stern. And if that sounds fun to you, then hooray for you: The flick is available for your viewing pleasure at this very minute. (At Amazon and / or iTunes.) And if the premise / trailer have piqued your interest, then here's the official site.

And for those who drop the duckets to see the flick online, definitely stop back and share your opinions on The Auteur.

Continue reading Porn Mockumentary 'The Auteur' Now Available Online

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]]>amazonitunesonlinethe auteurTheAuteurvodScott WeinbergTue, 27 Jan 2009 19:02:00 ESTCinematical Seven: Sex Addicts on the Silver Screenhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/25/cinematical-seven-sex-addicts-on-the-silver-screen/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/25/cinematical-seven-sex-addicts-on-the-silver-screen/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/09/25/cinematical-seven-sex-addicts-on-the-silver-screen/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



"Well, you tried it just for once, found it all right for kicks.
But now you found out that it's a habit that sticks,
and you're an orgasm addict." - The Buzzcocks

The new movie Choke, adapted from the Chuck Palahniuk novel, is about a sex addict (Sam Rockwell) who, in one element of the plot, hooks up with other sex addicts who attend the same Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings as him. Ah, the irony. The same thing happened to Sam Malone on Cheers, if I'm not mistaken, which makes the joke around 20 years old. Yet, despite that fact, sexual addiction as a term and a (non-DSM-recognized) medical problem seem fairly new to cinema.

Sure, there have been sex addicts in films for many decades, but they were more likely to be described as nymphomaniacs, lechers or typical men. Think of Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind, a number of the female characters created by Tennessee Williams and certainly the locked up nymphos in Shock Corridor. In the past few years, however, there have been a slew of actual "sexaholics," both male and female, though some aren't exactly referred to in such a manner.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Sex Addicts on the Silver Screen

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]]>40 days and 40 nights40DaysAnd40Nightsa dirty shameADirtyShameauto focusAutoFocusblack snake moanBlackSnakeMoanblades of gloryBladesOfGlorybob craneBobCraneburn after readingBurnAfterReadingcaveh zahediCavehZahedichokechristina ricciChristinaRiccidavid duchovnyDavidDuchovnygeorge clooneyGeorgeClooneygreg kinnearGregKinneari am a sex addictIAmASexAddictjohn watersJohnWatersjosh hartnettJoshHartnettnymphomaniacpleasantvillesex addicttionSexAddicttionshock corridorShockCorridortennessee williamsTennesseeWilliamswill ferrellWillFerrellwritten on the windWrittenOnTheWindChristopher CampbellThu, 25 Sep 2008 21:32:00 ESTMegan Fox's Topless Scene Cut from 'Jennifer's Body'?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/11/megan-foxs-topless-scene-cut-from-jennifers-body/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/11/megan-foxs-topless-scene-cut-from-jennifers-body/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/11/megan-foxs-topless-scene-cut-from-jennifers-body/#commentsFiled under: , ,



I'll take the reigns of this post while my boss, Cinematical editor-in-chief Erik Davis, presumably weeps on the floor of his office. According to a reviewer over at JoBlo.com, the movie all Megan Fox fanboys have been anxiously waiting for (Davis may have already been paying someone to prematurely wait in line for tickets), is reportedly without its most anticipated scene. That's right, the horror comedy Jennifer's Body no longer has footage of the Transformers hottie sans top. Of course, as we saw from some very popularly leaked shots (still available at CelebNewsWire.com), Fox wasn't actually topless anyway -- she had on flesh-colored pasties.

The review at JoBlo (from a reader who attended a test screening) is, of course, far from dependable. Not because they aren't to be believed (they surely saw an early test screening of the movie), but because they likely didn't see a final cut, and we can all still hope that Fox's boobs make the officially released version. If it doesn't, though, will you still be interested? The reviewer gives the movie an extremely poor rating (3 out of 10 -- not good for Diablo Cody's Juno follow-up) and mentions that the only attraction for horny Fox fanboys is a gratuitous lesbian kiss, so we should maybe just forget about it?

Gallery: Megan Fox

Continue reading Megan Fox's Topless Scene Cut from 'Jennifer's Body'?

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]]>amanda seyfriedAmandaSeyfrieddiablo codyDiabloCodyjennifers bodyJennifersBodymegan foxmegan fox nakedmegan fox to make film nakedmegan fox toplessMeganFoxMeganFoxNakedMeganFoxToMakeFilmNakedMeganFoxToplessChristopher CampbellMon, 11 Aug 2008 16:02:00 ESTCloris Leachman Wants to Strap On Her Oscar with John Stamoshttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/07/cloris-leachman-wants-to-strap-on-her-oscar-with-john-stamos/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/07/cloris-leachman-wants-to-strap-on-her-oscar-with-john-stamos/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/07/cloris-leachman-wants-to-strap-on-her-oscar-with-john-stamos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

First we had Sarah Silverman singing about f*cking Matt Damon, then Jimmy Kimmel had his turn with Damon's BFF, Ben Affleck. Now we have something even better: octogenarian actress and Academy Award-winner Cloris Leachman (who still looks damn good, thank you very much) getting all raunchy at a Comedy Central roast for Bob "Full House" Saget, threatening to get it on with "pretty boy" John Stamos on a "filthy bean bag chair" while using her Best Supporting Actress Oscar as a strap-on. There's a mental picture that'll take weeks to get out of your brain cells.

Maybe it's just the hilarity of seeing the stately Leachman talking about going after Stamos -- or perhaps even Jon Lovitz -- and then segueing seamlessly into a bit about performing a "reach-around" on Jack Benny that makes this so funny. I can't imagine it would have the same impact being said by, say, Tilda Swinton or Cate Blanchett. Anyhow, Leachman was way funnier than all the lame jokes about Saget having sex with the Olsen twins. She's still got it -- now, if only Tarantino would cast her in something as an ass-kicking, foul-mouthed granny ...

Thanks to Chris Campbell for blogging about this over on Spout yesterday.

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]]>bob saget roastcloris leachmanClorisLeachmanjohn stamosJohnStamosjon lovitizolsen twinsoscarsKim VoynarThu, 07 Aug 2008 08:02:00 ESTUpdate: Kevin Smith Wins His 'R' Rating for 'Zack and Miri'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/05/kevin-smith-wins-his-r-rating-for-zack-and-miri/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/05/kevin-smith-wins-his-r-rating-for-zack-and-miri/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/08/05/kevin-smith-wins-his-r-rating-for-zack-and-miri/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The most we can hope for now is the unrated director's cut of Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, because the filmmaker has won his appeal with the MPAA and received an R rating, according to the Associated Press. It's been a long road for Smith's movie, which was unsurprisingly smacked with an NC-17 last month -- as if we didn't see it coming due to Smith's track record and the fact that it's a movie about a couple who, yes, that's right, make a porno. Oh, and of course there was that raunchy trailer, which gave us some semblance of the material the movie is dealing with (coprophilia jokes are likely always deemed adults-only content, at least in the initial ratings board screening).

So much for the MPAA and National Association of Theatre Owners' plans to remove the stigma attached to the NC-17. If ever there was a popular filmmaker to usher in a new wave of non-porn adults-only fare, Smith would be that person. And considering that Zack and Miri is about porn, it would be an appropriate gateway for the rating. Last week, when Smith spoke to AICN about the appeal, he seemed fine with the need for an R rating, stating that it's just "part of the process." Of course it is. The process consists of toning down a film to ensure an R and then releasing the original raunchier version on DVD in order for Hollywood to get the most buck for its bang.

Update: When Cinematical reached Smith for a quote, he had this to say on the decision: "I'm very happy with the result of the appeals process. Sadly, however, it doesn't cure my biggest headache: I'm still grossly overweight."

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]]>dan glickmanDanGlickmanelizabeth banksElizabethBankskevin smithKevinSmithmpaanational association of theatre ownersNationalAssociationOfTheatreOwnersnc-17raitings appealraitings boardRaitingsAppealRaitingsBoardseth rogenSethRogenzack and miri make a pornoZackAndMiriMakeAPornoChristopher CampbellTue, 05 Aug 2008 19:02:00 ESTSee a Highly Unpleasant New Photo from 'Mirrors'http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/23/see-a-highly-unpleasant-new-photo-from-mirrors/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/23/see-a-highly-unpleasant-new-photo-from-mirrors/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/23/see-a-highly-unpleasant-new-photo-from-mirrors/#commentsFiled under: , ,

I think Scott Weinberg's getting set for Comic-Con as I write this, so I'll briefly fill in on the gorehound beat. Mirrors director Alexandre Aja has released what he calls "a new tasty visual from one of my favorite scenes" in the film. Per Aja's penchant for extravagant gross-outs, the picture is -- how do you say? -- aggressive. I'm putting it under the jump. It's gruesome -- watch out.

It's also -- and some of you may petition to have me committed for this -- strangely beautiful, albeit in a way only a horror freak could love. Unlike, say, the work of Eli Roth, who's like a giddy kid in a candy store when it comes to gore, Aja's imagery has been kind of artful in its grandiosity. Of the Splat Pack membership, I think he's the most concerned with the egghead aspects of horror movie aesthetics: shot composition, the color palette, symmetry, etc. That's a large part of the reason I'm looking forward to Mirrors, which otherwise looks pretty standard-issue. A truly great-looking horror film might be able to get away with not having much of a concept.

Anyway, Aja will be at Comic-Con promoting Mirrors, and I'm sure Scott, Eric or Elisabeth will have something for you from there. Meanwhile, click through for the photo -- if you dare. Not Safe for Work.

Continue reading See a Highly Unpleasant New Photo from 'Mirrors'

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]]>alexandre ajaAlexandreAjaeli rothEliRothmirrorsEugene NovikovWed, 23 Jul 2008 10:40:00 ESTFan Rant: What's with the Psychopaths on Rotten Tomatoes?http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/fan-rant-whats-with-the-psychopaths-on-rotten-tomatoes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/fan-rant-whats-with-the-psychopaths-on-rotten-tomatoes/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/fan-rant-whats-with-the-psychopaths-on-rotten-tomatoes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Let's take a moment to talk about the internet and the people who use it.

As someone who writes for a fairly prominent blog and who, from time to time, gets a fact wrong or overlooks something (when you do several posts a day, it's hard to be perfect), I am familiar with the wrath that internet commenters can unleash. But I am quickly coming to realize that you, gentle readers, have indeed been gentle. If you have a moment, take a look at the Rotten Tomatoes page for The Dark Knight, and click through some of the comments that users have left for the critics who have dared give the film a negative review. Or, to save time, take a look at this piece by Hollywood Bitchslap's Rob Gonsalves, which discusses some of the worst (best?) examples. If you're not inclined to click, suffice it to say that the likes of The New Yorker's David Denby have been told that they "do not deserve to live," that they should "contract AIDS," that they "rode the short bus to school," that "I should go over to your house and beat the living ***** out of you low life son of a b!tch," and so forth.

It's funny: there's been a long, ongoing discussion about RT user comments in the internal forums of the RT-hosted Online Film Critics Society. Some of the critics, outraged by the insulting, often racist missives that appear on the review pages (a Brazilian critic writing in Portuguese is often informed that he should go back to Mexico, etc.), have called for comments to be deleted and for users to be disciplined or banned. I've resisted and discouraged that impulse: it's always preferable to laugh at people like this than to censor them.

Continue reading Fan Rant: What's with the Psychopaths on Rotten Tomatoes?

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]]>the dark knightTheDarkKnightEugene NovikovTue, 15 Jul 2008 21:03:00 ESTTLA's Mini-Fest Will Bring the Gay to Youhttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/tlas-mini-fest-will-bring-the-gay-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/tlas-mini-fest-will-bring-the-gay-to-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/07/15/tlas-mini-fest-will-bring-the-gay-to-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Well, assuming you live in New York, L.A., or Fort Lauderdale, that is. Those are the cities that will get TLA Releasing's mini-fest this summer, with six gay-themed features playing for one week in each location. You can see a somewhat NSFW trailer for the fest at TLA's YouTube page, but here's a brief rundown of what's happening:

First you got your Bangkok Love Story, a thriller about a hitman who falls for his victim. Then there's Chuecatown (Boystown), a comedy involving bathhouses and murders (I'm thinking of that scene in Eastern Promises, but gayer). Next: I Dreamt Under Water, which TLA's press release describes as "graphically sexual" and involving a young man's search for love. Dog Tags is a romantic drama about a soldier who does a bit of asking and telling, if you know what I mean; 3-Day Weekend has eight fellas bonding and bed-hopping over a getaway weekend; and Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon is a documentary about 1970s porn icon Jack Wrangler.

Though all six films are about gay men and their sex lives, there is some notable diversity as well, in that three of them are foreign (Thai, Spanish, and French), and one's a documentary. So you can feel like you're being cultured, too, while watching the randy movies about pretty people.

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]]>3-day weekend3-dayWeekendbangkok love storyBangkokLoveStorychuecatowndog tagsDogTagsi dreamt under waterIDreamtUnderWaterTLA ReleasingTlaReleasingwrangler anatomy of an iconWranglerAnatomyOfAnIconEric D. SniderTue, 15 Jul 2008 16:02:00 ESTRob Zombie Reveals 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' Poster, Nothing Elsehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/24/rob-zombie-reveals-tyrannosaurus-rex-poster-nothing-else/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/24/rob-zombie-reveals-tyrannosaurus-rex-poster-nothing-else/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/24/rob-zombie-reveals-tyrannosaurus-rex-poster-nothing-else/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

So we still don't quite know what Rob Zombie's Tyrannosaurus Rex is. The new, somewhat profane, surprisingly artful poster for the 2009 film -- which I've placed after the jump because we don't like cussin' on our family-friendly front page -- seems to confirm the earlier notion that the plot involves a biker gang; Zombie himself has said that the movie has nothing to do with actual dinosaurs, though an image of one appears in the background. There had also been speculation that Tyrannosaurus Rex will be based on a comic book called Nailed, which was co-authored by Zombie, but the filmmaker has denied this.

All of Zombie's efforts to date have been bad in interesting ways. His latest, Halloween, was not a good film, and it pretty much defecated on the classic movie it was trying to tribute, but it confirmed his talent for creating arrestingly lurid, over-the-top milieus. His main problem seems to be an inability to settle down, chill out, and think things through -- he just attacks whatever he's working on with a brutal, untamed voracity. But I'm holding out hope that soon he'll find a project worthy of his, shall we say, distinctive gifts.

Check out the poster after the jump -- and watch for the foul language, if that kind of thing bothers you.

Continue reading Rob Zombie Reveals 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' Poster, Nothing Else

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]]>rob zombieRobZombietyrannosaurus rexTyrannosaurusRexEugene NovikovTue, 24 Jun 2008 11:32:00 EST'On the Doll' Clip Will Make Men Cringehttp://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/04/on-the-doll-clip-will-make-men-cringe/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/04/on-the-doll-clip-will-make-men-cringe/http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/04/on-the-doll-clip-will-make-men-cringe/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I would have embedded the clip, but I want to make sure no children or men accidentally push play without being either of proper age or sufficiently warned. It's definitely NSFW, and the fact that it features rising star Brittany Snow (Prom Night) repeatedly punching a guy in the crotch makes it a truly uncomfortable moment for males to witness. Sure, it's got nothing on the cringe-worthy castration sequence from Hard Candy or the end of Little Children or most of Teeth or, for that matter, any number of horror films, but it's still pretty painful to watch (and listen to -- the sound effects really make it). So, click at your own risk.

The clip comes from On the Doll, the feature debut of Grammy-nominated music video director Thomas Mignone (Slipknot's "Wait & Bleed"), which opens in New York June 13 and then is released on DVD and online June 17. Snow plays one of several sexual abuse victims whose stories are interwoven throughout the apparently dark and twisted film (see the R-rated trailer here). The rest of the mostly young cast includes relative unknowns Clayne Crawford (A Love Song for Bobby Long), Stephen Sowan (TV's The Riches) and Josh Janowicz (The Chumscrubber), who is best known for being the soon-to-be-ex-husband of Lost star Emilie de Ravin. Fans of the Oceans Eleven series may also recognize Eddie Jemison, who plays a teacher who's propositioned by two of his students.

[via Defamer]

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]]>brittany snowBrittanySnowclayne crawfordClayneCrawfordeddie jemisonEddieJemisonhard candyHardCandyjosh janowiczJoshJanowiczon the dollOnTheDollstephan sowanStephanSowanteeththomas mignoneThomasMignoneChristopher CampbellWed, 04 Jun 2008 17:35:00 EST