Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gif Cinematical http://www.cinematical.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Cinematical Seven: Movies with Nameless Main Charactershttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/cinematical-seven-movies-with-nameless-main-characters/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/cinematical-seven-movies-with-nameless-main-characters/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/cinematical-seven-movies-with-nameless-main-characters/#comments

Making a movie about a character whose name you never reveal sounds backwards and bizarre. How are we supposed to identify with the protagonist if we don't even know what to call him? But many films go that route, including this week's movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which doesn't name the man or the boy who occupy almost every frame of it. That's in keeping with McCarthy's novel, which is spare and bleak and doesn't use much punctuation, either. (The apocalypse wiped out most of the world's apostrophes.) Here are seven other movies whose central characters' names are kept hidden from us.

Fight Club. Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, this modern classic follows novelist Chuck Palahniuk's lead by not naming the narrator, played by Edward Norton and identified simply as "The Narrator" in the credits. (Some viewers have thought the character is named Jack due to the Narrator's use of expressions like "I am Jack's cold sweat" and "I am Jack's raging bile duct," but he'd previously established that these are metaphors adapted from an old educational pamphlet he read where "Jack" was the generic name given.) The Narrator is intended to represent 20th-century men in general: repressed, emasculated, and timid. Of course, if you've seen the movie, you know we might actually wind up learning his name after all....

Filed under:

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Movies with Nameless Main Characters

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>antichristbad lieutenantBadLieutenantblindnessfight clubFightClubsergio leoneSergioLeonethe roadTheRoadyeszombielandEric D. SniderSat, 28 Nov 2009 21:02:00 ESTInterview: 'Ninja Assassin' Director James McTeigue (Part 2)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/interview-ninja-assassin-director-james-mcteigue-part-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/interview-ninja-assassin-director-james-mcteigue-part-2/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/interview-ninja-assassin-director-james-mcteigue-part-2/#comments
Read part one of our interview over here.

By his own admission, James McTeigue seems to be fast-becoming Hollywood's go-to guy for revenge stories. After beginning his career as an assistant director for the Wachowski brothers, he made his directorial debut with the graphic novel adaptation V for Vendetta, and is now set to release Ninja Assassin, about a martial arts master squaring off against his master and his former clan. Ironically, McTeigue is himself a generous, thoughtful and positively mellow guy, which makes his aptitude for bloody showdowns even more surprising.

Cinematical recently sat down with McTeigue at the Los Angeles press day for Ninja Assassin, where he talked about tackling his latest revenge tome. In addition to discussing the physical and philosophical origins of ninjas (and the movies that love them), he talked about protecting the cultural and ethnic integrity of his characters and story, and ruminated on the challenges of keeping a constant balance between brain-busting ideas and balletic bloodletting.

Cinematical: When you came on board this film, what was your cultural mandate for the film especially since you were featuring an Asian actor in the main role?

Filed under: ,

Continue reading Interview: 'Ninja Assassin' Director James McTeigue (Part 2)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>james mcteigueJamesMcteigueninja assassinNinjaAssassinspeed racerSpeedRacerthe wachowski brothersTheWachowskiBrothersTodd GilchristSat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:00 ESTTrailer Park: Greenberg, Toys and Tolstoyhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/trailer-park-greenberg-toys-and-tolstoy/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/trailer-park-greenberg-toys-and-tolstoy/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/trailer-park-greenberg-toys-and-tolstoy/#comments

Greenberg
Ben Stiller stars in this indie comedy about a man who deals with his mid-life crisis by doing nothing. Stiller actually seems appealing when he's not trying to be zany. Watch for this one on March 12.

Toy Story 3
This new international trailer shows a little more of the trauma inflicted upon our toy heroes after Andy goes off to college and they are donated to a daycare center. Looks like this one has all the charm of the first two installments. That June 18th release date can't come soon enough.

Filed under: , , , ,

Continue reading Trailer Park: Greenberg, Toys and Tolstoy

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>CinemaCinematicalGreenbergMoviesThe Last StationTheLastStationToy Story 3ToyStory3WOnderful WOrldWonderfulWorldMatt BradshawSat, 28 Nov 2009 15:02:00 ESTScenes We Love: L.A. Confidential (Again!)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/scenes-we-love-l-a-confidential-again/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/scenes-we-love-l-a-confidential-again/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/scenes-we-love-l-a-confidential-again/#comments

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The time of year when I watch L.A. Confidential a dozen times because "It's Christmassy!", complain that it didn't win Best Picture, and fall in love with Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce all over again. It's not as if I don't watch this at any other time of the year, but this film is like my holiday heroin. It's the perfect antidote to the holly and the ivy. Yeah, I posted a scene from it earlier this year, but as its been taken down by YouTube, I figured I'd post another in honor of the upcoming holidays. There's not a lot of scenes available (my favorite Rollo Tomasi moment still eludes me), but luckily one of the reader favorites was up for grabs. So, today's Scene We Love is indeed a scene we all love: "She is Lana Turner."

It's also good timing, as this week we finally get to see a glimpse of Pearce in The Road. It's another one of those maddening cameos he likes to tease us with (no spoiler intended, it's just a fact), and I constantly wish he'd take bigger and more high profile roles. A Bedtime Stories is all well and good, and I have great hopes for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, but I long for him to land another role like Lt. Ed Exley.

Go below the jump for the scene

Filed under: , , , ,

Continue reading Scenes We Love: L.A. Confidential (Again!)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>guy pearceGuyPearceKevin SpaceyKevinSpaceyl.a. confidentialL.a.ConfidentialRussell CroweRussellCroweScenes We LoveScenesWeLoveElisabeth RappeSat, 28 Nov 2009 13:02:00 ESTRight Now on TV Squadhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/right-now-on-tv-squad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/right-now-on-tv-squad/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/right-now-on-tv-squad/#commentsOur brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>CinemacinematicalMoviesTV SquadTvSquadMatt BradshawSat, 28 Nov 2009 11:02:00 ESTPass the Hanky: The Fallhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/pass-the-hanky-the-fall/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/pass-the-hanky-the-fall/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/28/pass-the-hanky-the-fall/#commentsThe Fall

When I first saw The Fall, I was trying to slink out of the theater afterward without anyone noticing my red eyes and nose. Too bad someone caught me and asked me if I was okay. "Uh, sure," I stammered, and ran for the subway. Today when I revisited the movie on an airplane, I warned my seatmate that I would be sniffly and not to worry. About midway through, he took pity on me and handed me some napkins.

The Fall, directed by Tarsem Singh (he prefers to go simply by his first name), takes place in a hospitals in California in the '20s. Lee Pace plays Roy, a stuntman who had an accident that left his paralyzed from the waist down; his girlfriend left him for the smarmy star so he's broken-hearted as well. His costar is Catinca Untaru, who plays a mischievous, smart, adorable little girl named Alexandria, who has chubby cheeks and a broken arm from working in the orange groves. Untaru isn't an actor, and she's so young she's missing her two front teeth for most of the movie. She's also Romanian, and combined with how young she is, the way she talks is a pastiche of baby talk and broken English.

Roy begins to tell her a story about bandits who have been done wrong by the horrible Governor Odious and seek revenge against him at any cost. The magical scenes she imagines were filmed in real places around the world, and she pictures each bandit as people she knows or has seen in real life. The story starts out like an exciting tale but soon we all realize it reflects Roy's real-life story and deep depression.

Filed under: , ,

Continue reading Pass the Hanky: The Fall

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>catinca untaruCatincaUntarulee paceLeePacepass the hankyPassTheHankytarsem singhTarsemSinghthe fallTheFallJenni MillerSat, 28 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTDiscuss: What Were Your Best Black Friday Deals?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/best-black-friday-deals/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/best-black-friday-deals/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/best-black-friday-deals/#commentsAs my Twitter feed fills with constantly re-Tweeted online bargains (be still, my weeping wallet), and as our own site did its best to prepare you readers for today's Thunderdome of savings, it's likely that a great many of you ventured out to capitalize on Black Friday in all its mania.

There were certainly deals to be had on movies and home entertainment equipment alike, and that's really what we want to hear about (not that a thirty-dollar camping tent isn't impressive or anything).

Where'd you go? How long did you wait in line? How cold was it? How busy was it? What did you get? What was already gone? Did you upgrade to Blu-ray this year? And did any of our readership outside the States take advantage of the online deals without leaving the comfort of your own home?

So go ahead, brag and boast about your claimed trophies. Me? I've got an empty wallet to console.

Filed under: ,

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>amazon.combest buyBestBuyblack fridayblack friday 2009black friday dealsblack friday salesBlackFridayBlackFriday2009BlackFridayDealsBlackFridaySalestargetWilliam GossFri, 27 Nov 2009 20:15:00 ESTInterview: James McTeigue, 'Ninja Assassin' (Part 1)http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/james-mcteigue-ninja-assassin-interview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/james-mcteigue-ninja-assassin-interview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/james-mcteigue-ninja-assassin-interview/#commentsJames McTeigue
Director James McTeigue has been working on films since the late 1980s, back in his native Australia. He was second assistant director on Dark City and first assistant director on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. He started working with Andy and Larry Wachowski as an assistant director on The Matrix, and they've been collaborating on projects together ever since. The Wachowskis wrote the first feature film helmed by McTeigue, V for Vendetta, and he provided second-unit direction on their most recent film, Speed Racer.

Ninja Assassin, which opened this week, is the latest movie McTeigue has directed, with the Wachowskis on board as producers. You can read William Goss's review for more details about the action/fantasy film. Cinematical sat down with the director in late September during Fantastic Fest, just after the movie played the festival. He was very pleased with the fest screening and happy to talk about the film.

Filed under: , ,

Continue reading Interview: James McTeigue, 'Ninja Assassin' (Part 1)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Andy WachowskiAndyWachowskiCinematicalfilmJames McTeigueJamesMcteigueLarry WachowskiLarryWachowskimovieninja assassinNinjaAssassinthe ravenTheRavenV for VendettaVForVendettaJette KernionFri, 27 Nov 2009 19:15:00 ESTFree Flick of The Day: Blame It On Riohttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/free-flick-of-the-day-blame-it-on-rio/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/free-flick-of-the-day-blame-it-on-rio/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/free-flick-of-the-day-blame-it-on-rio/#commentsA film about an affair with your best friend's daughter is probably the last place you would expect to find a lesson on morality. But oddly enough, that's exactly what you get in Larry Gelbart's sex comedy, Blame It On Rio. Like many of the films I saw during my childhood, I was well out of the prescribed age group for the story of a May-December affair, but I always remembered this movie for two reasons: it was where I learned about the world of mid-life crisis, and I even learned a little something about the consequences of your actions ... but we'll get to that later. So if you've never seen this movie, you're in luck because SlashControl offers the flick as part of their free film selection.

Released in 1984, Rio was written by Gelbart, who is best known for his work in TV (as one of the creators of M.A.S.H) and in film (as the writer of Tootsie), and was directed by movie-musical legend, Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain). The story centered on two friends, Victor and Matthew (played respectively by Joseph Bologna and Michael Caine), who decide to go on vacation to Rio de Janeiro when their marriages have hit the skids. But things get a little tricky when Matthew (Caine) begins an affair with his best friend's teenage daughter, Jennifer (played by Michelle Johnson).

Filed under: , , ,

Continue reading Free Flick of The Day: Blame It On Rio

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>demi mooreDemiMooreFree Flick of the DayFreeFlickOfTheDayJoseph BolognaJosephBolognalarry gelbartLarryGelbartMichael CaineMichaelCaineslashcontrolstanley donenStanleyDonenJessica BarnesFri, 27 Nov 2009 18:12:00 ESTJeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avengerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/jeremy-renner-avengers/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/jeremy-renner-avengers/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/jeremy-renner-avengers/#commentsNow that Iron Man 2 is in the finish stages, and Thor will kick off filming in January, the casting rumor mill must now find some new grist in The Avengers. (Not Captain America, oddly enough. We'll just skip right over that one!) Empire sat down with Jeremy Renner, who revealed that he'd been in talks with Marvel Studios and Avengers' writer Zak Penn about tackling the part of a superhero.

While he's reportedly been linked with Captain America on some dim corners of the Internet, Renner is thinking he might like to play another Avenger : Clint Barton, better known as Hawkeye. "I don't know if I'd be right for Captain America. I met with the Marvel guys, actually, but we didn't talk about Captain America. But one of the writers, Zak Penn, we've become friends over time and he was thinking maybe Hawkeye could be interesting. He sounds like an interesting character."

Renner stressed "no offer has been made ... I think there's a little ways from that" but he also speculated that Hawkeye might cameo in Thor or in First Avenger: Captain America. But Thor has an awfully big cast at this point, so tossing in an Avenger cameo seems a bit dubious, though there's always room in a post-credit sequence. Iron Man 2 would have been the ideal place (Mr. Clint Barton and the Black Widow go way back) but the ship would appear to have sailed on that one.

Filed under: , , , , ,

Continue reading Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Clint BartonClintBartonfeaturedFirst Avenger Captain AmericaFirstAvengerCaptainAmericaHawkeyeJeremy RennerJeremyRennerMarvelMarvel StudiosMarvelStudiosThe AvengersTheAvengersZak PennZakPennElisabeth RappeFri, 27 Nov 2009 17:20:00 ESTA Trailer for Jean-Claude Van Damme's 'The Eagle Path'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/a-trailer-for-jean-claude-van-dammes-the-eagle-path/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/a-trailer-for-jean-claude-van-dammes-the-eagle-path/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/a-trailer-for-jean-claude-van-dammes-the-eagle-path/#commentsIt's time for the second feature written, directed, and starring the Muscles from Brussels Jean-Claude Van Damme. First we had The Quest, a story he whipped up with the help of Frank Dux (the man Bloodsport was based on). Now there's The Eagle Path. Once called Full Love, this sucker is all-out classic Van Damme with faux serious acting, violence, and of course, the potential love of a sexy woman -- and you can check out a trailer for the film after the jump, courtesy of THR's Heat Vision Blog.

Van Damme plays "Frenchy," a military vet and former mercenary who hides from his past by working as a taxi driver in East Asia. When he picks up a sexy woman one day, he becomes obsessed with the idea of improving her life and decides to do so without her approval. With help from his special ops friends, he sets out to "save" her, and as the official synopsis says: "War is hell, but nothing they've done could have prepared them for this."

From what you can see in the trailer, that "this" involves a bad*ss special ops friend in a wheelchair, some mustachioed undercover work, and a whole lot of action carnage. Oh, if only they could score this with some '80s music. It would be like going back to the good ol' days of Van Damme.

Filed under: ,

Continue reading A Trailer for Jean-Claude Van Damme's 'The Eagle Path'

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>CinematicalFull LoveFullLoveJean-Claude Van DammeJean-claudeVanDammeThe Eagle PathTheEaglePathMonika BartyzelFri, 27 Nov 2009 16:20:00 ESTScenes (Songs) We Love: Ain't Nobody From 'Breakin'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/scenes-songs-we-love-aint-nobody-from-breakin/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/scenes-songs-we-love-aint-nobody-from-breakin/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/scenes-songs-we-love-aint-nobody-from-breakin/#comments

My love of dance movies, especially crappy dance movies, could probably all be traced back to Breakin'. In 1984 I wasn't exactly the hippest girl on the block (after all it isn't easy to be hip when you're nine years old), but when my dad took me to see Breakin' I thought this was the beginning of a long and industrious career as a B-girl. So, as you can probably guess, it didn't quite work out that way, but thanks to Breakin' I still listen to Rufus' Ain't Nobody featuring R&B legend Chaka Khan (which first appeared on Rufus' album Stompin' at The Savoy) .

Breakin' was directed by Joel Silberg and centered on the dancing duo of Turbo (Michael Chambers) and Ozone (Adolfo Quinones), who team up with Kelly, a pampered jazz dancer (played by Lucinda Dickey) in a battle with a rival dance crew by the name of Electro Rock -- and if you remember your 80s movies then you know that most disputes can be solved with a dance off. Rufus' #1 R&B hit accompanied the all-important musical montage where we see white-bread Kelly learning to pop and lock...badly.

Breakin' wasn't the first break dancing movie to come along, and if I had to choose, Beat Street would go down as my personal favorite. But, for better or for worse, Breakin' is still one of the best remembered movies of that brief fad of b-boys on the big screen, and it may not be a great movie -- as a matter of fact it's kind of a terrible movie, but this is definitely a great song.

After the jump: Kelly gets down and some cross promotion with Turbo and Ozone...

Filed under: , , ,

Continue reading Scenes (Songs) We Love: Ain't Nobody From 'Breakin'

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>80sbreak dancingBreakDancingBreakinChaka KhanChakaKhanmusicScenes We LoveScenesWeLoveSongs we loveSongsWeLovevideoJessica BarnesFri, 27 Nov 2009 15:15:00 ESTReview: New York, I Love Youhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/review-new-york-i-love-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/review-new-york-i-love-you/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/review-new-york-i-love-you/#comments

Armed with a collection of the world's notable directors, Paris je t'aime hit screens with a good deal of impact and buzz. It was to be the first piece in producer Emmanuel Benbihy's "Cities of Love," a collection of films detailing romance and metropolitan life across the globe, a series planning to travel to the likes of New York, Rio, Shanghai, Jerusalem, and Mumbai.

Three years later, the second installment is finally upon us with New York, I Love You. With only minor changes, the film continues the tradition of joining many internationally diverse filmmakers for the journey through a popular city, but the buzz has diminished. The film is slowly making its way across screens in the U.S., and will break into Canada come November 27. But how could one of Hollywood's most beloved cities find its ode so woefully under the radar? It's not an easy question to answer because while New York, I Love You might be flawed, it's also sweet, engaging, and nicely representative of that small island cluttered with millions of people.

Filed under: , , ,

Continue reading Review: New York, I Love You

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Anthony MinghellaAnthonyMinghellaBrett RatnerBrettRatnerCinematicalCloris LeachmanClorisLeachmanEli WallachEliWallachJoshua MarstonJoshuaMarstonJulie ChristieJulieChristieMira NairMiraNairNatalie PortmanNataliePortmanNew York I Love YouNewYorkILoveYouShia LaBeoufShiaLabeoufYvan AttalYvanAttalMonika BartyzelFri, 27 Nov 2009 14:02:00 ESTDirectors We Love: Jim Jarmuschhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/directors-we-love-jim-jarmusch/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/directors-we-love-jim-jarmusch/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/directors-we-love-jim-jarmusch/#comments

Last week Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control came out on DVD. I loved it, and was completely baffled by the weird, negative response to it. Baffled, and a little depressed. Has Jarmusch really changed so much that his existential road trips don't work anymore? Or is it that we have grown far too lazy to enjoy them? Twenty-five years ago, Jarmusch's Stranger than Paradise -- another existential road trip -- opened, and it caused quite a stir in the fledgling "indie" world. It gained a small and passionate following, and its funky, deadpan humor tapped into something. Hardly anything happens in the film. A girl from Hungary comes to visit her cousin in New York. They spend a few aimless days together and she leaves. Later, the cousin and his friend travel to Cleveland to see her again, and the three of them decide to drive to Florida.

Even when something happens in this film, such as a mysterious bagman botching a dropoff, it happens without any kind of setup or payoff. It just sort of drops into the frame and then out again. Even the road trip itself is uneventful and passes quickly. The travelers don't meet any quirky characters or get into chases. They just drive and arrive at their destination. Really, there's not much difference between that film and The Limits of Control, which tells the story of a hitman preparing to do a job. He travels from place to place and collects several peculiar clues before finally arriving at his destination. His actual mission is completed in much the same matter-of-fact way, without much fanfare. The films feature the same kind of deadpan dialogue and gorgeous cinematography, highlighting spare backgrounds.

Continue reading Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>directors we loveDirectorsWeLovedvdfeaturedjim jarmuschJimJarmuschThe Limits of ControlTheLimitsOfControlJeffrey M. AndersonFri, 27 Nov 2009 12:25:00 EST'Teardrop Diamond' Finally Finds a Trailerhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/teardrop-diamond-finally-finds-a-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/teardrop-diamond-finally-finds-a-trailer/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/teardrop-diamond-finally-finds-a-trailer/#commentsI was convinced this day would never come... I first wrote about The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond over three years ago when the forgotten Tennessee Williams screenplay got tapped for a feature film. Lindsay Lohan was set to star in it, before her heaps of turmoil turned her career sour. In 2007, Bryce Dallas Howard stepped in to replace Lohan, and in 2008, we finally got a still from the film. Now the movie has quietly swam through the festival circuit and is slated for release at the end of the year, which means we finally get a trailer, which you can see after the jump, courtesy of Coming Soon.

The trailer can certainly send you back in time, but maybe not to the right time. The whole thing reeks of 1980s Hallmark melodrama, from the scenes to the text and somber voiceover. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Fisher Willow, a '20s debutante who decides to get back at her greedy dad by taking a poor young man (Chris Evans) to a high-profile party. She borrows her great Aunt Cornelia's (Ann Margret) teardrop diamond earrings to the event, and when she loses one, she accuses her date of stealing it.

What might be more intriguing than the work (which Coming Soon says was written as a film for Elia Kazan to direct), and the cast (which also includes Ellen Burstyn), is the idea of Lohan in this movie. I can't begin to imagine her taking on the style and accent Howard pulls off. But what do you think?

Will you hit the theaters to see this lost work from Tennessee Williams?

Filed under: ,

Continue reading 'Teardrop Diamond' Finally Finds a Trailer

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Bryce Dallas HowardBryceDallasHowardCinematicalThe Loss of a Teardrop DiamondTheLossOfATeardropDiamondMonika BartyzelFri, 27 Nov 2009 11:32:00 ESTThis is the Ape that Climbed the Empire State Building?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/this-is-the-ape-that-climbed-the-empire-state-building/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/this-is-the-ape-that-climbed-the-empire-state-building/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/this-is-the-ape-that-climbed-the-empire-state-building/#comments

Back in 1933 there was this little movie called King Kong. While not an epic award-winner, the film instantly became a legend for stunning special effects and arguably the most iconic Hollywood monster of them all. Whether you've seen the film or not, you've no doubt witnessed the scene, where the large ape grabbed Fay Wray's Anne Darrow and carried her to the top of the Empire State Building, where he fought off planes and machine gun fire to be with the unwilling object of his affection.

MSNBC reports that the specific metal skeleton used in that iconic scene has sold for approximately $200,000 at a Christie's auction in London. Talk about a killer find! The 22-inch figurine was originally "covered in cotton, rubber, liquid latex, and rabbit's fur," but being over 70 years old, that covering has rotted away to reveal what you see above -- a collection of metal, rivets, and screws fashioned into an ape skeleton.

While there's a whole lot of great computer-generated effects out there, I can't help but feel a pang for the good old days of tangible creations and miniature models. They gave an added sense of realism to special effects-laden filmmaking. You can check out the scene (colorized) after the jump.

Filed under: ,

Continue reading This is the Ape that Climbed the Empire State Building?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>CinematicalKing KongKing Kong skeletonKingKongKingKongSkeletonspecial effectsSpecialEffectsMonika BartyzelFri, 27 Nov 2009 10:45:00 ESTNew Site Makes It Easy to Buy and Sell DVDshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/new-site-makes-it-easy-to-buy-and-sell-dvds/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/new-site-makes-it-easy-to-buy-and-sell-dvds/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/new-site-makes-it-easy-to-buy-and-sell-dvds/#commentsWhen it comes to my home entertainment collection, I have a problem saying no. If it's cheap enough and I can come up with a rationale for owning it, I'll shell out my hard earned dollars. Of course, this results in my shelves sagging under the weight of unloved and unwatched DVDs that seemed like a good idea at the time -- frankly, I couldn't tell you why I had to buy my very own copy of Step Up 2. But, selling those unwanted discs can be a bit of a hassle, and this is where Glyde comes in. This new service was created by the founder of eBay Motors and promises a new (and easier) way of buying and selling your used DVDs, video games, books, or CDs online.

So here's how it works: you simply sign up for an account, enter your credit card info, shipping address and you're ready to go. You can buy or sell with a single click, and best of all Glyde offers a no-hassle return policy -- which is sometimes a bit of a worry of mine when shopping online. If you're selling, Glyde sends you a Netflix-style prepaid envelope once the item has been sold and you pop it back into the mail within 24hrs. Glyde takes 10% of the sale price (and the price of the mailer) and the rest is deposited into your account, and you can withdraw your money at any time (via bank transfers or checks). Buying is even easier, and just takes one click to charge the item to your credit card. It all sounds pretty good on paper, and it is about time I started culling my own home entertainment collection -- I just hope I don't buy it all back again.

Watch a video intro to Glyde after the jump.

Filed under: ,

Continue reading New Site Makes It Easy to Buy and Sell DVDs

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>buyingdvdseBayEbayMotorsGlydeonline shoppingOnlineShoppingsellingJessica BarnesFri, 27 Nov 2009 09:45:00 ESTBlack Friday Movie Deals: Amazon.comhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/black-friday-movie-deals-amazon-com/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/black-friday-movie-deals-amazon-com/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/27/black-friday-movie-deals-amazon-com/#commentsAt first I thought this would be too difficult. Target, Best Buy, Walmart ... all those stores offer a very manageable number of Black Friday movie deals. Surely Amazon.com would prove way too massive of an undertaking ... but nope! Of course Amazon.com is offering a lot more movie deals than the non-virtual stores are, but they've made things quite easy by categorizing everything, and with handy links and everything!

First off, here's the Amazon Black Friday sales page, movies-only division. But that page offers way too many options, so let's pick out some of the best standard (non-blu-ray) dvd deals: Blazing Saddles ($5.99)! The Marx Brothers Collection ($17.99)!! The Goonies ($6.99)! The Nightmare on Elm Street box set ($24.99)! Spaceballs ($8.49)! And on and on it goes. New, old, classic, crappy, there's a good deal in here whatever you're after.

And what I'm after is blu-rays! 2001: A Space Odyssey ($9.49)! The Silence of the Lambs ($8.99)!! Watchmen director's cut ($16.99)! Goodfellas ($10.99)!! And those crafty Amazoners are planning to change the titles every day. It's like they want you to visit their website six times a day!

Last but not least, for those who love not just the deals but also the crazy pressure that comes with Black Friday, Amazon is now offering some nifty "Lightning Deals" that are scheduled throughout the week and last only a few hours. For example, tonight you can purchase the X-Men Origins: Wolverine blu-ray for $9.99. That's a pretty good deal on a very recent blu-ray release. Too bad the movie stinks.

Filed under: ,

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>amazon.comblack fridayBlackFridayScott WeinbergFri, 27 Nov 2009 00:03:00 ESTThe Best Non-Dysfunctional Movie Families ... in Honor of Thanksgivinghttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/the-best-non-dysfunctional-movie-families-in-honor-of-thanks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/the-best-non-dysfunctional-movie-families-in-honor-of-thanks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/the-best-non-dysfunctional-movie-families-in-honor-of-thanks/#comments
In honor of Thanksgiving, we're recalling one of our favorite turkey day-themed posts from last year.

By: Jette Kernion

A few years ago, I wrote a Cinematical Seven on my favorite dysfunctional families in films. Everyone has a crazy messed-up movie family they love, whether it's the Hoovers in Little Miss Sunshine or the Bullocks in My Man Godfrey or the Corleones in the Godfather saga. I thought that this year, it would be fun to make a list of families that got along, worked together, and supported one another. You know, happy families ... but not dull, one-dimensional bundles of endless cheer.

It's a lot more difficult to find seven movies with happy-but-not-sappy families than it is to find the screwed-up kind, especially if you are looking for something more interesting than the Cleavers. Since I'm visiting my relatives for the Thanksgiving holidays, I asked them for suggestions. They were all very helpful, and I'm sorry I couldn't include all the suggestions, which ranged from The Thin Man to The Sound of Music to The Hills Have Eyes. Let me know what else we missed in the comments.

The Parrs in The Incredibles (suggested by my husband)

The Parrs aren't perfect. After all, Bob (aka Mr. Incredible) sneaks around behind his family's back to use his superhero powers again, after they've all decided to live a life as ordinary non-powerful folks. And Violet is rather sulky, but that's what teenagers do. But when someone is in trouble, everyone rushes to help. I was torn between The Incredibles and another movie about a family full of action heroes (or potential heroes), Spy Kids. Both feature strong families, but are never boring.

Filed under: ,

Continue reading The Best Non-Dysfunctional Movie Families ... in Honor of Thanksgiving

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>charlie and the chocolate factoryCharlieAndTheChocolateFactorylittle womenLittleWomenmeet me in st. louisMeetMeInSt.Louispeckerthanksgivingthe incrediblesTheIncrediblesCinematical staffThu, 26 Nov 2009 21:03:00 ESTInterview: Viggo Mortensenhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/viggo-mortensen-interview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/viggo-mortensen-interview/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/26/viggo-mortensen-interview/#comments
Viggo Mortensen is a study in contradictions: rugged and undeniably virile, and yet thoroughly and irresistibly sensitive; the kind of man movie stars are made from, but seemingly more satisfied in a more subdued role in a smaller film. Appropriately, his latest film is both a post-apocalyptic epic and a profound character study; The Road is an adaptation of the acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, and Viggo plays its main character, a father desperately trying to protect his son from an unhospitable world, both physically and emotionally.

Cinematical recently sat down with Mortensen at the film's press day to discuss his work in the film, which was directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition). In addition to talking about navigating an unforgiving landscape, he discussed the challenges of balancing fealty to source material and simply making a fulfilling movie, and revealed a few of his own fears and insecurities when facing the prospect of sustaining a career both as a movie star and character actor, often at the same time.

You can read our interview with director John Hillcoat over here.

Cinematical: Given the richness of the source material and the familiarity that audiences will have with it, do you make an effort to draw upon the text for your character, or do you have to divorce yourself from it and focus on what's in the script?

Filed under: , ,

Continue reading Interview: Viggo Mortensen

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Cormac McCarthyCormacMccarthyjohn hillcoatJohnHillcoatKodi Smit-McPheeKodiSmit-mcpheethe roadTheRoadviggo mortensenViggoMortensenTodd GilchristThu, 26 Nov 2009 19:02:00 EST