BasicInstinct Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Seven: Best Villain-Hero Romances
Filed under: Drama », Gay & Lesbian », Thrillers », Noir », Mystery & Suspense », Cinematical Seven », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists »
We love it when our heroes fall for the suspicious types: the wolves in sheep's clothing, the dangerous femme fatales. It happens often in film noir and a heckuva lot in comics, and provides some of the best last-act twists and turns as our hearts palpitate along with those of our protagonists... up until the bitter end. Can't that evil love interest turn out to have a heart of gold, so we can all have a happily ever after? Sometimes, yes. Most of the time, no.
What is it about these doomed romances that we love so much? Perhaps it's the futility of it all; you can't have your cake and eat it when you're a superhero or a (wo)man on a mission to right wrongs, even if you'd rather be kissing that beguiling bad guy than fighting them, arresting them, or foiling their evil plans. Turning down a chance at love is the ultimate sacrifice for a hero or heroine to make -- it proves their commitment to the side of good. Hence, loving a villain makes a hero even more heroic. How tragic!
In what will surely spur controversy, I've whittled my favorite villain-hero romances down to the seven best pairings in cinema. No, Phantom of the Opera didn't make it. That would have been too easy. Instead, find odd couples, would-be perfect pairs, star-crossed lovers, and yes, the world's most legendary bromance after the jump.
Scenes (Songs) We Love: Basic Instinct
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Fandom », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
I bet you never thought in a million years that you would see the words Scenes We Love and Basic Instinct in the same headline, did you? But here we are, so before you swear off this feature for ever more, keep in mind that this particular edition of Scenes We Love is going to be for the music (because, frankly, if we're talking about quality filmmaking we need to look elsewhere). Basic Instinct is a guilty pleasure of mine and there is plenty of cheese to choose from. You've got the laughable sex, ridiculous plot and dialog, and really, when did you ever think you would see Michael Douglas try and get down ... in a V-neck no less?
Now for most audiences, we were supposed to be titillated and shocked by the sight of Sharon Stone getting it on with Roxy (played by Leilani Sarelle), and even though it was pretty risqué at the time, it's almost quaint if you think about it now. But I wasn't that shocked or titillated by what I was watching, so I was left listening to that kick-ass song: Blue, by Latour.
I've been known to have a bit of an obsessive personality when it comes to tracking down a song used in a movie, and music is a big part of my life ... really, I can't help myself. So, for a long time, Blue was my 'White Whale', and even Napster (remember, this was the 90's) couldn't help me out. That is until one night in a Quebec City nightclub when I'd had a few too many cocktails and that tune began to pump out of the sound system. So I ran (OK...stumbled) to the DJ booth, and begged him to tell me what he was playing, and he handed me a mix tape. So thanks to that kindly Francophone, this track has been in my nostalgia play list ever since.
After the jump: Girl-on-girl action, 90's style...
Cinematical Seven: Sensational R-Rated Blockbusters
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Lists »
Many people think that a movie needs to avoid an R-rating in order to become a blockbuster. Most recent top earners have followed that dictum, with only four R-rated movies among last year's top 25 at the box office. Zack Snyder's 300 was a defiant exception in 2007, earning more than $456 million worldwide, and clearing the way for Snyder's R-rated dream project, Watchmen. Its content advisory warns / promises: "Strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language." Can such an R-rated superhero movie become a blockbuster today, especially in the wake of PG-13 smashes like The Dark Knight and Iron Man?
If the history of the movies has taught us anything, it's that people will flock to see films that they really, really want to see, no matter the rating. As evidence, here are seven R-rated films with strong, adult content that may have made some folks blanch -- but it didn't keep the flicks from becoming blockbusters.
Basic Instinct
Paul Verhoeven's thriller has it all: sex, violence, profanity, and very adult themes. The most notorious shot features Sharon Stone's, er, legs, but the flick also includes male and female nudity, intense sex scenes, stabbing, blood spattering, dozens of profanities, and relentless sexual innuendos. But it's not just a sensationalist button-pusher. Indeed, Basic Instinct lives up to its title in its dogged, sometimes earnest exploration of the basest desires known to man or woman. It may have tittilated, but it also made you think long after the credits rolled.
Cinematical Seven: Terrific Turkeys of the Aughts
Filed under: Action », Drama », Horror », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Sony », Sony Classics », Warner Brothers », 20th Century Fox », Cinematical Seven »
In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday that nears, it seemed only fitting that our minds turned to those films for which we are most unexpectedly grateful, those flops and duds, those bombs and turkeys rife with unintentional humor and renewed entertainment values. Now, we've pretty much stuck with the past decade or so with our picks; anything before that has either been done right by MST3K or is probably titled Showgirls.
With that said, please enjoy this Cinematical Seven responsibly, and do feel free to contribute your own personal favorite howlers of late in the comments below...
1. Twilight (2008)
Oh, dear God, I'm kidding. J/K!
The Biggest Flops of 2006
Filed under: Action », Animation », Drama », Thrillers », MGM », Warner Brothers », Box Office », 20th Century Fox », Family Films », Dreamworks », Tom Cruise », Remakes and Sequels », Lists »
It was a good year for much of Hollywood, but a bad year for A Good Year. The Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe team-up only grossed $7 million domestically, and has been labeled a flop. Variety has listed the major box office disappointments for 2006, and interestingly enough, a few of them have to do with water. The appropriately bad way to describe their fate, then, is to say that they drowned. Flushed Away, The Lady in the Water, Poseidon and The Fountain (okay, I didn't see it, but I don't think there's an actual water-type fountain), just couldn't swim. Here's some more bad puns: Sharon Stone didn't have the Basic Instict 2 stay away from a dumb sequel; Producer Dean Devin said, "Flyboys," to his new movie but it crashed and burned; All the King's Men stayed away from this remake, and so did everyone else; Audiences let their Freedomland in other activities besides seeing a movie starring Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson. There's no pun needed for The Wicker Man; it just sucked.Unlike the biggest flops of all time, none of these movies from 2006 broke a studio or likely ended a career. Ridley Scott and Wolfgang Petersen (director of Poseidon) have had flops before, but they can be forgiven for "flukes" every once in awhile since they usually turn out successful work. Plus, their films did okay business overseas. International box office saves more flops these days than back in the times of the really big bombs. Most of the other filmmakers represented are also probable to bounce back, or at least fall back on their other talents. Joe Roth (Freedomland) has already returned to producing. Steve Zaillian (All the King's Men) is back to writing. Tony Bill (Flyboys) may continue acting. Michael Caton-Jones (Basic Instinct 2) will eventually make another crappy film. M. Night Shyamalan (Lady in the Water) might need to be forced to work on somebody else's script for once, but he isn't going to disappear anytime soon, unfortunately.
Bettie Page And Big League Baseball: The New York Times In 60 Seconds
Filed under: New Releases », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », New York Times in 60 Seconds », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Lists »
Playwright Martin
McDonagh always wanted to be a director, and now his live-action short, Six Shooter, has won an Academy
Award. - Universal is getting a lot of criticism, but it's not going to pull the trailer for United 93.
- The "Times Pulse" says that Basic Instinct 2 is the most popular movie among New York Times readers. That's probably why it came in 10th in the box office this weekend. Its opening weekend.
- I had no idea that Mary Harron, who directed American Psycho, also directed the new flick The Notorious Bettie Page, with Gretchen Mol as the famous 50s pinup icon.
- The new baseball season started yesterday, and the paper gives a
rundown of the twelve baseball movies being celebrated at MoMA. But it's woefully incomplete. I mean, no mention of
good flicks like Rookie of the Year, Little Big League, or Fever Pitch? Any of those movies
are better than Cobb.
Bad Trailers And Bad Women: Entertainment Weekly In 60 Seconds
Filed under: New Releases », Entertainment Weekly in 60 Seconds », Newsstand », Home Entertainment », Movie Marketing », Lists »
Lisa Schwarzbaum discusses the really misleading trailer
for ATL.
It's a roller skating movie!- In honor of Sharon Stone's return as Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct 2, EW lists 10 femmes fatale. Some great choices, but do Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman really deserve to be in the top 10 of all-time? Who's missing from this list?
- Is American Beauty really the worst film ever to win the Best Picture Oscar?
- New movies: they give Basic Instinct 2 a B-, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown a B , and Slither a B .
- New on DVD (not online, for some reason): they give a B- to The Mel Brooks Collection, a B to The Billy Wilder Collection, an A to 9 to 5, and a B to the Director's Cut of Crash.
Quick List: Five Favorite Ice-Bound Movie Moments
Blu-ray Review: Funny People
See A Little 'Kick-Ass' In This Teaser Trailer
The Geek Beat: Rated M For Mature
'Clash of the Titans' Trailer Now Online!
