kiss me deadly Tagged Articles at Cinematical
News Bites: Beethoven, 90210, and PG Porn
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Deals », Shorts », Distribution », Family Films », Home Entertainment »
Sixteen years ago, we got Beethoven -- not Ludwig, but rather the big ol' St. Bernard. Just in case four sequels and a stint on television wasn't enough for you, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Universal is releasing yet another direct-to-DVD sequel on December 30 -- Beethoven's Big Break. I guess they gave up punning on Ludwig with their titles. But just because it's not going to the big screen doesn't mean you can't see the pup in huge glory -- it seems that a giant Beethoven balloon will be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. I bet it'll be cuter than the movie.In other DVD news: Have you ever scoured the DVD shelves, discovered some strange, old film with current stars, and comment on how someone unearthed the crappy flick to make money on the actor's newfound fame? Well, this next bit is something like that. THR also reports that ex 90210 gals Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty are hitting DVD shelves with Kiss the Bride and Kiss Me Deadly (respectively, and I don't think connected) to tap into some of that spotlight currently shining once again on Beverly Hills High. Ever watch either flick? Thumbs up ... down?
Finally, James Gunn's PG Porn has debuted. You can check it out after the jump. Remember -- just because Aria Giovanni is in it doesn't mean that it's going to be explicit. So, check out Nathan Fillion acting like a porn star who doesn't get the goods -- it's not quite Funny or Die funny, but I'll definitely keep watching.
9/11 Conspiracy Movie to Open on 9/11
Filed under: Independent », Thrillers », Celebrities and Controversy », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
How will you spend the 7th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks? Here's an idea: head to NYC's Two Boots Pioneer Theater for the opening night screening of Able Danger, an acclaimed independent film based around the conspiracy theory that U.S. intelligence was involved in the planning and execution of the tragic events on the morning of that infamous date. Even if you think the idea of a 9/11 conspiracy is ludicrous and in poor taste, the premiere screening should be interesting, because writer-director Paul Krik will be on hand for a Q&A. And this is the sort of city where people will likely show up for a debate. Of course, while subsequent screenings throughout the film's one-week engagement won't be attended by Krik, there could still be some engaging conversation to be had with fellow audience members. So if you can't make the initial showing, don't worry about missing out on all the fun.The film, which stars Elina Löwensohn (Nadja) and Adam Nee, is a fictional thriller (Variety labels it a mix between The Maltese Falcon and Kiss Me Deadly) about a couple of 9/11 "truthers" attempting to expose the conspiracy using a hard-drive filled with data thought to be destroyed by a real classified government program named Able Danger. It had its world premiere back in January at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and has since screened at the Cannes Film Market (aka the Marche du Film) and opened the Brooklyn International Film Festival, where it won a special award of excellence. For more on the film, check out the website, where you can use a plane-shaped cursor to click on explosive links located on a graphic of the World Trade Center (classy!). You can also watch the film's trailer below, after the jump.
Fantastic Fest Interview: Richard Kelly, Writer-Director of 'Southland Tales'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fantastic Fest », Interviews », Cinematical Indie », Samuel Goldwyn Films »
One of the surprises at this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin was the first public screening of the recut version of Southland Tales, which will be released in theaters starting in November. The film was written and directed by Richard Kelly, and a longer, unfinished version premiered at Cannes in 2006. Kelly is probably best known for his previous film, Donnie Darko, although since then he also wrote the script for Domino. Kelly attended the Fantastic Fest screening of Southland Tales, and Cinematical was able to sit down with him for a few minutes before he left Austin. (And yes, that's the actual Bone Shack sign from Planet Terror/Grindhouse that he's standing under, in the photo above.)
Cinematical: What made you decide to bring Southland Tales to Fantastic Fest?
Richard Kelly: It was Harry [Knowles, of AICN] -- Harry's been a great friend over the years. This is the first time anyone's seen the finished version, and we wanted to show it to the right audience, and at this festival people are very receptive to adventurous material. Harry had a great way of summing it up: he said it was a "science-fiction noir thriller." I love that description, because it crosses different genres. And for me, it's a comedy. We literally just finished it, and we weren't ready for Toronto -- we didn't know if Toronto was the best place, but Fantastic Fest felt right.
Cinematical: The version we saw here in Austin is the one that will be in theaters in November?
RK: Absolutely.
RIP: Mickey Spillane
Filed under: Action », Classics », Fandom », Obits »
In addition to watching a hell of a lot of movies, I'm also a frenzied reader (no, I don't get out much). My favorite genre is classic hard-boiled detective fiction, by genius like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross Macdonald. When I first picked up a book by Mickey Spillane, I was stunned at how different his style was from that of the writers I loved: There was a pulpy, hard, nastiness there, as well as a casual misogyny that, while it offended me, was also probably a lot more realistic than the romantic tendencies of most of my favorites.
As turned off as I thought I was by Spillane, I could never get either him or his bastard of a main character, Mike Hammer, out of my head. There was always something about both of them that was unshakable: A total lack of shame, and a commitment so strong that, no matter how much they pissed you off (and for me, that happened a lot), you had to respect their passion. The best Hammer films (Spillane, just as tough as his creation, played Hammer in 1963's The Girl Hunters) had that same passion -- and they were also, for me, just as hard to stomach as the novels, with their conservatism, violence, and dismissal of woman. The thing is, though, that those damn things stuck with me, too. And after I saw it for the third time, I suddenly realized that I loved the bizarre, wonderful Kiss Me Deadly. And that Ralph Meeker's macho, foolish Mike Hammer was a fantastic, perfect character, in spite of all the things I thought I hated about him.
And when I heard this morning that Spillane had died at 88, I was stunned by how hard it hit me. It may be against our better judgment, Mickey, but you're already missed.
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