octopussy Tagged Articles at Cinematical
RIP: Reel Important People -- November 26, 2007
Filed under: Obits », James Bond », Cinematical Indie »
Hollis Alpert (1916-2007) - Writer and film critic who co-founded the National Society of Film Critics with Pauline Kael in 1966. He was a critic for Woman's Day and Saturday Review and was editor-in-chief for American Film Magazine. He also wrote on film for Playboy, Esquire and Cosmopolitan and authored several biographies of Hollywood personalities, including The Barrymores and Marlon Brando. He died November 18 in Naples, Florida. (NY Times) - Alan Barnard (1928-2007) - Special effects technician who worked on Full Metal Jacket, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Dirty Dozen, Octopussy, Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Supergirl, Dragonslayer, Moonraker, Lifeforce and Gandhi. His specialty was the production and operation of machines that simulate wind, fire, rain, smoke and waves. He died in October. (Welwyn & Hatfield Times)
- Pierre Granier-Deferre (1927-2007) - French filmmaker who co-wrote and directed Le Chat, La Horse, Le Train and La Cage. He also directed Alain Delon in La Race des 'seigneurs' (Creezy), La Veuve Couderc (The Widow Couderc) and Le Toubib (The Medic). He died November 16 in Paris. (Variety)
- Fernando Fernán-Gómez (1921-2007) - Spanish director and actor (pictured) who is best known here for playing the father of Penelope Cruz' character in All About My Mother. He also co-stars in Fernando Trueba's Belle Epoque (also with Cruz), Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive, José Luis Cuerda's Butterfly, Carlos Saura's Mama Turns 100, Antonio Hernández's The City of No Limits and José Luis Garci's El Abuelo (The Grandfather). He directed The Strange Journey and wrote and directed the comedies Life Goes On, Life Around Us and Life Ahead. He died of heart complications November 21, in Madrid. (Variety)
- Emily Gamboa (1939-2007) - Production coordinator/secretary for the Mexican shoots for Predator, Romancing the Stone, Men With Guns, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, The Falcon and the Snowman, Missing and Medicine Man. She died of pneumonia November 11, in Mexico City. (IMDb)
Are These the Worst Movie Titles of All Time?
Filed under: New Releases », Lists »
Included in this week's new releases is Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, a film I was sure would be retitled before being introduced to the public. Alas, it was not, and if it fails at the box office, there's a high likelihood that the title will be blamed. Of course, it isn't the worst movie title in history. The contenders for that honor are featured in a list over at MSN Movies, written up to "celebrate" this week's addition to the bad name hall of fame. The MSN writer vows never to see Magorium simply because he or she refuses to say the title out loud (you could see it without stating the name, if you buy your tickets online). Personally, I wouldn't mind asking for a ticket to the movie, but I'm apt to accidentally call it Food Emporium, since that's what always comes up in my mind when I'm thinking about the Dustin Hoffman/Natalie Portman Willy Wonka rip-off. For some reason MSN's top ten worst film titles includes Octopussy, which I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking is in fact one of the BEST movie titles ever (and best title fonts ever). I also have a soft spot for titles Gigli, Operation Dumbo Drop and one of the runners-up, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I would probably substitute those with Ballistic Ecks vs. Sever, BlackMale, K-19 The Widowmaker and K-PAX (maybe I just hate K-titles, which now make me think of K-Fed), all of which were included in another bad-movie-title list on Retro Crush from 2003. No list is perfect, though, and for some reason Retro Crush actually hates on longtime favorite Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (it's bad, but it's also so good!). Other nominees for the worst title of all time can be found at Wanderlist (perfect example: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain) and Mutant Reviews (more hatin' on Breakin' 2? pffft!). So, what is your pick for worst movie title ever?
Sony Looking for 'Spider-Man 4' Scripters, Source Says
Filed under: Action », Sony », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
In a story about this summer's blockbuster franchises and the plans for their continuation, iF Magazine shares this interesting quote from Sony Pictures chairperson Amy Pascal: "If you want the kind of longevity we're hoping for with Spider-Man, you have to think of them as stand-alone movies, not '1-2-3-4'. They're sort of like the James Bond stories." I find this statement quite amusing considering the definite three-part story arc followed in the first few Spider-Man movies. Plus, if Sony didn't mean for us to think of each as a numerical installment, the studio might have wanted to title the sequels differently than Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. They should have done something more along the lines of The Dark Knight or Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.But thinking of the Spider-Man series as being like the 007 franchise would make it okay for Sony to replace Tobey Maguire in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, which could happen if the actor refuses the reported $20 million offer to return. Sony is currently looking for screenwriters to pen Spider-Man 4, though the studio has already been talking with David Koepp, who wrote the first installment, about signing on. Koepp is also responsible for writing the next Indiana Jones movie, a fourth installment in a franchise that does actually consist of stand-alone parts. Whoever is hired for the script, though, it may, according to Pascal's statement, be more of a one-shot rather than the beginning of another trilogy (the studio is apparently interested in at least three more films). Perhaps they can title it one of the following number-less suggestions: Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage; Spider-Man and the Lizard's Tale; Doc Octopussy. Or, if they re-cast and reboot, a la The Incredible Hulk: The Amazing Spider-Man; The Spectacular Spider-Man; Web of Spider-Man; etc.
Warner Bros Will Make Clint Eastwood Fans' Day
Their Best Role: Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'
Discuss: How Long Should You Keep Netflix DVDs?
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
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