the big lebowski Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Seven: "WTF?" Dance Scenes in Non-Musicals
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Cinematical Seven »
I think it's safe to tell you, without spoiling the movie, that The Men Who Stare at Goats includes a couple of scenes with Jeff Bridges and George Clooney dancing around. The scenes are amusing and a little strange -- why are soldiers dancing? But they did fit consistently with the film as a whole. However, I was reminded of moments in movies that aren't musicals, but suddenly shift to some crazy kind of dance or musical number. I love these moments, and in fact I wish the dance scenes in The Men Who Stare at Goats were a little less toned-down and a little more "WTF?"
Okay, I'm kind of BS'ing you here. The Men Who Stare at Goats is a flimsy excuse. I really just wanted to write about surreal dance numbers in otherwise straightforward movies, because that can be so much fun. Last year's Adam Sandler vehicle Bedtime Stories was an annoying dud ... except for one glorious, shining moment where Guy Pearce launched into a song-and-dance number. Sometimes these dance moments are the best part of a movie, sometimes they spoil the mood and sometimes they're just one more weird aspect of an altogether bizarre film. Here are seven of my favorites.
Lebowski Meets Truman: Rewinding 1998
Every once in a while my brain returns to 1998, the first full year I worked as a film critic. What happens is that something will remind me of a movie that has aged particularly well, something like The Big Lebowski or A Simple Plan, and I'll notice that there were quite a lot of good movies that year, and that many of them didn't get much love at the time. But then I'll start thinking about all those movies that did get lots of love -- especially Oscar love -- and how they haven't aged well at all. By looking at the Oscars and the box office list, you'd think it was a terrible movie year, but in reality it was a great movie year. How does this happen?
One of the things I ask myself is: why wasn't Jeff Bridges nominated for Best Actor for The Big Lebowski? And come to that, why wasn't Jim Carrey nominated for the otherwise highly acclaimed and beloved The Truman Show? Or Warren Beatty for Bulworth? How about George Clooney for Out of Sight, Robert Downey Jr. for Two Girls and a Guy, or Johnny Depp for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Or, heck, why not the 14 year-old Eamonn Owens for his astonishing performance in The Butcher Boy? The answer is, of course, because the Academy had to make room for message movies, war movies and Holocaust movies.
Cinematical Seven: Wicked Hangovers on Film
Filed under: New Releases », Johnny Depp », Cinematical Seven », Lists », Summer Movies »
So, in honor of the hard-partiers in The Hangover, here's seven wicked hangovers captured onscreen. It's difficult to narrow it down to just seven, so I've tried to represent just about everything except Cocktail. There's individual scenes, dark tales, and laugh out loud fratboy antics here, and ranked completely at random. They might actually make you think twice about accepting another shot of tequlia. Of course, if we ever learned from cinematic example or past experience, we'd probably never bite the lime or shout "Nastrovia!" more than once in our entire lives.
*There's no proof Franklin ever said this, but let's just lie and say he did
Fan Made: The Coen Bros Cross Stitch
Filed under: Comedy », Fandom », Fan Made »
The above was actually found by Scott Weinberg, who sent it to me when I pitched yesterday's Big Lebowski discussion to him. It comes by way of Flickr and was made by a very talented individual known only to us as "Gillyweed25." She created it using an antique French cross stitch pattern ... and I admire how the flowers not only tie into the design, but also censor it for sensitive viewers. It's so retro and calm, and would really tie a room together.
And speaking of that homely Fargo poster, it too has been recreated by a blogger named Spazzmanda, who had her creation featured on Craftzine. It's spot on, right down to the border.
I haven't come across anything from Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, or O Brother Where Art Thou yet. So maybe I'll practice my own needlework skills by stitching "I must have been an antelope or an ibex" onto a pillow.
Are You a Woman Who Hates 'The Big Lebowski'? Then I Want to Hear From You!
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Fandom »
Months ago, I was talking about the Coen Bros with a guy, and he asked me what I thought of The Big Lebowski. "It's funny," I said. "Why?" I can't remember his exact reply, but it was something along the lines of "All women seem to really hate it / every woman I talk to says its their least favorite."
When I watched it last night his words came back to me, so I tried to watch it from an overly sensitive and critical feminine standpoint, but nothing jumped out as troubling or offensive. Sure, there's some boobs and looking up skirts, but overall it's a movie that I would label "a crowd pleaser." Of course, I have the radical belief that men and women (gasp) largely enjoy the same films. (I should mention that nowhere in our Coen Bros discussion did my friend imply otherwise -- he's not that type of man.)
Just for the heck of it, I googled "women and the Big Lebowski" and found ... nothing. In fact, googling "Big Lebowski sweater pattern" (I'm still trying to find one -- if you've got a pattern, please share it with me) actually turned up a lot of women who were seeking out the sweater for themselves or a loved one. In fact, a lot of women seem to have a very unique relationship with the Dude -- crushing on him while coveting his jelly shoes.
Naturally, I have to put these types of lingering questions to Cinematical readers -- who I fully expect love The Big Lebowski regardless of gender, but I'd like to know if any guy or girl has encountered a gender bias for this film.
Discuss: Funniest Edited-for-TV Movie Scenes
Filed under: Fandom », Home Entertainment »
There was a time back in the day when I had no other choice but to watch the edited-for-TV version of movies, and whenever I'd get to a great little foul-mouthed R-rated gem, it'd be too painful to sit through. The way they'd chop it up and replace classic lines with sentences that made no sense whatsoever in real life or within the context of the movie. Now, however, I've grown up and rarely watch a film on network television unless there's absolutely nothing else on or I'm in the mood to laugh.
That's right, these days I actually get a kick out of watching the edited-for-TV version of my favorite movies. Why? Because while their ridiculous edits used to make me cringe, now they just crack me up. Take, for example, this scene from The Big Lebowski below. Walter (John Goodman) shows up to bash the car of a dude he thinks wronged him, only to wind up smashing up the wrong set of wheels. And during his tirade, his character says things like, "See, Larry, this is what happens when you f*ck a stranger in the a**." However, in the edited-for-TV version, that turned into "See, Larry, this is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps."
Huh? What? The alps? Where do they even come up with this stuff? Check out the scene below, then tell us what your favorite edited-for-TV movies are. Is there a particular scene you remember as being so chopped up, it didn't even make sense when it aired? Sound off below ...
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Cinematical Seven: Glaringly Obvious Oscar Omissions
Filed under: Awards », Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Oscar Watch »
Okay, really this should be more of a top 100 list, so these seven are more "off the top of my head" than any kind of definitive selection. There are several kinds of Oscar snubs. There are talented actors, artists and filmmakers who have never been nominated, and others who have been nominated many times and never won. There are great films that received one or two nominations in minor categories (Vertigo, Singin' in the Rain) and great films that received none at all. The ones I've chosen here are the ones that, especially in retrospect, seem like the most obvious omissions.
1. Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive (2001)
Watts did receive a nomination two years later for 21 Grams, though that was clearly a case of making up for this mistake. In 2001, no one gave a slyer or more canny performance, in any film, in any category. Watts not only plumbed the depths of her soul for material, but also stretched to two opposite extremes of the character's personality, making up the two parts of this great, enigmatic film. It was historically important that Halle Berry won the Oscar that year, but considering the other nominees: Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary), Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom), Judi Dench (Iris) and Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge), Watts' snub is a real head-scratcher.
New 'Lebowski' DVD May Be Right Up Your Alley
Filed under: Comedy », Universal », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Movie Marketing »
To triple dip or to wait? That is the question facing Dude-loving fans of the Coen Brothers' cracked comedy The Big Lebowski, which is due out on September 9 in a Tenth Anniversary Edition from Universal Home Video. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Julianne Moore star. The announcement was made without details on bonus features; DVD Active has now posted pictures of the menu screens, so we know what's new.
The Big Lebowski was initially released on DVD in 1998, and then was remastered for the 2005 Collectors' Edition. That edition included a "making of" feature, photos by Jeff Bridges, and a brief, jokey introduction. Those extras were included on the HD-DVD edition, released in June 2007 (and reviewed at High-Def Digest). The Tenth Anniversary Edition features those extras plus more: "The Dude's Life," "The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later," production notes, theatrical trailer, "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," "Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of the Dude," interactive map, and photo gallery.
A standard Tenth Anniversary Edition will reportedly retail for $19.98, while a Limited Edition "in special bowling ball packaging" (pictured) will also be available. No news on a Blu-ray edition, though, so the question remains: will you triple dip or wait for Blu-ray? Or will you roll this sucker into your alley? The Dude wants to know.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Burn After Reading' Poster Premiere!
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Mystery & Suspense », Fandom », Brad Pitt », Images », Posters »
Cinematical is absolutely stoked to be premiering this exclusive poster for Burn After Reading (click to enlarge), written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen -- whose last film, No Country for Old Men, caused quite the stir last year online, in theaters and at the Academy Awards. Not sure if you heard of it ... something about a cowboy and a weird haircut? Yes? Maybe? Anyway, one thing the Coen boys are known for are their casts, and Burn After Reading is no exception; this flick boasts appearances from, well, read the poster. You've got Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton. Need I say more? Or less? (Will this post self-destruct in sixty seconds?)
What's being touted as a "dark, spy-comedy," Burn After Reading looks to return the brothers to the kind of humor that was found in films like Raising Arizona or The Big Lebowski (two of my personal favs). The synopsis goes a little something like this: An ousted CIA official's (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.
Burn After Reading will premiere at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before arriving in theaters on September 12th.
Who Should Be in Oliver Stone's Bush Biopic?
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Politics », Polls »
So far, there are only a few actors officially attached to Oliver Stone's W., the epic biopic about our current commander-in-chief. Josh Brolin was cast as President George W. Bush back in January, then recently Elizabeth Banks was chosen as his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, and last week James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn were locked into the roles of former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, respectively. Unofficial casting bites, though, include a lot of other big name actors. Jeffrey Wright is reportedly in negotiations to play Colin Powell, Tommy Lee Jones is supposedly being sought for Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Duvall has been rumored to be the choice for Vice President Dick Cheney and now both Paul Giamatti and Toby Jones are being named as potentials for the part of Karl Rove (who Giamatti may have already channeled for his character in Shoot 'Em Up).
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