NOTE: I edited and partly wrote the following feature for LimitéMagazine.com.
(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)
Academy Originals: A Film Buff’s Best Friend
This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launched its first original web series. Every Monday, a new Academy Originals webisode will be released, exploring a range of film-related topics. Three webisodes were part of this week’s launch, including time spent with film buff Patton Oswalt as he ventured through the Academy Archives, a look into how innovations in motion pictures allow the blind to enjoy films, and a meet with screenwriter Tina Gordon Chism as she describes her creative process.
This is a must-see for any film and Academy enthusiast. Subscribe to the YouTube channel here so you don’t miss each week’s new webisode.
One of the Good Guys: Jefferson Smith and Behind the Scenes of MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
There’s Frank Underwood … and then there’s Jefferson Smith. They’re about as opposite as opposites get. With antiheroes dominating pop culture as of late, it’s worth taking a step to the left to appreciate one of the good guys. Smith, portrayed by my favorite actor James Stewart in my favorite film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), may be naive, but he’s also pure of heart. It’s his pure intentions and intestinal fortitude that make all the difference when he seeks to make a difference. And he succeeds.
Check out these behind-the-scenes images from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, featuring Stewart, director Frank Capra, co-stars Jean Arthur and Claude Rains, and more.
May the 4th be with You: “George Lucas in Love” to be Re-Released May 20th
Star Wars fever has captivated the world since the original film’s initial release in 1977, but with recent news of Episode VII‘s casting and today being … um … May the 4th, it’s only fitting that news comes out about the 15th anniversary re-release of celebrated short film “George Lucas in Love.” At under 9 minutes, the Joe Nussbaum-directed film takes a hilarious look at the “origin” story of the iconic movie franchise by following a young George Lucas, a film student struggling with writer’s block, who learns that sometimes the best untold stories are the ones staring you right in the face.
The film was released in 1999, one year after Best Picture winner Shakespeare in Love was popular in theatres, so imagine the short’s added relevance then. Fifteen years later, it remains as funny as ever —and perhaps even more relevant as the world prepares itself for J.J. Abrams’s latest incarnation next year.
“George Lucas in Love” will be available for download on iTunes on May 20.
Game of Thrones: Why That Controversial Scene Is Okay in My Book
Before I begin, I must disclose that my day job is working for a company that retains HBO as a client. That said, my company’s affiliation has no bearing on my views regarding HBO or its series.
Warning: This commentary contains spoilers.
This blog has always been wholly dedicated to film, but allow me to take a left turn for a moment and focus on another of my passions: television.
A couple of weeks ago, HBO aired a controversial scene in Game of Thrones in which nobleman Jaime Lannister (portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) rapes his twin sister and frequent lover Cersei (Lena Headey) in front of the corpse of their eldest son. And then a fan uproar commenced. Diehard fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series—on which Game of Thrones is based—immediately flocked to the Internet to complain that this scene was not accurately depicted on television as it was in the book. I haven’t read the books, but I understand that the novelization depicts a consensual sexual encounter—certainly not a rape. Book lovers, get over it. Television and film depictions are often different than what’s in the source material, and that’s done for a reason. But that’s another commentary for another time. My current interest is in defending the scene as it played out on screen.
Continue reading Game of Thrones: Why That Controversial Scene Is Okay in My Book
Coming Soon: The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
An ill-tempered Brooklyn man is told he has 90 minutes to live, and then stuff happens. It’s hardly an original story, yet I can’t help but be lured by the impressive cast. Robin Williams. Mila Kunis. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion!). Richard Kind. Melissa Leo. James Earl Jones. Hamish Linklater. (I’m kind of a sucker for Hamish.) Add my adopted home of Brooklyn on top of it and this looks to be a fun ride, coming to theatres May 23rd.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZEd-zrROsY]Waiting in the Rain: My Oscars 2014 Experience
It’s not every day I get the opportunity to fly out to LA for the Oscars, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t post about my experience at this year’s Academy Awards. My friend Stephanie and I ventured to Hollywood primarily for our Red Carpet experience, but we took our extended weekend to meet with friends, see some sites, and tour the Paramount Pictures studios. Still, our Oscar Fan Experience was the weekend’s crown jewel, so I’ll be focusing this post on that.
Our call time was 10am and we arrived a bit early, so we hung out at a donut shop nearby for our “pre-gaming.” (I had been to LA just a few years earlier and didn’t notice all of the donut shops. This time, however, that’s all I could see—for miles and miles. And these aren’t fancy, gourmet donut shops; these are hole-in-the-wall, cheapo places.)
Continue reading Waiting in the Rain: My Oscars 2014 Experience
Coming Soon: Transcendence
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCTen3-B8GU]
Johnny Depp. Rebecca Hall. Paul Bettany. Kata Mara. Morgan Freeman. Cillian Murphy. And above them all, Wally Pfister.
After a terminally ill scientist downloads his mind into a computer, he discovers unimaginable powers. Depp sheds the heavy makeup for this sci-fi action pic, which doesn’t usually bode as well for his films’ box office receipts. However, this time he has Wally Pfister, the Oscar-winning cinematographer behind Christopher Nolan’s films, to guide him in Pfister’s directorial debut. After standing behind the camera for dozens of critical and box office favorites, it should be interesting to see how much of Nolan’s influence—if any—bears on Pfister’s turn in the director’s chair.
Transcendence is slated for an April 18 bow.
A Film of Olympic Proportions
In light of the Olympic Winter Games and TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar, it seems appropriate to draw focus to the classic film Chariots of Fire. Set during the 1924 Olympic Games, one Jewish and one Christian track athlete—both British—compete against each other in this epic story of sportsmanship. Directed by Hugh Hudson, the 1981 film went on to capture four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and its now Olympics-synonymous score. Other nominations were earned for the film’s directing, editing, and supporting performance by Ian Holm.
Transport yourself back to 1924 and the Olympic games and take a listen to this iconic, Oscar-winning score:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY3XiM7oGj0]Noah: A Man and His Boat
Straight from the fucked-up mind who brought us Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Black Swan (2010), comes the epic Biblical story (which Biblical stories aren’t epic?) of Noah and his famous ark. Auteur Darren Aronofsky and his mustache take us back to the days when a storm could flood the earth with such apocalyptic might that only a monstrous boat could save a man and his family.
Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly reunite after 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, and along with Emma Watson, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and rising star Logan Lerman, their characters will try to defy the impossible in Noah, which is due to surge into theatres this March 28.
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