Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm posted by Drew Lazor
Photo | Drew Lazor
It’s been a very Star Wars-y couple of days here at CP. First we get this pop-up lightsaber in the mail as part of a Clone Wars press kit. (From the directions: “CAUTION: To activate Lightsaber, point AWAY from persons or animals.”) That’s Editor in Chief Brian Howard wielding it fiercely.
Then I find this amazing two-part Star Wars interview from Philly’s The Mike Douglas Show. Originally aired in July of 1977, right before the movie came out, the episode features Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. Other guests were Pete Rose and Tom Seaver (!).
“Star Wars has a few things that no other motion picture has ever had,” says Douglas in the opening. “A robot named C3PO that talks, and one named R2D2 who just beeps and clicks. It has the fearsome Stormtroopers of a galactic empire … and a 100-year-old Wookiee. Whatever that is.”
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 2:00 pm posted by Molly Eichel
Almost as iconic as the Charles Schulz’s funnies of his childhood doppelganger Charlie Brown and co. are Bill Melendez’s animated specials starring the entire Peanuts gang. Melendez died on Tuesday at the age of 91.
Like Schulz, Melendez — who directed, produced or animated all Peanuts TV specials, movies and commercials, not to mention voiced the nonspeaking Snoopy — was a simple revolutionary. While his his flat animation may seem to hold only sentimental value for those who gather ’round the warm television set every Halloween or Christmas to catch the ever-rerunning specials, the cartoons are far from Saturday morning stock. Melendez’s AP obit looks at the controversy that surrounded 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas:
The show reportedly worried CBS because it broke so much new ground for a cartoon: It lacked a laugh track,
used real children as voice actors, had a jazz score and included a
scene in which Linus recited lines from the New Testament
Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm posted by Molly Eichel
What would J.C.V.D. do?
variety.com
Are you ready for the greatest movie of all time? Actually, scientists have done hours upon hours of fake research proving that it’s impossible to be ready for how awesome this movie is going to be. Yeah, that’s right, people, J.C.V.D. found an American distributor and will (fingers crossed) be hitting a theater near you.
“JCVD” stars the Brussels Muscles as himself, who returns to his hometown licking the wounds of a tanking career.He gets involved in a hostage situation, whereby the muscles are re-introduced.
Okay, hyperbole and admittedly frightening fascination aside, this movie is actually supposed to be pretty good. Variety has Rob Nelson’s review (he’s a legit film critic) from the Cannes film fest where it premiered:
Van Damme is back! Combined with recent news that the Muscles from
Brussels will soon turn auteur with “Full Love,” Gaumont’s “JCVD,” a
French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the
headiest stretch of the beefy star’s career since, well, ever. Playing
“himself,” i.e., an international action stud whose bruising child
custody battle has him literally going postal , exec-producing
Jean-Claude Van Damme reveals heretofore hidden third dimension to his
monosyllabic persona.
Ho-hum hostage crisis mayhem serves to buttress co-scripting helmer
Mabrouk El Mechri’s more experimental stunts, including a tonally
opposite pair of longish takes — one a wonderfully absurd ode to
star’s martial-arts moves, the other a tear- and prayer-filled Van
Damme monologue that must be seen to be believed. An adventurous U.S.
minimajor could reap modest B.O. following a June 4 French release.
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 3:42 pm posted by Molly Eichel
haacked.com
The Shogun of Harlem is dead.
Actor Julius Carrey, who played the Sho’nuff in the ridiculous(ly awesome) 1985 movie The Last Dragon, passed away yesterday at 56. Produced by Motown head honcho Berry Gordy, The Last Dragon follows Leroy Green (aka Bruce Leroy) on his quest for “The Glow,” which will make him the greatest fighter in the world. Sho’nuff is his arch-nemesis who gets to say things like, “Kiss my converse.” Carrey is the best part of the movie, hamming it up any chance he gets. Check out highlights below:
1) That scene where Gene Wilder goes, “What knockers!” 2) It’s free. 3) Michael Nutter’s gonna be there.
Wha? From the press release:
On Thursday, Aug. 14, at 7:30 PM, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will yuck it up with hundreds of Mel Brook fans for the screening of Young Frankenstein. This 1974 film featured the collective comedic genius’ of Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman, and quickly became a cult classic.
Maybe he’s trying to win back some cred after attending the premiere of all-around poopy Sex and the City?
I went to one of these Schuylkill movie things a few years back and it was all smelly breezes and messed-up DVDs, but it looks like they’ve learned a few things — promising free pretzels, popcorn, ice cream and goodies courtesy of IKEA (meatballs?! pleasepleaseplease).
Lionsgate
has acquired the Duane Swierczynski novel “Severance Package” and has
hired helmer Brett Simon (”Assassination of a High School President”)
to write the script with the author and direct.
The
protag is a media relations director of a financial company who learns
that the firm was a front for a covert intelligence agency that is
being shut down immediately, with every manager scheduled to be
terminated–literally. The novel is a recipe for a Tarantino-esque,
stylistically violent film, and it was discovered by Marc Platt Prods.
prexy Siegel and Lionsgate veep Jim Miller. Novel was published May 27 by St. Martin’s Minotaur.
Aronofsky’s The Wrestler tells the story of a old professional wrestler (Mickey Rourke) barely making a living on the independent circuit, who is told by a doctor that he could die if he wrestles again. It’s a film which attempts to do for wrestling what Rocky did for boxing. Marisa Tomei </
I Served the King of England ()
