About: Gillian
dreamer, drinker, blogger, PhotoBooth aficionado, tall chick, trivia obsessed movie-lover, hypersubtextualizer, social networker, speller extraordinaire
Site | Contact Gillian
I personally think it’s way too early for Oscar talk and don’t care too much about the International FIlm Festivals (and won’t until someone decides to send me to Venice to cover one), but that’s what going on this week. There’s nothing worth seeing at the movies (Bangkok Dangerous??) and fall TV hasn’t even started yet. Time to go back to bed.
- In this week’s Gold Derby blog at latimes.com, Tom O’Neill confronts the question: could Peter O’Toole beat out Heath Ledger for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar? Then he goes on to describe O’Toole’s latest vehicle, Dean Spanley that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, as “lollipop sweet” and “a nice Disney or Hallmark pic.” The whole (imagined) conflict is at the core of how basically unimportant and random the Oscars are. How could Ledger’s Joker even be in the same category as a curmudgeonly but sweet grandpa? The question I want to confront is: How do I get a cushy and completely unnecessary job like Tom O’Neill?
[Read more →]
Tags: Entertainment · Film · News · Visual Arts · local news
Finally, Heath Ledger’s final film, Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (try saying that after a whiskey sour) is having trouble finding a U.S. distributor because of Gilliam’s somewhat Grimm box office record. Come on, take a chance on this one! You had me at Heath!- Speaking of the Half-Blood Prince, the new Harry Potter movie has been unceremoniously shoved out of its 2008 release date. Instead of a November release this year, the movie is now scheduled for summer 2009. Warner Bros. doesn’t even have a reason like being behind — no, they just want to cash in as much as possible to make up whatever they lost during the writer’s strike. Even though I don’t care about this movie, that’s kind of irritating. I’m glad I don’t have to explain this to my kids
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
August 11th, 2008 Written by: Gillian · 1 Comment
Some sad happenings, big openings and minor announcements. Like most weekends at my apartment.
- Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac both passed away over the weekend at the respective ages of 65 and 50. I don’t have anything cheeky to say about it. Well, I do, but I won’t
- Pineapple Express had a big opening this weekend, making around $22 million since Wednesday. This wasn’t enough to smoke The Dark Knight, though which took number one for the 4th weekend in a row and has made a staggering $441 million since it opened. Holy grosses, Batman!
- It was announced that Brad Pitt will have a major role in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming WWII movie, Inglorious Bastards. Also in talks are Simon Pegg and B.J. Novak from The Office. Hostel director Eli Roth has already been cast. I can only hope something horrific happens to his character as punishment for making Hostel.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
I’m fresh from Comic Con and ready to tackle news that’s geeky in a different but related way:
- An article in the LA Times explores the burgeoning economy of web-based entertainment in the form of little girls with dirty mouths and French Maids with light sabers. The actors don’t have contracts, the writers don’t have agents, I don’t have the attention span to read this feature. But check out the pictures
- The Dark Knight cast a looming shadow over the box office again this weekend - although The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor won the battle overseas. As if we needed further proof that Americans had better taste than the rest of the world
- With Dark Knight, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk all making bank this summer, Sony has decided to continue forward with a Spider Man spinoff centered around the villain Venom, who was played by Topher Grace in the Spider Man 3. After the wholly disappointing third installment of that franchise, I’m not really sure it’s a great idea. But they didn’t ask me.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
Though I don’t have a problem declaring myself a bit of a nerd - or maybe just a nerd aficionado - I’ve never been into comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, Star Wars, video games, MMORPGs or anything like that. Call me stereotypically girly or too cool for school, but those were just never my thing. I’d rather read the subtitles for the latest Almodovar opus than decode fairy tales from space. However, I do like new experiences so I jumped at the chance to head down to San Diego and check out Comic-Con for LA.CityZine. Though the convention began as an affair that catered to comic book nerds fairly exclusively, over the past 3 decades, it has expanded to become one of the biggest conventions in the country with booths from companies as big as Marvel and as unheard of as Dave’s Doodles. I only spent a short day there, but it was Saturday which is unanimously described as the biggest day. Objectively, it was the only day that sold out and when a Convention Center is SOLD OUT, that’s a pretty big day (over 125,000 people).
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
One of the most popular panel’s at this year’s Comic Con was Saturday’s discussion with the guy living every fanboy’s fantasy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and two of the stars of his highly anticipated upcoming series Dollhouse: Buffy Alumnus Eliza Dushku and from Battlestar Galactica (the show that everyone loves to tell you to watch) Tahmoh Penniket. After a thrilling screening of the latest extended trailer, the trio (only Whedon and Dushku were scheduled to appear so fans were delighted to see “Helo” there, too) mostly made with the insider banter and took questions from drooling fans about how the series got started (he came up with it in the bathroom while at lunch with Dushku!) and what fans can expect (a new Whedon world that has elements of fantasy and sci-fi, but is really about “people” instead of “creatures”) Dushku and Penniket were blatantly flirtatious, though she seemed to take the whole thing a little more seriously than either of the men. She was red-carpet ready with bouncy curls and a dark top, Whedon showed up shlubby in a hoody and baggy pants and Penniket sipped on Muscle Milk for most of the panel. I’m sure it’s tough to maintain those bulging biceps - but your protein fix can’t wait an hour? Who knows, maybe it’s part of his plan to solidify some kind of meathead persona for the show. But I doubt it.
[Read more →]
Tags: News · TV
A little slow this week as we call know how Hollywood takes 3 day weekends and stretches them into 8 day weekend. But here it goes:
- In a flurry of last-minute negotiations, NBC Universal made a deal with Landmark to purchase The Weather Channel for just over $3 billion. I wonder if this means we’ll get to see Jack Donaghey analyze the storm tracker. At least once, right? Please?
- Despite lukewarm reviews, Will Smith and Hancock had a huge opening weekend over the holiday bringing in $66 million ove 3 days. I wish I could have got $66 million for being drunk over July 4th…
- The Hollywood Reporter tells me that Senator nabs ‘Public Enemy’ rights. Believe it or not, this headline has nothing to do with Congress, Miranda rights, Chuck D or the next Flavor of Love.
- Sascha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell are in talks to play Sherlock Holmes and Watson, respectively in a new film from producer Judd Apatow.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
This week in industry news: Scientologists, robots and egotistical actors! Welcome to Hollywood, what’s your dream?
- The Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith (remember when he was married to his high school sweetheart and then dumped her for Jada?) are funding a private school that is scheduled to open in Calabasas in the fall. The school is sparking controversy because, even though the Smiths insist they are not Scientologists, a number of the school’s faculty are and the school will be employing teaching methods first written about by Scientologist founder L. Ron Hubbard. I think we’re missing the point here: these kids are going to have to be in Calabasas! That cannot possibly be a good learning environment.
- Pixar’s WALL-E debuted at number one with $62.5 million and Wanted opened at number 2 with $51.1 million, over $100 million between the two of them. As far as summer activities go, that’s like, 10 trips to Disneyland, so, not bad.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
Ever since Toy Story in 1995, each new Pixar movie has opened to more and more anticipation and this year’s Wall-E is no exception. Though clever and touching dialogue from unassuming characters thrust into extraordinary situations like Toy Story’s Woody and Ratatouille’s Remy is one of the hallmarks of these films, Wall-E uses a similar scenario but boldly contains very little dialogue.
Wall-E is a robot whose role is that of a glorified trash compactor, tooling around an abandoned and post-apocalyptic earth collecting knick-knacks, compacting trash and watching Hello, Dolly! His existence is simple but futile on the massive planet that has been overrun with garbage. One day, a ship lands near Wall-E’s home and releases another robot - slick, white and focused on one directive: find life on earth. Wall-E is instantly smitten with the new companion, not-so-subtly named Eve, and his pursuit of her eventually finds the pair of them back on the ship, surrounded by humans who have been cruising aimlessly around space, waiting for a time when it is safe to return to earth.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · Reviews · Screen
All the movie news that’s fit to blog this week…
- Hulk smashes the competition at the box office. M. Night Shyamalan turns green with envy. Cityzine writer is already out of Hulk references. With $54.5 million its opening weekend The Incredible Hulk was #1, with only $30.5 million, The Happening came in 3rd. Kung Fu Panda went from 1 to 2.
- In negotiating news, there is now infighting between SAG and AFTRA because, as you may recall, AFTRA settled with the producers a few weeks ago, but SAG still hasn’t and thinks the previous deal makes their position that much weaker and so is encouraging AFTRA members to vote “NO” on the updated contract. It makes me sad when actors fight and it doesn’t involve Jackie Chan and/or Chris Tucker.
- Though I was never really moved to wake up early for the Sunday Shows, when I used to have a Tivo I occasionally caught Meet the Press and Tim Russert always seemed to know what he was doing and god knows good TV journalists are few and far between. He also looked really good for 58. RIP, Tim.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
i
June Gloom is hitting early in the movie biz…
- AFTRA is optimistic about reaching a deal with the producers before their contract expires June 30th. It seems the main sticking point left is a clips clause that would let clips be licensed without the performer’s consent. Wow, I haven’t been this bored by television since Idol Gives Back.
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opened at Number One? Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor. Making around $101 million from Friday to Sunday put it just ahead of Iron Man’s $98.6 million over the same opening span, but as the LA Times points out, Iron Man had no holiday weekend boost behind it. Iron Man is also not a sequel to a cherished movie franchise. I feel compelled to defend Iron Man and all its awesomeness. Maybe I’ll go see it a 3rd time, so Jon Favreau knows how I feel.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · News
If I’m honest, there aren’t that many concerts that I would pay to go to. But since I heard the first riffs of Broken Boy Soldiers, The Raconteurs have been right up there with bands that I do, in fact, like enough to go out of my way to see. I know that the general impression of them is “the White Stripes with some more instruments,” but they are so much more than that and their show Sunday night at the Fonda proved it once and for all.
After a mediocre performance by the opening act, The Two Part Beast (sorry, it was OK, but no one was there for your manic head banging and skinny jeans) out they came: The Raconteurs. Jack White, Brian Benson, Jack Lawrence, Patrick Keller and Mark Watrous.
The theatre was with them the entire time. This surprise show that followed up their appearance at KROQ’s Weenie Roast on Saturday was sold out in minutes and so it was mostly devoted fans that populated the intimate venue. They opened with a few cuts from the recently released Consolers of the Lonely and continued with that material for most of the show, interspersing a few tracks from Broken Boy Soldiers.
[Read more →]
Tags: Reviews · bands
