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Film

12 Famous Actors and the Films You Forgot They Directed

By Jason Bailey on

As you may have heard, Scarlett Johansson is going to make the leap from actress to feature filmmaker, helming an adaptation of Truman Capote’s first, posthumously published novel Summer Crossing. The path from one side of the camera to the other is a well-trod one, so here’s hoping that Ms. Johansson follows in the footsteps of distinguished actors-turned-directors like Charles Laughton, Orson Welles, and Clint Eastwood. But don’t forget, not all actors find the transition so easy; some try it once and never again, the job of director a strange and forgotten footnote on otherwise stellar careers. … Read More

Film

Everything Wes Anderson’s Ever Directed, Ranked

By Jason Bailey on

Today is Wes Anderson’s birthday, with the Houston-born auteur turning 44 years old following the commercial and critical success of Moonrise Kingdom. That 2012 Oscar nominee was his seventh feature film, and between that, his shorts, and his many commercials, Anderson has put together a pretty respectable body of work. So how does it all stack up? … Read More

Comedy

The Most Notorious Feuds in Comedy History

By Jason Bailey on

Last night in Beverly Hills, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, and their Wayne’s World director Penelope Spheeris reunited for a screening of that 1992 classic, in what has been reported far and wide as a public “burying of the hatchet.” Great comedy doesn’t always come from harmony; Myers and Spheeris reportedly clashed over her directorial and editing choices (as a result, he demanded she not return for the sequel), while tension was high between Myers and Carvey on set, since Carvey — the bigger star on Saturday Night Live — was playing a decidedly supporting role. Their rift is rumored to have widened in the years after their Wayne’s World collaboration (the bone of contention is whether Myers stole his Dr. Evil character from Carvey). But it was all smiles and laughs and good times at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and while their conflicts weren’t directly addressed, Spheeris recently shrugged off the feuds, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “We’re all getting too old to pissed.” True enough, but comedians have never exactly been known for their thick skin; here are a few of the most contentious feuds between funny people. … Read More

Film

The Best Punchlines in Film

By Jason Bailey on

A couple of weeks back, we perused the entirety of film history and pulled out our very favorite break-up lines — the meanest, the sharpest, and the funniest. For a follow-up, we decided to focus on the latter: selecting some of the best punchlines ever uttered in movies. By definition, a punchline isn’t just a funny bit of dialogue or an amusingly awkward moment: it’s the payoff to a setup, whether in situation or dialogue, and thus must be carefully teed up and smoothly executed. We think these 25 examples do just that, with panache. … Read More

Pop Culture

Muppets Take Spring Break and Winter Is Coming to America in Our Exclusive Pop Culture Mash-up Posters

By Jennifer Lewis on

Here at Flavorwire, we love us some illustrated movie posters. So, we decided to make a handful of our own — except our chosen films don’t actually exist outside of our daydreams. To spice things up, we took a few of our favorite pop culture things and mashed them up with other pop culture things to create an illustrated series of bizarre pop culture mash-up… Read More

Film

Hilarious Notes on Modern Classics From Clueless Studio Executives

By Jason Bailey on

The image of non-creative types mucking about with (and screwing up) movies and television shows is nothing new — we’ve seen it in everything from Barton Fink to The Player to The Larry Sanders Show — but we got a rare opportunity to observe a real-life example of it recently, when a memorandum of notes from the suits at Tandem Productions to the makers of Blade Runner started popping up online. Those hilarious criticisms and suggestions got us wondering about other classic movies that came close to ruin thanks to studio interference. We’ll take a look at Blade Runner and several other examples after the jump. … Read More

Film

10 Impossible-to-See Movies Starring A-List Actors

By Jason Bailey on

Hey, Game of Thrones/Community/True Blood/Firefly fans: how’d you like to see a major motion picture starring Peter Dinklage, Danny Pudi, Ryan Kwanten, and Summer Glau? So would we! Would you be surprised to learn that such a motion picture not only exists, but has been sitting on a shelf for two years? So would we! Such is the strange tale of The Knights of Badassdom, director Joe Lynch’s horror comedy that’s been the subject of much discussion and confusion this week. Badassdom, which was previewed at the San Diego Comic-Con clear back in 2011, is hardly the first film that sounded like a good bet, only to sputter in post-production and after due to unforeseen difficulties in financing, distribution, or rights. After the jump, we’ll take a look at ten movies that you’d think you would have heard of, and be able to see, based on the personnel involved — but you can’t, for all sorts of strange reasons. … Read More

Film

Behold: ‘Ghostbusters’ Headquarters in LEGO Form

By Jason Bailey on

We’ve gone to some pretty elaborate lengths in the name of fandom around here, but even we’re agog over the efforts of LEGO artist and Ghostbusters enthusiast Orion Pax, who spent two months studying the film, its sequel, and its animated series to create the ultimate replica of Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, and Zeddmore’s HQ. Pax went room by room and prop by prop, recreating the Ghostbusters’ New York firehouse home in painstaking detail; check out the jaw-dropping photos after the jump. … Read More

Film

The Best Pickup Lines in Film History

By Alison Nastasi on

The movies can teach us a lot about love, sex, and relationships — especially the crazy and foolish things we shouldn’t do. As Valentine’s Day approaches, so does a bold opportunity to let that special someone know you wouldn’t mind getting a little closer. If you need some guidance, try emulating these big-screen seductions. Cinema is filled with sexy, savvy come-ons that got the guys and girls  — and even a few that left wannabe lovers in the dust. Check out ten of the best pickup lines in film history that you wish you thought of first. … Read More

Film

10 Life Lessons from 'Groundhog Day'

By Alexander Huls on

Happy Groundhog Day! With the East Coast in the frosty clutches of cold and snow, it’s high time we turn to Punxsutawney, Pennyslyvania to see if Phil will emerge from his nook and condemn us to six more weeks of winter not. More importantly, it’s also the time of year we should take a moment to acknowledge another national institution: Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day, which happens to celebrate its 20th anniversary this month.

It’s easy to undervalue (or even dislike) Groundhog Day as a goofy high-concept comedy, a gimmicky Twilight Zone cast-off, a sideways take on It’s A Wonderful Life. It shouldn’t be. As the critics and directors (including David O. Russell) who listed it on their 2012 Sight & Sound Greatest Films ballot can attest, Groundhog Day is not only a great film, it’s a veritable treatise on life. As such, it might be cinema’s greatest self-help manual, full of invaluable lessons about both the day-to-day minutia and profound things that can make our individual existences better. … Read More