Lars von Trier is a great filmmaker, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy you’d much like to hang out and have a drink with. Aside from all that Nazi stuff, his films tend to traffic in the grimmest possible subject matter: he’s tackled rape, slavery, the death penalty, paralysis, and genital mutilation, so it somehow seems logical that his latest picture, Melancholia (on demand now, in theaters Friday) is about nothing less than the end of the world.
Apocalypses are a popular topic for filmmakers — though most are more interested in the narrative possibilities of the post-apocalyptic world than the event itself. Melancholia distinguishes itself by being something of a pre-apocalyptic picture, delving into the anxiety and fear of those who are awaiting the earth’s possible collision with a foreign object (timely!). After the jump, we’ll take a look back at a few of our favorite cinematic apocalypses. Read More »
As you’ve perhaps noticed, we lovetoshowcase the clever graphic artists who are revisiting classic films (from the distant and more recent past) and creating new posters with a more inventive bent than your typical studio one-sheet. The folks at Silver Screen Society have taken what they call a “book club” approach, selecting a film each month for their collective of designers and friends to take a crack at. The results are inventive, stimulating, and fun. It’s a fairly new site; they began in February, tackling 28 Days Later, followed by I Heart Huckabees in March, The Third Man in April, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? this month. We’ve selected some of our favorites after the jump; you can check out the growing collection on their Tumblr.
Dialect can be used as a class marker, or as something that identifies your hometown, your race, or your predilection for jargon. There are standard dialects, which are those institutionally-approved ways of speaking that make us understood, but are frankly a little boring. And then there are Newfies, the stalwart denizens of the oddly-shaped island near Québec who speak a language very much their own. The authors below use dialect either as a majority of the novel or as an abrupt break from the narration; many of them are from the opposite side of the Atlantic, but some of them are from the South, or fake it, like Cormac McCarthy.
Today at Flavorpill, we slacked off by reading the SparksNotes version of Goodnight Moon. We learned how to be a woman in any boy’s club. We wanted to live here. We watched the trailer for Danny Boyle’s new London stage adaptation of Frankenstein, which we were excited to hear will be broadcast in select theaters stateside. We were impressed by this family portrait of all of the planets. We wondered what Lewis Carroll would think of Snooki in Wonderland, a new book by Phil Edwards and John Tenniel. We discovered that Daft Coke exists, or at least it will in France. We wished that someone would buy us this adorable Helvetica poster. And finally, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the finished version of the Fug Girls’ first YA novel, Spoiled, which will hit shelves in hardback on June 1, 2011. Just look at that cover!
Plenty of film critics and movie pundits have bemoaned the lack of truly great films in 2010, and while that’s not necessarily a notion that’s without validity, it could also be said that there was a surplus of awfully good movies this year. There may not have been many that really knocked us back, that pulled together ace screenplays, smart direction, and brilliant acting into the full package, the way the best movies do. But there was plenty to entertain, to enlighten, to thrill, to arouse; even some of the year’s lesser movies had an element — a good performance here, a memorable scene there — worth recommending. So with that, let’s take a look at some of the best scenes from this year’s movies — not all of them in films that were great (or, in some cases, even particularly good), but all meriting a spot in our 2010 movie scene mixtape.
You’ve probably already heard about 127 Hours — or, as it is better known, That Movie Where James Franco Saws His Own Arm Off. Yes, that moment does come in Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Aron Ralston’s memoir, Between a Rock and a Hard Place. And it is important. But the mountains of publicity that it’s generated means the film is being marketed as a thriller, a gore-fest, and (as David Edelstein refers to it in a snarky review that also entirely misses the point) a “wow movie.”
That’s a shame, because 127 Hours is anything but stunt. When it hits its stride, the film is a slow, lyrical exploration of the human spirit and its unfathomable tenacity.
Hey, film fans: Get ready to mark your calendars for November 5th. That’s when Slumdog Millionaire/28 Days Later/Trainspotting director Danny Boyle debuts the next installment in his genre-hopping oeuvre with a brand new thriller — starring James Franco. We’re not going to even attempt to understand how Franco has the time to star in just about every new movie out there while juggling grad school, art and writing careers, and stints on General Hospital. We’re just going to keep feeling grateful.
In 127 Hours, Franco plays real-life daredevil mountain climber Aron Ralston, who meets up with Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn and then… well, we won’t spoil it for you, but if you read the news back in 2003, you already have a good idea of what happens. This first trailer, despite its tedious opening paean to Boyle, certainly has us at the edge of our desk chair. How about you?
1. Shepard Fairey says honesty is essential to his art despite the fact that he initially lied about which AP photo his infamous “Hope” poster was based on. On a related note, he’ll be the last artist to exhibit at Deitch Projects. [via LAT]
2. Radiohead have announced benefit show this Sunday, January 24 at LA’s Music Box theater — super exciting news for fans, as the venue is nice and intimate. All proceeds will go to the Oxfam Haiti relief fund, and tickets will be sold by auction on Ticketmaster. [via Rolling Stone]
3. Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle will make his National Theatre debut next winter with an adaption of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. [via Guardian]
4. Confused about why the New York Times pay model won’t go live until 2011 but they’re talking about it now? They need a year to build the architecture for the new pay system. [via NYO]
5. Rumors that Rob Marshall will direct the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie have finally been confirmed. It will be released next year. [via HitFix]
1. Polaroid has named Lady Gaga their creative director. We’re not sure exactly what this means (some Ashton Kutcher-like commercials?), we just hope it translates into more eye candy. [via Fast Company]
2. After rumors that Cillian Murphy had locked down the part, it has been announced that none other than James Franco will play saw-happy mountaineer Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle‘s 127 Hours. Because he’s slowly taking over the world. [via Vulture]
3. Will Barack Obama‘s State of the Union speech push back the season premiere of Lost? It’s all up to the White House. [via TV Guide]
4. Alanis Morissette is penning a memoir inspired by the work of Jack Kerouac: “It’s really turned out to be a very philosophical, non-precious, photograph, travelogue, essays — a little ADD.” [via Spinner]
5. H&M Herald Square has decided to stop throwing away its unsold clothes (after slashing them up with razors), and will donate unworn items to charity instead. [via HuffPo]
Over the weekend The Times of London jumped the gun by posting their list of the top 100 films of the decade. We agree with ArtsBeat’s Dave Itzkoff, who noted that their roundup, while diverse, feels “more provocative than definitive.” (In fact, if this kind of sweeping survey tends to get you worked up, you might be better off reading GreenCine’s list of the 25 most disturbing movies instead.) After the jump, we’ll reveal their top 10, along with a few films we think got the shaft.
