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Film

7 Other Directors Who Should Adapt ‘The Great Gatsby’

By Alison Herman on

When fans of The Great Gatsby found out that divisive filmmaker Baz Luhrmann would direct this spring’s highly anticipated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary novel, reactions were mixed. Some film lovers embrace Luhrmann’s sheer excess; it worked well enough for Romeo and Juliet, so why worry about flubs like Australia? Others, however, had different aspirations for the movie that might just get leading man Leo DiCaprio his ever-evasive Oscar. So, what about the Gatsby adaptations that could have been? Read on for a short list of other directors who might have succeeded at filming one of the most acclaimed American novels of all time, from Scorsese to Spielberg. … Read More

Film

The Fascinating Failure of Danny Boyle’s ‘Trance’

By Jason Bailey on

Who knew A-list directors were so into erotic thrillers? First came Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects, in which the retiring filmmaker brought his cool gaze and offhand naturalism to a story that was, he openly admitted, in the grand tradition of Fatal Attraction and Jagged Edge. And now we have Trance, in which Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle does the sleek-and-sexy dance, as Rosario Dawson falls in and out of James McAvoy and Vincent Cassell’s impeccably designed, neon-lit beds. It’s trashy fun, to a point, but what’s most intriguing about stacking Boyle and Soderbergh’s films up against each other is how they succeed and fail in very nearly the same fashion: compelling setup, terrific vibe, lousy payoff. … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Guide to Movies You Need to Stream This Week

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to Flavorwire’s streaming movie guide, in which we help you sift through the scores of movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and other services to find the best of the recently available, freshly relevant, or soon to expire. This week, there’s a ton of new and catalog titles streaming on Netflix — great flicks from Harrison Ford, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Ewan McGregor, Adam Scott, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, Martin Scorsese, Danny Boyle, and Leos Carax, plus two of last year’s best documentaries. Check them all out after the jump, and follow the title links to watch them right now. … Read More

Film

SXSW 2013: Oscar Winner Danny Boyle on Lying to Money Men and Playing with Genre

By Jason Bailey on

AUSTIN, TX: What’s great about going to a Danny Boyle movie is you never know what you’re gonna get. Most filmmakers today, even the best ones, tend to work out from certain templates of themes or genre–it’s how they get people to give them money for their movies, and how they get financiers to indulge them when they occasionally do something different (with an implicit assurance that they’ll be back to what makes money). Not so with Boyle. He’s well aware of the danger, he says, “of thinking, ‘Oh, I know how to get this effect,’ or you start double-bluffing…and you shouldn’t really be doing that. You should really be hunting in the story to present it in as fresh and as original a way as you can.” … Read More

Film

10 Films Surprisingly Created Without CGI

By Alison Nastasi on

We live in a movie universe where the Michael Bays and James Camerons of Hollywood are crafting their on-screen worlds with the help of incredible computer-aided technology. These filmmakers create works where anything seems possible, and while it’s often stunning to behold, many moviegoers are already tired of watching disaster porn and motion capture performances that aim to be real, but never truly feel like the tangible celluloid of yore. What many of those audiences don’t realize, however, is that several big-budget films have stuck to their practical effects-loving guns and have dodged the CGI monster at every… Read More

Pop Culture

The 10 Craziest Moments of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony

By Emily Temple on

Last night, the world watched the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Directed by Danny Boyle (of Trainspotting and 127 Hours), the theme, “Isles of Wonder,” came straight from Shakespeare, that enduring heart of British culture. We oohed over the pyrotechnics, delighted at each cultural nod, and wondered where they got the geese — not to mention who convinced the Queen to play along. If you missed it, or if you’re already itching for a recap, click through to check out the ten wildest, craziest, most amazing moments from the opening ceremony, and be sure to let us know what you thought in the comments! … Read More

Architecture

The Most Beautiful Olympic Stadiums Ever Built

By Claire Cottrell on

The 2012 London Summer Olympics kicks off today, and all eyes are on the capital of tea and toast for Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s three-hour opening ceremony extravaganza that includes, according to our friends at HuffPost, Paul McCartney, cricket, and sheep. After reading a fascinating article about the Architecture Olympics, explaining International Olympic Committee founder Baron de Coubertin’s vision for “a global event that incorporated not only athletics but also art competitions, giving equal importance to works of architecture, painting, music, sculpture and literature,” we felt compelled to take an in-depth look at the stunning design afforded by the biannual competition.

Starting with a look at the most stunning stadiums constructed for this year’s events, and then going back in time to the striking simplicity of the first stadium in Greece, click through to check out the most beautiful Olympic architecture ever built. Then, nominate your favorite stadium in the comments below! … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. The first full trailer for Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Life of Pi has arrived online, and while it doesn’t reveal much about the plot, boy oh boy is it pretty.

2. Speaking of highly-anticipated adaptations of critically-acclaimed books, Entertainment Weekly has posted some… Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Danny Boyle’s 86-track playlist for the upcoming Olympic opening ceremony in London has leaked, and it doesn’t feature anything from Sir Paul McCartney or Sir Elton John, but notably does include “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols! [via Stereogum]

2. Curious as to what former Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore’s… Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Of course Danny Boyle’s plans for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony include mosh pits. Also: fake rain thanks to “real clouds that will be hanging over the stadium”; “real grass,” “real soil,” and “real plows”; and exactly nine geese. [via Gawker]

2. Hugh Laurie is currently in negotiations to join Gary Oldman,… Read More