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Film

10 Ill-Advised Movie Prequels

By Jason Bailey on

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus hits theaters this week, and since it’s a kinda-sorta-maybe prequel to Alien, it got us thinking about the prequel itself. It’s a peculiar beast, really — the sequel is (for the most part) a crass commercial form to begin with, but a prequel is basically studio executives and filmmakers admitting, Well, we really want to sell you this product again, but we can’t make a sequel for whatever reason, so how’s about a sequel that takes place before the first one? Will you buy a ticket to that?

The results can be enlightening (The Godfather Part II), entertaining (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), or franchise-rescuing (X-Men: First Class). But as with sequels, more often than not, prequels look like a filmed deal, a blatant cash grab that’s low on ideas but high on cynicism. After the jump, we’ve assembled ten of the least inspiring prequels in movie history; we’ll find out soon enough if Prometheus dodges their fate. … Read More

Film

10 Famous Directors’ Biggest Missteps

By Alison Nastasi on

We’re approaching the 26th anniversary of the film that George Lucas would love to forget: Howard the Duck. The filmmaker produced the failed Marvel comic adaptation about an alien duck that tries to save humanity and romances Lea Thompson during his quest. Although Willard Huyck directed the flop, it’s every bit Lucas’ movie, released under his production and special effects banners Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. Since the now cult film’s 25th anniversary passed us like a ship in the night last year, fans have been unhappy that no Blu-ray release is in sight. Slashfilm is reporting that Howard groupies and Marvel COO Joe Quesada are rallying for an HD version. You can watch their video plea here.

In the meantime, news about the “worst” movie got us thinking about other filmmakers and their biggest cinematic missteps. Take the good with the bad past the break, and drop your votes in the comments below. … Read More

Film

Early Interview Footage of Your Favorite Filmmakers

By Alison Nastasi on

With awards news and retrospective material still surfacing after this year’s Cannes Film Festival — which hosted a closing night gala on Sunday — we’ve had the chance to look back at a few of our favorite filmmakers throughout their careers.

Miramax recently posted a 1994 Charlie Rose interview with director Quentin Tarantino, fresh off his Palme d’Or win for Pulp Fiction, shortly before the film’s US theatrical release. At this point in his career, Tarantino had staked his claim with the impressive Reservoir Dogs and True Romance, but the way he stumbles over his words and exuberantly recounts the details of his younger years and passions is charming and electrifying to watch. As Miramax points out, it’s a snapshot of a “budding auteur” on the brink of greatness, whose life and artistry has evolved nearly 20 years later.

The video got us fired up and anxious to explore other early interviews with our favorite filmmakers to see what hopes and wisdom they had to impart. Visit our picks below, and let us know who fascinates you most. … Read More

Film

Rare Behind the Scenes Photos of ‘Star Wars’

By Alison Nastasi on

Many moviegoers count Star Wars as the first feature film they ever saw that truly captured the magic of cinema and made them a bona fide film geek. Lucas and his team pioneered never before seen special effects, leaving audiences in awe of his epic fantasy world in space where creatures walked and talked alongside humans, and brave characters made you believe they could conquer an entire galaxy. Would a peek behind the scenes of Lucas’ universe make you appreciate the movie even more? Website Theager put our question to the test, by sharing a set of candid images taken on set of the 1977 film. The photos reveal how Lucas and his special effects team created several iconic scenes in the movie, who the faces were behind the famous costumes, and a few funny moments (see: Jabba’s Gamorrean guard picking its nose) — and a few unintentionally funny ones (like pics of Rebel X-wing fighter pilots that resemble a bunch of construction workers chowing down on lunch). Check out the rare, silly, and magical images in our gallery below. … Read More

Pop Culture

9 Cleverly Hidden ‘Star Wars’ References You Never Noticed

By Victoria McNally on

We may still joke about Star Wars being a thing only nerds like, but let’s face it: it’s a part of popular culture that’s become just as mainstream as football and apple pie. That means that the geekiest among us have to work a little harder to make our references that much more obscure, so we can brag to each other about catching them when more casual fans don’t. To make things a little easier for the uninitiated, we’ve rounded up a bunch of tiny Star Wars Easter eggs in video games, movies, and TV shows, from Joss Whedon to American architectural landmarks. Impress your dorky friends with the knowledge you’ll gain after the jump. … Read More

Books

Whodunit? 10 Famous Ghostwriting Collaborations

By Alison Nastasi on

The newest celebrity scandal has nothing to do with sex, drugs, or alimony. Instead, New York Times dining writer Julia Moskin recently shared a behind the scenes look at cookbook ghostwriting and outed star Gwyneth Paltrow. Moskin states that the actress did not write her best-selling cookbook, My Father’s Daughter. Gwenny isn’t happy and responded to the claim on Twitter. “Love @nytimes dining section but this weeks facts need checking. No ghost writer on my cookbook, I wrote every word myself,” she shared with fans.

While we love a good cookbook, the recent headlines inspired us to revisit some of our favorite fiction penned by ghostwriters instead. Many famous authors have either helped others find their footing in the literary world, or have sought the assistance of an invisible friend. Check out ten ghostwriting collaborations past the break. Head to our comments section to leave your own picks. … Read More

Film

12 of the Greatest Movie Roles Almost Played

By Jason Bailey on

The weekend’s big movie, as you well know, was The Hunger Games, while DVD and Blu-ray players have been firing up Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo since its release last week. The two films have a lot in common: powerful female protagonists, adaptations of bestsellers, probable franchise kick-offs. As such, they were also each objects of carefully considered casting. It’s become part of the pre-production process, the bandying about of potential name actors for high-profile roles; Fincher reportedly talked to Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart, and Scarlett Johansson before settling on Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, while Hunger Games director Gary Ross’ alternate Katnisses included Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Chloe Moretz, and Saoirse Ronan.

Contemplating proxy casting choices is a fun parlor game for movie fans (perhaps second only to considering movies that never came to pass at all). After the jump, we’ll take a look at a dozen iconic movie roles, and the actors who almost, almost filled them. … Read More

Film

The Weekend Box Office: Explain Yourself, America

By Jason Bailey on

The pre-Valentine’s Day weekend was an unexpectedly big one at the box office, with four new movies bringing in over $20 million in receipts — only the second time in history that such an event has occurred, and the first time, as some outlets are reporting, that it’s happened on a non-holiday weekend. (We’ll let you decide whether a few days before Valentine’s Day counts as a “holiday weekend” or not. I’ll refrain from comment, in the interest of not upsetting anyone on the eve of said maybe-holiday.) What’s even more remarkable about this considerable fiscal accomplishment is that it was achieved with four movies that no one here at Flavorpill can actually imagine going to see. Neat trick, Hollywood! … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. “What I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn’t… I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo… Read More

Film

Open Thread: When Should Filmmakers Retire?

By Jason Bailey on

Last weekend, two new films opened by famous filmmakers who are, to varying degrees, getting the hell out of the film business. Haywire director Steven Soderbergh has been teasing his early retirement for months now; it’s somewhat comical, actually, the way he keeps adding in projects that he wants to do before his self-imposed exile. George Lucas, who spent decades getting Red Tails made, told The New York Times that he was retiring, at least from the business of making blockbuster films (maybe).

Soderbergh is 49. Lucas is 67. Making movies doesn’t have a mandatory retirement age, like fighting fires or flying planes. But should it? … Read More