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Javier Bardem

Film

The 50 Greatest Movie Villains of All Time

By Jason Bailey on

The true nature of Star Trek Into Darkness’s villain has become perhaps the Internet’s worst-kept secret, but don’t worry — you’ll not have it spoiled here. Suffice it to say that the film’s antagonist is fiercely intelligent, physically brutal, and hellbent on revenge. In other words, this is a great movie villain. But what makes a truly memorable one? Sifting through the scores of iconic movie bad guys and girls reveals that villainy comes in all shapes, sizes, and levels of intensity; ranking them against each other is a tall order, but your Flavorwire was willing to give it a… Read More

Film

The Problem With Terrence Malick’s Beautiful ‘To the Wonder’

By Jason Bailey on

Terrence Malick tries to do something really interesting in his new picture To the Wonder, and to his credit, he almost pulls it off. He’s telling the story of an intense personal relationship (from nearly the beginning to the bitter end), but only on the downbeats — it’s done not via dialogue and other conventional means, but in pauses and reactions and aftermath. We don’t see, for example, a confession of infidelity, but the fallout of that confession; we’re shown a character’s moment alone after being left, but spared the scene where the revelation is made. To the Wonder may contain less person-to-person dialogue than any “talkie” I’ve ever seen. The question is whether that’s the right method for telling this story. … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Guide to Indie Flicks to See in April

By Jason Bailey on

Spring is upon us, dear readers, so it’s your last chance to enjoy some light entertainment before the summer onslaught of giant explosions and endless sequels. (What’s that? G.I. Joe 2 came out last weekend? Let’s pretend like it didn’t happen.) As is our wont on the first of the month, we’ve rounded up April’s independent films of note: those we’ve seen and recommended, and those we can’t wait to get a look at. Join us after the jump for a sampling of this month’s art house goodies. … Read More

Photography

Intriguing Polaroid Mosaics of Celebrity Faces

By Julia Pugachevsky on

When it comes to celebrity portraits, it’s hard to be original. But Italian photographer Maurizio Galimberti solves this conundrum with Celebrity Works, his collection of mosaic portraits made up of slightly tilted Polaroid photos lined up to show each subject from three different angles. The images seem to capture the celebrities deep in thought, sometimes leaning their head down or placing a hand on their chin. All portraits are arranged in the same order, but the collages are as different as the stars who populate them. Click through for a selection of photos from the series, which we discovered via Design Taxi, and visit Galimberti’s website to see more of his work. … Read More

Film

Will These 10 Films Be Next Year’s Oscar Nominees?

By Jason Bailey on

After months of hype, after hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaigning, after endless precursor award ceremonies leading to the big night, the Oscars are over. So, what’s next? We took a look at the films slated thus far for release this fall — traditionally the time when Serious Oscar Movies are unleashed — and inventoried their Academy-friendly elements to come up with our picks for next year’s most likely… Read More

Film

10 Supporting Characters Who Totally Deserve Their Own Movies

By Jason Bailey on

Judd Apatow’s This is 40, out this Friday, is — as its ads carefully note — a “sort-of sequel” to his 2007 hit Knocked Up. It doesn’t concern that film’s leading characters; Seth Rogen’s Ben is only mentioned in passing, and Katherine Hiegl’s Alison is absent altogether. Instead, Apatow focuses on supporting couple Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) and their two kids — played by Apatow and Mann’s real-life offspring. The idea of making a spin-off instead of a sequel is a fairly rare one; there are a few examples, like U.S. Marshalls (from The Fugitive), Get Him to the Greek (from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Beauty Shop (from Barbershop 2) and Puss in Boots (from Shrek 2), but overall, it’s not all that common. Which is funny, because we think it’s a more interesting way to continue a franchise than the standard sequel, so after the jump, we’ve got suggestions for supporting characters we’d like to see bumped up to leads. (Warning: Some spoilers follow.) … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Flick of the Week: ‘Skyfall’ Is Bond at His Best

By Jason Bailey on

Skyfall, the 23rd (official) film in the James Bond franchise, opens with a throwaway moment, but one with an electrical charge: a blurry, distant silhouette enters a hallway. Doesn’t sound like much of a scorcher, I know, but that image is accompanied by the first two notes of the iconic Bond theme (if I may approximate: “NUH NUH!”), a musical choice that makes us lean forward in fevered anticipation. He strides down that hallway into a big, beautiful close-up, and gets down to business. That opening shot is making us a promise, that Bond is back and better than ever, and it’s a promise that Skyfall keeps. … Read More

Film

Terrence Malick’s ‘To the Wonder’ Set for 2013 Release

By Judy Berman on

In a career that’s spanned over four decades, Terrence Malick has only released six films. So it’s kind of a big deal that his seventh, To the Wonder, has already debuted to festival audiences in Venice and Toronto, just a year after The Tree of Life dazzled (and baffled) viewers around the world. … Read More

Film

This Week in Trailers: From Bond and Brad to Who-Cares Horror

By Jason Bailey on

Every Friday here at Flavorwire, we like to gather up the week’s new movie trailers, give them a look-see, and rank them from worst to best — while taking a guess or two about what they might tell us (or hide from us) about the movies they’re promoting. This week’s six new trailers include new films with Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Diane Keaton, Matthew McConaughey, Robert DeNiro, Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, John Cusack, and Zac Efron. Check ‘em all out after the jump, and share your thoughts in the comments. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. With only weeks to go before it hits theaters, they’re shooting an extra scene for The Avengers. “I’m not sure exactly where it’s gonna go,” says Mark Ruffalo. “All I know is that someone came in with the costume and said, ‘Here’s some wardrobe. We don’t know where you’re going to be or what… Read More