Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Avoidance and politeness
Or someone muttered it. I think it was him.
Anyway, once filming had finished for the day, and I waited out in the lobby so the production crew could clear away the heavy floodlights, Mr. Gyllenhaal and Ms. Witherspoon were being escorted out by their driver. Mr. Gyllenhaal, perhaps sensing the spirit of vengeance I'm capable of embodying, sidled behind me, and avoided me on general principle... or perhaps this avoidance was due to a general paranoia that comes with being famous. Take your pick. Ms. Witherspoon, on the other hand, turned to me, smiled, waved, and said "Hi." Which I, for lack of anything witty to say, shamelessly echoed.She may be shorter in person than I imagined, but damn if she's not a polite person when she's got the opportunity to be". Source: www.Soulcast.com
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Greatness, blondes, smiles
"Cult films, which I'm hoping DONNIE DARKO eventually achieves in status, don't become notorious by recycling material already familiar. It's that one scene in a film you've never experienced, and you'll never see it done again. DONNIE DARKO has these peculiar gems of greatness scattered throughout that makes one forget about the fact that the film they are watching is kind of silly when it comes down to it". Source: www.Davegunn.com
"When Frank makes Donnie flood the school, he allows Donnie to make his major connection with Gretchen, by saving her from getting tormented from the other people from the school. When Frank shows Donnie the nature of time, and the portals and such, he shows Donnie the ultimate nature of the sacrifice he has to make will be, and prepares him for it. [...] He manipulates Donnie to ensure that their world will end, and Donnie can do nothing to manipulate him. When Donnie is hitting at the wall, he is at the barrier between his world, and Frank, who can do whatever he wants". Source: www.Barbelith.com
"On the empty flight back to Elizabethtown, Drew meets Claire: a bored and bouncy flight attendant who engages him in conversation. Claire is what could be referred to as the stereotypical movie female arch-type for the new millennium: a young, cute girl whose life is a mess, but she has the innate ability to look into the souls of the troubled male and see who they really are even if they don’t. I almost blame Crowe for fueling this type, since Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane was one of the founding mothers of this kind of character (see also Natalie Portman in “Garden State”). Source: www.hometheaterforum.com
"Elizabethtown feels like a retread of Almost Famous. A guy (Orlando Bloom, Kingdom of Heaven, Troy) goes on some important life-journey where he meets a free-spirited girl (Kirsten Dunst, Wimbledon, Spider-Man 2) and falls madly in love. This is a huge simplification, but one cannot help notice the similarities between Dunst's Claire Colburn and Kate Hudson's Penny Lane". Source: www.Haro-online.com
"Kate Hudson is wonderful as Penny Lane. She exudes a resilient confidence on the outside, but underneath is a flowing stream of emotion. Hudson does great in releasing that emotion and tucking it back as if it was just a mistake". Source: www.listology.com
Source: www.Thehoya.com"Patrick Fugit’s loyal Paul is a variation of his role as Penny Lane’s good-hearted savior in Almost Famous, and he is equally effective in both roles". "there is a scene where he smiles at Lohman close to the end of the film and that smile says everything you need to know about that character at that moment in the film. It is one of those wordless, crystalized moments in cinematic time that says everything about everything right then, right there". Source: Filethirteen.com
"Donnie stands for finding meaning in the chaos, for creating his own truth in a world without it, for being able to face the unhappy ending with a smile because of the journey to that end. The road of Existentialism--either in the philosophy books or in this film--is a non-rational personal experience that gives hope and meaning to face a reality that is too much to bear and that would ultimately be better off destroyed (either in reality or outside it)". Source: mmsbullpen.blogspot.com
WATCH THIS VIDEO, AN INTERTWINED SEQUENCING OF SCENES OF "ALMOST FAMOUS" AND "ELIZABETHTOWN", PENNY LANE AND CLAIRE COLBURN:
Friday, December 14, 2007
What's with the geeks?
Why Geek Dudes Rule:
They are generally available.
Other women will tend not to steal them.
They can fix things.
Your parents will love them.
Because they have been so abused and ignored by society, many geeks have gone underground. You may actually know some and just haven't noticed them. They often feel resentful, and misunderstood, and it is important to realize this as you grow closer to them. Don't ever try to force the issue, or make crazy demands that he choose between his computer and you. Remember, his computer has been there for him his whole life; you are a new interloper he hasn't quite grasped yet.
Geek dudes thrive on mystery and love challenges and intellectual puzzles. Don't you consider yourself one? Wouldn't you like a little intellectual stimulation or your own? We thought so".
Source: Ifaq.wap.org/sex/geekguide
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Proof".
Joe Gordon-Levitt in "Brick".Patrick Fugit in "Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas".Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson". Paul Dano in "Little Miss Sunshine". Matt Damon in "The good Will Hunting". Topher Grace in "Win a Date".
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Flirting and eating
"Guess who is back in town to tempt us with their cuteness? Yes, Jake and Reese are continuing their SF gourmet tours! They had lunch at Zuni last Thursday, where they sat at my favorite table (on the bridge overlooking the oven below), and ordered the house-cured anchovies and a salad, plus a chicken sandwich and grouper. To drink, they walked on the wild side with some lemongrass tea and apple juice. From my source: “Reese seemed a little aloof, but Jake (still looking nice and buff) was trying to warm her up by playing Mr. Flirty-flirt with her—even smooched with her. So effing cute!”
Source: www.Tablehopper.com
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas (movie review)
Of course, the film doesn't rely so heavily on the discipline of physics, but there are a few hints in the script that will offer more fun to the quantum theory enthusiasts. And not only physics — we will find traces of Marshall McLuhan's manifesto: a postmodern man will exist in a multi-sensory state, previously fragmented with the advent of the phonetic alphabet. Also this weird story will make more sense to those viewers who feel some affinity for geeks or social misfits. The beautiful and colourful cinematography by Lowell Peterson helps us to feel sympathetic toward the characters.One of the main elements that make this indie comedy work is the constant sexual tension between Bickford and Sarah Witt (Olivia Wilde, "The Girl Next Door", "Conversations with Other Women", "Alpha Dog") derived from their initial incompatibility. She is a wild sex-addict, a pot-smoking sorority girl who isn't afraid of Bickford's sharp personality and she becomes progressively more attracted to him after stealing his beloved book from his room, ignoring the warning "All you dare enter here be damned".Sarah uses "The Book" as her personal source of inspiration and she starts a new life as an experimental painter, losing her interest in promiscuity, and jealous of this new stimulation, her buddy Trent (Reid Scott) throws Bickford's book into a garbage can in the presence of an angry Bickford who thinks it's the end of his self-controlled world.Resentful of Sarah and prey to his own mental anguish, Bickford establishes a peculiar friendship with a demented homeless guy named Spaceman (Matthew Lillard), who believes in inter-dimensional beings and temporal loops, while Bickford's best friend Ralph (Fran Kranz) comes out of the closet and declares himself gay.
Bob (John Cho, "Solaris", "American Dreamz", "The Air I Breathe") and Sam (Mageina Tovah, "Failure to Launch", "Spider-Man 2", "Spider-Man 3") are members of a "Dungeons and Dragons" group and they work in a comic store, the Golden Apple. When they find the book in the trash, they discover the "braingasms" (mental orgasms) produced by reading it and feel so enlightened they create "The Reality Isn't Club" and make copies of the book to sell on campus. There is a curious connection between comic superheroes and the geeks, because the circus sideshow was the source of the word "geek", and the superheroes as Superman or Spider-Man used amazing acrobatics.A bitter Bickford takes his anger out on the college administration until Sarah recovers the book and gives it back to him. Ralph is living happily now, and advises Bickford to pursue his own happiness, saying, "There is no need to be so intense about everything". It's obvious at this point that Bickford has suffered some type of childhood trauma that makes him feel threatened by the idea of happiness.
Professor Adams (Cheryl Hines, "Along Came Polly", "Our Very Own", "Waitress") shows up in the third act of the film as an opportunistic sycophant who offers Bickford a deal for a commercial release of his book. But Bickford sticks to his guns and rejects the offer because he has already found a new meaning which cannot even be deciphered from the pages of his unfinished book.Thee film comes to a touching conclusion as Bickford explains his refusal to publish the book, he reconciles with the D&D group at the Golden Apple, and enjoys a happy romantic liaison with Sarah, for whom he writes an Epic Sex Poem".
Published on 11th December in Blogcritics.org.
WATCH "BICKFORD SCHMECKLER'S VIDEO":
Monday, December 10, 2007
Jake and Reese spotted
Reese is shooting her movie "Four Christmases" in The City. Jake came to visit. Her two kids were hanging as well".
Source: Theradreport.com
"The reportedly very prickly Reese Witherspoon and rubenesque Vince Vaughn -- whatever, we'd hit it. Hit it hard -- are in town filming their new divorce-themed romcom, "Four Christmases". (According to IMBD, it's about a "couple struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day." If you're not in tears already, then clearly you have no soul.) And here they are at a....downtown locale of some sort? We can't wait for the film to open next year at this time. Or not. Anyway: laughter, tears". Source: Sfist.com
View all the pictures in Popsugar.com
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Indie Queens and Indie Spirit Awards
It's worth going back and watching the Hartley movies or Joel Hershman's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, and Deran Serafian's The Road Killers in order to recall what a singular, sharp but sweet presence she was in movies. Meanwhile, let's hope Sundance screens Waitress and finds a way to pay tribute to Shelly; after all, she helped lay the fest's foundation". Source: Popwatch.ew.com
23rd Annual Spirit Awards 2008:
BEST FIRST FEATURE
2 Days in Paris
Director: Julie Delpy
Great World of Sound
Director Craig Zobel
The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Rocket Science
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Vanaja
Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
BEST SCREENPLAY
Ronald Harwood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tamara Jenkins
The Savages
Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner
Starting Out in the Evening
Adrienne Shelly
Waitress
Mike White
Year of the Dog
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Angelina Jolie
A Mighty Heart
Sienna Miller
Interview
Ellen Page
Juno
Parker Posey
Broken English
Wei Tang
Lust Caution
Source: www.Ifc.com
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Charity Folks auction
The winner of this auction lot will visit Gyllenhaal on the set of "Brothers", filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico through mid-January 2008. "Brothers" is about a young man who comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. The film also features Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman.
With talent and instinct beyond his years, Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal is speeding down the fast track of stardom. Currently, he can be seen in New Line Cinema's "Rendition" along with Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep. Even in the early stages of his career, he starred opposite several of today's most respected actors, such as Dustin Hoffman, Laura Dern, Holly Hunter, John C. Reilly and Susan Sarandon.
[...] Gyllenhaal earned his first Oscar nomination for the role of "Jack" in the highly acclaimed Brokeback Mountain. The film, which chronicled an intense relationship between two Wyoming stockmen, was directed by Ang Lee and co-starred Heath Ledger.
[...] A true testament to his character, Gyllenhaal's official website includes a section on causes he cares about, with links to College Summit, NION and the ACLU. He has even spoken out on the film industry's responsibility to address political issues. Along with his parents Naomi Foner - Gyllenhaal and Stephen Gyllenhaal, and sister Maggie Gyllenhall, Jake received the ACLU Foundation Torch of Liberty Award in 2003".
Source: Charityfolks.com
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Cooking with Reese
The couple - who met on the set of their film 'Rendition' earlier this year - fell in love with Italian food during their recent break to Rome, so Jake arranged for a top chef to visit his house and show his new girl around the kitchen.
A source said: "Reese fell in love with Rome and Italian food reminds her of the great time they had together. Jake knew Reese would be thrilled to learn how to make some of the dishes herself. She loves cooking for her children."
Reese has two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, eight-year-old daughter Ava and four-year-old son Deacon.
The Oscar-winning actress is believed to have been dating Jake for months, but the couple only went public with their romance in October.
That same month, Jake joined Reese and her children to go trick or treating on Halloween (31.10.07).
The 31-year-old actress was dressed as a witch, as was daughter Ava. Jake, 26, was dressed in a gorilla suit, while Deacon wore a superhero outfit". Source: People.monstersandcritics.com
Monday, December 03, 2007
Kirsten: new face of Miu Miu
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Most paid actresses
Angelina Jolie came in second, and Cameron Diaz came in third with a $15 million-per-movie requirement.
While Angelina and Reese are now asking for $15 million-$20 million per movie, they frequently agree to “no-quote deals” — deals in which the studios actually pay them far less than their usual fee".
Here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s top ten list:
1. Reese Witherspoon — $15 million-$20 million
2. Angelina Jolie — $15 million-$20 million
3. Cameron Diaz — $15+ million
4. Nicole Kidman — $10 million-$15 million
5. Renee Zellweger — $10 million-$15 million
6. Sandra Bullock — $10 million-$15 million
7. Julia Roberts — $10 million-$15 million
8. Drew Barrymore — $10 million-$12 million
9. Jodie Foster — $10 million-$12 million
10. Halle Berry — $10 million
Source: Justjared.buzznet.com
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hall of Fame quarterback
Universal Pictures will turn the life of Joe Namath into a feature film, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing the Hall of Fame quarterback.
David Hollander will write the script once the writers strike is over. Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar will produce. Jimmy Walsh, who runs Namanco Prods., exec produces.
Walsh said he and Namath OK'd the movie after a long pursuit by Lazar, a strong take by Hollander and the belief that the athletic Gyllenhaal was the right actor to play him.
While other quarterbacks racked up bigger lifetime stats, Namath became the first football player to achieve rock-star status. The pic will tell the story of how the golden-armed kid from Beaver Falls, Pa., became Broadway Joe, the New York Jets quarterback who became a '60s cultural figure.
[...] Gyllenhaal, who is coming off "Rendition" and "Zodiac," is currently shooting the Jim Sheridan-directed "Brothers" with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman and will follow that by teaming with Doug Liman on an untitled project at DreamWorks that revolves around a moon expedition". Source: Variety.com
Music Review of Mushman
David Fetzer plays the guitar, the harmonica, some additonal keys, the guitar-banjo, and he's the main singer. Patrick Fugit plays the guitar, the Flamenco guitar, the harmonica, and occasionally he dares to sing a bit. Camden Chamberlain plays the bass and he's the recording wizard who does the mixing and mastering of the songs. Doug Grose plays the keys and Ian Aldous is the drummer. Their influences are varied: Iron and Wine, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, The Shins, Grandaddy, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, etc.
The band's name refers to movie star Steve McQueen, who used it as an alias: "He would check into hotels under the name Harvey Mushman", Fugit told to Deseretnews in an interview "McQueen was pretty cool, and we couldn't think of anything better. So it stuck."
Their debut album "Eddie Do", released on November 2, 2007 is a quirky compilation of stories of the life of a fictional kid. “Eddie is sort of a... um... metaphor for my neurosis in relation to girls. I think it’s manifested as a 6 year old boy – that’s my emotional maturity when it comes to dating” -David Fetzer tries to explain the biographical origins of Eddie in an interview for Elitestv.
The record contains thirteen tracks written by Mushman, except "From the ground, Looking up," which is by David and Scott Fetzer and "Brennan's Theme" composed by Seth Bernard (Earthworkmusic.com). His contrasts broaden the emotional childlike roller coaster vibe providing a naughty comfort while listening and even quite time after listening to it.
The first track, "Eddie's Balloon" has a similar atmosphere and melodic line to a song called "Spaceman," "Eddie was afraid to die but didn't know why" introduces in the fearful mind of Eddie the young lonely antihero: "from his window" he waited, maybe a revelation looking at a distant high heaven, with a sad choir extending in a mute and inconclusive instrumental silt.
The second, "It's Too High" is like a brief joke through a vocal counting up (6,7,8).
Third song, "I don't Know" was featured in the hilarious comedy film Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas (2006) by Scott Lew and is about the continuous doubting by the paranoid kid: "I don't know if you tell the truth, I don't know if I want you too... I don't know what to do, what to do with you, I don't know you." It makes him look like a particularly traumatized boy by mercurial femenine behaviour.
In the fourth "Pirate Pete" Fetzer would confess: “I was going to school at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan for acting and theater. I was in a production where I was playing a character that had syphilis and so I was in a strange mind-set during that production. There is a certain scene where he is loosing his mind and it was really messing with me. At the same time, my roommate had this figurine of a pirate with a provocative looking telescope... the two sort of combined and then I wrote the song”. Certainly, a weird inspiration for a song whose obsessive request is "I wish you were my friend".
The fifth track, "From the Clouds, Looking Down" is a cloudy instrumental gone haywire through a granular guitar sound.
Going on with "Eddie's Nightmare," some latent schizo symptoms lie hidden under a slothful tempo whose reverberations are expanding and receding as a nightmare blocking our numb conscience: "The summer so bright... and some people were blinded," our protagonist mumbles again.
In the seventh "Intermission" there is a rather comical vocal reminder "Ladies and gentlemen we take one minute four seconds intermission." which ends with a non-ironic dry "thank you".
The eight track (and beginning of Side B) is another instrumental "Here Again, Gone Again." It's a very solemn passage punctuated with bold flamenco guitar chords.
The next is also an instrumental piece. "From the Ground, Looking Up" is beset by crystalline string swells that remind me of the famous "Hotel California" by The Eagles.
We return back to the thoughts of Eddie spoken in riddles "You Don't Know," a beautiful song with a very low and slow beginning which gingerly shows us Eddie's sweetly conflicted heart: "You don't know me... don't say you know what I've been through... you don't know how I see you..." ending with this choir "turuturututu tururututu" which reminded me partially to the final desperate choir of Lou Reed's "Smile" from "Growing up in Public" (1980).
The eleventh track "DVD Menu" is a velvetian type instrumental, encompassing coyly a progressively uplifting feeling.
Only to be darkened fiercely through the next "Eddie's Lament:" "And then one night he run away, too young to drive but too sad to stay", which culminates with a series of "Aha, Aha, Aha" which combines a hopefulness breeze with a restless sadness.
The final theme "Brennan's Theme" appears in the recent film "Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006) by Goran Dukic, which focuses on suicidal misfits and that was nominated in Sundance and won the Grand Jury Feature Film award at the 11th annual Gen Art Film Fest. Patrick Fugit comments about this song: “I had asked my friend Seth Bernard to do the score for a documentary I was filming about T. Casey Brennan and I just loved what he did. It captured this guy’s tragic and crazy side; the part of this dude who took way too much acid”.
The record was mixed and mastered by Camdem Chamberlain at Kitefishing's studio during the summer of 2004. It is produced by Mushman and Camdem Chamberlain, artwork and layout of the record by Susan Fawcett, and is available for sale in:
Fox on a hill Productions
Published on 16th November in Blogcritics.org.
WATCH "SPACEMAN" VIDEO