Thursday, July 31, 2008
Playing with guitars
The leader actress in "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist", Kat Dennings:
Michael Cera as Nick plays in a queercore band The Jerk Offs.
Rivers Cuomo from Weezer:
Scarlett Johansson in "Nylon" magazine.
Two stills of Nick & Norah
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Fan pictures
Wholpin no. 6
We could use a broad variety of semi-annual DVD "magazines" releasing shorts into the public bloodstream, but Wholphin is already much better than that — like Eggers's other periodicals, it's a magazine/program with a distinctly ironic personality, an endlessly entertaining point of view and a rabid hunger for what's brand new and supercool, internationally, in this least market-impacted region of moviemaking. Not just any decent short is allowed through the door — the Wholphin philosophy runs toward the eccentric and politically radical, while largely excluding the abstract-underground school and the earnest political doc. Anyone at all would be well-served by catching up with volumes one through five (editions have come biannually since 2005), which have already included, amidst eye-popping nature footage (trap-jaw ants, drunk bees, etc.), re-dubbed Russian sitcoms and excerpts from idiosyncratic features, and some of the most spectacular and vital shorts I've ever seen: Anthony Lucas's "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello," Bill Morrison's re-edited lost film "The Mesmerist," Alice Winocour's lobster tribulation "Kitchen," Olivo Barbieri's eye-defying "site specific_LAS VEGAS 05," Ray Tintori's junkyard Oz neo-myth "Death to the Tinman," the Oscar-nominated mega-retro-animation "Madame Tutli-Putli," inexplicable chapters from Spanish astro-surrealist César Velasco Broca's "Echos Der Buchrücken" and so, fabulously, on. Wholphin No. 6 does not disappoint, from the electrifying science fiction of Catherine Chalmers' digi-vid insect close-ups (used, as Wholphin is wont to do, as menu-movies, as well as an independent entry, "Safari") to Matthew Lessner's "Darling Darling," a domestic absurdism starring Michael Cera and featuring multiple dubbing options, involving either John Cleese or Daniel Handler, but not both. But the best spoonfuls range from an excerpt from Weijun Chen's doc "Please Vote for Me," in which Chinese grade-schoolers are instructed to wage classroom campaigns that quickly devolve into all-too-familiar democratic skullduggery; Adam Keker's "On the Assassination of the President," a mock-classified-briefing film that whips up a computerized Pynchonian conspiracy lather in just six minutes; "Lucky," Nash Edgerton's slam-bang snatch of harrowment that barely gets from a locked trunk into a hurtling car's driver seat; and Randy Krallman's "Force 1 TD," which matter-of-factly, and sweetly, mates gangsta life and seeing-eye Shetlands. Each Wholphin comes with a rather McSweeney's-ish booklet of interviews and statements, where the queries most often answered are, how and why in the hell did you do that?
Source: www.ifc.com/film
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Prince of Persia's mythology
The game has a partly open-ended structure, in that the order in which you explore each area is completely up to you. However, the path to each objective will still be linear. The developers didn't elaborate, but we were told that the order in which you complete the objectives will also have an effect on gameplay.
The game's world is divided into dark and light areas, which represent the two states of cursed land and healed land. One of the major objectives in one of the regions we saw was represented by a beam of light that extended high into the sky. When we came close to reaching the healing ground from which it emitted, we were confronted by a huge beastly creature called a hunter. After a short fight he was disposed of, and we were then ready to step into the light, presumably to vanquish corruption from the region, yet unfortunately for us, it was at this point that the demonstration drew to a close.
Prince of Persia will be making its way to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and DS later this year. Source: www.gamespot.com
"The new game's plot will return to the Arabian Nights and Persian mythology, specifically retelling the legend of twin good and evil deity brothers Ohrmazd and Ahriman. According to myth, Evil Brother (Ahriman) was once imprisoned within a magic box after a battle between the twins turned ugly, but he is accidentally unleashed upon the world when the box is opened by an unsuspecting desert bandit. As Ahriman ravages the world, the thief (i.e. the Prince) must rise to his destiny as a true hero by correcting his mistake and setting things right in the world. Ubisoft's description of this progression sounds almost Okami-like, with trees growing, life flourishing, and the land returning to health in real-time as Ahriman's evil is re-sealed by the Prince in mystical wells.
The new game's plot has zero connection with the events of the previous Prince of Persia games, making us wonder whether or not we're even going to be talking about the same type of princely archetype at all. Creative director Jean-Christophe Guyot describes the game as "Zelda-esque" with "old school, very contrasting levels" leading ultimately to more open and organic gameplay than in previous PoP games.
Combat has been given a similar overhaul, with a focus self-described by the development team as "less God of War and more Soul Calibur." Ubisoft says that the emphasis this time around is on strong one-on-one duels with villains who (we're guessing) correspond roughly to the kind of theatrical foe more commonly seen in a game like Metal Gear Solid". Source: www.1up.com
Join "The Prince of Persia" group in Facebook
The Prince of Persia E3 Trailer:
Joker make-up
Prince of Persia Videoclips
"Destiny brings together two princes from different centuries of historic Persia in this fantastical epic graphic novel. As their city begins to fall, and everything they believe in crumbles and decays, they find that only they can stand against the twilight of their eras.
Created by Jordan Mechner, the creator of the Prince of Persia video games, this graphic novel is beautifully written by award-winning poet A.B. Sina and strikingly illustrated by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland".
Actual Footage of Mechner's Motion Study for Prince of Persia 1
© 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and Jordan Mechner. All Rights Reserved. Prince of Persia is a registered trademark and Red Orb Entertainment is a trademark of The Learning Company, Inc
Actual Footage of the Motion Study for Prince of Persia:
Monday, July 28, 2008
Michelle Williams and Spike Jonze
The actress and director worked together last year, when Williams won a role in Jonze's film, Syecdoche, and they quickly became friends.
Now US magazine Star is reporting that the Brokeback Mountain star has been spotted visiting the director's New York apartment on a number of occasions recently, and that an eye-witness spotted them kissing outside.
The source revealed, 'Michelle kissed Spike with a closed mouth on the corner of his lips. There was definitely a bit of caressing going on. She was clutching his arm.'Jonze is the ex-husband of Lost In Translation director Sofia Coppola, and has previously been linked to Drew Barrymore". Source: www.marieclaire.co.uk
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Tokyo
The Dark Knight has been dominating the international box office with $65.6 million at 7,143 theaters in 43 markets, pushing its foreign cumulative take to $126.3 million. It’s international gross total stands right now at $126.3 million, and worldwide at over $440 million.
The Batman sequel will open on August 9th in Japan. France, Germany, South Korea, and Spain will also have their release dates in August". Source: JustJared.buzznet.com
Mechner talks about Prince of Persia
In this Q&A, Mechner, who owns the rights to Prince Of Persia and has licensed them to Ubisoft for the recent games, discusses the game-film transition, the movie's new director, and some intriguing plot details.
He also touches on the difference between writing for film and writing for games, and what he thought of Ubisoft's XBLA remake of the original PoP.
There’s been buzz about the Prince of Persia movie. Who’s producing? Who’s directing?
Jerry Bruckheimer is producing for Walt Disney Pictures. Mike Newell [Donnie Brasco, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire] is the director.
What’s it like working with Jerry Bruckheimer?
I've only seen the tip of the iceberg, but he is extremely focused, detail-oriented and completely unflappable. Things that most people might consider a crisis -- hurricanes, strikes, whatever -- he handles very calmly and somehow it all works out. I can see why the studios feel confident entrusting him with hundreds of millions of dollars. If he's making the movie, everything's gonna be OK.
Is Ubisoft involved or does your license agreement allow you to do this separately?
They're separate deals. Ubisoft has the videogame rights to Prince of Persia and Disney has the film rights.
How long has the script been in development?
I wrote the first draft and several revisions over a period of about a year and a half. Two more years of development followed, in which additional revisions were done by (in this order): Jeff Nachmanoff, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard.
That sounds like a crazy number of writers, but the original screenplay structure, plot and characters have survived the whole process pretty much intact. Our model is classic epic, swashbuckling action-adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Zorro, and Thief of Baghdad, with humor and romance and full of memorable characters.Will there be a game title that goes along with the movie? Are there any new games in the works separate from the movie?
Sorry, but I can't answer that question!
How close is the movie to starting filming and how does the strike affect it?
The movie is in pre-production. At this moment there's no way to know how long the writers' strike will last, or if the directors' and actors' guilds will strike as well. It's a very insecure time for the whole industry". Source: www.gamasutra.com
"LINKUbisoft Montreal are creating the new-look Prince outing, in which our hero will be gifted a sexy new side-kick, Elika, and a darker aesthetic.
The new action title will be out this festive season on PS3, PC, Xbox 360 and DS.
"I'm very excited about the new game. I'm glad they're taking it in a different direction," Mechner told Comic Con in San Diego. "I think it's absolutely beautiful. It's got that romantic, beautiful feel which I think is more true to the spirit of Prince of Persia. It's very ambitious, it's spectacular, and it's awesome. I like it."
The veteran had previously knocked PoP: The Warrior Within, a release he was not involved with though Mechner seems far more optimistic about the next game, encouragingly: "I'd rather focus on the positive, and hope the new game is going to be the best one," he enthused. Source: play.tm
"Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner appeared at San Diego Comic-Con today where he chatted about his upcoming Prince of Persia graphic novel as well as Disney's in-development movie adaptation of his bestselling videogame.
While the movie is based on the Sands of Time game, Mechner said his script does not literally follow beat to beat the storyline of the game. He added that he does not expect any potential film sequels to be based on the subsequent games Warrior Within and The Two Thrones since they took the game's storyline in a different direction. Nothing from either of those games, including characters, will be in the current movie.
Mechner said that adapting an interactive experience into a non-interactive one means reconceiving the story. The challenge of the script was in writing an entirely new story than the game even if it has the same meaning, plot elements, and characters as the game. The movie has to be different because it is engineered to be played while the film is a spectator experience. Mechner wants the viewer to be taken on an emotional journey and to care about the characters so that way it's not all just about fighting monsters and action set-pieces.Unlike his game counterpart, the title character in the movie to be played by Jake Gyllenhaal will have a name. Mechner said that he chose the name "Dastan" for the prince because he believes its an old Persian name that means "trickster."
So are all the princes of Persia from the various incarnations the same character or different men? That's the idea that Mechner wants to explore in the graphic novel. The comic is set in both the 9th century and 13th centuries with a storyline that interweaves past and future. There is more than one potential prince in each storyline but it involves many of the same things as the games did and has lots of roots in Persian myths and legends. He said that the ancient Persian Book of Kings, the Shahnameh, was his inspiration for both the comic and the videogame.
The official site for the Prince of Persia graphic novel can be found HERE.
Source: movies.ign.com
Cracking jokes
Or maybe-just maybe-you're not that certain. Luckily, you can tell a lot about a girl by her movie star crushes. "My girlfriend doesn't have one of those," you might be saying. Uh huh. Just for fun, go take a look through her DVD collection. Do you notice how there are eight films starring James Spader? Connect the dots, dude.
Below, we've provided a handy list of Hollywood studs; why your lady fantasizing about them is a blessing in disguise; and why it might not be, either.Jake Gyllenhaal and/or Heath Ledger Why It Bodes Well: They starred in Brokeback Mountain, which pretty much makes them gay, doesn't it?
Why You're Screwed: Whoops. Nope, it doesn't make them gay at all. It just makes you insensitive and homophobic for thinking it. And now you're probably going to have to make out with some dude just to prove that you're not. On a happier note, this can now be your excuse if your girlfriend catches you making out with some dude". Source: www.cracked.comREESE WITHERSPOON
People' Scoop: "Broad and high forehead signifies imagination and creativity. Brows with little arch are typical of a person who thinks things through before acting." (p. 82)
The Ugly Truth: Less typical of a person who thinks things through before acting: getting knocked up by Ryan Phillippe.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL
People' Scoop: "M-shaped hairline means he' attractive to women. Thick eyebrows with little arch is a sign of energy and passion. Narrow jaw means he thinks for himself instead of relying on others' ideas and opinions." (p. 84)
The Ugly Truth: Boyish smile means he will not hesitate to make sweet, sweet love to your girlfriend while she's in LA for a bachelorette party. Source: www.cracked.com
Sunday, July 27, 2008
"The Brothers Bloom" Trailer
(look out for a very cool string of Brick cameos, including an unrecognisable Dode and the film's clearly terrified producer,
Ram Bergman). It should be a time for celebration, but Bloom is down and wants out – again. Because it seems there's a cycle here, but when Stephen does his usual pep talk, the old magic isn't there any more: Bloom really does want out this time. So Stephen strikes a deal. They'll do one last con, taking on a batty New Jersey millionairess named Penelope (Weisz) and drawing her into a fake world of smugglers, where the goal is to steal a priceless book from a hidden chamber in Prague. As Stephen puts it, “The best con is when everybody gets what they want.” And on this adventure, Bloom gets the girl, the girl gets a life and Stephen gets the money.
To say too much about this film – and, to be honest, the trailer gives quite a lot away already – would be to rob it of its surprises. It's a film that draws you in, and in a funny way it's quite challenging. Just as Brick dared you to get involved in its world of hipster jargon and cool-school cliques, so The Brothers Bloom makes no bones about its eccentricities: the boys in their Popeye Doyle hats, the sudden appearance of a real-life Fagin, and, best of all, the gorgeous Kikuchi as Bang-Bang, the brothers' mute, explosives-obsessed sidekick. Kikuchi seems to have walked straight out of a lost '60s pop-art bubblegum classic, and her presence is likely to divide audiences in the way Brick's patois did. But even if such flourishes seem overly stylised, the film has a card up its sleeve, figuratively and literally. As effortlessly as it seems to be unfurling, The Brothers Bloom is actually exerting a strange influence on the viewer, and at a crucial point in Mexico it becomes clear that these aren't cartoon characters at all but flesh-and-blood humans caught up in their own fakery, never knowing whether the con starts and real life ends, or vice versa.
The version I saw still had some rough edges that Johnson has since ironed out, so it'll be interesting to see the finished version, although I was sad to hear that the dancing dwarf has hit the cutting-room floor. Nevertheless, it was a pretty complete cut, and what struck me as I left the screening was how much I'd enjoyed spending time with this odd quartet, and how soon I'd want to to back to their world. And here I must make special mention of the film's wonderful score, again by Nathan Johnson, the director's talented cousin. The main themes really draw out the flavour of a film that, though it's about artifice and deception, never feels manipulative or calculating.
There's no word yet on a UK distributor, but my spider senses tell me that audiences here may get a glimpse before Christmas (it's out October 24 in the US). Source: www.empireonline.com
"Right smack in the middle of Comic-Con, Summit has decided to release the first trailer for Rian Johnson's second film - The Brothers Bloom".
Source: www.firshowing.net
Saturday, July 26, 2008
New affiliate: Jake Gyllenhaal Fan
Jake Weird is on affiliates in Male Actors category.I love to keep adding my humble contribution to the Jake's web family, because Jake will continue to be the most gorgeous actor in the world.