opening crawl

Episode III
REVENGE OF THE SITH

War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere.

In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.

As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor....

If you don't want to see what Anakin looks like before the Emperor slips him into "something more comfortable"...don't look here...or here.

25th Annual Golden Raspberry (RAZZIE) Award Nominations

WORST PICTURE

ALEXANDER (Warner Bros.)
CATWOMAN (Warner Bros.)
SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2 (Triumph Films)
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS (DreamWorks)
WHITE CHICKS (Columbia/Revolution)

my vote: this one's easy: Catwoman. Hands down.

WORST ACTOR

Ben Affleck - JERSEY GIRL and SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
George W. Bush - FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Vin Diesel - CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Colin Farrell - ALEXANDER
Ben Stiller - ALONG CAME POLLY, ANCHORMAN, DODGEBALL, ENVY and STARSKY & HUTCH

my vote: tough choice, but just like the Oscars, they're all worthy (minus Farrell), but I still have to go with, Vin Diesel. He sucks. Alot.

WORST ACTRESS

Halle Berry - CATWOMAN
Hilary Duff - CINDERELLA STORY and RAISE YOUR VOICE
Angelina Jolie - ALEXANDER and TAKING LIVES
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen - NEW YORK MINUTE
Shawn & Marlon (The Wayans Sisters) - WHITE CHICKS

my vote: I think the Worst Film category just about covers Catwoman, so I'm going to have to go with Angelina Jolie. Her accent in Alexander sounded like a bad Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I still haven't forgiven her for ruining Lara Croft. Boo ya.

WORST SCREEN COUPLE

Ben Affleck & EITHER Jennifer Lopez OR Liv Tyler - JERSEY GIRL
Halle Berry & EITHER Benjamin Bratt OR Sharon Stone - CATWOMAN
George W. Bush & EITHER Condoleeza Rice OR His Pet Goat - FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen - NEW YORK MINUTE
The Wayans Brothers (In or Out of Drag) - WHITE CHICKS

my vote: another hard one, but I'm going to have to say: George W. Bush & EITHER Condoleeza Rice OR His Pet Goat (was there a difference between them?).

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Carmen Electra - STARKSY & HUTCH
Jennifer Lopez - JERSEY GIRL
Condoleeza Rice - FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Britney Spears - FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Sharon Stone - CATWOMAN

my vote: I have to tie this one: Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. Normally I would just say J-Lo and be done with it, but Britney's remarks in Moore's film were so "special" (read: Special Olympics) that I couldn't possibly leave her out. Hey, both of them have new albums coming out this year! Right.

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Val Kilmer - ALEXANDER
Ah-Nuld Schwarzenegger - AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAZE
Donald Rumsfeld - FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Jon Voight - SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
Lambert Wilson - CATWOMAN

my vote: Kilmer doesn't belong here. Voight is crazy so I'll forgive him (again). Rumsfeld is an easy target so we'll pass on that one. "Ah-Nuld" in "Daze"? Too obvious. That leaves Lambert Wilson in Catwoman. I saw that movie. Who the fuck is Lambert Wilson? No votes.

WORST DIRECTOR

Bob Clark - SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
Renny Harlin and/or Paul Schrader - EXORCIST 4: THE BEGINNING
“Pitof” - CATWOMAN
Oliver Stone - ALEXANDER
Keenan Ivory Wayans - WHITE CHICKS

my vote: Hmmm...where to begin? Oh, fuck it - Pitof is still the worst director of all-time. I only wish "McG" had done something last year. Or did he?

WORST REMAKE OR SEQUEL

ALIEN v PREDATOR (20th Century-Fox)
ANACONDAS: HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID (Screen Gems)
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAZE (Disney)
EXORCIST 4: THE BEGINNING (Warner Bros.)
SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED (Warner Bros.)

my vote: I am still waiting to see Exorcist: Beginning, but I'm sure the Schrader version is worth the price of admission. Scooby Doo 2? Shouldn't kid's movies be exempt from this sort of thing (or at least have their own "worst films" list?) and ANACONDAS: HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID? I didn't realize that was already a film to begin with (wait...J-Lo and Voight, I gothca!) so that leaves AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 "DAZE" and ALIEN v PREDATOR. AVP had Lance Henricksen in it, but that's still no excuse. I'm going to have to go with: Around the World in 80 Days - but only because out of all of these films (Anacondas included) it's the only one that should have been left the fuck alone. And Jackie Chan needs to retire.

he deserves it

Episode III: A Lost Hope trailer

"I am your baby's daddy"?

"Sphere O' Fear"?

"giant hurt ball"?

"Preggers"?

THE ORANGE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS IN 2005
nominations announced 01.17.05



FILM

THE AVIATOR - Michael Mann / Sandy Climan / Graham King / Charles Evans Jr
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Steve Golin / Anthony Bregman
FINDING NEVERLAND - Richard N Gladstein / Nellie Bellflower
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA) - Michael Nozik / Edgard Tenembaum / Karen Tenkhoff
VERA DRAKE - Simon Channing Williams / Alain Sarde

The Alexander Korda Award for the outstanding British film of the year

DEAD MAN’S SHOES - Mark Herbert / Shane Meadows
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN - David Heyman / Chris Columbus / Mark Radcliffe / Alfonso Cuarón
MY SUMMER OF LOVE - Tanya Seghatchian / Christopher Collins / Pawel Pawlikowski
SHAUN OF THE DEAD - Nira Park / Edgar Wright
VERA DRAKE - Simon Channing Williams / Alain Sarde / Mike Leigh

The David Lean Award for achievement in Direction

THE AVIATOR - Martin Scorsese
COLLATERAL - Michael Mann
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Michel Gondry
FINDING NEVERLAND - Marc Forster
VERA DRAKE - Mike Leigh

Film not in the english language

LES CHORISTES (THE CHORUS) - Arthur Cohn / Nicolas Mauvernay / Jacques Perrin / Christophe Barratier
DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) - Michael Nozik / Edgard Tenembaum / Karen Tenkhoff / Walter Salles
UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANCAILLES (A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT) - Francis Boespflug / Jean-Pierre Jeunet
LA MALA EDUCACION (BAD EDUCATION) - Agustín Almodóvar / Pedro Almodóvar
SHI MIAN MAI FU (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) - Bill Kong / Zhang Yimou

Actor in a Leading Role

GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL - The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta)
JAMIE FOXX - Ray
JIM CARREY - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
JOHNNY DEPP - Finding Neverland
LEONARDO DICAPRIO - The Aviator

Actress in a Leading Role

CHARLIZE THERON - Monster
IMELDA STAUNTON - Vera Drake
KATE WINSLET - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
KATE WINSLET - Finding Neverland
ZIYI ZHANG - House of Flying Daggers (Shi Mian Mai Fu)

Actor in a Supporting Role

ALAN ALDA - The Aviator
CLIVE OWEN - Closer
JAMIE FOXX - Collateral
PHIL DAVIS - Vera Drake
RODRIGO DE LA SERNA - The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta)

Actress in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT - The Aviator
HEATHER CRANEY - Vera Drake
JULIE CHRISTIE - Finding Neverland
MERYL STREEP - The Manchurian Candidate
NATALIE PORTMAN - Closer

The Awards will be hosted for the fifth time by Stephen Fry and will take place on Saturday February 12th at the Odeon, Leicester Square.

Well, the first thing you might notice from this list is: NO EASTWOOD!! But that's okay, the film was not released in the U.K. in time for these nominations. It will no doubt appear on the BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS nominations list for next year. Also, last year's Academy Award winner for Best Actress, Charlize Theron (for Monster) appears on the BAFTA list for this year. Kate Winslet has two nominations in the category: Actress in a Leading Role (overkill) and Jamie Foxx also has two nominations (a template for Foxx's Academy Award duplicate nominations). The Aviator leads the pack with the most noms and this has to be one of the most refreshing lists of foreign film nominations yet (despite the absence of the Downfall and The Sea Inside). Still don't get the Alda thing (obviously the Academy took the bait from the BAFTA's) but it's still nice to see Rodrigo De La Serna, Phil Davis, GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL (Oscars, when are you going to learn?), Jim Carrey and Ziyi Zhang all get nominations for their incredible work last year. And Michael Mann (Collateral) with a Best Director nom: fuckin' A. I think Clint Eastwood should be knigthed. Or at least an O.B.E. would be nice.

"Horror, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder."

- Peter Cushing
(May 26, 1913 - August 11, 1994)

Been feeling a little nostalgic lately. After reading Mark Viera's new book, "Hollywood Horror from Gothic to Cosmic," I decided that I would do just a small post on the films that have inspired me the most - from this beautiful genre. Some may not be the "classics" that everyone agrees on, but these are the ones that have been haunting me for quite some time.

1. Frankenstein (31)

Watching this film now, conjures up images of everything from Bride of Frankenstein (35) to Young Frankenstein (74). But this was the template. There are those that will contend that "Bride" is the best, and James Whale only directed a handful of films, but this (in my mind) was his one true masterpiece. Everyone knows the set pieces, eveyone remembers the monster - but more than just Karloff's sensitive and immortal performance, Jack P. Pierce's make-up design and Herman Rosse's art direction (that changed the face of the horror film) stick out in my mind. I remember just how truly moving the whole horrific proceedings were. Whale could always manage to introduce humor, or pathos, at the most unexpected moment - and that is why this film feels as fresh and alive as the day it was made. Mary Shelly it ain't, but timeless it is. Reportedly: a unique six-sheet poster for the original 1931 release, showing Karloff as The Monster menacing Mae Clarke, is worth at least $600,000 US and is possibly the most valuable movie poster in the world. The only known (original) copy is owned by a private collector.

2. Dracula or Horror of Dracula (58)


Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee made 22 films together. Most of them were horror films, and most of them were made at Hammer Studios. Dracula (as it is still known in it's native England) was not their first immortal scream - I mean "screen" pairing. That distinction goes to the classic Hammer film, The Revenge of Frankenstein (58) directed by the late, great Terence Fisher (who also directed Hammer's Dracula). More than anything else, the actors, directors, writers, producers, craftsmen and everyone else who worked at the legendary Hammer Studios, were one big family. It was not uncommon for someone like Jimmy Sangster (who wrote Dracula and many of the now classic Hammer horror films) to turn around and produce or direct a film like, The Horror of Frankenstein (70). The reason that I cite this film as being one of my most cherished horror films - is mainly for two reasons: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. If you know me, than you know why - but for everyone else - these two actors (of the highest caliber) were the most influential reasons for me getting into this genre in the first place. The film would have still been good without them (James Bernard's score is still one of the best Horror film scores of all-time) but I simply would not be sitting here today writing about it if they had not been in it. Cushing and Lee were life-long friends (until Cushing's death in 1994 from prostate cancer) and they would often call up one another on the telephone and just spend hours doing funny accents and listening to each other cut up. Strange business indeed for Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing.

3. The Fall of the House of Usher (60)

This may not have been the best of the Roger Corman/Vincent Price Edgar Allen Poe films produced for Corman's own compnay, AIP (American International Pictures), but it was (like the original Frankenstein) the very first. Price played Roderick Usher like a man in constant physical, emotional and spiritual pain. It is truly one of the most haunting performances that I have ever seen the great actor give. Corman proved with this film that he wasn't just good for producing schlocky drive-in fare only, and he pulled out all the stops: shooting in color and cinemascope. The film features one of my favorite sequences ever shot in a horror film. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it - but it is one of the best hallucinogenic "dream sequences" ever divised. My other favorite Corman/Price/Poe films: The Masque of the Red Death (64), Pit and the Pendulum (61), The Tomb of Ligeia (65) and The Haunted Palace (63).

4. The Beguiled (71)

There's a reason that director, Don Siegel cited this as his own personal favorite of all his films - it defied nearly every classification of genre stereotyping and remains to this day one of the best examples of American gothic horror ever committed to film. That it was not really intended to be a "horror film" only adds to it's mystery. It is most defintely "horror." You could debate that Eastwood's other great film of this era (Play Misty for Me, 71) is a psychological thriller - but there is no doubting The Beguiled. Part of the power of this film is in the straight-forward story-telling and direction from veteren film-maker, Siegel. Bruce Surtees' cinematography is unparalleled in the history of American cinema. He and the late Conrad L. Hall remain my two favorite American cinematographers of all-time. The way Surtees' camera picks up on the flame of a burning candle flickering in the darkness still gives me a chill just thinking about it. Lalo Schifrin's music is sparse but effective. The performances are unforgettable. Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, Darleen Carr, Mae Mercer, Pamelyn Ferdin, Melody Thomas Scott, Peggy Drier and Pattye Mattick should have all won an Academy Award for Best Female Ensemble. Eastwood turned in his best performance on film in The Beguiled, until his Academy Award winning Unforgiven in 1992. In 1971 however, audiences stayed away in droves. They preferred the other Don Siegel-directed Eastwood film (released later that same year, Dirty Harry) and didn't want to see their beloved spaghetti western anti-hero playing a remorseless villain taking advantage of a group of (seemingly) defenseless women. When his character finally gets what's coming to him - in an unforgettable and terrifing sequence (that Stephen King and Kathy Bates would later try to top) - something unexpected happens: our sympathy ends up with him. That the film feels more "real" and "authentic" then nearly every other Civil War era period film (until Dances With Wolves, 90) is a testament to the enduring legacy of this under-rated work of art.

5. Ed Wood (94)

There are so many simple pleasures to watching this film: The way Johnny Depp's (brilliant) Ed Wood is so impassioned, unapologetic about his kinks and passes judgement on no man, how Sarah Jessica Parker's Dolores Fuller can't understand how her perfect marriage could end up being so twisted, how Jeffrey Jones's Criswell jokingly explains to Ed early on that all of his predictions of the future were simply "made up", how Lisa Marie as Vampira is reduced to boarding a public bus in full Vampira regalia in order to get to the shabby movie set, how George 'The Animal' Steele's Tor Johnson just seems to be going along with everything out of an unspoken professional dedication, how Juliet Landau's Loretta King seems perfectly "normal" at first but ends up being maybe the craziest of all the characters, how Max Casella and Brent Hinkley (as Paul Marco and Conrad Brooks respectively) are so clearly living in a fantasy world that they actually might believe themselves to be good actors, how Patricia Arquette's Kathy O'Hara lovingly knits a pair of booties for the frail Bela Lugosi when he goes into rehab for heroin addiction - and then pronounces they're for him by saying, "see, they're black", and how Martin Landau's Bela Lugosi manages to come off being so immortal and yet so hauntingly real that this viewer is almost reduced to tears whenever watching his performance is just proof that Tim Burton's undisputed masterpiece is in itself - one of the greatest Horror Films of all-time.

77th Annual Academy Award Nominees

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA
Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND
Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR
Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Jamie Foxx - RAY

who should win: Everyone (especially Eastwood) but where the hell's Javier Bardem?
who will probably win: Foxx


ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening - BEING JULIA
Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE
Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE
Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

who should win: Swank
who will probably win: I think it's a dead heat between Swank and Staunton, but they'll probably lean toward Staunton


ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
(my favorite category)

Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR
Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS
Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL
Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Clive Owen - CLOSER

who should win: Church or Freeman
who will probably win: Freeman, and rightfully so (in a career award)


ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR
Laura Linney - KINSEY
Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS
Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA
Natalie Portman - CLOSER

who should win: Madsen or Linney
who will probably win: Linney, because they still owe her one for You Can Count on Me (00) (and Portman's just not ready)



DIRECTING

Martin Scorsese - THE AVIATOR
Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Taylor Hackford - RAY
Amexander Payne - SIDEWAYS
Mike Leigh - VERA DRAKE

who should win: Eastwood
who will probably win: Eastwood


BEST PICTURE

THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
RAY
SIDEWAYS

who should win: Million Dollar Baby or Sideways
who will probably win: The Aviator, because that's how Hollywood works - Eastwood will get Director (since they screwed him last year for Mystic River - and he's done the unthinkable: he's actually deserved it twice in a row) and Scorsese will get Picture (because unlike Gangs of New York 02, he actually deserves the nom for this one)


FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

THE CHORUS
Les Choristes - Christophe Barratier (France)

DOWNFALL
Der Untergang - Oliver Hirschbiegel (Germany)

THE SEA INSIDE
Mar adentro - Alejandro Amenábar (Spain)

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Så som i himmelen - Kay Pollak (Sweden)

YESTERDAY - Darrell Roodt (South Africa)

who should win: The Sea Inside
who will probably win: The Sea Inside (and I can't talk about Javier Bardem not getting the Best Actor nom - it's too upsetting)

"Watch Out!!"

Panic in the Streets (50) directed by Elia Kazan, written by Edward and Edna Anhalt, starring: Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Palance and Zero Mostel

the plot (from imdb): A doctor (Clint Reed/Widmark) and a policeman (Tom Warren/Douglas) in New Orleans have only 48 hours to locate a killer (Blackie/Palance) infected with bubonic plague.

Finally, this under-rated little gem has found it's way to DVD (March 15th) from Fox. Better late than never.

the horror

It's the kind of thing we may take for granted (especially in the CGI world of today), but Lon Chaney's self-designed and self-imposed make-up job for The Phantom of the Opera (24) may be the all-time single greatest thing of it's kind. According to Gaston Leroux's novel (written in 1911): "His nose is so little worth talking about that you can't see it side-face; the absence of that nose is a horrible thing to look at." Working with a combination of fish skin, spirit gum, and wires, Chaney pulled his nose so high that it looked as if it had rotted away. "He suffered you know," said cameraman Charles Van Enger. "He had two wires on his nose that pulled it up, and sometimes it would bleed like hell. We never stopped shooting. He would suffer with it." Chaney's performance in this (the greatest filming of the famous book) is now immortal - even if the film has a tendancy to go in and out of vogue.

from imdb: "A friend of Afro-American actor Noble Johnson since both were boys in Colorado together, Chaney was responsible for giving his old friend some early breaks in a career that spanned more than four decades. Likewise, Chaney befriended the young Boris Karloff shortly after the latter's arrival in Hollywood. As with Johnson, he helped Karloff gain a foothold in the movies, and until the end of his life, Karloff always spoke kindly of Chaney as a good friend and colleague...A quiet soul by nature, Chaney valued his privacy highly. Granting few interviews and disliking the Hollywood social whirl, he much preferred spending quiet time with his family and a few close friends, often at his cabin in the Sierra Nevadas...For many years, the cause of the throat cancer that brought about his death at the age of 47 was thought to have been a piece of artificial snow, made out of crushed gypsum, that lodged in his throat during the filming of "Thunder," his last silent film. However, Chaney biographer and scholar Michael Blake points out that the most likely cause was the fact that Chaney was a heavy smoker, and that the piece of artificial snow merely hastened the inevitable."

"Between pictures, there is no Lon Chaney".

"My whole career has been devoted to keeping people from knowing me."

lonchaney.com

starlet

Clean, starring Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte, Béatrice Dalle, Don McKellar, Martha Henry, James Johnston and James Dennis. Written and directed by Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep 96, Demonlover 02).

From imdb: "Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung) is a woman who wrestles with her dream of becoming a singer, her fitness as a mother, and daily life without her partner Lee (James Johnston). Her past is riddled with drugs and regrets, the result of which left Lee dead in a desolate motel room in Hamilton, Ontario, and landed Emily with a six-month jail sentence. The only thing that she desires for the future is a loving relationship with her son Jay, who is being cared for by Lee's parents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry). While Rosemary blames Emily for the death of Lee, Albrecht recognizes the importance of the bond between a mother and her son, and his faith sets the standard for the faith Emily must find in herself. Clean follows Emily to Hamilton, Paris, London and San Francisco and in three languages (English, French and Cantonese), as she battles for a place in a world reluctant to forget the woman she has been and unwilling to accept her as the woman she longs to be."

Maggie Cheung (Hero 02) won the top Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year for this performance. It was her second honor there, after winning for Wong Kar-Wai's brilliant, In the Mood for Love in 2000 (a perfect study of internal acting). The film has recieved little to no exposure, and this is probably due in no part to director Assayas' complex and artful style of storytelling. He is not someone I usually look out for, but his Demonlover got an interesting response from most people who saw it. It concerns the budding and uncharted world of illicit 3D manga pornography and corporate skullduggery. Not exactly your usual "light and fluffy" Amelie-style French film. In any case, be on the look-out for Clean. The DVD will more than likely slip out any time in 2005. See it, if not for the luminous and household-name-ready Ms. Cheung, then for Nick Nolte - who's still one of our greatest living actors (like it or not). Maggie Cheung is as luminous and beautiful as an old-time Hollywood starlet, coupled with the sheer acting talent of a true natural - if only they made them all that way.

From a commentor: "Cheung's brilliant performance and Notle's strong presence shine. If a bit over-dramatic at times, the use of music is rather moving: no formal perfection, no bland, formatted entertainment, but the sound of real people pouring their life in their songs. Subtlety, sensitivity and humanity in filming life's meanderings make this movie a real treat."
There you have it.

man on a mission

The New World (05) written and directed by Terrence Malick

from thezreview.co.uk: "Set amid the encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Settlement in 1607. Inspired by the legend of John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher), Malick transforms this classic story into a sweeping exploration of love, loss and discovery, both a celebration and an elegy of the America that was...and the America that was yet to come."

"Against a historically accurate Virginia backdrop, Malick has set a dramatized tale of two strong-willed characters-a passionate and noble young native woman and an ambitious soldier of fortune-torn between the undeniable requirements of their civic duty and the inescapable demands of the human heart. The film features an accomplished cast that includes Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, Yorick van Wageningen and newcomer Q'orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. Behind the camera is an all-star production team that includes director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Sleepy Hollow), production designer Jack Fisk (Mulholland Drive, The Thin Red Line), costume designer Jacqueline West (Quills, Rising Sun) and film editor Richard Chew (Star Wars, Shanghai Noon)" - moviecitynews.com

Goddamn. Just when I think Terrence Malick has dropped off the face of the planet (yet again) he comes out with another stunner. Of course he does: He's Terrence Malick. Officially, he's only directed three feature films (not including his new film): Badlands (73), Days of Heaven (78) and The Thin Red Line (98) - all of them minimalist, all of them classics. Most people feel comfortable debating the importance or quality of, The Thin Red Line (since that is probably the most seen of his films by the younger generation) but even that "mess" of a film has moments of authenticity and striking brillance (just watch how Malick gets blades of grass to move at his command) that few films even begin to acquire. Lanton Mills (69) was Malick's first film (clocking in at just 12 min.) starring Warren Oates (who also appeared in Badlands) and Harry Dean Stanton. If you see the name: Terrence Malick attached to anything - just know that it will soon become a cultural event in the film world. There are alot of stories out there about just how much of a "quack" this guy is (like an incident involving a wounded stunt person at a remote shooting location during Badlands, when Malick decided to keep shooting instead of ordering a helicopter to rush the mortally wounded man to a hospital) and there will no doubt be more to come.

Often times referred to as the cinematic equivalent of "J.D. Salinger" (in his contract for directing "The Thin Red Line" he stated that no current pictures of him could be published or shown anywhere), Malick grew up on a farm and worked as a farmhand before studying philosophy at Harvard. After graduating he went to Magdalen College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar but left before finishing his thesis (on Martin Heidegger) after a disagreement with his advisor. He moved back to the United States and taught philosophy at MIT while freelancing as a journalist. He was rumored to have been making the film, Che (05) with Benicio Del Toro in the lead, but now that film is being directed by the hit-and-miss king himself, Steven Soderbergh. I wish Soderbergh would have as much screen absence as Malick (or just go away all together). Malick still retains a "writing" credit for Che.

There are few films that are as visually arresting and affecting on a primal level as Badlands, Days of Heaven and even The Thin Red Line. I expect The New World to be as equally fitting. Colin Farrell seems like a perfect match for Malick - even if he wasn't particularly born to work with Oliver Stone (Alexander). I like Farrell and I do not feel that he is limited in range as an actor. I think he has suffered from a few poor choices in the past (American Outlaws 01, Daredevil 03, and S.W.A.T. 03) in order to further his career, but this could be the first step for him into a new...well, you can see where I was goin' with that.

coming this fall


All of Malick's films take place in the past. The Thin Red Line (above) was an adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.

"I tried to keep the 1950s to a bare minimum. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling; it can drown out anything. I wanted the picture to set up like a fairy tale, outside time, like Treasure Island. I hoped this would, among other things, take a little of the sharpness out of the violence, but still keep its dreamy quality." - Terrence Malick on Badlands

fight like a girl

Commenting on the failure of recent female superhero comic book adaptations (Elektra, etc.), Catwoman producer Denise Di Novi explained, "America is not ready for a female superhero. Men don't want to see it - especially teenage boys - and it seems like women don't want to, either." Charlie's Angels screenwriter John August adds, "Studios think all teenage boys are horny, and therefore want to see a beautiful girl kicking ass. But teenage boys are also terrified of women, so the sexuality drives them away." I think Di Novi and August make valid points, but the films they are defending are shoddy goods. Surely they're only talking about the "mainstream" film market, since at least a dozen films (or more) featuring women kicking ass are produced every year in this country alone, in the straight-to-video market - and at least twice that many in Asia.

Yes it's true, we don't have to go to the movies to see Jennifer Garner when we can sit at home and watch her kick ass every week on Alias (as Agent Sydney Anne Bristow). But we would show up more if they gave us a reason to go (ie: a fresh face and a better product).

Well, let me tell you what else drives me away (me being a "teenage boy" - just kidding), how about the entire cast of "Charlie's Angels," as well as every single aspect of "Catwoman", the film. It's not that "America is not ready for a female superhero," (or action star) it's that we require one to be authentically devised for the screen, and not some slap-dashed piece of popcorn-fluff like nearly all of the recent major Hollywood studio comic-book adaptations (not including X-Men, X2, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2). The Asian film-market doesn't have a problem with women kicking ass on film - the majority of their film industry is built on that principle (dating back to the silent era). August may be right about "teenage boys" and some men being "terrified of women" but a mainstream female action film would still do well and create a following if it were: A) well written and directed, B) well cast and acted, C) well produced and D) if there was an actual demand for the product. I mean, what the fuck? Who was asking for an Elektra movie? Or a sequel to Charlie's Angels? The films didn't do as well as the originals at the box office, so they start throwing the blame on "men", "teenage boys" and "women"? How about hermaphrodites? The simple fact is: most people can smell a bullshit movie a mile away. The thing that really kills me is they act like they're putting all of this "hot sex" action up there on the screen and we barely even get to see one good fight between the heroine and whomever. And please, if you're going to make a movie featuring a strong female character who kicks ass and takes names, at least put her in spandex (see below), and make sure she does plenty of squatting. Teenage boys love to see lots of squatting. That's all. Thanks.

and where the hell's the big screen version of this?

So, while we're on the subject...
Who is your favorite kick-ass femme on film?
It doesn't have to be a "superheroine" or "comic book character" but let's limit it to film, since mine would have to be Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman if we did not...

Did I mention how much I loved Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman?

Here's one more:

okay, that's enough...

Top 25
ass-kicking ladies on film

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (00) - Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang and Pei-pei Cheng
2. Aliens (86), Alien³ (92), Alien: Resurrection (97) - Sigourney Weaver (as Lt. Ellen Ripley/Clone #8)
3. Girlfight (00) - Michelle Rodriguez
4. G.I. Jane (97) - Demi Moore
5. Red Sonja (85) - Brigitte Nielsen
6. Tank Girl (95) - Lori Petty
7. Charlie's Angels (00), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (03) - Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Kelly Lynch and Demi Moore (collectively)
8. The Matrix (99), The Matrix Reloaded (03), The Matrix Revolutions (03) - Carrie-Anne Moss
9. X-Men (00), X2 (03) - Famke Janssen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Kelly Hu (collectively)
10. Thelma and Louise (91) - Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis
11. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (91) - Linda Hamilton
12. La Femme Nikita (90) - Anne Parillaud
13. The Heroic Trio (93), Executioners (93) - Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung
14. The Fifth Element (97) - Milla Jovovich
15. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (02) - Lucy Liu
16. The Long Kiss Goodnight (96) - Geena Davis
17. Resident Evil (02), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (04) - Milla Jovovich
18. Lady Snowblood (73), Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (74) - Meiko Kaji
19. Underworld (03) - Kate Beckinsale
20. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (03), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (04) - Uma Thurman (as The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo/"Black Mamba")
21. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (01), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (03) - Angelina Jolie
22. Daredevil (03), Elektra (05) - Jennifer Garner (as Elektra Natchios)
23. Supergirl (84) - Helen Slater
24. Batman Returns (92) - Michelle Pfeiffer
25. Cynthia Rothrock - in over 50 films!

not to leave out HK actresses: Michiko Nishiwaki, Moon Lee, Cynthia Khan and Yukari Oshima (for a complete list of their amazing filmographies, and other's, click here) or Karen Sheperd, Sophia Crawford and Kathy Long...

special mention:

Million Dollar Baby (04) - Hilary Swank (future 2 time Oscar winner)

don't forget to post your vote below under comments