Tag: Entertainment Weekly

Stephen King’s Best of 2008

It’s kind of amazing that Stephen King writes for Entertainment Weekly. His columns bring an interesting and different perspective to the often boring and repetitive world of entertainment journalism. Which is why his take on the best movies of 2008 is awesome. Some are definite Oscar contenders (Slumdog Millionaire) and others… not so much (Lakeview Terrace).

Here is his Top 10.

1. The Dark Knight

2. Slumdog Millionaire

3. Wall-E

4. Tropic Thunder

5. Funny Games

6. The Bank Job

7. Lakeview Terrace

8. The Ruins

9. Redbelt

10. Death Race

Dressed to Impress

Entertainment Weekly has a new photo gallery of the best and most memorable dresses seen in the movies. The gallery includes some of my favorite movie fashions, such as:

  • Audrey Hepburn’s black Givenchy dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
  • Keira Knightley’s green dress in Atonement
  • Grace Kelly’s dress in Rear Window.

But I think the list needs some additions. Such as: Sarah Jessica Parker’s Vivienne Westwood wedding gown from the Sex and the City movie. (There was a BIRD on her head.)

Rachel McAdams disasterous spring fling dress from Mean Girls (she couldn’t fit into a size 1,3 or 5) Sissy Spacek’s prom dress from Carrie. Got any favorites to add to the list?

Angelina Jolie: Still a Serious Actress?

In this video on EW.com, critics Lisa Schwarzbaum and Owen Gleiberman debate the film career of Angelina Jolie. Does she shine better when she has “guns in her hands and high boots” in action movies such as Wanted? Or is she best in more serious films such as A Mighty Heart or the upcoming Changeling?

But my question is: Does Angelina even have a serious film career anymore? Has her personal life with Brad Pitt and their ever growing family made anyone who just glances at the latest tabloid cover completely forget that she has won an Oscar?

I find that I will read any issue of People Magazine with the Jolie-Pitt clan on the cover. (Why not?) I still prefer Angelina Jolie, the actress.

The humantarian aspect of her life is great. But at the end of the day, Angelina Jolie is the reason a movie is good and there is no reason for me to not see a good movie. And for that reason, I don’t care if Angelina Jolie is in an action movie or a serious film. If it’s a good movie, it doesn’t matter what the genre it is (most of the time) and I will see it.

But I’m curious what you think about Angelina Jolie. Sound off below!

Read This: Interview with Spielberg and Lucas

Bromance

Since we’re going to be subjected to a new Indiana Jones, then George Lucas and Steven Spielberg taking their bromance on the road is a fair consolidation prize. These are some of my favorite parts of this sweet interview with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas (from Entertainment Weekly). They shared a number of insights on the franchise, the new characters and filmmaking. My favorite excerpt is on the changes to the film industry thanks to the Internet (who me?)

EW: You guys first became filmmakers at a time when European directors were arguably the most inventive and the most artistically acclaimed in the world. Do you miss that atmosphere? 

LUCAS: When Star Wars was being made, all the independent art films [still] came from Europe. There were practically no American independent films being made. Now about 30, 40 percent of American films are independent. And the films coming out of Europe, a lot of them look like American films. You can’t really tell the difference. There’s a globalization of entertainment, and it’s good, because you still have personal art films and big audience pleasers.

SPIELBERG: You also have films being made and released on the Internet, little films, five- to six-minute shorts. They come from all over the world, and it’s really interesting to see and to sense how this world has shrunk down to size of a single frame of film…. More people can pick up video cameras, and more individuals can express who they are as artists through this collective medium. That’s what’s so exciting. What makes me really curious to see as many short films, especially, as I possibly can, is that everybody is coming out of a different box, and is free to express themselves because budget is no longer a limiting factor. You can make a movie for no money and basically get it out there on YouTube for everybody to see.

LUCAS: Movies are now becoming like writing, like books. It’s opened up to the point where anybody who has the urge or the talent to do it, there’s not that many impediments to making a film. And, there are not that many impediments to having it be shown. That’s where the Internet comes in. Now you can actually get it in front of people, and have them decide whether they like it or not. Before, that depended on the decisions of a very, very small group of people — executives who in a lot of cases didn’t even go to the movies, and didn’t even like ’em. And they were deciding what the people were and weren’t going to like. It’s much more democratic now. The people decide what they want.

EW: Of course, there are downsides to the burgeoning Internet age — and one of those downsides is, when a popular movie is coming up, people sort of peck it to death before it even opens. There’s been a huge amount written on the Internet about the development of Crystal Skull, including lots of spoilers on chat boards — though most of it is clearly labeled. Is it getting harder to protect the development process? 

SPIELBERG: It really is important to be able to point out that the Internet is still filled with more speculation than facts. The Internet isn’t really about facts. It’s about people’s wishful thinking, based on a scintilla of evidence that allows their imaginations to springboard. And that’s fine.
LUCAS: Y’know, Steven will say, ”Oh, everything’s out on the Internet [in terms of Crystal Skull details] — what this is and what that is.” And to that I say, ”Steven, it doesn’t make any difference!” Look — Jaws was a novel before it was a movie, and anybody could see how it ended. Didn’t matter.
SPIELBERG: But there’s lots and lots of people who don’t want to find out what happens. They want that to happen on the 22nd of May. They want to find out in a dark theater. They don’t wanna find out by reading a blog…. A movie is experiential. A movie happens in a way that has always been cathartic, the personal, human catharsis of an audience in holy communion with an experience up on the screen. That’s why I’m in the middle of this magic, and I always will be.

Read the entire interview here.

The 50 Best High School Movies

Yes, I’m only a week into my whole “college experience”, but that does not mean I can’t appreciate NOT being in high school anymore. (You could give me a million dollars and I still wouldn’t go back.)

And to celebrate the unfortunate souls who are still in high school, here’s a movie list just for you.[SOURCE]

Some of y favorites from the list are: Splendor in the Grass (1961), Sixteen Candles (1984), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Can’t Hardly Wait (1998), The Virgin Suicides (2000), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Brick (2006):

Hoop Dreams (1994), Bring It On (2000), Pretty in Pink (1986), Rushmore (1998), Dead Poets Society (1989), The Last Picture Show (1971):

Donnie Darko (2001), High School (1968), Mean Girls (2004) Say Anything (1989)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Election (1999), Clueless (1995), American Graffiti (1973), Rebel Without a Cause (1955) The Breakfast Club (1986)

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So many great movies on this list! I think Mean Creek and Blackboard Jungle were overlooked. And can any movie ever top The Breakfast Club?