Catch a Rising Star

Know who that is? If you don't, it looks like you will in a few years time.

Zoe Saldana is probably best known at this point for being the girl who isn't Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean or for being that girl from that bad Ashton Kutcher movie, but she's starring in 2 of the highest profile movies of the next few years: JJ Abrams' Star Trek (scheduled release 2008) and James Cameron's Avatar (scheduled release 2009).

It's nice to see a black actress not trapped in the Hollywood casting vortex of playing girlfriend to Will Smith or Denzel Washington in action movies.

Who knows? Maybe she's our next Sigourney Weaver...not that we need a new one because Sigourney is still amazing. I'm just sayin'.

August Rush

Have I written about how much I'm anticipating August Rush yet? Because I really am. I'm hesitant to post the trailer for a few reasons, but here it is:


Right off the bat, let's get something out of the way. Yes, that was Robin Williams with a quasi-Southern accent. I apologize for putting you through that. Based off of the trailer, however, it looks like we might get lucky, and his part will be VERY VERY small.

As for the rest of it, I would be tempted to write it off as overly sentimental if it weren't for this woman.


The director, Kristen Sheridan, was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay of her father Jim Sheridan's film In America. That movie, about an Irish immigrant family coming to New York, could have easily revelled in cheap sentimentality, but it was too intelligent and honest for that. She's earned respect from me, and I trust her judgment enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it's always nice to see a female director making interesting work.

And, come on, we get two talented, amazingly hot leads: Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

They Play Instruments!



They Make Sweet Love on Rooftops Like Bohemian Rockstars!


They Brood and Flaunt Their Perfect Skin!



They Have A Super Adorable, Freakishly Talented Child Played by Finding Neverland Phenom Freddie Highmore (Doing a Better Accent than Robin Williams)!


If you're not conviced by now, you must be a Communist.

Ahem...

I'm just saying.

EDIT: I should add that I'm a big fan of all 4 of these people, but the comparison seemed valid now that Rose and Robert have started preparing to working together again.

Incomplete Orson Welles Footage

I know all I've posted the past few days are YouTube videos, but I couldn't NOT post this. After a brief intro, there is 5 or so minutes of video (no sound) from Orson Welles' incomplete film version of 'Don Quixote', starring Patty McCormack of The Bad Seed as a modern day girl who comes into contact with the characters from the novel.



Pity it was never finished. Looking at the wikipedia entry for Welles, there were alot of these films that were left incomplete.

Carol Channing Transforms Into a Sheep

No, seriously...she does.

BUY THIS!!!

I never thought I'd see the day, but Eleanor Coppola's AMAZING documentary, Heart of Darkness, about the nightmare production of her husband Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now is finally getting a DVD release on November 20th.

Information is here.

Danny Huston is Bad Ass

That is all.

Monty Got a Raw Deal: Saying Goodbye

This is an entry into Nathaniel at The Film Experience's Montgomery Clift-athon


I loved him deeply. He was my brother, my dearest friend. -Elizabeth Taylor

Montgomery Clift made his name playing wounded, vulnerable characters beaten down by the world, much as in his own life drugs and alcohol plagued him until his death in 1967 of heart disease. Acting teacher Robert Lewis described it as the longest suicide in history.

Though not his last film, Monty's short but memorable role in one of my favorite films, 1961's Judgement at Nuremberg, is a wonderful, bitter sweet send off that I'll always remember. Playing a man sterilized by the Nazis who is called as a witness by Richard Widmark, Clift is at his best as he embodies the look of a man who has witnessed the dark side of humanity with his outlook on the world forever affected. Shot soon after a serious car crash that permanently changed his appearance, it is sad to think how much Clift must have truly understood this man. The honesty of his performance in the film both testifies to this and leaves us with a reminder of why we came to love him in the first place. Below is the first part of his scene. Unfortunately, the other half is not on YouTube (well, it is, but not in English), so see this movie for the full effect. It really is great.

I could go on and on, but I think the films Montgomery Clift left for us can still speak for themselves. So here is a scene between Monty and the ever gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor from one of his best films, one of the best films of all time, A Place in the Sun.

Oh, and happy 87th Monty!


"The sadness of our existence should not leave us blunted, on the contrary--how to remain thin-skinned, vulnerable and stay alive?" -Montgomery Clift

The Blair Witch Project

You know what film gets a bad rap? The Blair Witch Project.

I was reading the Willies list over at Shoot the Projectionist and was pleasantly surprised to find it listed among the finalist. The reason for this has to do with the strange critical trajectory the film has followed.

When it came out, people couldn't get enough of it. It became one of the highest grossing independent films of all time and became an important film in the history of Sundance, ranking among films like sex, lies, and videotape. A few years on, however, it became sort of a critical punching bag for people to label 'one of the worst movies ever made'. Now, it seems, the tide seems to be turning in the film's favor yet again.


And rightfully so. People tend to complain about the camera work or that nothing much happens for a great deal of the running time, but they forget all the tension building that goes on. The filmmakers didn't need to show the witch at all to make us afraid of her. This is horror filmmaking as it used to be, before watching Heather Matarazzo get carved up while hanging from the ceiling naked passed for effective horror filmmaking.

This is all well and good, but what really endears this movie to me is the ending in which a single figure in a corner and the screams of the main character are still enough to send goosebumps up my arm, even seen out of context.

I lost my Ingmar Bergman virginity last night!

And isn't that just the perfect image to accompany that headline.

Alain Delon

You're welcome.

Il Gattopardo

Luchino Visconti's epic 1963 film Il Gattopardo does what so few films today or at any point in time have been brave enough to do: it lets scenes flow past the point when most editors would have inserted a scene break, lets the characters TALK to eachother and express how the surrounding events have affected them, lets a dance last for minutes as the characters put their lives and worries on hold as they twirl through the halls of a palace. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see a movie that knows how to hold an audience's interest while still adopting a deliberate pace that extends to a nearly 3 hour running time.

This is a movie in which no one is born and no one dies, no one becomes married and no one becomes widowed. In fact, other than an excellent sequence towards the beginning of the film, the revolution occuring is relegated to a few gun shots heard in the distance and the stories told by generals taking in an evening out.
The real story is found in the eyes of Burt Lancaster, the head of an Italian noble family, as he faces the inescapable fact that his generation no longer knows the country they used to lead. As his family relation, played by gorgeous Alain Delon, becomes engaged to an enchanting young woman, the equally gorgeous Claudia Cardinale, and rises in power, the aging prince must look on and wonder whether anything will ever truly change.
This is the type of movie no one seems able to make anymore. Sure, Hollywood makes long movies and costume dramas, but none are able to capture the magic quite like this. It's hard to truly describe the feeling I got when I was younger, popping in the first VHS tape of The Sound of Music on a Friday night in the living room and settling in for a long adventure that transported me into a different world, but it is films like this that give that same wonderful feeling.

Now and Then

Christina Aguilera then:

Britney Spears then:


Christina Aguilera now:

Britney Spears now:

I'll let you decide who won.

(Sorry. I know she's such an easy target, but it's hard to resist).

Helen Mirren on Top Gear

I have no idea what the show Top Gear is about at all. It's a talk show, but they have their guest drive around a race track to see how fast they can manage it beforehand. At the end of the interview, they see how their time compares to other celebrities' times. It's all very strange. Anyway, here's Helen Mirren's interview. Enjoy!

I'd Like to Thank the Academy....

THIS MOMENT...IS SO MUCH BIGGER...THAN ME!

Not you Halle!

Good old JD of Joe's Movie Corner has, for some reason, decided this little blog of mine deserves a Blogger Star Award.


However, as with every bit of power, there comes great responsibility.

This award is for bloggers who shine their light throughout the Blogosphere. Some do it with humor, others with creativity, and others with their kind and thoughtful natures. We all know more than a few of them so why not give them some recognition?

Here’s what to do if you receive this:

* Proudly display it on your blog along with a link to who gave it to you.
* Mention that it originated here at Skittles' Place so I can follow its journey.
* Pass it on to any blogger(s) you think should have it.

I'm just a poor little girl from a trailer park...

No one's talking to you Hilary.

But who will be the chosen few blogs?

1. All About My Movies: She LOVES movies, she LOVES life, and she LOVES love. Try to be in a bad mood after reading this.
2. My Stuff and Cr*p: I don't know why I LOVE the photoshopped Best Actress posts he does, but I do. There's just something so true about Julie Christie saying, "Fight amongst yourselves, bitches!!"
3. Tapeworthy: Often times, reading him is more interesting that watching the shows, etc... he's describing. Hilarious and spot on.
4. Bland Canyon: I'n in Australia for a bit and am addicted to Australian Idol. This girl's recaps are hilarious and reflect EXACTLY what I'm thinking in the way only the best bloggers can manage.
5. Awards Greenhouse: Maybe the best Oscar prognosticator I know. He lets me predict with him even though I pale in comparison.

There you have it! If I listed you in this note. Congrats!


YOU LIKE ME....YOU REALLY LIKE ME!

Congrats Al Gore!

Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize! Cheers!

Hehehe...85% of my old high school must be having aneurysms.

Beam Me Up...Simon Pegg

From Variety

Riddle me intrigued:

Paramount Pictures is beaming up Simon Pegg to play Scotty in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek."
Pegg joins Eric Bana, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy in the latest bigscreen incarnation of the classic TV series.

Very interesting.

I'm not so sure I know how to feel about it. This movie is shaping up to be so weird. I mean...the Star Trek gang in their Starfleet days? This kind of sounds like a fake movie that would have been pitched in The Player.

Frankly, though, I adore Simon Pegg, and I'll see him in almost anything (ALMOST meaning I couldn't handle two hours of Tom Cruise and steered clear of M:I 3). He's funny, adorable, and 'take a look at his arse'.***




Plus, Eric Bana is the villain, and there's always the possibility he'll capture and enslave Scotty at some point.


Don't give me that look! You know that would be amazing.


***If you don't recognize that quote, go rent Hot Fuzz immediately.

Worst Beauty Pagent Talent Ever

I'm just going to post this here...there are no words.


Don't you just LOVE the part when the trumpet substitutes for a laser gun?

Emily on Lars, Starbucks, and Sex Dolls

Lars and the Real Girl is being released this weekend, which can only mean one thing: Emily Mortimer hitting the interview circuit. I'm not in the states to see her on talk shows, unfortunately, but the magic of this strange creature called the internet can bring me things like this short Q & A with New York Magazine. Among the things we learn: Emily and I both think Starbucks is Mecca (kind of), and Emily saying 'fuck' is just as wonderful and adorable in print as it is when she's screaming it at Courtney Cox and Parker Posey.

Plus, she briefly talks about her hubbie, Alessandro Nivola, which gives me an excuse to post more Emissandro goodness.



AWWWWWWW

Jumper trailer

Above is the new trailer for the sci-fi film Jumper, coming out in 2008 and starring Hayden Christensen in non-sucky mode (A.K.A. not directed by George Lucas), Samuel L. Jackson in bad ass mofo mode (A.K.A. Samuel L. Jackson), and Glenn's object of obsession Jamie Bell in smokin' bad ass mode (A.K.A. drool). Oh...and that chick from The O.C. is in it too, the one that isn't Mischa Barton (A.K.A. vomiting girl from The Sixth Sense, and no, I'm not gonna touch that joke). Rachel Bilson is her name...it took me a while to remember that, but I liked what I saw of her on the three episodes of that show I caught in reruns.

Oh...and sorry about the subtitles. I've no idea what language that is, but I'm pretty sure it isn't French.

Anyway, it's not really the type of movie I go for, but those shots of Hayden on Big Ben and the Sphinx are pretty freaking cool, I must say. Plus, Jamie Bell....I mean, come on!

Who's the Odd Man Out?

Which of these is not like the other? Which of these just doesn't belong?

(Here's a hint: One of them has no talent outside of accepting friend requests on MySpace....and no, I don't think Juliette Binoche has a MySpace).

Movie Rant

"If you are basing your evaluation of this film on acting and dialog you are completely missing the point. It’s obvious that the actors are amateurs, that they’re improvising most of their dialog, that there is no polish on this production. This film is like an infected wound, it hurts and it’s not pretty to look at. However, it’s a crucial film for our times that packs a powerful punch and is almost guaranteed to stir up a lot of trouble in a couple of months"

This is from a review on Ain't It Cool News about Brian De Palma's "Redacted", a movie that has gotten generally mixed reviews. Maybe it's a misunderstood masterpiece, I don't know. I haven't seen it. But what bothers me about this review is that it assumes a movie being important means it doesn't have to have a good screenplay or good performances from its actors. If a movie sounds like a bunch of amatuer actors are making crap up as they go, I'm not going to see it, no matter what important MESSAGE it's trying to convey.

Just because a movie wants to teach me something, doesn't mean it doesn't also have to succeed on a basic level of film making.

Sorry...rant over.

No.

No.

My Top 10 of 2006

As a continuation of my VERY late 2006 awards from an earlier post, I present My Top 10 of 2006.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.