list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Bowfinger on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Bowfinger/134475/default.aspx Title: Bowfinger
Year: 1999
Director: Frank Oz
Plot: A group of wanna-be filmmakers and actors concocts a scheme to make a movie with a major star without having to pay him in this comedy. Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) has struggled for years to make it in Hollywood with no real success; he's convinced that he has to make his big break soon or it will be too late. Bobby has a script, and he has a cast, including an ingenue straight off the bus from Ohio (Heather Graham), a one-time regional stage star who fondly recalls her brief moment of glory (Christine Baranski), and a hunky aspiring matinee idol (Kohl Sudduth). He also has a young associate named Dave (Jamie Kennedy), who has a low-level job at a movie studio as a gofer -- which means that he has keys to every part of the lot and can "borrow" whatever they need. All they need is a star, but without any money, how do they get one? Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) is a leading action star, and he is obviously beyond Bowfinger's budget. But Bobby has an idea: what if he tricked Kit into appearing in the film without his knowing it? Steve Martin also wrote the film's screenplay, and former Muppets performer Frank Oz directs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 7
Number of Lists: 24
Number of blog posts: 3
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:27:51 GMTBowfinger1999Frank OzA group of wanna-be filmmakers and actors concocts a scheme to make a movie with a major star without having to pay him in this comedy. Bobby Bowfinger (<a href="/players/P___101485/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Steve Martin</a>) has struggled for years to make it in Hollywood with no real success; he's convinced that he has to make his big break soon or it will be too late. Bobby has a script, and he has a cast, including an ingenue straight off the bus from Ohio (<a href="/players/P____28094/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Heather Graham</a>), a one-time regional stage star who fondly recalls her brief moment of glory (<a href="/players/P_____3796/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Christine Baranski</a>), and a hunky aspiring matinee idol (Kohl Sudduth). He also has a young associate named Dave (<a href="/players/P___215606/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jamie Kennedy</a>), who has a low-level job at a movie studio as a gofer -- which means that he has keys to every part of the lot and can "borrow" whatever they need. All they need is a star, but without any money, how do they get one? Kit Ramsey (<a href="/players/P____51440/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Eddie Murphy</a>) is a leading action star, and he is obviously beyond Bowfinger's budget. But Bobby has an idea: what if he tricked Kit into appearing in the film without his knowing it? <a href="/players/P___101485/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Steve Martin</a> also wrote the film's screenplay, and former Muppets performer <a href="/players/P___105306/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Frank Oz</a> directs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide7Taggedy Taggged (6-10)24323http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t04752w2y0y.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Bowfinger/134475/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/12/39422.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
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Post Date: 1/12/2009 4:01:03 PM
Body: What better way to get in the mood for the double-barrelled shotgun blast of Sundance and Slamdance than by entering to win one of five copies of The Deal on DVD. Here’s what the movie is all about: A struggling film producer (William H. Macy) teams up with a beleaguered studio executive (Meg Ryan) who is forced to make a doomed action movie with him in which their mercurial star (LL Cool J) seems determined to finish their careers. When their action hero is kidnapped and the studio abruptly shuts down the movie, the mismatched pair conspire to keep the cameras rolling at the studio’s expense – and reluctantly fall in love in the process. Visit the movie’s official website to find out more and watch the trailer as well as clips from the film. Getting your copy is pretty easy. Since The Deal is all about the inner-machinations of Hollywood, we want to know what your favorite movie set in Hollywood is 1. Bowfinger (Trailer) 2. The Player (Trailer) 3. Sunset Boulevard 4. The Big Picture (Trailer) 5. Ed Wood 6. Something I’m forgetting Send your choice to filmcouch@spout.com with the subject line “The Deal.” The winners will be announced during Episode 104 of FilmCouch, coming to a computer near you this Friday, January 16th. –Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:01:03 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/12/2009 4:01:03 PMWhat better way to get in the mood for the double-barrelled shotgun blast of Sundance and Slamdance than by entering to win one of five copies of The Deal on DVD. Here’s what the movie is all about: A struggling film producer (William H. Macy) teams up with a beleaguered studio executive (Meg Ryan) who is forced to make a doomed action movie with him in which their mercurial star (LL Cool J) seems determined to finish their careers. When their action hero is kidnapped and the studio abruptly shuts down the movie, the mismatched pair conspire to keep the cameras rolling at the studio’s expense – and reluctantly fall in love in the process. Visit the movie’s official website to find out more and watch the trailer as well as clips from the film. Getting your copy is pretty easy. Since The Deal is all about the inner-machinations of Hollywood, we want to know what your favorite movie set in Hollywood is 1. Bowfinger (Trailer) 2. The Player (Trailer) 3. Sunset Boulevard 4. The Big Picture (Trailer) 5. Ed Wood 6. Something I’m forgetting Send your choice to filmcouch@spout.com with the subject line “The Deal.” The winners will be announced during Episode 104 of FilmCouch, coming to a computer near you this Friday, January 16th. –Chris Thilk, Director of Marketing Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/8/19/34111.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 8/19/2008 8:40:19 AM
Body: At one point in "Tropic Thunder," the new comedy from writer/director/star Ben Stiller, co-star Robert Downey Jr. plays and Australian Method actor portraying a black southern soldier pretending to be a humble Asian rice farmer. And what's Ms. Greatest Living Actor Today, Meryl Streep, doing in the next theater? Oh, that's right. She's working on her tan, kicking it in the Greek Isles and singing ABBA tunes. Come Oscar time, if there is any justice, Downey would at least make the "For Your Consideration" rounds for his role as the uber-intense Kirk Lazarus. Downey Jr. treats his high-wire performance with such dignity and devotion that he spends almost the entire film in blackface without once seeming condescending or racist. But let us back up a bit, shall we? "Thunder" is not only a scathing little indictment on the film industry, but, minute for minute, one of the funniest films released this year, overcoming the third-act slump that befalls so many big-budget comedies released today (I'm looking at you square in your bloodshot eyes, "Pineapple Express."). The film, centering around a bunch of whiny actors who sign on for an epic war movie, begins with a wonderfully ingenious way to give us all the back story we need about its leads. Whatever you do, don't arrive late to this movie. Three previews begin the film, one featuring past-his-prime action doll Tugg Speedman (Stiller) who's milking his once-popular franchise, "Scorcher," for its very last drops of testosterone. It's a well that Speedman has reluctantly returned to after an ill-advised attempt for acting legitimacy while playing a mentally challenged man in "Simple Jack." It's followed by "The Fatties," a comedy in which its chubby trainwreck star, Jeff Portney (played by Jack Black), dons various fat suits for a number of roles as a flatulent family. Rounding out the trio of trailers is a phony "prestige" picture, "Satan's Alley," starring five-time Academy Award-winning Lazurus as a monk who longs to taste the forbidden fruit of a fellow man of the cloth. In that brief setup, we know all that is needed about the three main actors of "Tropic Thunder," the name of a Vietnam opus in which each of the actors will share the screen for various career-enhancing reasons. After a series of prissy meltdowns delays production, first-time director Damien Cockburn (played by Steve Coogan) is threatened by a maniacal producer who plans to abort the film altogether. In a last-ditch effort he drops off the leads -- with co-stars Alpa Chino (played by newcomer Brandon T. Jackson) and Kevin Sandusky (played by Jay Baruchel) -- deep in the jungle leaving them to their own Blackberry-less, Tivo-less devices. It's a comedic plot that harkens back to "To Be or Not to Be," with a lot of "Three Amigos" thrown in for good measure, but Stiller takes the time along the way to slaughter cow after sacred cinematic cow. "Thunder" has countless throwaway gags, none wearing out their welcome like the director sometimes did in his previous effort "Zoolander." And when it's not chucking those at the screen, a number of big-named actors whoop it up in secondary and cameo roles. And while Stiller deserves credit for both crafting and capturing the film, it's Downey Jr. who brings "Tropic's" thunder. It is a role that could have sunk the film faster than a "Soul Man" sequel, and required the utmost respect in its execution to avoid any hint of racist intent. But in an industry that celebrates the mere weight loss or gain actors undergo for a role just as much as performance itself, he captures the pomposity and disillusionment that some actors embrace for the sake of their "art" with equal amounts wit and warmth. There are other surprise pop-up performances that, if you have not heard about yet, you should try to witness firsthand before receiving lame line-readings from friends. There is no doubt "Thunder" steps over the line from time to time, but, like "Borat," it's still refreshing to witness a big studio comedy that is willing to stick it's neck out once and a while for a funny, rather than resort to the toothless "yuks" from the wretched parodoic parasites like "Meet the Spartans" and its hell-spawn ilk. Not since 1999's "Bowfinger" has Hollywood taken such an intelligently staged skewering, and Stiller has returned to the same biting satiric edge he once sp gloriously displayed in his short-lived television show. After seeing "Thunder," it will be hard to hear the about the heavily supervised "hell" actors claim they undergo when prepping for a role without being reminded of one of Downey Jr.'s blisteringly amusing monologues of what it takes to earn one of those prestigious little statuettes Hollywood likes to hand out to one another at year's end.
]]>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:40:19 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog8/19/2008 8:40:19 AM At one point in "Tropic Thunder," the new comedy from writer/director/star Ben Stiller, co-star Robert Downey Jr. plays and Australian Method actor portraying a black southern soldier pretending to be a humble Asian rice farmer. And what's Ms. Greatest Living Actor Today, Meryl Streep, doing in the next theater? Oh, that's right. She's working on her tan, kicking it in the Greek Isles and singing ABBA tunes. Come Oscar time, if there is any justice, Downey would at least make the "For Your Consideration" rounds for his role as the uber-intense Kirk Lazarus. Downey Jr. treats his high-wire performance with such dignity and devotion that he spends almost the entire film in blackface without once seeming condescending or racist. But let us back up a bit, shall we? "Thunder" is not only a scathing little indictment on the film industry, but, minute for minute, one of the funniest films released this year, overcoming the third-act slump that befalls so many big-budget comedies released today (I'm looking at you square in your bloodshot eyes, "Pineapple Express."). The film, centering around a bunch of whiny actors who sign on for an epic war movie, begins with a wonderfully ingenious way to give us all the back story we need about its leads. Whatever you do, don't arrive late to this movie. Three previews begin the film, one featuring past-his-prime action doll Tugg Speedman (Stiller) who's milking his once-popular franchise, "Scorcher," for its very last drops of testosterone. It's a well that Speedman has reluctantly returned to after an ill-advised attempt for acting legitimacy while playing a mentally challenged man in "Simple Jack." It's followed by "The Fatties," a comedy in which its chubby trainwreck star, Jeff Portney (played by Jack Black), dons various fat suits for a number of roles as a flatulent family. Rounding out the trio of trailers is a phony "prestige" picture, "Satan's Alley," starring five-time Academy Award-winning Lazurus as a monk who longs to taste the forbidden fruit of a fellow man of the cloth. In that brief setup, we know all that is needed about the three main actors of "Tropic Thunder," the name of a Vietnam opus in which each of the actors will share the screen for various career-enhancing reasons. After a series of prissy meltdowns delays production, first-time director Damien Cockburn (played by Steve Coogan) is threatened by a maniacal producer who plans to abort the film altogether. In a last-ditch effort he drops off the leads -- with co-stars Alpa Chino (played by newcomer Brandon T. Jackson) and Kevin Sandusky (played by Jay Baruchel) -- deep in the jungle leaving them to their own Blackberry-less, Tivo-less devices. It's a comedic plot that harkens back to "To Be or Not to Be," with a lot of "Three Amigos" thrown in for good measure, but Stiller takes the time along the way to slaughter cow after sacred cinematic cow. "Thunder" has countless throwaway gags, none wearing out their welcome like the director sometimes did in his previous effort "Zoolander." And when it's not chucking those at the screen, a number of big-named actors whoop it up in secondary and cameo roles. And while Stiller deserves credit for both crafting and capturing the film, it's Downey Jr. who brings "Tropic's" thunder. It is a role that could have sunk the film faster than a "Soul Man" sequel, and required the utmost respect in its execution to avoid any hint of racist intent. But in an industry that celebrates the mere weight loss or gain actors undergo for a role just as much as performance itself, he captures the pomposity and disillusionment that some actors embrace for the sake of their "art" with equal amounts wit and warmth. There are other surprise pop-up performances that, if you have not heard about yet, you should try to witness firsthand before receiving lame line-readings from friends. There is no doubt "Thunder" steps over the line from time to time, but, like "Borat," it's still refreshing to witness a big studio comedy that is willing to stick it's neck out once and a while for a funny, rather than resort to the toothless "yuks" from the wretched parodoic parasites like "Meet the Spartans" and its hell-spawn ilk. Not since 1999's "Bowfinger" has Hollywood taken such an intelligently staged skewering, and Stiller has returned to the same biting satiric edge he once sp gloriously displayed in his short-lived television show. After seeing "Thunder," it will be hard to hear the about the heavily supervised "hell" actors claim they undergo when prepping for a role without being reminded of one of Downey Jr.'s blisteringly amusing monologues of what it takes to earn one of those prestigious little statuettes Hollywood likes to hand out to one another at year's end. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/11/33867.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/11/2008 4:00:43 PM
Body: Lists of movies within movies are fairly common on the internet, enough that I now realize I need to finally see Bowfinger simply because I’ve counted about a million list makers in love with something titled “Chubby Rain.” And the lists are likely to keep on coming thanks to this week’s hot release, Tropic Thunder, which actually features two movies within (the Vietnam War film “Tropic Thunder” and the festival-winning making-of documentary “Rain of Madness”), as well as the upcoming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which has spawned a popular fake movie trailer for an NC-17 film titled “Mother Theresa: The Making of a Saint” (previewed above). Yet until someone makes a Wikipedia page for “List of Fictional Films,” these blogged and forumed lists are necessary to keep us movie fans remembering those non-existent movies we wish existed. Narrowing down to ten seemed to be difficult — fictional films have been at least nominally been created for tons of films about filmmaking, otherwise reflexive films, sketch comedies, spoofs, etc. — until I realized that a lot of these films within films are appropriately nominal or trailer- or clip-sized gags and would in reality be terrible (imagine actually watching the entirety of “Asses of Fire” from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut). Even “Je Vous Présente Paméla” (”Meet Pamela”) from Day for Night and the sci-fi film being made in 8½ would probably be major disappointments in actuality if you expected from them the work of Truffaut and Fellini, respectively. So, I went mostly with fictional films that would probably be bad, but would at least be amusingly bad — though I purposefully avoided fictional porns, including those from Boogie Nights and The Big Lebowski, of which there are literally thousands: “Gandhi II” from UHF - There’s just something about watching good people gone bad. But while the idea of the Good Will Hunting sequel, subtitled “Hunting Season”, thought up for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is pretty ingenious, it just doesn’t have the same level of ludicrous exaggeration that a bloodletting follow-up to the Oscar-winning Gandhi has. Dude drives a Ferrari, can punch completely through a guy’s abdomen, and of course he knows how to party. He even eats meat, now. It’s not only funny because it’s the antithesis of what the Indian leader was all about, it’s also funny because it reminds me of all those straight-edge and vegetarian kids you knew in high school who now drink way too much (oh, yeah, I’m one of them). “Odyssey” from Contempt - When Fritz Lang showed up as himself in Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, he’d already given the world his final film as a director (The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse). If only he’d really given us this one additional adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. Either as an art film, as Lang originally intends, or as a more commercial picture, as desired by the American producer played by Jack Palance. “Ants in Your Pants 1938″ from Sullivan’s Travels - The other famously named film within this film, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was, at least in title, already made by the Coen brothers (see the side-by-side comparison in the video above — interestingly enough, their O Brother, Where Art Thou? is also an adaptation of Homer’s “Odyssey”, uniting #2 and #3 of this list). But I always try to imagine what a film titled “Ants in Your Pants 1938″ would have looked like. I always picture a cross between the Marx Brothers and Busby Berkeley, yet it’s got to be more shallow than that, according to how it’s referenced in Preston Sturges’ movie. “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure - What fan of the real Big Adventure wouldn’t like to watch it all over again as an action picture starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild? Maybe it wouldn’t be as good, but it does have ninjas. Anyway, because I love to relate seemingly unrelated movies via lists, let it be known that an episode of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse was titled “Ants in Your Pants”. And now that I think about it, that show was kinda like a cross between the Marx Brothers and Busby Berkeley. Kinda. “Habeas Corpus” from The Player - It’s a common staple for lists like this, and pretty much all Bruce Willis movies from the first half of the ’90s were awful (obviously Pulp Fiction is an exception), but I’d definitely watch the whole of this fake film, even though I’ve already seen how it ends. As with Fritz Lang’s “Odyssey”, I’d be curious to see both the originally planned version and the commercialized final version. “Crossed Sabres of Truth” from The Big Picture - Forget “Home for Purim”, that lame movie within a movie from Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration. This earlier satire of Hollywood from Guest had far greater fake films, most of them fake student films, such as this one, made by the full-of-himself character played by Dan Schneider. It may not have starred Elliott Gould (as does “The Trial of Janet Kingsley”), or been an overly avant-garde work titled “Afterbirth of a Notion” (which reminds me of the opening to Pee-Wee’s Playhouse), or the actual winner of the National Film Institute’s student film award (that would be Kevin Bacon’s character’s “First Date”), but it has the fat kid from Head of the Class and Better Off Dead riding a horse in a 19th century war movie. How could you not want to see more? “See You Next Wednesday” from The Kentucky Fried Movie - I’m probably a bigger fan of weird movie theater gimmicks than the average moviegoer, but that’s probably because I didn’t get a chance to live through things like Smell-O-Vision, which sound neat in theory but which were reportedly very obnoxious in reality (I recently wrote elsewhere about how the return of Smell-O-Vision in pre-show advertising sounds terrible). The joke about “See You Next Wednesday” (a fake movie title referenced in most of John Landis’ films) is that it’s in “feel-around”, a gimmick that’s clearly annoying to experience. I’d definitely be willing to try it out once, though. Especially if it’s the closest thing I could get to one of the Feelies (tactual motion pictures) from Huxley’s “Brave New World”. “MANT” from Matinee - Movie theater gimmicks also have me curious about experiencing the schlock horror film shown in Atomo-Vision and Rumble-Rama. This is one of those film within a films that you get to see more than enough footage of, but I want to actually suffer it as it’s intended to be seen. “Jews in Space” from History of the World, Part I - Mel Brooks eventually did make a Star Wars spoof, one that featured a lot of Jews in space (Spaceballs), but that doesn’t mean this earlier parody idea wouldn’t also be worth seeing. I’d even settle for seeing the apparently hilarious 2005 Argentine film Jews in Space Or Why Is This Night Different, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to actually take place in space nor, tragically, involve spaceships shaped like the Star of David. “Those Darn Amigos” from ¡Three Amigos! - Because the synopsis of Tropic Thunder reminds me of the plot to Three Amigos, I feel it appropriate to include one of the fake films from the underrated comedy. At the beginning of the movie, we see one of the silent movies starring the Three Amigos (see the clip above), but I’m more interested in the trio’s flop, which diverted from the usual premise to be about three wealthy Spanish landowners who take a little vacation in Manhattan. If it didn’t appeal to the masses, I’ll probably love it. I’d also settle for seeing one of the early shorts featuring Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) known as “Little Neddy’s Knickers.” Considering ¡Three Amigos! is set in 1916, and Short was in his mid-30s, I believe it impossible that Ned could have been a child star of any younger than 30, so I’m pretty curious. BONUS: “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” from Lost in La Mancha - It isn’t a fake film, but it is technically a film within a film. And it’s so far non-existent, really. Terry Gilliam’s attempted loose adaptation of Cervantes was actually being made, with Johnny Depp in the lead. However, due to multiple complications, the production was canceled after shooting had begun, and all that remained was Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s depressing documentary Lost in La Mancha. Because sometimes the gods are good to us Gilliam fans, though, it was recently announced that the film is on being attempted again, reportedly still with Depp and possibly also starring Michael Palin. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:00:43 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/11/2008 4:00:43 PM Lists of movies within movies are fairly common on the internet, enough that I now realize I need to finally see Bowfinger simply because I’ve counted about a million list makers in love with something titled “Chubby Rain.” And the lists are likely to keep on coming thanks to this week’s hot release, Tropic Thunder, which actually features two movies within (the Vietnam War film “Tropic Thunder” and the festival-winning making-of documentary “Rain of Madness”), as well as the upcoming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which has spawned a popular fake movie trailer for an NC-17 film titled “Mother Theresa: The Making of a Saint” (previewed above). Yet until someone makes a Wikipedia page for “List of Fictional Films,” these blogged and forumed lists are necessary to keep us movie fans remembering those non-existent movies we wish existed. Narrowing down to ten seemed to be difficult — fictional films have been at least nominally been created for tons of films about filmmaking, otherwise reflexive films, sketch comedies, spoofs, etc. — until I realized that a lot of these films within films are appropriately nominal or trailer- or clip-sized gags and would in reality be terrible (imagine actually watching the entirety of “Asses of Fire” from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut). Even “Je Vous Présente Paméla” (”Meet Pamela”) from Day for Night and the sci-fi film being made in 8½ would probably be major disappointments in actuality if you expected from them the work of Truffaut and Fellini, respectively. So, I went mostly with fictional films that would probably be bad, but would at least be amusingly bad — though I purposefully avoided fictional porns, including those from Boogie Nights and The Big Lebowski, of which there are literally thousands: “Gandhi II” from UHF - There’s just something about watching good people gone bad. But while the idea of the Good Will Hunting sequel, subtitled “Hunting Season”, thought up for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is pretty ingenious, it just doesn’t have the same level of ludicrous exaggeration that a bloodletting follow-up to the Oscar-winning Gandhi has. Dude drives a Ferrari, can punch completely through a guy’s abdomen, and of course he knows how to party. He even eats meat, now. It’s not only funny because it’s the antithesis of what the Indian leader was all about, it’s also funny because it reminds me of all those straight-edge and vegetarian kids you knew in high school who now drink way too much (oh, yeah, I’m one of them). “Odyssey” from Contempt - When Fritz Lang showed up as himself in Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, he’d already given the world his final film as a director (The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse). If only he’d really given us this one additional adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. Either as an art film, as Lang originally intends, or as a more commercial picture, as desired by the American producer played by Jack Palance. “Ants in Your Pants 1938″ from Sullivan’s Travels - The other famously named film within this film, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was, at least in title, already made by the Coen brothers (see the side-by-side comparison in the video above — interestingly enough, their O Brother, Where Art Thou? is also an adaptation of Homer’s “Odyssey”, uniting #2 and #3 of this list). But I always try to imagine what a film titled “Ants in Your Pants 1938″ would have looked like. I always picture a cross between the Marx Brothers and Busby Berkeley, yet it’s got to be more shallow than that, according to how it’s referenced in Preston Sturges’ movie. “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure - What fan of the real Big Adventure wouldn’t like to watch it all over again as an action picture starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild? Maybe it wouldn’t be as good, but it does have ninjas. Anyway, because I love to relate seemingly unrelated movies via lists, let it be known that an episode of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse was titled “Ants in Your Pants”. And now that I think about it, that show was kinda like a cross between the Marx Brothers and Busby Berkeley. Kinda. “Habeas Corpus” from The Player - It’s a common staple for lists like this, and pretty much all Bruce Willis movies from the first half of the ’90s were awful (obviously Pulp Fiction is an exception), but I’d definitely watch the whole of this fake film, even though I’ve already seen how it ends. As with Fritz Lang’s “Odyssey”, I’d be curious to see both the originally planned version and the commercialized final version. “Crossed Sabres of Truth” from The Big Picture - Forget “Home for Purim”, that lame movie within a movie from Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration. This earlier satire of Hollywood from Guest had far greater fake films, most of them fake student films, such as this one, made by the full-of-himself character played by Dan Schneider. It may not have starred Elliott Gould (as does “The Trial of Janet Kingsley”), or been an overly avant-garde work titled “Afterbirth of a Notion” (which reminds me of the opening to Pee-Wee’s Playhouse), or the actual winner of the National Film Institute’s student film award (that would be Kevin Bacon’s character’s “First Date”), but it has the fat kid from Head of the Class and Better Off Dead riding a horse in a 19th century war movie. How could you not want to see more? “See You Next Wednesday” from The Kentucky Fried Movie - I’m probably a bigger fan of weird movie theater gimmicks than the average moviegoer, but that’s probably because I didn’t get a chance to live through things like Smell-O-Vision, which sound neat in theory but which were reportedly very obnoxious in reality (I recently wrote elsewhere about how the return of Smell-O-Vision in pre-show advertising sounds terrible). The joke about “See You Next Wednesday” (a fake movie title referenced in most of John Landis’ films) is that it’s in “feel-around”, a gimmick that’s clearly annoying to experience. I’d definitely be willing to try it out once, though. Especially if it’s the closest thing I could get to one of the Feelies (tactual motion pictures) from Huxley’s “Brave New World”. “MANT” from Matinee - Movie theater gimmicks also have me curious about experiencing the schlock horror film shown in Atomo-Vision and Rumble-Rama. This is one of those film within a films that you get to see more than enough footage of, but I want to actually suffer it as it’s intended to be seen. “Jews in Space” from History of the World, Part I - Mel Brooks eventually did make a Star Wars spoof, one that featured a lot of Jews in space (Spaceballs), but that doesn’t mean this earlier parody idea wouldn’t also be worth seeing. I’d even settle for seeing the apparently hilarious 2005 Argentine film Jews in Space Or Why Is This Night Different, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to actually take place in space nor, tragically, involve spaceships shaped like the Star of David. “Those Darn Amigos” from ¡Three Amigos! - Because the synopsis of Tropic Thunder reminds me of the plot to Three Amigos, I feel it appropriate to include one of the fake films from the underrated comedy. At the beginning of the movie, we see one of the silent movies starring the Three Amigos (see the clip above), but I’m more interested in the trio’s flop, which diverted from the usual premise to be about three wealthy Spanish landowners who take a little vacation in Manhattan. If it didn’t appeal to the masses, I’ll probably love it. I’d also settle for seeing one of the early shorts featuring Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) known as “Little Neddy’s Knickers.” Considering ¡Three Amigos! is set in 1916, and Short was in his mid-30s, I believe it impossible that Ned could have been a child star of any younger than 30, so I’m pretty curious. BONUS: “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” from Lost in La Mancha - It isn’t a fake film, but it is technically a film within a film. And it’s so far non-existent, really. Terry Gilliam’s attempted loose adaptation of Cervantes was actually being made, with Johnny Depp in the lead. However, due to multiple complications, the production was canceled after shooting had begun, and all that remained was Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s depressing documentary Lost in La Mancha. Because sometimes the gods are good to us Gilliam fans, though, it was recently announced that the film is on being attempted again, reportedly still with Depp and possibly also starring Michael Palin. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Movies_About_Making_Movies/190/13615/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: achance42
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 7/10/2007 4:25:55 PM
Body: All 5 of those are great choices so I'm going to try to go with 5 different ones. 1. Day for Night - "What is a film director? Someone who's asked questions about everything. Sometimes he knows the answers." Classic, plain and simple.2. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One - (If this doesn't spell out how much of a Criterion Collection whore I am, nothing can.) I think it's cliche at this point to refer to a film as a Moebius strip but it kind of works here. If not, you get the idea. An incompetent director (or is he?) has a camera crew film scenes for a film in Central Park. A second crew is filming the first crew. It's really one of the most creative films I've ever seen.3. The Five Obstructions - I love Lars von Trier but I feel like I should hate him. But I can't. In this film, he challenges his mentor, Jorgen Leth, to remake his own renowned short film, The Perfect Human, five times, each time with different rules. This film made me aware for the first time of the possibilities of filmmaking, likening it to mathematics almost. How mathematicians create difficult equations, simply to solve them (honestly, it's over my head)... that's how I viewed this film. You can have a single concept and express it in an infinite number of ways. Really opened my eyes.4. 8 1/2 - The first film I ever saw about the making of a movie and one of my favorites ever. I'm not going to go on about it because you've all seen it, and if not, you should.5. Bowfinger - Yeah, you're reading that correctly. Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin's last great movie and it's so sadly underrated. But if you've ever made a film, or tried to, you can't help but relate to and admire Bowfinger's spirit. He will do anything to get his film made because he believes in it so much. It's all he has to hold onto. Kind of like Ed Wood in a lot of respects.
]]>Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:25:55 GMTachance42Top 57/10/2007 4:25:55 PMAll 5 of those are great choices so I'm going to try to go with 5 different ones. 1. Day for Night - "What is a film director? Someone who's asked questions about everything. Sometimes he knows the answers." Classic, plain and simple.2. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One - (If this doesn't spell out how much of a Criterion Collection whore I am, nothing can.) I think it's cliche at this point to refer to a film as a Moebius strip but it kind of works here. If not, you get the idea. An incompetent director (or is he?) has a camera crew film scenes for a film in Central Park. A second crew is filming the first crew. It's really one of the most creative films I've ever seen.3. The Five Obstructions - I love Lars von Trier but I feel like I should hate him. But I can't. In this film, he challenges his mentor, Jorgen Leth, to remake his own renowned short film, The Perfect Human, five times, each time with different rules. This film made me aware for the first time of the possibilities of filmmaking, likening it to mathematics almost. How mathematicians create difficult equations, simply to solve them (honestly, it's over my head)... that's how I viewed this film. You can have a single concept and express it in an infinite number of ways. Really opened my eyes.4. 8 1/2 - The first film I ever saw about the making of a movie and one of my favorites ever. I'm not going to go on about it because you've all seen it, and if not, you should.5. Bowfinger - Yeah, you're reading that correctly. Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin's last great movie and it's so sadly underrated. But if you've ever made a film, or tried to, you can't help but relate to and admire Bowfinger's spirit. He will do anything to get his film made because he believes in it so much. It's all he has to hold onto. Kind of like Ed Wood in a lot of respects. http://www.spout.com/groups/Dish_Me_Up_Some/Re_eddie_murphy/332/11458/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: lukasblu
Post To: Dish Me Up Some
Post Date: 6/19/2007 10:31:03 PM
Body: i liked shrek ,shrek 2 , mulan(personal faves) and the oldies beverly hills cop1 and 2 and trading places like you. My other faves are: Coming to America (1988)very funny classic with asenio hall(whatever happened to him?)james earl jones in queens ,n.y.(i have actually been there where they filmed that movie,i have seen that mcdugalls{really mcdonalds);i remember the scene when when e.murphy(prince akeem) hands out a stack of money to two homeles old guys that became poor because of the switch of stock shares from the movie Trading Places??; Showtime (2002) great annoying funny cop duo with robert deniro,; Holy Man (1998) ,and Bowfinger(1999) under rated but so-sooo funny especially when e.murphy had to cross that super busy freeway(one my guilty-pleasure funny faves movie)He did win a Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Rolefor: Dreamgirls (2006) which is pretty great ;i believe it is his first win for both the SAG awards and Golden Globe awardas for the 2009 beverly hills cop , 15 years later??? i wonder how that would turn out,Will they have the same original cast??guess will find out in the future because nothing much has been written up about this,i thinkyou know,he has an older brother (mostly stand-up comic/comedian and a few bits of acting parts,nothing major though) Charles Q. Murphy;just saw him in a movie a few mths.ago,King's Ransom (2005),not bad;never knew he had an acting brother til i saw that movie;when i saw kings ransom, i thought it was eddie murphy (kinda looks like him but older looking)til i took a second look and read the credits/cast at the end of the movie
]]>Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:31:03 GMTlukasbluDish Me Up Some6/19/2007 10:31:03 PMi liked shrek ,shrek 2 , mulan(personal faves) and the oldies beverly hills cop1 and 2 and trading places like you. My other faves are: Coming to America (1988)very funny classic with asenio hall(whatever happened to him?)james earl jones in queens ,n.y.(i have actually been there where they filmed that movie,i have seen that mcdugalls{really mcdonalds);i remember the scene when when e.murphy(prince akeem) hands out a stack of money to two homeles old guys that became poor because of the switch of stock shares from the movie Trading Places??; Showtime (2002) great annoying funny cop duo with robert deniro,; Holy Man (1998) ,and Bowfinger(1999) under rated but so-sooo funny especially when e.murphy had to cross that super busy freeway(one my guilty-pleasure funny faves movie)He did win a Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Rolefor: Dreamgirls (2006) which is pretty great ;i believe it is his first win for both the SAG awards and Golden Globe awardas for the 2009 beverly hills cop , 15 years later??? i wonder how that would turn out,Will they have the same original cast??guess will find out in the future because nothing much has been written up about this,i thinkyou know,he has an older brother (mostly stand-up comic/comedian and a few bits of acting parts,nothing major though) Charles Q. Murphy;just saw him in a movie a few mths.ago,King&#39;s Ransom (2005),not bad;never knew he had an acting brother til i saw that movie;when i saw kings ransom, i thought it was eddie murphy (kinda looks like him but older looking)til i took a second look and read the credits/cast at the end of the movie http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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