list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Charlie's Angels 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/Charlie_s_Angels/165459/default.aspx Title: Charlie's Angels
Year: 2000
Director: McG
Plot: They're beautiful, they're brilliant, and they can kick your butt -- the most glamorous private eyes in the world are back in action in this big-screen adaptation of the popular '70s television series. Natalie (Cameron Diaz) is the smart but silly one, Dylan (Drew Barrymore) is the tough but fun-loving one, and Alex (Lucy Liu) is the classy but hard-as-nails one, and they work for a man named Charlie (voice of John Forsythe), who never meets his employees face to face. Along with their helper Bosley (Bill Murray), the Angels are sent into action when electronics genius Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell) is kidnapped, with the nefarious Roger Corwin (Tim Curry) as the prime suspect. But they soon learn even bigger danger is afoot -- the kidnappers have gotten their hands on Knox's latest invention, a system that can monitor voice communication from anywhere in the world, virtually ending the notion of private conversation. Charlie's Angels also stars Crispin Glover, Luke Wilson, Kelly Lynch, and Tom Green. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 27
Number of Lists: 35
Number of blog posts: 5
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:24:22 GMTCharlie's Angels2000McGThey're beautiful, they're brilliant, and they can kick your butt -- the most glamorous private eyes in the world are back in action in this big-screen adaptation of the popular '70s television series. Natalie (<a href="/players/P___195733/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Cameron Diaz</a>) is the smart but silly one, Dylan (<a href="/players/P_____4289/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Drew Barrymore</a>) is the tough but fun-loving one, and Alex (<a href="/players/P___267831/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lucy Liu</a>) is the classy but hard-as-nails one, and they work for a man named Charlie (voice of <a href="/players/P____24380/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Forsythe</a>), who never meets his employees face to face. Along with their helper Bosley (<a href="/players/P___103861/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bill Murray</a>), the Angels are sent into action when electronics genius Eric Knox (<a href="/players/P____60946/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sam Rockwell</a>) is kidnapped, with the nefarious Roger Corwin (<a href="/players/P____16268/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tim Curry</a>) as the prime suspect. But they soon learn even bigger danger is afoot -- the kidnappers have gotten their hands on Knox's latest invention, a system that can monitor voice communication from anywhere in the world, virtually ending the notion of private conversation. Charlie's Angels also stars <a href="/players/P____27277/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Crispin Glover</a>, <a href="/players/P___200995/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Luke Wilson</a>, <a href="/players/P____43940/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kelly Lynch</a>, and <a href="/players/P___271305/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tom Green</a>. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide27Tag Target (>10)35512http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t58267q85ua.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Charlie_s_Angels/165459/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/hautecritique/archive/2009/7/18/43184.aspx Post By: hautecritique
Post To: The Haute Critique on Spout
Post Date: 7/18/2009 6:01:14 PM
Body: I’ve seen all the Harry Potter movies, but I am decidedly a muggle. In fact, if you are not a muggle, you have already seen this movie and discussed it ad nauseam with fellow wizards. I don’t mean that pejoratively. My wife, Mrs. Gravity, is pure magic. It was with her and a few other magic folk that I went to the matinee showing of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Six posters lose the plot For a weekday showing, it was well attended. Once the strains of the familiar score started dancing in the dark, the theater was ready, more like longing, to be entranced. The familiar feeling doesn’t stop with the score. We begin with cryptic warnings of danger and doom from Professor Dumbledore. Harry, feeling cryptic warning fatigue, goes along with Dumbledore compliantly, and without a great deal of concern. And, so does the audience. Yes, there will be danger and the fate of the world will be decided in the balance. We understand all that, now let’s get on with the movie, shall we? It is a great first pitch. Movie after movie we start with a similar setup. We are older and wiser. So is Harry. This matched emotion between viewer and Harry, however, is quickly betrayed. In the first real scene of magic (Other than warping around Britain and turning a wand into a flashlight), Dumbledore goes Mary Poppins and cleans up someone’s house. Harry is *stunned*. Speechlessly he dodges plates returning to the cupboard. His jaw drops as light bulbs change themselves. Surely not! This can’t be possible!?! What happened to that world weary teenager that was a scarf and some eye-liner away from writing some brutally insipid emo poetry? Suddenly he is acting like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. This kid has fought demons. He has seen death. He owns a flippin’ invisibility cloak, but somehow an automatic garage door opener suddenly looks like the work of some unicorn woodland nymph fairy. That rant aside, the film looks great. The slick polish and epic transitions really do build an enveloping world. And whether it is Charlie’s Angels or Iron Man, all blockbusters look a little better through the green filter. The fantasy world looks fantastic, which by some mathematical principle distributes a genuine feeling of place. The stone walls are massive and the snow, pure white. Post production twinkle isn’t the only fairy dust on screen. There is a smorgasbord of puppy love and subdued horn-doggery. The giggling, flirting, crying and pouting are actually really well done; and so many flavors. There are more ‘love’ stories than I can enumerate. Each arc trickles through the first half of the film, like a Plinko chip on The Price is Right, it bounces playfully from peg to peg. Even when the outcome is formulaic, our inner school kid cracks a little smile. Eventually, Dumbledore sighs,”Oh, to be young and feel love’s keen sting.” (or something like that) All of the Sadie Hawkins romance does squeeze any momentum out of the macho storyline. Remember how the fate of the world hangs in the balance? Yeah, that thing. The straining balance totters back and forth. Once the doom and gloom really gets marching, the mushy bits are put on pause, never to be revisited. But the oscillating tone truly does damage to the crown jewel of the whole Harry Potter series. Like I said, I never read the books, but, almost everyone I know did. And when Half-Blood Prince came out, one scene was read and re-read through tear filled eyes. Not just eyes of babes, but adults who felt magic had been left behind long ago. In that moment, the Harry Potter spell was its most tangible. On the road to this revelation there are many scenes of graphic, jarring action and juiced up puppy love presented with flair and acumen. Then, when the time comes, the film simply doesn’t include the books climax. Oh, it happens (and if you have the faintest idea of the plot of this volume of the Harry Potter saga, you know what ‘it’ is). The team that made this picture gets to check that box. The deed is done. However, for someone that didn’t read the book, even being lit up with the spirit, primed for empathy, it seemed pedestrian. For my party of magic folk, it was simply heretical. To me, it was boring. Before we close the book, a couple of parting shout outs. The brightest spot for me was Luna Lovegood. She pops up as if she is a shared hallucination. An ephemeral, and not completely there, sprite. A bubbly lemon-lime refreshment that pops up when the rest of the plot starts getting dry. A bit of lunatic charm that says,”Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as me.” The other part worth mentioning is the liquid luck. It is a potion that brings success in all endeavors to whomever drinks it, until it wears off. We quickly imagine that the potion transforms the drinker into the toast of the town. The director then hints deeper that the effects include a hyper alertness and a suave macho aggression. Then a funny thing happens. We learn that the potion, in truth, gets you totally baked. That’s right. Drinking liquid luck is like pigging out at Willie Nelson’s brownie bar. And, for some viewers, it is another glimpse of the talent this director has with perfect empathy. Unfortunately, that too wears off. As we wandered out of the multi-plex, back towards parking spot 9 3/4, the magic folk cooly dismissed the effort. For my part, while liquid luck helped some of the film succeed, it wasn’t enough to catapult it into haute cinema. No related posts. Originally posted on:The Haute Critique
]]>Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:01:14 GMThautecritiqueThe Haute Critique on Spout7/18/2009 6:01:14 PMI’ve seen all the Harry Potter movies, but I am decidedly a muggle. In fact, if you are not a muggle, you have already seen this movie and discussed it ad nauseam with fellow wizards. I don’t mean that pejoratively. My wife, Mrs. Gravity, is pure magic. It was with her and a few other magic folk that I went to the matinee showing of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Six posters lose the plot For a weekday showing, it was well attended. Once the strains of the familiar score started dancing in the dark, the theater was ready, more like longing, to be entranced. The familiar feeling doesn’t stop with the score. We begin with cryptic warnings of danger and doom from Professor Dumbledore. Harry, feeling cryptic warning fatigue, goes along with Dumbledore compliantly, and without a great deal of concern. And, so does the audience. Yes, there will be danger and the fate of the world will be decided in the balance. We understand all that, now let’s get on with the movie, shall we? It is a great first pitch. Movie after movie we start with a similar setup. We are older and wiser. So is Harry. This matched emotion between viewer and Harry, however, is quickly betrayed. In the first real scene of magic (Other than warping around Britain and turning a wand into a flashlight), Dumbledore goes Mary Poppins and cleans up someone’s house. Harry is *stunned*. Speechlessly he dodges plates returning to the cupboard. His jaw drops as light bulbs change themselves. Surely not! This can’t be possible!?! What happened to that world weary teenager that was a scarf and some eye-liner away from writing some brutally insipid emo poetry? Suddenly he is acting like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. This kid has fought demons. He has seen death. He owns a flippin’ invisibility cloak, but somehow an automatic garage door opener suddenly looks like the work of some unicorn woodland nymph fairy. That rant aside, the film looks great. The slick polish and epic transitions really do build an enveloping world. And whether it is Charlie’s Angels or Iron Man, all blockbusters look a little better through the green filter. The fantasy world looks fantastic, which by some mathematical principle distributes a genuine feeling of place. The stone walls are massive and the snow, pure white. Post production twinkle isn’t the only fairy dust on screen. There is a smorgasbord of puppy love and subdued horn-doggery. The giggling, flirting, crying and pouting are actually really well done; and so many flavors. There are more ‘love’ stories than I can enumerate. Each arc trickles through the first half of the film, like a Plinko chip on The Price is Right, it bounces playfully from peg to peg. Even when the outcome is formulaic, our inner school kid cracks a little smile. Eventually, Dumbledore sighs,”Oh, to be young and feel love’s keen sting.” (or something like that) All of the Sadie Hawkins romance does squeeze any momentum out of the macho storyline. Remember how the fate of the world hangs in the balance? Yeah, that thing. The straining balance totters back and forth. Once the doom and gloom really gets marching, the mushy bits are put on pause, never to be revisited. But the oscillating tone truly does damage to the crown jewel of the whole Harry Potter series. Like I said, I never read the books, but, almost everyone I know did. And when Half-Blood Prince came out, one scene was read and re-read through tear filled eyes. Not just eyes of babes, but adults who felt magic had been left behind long ago. In that moment, the Harry Potter spell was its most tangible. On the road to this revelation there are many scenes of graphic, jarring action and juiced up puppy love presented with flair and acumen. Then, when the time comes, the film simply doesn’t include the books climax. Oh, it happens (and if you have the faintest idea of the plot of this volume of the Harry Potter saga, you know what ‘it’ is). The team that made this picture gets to check that box. The deed is done. However, for someone that didn’t read the book, even being lit up with the spirit, primed for empathy, it seemed pedestrian. For my party of magic folk, it was simply heretical. To me, it was boring. Before we close the book, a couple of parting shout outs. The brightest spot for me was Luna Lovegood. She pops up as if she is a shared hallucination. An ephemeral, and not completely there, sprite. A bubbly lemon-lime refreshment that pops up when the rest of the plot starts getting dry. A bit of lunatic charm that says,”Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as me.” The other part worth mentioning is the liquid luck. It is a potion that brings success in all endeavors to whomever drinks it, until it wears off. We quickly imagine that the potion transforms the drinker into the toast of the town. The director then hints deeper that the effects include a hyper alertness and a suave macho aggression. Then a funny thing happens. We learn that the potion, in truth, gets you totally baked. That’s right. Drinking liquid luck is like pigging out at Willie Nelson’s brownie bar. And, for some viewers, it is another glimpse of the talent this director has with perfect empathy. Unfortunately, that too wears off. As we wandered out of the multi-plex, back towards parking spot 9 3/4, the magic folk cooly dismissed the effort. For my part, while liquid luck helped some of the film succeed, it wasn’t enough to catapult it into haute cinema. No related posts. Originally posted on:The Haute Critique http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/3/40806.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/3/2009 8:01:06 PM
Body: I have always tried to maintain low expectations for Hollywood product in general. But when it comes to highly anticipated movies, particularly blockbuster sequels to popular sci-fi action franchises, my excitement can get the best of me. Whenever I need to calm down my expectations, though, I simply recall all the disappointments of 1997 (Alien Resurrection, The Lost World, the Star Wars Special Edition), and I can get through the hype pretty safely. Considering I’m one of the few who actually loved both Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and (yes, even) McG’s Charlie’s Angels movies, it’s hard for me to believe that I’m also one of the few who isn’t now expecting Terminator Salvation to be the second coming of Christ The Terminator after watching the new trailer (embedded below). Sure, Christian Bale could very well be a lucky charm to franchise reboots (though does anyone believe this will be even a tenth as good as Batman Begins?) and T4 could easily be better than rival summer blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (though “easily” is an understatement, because Transformer 2 will suck just as bad as Transformers 1). But with two and a half months left until the movie opens, it’s just too early for us to be going so ga-ga over one piece of marketing. The only thing left to happen now is a backlash, which I guess I’m sort of starting right now? Here’s a sample of the most extreme gushing to hit the blogosphere since the trailer’s premiere last night: Vulture gets credit for both the Batman Begins and the Transformers comparisons: From the looks of this trailer [McG] seems as if he’s on the cusp of delivering one of the best franchise reboots since Chris Nolan decided to take on Bruce Wayne…guaranteed to make Michael Bay seethe with jealousy: huge robots, even huger explosions, and, gasp, realistic-seeming human emotion! Sean at FilmJunk adds to the better-than-Transformers discussion: “Not only does Terminator Salvation have giant robots, explosions and impressive special effects, but it also has acting talent, an interesting story, and a sense of style.” While I’m sure (and hoping) she’s at least half-joking, Best Week Ever’s Michelle Collins nicknames the director “McGenius” and believes the trailer is great enough to now ensure people will be lining up days in advance. Note to Warner Bros.: you apparently needn’t spend money on further marketing materials. You’re good. Neil Miller at FIlmSchoolRejects is overly dramatic and overly excited: Even Christian Bale, master of all things badass — a man who has saved Gotham City twice from disaster — cannot stop the elimination in McG’s soon to be awesome Terminator Salvation. Am I being dramatic? Yes. Is this movie going to rock you to your core? Absolutely, yes. Alex Billington at FirstShowing.net, on the other hand, still prefers to hate on the director in spite of all his excitement: “Watching this makes me forget that McG is even directing this and makes me believe that we may actually see an awesome Terminator movie. This year’s summer movie season is looking better and better with every new day!” Rob at Topless Robot at least seems to understand the relativity that’s affecting his fanboy salivation: “Am I the only one excirted because my expectations for a McG-directed Terminator were so abyssmally low?” Todd Brown at Twitch nominates the spot as the “Best Trailer of The Year” and claims it’s better than any of the trailers for either of the James Cameron installments: To him, it “comes as near to perfection as I’ve seen in a long, long time.” Meredith Woerner at io9 pumps up the fanboys with screenshots, including some resembling parts of Star Wars and Firefly. Empire (and also Topless Robot) also sees some Battlestar Galactica resemblance. Oh, TMZ, you’re still on the Bale tirade story? Don’t you know today’s a day for positive T4 news? Okay, there is at least one blogger with lower expectations than I have: Rod at ThePlaylist. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:01:06 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/3/2009 8:01:06 PMI have always tried to maintain low expectations for Hollywood product in general. But when it comes to highly anticipated movies, particularly blockbuster sequels to popular sci-fi action franchises, my excitement can get the best of me. Whenever I need to calm down my expectations, though, I simply recall all the disappointments of 1997 (Alien Resurrection, The Lost World, the Star Wars Special Edition), and I can get through the hype pretty safely. Considering I’m one of the few who actually loved both Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and (yes, even) McG’s Charlie’s Angels movies, it’s hard for me to believe that I’m also one of the few who isn’t now expecting Terminator Salvation to be the second coming of Christ The Terminator after watching the new trailer (embedded below). Sure, Christian Bale could very well be a lucky charm to franchise reboots (though does anyone believe this will be even a tenth as good as Batman Begins?) and T4 could easily be better than rival summer blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (though “easily” is an understatement, because Transformer 2 will suck just as bad as Transformers 1). But with two and a half months left until the movie opens, it’s just too early for us to be going so ga-ga over one piece of marketing. The only thing left to happen now is a backlash, which I guess I’m sort of starting right now? Here’s a sample of the most extreme gushing to hit the blogosphere since the trailer’s premiere last night: Vulture gets credit for both the Batman Begins and the Transformers comparisons: From the looks of this trailer [McG] seems as if he’s on the cusp of delivering one of the best franchise reboots since Chris Nolan decided to take on Bruce Wayne…guaranteed to make Michael Bay seethe with jealousy: huge robots, even huger explosions, and, gasp, realistic-seeming human emotion! Sean at FilmJunk adds to the better-than-Transformers discussion: “Not only does Terminator Salvation have giant robots, explosions and impressive special effects, but it also has acting talent, an interesting story, and a sense of style.” While I’m sure (and hoping) she’s at least half-joking, Best Week Ever’s Michelle Collins nicknames the director “McGenius” and believes the trailer is great enough to now ensure people will be lining up days in advance. Note to Warner Bros.: you apparently needn’t spend money on further marketing materials. You’re good. Neil Miller at FIlmSchoolRejects is overly dramatic and overly excited: Even Christian Bale, master of all things badass — a man who has saved Gotham City twice from disaster — cannot stop the elimination in McG’s soon to be awesome Terminator Salvation. Am I being dramatic? Yes. Is this movie going to rock you to your core? Absolutely, yes. Alex Billington at FirstShowing.net, on the other hand, still prefers to hate on the director in spite of all his excitement: “Watching this makes me forget that McG is even directing this and makes me believe that we may actually see an awesome Terminator movie. This year’s summer movie season is looking better and better with every new day!” Rob at Topless Robot at least seems to understand the relativity that’s affecting his fanboy salivation: “Am I the only one excirted because my expectations for a McG-directed Terminator were so abyssmally low?” Todd Brown at Twitch nominates the spot as the “Best Trailer of The Year” and claims it’s better than any of the trailers for either of the James Cameron installments: To him, it “comes as near to perfection as I’ve seen in a long, long time.” Meredith Woerner at io9 pumps up the fanboys with screenshots, including some resembling parts of Star Wars and Firefly. Empire (and also Topless Robot) also sees some Battlestar Galactica resemblance. Oh, TMZ, you’re still on the Bale tirade story? Don’t you know today’s a day for positive T4 news? Okay, there is at least one blogger with lower expectations than I have: Rod at ThePlaylist. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Ass_Kicking_Heroine_Films/190/39333/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 1/9/2009 5:19:28 PM
Body: Let's see: Resident Evil BloodRayne Buffy the Vampire Slayer Aeon Flux Charlie's Angels Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Elektra Freeway Coffy Foxy Brown La Femme Nikita / Point of No Return The Long Kiss Goodnight The Quick and the Dead My Super Ex-Girlfriend Cutthroat Island Red Sonja Supergirl Ultraviolet Catwoman Barb Wire Silver Hawk Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Lady Vengeance For me, I either loved or hated these films. Kill Bill and Alien are probably my favorite female action protagonists.
]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:19:28 GMTmercurialTop 51/9/2009 5:19:28 PMLet's see: Resident Evil BloodRayne Buffy the Vampire Slayer Aeon Flux Charlie's Angels Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Elektra Freeway Coffy Foxy Brown La Femme Nikita / Point of No Return The Long Kiss Goodnight The Quick and the Dead My Super Ex-Girlfriend Cutthroat Island Red Sonja Supergirl Ultraviolet Catwoman Barb Wire Silver Hawk Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Lady Vengeance For me, I either loved or hated these films. Kill Bill and Alien are probably my favorite female action protagonists. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/28/33159.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/28/2008 9:01:20 AM
Body: McG and Bryce Dallas Howard, “This is our new baby, we named him T-600 McG-Dallas-Howard.” The world of Terminator fandom let out a collective groan when the news was announced that McG, director of the Charlie’s Angels films, is at the helm of the upcoming Terminator Salvation. The film, the fourth in the more than twenty year-old franchise, stars Christian Bale as John Conner. Bale unfortunately did not join the rest of the cast in promoting the film at Comic-Con. There was a press conference immediately following the big announcement panel, and the star of the show, surprisingly, was director McG. When asked about the overall feel of the film, McG said, “I’m tremendously influenced by Children of Men, hat’s off to that picture, I think it’s fantastic… By the same token, this isn’t designed to be an art picture, it’s for audiences the world over, so you’ve got to find a balance between that artistic take and what’s right for a film to be seen by a great many people around the world.” Many fans are concerned that McG’s take will further derail the franchise, rather than improving upon the rather dismal third film. McG seemed more than prepared to address these fears, making explicit his interactions with James Cameron, the creator and director of the first two films. “I did not want to move forward on this picture if Jim were like, ‘Fuck you, what are you doing?’ It’s very simple, I would have acquiesced and said, ‘You’re right, you’re the creator of what this is, and I respect that.’ And he was very encouraging, we talked at length about the story, we talked about Sam [Worthington], and most particularly, we talked about his experience on Aliens, and the idea that you can’t live in fear, you’ve got to move forward.” At this point in the press conference, two things were clear: one, McG can really work a crowd, and two, he’s very tuned in to the concerns of the fans. His biggest obstacle is the public perception that he’s a cocky young Hollywood director-for-hire with a weird nick-name who gets big studio films because the producers are scared of risking money on someone with more “vision.” McG was surprisingly frank about his own track record, and even spoke candidly about earning his stripes on lesser appreciated films. “I’ve talked to Bryce [Dallas Howard] about how you’ve got to be on Happy Days before you can be the great Ron Howard. Maybe you’ve got to be Spicoli before you can be Sean Penn, and maybe you’ve got to do some time on 21 Jump Street before you can grow into the boots of Johnny Depp. There’s nothing wrong with paying your dues, and I’m certainly willing to pay mine.” It’s funny. Even though I really think he practiced that little speech in the bathroom mirror the night before, it still worked on me. I believed him, he’s a Hollywood director who’s working his way toward material that has more substance, and Terminator Salvation is looking like it could be quite substantial. At this point McG resorted to some minor theatrics. He pulled out a model T-600 head with glowing eyes (pictured above) and said, “This is where it all happens. Inside this, the CPU will represent the rise of the machines to a place of complete dominance. We’re heading towards that place very rapidly, day in, day out. I’m looking at all the open laptops, I’m looking at all the digital cameras. All these things are very new, and just getting faster and more intuitive and more intelligent all the time.” At that point I started to become scared of my MacBook. This guys is really good. He’s like a snake-oil salesman, and I’ll admit it, I was buying hook line and sinker. Indulging this thread of promotional paranoia, a reporter asked if he thought the rapid pace of technological advancement was a good thing. He said, “Who here would suggest that humanity is in great shape?” An awkward pause fell over the room. Eventually nervous laughter filled the void, at which point something rather surreal happened. Bryce Dallas Howard, cheery and charismatic daughter of Ron Howard, started to laugh really loudly. Like a crazy cackle. She was probably laughing at the silence like the rest of us, but to me it seemed like she was some sort of sick Judgement Day Angel of Doom, chuckling as humanity plummeted into a hopeless apocalypse of which she was immune. Meanwhile, McG continued evangelizing against the machines, “Where does humanity begin and the machine world end? We can deconstruct the human genome so if your dad had high blood pressure your kid doesn’t have to. That’s kind of scary and amazing … Think about how much more quickly a computer can make a decision than our human mind can. And should that computer become aware, who knows?” I will go see Terminator Salvation as soon as it comes out, but I will also be terrified that the digital projector will find a way to kill me before the movie is over.   Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:01:20 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/28/2008 9:01:20 AM McG and Bryce Dallas Howard, “This is our new baby, we named him T-600 McG-Dallas-Howard.” The world of Terminator fandom let out a collective groan when the news was announced that McG, director of the Charlie’s Angels films, is at the helm of the upcoming Terminator Salvation. The film, the fourth in the more than twenty year-old franchise, stars Christian Bale as John Conner. Bale unfortunately did not join the rest of the cast in promoting the film at Comic-Con. There was a press conference immediately following the big announcement panel, and the star of the show, surprisingly, was director McG. When asked about the overall feel of the film, McG said, “I’m tremendously influenced by Children of Men, hat’s off to that picture, I think it’s fantastic… By the same token, this isn’t designed to be an art picture, it’s for audiences the world over, so you’ve got to find a balance between that artistic take and what’s right for a film to be seen by a great many people around the world.” Many fans are concerned that McG’s take will further derail the franchise, rather than improving upon the rather dismal third film. McG seemed more than prepared to address these fears, making explicit his interactions with James Cameron, the creator and director of the first two films. “I did not want to move forward on this picture if Jim were like, ‘Fuck you, what are you doing?’ It’s very simple, I would have acquiesced and said, ‘You’re right, you’re the creator of what this is, and I respect that.’ And he was very encouraging, we talked at length about the story, we talked about Sam [Worthington], and most particularly, we talked about his experience on Aliens, and the idea that you can’t live in fear, you’ve got to move forward.” At this point in the press conference, two things were clear: one, McG can really work a crowd, and two, he’s very tuned in to the concerns of the fans. His biggest obstacle is the public perception that he’s a cocky young Hollywood director-for-hire with a weird nick-name who gets big studio films because the producers are scared of risking money on someone with more “vision.” McG was surprisingly frank about his own track record, and even spoke candidly about earning his stripes on lesser appreciated films. “I’ve talked to Bryce [Dallas Howard] about how you’ve got to be on Happy Days before you can be the great Ron Howard. Maybe you’ve got to be Spicoli before you can be Sean Penn, and maybe you’ve got to do some time on 21 Jump Street before you can grow into the boots of Johnny Depp. There’s nothing wrong with paying your dues, and I’m certainly willing to pay mine.” It’s funny. Even though I really think he practiced that little speech in the bathroom mirror the night before, it still worked on me. I believed him, he’s a Hollywood director who’s working his way toward material that has more substance, and Terminator Salvation is looking like it could be quite substantial. At this point McG resorted to some minor theatrics. He pulled out a model T-600 head with glowing eyes (pictured above) and said, “This is where it all happens. Inside this, the CPU will represent the rise of the machines to a place of complete dominance. We’re heading towards that place very rapidly, day in, day out. I’m looking at all the open laptops, I’m looking at all the digital cameras. All these things are very new, and just getting faster and more intuitive and more intelligent all the time.” At that point I started to become scared of my MacBook. This guys is really good. He’s like a snake-oil salesman, and I’ll admit it, I was buying hook line and sinker. Indulging this thread of promotional paranoia, a reporter asked if he thought the rapid pace of technological advancement was a good thing. He said, “Who here would suggest that humanity is in great shape?” An awkward pause fell over the room. Eventually nervous laughter filled the void, at which point something rather surreal happened. Bryce Dallas Howard, cheery and charismatic daughter of Ron Howard, started to laugh really loudly. Like a crazy cackle. She was probably laughing at the silence like the rest of us, but to me it seemed like she was some sort of sick Judgement Day Angel of Doom, chuckling as humanity plummeted into a hopeless apocalypse of which she was immune. Meanwhile, McG continued evangelizing against the machines, “Where does humanity begin and the machine world end? We can deconstruct the human genome so if your dad had high blood pressure your kid doesn’t have to. That’s kind of scary and amazing … Think about how much more quickly a computer can make a decision than our human mind can. And should that computer become aware, who knows?” I will go see Terminator Salvation as soon as it comes out, but I will also be terrified that the digital projector will find a way to kill me before the movie is over.   Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/4/23/27702.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 4/23/2008 2:00:43 PM
Body: Discussion of this summer’s heroine lack is in full throttle. Last friday, New York’s Vulture blog asked, “Where are the Roles for Superwomen?; Stu at Defamer jumped off from there, ultimately suggesting an X-Men spin-off for Ellen Page; John at The Movie Blog listed reasons “Why Most Female Lead Action Films Don’t Succeed” (shocker: men can’t identify with or believe in strong — and strong — female characters). Now, adding to the conversation in the least noble way possible, USA Weekend presents the appropriately titled “Girls Want to Have Fun, Too”, a cover story (with the least flattering photos I’ve ever seen) from its summer movie preview that spotlights Gwyneth Paltrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Liv Tyler as the “leading ladies” of the season’s three big comic book adaptations. Of course, each of these three actresses are only secondary figures to their superhero counterparts (in Iron Man, The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk, respectively). But that’s not the worst of it: the women are asked what kind of super powers they would like to have in real life (how about in movie life, as in what superheroine they’d like to play?), and when questioned on the subject of women’s roles in superhero movies, each suggests that we’ve seen great progress: How do you think women have changed in these kind of films over the years? Gwyneth: There’s a reason why they’re hiring actresses like us. We’re all women, we’re all mothers, and we all normally do different films. There’s a certain understanding of who we are and what we bring and a certain respect for that. Maggie: Twenty or 30 years ago, the women in these films were vapid and just appeared for extra silliness. Liv: In all these films, our characters have real jobs and really fall in love and have real dilemmas. When you look at the history of the comic books, the women also have changed. Well, maybe none of them has to suffer a wet t-shirt scene, ala Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man, but that doesn’t mean things are truly better. Really, it would be much better if the women in these kinds of movies were the actual leads. And it’s not like we’ve never seen a great action heroine — two of the greatest action films of all time, Aliens and Terminator 2, both directed by James Cameron, feature non-sexualized, kick-ass female leads. Plus, as silly as they come, movies like Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, Lara Craft: Tomb Raider, Underworld and Resident Evil have shown that sexy female-led action films can be relatively successful, too. So, why does it still take forever to get a Wonder Woman film off the ground? (The rumored re-cancellation of Warner Bros.’ Justice League movie is another bad sign for that one). Why are there no female spin-offs from the X-Men movies? Is Hollywood really dumb enough to think the disappointments of Catwoman, Aeon Flux, Elektra, Supergirl, Barb Wire, etc. can be blamed on the gender of their stars? Just as many male-led superhero movies have been terrible, right? OK, so let’s compromise, at least. Give us a movie were there’s at least a male-female superduo, like Cloak and Dagger or even The Wonder Twins. Or give Wolverine a sidekick, either Kitty Pryde or Jubilee, in his next solo outing. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:00:43 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com4/23/2008 2:00:43 PM Discussion of this summer’s heroine lack is in full throttle. Last friday, New York’s Vulture blog asked, “Where are the Roles for Superwomen?; Stu at Defamer jumped off from there, ultimately suggesting an X-Men spin-off for Ellen Page; John at The Movie Blog listed reasons “Why Most Female Lead Action Films Don’t Succeed” (shocker: men can’t identify with or believe in strong — and strong — female characters). Now, adding to the conversation in the least noble way possible, USA Weekend presents the appropriately titled “Girls Want to Have Fun, Too”, a cover story (with the least flattering photos I’ve ever seen) from its summer movie preview that spotlights Gwyneth Paltrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Liv Tyler as the “leading ladies” of the season’s three big comic book adaptations. Of course, each of these three actresses are only secondary figures to their superhero counterparts (in Iron Man, The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk, respectively). But that’s not the worst of it: the women are asked what kind of super powers they would like to have in real life (how about in movie life, as in what superheroine they’d like to play?), and when questioned on the subject of women’s roles in superhero movies, each suggests that we’ve seen great progress: How do you think women have changed in these kind of films over the years? Gwyneth: There’s a reason why they’re hiring actresses like us. We’re all women, we’re all mothers, and we all normally do different films. There’s a certain understanding of who we are and what we bring and a certain respect for that. Maggie: Twenty or 30 years ago, the women in these films were vapid and just appeared for extra silliness. Liv: In all these films, our characters have real jobs and really fall in love and have real dilemmas. When you look at the history of the comic books, the women also have changed. Well, maybe none of them has to suffer a wet t-shirt scene, ala Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man, but that doesn’t mean things are truly better. Really, it would be much better if the women in these kinds of movies were the actual leads. And it’s not like we’ve never seen a great action heroine — two of the greatest action films of all time, Aliens and Terminator 2, both directed by James Cameron, feature non-sexualized, kick-ass female leads. Plus, as silly as they come, movies like Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, Lara Craft: Tomb Raider, Underworld and Resident Evil have shown that sexy female-led action films can be relatively successful, too. So, why does it still take forever to get a Wonder Woman film off the ground? (The rumored re-cancellation of Warner Bros.’ Justice League movie is another bad sign for that one). Why are there no female spin-offs from the X-Men movies? Is Hollywood really dumb enough to think the disappointments of Catwoman, Aeon Flux, Elektra, Supergirl, Barb Wire, etc. can be blamed on the gender of their stars? Just as many male-led superhero movies have been terrible, right? OK, so let’s compromise, at least. Give us a movie were there’s at least a male-female superduo, like Cloak and Dagger or even The Wonder Twins. Or give Wolverine a sidekick, either Kitty Pryde or Jubilee, in his next solo outing. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/2/4/24703.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/4/2008 12:01:04 PM
Body: Trailers for novels aren’t the newest idea in the world, but I still think they’re a neat concept. Unfortunately, they can sometimes actually do harm to a book’s appeal, as in the case of Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper’s Hollywood-set novel Celebutantes, which arrives in stores tomorrow. The book has four dramatized “trailers”, or clips, pulled from its pages, the best of which is viewable above. Yes, I said the best of which. And if you think that one is bad, then check out the three other truly embarrassing clips at the book’s MySpace page. So if they’re so bad, why am I sharing them (and possibly helping to promote the book)? Because I wanted to point out that these are the work of McG, who directed the two Charlie’s Angels movies and is currently working on the next Terminator sequel, titled Terminator Savlation: The Future Begins. The actors in these “trailers” are Katrina Begin (featured in the above spot), Cloverfield’s Mike Vogel, My So Called Life’s “Rickie”, Wilson Cruz, and TV actresses Autumn Reeser (The O.C.), April Bowlby (Two and a Half Men) and Michelle Borth (Tell Me You Love Me). None of these people are completely talentless (yes, even McG is better than this), so I’ll state the fault is with the writing of the two authors. After four seasons of Entourage, could this novel be any less interesting to fans of film-industry-set fiction? Celebutantes seems even dumber and less relevant an Oscar-themed satire than Christopher Guest’s recent disappointment For Your Consideration. It’s no wonder that Entertainment Weekly called the book “silly” and gave it a “C+” grade (it was reviewed alongside another Hollywood-themed novel titled Oscar Season, which fared a little better with a “B”). The magazine also notes that the book’s authors are the offspring of producer Leonard Goldberg (Charlie’s Angels) and actor Dennis Hopper. You’d think they would have a little more insight. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:01:04 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/4/2008 12:01:04 PM Trailers for novels aren’t the newest idea in the world, but I still think they’re a neat concept. Unfortunately, they can sometimes actually do harm to a book’s appeal, as in the case of Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper’s Hollywood-set novel Celebutantes, which arrives in stores tomorrow. The book has four dramatized “trailers”, or clips, pulled from its pages, the best of which is viewable above. Yes, I said the best of which. And if you think that one is bad, then check out the three other truly embarrassing clips at the book’s MySpace page. So if they’re so bad, why am I sharing them (and possibly helping to promote the book)? Because I wanted to point out that these are the work of McG, who directed the two Charlie’s Angels movies and is currently working on the next Terminator sequel, titled Terminator Savlation: The Future Begins. The actors in these “trailers” are Katrina Begin (featured in the above spot), Cloverfield’s Mike Vogel, My So Called Life’s “Rickie”, Wilson Cruz, and TV actresses Autumn Reeser (The O.C.), April Bowlby (Two and a Half Men) and Michelle Borth (Tell Me You Love Me). None of these people are completely talentless (yes, even McG is better than this), so I’ll state the fault is with the writing of the two authors. After four seasons of Entourage, could this novel be any less interesting to fans of film-industry-set fiction? Celebutantes seems even dumber and less relevant an Oscar-themed satire than Christopher Guest’s recent disappointment For Your Consideration. It’s no wonder that Entertainment Weekly called the book “silly” and gave it a “C+” grade (it was reviewed alongside another Hollywood-themed novel titled Oscar Season, which fared a little better with a “B”). The magazine also notes that the book’s authors are the offspring of producer Leonard Goldberg (Charlie’s Angels) and actor Dennis Hopper. You’d think they would have a little more insight. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
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