Jaws's Recent Activity - Spout

Film:Jaws

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:51:19 GMT

Title: Jaws
Year: 1988
Director: Steven Spielberg
Plot: Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing shark alert. After the shark dines on a few more victims, the Mayor orders the local fishermen to catch the culprit. Satisfied with the shark they find, the greedy Mayor reopens the beaches, despite the warning from visiting ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) that the attacks were probably caused by a far more formidable Great White. One more fatality later, Brody and Hooper join forces with flinty old salt Quint (Robert Shaw), the only local fisherman willing to take on a Great White--especially since the price is right. The three ride off on Quint's boat "The Orca," soon coming face to teeth with the enemy. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 92
Number of Lists: 97
Number of blog posts: 12
Number of discussion threads: 49
SpoutRating: 4

Spout Post: Bigfoot / Sasquatch / Ape Man

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:33:17 GMT

Post By: Risselada
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 9/24/2009 11:33:17 AM
Body: So my girlfriend and I have this fascination with Bigfoot, thus I rented a compilation of Bigfoot themed films from Netflix. They were all really bad as we had expected, but had some amusing moments. Here's the rundown of what we saw: The Capture of Bigfoot - the first one on the DVD. This establishes a lot of common themes in you average Bigfoot movie. The villain of the film wants to kill or capture Bigfoot for his own noteriety and riches. The good guys of the film want Bigfoot to stay free. The authorities want the problem of Bigfoot killing people to be solved so that it doesn't scare away tourists (kind of a Jaws theme). There's a pointless party. And Bigfoot likes to attack couples who have sex in the woods. The only thing here you probably wouldn't see in any other Bigfoot movie is a sheriff who likes to do impressions of famous Hollywood actors for no aparent reason. There's a sweet snowmobile stunt, but also some horrible snowmobile work too. The most interesting thing was that it was filmed very close to where my girlfriend would go camping every year growing up in Wisconsin. You can hear a lot of the Wisconsin accents. Shriek of the Mutilated - The goriest, most famous, and most exciting of all of the movies on this disc, but it's still horrible. Horrible acting, filming, pacing, and editing. But some amusingly bad characters. And an amusing and unexpected piece of violence near the beginning of the film before we even see the beast. The ending is very strange and kind of a disappointment. Search for the Beast - The most recent of all of the films on this disc and also by far the worst. Actually probbly the worst movie I've ever seen. Apparently shot on VHS or some other horrible video media from the 90s. As bad as the other films on this disc were, this one was so bad I couldn't even believe it was paired with the rest. Again, having sex in the woods means Bigfoot will come for you to kill you and fuck you. But this is the fakest looking Bigfoot EVER. There are a lot of tropes in this film mentioned earlier as well. The acting is worse here than ever!! Also like Shriek of the Mutilated, the ending would have been a disappointment if I hadn't stopped caring after the first two minutes! I challenge you to watch this film all the way without considering it torture!! You are allowed to drink like I did though. Legend of Bigfoot - I was kind of worn out by the time we got to this one. This is presented as if it were a documentary but was clearly fake. Not really a horror movie either, although there are some times I think you are supposed to feel a little scared. Nothing would make sense if it weren't for the extensive and goofy narration. It was probably just made to capitalize on the topic (well actually that's proably the reason for all of these movies). So has anyone here seen any good Bigfoot movies that they would like to recommend?

Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for June 29: Summertime

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:58:43 GMT

Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/1/2009 1:58:43 AM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] I feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking! [/quote] Hooray for US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... I've never really thought of this group as a brainchild but whatever works..............maybe like an adopted brainchild that Chris & I decided to raise together in spite of constant adversity and redicule from our friends and family. We named that child Weekly Theme and raised him with all the love his "traditional family structure" never gave him. I'll never forget the day Daddy Chris took off Weekly's training wheels and ran along side of him as Daddy Emery cheerfully snapped photo after photo until he crashed into Mr. Woodril's hedges and skinned his knee. That child grew and grew, everyday becoming more and more of his own man............................. And that child's name was C. Thomas Howell....... And NOOOW you know...... the RESSST of the story... Anyway..... Summer movies are great. Evertime I hear that phrase I recall the time my family and I were standing outside in line for Jurassic Park and a 15 year old girl passed out in front of us from the heat.. I think it was about 117 that day but the lines were packed. I would also mention a couple films that come to mind that I think are great examples of portrayels of the summer heat. Burtolucci's La Commare Secca takes place durring a particularly sweaty Italian summer.... Also, Chinatown is one of my alltime favorite films and it does a great job of showing a hot summer in LA.

Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for June 29: Summertime

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:39:43 GMT

Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 6/30/2009 6:39:43 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school.[/quote] I've never heard of this one, but when I think of a movie that conveys extreme New York summer heat the best, I think of Do the Right Thing. You can feel the heat. Now if you want to feel the heat both literally and figuratively of being stuck inside and and just wanting to get out, check out 12 Angry Men.

Spout Post: Weekly Theme for June 29: Summertime

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:38:41 GMT

Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 6/29/2009 9:38:41 PM
Body: I feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking!

Spout Post: 5 Actors Who Shamefully Returned to Film Franchises

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:01:24 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/26/2009 10:01:24 AM
Body: Next week, Vin Diesel returns (along with Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordanna Brewster) to the Fast and the Furious franchise, which he’d abandoned after the first movie (he did have a cameo in part 3). When news first hit that he’d be reprising the role of Dominic Toretto for the fourth installment, simply titled Fast & Furious, most of us saw the actor as returning under a veil of shame. Because he initially departed the series with an inflated ego — and with it unrealistic salary demands — it does seem obvious that Diesel is now only desperately crawling back because his career failed to take off the way he’d hoped it would. This is quite sad considering not even Steve Guttenberg ever crawled back to the Police Academy movies, nor did Burt Reynolds ever get dragged back for a fourth Smokey and the Bandit. But there have been other shameful returns by stars to franchises they’d previously sat out of (whether the hiatus was of their own choosing or not). Only one of these may have been as desperate as Diesel now appears, but it’s worth looking at four additional actors and actresses who should be very embarrassed of their delayed reprisals. Karen Allen Returned to: Indiana Jones franchise with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Karen Allen’s absence from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade after playing the female lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark was not because she believed herself above those sequels. Her character, Marion Ravenwood, simply wasn’t written into them. And her return to the series was surely not because her career needed a boost. Her relative disappearance from films after 1990 was actually for personal reasons (she wanted to devote time to raising her son), not necessarily because she could no longer garner significant roles. So why is she on this list? Because even though it must have been quite tempting to again work with Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford, especially in a role that is beloved by fans, she should have had a little more reserve, because she ended up looking like an easily employed, easily exploited actress. At least she didn’t have to swing through trees, and at least she didn’t receive the brunt of criticism with the film, but the latter fortune is also mostly because she’s given so little to do in the movie. Her participation in the film is largely forgettable, yet her association with the film is not. Instead of bothering with this very disappointing sequel, Allen should have held out for the more necessary Starman follow-up (continuing from where the TV series left off, of course). Sean Connery Returned to: James Bond franchise with Never Say Never Again (1983) Officially, it wasn’t exactly the James Bond franchise, because Never Say Never Again wasn’t made by EON Productions, though this clarification makes Sean Connery’s return to the role of 007 even more shameful. After Diamonds Are Forever, which had already marked his first delayed return as Bond (after the quick interruption of George Lazenby in the part with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), the actor claimed he’d never return to the role he’d originated onscreen (this led to the film’s title), but obviously he was offered enough money to not only reprise the character but also to slap EON’s Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in the face by agreeing to appear in an unofficial installment initially meant to directly compete head to head with EON’s own Octopussy, which starred Roger Moore as Bond. In agreeing to the film, Connery cemented his reputation for questionable career choices, most clearly influenced by big paychecks. Though he’d previously been enticed by huge offers, including the astonishing $2 million he demanded to come back to Bond for Diamonds, this time he showed a great lack of concern for fans of the Bond franchise through his apparent greediness. Given his love for big money, it’s surprising that he never sold himself out of retirement for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Maybe his asking price has just gotten so out of hand that even Lucas and Spielberg couldn’t afford him. Lorraine Gary Returned to: Jaws franchise with Jaws: The Revenge (1987) She hadn’t been onscreen in eight years, but Lorraine Gary’s absence from films following her appearance in Spielberg’s 1941 was reportedly her choice. Certainly with a husband as powerful as Sid Sheinberg (President of MCA, Inc. for more than 30 years), she didn’t really need to work, and yet for some odd reason she came out of retirement to reprise her role as Ellen Brody for the dreadful fourth installment of Jaws. According to a press release for the movie, Gary claims she was drawn to the script because of how well it explored her character, which deserved more development than Jaws and Jaws II had allowed for. Gary has also admitted that she was partly lured back with the appeal of playing opposite Michael Caine, romantically. But again, with a husband as powerful as Sheinberg, she probably could have been given a better film with which to come back and with which to make out with Caine. Now, she’s unfortunately more memorable for having starred in Jaws: The Revenge than for originating the role in the first film. Gene Hackman Returned to: Superman franchise with Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Somewhat like Connery (his A Bridge Too Far costar), Gene Hackman ended up returning to a character thanks to a change in producers. He abandoned the Superman franchise after the first film — though he’d shot some scenes for Superman II, so he does appear in the sequel — because Alexander and Ilya Salkind fired Richard Donner as the director of the second installment. So, when new producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus took over the series, Hackman was fine with reprising his portrayal of Lex Luthor. Surely there was a big paycheck involved in addition to the appeal of new management, but with an ultimate budget of only $17 million (slashed from the planned $40 million), he couldn’t have gotten away with much. At least Christopher Reeve, in his deal to return to the series, was given the opportunity to star in a pet project, Street Smart. All Hackman ended up with was an embarrassing addition to his resume, one that displayed a lack of concern for Superman fans and a disappointing preference for pay over prestige. Peter Sellers Returned to: Pink Panther franchise with The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) Following The Pink Panther and its sequel, A Shot in the Dark, Peter Sellers declined to return to the series, and Alan Arkin took over the role for part 3, Inspector Clouseau. It made sense at the time, as Sellers was still doing quite well through the late 1960s. But after a number of flops in the early ‘70s, Sellers was wooed back to the franchise, obviously with the promise of a lot of money. And another two installments came about with reportedly increased paychecks. In fact, he was set to play Inspector Clouseau in another installment (the series’ seventh, his sixth), but he died before it went into production. Fortunately for his legacy, he also made the wonderful Being There before his death, so he didn’t go out completely on a desperation downturn. Like Sellers’ last few Pink Panther movies, the new Fast and the Furious installment will be a huge hit, but there is a cost of reputation and an increase of shame that comes with the returned wealth and popularity. Then again, Diesel probably isn’t sinking any lower than he did for The Pacifier, right? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: Viewing(ish) Jaws for the AFI Project

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:33:24 GMT

Post By: pippin06
Post To: Reel Thoughts
Post Date: 3/10/2009 10:33:24 PM
Body: What's the AFI Project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here: http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx Jaws is on the following AFI lists: The Original Top 100 (#48)100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies (#2)100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains (The Shark is the #18 villain)100 Movie Quotes (#35 - Chief Martin Brody: "You're gonna need a bigger boat.")25 Film Scores (#6)The Revised Top 100 (#56) Greetings, ladies and gentleman. Apologies for the small hiatus taken over the last two weeks from movie viewing and reviewing (and thanks if you noticed). It's not easy opening a ginormous musical like The Producers at a theater, especially if you also contracted a debilitating virus to make things extra special. Thus, I was sort of horizontal and unable to process thoughts verbally or in writing when I wasn't trying to survive one of these harrowing performances. Do us a favor and stop on by if you're in the area – make it all worthwhile. I digress, natch. Two weeks or so ago, I enjoyed a Saturday night film – the next film on the AFI Project. Now, I want you to do your best to keep all soft produce tucked safely away in their fridge-fresh compartments. I want you to keep an open mind and attempt to control all shock – last Saturday, my viewing of Jaws represented the first time I had actually seen the movie all the way through, from beginning to end. Stop fainting. No, seriously, get up. There's no need for hysterics. You see, Jaws, like "It's a Wonderful Life," is one of those films that have always been in the background in some form or another. When I was a child, my parents steered me away from it, thinking me and my impressionable, overactive imagination would likely be prone to shark nightmares. After all, I had freaked out to less, like gremlins, Ghostbuster dogs, and crazy robot ladies in Superman III, and you actually see the shark in this film. I don't know what prevented me from finally sitting down to watch it later in life, other than the fact that it sees as much cable rotation as anything, and I'd managed to catch it in parts (no pun intended), likely precluding my need to see the whole thing without commercial interruption. Fortunate, then, that I undertook this project because it forced me to finally see the film in all of its sharky goodness, and I must say, like the Jimmy Stewart classic heretofore mentioned, I was pleasantly surprised by just how fabulous the film was, how much I really got into it, and how much I loved it in the end. Do you know the story? It's a fairly well known chestnut. Teenagers on small town Amity Island enjoy a night of partying and drinking beside a moonlight bonfire, when one of the girls decides to tease one of the boys by jauntily hopping in the ocean for a spontaneous skinny dip. When she disappears, the boy contacts Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider, RIP) to investigate. Brody transplanted his family from New York City to the small island in the hopes of "making a difference," perhaps in a sunnier, more vacation-like spot. When Brody and the boy find what's left of the girl on the beach, Brody suspects the waters around the hamlet may be shark-infested. He appeals to the mayor (Murray Hamilton) to put up warning signs or even close the beach, but the mayor hears none of it, fearing that to take such measures would steer away money-spending vacationers visiting the island for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. Brody keeps a watchful eye and invites an ichthyologist named Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to the proceedings after additional victims are claimed, including one young boy in front of a beach full of sunbathers. Still guided by the almighty profit margin, the mayor encourages local fishermen to search for the culprit, and though they catch a likely candidate, seemingly validating the mayor's wish to keep the beaches open after all, Hooper is convinced that a Great White shark in the shallows has perpetrated the crimes. Thus, Brody appeals to the city council, and a local fisherman and shark expert named Quint (Robert Shaw) is enlisted, at the right price, to search for the terror, along which Brody and Hooper come for the ride aboard Quint's vessel, "The Orca." As they track the wily shark, each man must face his individual fears and obsessions with the hungry beast. Jaws is really quite a good film and a mixture of movie genres that could appeal to many audiences. It's an action-adventure flick, filled with gore and high seas danger. It's a subtle stab at small town politics as well as social commentary on greed and bureaucratic dogma. Also, it's a horror flick and one of the most effective I've ever seen. Because the film takes on all of these different levels, making it more than just a picture about a giant, man-eating shark, the film not only crops up on several AFI lists but really can simply be categorized as an ingenious little picture. It was adapted from a novel and directed by Steven Spielberg as one of his first films. It's creation is stuff of movie-making legend: over-budget and overburdened by bad weather and a faulty mechanical shark nicknamed Bruce, Stevie decided to rely on more basic filmmaking techniques to convey sheer terror to the would-be watcher. In fact, the film plays out much like the only film that outranks it on the AFI's thriller list and could almost be a better film if the story in Psycho weren't so complete and spun with Hitchcock's genius and panache. Spielberg's genius and panache, though, were remarkably sophisticated, nothing to sneeze at, and I will forever use this film to highlight just how good the guy is as a director (I will forever be a stalwart supporter, even if it is cliché). The first act relies and toys heavily with what is unseen. The viewer never catches even a glimpse of a dorsal fin or any dislodged teeth: the camera, instead, follows the perspective of the unsuspecting swimmer, alone but for a startling movement or presumed brush by bare skin and then switches to a vast underwater view beneath a solitary pair of scissor-kicking legs. Coupled with John Williams's now iconic (and AFI ranked) score, the soundtrack of which I purchased years ago even without having seen the film, and the famous main theme emphasized by the grinding of lower stringed instruments, this act really elicited some sincere jumps from me. I was surprised by how much I was into it and by the fact that the film could really make my spine tingle and send me twitching out of my seat, especially since the shark's arrival is always heralded by cellos – the viewer simply never knows when those famous chords end, and the shark attacks. The second act then sets the stage for the seen and the climactic final battle with the shark. Yes, it still looks fake (thanks, Marty McFly), but fortunately, there's enough going on that you're still at the edge of your seat, taken in by every minute. I especially love the acting by the three main men in this film, but I was intrigued by the speech Quint offers about his experience in World War II aboard the Indianapolis. With Shaw's individual spin on this monologue, it rang echoes of Moby Dick, and really, each man in the film is his own Ahab, seeking revenge against the shark for what it represents to each. I also enjoyed how Spielberg still used the "unseen" factor to set the viewer up for the final scares, between floating yellow buoys, harpooned into the shark's skin, to sunken ships and dangerous cages. Jaws is actually an excellent movie, and I loved it in spite of myself. I'm happy to say it didn't give me nightmares, but I'm probably not going to be too happy to see sharks at an aquarium in the future. I'm also sort of interested now in seeing Jaws 2 (though not the last two sequels, I've heard they're utter rubbish). Because Jaws appeals to an almost primal sense of terror in each of us and effectively scared me despite being so omnipresent in pop culture, I'm inclined to rate the film an 8.5 for being between very good/minor flaws and perfectly entertaining. I would have rated the film a full 9, but there are a couple of scenes in the film that tend to drag, even as their purpose is to serve as a sort of calm before the next storm of shark-related scares. As to the test, the jury is out for me on this one. I could see owning it, but, then again, it is a cable favorite. Maybe if I found it in a bargain bin. In the meantime, if you are one of the other three people that haven't seen Jaws, I highly recommend sitting down and watching it to the end. You'll eat it up!

Spout Post: HUMPDAY. Sundance 2009 Preview w/Director Lynn Shelton

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:00:48 GMT

Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 1/14/2009 11:00:48 PM
Body: Director Lynn Shelton’s follow-up to My Effortless Brilliance, Sundance Dramatic Competition entry stars Mark Duplass (HumpdayThe Puffy Chair) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) as two college friends who meet up a decade later and somehow end up pacting to make a boy-on-boy sex tape together. Answering our 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, Shelton declared her love for The Princess Bride, named the crew member she poached from Medicine for Melancholy, and explained her philosophy of low expectations. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. Humpday is like Bang the Drum Slowly meets Jaws. Only no-one dies. Either by tumor or by shark. It’s about the reunion of two old college buddies, Ben and Andrew, who haven’t seen each other for years. Somehow, within 24 hours of being in each other’s company again, they manage to box themselves into a mutual dare to have sex with each other on film. For an “art project”. Which wouldn’t be so radical or weird except for the fact that Ben’s married, and both guys are about as straight as straight can be. The film’s about fear of conformity; of not living up to your own image of yourself; about long-term romantic relationships; about a certain kind of male friendship between two guys who adore each other but who also bring out the most absurdly competitive aspects in each other. Why I made the movie: 1) an overwhelming desire to work with Mark Duplass, and, 2) a sadistic desire to watch a couple of straight guys squirm. I’d met Mark Duplass in August of 2007 on the set of True Adolescents, a film shooting in Seattle that he was acting in and I was shooting stills for. Watching him act, seeing how generous he was with the other actors, and how far he was willing to go in every single scene, I knew immediately that I wanted to work with him. We bonded at the craft services table and I pitched the idea for Humpday to him about a month or two after the production had wrapped and he’d gone back to LA. I think Mark found the premise—of two straight dudes deciding they had to try and have sex together—an intriguing, if slightly insane, challenge. He introduced me to Joshua Leonard as his potential co-star almost immediately and the two of them seemed to have just the right kind of chemistry for this intense, nutty, onscreen friendship. I brought in Alycia Delmore, a great Seattle actress, to play Mark’s wife and, soon thereafter, Mark convinced me to play the supporting role of Monica, Josh’s love interest, myself. We shot on two HVX-200s over the course of 9-10 days at the end of June, 2008. Ben Kasulke (who shot my first two features) was the DP and Nat Sanders (who I’d met on the festival circuit last year…he edited Medicine for Melancholy) moved himself up to Seattle from LA to edit the film with me over the next two and a half months. If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I funded the film through grants and donations and fed myself and my family by teaching part time at the Digital Filmmaking program at the Art Institute of Seattle. My most exotic past employment experience: working for 4 months on a factory trawler in the Bering Sea when I was twenty-two years old. Have you been to Sundance before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). If you haven’t, what are you most (or least) looking forward to based on your impressions of the festival? I have never been to Sundance before, (although I have been to Park City; my first feature film, We Go Way Back won Slamdance in 2006.) I am imagining long lines, icy sidewalks, and a constant headache the first few days due to the high altitude. (I like to keep my expectations low so if I end up having a fabulous time, it will all just be a pleasant surprise.) Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? This is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth

Spout Post: HUMPDAY. Sundance 2009 Preview w/Director Lynn Shelton

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:00:34 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/14/2009 11:00:34 PM
Body: Director Lynn Shelton’s follow-up to My Effortless Brilliance, Sundance Dramatic Competition entry stars Mark Duplass (HumpdayThe Puffy Chair) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) as two college friends who meet up a decade later and somehow end up pacting to make a boy-on-boy sex tape together. Answering our 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, Shelton declared her love for The Princess Bride, named the crew member she poached from Medicine for Melancholy, and explained her philosophy of low expectations. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. Humpday is like Bang the Drum Slowly meets Jaws. Only no-one dies. Either by tumor or by shark. It’s about the reunion of two old college buddies, Ben and Andrew, who haven’t seen each other for years. Somehow, within 24 hours of being in each other’s company again, they manage to box themselves into a mutual dare to have sex with each other on film. For an “art project”. Which wouldn’t be so radical or weird except for the fact that Ben’s married, and both guys are about as straight as straight can be. The film’s about fear of conformity; of not living up to your own image of yourself; about long-term romantic relationships; about a certain kind of male friendship between two guys who adore each other but who also bring out the most absurdly competitive aspects in each other. Why I made the movie: 1) an overwhelming desire to work with Mark Duplass, and, 2) a sadistic desire to watch a couple of straight guys squirm. I’d met Mark Duplass in August of 2007 on the set of True Adolescents, a film shooting in Seattle that he was acting in and I was shooting stills for. Watching him act, seeing how generous he was with the other actors, and how far he was willing to go in every single scene, I knew immediately that I wanted to work with him. We bonded at the craft services table and I pitched the idea for Humpday to him about a month or two after the production had wrapped and he’d gone back to LA. I think Mark found the premise—of two straight dudes deciding they had to try and have sex together—an intriguing, if slightly insane, challenge. He introduced me to Joshua Leonard as his potential co-star almost immediately and the two of them seemed to have just the right kind of chemistry for this intense, nutty, onscreen friendship. I brought in Alycia Delmore, a great Seattle actress, to play Mark’s wife and, soon thereafter, Mark convinced me to play the supporting role of Monica, Josh’s love interest, myself. We shot on two HVX-200s over the course of 9-10 days at the end of June, 2008. Ben Kasulke (who shot my first two features) was the DP and Nat Sanders (who I’d met on the festival circuit last year…he edited Medicine for Melancholy) moved himself up to Seattle from LA to edit the film with me over the next two and a half months. If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I funded the film through grants and donations and fed myself and my family by teaching part time at the Digital Filmmaking program at the Art Institute of Seattle. My most exotic past employment experience: working for 4 months on a factory trawler in the Bering Sea when I was twenty-two years old. Have you been to Sundance before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). If you haven’t, what are you most (or least) looking forward to based on your impressions of the festival? I have never been to Sundance before, (although I have been to Park City; my first feature film, We Go Way Back won Slamdance in 2006.) I am imagining long lines, icy sidewalks, and a constant headache the first few days due to the high altitude. (I like to keep my expectations low so if I end up having a fabulous time, it will all just be a pleasant surprise.) Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? This is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: Re:This Is Interesting..

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:18:20 GMT

Post By: seely
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 12/16/2008 11:18:20 AM
Body: Hm, I've never really thought of Jaws as a horror film--I guess I generally see it as more of a 'thriller' but I can definitely see how it would fit either category, as the shark is essentially a blood-thirsty monster, almost supernatural in the pureset sense of the word. I'd have to go with The Exorcist as my top scare of all time. For some reason the supernatural/spiritual films really get under my skin, and the fact it was based on a well-documented true story doesn't hurt either. Something about an invisible, incomprehensible spiritual force gives me more of a scare than a tanigble threat like a giant shark (that, and I hate swimming anyways so I'm pretty safe from shark attacks). Probably doesn't help that I was born in the hospital (Alexian Bros., Chicago, IL) where the actual events The Exorcist is based off took place either :-) [quote user="jdice31"] I can't endorse a top horror list that dosen't have JAWS in the top 31! in my humble opinion that is the scariest movie of all time followed closely by the Exorsist. Halloween was a great movie but not THE scariest of all time. I really like the concept though. I love every halloween when Bravo does the 100 scariest movie moments. Sparks much debate. [/quote]

Spout Post: Re:iAyudame! (that means "help!" in Spanish!)

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:31:38 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 11/19/2008 8:31:38 PM
Body: [quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="Dr_Gor"]I think that is something like what you were talking about ... I have certain "feel-good" movies that I can watch anytime and they will cheer me right up! Movies like Zombie (Fulci) and Night of the Living Dead and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and JAWS and The Exorcist always make me feel better when I am down... < GOR >[/quote] I don't doubt you at all Gor. [/quote] I was not exaggerating.

Spout Tag:Great

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:11:49 GMT

Great
Number of films tagged: 231

Number of people who tagged: 202

Number of times used: 371

Spout Tag:the

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:01:38 GMT

the
Number of films tagged: 124

Number of people who tagged: 131

Number of times used: 150

Spout Tag:drama

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:29 GMT

drama
Number of films tagged: 527

Number of people who tagged: 102

Number of times used: 627

Spout Tag:adventure

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:00:50 GMT

adventure
Number of films tagged: 229

Number of people who tagged: 96

Number of times used: 369

Spout Tag:Best

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:01:38 GMT

Best
Number of films tagged: 78

Number of people who tagged: 91

Number of times used: 122

Spout Tag:thriller

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:30 GMT

thriller
Number of films tagged: 201

Number of people who tagged: 74

Number of times used: 247

Spout Tag:suspense

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:28:43 GMT

suspense
Number of films tagged: 129

Number of people who tagged: 66

Number of times used: 189

Spout Tag:obsession

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:00:49 GMT

obsession
Number of films tagged: 1134

Number of people who tagged: 64

Number of times used: 136

Spout Tag:in

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:45:00 GMT

in
Number of films tagged: 44

Number of people who tagged: 43

Number of times used: 46

Spout Tag:water

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:09:09 GMT

water
Number of films tagged: 444

Number of people who tagged: 36

Number of times used: 62

Spout Tag:island

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:54:50 GMT

island
Number of films tagged: 1021

Number of people who tagged: 34

Number of times used: 74

Spout Tag:shark

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:48:40 GMT

shark
Number of films tagged: 199

Number of people who tagged: 29

Number of times used: 81

Spout Tag:ocean

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:07:01 GMT

ocean
Number of films tagged: 167

Number of people who tagged: 28

Number of times used: 58

Spout Tag:bar

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:58:40 GMT

bar
Number of films tagged: 36

Number of people who tagged: 26

Number of times used: 48

Spout Tag:beach

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:53:12 GMT

beach
Number of films tagged: 391

Number of people who tagged: 23

Number of times used: 58