list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Hounddog 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/Hounddog/288273/default.aspx Title: Hounddog
Year: 2008
Director: Deborah Kampmeier
Plot: A precocious but troubled young girl living in 1950s-era Alabama seeks solace in the music of Elvis Presley in director Deborah Kampmeier's controversial tale of childhood trauma and musical healing. War of the Worlds star Dakota Fanning takes the lead for a period drama that made its debut at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 17
Number of Lists: 3
Number of blog posts: 3
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 1
]]>Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:31:35 GMTHounddog2008Deborah KampmeierA precocious but troubled young girl living in 1950s-era Alabama seeks solace in the music of <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___107032/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Elvis Presley</a> in director Deborah Kampmeier's controversial tale of childhood trauma and musical healing. <a href="http://www.spout.com/films/251134/detail.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>War of the Worlds</a> star <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___301579/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dakota Fanning</a> takes the lead for a period drama that made its debut at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide17Tag Target (>10)3311http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s288273.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Hounddog/288273/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/2/5/40271.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/5/2009 12:01:20 PM
Body: Are you one of the many sci-fi and comic book geeks who’d be more interested in Push were it not for Dakota Fanning? Sure, the precocious child star is now a teen actress (she’s about to turn 15), yet that probably makes you even more worried about her appearance in the movie. But what can you do? She’s literally everywhere this week – voicing the title character in the animated Coraline and starring in two new video releases, Hounddog and The Secret Life of Bees, both of which were released Tuesday. In the tradition of child actors continuing careers into adolescence, it’s only a matter of time before she ruins a movie that would have been better without her. We’ll have to wait until this weekend to see if that time is now, with Push, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some of the past offenders in this tradition. Most of the following former child actors (our definition: actors that began their career below the age of 13) have done great things in their adulthood, but each has done at least one film that could have been better without him or her. You may disagree with some of these picks, and you may think we’ve forgotten some (was Christian Bale really the worst part of The Dark Knight? did Mary-Kate Olsen’s disturbing kiss with Ben Kingsley take away from The Wackness?), so do share your own thoughts on former child stars below. We just ask that you keep your comments somewhat tasteful and law-abiding. BUtterfield 8 (1960) Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for her performance in this film, and that’s basically the problem. Everyone knew then as they know now that she only won the award because she came down with a near-fatal illness weeks prior to the ceremony. Of course, she was nominated without such sympathy being the reason, so shouldn’t that mean the performance is still great? Well, that’s certainly debatable, but many critics today claim this to be one of the worst best actress wins of all time. So, if you go into BUtterfield 8 expecting an Oscar-worthy film, it’s going to be ruined for you. The Cat’s Meow (2001) Kirsten Dunst, who made her debut at age 7 in Woody Allen’s segment of New York Stories, got to work with another ‘70s cinema great, Peter Bogdanovich, in this comedic telling of an infamous Hollywood scandal. She portrays silent film actress Marion Davies, who becomes the catalyst in the scandal when her boyfriend, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann), discovers she’s having an affair with Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard). The irony is that Dunst is so annoying in the role that it’s hard to believe any guys would fight over her. Many Dunst fans continually defend her performance in the film, but if it’s not her acting that ruins The Cat’s Meow, it’s at least her singing, which can be heard during the closing credits. Donnie Darko (2001) Drew Barrymore may be the most adorable thing to happen to romantic comedies since Jean Arthur, but occasionally she tries to make us believe she can do other roles. Unfortunately, she’s just not fit for most jobs, and English teacher is certainly one of them. Somehow in Donnie Darko her awkward speaking voice is even worse than usual, and she comes off sounding like she knows this and is attempting to enunciate as best she can in spite of the problem. Well, Drew, there’s a reason Spielberg hasn’t cast you in a sci-fi flick since E.T., you simply can’t pull off the dialogue. Garden State (2004) Natalie Portman didn’t make her film debut until she was 13 (in Leon, aka The Professional), but she did begin acting three years earlier, so we’re allowing her to make the list. How can we not? There isn’t a Garden State hater out there who doesn’t blame Portman and her obnoxious, flaky love interest character for ruining the film. Yet she was once the young girl that made tons of these cinephiles relate to a questionably friendly Timothy Hutton in Beautiful Girls. A year after Garden State, fellow former child starlet Kirsten Dunst (see above) played a similarly obnoxious and flaky love interest in the similarly plotted Elizabethtown. But at least Dunst had Orlando Bloom to make her seem talented by comparison. Portman is all alone in her ruination here. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Ron Howard, child star-turned-Oscar-winning filmmaker, has a special circumstance that warrants his inclusion on this list. Unlike the other nine, he managed to ruin a movie he wasn’t even involved in. Notice both the title and the date above. Or click on the link. That’s the old animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, which Howard ruined by directing his live-action version. You could also say that he ruined the book, and you could say that he ruined his own movie by making the latter so terribly horrendous. But it’s Chuck Jones’ earlier film that was most adversely affected by the release of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (often listed simply as The Grinch), because how many children will now grow up with the ugly Jim Carrey-starring version instead of the wonderful Boris Karloff-narrated one? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Shia LaBeouf, like Natalie Portman, barely makes the child actor cutoff, but he needs to be included because we need to keep chastising him for ruining not only the latest Indiana Jones movie, but also the whole franchise. Maybe there were indeed other faults with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Plenty of people credit the “nuke the fridge” scene as the downturn in both the film and the series, for instance. But most of us were forgiving up until Shia swung through the trees like Tarzan. So, he’s clearly to blame. It’s quite a shame, too, because he’s pretty much the only thing that really saves the Transformers movies. Inside Man (2006) Jodie Foster has often seemed out of place in movies. She doesn’t feel right in period romances, such as Sommersby and Anna and the King, but she’s a good enough actress that she’s forgiven for such casting faults. As for Inside Man, well, even her Oscar-winning talent couldn’t keep her from appearing ill fit for her role. Part of the problem is the character itself, that of a woman who comes off far less intelligent and tough than she should (the same kind of character ruined The Bourne Supremacy a year earlier). You want Foster, a smart and strong woman in real life and typically on screen, to be more and do more. But she hardly contributes to the film and if anything slows it and dumbs it down too much. Hopefully the rumors are correct that her character will not return in Inside Man 2. Monster (2003) Christina Ricci is not really a good actress to begin with, but if you cast her opposite a great performance she comes off as seeming a downright terrible actress. This is what happened with Monster, in which Charlize Theron does her Oscar-winning best at becoming unrecognizable. Next to that transformation, Ricci just looks like Ricci, and a really untalented Ricci at that. For the amount of screen time Ricci’s lesbian love-interest character is allotted, Patty Jenkins really should have gotten someone better. Because not only does the performance end up awful next to Theron’s, it ruins a film that is otherwise worth watching for the acting. Silver Screen Confidential (1996) Scott Schwartz actually won an award for this adult film, in which he gives a non-sex performance. It wasn’t his first porn nor was it his last, but because of the recognition he received for this one, it’s being used as the exemplary title. While creepy people out there tend to count down to the day that female child stars reach the age of 18, probably in the hopes that the girls will quickly appear in their first legal nude scene, it is unlikely that anyone was waiting for the day the kid from The Toy, A Christmas Story and Kidco would enter a career in porn. To be honest, we haven’t actually seen any of Schwartz’s adult titles, but we can imagine his appearance is quite distracting to anybody who recognizes him as “Flick” while otherwise trying to get off watching Jenna Jameson. Still, Schwartz does star in his very own title, Scotty’s X-Rated Adventure, so maybe he’s somehow a draw? X-Men (2000) Anna Paquin is the prime reason why the Academy needs to stop allowing child actors Oscar nominations. Yes, Paquin was terrific in The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But then look what happened: she grew up to be an irritating starlet who could ruin a film by Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe or Gus Van Sant with just a single whiny-voiced line while playing the same nymphet character over and over and over. So what if she can claim to have confirmed her talent with a recent Golden Globe win (for TV work)? That still doesn’t take back the fact that she stunk up the first X-Men, one of her rare deviations from her typecast Lolita roles, enough to make it a huge disappointment. Fortunately with the sequels, not even her lack of talent could depreciate X2, and she was far from the worst thing about X-Men: The Last Stand. Thankfully she won’t be in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, nor will she likely be given her own spin-off. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:01:20 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/5/2009 12:01:20 PMAre you one of the many sci-fi and comic book geeks who’d be more interested in Push were it not for Dakota Fanning? Sure, the precocious child star is now a teen actress (she’s about to turn 15), yet that probably makes you even more worried about her appearance in the movie. But what can you do? She’s literally everywhere this week – voicing the title character in the animated Coraline and starring in two new video releases, Hounddog and The Secret Life of Bees, both of which were released Tuesday. In the tradition of child actors continuing careers into adolescence, it’s only a matter of time before she ruins a movie that would have been better without her. We’ll have to wait until this weekend to see if that time is now, with Push, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some of the past offenders in this tradition. Most of the following former child actors (our definition: actors that began their career below the age of 13) have done great things in their adulthood, but each has done at least one film that could have been better without him or her. You may disagree with some of these picks, and you may think we’ve forgotten some (was Christian Bale really the worst part of The Dark Knight? did Mary-Kate Olsen’s disturbing kiss with Ben Kingsley take away from The Wackness?), so do share your own thoughts on former child stars below. We just ask that you keep your comments somewhat tasteful and law-abiding. BUtterfield 8 (1960) Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for her performance in this film, and that’s basically the problem. Everyone knew then as they know now that she only won the award because she came down with a near-fatal illness weeks prior to the ceremony. Of course, she was nominated without such sympathy being the reason, so shouldn’t that mean the performance is still great? Well, that’s certainly debatable, but many critics today claim this to be one of the worst best actress wins of all time. So, if you go into BUtterfield 8 expecting an Oscar-worthy film, it’s going to be ruined for you. The Cat’s Meow (2001) Kirsten Dunst, who made her debut at age 7 in Woody Allen’s segment of New York Stories, got to work with another ‘70s cinema great, Peter Bogdanovich, in this comedic telling of an infamous Hollywood scandal. She portrays silent film actress Marion Davies, who becomes the catalyst in the scandal when her boyfriend, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann), discovers she’s having an affair with Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard). The irony is that Dunst is so annoying in the role that it’s hard to believe any guys would fight over her. Many Dunst fans continually defend her performance in the film, but if it’s not her acting that ruins The Cat’s Meow, it’s at least her singing, which can be heard during the closing credits. Donnie Darko (2001) Drew Barrymore may be the most adorable thing to happen to romantic comedies since Jean Arthur, but occasionally she tries to make us believe she can do other roles. Unfortunately, she’s just not fit for most jobs, and English teacher is certainly one of them. Somehow in Donnie Darko her awkward speaking voice is even worse than usual, and she comes off sounding like she knows this and is attempting to enunciate as best she can in spite of the problem. Well, Drew, there’s a reason Spielberg hasn’t cast you in a sci-fi flick since E.T., you simply can’t pull off the dialogue. Garden State (2004) Natalie Portman didn’t make her film debut until she was 13 (in Leon, aka The Professional), but she did begin acting three years earlier, so we’re allowing her to make the list. How can we not? There isn’t a Garden State hater out there who doesn’t blame Portman and her obnoxious, flaky love interest character for ruining the film. Yet she was once the young girl that made tons of these cinephiles relate to a questionably friendly Timothy Hutton in Beautiful Girls. A year after Garden State, fellow former child starlet Kirsten Dunst (see above) played a similarly obnoxious and flaky love interest in the similarly plotted Elizabethtown. But at least Dunst had Orlando Bloom to make her seem talented by comparison. Portman is all alone in her ruination here. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Ron Howard, child star-turned-Oscar-winning filmmaker, has a special circumstance that warrants his inclusion on this list. Unlike the other nine, he managed to ruin a movie he wasn’t even involved in. Notice both the title and the date above. Or click on the link. That’s the old animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, which Howard ruined by directing his live-action version. You could also say that he ruined the book, and you could say that he ruined his own movie by making the latter so terribly horrendous. But it’s Chuck Jones’ earlier film that was most adversely affected by the release of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (often listed simply as The Grinch), because how many children will now grow up with the ugly Jim Carrey-starring version instead of the wonderful Boris Karloff-narrated one? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Shia LaBeouf, like Natalie Portman, barely makes the child actor cutoff, but he needs to be included because we need to keep chastising him for ruining not only the latest Indiana Jones movie, but also the whole franchise. Maybe there were indeed other faults with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Plenty of people credit the “nuke the fridge” scene as the downturn in both the film and the series, for instance. But most of us were forgiving up until Shia swung through the trees like Tarzan. So, he’s clearly to blame. It’s quite a shame, too, because he’s pretty much the only thing that really saves the Transformers movies. Inside Man (2006) Jodie Foster has often seemed out of place in movies. She doesn’t feel right in period romances, such as Sommersby and Anna and the King, but she’s a good enough actress that she’s forgiven for such casting faults. As for Inside Man, well, even her Oscar-winning talent couldn’t keep her from appearing ill fit for her role. Part of the problem is the character itself, that of a woman who comes off far less intelligent and tough than she should (the same kind of character ruined The Bourne Supremacy a year earlier). You want Foster, a smart and strong woman in real life and typically on screen, to be more and do more. But she hardly contributes to the film and if anything slows it and dumbs it down too much. Hopefully the rumors are correct that her character will not return in Inside Man 2. Monster (2003) Christina Ricci is not really a good actress to begin with, but if you cast her opposite a great performance she comes off as seeming a downright terrible actress. This is what happened with Monster, in which Charlize Theron does her Oscar-winning best at becoming unrecognizable. Next to that transformation, Ricci just looks like Ricci, and a really untalented Ricci at that. For the amount of screen time Ricci’s lesbian love-interest character is allotted, Patty Jenkins really should have gotten someone better. Because not only does the performance end up awful next to Theron’s, it ruins a film that is otherwise worth watching for the acting. Silver Screen Confidential (1996) Scott Schwartz actually won an award for this adult film, in which he gives a non-sex performance. It wasn’t his first porn nor was it his last, but because of the recognition he received for this one, it’s being used as the exemplary title. While creepy people out there tend to count down to the day that female child stars reach the age of 18, probably in the hopes that the girls will quickly appear in their first legal nude scene, it is unlikely that anyone was waiting for the day the kid from The Toy, A Christmas Story and Kidco would enter a career in porn. To be honest, we haven’t actually seen any of Schwartz’s adult titles, but we can imagine his appearance is quite distracting to anybody who recognizes him as “Flick” while otherwise trying to get off watching Jenna Jameson. Still, Schwartz does star in his very own title, Scotty’s X-Rated Adventure, so maybe he’s somehow a draw? X-Men (2000) Anna Paquin is the prime reason why the Academy needs to stop allowing child actors Oscar nominations. Yes, Paquin was terrific in The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But then look what happened: she grew up to be an irritating starlet who could ruin a film by Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe or Gus Van Sant with just a single whiny-voiced line while playing the same nymphet character over and over and over. So what if she can claim to have confirmed her talent with a recent Golden Globe win (for TV work)? That still doesn’t take back the fact that she stunk up the first X-Men, one of her rare deviations from her typecast Lolita roles, enough to make it a huge disappointment. Fortunately with the sequels, not even her lack of talent could depreciate X2, and she was far from the worst thing about X-Men: The Last Stand. Thankfully she won’t be in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, nor will she likely be given her own spin-off. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/New_Movies_Week_of_9_19/216/35149/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 9/15/2008 12:26:39 PM
Body: We are rolling now, look at all of these new movies! Some of the more interesting stuff will only be in limited release this Friday, but some of the films seem worth the wait. WIDE RELEASE 1. Ghost Town -- I think Ricky Gervais is hilarious, but this movie seems like something his character in Extras would be forced to do for money. The poster feels like a parody of ghost movies: The story is that Gervais' character dies for seven minutes, ennabling him to see and communicate with dead souls. What is the best ghost-talk movie out there? I haven't seen Ghost. 2. Igor -- John Cusack provides the voice of Igor in this animated feature (from MGM, not Dreamworks or Pixar). Igor's a lowly lab assistant to a mad scientist, but he apires to win first place at the annual Evil Science Fair. It's supposed to spoof a lot of monster flick cliches, which could be interesting. 3. Lakeview Terrace -- I've never seen Samuel L. Jackson so creepy or anal retentive. To me the trailer makes the movie look very intense and unfulfilling, which would make it the second intense/unfulfilling movie starring Patrick Wilson. Anyone see Hard Candy? Holy crap! So draining I burned about 1000 calories just sitting there watching it, but that's not necessarily a recommendation. However, Lakeview Terrace is directed by Neil LaBute, who despite a recent stinker (the Wicker Man remake) is an interesting filmmaker. What do you guys think, are Nurse Betty and In the Company of Men also unfulfilling? 4. My Best Friend's Girl -- When Dane Cook takes out your ex, he shows her such a horrible time that she comes running back to you. With this movie and Good Luck Chuck, it looks like Cook is carving out his own niche -- romantic comedies in which he's a lucky charm. I'll pass. LIMITED RELEASE 5. Towelhead -- Written by the screenwriter of American Beauty, Towelhead is a coming-of-age story about 13 yr. old Jasira, Arab-American, as she struggles with racism, hypocrisy, and her own raging hormones. Also with Aaron Eckhart and Maria Bello. This looks like a winner to me. 6. The Duchess -- Keira Knightley plays the Duchess of Devonshire, the original "It Girl." 7. Appaloosa -- I'd see any western starring Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, but even more enticing is that Harris directs. Anyone see his first film, Pollock? It was very sad, but now I don't see how a movie about Jackson Pollock could be happy. That got me thinking...has anyone seen an artist biopic that's more happy than sad? Seems like artists in movies are usually doomed. 8. Hounddog -- I never would have guessed that I'd be interested in a movie starring Dakota Fanning. She plays a southern girl dealing with poverty and an abusive father, but finds inspiration in music, particularly Elvis Presley. 9. Battle in Seattle -- Feature about the 1999 protest against the World Trade Organization. I didn't even know this event happened, so I'm going to look into it. One thing going for the movie is Woody Harrelson, who's very worth watching in his recent rolls. (No Country for Old Men, A Scanner Darkly, Prairie Home Companion Even more in limited release. Anyone excited about these films? A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Whiteout Quilombo Country Talento de Barrio Keith Smother
]]>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:26:39 GMTSkyPilotComing Soon9/15/2008 12:26:39 PMWe are rolling now, look at all of these new movies! Some of the more interesting stuff will only be in limited release this Friday, but some of the films seem worth the wait. WIDE RELEASE 1. Ghost Town -- I think Ricky Gervais is hilarious, but this movie seems like something his character in Extras would be forced to do for money. The poster feels like a parody of ghost movies: The story is that Gervais' character dies for seven minutes, ennabling him to see and communicate with dead souls. What is the best ghost-talk movie out there? I haven't seen Ghost. 2. Igor -- John Cusack provides the voice of Igor in this animated feature (from MGM, not Dreamworks or Pixar). Igor's a lowly lab assistant to a mad scientist, but he apires to win first place at the annual Evil Science Fair. It's supposed to spoof a lot of monster flick cliches, which could be interesting. 3. Lakeview Terrace -- I've never seen Samuel L. Jackson so creepy or anal retentive. To me the trailer makes the movie look very intense and unfulfilling, which would make it the second intense/unfulfilling movie starring Patrick Wilson. Anyone see Hard Candy? Holy crap! So draining I burned about 1000 calories just sitting there watching it, but that's not necessarily a recommendation. However, Lakeview Terrace is directed by Neil LaBute, who despite a recent stinker (the Wicker Man remake) is an interesting filmmaker. What do you guys think, are Nurse Betty and In the Company of Men also unfulfilling? 4. My Best Friend's Girl -- When Dane Cook takes out your ex, he shows her such a horrible time that she comes running back to you. With this movie and Good Luck Chuck, it looks like Cook is carving out his own niche -- romantic comedies in which he's a lucky charm. I'll pass. LIMITED RELEASE 5. Towelhead -- Written by the screenwriter of American Beauty, Towelhead is a coming-of-age story about 13 yr. old Jasira, Arab-American, as she struggles with racism, hypocrisy, and her own raging hormones. Also with Aaron Eckhart and Maria Bello. This looks like a winner to me. 6. The Duchess -- Keira Knightley plays the Duchess of Devonshire, the original "It Girl." 7. Appaloosa -- I'd see any western starring Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, but even more enticing is that Harris directs. Anyone see his first film, Pollock? It was very sad, but now I don't see how a movie about Jackson Pollock could be happy. That got me thinking...has anyone seen an artist biopic that's more happy than sad? Seems like artists in movies are usually doomed. 8. Hounddog -- I never would have guessed that I'd be interested in a movie starring Dakota Fanning. She plays a southern girl dealing with poverty and an abusive father, but finds inspiration in music, particularly Elvis Presley. 9. Battle in Seattle -- Feature about the 1999 protest against the World Trade Organization. I didn't even know this event happened, so I'm going to look into it. One thing going for the movie is Woody Harrelson, who's very worth watching in his recent rolls. (No Country for Old Men, A Scanner Darkly, Prairie Home Companion Even more in limited release. Anyone excited about these films? A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Whiteout Quilombo Country Talento de Barrio Keith Smother http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/11/35022.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/11/2008 12:00:32 PM
Body: Due to the unsurprising popularity of our “10 Movies Sold on a Sex Scene” list a few weeks back, I’ve decided to unleash a sequel. However, catering to both Spoutblog’s traffic and the interests of ever-abundant sex-attracted internetters is only half my reason for this follow-up list. I was mainly motivated by the outcome of the release of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a film that also initially inspired the first list. While Vicky was partly sold on the promise of a threesome between Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, it is now fortunately being celebrated, and it will likely be remembered, primarily for Cruz’s performance. Not for the threesome or for the lesbian kiss. Other movies sold on a sex scene, though, are not typically so blessed with accolades. And even some that are recognized with high praise at time of release are often later forgotten as anything but fodder for MrSkin and other followers of onscreen sex and nudity. Obviously this means that most of my selections for the previous list may also qualify here, yet I’ve chosen to ignore some certainly fitting titles, including The Brown Bunny and 9 1/2 Weeks, so as not to repeat myself. Basic Instinct (1992) This was left off the earlier list, though I had originally planned on including it. Now that I’ve decided to do this follow-up, I’m positive that it fits better here. Many people undoubtedly went to see Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller more for the eroticism than the thrills, but that can’t be the case for every moviegoer who helped make the film a smash hit. There are plenty of erotic thrillers out there, but only one grossed more than $350 million (Fatal Attraction, which earned more than Basic Instinct domestically, came close). Could it be that the film is actually good? Plenty of respectable critics thought so, including Janet Maslin and Jonathan Rosenbaum, both of whom praised the Hitchcock influence. However, it’s easy to now remember the film primarily for the infamous Sharon Stone upskirt shot, which I deem qualifiable as a sex scene due to the way Stone’s character seems to have sort of psychological intercourse with her interrogators. Last Tango in Paris (1972) Here we have another mostly well-reviewed film that is possibly only still in the public consciousness due to its controversial sex scenes. That isn’t to say the critics and cinephiles don’t still appreciate it for other reasons than its buttery anal sex — it still screens theatrically in revivals and festivals. But ask any random person on the street what they remember, and most are sure to mention the sex scenes before talking of Bertolucci’s direction or Brando’s performance. Havoc (2005) I love the non-fiction work of Barbara Kopple, and I believe it possible that Anne Hathaway indeed gives an Oscar-worthy performance in her latest film, Rachel Getting Married, but neither woman’s talent is fully utilized with this movie, which also features a script written by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan. I will always think of this movie as an unfortunate hiccup in the careers of these three individuals, but I will mostly remember it, as will most people, for featuring Hathaway’s first topless sex scenes. A History of Violence (2005) Personally, my first recall is the graphic violence. The second thing I remember — more fondly, in fact — is William Hurt’s cartoonish yet canny performance. The sex scene on the stairs might not even be in the top five things that made Cronenberg’s film memorable for me, but I promise you there are guys who primarily think positively of A History of Violence for that moment. I even know some of them. Fat Girl (2001) Almost as dauntingly memorable as actually waking up to people having sex in the room you’re sleeping in, the infamous scene depicting such an event in Catherine Breillat’s film is likely the first thing you remember. And it probably doesn’t help your memory that the scene is significant enough to have spawned Breillat’s later film Sex is Comedy, which is basically about the difficulty of filming the Fat Girl scene (as seen in the above clip). Talk to Her (2002) With this film, I don’t mind that it’s a sex scene that I primarily recall, because it’s a scene that I think is extremely clever and surprisingly well-executed. No, I’m not referring to the part where Benigno (Javier Camara) rapes the comatose Alicia (Leonor Watling); I mean the black and white dream sequence in which a miniature Fele Martinez completely enters a large, constructed setpiece representing Paz Vega’s vagina. Team America: World Police (2004) There are plenty of side-splitting moments in this movie, but who walked away with anything sticking in their mind as solidly as the overlong sex sequence? The Hunger (1983) I could never remember if I’d seen this film or not when I was a kid. It’s one of those films that even if you haven’t seen the whole thing, you’re probably at least familiar with a specific, iconic scene. Here it’s definitely the lesbian sex scene between Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve. Requiem for a Dream (2000) I wish that the “ass to ass” line wasn’t the most memorable thing about this film. It certainly isn’t my favorite part, just the one part that forcefully sticks out above all others. Hounddog (2007) Though it hasn’t even been released to theaters yet, this 2007 Sundance selection will forever be known and remembered as the Dakota Fanning rape movie. It’s possible that the scene could also be considered a “movie sold on a sex scene,” because some curious moviegoers will go see it, secretly or not, for the infamous and controversial scene. But I don’t want to think of those people who actually want to see a movie because they want to see Dakota Fanning raped, whether for pleasure or intrigue. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:00:32 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/11/2008 12:00:32 PM Due to the unsurprising popularity of our “10 Movies Sold on a Sex Scene” list a few weeks back, I’ve decided to unleash a sequel. However, catering to both Spoutblog’s traffic and the interests of ever-abundant sex-attracted internetters is only half my reason for this follow-up list. I was mainly motivated by the outcome of the release of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a film that also initially inspired the first list. While Vicky was partly sold on the promise of a threesome between Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, it is now fortunately being celebrated, and it will likely be remembered, primarily for Cruz’s performance. Not for the threesome or for the lesbian kiss. Other movies sold on a sex scene, though, are not typically so blessed with accolades. And even some that are recognized with high praise at time of release are often later forgotten as anything but fodder for MrSkin and other followers of onscreen sex and nudity. Obviously this means that most of my selections for the previous list may also qualify here, yet I’ve chosen to ignore some certainly fitting titles, including The Brown Bunny and 9 1/2 Weeks, so as not to repeat myself. Basic Instinct (1992) This was left off the earlier list, though I had originally planned on including it. Now that I’ve decided to do this follow-up, I’m positive that it fits better here. Many people undoubtedly went to see Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller more for the eroticism than the thrills, but that can’t be the case for every moviegoer who helped make the film a smash hit. There are plenty of erotic thrillers out there, but only one grossed more than $350 million (Fatal Attraction, which earned more than Basic Instinct domestically, came close). Could it be that the film is actually good? Plenty of respectable critics thought so, including Janet Maslin and Jonathan Rosenbaum, both of whom praised the Hitchcock influence. However, it’s easy to now remember the film primarily for the infamous Sharon Stone upskirt shot, which I deem qualifiable as a sex scene due to the way Stone’s character seems to have sort of psychological intercourse with her interrogators. Last Tango in Paris (1972) Here we have another mostly well-reviewed film that is possibly only still in the public consciousness due to its controversial sex scenes. That isn’t to say the critics and cinephiles don’t still appreciate it for other reasons than its buttery anal sex — it still screens theatrically in revivals and festivals. But ask any random person on the street what they remember, and most are sure to mention the sex scenes before talking of Bertolucci’s direction or Brando’s performance. Havoc (2005) I love the non-fiction work of Barbara Kopple, and I believe it possible that Anne Hathaway indeed gives an Oscar-worthy performance in her latest film, Rachel Getting Married, but neither woman’s talent is fully utilized with this movie, which also features a script written by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan. I will always think of this movie as an unfortunate hiccup in the careers of these three individuals, but I will mostly remember it, as will most people, for featuring Hathaway’s first topless sex scenes. A History of Violence (2005) Personally, my first recall is the graphic violence. The second thing I remember — more fondly, in fact — is William Hurt’s cartoonish yet canny performance. The sex scene on the stairs might not even be in the top five things that made Cronenberg’s film memorable for me, but I promise you there are guys who primarily think positively of A History of Violence for that moment. I even know some of them. Fat Girl (2001) Almost as dauntingly memorable as actually waking up to people having sex in the room you’re sleeping in, the infamous scene depicting such an event in Catherine Breillat’s film is likely the first thing you remember. And it probably doesn’t help your memory that the scene is significant enough to have spawned Breillat’s later film Sex is Comedy, which is basically about the difficulty of filming the Fat Girl scene (as seen in the above clip). Talk to Her (2002) With this film, I don’t mind that it’s a sex scene that I primarily recall, because it’s a scene that I think is extremely clever and surprisingly well-executed. No, I’m not referring to the part where Benigno (Javier Camara) rapes the comatose Alicia (Leonor Watling); I mean the black and white dream sequence in which a miniature Fele Martinez completely enters a large, constructed setpiece representing Paz Vega’s vagina. Team America: World Police (2004) There are plenty of side-splitting moments in this movie, but who walked away with anything sticking in their mind as solidly as the overlong sex sequence? The Hunger (1983) I could never remember if I’d seen this film or not when I was a kid. It’s one of those films that even if you haven’t seen the whole thing, you’re probably at least familiar with a specific, iconic scene. Here it’s definitely the lesbian sex scene between Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve. Requiem for a Dream (2000) I wish that the “ass to ass” line wasn’t the most memorable thing about this film. It certainly isn’t my favorite part, just the one part that forcefully sticks out above all others. Hounddog (2007) Though it hasn’t even been released to theaters yet, this 2007 Sundance selection will forever be known and remembered as the Dakota Fanning rape movie. It’s possible that the scene could also be considered a “movie sold on a sex scene,” because some curious moviegoers will go see it, secretly or not, for the infamous and controversial scene. But I don’t want to think of those people who actually want to see a movie because they want to see Dakota Fanning raped, whether for pleasure or intrigue. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/3/25/26596.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/25/2008 4:00:59 PM
Body: MTV asks the question: Who is the next Dakota Fanning? Because now that the Princess of Precociousness is growing older (she recently turned 14), we apparently need to find a little girl to fill her old kid-size shoes. The most obvious suggestion is Dakota’s little sister, Elle, but MTV also mentions Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s AnnaSophia Robb as possible contenders. However, considering that Robb is actually a couple months older than Dakota, she makes the least amount of sense. The truth is, the next “Dakota Fanning” (or “Jodie Foster” or “Drew Barrymore” or “Shirley Temple”) will come along when we aren’t necessarily looking, just as Dakota did with I Am Sam. But that is mostly a moot point anyway, because the conclusion of this MTV story is that Dakota hasn’t actually gone away — she is, herself, the new Dakota Fanning, or at least still the same old Dakota Fanning, alive and acting. While she had seemed to disappear after the controversy over her 2007 Sundance film, Hounddog, she’s actually in a bunch of movies coming out this year, including The Secret Life of Bees and Winged Creatures. And she’ll likely continue getting starring roles well through her official exit from childhood (keep on counting down, creeps). (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/25/2008 4:00:59 PM MTV asks the question: Who is the next Dakota Fanning? Because now that the Princess of Precociousness is growing older (she recently turned 14), we apparently need to find a little girl to fill her old kid-size shoes. The most obvious suggestion is Dakota’s little sister, Elle, but MTV also mentions Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s AnnaSophia Robb as possible contenders. However, considering that Robb is actually a couple months older than Dakota, she makes the least amount of sense. The truth is, the next “Dakota Fanning” (or “Jodie Foster” or “Drew Barrymore” or “Shirley Temple”) will come along when we aren’t necessarily looking, just as Dakota did with I Am Sam. But that is mostly a moot point anyway, because the conclusion of this MTV story is that Dakota hasn’t actually gone away — she is, herself, the new Dakota Fanning, or at least still the same old Dakota Fanning, alive and acting. While she had seemed to disappear after the controversy over her 2007 Sundance film, Hounddog, she’s actually in a bunch of movies coming out this year, including The Secret Life of Bees and Winged Creatures. And she’ll likely continue getting starring roles well through her official exit from childhood (keep on counting down, creeps). (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspxmusic
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