list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Informers 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/The_Informers/301477/default.aspx Title: The Informers
Year: 2009
Director: Gregor Jordan, Nicholas Jarecki
Plot: A collection of Bret Easton Ellis' short stories are adapted for the screen by Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki and helmed by Gregor Jordan in The Informers, a Senator Entertainment ensemble film featuring Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, and Winona Ryder. The film observes the goings-on during a week in Los Angeles in 1983, with many intersecting characters including a kidnapper, movie executives, rock stars, and other freewheeling, morally loose individuals. Austin Nichols, Jon Foster, and Amber Heard co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 63
Number of Lists: 6
Number of blog posts: 9
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:51:31 GMTThe Informers2009Gregor Jordan, Nicholas JareckiA collection of Bret Easton Ellis' short stories are adapted for the screen by Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki and helmed by Gregor Jordan in The Informers, a Senator Entertainment ensemble film featuring <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____70825/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Billy Bob Thornton</a>, <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P_____4427/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kim Basinger</a>, and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____62446/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Winona Ryder</a>. The film observes the goings-on during a week in Los Angeles in 1983, with many intersecting characters including a kidnapper, movie executives, rock stars, and other freewheeling, morally loose individuals. <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___356698/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Austin Nichols</a>, Jon Foster, and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___418732/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Amber Heard</a> co-star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide63Tag Target (>10)6922http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s301477.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Informers/301477/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/xbenjaminmichaelx/archive/2009/8/16/43555.aspx Post By: xBenjaminMichaelx
Post To: xBenjaminMichaelx Blog
Post Date: 8/16/2009 1:51:31 PM
Body: Informers is a film that follows interweaving characters who are all connected by a very thin premise – they are all going to the same concert. Set in the 1980’s, There are a plethora of characters, all of which are boring and have nothing of importance to say. Billy Bob Thornton plays William; a man who wants both his wife (Kim Bassinger) and his mistress (Winona Ryder) but neither will share. Mickey Rourke plays a useless character that doesn’t get enough time to be effective. Chris Isaak is a creepy father who tries to steal away his son’s new lady on their Hawaiian vacation. All of the aforementioned characters problems are there, and are generally legitimate, however all of the personality traits and quirks these people possess don’t even leave you rooting for them to overcome their issues: you just don’t care. The majority of the screen time goes for Jon Foster, who no longer wants his girlfriend (Amber Heard) to have sex with the man he is having sex with (Austin Nichols). His internal debate just seems to be immaterial and selfish since he’s asking his woman to be faithful when he cannot be. Amber Heard is wasted in the movie as his girlfriend, who barely has any speaking roles. Her entire existence in the movie is to have sex and be nude in every single scene she is in. I actually found myself shocked in a scene when I saw her wearing clothing. Informers is a jumbled up, boring mess that loses you every second of the way. There are too many characters with too many problems to even know who is who or to care about anyone. The gratuitous nudity was bothersome, even as a straight male. Unfortunately for director Gregor Jordan, the nudity was the only interesting scene in this 90-minute waste of time. Foster’s character states in a car during the film “I need someone to tell me what is good and what is bad.” Well, Mr. Foster, this film is bad.
]]>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:51:31 GMTxBenjaminMichaelxxBenjaminMichaelx Blog8/16/2009 1:51:31 PM Informers is a film that follows interweaving characters who are all connected by a very thin premise &ndash; they are all going to the same concert. Set in the 1980&rsquo;s, There are a plethora of characters, all of which are boring and have nothing of importance to say. Billy Bob Thornton plays William; a man who wants both his wife (Kim Bassinger) and his mistress (Winona Ryder) but neither will share. Mickey Rourke plays a useless character that doesn&rsquo;t get enough time to be effective. Chris Isaak is a creepy father who tries to steal away his son&rsquo;s new lady on their Hawaiian vacation. All of the aforementioned characters problems are there, and are generally legitimate, however all of the personality traits and quirks these people possess don&rsquo;t even leave you rooting for them to overcome their issues: you just don&rsquo;t care. The majority of the screen time goes for Jon Foster, who no longer wants his girlfriend (Amber Heard) to have sex with the man he is having sex with (Austin Nichols). His internal debate just seems to be immaterial and selfish since he&rsquo;s asking his woman to be faithful when he cannot be. Amber Heard is wasted in the movie as his girlfriend, who barely has any speaking roles. Her entire existence in the movie is to have sex and be nude in every single scene she is in. I actually found myself shocked in a scene when I saw her wearing clothing. Informers is a jumbled up, boring mess that loses you every second of the way. There are too many characters with too many problems to even know who is who or to care about anyone. The gratuitous nudity was bothersome, even as a straight male. Unfortunately for director Gregor Jordan, the nudity was the only interesting scene in this 90-minute waste of time. Foster&rsquo;s character states in a car during the film &ldquo;I need someone to tell me what is good and what is bad.&rdquo; Well, Mr. Foster, this film is bad. http://www.spout.com/blogs/mercurial/archive/2009/4/24/41745.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: a filmblog
Post Date: 4/24/2009 5:58:58 PM
Body: With three of his literary works already translated onto the big screen, it was only a matter of time before another one of Bret Easton Ellis' novels was adapted into a film. The Informers is a collection of short stories following the lives of various glitterati, dealers of flesh and Colombian snow, and the occasional supernatural bloodsucking fiend. These characters were woven throughout the book to emphasize how their disparate lives and disturbing stories weren't all that different. Somehow this easily adaptable collection of wide-ranging stories with incredible mass appeal has been filmed into a chaotic mess of boring cliches, overstuffed homages to the requisite gaudy hairdos and totally tubular lingo, and oft gratuitous nude scenes that convey nothing within the hour and forty minutes it runs.
]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:58:58 GMTmercuriala filmblog4/24/2009 5:58:58 PMWith three of his literary works already translated onto the big screen, it was only a matter of time before another one of Bret Easton Ellis' novels was adapted into a film. The Informers is a collection of short stories following the lives of various glitterati, dealers of flesh and Colombian snow, and the occasional supernatural bloodsucking fiend. These characters were woven throughout the book to emphasize how their disparate lives and disturbing stories weren't all that different. Somehow this easily adaptable collection of wide-ranging stories with incredible mass appeal has been filmed into a chaotic mess of boring cliches, overstuffed homages to the requisite gaudy hairdos and totally tubular lingo, and oft gratuitous nude scenes that convey nothing within the hour and forty minutes it runs. http://www.spout.com/blogs/aaron_peck/archive/2009/2/21/40579.aspx Post By: Aaron_Peck
Post To: Aaron_Peck Blog
Post Date: 2/21/2009 10:22:33 PM
Body: Star-studded casts are lures at Sundance. They draw the people into the theaters, but sometimes the audience ends up leaving empty-handed. In the case of The Informers, the audience leaves empty-headed. The film is a 98-minute journey into narcissistic nothingness. Set in the '80s in the middle of L.A., The Informers follows around a plethora of characters all of whom, surprise, have problems. Big ones. Kidnapping, sexually transmitted diseases, cheating partners, underage infatuations, and confusion over sexuality just to name a few. There are so many characters and so many story lines, packed into such a short movie that none of them approach anything considered coherence or resolution. The characters are thinly connected to one another, but there’s nothing that truly brings them all together. There’s even a completely superfluous plot line that involves a young kid and his father in Hawaii. This movie wants so bad to be a quirky character romp in the vein of Pulp Fiction, but it fails on so many levels. There is not one likable character in this film, they are all irredeemable messes who have no point in existing in the first place other than to be vapid wastes of space. This film was one of the most frustrating messes I have seen in a long time. The best thing about the movie was hearing the groans from the press corps out in the hall after the screening.
]]>Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:22:33 GMTAaron_PeckAaron_Peck Blog2/21/2009 10:22:33 PMStar-studded casts are lures at Sundance. They draw the people into the theaters, but sometimes the audience ends up leaving empty-handed. In the case of The Informers, the audience leaves empty-headed. The film is a 98-minute journey into narcissistic nothingness. Set in the '80s in the middle of L.A., The Informers follows around a plethora of characters all of whom, surprise, have problems. Big ones. Kidnapping, sexually transmitted diseases, cheating partners, underage infatuations, and confusion over sexuality just to name a few. There are so many characters and so many story lines, packed into such a short movie that none of them approach anything considered coherence or resolution. The characters are thinly connected to one another, but there&rsquo;s nothing that truly brings them all together. There&rsquo;s even a completely superfluous plot line that involves a young kid and his father in Hawaii. This movie wants so bad to be a quirky character romp in the vein of Pulp Fiction, but it fails on so many levels. There is not one likable character in this film, they are all irredeemable messes who have no point in existing in the first place other than to be vapid wastes of space. This film was one of the most frustrating messes I have seen in a long time. The best thing about the movie was hearing the groans from the press corps out in the hall after the screening. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/16/39586.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/16/2009 9:00:33 AM
Body: Clint Eastwood’s new cranky-old-man epic, Gran Torino, sped past the competition to prove its raw masculine authority at box office. Over the past twenty years, Eastwood has perfected his own sub-genre: the grizzled old timer who comes back for one last hurrah. This latest iteration adds a surprising dose of compassion. Karina shares which movies she’s most excited to see at Sundance this year. The list includes, Moon, The Clone Returns Home, Hump Day, O’er the Land, The September Issue, The Informers, and World’s Greatest Dad. Listen to FilmCouch and win free stuff! We’ve got two contests going on. Send us an e-mail telling us the most absurd piece of merchandise you’ve seen branded with an image of Che Guevara, and you can win a program from the Che roadshow signed by Steven Soderbergh, a copy of Che’s Diaries, and the soundtrack to the film. Also, send us your favorite movie about Hollywood, and you can win a copy of the new film The Deal, starring William H. Macy. Send e-mails to filmcouch (at) spout (dot) com. (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro 1:31 - contests 5:58 - listener feedback 11:55 - Gran Torino 29:57 - Sundance preview filmcouch-104 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:00:33 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/16/2009 9:00:33 AM Clint Eastwood’s new cranky-old-man epic, Gran Torino, sped past the competition to prove its raw masculine authority at box office. Over the past twenty years, Eastwood has perfected his own sub-genre: the grizzled old timer who comes back for one last hurrah. This latest iteration adds a surprising dose of compassion. Karina shares which movies she’s most excited to see at Sundance this year. The list includes, Moon, The Clone Returns Home, Hump Day, O’er the Land, The September Issue, The Informers, and World’s Greatest Dad. Listen to FilmCouch and win free stuff! We’ve got two contests going on. Send us an e-mail telling us the most absurd piece of merchandise you’ve seen branded with an image of Che Guevara, and you can win a program from the Che roadshow signed by Steven Soderbergh, a copy of Che’s Diaries, and the soundtrack to the film. Also, send us your favorite movie about Hollywood, and you can win a copy of the new film The Deal, starring William H. Macy. Send e-mails to filmcouch (at) spout (dot) com. (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro 1:31 - contests 5:58 - listener feedback 11:55 - Gran Torino 29:57 - Sundance preview filmcouch-104 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/7/37067.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/7/2008 3:01:08 PM
Body: Opening today, Soul Men features the final performance from Bernie Mac, who died unexpectedly on August 9. The movie also includes a cameo from Isaac Hayes, who died one day later. Both men join a long list of people whose last films were released after their deaths, a list that includes Brad Renfro, whose final performance, in The Informers, can be seen in theaters come next May. Unlike some names on that list, Bernie Mac, whose voice can also be heard in the new animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, isn’t likely to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination as a tribute to his final work. But as one of the most underrated comic actors of the past few years, Mac likely gives a great performance as soul singer “Floyd Henderson,” enough to fall in with the crop of posthumously released roles we’ve showcased below: 1. Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Tracy died from a heart attack June 10, 1967, a couple weeks after finishing his work on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which was released that December. It would end up one of his most distinguished performances, earning him a posthumous ninth Oscar nom for Lead Actor. 2. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause Dean received two posthumous Oscar nominations, but it’s easy to forget that neither of them were for Rebel Without a Cause, despite the film being Dean’s first posthumous release. Were it possible under the Academy’s rules, Dean could have been nominated for playing iconic teen Jim Stark, but he was instead recognized solely for East of Eden (the first official posthumous Oscar nomination for acting), which had been released a few months prior to Dean’s accidental death. Meanwhile Dean’s costars in Rebel, Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood, were each nominated for this film. 3. James Dean in Giant This film became Dean’s second posthumous release and earned him his second posthumous Oscar nomination (he won neither). The actor had pretty much finished his work on Giant right before his death, though some post-production vocal work had to be performed by a substitute later on, and the film wasn’t to come out in theaters until two months after the first anniversary of Dean’s death. 4. Clark Gable in The Misfits Like the death of Heath Ledger (see below), Gable’s was blamed on the demands of a role. Whether his performance in The Misfits was too physically demanding or he experienced immense tension from lack of things to do or he lost too much weight too quickly to prepare for the film, there may not have been one single thing that led to his having his third heart attack and then ultimately succumbing to coronary thrombosis mere weeks after finishing up principal photography. A few months later, on Gable’s birthday, his performance was unveiled to the world, and while not as historically remembered as his characters in Gone With the Wind and It Happened One Night, nor one of his three Oscar-nominated roles, it is arguably his greatest work. 5. John Cazale in The Deer Hunter Cazale should have been honored with a posthumous Oscar nomination at some point (I can’t believe I left him off that list), if for no other reason than to recognize his achievement of acting solely in features nominated for Best Picture (including The Godfather Part III, in which he’s only shown in archive footage). But an even bigger reason is that Cazale was a damn good supporting actor and he actually would deserve that statue. For all the talent he displays in The Deer Hunter, though, he was easily upstaged by his costar Christopher Walken, who actually took home the Oscar. 6. Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon There are tons of artists who didn’t live long enough to see their work become huge successes. Unlike most of them, though, Lee at least experienced some level of stardom prior to his death on July 20, 1973. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to see his final film, Enter the Dragon, open to huge numbers in the U.S., eventually even topping the box office chart here after a few months in theaters. He also tragically never got to see how iconic, influential and culturally significant his performance would become. 7. Brandon Lee in The Crow Bruce Lee also never got to see his son grow up to have a #1 movie, too. Sadly, neither did the son, Brandon, who died accidentally from a malfunctioned prop gun on the set of The Crow. And while the star’s then-mysterious death may have helped to make the movie more popular than would otherwise have been expected, it’s primarily Lee’s performance, not his legacy, that has allowed the movie to remain worthwhile viewing 15 years later. Even if some of that performance was assisted through a controversial yet groundbreaking use of stunt doubles and digital effects. 8. Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets There have now been more Harry Potter films released in which Michael Gambon portrays Albus Dumbledore, yet Harris will forever be remembered more clearly and favorably in the role. Even those of us who like Gambon as the Hogwarts headmasterhave more vivid memories of Harris’ performances in both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the latter of which arrived in theaters less than three weeks after the actor’s death on October 25, 2002. Surely some fans would have preferred to see Harris reprise his role in the subsequent films courtesy of effects wizardry similar to that done in The Crow and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (see below). 9. Laurence Olivier in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow It may have been morally wrong for Kerry Conran to digitally create a villainous performance from Olivier 15 years after the legendary actor’s death, but who doesn’t want to keep getting new performances from such a master thespian, even if it it technically consists of nothing but archive footage? Besides, it’s still better than making him posthumously hawk beer, vacuum cleaners, or McDonalds cheeseburgers. Too bad the film as a whole was such a disappointment. 10. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight His performance as The Joker is better than anyone ever dreamed it would be, before or after he died suddenly last January. He’ll get an Oscar nomination, at least, and will probably even win. Will his final performance, in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, yet to be seen or released, be as remarkable? It’s quite possible that if this list is ever rewritten in the future that Ledger will join Dean as another actor with two slots, for two monumentally great performances released posthumously. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:01:08 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/7/2008 3:01:08 PMOpening today, Soul Men features the final performance from Bernie Mac, who died unexpectedly on August 9. The movie also includes a cameo from Isaac Hayes, who died one day later. Both men join a long list of people whose last films were released after their deaths, a list that includes Brad Renfro, whose final performance, in The Informers, can be seen in theaters come next May. Unlike some names on that list, Bernie Mac, whose voice can also be heard in the new animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, isn’t likely to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination as a tribute to his final work. But as one of the most underrated comic actors of the past few years, Mac likely gives a great performance as soul singer “Floyd Henderson,” enough to fall in with the crop of posthumously released roles we’ve showcased below: 1. Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Tracy died from a heart attack June 10, 1967, a couple weeks after finishing his work on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which was released that December. It would end up one of his most distinguished performances, earning him a posthumous ninth Oscar nom for Lead Actor. 2. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause Dean received two posthumous Oscar nominations, but it’s easy to forget that neither of them were for Rebel Without a Cause, despite the film being Dean’s first posthumous release. Were it possible under the Academy’s rules, Dean could have been nominated for playing iconic teen Jim Stark, but he was instead recognized solely for East of Eden (the first official posthumous Oscar nomination for acting), which had been released a few months prior to Dean’s accidental death. Meanwhile Dean’s costars in Rebel, Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood, were each nominated for this film. 3. James Dean in Giant This film became Dean’s second posthumous release and earned him his second posthumous Oscar nomination (he won neither). The actor had pretty much finished his work on Giant right before his death, though some post-production vocal work had to be performed by a substitute later on, and the film wasn’t to come out in theaters until two months after the first anniversary of Dean’s death. 4. Clark Gable in The Misfits Like the death of Heath Ledger (see below), Gable’s was blamed on the demands of a role. Whether his performance in The Misfits was too physically demanding or he experienced immense tension from lack of things to do or he lost too much weight too quickly to prepare for the film, there may not have been one single thing that led to his having his third heart attack and then ultimately succumbing to coronary thrombosis mere weeks after finishing up principal photography. A few months later, on Gable’s birthday, his performance was unveiled to the world, and while not as historically remembered as his characters in Gone With the Wind and It Happened One Night, nor one of his three Oscar-nominated roles, it is arguably his greatest work. 5. John Cazale in The Deer Hunter Cazale should have been honored with a posthumous Oscar nomination at some point (I can’t believe I left him off that list), if for no other reason than to recognize his achievement of acting solely in features nominated for Best Picture (including The Godfather Part III, in which he’s only shown in archive footage). But an even bigger reason is that Cazale was a damn good supporting actor and he actually would deserve that statue. For all the talent he displays in The Deer Hunter, though, he was easily upstaged by his costar Christopher Walken, who actually took home the Oscar. 6. Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon There are tons of artists who didn’t live long enough to see their work become huge successes. Unlike most of them, though, Lee at least experienced some level of stardom prior to his death on July 20, 1973. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to see his final film, Enter the Dragon, open to huge numbers in the U.S., eventually even topping the box office chart here after a few months in theaters. He also tragically never got to see how iconic, influential and culturally significant his performance would become. 7. Brandon Lee in The Crow Bruce Lee also never got to see his son grow up to have a #1 movie, too. Sadly, neither did the son, Brandon, who died accidentally from a malfunctioned prop gun on the set of The Crow. And while the star’s then-mysterious death may have helped to make the movie more popular than would otherwise have been expected, it’s primarily Lee’s performance, not his legacy, that has allowed the movie to remain worthwhile viewing 15 years later. Even if some of that performance was assisted through a controversial yet groundbreaking use of stunt doubles and digital effects. 8. Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets There have now been more Harry Potter films released in which Michael Gambon portrays Albus Dumbledore, yet Harris will forever be remembered more clearly and favorably in the role. Even those of us who like Gambon as the Hogwarts headmasterhave more vivid memories of Harris’ performances in both Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the latter of which arrived in theaters less than three weeks after the actor’s death on October 25, 2002. Surely some fans would have preferred to see Harris reprise his role in the subsequent films courtesy of effects wizardry similar to that done in The Crow and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (see below). 9. Laurence Olivier in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow It may have been morally wrong for Kerry Conran to digitally create a villainous performance from Olivier 15 years after the legendary actor’s death, but who doesn’t want to keep getting new performances from such a master thespian, even if it it technically consists of nothing but archive footage? Besides, it’s still better than making him posthumously hawk beer, vacuum cleaners, or McDonalds cheeseburgers. Too bad the film as a whole was such a disappointment. 10. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight His performance as The Joker is better than anyone ever dreamed it would be, before or after he died suddenly last January. He’ll get an Oscar nomination, at least, and will probably even win. Will his final performance, in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, yet to be seen or released, be as remarkable? It’s quite possible that if this list is ever rewritten in the future that Ledger will join Dean as another actor with two slots, for two monumentally great performances released posthumously. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_September_29_Gimme_Some_Drugs/625/35896/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: unclefestering
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 10/4/2008 11:12:41 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] I have actually grown to love Less Than Zero. I first saw it right after I read the book and hated it for the fact that it made a PG-13 version of almost X rated material, but something about it (probably the melodramatic soap opera-like acting and cheesy dialogue) has endeared it to my lexicon of films. And since I've pretty much become a Bret Easton Ellis freak with reading all of his books, I'm dying to see The Informers. That's just a bat-shit crazy book and perfect for a Magnolia-like film packed full of crazy characters and stories. [/quote] I have to keep the movie versions of Ellis' works seperate from their novel origins. The one that is closest to the source material is American Psycho and even that is tamed down from the book. I remember there was a lot of coke snorting in the book, but barely remember any in the movie.
]]>Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:12:41 GMTunclefesteringWeekly Theme10/4/2008 11:12:41 PM[quote user="mercurial"] I have actually grown to love Less Than Zero. I first saw it right after I read the book and hated it for the fact that it made a PG-13 version of almost X rated material, but something about it (probably the melodramatic soap opera-like acting and cheesy dialogue) has endeared it to my lexicon of films. And since I've pretty much become a Bret Easton Ellis freak with reading all of his books, I'm dying to see The Informers. That's just a bat-shit crazy book and perfect for a Magnolia-like film packed full of crazy characters and stories. [/quote] I have to keep the movie versions of Ellis' works seperate from their novel origins. The one that is closest to the source material is American Psycho and even that is tamed down from the book. I remember there was a lot of coke snorting in the book, but barely remember any in the movie. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_September_29_Gimme_Some_Drugs/625/35894/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 10/4/2008 4:17:33 PM
Body: [quote user="unclefestering"] If we're gonna talk about coke, then you have to look at Robert Downey Jr., essentially playing himself in Less Than Zero. Brent Easton Ellis always loves his characters to be using and abusing. I think that they did everything in Rules of Attraction. [/quote] I have actually grown to love Less Than Zero. I first saw it right after I read the book and hated it for the fact that it made a PG-13 version of almost X rated material, but something about it (probably the melodramatic soap opera-like acting and cheesy dialogue) has endeared it to my lexicon of films. And since I've pretty much become a Bret Easton Ellis freak with reading all of his books, I'm dying to see The Informers. That's just a bat-shit crazy book and perfect for a Magnolia-like film packed full of crazy characters and stories.
]]>Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:17:33 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme10/4/2008 4:17:33 PM[quote user="unclefestering"] If we're gonna talk about coke, then you have to look at Robert Downey Jr., essentially playing himself in Less Than Zero. Brent Easton Ellis always loves his characters to be using and abusing. I think that they did everything in Rules of Attraction. [/quote] I have actually grown to love Less Than Zero. I first saw it right after I read the book and hated it for the fact that it made a PG-13 version of almost X rated material, but something about it (probably the melodramatic soap opera-like acting and cheesy dialogue) has endeared it to my lexicon of films. And since I've pretty much become a Bret Easton Ellis freak with reading all of his books, I'm dying to see The Informers. That's just a bat-shit crazy book and perfect for a Magnolia-like film packed full of crazy characters and stories. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/7/33708.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/7/2008 4:01:14 PM
Body: I can’t explain what attracts me so much to the highly unlikable characters of Bret Easton Ellis’ fiction — or, in my case, since I’ve never actually read his books, of movies based on Bret Easton Ellis’ fiction — but I absolutely love Less Than Zero, American Psycho, and especially The Rules of Attraction. However, I have to give more credit to the filmmakers behind each of these films, because all three adaptations have their own appreciable style that helps me to enjoy the stories of these horrible people. The Informers may look like it fits in with the rest of the filmed versions of Ellis, but I’m skeptical. I was quite bored with director Gregor Jordan’s war satire Buffalo Soldiers, and I fear that he’s going to fail again at holding my attention here. I am eager to watch Brad Renfro in his final, posthumous role (maybe it’s Oscar-worthy!). I am anxious to see if Winona Ryder can regain my favor (she’s fallen pretty far in my mind since her days as my celebrity crush in the early ’90s). And I’m interested to see an Ellis film that the author actually co-adapted. Yet I’m maintaining low expectations after watching the new trailer, because it just looks like a dark movie about vacuous people without anything extra like the era-defining production design, the iconic performance by Christian Bale and the clever post-production tricks featured respectively in Less Than Zero, American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:01:14 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/7/2008 4:01:14 PM I can’t explain what attracts me so much to the highly unlikable characters of Bret Easton Ellis’ fiction — or, in my case, since I’ve never actually read his books, of movies based on Bret Easton Ellis’ fiction — but I absolutely love Less Than Zero, American Psycho, and especially The Rules of Attraction. However, I have to give more credit to the filmmakers behind each of these films, because all three adaptations have their own appreciable style that helps me to enjoy the stories of these horrible people. The Informers may look like it fits in with the rest of the filmed versions of Ellis, but I’m skeptical. I was quite bored with director Gregor Jordan’s war satire Buffalo Soldiers, and I fear that he’s going to fail again at holding my attention here. I am eager to watch Brad Renfro in his final, posthumous role (maybe it’s Oscar-worthy!). I am anxious to see if Winona Ryder can regain my favor (she’s fallen pretty far in my mind since her days as my celebrity crush in the early ’90s). And I’m interested to see an Ellis film that the author actually co-adapted. Yet I’m maintaining low expectations after watching the new trailer, because it just looks like a dark movie about vacuous people without anything extra like the era-defining production design, the iconic performance by Christian Bale and the clever post-production tricks featured respectively in Less Than Zero, American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/16/32630.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/16/2008 3:00:59 PM
Body: Though I first buzzed about an Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight more than a month before his death, I now want to take it all back. I feel all the talk of Ledger’s posthumous Oscar chances will cloud my mind when I finally do see it, and it will probably also cloud the Academy’s judgment, too. Six months from now, when the nominations are announced on January 22 (coincidentally the one-year anniversary of Ledger’s death), if Ledger is not recognized for his role as The Joker, there will surely be an uproar — actually, Hollywood might just up and self-implode. I’m not the only one annoyed by all the Oscar buzz. Terry Gilliam, who directed Ledger in The Brothers Grimm and the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is calling “bullshit” on the whole thing, particularly against Warner Bros., which Gilliam accuses of exploiting Ledger’s death and chance of a posthumous Oscar for publicity purposes. Considering most Oscar campaigns for live actors are really just part of movie marketing, he has a good point. Sure, I would love to see Ledger honored. I’ve believed in his Oscar worth since 10 Things I Hate About You . But in February, if he receives a posthumous award, it will surely feel, at least in good percentage, that it’s because he died young. In that case, why not also give supporting noms sight unseen to Rob Knox for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Brad Renfro for The Informers? Despite the more than 10 posthumous nominations in Oscar history, however, it’s not obligatory for the Academy to hand out such accolades every time someone dies before his final movie is released. Just check out the following list of talent who probably deserved posthumous Oscar recognition as much as Ledger does: Jean Vigo for L’Atalante - One of the greatest, most influential films of all time, L’Atalante premiered in France in 1934, a few months before Vigo died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. It eventually made its way to the U.S. 14 years later, just in time for the debut of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. And considering the first recipient, Vittorio De Sica (for Shoeshine), would win again two years later (for Bicycle Thieves), the Academy should have recognized Vigo’s film, even if it was more than a decade old. Unfortunately, it would be many decades before L’Atalante received the kind of esteem it deserves. James Dean for Rebel Without a Cause - Dean starred in only three feature films, one of which, East of Eden, was released prior to his death. He received posthumous Oscar nominations for that film and his final appearance in Giant, which came out a year later. But wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he’d also been nominated for his most iconic role in Rebel Without a Cause? Sure, he’d have posthumously gone up against himself in 1956, but that’s what movie gods like him were made to do. Richard Harris for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Not only should Harris have received a nomination, he should have won, too. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the greatest performance by the actor, who’d previously been nominated for 1963’s This Sporting Life and 1990’s The Field. It’s that Harry Potter fans would have tuned in and saved that year’s telecast from being the least-watched in years. Just imagine how many people will be tuning in to next year’s show just because of the (inevitable) Ledger nom. Heather O’Rourke for Poltergeist III - I know that I’m only one of maybe three people who like the third Poltergeist movie, but even if you think the movie itself is bad, you have to give little Heather O’Rourke credit for being giving creepily terrific performances throughout the series. Compare her talent to some other young actresses who’ve been nominated. Especially Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine. And had she lived, she’d probably be a better actress today than Oscar-winner Anna Paquin. F.W. Murnau for Tabu - His Sunrise was pretty successful a few year earlier, at the 1st Academy Awards, but he wasn’t even nominated. In fact, the man who also gave us Nosferatu, Faust and The Last Laugh was never nominated for an Oscar, a fact that might have been different had the Oscars been founded a decade earlier or had he not died tragically in a car accident at age 43. I’m sure, at least, that Floyd Crosby, when winning for his cinematography work on Tabu, raised the statue to the sky and said, “this is for Murnau.” Peter Sellers for The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu - Whether or not you believe the Academy hates on comedic actors, you should agree that Sellers should have won an Oscar before he died. Or after he died. If he’d been nominated for this critical and commercial failure, though, it would of course have been one of those “he deserved it for ______, but this will do” kind of situtations. Stanley Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut - If Scorsese can finally win with The Departed, Kubrick should have finally won posthumously with what is often thought of as his worst film. If anything, he at least deserved to be nominated instead of M. Night Shyamalan. Adrienne Shelly for Waitress - Didn’t it seem like a sure thing the writer-director-actress, Shelley, would get the nomination this year? Considering Diablo Cody had already (unofficially) won the actual Oscar before the nominations were even announced, could it have hurt to include the tragically murdered screenwriter? Or were there already too many ladies on the screenwriting ballot this year? Thelma Ritter for What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? - If ever there was a supporting actress who should have won an Oscar, Ritter was she. After six nominations (four of them consecutive), a posthumous seventh should have come with this movie (even if I’ve never personally seen it, I bet she’s great as usual). Unfortunately, the ballots were likely already in when she had her heart attack in February 1969. Also, she probably would have lost to Ruth Gordon anyway. Brandon Lee for The Crow - Laugh all you want, but in a crazy year that saw John Travolta recognized with a nomination and Tom Hanks recognized with a win for one of his silliest performances ever, would it have been so strange if the Academy had given Lee the slot filled by Morgan Freeman (obviously Oscar had little love for The Shawshank Redemption as it was)? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/16/2008 3:00:59 PM Though I first buzzed about an Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight more than a month before his death, I now want to take it all back. I feel all the talk of Ledger’s posthumous Oscar chances will cloud my mind when I finally do see it, and it will probably also cloud the Academy’s judgment, too. Six months from now, when the nominations are announced on January 22 (coincidentally the one-year anniversary of Ledger’s death), if Ledger is not recognized for his role as The Joker, there will surely be an uproar — actually, Hollywood might just up and self-implode. I’m not the only one annoyed by all the Oscar buzz. Terry Gilliam, who directed Ledger in The Brothers Grimm and the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is calling “bullshit” on the whole thing, particularly against Warner Bros., which Gilliam accuses of exploiting Ledger’s death and chance of a posthumous Oscar for publicity purposes. Considering most Oscar campaigns for live actors are really just part of movie marketing, he has a good point. Sure, I would love to see Ledger honored. I’ve believed in his Oscar worth since 10 Things I Hate About You . But in February, if he receives a posthumous award, it will surely feel, at least in good percentage, that it’s because he died young. In that case, why not also give supporting noms sight unseen to Rob Knox for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Brad Renfro for The Informers? Despite the more than 10 posthumous nominations in Oscar history, however, it’s not obligatory for the Academy to hand out such accolades every time someone dies before his final movie is released. Just check out the following list of talent who probably deserved posthumous Oscar recognition as much as Ledger does: Jean Vigo for L’Atalante - One of the greatest, most influential films of all time, L’Atalante premiered in France in 1934, a few months before Vigo died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. It eventually made its way to the U.S. 14 years later, just in time for the debut of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. And considering the first recipient, Vittorio De Sica (for Shoeshine), would win again two years later (for Bicycle Thieves), the Academy should have recognized Vigo’s film, even if it was more than a decade old. Unfortunately, it would be many decades before L’Atalante received the kind of esteem it deserves. James Dean for Rebel Without a Cause - Dean starred in only three feature films, one of which, East of Eden, was released prior to his death. He received posthumous Oscar nominations for that film and his final appearance in Giant, which came out a year later. But wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he’d also been nominated for his most iconic role in Rebel Without a Cause? Sure, he’d have posthumously gone up against himself in 1956, but that’s what movie gods like him were made to do. Richard Harris for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Not only should Harris have received a nomination, he should have won, too. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the greatest performance by the actor, who’d previously been nominated for 1963’s This Sporting Life and 1990’s The Field. It’s that Harry Potter fans would have tuned in and saved that year’s telecast from being the least-watched in years. Just imagine how many people will be tuning in to next year’s show just because of the (inevitable) Ledger nom. Heather O’Rourke for Poltergeist III - I know that I’m only one of maybe three people who like the third Poltergeist movie, but even if you think the movie itself is bad, you have to give little Heather O’Rourke credit for being giving creepily terrific performances throughout the series. Compare her talent to some other young actresses who’ve been nominated. Especially Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine. And had she lived, she’d probably be a better actress today than Oscar-winner Anna Paquin. F.W. Murnau for Tabu - His Sunrise was pretty successful a few year earlier, at the 1st Academy Awards, but he wasn’t even nominated. In fact, the man who also gave us Nosferatu, Faust and The Last Laugh was never nominated for an Oscar, a fact that might have been different had the Oscars been founded a decade earlier or had he not died tragically in a car accident at age 43. I’m sure, at least, that Floyd Crosby, when winning for his cinematography work on Tabu, raised the statue to the sky and said, “this is for Murnau.” Peter Sellers for The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu - Whether or not you believe the Academy hates on comedic actors, you should agree that Sellers should have won an Oscar before he died. Or after he died. If he’d been nominated for this critical and commercial failure, though, it would of course have been one of those “he deserved it for ______, but this will do” kind of situtations. Stanley Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut - If Scorsese can finally win with The Departed, Kubrick should have finally won posthumously with what is often thought of as his worst film. If anything, he at least deserved to be nominated instead of M. Night Shyamalan. Adrienne Shelly for Waitress - Didn’t it seem like a sure thing the writer-director-actress, Shelley, would get the nomination this year? Considering Diablo Cody had already (unofficially) won the actual Oscar before the nominations were even announced, could it have hurt to include the tragically murdered screenwriter? Or were there already too many ladies on the screenwriting ballot this year? Thelma Ritter for What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? - If ever there was a supporting actress who should have won an Oscar, Ritter was she. After six nominations (four of them consecutive), a posthumous seventh should have come with this movie (even if I’ve never personally seen it, I bet she’s great as usual). Unfortunately, the ballots were likely already in when she had her heart attack in February 1969. Also, she probably would have lost to Ruth Gordon anyway. Brandon Lee for The Crow - Laugh all you want, but in a crazy year that saw John Travolta recognized with a nomination and Tom Hanks recognized with a win for one of his silliest performances ever, would it have been so strange if the Academy had given Lee the slot filled by Morgan Freeman (obviously Oscar had little love for The Shawshank Redemption as it was)? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/3/24/26563.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 3/24/2008 2:01:43 PM
Body: With an almost completely dead, holiday hungover RSS, I spent the morning leisurely slogging through this LA Times profile of 80s it-boy novelist Bret Easton Ellis. Much of the story’s 3,000 words are devoted to defenses of Ellis’ literary reputation, most notably for our purposes from New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, who praises Ellis as “a much more radical writer than he seems.” The rest of it details the oft-adapted novelist’s own attempts to break into screenwriting. Ellis’ published work has so far formed the basis of three released films: the gloriously trashy Less Than Zero, in which Robert Downey Jr. essentially plays a future version of himself; Mary Harron’s American Psycho, which broke with Ellis’ trademark moral passivity in order to turn the material into obvious satire; and Roger Avery’s Rules of Attraction, which seemed to be kind of more about Roger Avery learning how to use Final Cut Pro than anything else. Somewhere along the way, Ellis apparently “realized he’s not very good at script doctoring” and started concentrating on crafting scripts from scratch. The first of these efforts to see the light of day will be the upcoming The Informers, for which Ellis adapted his own shot story collection in collaboration with Nicholas Jarecki. But to say that Ellis’ outlook on his new career is less than rosy would be an understatement. After the jump, an excerpt from the end of the article, in which Ellis semi-bitterly acknowledges that he’s in a “lost period.” (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina
]]>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:01:43 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog3/24/2008 2:01:43 PMWith an almost completely dead, holiday hungover RSS, I spent the morning leisurely slogging through this LA Times profile of 80s it-boy novelist Bret Easton Ellis. Much of the story’s 3,000 words are devoted to defenses of Ellis’ literary reputation, most notably for our purposes from New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, who praises Ellis as “a much more radical writer than he seems.” The rest of it details the oft-adapted novelist’s own attempts to break into screenwriting. Ellis’ published work has so far formed the basis of three released films: the gloriously trashy Less Than Zero, in which Robert Downey Jr. essentially plays a future version of himself; Mary Harron’s American Psycho, which broke with Ellis’ trademark moral passivity in order to turn the material into obvious satire; and Roger Avery’s Rules of Attraction, which seemed to be kind of more about Roger Avery learning how to use Final Cut Pro than anything else. Somewhere along the way, Ellis apparently “realized he’s not very good at script doctoring” and started concentrating on crafting scripts from scratch. The first of these efforts to see the light of day will be the upcoming The Informers, for which Ellis adapted his own shot story collection in collaboration with Nicholas Jarecki. But to say that Ellis’ outlook on his new career is less than rosy would be an understatement. After the jump, an excerpt from the end of the article, in which Ellis semi-bitterly acknowledges that he’s in a “lost period.” (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
Number of films tagged: 12478

Number of people who tagged: 338

Number of times used: 1479

]]>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:48:35 GMT124783381479Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/family/MemberTagFilms.aspxfamily
Number of films tagged: 6288

Number of people who tagged: 226

Number of times used: 1138

]]>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:09:21 GMT62882261138Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspxromance
Number of films tagged: 7160

Number of people who tagged: 169

Number of times used: 1002

]]>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:40 GMT71601691002Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/death/MemberTagFilms.aspxdeath
Number of films tagged: 4306

Number of people who tagged: 140

Number of times used: 526

]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:27:13 GMT4306140526Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/drugs/MemberTagFilms.aspxdrugs
Number of films tagged: 1643

Number of people who tagged: 130

Number of times used: 488

]]>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:36:00 GMT1643130488Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sex/MemberTagFilms.aspxsex
Number of films tagged: 2414

Number of people who tagged: 126

Number of times used: 548

]]>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:42 GMT2414126548Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/betrayal/MemberTagFilms.aspxbetrayal
Number of films tagged: 1035

Number of people who tagged: 62

Number of times used: 154

]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:28:04 GMT103562154Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/addiction/MemberTagFilms.aspxaddiction
Number of films tagged: 553

Number of people who tagged: 59

Number of times used: 117

]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:57:35 GMT55359117Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/depression/MemberTagFilms.aspxdepression
Number of films tagged: 462

Number of people who tagged: 51

Number of times used: 87

]]>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:57:50 GMT4625187Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/kidnapping/MemberTagFilms.aspxkidnapping
Number of films tagged: 2851

Number of people who tagged: 49

Number of times used: 172

]]>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:39:42 GMT285149172Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/divorce/MemberTagFilms.aspxdivorce
Number of films tagged: 1042

Number of people who tagged: 45

Number of times used: 121

]]>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:35:44 GMT104245121Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/party/MemberTagFilms.aspxparty
Number of films tagged: 900

Number of people who tagged: 43

Number of times used: 169

]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:17:56 GMT90043169Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hotel/MemberTagFilms.aspxhotel
Number of films tagged: 359

Number of people who tagged: 42

Number of times used: 86

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:32:30 GMT3594286Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/heroin/MemberTagFilms.aspxheroin
Number of films tagged: 138

Number of people who tagged: 36

Number of times used: 67

]]>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:12:04 GMT1383667Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/dysfunctional/MemberTagFilms.aspxdysfunctional
Number of films tagged: 486

Number of people who tagged: 31

Number of times used: 42

]]>Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:04:09 GMT4863142Tag