list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Secret Life of Bees 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_Secret_Life_of_Bees/359522/default.aspx Title: The Secret Life of Bees
Year: 2008
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Plot: Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson star as two friends who run away from home in order to solve the mystery surrounding one of their mothers in this adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling coming-of-age novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo and Alicia Keys co-star in picture as three sisters who take the two girls in and teach them to care for and raise bees. Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) provides the adaptation as well as the direction for the Overbrook Entertainment production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 8
Number of Lists: 3
Number of blog posts: 4
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:55:17 GMTThe Secret Life of Bees2008Gina Prince-Bythewood<a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___301579/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dakota Fanning</a> and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___454405/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jennifer Hudson</a> star as two friends who run away from home in order to solve the mystery surrounding one of their mothers in this adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling coming-of-age novel, The Secret Life of Bees. <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____40714/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Queen Latifah</a>, <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P____53909/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sophie Okonedo</a> and <a href="http://www.spout.com/players/P___301550/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alicia Keys</a> co-star in picture as three sisters who take the two girls in and teach them to care for and raise bees. Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) provides the adaptation as well as the direction for the Overbrook Entertainment production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide8Taggedy Taggged (6-10)3413http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s359522.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Secret_Life_of_Bees/359522/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_2_6_CORALINE_PINK_PANTHER_2_and_I_M/216/40159/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 2/2/2009 3:15:25 PM
Body: 2/2 -- It's Groundhog Day! Well, the little bugger saw his shadow, so we're in for another six weeks of winter. But he also smelled his own breath, so we're in for some good movies before spring! Not surprisingly, the groundhog wouldn't just come out and say which movies are going to be good--but he did give some short, zen-like predictions. Check 'em out below. 1. Pink Panther 2 -- Watch the trailer. I think Steve Martin is one of the smartest and funniest comedians alive, but each of his new movies makes this a little harder to remember. Don't get me wrong, Pink Panther (2006) is decent slapstick with a handful of especially funny moments. If the sequel is any better, it'll be worth the price of admission. THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "My dandruff is really quite edible." (That means the film may seem off-putting, but is actually pretty good.) 2. He's Just Not that Into You -- Watch the trailer. This looks less like a story than An Evening of Stars Getting Together and Not Getting Together. Have you seen the mash-up video Christian Bale Is Just Not That Into You? THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "I quench my thirst with my own drool." (That means he's attracted to Jennifer Connelly, and laments that, alas, they can never be together. If you wanna have fun or just feel close to Ms. Conelly, Recast DARK CITY.) 3. Fanboys -- Watch the trailer. This movie started a brawl between the badasses of Star Wars and Star Trek. Vote for your favorite characters to help them survive the brawl. Fanboys has been hanging around since 2007, so I'm kind of wary. Nevertheless, it's full of good people (Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, and Kristin Bell in Princess Leia's golden bikini, yikes!) THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "These darn saddle sores just won't heal!" (He's tired of all the delays, and hopes the film lives up to his expectations. It also means, would I please hand him my lip balm so he can give some relief to his rump?) 4. Coraline -- Watch the trailer. I've read the book by Neil Gaiman and it's pretty good, sort of Alice In Wonderland meets The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hey, that's what the trailer looks like, too! THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "Does a Coal Monster poop diamonds?" (This must be some kind of stock phrase among groundhogs. Do any of you know what it means?) 5. Push -- Watch the trailer. The director of this thriller made Lucky Number Slevin, which was pretty good. On the other hand... THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "I have blood in my stool." (This is far too vulgar to translate, and he knows better. I kick him lightly in the saddlesores and he scurries back into his hole.) ________________________________________________ NEW TO DVD 2/3 There are a bunch of Friday the 13th special editions coming out, some on Blu-ray. I was thinking about seeing the new Friday the 13th next Friday, but then my appetite for slasher films was ruined by the horrid My Bloody Valentine 3-D. 1. Zack and Miri Make a Porno -- Watch the trailer. Since it stars those two delightful cats--Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks--I'm surprised it bombed so bad in the theater. I haven't seen this yet; any opinions on whether it deserves a look? 2. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist -- Watch the trailer. Don't you just wanna pinch Michael Cera's cheeks? 3. Redbelt -- Watch the trailer. A good but flawed film from David Mamet about honor (and the lack thereof) among professional Tae Kwon Do competitors. I learned from this film that the only belt higher than blackbelt is redbelt...and if I'm not mistaken, there's only one Redbelt at a time. 4. Bottle Shock -- Watch the trailer. Starring Bill Pullman and the superb Alan Rickman, this comedy-drama's set in 1976, within the world of wine-making and wine-tasting. If you've ever been to a wine-tasting, you know there's plenty to make fun of there. The best comments I've ever heard at a wine-tasting. I'm not making these up: (1) It's a bit austere in the mid-nose. (2) Ooh, I'm almost sensing a bit of effervescence that isn't really there! 5. The Secret Life of Bees -- Watch the trailer. Wow, that Dakota Fanning is everywhere these days. Yesterday I saw Dakota down at the DMV, trying to get her driver's license. I'm like, "What do you need that for?" And she's like, "I'm not gonna drive! They're just photographing me! My agent made this deal so that my picture goes on every new photo ID in America." Just an FYI, if you're going to get a license or passport. 6. Assault on Precint 13 (re-release) -- This is one John Carpenter classic I haven't seen. Any opinions of it? 7. Being There (re-release) -- Watch the trailer. I'm a fan of Peter Sellers, but I haven't seen this one. By the way, we're giving it away. Find out how to win.
]]>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:15:25 GMTspoutComing Soon2/2/2009 3:15:25 PM2/2 -- It's Groundhog Day! Well, the little bugger saw his shadow, so we're in for another six weeks of winter. But he also smelled his own breath, so we're in for some good movies before spring! Not surprisingly, the groundhog wouldn't just come out and say which movies are going to be good--but he did give some short, zen-like predictions. Check 'em out below. 1. Pink Panther 2 -- Watch the trailer. I think Steve Martin is one of the smartest and funniest comedians alive, but each of his new movies makes this a little harder to remember. Don't get me wrong, Pink Panther (2006) is decent slapstick with a handful of especially funny moments. If the sequel is any better, it'll be worth the price of admission. THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "My dandruff is really quite edible." (That means the film may seem off-putting, but is actually pretty good.) 2. He's Just Not that Into You -- Watch the trailer. This looks less like a story than An Evening of Stars Getting Together and Not Getting Together. Have you seen the mash-up video Christian Bale Is Just Not That Into You? THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "I quench my thirst with my own drool." (That means he's attracted to Jennifer Connelly, and laments that, alas, they can never be together. If you wanna have fun or just feel close to Ms. Conelly, Recast DARK CITY.) 3. Fanboys -- Watch the trailer. This movie started a brawl between the badasses of Star Wars and Star Trek. Vote for your favorite characters to help them survive the brawl. Fanboys has been hanging around since 2007, so I'm kind of wary. Nevertheless, it's full of good people (Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, and Kristin Bell in Princess Leia's golden bikini, yikes!) THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "These darn saddle sores just won't heal!" (He's tired of all the delays, and hopes the film lives up to his expectations. It also means, would I please hand him my lip balm so he can give some relief to his rump?) 4. Coraline -- Watch the trailer. I've read the book by Neil Gaiman and it's pretty good, sort of Alice In Wonderland meets The Nightmare Before Christmas. Hey, that's what the trailer looks like, too! THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "Does a Coal Monster poop diamonds?" (This must be some kind of stock phrase among groundhogs. Do any of you know what it means?) 5. Push -- Watch the trailer. The director of this thriller made Lucky Number Slevin, which was pretty good. On the other hand... THE GROUNDHOG SAYS: "I have blood in my stool." (This is far too vulgar to translate, and he knows better. I kick him lightly in the saddlesores and he scurries back into his hole.) ________________________________________________ NEW TO DVD 2/3 There are a bunch of Friday the 13th special editions coming out, some on Blu-ray. I was thinking about seeing the new Friday the 13th next Friday, but then my appetite for slasher films was ruined by the horrid My Bloody Valentine 3-D. 1. Zack and Miri Make a Porno -- Watch the trailer. Since it stars those two delightful cats--Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks--I'm surprised it bombed so bad in the theater. I haven't seen this yet; any opinions on whether it deserves a look? 2. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist -- Watch the trailer. Don't you just wanna pinch Michael Cera's cheeks? 3. Redbelt -- Watch the trailer. A good but flawed film from David Mamet about honor (and the lack thereof) among professional Tae Kwon Do competitors. I learned from this film that the only belt higher than blackbelt is redbelt...and if I'm not mistaken, there's only one Redbelt at a time. 4. Bottle Shock -- Watch the trailer. Starring Bill Pullman and the superb Alan Rickman, this comedy-drama's set in 1976, within the world of wine-making and wine-tasting. If you've ever been to a wine-tasting, you know there's plenty to make fun of there. The best comments I've ever heard at a wine-tasting. I'm not making these up: (1) It's a bit austere in the mid-nose. (2) Ooh, I'm almost sensing a bit of effervescence that isn't really there! 5. The Secret Life of Bees -- Watch the trailer. Wow, that Dakota Fanning is everywhere these days. Yesterday I saw Dakota down at the DMV, trying to get her driver's license. I'm like, "What do you need that for?" And she's like, "I'm not gonna drive! They're just photographing me! My agent made this deal so that my picture goes on every new photo ID in America." Just an FYI, if you're going to get a license or passport. 6. Assault on Precint 13 (re-release) -- This is one John Carpenter classic I haven't seen. Any opinions of it? 7. Being There (re-release) -- Watch the trailer. I'm a fan of Peter Sellers, but I haven't seen this one. By the way, we're giving it away. Find out how to win. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/5/39117.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/5/2009 5:01:02 PM
Body: Out of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:01:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/5/2009 5:01:02 PMOut of all the cinematic staples, the so-called “magical negro” is the worst to define and discuss due to it being the mother of all loaded terms. A catch-all phrase used to describe how African-Americans in film tend to be superhuman physically, spiritually or both, it’s currently in the midst of the pop cultural zeitgeist thanks to a crappy song and New Year’s faux-pas. Anytime someone sees a black character used as a story tool in a film — in the case of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) originally didn’t exist in Fitzgerald’s story — there is a mild cry of “There! There! I see a magical negro in the distance! Yes! There!” One should wonder why Eric Roth deemed it necessary to suddenly introduce the character as a framing device for guiding the CGI Man-Child about, but that’s up to anyone who can be assed to sit through that three hour bore. So, we’ve taken it upon ourselves—and in full expectation of the eventual backlash that will come from one friend of ours, Odienator at Big Media Vandalism—to deconstruct the favorite crutch of Stephen King, the Wachowski Brothers and whoever else has a problem understanding just what makes the worst stereotype the worst stereotype. The “Morgan Freeman” As Seen In: Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Shawshank Redemption A controversial choice, sure, and quite possibly a lazy choice. But Morgan Freeman has so deeply inserted himself in our culture as the wise, old teacher that him playing a seductively raging pimp in Street Smart seems impossible. Yet his gravely, nurturing voice seems to soothe us into believing whatever he says. And for some reason, he’s now playing into the comfortable role that he’s been typecast as since Driving Miss Daisy–the wiry, coy helper who can do fine on his own, but decides to help the Lead instead. In a way, Freeman became unintentionally responsible for confusing any black actor in any role as falling under the “magic negro” cliché. The Angel As Seen In: The Family Man, The Legend of Bagger Vance, What Dreams May Come, The Preacher’s Wife Every so often, a Successful White Guy finds himself with an overwhelming problem: his girlfriend left him, he’s too rich and successful, he realizes he’s Robin Williams. And lo, a loosely defined but altruistic Black Man will appear with unknown powers to set the S.W.G. straight. Sometimes, he’ll appear as Don Cheadle. Other times, he’ll be Will Smith, emerging from the woods and help you get your (golf) game back. And rarely, he’ll be Cuba Gooding, Jr. (and later Max von Sydow) or Denzel Washington, who’ll help you re-connect with your loved ones. Best shown through the utter ridiculousness from Bagger Vance, The Angel provides a fresh start to our troubled lead character, who must pretend to have his angst quickly fixed by the folksy and whimsical lessons given by their winged friends. Ultimately, there’s a generic life lesson learned (”keep family close, don’t let work get in the way, learn golf”) that benefits both the Angel and the S.W.G. (and in case of Preacher’s Wife, Courtney Vance.) The Innocent As Seen In: The Green Mile, Radio We’re pushing it with Radio here, but hold on. The Innocent is normally portrayed by a large, intimidating figure (Michael Clarke Duncan) or, if you’re Cuba Gooding Jr., a “full retard.” Everything is child-like to them and they’re incapable of controlling their own strength–or knowingly acting as if they have mental problems for critical acclaim. And they posses a great inner spirit that seems almost magical. Not to mention their sympathetic white friends (Tom Hanks, Ed Harris) feel pity for them based on their short-comings, but are won over by their child-like sympathy–and curing their tract infections. The Teacher As Seen In: The Matrix Trilogy, The Secret Life of Bees, The Shining Whether they’re telling Keanu to free his mind, teaching Dakota Fanning about the blues and selling her precious honey, or demonstrating how to talk with your index finger–The Teacher is there. While the role could be played by anyone, here we’re given figures that seem to have all the knowledge in the world, yet all they can be is a foil to pass that onto another character–normally the dopey white guy or gal. As Spike Lee once asked, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/kitkat4real/archive/2008/10/31/36849.aspx Post By: KitKat4real
Post To: KitKat4real Blog
Post Date: 10/31/2008 3:46:56 PM
Body: Went to see this movie with the girls from my book club. We had read the book a year ago. This movie was excellent. It followed closely to the book and I was quite impressed. Highly recommend this... but you might want to read the book first, because it helps you to appreciate it.
]]>Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:46:56 GMTKitKat4realKitKat4real Blog10/31/2008 3:46:56 PMWent to see this movie with the girls from my book club. We had read the book a year ago. This movie was excellent. It followed closely to the book and I was quite impressed. Highly recommend this... but you might want to read the book first, because it helps you to appreciate it. 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/mystery/MemberTagFilms.aspxmystery
Number of films tagged: 156

Number of people who tagged: 82

Number of times used: 208

]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:30 GMT15682208Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/coming-of-age/MemberTagFilms.aspxcoming-of-age
Number of films tagged: 83

Number of people who tagged: 40

Number of times used: 99

]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:47:51 GMT834099Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/predictable/MemberTagFilms.aspxpredictable
Number of films tagged: 40

Number of people who tagged: 37

Number of times used: 52

]]>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:32:00 GMT403752Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/heartwarming/MemberTagFilms.aspxheartwarming
Number of films tagged: 27

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 34

]]>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:23:54 GMT272534Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/guilt/MemberTagFilms.aspxguilt
Number of films tagged: 521

Number of people who tagged: 23

Number of times used: 36

]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:42:35 GMT5212336Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/manipulative/MemberTagFilms.aspxmanipulative
Number of films tagged: 11

Number of people who tagged: 11

Number of times used: 11

]]>Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:19:34 GMT111111Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/bees/MemberTagFilms.aspxbees
Number of films tagged: 28

Number of people who tagged: 10

Number of times used: 10

]]>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:28:29 GMT281010Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/runaway/MemberTagFilms.aspxrunaway
Number of films tagged: 14

Number of people who tagged: 8

Number of times used: 14

]]>Wed, 20 May 2009 00:26:39 GMT14814Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/civilrights/MemberTagFilms.aspxcivilrights
Number of films tagged: 242

Number of people who tagged: 4

Number of times used: 5

]]>Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:53:49 GMT24245Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/racerelations/MemberTagFilms.aspxracerelations
Number of films tagged: 144

Number of people who tagged: 4

Number of times used: 4

]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:08:15 GMT14444Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/TIFF08/MemberTagFilms.aspxTIFF08
Number of films tagged: 252

Number of people who tagged: 2

Number of times used: 252

]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:48:32 GMT2522252Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Toronto-Film-Fest-2008/MemberTagFilms.aspxToronto-Film-Fest-2008
Number of films tagged: 252

Number of people who tagged: 2

Number of times used: 252

]]>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:48:40 GMT2522252Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/beekeeping/MemberTagFilms.aspxbeekeeping
Number of films tagged: 15

Number of people who tagged: 0

Number of times used: 0

]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT1500Tag