list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Xanadu 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/Xanadu/39128/default.aspx Title: Xanadu
Year: 1980
Director: Robert Greenwald
Plot: In this film, the mysterious Kira (Olivia Newton-John) appears to assist and inspire a young artist, Sonny Malone (Michael Beck). When she helps him meet up with the rich Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), the two join up together to create an artistic and business success, an unique club called "Xanadu." ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Number of Lists: 3
Number of blog posts: 14
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:03:57 GMTXanadu1980Robert GreenwaldIn this film, the mysterious Kira (<a href="/players/P____52476/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Olivia Newton-John</a>) appears to assist and inspire a young artist, Sonny Malone (<a href="/players/P_____4876/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Beck</a>). When she helps him meet up with the rich Danny McGuire (<a href="/players/P____97107/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Gene Kelly</a>), the two join up together to create an artistic and business success, an unique club called "Xanadu." ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide3142http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t31125e607k.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Xanadu/39128/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/1/37801.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/1/2008 4:03:57 PM
Body: Is it that odd to imagine a Waterworld musical on Broadway? After all, Xanadu made it to the big stage, so anything is possible for infamous turkeys like this one. Sure, it looks rather silly in the video below, the way Patrick Warburton and company have made it, but with the right creative team Waterworld could really work as a kitchy cult attraction. Maybe team up two randoms, the way Marvel has with the upcoming Spider-Man show directed by Julie Taymor and featuring music by Bono. Honestly, there seems to be nothing that Broadway producers could announce that’s any more ridiculous than what’s already been done there. So, terrible movie-turned-musical ideas may continue to be easy gags, and they’re possibly even going to make me laugh, but ultimately I would like to go see Con Air: The Musical (from 30 Rock) and Planet of the Apes: The Musical (from The Simpsons) and musicals made out of Waterworld, The Postman, Battlefield Earth and especially Ishtar. Who would love you, Mariner? I would. Check out the commercial for Waterworld: The Musical after the jump. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:03:57 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/1/2008 4:03:57 PMIs it that odd to imagine a Waterworld musical on Broadway? After all, Xanadu made it to the big stage, so anything is possible for infamous turkeys like this one. Sure, it looks rather silly in the video below, the way Patrick Warburton and company have made it, but with the right creative team Waterworld could really work as a kitchy cult attraction. Maybe team up two randoms, the way Marvel has with the upcoming Spider-Man show directed by Julie Taymor and featuring music by Bono. Honestly, there seems to be nothing that Broadway producers could announce that’s any more ridiculous than what’s already been done there. So, terrible movie-turned-musical ideas may continue to be easy gags, and they’re possibly even going to make me laugh, but ultimately I would like to go see Con Air: The Musical (from 30 Rock) and Planet of the Apes: The Musical (from The Simpsons) and musicals made out of Waterworld, The Postman, Battlefield Earth and especially Ishtar. Who would love you, Mariner? I would. Check out the commercial for Waterworld: The Musical after the jump. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/11/7/37063.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 11/7/2008 2:01:06 PM
Body: A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.” So! My list is after the jump. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul Barry Lyndon Charade Deconstructing Harry Eyes Wide Shut Forty Second Street Ghostbusters Happy Together I Walked With a Zombie Joe vs. the Volcano Killers, The (1946) Long Goodbye, The Morocco North By Northwest On The Town Purple Rain Querelle Rules of the Game, The Star is Born, A (1954) They All Laughed Une Femme est une Femme Vivre Sa Vie When A Woman Ascends the Stairs Xanadu Yolanda and the Thief Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:01:06 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog11/7/2008 2:01:06 PMA number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.” So! My list is after the jump. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul Barry Lyndon Charade Deconstructing Harry Eyes Wide Shut Forty Second Street Ghostbusters Happy Together I Walked With a Zombie Joe vs. the Volcano Killers, The (1946) Long Goodbye, The Morocco North By Northwest On The Town Purple Rain Querelle Rules of the Game, The Star is Born, A (1954) They All Laughed Une Femme est une Femme Vivre Sa Vie When A Woman Ascends the Stairs Xanadu Yolanda and the Thief Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/7/37062.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/7/2008 2:00:55 PM
Body: A number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.” So! My list is after the jump. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul Barry Lyndon Charade Deconstructing Harry Eyes Wide Shut Forty Second Street Ghostbusters Happy Together I Walked With a Zombie Joe vs. the Volcano Killers, The (1946) Long Goodbye, The Morocco North By Northwest On The Town Purple Rain Querelle Rules of the Game, The Star is Born, A (1954) They All Laughed Une Femme est une Femme Vivre Sa Vie When A Woman Ascends the Stairs Xanadu Yolanda and the Thief Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:00:55 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/7/2008 2:00:55 PMA number of our blogging friends have picked up the Alphabetical Favorites meme. The idea is that you list 26 favorite movies, one for each letter of the alphabet. Some people are adding comments, but I think it’s more interesting to just toss the titles out there, to see how they fit together within a single list and how they match up to other lists. Also, it’s been a hell of a week and I’m exhausted. I will say this: after not being able to think of a single movie beginning with the letter “J” that I enjoy more than Joe Versus the Volcano, I noticed that several commenters at the House Next Door had slotted the same film in the same face. So much for Todd McCarthy’s contention in his Doubt review that John Patrick Shanley’s first directorial effort was “misguided.” So! My list is after the jump. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul Barry Lyndon Charade Deconstructing Harry Eyes Wide Shut Forty Second Street Ghostbusters Happy Together I Walked With a Zombie Joe vs. the Volcano Killers, The (1946) Long Goodbye, The Morocco North By Northwest On The Town Purple Rain Querelle Rules of the Game, The Star is Born, A (1954) They All Laughed Une Femme est une Femme Vivre Sa Vie When A Woman Ascends the Stairs Xanadu Yolanda and the Thief Zabriskie Point Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/10/29/36782.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 10/29/2008 8:56:22 PM
Body: "High School Musical" represents everything I despise about the corporate juggernaut known as Disney: Flawless teens seemingly air-brushed by nature, ready-to-market characters prepared to franchise into every imaginable direction (stage play, television series, dolls, ice show, dolls, recording contracts, etc.), and a story you can set your watch to. It's also pretty darn fun, gosh darn it. I realize that the majority of the target audience of 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' could not give two shakes of Zac Efron's hips as to what my opinion of the film is. So this review go out to all the parents out there. If there is a female child dwelling in your home and who is old enough to form a complete sentence, chances are good she knows of the juggernaut knows as "High School Musical" (or 'HSM' if you wanna b, like, hip). Chance are, too, that you have a musical number or two lodged in your cerebral cortex as it played on an endless loop in your DVD player, or as your child practiced some third-rate karaoke version of it in front of any and all reflective surfaces within your home. For this, their third outing, the East High Wildcats are in their freshly scrubbed final year in this homogenize high school, and the doubts and fears of life outside the hallowed halls are now front and center in the minds of leads Troy (Efron), Gabrielle (Vanessa Hudgens), Chad (Corbin Blue), Taylor (Monique Coleman), and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale). As with any plot in a film with "musical" in the title, the teens plans to put on a group show, much to the dismay of the the self-absorbed Sharpay, who wants a one-woman show for her finale. And while it may feel like a cheap money-grabbing ploy to splash the big screen with this third installment, considering the first two films were squished into the confines of the small screen where their ratings shot through the ceiling, but considering the emotional resonance of high school's senior year, it seems rather fitting. It does not hurt that the cast don't seem phased by their universal omnipotence in the rooms of pre-pubescent girls and give each number their all. But the most inspired bits of this outing are compliments of director/choreographer Kenny Ortega. Ortega has lent his moves to movies since 1980s roller disco camp classic "Xanadu," and whose career since has busted some moves ("Dirty Dancing," the under-appreciated "Newsies") and lost its grooves ("Shag" or "Salsa," anyone?) -- and he's next set to direct the remake of the 80s equivalent to "HSM," "Footloose" in 2010) -- but he finds his groove early here and channels his inner Fosse. He never misses an opportunity to toss in a nod to musicals past, from the faux-tough "West Side Story" orneriness of "The Boys are Back," to the Busby Berkely-inspired "A Night to Remember," and even the spinning room of "Roman Holiday" for good measure. It's not a far cry from the "put on a show" mentality of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney so many decades ago. And as a parent of a young daughter who adores "Singin' in the Rain," it's a tad refreshing to witness another musical that can be easily inserted into the DVD player without fear of her emulating the pelvic thrusts of so many other hungry starlets in the current pop stratosphere. The only time "HSM3" trips on its stage is when it attempts to shoehorn its newest batch of fresh-faced cast members (poised and ready for their "High School Musical 4" debut, coming to a TV near you in 2009). They possess little of the mile-wide charisma of Efron or Tisdale's catty histrionics. It's a fitful send-off to seniors so squeaky clean, they make "ABC's Afterschool Specials" look like Larry Clarke's "Kids" by comparison. It's a cheery, chipper finale so wholesome it may leave calcium deposits in its wake, but so gleefully in love with its own power of positivity, it happily earns its tasseled mortarboard.
]]>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:56:22 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog10/29/2008 8:56:22 PM"High School Musical" represents everything I despise about the corporate juggernaut known as Disney: Flawless teens seemingly air-brushed by nature, ready-to-market characters prepared to franchise into every imaginable direction (stage play, television series, dolls, ice show, dolls, recording contracts, etc.), and a story you can set your watch to. It's also pretty darn fun, gosh darn it. I realize that the majority of the target audience of 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' could not give two shakes of Zac Efron's hips as to what my opinion of the film is. So this review go out to all the parents out there. If there is a female child dwelling in your home and who is old enough to form a complete sentence, chances are good she knows of the juggernaut knows as "High School Musical" (or 'HSM' if you wanna b, like, hip). Chance are, too, that you have a musical number or two lodged in your cerebral cortex as it played on an endless loop in your DVD player, or as your child practiced some third-rate karaoke version of it in front of any and all reflective surfaces within your home. For this, their third outing, the East High Wildcats are in their freshly scrubbed final year in this homogenize high school, and the doubts and fears of life outside the hallowed halls are now front and center in the minds of leads Troy (Efron), Gabrielle (Vanessa Hudgens), Chad (Corbin Blue), Taylor (Monique Coleman), and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale). As with any plot in a film with "musical" in the title, the teens plans to put on a group show, much to the dismay of the the self-absorbed Sharpay, who wants a one-woman show for her finale. And while it may feel like a cheap money-grabbing ploy to splash the big screen with this third installment, considering the first two films were squished into the confines of the small screen where their ratings shot through the ceiling, but considering the emotional resonance of high school's senior year, it seems rather fitting. It does not hurt that the cast don't seem phased by their universal omnipotence in the rooms of pre-pubescent girls and give each number their all. But the most inspired bits of this outing are compliments of director/choreographer Kenny Ortega. Ortega has lent his moves to movies since 1980s roller disco camp classic "Xanadu," and whose career since has busted some moves ("Dirty Dancing," the under-appreciated "Newsies") and lost its grooves ("Shag" or "Salsa," anyone?) -- and he's next set to direct the remake of the 80s equivalent to "HSM," "Footloose" in 2010) -- but he finds his groove early here and channels his inner Fosse. He never misses an opportunity to toss in a nod to musicals past, from the faux-tough "West Side Story" orneriness of "The Boys are Back," to the Busby Berkely-inspired "A Night to Remember," and even the spinning room of "Roman Holiday" for good measure. It's not a far cry from the "put on a show" mentality of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney so many decades ago. And as a parent of a young daughter who adores "Singin' in the Rain," it's a tad refreshing to witness another musical that can be easily inserted into the DVD player without fear of her emulating the pelvic thrusts of so many other hungry starlets in the current pop stratosphere. The only time "HSM3" trips on its stage is when it attempts to shoehorn its newest batch of fresh-faced cast members (poised and ready for their "High School Musical 4" debut, coming to a TV near you in 2009). They possess little of the mile-wide charisma of Efron or Tisdale's catty histrionics. It's a fitful send-off to seniors so squeaky clean, they make "ABC's Afterschool Specials" look like Larry Clarke's "Kids" by comparison. It's a cheery, chipper finale so wholesome it may leave calcium deposits in its wake, but so gleefully in love with its own power of positivity, it happily earns its tasseled mortarboard. http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/9/16/35196.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 9/16/2008 1:02:17 PM
Body: Did you see the above ad yesterday or today on MSNBC, in which Philip Butler, one of John McCain’s fellow Vietnam POWs, dismisses the notion that McCain’s imprisonment qualifies him to be president, and also kind of bashes him for being not a very nice guy? Were you as conflicted as I was? When I first saw it, a voice in my head said, “Huh. The Obama campaign finally got some balls. Too bad they had to get them from Robert Greenwald.” According to this FOX News story, Brave New PAC (the political action committee sprung from Greenwald’s propaganda factory Brave New Films) initially bought just two days worth of airtime on CNN and MSNBC, and will spend to purchase more airtime if the ad “seems to be resonating.” So far, it doesn’t seem to be. To be fair, maybe they bought the wrong two days. MSNBC’s hosts devoted about 90 percent of their shows yesterday to Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, and today they seem to be scrambling to acknowledge that, oh yeah, anybody who has any money to lose is screwed. Meanwhile, online, no one’s talking about it.  The Huffington Post has ignored it. The ad has been viewed about 65,000 times in eleven days on YouTube––not a bomb, but not a runaway viral hit, either. For some perspective: the eight minute version of the final dance number from Greenwald’s Xanadu has been viewed on YouTube just under 500,000 times. If only there was a way to mobilize the rollerdancing ghost of committed liberal Gene Kelly in the fight to win back the White House… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:02:17 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog9/16/2008 1:02:17 PM Did you see the above ad yesterday or today on MSNBC, in which Philip Butler, one of John McCain’s fellow Vietnam POWs, dismisses the notion that McCain’s imprisonment qualifies him to be president, and also kind of bashes him for being not a very nice guy? Were you as conflicted as I was? When I first saw it, a voice in my head said, “Huh. The Obama campaign finally got some balls. Too bad they had to get them from Robert Greenwald.” According to this FOX News story, Brave New PAC (the political action committee sprung from Greenwald’s propaganda factory Brave New Films) initially bought just two days worth of airtime on CNN and MSNBC, and will spend to purchase more airtime if the ad “seems to be resonating.” So far, it doesn’t seem to be. To be fair, maybe they bought the wrong two days. MSNBC’s hosts devoted about 90 percent of their shows yesterday to Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, and today they seem to be scrambling to acknowledge that, oh yeah, anybody who has any money to lose is screwed. Meanwhile, online, no one’s talking about it.  The Huffington Post has ignored it. The ad has been viewed about 65,000 times in eleven days on YouTube––not a bomb, but not a runaway viral hit, either. For some perspective: the eight minute version of the final dance number from Greenwald’s Xanadu has been viewed on YouTube just under 500,000 times. If only there was a way to mobilize the rollerdancing ghost of committed liberal Gene Kelly in the fight to win back the White House… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/16/35195.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/16/2008 1:01:59 PM
Body: Did you see the above ad yesterday or today on MSNBC, in which Philip Butler, one of John McCain’s fellow Vietnam POWs, dismisses the notion that McCain’s imprisonment qualifies him to be president, and also kind of bashes him for being not a very nice guy? Were you as conflicted as I was? When I first saw it, a voice in my head said, “Huh. The Obama campaign finally got some balls. Too bad they had to get them from Robert Greenwald.” According to this FOX News story, Brave New PAC (the political action committee sprung from Greenwald’s propaganda factory Brave New Films) initially bought just two days worth of airtime on CNN and MSNBC, and will spend to purchase more airtime if the ad “seems to be resonating.” So far, it doesn’t seem to be. To be fair, maybe they bought the wrong two days. MSNBC’s hosts devoted about 90 percent of their shows yesterday to Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, and today they seem to be scrambling to acknowledge that, oh yeah, anybody who has any money to lose is screwed. Meanwhile, online, no one’s talking about it.  The Huffington Post has ignored it. The ad has been viewed about 65,000 times in eleven days on YouTube––not a bomb, but not a runaway viral hit, either. For some perspective: the eight minute version of the final dance number from Greenwald’s Xanadu has been viewed on YouTube just under 500,000 times. If only there was a way to mobilize the rollerdancing ghost of committed liberal Gene Kelly in the fight to win back the White House… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:01:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/16/2008 1:01:59 PM Did you see the above ad yesterday or today on MSNBC, in which Philip Butler, one of John McCain’s fellow Vietnam POWs, dismisses the notion that McCain’s imprisonment qualifies him to be president, and also kind of bashes him for being not a very nice guy? Were you as conflicted as I was? When I first saw it, a voice in my head said, “Huh. The Obama campaign finally got some balls. Too bad they had to get them from Robert Greenwald.” According to this FOX News story, Brave New PAC (the political action committee sprung from Greenwald’s propaganda factory Brave New Films) initially bought just two days worth of airtime on CNN and MSNBC, and will spend to purchase more airtime if the ad “seems to be resonating.” So far, it doesn’t seem to be. To be fair, maybe they bought the wrong two days. MSNBC’s hosts devoted about 90 percent of their shows yesterday to Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, and today they seem to be scrambling to acknowledge that, oh yeah, anybody who has any money to lose is screwed. Meanwhile, online, no one’s talking about it.  The Huffington Post has ignored it. The ad has been viewed about 65,000 times in eleven days on YouTube––not a bomb, but not a runaway viral hit, either. For some perspective: the eight minute version of the final dance number from Greenwald’s Xanadu has been viewed on YouTube just under 500,000 times. If only there was a way to mobilize the rollerdancing ghost of committed liberal Gene Kelly in the fight to win back the White House… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/24/33020.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/24/2008 11:01:19 AM
Body: Earlier this year, I thought that it was way too late for a Sex and the City movie. But then it made a ton of cash, so I guess I was wrong. Still, I’m going to continue similarly thinking it’s too late for another X-Files movie. And even if I’m proven wrong and the masses get out to theaters this weekend in search of the truth, I’ll keep on believing that X-Files: I Want to Believe is way past its time. To celebrate Mulder and Scully’s tardiness, here are 10 other movies that came out too late: The Godfather Part III (Released in: 1990; Should have been released in: 1976) - Never mind the fact that had this third installment been made years earlier, Sofia Coppola wouldn’t have been cast and therefore wouldn’t have given her terribly infamous performance. The more important matter is that sequels arriving more than a decade after the previous installment are almost always doomed. The longer the wait, the higher the expectations, and the greater the disappointment. Of course, not everyone agrees that it was also too late for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Live Free or Die Hard, Rambo, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, etc. Snakes on a Plane (Released in: 2006; Should have been released in: 2005) - By the time it finally hit theaters, there was already a major backlash to the hype behind SoaP, and that backlash was apparently well-deserved when audiences saw just how lame the movie ended up being. It was an early indicator that a lot of internet buzz and popular viral marketing does not necessarily equal a lot of money at the box office. More than a year later, though, fears of another SoaP-like disappointment came with the hype behind Cloverfield, yet the monster movie fared much better. Of course, no movie seemed to be more ridiculous a web sensation than The Dark Knight, the record-breaking success of which could still prompt more SoaP-type disasters in the future. Home on the Range (Released in: 2004; Should have been released in: 1994) - When you Google the words “ill-timed” “release” and “film”, this is the first thing that comes up, probably because it’s legendary for marking the (temporary) end of 2-D Disney animation. It actually came out almost a decade after the first Pixar feature signaled the doomed future of these kinds of films, and a number of 2-D animations were actually quite successful in that ten years. But Home on the Range is notable for both having begun preproduction before the release of the first Toy Story and for having been announced as the last traditionally animated Disney feature. Now, of course, the studio has changed its mind, so we’ll just have to see if Home on the Range was indeed too late or simply too bad. Infamous (Released in: 2006; Should have been released in: 2005) - One of many unfortunate movies to come out on the heels of another film dealing with the same subject. Similarly late, similarly redundant efforts include Deep Impact, Mars Attacks!, Volcano, The Forbidden Dance, Red Planet, Wyatt Earp and Valmont. But Infamous seemed more the loser of its race because of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar win for Capote. The Simpsons Movie (Released in: 2007; Should have been released in: 1997) - It may be funny enough, but this movie still suffered a bit from being past the TV series’ prime. A lot more people would have been a lot more excited about the spin-off if it had come out ten years earlier. The Onion Movie (Released in 2008; Should have been released in: 2003) - Should this not be included because it actually never came out in theaters in the U.S.? Whatever. I’m still accepting it as one of the worst examples of shelving a film for way too long. From the unbearable bits I attempted to watch, the jokes were quite dated, though I have to admit they might not have been all that funny when (mostly) filmed five years ago. As an alternate, in case you don’t accept this title: The Adventures of Pluto Nash, which was also shelved for a few years, but which was probably made too late anyway. Get Smart (Released in 2008; Should have been released in: 1978) - When it opened earlier this summer, I wrote a list about how this movie was obsolete before it was even made. Check out those 10 reasons here. Eyes Wide Shut (Released in: 1999; Should have been released in: 1998) - It may still have been received as poorly, but if this film had been able to be finished and to come out before Stanley Kubrick’s death, it might have at least been a stronger work. Angela’s Ashes (Released in: 1999; Should have been released in: 1995) - How long is too late for a film adaptation of a best-selling book? Considering there are still successful movies based on works such as “The Iliad” and “Beowulf”, there’s apparently no limit. But for some reason this cinematic version of Frank McCourt’s wildly popular memoir bombed at the box office. I guess compared to those early works, “Angela’s Ashes” had been read by everyone in America by the time the movie arrived, and few of its fans needed to go through the depressing events a second time. Glitter (Released in: 2001; Should have been released in: 1991) - Maybe if it had opened before 9/11, as it was supposed to, instead of directly following the tragedy. Or, better yet, maybe if it had opened in the mid ’90s before people stopped giving a damn about Mariah, it wouldn’t have bombed so horribly. Actually, because Mariah eventually became popular again, and thanks to VH1, so did the 1980s, Glitter may also be considered a movie that was too early. Perhaps one day it can find success as a Broadway show, a la Xanadu. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:01:19 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/24/2008 11:01:19 AM Earlier this year, I thought that it was way too late for a Sex and the City movie. But then it made a ton of cash, so I guess I was wrong. Still, I’m going to continue similarly thinking it’s too late for another X-Files movie. And even if I’m proven wrong and the masses get out to theaters this weekend in search of the truth, I’ll keep on believing that X-Files: I Want to Believe is way past its time. To celebrate Mulder and Scully’s tardiness, here are 10 other movies that came out too late: The Godfather Part III (Released in: 1990; Should have been released in: 1976) - Never mind the fact that had this third installment been made years earlier, Sofia Coppola wouldn’t have been cast and therefore wouldn’t have given her terribly infamous performance. The more important matter is that sequels arriving more than a decade after the previous installment are almost always doomed. The longer the wait, the higher the expectations, and the greater the disappointment. Of course, not everyone agrees that it was also too late for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Live Free or Die Hard, Rambo, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, etc. Snakes on a Plane (Released in: 2006; Should have been released in: 2005) - By the time it finally hit theaters, there was already a major backlash to the hype behind SoaP, and that backlash was apparently well-deserved when audiences saw just how lame the movie ended up being. It was an early indicator that a lot of internet buzz and popular viral marketing does not necessarily equal a lot of money at the box office. More than a year later, though, fears of another SoaP-like disappointment came with the hype behind Cloverfield, yet the monster movie fared much better. Of course, no movie seemed to be more ridiculous a web sensation than The Dark Knight, the record-breaking success of which could still prompt more SoaP-type disasters in the future. Home on the Range (Released in: 2004; Should have been released in: 1994) - When you Google the words “ill-timed” “release” and “film”, this is the first thing that comes up, probably because it’s legendary for marking the (temporary) end of 2-D Disney animation. It actually came out almost a decade after the first Pixar feature signaled the doomed future of these kinds of films, and a number of 2-D animations were actually quite successful in that ten years. But Home on the Range is notable for both having begun preproduction before the release of the first Toy Story and for having been announced as the last traditionally animated Disney feature. Now, of course, the studio has changed its mind, so we’ll just have to see if Home on the Range was indeed too late or simply too bad. Infamous (Released in: 2006; Should have been released in: 2005) - One of many unfortunate movies to come out on the heels of another film dealing with the same subject. Similarly late, similarly redundant efforts include Deep Impact, Mars Attacks!, Volcano, The Forbidden Dance, Red Planet, Wyatt Earp and Valmont. But Infamous seemed more the loser of its race because of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar win for Capote. The Simpsons Movie (Released in: 2007; Should have been released in: 1997) - It may be funny enough, but this movie still suffered a bit from being past the TV series’ prime. A lot more people would have been a lot more excited about the spin-off if it had come out ten years earlier. The Onion Movie (Released in 2008; Should have been released in: 2003) - Should this not be included because it actually never came out in theaters in the U.S.? Whatever. I’m still accepting it as one of the worst examples of shelving a film for way too long. From the unbearable bits I attempted to watch, the jokes were quite dated, though I have to admit they might not have been all that funny when (mostly) filmed five years ago. As an alternate, in case you don’t accept this title: The Adventures of Pluto Nash, which was also shelved for a few years, but which was probably made too late anyway. Get Smart (Released in 2008; Should have been released in: 1978) - When it opened earlier this summer, I wrote a list about how this movie was obsolete before it was even made. Check out those 10 reasons here. Eyes Wide Shut (Released in: 1999; Should have been released in: 1998) - It may still have been received as poorly, but if this film had been able to be finished and to come out before Stanley Kubrick’s death, it might have at least been a stronger work. Angela’s Ashes (Released in: 1999; Should have been released in: 1995) - How long is too late for a film adaptation of a best-selling book? Considering there are still successful movies based on works such as “The Iliad” and “Beowulf”, there’s apparently no limit. But for some reason this cinematic version of Frank McCourt’s wildly popular memoir bombed at the box office. I guess compared to those early works, “Angela’s Ashes” had been read by everyone in America by the time the movie arrived, and few of its fans needed to go through the depressing events a second time. Glitter (Released in: 2001; Should have been released in: 1991) - Maybe if it had opened before 9/11, as it was supposed to, instead of directly following the tragedy. Or, better yet, maybe if it had opened in the mid ’90s before people stopped giving a damn about Mariah, it wouldn’t have bombed so horribly. Actually, because Mariah eventually became popular again, and thanks to VH1, so did the 1980s, Glitter may also be considered a movie that was too early. Perhaps one day it can find success as a Broadway show, a la Xanadu. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/5/30/30219.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 5/30/2008 6:01:00 PM
Body: It’s a sad day for Mel Brooks fans. With us still mourning yesterday’s passing of Harvey Korman, who appears in a number of Brooks’ films, today Page Six reports that the Spaceballs director is “quietly shuttering” his film production company, Brooksfilms. In addition to Brooks’ directorial works from A History of the World: Part 1 through Dracula: Dead and Loving It, the company also made such films as The Elephant Man, 84 Charing Cross Road, My Favorite Year and one of my childhood favorites, the underrated guilty pleasure Solarbabies. I first caught wind of the news from Stu over at Defamer, and seeing as how his post features a montage of Brooksfilm clips that excludes Solarbabies (for which he apologizes), I present you with a clip from the film here. Isn’t it great to know that breakdance and beatboxing is still cool in the waterless post-apocalyptic future? Another thing that would be cool in the future: a Broadway adaptation of Solarbabies. Hopefully Brooks will forget about that Blazing Saddles musical that’s rumored to be in the works and concentrate on bringing one of his non-classics to the stage. It’d be kinda like Starlight Express meets Urinetown. If Xanadu can be a hit and Young Frankenstein can’t, I say this idea should at least be explored. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 30 May 2008 22:01:00 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com5/30/2008 6:01:00 PM It’s a sad day for Mel Brooks fans. With us still mourning yesterday’s passing of Harvey Korman, who appears in a number of Brooks’ films, today Page Six reports that the Spaceballs director is “quietly shuttering” his film production company, Brooksfilms. In addition to Brooks’ directorial works from A History of the World: Part 1 through Dracula: Dead and Loving It, the company also made such films as The Elephant Man, 84 Charing Cross Road, My Favorite Year and one of my childhood favorites, the underrated guilty pleasure Solarbabies. I first caught wind of the news from Stu over at Defamer, and seeing as how his post features a montage of Brooksfilm clips that excludes Solarbabies (for which he apologizes), I present you with a clip from the film here. Isn’t it great to know that breakdance and beatboxing is still cool in the waterless post-apocalyptic future? Another thing that would be cool in the future: a Broadway adaptation of Solarbabies. Hopefully Brooks will forget about that Blazing Saddles musical that’s rumored to be in the works and concentrate on bringing one of his non-classics to the stage. It’d be kinda like Starlight Express meets Urinetown. If Xanadu can be a hit and Young Frankenstein can’t, I say this idea should at least be explored. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/11/9/21559.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/9/2007 2:01:27 PM
Body: Robert Greenwald, director of Iraq For Sale, Outfoxed and Xanadu, has launched a new campaign against FoxNews called Fox Attacks. A video associated with the campaign, available on its website and embedded via YouTube above, seeks to demonstrate that every single Fox News program is guilty of “pushing smut out on the airwaves.” Among other things, the video accuses Fox of adding “inappropriate sexual images to serious news stories,” exemplified by a clip of a story in which the hunt for a serial killer in Daytona Beach is illustrated with footage of a bikini contest, complete with numerous cleavage close-ups. Greenwald and friends want to inspire viewers to request “a la carte” cable packages excluding the network. There’s a quote from Gloria Steinem on the Fox Attacks page, slamming the network for showing “more sexualized violence and humiliation than probably any other network — all in the name of condemning it.” I’m no Fox News fan, but obviously, Greenwald’s clip does the exact same thing. Their highlight reel of half-naked atrocities plays, in the context of YouTube, as straight-up softcore. I don’t know if it helps his argument or hurts it, but Greenwald certainly knows a thing or two about gratuitous sexuality on TV; he got his start in the 70s directing made-for-TV exploitation flicks like Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold, which marked the leading lady debut of a young Kim Basinger. If you come across any clips of that on the web, do pass them along. [via Digg] Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:01:27 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/9/2007 2:01:27 PM Robert Greenwald, director of Iraq For Sale, Outfoxed and Xanadu, has launched a new campaign against FoxNews called Fox Attacks. A video associated with the campaign, available on its website and embedded via YouTube above, seeks to demonstrate that every single Fox News program is guilty of “pushing smut out on the airwaves.” Among other things, the video accuses Fox of adding “inappropriate sexual images to serious news stories,” exemplified by a clip of a story in which the hunt for a serial killer in Daytona Beach is illustrated with footage of a bikini contest, complete with numerous cleavage close-ups. Greenwald and friends want to inspire viewers to request “a la carte” cable packages excluding the network. There’s a quote from Gloria Steinem on the Fox Attacks page, slamming the network for showing “more sexualized violence and humiliation than probably any other network — all in the name of condemning it.” I’m no Fox News fan, but obviously, Greenwald’s clip does the exact same thing. Their highlight reel of half-naked atrocities plays, in the context of YouTube, as straight-up softcore. I don’t know if it helps his argument or hurts it, but Greenwald certainly knows a thing or two about gratuitous sexuality on TV; he got his start in the 70s directing made-for-TV exploitation flicks like Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold, which marked the leading lady debut of a young Kim Basinger. If you come across any clips of that on the web, do pass them along. [via Digg] Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/8/23/18593.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/23/2007 11:02:02 AM
Body: Robert Greenwald, who has made a living making unabashedly partisan documentaries about Wal-Mart and Iraq since scratching Xanadu off his resume, has teamed with Senator Bernie Sanders to launch a viral video campaign against Fox News. The first video, which you can see at FoxAttacks.com, calls for viewers to put pressure on the mainstream media to put pressure on the Bush administration. My favorite line from the Hollywood Reporter story: “One media observer said the video lacked balance and journalistic credibility.” IFC has picked up three films expected to screen at the Toronto Film Festival, including Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely. In keeping with their previously announced plan to focus their attention on the First Take initiative, IFC will release all of these new acquisitions simultaneously in theaters and on VOD. “Jeff Goldblum and his hometown of Pittsburgh, whether it likes it or not, have combined to create a surprising summer delight,” effuses an un-bylined AP story floating over at The Hollywood Reporter. That’s an, uh, interesting way to introduce the pay-cable debut of a film that made its festival debut 15 months ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Originally posted on:Spoutblog
]]>Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:02:02 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/23/2007 11:02:02 AM Robert Greenwald, who has made a living making unabashedly partisan documentaries about Wal-Mart and Iraq since scratching Xanadu off his resume, has teamed with Senator Bernie Sanders to launch a viral video campaign against Fox News. The first video, which you can see at FoxAttacks.com, calls for viewers to put pressure on the mainstream media to put pressure on the Bush administration. My favorite line from the Hollywood Reporter story: “One media observer said the video lacked balance and journalistic credibility.” IFC has picked up three films expected to screen at the Toronto Film Festival, including Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely. In keeping with their previously announced plan to focus their attention on the First Take initiative, IFC will release all of these new acquisitions simultaneously in theaters and on VOD. “Jeff Goldblum and his hometown of Pittsburgh, whether it likes it or not, have combined to create a surprising summer delight,” effuses an un-bylined AP story floating over at The Hollywood Reporter. That’s an, uh, interesting way to introduce the pay-cable debut of a film that made its festival debut 15 months ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Originally posted on:Spoutblog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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