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Under discussion:

Domino  (2005)

Marie Antoinette  (2006)

Pirates of the Caribbean [Film Series]  Production Year

The Duchess  (2008)

I don’t want to imply that I find all corset movies to be boring — though I’ve never been a big fan of that stuffy period-piece genre — but after watching the new trailer for The Duchess (courtesy of Moviefone), I’ve bookmarked the film as potentially the??most effective??sleeping aid??of 2008. The main problem is that Keira Knightley in a corset is one of the most tired things in filmmaking these days. In fact, Knightley in any type of period piece (even Domino was set in the past, remember)??is apt to make me drowsy. Too bad, considering I’d like to give The Duchess a chance, what with it originally being adapted by the excellent Danish scripter Anders Thomas Jansen (the current screenplay appears to be reworked by period piece scribe Jeff Hatcher – yawn).

To me, The Duchess seems like a means for the true period-piece fans??to take back what’s rightfully theirs. It’s like a more traditional take on themes we saw in the wonderfully fresh Marie Antoinette. After all, Georgiana Spencer (Knightley) was another 18th-century It Girl, fashionably innovative and something of a party animal. You might have figured this out from the beginning of the trailer, which clearly points her out as “the Empress of Fashion,” though you might have been confused or doubtful since the reveal of Knightley’s appearance is pretty underwhelming, considering both that the fashion to us is 300 years old and that on Knigthley it looks so commonplace. At least we get to see the actress??with her “father” Jonathan Pryce’s wig from Pirates of the Caribbean and later a perm that would make Elsa Lanchester laugh with superiority.

Under discussion:

Swept Away  (2002)

Yes, that Madonna. The one who essentially hammered the final nail into the coffin of her acting career by convincing husband Guy Ritchie to cast her in a remake of Swept Away, whose influence then led said husband to further imperil his own filmmaking career by making Revolver, which apparently amounted to “one long advertisement for Kabbalah” in Ritchie’s patented Brit-gangster clothing. Now seemingly adhering to the adage that if one wants such a thing done right, she’s got to do it herself, Madonna has directed a long short/short feature called Filth and Wisdom. According to Variety, it’ll premiere on the Panorama sidebar at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

This story back in May described Filth as “a comedy based on the star’s own experiences,” about an “Indian chemist owner, a Jewish businessman, and a failed ballet dancer who becomes a pole dancer.” The same story said the film would likely come in at 30 minutes; according to IMDb, the current cut (which is apparently in English AND Russian) is more like 45. IMDb also informs us that the film stars Richard E. Grant and Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello, who apparently appear in the band’s entirety as themselves.

I don’t have anything else to say about this. I would rather watch the video above and just sort of guiltily sink into deep nostalgia for 1990.

Under discussion:

Back to the Future  (1985)

Days of Heaven  (1978)

In a Lonely Place  (1950)

The Women  (1939)

The 25 titles to be inducted in the National Film Registry for 2007 include some of my favorite films: George Cukor’s The Women; Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven; Nicholas Ray’s pitch-black In a Lonely Place; and, of course, my favorite franchise film of all time, Back to the Future. The full list, as well as thoughts from NFR advisory board member Dave Kehr, can be found here; see an extended clip from the Ray film above.