Here it is, the new Make the Cut feature you’ve all been waiting for! In support of movie fans and future moviemakers everywhere, we’ve developed a new feature to put YOU (or your favorite online videos) in the spotlight. Every week we’ll highlight an amateur video–whether it be your homemade version of your favorite movie, alternate endings, or an awesome (or awesomely bad) video found on YouTube. So start looking, start submitting, and enjoy watching, discussing, and sharing these fabulous short films!
But wait, how do I join in the fun?
All it takes is an email. Send your videos, or links to videos you’ve created or discovered online, to trg226@nyu.edu. Or simply add them as a comment to a blog post. It’s really as simple as that.
To get you in the spirit, here’s some fabulous advice on making your own homemade movies from Jack Black and Michel Gondry, from their film Be Kind Rewind.
With all of the Twilight buzz swirling around the blogosphere (and pre-teens’ Facebook pages), it seems this would be the perfect time to remind everyone of the fun that can be had from “real” vampires. Remember them? You know, scary, immortal, damned to drink human blood for all eternity and generally skulk around with all of the other creepy creatures that go bump in the night? These days, poor Dracula’s fangs have been filed down to kitten-like points, and his biggest concerns have become raging hormones, high school crushes, and *gasp* homework! No wonder he can’t face the light of day!
If you’re like me and missing the days when the bad guys and evil creatures were actually bad and evil, here are a few must-have classic and contemporary vampire movies to sink your teeth into:
Sean Penn stars in Gus Van Sant's new movie, "Milk."
I’m sure you’ve all heard the Oscar buzz already circulating about Sean Penn’s new flick, “Milk,” directed by Gus Van Sant. It has become a surprisingly timely and important film about the incredible life of an inspiring gay politician, a man who was vocal about gay rights in a time when homosexuals were treated like criminals and arrested just for being in the same place. It’s unlikely that this film will be able to hide its political agenda with subtlety, but regardless of personal beliefs, this film will likely ignite an even greater interest in the conversation about gay rights and gay marriage. Below are some more details about the film, including a shoutout for The Mayor of Castro Street, a biography by an amazing journalist, which you should all go out and buy!
This upcoming Wednesday, Focus Features is releasing “Milk,” a $20-million drama starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the San Francisco city supervisor and gay activist who was gunned down in 1978 by a disgruntled former supervisor.
Milk’s successful effort against a California proposition 30 years ago that would have barred gay teachers in public schools closely parallels today’s battle against the recently passed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state.
“The timing is not bad for this movie,” said Peter Sealey, a former studio marketing executive who now teaches at Claremont Graduate University’s school of management. He noted that the movie could benefit, especially in urban markets, from its topicality.
Penn is already being touted as a potential Oscar nominee, and the film is being embraced by critics.
But whether “Milk” can achieve anywhere near the success of “Brokeback Mountain,” which cost $14 million to produce and generated $178 million in worldwide ticket sales, is something even Focus executives caution against.
The distributor is positioning “Milk” as a celebration of a crusader whose political activism inspired others to live their lives openly. The movie’s poster carries the tagline “Never Blend In.” The trailer hits upon themes of courage and struggle in the face of bigotry against homosexuals, with Milk’s own words, “You’ve got to give ‘em hope.” For the Internet, Focus created a “Milk Mosaic,” a feature in which people can share their coming-out stories through words, videos, photos or drawings.
For decades, there were attempts to bring Harvey Milk’s story to the big screen. At one time “Milk” director Gus Van Sant and others considered making a movie adapted from Randy Shilts’ biography, “The Mayor of Castro Street,” but the project never got off the ground.
Although “Milk’s” cost is far below that of a typical studio film, its backers say it will need to appeal beyond the art house crowd to earn a profit. They were encouraged by the positive reaction from a mainstream audience when the movie was screened this summer near Las Vegas.
For those of you who’ve been waiting for Twilight fever to die down after the debut of the film this weekend, don’t hold your breath. Barely 24 hours after the first film has been released, the sequel has been greenlit because of one bottom line reason: money. And “Twilight” has been raking in a lot of it. Twilight earned an astonishing $35.7M on Friday (that number includes the $7 million from the midnight shows the night before). As expected the film took a hefty drop on Saturday earning approximately $22 million. If these estimates hold look for the film to take in about $72 million for the weekend. That’s the kind of box office territory usually reserved for “Harry Potter” flicks in this season. No wonder we’ll be seeing more of Edward and Bella soon
Netflix members can have thousands of movies and TV episodes instantly streamed to the TV via the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system when the New Xbox Experience premieres nationwide tomorrow. The Xbox 360 is the only game and entertainment console that lets users instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix to the TV. There is no additional monthly fee for Netflix members who are also Xbox LIVE Gold members.
Netflix members simply add movies and TV episodes from a growing library of more than 12,000 choices to their instant Queues at the Netflix Web site. Those choices are automatically displayed on the TV screen via the Xbox 360 and, once selected, will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds.
“This is an important and exciting moment for Netflix and Xbox,” said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore. “We believe the New Xbox Experience — with thousands of choices available to be streamed instantly from Netflix as one of its key enhancements — offers consumers a great at-home entertainment option and provides terrific value as a holiday gift idea.”
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Netflix also said it is taking the first step in instantly streaming movies and TV episodes in high definition with the introduction of approximately 300 HD choices that will play with standard definition audio via the Xbox 360. The company said it intends to increase the number of HD choices available and will eventually add multi-channel audio. Classic, adventure, musical, foreign and comedy movies now available to watch instantly in high definition include “La Vie en Rose,” “Flawless” and “Heroes.”
All Netflix members can rent from over 100,000 titles on DVD. They can instantly watch movies and TV episodes from a growing library of choices on their PCs and Intel-based Macintosh computers, as well as on their TVs via one of the Internet connected Netflix ready devices sold by Netflix partners.
I guess it depends on what you mean. According to reports, the new James Bond film had a record box office opening in North America this weekend. Details below.
If you’ve seen this flick, I’d love to hear what you think! Does the movie itself hold up to the record-breaking stats? Is it all hype, and how does it compare to the full collection of James Bond films?
A documentary, more than two years in the making, about President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign is gathering significant interest from international distributors just days after being picked up in the United States by HBO. A team of directors and editors backed by the actor Edward Norton is furiously editing the untitled project.
Given the historic nature of Mr. Obama’s victory and worldwide interest in the presidential race, the film is drawing attention from the BBC and other foreign broadcasters. Since the HBO acquisition was announced, “we’ve had an enormous number of incoming calls from territories all over the world,” said Andrew Hurwitz, an entertainment lawyer who is representing the film along with the talent agency Endeavor.
Behind-the-scenes snapshots of campaigns have become a documentary staple, with “The War Room,” about President Bill Clinton’s 1992 run, and “Journeys With George,” about President Bush’s 2000 race, being two recent examples. The film about Mr. Obama’s 21-month campaign may prove to be an especially big draw overseas.
“Of course an Obama film interests us very much,” said Nick Fraser, editor for the BBC’s “Storyville” series of documentaries.
I had an incredibly unusual experience trying to see this film in the theater. Imagine the sorts of people you’d expect to find at a Kevin Smith movie. That’s pretty much all I have to say on that point. Now, imagine the movie starts and all of the previews are animated Disney features. After the second preview, I start to suspect something is wrong–it just seems odd to advertise a movie about a little animated dog to an adult audience. Then it happens. The movie starts, and all at once the audience, united in horror, begins to shout and stand up, shielding their ears in outrage. Of all the possile mistakes to make in a theater, our projectionist was showing us the opening scenes of “High School Musical 3.” My first instinct was to run out of the theater shouting “The children! What about the children!” since naturally I assume that if we’re watching this movie, the child-filled theater next door must be about to watch, of all things, THIS MOVIE. Everyone storms out of the theater, and some of them, including one of my friends, start shouting at the unsuspecting ticket collector, “They’re playing the wrong movie!”
It seems that Christmas keeps coming earlier and earlier every year. And not in the where-does-the-time-go, I’m-always-playing-catchup-with-my-holiday-shopping kind of way. I mean that Christmas decorations are going up right at the same time that I get my sweaters out of storage and start planning my Halloween costume. By the time Christmas rolls around, a part of me is burnt out on Christmas, and partially convinced that it already came and went back in early November when everyone got their lights up.
I’m trying to stay optimistic and chalk it up to the warm and fuzzy idea that it’s just one way for us to make the Christmas spirit last all year, so it is in that same spirit that I bring you an early list of holiday movie favorites so you can set up your Netflix queue early this year. Here are my top 10 traditional and not-so-traditional picks for this year:
Classics:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas: I maintain that the animated version of this film is the best. “The Grinch,” has no Christmas spirit, and his only goal in life now is to rid the world of Christmas joy. In order to do this, he will steal all of the gifts, decorations, and food from the small town of Whoville with the belief that there is no Christmas without things. This is an absolute classic, and one I will watch for years to come in hopes of figuring out what on earth the song “Nahoo forays” is supposed to mean. Surprisingly, it only lasts 26 minutes.
A Christmas Story: One we’ve all seen a million times, and even if you’re sick of it you know you’ll still sit and watch for at least ten minutes this Christmas when flipping through the channels. Most importantly, this film has a very important message about gun safety, swearing, and frozen flagpoles. A young boy in the 1940’s takes us through the days leading up to Christmas and his enthusiastic efforts to get a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. This holiday movie is loaded with memorable scenes, and not just because it’s played 24 hours a day on TNT and TBS.
Muppet’s Christmas Carol: I like to mix it up with this fun take on the classic Dickens tale. It’s got singing rats, dancing puppets, and it does its best to glaze over the whole horrifying not-so-subtle message from the grim reaper. Every now and then a song from this film will pop into my head in the middle of summer, and it’s not nearly as annoying as you’d think.
It’s a Wonderful Life: Ok, here’s your film with a message. I do not recommend watching this back to back with a more somber version of A Christmas Carol unless you want to gain five pounds comforting yourself with food. Jimmy Stewart has fallen on tough times, and believes that the world would be better off without him, and an angel shows him what life would be like if he really had never been born. The movie is really about hope, and just how much one man can change the lives of everyone around him. It’s A Wonderful Life if a classic Christmas film that has made some lists as one of the best movies ever made.
A Charlie Brown Christmas: A wonderful made-for-TV special about Charlie Brown and his friends during the holidays. How often do you pass that one sad looking little Christmas tree and think about the tree Charlie decorates (and nearly topples) with a single red ornament?
Miracle on 34th Street: Kris Kringle gets a job as Santa at Macy’s and meets a little girl that doesn’t believe Santa exists. Kris Kringle trys to prove that he is the man from the North Pole. It’s a sweet movie and reminds me of a time when Santa was real and magical.
White Christmas: Beautiful, funny, heartwarming, everything you need from a classic Christmas movie. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play successful Broadway producer-entertainers who wind up at a Vermont country inn with the beautiful sisters of an old army buddy. The four decide to stage a musical production to help out the innkeeper.
Not-so-traditional:
Nightmare Before Christmas: I adore this movie. It’s quirky, funny, but above all, heartwarming in a completely acceptable way. The animation, characters, songs, and story are all fantastic, and it’s one of my all-time favorite movies year-round. Halloween Town is a dream world filled with deformed monsters, ghosts, and ghouls, where every day is a Halloween celebration led by Jack Skellington. Tired of the same old holiday, Jack wanders through the woods and discovers a portal to Christmas Town, which inspires him to take over a new holiday. But sometimes the best intentions lead to trouble.
Love Actually: Not technically a Christmas movie, this film takes place during the holiday season, and it explores love in all its shapes and sizes, both good and bad. It’s very charming, and full of beautiful and carefully constructed vignettes. You rejoice with the characters and hurt with the characters and reminds you of all the people you love in your life. I cry exactly four times every time I watch it.
Scrooged: This is a wonderful take on the classic Scrooge. And of course, who doesn’t love Bill Murray? His dead pan humor makes this holiday movie a riot. Props man: I can’t get the antlers glued to this little guy. We tried Crazy Glue, but it don’t work. Frank Cross: Did you try staples?
And a bonus…..
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians: I think every holiday movie list should include at least one obscure reference to a film that has significance simply because of the memories it conjures up– because watching movies is as much about the people you’re with as it is about the story of the movie itself. This particular movie is special because it is a perfect go-to flick when you feel you’re getting a sweetness overdose from other holiday fare, and my dad likes to repeat the line “these are our antennae” at random, far past the holiday season, even when it’s not really a relevant reference.
Katherine Heigl stars in this romantic comedy about a selfless young woman who is trapped in the role of perennial bridesmaid. She meets Malcolm (James Marsden), a cynical young man who, unbeknownst to her, writes for a newspaper’s wedding column. Malcolm is intrigued by the sheer number of times Jane has played bridesmaid, and he secretly decides to write a story about her. To further complicate Jane’s life, her younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) has just come to town and ensnared Jane’s longtime crush, George (Edward Burns). When George and Tess become engaged, Jane faces the humiliating prospect of playing bridesmaid in the wedding of her sister and the man she loves.
Ok, admittedly I did not have high hopes for this film. This is one of those movies I decide to watch when I’m in the mood to sit back, unwind, and let my mind go completely blank so it can be filled with chick flick feel-goodery. Sadly, my mind stayed blank this time. This is a movie all about weddings. Not marriages, not relationships, just weddings. It’s odd that none of the main characters are married. When Kevin chides Jane that she doesn’t care about marriage, just weddings, he could be speaking for the film itself. We are led to assume that every wedding, no matter how oddly attired, ends happily ever after, and Heigl’s stock character only has to patiently wait for her turn. Heigl is charming and engaging, and comes across as a real person stuck in a flat movie.
Warning: I am including the trailer below. If you have any intention of watching the film in the future, DO NOT watch this trailer. Why? Because watching a 30 second trailer tells you absolutely everything you’ll get out of the film, including how it’ll end.
I’m completely torn about this movie. Admittedly, I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I have read all of her works, many of them more than once, and for the sake of full disclosure, Pride and Prejudice is a strong contender on my list of favorite books of all time. The film on its own is fantastic: romantic, tragic, beautiful, with a passionate and believable male lead (something that’s been hard to find in the stiffly proper men of past Austen film adaptations). However, placing the film in the context of the time and Jane Austen’s life is a bit of a disaster. Try as I might, it just doesn’t work. Ignore it, and you’ll have a reasonably enjoyable film.
As I’m sure many fans were, I was overjoyed at the thought of another Austen-based film to devour. Staring at Keira Knightley’s face for half of the recent Pride and Prejudice flick was not a huge satisfaction for me (especially considering the number of important plot pieces that were cut to make room for… more shots of Keira staring into a mirror). And was anyone else upset about how silly Elizabeth seemed to be in that film? For those unfamiliar with the book, it would be extremely difficult to understand the stark contrast between the lively but completely appropriate manners of Elizabeth and the uncontrolled silliness of the younger Bennet sisters and their mother.
On to Becoming Jane. I empathize with the extreme difficulty in portraying one of literature’s most beloved and well-known female figures. Anne Hathaway did her best with the task, but standing next to the vibrant, captivating energy of James McAvoy, she comes across as blank and cold. James McAvoy is every woman’s dream for the love interest, and he kept my interest throughout the entire film. Finally I completely understand the fascination with McAvoy and why every woman is in love with him. Outside of Jane Austen and her novels, this is an extremely romantic story, made all the more romantic from its being doomed from the beginning. I found it absolutely captivating from beginning to end, surprisingly sexy at times for a period film, and completely moving. Many of the best moments were small, and I think the director was particularly adept at emphasizing those moments and reminding us that this was a time when the touch of a hand on a dance floor could be electric. One of the more heart-poundingly romantic clips below (you’re welcome ladies!!):
Once I was over the flutter from getting caught up in this film, I began to have my doubts. Just because it is arguably the most popular of Austen’s works, does not mean that Pride and Prejudice is the most autobiographical. Did anyone else notice this? Also, I have to say that my main bone of contention is that I find it extremely difficult to imagine that even McAvoy’s abundant charms would be capable to convince a respectable woman like Austen to elope. It just wouldn’t happen. Anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice knows from Lydia’s scandalous affair that an elopement is the absolute ruin of a woman’s character and reputation. End of discussion.
Becoming Jane definitely has its flaws. But it is sweet and well-meaning, and completely satisfied my girlish need for period films full of romance and passion and manners. And that was enough for me.
