MetaFilter posts tagged with cinema and movie

Well if you liked Gigli...

hypersloth — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:28:04 -0800

Clerkdogs works surprisingly well versus other web-based recommendations, partly because paid enthusiasts are involved, and partly for its intuitive interface. An interview with CEO Stuart Skorman, previously of "dotshot" fame for founding and selling Reel.com.

Brüno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:43:10 -0800

Trailer for Brüno, the upcoming film by Sacha Baron Cohen, formerly known for his characters Ali G and Borat.

SPOILER: everyone on Twitter is actually living in modern times, but they were dead all along.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:44:03 -0800

It's Bad Movie Club night! You have until 9 GMT / 4 ET to procure #1: a Twitter account and #2: a copy of M. Night Shyamalan's critically misunderstood masterpiece, The Happening. Good luck!

Graham Linehan, of Father Ted and IT Crowd fame, will be your master of ceremonies, and there will be a second screening at midnight GMT / 7 ET, hosted by Phill Jupitus. But remember kids, piracy is stealing.

Ray Dennis Steckler, 1939-2009

Chinese Jet Pilot — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:53:00 -0800

Here's to Ray Dennis Steckler, the independent filmmaker who wrote, starred (as Cash Flagg) and directed influential films including The Thrill Killers, Rat Pfink a Boo Boo, and his masterpice The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies. A visionary artist whose influnce is clearly seen in contemporary cinema, Steckler was prolific (producing movies from 1963 until last year), economical (his films were self-produced, shot on 16mm film and later Hi-8 video), and brilliant (as clearly evidenced in this dance sequence from Creatures, "The First Monster Musical"). It hasn't been widely reported yet, but fans are mourning his passing. He died in his sleep yesterday, January 7th, aged 70. I hesitated to post about a death without an obituary to link to (especially since I posted another obituary 24 hours ago), but Ray Dennis Steckler was an important creative influence in my life. I saw Rat Pfink a Boo Boo as a film student, but not at school; my professors were only interested in "serious" cinema like Casablanca and similar crap. It was a revelation. I saw clear artistic vision and high production values in spite of miniscule budgets and volunteer crews. My first e-commerce purchase on the World Wide Web, probably in 1996 and with much trepidation, was a VHS copy of Rat Pfink a Boo Boo from Sinister Cinema. I still keep a VCR hooked up so that I can watch it. On our second date, I took my future wife to a screening of The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies at the old UC Theater in Berkeley, CA. They screened it in Terrorama -- costumed actors (actually the cast for that evening's showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) "terrorized" the audience by shrieking and running through the aisles. It made an impression on her. I highly recommend Steckler's films to anyone with an eye for cinema. I mourn his passing. Disclaimer: The YouTube link to the Creatures dance sequence is a self-reference. I posted that clip a few years ago.

How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?

miss lynnster — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:56:10 -0800

"But, it's a post on film noir!" I told her. She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me. I knew that caving into my desires meant I might lose her. But I didn't care. I went out to the kitchen to make coffee -- yards of coffee. Rich, strong, bitter, boiling hot, ruthless, depraved. I knew she'd be back. They Made Me A Criminal (1939) I am a fugitive... I am hunted by ruthless men! I am shunned by decent women! I am doomed to hide forever! Directed by Busby Berkeley. Starring John Garfield, The Dead End Kids, Claude Rains and Ann Sheridan. Casa blanca (1942) As big and timely a picture as ever you've seen! You can tell by the cast it's important! gripping! big! Won 3 Oscars. Directed by Michael Ortiz. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Double Indemnity (1944) Paramount's terrific story of an unholy love, and an almost perfect crime! Written and directed by Billy Wilder. Starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyk and Edward G. Robinson. The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) Nick and Nora go on holiday, and end up involved in a murder. Starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Mildred Pierce (1945) In her heart of hearts she knew it would happen this way!Joan Crawford in her Oscar-winning. Eve Arden and Ann Blyth were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress. It was also up for Best B/W Cinematography, Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Scarlet Street (1945) The GREAT STARS and DIRECTOR of "Woman in the Window" Directed by Fritz Lang. Starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett. Detour (1945) He went searching for love... but Fate forced a DETOUR to Revelry... Violence... Mystery! The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) Fate drew them together... and only murder could part them! Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Kirk Douglas. Out of the Past (1947) A MAN - Trying to run away from his past... A WOMAN - Trying to escape her future! Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming The Big Sleep (1948) The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted! Directed by Howard Hawks. Written by Raymond Chandler. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The Naked City (1948) The Most Exciting Story of the World's Most Exciting City! Starring Barry Fitzgerald and Howard Duff. The Third Man (1949) HUNTED...By a thousand men! Haunted...By a lovely girl! Directed by Carol Reed. Written by Graham Greene. Starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard and the city of Vienna. D.O.A. (1950) A picture as excitingly different as its title! Starring Edmond O'Brien and Beverly Garland. Beat The Devil (1953) Tongue-in-cheek spoof of The Maltese Falcon. Adventure at its boldest! Bogart at his best! Directed by John Huston. Screenplay by Truman Capote. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley and Peter Lorre The Hitch-Hiker (1953) When was the last time you invited death into your car? Written and directed by Ida Lupino. Starring Edmond O'Brien. Dial M for Murder (1954) Kiss By Kiss...Supreme Suspense Unfurls! Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings. Mr. Arkadian (1955) Discovering the past can be murder... Written, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. Cape Fear (1962) The Original Masterpiece Of Revenge, Confrontation And Murder! Starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen

Fonts at the movies

Terminal Verbosity — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:59:40 -0800

Fonts at the movies. Previously.

Mother isn't quite herself today.

miss lynnster — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:31:04 -0800

No rm an Ba tes and that oh, so fam ous sho wer sce ne... FULL FILM –– Psy cho (1960) The Bates Motel today (scroll to bottom for best images) Who owns Norman Bates? Ed Gein, the "real" Norman Bates Dr. Philip Skerry (the guy who wrote a 400 page book on a 2 minute movie scene) Aaaah!

Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema

hama7 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:02:33 -0800

Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema - David Bordwell

I watched a particle crawl randomly along the edge of a straight razor

elgilito — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:49:18 -0800

Cinematic particles is an online applet that draws watercolor-like visualizations of movie dialogs, from Apocalypse Now to Zabriskie Point. See also: Spinal Rhythms, L-Garden, SpyCamp and other online toys by Austrian artist Eva Schindling.

Will it blend?

darkripper — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:57:22 -0800

Apocalypse Oz

Kerwin Mathews, RIP

Chinese Jet Pilot — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:08:35 -0800

Kerwin Mathews, 1926-2007. The genre actor may be best remembered as the title character in one of my favorite movies, the classic The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

Horror from the Tubes

darkripper — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:20:06 -0800

Ed Wood on Youtube: Glen or Glenda?, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Jail Bait, Bride of the Monster (from MST3k)

It's A Wonderful Life. It's A Subversive Film

jonp72 — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:03:43 -0800

The most inspirational film ever has an underexamined dark side, including a 1947 FBI memo that branded the film as subversive and "a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers." The film's script was influenced by the liberal populism of the 1930s, used suicide as a plot point, and was criticized by a Christian Right website for "lax attitudes on alcohol and drunkenness." The film also inspired a feminist art project on "bad girl" Violet Bick and a dead-on parody of a right-wing Christian movie review. Meanwhile, Jimmy Stewart paid back Frank Capra for reviving his post-WWII career by spying on him for the FBI. The hidden backstory behind It's A Wonderful Life.

The Room: Best/Worst/Best Vanity Project Ever

boost ventilator — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 12:03:20 -0800

The Room: The Movie. Triple-threat (actor/writer/director) Tommy Wiseau made his cinematic debut in 2003 with the The Room (see trailer and various scenes), "a blend between a softcore porn flick and a Tennessee Williams stageplay." Wiseau ("who's not just one of the most unusual looking and sounding-with an unidentifiable Eastern European accent-leading men ever to grace the screen, but a narcissist nonpareil whose movie makes Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" seem the apotheosis of cinematic self-restraint...may be something of a first: A movie that prompts most of its viewers to ask for their money back-before even 30 minutes have passed." - Variety), allegedly raised $6 million outside Hollywood to cover production and marketing costs of the self-described "black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies" (see various rough dress rehersals). Audience members, including comedian David Cross, have been "marveling at the bizarre editing, bad bluescreen, uncomfortably explicit sex scenes and, of course, the enigma of Wiseau himself" as the film played monthly for years in Los Angeles. Available on DVD, diehard "roomies" swear by the theatrical experience, shout out their own commentary, hurl spoons at the screen and singalong to the soundtrack. Some call it "The Rocky Horror of the New Millenium" and stage "Room" parties. If you look at the marketing campaign or survived a screening you might see The Room as "a seminar on how NOT to make a movie." [Inspired by Boing Boing]

short films goodness

funambulist — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 08:01:27 -0800

Never ever borrow a friend's mobile, trust hitch hikers or strangers in furry costumes, never get distracted, worry about the first time or about your young son not being manly enough, and most of all never, ever forget stuff. Also, remember to always be nice to your enemies, your granny and policemen, but don't be too nice to your neighbours, and don't forget to get the car washed. Lots more brilliant short films viewable online from UK's Channel 4 Film (Real/WM streams).

earthquake and fire!

funambulist — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 02:33:43 -0800

The first clip (QuickTime movie, 15 MB) from The Science of Sleep, Michel Gondry's new film, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg (set photos), out later this year and hailed by reviewers at Sundance as a "a glorious mess", "loaded with gags and gimmicks and spectacularly beautiful and memorable images", a "wild visual phantasmagoria... and a lot of fun".

Pornographic internet game draws angers parents

charmston — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 21:19:58 -0800

The promotional game for an upcoming movie has drawn the ire of the National Institute on Media and the Family and some Twin Cities parents for having graphic sex scenes (in which "You literally engage in oral sex as a player of the game") that are easily accessibly to children by lying about your age.

"Independent" Film. What is it?

tallbuildings — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:08:17 -0800

I don't know what "independent film" means. At a time when the Weinsteins are trying to extricate themselves from Disney, it seems an appropriate question to ask. There are Indie films (non-industry money) that are supposed to imitate fancy hollywood films, there are new studios being opened outside of LA by Wealthy Christians in Denver hoping to convert through CS Lewis movies and there are Garden State, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine etc. which are like other Hollywood films: have stars, and studio money but are marketed as "Independent Films." What makes these independent? Finally, and seemingly too infrequently, there are privately financed and self-distributed unusual films like Assisted Living which despite their obvious merits and the critic's adoration are presumably ignored by the studios, blasted by the brain-numbing EW and distributed instead by the two young first-time filmmakers Why can't we see more non-hollywood and non-hollywood espousing independent ART on the screen? Why do we let every other multi-million dollar romantic comedy be sold to us as "indy" just because it has a quirky soundtrack or aesthetic sensibility. What can we do about it? I'm going to the movies. You?

Because Distractions are Fun!

ScottUltra — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:06:04 -0800

Better known for their modernist take on contemporary furniture design, Minneapolis furniture studio Blu Dot has just introduced a series of film shorts entitled Blu Dot Shorts. Their first short film, Seven Twenty (embedded Quicktime warning), was directed by Christopher Arcella (Flash warning). While is is not earth shattering conceptually, it is a jaunty and fun little piece of cinema.

The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships

rdone — Tue, 11 May 2004 19:58:03 -0800

The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships Just in time for "Troy Story", a lyrical evocation of the Iliad.

Overstating Perhaps?

adrober — Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:59:29 -0800

"This is frankly one of the greatest films ever made." Harry Knowles reviews "Return of the King."

the_0ne — Tue, 24 Sep 2002 07:31:30 -0800

Is Jesse ever happy? You'd think he'd be happy with the #1 movie in the country for 2 weeks straight being a movie that is cast totally with black people. But nope, he's not. He's upset because there was a goof on Rosa Parks and MLK Jr. Wasn't this just a movie?

kirkaracha — Sun, 23 Jun 2002 18:13:37 -0800

Nuclear war on film The Los Angeles Times [registration required] reviews the potrayal of nuclear war in the movies.

Summer — Sun, 26 May 2002 03:51:24 -0800

Cannes film sickens audience It proved so shocking that 250 people walked out, some needing medical attention. Good lord.

mathowie — Tue, 21 Sep 1999 19:58:49 -0800

I can't wait for the new version of Shaft to come out. It should be pretty cool. Richard Roundtree played a pretty good badass in the original, but other than that it was pretty comical. Rent it and listen to the lame dialouge the writers came up with.